Sunday, October 25,2009 22:46
Arab Commission for Human Rights
ARAB COMMISSION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
COMMISSION ARABE DES DROITS HUMAINS
Justice subverted: 7th session of MB leaders before military courts
Arab Commission has followed with grave concern the obstacles concerning the military tribunal of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood leaders in the renowned case known as No. 963 of 2006 Criminal Court registered at the Military Prosecutor General’s Office file No. 2 of 2007 in which 18 Egyptians are still serving harsh prison sentences.
The military tribunal is the first of its kind after the constitutional amendments of the Arab Commission for Human Rights were made. Nongovernmental organizations monitoring human rights abuses around the world, have regarded the tribunal as a serious setback to the constitution which stipulates in its charter the principle and guarantees of democratic rights and fundamental freedoms in Egypt.
Important international organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and regional organizations including the Arab Commission for Human Rights, Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary, and Arabic Network for Human Rights Information) and Egyptian organizations such as the Hisham Mubarak Center, the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights have all unanimously condemned the ruling of the Egyptian military court case No. 2 of 2007 against 40 Muslim Brotherhood leaders in which the ruling was issued on April 15, 2008. The court ruling is a breach of natural justice and the devoting of special courts for political issues reveal the absence of constitutional guarantees for defense in addition to the prevention of human International, Regional & National Human Rights to monitor the proceedings.
All human International, Regional & National Human Rights have stated that the absence of minimum guarantees defies international standards for fair trials where they emphasized that non-compliance with Article (68) of the provisions of the Egyptian Constitution in particular, is a flagrant violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) as recognized by its article 14, which was ratified by Egypt in January 1982 and published in the Official Gazette in April 15, 1982, which states that “All persons shall be equal before the courts and tribunals. In the determination of any criminal charge against him, or of his rights and obligations in a suit at law, everyone shall be entitled to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial tribunal established by law.” The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, (the body created to monitor the implementation of the ACHPR), elaborated on these rights in its principles and guidelines on the right to a fair trial. “The only purpose of military courts shall be to determine offenses of a purely military nature committed by military personnel,” the African Commission wrote. “Military courts should not, in any circumstances whatsoever, have jurisdiction over civilians.” The Egyptian Constitution reveals in article 169, that “Sessions of courts shall be made in public, unless a court decides to hold them on camera, in consideration of public order or morality.”
Egypt’s Military tribunals are under the supervision of the administration of military justice as a part of the command structure of the armed forces by the law in which the military judges shall be appointed by a decree from the Minister of Defense, which means the absence of an independent judiciary. Moreover they are subject to the regulations laid down in the Military Service Act where military discipline and obedience to orders are the most important characteristics designed only for the armed forces officers only; stressing that such a blatant contradiction is not compatible with the requirements of judicial action.
The Military tribunals of opposition political activists and protesters are a powerful message from the authorities to the judicial power in Egypt at a time when judges are engaged in epic battles to prevent the political and security interference in the core of their work. The authority attempts to remind the judges, civil and political societies that it is the absolute master in all political trials. The authorities only are entitled to deciding whether the accused remains in custody or is granted. Furthermore, judges have been appointed by the ruling regime and the authority will then decide whether the prisoner will serve a long or short term sentence.
On December 14, 2006, pre-dawn raids were carried out by the SSI against prominent Muslim Brotherhood members. They were subsequently charged with belonging to a banned organization. With the purpose as stated at the time, was to disrupt the Constitution and attack personal freedoms of citizens. They were accused of using terrorism as a means to achieve their purposes. A host of fabricated accusations and charges of money laundering were brought by the Prosecution against MB leaders two weeks after the detentions as their houses were raided, businesses stalled and employees displaced.
On January 28, 2007, the Attorney General issued a decision ordering the confiscation of the finances of the defendants, spouses, and children preventing wives and children from having access to any of their finances including real estate, cash or assets. On January 29, 2007, the Cairo criminal Court (Circuit 16th, North Cairo) overruled the provisional detention of the State Security prosecution against the defendants and ordered their immediate release without bail. However, The Interior Minister did not comply with the decision where he issued a detention and under the Emergency Law pretext. President Mubarak, used his authority as military governor, ordering their referral to a military tribunal as he issued a Presidential Decree No. 40 of February 5, 2007 which was exploited well by the Interior Minister.
Despite this three different Criminal courts have issued decisions to release the defendants. However, court’s rulings were not complied with by the executive authority and the interior minister's decision was more powerful in this regard.
On April 26, 2007, the military tribunal was convened without the presence of the Brotherhood defense lawyers where many procedural errors were made before and during the court hearing. Court of Administrative Justice, led by Judge Mohammed al-Husseini on May 8, 2007 session ordered to
The discontinuance of the implementation of the Presidential Decree No. 40/ 2007 designed to refer civilians to military courts including (MB defendants in the renowned case known as No. 963/2006 against Eng. al-Shatir and his co-defendants) where there is a continuation of the civil court epic battle against the blatant executive interference.
Egypt’s court of appeals chaired by the late Sayed Nofal (who served as adviser to the President, has rejected the demands and refused to step down from looking into the appeal submitted by the defendants. Furthermore, he upheld the government’s appeal and neglected the Administrative Court’s ruling designed to halt the President's decree No. 40. These unprecedented and shameful acts aimed to demolish legal proceedings have not occurred in the history of contemporary Egyptian judiciary since Egypt’s independence. The continuation of the military tribunals despite the existence of litigation requires us to stop examining proceedings until the Supreme Constitutional Court judges offer a verdict in regards to the conflict. Consequently, the military tribunal on April 15, 2008 issued sentences against 25 detainees to jail terms ranging from three to ten years while acquitted 15 others.
The Military Court also sentenced five MB leaders to 10 years where six of the defendants are residing outside Egypt and have been sentenced in absentia; namely Youssef Nada, Ali Ghaleb Mahmoud, Fathi Al-Kholi, Youssef Tawfik, and Ibrahim Mohamed El Zayat. The military court hearings resulted in the sentencing of El-Shater and businessman Hasan Malik to a 7-year prison term and five other MB leaders namely Ahmed Shousha, Ahmed Abdel-Ati, Saber El-Sharkawi, Assaad Mohamed and Ahmed Abdul Warith while 13 others were sentenced to 3-year prison term namely they are Essam Hashish, Farid Galabat, Midhat al-Haddad, Dhia al-Din Farahat, Mustafa Salem, Ayman Abd al-Ghani, Mohammed Ali Bishr, Mahmoud Abu-Zeid, Essam Afifi, Mamdouh El-Husseini, Fathy Baghdadi, Salah Al- Desouki and Sayyed Maroof. In addition to these unjust and harsh sentences all their belongings and assets were confiscated.
How and when will the State Council’s enforce and implement provisions?
First: The decisions by the Supreme Administrative Court on January December 27, 2008, under which the Executive power refused to release 18 citizens placed in detention, pending investigation by police.
Second: The decision by Supreme Administrative Court on July 7, 2008, in which they refused to release 13 MB members who spent three quarters of their sentence.
The Arab Commission for Human Rights has long demanded that the Egyptian authorities stop illegal military tribunals and continued escalations and violations of the constitution against the military tribunal detainees, in which Egypt is obligated under international and African law. The ACHR has stated that political and security authorities must respect the Administrative Courts' Decisions. ACHR also demands the ending of injustices committed against the detainees by respecting the parole rule where 13 prisoners’ have served three quarters of their sentence rule where they are allowed the immediate release if behaviour is suitable. All Arab organizations and associations defending human rights view the detention of the MB leaders in Case No. 963/2006 Supreme State Security as a crime against freedom and demand their immediate release.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Taliban Chief Blames Blackwater for Peshawar Blast
OutlookIndia
October 29, 2009
Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has claimed that the controversial American security firm Blackwater was behind the deadly bomb attack on a market in Peshawar that killed over 100 people.
Hakimullah questioned why the Taliban should target the public when it was capable of carrying out attacks in Islamabad and targeting the army's General Headquarters.
In an interview with BBC Urdu, he claimed Blackwater and "Pakistani agencies" were involved in attacks in public places to discredit the militants.
A powerful car bomb exploded at a crowded market in Peshawar yesterday, killing more than 100 and injuring 200 more. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had earlier said it was behind an attack on the army's headquarters earlier this month.
About 15 people were killed during that attack. A group of militants took nearly 50 people hostage before they were gunned down or blew themselves up.
Reports in the Pakistani media have claimed that Blackwater has established a presence in the country by tying up with local security firms but these allegations have been rejected by the US administration.
When Hakimullah was asked about the perception among people that militants are involved in attacks on public places, he said: "Our war is against the government and the security forces and not against the people. We are not involved in blasts."
Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq, who was present along with Hakimullah, warned that the militants could target media organisations that are "defaming" the Taliban.
North West Frontier Province Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and chief military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas have blamed militants for the blast in Peshawar.
They said militants are targeting the people because they are facing defeat in South Waziristan tribal region, where the army has launched a major ground offensive.
October 29, 2009
Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud has claimed that the controversial American security firm Blackwater was behind the deadly bomb attack on a market in Peshawar that killed over 100 people.
Hakimullah questioned why the Taliban should target the public when it was capable of carrying out attacks in Islamabad and targeting the army's General Headquarters.
In an interview with BBC Urdu, he claimed Blackwater and "Pakistani agencies" were involved in attacks in public places to discredit the militants.
A powerful car bomb exploded at a crowded market in Peshawar yesterday, killing more than 100 and injuring 200 more. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan had earlier said it was behind an attack on the army's headquarters earlier this month.
About 15 people were killed during that attack. A group of militants took nearly 50 people hostage before they were gunned down or blew themselves up.
Reports in the Pakistani media have claimed that Blackwater has established a presence in the country by tying up with local security firms but these allegations have been rejected by the US administration.
When Hakimullah was asked about the perception among people that militants are involved in attacks on public places, he said: "Our war is against the government and the security forces and not against the people. We are not involved in blasts."
Taliban spokesman Azam Tariq, who was present along with Hakimullah, warned that the militants could target media organisations that are "defaming" the Taliban.
North West Frontier Province Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain and chief military spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas have blamed militants for the blast in Peshawar.
They said militants are targeting the people because they are facing defeat in South Waziristan tribal region, where the army has launched a major ground offensive.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Arrogant US Misses the Message From Pakistan’s People
William Pfaff
October 29, 2009
There has always been in American foreign policy circles a virus called arrogance, caused by the hereditary assumption that Americans know better than others. Surprisingly, this does not always prove the case, but the condition seems highly resistant to treatment, even by experience.
There seems a high probability that the disease has struck Obama administration policy circles dealing with Pakistan. (We will leave aside the case of American relations with Afghanistan.) This administration came to office with a conviction that the Afghanistan problem is a problem because it actually is a Pakistan problem, Pakistan being a large country possessing nuclear weapons and a great many Pashtuns, who are the people from whom Taliban are recruited.
Afghanistan is a country with one-sixth Pakistan’s population, with a great many Pashtuns, too, harboring only a 100 or so members of al-Qaeda (if we are to believe the American national security adviser, Gen. James Jones), whereas popular opinion in Washington is that Pakistan is rife with them, and the country is on its way to becoming a "breeding ground" for terrorists who wish to invade the West, blow it up with nuclear weapons obtained from Pakistani stocks, and establish a new global terrorist caliphate amidst the ruins.
It is unknown whether Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visiting Pakistan this week, shares so alarmed a view, but she will hear a lot about the damage American pressures are doing to Pakistan and how fearful the Pakistani populace is, not of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, but of the United States.
According to a New York Times article this week, from Jane Perlez in Islamabad, the new fighting there against Islamists "has pleased the Americans, but it left large parts of Pakistan under siege, as militants once sequestered in the country’s tribal areas take their war to Pakistan’s cities. Many Pakistanis blame the United States for the country’s rising instability."
A recent and serious poll found that 11 percent of the Pakistani respondents said that al-Qaeda is the greatest threat to Pakistan today, 18 percent said India, and 59 percent said the United States. This was in August, before the most recent offensives of the Pakistani army against the Islamists in Waziristan and the Swat Valley, and the retaliatory city bombings that subsequently have taken place.
A vocal part of the Pakistani population clearly doesn’t want the United States in their country, and it doesn’t even want the aid the United States is sending. A notorious fact in the past has been that civilian and popular opposition to the U.S. was based on the assumption that American aid was meant to keep military governments in place and buy military cooperation with American policy.
This time, it’s the army that doesn’t want the $7.5 billion aid package that the Obama administration has put together; the aid is denounced as meant to interfere in the country’s internal affairs – as indeed it is.
The civilian government of President Asif Ali Zardari, generally thought put in place by Washington, "is seen as slavishly pro-American [as well] as unable to cope" with the current situation (I am again quoting Jane Perlez). The country’s interior minister was hit with stones by students when he visited the International Islamic University last week, and in retaliation the government closed all the schools and universities in Punjab, the most populous province (supposed to reopen Monday, Oct. 26), "a move that affected Pakistani families like never before."
To judge from the public statements of Obama counselors, Pakistan is seen as the great danger in the region, with erratic politics and nuclear weapons – and an active Islamist revolt thereby having the potential to create (according to Obama’s adviser Bruce Riedel) "the most serious threat to the United States since the end of the Cold War."
This would seem why the U.S. wants a government under its thumb to compel the army to fight the Islamists on their home territory even if this alienates the army and sows hatred of America. Is it not possible to allow Pakistan, which has a solid civil service and an excellent army, to act in defense of its own security rather than let the U.S. impose its own ideas?
Is it not imaginable that they know better than the Americans? Would Americans appreciate a Pakistani army installed in Washington, instructing the United States in how to conduct its own foreign policy in ways that suit Pakistan’s national interests?
October 29, 2009
There has always been in American foreign policy circles a virus called arrogance, caused by the hereditary assumption that Americans know better than others. Surprisingly, this does not always prove the case, but the condition seems highly resistant to treatment, even by experience.
There seems a high probability that the disease has struck Obama administration policy circles dealing with Pakistan. (We will leave aside the case of American relations with Afghanistan.) This administration came to office with a conviction that the Afghanistan problem is a problem because it actually is a Pakistan problem, Pakistan being a large country possessing nuclear weapons and a great many Pashtuns, who are the people from whom Taliban are recruited.
Afghanistan is a country with one-sixth Pakistan’s population, with a great many Pashtuns, too, harboring only a 100 or so members of al-Qaeda (if we are to believe the American national security adviser, Gen. James Jones), whereas popular opinion in Washington is that Pakistan is rife with them, and the country is on its way to becoming a "breeding ground" for terrorists who wish to invade the West, blow it up with nuclear weapons obtained from Pakistani stocks, and establish a new global terrorist caliphate amidst the ruins.
It is unknown whether Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, visiting Pakistan this week, shares so alarmed a view, but she will hear a lot about the damage American pressures are doing to Pakistan and how fearful the Pakistani populace is, not of the Taliban and al-Qaeda, but of the United States.
According to a New York Times article this week, from Jane Perlez in Islamabad, the new fighting there against Islamists "has pleased the Americans, but it left large parts of Pakistan under siege, as militants once sequestered in the country’s tribal areas take their war to Pakistan’s cities. Many Pakistanis blame the United States for the country’s rising instability."
A recent and serious poll found that 11 percent of the Pakistani respondents said that al-Qaeda is the greatest threat to Pakistan today, 18 percent said India, and 59 percent said the United States. This was in August, before the most recent offensives of the Pakistani army against the Islamists in Waziristan and the Swat Valley, and the retaliatory city bombings that subsequently have taken place.
A vocal part of the Pakistani population clearly doesn’t want the United States in their country, and it doesn’t even want the aid the United States is sending. A notorious fact in the past has been that civilian and popular opposition to the U.S. was based on the assumption that American aid was meant to keep military governments in place and buy military cooperation with American policy.
This time, it’s the army that doesn’t want the $7.5 billion aid package that the Obama administration has put together; the aid is denounced as meant to interfere in the country’s internal affairs – as indeed it is.
The civilian government of President Asif Ali Zardari, generally thought put in place by Washington, "is seen as slavishly pro-American [as well] as unable to cope" with the current situation (I am again quoting Jane Perlez). The country’s interior minister was hit with stones by students when he visited the International Islamic University last week, and in retaliation the government closed all the schools and universities in Punjab, the most populous province (supposed to reopen Monday, Oct. 26), "a move that affected Pakistani families like never before."
To judge from the public statements of Obama counselors, Pakistan is seen as the great danger in the region, with erratic politics and nuclear weapons – and an active Islamist revolt thereby having the potential to create (according to Obama’s adviser Bruce Riedel) "the most serious threat to the United States since the end of the Cold War."
This would seem why the U.S. wants a government under its thumb to compel the army to fight the Islamists on their home territory even if this alienates the army and sows hatred of America. Is it not possible to allow Pakistan, which has a solid civil service and an excellent army, to act in defense of its own security rather than let the U.S. impose its own ideas?
Is it not imaginable that they know better than the Americans? Would Americans appreciate a Pakistani army installed in Washington, instructing the United States in how to conduct its own foreign policy in ways that suit Pakistan’s national interests?
Taliban denies Peshawar blast role
Aljazeera.net
October 29, 2009
The Taliban and al-Qaeda have distanced themselves from Wednesday's deadly market blast in Peshawar that claimed 105 lives, saying "their main targets are the security forces, and not innocent civilians".
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a statement sent to the media on Thursday, condemned the car bomb attack that tore through a crowded market and denied any involvement in the explosion.
However, Pakistani government officials have said the attack was in revenge for the army's offensive against Taliban fighters in South Waziristan, and that the military campaign would go on.
The attack on the busy Mina Bazaar, which also injured more than 200 people, was the deadliest to hit Pakistan this year.
Many of those killed were women and children and on Thursday, residents of the troubled city began burying the dead.
'Rogue elements'
Lieutenant-General Asad Durrani, the former head of Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), told Al Jazeera the current situation in the country was grim and that it could take years for the situation to be brought under control.
Durrani said that rising civilian casualties were also eroding the support for the anti-government groups.
"The most dangerous category of groups are the so-called rogue elements, their agenda is neither Afghanistan-oriented nor Pakistan. They carry out certain acts and atrocities which makes the situation even more complex," he said.
Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner to the UK, told Al Jazeera: "The Taliban are losing the war, losing history. And while doing that they will kill as many as they would like to.
"But I can tell you, as our foreign minister said, we'll not buckle down. We fight them and we'll destroy them."
Clinton visit
The attack came as Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, touched down in Islamabad for talks with government officials.
Speaking in the Pakistani capital, she expressed her support for the military's offensive against the Taliban and pledging continued US assistance.
The blast hit a crowded market in the
old part of the city [AFP]
"These extremists are committed to destroying that which is dear to us, as much as they are committed to destroying that which is dear to you, and to all people," Clinton said.
"So this is our struggle as well, and we commend the Pakistani military for their courageous fight, and we commit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani people in your fight for peace and security."
Imran Khan, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Islamabad, said officials had told him that a car drove into a narrow and packed market place before exploding.
"The bomb disposal squad are at the location and are looking for clues as to what type of explosive was used," he said.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, condemned the "appalling bomb attack".
"I want to express my outrage at the loss of so many innocent lives," he told a news conference in New York.
The blast comes as Pakistan's military is fighting members of the TTP in the country's semi-autonomous tribal region of South Waziristan.
The military launched its offensive nearly two weeks ago, pitting about 30,000 Pakistani troops against an estimated 10 to 12,000 Taliban fighters in South Waziristan.
'Reckless acts'
Tariq Azeem Khan, a Pakistani senator and a former minister of state for information, told Al Jazeera that the attack showed the Taliban were becoming "reckless" in their choice of targets.
"There's very little the government can do to try to protect every single shopping mall. It's a difficult task, but they are doing their best. Pakistan is paying a very high price at the moment.
Since the South Waziristan assault began, the military says it has killed at least 231 fighters, and lost 29 soldiers.
However, independent figures are impossible to come by as journalists and aid agencies are barred from the conflict zone.
More than 125,000 people have been registered as displaced by Pakistan's offensive since October 13, United Nations officials have said.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that humanitarian access to people in need remains the key challenge for agencies, given the volatile security environment in the displacement areas.
The military has given no figures for civilian casualties, but those fleeing say many people caught in the crossfire have been killed.
October 29, 2009
The Taliban and al-Qaeda have distanced themselves from Wednesday's deadly market blast in Peshawar that claimed 105 lives, saying "their main targets are the security forces, and not innocent civilians".
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), in a statement sent to the media on Thursday, condemned the car bomb attack that tore through a crowded market and denied any involvement in the explosion.
However, Pakistani government officials have said the attack was in revenge for the army's offensive against Taliban fighters in South Waziristan, and that the military campaign would go on.
The attack on the busy Mina Bazaar, which also injured more than 200 people, was the deadliest to hit Pakistan this year.
Many of those killed were women and children and on Thursday, residents of the troubled city began burying the dead.
'Rogue elements'
Lieutenant-General Asad Durrani, the former head of Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), told Al Jazeera the current situation in the country was grim and that it could take years for the situation to be brought under control.
Durrani said that rising civilian casualties were also eroding the support for the anti-government groups.
"The most dangerous category of groups are the so-called rogue elements, their agenda is neither Afghanistan-oriented nor Pakistan. They carry out certain acts and atrocities which makes the situation even more complex," he said.
Wajid Shamsul Hasan, Pakistan's high commissioner to the UK, told Al Jazeera: "The Taliban are losing the war, losing history. And while doing that they will kill as many as they would like to.
"But I can tell you, as our foreign minister said, we'll not buckle down. We fight them and we'll destroy them."
Clinton visit
The attack came as Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, touched down in Islamabad for talks with government officials.
Speaking in the Pakistani capital, she expressed her support for the military's offensive against the Taliban and pledging continued US assistance.
The blast hit a crowded market in the
old part of the city [AFP]
"These extremists are committed to destroying that which is dear to us, as much as they are committed to destroying that which is dear to you, and to all people," Clinton said.
"So this is our struggle as well, and we commend the Pakistani military for their courageous fight, and we commit to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani people in your fight for peace and security."
Imran Khan, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Islamabad, said officials had told him that a car drove into a narrow and packed market place before exploding.
"The bomb disposal squad are at the location and are looking for clues as to what type of explosive was used," he said.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, condemned the "appalling bomb attack".
"I want to express my outrage at the loss of so many innocent lives," he told a news conference in New York.
The blast comes as Pakistan's military is fighting members of the TTP in the country's semi-autonomous tribal region of South Waziristan.
The military launched its offensive nearly two weeks ago, pitting about 30,000 Pakistani troops against an estimated 10 to 12,000 Taliban fighters in South Waziristan.
'Reckless acts'
Tariq Azeem Khan, a Pakistani senator and a former minister of state for information, told Al Jazeera that the attack showed the Taliban were becoming "reckless" in their choice of targets.
"There's very little the government can do to try to protect every single shopping mall. It's a difficult task, but they are doing their best. Pakistan is paying a very high price at the moment.
Since the South Waziristan assault began, the military says it has killed at least 231 fighters, and lost 29 soldiers.
However, independent figures are impossible to come by as journalists and aid agencies are barred from the conflict zone.
More than 125,000 people have been registered as displaced by Pakistan's offensive since October 13, United Nations officials have said.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees has said that humanitarian access to people in need remains the key challenge for agencies, given the volatile security environment in the displacement areas.
The military has given no figures for civilian casualties, but those fleeing say many people caught in the crossfire have been killed.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Israel's growing Al-Aqsa attacks 'alarming'
Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:37:18 GMT
Head of the Manuscripts Department in Al-Aqsa Mosque warns of mounting Israeli violence against the holy site, amid growing protests in the Muslim world against the desecration of the mosque.
Israel has stepped up attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque to pave the way for dividing the Muslim world's third holy site, Najeh Bkeirat said on Wednesday.
Tel Aviv's assaults and measures against the mosque have reached more than 1250 cases since the occupation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank, including Jerusalem Al-Quds, in 1967.
Bkeirat warned of an alarming increase in the hostile Israeli measures, recalling twin attacks which targeted the mosque within the same day during the past week.
The Israeli army's drills in the Al-Aqsa Mosque vicinity and barring Palestinians from entering the site is a prelude to a long-planned destruction of the mosque and its change into a Jewish temple.
Meanwhile, large crowds of Egyptian students took to streets in capital Cairo in protest to Israel's violation of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the regime's atrocities against the Palestinians.
Thousands of demonstrators, chanting anti-Israeli slogans, gathered outside the University of Cairo on Wednesday and torched the Israeli flag, IRNA reported.
A similar rally was also held by students of Alexandria University in a show of protests to the Israeli army's intrusion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The angry protesters condemned the Arab world's silence to the suffering of the Palestinian nation.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces razed six Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem Al-Quds, leaving their 26 residents, including 10 children, homeless.
Palestinians accuse Israel of efforts to remove the Palestinian-Islamic identity of East Jerusalem Al-Quds, which hosts the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
The Arab dominated neighborhood was occupied during the 1967 war by the Israeli regime, which annexed it later, despite opposition from the international community.
The Israeli municipality authorities have been evicting Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem Al-Quds ever since, demolishing their houses over 'illegal construction'.
Head of the Manuscripts Department in Al-Aqsa Mosque warns of mounting Israeli violence against the holy site, amid growing protests in the Muslim world against the desecration of the mosque.
Israel has stepped up attacks on the Al-Aqsa Mosque to pave the way for dividing the Muslim world's third holy site, Najeh Bkeirat said on Wednesday.
Tel Aviv's assaults and measures against the mosque have reached more than 1250 cases since the occupation of Palestinian territories in the West Bank, including Jerusalem Al-Quds, in 1967.
Bkeirat warned of an alarming increase in the hostile Israeli measures, recalling twin attacks which targeted the mosque within the same day during the past week.
The Israeli army's drills in the Al-Aqsa Mosque vicinity and barring Palestinians from entering the site is a prelude to a long-planned destruction of the mosque and its change into a Jewish temple.
Meanwhile, large crowds of Egyptian students took to streets in capital Cairo in protest to Israel's violation of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the regime's atrocities against the Palestinians.
Thousands of demonstrators, chanting anti-Israeli slogans, gathered outside the University of Cairo on Wednesday and torched the Israeli flag, IRNA reported.
A similar rally was also held by students of Alexandria University in a show of protests to the Israeli army's intrusion of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
The angry protesters condemned the Arab world's silence to the suffering of the Palestinian nation.
On Tuesday, Israeli forces razed six Palestinian houses in East Jerusalem Al-Quds, leaving their 26 residents, including 10 children, homeless.
Palestinians accuse Israel of efforts to remove the Palestinian-Islamic identity of East Jerusalem Al-Quds, which hosts the Al-Aqsa mosque and the Dome of the Rock.
The Arab dominated neighborhood was occupied during the 1967 war by the Israeli regime, which annexed it later, despite opposition from the international community.
The Israeli municipality authorities have been evicting Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem Al-Quds ever since, demolishing their houses over 'illegal construction'.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Report: Palestinians denied water
Page last updated at 08:58 GMT, Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Report: Palestinians denied water
Some Palestinians only get 20 litres of water a day, Amnesty says
Israel is denying Palestinians access to even the basic minimum of clean, safe water, Amnesty International says.
In a report, the human rights group says Israeli water restrictions discriminate against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
It says that in Gaza, Israel's blockade has pushed the already ailing water and sewage system to "crisis point".
Israel says the report is flawed and the Palestinians get more water than was agreed under the 1990s peace deal.
'Basic need'
In the 112-page report, Amnesty says that on average Palestinian daily water consumption reaches 70 litres a day, compared with 300 litres for the Israelis.
Israel must end its discriminatory policies, immediately lift all the restrictions it imposes on Palestinians' access to water
Donatella Rovera
Amnesty International
Gaza thirsts as sewage crisis mounts
Water shortages plague West Bank
It says that some Palestinians barely get 20 litres a day - the minimum recommended even in humanitarian emergencies.
While Israeli settlers in the West Bank enjoy lush gardens and swimming pools, Amnesty describes a series of Israeli measures it says are discriminating against Palestinians:
* Israel has "entirely appropriated the Palestinians' share of the Jordan river" and uses 80% of a key shared aquifer
* West Bank Palestinians are not allowed to drill wells without Israeli permits, which are "often impossible" to obtain
* Rainwater harvesting cisterns are "often destroyed by the Israeli army"
Water consumption graph
Recommended for short-term survival: 20 litres
For the medium term: 70 litres
Recommended for the long term: 100 litres
(Source: WHO)
# Israeli soldiers confiscated a water tanker from villagers who were trying to remain in land Israel had declared a "closed military area"
# An unnamed Israeli soldier says rooftop Palestinian household water tanks are "good for target practice"
# Much of the land cut off by the West Bank barrier is land with good access to a major aquifer
# Israeli military operations have damaged Palestinian water infrastructure, including $6m worth during the Cast Lead operation in Gaza last winter
# The Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza has "exacerbated what was already a dire situation" by denying many building materials needed for water and sewage projects.
The report also noted that the Palestinian water authorities have been criticised for bad management, quoting one audit that described the sector as in "total chaos".
"Water is a basic need and a right, but for many Palestinians obtaining even poor-quality, subsistence-level quantities of water has become a luxury that they can barely afford," Amnesty's Donatella Rovera said.
"Israel must end its discriminatory policies, immediately lift all the restrictions it imposes on Palestinians' access to water."
'Fair share'
Ms Rovera also urged Israel to "take responsibility for addressing the problems it created by allowing Palestinians a fair share of the shared water resources".
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said "the idea that we're taking water away from someone else is simply preposterous".
He argued that Israeli fresh water use per capita had gone down since 1967 due to efficiency and new technologies, while the Palestinians' use had increased and more than a third of their water was wasted.
If there were allegations of military wrongdoing, those would be investigated, he said.
He also rejected the claim that Israel was preventing Palestinians from drilling for water, saying Israel had approved 82 such projects but the Palestinians had only implemented 26 of them.
"They have received billions of dollars in international aid over the last decade and a half, why have they not invested that in their own water infrastructure>?" he asked.
The report also criticised the Oslo Accords, which the Palestinians agreed to in 1993.
It said that under them, the Palestinians gained the responsibility for managing an "insufficient" water supply and maintaining "long neglected" water infrastructure.
Also, the deal left the Palestinians paying Israel for half of the domestic water used in the West Bank, despite the fact it is extracted from the shared aquifer.
Mr Regev said Israel provides the Palestinians with more water than it was required to under the accord.
Report: Palestinians denied water
Some Palestinians only get 20 litres of water a day, Amnesty says
Israel is denying Palestinians access to even the basic minimum of clean, safe water, Amnesty International says.
In a report, the human rights group says Israeli water restrictions discriminate against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
It says that in Gaza, Israel's blockade has pushed the already ailing water and sewage system to "crisis point".
Israel says the report is flawed and the Palestinians get more water than was agreed under the 1990s peace deal.
'Basic need'
In the 112-page report, Amnesty says that on average Palestinian daily water consumption reaches 70 litres a day, compared with 300 litres for the Israelis.
Israel must end its discriminatory policies, immediately lift all the restrictions it imposes on Palestinians' access to water
Donatella Rovera
Amnesty International
Gaza thirsts as sewage crisis mounts
Water shortages plague West Bank
It says that some Palestinians barely get 20 litres a day - the minimum recommended even in humanitarian emergencies.
While Israeli settlers in the West Bank enjoy lush gardens and swimming pools, Amnesty describes a series of Israeli measures it says are discriminating against Palestinians:
* Israel has "entirely appropriated the Palestinians' share of the Jordan river" and uses 80% of a key shared aquifer
* West Bank Palestinians are not allowed to drill wells without Israeli permits, which are "often impossible" to obtain
* Rainwater harvesting cisterns are "often destroyed by the Israeli army"
Water consumption graph
Recommended for short-term survival: 20 litres
For the medium term: 70 litres
Recommended for the long term: 100 litres
(Source: WHO)
# Israeli soldiers confiscated a water tanker from villagers who were trying to remain in land Israel had declared a "closed military area"
# An unnamed Israeli soldier says rooftop Palestinian household water tanks are "good for target practice"
# Much of the land cut off by the West Bank barrier is land with good access to a major aquifer
# Israeli military operations have damaged Palestinian water infrastructure, including $6m worth during the Cast Lead operation in Gaza last winter
# The Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza has "exacerbated what was already a dire situation" by denying many building materials needed for water and sewage projects.
The report also noted that the Palestinian water authorities have been criticised for bad management, quoting one audit that described the sector as in "total chaos".
"Water is a basic need and a right, but for many Palestinians obtaining even poor-quality, subsistence-level quantities of water has become a luxury that they can barely afford," Amnesty's Donatella Rovera said.
"Israel must end its discriminatory policies, immediately lift all the restrictions it imposes on Palestinians' access to water."
'Fair share'
Ms Rovera also urged Israel to "take responsibility for addressing the problems it created by allowing Palestinians a fair share of the shared water resources".
Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said "the idea that we're taking water away from someone else is simply preposterous".
He argued that Israeli fresh water use per capita had gone down since 1967 due to efficiency and new technologies, while the Palestinians' use had increased and more than a third of their water was wasted.
If there were allegations of military wrongdoing, those would be investigated, he said.
He also rejected the claim that Israel was preventing Palestinians from drilling for water, saying Israel had approved 82 such projects but the Palestinians had only implemented 26 of them.
"They have received billions of dollars in international aid over the last decade and a half, why have they not invested that in their own water infrastructure>?" he asked.
The report also criticised the Oslo Accords, which the Palestinians agreed to in 1993.
It said that under them, the Palestinians gained the responsibility for managing an "insufficient" water supply and maintaining "long neglected" water infrastructure.
Also, the deal left the Palestinians paying Israel for half of the domestic water used in the West Bank, despite the fact it is extracted from the shared aquifer.
Mr Regev said Israel provides the Palestinians with more water than it was required to under the accord.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Rabbis Convene, Call for Ascent to Temple Mount
by Gil Ronen
(IsraelNN.com) At a special conference Sunday night at Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem, Zionist rabbis are calling for Jewish ascent to the Temple Mount and for an end to the use of the Temple Mount as a platform for Muslim incitement.
The rabbis participating in the conference include Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi Yaakov Madan and Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich. Also participating are Knesset Members Uri Ariel, Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union, MK Uri Orbach (Jewish Home) and Kadima's Otniel Schneller. Jerusalem Deputy Mayor David Hadari and Moshe Feiglin are also among the scheduled speakers.
The chairman of the conference, Temple Institute Director Yehudah Glick told Arutz Sheva that the conference's date was chosen because this is the anniversary of the visit by Rambam (Maimonides) to the Temple Mount.
“There is a worrisome phenomenon that every time two or three rocks are thrown [by Arabs], the Jews are distanced from the Temple Mount,” he said. “The Arabs learned this and they behave accordingly.” Glick said that the police's decision to close down the Mount to Jews during the Sukkot holiday week was a move that could not go unanswered.
Many Zionist rabbis support ascent to the Temple Mount but some do not, citing the Nation of Israel's current state of impurity. Those who support ascent insist that the visitors first undergo ritual immersion in a mikveh, remain along the outer perimeter of the grounds and stay outside of areas where Jewish law forbids them to go.
(IsraelNN.com) At a special conference Sunday night at Heichal Shlomo in Jerusalem, Zionist rabbis are calling for Jewish ascent to the Temple Mount and for an end to the use of the Temple Mount as a platform for Muslim incitement.
The rabbis participating in the conference include Rabbi Dov Lior, Rabbi Yuval Cherlow, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, Rabbi Yaakov Madan and Kotel Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich. Also participating are Knesset Members Uri Ariel, Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari of the National Union, MK Uri Orbach (Jewish Home) and Kadima's Otniel Schneller. Jerusalem Deputy Mayor David Hadari and Moshe Feiglin are also among the scheduled speakers.
The chairman of the conference, Temple Institute Director Yehudah Glick told Arutz Sheva that the conference's date was chosen because this is the anniversary of the visit by Rambam (Maimonides) to the Temple Mount.
“There is a worrisome phenomenon that every time two or three rocks are thrown [by Arabs], the Jews are distanced from the Temple Mount,” he said. “The Arabs learned this and they behave accordingly.” Glick said that the police's decision to close down the Mount to Jews during the Sukkot holiday week was a move that could not go unanswered.
Many Zionist rabbis support ascent to the Temple Mount but some do not, citing the Nation of Israel's current state of impurity. Those who support ascent insist that the visitors first undergo ritual immersion in a mikveh, remain along the outer perimeter of the grounds and stay outside of areas where Jewish law forbids them to go.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
Demonstrations at holy shrine erupt into violence as youths fight battles with riot police.
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 25 October 2009 17.03 GMT
Israeli riot police firing stun grenades and crowds of young Palestinians
Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
Israeli riot police firing stun grenades and crowds of young Palestinians throwing stones clashed in the compound around the al-Aqsa mosque in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City today.
It was the latest flare-up in several weeks of protests around the site, known as the Temple Mount or the Haram al-Sharif. Around two dozen people were injured, mostly Palestinians, but none were seriously hurt.
Israeli forces stormed up into the compound behind riot shields and crowds of Palestinians fled, some taking sanctuary in the al-Aqsa mosque.
The second intifada of 2000 began with protests in the same area, but these latest clashes have been less violent and so far seem unlikely to trigger a more widespread uprising against the Israeli occupation.
Several Palestinians were arrested by Israeli police, among them Hatam Abd al-Qadir, a senior Palestinian adviser on Jerusalem, and Ali Abu Sheikha, a senior leader from the Islamic Movement, an organisation within Israel.
David Cohen, the head of Israel's national police, accused Muslim extremists of inciting violence. "The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those who incite to riot," Cohen said.
Palestinians, however, have been increasingly concerned about right-wing Jewish settlers entering the compound and about rumours - denied by Israel - of excavations near the site. The Old City, in east Jerusalem, was captured by Israel in the 1967 war and later annexed, a move never recognised by the international community.
Palestinian officials accused the Israeli police of provoking the violence. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Abbas, condemned "the storming of Haram al-Sharif by Israeli forces". He added: "Jerusalem is a red line that Israel should not cross." There have been protests over the incident from the Islamic Conference and the Arab League.
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 25 October 2009 17.03 GMT
Israeli riot police firing stun grenades and crowds of young Palestinians
Palestinians clash with Israeli troops at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem
Israeli riot police firing stun grenades and crowds of young Palestinians throwing stones clashed in the compound around the al-Aqsa mosque in the heart of Jerusalem's Old City today.
It was the latest flare-up in several weeks of protests around the site, known as the Temple Mount or the Haram al-Sharif. Around two dozen people were injured, mostly Palestinians, but none were seriously hurt.
Israeli forces stormed up into the compound behind riot shields and crowds of Palestinians fled, some taking sanctuary in the al-Aqsa mosque.
The second intifada of 2000 began with protests in the same area, but these latest clashes have been less violent and so far seem unlikely to trigger a more widespread uprising against the Israeli occupation.
Several Palestinians were arrested by Israeli police, among them Hatam Abd al-Qadir, a senior Palestinian adviser on Jerusalem, and Ali Abu Sheikha, a senior leader from the Islamic Movement, an organisation within Israel.
David Cohen, the head of Israel's national police, accused Muslim extremists of inciting violence. "The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those who incite to riot," Cohen said.
Palestinians, however, have been increasingly concerned about right-wing Jewish settlers entering the compound and about rumours - denied by Israel - of excavations near the site. The Old City, in east Jerusalem, was captured by Israel in the 1967 war and later annexed, a move never recognised by the international community.
Palestinian officials accused the Israeli police of provoking the violence. Nabil Abu Rdainah, a spokesman for Abbas, condemned "the storming of Haram al-Sharif by Israeli forces". He added: "Jerusalem is a red line that Israel should not cross." There have been protests over the incident from the Islamic Conference and the Arab League.
Israeli police storm Jerusalem holy site
By RAWHI RAZIM, Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM – Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem's holiest shrine Sunday, firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinian protesters who were pelting them with stones.
Although there were no serious injuries, it was one of the most intense incidents of violence in recent unrest around the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. In the past, clashes at the site have erupted into deadly violence.
Muslim leaders had urged the crowd to gather at the site's Al-Aqsa Mosque early Sunday in response to what they said was "Jewish conquest." Israeli police said the protesters hurled a fire bomb and poured oil on the ground to make the forces slip.
A large wall of riot police, holding plexiglass shields, closed in on the crowd, sending many protesters — overwhelmingly young men — running into the mosque for cover. Forces didn't enter the holy site, but protesters inside occasionally opened the shuttered doors to throw objects. At one point, protesters shot water and a fire extinguisher toward the door.
Three police officers were lightly wounded, and 15 protesters were arrested, including the Palestinian president's adviser on Jerusalem affairs for alleged incitement, said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
Palestinian medics accused Israel of preventing ambulances from reaching the area. Two protesters were seen being taken away with injuries, including an elderly man who was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet.
Hundreds of protesters remained holed up inside, and later Sunday, police said the crowd had gathered outside for a new round of clashes. Hundreds of police remained in the area, and emergency medical services were on high alert, in case of further violence, police said.
Around midday, small groups of youths were seen darting in and out of alleyways, throwing stones and bottles at police, who responded with more stun grenades.
Israel's national police chief, Dudu Cohen, accused a small group of Muslim extremists of trying to foment violence.
"The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those incite to riot," he said.
The disputing claims to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City lie at the heart of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It is revered as the holiest site in Judaism, home to the biblical Temples.
It also is the third-holiest site in Islam, after the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, and believed to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and famous gold-covered Dome of the Rock lie inside.
The site has been under Israeli control since 1967, but it is administered by a Muslim religious body known as the Waqf. The compound is opened for several hours a day to allow tourists and Jews to visit, though they are not permitted to pray there.
Tensions have been high in recent weeks since local Muslim leaders accused Israel of digging under the compound and plotting to harm Muslim holy sites.
They have provided no evidence to support the claims, though Israel has carried out archaeological digs in nearby areas. Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily accused Muslim extremists of spreading baseless lies.
The Palestinians seek to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future independent state, while Netanyahu says he will never share control of the holy city.
Religious and nationalist sentiment connected with the site have made it a flashpoint for violence in the past. A visit in 2000 by Ariel Sharon, then an Israeli opposition leader, helped ignite deadly clashes that escalated into violence that engulfed Israel and the Palestinian territories for several years.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli operation. "Jerusalem is a red line that Israel should not cross," said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas.
In the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas militant group called on Palestinians to rise up against Israel, for Arabs and Muslims worldwide to punish Israel. "The real battle begins again," declared spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
___
AP correspondents Michael Barajas and Dalia Nammari contributed to this report.
JERUSALEM – Israeli forces stormed Jerusalem's holiest shrine Sunday, firing stun grenades to disperse hundreds of Palestinian protesters who were pelting them with stones.
Although there were no serious injuries, it was one of the most intense incidents of violence in recent unrest around the hilltop compound known to Jews as the Temple Mount and to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary. In the past, clashes at the site have erupted into deadly violence.
Muslim leaders had urged the crowd to gather at the site's Al-Aqsa Mosque early Sunday in response to what they said was "Jewish conquest." Israeli police said the protesters hurled a fire bomb and poured oil on the ground to make the forces slip.
A large wall of riot police, holding plexiglass shields, closed in on the crowd, sending many protesters — overwhelmingly young men — running into the mosque for cover. Forces didn't enter the holy site, but protesters inside occasionally opened the shuttered doors to throw objects. At one point, protesters shot water and a fire extinguisher toward the door.
Three police officers were lightly wounded, and 15 protesters were arrested, including the Palestinian president's adviser on Jerusalem affairs for alleged incitement, said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld.
Palestinian medics accused Israel of preventing ambulances from reaching the area. Two protesters were seen being taken away with injuries, including an elderly man who was shot in the leg with a rubber bullet.
Hundreds of protesters remained holed up inside, and later Sunday, police said the crowd had gathered outside for a new round of clashes. Hundreds of police remained in the area, and emergency medical services were on high alert, in case of further violence, police said.
Around midday, small groups of youths were seen darting in and out of alleyways, throwing stones and bottles at police, who responded with more stun grenades.
Israel's national police chief, Dudu Cohen, accused a small group of Muslim extremists of trying to foment violence.
"The police will act with a strong hand against anyone who disrupts order on the Temple Mount and against those incite to riot," he said.
The disputing claims to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem's Old City lie at the heart of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. It is revered as the holiest site in Judaism, home to the biblical Temples.
It also is the third-holiest site in Islam, after the Saudi cities of Mecca and Medina, and believed to be the place where the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven. The Al-Aqsa Mosque and famous gold-covered Dome of the Rock lie inside.
The site has been under Israeli control since 1967, but it is administered by a Muslim religious body known as the Waqf. The compound is opened for several hours a day to allow tourists and Jews to visit, though they are not permitted to pray there.
Tensions have been high in recent weeks since local Muslim leaders accused Israel of digging under the compound and plotting to harm Muslim holy sites.
They have provided no evidence to support the claims, though Israel has carried out archaeological digs in nearby areas. Two weeks ago, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu angrily accused Muslim extremists of spreading baseless lies.
The Palestinians seek to make east Jerusalem the capital of a future independent state, while Netanyahu says he will never share control of the holy city.
Religious and nationalist sentiment connected with the site have made it a flashpoint for violence in the past. A visit in 2000 by Ariel Sharon, then an Israeli opposition leader, helped ignite deadly clashes that escalated into violence that engulfed Israel and the Palestinian territories for several years.
In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority condemned the Israeli operation. "Jerusalem is a red line that Israel should not cross," said Nabil Abu Rdeneh, spokesman for President Mahmoud Abbas.
In the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas militant group called on Palestinians to rise up against Israel, for Arabs and Muslims worldwide to punish Israel. "The real battle begins again," declared spokesman Fawzi Barhoum.
___
AP correspondents Michael Barajas and Dalia Nammari contributed to this report.
Friday, October 23, 2009
Netanyahu's Plan to Change Laws of War an Admission that Israel Violated Them
22/10/2009 01:31:00 PM GMT
The chair of the International Institute for Criminal Investigation on Thursday morning warned that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's aspiration to change the laws of war is unrealistic, and said the initiative was "almost an admission" Israel had violated international law during Operation Cast Lead.
Netanyahu directed the relevant ministries on Tuesday to look into ways of launching an international initiative to change the laws of war to deal with the modern-day scourge of terrorism. This new initiative comes fast on the heels of the Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of war crimes for its military operation in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
"It's one thing to claim that [the rules of war] should change, but that doesn't give you an excuse to violate them until they've changed," said William Schabas, professor of human rights law and the author of twenty-one books dealing with international human rights law, in an interview with Army Radio.
"I think the fact that Netanyahu says he wants to change the laws of war is almost an admission that Israel violated them," Schabas claimed.
The world-renowned law professor went on to predict it was very unlikely the world would support the Israeli prime minister's initiative. It is not realistic to say that the Geneva Conventions, which were intended to protect the lives of civilians in a military conflict, do not allow a state to handle terror threats, he said.
When Israel harmed civilians during Operation Cast Lead it broke laws based on ancient moral values, said Schabas.
One cannot change the rules by defining your enemy as cruel and vicious, Schabas stressed, adding, if you break the law, you are behaving like the terrorists against whom you are fighting.
Schabas, a supporter of the Goldstone Commission's report, also said that the international community would probably not accept an Israeli army probe into the alleged war crimes. However, a committee of inquiry established by the government would be accepted, he assessed.
At a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet that focused on the Goldstone report and its ramifications on Tuesday, Netanyahu had said Israel's challenge was "to delegitimize the continuous attempt to delegitimize the State of Israel."
"In Lebanon, in Gaza and in other places, weapons are being piled up around us with the sole aim of firing them at the citizens of the State of Israel," he claimed. "I want to make it clear to everyone: No one will undermine our ability and right to defend our children, our citizens and our communities."
¬
Source: AJP
The chair of the International Institute for Criminal Investigation on Thursday morning warned that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's aspiration to change the laws of war is unrealistic, and said the initiative was "almost an admission" Israel had violated international law during Operation Cast Lead.
Netanyahu directed the relevant ministries on Tuesday to look into ways of launching an international initiative to change the laws of war to deal with the modern-day scourge of terrorism. This new initiative comes fast on the heels of the Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of war crimes for its military operation in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
"It's one thing to claim that [the rules of war] should change, but that doesn't give you an excuse to violate them until they've changed," said William Schabas, professor of human rights law and the author of twenty-one books dealing with international human rights law, in an interview with Army Radio.
"I think the fact that Netanyahu says he wants to change the laws of war is almost an admission that Israel violated them," Schabas claimed.
The world-renowned law professor went on to predict it was very unlikely the world would support the Israeli prime minister's initiative. It is not realistic to say that the Geneva Conventions, which were intended to protect the lives of civilians in a military conflict, do not allow a state to handle terror threats, he said.
When Israel harmed civilians during Operation Cast Lead it broke laws based on ancient moral values, said Schabas.
One cannot change the rules by defining your enemy as cruel and vicious, Schabas stressed, adding, if you break the law, you are behaving like the terrorists against whom you are fighting.
Schabas, a supporter of the Goldstone Commission's report, also said that the international community would probably not accept an Israeli army probe into the alleged war crimes. However, a committee of inquiry established by the government would be accepted, he assessed.
At a meeting of the Israeli security cabinet that focused on the Goldstone report and its ramifications on Tuesday, Netanyahu had said Israel's challenge was "to delegitimize the continuous attempt to delegitimize the State of Israel."
"In Lebanon, in Gaza and in other places, weapons are being piled up around us with the sole aim of firing them at the citizens of the State of Israel," he claimed. "I want to make it clear to everyone: No one will undermine our ability and right to defend our children, our citizens and our communities."
¬
Source: AJP
Israel Won't Prosecute Officers Filmed Beating Palestinians
22/10/2009 01:31:01 PM GMT
Israeli Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan rejected an appeal against the decision not to investigate Israeli Border Police officers who documented themselves abusing Palestinians.
The appeal was filed by the Yesh Din human rights group.
Israeli senior deputy to the state prosecutor Nechama Zusman wrote last week on Nitzan's behalf that "the beating in the case was extremely slight and did not cause any actual damage. Therefore, the deputy state prosecutor did not think it was appropriate to intervene in the decision of the Justice Ministry's department for the investigation of police officers to transfer the case to the care of the Israel Police disciplinary department, along with a recommendation to discipline the officers in question."
Yesh Din issued a sharp response on Tuesday. The organization's legal adviser, Michael Sfard, wrote to Zusman that, "Your position demonstrates unprecedented tolerance of abuse of people in custody by a person of authority, through the use of violence and humiliation."
"The question of damage suffered is completely irrelevant, as criminal law prohibits assault and without qualifying it by the gravity of the damage caused," the letter continued. "The argument that beating a prisoner is not a criminal act is even worse than the beating itself, and amounts to a dangerous move by the prosecution."
The organization called upon the prosecution to review its decision to close the criminal case. Sfard asked for disciplinary proceedings to be stalled until a final decision is made, and made clear that Yesh Din is considering further legal measures if the original decision is upheld.
The video clips in which the Israeli occupation officers documented themselves beating and humiliating Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem were revealed over a year ago, and appear to have been filmed in July 2007 and August 2008.
One clip shows an armed Israeli Border Police officer hitting a Palestinian detainee on the back of the head. Another shows a different officer forcing a Palestinian youth to salute. Yesh Din, which made the clips public, said they were found in a cell phone apparently lost by one of the officers.
Israeli Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan rejected an appeal against the decision not to investigate Israeli Border Police officers who documented themselves abusing Palestinians.
The appeal was filed by the Yesh Din human rights group.
Israeli senior deputy to the state prosecutor Nechama Zusman wrote last week on Nitzan's behalf that "the beating in the case was extremely slight and did not cause any actual damage. Therefore, the deputy state prosecutor did not think it was appropriate to intervene in the decision of the Justice Ministry's department for the investigation of police officers to transfer the case to the care of the Israel Police disciplinary department, along with a recommendation to discipline the officers in question."
Yesh Din issued a sharp response on Tuesday. The organization's legal adviser, Michael Sfard, wrote to Zusman that, "Your position demonstrates unprecedented tolerance of abuse of people in custody by a person of authority, through the use of violence and humiliation."
"The question of damage suffered is completely irrelevant, as criminal law prohibits assault and without qualifying it by the gravity of the damage caused," the letter continued. "The argument that beating a prisoner is not a criminal act is even worse than the beating itself, and amounts to a dangerous move by the prosecution."
The organization called upon the prosecution to review its decision to close the criminal case. Sfard asked for disciplinary proceedings to be stalled until a final decision is made, and made clear that Yesh Din is considering further legal measures if the original decision is upheld.
The video clips in which the Israeli occupation officers documented themselves beating and humiliating Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem were revealed over a year ago, and appear to have been filmed in July 2007 and August 2008.
One clip shows an armed Israeli Border Police officer hitting a Palestinian detainee on the back of the head. Another shows a different officer forcing a Palestinian youth to salute. Yesh Din, which made the clips public, said they were found in a cell phone apparently lost by one of the officers.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
'Israel won't yield to U.S. demands, won't halt settlement construction'
By Haaertz Service
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke to Channel 2 on Saturday about the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, held earlier this week, saying that Israel's government will not allow the U.S. to dictate its policy, and that "settlement construction will not be halted."
"Settlements are not the reason that the peace process is failing, they were never an obstacle, not at any stage," Ya'alon told Channel 2 News. "Even when Israel pulled out of [Palestinian] territory, the terror continued. Even when we uprooted [Jewish] communities, we got 'Hamastan.' That is why I propose that we think about it - not in slogans and not with decrees."
According to Ayalon, "we will not halt the construction in the settlements within the framework of natural growth. There are people here who are living their lives, raising children. Housing is required ? it wasn't housing that has prevented peace."
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In reference to the illegal West Bank outposts, which Israel has vowed to evacuate and has begun to do so, Ya'alon stressed that "the government will not permit illegal settlement, as we've proven with our actions this week."
Some believe that the evacuation of the outpost of Maoz Esther on Thursday morning, which came a day after Defense Ministry sources told Haaretz that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak had agreed on a plan to evacuate illegal outposts in the West Bank, was carried out in accordance with U.S. pressure. However, Barak denied any correlation between the Netanyahu-Obama meeting on Monday, and the evacuation.
Ya'alon also addressed reports that the U.S. had upped its demands and was trying to dictate Israel's next moves in the negotiations with the Palestinians. "What the U.S. is asking is not a demand, we'll see whether their declaration become actual demands," he said.
"[U.S. envoy to the Middle East George] Mitchell will come, and we'll talk to him. I suggest that Israel and the U.S. don't set a timetable. We won't let them threaten us," Ya'alon added.
"From the banks of the Potomac in Washington it is not always clear what the real situation here is," Ya'alon concluded. "This is where Israel must step in and help her ally understand the situation."
Ya'alon also criticized Israel, saying that "the Israeli discourse paints us as hostile, the problem is within us."
Strategic Affairs Minister Moshe Ya'alon spoke to Channel 2 on Saturday about the meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama, held earlier this week, saying that Israel's government will not allow the U.S. to dictate its policy, and that "settlement construction will not be halted."
"Settlements are not the reason that the peace process is failing, they were never an obstacle, not at any stage," Ya'alon told Channel 2 News. "Even when Israel pulled out of [Palestinian] territory, the terror continued. Even when we uprooted [Jewish] communities, we got 'Hamastan.' That is why I propose that we think about it - not in slogans and not with decrees."
According to Ayalon, "we will not halt the construction in the settlements within the framework of natural growth. There are people here who are living their lives, raising children. Housing is required ? it wasn't housing that has prevented peace."
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In reference to the illegal West Bank outposts, which Israel has vowed to evacuate and has begun to do so, Ya'alon stressed that "the government will not permit illegal settlement, as we've proven with our actions this week."
Some believe that the evacuation of the outpost of Maoz Esther on Thursday morning, which came a day after Defense Ministry sources told Haaretz that Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak had agreed on a plan to evacuate illegal outposts in the West Bank, was carried out in accordance with U.S. pressure. However, Barak denied any correlation between the Netanyahu-Obama meeting on Monday, and the evacuation.
Ya'alon also addressed reports that the U.S. had upped its demands and was trying to dictate Israel's next moves in the negotiations with the Palestinians. "What the U.S. is asking is not a demand, we'll see whether their declaration become actual demands," he said.
"[U.S. envoy to the Middle East George] Mitchell will come, and we'll talk to him. I suggest that Israel and the U.S. don't set a timetable. We won't let them threaten us," Ya'alon added.
"From the banks of the Potomac in Washington it is not always clear what the real situation here is," Ya'alon concluded. "This is where Israel must step in and help her ally understand the situation."
Ya'alon also criticized Israel, saying that "the Israeli discourse paints us as hostile, the problem is within us."
Israel Air Force drill simulates war with Arab states, terror groups
By Amos Harel
The Israel Air Force held a major drill yesterday simulating a war between Israel and Arab states and terrorist groups. As part of the drill, the air force tested readiness against attacks, including rockets and missiles targeting the home front from multiple directions.
Even though the plan was not substantively different from drills in previous years, it drew international media attention because of recent developments in Iran's nuclear program and Iran's test-firing Wednesday of a ballistic missile with an estimated 2,000-kilometer range - which would put Israel within reach.
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Most air force squadrons participated in the drill, including interceptors, attack aircraft, helicopters, transport and refueling aircraft, the air defense system and air force intelligence. The drill also involved ground forces.
The scenario being tested, most of whose details remain classified, involved fighting on multiple fronts: against Hamas and Hezbollah, but also Syria and Iran to some degree.
Unlike the summer 2008 drill, which the New York Times reported involved a test flight for a long range attack on Iran, carried out in Greek airspace, there was nothing of the sort this time.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday that the drill "was a very important one. What we witnessed bolsters our confidence that we have people we can rely on."
The air force drill is part of broad Israeli preparations for a potential regional war, including attacks by Iran, or a conflict limited to the northern front - Lebanon and Syria.
The Israel Air Force held a major drill yesterday simulating a war between Israel and Arab states and terrorist groups. As part of the drill, the air force tested readiness against attacks, including rockets and missiles targeting the home front from multiple directions.
Even though the plan was not substantively different from drills in previous years, it drew international media attention because of recent developments in Iran's nuclear program and Iran's test-firing Wednesday of a ballistic missile with an estimated 2,000-kilometer range - which would put Israel within reach.
Advertisement
Most air force squadrons participated in the drill, including interceptors, attack aircraft, helicopters, transport and refueling aircraft, the air defense system and air force intelligence. The drill also involved ground forces.
The scenario being tested, most of whose details remain classified, involved fighting on multiple fronts: against Hamas and Hezbollah, but also Syria and Iran to some degree.
Unlike the summer 2008 drill, which the New York Times reported involved a test flight for a long range attack on Iran, carried out in Greek airspace, there was nothing of the sort this time.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said yesterday that the drill "was a very important one. What we witnessed bolsters our confidence that we have people we can rely on."
The air force drill is part of broad Israeli preparations for a potential regional war, including attacks by Iran, or a conflict limited to the northern front - Lebanon and Syria.
Muslim nations at Damascus conference: Resistance is not terrorism
By Reuters
"Terrorism is a dangerous global phenomenon, but this does not mean that we should allow it to be used to confuse issues and describe resistance as terrorism," said a statement issued Monday at the end of the three-day meeting of foreign ministers of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Muslim countries meeting in the Syrian capital criticized Israel on but said they were open to better ties with the Jewish state if it took steps towards a "just and comprehensive" Middle East peace deal.
"We must not reward Israel for its crimes," said the statement.
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"It should be affirmed that any progress on ties must be linked to how much the Israeli position represents a commitment to a just and comprehensive peace that guarantees the restoration of rights and occupied land," the statement said.
U.S. President Barack Obama is due to address the Muslim world on June 4 from Cairo, a seat of Islamic learning and one of only two Arab countries to have signed a formal peace treaty with Israel.
The other is Jordan whose monarch, King Abdallah, said that Obama was forming a Middle East peace plan that could involve normalisation of ties between Israel and the whole Muslim world.
Ties between Israel and Muslim countries are mostly weak, the exceptions including Turkey, a secular but predominantly Muslim country that also has military links with the Jewish state.
Syria, which supports the Palestinian group Hamas and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, is a self-declared champion of "resistance" to Israel's occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory, and the OIC said this concept was distinct from terrorism.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended part of the meeting and also met Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal at the Russian embassy in Damascus.
A statement from Hamas said that Lavrov told the group that Russia was still trying to convene a Middle East peace conference and that Moscow hoped the Palestinians, split between Hamas and the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, would be represented by one delegation.
Moscow had hoped to convene the meeting last year. Both Israel and Hamas were cool to the idea, in Hamas's case partly because the Palestinians would have been represented by Abbas.
"Terrorism is a dangerous global phenomenon, but this does not mean that we should allow it to be used to confuse issues and describe resistance as terrorism," said a statement issued Monday at the end of the three-day meeting of foreign ministers of the 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
Muslim countries meeting in the Syrian capital criticized Israel on but said they were open to better ties with the Jewish state if it took steps towards a "just and comprehensive" Middle East peace deal.
"We must not reward Israel for its crimes," said the statement.
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"It should be affirmed that any progress on ties must be linked to how much the Israeli position represents a commitment to a just and comprehensive peace that guarantees the restoration of rights and occupied land," the statement said.
U.S. President Barack Obama is due to address the Muslim world on June 4 from Cairo, a seat of Islamic learning and one of only two Arab countries to have signed a formal peace treaty with Israel.
The other is Jordan whose monarch, King Abdallah, said that Obama was forming a Middle East peace plan that could involve normalisation of ties between Israel and the whole Muslim world.
Ties between Israel and Muslim countries are mostly weak, the exceptions including Turkey, a secular but predominantly Muslim country that also has military links with the Jewish state.
Syria, which supports the Palestinian group Hamas and the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, is a self-declared champion of "resistance" to Israel's occupation of Palestinian and Syrian territory, and the OIC said this concept was distinct from terrorism.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attended part of the meeting and also met Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal at the Russian embassy in Damascus.
A statement from Hamas said that Lavrov told the group that Russia was still trying to convene a Middle East peace conference and that Moscow hoped the Palestinians, split between Hamas and the Fatah faction of President Mahmoud Abbas, would be represented by one delegation.
Moscow had hoped to convene the meeting last year. Both Israel and Hamas were cool to the idea, in Hamas's case partly because the Palestinians would have been represented by Abbas.
Lieberman's party proposes ban on Arab Nakba
By Reuters
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's party wants to ban Israeli Arabs from marking the anniversary of what they term "the Catastrophe" or Nakba, when in 1948 some 700,000 Arabs lost their homes in the war that led to the establishment of the state of Israel.
The ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party said it would propose legislation next week for a ban on the practice and a jail term of up to three years for violators.
"The draft law is intended to strengthen unity in the state of Israel and to ban marking Independence Day as a day of mourning," said party spokesman Tal Nahum.
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The initiative could fuel racial tensions stoked by Lieberman's February election campaign call to make voting or the holding of public office in Israel contingent on pledging loyalty to the Jewish state.
Arabs, who make up 20 percent of Israel's population, said the allegiance demand was aimed at them and accused Lieberman of racism.
Israel celebrated its Independence Day this year on April 29, in accordance with the Hebrew lunar calendar. Palestinian refugees around the world and Israel's Arab citizens mark the Nakba on May 15, the day after the British mandate over Palestine ended in 1948.
Ceremonies in the West Bank were held a day early this year because May 15 falls on Friday, the Muslim day of rest.
In Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinians, some holding large wooden keys to symbolize the keys of homes from which they fled in 1948, took part in a rally.
"I came here to show that we believe that one day we will return. If not me, then my son," said Mohammad Hassan, 79.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on a visit to Syria, was to make a televised address later in the day to mark the Nakba.
The right-leaning government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which Lieberman's party is a key ally, has not endorsed the Western and Arab-backed goal of Palestinian statehood.
It also firmly opposes the division of Jerusalem and the right of return of Palestinian refugees, and Netanyahu recently introduced a demand that Palestinians, as part of any future peace agreement, recognize Israel as a "Jewish state".
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's party wants to ban Israeli Arabs from marking the anniversary of what they term "the Catastrophe" or Nakba, when in 1948 some 700,000 Arabs lost their homes in the war that led to the establishment of the state of Israel.
The ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu party said it would propose legislation next week for a ban on the practice and a jail term of up to three years for violators.
"The draft law is intended to strengthen unity in the state of Israel and to ban marking Independence Day as a day of mourning," said party spokesman Tal Nahum.
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The initiative could fuel racial tensions stoked by Lieberman's February election campaign call to make voting or the holding of public office in Israel contingent on pledging loyalty to the Jewish state.
Arabs, who make up 20 percent of Israel's population, said the allegiance demand was aimed at them and accused Lieberman of racism.
Israel celebrated its Independence Day this year on April 29, in accordance with the Hebrew lunar calendar. Palestinian refugees around the world and Israel's Arab citizens mark the Nakba on May 15, the day after the British mandate over Palestine ended in 1948.
Ceremonies in the West Bank were held a day early this year because May 15 falls on Friday, the Muslim day of rest.
In Ramallah, hundreds of Palestinians, some holding large wooden keys to symbolize the keys of homes from which they fled in 1948, took part in a rally.
"I came here to show that we believe that one day we will return. If not me, then my son," said Mohammad Hassan, 79.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, on a visit to Syria, was to make a televised address later in the day to mark the Nakba.
The right-leaning government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which Lieberman's party is a key ally, has not endorsed the Western and Arab-backed goal of Palestinian statehood.
It also firmly opposes the division of Jerusalem and the right of return of Palestinian refugees, and Netanyahu recently introduced a demand that Palestinians, as part of any future peace agreement, recognize Israel as a "Jewish state".
Israel pulls textbook with chapter on Nakba
By Or Kashti
The Ministry of Education has taken the unusual step of collecting all copies of the history textbook, "Nationalism: Building a State in the Middle East" which was published about two months ago by the Zalman Shazar Center. They will be returned to the shelves only after corrections are made to the text, particularly with reference to the War of Independence.
The book had already been approved by the ministry.
"Collecting the books from the shops is an unnecessary [form of] censorship," said Dr. Tsafrir Goldberg, who wrote the controversial chapter on the war. "The process of approving the text was completed in serious fashion from both the pedagogic and the historic points of view. The fact that the education minister changed does not mean that it is possible to bypass this procedure."
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On September 22, Haaretz reported that the textbook, which is meant for 11th and 12th-grades, for the first time presented the Palestinian claim that there had been ethnic cleansing in 1948.
"The Palestinians and the Arab countries contended that most of the refugees were civilians who were attacked and expelled from their homes by armed Jewish forces, which instituted a policy of ethnic cleansing, contrary to the proclamations of peace in the Declaration of Independence," states the text, which presented the Palestinian and the Israeli-Jewish versions side by side.
Criticism about the book was voiced by history teachers.
"Presenting Israel's claims as being equal to those of Arab propagandists is exactly like presenting the claims of the Nazis alongside those of the Jews," one of them said.
On the other hand, another teacher noted that the most important component in studying history is to introduce as many points of view as possible.
Following the newspaper report, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar instructed the ministry's director general, Shimshon Shoshani, to examine the book and look into the process of approving texts in general.
Officials in the ministry said Sunday that an examination carried out by Michael Yaron, who is in charge of history studies, found "a great many mistakes, some of them serious. As a result of this examination it was decided that the original version of the textbook must be withdrawn and returned to the stores only after being corrected."
Among other things, the Shazar Center was asked to exchange the original Palestinian text that appears in the book, written by Walid Khalidi, for another that is closer to reality, said Goldberg, who finished making the changes recently.
Another demand was that the term "ethnic cleansing" be redacted. Goldberg says that he changed the phrase and spoke instead of an organized policy of expulsion.
When the corrections have been completed, the book will be reviewed again at the publishers and in the ministry, before it is given final approval.
"The state has the right to determine the contents of textbooks but this is not supposed to be done by the education minister," Goldberg said.
He noted, though, that some of the remarks were merely cosmetic and did not pose any problem. "The publishing house decided to make the corrections as a form of self censorship," Goldberg said.
Zvi Yekutiel, the executive director of the Shazar Center, said that "the book has to be aimed at the widest possible consensus and not at the fringes on the left or the right. We made a mistake and we are correcting it."
Last month, Yekutiel said that there had been no remarks about the chapter on the War of Independence during the process of approving the book.
He added that "the explicit instruction from the ministry was to include controversial points of view so that the students can confront them and make up their own minds."
Yekutiel said the ministry would pay for the collection of the books from the stores.
The ministry approved the textbook for use in the schools on July 26, after it had been sent to two external assessors - an academic and a teacher.
It was granted approval after an examination of its suitability for the curriculum and its scientific reliability.
The ministry spokesman said last week that, "from the start the book was intended to go into use as a textbook only from this coming January, so the students were not yet exposed to the relevant material. It was decided as well that the director general's circular should be corrected to make it clear that the responsibility and authority for approving textbooks is on the inspectors and coordinators who are responsible for the various subjects taught and who have to examine the books before they are approved and pass on their remarks and instructions."
The Ministry of Education has taken the unusual step of collecting all copies of the history textbook, "Nationalism: Building a State in the Middle East" which was published about two months ago by the Zalman Shazar Center. They will be returned to the shelves only after corrections are made to the text, particularly with reference to the War of Independence.
The book had already been approved by the ministry.
"Collecting the books from the shops is an unnecessary [form of] censorship," said Dr. Tsafrir Goldberg, who wrote the controversial chapter on the war. "The process of approving the text was completed in serious fashion from both the pedagogic and the historic points of view. The fact that the education minister changed does not mean that it is possible to bypass this procedure."
Advertisement
On September 22, Haaretz reported that the textbook, which is meant for 11th and 12th-grades, for the first time presented the Palestinian claim that there had been ethnic cleansing in 1948.
"The Palestinians and the Arab countries contended that most of the refugees were civilians who were attacked and expelled from their homes by armed Jewish forces, which instituted a policy of ethnic cleansing, contrary to the proclamations of peace in the Declaration of Independence," states the text, which presented the Palestinian and the Israeli-Jewish versions side by side.
Criticism about the book was voiced by history teachers.
"Presenting Israel's claims as being equal to those of Arab propagandists is exactly like presenting the claims of the Nazis alongside those of the Jews," one of them said.
On the other hand, another teacher noted that the most important component in studying history is to introduce as many points of view as possible.
Following the newspaper report, Education Minister Gideon Sa'ar instructed the ministry's director general, Shimshon Shoshani, to examine the book and look into the process of approving texts in general.
Officials in the ministry said Sunday that an examination carried out by Michael Yaron, who is in charge of history studies, found "a great many mistakes, some of them serious. As a result of this examination it was decided that the original version of the textbook must be withdrawn and returned to the stores only after being corrected."
Among other things, the Shazar Center was asked to exchange the original Palestinian text that appears in the book, written by Walid Khalidi, for another that is closer to reality, said Goldberg, who finished making the changes recently.
Another demand was that the term "ethnic cleansing" be redacted. Goldberg says that he changed the phrase and spoke instead of an organized policy of expulsion.
When the corrections have been completed, the book will be reviewed again at the publishers and in the ministry, before it is given final approval.
"The state has the right to determine the contents of textbooks but this is not supposed to be done by the education minister," Goldberg said.
He noted, though, that some of the remarks were merely cosmetic and did not pose any problem. "The publishing house decided to make the corrections as a form of self censorship," Goldberg said.
Zvi Yekutiel, the executive director of the Shazar Center, said that "the book has to be aimed at the widest possible consensus and not at the fringes on the left or the right. We made a mistake and we are correcting it."
Last month, Yekutiel said that there had been no remarks about the chapter on the War of Independence during the process of approving the book.
He added that "the explicit instruction from the ministry was to include controversial points of view so that the students can confront them and make up their own minds."
Yekutiel said the ministry would pay for the collection of the books from the stores.
The ministry approved the textbook for use in the schools on July 26, after it had been sent to two external assessors - an academic and a teacher.
It was granted approval after an examination of its suitability for the curriculum and its scientific reliability.
The ministry spokesman said last week that, "from the start the book was intended to go into use as a textbook only from this coming January, so the students were not yet exposed to the relevant material. It was decided as well that the director general's circular should be corrected to make it clear that the responsibility and authority for approving textbooks is on the inspectors and coordinators who are responsible for the various subjects taught and who have to examine the books before they are approved and pass on their remarks and instructions."
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Sufism and the Revival of the Ummah
Monday, 15 June 2009 19:04
Hassan Abdullah
Zardari's regime, announced on 7th June 2009 that it was setting up a 7-member ‘Sufi Advisory Council' (SAC) with the aim of combating extremism and fanaticism by spreading Sufism in the country. Many in the west have made it no secret that they see Sufism as a way to promote western interests and values within the Muslim world. In the 2005 RAND Report - Civil Democratic Islam, it states as a part of the west's strategy to ‘Assertively Promote the Values of Western Democratic Modernity: ‘Build up the stature of Sufism. Encourage countries with strong Sufi traditions to focus on that part of their history and to include it in their school curricula. Pay more attention to Sufi Islam.'
In Uzbekistan where the oppression and torture of Muslims tops the charts, the government is also encouraging Sufism. The Keston News Service reported back in 2002 that the Uzbek regime is: ‘using Sufism as a distinctive counterweight to those Muslims who are independent of the authorities, the so-called Wahhabis (the name given in Central Asia to Islamic fundamentalist groups, which often have little in common with the Islam that predominates in Saudi Arabia) and the international Islamic party Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which campaigns for the unification of Muslims throughout the world into a single caliphate.'
It should come as no surprise then that whilst NATO which is currently occupying Afghanistan should invite the Sufi Muslim Council based in the UK to its headquarters to "have a look around," and the Pakistan government should establish a Sufi Advisory Council in the midst of its war in Swat.
Although the west sees Sufism as a partner in their attempts to suppress and reform Islam, if we look back to Islamic history we see a very different picture of Sufism to that being painted by the west and its allies in the Muslim regimes.
What is Sufism?
Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. - 150 H) said: "If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a Sufi in the Way." [Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]
Imam Malik (95 H. - 179 H.) said: "Whoever studies Jurisprudence / Fiqh [tafaqaha] and didn't study Sufism [tasawwaf] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will reach the Truth." ['Ali al-Adawi , vol. 2, p 195]
Imam Shafi'i (150 - 205 AH.) said: "I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three strands of knowledge: ...how to speak; how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism." [Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (164 - 241 AH.) the said: "O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the Remembrance of Allah in their hearts. they are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power." [Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]
The above four Imams are the founders of the four universally accepted schools of law (mazhabs, or maslaqs).
Imam Nawawi, the famous Shafi'i scholar states in his al-Maqasid:
"The way of Sufism is based on five principles:
1. having godfearingness privately and publicly,
2. living according to the sunna in word and deed,
3. indifference to whether others accept or reject one,
4. satisfaction with Allah Most High when in scarcity and when you have plenty
5. and returning to Allah in happiness or affliction.
The principles of treating the illnesses of the soul are also five:
1. lightening the stomach by diminishing one's (excessiveness) in food and drink,
2. taking refuge in Allah Most High from the unforeseen when it befalls,
3. shunning situations that involve what one fears to fall victim to,
4. continually asking for Allah's forgiveness and His blessings upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم night and day with full presence of mind,
5. and keeping the company of him who guides one to Allah."
These principles outlined by Imam Nawawi do not in any way lead themselves to supporting and aiding western foreign policy interests. Moreover having godfearingness privately and publicly, and living according to the sunna in word and deed means that Muslims cannot remain silent against the oppressive regimes ruling over Muslims today such as in Uzbekistan, or supporting western foreign policy.
Sufism in Islamic History
Looking back to some of the famous Sufi scholars in Islamic history we see they were are at the forefront of enjoining good and forbidding evil, jihad and working against oppression.
Imam Ghazali is renowned for his works on refuting the incorrect philosophical thoughts that had penetrated the Muslim Ummah in his time. He also differentiated between the legitimate and illegitimate Sufi practices and worked to cleanse the Ummah of those incorrect Sufi practices that existed.
Throughout history Sufi's have been pivotal in Islamic reform and Jihad. It was Yusuf bin Tashfin the Berber and his Murabiteen Sufi movements of North West Africa in the name of the Khaleefah in Baghdad that launched the Jihad against the crusaders in Spain, and defeated them. When the Muslim rulers in Spain divided themselves and effectively split from the Khilafah, dividing the Ummah again it was Yusuf bin Tashfin under guidance from the great Sufi Imam Ghazali, with his Sufi Murabiteen movements, that dethroned these corrupt rulers by war in 1094, asserting the need for the rule of the Shariah and unity with the Khilafah.
In an almost identical fashion to the initial Murabiteen movement, inspired by great Sufi jurists and Faqihs like Imam Ghazali, the al-Muwahhidun Sufi movements came a couple of centuries later in North Africa, dethroning the by now declined namesake Murabiteen family, and again calling for the stricter application of Shariah.
Shah Wali Allah (1703-1762), a well-known Sufi scholar, and political activist in India is known to have written letters to Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani, as well as prominent local Muslim rulers urging them to cooperate with Durrani in undertaking a jihad against the (Hindu) Marathas and Jats, to establish the Shariah in India. Shah Wali Allah was thus not only an inspiration for Durrani's invasions of 1756-57 and 1760-61, he was also responsible for helping to organize a unity of Muslim powers against the (Hindu) Marathas in Northern India.
Also famous is the anti-Russian jihad of the Naqshbandi Sufi Sheikh Mansur Ushurma. Following his destruction of an entire Russian brigade during the battle of the Sunzha River in 1785, Sheikh Mansur: "...called the mountaineers to holy war against the encroaching infidels and for some years unified practically the whole of North Caucasus, from the Chechen territory in the west to the Kumyk steppes in the east. His appeal-at least what we know of it-sounds very much like the appeals to jihad by Naqshbandi murshids [masters; leaders of Sufi Brotherhoods] of later date..."
From this watershed late 18th century jihad, through to the present era, the Naqshbandi tariqah [Brotherhood] has played a critical role defending Muslims, in the face of encroachments by both Czarist and Soviet Russia. It can said that the nearly fifty-year-long [19th century] Caucasian wars made an important contribution to the material and moral ruin of the Tsarist empire and hastened the downfall of the Romanov monarchy. During the violence of the communist revolutionary years of 1917-1921, the Sufi brotherhoods, especially the Naqshbandiya, once again played a pivotal role. Their ultimate goals in resisting the Communists were to establish the Shariah.
Naqshbandi Sheikh, Uzun Haji, one of the leaders of the brotherhood said: "If so God wills, we shall construct a Shari'ah government, for in a Muslim land there can be no republic. Were we to accept a republic, we would thereby renounce the Khilafah, which would be paramount of renouncing the Prophet and finally God himself" [Excerpts from: "Mystics and Commmissars: Sufism in the Soviet Union" X, Alexandre Bennigsen and S. Enders Wimbush,C. Hurst and Company, London, 1985]
The Ottomans were also heavily influenced by the Sufi Mawlawīyah order established by followers of the famous Sufi scholar Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī in the 13th century. Many members of this order served in various official positions of the Ottoman State.
Conclusion
Western foreign policy pundits are desperately employing various styles and means in their strategy to reform Islam and create a ‘new' secular Islam similar to what happened to Christianity during the ‘Reformation' period. Much of this campaign is aimed at rewriting Muslim history and attempting to portray modernist interpretations of Islam as well-established Islamic traditions. Those Muslims working to revive Islam according to an independent Islamic agenda what the west calls ‘extremists' or ‘Islamists' are portrayed as innovators whose ideas have no basis in Islamic tradition and history. Rewriting Sufism is one example of this.
The way to determine the correct Islamic position on any topic is to always keep in mind two things. Firstly, the attitude of the leaders of the kuffar (disbelievers) towards Islam, and secondly what the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم told us would keep us safe from going astray.
The attitude of the leaders of the kuffar towards Islam is very clear. They have one objective in attempting to reform Islam which is to extinguish the light of Allah.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِؤُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
"They wish to put Allah's light out with their mouths. But He will perfect His light, even though the disbelievers hate it." [As-Saff, 61:8]
On the authority of Abu Najih Al-Erbadh bin Sariah, who said: The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم gave us a sermon by which our hearts were filled with fear and tears came to our eyes. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, it is as though this is a farewell sermon, so counsel us." He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "I counsel you to fear Allah and to give absolute obedience even if a slave becomes your leader. Verily he among you who lives [long] will see great controversy, so you must keep to my sunnah and to the sunnah of the rightly-guided Khalifahs - cling to them stubbornly. Beware of newly invented matters, for every invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going astray, and every going astray is in Hell-fire." [Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhi]
Hassan Abdullah
Zardari's regime, announced on 7th June 2009 that it was setting up a 7-member ‘Sufi Advisory Council' (SAC) with the aim of combating extremism and fanaticism by spreading Sufism in the country. Many in the west have made it no secret that they see Sufism as a way to promote western interests and values within the Muslim world. In the 2005 RAND Report - Civil Democratic Islam, it states as a part of the west's strategy to ‘Assertively Promote the Values of Western Democratic Modernity: ‘Build up the stature of Sufism. Encourage countries with strong Sufi traditions to focus on that part of their history and to include it in their school curricula. Pay more attention to Sufi Islam.'
In Uzbekistan where the oppression and torture of Muslims tops the charts, the government is also encouraging Sufism. The Keston News Service reported back in 2002 that the Uzbek regime is: ‘using Sufism as a distinctive counterweight to those Muslims who are independent of the authorities, the so-called Wahhabis (the name given in Central Asia to Islamic fundamentalist groups, which often have little in common with the Islam that predominates in Saudi Arabia) and the international Islamic party Hizb-ut-Tahrir, which campaigns for the unification of Muslims throughout the world into a single caliphate.'
It should come as no surprise then that whilst NATO which is currently occupying Afghanistan should invite the Sufi Muslim Council based in the UK to its headquarters to "have a look around," and the Pakistan government should establish a Sufi Advisory Council in the midst of its war in Swat.
Although the west sees Sufism as a partner in their attempts to suppress and reform Islam, if we look back to Islamic history we see a very different picture of Sufism to that being painted by the west and its allies in the Muslim regimes.
What is Sufism?
Imam Abu Hanifa (85 H. - 150 H) said: "If it were not for two years, I would have perished." He said, "for two years I accompanied Sayyidina Ja'far as-Sadiq and I acquired the spiritual knowledge that made me a Sufi in the Way." [Ad-Durr al-Mukhtar, vol 1. p. 43]
Imam Malik (95 H. - 179 H.) said: "Whoever studies Jurisprudence / Fiqh [tafaqaha] and didn't study Sufism [tasawwaf] will be corrupted; and whoever studied Sufism and didn't study Jurisprudence will become a heretic; and whoever combined both will reach the Truth." ['Ali al-Adawi , vol. 2, p 195]
Imam Shafi'i (150 - 205 AH.) said: "I accompanied the Sufi people and I received from them three strands of knowledge: ...how to speak; how to treat people with leniency and a soft heart... and they... guided me in the ways of Sufism." [Kashf al-Khafa, 'Ajluni, vol. 1, p 341.]
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (164 - 241 AH.) the said: "O my son, you have to sit with the People of Sufism, because they are like a fountain of knowledge and they keep the Remembrance of Allah in their hearts. they are the ascetics and they have the most spiritual power." [Tanwir al-Qulub p. 405]
The above four Imams are the founders of the four universally accepted schools of law (mazhabs, or maslaqs).
Imam Nawawi, the famous Shafi'i scholar states in his al-Maqasid:
"The way of Sufism is based on five principles:
1. having godfearingness privately and publicly,
2. living according to the sunna in word and deed,
3. indifference to whether others accept or reject one,
4. satisfaction with Allah Most High when in scarcity and when you have plenty
5. and returning to Allah in happiness or affliction.
The principles of treating the illnesses of the soul are also five:
1. lightening the stomach by diminishing one's (excessiveness) in food and drink,
2. taking refuge in Allah Most High from the unforeseen when it befalls,
3. shunning situations that involve what one fears to fall victim to,
4. continually asking for Allah's forgiveness and His blessings upon the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم night and day with full presence of mind,
5. and keeping the company of him who guides one to Allah."
These principles outlined by Imam Nawawi do not in any way lead themselves to supporting and aiding western foreign policy interests. Moreover having godfearingness privately and publicly, and living according to the sunna in word and deed means that Muslims cannot remain silent against the oppressive regimes ruling over Muslims today such as in Uzbekistan, or supporting western foreign policy.
Sufism in Islamic History
Looking back to some of the famous Sufi scholars in Islamic history we see they were are at the forefront of enjoining good and forbidding evil, jihad and working against oppression.
Imam Ghazali is renowned for his works on refuting the incorrect philosophical thoughts that had penetrated the Muslim Ummah in his time. He also differentiated between the legitimate and illegitimate Sufi practices and worked to cleanse the Ummah of those incorrect Sufi practices that existed.
Throughout history Sufi's have been pivotal in Islamic reform and Jihad. It was Yusuf bin Tashfin the Berber and his Murabiteen Sufi movements of North West Africa in the name of the Khaleefah in Baghdad that launched the Jihad against the crusaders in Spain, and defeated them. When the Muslim rulers in Spain divided themselves and effectively split from the Khilafah, dividing the Ummah again it was Yusuf bin Tashfin under guidance from the great Sufi Imam Ghazali, with his Sufi Murabiteen movements, that dethroned these corrupt rulers by war in 1094, asserting the need for the rule of the Shariah and unity with the Khilafah.
In an almost identical fashion to the initial Murabiteen movement, inspired by great Sufi jurists and Faqihs like Imam Ghazali, the al-Muwahhidun Sufi movements came a couple of centuries later in North Africa, dethroning the by now declined namesake Murabiteen family, and again calling for the stricter application of Shariah.
Shah Wali Allah (1703-1762), a well-known Sufi scholar, and political activist in India is known to have written letters to Afghan ruler Ahmad Shah Durrani, as well as prominent local Muslim rulers urging them to cooperate with Durrani in undertaking a jihad against the (Hindu) Marathas and Jats, to establish the Shariah in India. Shah Wali Allah was thus not only an inspiration for Durrani's invasions of 1756-57 and 1760-61, he was also responsible for helping to organize a unity of Muslim powers against the (Hindu) Marathas in Northern India.
Also famous is the anti-Russian jihad of the Naqshbandi Sufi Sheikh Mansur Ushurma. Following his destruction of an entire Russian brigade during the battle of the Sunzha River in 1785, Sheikh Mansur: "...called the mountaineers to holy war against the encroaching infidels and for some years unified practically the whole of North Caucasus, from the Chechen territory in the west to the Kumyk steppes in the east. His appeal-at least what we know of it-sounds very much like the appeals to jihad by Naqshbandi murshids [masters; leaders of Sufi Brotherhoods] of later date..."
From this watershed late 18th century jihad, through to the present era, the Naqshbandi tariqah [Brotherhood] has played a critical role defending Muslims, in the face of encroachments by both Czarist and Soviet Russia. It can said that the nearly fifty-year-long [19th century] Caucasian wars made an important contribution to the material and moral ruin of the Tsarist empire and hastened the downfall of the Romanov monarchy. During the violence of the communist revolutionary years of 1917-1921, the Sufi brotherhoods, especially the Naqshbandiya, once again played a pivotal role. Their ultimate goals in resisting the Communists were to establish the Shariah.
Naqshbandi Sheikh, Uzun Haji, one of the leaders of the brotherhood said: "If so God wills, we shall construct a Shari'ah government, for in a Muslim land there can be no republic. Were we to accept a republic, we would thereby renounce the Khilafah, which would be paramount of renouncing the Prophet and finally God himself" [Excerpts from: "Mystics and Commmissars: Sufism in the Soviet Union" X, Alexandre Bennigsen and S. Enders Wimbush,C. Hurst and Company, London, 1985]
The Ottomans were also heavily influenced by the Sufi Mawlawīyah order established by followers of the famous Sufi scholar Jalāl ad-Dīn Muḥammad Rūmī in the 13th century. Many members of this order served in various official positions of the Ottoman State.
Conclusion
Western foreign policy pundits are desperately employing various styles and means in their strategy to reform Islam and create a ‘new' secular Islam similar to what happened to Christianity during the ‘Reformation' period. Much of this campaign is aimed at rewriting Muslim history and attempting to portray modernist interpretations of Islam as well-established Islamic traditions. Those Muslims working to revive Islam according to an independent Islamic agenda what the west calls ‘extremists' or ‘Islamists' are portrayed as innovators whose ideas have no basis in Islamic tradition and history. Rewriting Sufism is one example of this.
The way to determine the correct Islamic position on any topic is to always keep in mind two things. Firstly, the attitude of the leaders of the kuffar (disbelievers) towards Islam, and secondly what the Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم told us would keep us safe from going astray.
The attitude of the leaders of the kuffar towards Islam is very clear. They have one objective in attempting to reform Islam which is to extinguish the light of Allah.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى says:
يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطْفِؤُوا نُورَ اللَّهِ بِأَفْوَاهِهِمْ وَاللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْكَافِرُونَ
"They wish to put Allah's light out with their mouths. But He will perfect His light, even though the disbelievers hate it." [As-Saff, 61:8]
On the authority of Abu Najih Al-Erbadh bin Sariah, who said: The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم gave us a sermon by which our hearts were filled with fear and tears came to our eyes. We said: "O Messenger of Allah, it is as though this is a farewell sermon, so counsel us." He صلى الله عليه وسلم said: "I counsel you to fear Allah and to give absolute obedience even if a slave becomes your leader. Verily he among you who lives [long] will see great controversy, so you must keep to my sunnah and to the sunnah of the rightly-guided Khalifahs - cling to them stubbornly. Beware of newly invented matters, for every invented matter is an innovation and every innovation is a going astray, and every going astray is in Hell-fire." [Abu Dawud and Al-Tirmidhi]
In Search of the Burqa
Thursday, 09 July 2009 15:46 Umm Harith
Nicolas Sarkozy and Muslims would agree on one thing when it comes to his comments to Parliament about the burqa, and that is he didn't make the remarks that he did in order to start a debate or discussion, he did it with the clearest of intentions, to insult, hinder and ultimately frighten those who are so obviously regaining, without compromise, their Islamic identity.
It is a sign of subjection and is a symbol of "women's enslavement". If one had heard that in isolation one may be forgiven for thinking of the endless enslavement of women whose bodies are used and abused in order to sell the health and beauty products. You may even think of the women who suffer from abduction from their home countries only to be brought over into countries such as France to be prostitutes; women who suffer violence, 400 a year die at the very hands of their spouse, women such as Sarkozy wife, who is an acclaimed former nude model. But he was speaking of a piece of cloth.
The banning of pieces of cloth is not something that Mr. Sarkozy is strange to. Indeed he was the very man as Interior minister who spearheaded the ban of the hijab in 2004 in schools. Has that meant their liberation, have women forsaken their scarf's and thanked Mr. Sarkozy for his championing of Muslim women's rights.
My recent trip to Paris tells a very different story. France does see the subjection of Muslim women and their enslavement, but not for the reasons that the French President has us believe. They are subjected as a consequence of the very laws that seek to "liberate them". I heard of women denied medical help for refusing to take off her hijab at her doctor's surgery, a women refused vaccination for her child for her refusal to remove her "symbol of enslavement"; scores of women bullied and demoted at work for daring to adhere to the Islamic dress and one woman was actually denied entry to a police station to complain of an assault. In essence the French secular state should not preach what it most certainly does not practise.
Mr. Sarkozy would do well to learn from Muslim women about rights. Women had the right to vote, to trade, to education, to be employers and employees well before the so called enlightenment. Was it not Roseau who said that women will always remain intellectually inferior to men?
The reality is Mr Sarkozy - that 20% of your French born citizens are reverting to Islam. Muslims living in France are proud of their pieces of cloth and are increasing by significant numbers every day. My return to Paris having lived there for some years prior was truly eye opening. Despite the attack on the Islamic dress, women donning it were apparent everywhere.
Whilst Mr. Sarkozy is trying to spread fear, perhaps it is he who is fearful of the resurgence of Islam in the hearts and minds of Muslims. His attempt to create a "French Islam" has failed miserably, and his attempt to step up the attack is weak and transparent. What does it say about the strength of your secular values if you feel threatened by a mere piece of cloth?
Nicolas Sarkozy and Muslims would agree on one thing when it comes to his comments to Parliament about the burqa, and that is he didn't make the remarks that he did in order to start a debate or discussion, he did it with the clearest of intentions, to insult, hinder and ultimately frighten those who are so obviously regaining, without compromise, their Islamic identity.
It is a sign of subjection and is a symbol of "women's enslavement". If one had heard that in isolation one may be forgiven for thinking of the endless enslavement of women whose bodies are used and abused in order to sell the health and beauty products. You may even think of the women who suffer from abduction from their home countries only to be brought over into countries such as France to be prostitutes; women who suffer violence, 400 a year die at the very hands of their spouse, women such as Sarkozy wife, who is an acclaimed former nude model. But he was speaking of a piece of cloth.
The banning of pieces of cloth is not something that Mr. Sarkozy is strange to. Indeed he was the very man as Interior minister who spearheaded the ban of the hijab in 2004 in schools. Has that meant their liberation, have women forsaken their scarf's and thanked Mr. Sarkozy for his championing of Muslim women's rights.
My recent trip to Paris tells a very different story. France does see the subjection of Muslim women and their enslavement, but not for the reasons that the French President has us believe. They are subjected as a consequence of the very laws that seek to "liberate them". I heard of women denied medical help for refusing to take off her hijab at her doctor's surgery, a women refused vaccination for her child for her refusal to remove her "symbol of enslavement"; scores of women bullied and demoted at work for daring to adhere to the Islamic dress and one woman was actually denied entry to a police station to complain of an assault. In essence the French secular state should not preach what it most certainly does not practise.
Mr. Sarkozy would do well to learn from Muslim women about rights. Women had the right to vote, to trade, to education, to be employers and employees well before the so called enlightenment. Was it not Roseau who said that women will always remain intellectually inferior to men?
The reality is Mr Sarkozy - that 20% of your French born citizens are reverting to Islam. Muslims living in France are proud of their pieces of cloth and are increasing by significant numbers every day. My return to Paris having lived there for some years prior was truly eye opening. Despite the attack on the Islamic dress, women donning it were apparent everywhere.
Whilst Mr. Sarkozy is trying to spread fear, perhaps it is he who is fearful of the resurgence of Islam in the hearts and minds of Muslims. His attempt to create a "French Islam" has failed miserably, and his attempt to step up the attack is weak and transparent. What does it say about the strength of your secular values if you feel threatened by a mere piece of cloth?
Zardari prepares to sacrifice more Muslim soldiers for the sake of America's Raj
Saturday, 17 October 2009 12:17
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the early days of October 2009, the Zardari regime began to repeatedly announce the need for launching of military operations in Waziristan by the Pakistan Army. These announcements came both after months of the government laying siege against the Muslims of Waziristan, by cutting food and other essential supplies, and after Zardari received his orders from America during his extensive visit there. And these announcements coincided with a wave of horrific attacks with dozens of deaths, hundreds of gravely injured, immeasurable grief for the relatives of those affected and an atmosphere of fear and insecurity throughout the country. This violent wave comprised of an attack in a busy market in Peshawar, on 9 October, and then on the headquarters of the army itself, GHQ, in Rawalpindi on 10 October and then on an army convoy at a market crossroads in Shangla on 12 October 2009.
Just as it created confusion and fear before launching the Swat operations to prevent public reaction, Zardari's regime worked tirelessly to exploit the devastating attacks for America's agenda, regardless of who perpetrated these heinous crimes. It used the attacks to attempt to build support for operations in Waziristan, an area that has been the launching pad for significant attacks against the occupying forces of America in Afghanistan, which have bruised their ribs and gripped their hearts with fear.
As for the attacks themselves, we will take care to add here, that those who are well informed of the matters know that American intelligence has infiltrated both some elements from the Taliban, through Pakistan's agencies, and consequently it has infiltrated some elements of the al-Qa'idah organization, many years ago. Indeed, as early as July 2009, America's agent rulers were made aware of an impending attack on GHQ, but did not take the necessary precautions to prevent such an attack. Yet Zardari and his men only leapt into action from their deliberate slumber after the Muslims had begun counting their dead, crying out for the need of operations in Waziristan to please their American masters!
All this is in addition to Zardari strengthening America's physical and disruptive presence in Pakistan, under the guise of expansion of embassies, consulates and bases. America's own intelligence is now able to execute its strategy of bloody unrest throughout Pakistan, just as it has done everywhere from Central America, through the Middle East to South East Asia, whilst the American private military organizations, Dynacorp and Blackwater, whose list of crimes in Iraq is as long as it is brutal, roam the country without restrictions.
And we should know that Zardari and his henchmen provided these invaluable services to America at a most difficult time. America's armed forces are struggling in the hazardous quagmire of Afghanistan that threatens to end their occupation in disgrace. America's political leadership is struggling to find a way to save this failing crusade. Indeed, only within a few months of the US President Obama unveiling a "clear" "Af-Pak" strategy, he is now ruminating over making yet another "clear" strategy! On 16 September 2009, Obama said, "Certainly you don't make determinations about sending your men and women into battle - without having absolute clarity about what the strategy is going to be." But worn-out proposals such as boosting troop numbers, dividing the tribal resistance or tempting Taliban into the political process have been tried before and have only met failure.
So, were it not for Zardari and his men, America would have had no means to stay in Afghanistan as it wishes, faced with a fierce Muslim resistance that has prevented it from settling for over eight years. But thanks to Zardari, the Waziristan operations will now complement America's surge in Afghanistan, effectively surrounding the Muslim resistance. Moreover, Muslims will suffer further losses for the sake of America's security, just as they suffered during the operations in Swat. Muslims will be displaced from their homes, the country will be plunged into insecurity and the largest Muslim army, with hundreds of thousands of God-fearing men willing for martyrdom, will be reduced to a mercenary force to defend the cowardly American military forces from certain humiliation in Afghanistan. And Muslims on both sides will kill Muslims yet again to advance the aims of the kuffar, earning the anger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا
"And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his Recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allâh are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for Him." [Surah An-Nisa 4:93]
O Muslims of Pakistan!
For how long will you allow your rulers to use your strength for America's benefit? In the past, America exploited Pakistan's army, rich resources, brave people and ingenuity to help the Afghan Mujahiddeen defeat the Soviet Russians. Later, the US collaborated with Pakistan's elite to support the Taliban to foster stability in Afghanistan and act as a conduit for the transportation oil and gas from Central Asia. Then under Musharraf, it used Pakistan's resources to ensure American military occupation of Afghanistan. And today, America is conniving with the Zardari regime to confront the Afghan resistance and destroy it, establish a wide American presence within Pakistan and burn Pakistan's soldiers, the sons of the Muslims, as fuel for America's failing crusade. Indeed, your rulers have always harmed you through their alliance with America. Mr. Ten Percent, Zardari, in his greed for even more dollars invites you to join him in treachery by allying with America, even though Allah سبحانه وتعالى warned the Muslims,
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
"The parable of those who seek allies from other than Allah is that of a spider who builds a house; but indeed, the weakest of houses is the spider's house - if they but knew." [Surah Al-Ankaboot 29:41]
The cure for this affliction is one: to remove the treacherous, corrupt Zardari and eradicate the colonialist system that will always bring agent rulers like him, and establish the Islamic Khilafah on its ruins, which will apply Islam, unify the entire Ummah and mobilize all the resources of the Muslims to end all crusader presence in Muslim Lands.
O People of Power! O Muslims of the Armed Forces!
How do you accept for your pure blood to be spilled for the sake of saving America? How do you accept to serve in any way the agenda of America, a crusader nation that has waged war on Muslims itself, supported the states of the Hindus and Jews against the Muslims and established a substantial presence within Pakistan to keep a wary eye on you, even whilst demanding that you assist her?! And dear brothers, you must know that obeying the orders and commands of agent rulers will not save you on the most important Day of days. Are you not afraid of Allah's wrath that befell those who disobeyed Allah but obeyed their leaders, who mislead them? They were all confined to hell-fire. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا * وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلَا
"On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: "Oh, would that we had obeyed Allâh and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad saw)" And they will say: "Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the way." [Surah al-Ahzab 33:66-67]
Remove Zardari now, grant the Nussrah to Hizb ut Tahrir for the establishment of Khilafah, so that you fall under the command of a sincere Khaleefah who will demand that all American intelligence and military leave the region, backing his words with force and deeds, a call which will rally the sincere from amongst the mujahideen, as well as earning the good will of the entire Ummah and the blessings of Allah. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
رَبِّ انصُرْنِي عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
"My Lord! Give me victory over the people who are corrupt." [Surah Al-Ankaboot 29:30]
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Wilayah Pakistan
13 October 2009 CE
24 Shawwaal 1430 AH
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the early days of October 2009, the Zardari regime began to repeatedly announce the need for launching of military operations in Waziristan by the Pakistan Army. These announcements came both after months of the government laying siege against the Muslims of Waziristan, by cutting food and other essential supplies, and after Zardari received his orders from America during his extensive visit there. And these announcements coincided with a wave of horrific attacks with dozens of deaths, hundreds of gravely injured, immeasurable grief for the relatives of those affected and an atmosphere of fear and insecurity throughout the country. This violent wave comprised of an attack in a busy market in Peshawar, on 9 October, and then on the headquarters of the army itself, GHQ, in Rawalpindi on 10 October and then on an army convoy at a market crossroads in Shangla on 12 October 2009.
Just as it created confusion and fear before launching the Swat operations to prevent public reaction, Zardari's regime worked tirelessly to exploit the devastating attacks for America's agenda, regardless of who perpetrated these heinous crimes. It used the attacks to attempt to build support for operations in Waziristan, an area that has been the launching pad for significant attacks against the occupying forces of America in Afghanistan, which have bruised their ribs and gripped their hearts with fear.
As for the attacks themselves, we will take care to add here, that those who are well informed of the matters know that American intelligence has infiltrated both some elements from the Taliban, through Pakistan's agencies, and consequently it has infiltrated some elements of the al-Qa'idah organization, many years ago. Indeed, as early as July 2009, America's agent rulers were made aware of an impending attack on GHQ, but did not take the necessary precautions to prevent such an attack. Yet Zardari and his men only leapt into action from their deliberate slumber after the Muslims had begun counting their dead, crying out for the need of operations in Waziristan to please their American masters!
All this is in addition to Zardari strengthening America's physical and disruptive presence in Pakistan, under the guise of expansion of embassies, consulates and bases. America's own intelligence is now able to execute its strategy of bloody unrest throughout Pakistan, just as it has done everywhere from Central America, through the Middle East to South East Asia, whilst the American private military organizations, Dynacorp and Blackwater, whose list of crimes in Iraq is as long as it is brutal, roam the country without restrictions.
And we should know that Zardari and his henchmen provided these invaluable services to America at a most difficult time. America's armed forces are struggling in the hazardous quagmire of Afghanistan that threatens to end their occupation in disgrace. America's political leadership is struggling to find a way to save this failing crusade. Indeed, only within a few months of the US President Obama unveiling a "clear" "Af-Pak" strategy, he is now ruminating over making yet another "clear" strategy! On 16 September 2009, Obama said, "Certainly you don't make determinations about sending your men and women into battle - without having absolute clarity about what the strategy is going to be." But worn-out proposals such as boosting troop numbers, dividing the tribal resistance or tempting Taliban into the political process have been tried before and have only met failure.
So, were it not for Zardari and his men, America would have had no means to stay in Afghanistan as it wishes, faced with a fierce Muslim resistance that has prevented it from settling for over eight years. But thanks to Zardari, the Waziristan operations will now complement America's surge in Afghanistan, effectively surrounding the Muslim resistance. Moreover, Muslims will suffer further losses for the sake of America's security, just as they suffered during the operations in Swat. Muslims will be displaced from their homes, the country will be plunged into insecurity and the largest Muslim army, with hundreds of thousands of God-fearing men willing for martyrdom, will be reduced to a mercenary force to defend the cowardly American military forces from certain humiliation in Afghanistan. And Muslims on both sides will kill Muslims yet again to advance the aims of the kuffar, earning the anger of Allah سبحانه وتعالى. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
وَمَنْ يَقْتُلْ مُؤْمِنًا مُتَعَمِّدًا فَجَزَاؤُهُ جَهَنَّمُ خَالِدًا فِيهَا وَغَضِبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَلَعَنَهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُ عَذَابًا عَظِيمًا
"And whoever kills a believer intentionally, his Recompense is Hell to abide therein, and the Wrath and the Curse of Allâh are upon him, and a great punishment is prepared for Him." [Surah An-Nisa 4:93]
O Muslims of Pakistan!
For how long will you allow your rulers to use your strength for America's benefit? In the past, America exploited Pakistan's army, rich resources, brave people and ingenuity to help the Afghan Mujahiddeen defeat the Soviet Russians. Later, the US collaborated with Pakistan's elite to support the Taliban to foster stability in Afghanistan and act as a conduit for the transportation oil and gas from Central Asia. Then under Musharraf, it used Pakistan's resources to ensure American military occupation of Afghanistan. And today, America is conniving with the Zardari regime to confront the Afghan resistance and destroy it, establish a wide American presence within Pakistan and burn Pakistan's soldiers, the sons of the Muslims, as fuel for America's failing crusade. Indeed, your rulers have always harmed you through their alliance with America. Mr. Ten Percent, Zardari, in his greed for even more dollars invites you to join him in treachery by allying with America, even though Allah سبحانه وتعالى warned the Muslims,
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْلِيَاءَ كَمَثَلِ الْعَنكَبُوتِ اتَّخَذَتْ بَيْتًا وَإِنَّ أَوْهَنَ الْبُيُوتِ لَبَيْتُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ لَوْ كَانُوا يَعْلَمُونَ
"The parable of those who seek allies from other than Allah is that of a spider who builds a house; but indeed, the weakest of houses is the spider's house - if they but knew." [Surah Al-Ankaboot 29:41]
The cure for this affliction is one: to remove the treacherous, corrupt Zardari and eradicate the colonialist system that will always bring agent rulers like him, and establish the Islamic Khilafah on its ruins, which will apply Islam, unify the entire Ummah and mobilize all the resources of the Muslims to end all crusader presence in Muslim Lands.
O People of Power! O Muslims of the Armed Forces!
How do you accept for your pure blood to be spilled for the sake of saving America? How do you accept to serve in any way the agenda of America, a crusader nation that has waged war on Muslims itself, supported the states of the Hindus and Jews against the Muslims and established a substantial presence within Pakistan to keep a wary eye on you, even whilst demanding that you assist her?! And dear brothers, you must know that obeying the orders and commands of agent rulers will not save you on the most important Day of days. Are you not afraid of Allah's wrath that befell those who disobeyed Allah but obeyed their leaders, who mislead them? They were all confined to hell-fire. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
يَوْمَ تُقَلَّبُ وُجُوهُهُمْ فِي النَّارِ يَقُولُونَ يَا لَيْتَنَا أَطَعْنَا اللَّهَ وَأَطَعْنَا الرَّسُولَا * وَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا إِنَّا أَطَعْنَا سَادَتَنَا وَكُبَرَاءَنَا فَأَضَلُّونَا السَّبِيلَا
"On the Day when their faces will be turned over in the Fire, they will say: "Oh, would that we had obeyed Allâh and obeyed the Messenger (Muhammad saw)" And they will say: "Our Lord! Verily, we obeyed our chiefs and our great ones, and they misled us from the way." [Surah al-Ahzab 33:66-67]
Remove Zardari now, grant the Nussrah to Hizb ut Tahrir for the establishment of Khilafah, so that you fall under the command of a sincere Khaleefah who will demand that all American intelligence and military leave the region, backing his words with force and deeds, a call which will rally the sincere from amongst the mujahideen, as well as earning the good will of the entire Ummah and the blessings of Allah. Allah سبحانه وتعالى said,
رَبِّ انصُرْنِي عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْمُفْسِدِينَ
"My Lord! Give me victory over the people who are corrupt." [Surah Al-Ankaboot 29:30]
Hizb-ut-Tahrir, Wilayah Pakistan
13 October 2009 CE
24 Shawwaal 1430 AH
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Jordan’s King Tells Repubblica He’s Pessimistic on Middle East
By Flavia Krause-Jackson
Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Jordan’s King Abdullah Bin Hussein II told Italian daily la Repubblica in an interview he’s pessimistic about the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
“If by 2010 Israel doesn’t believe in two states, the possibility of a Palestinian state will vanish,” Abdullah said on the eve of a visit to Italy. “The most often-repeated question in the Arab world today is, does Israel really want peace?”
Asked about efforts by U.S. President Barack Obama to carve out an agreement in the region, Abdullah said, “I will be honest, I was expecting more, and in less time.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in Rome at fjackson@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: October 19, 2009 01:42 EDT
Oct. 19 (Bloomberg) -- Jordan’s King Abdullah Bin Hussein II told Italian daily la Repubblica in an interview he’s pessimistic about the prospects for peace in the Middle East.
“If by 2010 Israel doesn’t believe in two states, the possibility of a Palestinian state will vanish,” Abdullah said on the eve of a visit to Italy. “The most often-repeated question in the Arab world today is, does Israel really want peace?”
Asked about efforts by U.S. President Barack Obama to carve out an agreement in the region, Abdullah said, “I will be honest, I was expecting more, and in less time.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Flavia Krause-Jackson in Rome at fjackson@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: October 19, 2009 01:42 EDT
Saturday, October 17, 2009
After Geneva vote, Obama policies blasted in Jordan
Amman - US President Barack Obama, at pains to improve his country's worsening image in the Arab and Islamic worlds, received a major setback at the Geneva-based Human Rights Council when the US opposed Judge Richard Goldstone's report about war crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, two prominent Jordanian politicians said Saturday. The politicians also rebuked European countries for failing to support the report, saying their credibility as independent peace brokers and advocates of human right in the world would be substantially undermined.
"Obama's moves to improve the US image has hit a major snag at Geneva. He has now proved that his policies are nothing more than an extension of those of George W Bush," Mahmoud Mhaidat, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee at Jordan's lower house of parliament told the German press agency dpa.
"Obama, who is trying to slaughter people in the region with a smooth hand, is now restoring the role as leader of the world's most oppressive and criminal nation," he said.
His comments came after the United States opposed the Goldstone report, saying it could jeopardise current efforts aimed at resuming the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The report, written by Goldstone, a South African war crimes prosecutor, and three additional international experts, concluded that both Israel and the Hamas movement likely committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity during Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip in December and January.
The 47-member UN body adopted the report with 25 votes, while the United States and five European countries - Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovakia and Ukraine - opposed it. Britain, France and three other countries did not vote, while 11 nations abstained.
Arab media said that several countries had come under US and French pressure not to support the report, the adoption of which was considered by many Arab circles as a "legal victory" because it set the stage for further action against Israel possibly at the UN Security Council and International Criminal Court.
Mhaidat said it showed once again that the US and European countries were not in charge of their own decision-making, "which instead lies with the Jewish lobbies." He then asked what they had done so far "to stop Israel's building of settlements and judaizing of Jerusalem."
Meanwhile Hamman Saeed, leader of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement, said that by opposing the Goldstone Report, the US was defending Israel's crimes in Gaza and the rest of Palestinian lands.
"Obama's moves to improve the US image has hit a major snag at Geneva. He has now proved that his policies are nothing more than an extension of those of George W Bush," Mahmoud Mhaidat, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee at Jordan's lower house of parliament told the German press agency dpa.
"Obama, who is trying to slaughter people in the region with a smooth hand, is now restoring the role as leader of the world's most oppressive and criminal nation," he said.
His comments came after the United States opposed the Goldstone report, saying it could jeopardise current efforts aimed at resuming the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The report, written by Goldstone, a South African war crimes prosecutor, and three additional international experts, concluded that both Israel and the Hamas movement likely committed war crimes and possibly crimes against humanity during Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip in December and January.
The 47-member UN body adopted the report with 25 votes, while the United States and five European countries - Italy, Hungary, Netherlands, Slovakia and Ukraine - opposed it. Britain, France and three other countries did not vote, while 11 nations abstained.
Arab media said that several countries had come under US and French pressure not to support the report, the adoption of which was considered by many Arab circles as a "legal victory" because it set the stage for further action against Israel possibly at the UN Security Council and International Criminal Court.
Mhaidat said it showed once again that the US and European countries were not in charge of their own decision-making, "which instead lies with the Jewish lobbies." He then asked what they had done so far "to stop Israel's building of settlements and judaizing of Jerusalem."
Meanwhile Hamman Saeed, leader of the influential Muslim Brotherhood movement, said that by opposing the Goldstone Report, the US was defending Israel's crimes in Gaza and the rest of Palestinian lands.
Joining ties of kinship
By Sheikh Muhammad Saleh Bin Al-Uthaymeen
RELATIVES are those who are related to you through blood and close ties; such as the brother, the uncle, the aunt, or their children. Everyone who has a tie of relation with you has certain rights upon you in accordance with how closely they are related to you. Allah said regarding this: “And give to the relative his right.” (Qur’an, 17:26). Allah also said: “And worship Allah alone, and do not setup any partner to Him in worship, and be kind and good to the parents, and to the relatives.” (Qur’an, 4:36)
So it is obligatory upon everyone to treat his relatives in the best possible manner, and to support them in accordance with their needs, and what they seek of help and support. And this is what is enjoined by the Shariah, the ‘Aql (sound reasoning) and the Fitrah (natural disposition).
There are several textual evidences encouraging and urging Silat-ur-Rahim (joining the ties of kinship).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day let him keep the ties of kinship.” (Al-Bukhari, no. 6138)
Unfortunately, many people do not observe this right and transgress the bounds. Some of them do not seek to join ties with relatives or show kindness to them; neither through wealth, nor through good behaviour, nor through the giving of occasional gifts and presents nor through rendering help to them in their times of need. Indeed, days and months may pass without even seeing or visiting them! Sometimes, rather than seeking to join ties of kinship, some people even intend to severe such ties, by trying to harm their relatives – either through words or action. Such people may keep close ties with those who are not relatives, yet cutoff ties with their relatives!
Others only maintain ties of relationship with those who maintain ties with them, and cutoff ties with those who cutoff from them. So they are not really maintaining ties of relationship; they are only acting tit-for-tat.
The true waasil (one who keeps ties of kinship) keeps ties of relation for the sake of Allah – regardless whether his relations keep ties with him or not. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The waasil is not the one who merely does so out of reciprocation. Rather, the waasil is the one who even when the relatives cutoff from him, still maintains ties with them.” So a man asked: “O Messenger of Allah. I have relatives with whom I maintain ties of kinship, yet they cutoff from me. I treat them kindly, yet they treat me in an evil manner. And I am forbearing and patient with them, yet they behave rudely and ignorantly towards me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If the situation is as you say, then it is as if you are filling their mouths with sand. And Allah will continue to aid and support you as long as you continue doing what you are doing.” (Al-Bukhari, no. 5911)
If there were no other rewards for keeping ties of kinship, except that Allah keeps ties with the waasil in this world and the hereafter, and that He extends His Mercy due to it, and makes malters easier through it, and removes distress and anxieties by it, then that would be more than sufficient. However, along with this, Silat-ur-Rahim brings family and relatives close to one another, increases love and compassion between one another, and cultivates the habit of mutual help in times of ease and hardship. These are well-known things that are experienced on a daily basis. When ties of kinship are not maintained, then each one of the mentioned benefits turn into the opposites, and great harm comes to the society. – Al-Istiqamah Magazine
RELATIVES are those who are related to you through blood and close ties; such as the brother, the uncle, the aunt, or their children. Everyone who has a tie of relation with you has certain rights upon you in accordance with how closely they are related to you. Allah said regarding this: “And give to the relative his right.” (Qur’an, 17:26). Allah also said: “And worship Allah alone, and do not setup any partner to Him in worship, and be kind and good to the parents, and to the relatives.” (Qur’an, 4:36)
So it is obligatory upon everyone to treat his relatives in the best possible manner, and to support them in accordance with their needs, and what they seek of help and support. And this is what is enjoined by the Shariah, the ‘Aql (sound reasoning) and the Fitrah (natural disposition).
There are several textual evidences encouraging and urging Silat-ur-Rahim (joining the ties of kinship).
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Whosoever believes in Allah and the Last Day let him keep the ties of kinship.” (Al-Bukhari, no. 6138)
Unfortunately, many people do not observe this right and transgress the bounds. Some of them do not seek to join ties with relatives or show kindness to them; neither through wealth, nor through good behaviour, nor through the giving of occasional gifts and presents nor through rendering help to them in their times of need. Indeed, days and months may pass without even seeing or visiting them! Sometimes, rather than seeking to join ties of kinship, some people even intend to severe such ties, by trying to harm their relatives – either through words or action. Such people may keep close ties with those who are not relatives, yet cutoff ties with their relatives!
Others only maintain ties of relationship with those who maintain ties with them, and cutoff ties with those who cutoff from them. So they are not really maintaining ties of relationship; they are only acting tit-for-tat.
The true waasil (one who keeps ties of kinship) keeps ties of relation for the sake of Allah – regardless whether his relations keep ties with him or not. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The waasil is not the one who merely does so out of reciprocation. Rather, the waasil is the one who even when the relatives cutoff from him, still maintains ties with them.” So a man asked: “O Messenger of Allah. I have relatives with whom I maintain ties of kinship, yet they cutoff from me. I treat them kindly, yet they treat me in an evil manner. And I am forbearing and patient with them, yet they behave rudely and ignorantly towards me.” The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “If the situation is as you say, then it is as if you are filling their mouths with sand. And Allah will continue to aid and support you as long as you continue doing what you are doing.” (Al-Bukhari, no. 5911)
If there were no other rewards for keeping ties of kinship, except that Allah keeps ties with the waasil in this world and the hereafter, and that He extends His Mercy due to it, and makes malters easier through it, and removes distress and anxieties by it, then that would be more than sufficient. However, along with this, Silat-ur-Rahim brings family and relatives close to one another, increases love and compassion between one another, and cultivates the habit of mutual help in times of ease and hardship. These are well-known things that are experienced on a daily basis. When ties of kinship are not maintained, then each one of the mentioned benefits turn into the opposites, and great harm comes to the society. – Al-Istiqamah Magazine
The Ancient Kingdom of Israel – An Islamic Perspective (part 1 of 6): Prophet Samuel and King Saul
By Aisha Stacey (© 2009 IslamReligion.com)
According to Biblical history[1], the ancient Kingdom of Israel was ruled over by a succession of Kings. After wandering in the desert for an undetermined length of time, the Children of Israel (Israelites) entered the Promised Land and split into two distinct kingdoms. King David managed to unite the two Kingdoms, while his son Solomon led the children of Israel into a period of prosperity and peace known as the Golden Age. For many readers, it may come as a surprise to learn that Islamic history also contains stories of kings, Saul, David, and Solomon. Muslims believe that David and Solomon are Prophets and as such, they are required to believe in, and love and respect them as part of the creed of Islam. What follows is an account of the Kingdom of Israel from an Islamic perspective[2].
When Prophet Moses led his people out of bondage in Egypt, he faced severe tests and challenges. After generations under the brutal yoke of the Egyptians, the Children of Israel needed a period of recovery. Their souls had been hardened by the idolatrous practices prevalent in Egypt and this caused a blackness to settle upon their hearts. Although God directed Moses to lead his people to the Promised Land they were prevented from entering until Moses’ entire generation had passed away and were replaced by people whose hearts were filled with remembrance of God. Joshua led the Children of Israel into the Promised Land and for some time their condition remained pure and their hearts and minds remained focused on pleasing the One God.
Time passed and their moral condition deteriorated, the Israelites began to commit many sins, including the abdominal crime of killing their Prophets. Consequently, God decreed that a tyrannical king who cared little for his people rule them. He shed their blood, treated them with contempt and his aggression involved them in wars with neighbouring countries. During the endless wars, the Israelites carried with them a chest containing relics and treasures from their Prophets Moses and Aaron.
The chest was known as the Ark of the Covenant and the Israelites set such store by it, they even carried into battle. It bought them great peace and filled them with courage. Their enemies however, believed the chest contained special powers and it filled them with fear. In time, the Philistines overcame that fear, defeated the Israelites, and captured the chest. When the tyrannical king learned that the chest had been captured, he collapsed and died. The children of Israel remained lost, like sheep without a shepherd until God sent Prophet Samuel to guide them back to the true path- to worship One God, without partners, sons, daughters, or rivals.
Appoint for us a King
Disheartened by the loss of their power the Israelites beseeched Prophet Samuel to appoint for them a king. They asked for a strong man to lead them back to power and prosperity but Samuel was wary of their promises and pleas. He feared that their blackened hearts would not allow them to fight for the sake of God. Samuel was a wise man and he prayed that God direct him to a man suitable to be the King of the Israelites. God chose Saul (Talut) to be the King and informed Prophet Samuel that he would recognise this pious young man.
Saul was a tall, well-built young man who worked with his father on a farm. One day when some donkeys wandered away from the farm Saul and a servant went in search of them. The search led them into Prophet Samuel’s town. Saul was a wise man who took his servants advice and approached Prophet Samuel about the loss of the donkeys. Samuel recognised him immediately as the future king and assured Saul that the donkeys were already being returned to his father. Prophet Samuel informed Saul that God had chosen him to be the King of the children of Israel.
Saul was shocked and amazed, he immediately responded by saying that he was not worthy of such an honour because he was from the tribe of Benjamin, a lowly tribe that most Israelites considered unworthy for such greatness. Prophet Samuel explained that this was of no consequence since God had already decreed that Saul be the King. Samuel presented Saul to the Israelites saying , “Indeed God has appointed Saul (Talut) as a king over you.” (Quran 2:247)
The children of Israel’s immediate reaction was to complain. Even though they had begged God for mercy and deliverance from oppression, they responded contemptuously towards both the pious young man, whose heart was filled with love for the One God, and Prophet Samuel. They said, “How can he be a king over us when we are better fitted than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth.” (Quran 2:247)
The Israelites’ hearts had once again become hardened and diseased. They were concerned with wealth and status rather then piety, and found fault with God’s chosen leader. Although Saul had neither wealth nor status, God had blessed him with knowledge and stature. Prophet Samuel tried to reason with them. He said, “Verily, God has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And God grants His Kingdom to whom He wills.” (Quran 2:247) However the Israelites continued to complain and object asking for a sign from God that Saul was indeed fit to be their king.
God, in His infinite mercy and wisdom, decided to provide the Israelites with the sign (or miracle) they demanded. God instructed the angels to return the Ark of the Covenant that had been captured by the Philistines. God not only returned their beloved wooden chest, filled with the relics of the past but He added tranquillity to its contents.
“And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them: Verily! The sign of His Kingdom is that there shall come to you a wooden box, wherein is Sakinah (peace and reassurance) from your Lord and a remnant of that which Moses and Aaron left behind, carried by the angels. Verily, in this is a sign for you if you are indeed believers.” (Quran.2:248)
Saul was officially appointed King. He established and prepared an army in order to take back the lands stolen from the children of Israel. However, Saul insisted that his army only comprise of courageous and pious men. The men under Saul’s command would be those whose hearts were filled with love for the One True God.
According to Biblical history[1], the ancient Kingdom of Israel was ruled over by a succession of Kings. After wandering in the desert for an undetermined length of time, the Children of Israel (Israelites) entered the Promised Land and split into two distinct kingdoms. King David managed to unite the two Kingdoms, while his son Solomon led the children of Israel into a period of prosperity and peace known as the Golden Age. For many readers, it may come as a surprise to learn that Islamic history also contains stories of kings, Saul, David, and Solomon. Muslims believe that David and Solomon are Prophets and as such, they are required to believe in, and love and respect them as part of the creed of Islam. What follows is an account of the Kingdom of Israel from an Islamic perspective[2].
When Prophet Moses led his people out of bondage in Egypt, he faced severe tests and challenges. After generations under the brutal yoke of the Egyptians, the Children of Israel needed a period of recovery. Their souls had been hardened by the idolatrous practices prevalent in Egypt and this caused a blackness to settle upon their hearts. Although God directed Moses to lead his people to the Promised Land they were prevented from entering until Moses’ entire generation had passed away and were replaced by people whose hearts were filled with remembrance of God. Joshua led the Children of Israel into the Promised Land and for some time their condition remained pure and their hearts and minds remained focused on pleasing the One God.
Time passed and their moral condition deteriorated, the Israelites began to commit many sins, including the abdominal crime of killing their Prophets. Consequently, God decreed that a tyrannical king who cared little for his people rule them. He shed their blood, treated them with contempt and his aggression involved them in wars with neighbouring countries. During the endless wars, the Israelites carried with them a chest containing relics and treasures from their Prophets Moses and Aaron.
The chest was known as the Ark of the Covenant and the Israelites set such store by it, they even carried into battle. It bought them great peace and filled them with courage. Their enemies however, believed the chest contained special powers and it filled them with fear. In time, the Philistines overcame that fear, defeated the Israelites, and captured the chest. When the tyrannical king learned that the chest had been captured, he collapsed and died. The children of Israel remained lost, like sheep without a shepherd until God sent Prophet Samuel to guide them back to the true path- to worship One God, without partners, sons, daughters, or rivals.
Appoint for us a King
Disheartened by the loss of their power the Israelites beseeched Prophet Samuel to appoint for them a king. They asked for a strong man to lead them back to power and prosperity but Samuel was wary of their promises and pleas. He feared that their blackened hearts would not allow them to fight for the sake of God. Samuel was a wise man and he prayed that God direct him to a man suitable to be the King of the Israelites. God chose Saul (Talut) to be the King and informed Prophet Samuel that he would recognise this pious young man.
Saul was a tall, well-built young man who worked with his father on a farm. One day when some donkeys wandered away from the farm Saul and a servant went in search of them. The search led them into Prophet Samuel’s town. Saul was a wise man who took his servants advice and approached Prophet Samuel about the loss of the donkeys. Samuel recognised him immediately as the future king and assured Saul that the donkeys were already being returned to his father. Prophet Samuel informed Saul that God had chosen him to be the King of the children of Israel.
Saul was shocked and amazed, he immediately responded by saying that he was not worthy of such an honour because he was from the tribe of Benjamin, a lowly tribe that most Israelites considered unworthy for such greatness. Prophet Samuel explained that this was of no consequence since God had already decreed that Saul be the King. Samuel presented Saul to the Israelites saying , “Indeed God has appointed Saul (Talut) as a king over you.” (Quran 2:247)
The children of Israel’s immediate reaction was to complain. Even though they had begged God for mercy and deliverance from oppression, they responded contemptuously towards both the pious young man, whose heart was filled with love for the One God, and Prophet Samuel. They said, “How can he be a king over us when we are better fitted than him for the kingdom, and he has not been given enough wealth.” (Quran 2:247)
The Israelites’ hearts had once again become hardened and diseased. They were concerned with wealth and status rather then piety, and found fault with God’s chosen leader. Although Saul had neither wealth nor status, God had blessed him with knowledge and stature. Prophet Samuel tried to reason with them. He said, “Verily, God has chosen him above you and has increased him abundantly in knowledge and stature. And God grants His Kingdom to whom He wills.” (Quran 2:247) However the Israelites continued to complain and object asking for a sign from God that Saul was indeed fit to be their king.
God, in His infinite mercy and wisdom, decided to provide the Israelites with the sign (or miracle) they demanded. God instructed the angels to return the Ark of the Covenant that had been captured by the Philistines. God not only returned their beloved wooden chest, filled with the relics of the past but He added tranquillity to its contents.
“And their Prophet (Samuel) said to them: Verily! The sign of His Kingdom is that there shall come to you a wooden box, wherein is Sakinah (peace and reassurance) from your Lord and a remnant of that which Moses and Aaron left behind, carried by the angels. Verily, in this is a sign for you if you are indeed believers.” (Quran.2:248)
Saul was officially appointed King. He established and prepared an army in order to take back the lands stolen from the children of Israel. However, Saul insisted that his army only comprise of courageous and pious men. The men under Saul’s command would be those whose hearts were filled with love for the One True God.
Zamzam: The miraculous well that cleans itself
By Habib Shaikh
Zamzam, the precious and holy water in the precincts of the Grand Mosque in Makkah that started gushing out nearly 4,000 years ago in a spontaneous way, is still going strong.
The average daily consumption of Zamzam is 100 cubic meters on regular days, which doubles to 200 cubic meters on Fridays, and shoots up to more than 1,000 cubic meters during the Ramadan and Haj seasons.
Not only do pilgrims coming for Haj and Umrah from all over the world, but locals also take it home in thousands of cans everyday to drink it to their heart’s content. The consumption of Zamzam naturally increases in Ramadan because of the large number of pilgrims visiting Makkah.
The authorities also transport and supply Zamzam to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina.
Aifan Al-Juaid, Director of Zamzam water distribution in the Grand Mosque, said this week that three million cups of Zamzam water are consumed daily at the Grand Mosque during the month of Ramadan.
“More than 1,800 cubic meters of water is consumed inside the mosque and 270 cubic meters in the courtyards outside each day in Ramadan,” he said.
Pilgrims can drink Zamzam at 90 drinking points with 1,100 taps inside the mosque and 43 drinking areas furnished with 100 taps outside.
Al-Juaid said that Zamzam water is also supplied to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina at a daily average of 274 cubic meters.
He said the late King Faisal showed considerable interest in improving the system of Zamzam water distribution to pilgrims.
Pilgrims and visitors drink plenty of Zamzam water, as there are several traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his Companions, and others, extolling the virtues, benefits, and curative values of Zamzam.
The Ministry of Haj and Endowments laid down financial and administrative statutes for the distribution of the holy water and established the Zamzam United Office in 1982, which has been striving to upgrade distribution so that pilgrims do not find any difficulty in getting desired quantities.
An engineer, Dr. Yahya Hamza Koshak, has documented in detail the story of Zamzam in his book “Zamzam: The Holy Water.” He has also produced a documentary film titled “Zamzam: Nourishment and Curative Value,” in Arabic, English, French, Urdu, Bahasa, Malay and Turkish, based on his first-hand experience with the well of Zamzam.
In 1975, during King Faisal’s time, the old buildings of Zamzam were pulled down to widen the area around Ka’ba, The work was completed in a year. The second expansion, during King Khaled’s era, required the moving away of all entrances to Zamzam. While digging, underground water flooded many places. There was a risk. Research had to be carried out to protect the well itself.
Koshak was charged with the study. He had to investigate the water source and its outlet. After proper bathing and ablution, two divers began a mission that had never been undertaken before. They plunged into the divine waters of Zamzam on Jumad-Al-Awwal 17, 1399 Hijra (1979).
Zamzam well is 3.5 meters deep, 17 meters of which are of granite rocks. The well’s diameter is irregular. The part above the rocky layer is of lime with a constructed well, a linear section leaning toward the Holy Ka’ba.
At this stage of work, Zamzam was cleared of many objects thrown in by people who wrongly believed that doing so brought luck and prosperity – metal money of different epochs, seals, emblems, pottery, earthen vessels and copper objects.
Down the ages, many people have examined the qualities of Zamzam. Muhammad Labib Al-Bitnoni, an Egyptian author, wrote in his book “Al-Rehlat Al-Hijaziyah” that “the water is alkaline; rich in sodium, calcium, potassium and chloride salts. It has sulfuric and nitric acids too. The combination makes it similar to mineral waters that have healing effects.”
It is difficult to describe the exact taste of Zamzam. “It is not that of water to which salt has been added, nor is it that of diluted water. Its true taste, a slight salinity is clear only to the person who drinks it,” writes Koshak.
The well has never been infected by germs or microbes. It has never been polluted by floodwater or drainage of nearby houses. No one has ever contracted any disease by drinking the water. The well miraculously cleans itself.
It springs forth from beneath the venerated House of Allah – the Ka’ba – from the direction of Safa and Marwa.
“The main source of Zamzam is an opening tending toward the Holy Ka’ba. It is 45 cm long and 30 cm wide and slopes downwards. It supplies the main volume of Zamzam as stated in historical references,” mentions Dr. Koshak, who was asked to supervise the cleaning and sterilization of the well in 1980. “The second main source is a broad gash measuring 70 cm long and 30 cm wide, that divides into two openings within. It lies in the direction of Ajyad,” he adds.
There are also secondary sources. These are small outlets between the stones at the junction of the built-and-hewn-parts of the well.
There are five openings in the one-meter gap separating the two main sources. Besides, there are 21 inlets distributed from near the first main source that opens in the direction of JabalAbu Qubais, the Safa and the Marwa, to the second main source. These inlets are at different levels and they discharge varying amounts of water. – SG
Zamzam, the precious and holy water in the precincts of the Grand Mosque in Makkah that started gushing out nearly 4,000 years ago in a spontaneous way, is still going strong.
The average daily consumption of Zamzam is 100 cubic meters on regular days, which doubles to 200 cubic meters on Fridays, and shoots up to more than 1,000 cubic meters during the Ramadan and Haj seasons.
Not only do pilgrims coming for Haj and Umrah from all over the world, but locals also take it home in thousands of cans everyday to drink it to their heart’s content. The consumption of Zamzam naturally increases in Ramadan because of the large number of pilgrims visiting Makkah.
The authorities also transport and supply Zamzam to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina.
Aifan Al-Juaid, Director of Zamzam water distribution in the Grand Mosque, said this week that three million cups of Zamzam water are consumed daily at the Grand Mosque during the month of Ramadan.
“More than 1,800 cubic meters of water is consumed inside the mosque and 270 cubic meters in the courtyards outside each day in Ramadan,” he said.
Pilgrims can drink Zamzam at 90 drinking points with 1,100 taps inside the mosque and 43 drinking areas furnished with 100 taps outside.
Al-Juaid said that Zamzam water is also supplied to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina at a daily average of 274 cubic meters.
He said the late King Faisal showed considerable interest in improving the system of Zamzam water distribution to pilgrims.
Pilgrims and visitors drink plenty of Zamzam water, as there are several traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his Companions, and others, extolling the virtues, benefits, and curative values of Zamzam.
The Ministry of Haj and Endowments laid down financial and administrative statutes for the distribution of the holy water and established the Zamzam United Office in 1982, which has been striving to upgrade distribution so that pilgrims do not find any difficulty in getting desired quantities.
An engineer, Dr. Yahya Hamza Koshak, has documented in detail the story of Zamzam in his book “Zamzam: The Holy Water.” He has also produced a documentary film titled “Zamzam: Nourishment and Curative Value,” in Arabic, English, French, Urdu, Bahasa, Malay and Turkish, based on his first-hand experience with the well of Zamzam.
In 1975, during King Faisal’s time, the old buildings of Zamzam were pulled down to widen the area around Ka’ba, The work was completed in a year. The second expansion, during King Khaled’s era, required the moving away of all entrances to Zamzam. While digging, underground water flooded many places. There was a risk. Research had to be carried out to protect the well itself.
Koshak was charged with the study. He had to investigate the water source and its outlet. After proper bathing and ablution, two divers began a mission that had never been undertaken before. They plunged into the divine waters of Zamzam on Jumad-Al-Awwal 17, 1399 Hijra (1979).
Zamzam well is 3.5 meters deep, 17 meters of which are of granite rocks. The well’s diameter is irregular. The part above the rocky layer is of lime with a constructed well, a linear section leaning toward the Holy Ka’ba.
At this stage of work, Zamzam was cleared of many objects thrown in by people who wrongly believed that doing so brought luck and prosperity – metal money of different epochs, seals, emblems, pottery, earthen vessels and copper objects.
Down the ages, many people have examined the qualities of Zamzam. Muhammad Labib Al-Bitnoni, an Egyptian author, wrote in his book “Al-Rehlat Al-Hijaziyah” that “the water is alkaline; rich in sodium, calcium, potassium and chloride salts. It has sulfuric and nitric acids too. The combination makes it similar to mineral waters that have healing effects.”
It is difficult to describe the exact taste of Zamzam. “It is not that of water to which salt has been added, nor is it that of diluted water. Its true taste, a slight salinity is clear only to the person who drinks it,” writes Koshak.
The well has never been infected by germs or microbes. It has never been polluted by floodwater or drainage of nearby houses. No one has ever contracted any disease by drinking the water. The well miraculously cleans itself.
It springs forth from beneath the venerated House of Allah – the Ka’ba – from the direction of Safa and Marwa.
“The main source of Zamzam is an opening tending toward the Holy Ka’ba. It is 45 cm long and 30 cm wide and slopes downwards. It supplies the main volume of Zamzam as stated in historical references,” mentions Dr. Koshak, who was asked to supervise the cleaning and sterilization of the well in 1980. “The second main source is a broad gash measuring 70 cm long and 30 cm wide, that divides into two openings within. It lies in the direction of Ajyad,” he adds.
There are also secondary sources. These are small outlets between the stones at the junction of the built-and-hewn-parts of the well.
There are five openings in the one-meter gap separating the two main sources. Besides, there are 21 inlets distributed from near the first main source that opens in the direction of JabalAbu Qubais, the Safa and the Marwa, to the second main source. These inlets are at different levels and they discharge varying amounts of water. – SG
Jordan warns Israel: Don't cross Al-Aqsa red line
Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:31:25 GMT
Jordan's King Abdullah II has advised Israel against crossing the Jerusalem Al-Quds 'red line', warning the violation could bring about 'disastrous repercussions'.
"Jerusalem is a red line and any manipulation in this city would have disastrous repercussions on the security and stability of the region," he said in talks on Friday with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
The warning follows weeks of tensions in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound sparked after the Israeli forces denied Palestinian worshippers access to the mosque, the third holy site in the Muslim world.
Tel Aviv deployed thousands of soldiers in East Jerusalem Al-Quds to disperse and arrest angry Palestinian protesters accusing Israel of efforts to remove the Islamic-Palestinian identity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On Friday, King Abdullah called on the international community, especially the European Union, "to act firmly against any Israeli measures aimed at changing the identity of the Holy City of Jerusalem and threaten the places of worship."
Israeli media recently revealed that extremist Jewish organizations in Israel are pressuring the Tel Aviv government to remove the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock from East Jerusalem Al-Quds and transfer them to Mecca.
Ultra-right Yehuda Etzion, who is associated with Israeli spy agencies, has also threatened to blow up the Muslim sanctities if the government fails to dissemble and transfer the edifices.
Jordan, who enjoys the right to look after all Islamic and Christian holy sites in East Jerusalem Al-Quds under a 1994 peace treaty, earlier demanded Israel to keep Jewish extremists away from the compound.
Israel has been evicting Arab residents of East Jerusalem Al-Quds over 'illegal construction' in the dominantly Palestinian neighborhood, which Tel Aviv occupied in 1967 and illegally annexed later in a move not recognized by the international community.
The Palestinians condemn the evictions accusing Israeli municipality officials of making it virtually impossible for the Arab citizens to get permits for new homes or extending existing ones.
Jordan's King Abdullah II has advised Israel against crossing the Jerusalem Al-Quds 'red line', warning the violation could bring about 'disastrous repercussions'.
"Jerusalem is a red line and any manipulation in this city would have disastrous repercussions on the security and stability of the region," he said in talks on Friday with visiting Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
The warning follows weeks of tensions in the vicinity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound sparked after the Israeli forces denied Palestinian worshippers access to the mosque, the third holy site in the Muslim world.
Tel Aviv deployed thousands of soldiers in East Jerusalem Al-Quds to disperse and arrest angry Palestinian protesters accusing Israel of efforts to remove the Islamic-Palestinian identity of the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
On Friday, King Abdullah called on the international community, especially the European Union, "to act firmly against any Israeli measures aimed at changing the identity of the Holy City of Jerusalem and threaten the places of worship."
Israeli media recently revealed that extremist Jewish organizations in Israel are pressuring the Tel Aviv government to remove the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock from East Jerusalem Al-Quds and transfer them to Mecca.
Ultra-right Yehuda Etzion, who is associated with Israeli spy agencies, has also threatened to blow up the Muslim sanctities if the government fails to dissemble and transfer the edifices.
Jordan, who enjoys the right to look after all Islamic and Christian holy sites in East Jerusalem Al-Quds under a 1994 peace treaty, earlier demanded Israel to keep Jewish extremists away from the compound.
Israel has been evicting Arab residents of East Jerusalem Al-Quds over 'illegal construction' in the dominantly Palestinian neighborhood, which Tel Aviv occupied in 1967 and illegally annexed later in a move not recognized by the international community.
The Palestinians condemn the evictions accusing Israeli municipality officials of making it virtually impossible for the Arab citizens to get permits for new homes or extending existing ones.
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