Monday, December 28, 2015
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Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Sunnism and Shiism is Misguidance
Written by: Sheila Quinn
October 25, 2015
There are some things that Prophet Muhammad did that was only for him to do because he was the messenger of Allah-and therefore such things should not be followed. Such things include: fasting continuously day and night -for several days- without breaking the fast; marrying more than four women; and instructing a companion of his-when he sent him as an envoy to another country.
October 25, 2015
There is Sunnism, there is Shiism, and then there is Islam. Neither Sunnism nor Shiism is Islam. Islam is Islam. Both of these two sects are misguidance. Many years ago, before my sons' father divorced me I thought of myself as a "Sunni". Al humdu lillah...I identify myself now as a Muslim-I am no longer a "Sunni".
There are many things wrong with Shiism, including: making innovations in the religion-such as "celebrating" Ashura by whipping themselves, and other things which has nothing to do with The Islamic Faith.
There is also many things wrong with Sunnism, including: taqleed and fatwa.
Both groups have misguidance. We need to stick to The Qur'an and The Sunneh of Prophet Muhammad.
The guidance of Allah was completed at the time when Prophet Muhammad made Hajj. At this time Allah clearly stated in The Qur'an that the Islamic Faith was completed. Prophet Muhammad had completed his mission as the messenger of Allah. When Prophet Muhammad was dying he wanted to have something written down. Umar ibn Al Khattab-one of Prophet Muhammad's closest companions- gently objected to this by saying that The Qur'an and The Sunneh are enough for us. Apparently Prophet Muhammad understood what was meant by this and changed his mind. Allah knows best. Anything after this is not part of Islam.
There are some things that Prophet Muhammad did that was only for him to do because he was the messenger of Allah-and therefore such things should not be followed. Such things include: fasting continuously day and night -for several days- without breaking the fast; marrying more than four women; and instructing a companion of his-when he sent him as an envoy to another country.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Wednesday, October 14, 2015
Israel Escalates Punitive Measures Against Palestinian Resistance in Jer...
Israel Escalates Punitive Measures Against Palestinian Resistance in Jer...
Monday, October 12, 2015
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Friday, October 9, 2015
Hamas Gaza chief calls unrest a new 'intifada'
AFP
Source:Yahoo News
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Hamas's chief in Gaza on Friday called violence that has hit the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem in recent days an "intifada" and urged further unrest.
Source:Yahoo News
Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) - Hamas's chief in Gaza on Friday called violence that has hit the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem in recent days an "intifada" and urged further unrest.
"We are calling for the strengthening and increasing of the intifada.... It is the only path that will lead to liberation," Ismail Haniyeh said during a sermon for weekly Muslim prayers at a mosque in Gaza City.
"Gaza will fulfil its role in the Jerusalem intifada and it is more than ready for confrontation."
Islamist movement Hamas rules Gaza, the Palestinian enclave squeezed between Egypt and Israel and separated from the West Bank. Hamas remains deeply divided from Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah party.
Gaza has been the site of three wars with Israel since 2008, but it has remained mainly calm amid the recent unrest in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
However, a march of about 300 people on Friday near the border with Israel saw youths throw stones toward Israeli soldiers on the other side of the frontier, who responded and caused two injuries, Gazan rescue services said.
Last summer's 50-day war between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel left more than 2,200 people dead and 100,000 homeless.
Stabbing attacks in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Israel itself along with rioting have raised fears of a third Palestinian intifada, or uprising.
Thursday, October 8, 2015
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Saturday, October 3, 2015
Friday, September 25, 2015
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
Dozens of ISIS defectors explained why they left the terror army
Sep 21, 2015
By Barbara Tasch | Business Insider
Source: Yahoo News
(REUTERS/Stringer)
By Barbara Tasch | Business Insider
Source: Yahoo News
(REUTERS/Stringer)
An Islamic State militant (L) stands next to residents as they hold pieces of wreckage from a Syrian war plane after it crashed in Raqqa, in northeast Syria September 16, 2014.
Almost 60 Islamic State defectors have spoken out against the caliphate and Western governments should do more to incentivize former fighters to speak out, according to a new report by theInternational Center for the Study for Radicalization.
Almost 60 Islamic State defectors have spoken out against the caliphate and Western governments should do more to incentivize former fighters to speak out, according to a new report by theInternational Center for the Study for Radicalization.
According to the New York Times, about 20,000 foreigners have joined jihadist groups in the Middle East over the last two years. About a quarter of those are Europeans, and it is estimated that between 25% and 40% have gone back to Europe.
The new report says that most of the defectors have gone into hiding to escape reprisal from ISIS but also to avoid imprisonment in the countries to which they are returning. According to the report, 58 defectors from Europe and Australia have now publicly spoken about their experience.
In the reasons listed as to why they became disenchanted with the jihadist group, most defectors mention the violence toward other Muslims. Two defectors who left after finding out they had been selected to be suicide bombers told the BBC that the "brutality of IS terrifies everyone," referring to ISIS (aka Islamic State, IS, ISIL, and Daesh).
A Syrian man who had initially joined a rebel group fighting the Assad regime joined ISIS when his whole tribe pledged allegiance. He told the BBC that the first stage of the ISIS indoctrination was a course on the Sharia.
"Not the principles of Islam, the principles of the Islamic State," the man said. "So they teach you the Islam they want."
He said ISIS tactics boiled down to this "If you're against me, then you'll be killed. If you're with me, you work with me. You submit to my will and obey me, under my power in all matters."
He said ISIS tactics boiled down to this "If you're against me, then you'll be killed. If you're with me, you work with me. You submit to my will and obey me, under my power in all matters."
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
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Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Homosexuality and Islam
written by:Sheila Quinn
Turkey’s LGBT community
draws hope from Harvey Milk
: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/turkey-lgbt-discrimination-legal-protection-public-awareness.html#ixzz3hGxWgT57
Link: http://theummahtimes.blogspot.com/2015/07/homosexuality-and-islam.html.
Qur’an:
“Therefore stand firm (in the
straight path) as thou art commanded,-thou and those who with thee turn (unto
Allah); and transgress not (from the path); for He seeth well all that ye do.
And incline not to those who do wrong, or the fire will touch you, and ye have
no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped.” (Sura: “Huud” #11; aya’an #112-113)
“O Abraham! Seek not this.
The decree of thy Lord hath gone forth; for them there cometh a chastisement
that cannot be turned back! When our messengers came to Lut, he was grieved on
their account and felt himself powerless (to protect) them. He said: ‘This is a
distressful day.’ And his people came rushing towards him, and they had been
long in the habit of practicing abominations. He said; ‘O my people! Here are
my daughters: they are purer for you (if you marry)! Now fear Allah, and cover
me not with disgrace about my guests! Is there not among you a single
right-minded man?’ They said: ‘well dost thou know we have no need of thy
daughters: indeed thou knowest quite well what we want!’…” (The messengers)
said; “O Lut! We are messengers from thy lord! By no means shall they reach
thee! Now travel with thy family while yet a part of the night remains, and let
not any of you look back: but thy wife (will remain behind): to her will happen
what happens to the people. Morning is their time appointed: is not the morning
nigh?”(Sura: “Huud” #11; ayat #76-81)
These ayat are just some of the ayat which deal with the issue of
homosexuality.
Some might say that the issue of homosexuality is a sensitive issue. At
first I agreed with this, but as I read more and more about the aggressive
behavior of some who are pro “gay” I became incensed about the campaign to make
everyone accept homosexuality as “okay”. This campaign is not only in The U.S.
and Europe-it is also in Muslim countries as well. There have been “gay pride
parades” in both Turkey and Jordan. (Turkey’s LGBT community draws hope from Harvey Milk: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/turkey-lgbt-discrimination-legal-protection-public-awareness.html#ixzz3hGxWgT57)
Homosexuality is not okay. If a
female relative of mine came to me and told me that she was “married” to
another woman, how would I respond? I do not know how I would respond. Perhaps
I would just stare at her for a few minutes and then walk away, or I might
verbally blast her, than again I just might sit with her and give her a quiet
but stern lecture about how homosexual behavior is unacceptable.
Allah has made it clear, in The
Qur’an, that homosexual activity is an abomination to Him. No Muslim has the
right to be okay with homosexual activity. “ … Now travel with thy family
while yet a part of the night remains, and let not any of you look back: but
thy wife (will remain behind): to her will happen what happens to the people.
Morning is their time appointed: is not the morning nigh?”( Sura:
“Huud” #11; ayat #76-81)
“…And incline not to those who do wrong, or the fire will touch you,
and ye have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped.” (Sura: “Huud” #11; aya’an #112-113)
From what is written in The
Qur’an it is clear that The Creator and The Sustainer of The Heavens and The
Earth considers such behavior to be absolutely unacceptable. It is unthinkable
that any Muslim would accept homosexual activity to be okay. It is not only
sinful to be involved in homosexual activity, but it is also sinful to be
sympathetic towards those who are involved in homosexual behavior. It is clear-
from the ayat that I quoted above- that anyone who is sympathetic towards homosexuals
are sinful and will be dealt with to the same degree as those who are active
homosexuals.
Should Muslims please Allah-or
should we prostrate to His creatures? Of course, we should please Allah. The
Dunya, this life, is a life of tests. It seems that some Muslims are failing in
the tests that are being given in regard to homosexuality.
There is absolutely no God, but The God. Muhammad is the messenger of
the God. Everything and everyone belongs to God. We do not belong to ourselves.
Everything that we have is a trust from God-including: our bodies, our minds
and our hearts. All of us do have choices, but each and every one of us will
face the consequences of our choices-good or bad. Although our bodies will
decay in our graves, we-ourselves- will continue to exist throughout eternity.
But, what kind of existence will it be?
Some References:
Reza Aslan And Hasan Minhaj Explain Why Muslims
Can't Afford To Be Intolerant Of Gay Marriage: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/07/09/reza-aslan-hasan-minhaj-gay-marriage_n_7757400.html?ir=Religion&ncid=newsltushpmg00000003
For Churches That Won’t
Perform Same-Sex Weddings, Insurance Begins to Look Iffy Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/420928/churches-gay-marriage-insurance?tsrvqUZ2WLkiLuwx.01
: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2013/12/turkey-lgbt-discrimination-legal-protection-public-awareness.html#ixzz3hGxWgT57
Link: http://theummahtimes.blogspot.com/2015/07/homosexuality-and-islam.html.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Friday, July 10, 2015
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
IS beheads 12 Al Qaeda men
23 hours ago
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS
Source: Yahoo News
By Indo Asian News Service | IANS
Source: Yahoo News
London, June 26 (IANS) Islamic State (IS) terrorists in Syria have released a video of beheading 12 men, accused of fighting for the rival terror groups Al Qaeda and Jaish al-Islam, media reported on Friday.
Filmed in Syrian capital Damascus, the footage shows 12 men being interviewed and paraded in front of the camera before the execution on Thursday, a report in London-based Daily Mail said.
After "confessing" to the crime of opposing IS and failing to declare allegiance to the terror group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, every terrorist was executed by a different masked member of the Islamic State group.
The video -- titled "Repent Before Being Overcome" -- bore all the high-tech hallmarks of the terror group that other murder videos earlier have had.
In a slick bit of editing before the executions, the footage momentarily rewinds and fades into a montage of Al Qaeda and Jaish al-Islam fighters battling IS, the report said.
The overall theme of the video is along the same lines, and sends a clear signal to other terrorist groups fighting in Syria that they must declare allegiance to IS "before being overcome", report added.
While speaking directly in front of the camera, the men appeared clean-shaven a rarity for terrorists and something likely to have been intended to humiliate the men before they were killed.
Earlier, a footage was released that showed IS terrorists executing 16 Iraqi nationals on charges of "spying" for coalition forces.
Wednesday, June 17, 2015
Friday, June 12, 2015
A Masjid is a Community Center for Muslims
June 12,2015
written by:Sheila Quinn
There are other hadeeth.
“Verily, I have left amongst you the Book of Allah and the Sunnah (Traditions) of His Messenger which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray.” (Sahih Muslim)
(Source: “Ar- Raheeq Al – Makhtum” (The Sealed Nectar; chapter: “The Farewell Pilgrimage”)
written by:Sheila Quinn
Hadeeth: “Narrated Samura bin Jundab: Whenever the Prophet finished the (morning) prayer, he would face us and ask, ‘Who amongst you had a dream last night?’ So if anyone had seen a dream he would narrate it. The Prophet would say: ‘Ma sha’a-l-lah’ (An Arabic maxim meaning literally ‘What Allah wished,’ and it indicates a good omen.)…” (From the collection of hadeeth: “Sahih Al-Bukhari”; Volume#2; Book “Funerals”#23; chapter #91; hadeeth #468)
There are other hadeeth.
One is a hadeeth which is narrated by Ayesha (mother of believers/ a wife of Prophet Muhammad). In that hadeeth she talks about an incident in which she watched a sports event in the masjid. She was sitting behind Prophet Muhammad.
Another hadeeth is narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar (a companion of Prophet Muhammad and a son of another companion of Prophet Muhammad). In this hadeeth Abdullah ibn Umar mentioned that one time Prophet Muhammad pointed to one of the doors of the masjid. And he (Prophet Muhammad) said if only we would leave that door for the women. He said that he wish that door would be just for the women and that door (pointing to the other door) would be for the men. Prophet Muhammad wanted there to be separate entrances-one for the women and one for the men. Apparently there were two doors to the masjid in which both men and women used.
Qur’an:
“Allah alone can show the right path but there are ways that turn aside; if Allah had so willed, He could have guided all of you.” (Sura: “An-Nahl” (The Bee) #16; ayah #9)
“Those who follow the Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, whom they find mentioned in their own (scriptures), in the Taurat and the Gospel:-for he commands them what is just and forbids them what is evil: he allows them as lawful what is good (and pure) and prohibits them from what is bad (and impure);: he releases them from their heavy burdens and from the yokes that are upon them. So it is those who believe in him, honour him, help him, and follow the Light which is sent down with him, - it is they who will prosper.”
(Sura: A’raaf (The Heights); ayah #157)
(Sura: A’raaf (The Heights); ayah #157)
“…This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…” (Sura: “Maida” (The Table Spread) #5; ayah #3)
Hadeeth
“Verily, I have left amongst you the Book of Allah and the Sunnah (Traditions) of His Messenger which if you hold fast, you shall never go astray.” (Sahih Muslim)
(Source: “Ar- Raheeq Al – Makhtum” (The Sealed Nectar; chapter: “The Farewell Pilgrimage”)
The masjid is a community center for Muslims-not just a place of prayer. The masjid is a place of many different community activities for Muslims. It is a place of: prayer, classes, sports, social activities, community meetings, etc. It is a place that all Muslims, both men and women can go.
The Islamic Faith consists of: The Qur’an and The Sunneh of Prophet Muhammad. Anything that came after the death of Prophet Muhammad is misguidance. An English translation of what Allah says in The Qur’an is: “…This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion…” (Sura: “Maida” (The Table Spread) #5; ayah #3)
One of the things that is misguidance is Fatwa, itself. Fatwa has displaced The Sunneh of Prophet Muhammad. Many Muslims are following fatwa instead of The Sunneh of Prophet Muhammad. It is time to return to The Sunneh of Prophet Muhammad; it is time to start building-and using- masjids as community centers for all Muslims.
Link:
Link:
A Masjid is a Community Center for Muslims:http://theummahtimes.blogspot.com/2015/06/a-masjid-is-community-center-for-muslims.html.
Saturday, June 6, 2015
Friday, June 5, 2015
Israel bombs Gaza sites after rocket attack claimed by Islamic State sympathizer
Thu, Jun 4, 2015
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Source:Yahoo News
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
Source:Yahoo News
* Israel puts onus on Hamas for rival Islamists' rockets
* Relative quiet on Gaza front since 2014 war disrupted (Adds Israeli defence minister)
By Nidal al-Mughrabi
GAZA, June 4 (Reuters) - Israel retaliated on Thursday for rockets fired at it from Gaza with bombing raids against three militant training camps, and a radical group sympathetic with Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks on Israel.
Witnesses and medics said the predawn attacks on two camps belonging to Hamas, which dominates the Gaza Strip, and to the smaller Palestinian group Islamic Jihad caused some damage but no casualties.
Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon said in a statement that Israel held Hamas responsible for the rocket attacks from Gaza "even if those doing the shooting are rogue gangs from global jihadi groups trying to challenge Hamas by shooting at us".
The rockets aimed at the Israeli city of Ashkelon and town of Netivot on Wednesday night were the second such attacks in the past week. They broke a hiatus in cross-border fire since a 50-day Israeli war with Hamas ended with an Egyptian-brokered truce in August.
A radical Islamist Salafist group posted a statement on Twitter claiming responsibility for firing the rockets. Calling itself the Omar Brigades, the group said it was retaliating for Hamas's killing of an Islamic State supporter in a Gaza shootout on Tuesday.
"We are continuing with our jihad against the Jews, the enemies of God, and no one will be able to deter us," the statement said, using the term in Arabic for holy war.
In last week's rocket fire, Gaza militants launched their deepest strike at Israel since the 2014 war, hitting near the port city of Ashdod.
Israel blamed Islamic Jihad militants for that rocket assault and launched retaliatory air strikes then as well. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan; Editing by Paul Tait, Bernard Orr and Nick Macfie)
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Monday, May 11, 2015
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Texas Muslims on edge amid protests, contest attack
May 5, 2015
By JAMIE STENGLE
Source: AP
DALLAS (AP) — When an outspoken opponent of radical Islam sought to mock Muhammad in Texas, home to one of the nation's largest Islamic communities, local Muslims were encouraged to ignore her, and they did.
By JAMIE STENGLE
Source: AP
DALLAS (AP) — When an outspoken opponent of radical Islam sought to mock Muhammad in Texas, home to one of the nation's largest Islamic communities, local Muslims were encouraged to ignore her, and they did.
No one protested when Pamela Geller's cartoon contest attracted about 200 people to suburban Dallas Sunday, even though some Muslims in Texas were already feeling aggrieved and fearful over growing anti-Islamic sentiment in the state.
Then, two men with attack rifles drove in from Arizona and opened fire on officers guarding the conference center in Garland. Both were shot dead, an officer was shot in the leg, and from the other side of the world, the Islamic State group made an unproven claim of responsibility.
"This is the exposure that they wanted and this is the divisiveness that they wanted to bring," said Omar Suleiman, resident scholar at the Valley Ranch Islamic Center in Irving, a Dallas suburb with a sizable Islamic community.
"We condemn obviously the attack in the strongest terms, and we are glad that the police officer is OK," Suleiman added. "This is what extremists on both sides want: whether it's Geller or whether it's ISIS. They want this all-out war. That's not what we're about."
Anti-Islam sentiment has been reverberating in Texas, from the state Capitol to local governments. Tensions rose in Irving after the City Council endorsed one of several bills to forbid judges from rulings based on "foreign laws."
"I think it is redundant — no law can override the Constitution," said Malik Abdul-Rahman, an Irving barber. "I think it is more intolerance and bigotry than anything."
Islam holds that any depictions of its prophet are deeply offensive, and yet Geller's contest rules sought images that engage "in criticism of and mockery of Muhammad and the belief system and ideology that underlies global jihad terrorism." She also brought in a speaker known for his outspoken criticism of Islam, Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders.
Geller, president of the New York-based American Freedom Defense Initiative, booked Sunday's event at the same venue where she led about 1,000 protesters at a January fundraiser that the Chicago-based group Sound Vision held to combat negative perceptions of Islam.
"We are standing against the most brutal, radical and extreme ideology on the face of the Earth," Geller declared.
A man with a bullhorn repeatedly called Muhammad a pedophile. One person chanted "Go back to your own countries! We don't want you here!" Another held a sign saying "Insult those who behead others."
Texas was a natural stop for Sound Vision, with more people associated with Muslim congregations, about 422,000, or 1.7 percent of its population, than any other state, according to a 2010 census by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston each have about 155,000 Muslim adherents.
Later in January, hecklers greeted Muslims for the first time at their lobbying day at the Texas Capitol in Austin.
Republican state Rep. Molly White told her staff to ask visiting Muslims to declare allegiance to America. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott rebuked such attitudes, saying "we must have civil discourse."
But six bills addressing foreign laws, which opponents believe are anti-Muslim, are now pending in the Texas Legislature. Similar legislation banning judges from violating state and federal laws has been introduced this year in almost 20 states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Nine other states have passed them.
The lawmakers have gone out of their way to avoid mentioning Sharia, or Islamic law, but their constituents have done it for them.
"The concern is they're hearing about it, they're seeing it, they're fearful," Republican state Rep. Dan Flynn said. "They don't want this foot in the door."
Republican state Rep. Jeff Leach suggested that his bill would put limits on an Islamic tribunal in Dallas.
The panel advertises voluntary, non-binding arbitration to resolve disputes among Muslims in accordance with both Sharia traditions and U.S. law, and says similar religious tribunals have helped the American Jewish and American Christian faith communities resolve disputes for decades.
"Some people will tell you: 'Is this really a problem? Is this a solution looking for a problem?'" Leach said as he promoted his bill at the Texas Faith and Family Day rally in Austin in February. "We want to codify that, to ensure that there is no judge in Texas who should even think twice about violating the Texas or United States Constitution."
Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne weighed in on Facebook, saying she would investigate rumors of a Sharia law court in her city, and that if "there are violations of basic rights occurring, I will not stand idle and will fight with every fiber of my being against this action." It turned out that an imam from Irving served on the Dallas panel.
In March, an Iraqi man was fatally shot in Dallas while photographing a snowfall, rattling nerves even though police later determined it was random and not a hate crime.
"There is a lot of fear. So if anything happens, until proven otherwise, and even then, the violence sticks with you," Alia Salem, who directs the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
In April, people lined up to denounce Islam two weeks after the Irving City Council voted to endorse Leach's bill. One woman declared "Sharia law is Islam, and Islam's goal is to immigrate, assimilate and annihilate." A man sitting in the audience shouted "That is offensive!" and was escorted out.
As Texans took stock of Sunday's shooting, Muslim leaders praised police for proactively guarding the area's mosques and Islamic schools, and thanked the FBI for reaching out to their community.
"Whatever we can do to ensure that we'll keep our cities safe, we'll do everything possible," said Azhar Azeez, president of the Islamic Society of North America.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Monday, April 27, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
Tuesday, April 21, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Monday, April 13, 2015
Chechen commander in Ukraine drawn into Russian intrigue
23 hours ago
By NICHOLAS WALLER
Source:Yahoo News
LYSYCHANSK, Ukraine (AP) — From a dimly lit room at his base in eastern Ukraine, the commander of a battalion of Chechens fighting Russia-backed rebels looked shaken as TV broadcast news of Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov's slaying. Adam Osmayev hailed Nemtsov as a "true hero" both for condemning Russia's war against separatists in Chechnya and for decrying Russian intervention in the current conflict in Ukraine.
"Watch them try to tie Ukraine to this (murder) in some way," Osmayev added.
He was half-joking. But two weeks later, Kremlin-friendly Russian newspapers published reports based on unidentified sources in the security services that accused the Ukrainian government and also Osmayev himself of ordering the Feb. 27 murder of Nemtsov in central Moscow in an attempt to destabilize Russia.
Osmayev denies involvement and no evidence has been presented linking him to the hit on Nemtsov, who was a relentless critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Attempts to implicate the British-educated Chechen commander appear to be part of efforts aimed at deflecting attention from anyone close to Putin, including his security services and the powerful leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov.
Within days of Nemtsov's assassination, investigators arrested five Chechens, including a senior officer in Kadyrov's police force, and charged them with carrying out the killing. All five have denied the charges.
The arrests heralded a crisis in relations between the Kremlin and Kadyrov, who rules Chechnya like a personal fiefdom. With generous subsidies from Moscow, he has rebuilt the region after two separatist wars and has relied on his feared security forces to track down and kill foes. His men have steadily expanded their sway beyond Chechnya to control lucrative businesses in Moscow and elsewhere in Russia.
Leaders of federal law enforcement agencies have watched Kadyrov's growing power with dismay and have made no secret of their desire to curb him. Some observers speculated that the killing might have been ordered by Kadyrov's enemies in the federal government — an attempt to prompt Putin to fire or at least punish the Chechen leader.
If such a plan existed, it underestimated Putin's reliance on Kadyrov. The relative stability in Chechnya is seen as one of Putin's main achievements, and he sees the burly red-haired Chechen strongman as key to maintaining the status quo.
Putin quickly sent a signal that he intended to stand by Kadyrov by awarding him the Order of Honor for distinguished public service, a day after Kadyrov spoke out in defense of the arrested Chechens.
The arrests were a rare case in which federal law enforcement agents managed to nab a member of Kadyrov's security force, but the investigation then seemed to fizzle.
Russian media, citing investigators, have pointed to a possible link between the suspected triggerman, Zaur Dadaev, and his commander, Ruslan Geremeyev, a senior officer in the Chechen police force. But Geremeyev is in Chechnya and off limits to federal investigators.
Russian newspapers have floated a variety of theories about the killing that have muddied the waters — a possible attempt to defuse tensions with Kadyrov.
Some reports claimed that investigators believe Dadaev and his suspected accomplices could have acted on their own, even though most observers agree that a senior officer in Kadyrov's security force would not have acted without sanction from his superiors.
Dadaev, in turn, has rescinded his initial testimony, saying he was beaten and pressured to confess.
The reports pointing to Osmayev, a Kadyrov foe, were seen as part of these efforts to deflect attention.
"State-controlled media have put forward a theory that is politically satisfying for Russia's security forces, the Kremlin, Kadyrov and all of their rival groups — namely, that Chechen Adam Osmayev ordered Nemtsov's murder," political analyst Georgy Bovt wrote in a commentary published in The Moscow Times.
Osmayev, 33, has a troubled history with both Kadyrov and Putin.
After graduating from Wycliffe College, a prestigious private school in Britain, and attending the University of Buckingham, he returned to his native Chechnya shortly after the second war there ended in 2000. He worked alongside his father, who had been appointed the head of Chechnya's state oil company.
Chechnya at that time was led by Kadyrov's father. After his assassination in 2004, power passed to his son, Ramzan, and his relationship with the Osmayevs quickly deteriorated in a dispute over lucrative energy contracts. The Osmayevs fled to Ukraine.
In February 2012, Adam Osmayev was arrested at Russia's behest and charged with planning an assassination attempt against Putin. Ukraine at the time had a pro-Kremlin government. Osmayev spent three years in detention until being released in November 2014 by Ukraine's new Western-leaning government.
Shortly after his release, he joined a battalion formed by prominent Chechen commander Isa Munayev to fight against Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. When Munayev was killed on Feb. 1, Osmayav took over the command.
His battalion includes several dozen Chechens, many with combat experience gained in the separatist wars in their homeland against Russian army troops. They regularly get calls from Ukrainian army units asking them to carry out reconnaissance missions or diversionary raids behind rebel lines.
Hundreds of Chechens also are fighting on the separatist side. They first joined the rebels last summer in the early stages of the conflict, and with their combat gear and professional demeanor they stood out among what was then a ragtag local force. Kadyrov has described pro-Russia Chechens fighting in Ukraine as volunteers, the same explanation the Kremlin provides for the Russians among the separatist forces.
Osmayev said he has few doubts that the perpetrators of Nemtsov's killing have ties to Kadyrov, but that the security services now need a convenient scapegoat whose guilt would be easily acceptable to the Russian general public.
"The fact the FSB is . trying to somehow implicate me in Nemtsov's murder is utterly ridiculous," Osmayev said, "but not hard to believe now that I am involved in the situation here in Ukraine."
___
Lynn Berry and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Anti-Coup Alliance Denounces Political Executions
April 4,2015
Source: Ikhwanweb
Egypt's pro-democracy national coalition condemns the illegitimate coup's intensely politicized mass death sentences and hails the martyrs' children as the pride of the homeland.
The non-violent anti-coup revolutionary movement in Egypt is escalating steadily as the military coup regime persists in its bloody and brutal practices against the patriotic Egyptian people, including extra-judicial killings, political executions in the guise of judicial rulings (by orders from the Generals), and arbitrary arrests of protesters. However, mistaken are those who believe these criminal practices will intimidate or impact the determination of Egypt's heroes, the revolutionaries.
The thundering masses – from across the social and political spectrums of the Egyptian people – that turned out today in response to the Anti-Coup Pro-Legitimacy National Alliance's call carried a message to the whole world rejecting the execution of innocent people of this homeland, vowing that the Revolution will not kneel or be cowered, that retribution will be achieved soon, and that no criminal will escape punishment.
The military junta that executed the treasonous coup d'état in Egypt, trampling democratic legitimacy and popular will in Egypt by force of arms, bears full responsibility for damaging Egypt's national security, and especially for threatening the Sinai's security.
The National Alliance condemns the crimes committed by the traitor Al-Sisi against the people of Sinai, and denounces the clumsy terror operations directed against unarmed and innocent citizens – crimes with which the junta aims to evacuate the Sinai in favor of the Zionist enemy, taken by the traitor Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi as a close and intimate friend.
The Alliance solemnly salutes the revolutionaries' resilience, selfless devotion and determination to complete the journey of the January 25 Revolution despite the junta's brutal repression.
On the World Orphan Day, the Alliance hails the martyrs' children with this modest message: "You are the pride of the nation, the joy of this homeland, the hope of the Revolution, and Egypt's bright future. Retribution will be achieved soon. We are as committed as ever to the worthy pledge we made to your fathers, and to the path of the Revolution. We will not accept no compromises with your rights. We will reclaim for you your full rights, so you can enjoy freedom in the sovereign democratic homeland your fathers wanted and sacrificed their lives for".
Victory for the Revolution
Down with the rule of murderers
The Anti-Coup Pro-Democracy National Alliance
Thursday – April 3, 2015
The thundering masses – from across the social and political spectrums of the Egyptian people – that turned out today in response to the Anti-Coup Pro-Legitimacy National Alliance's call carried a message to the whole world rejecting the execution of innocent people of this homeland, vowing that the Revolution will not kneel or be cowered, that retribution will be achieved soon, and that no criminal will escape punishment.
The military junta that executed the treasonous coup d'état in Egypt, trampling democratic legitimacy and popular will in Egypt by force of arms, bears full responsibility for damaging Egypt's national security, and especially for threatening the Sinai's security.
The National Alliance condemns the crimes committed by the traitor Al-Sisi against the people of Sinai, and denounces the clumsy terror operations directed against unarmed and innocent citizens – crimes with which the junta aims to evacuate the Sinai in favor of the Zionist enemy, taken by the traitor Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi as a close and intimate friend.
The Alliance solemnly salutes the revolutionaries' resilience, selfless devotion and determination to complete the journey of the January 25 Revolution despite the junta's brutal repression.
On the World Orphan Day, the Alliance hails the martyrs' children with this modest message: "You are the pride of the nation, the joy of this homeland, the hope of the Revolution, and Egypt's bright future. Retribution will be achieved soon. We are as committed as ever to the worthy pledge we made to your fathers, and to the path of the Revolution. We will not accept no compromises with your rights. We will reclaim for you your full rights, so you can enjoy freedom in the sovereign democratic homeland your fathers wanted and sacrificed their lives for".
Victory for the Revolution
Down with the rule of murderers
The Anti-Coup Pro-Democracy National Alliance
Thursday – April 3, 2015
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