Today's Top Islamic News (DAILY)

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MUMBAI: The Indian Air Force gave clearance to detained US military chartered plane to fly out from Mumbai on Sunday afternoon. Now the DGCA will decide when it will take off.

Earlier, the US aircraft with 205 American marine commandos on board was made to land at Mumbai airport for allegedly violating the Indian airspace.

The chartered plane was on its way from Fujiriah in UAE to Bangkok, an airport official said. The aircraft was using a civilian call sign, officials said.

"A US aircraft with 205 US Marines on board, on its way from Fujiriah to Bangkok, was forced to land in Mumbai while overflying Indian airspace as there was some confusion about its call sign," a Mumbai airport spokesperson said.

Soon US authorities got in touch with relevant officials to resolve the issue.

"We are aware of the situation, and are in touch with relevant officials to resolve this issue, which is a routine matter," a US embassy spokesperson said.
TOI

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UK: Afghan war continues despite unpopularity
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:57:39 GMT

General David Richards says Britain's security policies should not be driven by opinion polls.
UK's army chief says the Afghan mission will continue despite its unpopularity at home, following a dramatic rise in British troops' death toll in recent months.

General David Richards wrote in a letter to The Daily Telegraph on Monday that the British government must disregard negative opinion polls about the war and press ahead with its own security policies.

The top General's remarks about British security policies in Afghanistan comes as diplomats have revealed that the British army has been involved in fueling insurgency in the country by transporting the militants from the south to the north of Afghanistan.

The revelations comes days after Afghan President Hamid Karzai was quoted by the BBC Persian as having ordered an investigation into reports of 'unknown' army helicopters carrying gunmen to the relatively calm north.

Richards also believes that the Afghan war is winnable even though it may seem far off.

The top general was referring to a recent opinion poll, carried out for The Times newspaper on Wednesday, which showed that an increasing number of Britons are now opposed to the UK's involvement in Afghanistan.

The survey also revealed that 36 percent of the voters were now in favor of withdrawing all British forces from the volatile south Asian nation.

Anyone who suggests "the sooner we get out the better... is wrong", Richards wrote, while stressing that the government's security policy should not be "driven by opinion polls".

"It has been a struggle to persuade the British public about this and we need to do better," he added.

The mounting British death toll in the war-torn country has also been putting Prime Minister Gordon Brown under heavy pressure.

However, heedless to all calls for a withdrawal, Brown announced on Wednesday plans for the deployment of 500 more troops to Afghanistan's southern Helmand province, to join up to 9,000 British soldiers already stationed there.

At least 221 UK service personnel have been killed in Afghanistan since the US-led invasion in 2001.

The US invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to allegedly destroy the militancy and arrest its leaders, including Osama bin Laden, in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

The operation was labeled "the war against terror", leading to more terror, and insecurity in the conflict-torn country.

Latest UN reports show that in the first six months of 2009 alone, more than 1,500 civilians were killed across violence-racked Afghanistan, either from US air strikes or in the Taliban-led insurgency.

As a further consequence, a UN report in 2001, prior to the US invasion, showed poppy cultivation to be almost non-existent in any province of Afghanistan.

Now, according to the Washington Post, around 4000 tons of opium is produced in all corners of the country, which amounts to three-quarters of world production, an increase reminiscent of the 'golden triangle' operations during the Vietnam war.

FF/SC/DT

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Iran asks Pakistan to hand over terrorists
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:29:11 GMT

Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar
After Jundallah group takes responsibility for the deadly attack in southeast Iran, Interior Minister calls on Islamabad to hand over the terrorists to Tehran for trial.

"Pakistan's negligence to submitting terrorists to Iran cannot be justified by any means. The Pakistani officials should be accountable to the terrorists attack in Sarbaz town," Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar said in a telephone conversation with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik.

"Iran looks for a practical measure by the Pakistani government," he added as he voiced strong protest of the Iranian government and nation to Pakistani authorities.

At least 42 people, including ranking commanders of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) were killed by an explosion during a unity conference between Sunni and Shia tribal leaders in the borderline city of Pishin in Sistan-Baluchistan on Sunday.

The Pakistan-based terrorist group Jundallah, a closely affiliated with the notorious al-Qaeda organization, accepted responsibility for the deadly attack.

Malik expressed Pakistan's "extreme grief" over the terrorist attack in Iran and assured his Iranian counterpart of complete cooperation for every possible help.

Pakistan will keep up the war against terrorism as it is a victim of terrorism and engaged in fight with extremists groups, he added.

The Pakistan-based Jundallah, led by Abdolmalik Rigi, has staged a torrent of bombings and terrorist attacks in Iran.

In a recent interview with Press TV, Rigi's brother, Abdulhamid, confirmed that the Jundallah leader had established links with the US agents.

His brother said that in just one of his meetings with the US operatives, Rigi had received $100,000 to fuel sectarianism in Iran.

SF/DT

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In US, scarfed woman's home vandalized
Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:28:35 GMT

Nadja Adolf, a long-time Newark resident, believes the crime was committed because of her participation in the city council election.
The home of a Muslim woman, running for US city council elections, has been subject to vandalism, after a picture of her wearing an Islamic headscarf was published.

Nadja Adolf, one of three candidates running for two seats in the Newark City Council, had her home egged on 11 October while she and her husband were not home.

In a press release issued late Friday afternoon, the San Francisco Bay Area chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), called on local and state officials for a hate-crime investigation into the incident.

CAIR-SFBA believes the attack followed the publication of Adolf's picture, wearing hijab -- an Islamic head scarf -- in a local newspaper just days before the incident.

"Because of the circumstances surrounding this incident, we believe it is important that a possible bias motive be investigated," Zahra Billoo, programs and outreach director for CAIR-SFBA said.

Billoo also called on political and community leaders "to address the growing anti-Muslim rhetoric" in the United States.

Adolf who is a long-time Newark resident meanwhile believes that the crime was committed because of her participation in the election.

Police on Monday said that it has launched an initial investigation into the incident, while stepping-up security patrols in Adolf's neighborhood.

FF/SC/DT

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Obama 'beginning' war in Afghanistan from 'scratch'
Sun, 18 Oct 2009 22:41:16 GMT

An adviser to US president Barack Obama says Washington is "beginning" from "scratch" the war in Afghanistan, which he says the Bush administration had set "adrift."

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel said on Sunday that former US president George W. Bush had failed to ask key questions regarding the war in Afghanistan.

"The president [Obama] is asking the questions that have never been asked on the civilian side, the political side, the military side and the strategic side," Emanuel told CNN's State of the Union.

"Do you have a credible Afghan partner for this process that can provide the security and the type of services that the Afghan people need?" Emanuel cited as one of the outstanding questions to be asked from Afghan leaders.

The White House chief of staff added that the Obama administration, upon coming to power, had to start the war in Afghanistan from the beginning.

"It's clear that basically we had a war for eight years that was going on, that's adrift, that we're beginning at scratch, just at the starting point ... and that there's not a security force, an army, and the types of services that are important for the Afghans to become a true partner," Emanuel said.

This is while the situation in the war-torn country has deteriorated since Obama took office in January. Afghanistan is currently witnessing the highest level of violence since the 2001 US-led invasion, despite the presence of more than 100,000 foreign troops.

Since the start of the year about 1,500 Afghan civilians have lost their lives, and 250 US soldiers have have returned home in body bags as a result of the wrong policies adopted by foreign powers in the country.

MMN

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WASHINGTON — Mosques in the U.S. state of Michigan held their doors wide open for non-Muslim visitors on Saturday, October 17, in a day to celebrate the diverse American society and build bridges of understanding with the broader community.
"The Open House is designed to emphasize commonalities between the Abrahamic faiths," Rashid Taufiq, organizer of the event, told IslamOnline.net.

Sponsored by the umbrella Council of Islamic Organizations in Michigan (CIOM), the "Meet your Muslim Neighbor: Sharing our Common Heritage" event took place in eight mosques across the region.

The mosques encourage non-Muslims to visit and tour the Muslim houses of worship as part of a coordinated initiative to promote better understanding of the Noble Qu’ran and Islam.

"For most of our guests, we expect this will be their first visit to a mosque," said Taufiq.

Most of the participating mosques set up various information stations providing the visitors information about Islam, its origin, its message of peace, the basic tenets of the faith and diversity of Islamic culture.

The day featured short presentations, interactions with non-Muslims at each station and question and answer sessions.

According to the estimates of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Michigan is home to about 600,000 Muslims and close to 500,000 live in the southeastern part of the state.

Imam Aly Lela of the Islamic Association of Greater Detroit, one of the participating mosques, says this was not the first time mosques in Michigan organized such events to educate the public about Islam.

"What is unique about it this time is that this has been called by the CIOM, the umbrella Muslim organization in Michigan."

He said the Open House was organized in all participating mosques at the same time, making it a state wide event.

Imam Lela noted that in Michigan, home to one of the largest Arab and Muslim communities in the US, the relation between Muslims and non-Muslims is much-better than in other places.

According to the estimates of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Michigan is home to about 600,000 Muslims and close to 500,000 live in the southeastern part of the state.

Misconceptions
Organizers said the Open House was meant to clear many misconceptions about Islam.

"The event is designed to correct misinformation the public receives from media and anti-Muslim sources," said Taufiq, who is also chair of the CIOM Outreach Committee.

Organizers regretted that in the post 9/11 America, Islam and the Muslim's places of worship have become deeply stereotyped.

"We recognized there is organized effort to demonize and spread misinformation about Islam and Muslims, contributing to stereotyping," contends Taufiq.

"Such misperceptions can be translated to the image of mosques in people’s mind."

A recent Pew Research Center and the Pew Forum poll showed that the majority of Americans know very little about the practices of Islam.

"There are so many misconceptions," noted Imam Lela.

"Some believe Muslims are anti-Christ, some believe that Muslims worship Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) and there are many more wrong ideas about Islam and Muslims."

He believes that events like the Open House can help dispel many such negative misconceptions.

"For example, we are giving the audience the chance for questions and answers so that they get to ask about anything they don’t understand in our religion and get the answer for it."

Even provocative questions are welcomed.

"It is our religious duty to reach out to people of other religions and educate them about us and to explain to them what they don’t know."

Taufiq, the event organizer, agrees.

"This will help build bridges of understanding and friendship."

Source: IslamOnline

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CAIRO — The British job market is plagued by a widespread racial discrimination against workers with African and Asian backgrounds, a government survey has found. "Candidates with an Asian or African name face real discrimination and this has exposed the fact that companies are missing out on real talent," Employment Minister Jim Knight told the Guardian Sunday, October 18.
The survey, whose findings would be made public on Monday, October 19, shows that racism and bias against minorities' jobseekers are widespread among British employers.

Researchers sent 3,000 job applications using names recognizably from three different communities for 987 actual vacancies between November 2008 and May 2009.

Every false applicant had British education and work histories.

They found that an applicant, who appeared to be white, would send nine applications before receiving a positive response.

But minority applicants with the same qualifications and experience had to send 16 applications before receiving a similar response.

Navdeep Sethia, 24, an unemployed architecture graduate from Chalk Farm, central London, says the findings reflect the reality he lives every day.

"I personally feel that my foreign-sounding name makes a lot of difference," he told the Guardian.

Sethia has submitted more than 400 applications but received response from only 40 employers and has had fewer than 20 interviews.

"I am sure employers think of Southall when they see my name and that is enough for them to put my application aside."

James Nkwacha, 28, a physics graduate whose family is from Nigeria, has applied for 60 jobs this year.

"The jobs are within my range. I am qualified for them. But for some reason I have been overlooked."

Figures show that ethnic minorities have the worst unemployment and housing crises in the European country.

Some 70 percent of all ethnic minorities live in the 88 most deprived areas, compared to 40 percent of the general population.

Knight, the employment minister, said the study results are shocking.

"We suspected there was a problem," he told the Guardian.

"This uncovers the shocking scale of it."

Knight said the government is considering to bar companies that have been found to have discriminated against employees from applying for government contracts.

Peter Luff, the Conservative chairman of the Commons business, innovation and skills select committee, described the findings as disturbing.

“The conclusions are indeed deeply disturbing and indicate the probability of significant discrimination which will have to be analyzed closely once the full report is released this week."

Anti-racism groups welcomed the survey, saying it testifies to the scale of the racism problem in the European country.

"The evidence of the DWP report is unquestionable – we live in a society where racial discrimination systematically occurs and currently goes in the main unchallenged," said Iqbal Wahhab, chair of the Ethnic Minority Advisory Group.

He opposes the idea of imposing sanctions on the firms found guilty.

"…instead we should help them understand that their current practices mean they are not fit to supply big customers like government departments."

Source: IslamOnline

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Taleban put up strong resistance against govt push
Agencies

PESHAWAR: Pakistan pounded Taleban bases from the air and bore down on their leader’s hometown Sunday, intensifying a major offensive against the militants and claiming to have killed 60 of them.

More than 100,000 people have fled South Waziristan, part of the tribal belt on the Afghan border that US officials call the most dangerous place on earth, staying with relatives or renting accommodation to escape the fighting.

Thousands of Al-Qaeda-linked fighters, heavily armed and well-trained, are holed up in the tribal belt, where the army says the offensive is concentrated on strongholds of the Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan.

On the second day of the offensive, Taleban armed with rockets and heavy weapons put up strong resistance at Sharwangi, an area of impenetrable forest high in the mountains, as fighter jets bombed positions, officials said.

“In the last 24 hours, reportedly 60 terrorists have been killed in operation Rah-e-Nijat,” the military said in a statement. “Casualties of security forces are five soldiers (dead) and 11 are injured.”

Ground forces launched the three-pronged push late Friday, starting a much-anticipated assault in a bid to crush networks blamed for some of the worst attacks that have killed more than 2,250 people over the past two years.

“The resistance is not as stiff as we were expecting, maybe because we are still moving and have not yet reached the strongholds of the Taleban like Kotkai, Makin, Ladha and Kanigurram,” one military official told AFP.

Jets carried out airstrikes on Sunday, backing up troops who encountered resistance on the ground, a military official said, adding five Taleban hideouts had been destroyed. Another official said the army captured the rebel-held village of Spinkair Raghzai, erecting a checkpoint en route to Kotkai, the hometown of Pakistani Taleban chief Hakimullah Mehsud. The Taleban made counterclaims. They said they have inflicted “heavy casualties” and pushed advancing soldiers back into their bases. “We know how to fight this war and defeat the enemy with the minimum loss of our men,” Taleban spokesman Azam Tariq told The Associated Press from an undisclosed location. “This is a war imposed on us, and we will defend our land until our last man and our last drop of blood. This is a war bound to end in the defeat of the Pakistan Army.”

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ISLAMABAD -- The Pakistan army has unleashed its much-anticipated offensive against the troubled Waziristan region, the heartland of Taliban militants fighting under the banner of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella of various local groups in the region. In the first phase, a ground operation backed by jet fighters is expected only in the areas of South Waziristan, which the army believes to be the headquarters of TTP militants.
With a fierce showdown expected between both sides, almost 60 percent of the population of Laddah, Makeen, Kalosha, Rizmak, Shakai, Tiarza, Sararogha, Kani Garam and other parts of South Waziristan have already fled to the nearby districts of Tank and Dera Ismail Khan.

IslamOnline looks at the region's geography, population, militant groups, tribes and political parties to help its audience better understand the area and what kind of enemy the army is going to face there.

Geography

Waziristan is a mountainous region which borders northeastern Afghanistan and sprawls around 12,000 sq/km. It is part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), stretched over 700 kilometers. The region, named after the local powerful Wazirs tribe, was an independent tribal territory until 1893.

The British Empire, which had managed to stretch its wings over the entire sub-continent, invaded the area several times between 1860 and 1945.

However, the invading forces were unable to subdue the tribal uprising during this period because of the warrior nature of the local tribesmen.

The region ultimately became part of Pakistan in 1947 with a semi-autonomous status under an agreement between local tribes and the government.

Administratively, Waziristan has been divided into two regions, i.e. North Waziristan, and South Waziristan.

The total population of the united Waziristan is around 1.2 million, of which 500,000 resides in North Waziristan and 700,000 in South Waziristan.

South Waziristan, which is considered more rich and developed than the North, touches the northeastern Afghan provinces of Paktika and Paktia.

Its capital, Wana, is a much developed town compared to any other in the region.

It is the main center of medicines’ supply not only to the entire Waziristan region, but also to northeastern Afghanistan.

Wana once had the highest literacy rate in the entire FATA region, with hundreds of schools and various collages, including those that follow the Cambridge education system.

However, these educational institutions have been lying partially or completely closed for the last couple of years following skirmishes between Taliban and security forces and air strikes by the government.

North Waziristan borders the northeastern Afghan province of Khost.

Its capital Miramshah was the main supply route to northeastern Afghanistan during the Afghan war against the defunct USSR in the 1980s.

Mir Ali, the second most important town of the agency, is considered a hub for pro-Al-Qaeda foreign militants, mainly from Central Asian origin.

Tribes

South Waziristan is basically inhabited by three main tribes, the most powerful and biggest of them is Mehsud, which makes up 60 percent of the total population.

The second largest tribe is Wazir, which constitutes 30 percent of the population, followed by Bhittani and some smaller tribes that jointly make up 10 percent of the populace.

Mehsuds, which are nowadays the main target of army operation, reside in the suburbs of South Waziristan.

The capital Wana is inhabited by rich Waziris.

Bhittani tribesmen live on the border of South Waziristan, which touches the Tank district.

Mehsuds and Waziris are traditional rivals.

Waziris have been the main supporters and leaders of Taliban until Naik Mohamad, a powerful Taliban commander, was killed in a US missile attack a day after a peace agreement between the army and Taliban in 2004.

Following his death, the Taliban command was transferred to Abdullah Mehsud and later to Baitullah Mehsud, driving Waziris to join pro-government forces.

Bhittani tribe has always been pro-government but has no big influence in local politics.

North Waziristan is the hub of Wazir and Dawar tribes, which make up 65 and 35 percent of the population respectively.

Dawars, though in minority, live in the settled area of North Waziristan while Waziris inhabit the mountainous areas. Militant Groups

The main militant groups in Waziristan are the Baitullah Mehsud group, commonly known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Mullah Nazir group and the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group.

South Waziristan is shared by the TTP and the Mullah Nazir group.

TTP is the largest and most formidable group in the region with nearly 10,000 to 12,000 trained militants.

The group has a stronghold in the mountains and suburban areas of South Waziristan.

It has a strong standing in the northern, southern and eastern parts of South Waziristan.

The group also has allies in North Waziristan.

Hakimullah Mehsud is the present leader of the TTP while other important commanders are Qari Hussein, Wali-ur-Rehman and Maulvi Azmatullah.

The Mullah Nazir group, known as Punjabi Taliban, features a trained militia of 600 militants with Wana as their stronghold.

The group is led by and named after Mullah Nazir, who belongs to the Wazir tribe.

It was originally pro-government and had had bloody clashes with TTP in the recent past.

However, incessant US drone attacks in the region prompted Mullah Nazir to change course.

Currently, he stands neither alongside the government nor the TTP. He maintains a neutral stand at the moment in the war between the army and the TTP.

However, he fully supports attacks on NATO troops in Afghanistan.

Belonging to the Dawar tribe, Hafiz Gul Bahadur commands a militia of 3000 to 4000 militants in North Waziristan.

He has had a checkered history of relations with the TTP. He was once part of the TTP before parting his ways with Baitullah Mehsud after differences over attacks on Pakistani security forces.

Currently, Bahadur too maintains a neutral stand in the ongoing military battles with the TTP.

Political Parties

Political activities had been banned in Waziristan just like other parts of FATA till a few months back.

Under an amendment to FATA regulations, political activities have been allowed by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led coalition government.

All the parliamentarians from the region have been elected on non-party basis, though they have had a tactical support from different political parties.

Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI), which represents the Dubendi school of thought to which Taliban subscribes, the Jammat-e-Islami, the PPP and the left-wing Awami National Party (ANP) all have strong roots in Waziristan.

The JUI has the strongest set up in the region because of the madrasahs, which also operate as offices and meeting places for the party.

There are two National Assembly seats for South Waziristan, one occupied by Maulana Abdul Malik while the other remains vacant because of the vote postponement over the deteriorating law and order situation.

The region also has one seat in the Senate, currently held by Saleh Shah.

Maulana Abdul Malik belongs to the Mehsud tribe, while Senator Shah is syed, who recognize themselves as descendents of Prophet Mohammad (be peace upon Him).

The two lawmakers are politically affiliation with the JUI.

North Waziristan has only one National Assembly seat held by Kamran Khan, who belongs to the Wazir tribe. He too belongs to the JUI.

Source: IslamOnline

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Congress OKs Gitmo inmates trial in US
Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:37:02 GMT

The Guantanamo Bay prison has turned into a magnet for global criticism of US torture policies.
US Congress has given President Barack Obama the green light to allow Guantanamo Bay detainees to face trial in US soil, in a bid to facilitate the prison's closure.

The legislation, passed by Congress on Tuesday in a 79 to 19 vote, removes one of the many legal, diplomatic and political hurdles to the closing of the internationally condemned detention center.

The measure, which was also passed by the House of Representatives last week, permits Guantanamo detainees to be brought to the US only in order to face trial in US courts.

The bill — which largely mirrors existing restrictions — does not allow those cleared of charges to remain in the US, even when no other country will accept them.

Meanwhile, those who have been convicted can not serve their sentences in US prisons.

Under the new law, the administration must also give Congress a detailed assessment of the security risks involved before a detainee can be brought to the US and also give a 15 days' notice of any transfer.

The bill would also allow the Pentagon to block the release of photographs showing the abuse of the detainees under US custody, which had turned into a magnet for global criticism of US tactics in the 'war on terrorism'.

Obama vowed on his second day in office to shut down the facility by January 22, where over 220 prisoners still remain in custody.

Many Republicans in Congress have objected to plans to house terrorism suspects in US prisons, expressing concerns that they could invite additional terrorist attacks.

FF/AKM