From All Around The World...

Stella Awards - Unbelievable lawsuits!

2006-02-13T18:42:00.000+05:00

It's once again time to review the winners of the annual Stella Awards.

The Stella's are named after 81 year old Stella Liebeck who spilled
coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald 's. That case inspired
the ' Stella Awards' for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the
United States

THIS YEAR'S AWARDS GO TO:

5th Place (Tied)
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, Texas was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving toddler was Ms. Robertson 's son.

5th Place (Tied)
19 year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently did not notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal the hubcaps.

5th Place (Tied)
Terrence Dickson of Bristol, Pennsylvania was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of the garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He could not re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation and Mr Dickson found himself locked in the garage for 8 days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The Jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

4th Place
Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's Beagle dog. The Beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been a little provoked at the time as Mr. Williams, who had climbed over the fence into the yard, was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

3rd Place
A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, Pennsylvania $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier, during an argument.

2nd Place
Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a Night Club in neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out two of her front teeth. This occurred whilst Ms. Walton was trying to sneak in the window of the Ladies Room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

1st Place!!!!!
This year's runaway winner was Mr. Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, Okla Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new Winnebago Motor home. On his trip home from an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 mph and calmly left the driver's seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr. Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he could not actually do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago Motor home.

The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit just in case there were any other complete morons buying their recreational vehicles.

Students Trade Bibles for Porn

2005-12-07T13:42:00.000+05:00

SAN ANTONIO — A group of atheists at the University of Texas at San Antonio is putting a novel twist on the toys-for-guns programs run by many urban police departments. But instead of toys, they are handing out porn in exchange for bibles.

“We consider the bible to be a very negative force in the history of the world”, student Ryan Walker said. Walker is part of a student group that calls itself the Atheist Agenda.

Club members this week posted fliers promoting what they call the “Smut for Smut” campaign then set up a table in the student union to collect religious materials and pass out adult magazines such as Black Label and Playboy.

The group is not officially sanctioned by the university and has raised the ire of several religious organizations on campus.

“In my opinion, there are no atheists. There are fools,” Pastor Rick Hawkins of UTSA’s Family Praise Center said. “So, that would be foolish propaganda. I don't know one believer that would take his Bible and turn it in for pornography.”

Hawkins obviously didn’t stop by the Atheist Agenda table, where several students had dropped off copies of the good book and walked away with skin mags.

Athiest Agenda isn’t the first student group to explore the idea of introducing porn to former bible toters. Members say they got the idea from students in Austin who ran a similar pro-porn drive.

Walker added that members thought it sounded like a creative way to exercise their freedom of speech.

Latest, Greatest, Straitest Songs

2005-11-02T21:37:00.000+05:00

Lately I've been busy downloading songs from internet. I downloaded many songs, classic, country, RnB, Rock etc. but the best of all the songs that I downloaded are the songs of George Strait (country). I've been listening to Mr. Strait for almost a year but I had only few songs but my recent collection of his songs is just great. Check out the list:

All My Ex's Live In Texas
Amarillo by Morning
Baby Blue
Baby's Gotten Good at Goodbye
Check Yes Or No
Cross My Heart
Fool Hearted Memory
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
I Get Carried Away
I Hate Everything
I Just Want To Dance With You
If you're thinking of a stranger
Let's Fall to Pieces Together
Living And Living Well
Love Without End, Amen
One Night At A Time
Run
She Let Herself Go
She'll Leave You With A Smile
So Much Like My Dad
Stars On The Water
The Chair
The Fireman
The Road Less Traveled
Today My World Slipped Away
True
We Really Shouldn't Be Doing This
When Did You Stop Loving Me
Write This Down
You'll Be There
You had me from hello
You look so good in love

Believe me all these songs are great. If any one wants these songs, leave me your email address and I will send'em to you :)

I've also been listening to Alan Jackson and Kenny Chesney. But man I don't know what's wrong with all these country music singers that their voice is almost the same. Well, I can't make a difference. What do you think am I right or is it just me???

If any body knows any other singers or songs in Country music, please tell me. Thanks!

Bill Gates Dies

2005-10-29T22:58:00.000+05:00

"Well, Bill," said God, "I'm really confused on this one.

I'm not sure whether to send you to Heaven or Hell! After all, you helped society enormously by putting a computer in almost every home in the world, and yet you created that infernal Windows. I'm going to do something I've never done before. I'm going to let you decide where you want to go!"

Mr. Gates replied, "Well, thanks. What's the difference between the two?"

God said, "You can take a peek at both places briefly if it will help you decide. Shall we look at Hell first?"

"Sure!" said Bill.

"Let's go!"

Bill was amazed! He saw a clean, white sandy beach with clear waters. There were thousands of beautiful women running around, lying in the water, laughing and frolicking about. The sun was shining and the temperature was just perfect!!

Bill said, "This is great! If this is Hell, I can't wait to see Heaven!" To which God replied, "Let's go!" and off they went. Bill saw puffy white clouds in a beautiful blue sky with angels drifting about playing harps and singing. It was nice, but surely not as enticing as Hell. Mr. Gates thought for only a brief moment and rendered his decision. "God, I do believe I would like to go to Hell."

“As you desire," said God.

Two weeks later, God decided to check up on the late billionaire to see how things were going. He found Bill shackled to a wall, screaming among the hot flames in a dark cave. He was being burned and tortured by demons.

"How ya doing,' Bill?" asked God.

Bill responded with anguish and despair. "This is awful! This is not what I expected at all! What happened to the beach and the beautiful women playing in the water?"

"Oh, THAT!" said God. "That was the screen saver"

America's Failure

2005-10-14T23:05:00.000+05:00

Wanna know about the reason of America's failur? Well, it ain't no hard to find the truth. Follow the steps below and you'll find out.

Go to www.google.com
Type in "Failure" without quotes
Now instead of hitting "Google Search" hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button
You got the reason of America's failure

Let's see when they kick google's ass for this. Tell other people about it too.

Thanks to my dearest friend Waqas Raja for emailing me this truth.

ClearType Tuner

2005-10-13T19:19:00.000+05:00

ClearType delivers improved font display quality over traditional forms of font smoothing or anti-aliasing. ClearType improves readability on color LCD displays with a digital interface, such as those in laptops and high-quality flat panel displays. Readability on CRT screens can also be somewhat improved.

See the difference. You like it? You can try it...

Turn On ClearType

Yvonne Ridley

2005-09-20T14:08:00.000+05:00

Yvonne Ridley is the Sunday Express journalist who hit the headlines when she was arrested after being sent to cover the build-up to the Afghan war.

Two years ago Yvonne was detained on suspicion of spying after going in search of a scoop disguised in a traditional burka

But it ended in disaster when she was thrown into prison and held for ten days, while the government, Yvonne's family and work colleagues tried to secure her release.

Against the odds Yvonne was set free, but her time in the hands of the Taliban proved to be a life-changing experience.

Against The Odds

Yvonne Ridley says she was 'simply doing her job' when she was seized by the Taliban near the city of Jalalabad.

As Yvonne explains, "A camera which I had hidden in the folds of my burka slipped out right into the full view of a passing Taliban soldier."

"He went crazy - cameras were banned under the regime - and pulled me off the donkey and removed the camera."

For the first six days Yvonne was held in the intelligence headquarters in Jalalabad before being taken to Kabul prison.

Her cell was very basic and the experience was terrifying. Yvonne lay on her bed inside a dirty, claustrophobic prison cell with no running water.

"Every morning I woke up, I thought 'is this going to be my last day?'" she says.

Hostage to Fortune

Although Yvonne was never physically hurt in any way, the experience was mentally exhausting.

"Although they were very nice, I just thought 'these are the good guys, the bad cops are going to appear at any time now with electrodes and torture instruments, or I'm going to be taken outside and shot."

While being held captive she kept a secret diary using the inside of a box from a toothpaste tube and the inside of a soap wrapper.

Yvonne recorded her thoughts when she was in her cell.

"They tried to break me mentally by asking the same questions time and time again, day after day, sometimes until 9 o'clock at night," she recalls.

Muslim Convert

Whilst in prison Yvonne tried to secure her release by offering to read the Koran or Qur'an. It was the start of her conversion to Islam.

Yvonne took on the Muslim faith in August 2003. As a result she's given up drinking, tries to pray five times a day and visits a mosque every Friday.

So why has a feisty war correspondent been drawn to a faith which some in the west say oppresses women?

"I started reading the Koran and it was an absolutely breathtaking. It could have been written yesterday for today."

"It was crystal clear that women are equal in spirituality, worth and education," says Yvonne.

Yvonne was brought up as a Protestant in Stanley, sang in the church choir, and was the Sunday school teacher in her village.

Today she's exchanged her Church of England upbringing for Islam and a very different set of spiritual beliefs.

Changing Places

It's not just her faith that Yvonne has changed - she also has a new employer, the controversial Arab broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Yvonne works on their new English website, and she's hooked on the internet. "It's a really exciting 24/7 operation... if something breaks, we can put it straight onto the Internet," she says.

Yvonne believes Al Jazeera has given the Arab world a previously unheard independent voice.

Anti-War Campaigner

Yvonne's experiences in the Middle East have made her a vocal anti-war campaigner.

She started to think about the futility of war because, in her words, "These missiles can't differentiate between civilians and military targets, between a woman, a child and a soldier."

"If I can use any of my fifteen minutes of notoriety and celebrity for good, then I will," says Yvonne.

Yvonne has also changed as a person. "I think I've become more reflective and tolerant than I used to be," she concludes.

In just two years, Yvonne has been transformed from a war corespondent to a committed Muslim with a new lifestyle and a change of career.

It's been an amazing spiritual and physical journey for the North East-born journalist who finally has found her spiritual roots, thousands of miles from her country of birth.

From Durham to Dohar, it's been an amazing adventure and a fascinating spiritual rebirth.

Advertisement Mistakes

2005-09-13T14:13:00.000+05:00

Israeli troops say they were given shoot-to-kill order

2005-09-08T13:47:00.000+05:00

Israeli military prosecutors have opened criminal investigations following allegations by soldiers that they carried out illegal shoot-to-kill orders against unarmed Palestinians.

The 17 separate investigations were prompted by the testimony of dozens of troops collected by Breaking the Silence, a pressure group of former Israeli soldiers committed to exposing human rights abuses by the military in suppressing the Palestinian intifada. The investigations cover a range of allegations, including misuse of weapons and other misuses of power.

Article continues
Some of the soldiers, who also spoke to the Guardian, say they acted on standing orders in some parts of the Palestinian territories to open fire on people regardless of whether they were armed or not, or posed any physical threat.

The soldiers say that in some situations they were ordered to shoot anyone who appeared on a roof or a balcony, anyone who appeared to be kneeling to the ground or anyone who appeared on the street at a designated time. Among those killed by soldiers acting on the orders were young children.

While the background to the soldiers' experience is the armed conflict that has been going on in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since October 2000, many of the shootings occurred in periods of calm when there was no immediate risk to the soldiers involved.

Yehuda Shaul, the co-founder of Breaking the Silence, said it aimed to show that individual soldiers were not to blame for killings of innocent Palestinians. "It is the situation which is to blame and that is created by military and political leaders, not the soldiers on the ground," he said.

The testimonies shed light on how around 1,700 Palestinian civilians have been killed during the second intifada.

The Symbolism of Katrina (By: Xymphora)

2005-09-01T19:44:00.000+05:00

All the ironies and all the contradictions brought to the United States by the Bush Administration have come together in the perfect storm of Katrina:

Katrina is a storm caused by global warming (though the wingnuts have a spin for that too), an issue which Bush refuses to face. Of course, any actions taken by Bush would not have prevented Katrina, but might help ameliorate some storms in the future, and the symbolism is perfectly clear. Flooding along the coast is going to get worse, and the Bush Administration's response is to pretend that everything is just ducky. The failure to pay any attention to science is the consistent approach of the current American government, and includes such things as support for intelligent design, failure to take account of ecological warnings, and opposition to stem cell research.
The war in Iraq meant that the state National Guards, who would normally bear much of the burden of disaster relief, were in Iraq.
At about the same time as the disaster on the Gulf Coast, a panic caused by a rumor of a bomb killed 600 to 1000 people in Iraq at the Aaimmah bridge, all of whom would not have died if the Americans hadn't attacked and occupied that country. When all the deaths are added up, you have to wonder whether Iraq or the United States had the worse day.
FEMA has now officially been revealed to have been completely transformed into a Homeland Security monitor. FEMA's new job as Big Brother means it is incompetent at its old job of handling disaster management, and seems incapable of even arranging for the sand-bagging of a crucial dyke. The new Orwellian security state has left Americans unprotected by any branch of government. More symbolism: Canada offered to send help, but was turned away, not for any principled reason, but because the Homeland Security anti-terrorism provisions made it impossible for the over-burdened American bureaucracy to process the Canadians into the country. People are now going to start dying as a direct result of the shift in priorities caused by the war on terror.
Bush's tax cuts coupled with the cost of the war in Iraq and the cost of Homeland Security directly led to an inability to fund repair and heightening of levees required by the rapid sinking of New Orleans ("New Orleans is sinking man and I don't wanna swim"). Like the people on the Aaimmah bridge, New Orleans is a casualty of the war in Iraq.
Bush cut off his five week vacation by two days, so he could be seen to be leading the recovery effort. Of course, if he'd seen his way fit to spare five days, he might have been able to do something helpful. While people were drowning, he was strumming (Nero fiddling while Rome burned). Did Bush play Led Zeppelin?: "If it keeps on rainin', levee's goin' to break, When The Levee Breaks I'll have no place to stay." Or maybe Bob Dylan: "Crash on the levee, mama, Water's gonna overflow, Swamp's gonna rise, No boat's gonna row"?
It is difficult not to notice that this was damage done to states which most strongly supported Bush. It's good to know that he doesn't play favorites: the people who support him are just as screwed as everybody else. They'll never blame him for their plight, as he's a 'God-fearin' man'.
While parts of the city are under 20 feet of water, and other cites in even worse shape, the press covers for Bush by looking at the issue as a problem of looting! They never stop spinning . . .

The Battle of New Orleans in 1815 was a brilliant victory for the fairly recently-born country of the United States of America, its coming out party as a major world player (the subject of yet another song). The Sinking of New Orleans one hundred and ninety years later represents the beginning of the end of American dominance, caused by an amazingly symbolic collection of Bush Administration stupidities and mistakes.

American Soldier Converts to Islam in Fallujah Mosque

2005-08-23T11:55:00.000+05:00

At The Mosque of Mohammad's Presence in Fallujah, George Douglas, has become the fourth U.S. soldier said to have converted to Islam. Douglas changed his name to Mujahed Mohammad and declared Islam the best religion, 'for its teachings of forgiveness, nobleness, love, righteousness and courage.'

Baghdad: Eyewitnesses in the city of Fallujah reported that an American soldier publicly adopted the Muslim faith in one of the city’s mosques, with a crowd of people and clerics in attendance.

Dr. Ziad Al-Fahdawi, a witness to the event, said that the soldier, George Douglas, recited the two creeds [“There is no god but God, and Mohammad is His prophet”] in The Mosque of Mohammad’s Presence after asking the mosque’s imam to witness his conversion to Islam.

Douglas was reported as saying that he is certain that Islam is the best religion that a person could espouse, for its teachings of forgiveness, nobleness, love, righteousness and courage. When Douglas was finished with his declaration, the mosque attendants shouted “Allahou-Akbar” [God is Greater] and embraced and congratulated him.

The American soldier then changed his name, as of May 30th, from George Douglas to Mujahed Mohammad. He also explained that he was very moved by the courage of the people of Fallujah, their stance as Arabs and Muslims, and their readiness to defend their country and to die for the liberation of their land, no matter what pretexts the invaders give for their aggression.

Douglas is the 4th American soldier to embrace Islam in Iraq. Officer Patrick Bett [sp?] declared his conversion to Islam in civil affairs court in the Karakh district and then married Samar Ahmed, an Iraqi doctor who worked at the hospital where the American officer was on duty in August of 2003.

The American officer said that he did not convert to Islam for Dr. Samar, but because he was convinced that the Muslim faith is the best of all religions.

Two soldiers from the 1st Armored Brigade, Sean Blackwell (27-years-old) and Brett Duggan (37-years-old) also converted to Islam following the U.S. officer’s conversion. (Subhan'Allah)

Cindy Sheehan - A Brave Mother

2005-08-17T10:32:00.000+05:00

March 15, 2005

To Whom it May Concern:

Imagine my distress when I turned Night Line on last night and I was confronted with the gory details of my son's murder in Sadr City, Baghdad, Iraq on 04/04/04. Imagine, also, my sorrow and rage at the side of the story that you presented to the American public.

I was on the Night Line Townhall Meeting in Washington, DC on 01/27/05. After I spoke (which I think was a fluke), Ted Koppel dismissed me as being "emotional." First of all, how can I approach this discussion without emotions, MY SON WAS KILLED, AND KILLED FOR LIES? Second of all, that show was not fair and balanced and I think the conclusion "Should we stay" was foregone.

The show last night was also not fair and balanced. To see all the wives being interviewed who had not lost their husbands and to hear what "hard work" it is to be left behind when their husbands are at war. How hard to you think it is to have a child killed in an illegal and immoral war? In this "wonderful" group of families left behind, we had exactly ONE of the wives call us..she is Diane Rose who was my son's Colonel, Frank Rose's wife. The last time we heard from Diane was in October and we feel we have been left behind by anyone connected to the 2-5 Cavalry. Is support only given if your loved one stays alive? One wife was quoted as saying that Sundays were the hardest for the families left behind. My son was killed on Palm Sunday last year..how does anybody think Sundays are for my family?

A distraught father who lost his son was shown telling how much his life was so adversely affected. Why wasn't a mother (like me) who has been an outspoken critic of this war and of the President's policies interviewed for this piece? Why wasn't I given a chance to talk about 04/04/04 and the series of lies, mistakes and miscalculations that led to my precious oldest child's death??

General Chiarelli was quoted as saying that 04/04/04 was a "wake up" call to the 2-5 Cavalry. If he thinks it was a "wake up" call, let me tell you how having 3 Army officers come to my door on 04/04/04 and tell me that my darling son was KIA. I have learned so many details of that day and of my son's experience in Iraq.

The very first thing that went wrong happened in November at Ft Irwin, California...the 2-5 Cavalry went for desert training. They received open desert warfare training and my son was killed in an urban guerilla attack, which he hadn't been trained for. Also, he was wearing an inadequate helmet and a Vietnam era flak jacket. Casey was stationed in a very dangerous place, like the General said: FOB War Eagle. I have subsequently learned that the soldiers of the 2-5 Cav who were stationed outside of Baghdad had Kevlar body armor. I have also found out that Casey slept in the back of his Humvee for the last 2 weeks of his life because there wasn't any room on post for him to have a cot. How tired and overworked was he before he went into that battle on 04/04/04?

In addition, my son was killed after L. Paul Bremer inflamed the Shi'a by taking away their tv station and newspapers. The Abu Ghraib scandal was about to break in America...but it was well known by the Iraqi people that their citizens were being tortured and defiled in the prisons. My son was a sitting duck by the time 04/04/04 rolled around.

The very worst thing of all, is that my son was sent to rescue some fellow soldiers trapped in an ambush in the back of a LMTV..which is basically an open air trailer. It would be the equivalent of driving through Dallas on 11/22/63 in a Convertible. The troops stationed at FOB War Eagle were sent ahead of their tanks and Bradleys!!! They had to go into battle in the back of LMTV's and non-armored Humvees. This is just proof to me that our troops are as important to their leaders as bullets are. It is a small miracle that only 7 of them were killed in the ambush. Luckily for the rest of the moms, it was dark. After my son's murder, there was an article in Stars and Stripes that quoted one of Casey's superior officers as saying. "04 April taught us a lesson. We won't send soldiers to battle without their armor any more." How do you think that made me feel? It was like "OOOPS, your dear son was killed. Life happens. Oh well, you live and learn." The General was also quoted as saying that the insurgency "surprised" them. Why? Has there ever been an invasion/occupation of a sovereign country that hasn't been resisted? Anyone with half a brain and an even rudimentary understanding of history would know that all occupations are resisted. The Pentagon and the Army brass did not plan adequately for an occupation.

Then Gen. Chiarelli said the thing that upset me the most. He said that the loss of life was terrible, but at least Iraqis had elections on 01/30/05. With the continuuing insurgency and with Iraqis and Americans losing their lives everyday there, how can he be proud of that? I may remind you and the General, that Iraqi elections was not the reason that our President and his Neo-Con war mongers invaded Iraq with our precious human resources. I will give the two reasons given for the invaseion here: Saddam had WMD's and he was an imminent threat to America. Saddam could have WMD's on our shores within 45 minutes. Condoleeza Rice used fear as a factor when she said: Don't let the smoking gun be a mushroom cloud. Rumsfeld and Colin Powell pointed out to us where the weapons were on a map.

The second reason that America was given before the invasion was that Saddam was the biggest sponsor of world terrorism and he supported Osama Bin Laden! Oh really??? The hijackers were predominantly Saudi Arabian as was Osama (who is still at large, by the way). The theory that Saddam had anything to do with 9/11 was disproven by the 9/11 commission's report. A huge factor in Americans believing all this bull is that our media..the Fourth Estate didn't do any research and expose the lies for what they were: justifications for invading a country that posed no imminent or long-term threat to America.

One reason that the President DID NOT give for the invasion and occupation of Iraq was so that Iraqis could have elections. As a matter of fact, that was Ayatollah Ali al Sistani's idea..not Bush's. If the president in his lying and betraying in the lead up and rush to this insane invasion had told the world that we were going over there to give Iraqi's elections, would we the people have gone along with the invasion? Would we as compassionate Americans have thought that it would have been worth billions and billions of dollars; hundreds of our amazing children dead; tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi women and children dead: a country lying in ruins? I don't think so. I certainly didn't raise my son to be an outstanding citizen of the world to go and die so some people could have ink-stained fingers!!! If anyone reading this has children, would you think it was worth it?? Instead of some Congress leaders showing ink-stained fingers at the SOTU address they should have held up blood soaked hands.

Am I emotional? Yes, my first born was murdered. Am I angry? Yes, he was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel. My son joined the Army to protect America, not Israel. Am I stupid? No, I know full-well that my son, my family, this nation, and this world were betrayed by a George Bush who was influenced by the neo-con PNAC agenda after 9/11. We were told that we were attacked on 9/11 because the terrorists hate our freedoms and democracy...not for the real reason, becuase the Arab-Muslims who attacked us hate our middle-eastern foreign policy. That hasn't changed since America invaded and occupied Iraq...in fact it has gotten worse.

It would be so amazing if your show would put me, or another parent who lost their child on who disagrees with the war and this administration: to have just an entire show..without presenting the false side of the debate. That would take a lot of courage and integrity. I hope your program will exhibit these qualities.

I also think that Mr. Koppel owes me an apology for the rude way I was treated on his show. After I expressed myself about the war being based on lies and that the troops should be brought home immediately because the war was based on lies, I was not thanked for my comments, or my son's sacrifice. He just said to keep the discussion away from emotions. Then, the wife of a soldier who was killed was allowed to speak and she praised the policies of this deplorable and despicable administration, and she was thanked and praised by the panel.

Also, another aspect that Mr. Koppel refused to acknowledge was when a man walked up to a microphone and asked Richard Perle to explain PNAC..he was rudely ignored.

I am so glad the First Cavalry came home from this senseless and needless war based on the imaginations of Neo-Cons and fought with ignorance and arrogance by the Commander in Chief and the Pentagon. I am thrilled for the mothers whose children didn't come home under the cover of darkness in flag-draped boxes like my son did. I am sure that some of Casey's buddies were able to walk off the plane because of his sacrifice. I am just so deeply sorry that my son's blood had to be their leaders' lesson in how to occupy a country and fight an insurgency. My son is dead forever and my joy has been robbed from me for the rest of my life.

Your show needs to show both sides of this debate and stop being a propanda tool for this administration. This is my challenge to you from a true patriot who wants the lies exposed.

Love and Peace!!!
Cindy Sheehan
Mother of Hero: Spc Casey Austin Sheehan KIA 04/04/04
Casey's Peace Page
Co-Founder of Gold Star Families For Peace
http://www.gsfp.org/

Yusuf Estes

2005-08-05T12:58:00.000+05:00

I was born into a very strong Christian family in the Midwest. Our family and their ancestors not only built the churches and schools across this land, but actually were the same ones who came here in the first place. While I was still in elementary we relocated in Houston, Texas in 1949 (I'm old). We attended church regularly and I was baptized at the age of 12 in Pasadena, Texas. As a teenager, I wanted to visit other churches to learn more of their teachings and beliefs. The Baptists, Methodists, Episcopalians, Charismatic movements, Nazarene, Church of Christ, Church of God, Church of God in Christ, Full Gospel, Agape, Catholic, Presbyterian and many more. I developed quite a thirst for the "Gospel" or as we say; "Good News." My research into religion did not stop with Christianity. Not at all.

Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Metaphysics, native American beliefs were all a part of my studies. Just about the only one that I did not look into seriously was "Islam". Why? Good question.

Anyway, I became very interested in different types of music, especially Gospel and Classical. Because my whole family was religious and musical it followed that I too would begin my studies in both areas. All this set me for the logical position of Music Minister in many of the churches that I became affiliated with over the years. I started teaching keyboard instruments in 1960 and by 1963 owned my own studios in Laurel, Maryland, called"Estes Music Studios."

Over the next 30 years my father and I worked together in many business projects. We had entertainment programs, shows and attractions. We opened piano and organ stores all the way from Texas and Oklahoma to Florida. I made millions of dollars in those years, but could not find the peace of mind that can only come through knowing the truth and finding the real plan of salvation. I'm sure you have asked yourself the question; "Why did God create me?" or "What is it that God wants me to do?" or "Exactly who is God, anyway?" "Why do we believe in 'original sin?" and "Why would the sons of Adam be forced to accept his 'sins' and then as a result be punished forever. But if you asked anyone these questions, they would probably tell you that you have to believe without asking, or that it is a 'mystery' and you shouldn't ask.

And then there is the concept of the 'Trinity.' If I would ask preachers or ministers to give me some sort of an idea how 'one' could figure out to become 'three' or how God Himself, Who can do anything He Wills to do, cannot just forgive people's sins, but rather and had to become a man, come down on earth, be a human, and then take on the sins of all people. Keeping in mind that all along He is still God of the whole universe and does as He Wills to do, both in and outside of the universe as we know it.

Then one day in 1991, I came to know that the Muslims believed in the Bible. I was shocked.
How could this be? But that's not all, they believe in Jesus as:
* a true messenger of God;
* prophet of God;
* miracle birth without human intervention;
* he was the 'Christ' or Messiah as predicted in the Bible;
* he is with God now and most important;
* He will be coming back in the Last Days to lead the believers against the 'Antichrist.'

This was too much for me. Especially since the evangelists that we used to travel around with all hated Muslims and Islam very much. They even said things that were not true to make people afraid of Islam. So, why would I want anything to do with these people?

My father was very active in supporting church work, especially church school programs. He
became and ordained minister in the 1970s. He and his wife (my stepmother) knew many of the TV evangelists and preachers and even visited Oral Roberts and helped in the building of the "Prayer Tower" in Tulsa, OK. They also were strong supporters of Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker, Jerry Fallwell, John Haggi and the biggest enemy to Islam in America, Pat Robertson.

Dad and his wife worked together and were most active in recording "Praise" tapes and distributing them for free to people in retirement homes, hospitals and homes for the elderly. And then in 1991 he began doing business with a man from Egypt and told me that he wanted me to meet him. This idea appealed to me when I thought about the idea of having an international flavor. You know, the pyramids, sphinx, Nile River and all that. Then my father mentioned that this man was a 'Moslem.'

I couldn't believe my ears.

A 'Moslem?'

No way!

I reminded my dad of the various different things that we had heard about these people, how

they are -

Terrorists; hijackers; kidnappers; bombers and who knows what else?

Not only that but:

They don't believe in God

They kiss the ground five times a day and

They worship a black box in the desert.

No!

I did not want to meet this 'Moslem' man. No way!

My father insisted that I meet him and reassured me that he was a very nice person. So, I gave in and agreed to the meeting. But on my terms.

I agreed to meet him on a Sunday after church so we would be all prayed up and in good standing with the Lord. I would be carrying my Bible under my arm as usual. I would have my big shiny cross dangling and I would have on my cap which says: "Jesus is Lord" right across the front. My wife and two young daughters came along and we were ready for our first encounter with the 'Moslems.'

When I came into the shop and asked my father where the 'Moslem' was, he pointed and said:
"He's right over there."

I was confused. That couldn't be the Moslem. No way. I'm looking for a huge man with flowing robes and big turban on his head, a beard half way down his shirt and eyebrows that go all the way across his forehead.

This man had no beard. In fact, he didn't even have any hair on his head at all. He was very close to bald. And he was very pleasant with a warm welcome and handshake. This didn't make sense. I thought they are terrorists and bombers. What is this all about?

Never mind. I'll get right to work on this guy. He needs to be 'saved' and me and the Lord are going to do it.

So, after a quick introduction, I asked him:
"Do you believe in God?"
He said:
"Yes."
(Good!)
Then I said:
"Do you believe in Adam and Eve?"
He said:
"Yes."
I said: "What about Abraham? You believe in him and how he tried to sacrifice his son for God?"
He said:
"Yes."
Then I asked:
"What about Moses?"
"Ten Commandments?"
"Parting the Red Sea?"
Again he said:
"Yes."
Then:
"What about the other prophets, David, Solomon and John the Baptist?"
He said:
"Yes."
I asked:
"Do you believe in the Bible?"
Again, he said:
"Yes."
So, now it was time for the big question:
"Do you believe in Jesus? That he was the Messiah (Christ) of God?"
Again he said:
"Yes."
Well now:
"This was going to be easier than I had thought."
He was just about ready to be baptized only he didn't know it. And I was just the one to do it, too.

I was winning souls to the Lord day after day and this would be a big achievement for me, to catch one of these 'Moslems' and 'convert' him to Christianity.

I asked him if he liked tea and he said he did. So off we went to a little shop in the mall to sit and talk about my favorite subject: Beliefs.

While we sat in that little coffee shop for hours talking (I did most of the talking) I came to know that he was very nice, quiet and even a bit shy. He listened attentively to every word that I had to say and did not interrupt even one time. I liked this man's way and thought that he had definite potential to become a good Christian.

Little did I know the course of events about to unravel in front of my eyes.

First of all, I agreed with my father that we should do business with this man and even encouraged the idea of him traveling along with me on my business trips across the northern part of Texas. Day after day we would ride together and discuss various issues pertaining to different beliefs that people have. And along the way, I could of course interject some of my favorite radio programs of worship and praise to help bring the message to this poor individual.
We talked about the concept of God; the meaning of life; the purpose of creation; the prophets and their mission and how God reveals His Will to mankind. We also shared a lot of personal experiences and ideas as well.

One day I came to know that my friend Mohamed was going to move out of the home he have been sharing with a friend of his and was going to be living in the mosque for a time. I went to my dad and asked him if we could invite Mohamed to come out to our big home in the country and stay there with us. After all, he could share some of the work and some expenses and he would be right there when we were ready to go to out traveling around. My father agreed and Mohamed moved in.

Of course I still would find time to visit my fellow preachers and evangelists around the state of Texas. One of them lived on the Texas -- Mexico border and another lived near lived Oklahoma border. One preacher liked to a huge wooden cross that was bigger than a car. He would carry it over his shoulder and drag the bottom on the ground and go down the road or freeway hauling these two beams formed in the shape of a cross. People would stop their cars and come over to him and ask him what was going on and he would give them pamphlets and booklets on christianity.

One day my friend with the cross had a heart attack and had to go to the Veterans Hospital where he stayed for quite a long while. I used to visit him in the hospital several times a week and I would take Mohamed with me with the hopes that we could all share together in the subject of beliefs and religions. My friend was not very impressed and it was obvious that he did not want to know anything about Islam. Then one day a man who was sharing the room with my friend came rolling into the room in his wheelchair. I went to him and asked him his name and he said that it didn't matter and when I asked him where he was from he said he was from the planet Jupiter. I thought about what he said and then began to wonder if I was in the cardiac ward or the mental ward. I knew the man was lonely and depressed and needed someone in his life. So, I began to 'witness' to him about the Lord. I read to him out of the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. I shared the story of the prophet Jonah who had been sent by the Lord to call his people to the correct way. Jonah had left his people and escaped by boat to leave his city and head out to sea. A storm came up and the ship almost capsized and the people on board threw Jonah over the side of the ship. A whale came up to the surface and grabbed Jonah, swallowed him and then went down to the bottom of the sea, where he stayed for 3 days and 3 nights. Yet because of God's Mercy, He caused the whale to rise to the surface and then spit Jonah out to return back home safely to his city of Nineveh. And the idea was that we can't really run away from our problems because we always know what we have done. And what is more, God also always knows what we have done.

After sharing this story with the man in the wheel chair, he looked up and me and apologized. He told me he was sorry for his rude behavior and that he had experienced some real serious problems recently. Then he said that he wanted to confess something to me. And I said that I was not a Catholic priest and I don't handle confessions. He replied back to me that he knew that. In fact, he said: "I am a Catholic priest." I was shocked. Here I had been trying to preach Christianity to a priest. What in the world was happening here?

The priest began to share his story of being a missionary for the church for over 12 years to south and Central America and Mexico and even in New York's 'Hell's Kitchen.' When he was released from the hospital he needed a place to go to recover and rather than let him go to stay with a Catholic family, I told my dad that we should invite him to come out and live with us in the country along with our families and Mohamed. It was agreed by all that he would so, he moved out right away.

During the trip out to our home, I talked with the priest about some of the concepts of beliefs in Islam and to my surprise he agreed and then shared even more about this with me. I was shocked when he told me that Catholic priests actually study Islam and some even carry doctors degrees in this subject. This was all very enlightening to me. But there was still a lot more to come.

After settling in, we all began to gather around the kitchen table after dinner every night to discuss religion. My father would bring his King James Version of the Bible, I would bring out my Revised Standard Version of the Bible, my wife had another version of the Bible (maybe something like Jimmy Swaggart's 'Good News For Modern Man." The priest of course, had the Catholic Bible which has 7 more books in it that the Protestant Bible. So we spent more time talking about which Bible was the right one or the most correct one, than we did trying to convince Mohamed about becoming a Christian.

At one point I recall asking him about the Quran and how many versions of it there were in the last 1,400 years. He told me that there was only ONE QURAN. And that it had never been changed. Yet he let me know that the Quran had been memorized by hundreds of thousands of people, in it's entirety and were scattered about the earth in many different countries. Over the centuries since the Quran was revealed millions have memorized it completely and have taught it to others who have memorized it completely, from cover to cover, letter perfect without mistakes.

This did not seem possible to me. After all, the original languages of the Bible have all been dead languages for centuries and the documents themselves have been lost in their originals for hundreds and thousands of years. So, how could it be that something like this could be so easy to preserve and to recite from cover to cover.

Anyway, one day the priest asked the Mohamed if he might accompany him to the mosque to see what it was like there. They came back talking about their experience there and we could not wait to ask the priest what it was like and what all types of ceremonies they performed. He said they didn't really 'do' anything. They just came and prayed and left. I said: "They left? Without any speeches or singing?" He said that was right.

A few more days went by and the Catholic priest asked Mohamed if he might join him again for a trip to the mosque which they did. But this time it was different. They did not come back for a very long time. It became dark and we worried that something might have happened to them. Finally they arrived and when they came in the door I immediately recognized Mohamed, but who was this alongside of him? Someone wearing a white robe and a white cap. Hold on a minute! It was the priest. I said to him: "Pete? -- Did you become a 'Moslem?'
He said that he had entered into Islam that very day. THE PRIEST BECAME A MUSLIM!! What next? (You'll see).

So, I went upstairs to think things over a bit and began to talk to my wife about the whole subject. She then told me that she too was going to enter into Islam, because she knew it was the truth. I was really shocked now. I went downstairs and woke up Mohamed and asked him to come outside with me for a discussion. We walked and talked that whole night through. By the time he was ready to pray Fajr (the morning prayer of the Muslims) I knew that the truth had come at last and now it was up to me to do my part. I went out back behind my father's house and found an old piece of plywood lying under an overhang and right there I put my head down on the ground facing the direction that the Muslims pray five times a day.

Now then in that position, with my body stretched out on the plywood and my head on the ground, I asked: "O God. If you are there, guide me, guide me." And then after a while I raised up my head and I noticed something. No, I didn't see birds or angels coming out of the sky nor did I hear voices or music, nor did I see bright lights and flashes. What I did notice was a change inside of me. I was aware now more than ever before that it was time for me to stop lying and cheating and doing sneaky business deals. It was time that I really work at being an honest and upright man. I knew now what I had to do. So I went upstairs and took a shower with the distinct idea that I was 'washing' away the sinful old person that I had become over the years. And I was now coming into a new, fresh life. A life based on truth and proof. Around 11:00 A.M. that morning, I stood before two witnesses, one the ex-priest, formerly known as Father Peter Jacob's, and the other Mohamed Abel Rehman and announced my 'shahadah' (open testimony to the Oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon him).

A few minutes later, my wife follow along and gave the same testimony. But hers was in front of 3 witnesses (me being the third). My father was a bit more reserved on the subject and waited a few more months before he made his shahadah (public testimony). But he did finally commit to Islam and began offering prayers right along with me and the other Muslims in the local masjid (mosque).

The children were taken out of the Christian school and placed in Muslim schools. And now ten years later, they are memorizing much of the Quran and the teachings of Islam. My father's wife was the last of all to acknowledge that Jesus could not be a son of God and that he must have been a mighty prophet of God, but not God.

Now stop and think. A whole entire household of people from varying backgrounds and ethnic groups coming together in truth to learn how to know and worship the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Think. A Catholic priest. A minister of music and preacher. An ordained minister and builder of Christian schools. And they all come into Islam! Only by His Mercy were we all guided to see the real truth of Islam without any blinders on their eyes any longer.

If I were to stop right here, I'm sure that you would have to admit that at least, this is an amazing story, right? After all, three religious leaders of three separate denominations all going into one very opposite belief at the same time and then soon after the rest of the household. But that is not all. There is more! The same year, while I was in Grand Prairie, Texas (near Dallas) I met a Baptist seminary student from Tennessee named Joe, who also came to Islam after reading the Holy Quran while in BAPTIST SEMINARY COLLEGE!

There are others as well. I recall the case of the Catholic priest in a college town who talked about the good things in Islam so much that I was forced to ask him why he didn't enter Islam. He replied: "What? And loose my job?" - His name is Father John and there is still hope for him yet.

More? Yes. The very next year I met a former Catholic priest who had been a missionary for 8 years in Africa. He learned about Islam while he was there and entered into Islam. He then changed his name to Omar and moved to Dallas Texas.

Any more? Again, yes. Two years later, while in San Antonio, Texas I was introduced to a former Arch Bishop of the Orthodox Church of Russia who learned about Islam and gave up his position to enter Islam.

And since my own entrance into Islam and becomingConverts to isalm,former christian preacher,muslim scholars,converts,famousmuslims.famous muslims,famous people. a chaplain to the Muslims throughout the country and around the world, I have encountered many more individuals who were leaders, teachers and scholars in other religions who learned about Islam and entered into it. They came from Hindus, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Greek and Russian Orthodox, Coptic Christians from Egypt, non-denominational churches and even scientists who had been atheists.
Why? Good question.
May I suggest to the seeker of truth do the following NINE STEPS to purification of the mind:
1.) Clean their mind, their heart and their soul real good.
2.) Clear away all the prejudices and biases
3.) Read a good translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran in a language that they can understand best.
4.) Take some time.
5.) Read and reflect.
6.) Think and pray.
7.) And keep on asking the One who created you in the first place, to guide you to the truth.
8.) Keep this up for a few months. And be regular in it.
9.) Above all, do not let others who are poisoned in their thinking influence you while your are in this state of "rebirth of the soul." The rest is between you and the Almighty Lord of the Universe. If you truly love Him, then He already Knows it and He will deal with each of us according to our hearts.

So, now you have the introduction to the story of my coming into Islam and becoming Muslim. There is more on the Internet about this story and there are more pictures there as well.

Please take the time to visit it and then please take the time to email me and let us come together to share in all truths based on proofs for understanding our origins and our purpose and goals in this life and the Next Life.

And once again I thank you for your email today. If you hadn't sent it, I probably would still not have completed this task of putting down the story once and for all of how "Priest and Preachers Are Coming to Islam."

May Allah guide you on your journey to all truth. Ameen. And May He open your heart and your mind to the reality of this world and the purpose of this life, Ameen.

Peace to you and Guidance from Allah the One Almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.

Your friend,
Chaplain Yusuf Estes

Cartoons

2005-08-02T11:21:00.000+05:00

The Consequences of Nuking Iran

2005-08-01T14:42:00.000+05:00

Former CIA analyst Philip Giraldi wrote in the American Conservative:

The Pentagon, acting under instructions from Vice President Dick Cheney's office, has tasked the United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM) with drawing up a contingency plan to be employed in response to another 9/11-type terrorist attack on the United States. The plan includes a large-scale air assault on Iran employing both conventional and tactical nuclear weapons. Within Iran there are more than 450 major strategic targets, including numerous suspected nuclear-weapons-program development sites. Many of the targets are hardened or are deep underground and could not be taken out by conventional weapons, hence the nuclear option. . . As in the case of Iraq, the response is not conditional on Iran actually being involved in the act of terrorism directed against the United States. Several senior Air Force officers involved in the planning are reportedly appalled at the implications of what they are doing--that Iran is being set up for an unprovoked nuclear attack--but no one is prepared to damage his career by posing any objections.

With regard to this alleged Cheney/Pentagon plan for nuking Iran whenever another big terror attack occurs in the United States, it seems unlikely to me. But the Pentagon makes all sorts of contingency plans, and we know that Cheney's chief aide, Scooter Libby, was a liaison to the Office of Special Plans, which specialized in far-fetched schemes and intelligence dirty tricks.

In the real world, there are consequences of such actions, however.

First, the Vice President and the Department of Defense may have by now noticed that Iran is a Shiite Muslim country. There are other important Shiite Muslim communities in the Middle East that would, let us say, mind their coreligionists being turned into shadows on walls.

Among these, even the Vice President and Mr. Rumsfeld may have noticed, is Iraq. Nuking Iran would certainly produce large-scale attacks on US troops in Iraq. I suspect the Iraqi government would fall over it, insofar as it is closely connected to the US. If you think things are bad in Iraq now, you don't even want to think about this scenario, in which religious Sunni Arabs and religious Shiites would almost certainly unite in an anti-American pan-Islamism.

Some 15 percent of Afghans are also Shiites. In addition, the Tajiks or Persian-speakers in Afghanistan are closely allied to Iran. The same scenario, of attacks on US troops and the dragging of Hamid Karzai's body through the streets of Kabul, would likely ensue.

Both the Shiites and the Sunni Muslim fundamentalists of Pakistan would rise up over such an action. The government of Pakistan, led by secular Gen. Pervez Musharraf, might not mind the attack on Iran, with which it has a rivalry. But the Musharraf government is not popular and could be overthrown in such a crisis. At that point angry Shiite and Sunni fundamentalists in Pakistan might gain control of that country's nuclear arsenal.

A US nuclear strike on Iran would be absolutely unacceptable to China. The Chinese could wreak major harm on the US economy by simply disinvesting in it. They hold massive US debt.

A US nuclear strike on Iran would anger many publics in Europe. An economic boycott by Europe would also be devastating.

Although US trade with India is still small, all the attempts to build a stronger relationship with Delhi would be undone. India has a tacit alliance with Iran and would certainly be absolutely outraged, both at the governmental and the public level, by a US nuclear attack on Iran. Pushing both China and India toward postures of enmity toward the United States would greatly weaken it.

The US would suddenly find its influence throughout the world plummeting, its economy badly hurt by boycotts. It would become a pariah nation. And, if it thinks it faces a terrorist threat now, you can only imagine what kind of retribution would be exacted.

Leading cleric rails at injustice of 'Muslim bashing'

2005-07-30T00:35:00.000+05:00

Comment: Mohammad Naseem today also appeared on BBC radio and asserted that there is no evidence Al Qaeda exists, no evidence it carried out the London Bombings and that it is a construction of Intelligence agencies falling in line with the CIA. These are all provable facts as we regularly point out on this website by refering to official sources. Are we to be prosecuted as well? The MAJORITY of the callers on the show also rightly pointed out that Bin Laden was a CIA asset and Al Qaeda, if it exists at all is a loose knit group of Mujahideen trained and funded by the CIA to do battle with Russian forces in Afghanistan in the late 70s and 1980s.

The most senior Islamic cleric in Birmingham claimed yesterday that Muslims were being unjustly blamed in the war on terrorism and that the eight suspects in the two bombing attacks on London "could have been innocent passengers".

Mohammad Naseem, the chairman of the city's central mosque, called Tony Blair a "liar" and "unreliable witness" and questioned whether CCTV footage issued of the suspected bombers was of the perpetrators.

He said that Muslims "all over the world have never heard of an organisation called al-Qa'eda".

Mr Naseem, who was speaking after police seized Yasin Hassan Omar in Birmingham, delivered his unprompted outburst when he was invited to a press conference with West Midlands police and Birmingham city council to help calm fears of racial or religious tension after the arrest.

It was held near the police cordon in Heybarnes Road, where Omar was arrested.

His comments shocked senior police officers.

Sources said that attempts to encourage Muslims to pass them information on the bombers' activities would be hindered. One said: "We are trying to gain the trust of the Muslim community and these kinds of comments have the opposite effect. All they do is encourage communities to close ranks against us."

To the obvious embarrassment of council officials and police standing next to him, Mr Naseem said the Government and security services "were not to be relied upon".

He said: "Tony Blair has told lies on going to Iraq and in a court of law if a witness has proved to be a liar he ceases to be a reliable witness. So we cannot give our blind trust to the Government.

"To have that trust it is important that the process of law should be independent, open and transparent. I am also sad that unfortunately the impression has been given that Muslims are to be targeted in this war against terror. There seems to be a directive to target Muslims. Why do we not have an open mind about this?

"Muslim bashing seems to be more earnest than the need for national unity and harmony. Terrorists can be anybody - we will have to see [whether the bombers are Muslims]. The process is not open; the process is not transparent; the process is not independent. I do not have faith in the system as it stands."

Mr Naseem is one of the most respected Muslims in the city and is considered a moderate. He has regular meetings with the chief constable to discuss religious harmony.

Mr Naseem said that while it was vital that terrorism was stamped out and that there was never any justification for it, the Government had not helped by going to war in Iraq.

Dismissing the Prime Minister's insistence that the war had nothing to do with the terrorist attacks, he said: "Tony Blair … is not going to be perceived as a reliable witness. His comments could motivate someone to take the law into his own hands.

"Some people have been caught but I have not seen any evidence. The process of law is not open."

Asked about the suspects' DNA being found at the scene of the first attacks, he said: "DNA can match you, but that does not mean you are going to commit a crime. Thousands of youths are passing by and caught on CCTV, so how do you know it is them?"

He added: "We must rely upon trust that we have between communities.

"We must remain united in the fight against terrorism but the process should be independent and open, not like the Hutton inquiry, not like the Lord Butler inquiry." And, in an editorial in The Dawn, the central mosque's newsletter, Mr Naseem writes: "Where is the evidence that four youths whose pictures were caught on CCTV cameras…were the perpetrators? How did we reject the possibility they were just innocent victims of this terrible happening? They had bought return train tickets."

Ahead of Iraq Deployment, 37 Korean Troops Convert to Islam

2005-07-29T23:04:00.000+05:00

Friday, May 28, 2004
"I became a Muslim because I felt Islam was more humanistic and peaceful than other religions. And if you can religiously connect with the locals, I think it could be a big help in carrying out our peace reconstruction mission." So said on Friday those Korean soldiers who converted to Islam ahead of their late July deployment to the Kurdish city of Irbil in northern Iraq.

At noon Friday, 37 members of the Iraq-bound "Zaitun Unit," including Lieutenant Son Hyeon-ju of the Special Forces 11th Brigade, made their way to a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul and held a conversion ceremony.

Captain Son Jin-gu from Zaitoon Unit recites an oath at ceremony to mark his conversion to Islam at a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul on Friday. /Yonhap

The soldiers, who cleansed their entire bodies in accordance with Islamic tradition, made their conversion during the Friday group prayers at the mosque, with the assistance of the "imam," or prayer leader.

With the exception of the imam, all the Muslims and the Korean soldiers stood in a straight line to symbolize how all are equal before God and took a profession on faith.

They had memorized the Arabic confession, " Ashadu an La ilaha il Allah, Muhammad-ur-Rasool-Allah," which means, "I testify that there is no god but God (Arabic: Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

Soldiers from Zaitoon Unit pray after conversion ceremony at a mosque in Hannam-dong, Seoul on Friday./Yonhap

Moreover, as the faithful face the "Kaaba," the Islamic holy place in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, all Muslims confirm that they are brothers.

For those Korean soldiers who entered the Islamic faith, recent chances provided by the Zaitun Unit to come into contact with Islam proved decisive.

Taking into consideration the fact that most of the inhabitants of Irbil are Muslims, the unit sent its unreligious members to the Hannam-dong mosque so that they could come to understand Islam. Some of those who participated in the program were entranced by Islam and decided to convert.

A unit official said the soldiers were inspired by how important religious homogeneity was considered in the Muslim World; if you share religion, you are treated not as a foreigner, but as a local, and Muslims do not attack Muslim women even in war.

Zaitun Unit Corporal Paek Seong-uk (22) of the Army's 11th Division said, "I majored in Arabic in college and upon coming across the Quran, I had much interest in Islam, and I made up my mind to become a Muslim during this religious experience period [provided by the Zaitun Unit]."

He expressed his aspirations. "If we are sent to Iraq, I want to participate in religious ceremonies with the locals so that they can feel brotherly love and convince them that the Korean troops are not an army of occupation but a force deployed to provide humanitarian support."

The Gateway

2005-07-29T21:03:00.000+05:00

by Seymour M. Hersh

In Afghanistan last November, the Northern Alliance, supported by American Special Forces troops and emboldened by the highly accurate American bombing, forced thousands of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters to retreat inside the northern hill town of Kunduz. Trapped with them were Pakistani Army officers, intelligence advisers, and volunteers who were fighting alongside the Taliban. (Pakistan had been the Taliban's staunchest military and economic supporter in its long-running war against the Northern Alliance.) Many of the fighters had fled earlier defeats at Mazar-i-Sharif, to the west; Taloqan, to the east; and Pul-i-Khumri, to the south. The road to Kabul, a potential point of retreat, was blocked and was targeted by American bombers. Kunduz offered safety from the bombs and a chance to negotiate painless surrender terms, as Afghan tribes often do.

Surrender negotiations began immediately, but the Bush Administration heatedly—and successfully—opposed them. On November 25th, the Northern Alliance took Kunduz, capturing some four thousand of the Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. The next day, President Bush said, "We're smoking them out. They're running, and now we're going to bring them to justice."

Even before the siege ended, however, a puzzling series of reports appeared in the Times and in other publications, quoting Northern Alliance officials who claimed that Pakistani airplanes had flown into Kunduz to evacuate the Pakistanis there. American and Pakistani officials refused to confirm the reports. On November 16th, when journalists asked Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld about the reports of rescue aircraft, he was dismissive. "Well, if we see them, we shoot them down," he said. Five days later, Rumsfeld declared, "Any idea that those people should be let loose on any basis at all to leave that country and to go bring terror to other countries and destabilize other countries is unacceptable." At a Pentagon news conference on Monday, November 26th, the day after Kunduz fell, General Richard B. Myers, of the Air Force, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked about the reports. The General did not directly answer the question but stated, "The runway there is not usable. I mean, there are segments of it that are usable. They're too short for your standard transport aircraft. So we're not sure where the reports are coming from."

Pakistani officials also debunked the rescue reports, and continued to insist, as they had throughout the Afghanistan war, that no Pakistani military personnel were in the country. Anwar Mehmood, the government spokesman, told newsmen at the time that reports of a Pakistani airlift were "total rubbish. Hogwash."

In interviews, however, American intelligence officials and high-ranking military officers said that Pakistanis were indeed flown to safety, in a series of nighttime airlifts that were approved by the Bush Administration. The Americans also said that what was supposed to be a limited evacuation apparently slipped out of control, and, as an unintended consequence, an unknown number of Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters managed to join in the exodus. "Dirt got through the screen," a senior intelligence official told me. Last week, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld did not respond to a request for comment.

Pakistan's leader, General Pervez Musharraf, who seized power in a 1999 coup, had risked his standing with the religious fundamentalists—and perhaps his life—by endorsing the American attack on Afghanistan and the American support of the Northern Alliance. At the time of Kunduz, his decision looked like an especially dangerous one. The initial American aim in Afghanistan had been not to eliminate the Taliban's presence there entirely but to undermine the regime and Al Qaeda while leaving intact so-called moderate Taliban elements that would play a role in a new postwar government. This would insure that Pakistan would not end up with a regime on its border dominated by the Northern Alliance. By mid-November, it was clear that the Northern Alliance would quickly sweep through Afghanistan. There were fears that once the Northern Alliance took Kunduz, there would be wholesale killings of the defeated fighters, especially the foreigners.

Musharraf won American support for the airlift by warning that the humiliation of losing hundreds—and perhaps thousands—of Pakistani Army men and intelligence operatives would jeopardize his political survival. "Clearly, there is a great willingness to help Musharraf," an American intelligence official told me. A C.I.A. analyst said that it was his understanding that the decision to permit the airlift was made by the White House and was indeed driven by a desire to protect the Pakistani leader. The airlift "made sense at the time," the C.I.A. analyst said. "Many of the people they spirited away were the Taliban leadership"—who Pakistan hoped could play a role in a postwar Afghan government. According to this person, "Musharraf wanted to have these people to put another card on the table" in future political negotiations. "We were supposed to have access to them," he said, but "it didn't happen," and the rescued Taliban remain unavailable to American intelligence.

According to a former high-level American defense official, the airlift was approved because of representations by the Pakistanis that "there were guys— intelligence agents and underground guys—who needed to get out."

Once under way, a senior American defense adviser said, the airlift became chaotic. "Everyone brought their friends with them," he said, referring to the Afghans with whom the Pakistanis had worked, and whom they had trained or had used to run intelligence operations. "You're not going to leave them behind to get their throats cut." Recalling the last-minute American evacuation at the end of the Vietnam War, in 1975, the adviser added, "When we came out of Saigon, we brought our boys with us." He meant South Vietnamese nationals. " 'How many does that helicopter hold? Ten? We're bringing fourteen.' "

The Bush Administration may have done more than simply acquiesce in the rescue effort: at the height of the standoff, according to both a C.I.A. official and a military analyst who has worked with the Delta Force, the American commando unit that was destroying Taliban units on the ground, the Administration ordered the United States Central Command to set up a special air corridor to help insure the safety of the Pakistani rescue flights from Kunduz to the northwest corner of Pakistan, about two hundred miles away. The order left some members of the Delta Force deeply frustrated. "These guys did Desert Storm and Mogadishu," the military analyst said. "They see things in black-and-white. 'Unhappy' is not the word. They're supposed to be killing people." The airlift also angered the Northern Alliance, whose leadership, according to Reuel Gerecht, a former Near East operative for the C.I.A., had sought unsuccessfully for years to "get people to pay attention to the Pakistani element" among the Taliban. The Northern Alliance was eager to capture "mainline Pakistani military and intelligence officers" at Kunduz, Gerecht said. "When the rescue flights started, it touched a raw nerve."

Just as Pakistan has supported the Taliban in Afghanistan, Pakistan's arch-rival India has supported the Northern Alliance. Operatives in India's main external intelligence unit—known as RAW, for Research and Analysis Wing—reported extensively on the Pakistani airlift out of Kunduz. (The Taliban and Al Qaeda have declared the elimination of India's presence in the contested territory of Kashmir as a major goal.) RAW has excellent access to the Northern Alliance and a highly sophisticated ability to intercept electronic communications. An Indian military adviser boasted that when the airlift began "we knew within minutes." In interviews in New Delhi, Indian national-security and intelligence officials repeatedly declared that the airlift had rescued not only members of the Pakistani military but Pakistani citizens who had volunteered to fight against the Northern Alliance, as well as non-Pakistani Taliban and Al Qaeda. Brajesh Mishra, India's national-security adviser, said his government had concluded that five thousand Pakistanis and Taliban—he called it "a ballpark figure"—had been rescued.

According to RAW's senior analyst for Pakistani and Afghan issues, the most extensive rescue efforts took place on three nights at the time of the fall of Kunduz. Indian intelligence had concluded that eight thousand or more men were trapped inside the city in the last days of the siege, roughly half of whom were Pakistanis. (Afghans, Uzbeks, Chechens, and various Arab mercenaries accounted for the rest.) At least five flights were specifically "confirmed" by India's informants, the RAW analyst told me, and many more were believed to have taken place.

In the Indian assessment, thirtythree hundred prisoners surrendered to a Northern Alliance tribal faction headed by General Abdul Rashid Dostum. A few hundred Taliban were also turned over to other tribal leaders. That left between four and five thousand men unaccounted for. "Where are the balance?" the intelligence officer asked. According to him, two Pakistani Army generals were on the flights.

None of the American intelligence officials I spoke with were able to say with certainty how many Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters were flown to safety, or may have escaped from Kunduz by other means.

India, wary of antagonizing the Bush Administration, chose not to denounce the airlift at the time. But there was a great deal of anger within the Indian government. "We had all the information, but we did not go public," the Indian military adviser told me. "Why should we embarrass you? We should be sensible." A RAW official said that India had intelligence that Musharraf's message to the Americans had been that he didn't want to see body bags coming back to Pakistan. Brajesh Mishra told me that diplomatic notes protesting the airlift were sent to Britain and the United States. Neither responded, he said.

Mishra also said that Indian intelligence was convinced that many of the airlifted fighters would soon be infiltrated into Kashmir. There was a precedent for this. In the past, the Pakistani Army's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (I.S.I.) had trained fighters in Afghanistan and then funnelled them into Kashmir. One of India's most senior intelligence officials also told me, "Musharraf can't afford to keep the Taliban in Pakistan. They're dangerous to his own regime. Our reading is that the fighters can go only to Kashmir."

Kashmir, on India's northern border, is a predominantly Muslim territory that has been fiercely disputed since Partition, in 1947. Both India and Pakistan have waged war to support their claim. Pakistanis believe that Kashmir should have become part of their country in the first place, and that India reneged on the promise of a plebiscite to determine its future. India argues that a claim to the territory on religious grounds is a threat to India's status as a secular, multi-ethnic nation. Kashmir is now divided along a carefully drawn line of control, but cross-border incursions—many of them bloody—occur daily.

Three weeks after the airlift, on December 13th, a suicide squad of five heavily armed Muslim terrorists drove past a barrier at the Indian Parliament, in New Delhi, and rushed the main building. At one point, the terrorists were only a few feet from the steps to the office of India's Vice-President, Krishan Kant. Nine people were killed in the shoot-out, in addition to the terrorists, and many others were injured. The country's politicians and the press felt that a far greater tragedy had only narrowly been averted.

In India, the Parliament assault was regarded as comparable to September 11th. Indian intelligence quickly concluded that the attack had been organized by operatives from two long-standing Kashmiri terrorist organizations that were believed to be heavily supported by the I.S.I.

Brajesh Mishra told me that if the attack on the Parliament had resulted in a more significant number of casualties "there would have been mayhem." India deployed hundreds of thousands of troops along its border with Pakistan, and publicly demanded that Musharraf take steps to cut off Pakistani support for the groups said to be involved. "Nobody in India wants war, but other options are not ruled out," Mishra said.

The crisis escalated, with military men on both sides declaring that they were prepared to face nuclear war, if necessary. Last week, Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, travelled to the region and urged both sides to withdraw their troops, cool the rhetoric, and begin constructive talks about Kashmir.

Under prodding from the Bush Administration, Musharraf has taken action against his country's fundamentalist terror organizations. In the last month, the government has made more than a thousand arrests, seized bank accounts, and ordered the I.S.I. to stop all support for terrorist groups operating inside Kashmir. In a televised address to the nation on January 12th, Musharraf called for an end to terrorism, but he also went beyond the most recent dispute with India and outlined a far-reaching vision of Pakistan as a modern state. "The day of reckoning has come," he said. "Do we want Pakistan to become a theocratic state? Do we believe that religious education alone is enough for governance? Or do we want Pakistan to emerge as a progressive and dynamic Islamic welfare state?" The fundamentalists, he added, "did nothing except contribute to bloodshed in Afghanistan. I ask of them whether they know anything other than disruption and sowing seeds of hatred. Does Islam preach this?"

"Musharraf has not done as much as the Indians want," a Bush Administration official who is deeply involved in South Asian issues said. "But he's done more than I'd thought he'd do. He had to do something, because the Indians are so wound up." The official also said, however, that Musharraf could not last in office if he conceded the issue of Kashmir to India, and would not want to do so in any case. "He is not a fundamentalist but a Pakistani nationalist—he genuinely believes that Kashmir 'should be ours.' At the end of the day, Musharraf would come out ahead if he could get rid of the Pakistani and Kashmiri terrorists—if he can survive it. They have eaten the vitals out of Pakistan." In his address, Musharraf was unyielding on that subject. "Kashmir runs in our blood," he said. "No Pakistani can afford to sever links with Kashmir. . . . We will never budge an inch from our principled stand on Kashmir."

Milton Bearden, a former C.I.A. station chief in Pakistan who helped run the Afghan war against the Soviet Union in the late nineteen-eighties and worked closely with the I.S.I., believes that the Indian government is cynically using the Parliament bombing to rally public support for the conflict with Pakistan. "The Indians are just playing brinkmanship now—moving troops up to the border," he said. "Until September 11th, they thought they'd won this thing—they had Pakistan on the ropes." Because of its nuclear program, he said, "Pakistan was isolated and sanctioned by the United States, with only China left as an ally. Never mind that the only country in South Asia that always did what we asked was Pakistan." As for Musharraf, Bearden said, "What can he do? Does he really have the Army behind him? Yes, but maybe by only forty-eight to fifty-two per cent." Bearden went on, "Musharraf is not going to be a Kemal Atatürk"—the founder of the secular Turkish state—"but as long as he can look over his shoulder and see that Rich Armitage"—the United States Deputy Secretary of State—"and Don Rumsfeld are with him he might be able to stop the extremism."

A senior Pakistani diplomat depicted India as suffering from "jilted-lover syndrome"—referring to the enormous amount of American attention and financial aid that the Musharraf government has received since September 11th. "The situation is bloody explosive," the diplomat said, and argued that Musharraf has not been given enough credit from the Indian leadership for the "sweeping changes" that have taken place in Pakistan. "Short of saying it is now a secular Pakistan, he's redefined and changed the politics of the regime," the diplomat said. "He has de-legitimized religious fundamentalism." The diplomat told me that the critical question for Pakistan, India, and the rest of South Asia is "Will the Americans stay involved for the long haul, or will attention shift to Somalia or Iraq? I don't know."

Inevitably, any conversation about tension between India and Pakistan turns to the issue of nuclear weapons. Both countries have warheads and the means to deliver them. (India's capabilities, conventional and nuclear, are far greater—between sixty and ninety warheads—while Pakistan is thought to have between thirty and fifty.) A retired C.I.A. officer who served as station chief in South Asia told me that what he found disturbing was the "imperfect intelligence" each country has as to what the other side's intentions are. "Couple that with the fact that these guys have a propensity to believe the worst of each other, and have nuclear weapons, and you end up saying, 'My God, get me the hell out of here.' " Milton Bearden agreed that the I.S.I. and RAW are "equally bad" at assessing each other.

In New Delhi, I got a sense of how dangerous the situation is, in a conversation with an Indian diplomat who has worked at the highest levels of his country's government. He told me that he believes India could begin a war with Pakistan and not face a possible nuclear retaliation. He explained, "When Pakistan went nuclear, we called their bluff." He was referring to a tense moment in 1990, when India moved its Army en masse along the Pakistani border and then sat back while the United States mediated a withdrawal. "We found, through intelligence, that there was a lot of bluster." He and others in India concluded that Pakistan was not willing to begin a nuclear confrontation. "We've found there is a lot of strategic space between a low-intensity war waged with Pakistan and the nuclear threshold," the diplomat said. "Therefore, we are utilizing military options without worrying about the nuclear threshold." If that turned out to be a miscalculation and Pakistan initiated the use of nuclear weapons, he said, then India would respond in force. "And Pakistan would cease to exist."

The Bush Administration official involved in South Asian issues acknowledged that there are some people in India who seem willing to gamble that "you can have war but not use nuclear weapons." He added, "Both nations need to sit down and work out the red lines"—the points of no return. "They've never done that."

An American intelligence official told me that the Musharraf regime had added to the precariousness of the military standoff with India by reducing the amount of time it would take for Pakistan to execute a nuclear strike. Pakistan keeps control over its nuclear arsenal in part by storing its warheads separately from its missile- and aircraft-delivery systems. In recent weeks, he said, the time it takes to get the warheads in the air has been cut to just three hours—"and that's too close. Both sides have their nukes in place and ready to roll."

Even before the airlift from Kunduz, the Indians were enraged by the Bush Administration's decision to make Pakistan its chief ally in the Afghanistan war. "Musharraf has two-timed you," a recently retired senior member of India's diplomatic service told me in New Delhi earlier this month. "What have you gained? Have you captured Osama bin Laden?" He said that although India would do nothing to upset the American campaign in Afghanistan, "We will turn the heat on Musharraf. He'll go back to terrorism as long as the heat is off." (Milt Bearden scoffed at that characterization. "Musharraf doesn't have time to two-time anybody," he said. "He wakes up every morning and has to head out with his bayonet, trying to find the land mines.")

Some C.I.A. analysts believe that bin Laden eluded American capture inside Afghanistan with help from elements of the Pakistani intelligence service. "The game against bin Laden is not over," one analyst told me in early January. He speculated that bin Laden could be on his way to Somalia, "his best single place to hide." Al Qaeda is known to have an extensive infrastructure there. The analyst said that he had concluded that "he's out. We've been looking for bombing targets for weeks and weeks there but can't identify them."

Last week, Donald Rumsfeld told journalists that he believed bin Laden was still in Afghanistan. Two days later, in Pakistan, Musharraf announced that he thought bin Laden was probably dead—of kidney disease.

A senior C.I.A. official, when asked for comment, cautioned that there were a variety of competing assessments inside the agency as to bin Laden's whereabouts. "We really don't know," he said. "We'll get him, but anybody who tells you we know where he is is full of it."

India's grievances—over the Pakistani airlift, the continuing terrorism in Kashmir, and Musharraf's new status with Washington—however heartfelt, may mean little when it comes to effecting a dramatic change of American policy in South Asia. India's democracy and its tradition of civilian control over the military make it less of a foreign-policy priority than Pakistan. The Bush Administration has put its prestige, and American aid money, behind Musharraf, in the gamble—thus far successful—that he will continue to move Pakistan, and its nuclear arsenal, away from fundamentalism. The goal is to stop nuclear terrorism as well as political terrorism. It's a tall order, and missteps are inevitable. Nonetheless, the White House remains optimistic. An Administration official told me that, given the complications of today's politics, he still believed that Musharraf was the best Pakistani leader the Indians could hope for, whether they recognize it or not. "After him, they could only get something worse."

Eminem Talks Bush Song

2005-07-29T16:59:00.000+05:00

Rapper calls Iraq war "mess,"
blames president

Eminem's upcoming album, Encore, due November 16th, features the fierce anti-Bush song "Mosh," which was leaked online today.

In the Dr. Dre-produced track, the rapper denounces the war in Iraq. "Rebel with a rebel yell, raise hell," Eminem raps. "We gonna let him know/Stomp, push, shove, mush, fuck Bush!/Until they bring our troops home." Later in the song, he adds, "Let the president answer on higher anarchy/Strap him with an AK-47, let him go fight his own war/Let him impress daddy that way . . . No more blood for oil."

"[Bush] has been painted to be this hero, and he's got our troops over there dying for no reason," says Eminem in an upcoming Rolling Stone cover story (on stands November 5th). "I think he started a mess . . . He jumped the gun, and he fucked up so bad he doesn't know what to do right now . . . We got young people over there dyin', kids in their teens, early twenties that should have futures ahead of them. And for what? It seems like a Vietnam 2. Bin Laden attacked us, and we attacked Saddam. Explain why that is. Give us some answers."

The thirty-two-year-old rapper says he has registered to vote for the first time -- but stops short of endorsing a candidate. "Whatever my decision is, I would like to see Bush out of office," Eminem says. "I don't wanna see my little brother get drafted -- he just turned eighteen. People think their votes don't count, but people need to get out and vote. Every motherfuckin' vote counts."

Source

Sitting Bull 1877

2005-07-27T23:12:00.000+05:00

"Yet hear me, my people, we have now to deal with another race - small and feeble when our fathers first met them, but now great and overbearing. Strangely enough they have a mind to till the soil and the love of possessions is a disease with them . . . They claim this mother of ours, the earth, for their own, and fence their neighbours away; they deface her with their buildings and their refuse."

Sitting Bulls Speech at the Powder River Council, 1877

After Abu Ghraib

2005-07-27T22:59:00.000+05:00

Huda Alazawi was one of the few women held in solitary in the notorious Iraqi prison. Following her release, she talks for the first time to Luke Harding about her ordeal.

It began with a phone call. In November last year 39-year-old Huda Alazawi, a wealthy Baghdad businesswoman, received a demand from an Iraqi informant. He was working for the Americans in Adhamiya, a Sunni district of Baghdad well known for its hostility towards the US occupation. His demand was simple: Madame Huda, as her friends and family know her, had to give him $10,000. If she failed to pay up, he would write a report claiming that she and her family were working for the Iraqi resistance. He would pass it to the US military and they would arrest her.

Article continues
"It was clearly blackmail," Alazawi says, speaking in the Baghdad office of her trading company. "We knew that if we gave in, there would be other demands." The informant was as good as his word. In November 2003, he wrote a report that prompted US soldiers to interrogate Alazawi's brother, Ali, and her older sister, Nahla, now 45. Wearing a balaclava, he also led several raids with US soldiers on the families' antique-filled Baghdad properties.

On December 23, the Americans arrested another of Alazawi's brothers, Ayad, 44. It was at this point that she decided to confront the Americans directly. She marched into the US base in Adhamiya, one of Saddam Hussein's former palaces. "A US captain told me to come back with my two other brothers. He said we could talk after that." On Christmas Eve she returned with her brothers, Ali and Mu'taz. "I waited for four hours. An American captain finally interrogated me. After 10 minutes he announced that I was under arrest." Like thousands of other Iraqis detained by the Americans since last year's invasion, Alazawi was about to experience the reality of the Bush administration's "war on terror".

"They handcuffed me and blindfolded me and put a piece of white cloth over my eyes. They bundled me into a Humvee and took me to a place inside the palace. I was dumped in a room with a single wooden chair. It was extremely cold. After five hours they brought my sister in. I couldn't see anything but I could recognise her from her crying."

Alazawi says that US guards left her sitting on the chair overnight, and that the next day they took her to a room known by detainees as "the torturing place". "The US officer told us: 'If you don't confess we will torture you. So you have to confess.' My hands were handcuffed. They took off my boots and stood me in the mud with my face against the wall. I could hear women and men shouting and weeping. I recognised one of the cries as my brother Mu'taz. I wanted to see what was going on so I tried to move the cloth from my eyes. When I did, I fainted."

Like most Iraqi women, Alazawi is reluctant to talk about what she saw but says that her brother Mu'taz was brutally sexually assaulted. Then it was her turn to be interrogated. "The informant and an American officer were both in the room. The informant started talking. He said, 'You are the lady who funds your brothers to attack the Americans.' I speak some English so I replied: 'He is a liar.' The American officer then hit me on both cheeks. I fell to the ground.

Alazawi says that American guards then made her stand with her face against the wall for 12 hours, from noon until midnight. Afterwards they returned her to her cell. "The cell had no ceiling. It was raining. At midnight they threw something at my sister's feet. It was my brother Ayad. He was bleeding from his legs, knees and forehead. I told my sister: 'Find out if he's still breathing.' She said: 'No. Nothing.' I started crying. The next day they took away his body."

The US military later issued a death certificate, seen by the Guardian, citing the cause of death as "cardiac arrest of unknown etiology". The American doctor who signed the certificate did not print his name, and his signature is illegible. The body was returned to the family four months later, on April 3, after the Abu Ghraib torture scandal broke. The family took photographs of the body, also seen by the Guardian, which revealed extensive bruising to the chest and arms, and a severe head wound above the left eye.

After Ayad's body had been taken away, Alazawi says that she and 18 other Iraqi detainees were put in a minibus inside the military compound. "The Americans told us: 'Nobody is going to sleep tonight.' They played scary music continuously with loud voices. As soon as someone fell asleep they started beating on the door. It was Christmas. They kept us there for three days. Many of the US soldiers were drunk."

Finally, after a US guard broke her shoulder as she left the lavatory, Alazawi and her surviving siblings were transferred - first to a police academy in Baghdad's interior ministry and then, on January 4 2004, to Abu Ghraib prison.

Alazawi, who has a 20-year-old daughter, Farah, and a four-year-old granddaughter, Safat, spent the next 156 days in solitary confinement. Along with five other Iraqi women, she was held in Abu Ghraib's infamous "hard site" - the prison block inside the compound where photographs of American guards sexually humiliating Iraqi prisoners had been taken two months previously. The women were kept in the upstairs cellblock; male detainees regarded as "difficult" were held downstairs. The vast majority of inmates lived in a series of open tents surrounded by razor wire and US guard posts.

In her first weeks at Abu Ghraib, before the US military launched its internal investigation into prisoner abuse, torture was commonplace, she says. "The guards used wild dogs. I saw one of the guards allow his dog to bite a 14-year-old boy on the leg. The boy's name was Adil. Other guards frequently beat the men. I could see the blood running from their noses. They would also take them for compulsory cold showers even though it was January and February. From the very beginning, it was mental and psychological war."

Alazawi is reticent about the question of sexual abuse of Iraqi women but says that neither she nor any of the other women in Abu Ghraib at the time were sexually assaulted by US guards. In his subsequent report into the scandal, however, Major General Antonio Taquba found that at least one US military policemen had raped a female inmate inside Abu Ghraib; a letter smuggled out of the prison by a woman known only as "Noor", containing allegations of rape, was found to be entirely accurate. Other witnesses interviewed by the Guardian have said that US guards "repeatedly" raped a 14-year-old Iraqi girl who was held in the block last year. They also said that guards made several of the women inmates parade naked in front of male prisoners.

Alazawi says that she was held in a two-metre-square cell, initially with no bed and a bucket for a toilet. For the first three weeks she was entirely "mute" after being told that talking was forbidden. The US guards gave her only one book, a Koran. She managed to steal a pen, and recorded incidents of abuse, with dates, in its margins. During her first few months in custody, the US soldiers were brutal, petty and tyrannous, she says.

"Because I could speak a bit of English I was given the job of emptying the rubbish. There was never enough food and one day I came across an old woman who had collapsed from hunger. The Americans were always eating lots of hot food. I found some in a packet in a bin and gave it to her. They caught me and threw me in a one-metre-square punishment cell. They then poured cold water on me for four hours." She wrote the date down in her Koran: February 24 2004.

For the first four months, apart from frequent interrogations, she was not allowed out of the block. Alazawi says she was repeatedly asked whether she was in the Resistance and whether she had fired rockets at US soldiers (she is 5ft 3in tall). "It became a running joke. The other women began to nickname me the Queen of the RPG [rocket-propelled grenade]. The American interrogators were entirely ignorant and knew nothing about Iraqi people. The vast majority of people there were innocent."

After the Abu Ghraib scandal broke in April, Alazawi was allowed to exercise in the scrubby yard outside for 10 minutes a day. She got a bed. She was also assigned a new female guard, "Mrs Palmer", who helped the women with their English and in turn tried to learn Arabic. In May, Major General Geoffrey Miller, assigned to Abu Ghraib by Washington in the aftermath of the torture scandal, escorted a large group of journalists around the prison for the first time. The previous night, Alazawi says, US guards evacuated all the juveniles and male detainees from her cellblock, leaving only her and a handful of other women upstairs.

"Mrs Palmer told us that during the inspection we had to lie quietly on our beds. She said that if we behaved we would be allowed to spend more time out of our cells in the sun. The following day General Miller turned up with a huge number of journalists. I heard him telling them that some of the people kept in here were murderers. I shouted out: 'We are not the killers. You are the killers. This is our country. You have invaded it.' After that they didn't let me out of my cell for an entire month. A US officer came to me and said: 'Because of you we have all been punished'."

Alazawi says she was unimpressed by Miller. "It was obvious he liked having his photo taken," she says. Over the next few weeks, the US military began releasing hundreds of Abu Ghraib detainees as part of a damage limitation exercise. Alazawi and her sister were moved from their cells to a tent. Three generals also came to interview her and asked her to describe what had happened to Ayad, her brother. They did not, however, offer an apology. The other women were gradually released, including her sister. Finally, on July 19, a helicopter took Alazawi to Al Taji, a military base just north of Baghdad.

"After eight months in prison they suddenly treated me like a queen. It was weird," she says. "They offered me some Pepsi. I could take a shower. There was air conditioning. There were four female soldiers to look after me. The doctor came to see me four times in 24 hours. They made me sign a piece of paper promising not to leave the country. And then I was free."

A US military spokesman said that Alazawi was known to him, but disputed her claim to have been held in solitary for 157 days:"She and her sister, which [sic] were the last two females we detained at Abu Ghraib, were separated from the male detainees in keeping with the cultural sensitivities." He added, "The fact that abuses occurred isn't really news any more. We know they did and those who are accused are being prosecuted for it."

Now Alazawi is trying to piece her life back together. She is back at work in Baghdad, where she runs businesses importing foreign cars and electrical goods, surrounded by respectful staff who bring endless cups of sweet Iraqi coffee. Business appears to be flourishing. Friends of the family in Arab dish-dash - many of whom come from Iraq's Sunni elite - drop in and exchange gossip on her white leather sofas. But after her release, her millionaire husband announced that he was divorcing her.

"For a woman in an eastern society to spend months in US custody is very difficult," she says. Several of the other former women detainees in Abu Ghraib are believed to have disappeared; others have husbands who have also disowned them. Alazawi's surviving brothers, Ali - prisoner number 156215 - and Mu'taz - 156216 - are still inside Abu Ghraib. The US military continues to detain them and 2,400 other prisoners without charge or legal access, in contravention of the Geneva Convention. Alazawi says that she has hired lawyers to pursue the Iraqi informant who she blames for her brother's death.

All the other women detainees, meanwhile, have refused to talk about their ordeal; she is the first to give testimony. As Iraq lurches from disaster to disaster, from kidnapping to suicide bombing, from insurgency towards civil war, from death to death, what does she think of the Americans now? "I hate them," she says.

Source

No More Bombs in Rucksacsk

2005-07-27T17:42:00.000+05:00

Police hunt 6 Pakistanis over Egypt attack

2005-07-25T16:42:00.000+05:00

Officials think men may have had direct role in resort blasts that killed 88

SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt - Police investigators said Monday that they were searching for six Pakistani men as the probe into the weekend’s terrorist attack at a Red Sea resort widened.

Police are circulating photographs of the six at checkpoints in and around this southern Sinai resort city. An Associated Press correspondent who saw the images said the men appeared to be between the ages of 20 and 30.

The involvement of Pakistanis in the attack in Sharm el-Sheik would be unprecedented, as non-Egyptians have rarely been linked to attacks here. It would also be extremely difficult for a group of young Pakistanis not to be noticed in Sharm, one of the heaviest policed cities in Egypt and a favorite place of residence for President Hosni Mubarak.

Pakistani officials had no immediate comment.

Source

'We shot the wrong man' - Police

2005-07-25T13:47:00.000+05:00

POLICE last night admitted that a man shot dead by anti-terrorism police at an Underground station on Friday was not connected to the London bomb attacks.

Amid fears of a backlash in Muslim communities over the killing, it emerged that armed officers had killed Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, and not an Islamic terrorist, at Stockwell station.

Police had yesterday said little about the progress of their investigation into the attempted bomb strikes on four targets in London on Thursday. But shortly before 5pm, a statement exposed the fatal mistake

only a day after the Metropolitan Police had claimed that the man was "directly linked" to last week's attacks.

The Brazilian government said it "was shocked and perplexed". The country's foreign minister Celso Amorim, who is on his way to London for talks on United Nations reform, plans to arrange a meeting with Foreign Secretary Jack Straw to obtain an explanation.

Menezes had been living legally and working in England for three years.

"He spoke English very well, and had permission to study and work there," Menezes' cousin Maria Alves said in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

GloboNews TV reported that Menezes' body was identified by another cousin, Alex Alves Pereira, who lived with Menezes in London.

Pereira last night accused the police of incompetence, adding: "He never said or did anything wrong in his life."

The Scotland Yard statement said: "We are now satisfied that he was not connected with the incidents of Thursday, 21 July, 2005. For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets."

It added: "The man emerged from a house in Tulse Hill that was itself under observation because it was linked to the investigation on Thursday, 21 July. He was then followed by surveillance officers to the Underground station. His clothing and behaviour added to their suspicions."

Panic within Scotland Yard was underlined last night when the Met was forced to issue an amended version of its original press release, correcting the location of the man's flat.

A growing row over the dramatic failure of the 'shoot-to-kill' policy overshadowed a major breakthrough in the huge investigation into the London attacks, with the emergence of a likely link between the "al-Qaeda cells" responsible for two waves of terror strikes on the capital in the last two weeks.

Detectives believe that some of the men they are hunting in connection with last Thursday's attempted bombings attended a white-water rafting trip at the same centre as two of the July 7 bombers.

As police continued to question two men arrested over the attacks, armed officers last night swooped on a flat in the Tulse Hill area of London.

Frightened residents reported hearing eight gunshots as officers carrying submachine guns entered the first-floor flat and CS gas canisters were fired inside.

Meanwhile, Scotland Yard confirmed that a "suspicious package" had been found in northwest London which may be linked to the four bombs recovered since Thursday's attempted attacks. The package was found by a member of the public in bushes in Little Wormwood Scrubs.

Menezes' killing will now be subject to an independent inquiry which will investigate the behaviour of all the officers involved in the operation.

Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said: "There may well be reasons why the police felt it necessary to unload five shots into the man and shoot him dead, but they need to make those reasons clear."

But Roy Ramm, a former Scotland Yard commander, said the dead man and the officer who killed him were "victims of terrorism in the same way that the people on the Tube were".

"Here we have a situation where police are forced on to the streets with offensive weapons in an incredibly charged atmosphere.

"It is a tragedy for the individual, for the family, but also for the police officers," he said.

Shami Chakrabarti, director of human rights organisation Liberty, said: "Our hearts go out to the family of the dead man and to the officers involved in this tragic incident. No one should rush to judgment. In any case of this kind - especially at a time of heightened tension - there must be a prompt, comprehensive and independent investigation into what happened."

Police initially maintained that the man was "directly linked" to their ongoing hunt for the four men who tried to bomb London's transport system on Thursday and that he had been under surveillance before he was killed.

Passengers on a train waiting at Stockwell station had described how they were ordered to get down as armed plain-clothes officers pushed a man through the open doors of their carriage and on to the floor.

Eyewitness Mark Whitby described scenes of "absolute mayhem" inside the station as the officers held the man down before one of them "unloaded five shots into him".

Glen Smyth, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers in the capital, said last night: "It would be unwise to speculate on all the circumstances until we know what happened and this will be subject to an investigation by the IPCC."

The Home Office refused to make any comment on the shooting of Menezes.

"It's an operational matter for the police," said a spokeswoman.

Source

The murder of an Asian man

2005-07-25T13:43:00.000+05:00

A lot of people have noted the execution of an Asian man in London as recounted by witness Mark Whitby to the BBC (my emphasis in bold):

"'I saw an Asian guy. He ran on to the train, he was hotly pursued by three plain clothes officers, one of them was wielding a black handgun.

'He half tripped... they pushed him to the floor and basically unloaded five shots into him," he told BBC News 24.

'As [the suspect] got onto the train I looked at his face, he looked sort of left and right, but he basically looked like a cornered rabbit, a cornered fox.

'He looked absolutely petrified and then he sort of tripped, but they were hotly pursuing him, [they] couldn't have been any more than two or three feet behind him at this time and he half tripped and was half pushed to the floor and the policeman nearest to me had the black automatic pistol in his left hand.

'He held it down to the guy and unloaded five shots into him."

Pursued by a group of men without uniforms, at least one of who has a gun, who wouldn't run? The authorities will claim they had to shoot him as they were afraid he was going to set off a bomb, but since they had him under surveillance, why did they let someone they suspected of carrying a bomb onto a crowded subway train? Did they want him to set off a bomb? It is also highly unlikely that the police would put themselves in that much risk by getting close to him if they really thought he had a bomb he could trigger (watch for them to be lauded as 'heroes').

It is important in creating this kind of strategy of tension to have all the gory details immediately shown to the target community. This will create the anger which will either lead to retaliation or to a plausible claim that retaliation has occurred once the next attack takes place. Thus the violence is rapidly ratcheted up. People like Rudy and Bibi will be around to offer expertise on how to deal with the problem, expertise which can be sold for a lot of money, and which will only make the problem worse.

It appears that the Israeli technical advice involved in Operation Kratos is already in full force, and it is even possible that this whole incident, with so many duds, was just a training exercise for the British police. Asking Israel for advice on how to deal with this problem is particularly funny. I understand why Israel does what it does: it wants to create terrorism so it can use its state terrorism in 'self defense' to eventually drive the Palestinians off the Occupied Territories. But why would the British want to go down this sorry road? With each incident the problem is made worse, and it will take years and years to undo the damage. The domestic security measures taken to attempt to deal with the insecurity, up to an including murdering people who wear coats too heavy for the weather, make life worse for everybody (and the British problems just helped the Americans make the Patriot Act a permanent affront to American civil liberties). Wouldn't it be easier to get rid of Tony, pull out of Iraq, take some steps to alleviate the plight of the Palestinians, and start the process of mending bridges with the Muslim community? Is fighting the 'war on terror' so much fun that it is worth living in fear for the rest of your life?

Source: http://xymphora.blogspot.com/2005/07/murder-of-asian-man.html

London Duds

2005-07-22T22:41:00.000+05:00

Two weeks ago: four bombs, four spectacular successes. Yesterday: four bombs, four duds(An explosion that fails to occur). But lots of evidence left behind so the London police can get untracked from their bozo investigation and find some people to frame (to be fair to the police, I think they started a legitimate criminal investigation which became corrupted by Blair's political considerations and the need to find guilty Muslims). Hasib Hussain, the owner of magic pants, also had a magic passport, and didn't in fact go to Pakistan (yet another case of a convenient mistake). Two full weeks of snooping and still no clue as to what kind of explosive was used, or even whether the bombers knew what was going on. The complete failure of the investigation was starting to make people suspicious, and this little dud reminder will keep the legislative agenda on track. From what I've been able to gather, despite all the hoopla, British authorities have arrested a net total of one suspect from the first attack (who I suspect will be quietly released). In order to do that, they have established the precedent of blowing up the houses and cars of Muslims. The personal property of real people is blown up, and real people are left homeless, but hey, they're only Muslims. What does that remind me of? The West Bank.

Source: http://xymphora.blogspot.com/2005/07/london-duds.html

Egypt chemist 'not bomb suspect'

2005-07-22T20:07:00.000+05:00

An Egyptian chemist detained in Cairo has been cleared of any links with the London bomb attacks, officials say.

An interior ministry report "made clear there was no link between Magdi al-Nashar and al-Qaeda or the bombings", a government spokesman said.

British police have not formally named Mr Nashar as a suspect in their investigation.

The 33-year-old, who was arrested last week, has denied having any role in the attacks that left 56 people dead.

On Saturday, the Egyptian interior minister said that reports linking Mr -Nashar to al-Qaeda were "groundless" and based on a hasty conclusion.

In custody

Mr Nashar, who completed a PhD in chemistry at Leeds University, was arrested in Cairo as part of the inquiry into the 7 July bombings.

He is reported to have admitted knowing one of the bombers, Hasib Hussain, and helping to arrange the rental of a flat in which traces of explosives were found.

Mr Nashar told Egyptian investigators that he had intended to return to Leeds at the end of a holiday in Egypt, which began a week before the bombings.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4695891.stm

You know you've been in Iraq too long if...

2005-07-21T01:16:00.000+05:00

General

You start to think "it's not so bad here".
You say "this place sort of grows on you".
You say, "it feels cooler today" and find out that the temperature is 110.
The term "trailer trash" is a term of endearment.
You call your tent (trailer if you're lucky) 'home'.
You get excited at the idea of ICE.
Apaches excite you much more than Blackhawks or Kiowas

Armaments

You don't jump when a door slams or someone drops something.
You aren't alarmed when every second person you see has a gun . . . or two . . . or three.
You kick the M-16 on the floor aside without a second thought when you sit down to eat in the Dining Facility.
A Glock or 9 mm on a lady's hip is considered sexy.
Mortars and rockets sounds are "okay" compared to Vehicle bombs (IED's).
You can measure distances based on explosion sounds.
When a "Red Alert" sounds and you're leaving a DFAC, you rather go back in and have more coffee instead of seeking shelter in a bunker somewhere.
You know the difference in sound between "incoming" and "outgoing"

Entertainment

You get excited at the prospect of seeing the latest gun camera videos
$5 for a DVD is a little pricey...especially if there is only one movie on it.
If you can't find a new movie a day after it is released in theatres state side you are disappointed.
Sitting around with your coworkers talking about different ways to be killed is considered "water cooler talk".

Travel

You are soothed by the sounds of helicopters flying six feet over your trailer.
Bullet holes in cars are no longer alarming.
Car selections consist of "hard" or "soft", not Cadillac or Mercedes.
Road trips consist of 6 vehicles and large caliber weapons.
Driving on the sidewalk is normal.
Driving on the wrong side of a divided four lane street is normal.
Hit-and-run fender benders are treated as mere warnings.
You get upset that you don't get C-130 Frequent Flyer Miles.
Your carry-on luggage includes a flack jacket and helmet.
Driving through the traffic circle of death has lost its thrill.
If they had had one, you would have paid every dollar you had in your wallet for a bottle of frozen water one very long day at BIAP.

Hygiene

You enjoy waiting 45 minutes for the toilets to refill.
It's ok to brush your teeth with the brown water that comes out of the faucets.
KBR buzz cuts begin to look stylish (even on girls).
Flies don't even hang around the truck drivers
You have your own roll of toilet paper stashed in your tent/office and car.
You are not surprised to see someone performing morning ablutions in the office restroom
A shower with water that is neither to cold to hot and contains no mosquitoes is a priceless unattainable luxury.

Surroundings

"Texas Barriers" are something other than a device to keep Texans out.
"Jersey Barriers" are something other than fences to keep Holsteins away from Jerseys.
You begin to believe that project construction being blown up only twice a week is progress.
You get excited with the presence of clouds.
You know ten times as many South Africans as you've ever known before.
The security guards are Gurkha or South African.

Dining

You look forward to Mohammad's Mango ice cream as the treat for the day.
Powdered eggs taste ok.
You consider plastic ware the Palace China.
You can distinguish inherent qualities of various plastic utensils.
The quality of the plastic utensils becomes a hot dinner topic.
Having to separate plastic plates causes you undue stress.
Lettuce for your salad becomes a luxury.
You believe that bacon and ham should be grey in color.
No matter what animal you are eating, it will be flavored with curry.
Scamming a 3rd can of soda makes you feel like you got even with someone.
You are putting on weight because the Saddam's Revenge Diet no longer works.
Going to another mess hall is an adventure.
Putting Thousand Islands on your hamburger bun instead of mayo/mustard/catsup is normal.
You automatically pick up two plastic forks whenever beef is on the menu at the DFAC
You accept the fact that fajitas do not require tortillas
Sliced hot dogs on a pizza served in a Chinese restaurant is good eats.
You have ever considered leaving for a brownie and some milk during a mortar attack at the palace.

Fashion

You think desert combat boots look great with shorts.
Sand between your thong sandals actually feels good.
The color white is no longer an option.
Speedos for security guards seem right.
You can recognize 12 different camouflage patterns.
You've given up on shoe polish.
T-shirt sizes at the PX are: M, L, XL, XXL & KBR

Living Conditions

You get a big smile when you see your pressed clothes at the laundry.
You get a bigger smile knowing they didn't lose your laundry.
You get the biggest smile when you get back someone else's laundry and now you have more underwear then before.
You think the bullet holes in the roof of your trailer is just another form of ventilation.
You get upset because the post office won't ship your looted artifacts.
You haven't had water from anything other than a bottle for months on end.
You consider broken sandbags just a new beach expansion.
The idea of a double wide is only for the fortunate or very powerful.
Forgetting your military ID makes you feel naked...but pants are optional.
A bootleg of the new stateside release is not available at the PX 2 days later.
"Only one rocket has hit the camp" is excellent news.
Cardboard boxes have become substantial pieces of furniture.

Communications

Stars & Stripes seems to be a liberal newspaper.
Acronyms become the acceptable language.
It feels normal to have to run outside to make a cell phone call.
You call your coworkers as soon as new T-shirt patterns arrive at the PX.
"Can you hear me" takes up 50% of your cellular telephone conversations.
You realize it is Saturday or Sunday because no one from Houston phones.
Your conversations with co-workers are sprinkled with "Roger that" and "Good copy"

Source: http://www.livejournal.com/users/skysthelimit/42761.html#cutid1

Bomb 'mastermind' was victim of name confusion

2005-07-20T20:16:00.000+05:00

20 July 2005 08:57

Bomb 'mastermind' was victim of name confusion
By Jason Bennetto, Crime Correspondent
The Independent

A man widely reported to have slipped into Britain to "mastermind" the London bombings was an innocent Pakistani who happened to have a similar name to a suspected al-Qa'ida leader.

The man, in his 30s, was the subject of intense media speculation surrounding his visit to the UK, which culminated in him flying out of London the day before the attacks. His presence in the country, apparently unmonitored, led to criticism of MI5.

However, The Independent has learnt that the man had no role in the attacks. Inquiries in the past week have discovered that the man was an innocent Pakistani traveller who had a similar name to an al-Qa'ida terrorist who was on a watch list of several foreign security agencies.

A similar mix-up is understood to be behind the claims by US intelligence that Germaine Lindsay, 19, the bomber who carried out the King's Cross attack, was on a British watch list. This was because the "fourth" bomber was wrongly identified in the United States as Lindsay Jermaine - someone with a similar name to a terrorist suspect.

Scotland Yard is concentrating on establishing the movements of the four bombers from Leeds and Aylesbury, and what explosives they used.

Sniffer dogs are being used on the Tube to detect explosives. Dozens of dogs will be deployed throughout the London Underground system and the police may also introduce random checks using metal and bomb detectors on the Underground.

* Police have until Saturday to continue questioning a 29-year-old man arrested in West Yorkshire last week in connection with the bombings. He is the only person to have been arrested so far in Britain over the attacks.

A man widely reported to have slipped into Britain to "mastermind" the London bombings was an innocent Pakistani who happened to have a similar name to a suspected al-Qa'ida leader.

The man, in his 30s, was the subject of intense media speculation surrounding his visit to the UK, which culminated in him flying out of London the day before the attacks. His presence in the country, apparently unmonitored, led to criticism of MI5.

However, The Independent has learnt that the man had no role in the attacks. Inquiries in the past week have discovered that the man was an innocent Pakistani traveller who had a similar name to an al-Qa'ida terrorist who was on a watch list of several foreign security agencies.

A similar mix-up is understood to be behind the claims by US intelligence that Germaine Lindsay, 19, the bomber who carried out the King's Cross attack, was on a British watch list. This was because the "fourth" bomber was wrongly identified in the United States as Lindsay Jermaine - someone with a similar name to a terrorist suspect.

Scotland Yard is concentrating on establishing the movements of the four bombers from Leeds and Aylesbury, and what explosives they used.

Sniffer dogs are being used on the Tube to detect explosives. Dozens of dogs will be deployed throughout the London Underground system and the police may also introduce random checks using metal and bomb detectors on the Underground.

* Police have until Saturday to continue questioning a 29-year-old man arrested in West Yorkshire last week in connection with the bombings. He is the only person to have been arrested so far in Britain over the attacks.

Who are the British authorities trying to protect?

2005-07-19T23:14:00.000+05:00

Since even British officials are now backing off from the theory that the London bombs were the work of men who intended to be suicide bombers, we are left with trying to determine what the four of them thought they were doing.

The authorities would like us to believe that their Islamic terrorist handler misled them into believing that the timers in the bags was set so that they could get away before the bombs went off. That still doesn't explain why they seemed so cavalier about being seen together in video cameras.

Some conspiracy theorists believe that the four were tricked by an intelligence agency handler into believing that they were participating in some sort of terrorism preparedness drill in the London Underground. While it is possible that they were tricked that way, it seems to me that it would be very implausible to them that they would be picked out of Leeds to perform a job which could easily be done by some intelligence operatives working out of London.

I think the most likely scenario is that they were tricked into thinking they were involved as drug mules in the movement of drugs from Leeds to London (see also here). They would have no need to be concerned about the video cameras, as they would have no fear of being seen together and leading authorities back to their 'cell' (which of course doesn't exist). The rucksacks too big for the bombs inside might have been filled with stuffing intended to feel that they were filled with drugs. Their instructions would have been to meet with someone either on a particular subway car or bus, or at the end of a particular subway or bus route, and hand over the rucksack. Then they would all assemble at a central location in London to receive their payments.

No Islamic will or video celebrating suicide, no public celebration of the 'martyrs', unsatisfactory assumption of responsibility, overly large rucksacks, happy-go-lucky bombers with no concerns about being videotaped together or leaving behind identification that would lead back to the 'cell' which supposedly had plans for future attacks, uncharacteristic candidates for suicide bombers - it all adds up to one thing. Someone tricked the four into believing they were drug mules. Once we accept that fact, we have to accept that there is absolutely no reason to believe the Official Story that this violence was connected to Islamic terrorism. It could have been set up by anybody, including the intelligence organization of any country. Of course, the fact that four Muslim men were chosen as the patsies gives us a clue as to who might have been involved.

Unfortunately, British authorities seem to be in on the cover-up. The peculiar transformation of the original certainty that the bombs used were military plastic explosives - and this would be a certainty as their analysis would be based on chemical residues - to the theory that they were a home-made mix in the Egyptian patsy's bathtub, indicates that the British investigation has become completely corrupted. Military explosives were in the rucksacks, but since the investigators couldn't tie military explosives to the four bombers they had to attempt to frame the Egyptian by claiming he made the explosives in his bathtub. Now that the frame-up of the Egyptian has fallen apart, the whole cover-up has also fallen apart. Who are the British authorities trying to protect?

Source: http://xymphora.blogspot.com/2005/07/who-are-british-authorities-trying-to.html

2005-07-19T01:37:00.000+05:00

I went down to the place
Where I knew she lay waiting
Under the marble and the snow
I said, "Mother I'm frightened
The thunder and the lightning
I'll never come through this alone"
She said, "I'll be with you
My shawl wrapped around you
My hand on your head when you go"
And the night came on
It was very calm
I wanted the night to go on and on
But she said, "Go back - go back to the World"
..................................................................

Russian Taliban Suspect Sues United States

2005-07-19T00:53:00.000+05:00

A former Guantanamo prisoner who is a Russian national filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government. This Tatarstan resident, Airat Vakhitov, issued a statement Tuesday that is capable of sparking a new wave of anti-American protests in Muslim countries.

In his lawsuit, which is being examined in a U.S. civil court, Vakhitov not only demands that the authorities admit to inhumane treatment of prisoners at the Guantanamo camp, but insists that they acknowledge that a majority of the inmates are actually innocent. Speaking at a Tuesday press conference, Vakhitov himself described the first lawsuit to be filed by a Russian “Talib” against the United States. Before Vakhitov, only British nationals have sued U.S. officers.

The timing of the lawsuit meanwhile couldn’t have been chosen better. In the United States, there is already an ongoing campaign to shut down the prison camp, while journalists have already uncovered evidence of torture and religious profanation directed at prisoners. Incidentally, Vakhitov also mentioned instances of the Koran being flushed down toilets.

Vakhitov, together with other Russian citizens, were sent to Cuba directly from Afghanistan. His story reminds one of a low-budget Hollywood blockbuster.

“While I was staying in Chechnya with a friend,” he recounted, he was taken hostage by Chechen militants. He expected that they would demand a ransom. Instead, the Chechens reportedly tortured him for several months trying to get a confession out of him that he was sent by Russian special forces. After Vakhitov escaped and returned home, the Moscow apartment bombings rattled the country. As a Muslim who had spent time in a militant camp in Chechnya, Vakhitov was an ideal suspect. This time in a Russian prison, officials demanded a confession that he had collaborated with separatists. He was released just before winter.

Not wanting to risk remaining in Russia, Vakhitov went to stay with relatives in Tajikistan. Then events became even more fantastic. Vakhitov and his friends were taken hostage by militants from the Islamist “Uzbekistan” movement, and took them to Afghanistan. In Kabul, the hostages were accused of collaborating with the FSB. The tortures and interrogations began anew.

That was in the fall of 2001. Afghanistan was attacked by the Americans. The regime in the country was overturned, while the prison where Vakhitov was being held had its flag changed.

Vakhitov and his friends were waiting to be rescued from day to day. But the U.S. military instead acted exactly like their Russian counterparts. After September 11, they needed culprits. And all Muslims became suspects.

Especially valuable were Arabs. According to Vakhitov, they were bought in Afghanistan for $5,000 each and taken to Guantanamo.
“They sold everyone. Beggars off the street, the deaf, dumb, and blind. I had a 104-year-old man along with me. And once again, no court investigation,” Vakhitov says. And that was how he ended up in Cuba at the Delta camp.

“In Russia the torture is primitive. They mostly just beat me. They would hang me up, and burn me with cigarettes. At Guantanamo, the torture was more sophisticated than in Russian prisons. Our special forces are way behind in that sense. There was more psychological pressure: you couldn’t be left alone for a minute. We fought to have the toilet covered with a blanket. We went on hunger strikes to protest against officers trampling on the Koran and throwing it in the toilet.”

Gradually, Russians are beginning to use the experience of their Western colleagues. Vakhitov says that after the Americans handed him over to Russian prosecutors, he was blindfolded and kicked, then forced to kneel and told to “pray to Jesus Christ like a Christian.” Vakhitov said that the Americans honestly admitted that because they have a democracy, they could not use all the possible methods to draw out confessions, but that their Russian colleagues would be able to get to work on him.

After several months in a detention center, Vakhitov was found not guilty — once again without any trial — and released. “I’m trying to start a new life. Right now it’s hard. Recently someone called again from the FSB and told me to get out of the country. Soon there will be a big holiday in Tatarstan — Kazan will turn 1,000. They told me I don’t fit in.”

After all his time in confinement, Vakhitov decided to file a lawsuit against the U.S. government. His attorney is Clive Stefford Smith, the head of a British charity organization, Fairness in Exile. “I want them to publicly admit that they confined us unfairly. I want them to admit that we ended up in the camp because of the special forces,” Vakhitov said.

Besides the foreign attorney, several Russian public figures came out in support of Vakhitov.

“Two states, calling themselves democratic, having signed an agreement on mutual cooperation in the fight against terrorism, have decided that there are no rules in this fight,” said Our Choice party leader Irina Khakamada, who came to the press conference.

“The case of Airat and hundreds of others like him only shows that the government today is not interested in fighting terrorism.”

Source @ http://www.mosnews.com/feature/2005/06/28/taliban.shtml

Jews by Benjamin Franklin

2005-07-17T15:05:00.000+05:00

The founding fathers of the United States had warned the nation and the politicians against the odious character and shenanigans of the Jews. They had asked the people to be wary of them. Most prominent among them were Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. Following is an excerpt from a speech delivered by Benjamin Franklin on the subject of Jewish immigration at the Constitutional Convention in 1789. The original copy of the speech is extant in the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia. It may prove illuminating for the rulers, politicians and intellectuals in particular, and the American nation in general. It is just possible that this speech may persuade the rulers to free themselves from their hostage like predicament and be the harbingers of new and dynamic ideals.

Benjamin Franklin said: "There is a great danger for the United States of America. This great danger is the Jews. Gentlemen, in whichever land, the Jews have settled they have repressed the moral level and lowered the degree of commercial honesty. They have remained apart, unassimilated, oppressed they attempt to strangle the nation financially as in the case of Portugal and Spain. For more than seventeen hundred years they have lamented their sorrowful fate namely that they have been driven out of their motherland but, Gentlemen, if the civilized world of today should give them back Palestine and their property they would immediately find pressing reasons for not returning there. Why? Because they are vampires and vampires cannot live among themselves. They must live among Christians and others, who do not belong to their race. If they are not excluded from the United States by the constitution, within less than one hundred years they will stream into this country in such numbers that they will rule and destroy us and change our form of Government for which we Americans shed our blood and sacrificed our life, property and personal freedom. If the Jews are not excluded within two hundred years, our children will be working in the fields to feed the Jews, while they remain in the country house, gleefully rubbing their hands. I warn you, Gentlemen, if you do not exclude the Jews forever, your children and your children's children will curse you in your grave. Their ideas are not those of Americans even when they have lived among us for the generations. The leopard cannot change his spots. The Jews are a danger to this land and if they are allowed to enter they imperil our institutions. They should be excluded by the constitution."

If we look at America today we will see that the predictions of Benjamin Franklin proved hundred percent true. This country has, indeed become a Jews-controlled state.

Source: The News International (Edition of Monday, May 30, 2003)

The birth of the London bomb Official Story

2005-07-16T16:51:00.000+05:00

You can practically hear the click at that moment in the life of every conspiracy when the police investigation turns into the Official Story. At that point, the investigation is intended to 'fix the facts' to the Official Story, and the cover-up begins. The story of the London bombs has made this transformation within the last twenty-four hours. The authorities thought it was small bombs with timers or triggered by cell phones and almost certainly not a suicide bomb attack; now they claim with certainty that the bombs were accompanied by handlers, some or all of whom may have died in the blasts, possibly by accident and probably intentionally (which means they were suicide bombers, as it is extremely unlikely that all four made a mistake). The original story was that it was an international al Qaeda operation; now it is British Muslims. In just a day or two, everything has changed.

The British government has managed to fashion the least damaging story possible under the circumstances. Cell-phone triggered bombs are out, as that might lead to calls for cell-phone jammers near transportation routes, a prospect that would cost rich people who own cell-phone companies money. Small bags with explosives and timers are out, as that is just too scary. The prospect of an unlimited quantity of small bombs was causing too much panic. Suicide bombers are in, as it will be thought that the likelihood of there being a lot of available suicide bombers is small, and thus the level of concern can be reduced in the general population. Of course, there will still be enough tension to lead to more video cameras and more call for national ID cards and increased police powers. International al Qaeda is out, as it brings up too many associations of how Blair's alliance with Bush in Iraq put the British people in direct danger (but watch for the 'mastermind' to eventually be connected to the governments of Syria or Iran). Any connection between British government wrong-doing and terrorism must be broken. Local Muslims are in, as there appears to be a new campaign to demonize British Muslims as part of the ongoing Zionist program to associate terrorism with calls for the Islamification of British society. This fits in with the general idea that terrorists are Evil and have impossible demands which can't possibly be met, and thus terrorism has to be fought with the 'war on terror', and not with negotiations and concessions. All these wars suit Israel and the arms dealers. For that reason, British Muslims are going to be in for a difficult time, and the 'Londonistan' meme is the start of that process.

Just a few early questions:

Why would suicide bombers need timers? Are we to believe that all four of them died when they mistakenly set off their bombs?
Why would suicide bombers carry identification which would lead the authorities directly to their colleagues? How did it survive in at least three of the bombs? I am reminded of the convenient passport found at the World Trade Center.
If all four video cameras on the bus were not working, how do the police know what happened on the bus? The witness who saw someone fiddling with a bag just begs the question of whether the fiddler was a bomber. Why do video cameras on buses need to be switched on by the drivers?
Why did Jack Straw state so quickly that it was al Qaeda? Is the theory that it is still al Qaeda, or some other group?
How did the British know to warn Netanyahu so quickly? If they knew enough to warn Netanyahu, why didn't they have enough time to shut down the subway system? Or did they?
Why was the transportation system still operating when the bus bomb went off, nearly an hour later than the subway bombs? One theory is that the last bomber got on the bus after the subway system was closed!
How easy would it be to pay some Muslim British men, who are told to carry identification, to drive to London and sit in specific places on specific subway trains or buses? When the bombs go off and the identification is found, you have instant patsies, and British Muslims in the frame. The fact they were seen together on video footage then becomes just part of the set-up. With so many known video cameras in London, why wouldn't they take care not to be seen together? They could have entered London separately if they did not want to be identified as part of a 'cell', and avoid giving the police information that could be used to trace their colleagues. As is often the case with these stories, we are asked to believe that they would be technically proficient ('military grade' explosives), but make the dumbest small mistakes.
What happened to the story, out of Canada and New Zealand, that the police shot one or two men near Canary Wharf?

The bombers are all dead, and dead men tell no tales. They were kind enough to leave enough identification, and enough video footage, to tie them to British Muslim colleagues. Once the 'cell' is broken everybody can rest easy, with no more inconvenient questions about the sanity of the 'war on terror' or the fact that Blair's lies led to the attack. Nothing to see here; please move along (oh, and may I see your ID card please?).

Source: http://xymphora.blogspot.com/2005/07/birth-of-london-bomb-official-story.html

Turmoil in Palestine: The Basic Context

2005-07-16T16:28:00.000+05:00

By Alex R. Shalom and Stephen R. Shalom

As the occupied Palestinian territories suffer their worst paroxysm of violence in years, with the casualties, as always, overwhelmingly Palestinian, the mainstream media, also as always, focus on peripheral questions, offer misleading answers, and ignore the underlying causes of the conflict. The fundamental, neglected reality is that the Palestinian people have been denied their basic rights for years by the Israeli government, aided and abetted by its Washington ally.

More than half a century ago, the United Nations (which at the time had comparatively few Third World members) recommended the partition of Palestine into Palestinian and Jewish states, and an internationalized Jerusalem, with the Jewish minority to receive the majority of the land, as well as most of the fertile land. A civil war and then a regional war ensued and when the armistice agreements were signed there was Israel, the Jewish state, but no Palestinian state and no international Jerusalem, both of these being taken over and divided between Israel and Jordan. The occupying Israelis, however, were not content to block the emergence of a Palestinian state; they wanted as well to expel as many Palestinians as possible. This ethnic cleansing -- forced expulsions facilitated by acts of terror -- drove hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their ancestral lands, to refugee camps where they lived in squalor, longing to return. In 1967, Israel conquered Jordan's share of Palestine, creating a new wave of Palestinian refugees, and subjecting many more to ruthless Israeli rule in the occupied territories.

Through all the peace plans and negotiations this is the central question: how can Palestinians achieve the right of self-determination that has so long been refused them? To the Israeli government, justice for Palestinians has always been subordinated to the Israeli desire for land, for scarce water resources, and for military supremacy in the region. And the United States government has likewise disregarded Palestinian self-determination and human rights, motivated by its desire to see a dominant Israel that could help keep radical Arab nationalism in check in a region of great economic and strategic value.

This past week's violence was sparked by the visit of the leader of Israel's right-wing opposition Likud Party, former general Ariel Sharon, to Haram al Sharif, a Muslim holy site in Jerusalem, revered by Jews as the Temple Mount. The media has asked what Sharon intended by his visit, what role Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak played in Sharon's decision to go there, and whether the Palestinian response was spontaneous or orchestrated by the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Yasir Arafat. But these limited questions cannot be answered without considering the recent history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Yasir Arafat was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1974 when it was recognized by the U.N. (and by nearly every survey of Palestinian opinion) as the sole, legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. But, by the mid-1980's, Arafat and his lieutenants had been away from Palestine for many years, and their connection with Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip began to weaken. In December 1987, after 20 years living under the systematic violence of Israeli rule, Palestinians in the occupied territories began wide-spread resistance known as the intifada. The intifada, often remembered for its vivid images of Palestinian children throwing stones at Israeli soldiers who responded with automatic weapons, included, in fact, highly organized non-violent resistance in addition to the more spontaneous stone throwing. Impressively, the intifada with its remarkable self-discipline and courage was an indigenous uprising – neither initiated nor controlled by the PLO leadership-in-exile -- indicating that Arafat no longer spoke for the Palestinian people.

It thus came as something of a surprise when Arafat joined with then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin to sign the 1993 Oslo Accords. The peace process agreed to by Arafat and Rabin called for the redeployment of Israeli troops from most areas of dense Palestinian concentration to other parts of the West Bank, but not for their full withdrawal from the territory. Israeli settlements -- whose presence even Israel's closest ally, the United States government, had always considered a violation of international law -- were to remain in place. Israel retained authority over most of the land, and all the settlers, roads, water, and borders, while the Palestinians gained civil control -- not sovereignty -- over a tiny portion of the West Bank, which essentially meant that they became responsible only for maintaining order over a population seething in grueling poverty and despair. While Israeli analysts saw this arrangement as more manageable than direct Israeli military rule over masses of Palestinians, it was clear that a peace process that did not provide justice and self-determination to a long-suffering people was unlikely to provide much peace either.

Why did Arafat accept this raw deal on behalf of his people? It appears that Arafat was more interested in being the ruler of a Palestinian State, whatever its condition, than in continuing to seek a just solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Since his return to Palestine in the wake of the Oslo process, Arafat has ruled the Palestinian Authority with a brutally authoritarian fist and, despite some public posturing, has made further concessions to the Israeli government -- most notably giving up the refugees' right of return, something demanded by the U.N. since 1949, and the Palestinian claim to any part of Jerusalem. In so doing, Arafat has further alienated himself from the Palestinian people, who no longer see him as a brave freedom fighter but as a corrupt collaborator.

And what of the other players focused upon by the mainstream media? Ariel Sharon, who has received some criticism in the press, is no stranger to being vilified, or more precisely to being a villain. He is best-known for his role in Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, where -- as even the Israeli Kahan commission found -- he bore indirect responsibility for the indiscriminate slaughter of hundreds of Palestinians in the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila. He has long been an opponent of any negotiations with Palestinians and rejects any Israeli territorial concessions. Perhaps his visit to Haram al Sharif last week was intended as a provocation to thwart any progress in the peace process (though no real progress was in the offing); perhaps he saw an opportunity to bloody some more Palestinians; or perhaps it was all part of a maneuver to secure his leadership of Likud against a challenge from former Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu. But the exact mix of motives here doesn't really matter. No one could possibly have doubted that going to Haram al Sharif and proclaiming it eternal Israeli territory would ignite a firestorm.

As for Prime Minister Ehud Barak, also a former general and the leader of the Labor Party, he is portrayed in the press as a pursuer of peace, willing to make concessions on important issues. But his fundamental position allows no compromise. In 1998, Barak declared that Labor has a "set of red lines which it will under no circumstances cross.... A united Jerusalem must remain under full and unequivocal Israeli sovereignty; most of the population of the settlements will remain under Israeli rule in large settlement blocs; under no circumstances will we return to the 1967 lines" (Jerusalem Post, 13 May 1998, p. 1). So whatever other concessions Barak might be willing to entertain, any that might offer the Palestinians real justice has been automatically excluded.

What role did Barak have in Sharon's decision to go to Haram al Sharif? All indications are that Barak knew of Sharon's visit before it occurred. The extent to which Barak would have been able to prevent the visit had he so desired is not clear, but there is no evidence that Barak had any such desire. In recent weeks, even before the latest outbursts of violence, as Barak's support in the Israeli Knesset (parliament) had been waning, there had been rumors that he was seeking to form a coalition government with Sharon's Likud Party. His inaction did nothing to belie these rumors. In any event, however, the role Barak played in Sharon's visit is less important than Barak's overall role in the latest violence. In addition to his support for a peace process that offers no justice and thus no peace, it is he and his Cabinet who are ultimately responsible for the Israeli military's vicious lack of restraint during this past week: the killing of an unarmed, cowering 12-year-old boy, the killing of an ambulance driver who tried to save the boy, the killings of dozens of others (more than seventy at this writing), the maiming of many hundreds of others, the tank and helicopter gunships blasting apartment buildings.

As for Arafat's role in the latest violence, he can be viewed as the initiator only to the extent that his role in the Oslo process has made conditions in the occupied territories ripe for violence. What has inflamed the Palestinians -- and world opinion, at least outside Washington -- was the provocation of Sharon and the bloody actions of the Israeli military; no orders from Arafat were needed to bring thousands of enraged Palestinians into the streets. On the other hand, while not indicating a causal relationship as many of Israel's supporters have argued, it must be acknowledged that given Israel's savage history with respect to the Palestinians, Arafat might have anticipated this sort of Israeli over-reaction, perhaps allowing him to regain some of his lost credibility and putting some international pressure on the Barak government. But neither Arafat's attempts to keep up with Palestinian popular sentiment nor the occasional mindless excesses by some frustrated Palestinians (such as the trashing of Joseph's tomb, a Jewish holy place) change the basic situation: what has transpired in these past two weeks has been a legitimate, indigenous response to the denial of Palestinian rights, Israel's brutal occupation, and Arafat's capitulation.

What will come of this latest violence is unclear. Certainly the dire poverty in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the repression by Arafat's police, and the hopelessness of the Oslo process are factors which make another intifada possible. And Barak has made clear how he would answer any such uprising: the Israeli military would use "all means at their disposal" and they would do so "[e]ven if it is against the whole world." (Karin Laub, Laura King, both AP, 7 Oct. 2000) And indeed Israel is unlikely to concern itself with international pressure as long as the United States continues to flak for Israeli barbarism. U.S. officials may work to quiet outbursts of violence, but they still fail to insist that Israel offer justice to the Palestinians. Peace and justice in the Middle East will never occur until Washington stops giving Israel a blank check. And that will require decisive action by the American people.
-----------------------------------------------
Alex R. Shalom spent five months in 1998 studying in Jordan, Israel, and Palestine; Stephen R. Shalom teaches political science at William Paterson University.

No Title

2005-06-01T00:12:00.000+05:00

My Winamp Playlist.....

2005-04-30T00:22:00.000+05:00

Linkin Park - My December (Re-Animation)
Duran Duran - Come Undone
Celine Dion - One Heart
Eminem - 8 Mile
Linkin Park - From The Inside
Anastacia - Sick & Tired
Evanescence - Going Under
Bon Jovi - It's My Life
Linkin Park - Crawling
Richard Marx - Hazard
Limp Bizkit - Crushed (OST - End Of Days)
Asha Bhosley - Mera Kuch Saman (OST - Ijazat)
Lata Mangeshker - Dil Hoom Hoom Karey (OST - Rudhali)
Metalica - Nothing Else Matters
George Strait - Baby Blue
Eminem - Lose Your Self
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
Shaggy - Hope
Strings - Najaney Kiyon (OST - Spider Man 2)
Lata Mangeshker - Do Dil Tutey, Do Dil Haray
Kishore - Rim Jhim Girey Sawan
Avril Lavigne - Falling Down (OST - Sweet Home Alabama)
Dido - Who Makes You Feel
Kylie Minogue - Confide In Me
George Strait - If I know Me
Belinda Carlisle - In Too Deep
Gloria Estefan - Can't Stay Away From You
Live - Forever May Not Be Long Enough (OST - Mummy1)
Linkin Park - Some Where I Belong
Jennifer Lopez - Dear Ben
Robbie Williams - Feel
Michael Learns To Rock - You Took My Heart Away
Richard Marx - Endless Summer Nights
Avril Lavigne - Don't Tell Me
Linkin Park - Faint
Linkin Park - Figure 9
Eminem - Stan (Feat. Dido)
SADE - No Ordinary Love
Avril Lavigne - My World
Whitney Houston - Miracle
George Strait - Desprately
George Michael - Fast Love
Bryan Adams - Summer of 69
Phil Collins - Hold On My Heart
Muhammad Rafi - Tere Mere Sapney
Asad Amanat Ali Khan - Umran Langiyan Paban Paar
SADE - Is It A Crime?
Bryan Adams: Brother Under The Sun (OST - Stallion:Stallion Of The Cimarron)
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and many more great songs...

What Do Non-Muslim Say About Muhammad (PBUH)?

2005-04-24T22:47:00.000+05:00

ENCYCLOPEDIA BRITANNICA confirms:
“.... A mass of detail in the early sources show that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were like-wise honest and upright men." (Vol. 12)

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW said about him:
"If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it could be Islam."

“I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age. I have studied him - the wonderful man and in my opinion for from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Savior of Humanity."

"I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.”

Sir George Bernard Shaw in 'The Genuine Islam,' Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.
"He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.

"HIS NAME IS MUHAMMAD" May Peace of God Be Upon Him (pbuh)

He was born in Arabia in the year 570 C.E. (common era), started his mission of preaching the religion of Truth, Islam (submission to One God) at the age of forty and departed from this world at the age of sixty-three.

During this short period of 23 years of his Prophethood, he changed the complete Arabian peninsula from paganism and idolatry to worship of One God, from tribal quarrels and wars to national solidarity and cohesion, from drunkenness and debauchery to sobriety and piety, from lawlessness and anarchy to disciplined living, from utter bankruptcy to the highest standards of moral excellence. Human history has never known such a complete transformation of a people or a place before or since - and IMAGINE all these unbelievable wonders in JUST OVER TWO DECADES."

MICHAEL H. HART in his recently published book on ratings of men who contributed towards the benefit and upliftment of mankind writes:
"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels." (M.H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York, 1978, p. 33)

Lamar tine the renowned historian speaking on the essentials of human greatness wonders:
"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislation, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the then inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and souls.... his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was two-fold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.

"Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images, the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is MUHAMMAD. As regards all the standards by which Human Greatness may be measured, we may well ask, IS THERE ANY MAN GREATER THAN HE?"
(Lamar tine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp 276-277)

The world has had its share of great personalities. But these were one-sided figures who distinguished themselves in but one or two fields, such as religious thought or military leadership. The lives and teachings of these great personalities of the world are shrouded in the mist of time. There is so much speculation about the time and place of their birth, the mode and style of their life, the nature and detail of their teachings and the degree and measure of their success or failure that it is impossible for humanity to reconstruct accurately the lives and teachings of these men.

Not so this man. Muhammad (pbuh) accomplished so much in such diverse fields of human thought and behavior in the fullest blaze of human history. Every detail of his private life and public utterances has been accurately documented and faithfully preserved to our day. The authenticities of the record so preserved are vouched for not only by the faithful followers but also even by his prejudiced critics.

Muhammad (pbuh) was a religious teacher, a social reformer, a moral guide, an administrative colossus, a faithful friend, a wonderful companion, a devoted husband, a loving father - all in one. No other man in history ever excelled or equaled him in any of these different aspects of life - but it was only for the selfless personality of Muhammad (pbuh) to achieve such incredible perfections.

MAHATMA GANDHI Speaking on the character of Muhammad, (pbuh) says in YOUNG INDIA:
"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind.... I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to this friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

THOMAS CALYLE in his HEROES AND HEROWORSHIP, was simply amazed as to:
"How one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades."

"The lies (Western slander) which well-meaning zeal has heaped round this man (Muhammad) are disgraceful to ourselves only."

"A silent great soul, one of that who cannot but be earnest. He was to kindle the world, the world’s Maker had ordered so."

DIWAN CHAND SHARMA wrote:
" Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him." (D.C. Sharma, THE PROPHETS OF THE EAST, Calcutta, 1935, pp. 12)

EDWARD GIBBON and SIMON OCKLEY speaking on the profession of ISLAM write:
"'I BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, AND MAHOMET, AN APOSTLE OF GOD' is the simple and invariable profession of Islam. The intellectual image of the Deity has never been degraded by any visible idol; the honor of the Prophet has never transgressed the measure of human virtues; and his living precepts have restrained the gratitude of his disciples within the bounds of reason and religion." (HISTORY OF THE SARACEN EMPIRES, London, 1870, p. 54)

Muhammad (pbuh) was nothing more or less than a human being. But he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the way to honest and upright living based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, 'A Servant and Messenger of God,' and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be.

The famous poetess of India, SAROJINI NAIDU says:
"It was the first religion that preached and practiced democracy; for, in the mosque, when the call for prayer is sounded and worshippers are gathered together, the democracy of Islam is embodied five times a day when the peasant and king kneel side by side and proclaim: 'God Alone is Great'... I have been struck over and over again by this indivisible unity of Islam that makes man instinctively a brother." (S. Naidu, IDEALS OF ISLAM, vide Speeches & Writings, Madras, 1918, p. 169)

In the words of PROF. HURGRONJE:
"The league of nations founded by the prophet of Islam put the principle of international unity and human brotherhood on such universal foundations as to show candle to other nations." He continues: "The fact is that no nation of the world can show a parallel to what Islam has done towards the realization of the idea of the League of Nations."

The world has not hesitated to raise to divinity, individuals whose lives and missions have been lost in legend. Historically speaking, none of these legends achieved even a fraction of what Muhammad (pbuh) accomplished. And all his striving was for the sole purpose of uniting mankind for the worship of One God on the codes of moral excellence. Muhammad (pbuh) or his followers never at any time claimed that he was a Son of God or the God-incarnate or a man with divinity - but he always was and is even today considered as only a Messenger chosen by God.

K. S. RAMAKRISHNA RAO, an Indian Professor of Philosophy in his booklet:
"Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam," calls him the "PERFECT MODEL FOR HUMAN LIFE." Prof. Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying: "The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the Warrior; Muhammad, the Businessman; Muhammad, the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad, the Reformer; Muhammad, the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad, the Judge; Muhammad, the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is alike a hero."

Today after a lapse of fourteen centuries, the life and teachings of MUHAMMAD (pbuh) have survived without the slightest loss, alteration or interpolation. They offer the same undying hope for treating mankind's many ills, which they did when he was alive. This is not a claim of Muhammad's (pbuh) followers but also the inescapable conclusion forced upon by a critical and unbiased history.

The least YOU could do as thinking and concerned human being is to stop for a moment and ask yourself: Could these statements sounding so extraordinary and revolutionary be really true? And supposing they really are true and you did not know this man MUHAMMAD (pbuh) or hear about him, isn't it time you responded to this tremendous challenge and put in some effort to know him?

It will cost you nothing but it may prove to be the beginning of a completely new era in your life.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a mercy to all human beings, regardless of their religious background. We, as his followers, must live and spread this message today at a time when hatefulness and ugliness towards each other has become the norm.

Thanks!

Tahir

When Women Emerge

2005-04-20T01:34:00.000+05:00

by Madrasah Ta'leemuddeen - Isipingo Beach

No Muslim has the slightest iota of doubt in the fact that the Qur'an is absolutely infallible. How could it be otherwise when the Qur'an is the word of Allah Ta'ala who is All Knowing, All Seeing and the possessor of absolute and perfect wisdom. Every command of Allah Ta'ala is compatible with human nature and its adherence not only earns a person rewards in the hereafter, but is also vital to facilitate the smooth harmony of our existence on earth. No system or mode of life can ever be superior. Allah Ta'ala, the Creator of men and women, the Eternal Being that blessed mankind with intellect and the One who created in human beings passions, emotions and desires, addresses His female slaves in His Glorious Qur'an with the following command: "And remain firmly within your homes and display not yourselves like the display of the former times of ignorance"(Al-Ahzaab; 33). This is the command of none other than our Creator, Allah the Most Wise. Hence by disregarding this command we will not only invite His displeasure, but we will also have to suffer the terrible consequences of our violation in this world. It will be similar to the case where a person ignores the instructions of the manufacturer of a car and he fills water into the petrol tank and fills petrol into the radiator.

ABSOLUTE NECESSITY
Likewise Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) has restricted the emergence of women from the home to the situation of genuine necessity. Ibn Umar (RA.) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alayhi Wasallam said: 'A woman should not emerge from her home except if she is forced to do so" (Tabrani). Also when emerging out of necessity, the woman is commanded to adopt full Hijaab, which includes the covering of her face. However in the present climate of women's lib and feminism which has risen from the decadent west, even Muslims of weak Imaan have found it appropriate to cast women out of their homes and into the outside world. Yet do we really know what goes on out there? The situation is indeed shocking to say the least.

WOMEN RETURNING HOME
According to the American Psychological Association sexual harassment is extremely widespread in the work place. "It touches the lives of 40 to 60 percent of working women, and a similar proportion of female students in colleges and universities. In Texas, for example, after having been cast out of the home, the women finally want to return to their rightful place. According to an article in the Texas Poll (21/2/93), one third of all Texas women have experienced sexual harassment at work. According to the article "more than half said the incidents contributed to them leaving their jobs or wanting to."Indeed the outside world has become a jungle. Here again, let the statistics of the west speak for themselves.Research conducted in August 1990 revealed that 1 in 4 college women have been attacked by a rapist and 1 in 7 have been raped. This should be considered together with the fact that only 7% of all rapes are reported to the police and more than 50% of the victims do not tell anybody about their ordeal . Thus these figures are only the tip of the ice-berg. (A Criminological Study; Koss and Woodruff).

ENDANGERED SPECIES
Besides the above, due to the free intermingling of men and women in the work place and elsewhere, it seems that legitimate children are becoming an endangered species, especially in the U.S. as well as in other countries. In the article titled "The Truth About Feminism," Kenneth R. Pangborn writes that "in the United States one child in four is illegitimate (1 in 3 in Florida)." Also in those children born out-of-wedlock, more than 50% have birth certificates where the father is described as "unknown"!Perhaps some readers may feel that all this is very far away in the U.S.. Hence it should not concern us. Actually we should be extremely concerned. In South Africa SEVEN OUT OF TEN (70%) women encounter sexual abuse in the working world (Natal on Saturday 25/3/95).Yes, it is a reality, though in most cases the victims never mention it to anyone. According to a survey carried out by the Student Counselling Centre (SCC) at the University of Natal (Durban), "of these incidents (of sexual harassment) as many as 80% are not reported." Rather, the victims would even deny it, for fear of reprisals.

UNIVERSITIES
Similarly, "academic" institutions also paint a horrid picture. The SCC report states that a survey at Rhodes University revealed that 63% of female academics experienced sexual harassment. Also out of one hundred students surveyed at Rhodes, six said that they had been 'offered higher marks for sexual favours.' The report also states that at the University of Natal (Durban) "one in four females reported experiencing sexual harassment `occasionally' (which means that though it does not occur frequently, it happens on an on going basis)."

PARLIAMENT
Let alone in other places of work, even the highest office in the country has not escaped the sexual harassment of women. According to a Daily News report (9/12/94) "several women MPs and parliamentary staff have complained of sexual harassment by male MPs." The report quoted the speaker of parliament as saying that the alleged perpetrators were "from more than one party." It was also reported that women MPs feared going to certain parts of the parliamentary complex.

WOEFUL DAY
When this is the situation in the highest office of the country, what can be said of elsewhere? Yet, despite this shocking state of affairs, many Muslims still ignore the injunctions of the Qur'an and actually propagate that women should be working "shoulder-to-shoulder" with men. Numerous Muslim girls have married men who are out of the fold of Islam due to the contact that developed in high schools, universities and in the work place. All the parents of these girls were adamant that "My daughter will never do such a thing." That woeful day however came when they had to swallow hard on these words and wash it down with a flood of tears - but to no avail. The apple of their eye had become the wife of some John, Peter or Reddy.Nonetheless, the most baffling part is that in spite of many of these aspects being common knowledge, numerous parents continue to send their daughters to high schools, universities, and into the working world. When these parents are spoken to with regards to the Imaan-snatching dangers out there, their simple response is: "My daughter will never do such a thing." The problem however is that in the "melting pot" environments of the outside world, only those with Imaan as firm as mountains can withstand the onslaught. Simply no rationalizations whatsoever can sanction women being cast into the lion's den.

DISTRIBUTION OF WORK
Allah Ta'ala has given us the beautiful formula compatible with the differing natures of the genders. This is illustrated in the following practice of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu layhi Wasallam) had apportioned the work that pertains to matters outside the home (which includes earning for the family) to Sayyidina Ali {RA.) while the work pertaining to aspects inside the home were allotted to the Queen of Jannah, Hazrath Fatima (RA.) (Zaadul Ma'aad 2/235). Hence it is the man's duty to go out into the world and earn a Halaal living. Thus in a truly Islamic state where women are not found working "shoulder-to-shoulder" with men, the root cause of the illicit liaisons which take place in the working world will be non existent. However, when that ideal situation does not exist, the man who goes out to work must be extra cautious to protect himself. Allah Ta'ala says: "Say to the Believing men that they should lower their gazes (An-Noor: 30)." Also the Hadith clearly states that 'no person should ever be in seclusion with a strange woman. When these and other similar injunctions will be violated then the obvious outcome will be involvement in grievous sins. The solution is thus to eliminate the cause, not to light the fire and then attempt to control it.Indeed, we are living in difficult times. While numerous women venture out into the world merely to maintain a high standard of living, some venture out only to earn their mere daily bread. Hence if it is necessary, Islam has not forbidden a woman from earning. However, it is incumbent that All the laws of the Shari'ah be upheld. Among other aspects, of utmost importance is that she may not expose herself to non-Mahram males (men to whom marriage is permissible}. She should also have sufficient time for her domestic activities and for the caring of her children.

INCULCATING DEEN
A woman has a great duty to discharge at home. The upbringing of her children require her full attention. Unfortunately, "upbringing" to a great extent has come to mean clothing, feeding and attending to the other physical necessities of the child. This is however, the necessary but less important part of upbringing. The more important part is the inculcating of Deen in the life of the child and embedding the correct morals, character and etiquette in that innocent soul. This is more than a full-time job. When mothers fulfilled this duty (obviously with the father also playing his role), the Imaam Razis and Ghazzalis were constantly produced. The same is possible today - if we get our priorities in order.

May Allah Ta'ala give us the correct understanding of Deen and enable us to practice upon ALL His injunctions, Aameen.

Source: http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/w_emerge.html

Lost My Million Dollars :(

2005-04-18T22:44:00.000+05:00

Few days ago, this guy sent me a message and he said he's interested in doing a business with me and interested in investing some money in my country through my bank account. Since, I'm not stupid to fell for this WTF? kinda stories these people make to fool others and then they make'em send dollars for process of application and other BS things...I'm posting my chat here with this guy, I thought this might give you a smile and also might alert you about things happening around on the internet...

so this is how it goes:

e_kumallo (7:43:45 PM): hi
mtahiriqbal (7:44:38 PM): hello
mtahiriqbal (7:44:41 PM): who's this?
e_kumallo (7:45:07 PM): I am Eunice
mtahiriqbal (7:45:16 PM): Eunice who?
e_kumallo (7:45:43 PM): Eunice Kumallo staying in abidjan cote d'ivoire
mtahiriqbal (7:46:02 PM): ok
e_kumallo (7:46:13 PM): and you where you staying ?
mtahiriqbal (7:46:25 PM): what can i do for u?
e_kumallo (7:47:04 PM): I want to go into business relationship with you
mtahiriqbal (7:47:29 PM): hmmm...what kinda business?
mtahiriqbal (7:47:37 PM): drugs?
e_kumallo (7:49:32 PM): It is not drug, i want to invest in your country
mtahiriqbal (7:49:53 PM): my country? what do u think where i am?
e_kumallo (7:51:00 PM): I think you are staying in Lahore
mtahiriqbal (7:51:14 PM): hmm...and how did u know that?
mtahiriqbal (7:51:51 PM): ok, i know u read my profile
e_kumallo (7:52:00 PM): this is after going through your profile
mtahiriqbal (7:52:01 PM): but thts the place where i used to live...
e_kumallo (7:52:48 PM): So i want to know if you are interest to invest with me in your coutry
mtahiriqbal (7:53:18 PM): well, i left Pakistan around 2 years back...im in states now
mtahiriqbal (7:53:24 PM): wanna do business in States?
e_kumallo (7:53:56 PM): Yes i am interested to do business in states
mtahiriqbal (7:54:08 PM): kool, what kinda business BTW?
e_kumallo (7:55:54 PM): To transfer some money into your account and invest in a lucrative business investment in states that will not
e_kumallo (7:56:06 PM): take much tax
mtahiriqbal (7:56:32 PM): hmm...but I'm interested in drugs...I used to be a drug dealer in Pakistan.
e_kumallo (7:57:12 PM): no, no not drugs
mtahiriqbal (7:57:17 PM): then no business
e_kumallo (7:57:19 PM): only money transfer business
mtahiriqbal (7:57:22 PM): come on dude
mtahiriqbal (7:57:25 PM): everybody knows this bullshit story
mtahiriqbal (7:57:36 PM): to make the long story short, i'm not interested
mtahiriqbal (7:57:56 PM): almost every week i delete such mails which want to do business with me and they want to give me millions of dollars
mtahiriqbal (7:57:59 PM): sorry buddy
e_kumallo (7:58:09 PM): but you dont know where i am going
mtahiriqbal (7:58:19 PM): hell? i don't wanna know that, anyway
e_kumallo (7:58:35 PM): ok

Enjoyed? Don't forget to leave comments...

How I Came To Islam

2005-04-01T02:18:00.000+05:00

By Yusuf Islam
January 1st, 1985

All I have to say is all what you know already, to confirm what you already know, the message of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) as given by God - the Religion of Truth. As human beings we are given a consciousness and a duty that has placed us at the top of creation. Man is created to be God's deputy on earth, and it is important to realize the obligation to rid ourselves of all illusions and to make our lives a preparation for the next life. Anybody who misses this chance is not likely to be given another, to be brought back again and again, because it says in Qur'an Majeed that when man is brought to account, he will say, "O Lord, send us back and give us another chance." The Lord will say, "If I send you back you will do the same." I was brought up in the modern world of all the luxury and the high life of show business. I was born in a Christian home, but we know that every child is born in his original nature - it is only his parents that turn him to this or that religion. I was given this religion (Christianity) and thought this way. I was taught that God exists, but there was no direct contact with God, so we had to make contact with Him through Jesus - he was in fact the door to God. This was more or less accepted by me, but I did not swallow it all. I looked at some of the statues of Jesus; they were just stones with no life. And when they said that God is three, I was puzzled even more but could not argue. I more or less believed it, because I had to have respect for the faith of my parents. Gradually I became alienated from this religious upbringing. I started making music. I wanted to be a big star. All those things I saw in the films and on the media took hold of me, and perhaps I thought this was my God, the goal of making money. I had an uncle who had a beautiful car. "Well," I said, "he has it made. He has a lot of money." The people around me influenced me to think that this was it; this world was their God. I decided then that this was the life for me; to make a lot of money, have a 'great life.' Now my examples were the pop stars. I started making songs, but deep down I had a feeling for humanity, a feeling that if I became rich I would help the needy. (It says in the Qur'an, we make a promise, but when we make something, we want to hold onto it and become greedy.) So what happened was that I became very famous. I was still a teenager, my name and photo were splashed in all the media. They made me larger than life, so I wanted to live larger than life and the only way to do that was to be intoxicated (with liquor and drugs).

IN HOSPITAL
After a year of financial success and 'high' living, I became very ill, contracted TB and had to be hospitalized. It was then that I started to think: What was to happen to me? Was I just a body, and my goal in life was merely to satisfy this body? I realized now that this calamity was a blessing given to me by Allah, a chance to open my eyes - "Why am I here? Why am I in bed?" - and I started looking for some of the answers. At that time there was great interest in the Eastern mysticism. I began reading, and the first thing I began to become aware of was death, and that the soul moves on; it does not stop. I felt I was taking the road to bliss and high accomplishment. I started meditating and even became a vegetarian. I now believed in 'peace and flower power,' and this was the general trend. But what I did believe in particular was that I was not just a body. This awareness came to me at the hospital. One day when I was walking and I was caught in the rain, I began running to the shelter and then I realized, 'Wait a minute, my body is getting wet, my body is telling me I am getting wet.' This made me think of a saying that the body is like a donkey, and it has to be trained where it has to go. Otherwise, the donkey will lead you where it wants to go. Then I realized I had a will, a God-given gift: follow the will of God. I was fascinated by the new terminology I was learning in the Eastern religion. By now I was fed up with Christianity. I started making music again and this time I started reflecting my own thoughts. I remember the lyric of one of my songs. It goes like this: "I wish I knew, I wish I knew what makes the Heaven, what makes the Hell. Do I get to know You in my bed or some dusty cell while others reach the big hotel?" and I knew I was on the Path. I also wrote another song, "The Way to Find God Out." I became even more famous in the world of music. I really had a difficult time because I was getting rich and famous, and at the same time, I was sincerely searching for the Truth. Then I came to a stage where I decided that Buddhism is all right and noble, but I was not ready to leave the world. I was too attached to the world and was not prepared to become a monk and to isolate myself from society. I tried Zen and Ching, numerology, tarot cards and astrology. I tried to look back into the Bible and could not find anything. At this time I did not know anything about Islam, and then, what I regarded as a miracle occurred. My brother had visited the mosque in Jerusalem and was greatly impressed that while on the one hand it throbbed with life (unlike the churches and synagogues which were empty), on the other hand, an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity prevailed.

THE QUR'AN
When he came to London he brought back a translation of the Qur'an, which he gave to me. He did not become a Muslim, but he felt something in this religion, and thought I might find something in it also. And when I received the book, a guidance that would explain everything to me - who I was; what was the purpose of life; what was the reality and what would be the reality; and where I came from - I realized that this was the true religion; religion not in the sense the West understands it, not the type for only your old age. In the West, whoever wishes to embrace a religion and make it his only way of life is deemed a fanatic. I was not a fanatic, I was at first confused between the body and the soul. Then I realized that the body and soul are not apart and you don't have to go to the mountain to be religious. We must follow the will of God. Then we can rise higher than the angels. The first thing I wanted to do now was to be a Muslim. I realized that everything belongs to God, that slumber does not overtake Him. He created everything. At this point I began to lose the pride in me, because hereto I had thought the reason I was here was because of my own greatness. But I realized that I did not create myself, and the whole purpose of my being here was to submit to the teaching that has been perfected by the religion we know as Al-Islam. At this point I started discovering my faith. I felt I was a Muslim. On reading the Qur'an, I now realized that all the Prophets sent by God brought the same message. Why then were the Jews and Christians different? I know now how the Jews did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and that they had changed His Word. Even the Christians misunderstand God's Word and called Jesus the son of God. Everything made so much sense. This is the beauty of the Qur'an; it asks you to reflect and reason, and not to worship the sun or moon but the One Who has created everything. The Qur'an asks man to reflect upon the sun and moon and God's creation in general. Do you realize how different the sun is from the moon? They are at varying distances from the earth, yet appear the same size to us; at times one seems to overlap the other. Even when many of the astronauts go to space, they see the insignificant size of the earth and vastness of space. They become very religious, because they have seen the Signs of Allah. When I read the Qur'an further, it talked about prayer, kindness and charity. I was not a Muslim yet, but I felt that the only answer for me was the Qur'an, and God had sent it to me, and I kept it a secret. But the Qur'an also speaks on different levels. I began to understand it on another level, where the Qur'an says, "Those who believe do not take disbelievers for friends and the believers are brothers." Thus at this point I wished to meet my Muslim brothers.

CONVERSION
Then I decided to journey to Jerusalem (as my brother had done). At Jerusalem, I went to the mosque and sat down. A man asked me what I wanted. I told him I was a Muslim. He asked what was my name. I told him, "Stevens." He was confused. I then joined the prayer, though not so successfully. Back in London, I met a sister called Nafisa. I told her I wanted to embrace Islam and she directed me to the New Regent Mosque. This was in 1977, about one and a half years after I received the Qur'an. Now I realized that I must get rid of my pride, get rid of Iblis, and face one direction. So on a Friday, after Jumma' I went to the Imam and declared my faith (the Kalima) at this hands. You have before you someone who had achieved fame and fortune. But guidance was something that eluded me, no matter how hard I tried, until I was shown the Qur'an. Now I realize I can get in direct contact with God, unlike Christianity or any other religion. As one Hindu lady told me, "You don't understand the Hindus. We believe in one God; we use these objects (idols) to merely concentrate." What she was saying was that in order to reach God, one has to create associates, that are idols for the purpose. But Islam removes all these barriers. The only thing that moves the believers from the disbelievers is the salat. This is the process of purification.

Finally I wish to say that everything I do is for the pleasure of Allah and pray that you gain some inspirations from my experiences. Furthermore, I would like to stress that I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur'an first and realized that no person is perfect. Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) we will be successful. May Allah give us guidance to follow the path of the ummah of Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam). Ameen!

Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens)

2005-02-18T14:43:00.001+05:00

Waiting....................

2005-02-18T14:43:00.000+05:00

Under Speeding

2005-02-18T14:42:00.002+05:00

One Way Traffic

2005-02-18T14:42:00.001+05:00

New Trend

2005-02-18T14:42:00.000+05:00

Pagara League

2005-02-18T14:41:00.000+05:00

WASA :)

2005-02-09T13:39:00.001+05:00

Jasie again

2005-02-09T13:39:00.000+05:00

Jasie - hmmm...lookz good :)

2005-02-05T01:58:00.000+05:00

My Favorite Celebrity ;)

2005-02-05T01:50:00.000+05:00

he he he he...very thought provoking...all my married friends tell the same to your spouses :)

2005-02-02T00:44:00.000+05:00

Mubasher and Burhan (my friends) on Walima

2005-02-01T21:35:00.000+05:00

...hungry

2005-02-01T14:05:00.000+05:00

Tahir (EMINEM Style)

2005-02-01T14:04:00.000+05:00

In Cable Car - Patriata

2005-02-01T14:03:00.001+05:00

Me and Atif in Cable Car - Patriata

2005-02-01T14:03:00.000+05:00

Muddasser and Shehbaz in PC Bhurban

2005-02-01T14:02:00.000+05:00

Mubasher Bhai......Dunga Gali

2005-02-01T14:01:00.000+05:00

Mubasher & BoSSSSssss

2005-02-01T14:00:00.000+05:00

Me & Mubasher in Chair Lift at Patriata

2005-02-01T13:59:00.000+05:00

Mubasher, Shehbaz and Tahir in Dunga Gali, Murree

2005-02-01T13:58:00.000+05:00

Group Pic: Left 2 Right: Ahmed, Shafiq, Boss, Mubasher, Shehbaz, Tahir and Atif

2005-02-01T13:57:00.000+05:00

Me and Mubasher in Murree

Shoaib Akhter - Mein To Thakawat Door Karney Gaya tha

2005-01-27T14:26:00.000+05:00

Aisay kaamon key baad to thakawt ho jati hay, door to nahin hoti...he he he he :p

How to remove spywares?

2005-01-26T00:24:00.000+05:00

There are many programs available which does the job and remove the spywares from your computer. The ones that I have used and am happy with'em are listed below:

Spybot Search & Destroy
AdAware

Use one of the above softwares and scan your system thoroughly to remove the unwanted programs from your computer.

To download these programs:

Spybot Search & Destroy: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html
AdAware: http://www.lavasoft.com/support/download/

Steps involved:

Download
Install
Scan your system (All Drives + Thorough Registery Scan)
Select the unwanted programs from the list
Delete or Quarentine
That's It :)

Both of these programs are GOOD to TRUST. Post your comments whether this information helped you or not.

Regards,

Tahir

What are Spyware?

2005-01-25T23:50:00.000+05:00

What are Spyware?

Spyware is ANY SOFTWARE which employs a user's Internet connection in the background (the so-called "backchannel") without their knowledge or explicit permission.

Silent background use of an Internet "backchannel" connection MUST BE PRECEDED by a complete and truthful disclosure of proposed backchannel usage, followed by the receipt of explicit, informed, consent for such use.

ANY SOFTWARE communicating across the Internet absent of these elements is guilty of information theft and is properly and rightfully termed: Spyware.

Another potential problem is that many are poorly written, "contain bugs or errors", and can cause problems with the normal operation of your computer. If your web-browser experiences "General Protection Faults", hangs, or freezes it may be due to one or more of these types of programme interfering with its proper function.

Have Spyware been installed on your computer? Are you under surveillance?

Spywares can detect each and every move you make in the cyber world.

Nowadays lots of programs come in to our computers as unwanted visitors. Especially if you are a hefty Internet user. But its very irritating to know there are programs that use your computer without your permission or knowledge, and try to accumulate our private information and use our own computer resources to relay it to someone else. Spywares does this.

Spywares come in the Trojan horse category of the viruses. Spywares are distributed mainly through the Internet, via freeware downloads or through underground hacker sites. Spywares are also sometimes bundled along with some commercial software, as a means to track the usage of the software and collect data regarding the user.

Spyware Who uses it?
All of us has access to a spyware. The internet is the biggest arsenal for spyware programs. Even though anybody can get a spyware program, mostly users fall under one of these.

pywares are used by marketing companies to collect data from your computer. This may include the URLs you visit, the products that you buy through internet and the emails that you send. Spywares track all these details and send it back to the company.
Spywares are used by your friend, your parents, your spouse or anybody to monitor your online activities.
Spywares are being used by companies to monitor your acivities while at work.
Spywares can be used by hacking and cracking groups to monitor your activities and get your passwords.
Spywares can be used by underground mafias to get your credit card number, bank account information, passwords etc.

What all kinds of spywares are there?
The term Spyware can broadly be defined as any program that is intentionally hidden to make sure the user does not intervene with its functioning. Hence spywares can be of numerous types. Some of most important spywares are listed below.

Spywares can be key loggers. A key logger is a type of spyware that is used to monitor all the keys that are being pressed in a computer. These spywares optionally sends email to person who spies on you with reports on all the keys typed.
Spywares can be adwares. Adwares are spyware programs used to display popup ads when you least expect it. They also communicate with a remote server to send reports and other data.
Spywares can be browser hijackers, which install browser helper objects. These types of spywares are used to monitor the URLs that you type, among many other things.

How can I clean my system and remove all the spywares?
If you are a very hefty Internet user, and if you always find new websites, chances are you have some sort of a spyware installed in your system. Since spyware components maintain a constant data stream leading out from your computer to a wide range of marketing companies to earn money for themselves at our expense it is vital for us to remove them to keep our personal data, files and information secure as these open data streams leave your computer with personal information vulnerable to attacks by hackers. How can you clean the spywares installed in your system?

To clean your system, the first and the foremost thing to do is to identify the spywares installed in your system and permanently remove them from your system. Let us see how you can do it.

Download a very good spyware scanner.
Scan your harddisk for possible spyware using the scanner.
Update the scanners database files regularly.
Some of these Anti spyware software can detect the presence of spyware in your system by scanning the hard disk for possible spyware in the system.
Using these software you can also remove spyware from your system.

Article by: Tahir Iqbal

Jo Sotey Hain...Woh Khotey Hain :)

2005-01-25T01:02:00.000+05:00

he he he he...look at'em. man i can't stop laughing...he he he

Kaaaaaaaaaami

2005-01-24T23:34:00.000+05:00

Ha ha ha ha ha....Kaaaaaaaaaaami...ainj lagda aye toon huney kisey naal lar key kut kha laini aye.......ha ha haha

Technosoft Gang

2005-01-24T23:32:00.000+05:00

Technosoft Gang in Naran

In Aaankhon Ki Masti Kay..........

2005-01-24T23:30:00.000+05:00

Damn, my eyez................................

Run Forrest Run.....

2005-01-24T21:25:00.000+05:00

Please don't ask me why I am running ;) and you shouldn't know that too...he he he he

Noori Top - Kaghan Valley

2005-01-24T21:11:00.000+05:00

Nooori Top - Kaghan Valley...Noori Top is more than 10,000ft. high.

Oyeeeeeee...Chaiti Karo

2005-01-24T20:41:00.000+05:00

U think I'm about to break dance? No no, yeh sab Mubasher Bhai ki karastani hay . Can u believe how cold was this water? No you can't. To believe this, u gotta stand there, not too long only 30 seconds, yup. After the pic I thought I lost my feet, but thanks to Allah Almighty, I survived . The sight is at Jheel Saif-ul-Malook, Naran.

Chauhdary Mirza Jutt

2005-01-23T17:29:00.000+05:00

I know what 'ya gonna say, Kisi nay maar kar bithaya hay? Kia zabardasti picture utrwa rahey hain? and junk like that. But no it's not the case...it's a nice photo. forget about expressions. look at the personality ;)

Sala...Apun ka kismat hi kharab hay :(

2005-01-23T02:27:00.000+05:00

Last week on 15 Jan, BOSS said we're going to murree on weekend to see snow fall and enjoy the snow and the temprature below ZERO. that was good to know and we were pretty happy too 'cause i never had a chance to enjoy snow fall...anyways, we left Lahore at 3 AM on Saturday morning, did breakfast in Mazang Chungi at a very famous resturant. Nashta included Alu+Anda Paratha, Muli wala paratha and lassi. man...that was really a MAZAIDAR nashta i ever had. khair ji, left for murree by Motorway and reached Murree at around 10:30 in the morning and you know what there was no snow in Murree. only few traces of snow were there but no snow :( anyways, we reserved rooms in hotel Taj Mahal, left our stuff there and then left for Patriata. Enjoyed the chair lift and I danced in Cable Car (tried to scare the $hit outta some guys ;)) he he he...Luckily we found snow in Patriata. Took snaps and threw snow on each other and had reall fun doing that in snow. Then I rode on a horse (i think, horse wasn't very happy my ridin' over him) i've got a pic of it, will show 'ya later. Then we came back to Murree, had dinner with Karahi Gosht and Chargha etc. Then we sat on Mall Road and smoked (talkin' about the smoke that we get outta our mouths in winter...what u thought i'm talkin' about?) Man, to be honest, that was very frustating sittin' there with a bunch of guys, those people were lucky who were there with their.....ahem, u know what i mean ;)

Well, next day we checked out from hotel, 'cause we had to leave for Lahore later that day. Then we went to Galiyat, i mean, Dunga Gali, Nathiya Gali etc. In Dunga gali we found a place were virgin snow was lying. I mean, snow which no body found or went to that place. That was very amazing. Again had to capture those moments, so took snaps and then left for Nathiya Gali. Here we had lunch and then left for Bhurban. PC Bhurban is a nice spot. A 5 * Hotel in a nice place. Had to pay the entery fee 200/person. So we ate food there as well. took snaps and left for Lahore. One thing i noticed at night when we were driving on the hills of murree, the lights of the houses near and far on the hills looked amazing. It just looked like stars have come to earth. That was very nice scene. I wanted to capture that moment but in toyota van it just went blurry. So couldn't capture that beautiful sight.

Bad luck is, we couldn't enjoy the snow fall becuase snow didn't fall :( and now today i saw in news the hills of murree were full of snow and it still was falling. Man how bad luck it is, right?

huh, bored 'ya alot, byezzzzzzzz

FiRsT PoSt

2005-01-23T00:59:00.001+05:00

Okay, it's my first entery here. I chose the black template for my blog now don't tell me it doesn't look kool or something as i always wanted to make a site with black background but BOSS said, no, no, no black BG...as THOSE sites ;) are ususally made with black so I never used it :-| But now I'm gonna use it. I think it lookz kool, isn't it?

Let's come to the point, what should i post here? i think most of the time only JUNK will be here, which may not interest you sometimes. but since i've made it am gonna keep it alive and will be postin' something. if you get some news or something to share just le'me know or an idea to put here. whatcha' think?

Oh yeah, and how 'bout you writin' some comments? hope you'll click the link COMMENTS below to waste your few words about the blog or the stuff i post here. won't u?

see 'ya around......................ByeZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzz