Mosques flourishing across US

Mosques are taking root across the United States at a tremendous rate, but there`s no proof that radicalism is brewing among young Muslim Americans, a report published Wednesday says.

Written on March 2, 2012 | Posted in America, American, UN, US, ad, mosque, mosques, unlmitie | Leave a comment

Report finds mosques flourishing across US

WASHINGTON: Mosques are taking root across the United States “at a tremendous rate,” but there s no proof that rad

Written on February 29, 2012 | Posted in International, UN, US, ad, mosque, mosques | Leave a comment

King Abdullah of SArabia calls for full Arab unity

RIYADH: Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has urged the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations to m

Written on December 20, 2011 | Posted in International, News, UN, US, ad, mosque, mosques | Leave a comment

Libya on edge as Kadhafi forces fight back in west

BENGHAZI: Libya was on edge Friday as forces loyal to Moamer Kadhafi’’s crumbling regime staged a bloody fight back in western towns near Tripoli, as the east declared itself free of his iron-fisted rule. Outraged Western governments scrambled to craft a collective response to the crisis in the oil-rich North African state, including possible sanctions against Kadhafi’’s remaining loyalists and a freeze on assets they are believed to have salted away abroad. But governments were constrained by fears of reprisals against nationals still stranded amid what escaping expatriates described as hellish scenes as evacuation efforts dragged on the 11th day of the crisis. In Az-Zawiyah, west of Tripoli, 23 people were killed and 44 wounded on Thursday when regime loyalists mounted a ferocious rearguard action against protesters in the key oil refinery town, Libya’’s Quryna paper reported. “The wounded cannot reach the hospitals because of shots being fired in all directions,” said the paper, based in now the opposition-held eastern city of Benghazi quoting its correspondent in Az-Zawiyah. Heavy fighting was also reported in Libya’’s third city Misrata, to the west of capital. In Zouara, further west towards the Tunisian border, fleeing Egyptian workers said the town was in the control of civilian militias after fierce fighting on Wednesday evening. Addressing his divided nation on Thursday for the second time in three days, Kadhafi, 68, accused residents of the town of siding with Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. “You in Zawiyah turn to Bin Laden,” he said. “They give you drugs. “It is obvious now that this issue is run by Al-Qaeda,” he said, addressing the town’’s elders. “Those armed youngsters, our children, are incited by people who are wanted by America and the Western world. “They have guns, they feel trigger happy and they shoot especially when they are stoned with drugs.” In marked contrast to a 75-minute address from a podium outside his Tripoli home on Tuesday, Kadhafi spoke by telephone from an undisclosed location in an intervention that lasted barely 20 minutes. His decision to speak by telephone rather than make an on-screen appearance has raised questions about his whereabouts, and indicates that his power base may be shrinking. In Tripoli, the streets have been largely deserted in recent days but worshippers were expected to turn out at the mosques for the main weekly prayers on Friday. Libya’’s second city of Benghazi, where the unprecedented protests against Kadhafi’’s four decade rule first erupted, was firmly in the hands of Kadhafi’’s opponents. Effigies apparently of Kadhafi hung from street lamps in the eastern city and children played on top of an abandoned tank. Police stations had been gutted by fire but residents said there had been no looting. In the courthouse outside which the demonstrations started, regime opponents set up a revolutionary headquarters to take over the administration of the city as civilian militiamen and mutinous regular army troops patrolled the streets. Some soldiers were selling their weapons to the highest bidder even as their defecting commanders strove to forge their men into an organised anti-Kadhafi force.(AFP)

Written on February 25, 2011 | Posted in 2011, America, ISI, International, News, UN, US, War, ad, africa, aid, army, ban, cia, dha, drugs, mosque, mosques, police, tests | Leave a comment

Mirza orders strict security during Rabi-ul-Awwal

KARACHI: Sindh Home Minister Dr Zulfiqar Mirza on Friday condemned the bomb blast at the shrine of Baba Haider Sain in Lahore and condoled with the bereaved families. Mirza in the view of Lahore blast directed Inspector General of Sindh police to ensure foolproof security around major shrines of Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur regions, adding district and town police officers should remain in close coordination so as to avoid any untoward incident. He directed police to chalk out a solid security plan for the shrines with help of Auqaf Department and install CCTV Cameras and walk-through gates at the sensitive places. He directed police to ensure frisking of visitors of shrine with help of volunteers of the Auqaf Department. Home Minister directed that to build boundary walls around the shrines, adding that the hawkers and the food stalls should be removed from the shrine courtyards. He directed police to brief private security guards deployed at shrines about the security plan. He asked for sharing of intelligence reports with other law enforcers. Mirza directed IGP Sindh to alert the police on the eve of Rabiul Awal and ensure foolproof security around the mosques, Imambarghas and other public places. He directed to provide security to the gatherings and procession, being organized on the eve of Rabiul Awwal.

Written on February 4, 2011 | Posted in 2011, ISI, News, Politics, UK, UN, War, ad, aid, karachi, lahore, mosque, mosques, police | Leave a comment

Egypt unrest rages; web shut ahead of big protest

CAIRO: Egyptian demonstrators fought security forces into the early hours of Friday in the city of Suez, and the Internet was blocked ahead of the biggest protests yet planned against President Hosni Mubarak’’s 30-year rule. Emboldened by this month’’s revolt that toppled the authoritarian leader of Tunisia, Egyptians have staged mass protests since Tuesday. The biggest demonstrations yet are planned for Friday afternoon after weekly prayers. “This is a revolution,” one 16-year-old protester said in Suez late on Thursday. “Every day we”re coming back here.” Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei, who returned to Egypt from Vienna on Thursday, has called for Mubarak to resign and said he would join the protests on Friday. Internet access was shut down across the country shortly after midnight. Mobile phone text messaging services also appeared to be partially disabled, working only sporadically. Activists have relied on the Internet, especially social media services like Twitter and Facebook, to organise. US State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a “tweet” message on Twitter: “We are concerned that communications services, including the Internet, social media, and even this tweet are being blocked in Egypt.” A page on Facebook social networking site listed more than 30 mosques and churches where protesters were expected gather. “Egypt’’s Muslims and Christians will go out to fight against corruption, unemployment and oppression and absence of freedom.” In Suez, which has been ground zero for some of the most violent demonstrations, police fired tear gas at protesters who hurled stones and petrol bombs into the early hours of Friday. Fires burned in the street, filling the air with smoke. The city fire station was ablaze. Waves of protesters charged towards a police station deep into the night. Demonstrators dragged away their wounded comrades into alleys. Security forces shot dead a protester in the north of the Sinai region on Thursday, bringing the death toll to five. Video images obtained by Reuters showed the man among a small group of protesters some distance from the security forces when he suddenly collapsed with a gunshot wound and was dragged away by other demonstrators. The video circulated widely on the Internet, galvanising anger. Members of the Muslim Brotherhood, including at least eight senior officials of the opposition group and its main spokesmen, were rounded up overnight. A security source said authorities had ordered a crackdown on the group. “WIPED FROM THE GLOBAL MAP” US-based Internet monitoring firm Renesys said the total shut-down of the Internet it recorded early on Friday was “unprecedented in Internet history”, going far beyond measures taken during Tunisia’’s protests or a 2009 uprising in Iran. “Renesys observed the virtually simultaneous withdrawal of all routes to Egyptian networks in the Internet’’s global routing table,” it said. “The Egyptian government’’s actions tonight have essentially wiped their country from the global map.” The United States is Egypt’’s close ally and major donor, and has tread carefully over unrest in a country it considers a bulwark of Middle East stability. In his first comments on the unrest, President Barack Obama avoided signs of abandoning Mubarak but made clear he sympathised with demonstrators. “…I”ve always said to him that making sure that they are moving forward on reform — political reform, economic reform — is absolutely critical to the long-term well-being of Egypt,” Obama said in comments broadcast on the YouTube website. “You can see these pent-up frustrations that are being displayed on the streets.” ElBaradei and other opposition figures say the government exploits the Islamist opposition to justify authoritarianism. The Muslim Brotherhood has kept a low profile during the protests, although of its supporters were expected to join demonstrations on Friday. The government has accused it of planning to exploit the youth protests for its “hidden agendas”, while the Brotherhood says it is being used as a scapegoat. FRUSTRATED As in many other countries across the Middle East, Egyptians are frustrated over surging prices, unemployment and an authoritarian government that tolerates little dissent. Many of them are young. Two thirds of Egypt’’s 80 million people are below the age of 30, and many of them have no jobs. About 40 percent of Egyptians live on less than a $2 a day. The government has urged Egyptians to act with restraint on Friday. Safwat Sherif, secretary-general of the ruling National Democratic Party, told reporters: “We hope that tomorrow’’s Friday prayers and its rituals happen in a quiet way that upholds the value of such rituals … and that no one jeopardises the safety of citizens or subjects them to something they do not want.” ElBaradei, 68, a former head of the UN nuclear watchdog who has campaigned for change in his native country since last year, told reporters at Cairo’’s airport he would take part in Friday’’s protests. He added: “I wish we did not have to go out on the streets to press the regime to act.”

Written on January 28, 2011 | Posted in 2009, 2011, ISI, International, Iran, Mobile, News, Social, UN, US, War, Web, ad, ads, aid, ban, call, cia, corruption, facebook, internet, islam, jobs, live, media, mosque, mosques, muslims, police, tests, twitter, urdu, uth, youtube | Leave a comment

Syria encouraged protests over blasphemous sketches: US cables

DAMASCUS: Syria actively encouraged violent protests over blasphemous sketches of Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) four years ago in which European embassies in Damascus were attacked, a senior U.S. diplomat said in leaked cables. Charge d”affaires Stephen Seche said Syrian Prime Minister Naji al-Otari gave instructions for mosque preachers to deliver hard-hitting sermons at weekly prayers on the eve of the protests, according to cables released by the WikiLeaks website. “We concur with contacts that the SARG (Syrian government) allowed these demonstrations to occur and almost certainly helped to facilitate them at the beginning,” Seche said in a leaked U.S. cable dated February 5, 2006, a day after the protests. The blasphemous sketches first appeared in a Danish daily. The blasphemous sketches triggered widespread protests across the Muslim world. The embassies of Denmark and Norway were both torched in the Syrian protests. Another cable quoted an influential religious figure saying that days before the protests Otari “instructed the Grand Mufti Sheikh Hassoun to issue a strongly worded directive to the imams delivering Friday sermons in the mosques of Damascus, without setting any ceilings on the type of language to be used.” U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice accused Damascus at the time of inciting the violence, without giving details. Syria disputed the charges, saying it had done its best to protect embassies during violent protests and would pay for damages. The February 5 cable said it appeared that Syrian officials had under-estimated the scale of the protests. “Somewhere along the way, the (government), true to form, seems to have miscalculated and lost control,” it said. “The end result left a deeply embarrassed (Syrian government) to pick up the pieces and trying to explain its incredible security lapses.”

Written on December 30, 2010 | Posted in 2010, Denmark, IPL, International, Misc, US, Web, ad, ads, aid, cia, europe, fair, live, mosque, mosques, tests, urdu | Leave a comment

Eid-ul-Fitr being celebrated with fervour

ISLAMABAD: Eid-ul-Fitr is being celebrated across the country on Saturday with simplicity to express solidarity with millions of people affected by the worst floods in country’’s history. The day dawned with special prayers for the progress and prosperity of the country and Allah Almighty’’s special blessings for the flood victims. The faithful gathered in mosques and at open places to offer Eid prayers and seek Almighty Allah’’s benediction and His forgiveness. Following the devastation of the floods and torrential rains, which left almost 20 million people affected, the government had announced to celebrate Eid with simplicity. It had already declared four holidays from September 10-13 to provide the faithful an opportunity to celebrate the day with their dear ones in their respective home towns. President Asif Ali Zardari, Sindh Governor Dr. Ishratul Ebad and provincial ministers offered Eid prayers at the Governor House in Karachi. While Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, federal ministers and top civil and military officials offered Eid prayers at Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Later, President Asif Ali Zardari visited a relief camp at Razzaqabad in the suburbs of Karachi and exchanged Eid greetings with the flood victims and their children. He remained there for quite some time and asked the well being of the flood affected, listened to their problems and assured their solution on immediate basis. This year, the President, Prime Minister, most of the ministers and political leaders also announced to celebrate the day with flood victims to make them feel that the entire nation shares their pain and sufferings.

Written on September 11, 2010 | Posted in ISI, News, Politics, Zardari, ad, allah, cia, floods, islam, islamabad, karachi, media, military, mosques, rbs | Leave a comment

First train brings Muzaffargarh affectees to Multan

MULTAN: The administration of Muzaffargarh issued warning for city’s evacuation, as water in city’s Ring Canal surged to a dangerous level, Geo News reported Monday. The first train brought the affectees of Muzaffargarh to Multan. Earlier today in Muzaffargarh, the announcements were made from mosques urging the residents to evacuate the area. People in large number comprising women, children and the elderly came out on roads with the necessary goods and set out towards safe locations including Multan. A large portion of these affectees consists of the ones who arrived here from flood-bogged down South Punjab areas including Layyah, Gujrat and Kot Addu; but, the devastations followed in their footsteps forcing them to leave their area once again. Banks are closed in the city. Petrol and diesel have run short giving rise to people’s hardships.

Written on August 9, 2010 | Posted in ISI, News, Politics, War, ads, ban, mosques, uth, women | Leave a comment

47 dead in Skardu, Ghanchhe flooding

SKARDU: At least 47 people were killed and various others went missing in flooding in District Skardu and Ghanchhe, Geo News reported Saturday. Various areas were inundated in the flood, as lashing rains are underway in Skardu and Ghanchhe, triggering the flood of high degree in Indus River. The flood torrent entered in Skardu’s suburban village of Qamran, where thus far, at least 35 have lost their lives and scores of other people went missing. Over 3000 people are marooned at the rooftops of their houses in the area. At least 12 others lost their lives in District Ghanchhe’s suburban village Talees. According to Commissioner Baltistan Division Dr Sajid Chauhan, the relief activities are in progress in the flood-hit areas. River Gilgit is surging at Gilgit, exposing to erosion the low-lying areas including Jageer Basen and Basen and inundating various houses. Lightning struck overnight in Jaglot Goro adjacent to Gilgit-Huza section of Karakoram Highway, affecting 30 houses here. The rehabilitation work could not started thus far. Hyderabad nullah ran in high torrents, when lightning fell at a glacier in Hunza, causing the destruction of central water channel and the water supply to the area came to a halt. The power supply to Hunza is suspended for 11 days now, that could not be restored as yet. Meantime, the water level at Attabad Lake following showers here, posed houses here to threat of inundation. Heavy landsliding narrowed the Spillway. Also, the ground links of Sost with other parts of the country were cut off, as a bridge at Khyber on Karakoram Highway was washed away by the River Khunjrab flooding, leaving 9,000 people marooned in Upper Gojal. Following heavy landslide unleashed by thunderbolt in Damas Village, announcements were made from the mosques directing the residents to evacuate to the safer places.

Written on August 7, 2010 | Posted in ISI, News, Politics, ban, live, mosques | Leave a comment

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