The Muslim faith does not turn men to terror

Please read this great piece by Mehdi Hasan. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/10076096/The-Muslim-faith-does-not-turn-men-to-terror.html

Boston Suspect Awaits Charges

Investigators were seeking a motive for the Boston Marathon bombings and whether others were involved as they awaited a chance on Sunday to interview the surviving ethnic Chechen suspect.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, was in a Boston hospital seriously wounded and unable to speak, after he was captured late on Friday at the end of a huge manhunt that shut down Boston.

His brother, Tamerlan, 26, was killed in a firefight with police earlier on Friday.
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Suicide Attacks in Afghanistan

(Reuters) - A coordinated attack involving at least three suicide bombers and a powerful car bomb took aim at the headquarters of the Kabul traffic department on Monday, followed by a clash between at least one insurgent and security forces, police said.
The attack took place just days after six suicide bombers attacked the Afghan spy agency in Kabul, killing two.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for Monday's attack.
"Today at 5 o'clock in the morning (8:30 p.m. EST Sunday) a number of mujahideen martyrs entered a government building close to an American training centre... Heavy fighting is ongoing," spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a text message to media.
Police said it was not immediately clear if there were any casualties in the attack, which involved a second bombing, a tactic favored by Islamist insurgents elsewhere but relatively rare in Afghanistan.
"About an hour after the initial attack (triple suicide bomb attack) a fourth man drove a car to the same compound and detonated another bomb," the head of the Kabul police criminal investigation department, Mohammad Zahir, told Reuters.
Violence across the country has been increasing over the last year, sparking concern over how the 350,000-strong Afghan security forces will be able to manage once foreign troops withdraw by 2014.
(Writing by Amie Ferris-Rotman; Editing by Nick Macfie)

United States is celebrating the inauguration of President Obama today. Are the terrorists trying to interfere in these celebrations?What are they accomplish other than kill the innocent people? When will these attacks end? When will Karzai crack down on these terrorists? America will soon leave Afghanistan, but will Afghans always live in terror?

Us confirms Americans among the hostages in Algeria

(Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday that U.S. citizens were among the hostages taken when Islamist militants raided a gas facility in Algeria and that U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had telephoned Algeria's prime minister to discuss the incident.

 "Beyond confirming that there are Americans among the hostages, I will ask you to respect our decision not to get into any further details as we try to secure these people," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told a news briefing.

Nuland said Clinton had spoken with both Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal and the U.S. ambassador in Algeria on Thursday, and that U.S. officials were also in contact with the security office of British Petroleum, which operates the gas field together with Norway's Statoil and Algeria's state company Sonatrach.
The militants said they had kidnapped up to 41 foreigners, including seven Americans, in the dawn raid in retaliation for France's intervention in Mali, according to media reports. The raiders were also reported to have killed three people, including a Briton and a French national.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, speaking to reporters in Rome where he was on an official trip, said that "by all indications, this is a terrorist act."
"Obviously we're continuing to review the situation to determine exactly what happened," Panetta said.
"I want to assure the American people that the United States will take all necessary and proper steps that are required to deal with this situation."
Panetta said he did not have any firm information on the number of hostages, or on whether there were links to the situation in Mali, where French troops launched their first ground assault against Islamist rebels on Wednesday after six days of air strikes.
"I do know that terrorists are terrorists," Panetta said.
(Reporting By Andrew Quinn, additional reporting by David Alexander in Rome; Editing by Sandra Maler and Paul Simao)

My MMV
Names of the hostages will be released as soon as the families are informed. According to some reports this attack was in retaliation to France involvement in Mali. We condemn these attack and urge that the hostages be released immediately. 

Palestine wins Status to Non Member Observer State

Same organization that partitioned Palestine 65 years ago finally upgraded it's status to non-member observer state today.

The vote was 138 in favor, nine against and 41 abstaining.

“The moment has arrived for the world to say clearly: Enough of aggression, settlements and occupation,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said to the packed UN General Assembly.
“We did not come here seeking to delegitimize a state established years ago, and that is Israel; rather we came to affirm the legitimacy of the state that must now achieve its independence, and that is Palestine,” he said.
“We did not come here to add further complications to the peace process, which Israel’s policies have thrown into the intensive care unit; rather we came to launch a final serious attempt to achieve peace,” Abbas continued.

Gaza cease-fire reached

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt has announced a cease-fire agreement to end a week of fighting between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.

Foreign Minister Mohammed Kamel Amr said the truce would take effect at 9 p.m. local time (2 p.m. EDT.) He made the announcement alongside visiting U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the deal, saying he had agreed after consulting with President Barack Obama.

The deal is to end a week of fighting that has killed more than 140 Palestinians and five Israelis.

Gaza Conflict the Real Victim are Children on Both Sides

The children of Gaza and Israel are real the real victims in this conflict.
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Israel could start Ground Ofensive by Tuesday

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that if the rockets do not cease coming to Israel by Tuesday then he he will order ground offensive.

Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon stated Monday afternoon.  “If what has been done up to now will not return quiet to the South, we have no choice but to expand the operation. The residents of the South — and in recent days not only the South — cannot live under a constant barrage of missiles and rockets. This is an intolerable situation.”

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All Gay Cruise to Morocco Cancelled

CAIRO: What would have been the first-ever all-gay cruise to arrive in Morocco was abruptly cancelled on Saturday after organizers blamed the Moroccan government for denying the ship access to the country.
Cruise liner Holland America Line and trip organizer RSVP Vacations was forced to tell the 2,100 holiday-goers aboard the MS Nieuw Amsterdam ship that the July 1 visit to Casablanca had been cancelled.
“Our port agent in Casablanca has advised us that authorities in Morocco have — despite previous confirmations — now denied our scheduled visit,” the two companies said in a letter tweeted to news organizations by passengers of the ship.
“For all of us, this is a very disappointing development,” they added. “It was ultimately the decision by local authorities in Morocco that has necessitated us to adjust our plans.”
Despite the companies’ statements, the Moroccan government denied that they had said no to the ship arriving in the country.
Morocco’s Tourism Minister Lahcen Haddad reported that no official decision had been made to prevent the ship from stopping in Morocco.

U.S. Soldier Kills 16 Afghans

BALANDI, Afghanistan (AP) — An American soldier opened fire on villagers near his base in southern Afghanistan Sunday and killed 16 civilians, according to President Hamid Karzai who called it an "assassination" and furiously demanded an explanation from Washington. Nine children and three women were among the dead. Read more

Choas in Afghanistan

Riots over Quran burning have continued for almost a week now.  The protests have killed 30 people and wounded 200, including four U.S. troops who were shot dead by an Afghan soldier. Seven U.S. military trainers were wounded on Sunday when a grenade was thrown at their base in northern Afghanistan, police said. Anti-American protests continue in Afghanistan, in spite of apologies by the U.S. military and President Obama. According to Reuters, NATO has described the incident of burning of the Koran at the Bagram air base as a tragic blunder. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Sunday that such unrest and targeting of Americans has gotten "out of hand" and needs to stop.

Quran burning results in deadly riots in Afghanistan

By HEIDI VOGT, Associated Press  

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Clashes between Afghan troops and protesters angry over the burning of Muslim holy books at a U.S. military base left at least seven people dead and dozens wounded Wednesday as anger spread despite U.S. apologies over what it said was a mistake.
The demonstrations across four eastern provinces illustrated the intensity of Afghans' anger at what they saw as foreign forces flouting their laws and insulting their culture.
The violence was also a reminder of how easily Afghan-U.S. relations can deteriorate as the two countries work to forge a long-term partnership ahead of the withdrawal of foreign forces in 2014.
The unrest started Tuesday when Afghan workers at the main American military base, Bagram Air Field, saw soldiers dumping books in a pit where garbage is burned and noticed Qurans and other religious material among the trash.  Read more

Oliver Stone's Son Sean Stone Converted to Islam

US filmmaker Sean Stone, son of Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, converted to Islam on Tuesday in Iran, where he is making a documentary, he told AFP.
"The conversion to Islam is not abandoning Christianity or Judaism, which I was born with. It means I have accepted Mohammad and other prophets," he said in a brief telephone call from the central Iranian city of Isfahan, where he underwent the ceremony.
Sean Stone's famous father is Jewish, while his mother is Christian.
The 27-year-old filmmaker did not say why he converted.
According to Iran's Fars news agency, Sean Stone had become a Shiite and had chosen to be known by the Muslim first name Ali.
Sean/Ali Stone has acted in minor roles in several of his father's films, and has directed a handful of documentaries.

Obama proposes $800 million in aid for Arab Spring

By Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House announced plans on Monday to help "Arab Spring" countries swept by revolutions with more than $800 million in economic aid, while maintaining U.S. military aid to Egypt. Read more

Bin Ladin did not want his children to follow in his foot steps

Zakaria al-Sadah, the brother of bin Laden's Yemeni fifth wife Amal, told Britain's Sunday Times newspaper that the Saudi-born extremist believed his children "should not follow him down the road to jihad."
"He told his own children and grandchildren, 'Go to Europe and America and get a good education,'" Mr Al-Sadah told the Sunday Times.
Mr Al-Sadah said bin Laden told them: "You have to study, live in peace and don't do what I am doing or what I have done."
Bin Laden was killed in a commando raid in May 2011 by US Navy SEALS at a house in the garrison town of Abbottabad, northwest Pakistan, where he had been living for several years.
Mr Al-Sadah said that in November he had seen his sister for the first time since she was shot in the knee during the raid, and had since been allowed to have a number of meetings with her in the presence of guards.

Hillary Clinton Offers 'World Class' Education in the U.S. to Women from Muslim Countries

(CNSNews.com) - The federal government is partnering with dozens of U.S. colleges to provide women from Muslim counties with a "world-class" education in science, technology, engineering and math.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the NeXXt Scholars partnership last month, and her remarks were posted on the State Department Web site Monday.
"Today's next Madame Curie could be sitting in a high school classroom in Cairo, Jakarta, or Mogadishu, yearning for opportunities to explore her potential. The United States is determined to help give her that chance."
Read more 

It is Haram for Muslims to Observe Valentine's Day, according to one Cleric

“It is haram for Muslims to observe Valentine’s Day because it does not accord with Islamic Sharia”

Faisal Ali who is chairman of the Aceh branch of Nahdlatul Ulama called on Muslim parents, especially those in Aceh, Indonesia to instruct and supervise their children and stop then from celebrating Valentine's Day.

“We must prevent the Muslim younger generation in Aceh from being poisoned by a culture that contradicts our Muslim values. Therefore, everybody, parents in particular, should give our youth the proper guidance,” he said.

He also called on the government to uphold and implement Islamic Sharia in “serious and sincere ways and not just out of political expediency or momentarily.”

“Islamic Sharia cannot prevail in Aceh as expected if it is not supported fully by the government and other parties in authority,” he said.

"The government must also watch out for youths participating in Valentine’s Day activities in Aceh," he said.

Over the last decade Valentine's Day has become increasingly popular around the Muslim World. Young couples gather to have parties under private security. This year also these parties will be held in Indonesia, Pakistan, Bahrain and many Arab countries. The youth feels suffocated by Shariah Laws and the Imams who freely give Fatwas on social issues.
The parties will continue around the Muslim Worlds, as they should and hopefully the clerics will not dampen the spirit of the youth.

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Bloodiest Day in Syria with 260 Dead

Syrian forces killed more than 260  people in city of Homs according to activists, that makes it the bloodiest day in 11 months if confirmed. Residents said Syrian forces began shelling the Khalidiya neighborhood at around 8pm on Friday. They said at least 36 houses were completely destroyed with people inside them.
Video footage that surfaced on YouTube showed at least eight bodies assembled in a room, on of them with the top of it's head blown off.

A United Nations effort to end the violence in Syria collapsed when Russia and China vetoed the resolution. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Saturday 'I thought that there might be some ways to bridge, even at this last moment, a few of the concerns that Russia had. I offered to work in a constructive manner to do so,' she told reporters at the Munich Security Conference.

Damascus denied any involvement in the predawn assault, saying it was the work of rebels to swing the Security Council vote in their favor.

Hillary Clinton Says Violence Must End in Syria

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton heads to the United Nations on Tuesday for three days of diplomacy aimed at breaking a stalemate at the UN Security Council over a resolution demanding a halt to violence in Syria.
Clinton said on Monday, "The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the escalation of the Syrian regime's violent and brutal attacks on its own people,"
"The Security Council must act and make clear to the Syrian regime that the world community views its actions as a threat to peace and security," Clinton said. " The violence must end, so that a new period of democratic transition can begin."
In the last ten months, over 5,000 people have been killed in Bashar al Assad regime's brutal crackdown against anti-government unrest.
UN Security Council action condemning Assad's brutal crackdown has been blocked until now by Russia and China, which which vetoed a European-drafted Security Council resolution in October that would have condemned Syria for its bloody crackdown.

Facebook Haram According to Iranian Scholar

An Iranian Ayatollah has called Facebook un-Islamic and being a members is a sin, the ISNA news agency reprted on Saturday. In Iran, it is common for Clerics to be asked about their opinion, and when they answer it form a decree.

ISNA on Saturday broadcasted coverage of the response of Ayatollah Lotfollah Safi-Golpaygani, a senior cleric, to the question about Facebook and Iranian membership in the social networking service.

"Basically, going to any website which propagates immoralities and could weaken the religious belief is un-Islamic and not allowed, and membership in it is therefore haram (a sin)," the Ayatollah replied.
"Only the use of websites propagating religious criteria and not leading to any kind of ethical immoralities is of no problem," he added. 

  According to official figures released last October, 17 million Iranians have a Facebook account.

There are many Fatwas given by many Islamic Scholars which are either ridiculed or not followed. These so called Scholars should not issue any Fatwas and let people live their lives the way they want to.