Sexual abuse, lesbianism and suffering in the convent

Sister Jesme, a former nun who spent 30 years in a convent has released an autobiography named 'Amen' which is selling like hot cakes in Kerala, India. In the book released earlier this year she has detailed sexual harassment, bullying and lesbianism within the convent walls that remain hidden from the public. However, the spokesperson for the Syro-Malabar order of the Catholic Church, Dr. Paul Thelakkat denies all such allegations saying the book exaggerates trivial matters.  

Roman Catholic nuns in India

“It is not my intention to make this book controversial. I just want to express my feelings and explain what happened to me”, says Sister Jesme, “…I want people to know how I have suffered. People say that everything is fine, but I was in the convent and I think people have the right to know what goes on. I have concerns for others.” 

Sister Jesme says when she became a nun she was astonished to discover that priests were forcing novices to have sex with them. There had been secret homosexual relationships among nuns. At one point she was forced into such a relationship by another nun who told her she preferred this kind of sexual gratification as it ruled out the possibility of pregnancy. 

She says in the book that once she travelled to Bangalore on a mission and was made to stay with a purportedly pious priest who took her to a garden. “He showed me several pairs cuddling behind trees and gave me a sermon on the necessity of physical love. He also described several illicit affairs that certain bishops and priests have had. After that he took me to his home, stripped off his clothes and ordered me to do the same.” 

She also alleges that the novices were severely punished for even minor transgressions, and the senior staff turned a blind eye to the actions of more ‘experienced’ nuns. She was not even allowed to go home after she was informed that her father had died. She was given a moment to see the body of her father barely 15 minutes before the funeral. She was told by her superiors that the then senior sisters were not even lucky enough to see the bodies of their parents.

Sister Jesme who resigned from the post of principal at a Catholic college in Thrissur last year says the senior nuns tried to commit her to a mental institution after she spoke against them. She claimed convents had become houses of ‘torture’ saying the mental pressure was unbearable. Sister Jesme says, “When I questioned the Church’s stand on self-financing colleges and certain other issues, they accused me of having mental problems. Once they sent me to a psychiatrist. Still there are many nuns undergoing ill-treatment from the order, but they are afraid to speak out. The church is a formidable fortress.” 

These allegations are not the only controversy to rock the Catholic Church in Kerala. Reports suggest there have been a number of suicides by young nuns. Last summer, a 23 year old novice committed suicide and left a note saying she had been harassed by her Mother Superior. In November 2008, the police in Kerala arrested two priests in connection with the rape and killing of Sister Abhaya. In 1992, the 16 year old Abhaya was found dead in a well within the convent walls.  

Reference:    1. The Independent 

                      2. www.islamonline.net

                      3. www.BCNN1.com 

                      4. www.wikipedia.com                    

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim

1 December 2009, Tuesday

14 Thw al-Hijjah 1430

Rape and sexual abuse by Anglican priests

The following piece of writing describes how the rampant moral degeneration in western societies ruin innocent girls’ lives and reveals the dark secrets of sexual abuse by Anglican clergymen.

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clergy abuse has plagued most churches

Here goes the story of Sonya Brown from England who as a child was sexually abused by her father. Some three years ago she started getting flashbacks and became mentally ill. She was so severely depressed that she had to be referred to a psychiatric day hospital. She believed the chaplain (priest) would offer her a spiritual refuge from her ordeals. But later she found out that his support soon turned into a fresh bout of sexual exploitation. The clergyman raped her on three occasions: in his office, at home and in the toilet.       

The dog collar supposed to be a symbol of trust and moral rectitude, but for Sonya Brown it now has an opposite impression. When Sonya first began visiting the hospital chaplain for counselling she felt secure. ‘The collar gave me a feeling of protection and safety’, she said. Nevertheless, according to her distressing account, at one session, ‘I was extremely upset and very depressed. He got off his chair and knelt down before me. He offered me his handkerchief while trying to comfort me. He put his arms around me, cuddled me, kissed me, then squeezed my breasts and put his hands between my legs. I felt confused, disorientated, upset and ran out of the room in tears.’  

Despite that, Sonya says she continued to see the chaplain, as she desperately depended on his support. However, one afternoon when no one was around, he visited her at home and forced her to have sex with him. A week later, the constant feeling of guilt made her realise that she had made a terrible mistake. But, in a state of severe depression, she felt powerless.   

Sonya claims that the chaplain brutally raped her in a toilet at a cemetery where she had gone to visit her sister’s grave. ‘I became very grieved and went to the toilet in a very distressed state. The chaplain followed me into the toilet. All of a sudden the door was closed and locked. 

‘My trousers were pulled down and he started touching me. I said, ‘No, please leave me alone and get out.’ He just laughed, turned me round and pushed me against the door. He put his arm across my neck as if trying to suffocate me. I couldn’t scream or shout. Then he raped me. I felt sick, confused and terrified. I prayed somebody would come into the toilets – somebody, anybody but nobody did.   

Sonya accuses the chaplain of repeatedly raping her while she slept at home. However, she dared not tell anyone about it for fear of tarnishing the image of “a man ordained by God to cure her.” No matter she remained badly traumatised in the days that came she must not displease the ‘man of God.’ Sonya says, ‘He repeatedly told me it was a moving-on process. He told me constantly not to tell anyone, or he could lose his priesthood. He threatened to tell my family, and most of all that no body would believe me. He kept telling me it was our secret. I was terrified and kept my mouth shut until the day I felt like committing suicide and reported the incident to another counsellor.’

The hospital held an internal investigation and the chaplain’s ministry was informed. But it was the chaplain’s word against Sonya’s, and the hospital authority took his. He still works there and is allowed on home visits to other vulnerable girls.

The above mentioned incident is just one out of hundreds of sexual abuse scandals engulfing the Anglican Church today. Many young girls said they believed they had been ‘groomed’ by Anglican clerics just as a paedophile prepares his victims before preying on.          

In 2003, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams faced questions over his role in helping a priest who sexually assaulted a female vicar to find another job and get way with his crime. Still there are hundreds of child molestation and other forms of sexual abuse cases pending over churchmen of all denominations. This involves the Church of England, the Catholic Church with the rest spread across Methodists, Baptists and Presbyterians.  

The Church of England remains in turmoil over the sexuality of its bishops. Homosexual Anglican bishop, the Diocese of New Hampshire in the Episcopal Church in USA, Gene Robinson is the central figure in the gay clergy controversy that has rocked the worldwide Anglican community. As a consequence, many previously devout Anglicans have lost confidence in the Anglican Church in general. The prime example is the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair who converted from Anglicanism to Roman Catholicism. This action of Blair after he left Office created such uproar that many hardcore Anglicans accused him of treachery and treason. Some Anglicans have gone further to label him to be the Anti-Christ who would appear nearing the End Times.                 

The Ordination of women both as bishops and priests have started in many Anglican provinces around the world. The Church of England authorised the ordination of women priests in 1992 and began ordaining them in 1994. Many adherents of Anglicanism believe that the measure was taken to rid the Anglican Church of the problem of sexual abuse by the male clergy which are plaguing the Church in recent years.         

Reference:  1.TheObserver

                    2. The Guardian

                    3. www.wikipedia.com

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim

2 December 2009, Wednesday

15 Thw al-Hijjah 1430

Rape and sexual abuse by priests

What you are about to read will probably be upsetting to most of you. You have to keep in mind that these people who sexually abuse minors are not vague Satanists, Mafia kingpins, heroine addicts or members of Gay and Lesbian Associations. They are the same moral leaders who scream from their pulpits about the evils of promiscuity, homosexuality and fornication. One of the worst artifacts of modern Christendom to face humanity in contemporary times is the increase in clergy sexual abuse.

The problem of Christian clergy child sexual abuse is so epidemic in westernised societies that priesthood has been stereotyped as paedophilia. It is not limited to one particular brand name of Christianity. The amazing thing is the Christian clergy does provide a safe heaven for paedophiles. Apart from being privately rebuked and quietly moved to another location, the clerics are allowed to continue their preaching.

As a child Patricia Stevens dreamt of being ordained as a minister. Fifteen years later, as a postgraduate student of theology at Cambridge, she was close to fulfilling that ambition. She was sent on work experience to preach at a large church in London where she was sexually abused and raped by the senior priest supervising her.

As a student minister, Patricia Stevens firmly believed in not having sex outside marriage. She recalls how the priest told her that she would never understand the love of God unless she had sex with a man. Patricia says that on one occasion when no one was around, she was forced to have sex with him. 'He told me it was God's will to have sex with me, and when I turned him down, I wasn't obedient to God. He told me to stop struggling and overpowered me. I cried when he wouldn't stop and the more I begged him to leave me alone the more aggressive he became.'

The priest told Patricia that she should not tell anything to anyone. It was the thing that God wanted and He would be pleased with her. Though the abuse happened a number of years ago, Patricia recently attempted to commit suicide several times because she still cannot come to terms with what happened. Her hope of getting justice from the church authorities got dashed when the priest denied rape. He was asked to move parishes but allowed to go on preaching.

Dr. Tanya Jenkins, a woman priest remains devastated three years after she was sexually assaulted by Canon Geoffrey Hewitt of Bangor Cathedral. The incident happened when Jenkins invited him for a coffee at her home after a funeral. It emerged when officials received another complaint from a worker saying that Hewitt had patted her bottom and emailed lewd poems to her.

Hewitt admitted both counts of sexual harassment at a Church tribunal, but was allowed to keep his job. However his parishioners refused to have him back and he was forced to seek another parish.

In 2003, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams faced questions over his role in helping Hewitt to get away with his crime of sexual assault. Britain's leading investigator of sexual abuse in the Church is Margaret Kennedy who is a pioneer in raising the issue of child abuse. She has worked very hard in raising the issue of child abuse in the Roman Catholic and other Christian Churches. Margaret described the scandal involving Rowan Williams as shocking and deplorable. Margaret Kennedy believes that this is just the tip of iceberg. She says there are hundreds of frightened women who are too ashamed to deal with the situation they find themselves in. Many girls have been left in a poor mental state, while the clergymen are rebuked privately and moved on. Most often their victims are left isolated in communities unable to face the idea how a man of God could do something so wrong. As the row over homosexual bishops continues to rock the Church of England, the revelations of sexual abuse threaten to plunge the Church further into crisis.

In a shocking documentary screened by the BBC named 'Sex Crimes and the Vatican' the Pope Benedict XVI played a key role in a systematic cover-up of child sex abuse by Roman Catholic priests. The Pontiff then was Cardinal Thomas Ratzinger when he issued a secret Vatican edict to Catholic bishops all over the world, instructing them to put the Church's interests ahead of child safety. The document urged that victims and witnesses must be silenced by threatening them of being excommunicated if they continued to repeat the allegations.

In July 2008, the Pope Benedict XVI, before a huge congregation assembled in Sydney's St. Mary's Cathedral made a historic full apology for child sex abuse by the Catholic priests and clergymen. The Pope also called for compensation and demanded punishment for those guilty of the evil.

Many cases of abuse show how the clerics use religion and their position of authority to coerce young women into sex, saying things like, 'God wants you to love me,' and 'concubines were biblical'. In one instance, it is claimed that a clergyman told a girl: 'God has made you beautiful so you can fulfill the desires of Christian men.'

In the last few years, there are over 200,000 cases of clergy abuse in the United States every year. No Christian church is exempt from physical and sexual abuse of children by churchmen. The claims that 'my church has no such problems' are always proven false in time.

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim

8 January 2010, Friday

22 MuHarram 1431

Mujahid: Saud ibn Abi Waqqas

Saud ibn Abi Waqqas was one of the first to accept Islam. He was among the most important Companions of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). When Saud’s mother heard the news that he had accepted Islam, she came up to him and said, "O Saud! What is this religion that you have embraced which has taken you away from the religion of your mother and father…?" 

Muslims in battle

Saud’s mother threatened to die of hunger unless he reverted back to polytheism. It was then the Qur’anic verses in Sura 31:14-15 were revealed to the Prophet (PBUH).      

Saud went and said to her, “O mother! In spite of my strong love for you, my love for Allah and His Messenger is indeed stronger. By Allah, if you had a thousand souls and each one departs one after another, I would not abandon this religion for anything.” When she saw Saud’s determination not to abandon Islam, she relented unwillingly and began to eat and drink.

In the early days of Islam, the Muslims were on their way to the hills of Mecca to meet the Messenger in secret. A group of idolaters observed them and began to fight them. Saud beat one of them on the head with an animal bone and so the first blood was shed in the defense of Islam.    

Saud migrated to Medina along with other first converts to Islam. He fought at the Battle of Badr, the first battle of Muslims against the polytheists.

At the Battle of Uhud, Saud was chosen as an archer together with Zayd. Saud was among those who fought in defense of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) after some Muslims had deserted their positions. Saud was one of the ten who received the glad tidings of Paradise.

During Umar’s Caliphate, Saud was the commander of the Muslim forces that waged war with the Persian Empire. The Battle of al-Qadisiyyah was regarded as the decisive battle in the Islamic Conquest of Persia.  

Saud was appointed as governor of Kufa and Nejd by the Caliph Omar and later by Othman (May Allah be pleased with them).

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim

22 December 2009, Tuesday

5 MuHarram 1431

Death of Gaddafi marks the end of an era

Muammar-al Gaddafi, Libya's controversial self-styled authoritarian ruler has been killed in his hometown Sirte, after he was captured by the rebels fighting to take control of the country.

Muammar-al Gaddafi

Gaddafi whose pomp, lavish life-style and female bodyguards have been viewed with much contempt in the Muslim world is believed to have died at the hands of rebels.

Gaddafi, the man who ruled Libya with an iron fist for 42 years is dead, it remains for the National Transitional Council (NTC) to bring Libyans together towards national unity and reconciliation. Gaddafi's death signals a new era for Libya, and what might come next to the war torn country remains a controversial topic. 

It seems very likely that NATO, the western military alliance which helped the rebels to depose the Libyan leader will play a distabalising role to spread more chaos among Libyan people. A stable and prosperous Libya with its vast oil reserves might become an envy of the western governments whose countries are on the verge of financial ruin. 

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To read about Gaddafi's final moments, click here.
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Written by: Maryam Nashwa
20 October 2011
22 Thw al-Qi`dah 1432

Student files case against College of Islamic Studies

A female student studying at the Faculty of Sharia and Law who wears the face veil (niqab) has filed a case against College of Islamic Studies at Civil Court over her right to wear it inside college premises.   

College of Islamic Studies in Maldives

The student whose name is Mehenaz Hussein wants the Civil Court to issue a ruling that women opting to wear face veil could not be banned from educational institutions in Maldives. She particularly insists that her religious and constitutional rights as a woman could not be infringed by a new regulation that is about to be introduced concerning students’ dress code at the college.       

Mehenaz says she has been studying in the college for the past four months and attending the classes while her body covered from head to toe and there has not been any problem so far. Not a single teacher or a student has passed any remark or complained about it. Before applying to join the Faculty of Sharia and Law, she enquired about the chances of getting an enrolment if a female student wears a face veil and she was told it was not a problem at all. After getting selected to the course, she attended the interview wearing an abaya while her face covered with niqab (face veil). While at the interview she again asked her interviewers if there was going to be any obstacle or objection concerning the way she was dressed and was told that she would be fine in college with her face veil.          

On September 20, Mehenaz was summoned to meet Dr Ibrahim Zakariya Musa, the college rector and was told that she was no longer welcome wearing face veil in the college. She must remove her niqab before entering the college premises or be faced with expulsion.     

In the same meeting Mehenaz requested Dr Zakariya to grant permission to cover her face until she reaches the classroom, saying she was willing to uncover her face during the study sessions. The rector refused saying if she was not happy with his decision she has the choice to take the matter through legal proceedings.      

Mehenaz’s husband, Zunnawaar Saleem who is also her lawyer told news media that the case has been filed on 16 October and they were prepared to fight a legal battle against this clumsy decision of college rector Dr Zakariya.   

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim

17 October 2011, Monday

19 Thw al-Qi`dah 1432

Hamas and Israel reach a deal over Shalit

The Islamic resistance group, Hamas has finally agreed to free Gilad Shalit, the captured Israeli soldier in exchange for 1027 Palestinian prisoners languishing in Israeli jails.

Gilad Shalit

Gilat Shalit, a tank gunner was captured by Hamas fighters during a cross-border raid by Israeli military on Gaza in June 2006. Numerous Israeli military operations to free Shalit, including the war on Gaza in December 2008 which killed 1400 Palestinians, failed to achieve the intended Israeli military objectives.

Since the capture of Shalit, pressure has mounted up on successive Israeli governments to reach a deal with Hamas in order to secure his release.  

See timeline on Gilad Shalit saga.

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim

14 October 2011, Friday

16 Thw al-Qi`dah 1432

What happens in the end?

The incident of an 18 year-old girl gang raped by five men made a news headline yesterday. Various newspapers and TV channels jockeyed with one another in trying to bring details of the incident occurred in Laamu Atoll Maabaidhoo.   

Whenever a heinous crime is committed in the country, the news media seems eager to cover the story and it makes hot news in the headlines. They appear to be interested in narrating the details of how the particular crime is committed; informing the youngsters on ways to plan and carryout such horrible acts. Also, at the end of the news, the report faintly mentions that some arrests have been made or that the matter is under investigation.       

However, the news agencies are not interested in covering any details of the aftermath of those arrests and the outcome of the investigations or the court procedure concerning the crime. The news men rarely or perhaps do not follow up the case unless it carries some political weight with an opportunity to point fingers at somebody.    

Take for example the reported incidents of drug trafficking, gang rape, theft, robbery, incest and child molestation etc. in the news in Maldives. Most people in the public are uninformed about any legal outcome concerning these criminal acts reported in the news.

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
26 May 2011, Thursday
23 Jumaada al-THaany 1432

Israel says no return to 1967 borders

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister and head of the Israeli intransigence has said he is prepared to make compromises with the Palestinians but rejected President Barack Obama’s proposal that Israel return to its 1967 borders.    

Map showing 1967 borders

‘For there to be peace, the Palestinians will have to accept some basic realities - the first is that while Israel is prepared to make generous compromises, it can not go back to the 1967 line because these lines are indefensible.’ Mr Netanyahu insisted.

Nabeel Abu Rudeina, the spokesman for PA president Mahmoud Abbas said Netanyahu's position is an official rejection of Mr Obama's initiative based on international legitimacy and law (UN Security Council Resolution 242 etc).

Mr Netanyahu has called Hamas the ‘Palestinian version of al-Qaeda’ and rejected the involvement of Hamas in peace negotiations even after their unity deal with Mr Abbas Fatah organisation.  

Refusing to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist in the illegally confiscated lands of the Palestinians cannot be deemed as terrorism. Hamas is fighting to liberate their homeland from occupation because decades of negotiations or peace talks with Israel have come to nothing.  

Mr Netanyahu says the Palestinian refugee crisis has to be solved by the neighbouring Arab countries and Israel cannot let them come into West Bank or Gaza because the Jews regard these territories as part of Israel.  

‘Palestinian refugees cannot come to Israel... It's not going to happen,’ he said.

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For more information, click here:

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim

21 May 2011, Saturday

18 Jumaada al-THaany 1432

Palestinians and their support groups mark al-Nakba

Israeli security forces have acted brutally against Palestinian protesters who gathered near its borders to mark the 63^rd Nakba Day. Scores of people got injured and many others killed when Israeli border security police opened fire on demonstrators near the borders of Lebanon, Golan Heights, Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem.    

Flags hoisted to commemorate Nakba Day

Palestinians refer to the 1948 founding of the Jewish state of Israel as al-Nakba (the catastrophe) when more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their land following Israel’s declaration of independence on 15 May. The descendants of those expelled Palestinians now number around 6 million and the great majority of them have been living as refugees in countries round the region.      

A total of around 1.3 million Palestinians live within the Israeli territory (excluding West Bank and Gaza) and are known as Israeli Arabs. These Palestinians make about 20 percent of Israel’s population and they are forbidden to commemorate al-Nakba.  

Ismail Haniyeh, one of Hamas leaders in Gaza City addressed a crowd of worshippers saying, ‘Palestinians marked this year’s Nakba with great hope of bringing to an end the Zionist project in Palestine.’

Al Nakba means ‘the catastrophe’ or ‘the disaster’ in Arabic. This word refers to the devastation of Palestinian society during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war when Zionist forces ethnically cleansed Palestinians from their homes. In 1948, the Zionist forces expelled nearly two-thirds of the Palestinian population from their homes. They were forced to flee to neighbouring countries to live in refugee camps. In many cases, Zionist forces conducted massacres of innocent civilians who refused to give up their land. According to Israeli historian, Illan Pappe, 531 Palestinian villages and 11 urban localities were ethnically cleansed. Most of these towns were demolished and taken by the newly established Israeli government to make room for Jewish immigrants.  

Palestinian refugees are scattered throughout the world, many of which are still living in poverty-stricken refugee camps. Israel has since refused to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their homeland, and has refused to pay them compensation as required by the Article 11 of the UN Resolution 194.

Zionist terror campaigns and massacres made Palestinians to flee for their lives. One such massacre was the one carried out in the village of Deir Yassin in April 1948. The Deir Yassin massacre was carried by the Irgun and Stern gangs, under the direct leadership of Menachem Begin, the future prime minister of Israel who said ‘Deir Yassin massacre was not only necessary but without it the state of Israel could not have emerged.’

During the attack on Deir Yassin, houses were burned, pregnant women were bayoneted in their abdomens and children were beaten and raped. In the agony that continued, 52 children were maimed under the eyes of their own mothers, and then they were killed. Not satisfied with just the massacre, the terrorists then rounded up all the women and girls who remained alive, removed all their clothes, put them in open vehicles, driving them naked through the streets of the Jewish sector of Jerusalem. They were paraded naked on the streets and then shot after being raped. More than 250 Palestinians died in the horrifying massacre.  

This was on 9 April 1948, two weeks after signing a peace treaty requested by the leaders of the nearby Jewish settlements, and approved by the people of Deir Yassin.   

One Palestinian woman survivor named Zaenab Mohamed Ismail Attieh born in Deir Yassin in 1924 lost her father, uncles, children and other relatives in Deir Yassin massacre. Zaenab also was an eye witness to the crimes perpetrated against her people in that village in 1948. She says, ‘...they massacred us, betrayed us. They murdered our children and our men and took our land. Is it possible then to reconcile with them? Can you put a snake in your breast pocket? It will bite you, no matter how smooth it is! This is how they behave, they are the enemies of religion and they are the Jews of Khayber. Your father’s enemy will never love you, even if you worship him as you worship God.’

A group of Maldivian activists calling themselves ‘Friends of Palestine’ and intending to take part in the third ‘intifada’ (uprising against Israel) have launched their campaign this morning. They commenced their activity with the early Morning Prayer held in Furuqan Mosque in Malé during which a special invocation was recited for the people of Palestine. The prayer was led by Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, former State Minister for Islamic Affairs. After the prayer Sheikh Shaheem spoke by saying that he was delighted to see a group of Maldivian youth taking the initiative to work for the rights of Palestinians. He also said the sufferings of Palestinians have lingered on for more than half a century which is the root cause of terrorism in the world. Since Muslims are a single nation and Muslim brotherhood transcends all other differences, and therefore we have to be united in our efforts to save our brotherly people of Palestine. The strongest weapon the Muslims possess is the dua (invocation to Allah) and we have to recite invocations for our brothers in Palestine.             

Sheikh Imran Abdulla who also spoke at the congregation noted that the holy land of Palestine was considered as qiblah (direction to be faced during prayer) by many Prophets and is also the land where many Prophets had been buried. Muslims are under obligation to fight against the Jewish occupiers of the holy land by our bodies, words and deeds. Sheikh Imran recalled the heroic deeds of jihad, courage and steadfastness of Abraham, the father of Prophets who lived in Palestine. Muslims are also under obligation to save the holiest landmark in Palestine which is the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Noble Sanctuary.       

Sheikh Mohamed Didi who also spoke at the gathering highlighted the sacred status of the land of Palestine as the land is mentioned 5 times in the holy Quran as a blessed place. He said the land of Palestine is a property granted to Muslims (by divine decree) and as such it belongs to all Muslims of the world. Sheikh Didi also said many great thinkers or solution seekers agree that the issue of Palestine is the root cause of all major problems faced by the nation of Islam today.       

A large number of people attended the event held at Furuqan Mosque today and ‘Friends of Palestine’ have declared that they will be actively engaged in various activities for the coming week to show solidarity with the People of Palestine.  

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
15 May 2011, Sunday
12 Jumaada al-THaany 1432

Syria plunges into civil war

There is no doubt that Syrians who had lived under authoritarian rule for so long have legitimate demands and genuine grievances like other nations in the region. This was the reason that prompted the government of President Bashar al-Assad to plan fundamental reforms. No government in any country quickly complies with all of the demands from the protesters and therefore, Syria does not have to be an exception.   

US-Zionist-Saudi plans in Syria

There could not be a chance for reform or peaceful transfer of power if the situation is manipulated by outside forces and turn the protest marches into civil war. A probe into the root causes of the bloodshed in Syria show that the rebellion is supported by cash flowing into the country from Saudi Arabia and Jordan. The US-Zionist-Saudi conspiracy to overthrow the government in Syria has nefarious intentions such as to stop Syria providing shelter to Hamas activists. Also to stop Syria being part of the resistance alliance that includes Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas against US-Zionist aggression. 

Destabilisation of Syria by fermenting civil unrest in the country was something immediately planned by the Saudi regime after the death of Hafez al-Assad in 2000. Saudi money involving millions of dollars are flowing into Syria to secretly purchase weapons for Syrian rebels and arms are being smuggled to Syrian rebels from Lebanon and Jordan.      

Libya, a country with vast amounts of oil wealth has already been torn into shreds by US-Zionist intervention. The gruesome picture that emerges from the unrest in Syria benefits no one in the region except the Zionists who dream of establishing the Greater Israel which stretches from Nile to Euphrates.

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To know more about the conspiracy to destabilise Syria, click here:
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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
13 May 2011, Friday
10 Jumaada al-THaany 1432

Israel uneasy about Palestinian reconciliation

The negotiations between the two rival Palestinian factions have resulted in a complete understanding to sign an agreement over all issues under discussion, including a date for election in Palestinian territories. It is announced that all differences between Hamas and Fatah have been overcome and both sides have signed initial letters on an agreement.    

Hamas-Fatah end disputes

The agreement covered all points of contention, including forming a transitional government, security arrangements and the restructuring of the Palestine Liberation Organisation to incorporate Hamas.

Both parties are to meet in Cairo next week for an official signing ceremony and will be attended by Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal.   

Palestinian Authority’s (PA) thorny peace process with Israel and the issue of Jewish settlements in confiscated Palestinian lands convinced PA, that the dream of Palestinian statehood is not going to be realised in a foreseeable future. Fatah led PA finally seems to have become convinced that working for Palestinian reconciliation and unity is more important than pursuing peace with Israel.    

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the head of Israeli intransigence has said Mahmoud Abbas could not hope to forge a peace deal with Israel if he pursued a reconciliation accord with Hamas. 

‘The Palestinian Authority must choose either peace with Israel or peace with Hamas. There is no possibility for peace with both,’ Netanyahu said.

Uncle Sam, who always appears as the big shadow over anything that happens in the Middle East says a review on details of the reconciliation is underway and expressed concern over Hamas’ refusal to recognise Israel’s right to exist.    

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[Image: Hamas and Fatah delegation heads: Musa Abu Marzuka and Fatah Azzam al-Ahmad shake hands].

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To read more about Hamas-Fatah reconciliation deal, click here:

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
28 April 2011, Thusday
24 Jumaada al-awal 1432

What the enemies of Quran do not know

Muslims and Christians who form half of humanity in the global population may not agree with each other on everything, but this does not mean we should become foes and be headed for a showdown. Together we (the adherents of both the religions) could create a better and more peaceful world if we joined hands.    

Pastor Terry Jones calls for Quran burning

The scriptures of both the faiths come from the same source and our prophets had a common ancestor (Abraham). The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) had immense love and respect for Jesus Christ and his mother Mary. The Muslim holy Book (Quran) declares that Mary was a virtuous woman and Allah preferred her above women of all nations. When going through the Islamic Scripture you will find more references to Jesus than the Prophet of Islam himself. Furthermore, Islam makes it an article of faith to believe in Jesus and accept him as a Messenger of Allah.    

The Quran mentions that Jesus was born miraculously without a father and Allah bestowed him powers to perform miracles as a sign to convince the Israelites that he was a prophet of God sent with a mission. Allah conferred Jesus the powers to give life to dead, restore sight to blind and heal lepers (people with leprosy). Mary, the mother of Jesus is mentioned by name in the Quran 34 times whereas none of the beloved wives or daughters of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) is mentioned by name. Further it says Jesus, the Messiah was saved from humiliation and a cruel death on the cross, and he is held in honour in this world and the hereafter, and is one of those near to Allah.

  

If you go through the Islamic history you will find that Muslims never forced Christians to convert or accept Islam and even in conquered lands the dwellings and churches of Christians were not violated. The rights of non-Muslims (Jews, Christians, Sabians, Hindus, Magians or Zoroastrians) and their places of worship were protected and their safety guaranteed under Islamic rule. However, non-Muslims were not allowed to propagate their religion in a manner to win converts from amongst Muslims. The holy Quran clearly mentions that Muslims have no right to forcefully convert non-Muslims into their religion. No compulsion, coercion or duress could be applied under any circumstances to bring a non-Muslim into the fold of Islam.    

Pastor Terry Jones, the Islamophobic US evangelical preacher who supervised the burning of a Quran in his church last month after a mock court hearing is considering to stage a similar trial on the life of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) at a later date. After the provocative act, the Florida church pastor claimed that last month's Quran burning was different as the Islamic holy Book had first been put on ‘trial’ and was then set alight as punishment after it was found guilty of ‘crimes against humanity’.   

It seems unlikely or perhaps impossible that mass murderers like Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, Pol Pot and Genghis Khan drew any inspiration from Quran since they were non-Muslims. One of the biggest mass murders and crimes against humanity committed in modern times occurred in the so called civilised Christian Europe. The most brutal wars in history involving millions of deaths have been fought by the Christian nations. It is interesting to note that the most lethal and dangerous weapons that threatens the survival of human race on earth were invented and owned by Christian nations long before the Muslims even possessed heavy artillery.

Pastor Jones rejects the idea that Islam is a religion of peace, if so where on earth the Quran calls for violence against innocent human beings? Perhaps the pastor of this little known church in Florida does not know much about the things mentioned in Quran. The Quran clearly says that if someone kills an innocent person, it is like he has killed the whole of humanity, and if someone saves a human being, it is as if he has saved the whole of mankind. It does not say that you save the humanity only if you save a Muslim or someone who agrees to accept Islam.     

Pastor Jones may not know that in Islam, Muslims are not permitted to blaspheme or defame a deity or a religious teacher of any other religion even though Muslims do not believe in those religions. Muslims are not even permitted to desecrate non-Muslim places of worship even if there is no danger of any retaliation or reprisal from non-Muslims. In the early days of Islam, the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and his companions fought the idolaters to defend the synagogues, churches and mosques in Medina (Yathrib).

Someone might raise the question saying why there are no churches or synagogues in Medina these days. To build a mosque in place of a church is no desecration of a non-Muslim place of worship if the real owners of it convert to Islam and there is no one in that land to claim the place or worship in it. In the same way all the Buddhist or Hindu temples in Maldives got disappeared when all the Maldivians got converted to Islam in the years following 1153 AD. If someone is so eager to raise the question why Muslims do not allow churches to be built in Medina, the answer is that Christians have no right to re-establish churches in Medina in the same manner as they do not allow Muslims to build mosques in Vatican (the heartland of Christendom). Even if the land area occupied by Vatican previously had Roman temples, the Catholic Church will not consider it a valid reason to allow such temples to be built in Vatican.

Pastor Jones first decided to make a bonfire of the holy Quran coinciding with the ninth anniversary of 9/11 last year, then what he called ‘Burn a Quran Day’. After worldwide protests, Mr Jones was persuaded not to go ahead with his planned event for the time being by appeals from President Barack Obama and General David Petraeus, the US commander in Afghanistan who were concerned over the fallout on US military personnel serving in that country.     

Though a news blackout was carried out over pastor Jones desecration of Muslim holy Scripture, thousands of people in Afghanistan took to the streets to protest and violence broke out in Mazar-e-Sharif. The radical pastor believes that Muslims living in the United States do not honour and obey or submit to the Constitution of the United States and they are going to impose sharia law upon everyone. The pastor who has little or no knowledge about Quran fails to understand that US Muslims belong there as much as he belongs to that country. The Quranic law or teachings are to be obeyed and followed by believers only and Muslims are not instructed to impose them on non-Muslims.            

There are signs that Pastor Terry Jones is mentally unstable or perhaps deranged, if not he is suffering from paranoia. On 22 April, the radical Pastor accidentally discharged his gun inside his car at a parking lot of a TV station (Fox 2 office) after taking part in a show, along with Hassan al-Qazwini, the imam of Dearborn’s Islamic Centre. Pastor Jones said to the police on the scene the gun was fired by accident and the bullet went into the floorboard of his car.

He had planned a ‘Good Friday’ protest near Dearborn’s Islamic Centre, the largest mosque in North America to announce that Muslims in the United States have a hidden terrorist agenda. However, a court in Michigan summoned Pastor Jones and his associate Wayne Sapp and ruled that the planned protest near the mosque was illegal as it could lead to violence. During his court appearance, Pastor Jones argued that the Quran ‘promotes terrorist activities around the world’. Nevertheless, Judge Mark Somers set bond at the symbolic amount of one dollar each for the two pastors, which they initially refused to pay. Following their refusal, both were escorted to a local jail and put in behind bars. Under the judge's ruling, both Pastor Jones and Mr Sapp were prohibited by the court from going to the mosque for three years.     

People who are eager to defend the provocation committed by Pastor Jones may argue that Muslims who wanted to get rid of old copies of Quran have always burned them in the past. They do not know or perhaps do not want to believe that it is a sacrilegious act to throw Quran into rubbish dumps or allow them to be trampled by throwing on the streets but burning the Book out of respect is permissible. The Quran is the word of God and burning the holy Book out of anger or hatred is a form of desecration or disbelief even if it is done by Muslims.

It has recently been found in the Maldives that many Maldivian households in Malé have thrown numerous old and new copies of Quran into public rubbish dumps. This was probably done out of ignorance or not knowing the proper method of their disposal at a moment when the house needs to be demolished for rebuilding or moving to a new place. After having removed all the needed stuff, the copies of Quran are left behind among the old unwanted printed materials, thinking that Bangladeshi labourers will handle them properly. However, most Bangladeshi expatriate workers in this country are illiterate and careless people and their only concern is money. Therefore, it is no wonder that many copies of the holy Quran ended among heaps of garbage. We also have to take into consideration that the negligence of expatriate labourers is not the only thing responsible for this sacrilegious act.   

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
25 April 2011, Monday
21 Jumaada al-awal 1432

US led military intervention aims to control Libyan oil

Hundreds of innocent civilians have been killed in Libya since the United States, Britain, France and many other Western invaders launched their onslaught on the North African country. The motive behind the military operation costing billions of dollars is to take control of the vast oil reserves in Libya.  

Oil Crusade

The attacks on Libya are being carried out under the pretext of protecting the Libyan citizens, but in fact it is a part of ongoing Crusade to plunder the wealth of Muslim nations. The US led military intervention in Libya is the biggest since the invasion of Iraq in 2003.        

Despite the battle that rages over Libya, the oil giant BP has confirmed it will begin deepwater drilling off the Libyan coast under a deal signed in 2007. The company with a notorious track record of negligence over its handling of Gulf of Mexico oil spill is set to begin the first well in the next few weeks.     

Colonel Muammar al-Qaddafi was on the West’s good books until recently and the Western powers were eager to do deals with him before protests erupted in Libya. The West grabbed the opportunity to ditch Qaddafi like all other brutal dictators in the Muslim world who were allowed to enjoy a honeymoon with the West until it was time to discard them.   

It is paradoxical to talk of humanitarian intervention to save Libyan lives while the West has no concern for their own people who are fighting and dying in Afghanistan. The United States has a habit of grabbing or stealing others wealth by freezing their assets or robbing them through invasion and occupation. The US led Crusade in Libya also aims to penetrate into Sub-Saharan African countries rich in minerals and other natural resources.         

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To know more about the hidden motive of the West in conducting military operations in Libya, click here:  

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
6 April 2011, Wednesday
2 Jumaada al-awal 1432

Mr Cameron works hand in glove with EDL

The English Defence League (EDL), the British far right anti-Muslim fascist organisation has been carrying out a campaign of terror on Muslims in UK. The hate preaching extremist organisation which only targets Muslims has carried out arson attacks on mosques and other Muslim owned businesses over the past few months.     

Hooded street activists of EDL

In many parts of Britain, Muslims are effectively under siege and numerous attacks have been carried out in Hemel Hampstead, Leicester, Scunthorpe, Stoke and Kingston. Muslims are routinely being spat and abused in the street. Apart from daily verbal abuse, incidents of physical assault on Muslims are on the rise. The EDL thugs have fire-bombed many Muslim shops and in one incident a Muslim cemetery was desecrated.    

Most of these outrageous acts were not even reported in the British media and Muslims have received no words of consolation from a cabinet minister.   

The EDL (with a current membership of about 82,000) promotes Islamohobic attacks on Muslims by demos and marches on the streets claims that Muslims are trying to infiltrate the British government institutions and take over the country within a span of 10-20 years.    

When the EDL held its march in Luton (a town in the north of London) on last February, Muslim families living there closed their businesses and went indoors for fear of being attacked. The march also coincided with David Cameron, the British Prime Minister’s speech at an international security conference in Munich, Germany. In the speech, Mr Cameron condemned Muslims who believe in Islam as an ideology or a political system and said rejecting violence does not exclude such individuals out of the fold of extremists.      

Mr Cameron called on the Muslims to embrace the British values of freedom, democracy and equal rights as if the vast majority of them did not do so already. He insisted Muslim extremism is not driven by British and US wars of aggression in the Muslim world but by an ‘extremist ideology’. He never mentioned what was happening in Luton on that very moment but grotesquely compared non-violent Islamists to ‘rightwing fascists’ warning that there would be a strict checklist of Muslim bodies the government would not now work with or fund.

Mr Cameron’s speech has been hailed by far right organisations such as the British National Party (BNP), whose leader Nick Griffin called it a ‘huge leap for our ideas into the political mainstream’. In recent months, BNP have increasingly switched the focus of their hatred from Jews and migrants in general to Muslims. EDL activists were jubilant saying ‘Cameron had come round to our way of thinking’.  

Tommy Robinson, the EDL leader who wears a bullet proof vest when he is in public for fear of being targeted by liberals and leftists has recently been interviewed on Australian Radio on 21 March 2011. He was asked about the possibility of them getting rid of the ‘Muslim extremists’ in Britain and the remaining Muslims living within English law rather than sharia, he replied that Islam is a religion that needs to be ‘reformed’ and they want that to happen, they also want Muslims to ‘integrate’ into the society.    

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For more information click here:
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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
4 April 2011, Monday
30 Raby` al-THaany 1432

The most evil club in the world

Bilderberg Group is the most powerful organisation in the world meeting in closed door sessions to fix the fate of the world. The group’s Conferences are closed to the public and the news media, and no press statements are issued.

A mixture of terror and evil

Since 1954, the Bilderberg Club whose goal is a World Government run exclusively by their hand-picked puppets have gathered annually in a luxurious hotel somewhere in the world arrogantly plotting subversion and secret takeover of legally elected governments around the world.  

Almost 58 years ago, the group met for the first time under the auspices of the Dutch royal crown and the Rockefeller family in the Hotel Bilderberg of the small Dutch town of Oosterbeck.

The guests in the conference include influential shadowy elite in the fields of politics, banking, business, the military and media. Together they control the world’s press, and virtually all banks and financial institutions. The Bilderbergers have the power to start wars, cause famines, overthrow or control governments and choose presidential candidates.

Bilderberg is run by a steering group consisting of free masons and has unexplained connections with Nazis through the Conference’s founder Prince Bernhard. Bilderberg really do have a magic wand of power. Just take a look at important career moves made by former US President Bill Clinton and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair after attending the group’s meetings.     

°  Bill Clinton - Head of State - USA
    Attends Bilderberg meeting, Germany, 1991 - gets Presidential Nomination, Aug 1992.

° Tony Blair - effective Head of State - UK
   Attends Bilderberg meeting, Greece, 1993 - becomes party leader Jul 1994 - becomes Prime Minister , May  1997.

Bilderberg crimes are believed to have included the assassination of Princess Diana, September 11 attacks on USA (9/11) and the 2005 London Bombings (7/7).

The ongoing Rothschild revolutions in the Middle East are closely coordinated by the Bilderberg Group under the pretense of deposing despots and bringing democracy to the region, but its real aim is to create civil war or collapse of law and order and then quickly step in to offer a solution by installing a puppet. Also to make sure Arab nation states remain entangled in rivalry and infighting so that they never pose a threat to Israel.

     

The Rothschild Jewish family group who effectively controls money and wealth in the world have directly extended their tentacles into Maldives by offering to finance various projects in this country.

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For more information click the following links:

http://www.kavkazcenter.com/eng/content/2011/03/23/13922.shtml
http://www.jeremiahproject.com/newworldorder/nworder04.html
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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
28 March 2011, Monday
23 Raby` al-THaany 1432

Remembrance of Nakba forbidden in Israel

Israeli Knesset (parliament) voted on Wednesday to prevent any commemoration of an-Nakba (the Catastrophe), the day in which the historic land of Palestine was taken away from its original inhabitants (Arabs) when the Jewish state of Israel was created.   

Palestinians flee from massacre

The law has been condemned by human rights advocates as racist, revisionist and divisive, designed to provoke anger among Palestinians living under Israeli occupation.    

The 20% of Israeli citizens who are Palestinian Arabs will be forced to celebrate Israel's Independence Day which coincides with an-Nakba.

The catastrophe or the disaster occurred when approximately 725,000 Palestinians were expelled from their land during 1948 Arab-Israeli War and the Zionist imposed terror war that preceded it.

Arab inhabitants of the land of Palestine were terrorised to leave their homes by massacres such as those committed on the village of Deir Yassin by Jewish terrorist groups in April 1948. 

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
25 March 2011
19 Raby` al-THaany 1432

No fly zone begins over Libya

Appeals from the Arab League made the UN Security Council to pass a resolution granting member states the authority to use force to protect civilians in Libya.

f15 in flight

The French fighter jets fired the first shots of Operation Odyssey Dawn on Saturday destroying Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi’s tanks and armoured vehicles on the road to the west of Benghazi.  

The French attack was followed by a barrage of US and British Tomahawk cruise missiles targeting the regime’s air defenses and military hardware along Libya’s coast.

Following the air strikes, the Libyan state television claimed that 48 people had been killed and 150 wounded during the attack.  

Apart from the Arab League, the US led western forces have the backing of the Organisation of Islamic Conference, and countries such as Spain, Belgium, Denmark and Qatar have offered to take part in the military operations against Gaddafi’s forces.  

Gaddafi, in his address to the nation on Sunday vowed a ‘long war’ and told the Libyan people that his forces would win.

‘We will fight for every square inch in our land and we will die as martyrs,’ said Gaddafi.

He also said people were behind him and ready for an all-out war, and repeated his claim that the arms depots have been opened and weapons distributed among the ordinary people.     

‘We will fight and we will target any traitor who is co-operating with the Americans or with the Christian Crusade,’ Gaddafi said.

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
20 March 2011, Sunday
15 Raby` al-THaany 1432

Japan’s worst earthquake disaster

Japan’s worst earthquake and tsunami since records began is believed to have caused the deaths of over 25,000 people. The double natural disaster turned whole towns into waterlogged and debris-shrouded wastelands. The recent studies have suggested the 9.0 magnitude earthquake caused a tsunami wave of about 70 feet high making 400,000 people homeless.      

Quake zone

The explosions at Japan’s nuclear power plants have caused them to shut down leaving 300,000 households in the north of the country without electricity. Meanwhile, nearly a million households lacked running water.

The radiation leak from tsunami-crippled six-reactor nuclear plant at Fukushima in northeastern Japan may cause a nightmare crisis if the engineers fail to restart water pumps needed to cool overheated nuclear fuel rods at four of its reactors. If the cooling fails, the reactors could overheat and cause a total meltdown of the radioactive fuel rods in the core. This would only lead to a major release of radiation if the reactor's containment vessel becomes breached.  

For the time being, thousands of tonnes of water are being dumped from the air to bring the temperature and pressure of the reactor cores down to safe limits, and 300 engineers are working round the clock to attach power cables required to restart water pumps needed to cool down the reactors.

An evacuation zone of 20 kilometres has been declared around Fukushima’s nuclear power plant and the incident has stirred unhappy memories of Japan's past nuclear nightmare – the US atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.  

The Japanese authorities have classified the situation at Fukushima plant as a level 5 on the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES). The scale runs from zero for a deviation in normal operations to seven for a major accident like the Chernobyl disaster of USSR in 1986.

Governments and organisations across the world have sprung into action following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan.

The Maldives long established close relationship with Japan has made the people of this country very anxious in joining international efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Japanese people. The recent efforts across Maldives have raised an initial amount of Rf 5.5 million and 119,653 cans of fish to be donated to relief efforts in Japan.  

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
20 March 2011, Sunday
15 Raby` al-THaany 1432

Japan’s earthquake upgraded to 9.0

Japan’s meteorological agency on Sunday upgraded last Friday’s earthquake from magnitude 8.9 to 9.0. The earthquake occurred 130km off the Pacific coast of Tokoku region at a depth of 24km.       

Tsunami crashes on Japan

The authorities have been warning people that there is a risk of a magnitude 7 aftershock striking the country in the next few days. They also have been advising people to be vigilant for further tsunamis, landslides and building collapses.

Japan’s prime minister has called the disaster the worst crisis since World War II when two nuclear bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

There are fears that up to 10,000 people may have died in Miyagi prefecture alone. Miyagi was the worst hit local government area by the Friday's earthquake and tsunami.       

The reports say over 200,000 people have fled their homes and hundreds of lives have been lost.   

The Maldives government has decided to provide disaster relief supplies to Japan and therefore, canned Maldivian tuna worth Rf 1.2 million will be dispatched to Japan’s disaster response officials. Japan has long supported Maldives to build its infrastructure and had stood by Maldives during the devastating 2004 tsunami that hit the nation.

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
14 March 2011, Monday
9 Raby` al-THaany 1432

Protests in Saudi Arabia send shockwaves across the globe

The fear of unrest in Saudi Arabia and the intensifying civil war in Libya has raised concern throughout the world over oil prices. If Saudi Arabia, a key ally of the United States and an oil giant plunges into chaos, there are fears the price of crude oil which currently stands at US$120 a barrel may exceed US$200 in the world market.    

A protest march in Saudi Arabia

The soaring oil prices will hit hard on the Maldives economy sending prices of consumer items sky rocketing and perhaps causing a near collapse of law and order in the country.

Last week, the demonstrators have taken to the streets of Qatif, Awamiya and Hofuf  in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province calling for an end to the despotic rule of the Al-Saud royal dynasty and the release of all political prisoners in the country. Even before the protests erupted in the oil rich Eastern half of the country, the Saudi king Abdullah had announced benefits worth up to US$37 billion to Saudi citizens to prevent an uprising against his tyrannical rule.         

Over 25,000 people have already backed a call on Facebook, the social networking website to hold two demonstrations in the kingdom this month. The first of the two mass demonstrations scheduled to take place on next Friday (11 March 2011). The anti-government protesters are planning a ‘Day of Rage’ on that day and the repressive Saudi regime has mobilised 10,000 troops to quell any dissent.       

In the meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s council of senior religious scholars has issued a fatwa forbidding public protests and petitions calling for reforms in the desert kingdom.    

“Reform and advice should not be via demonstrations and ways that provoke strife and division, this is what the religious scholars of this country in the past and now have forbidden and warned against,” the statement released by 10 member council of paid preachers said.  

The Al-Saud has long used their petro-dollars to bribe religious scholars in the kingdom and those around the world to remain silent over their irreligious practices. There has been widespread speculation in the Maldives that many of the so called ‘undercover or silent’ scholars in this country remain hooked on to Saudi government money in the form of monthly allowances.     

Eye witnesses have confirmed that in the capital of Riyadh hundreds of men gathered at one of the city’s main mosques to raise slogans denouncing the monarchy and the long tradition of oppression in the kingdom. Concerning the recent events, the Saudi government is trying to give the impression that the unrest in the country is solely the work of the Shia minority against its Sunni rulers.    

If 88 year old king Abdullah of Saudi Arabia decides to use maximum violence against demonstrators that will be the beginning of his downfall and the US President Barack Obama, his master in Washington is likely to ditch him in the same manner as they did to Ben Ali, Hosni Mubarak and Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi.    

Like Libya, Saudi Arabia has all the potential for a civil war – tribal rivalry, decades of despotic rule, oil (black gold) and corruption.

In addition to all these, anti-government groups might try to take control of two of Islam’s holiest sites in the cities of Mecca and Medina to justify their rule over the country.

One of the worst nightmares for Maldivians and Muslims around the world is the brewing unrest in Saudi Arabia causing any travel disruptions or ban on hajj or umrah pilgrims.          

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Written by: Ibrahim Nazim
10 March 2011, Thursday
5 Raby`al-THaany 1432