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