Taliban Bomb Kills 35 in Revenge Attacks in Pakistan Islam was never in danger in the MaldivesEgypts Women Find Power

Still Hinges on Me nLibya quiet as Gaddafi deadline loomsNorway killer permitted to receive visitors from TuesdayPakistan, Teaching Intolerance And ViolenceEgypt businessman Naguib Sa wiris faces blasphemy trialUS Muslim to march in protest of growing IslamophobiaIn donesia: Celebrated for Pluralism, but Marred by Rights AbusesNigerian president admits Islamists have secret backers in governmentTunisia s Islamist Party Slams Anti-Semitic ChantsAmerican Muslims Cooperation With Law EnforcementWorsening law and order in BalochistanIran Imposes Death Sentence on U.S. Man Accused of SpyingG uantanamo Closure Hopes Fade as Prison Turns 10Attacks targeted Shias, kill 11 in Iraq, 15 Afghan pilgrims woundedAfghanistan: Two Policemen killed in Sharan fire fightTerrorists blow up NATO oil tankerCan democracy survive civil-military ties i n Pak?Pakistani National Sentenced In Scheme To Illegally Export Nuclear Material sUS think-tanks call Hillary Clinton to help protect HaqqaniPossible resumption of strikes, Pakistan terms drone attacks as violation of sovereigntyPakistan, Oman agree to strengthen cooperation in diverse areasIn Pakistan, Shashi Tharoor terms himself hawkish doveKayani, Pasha Submissions illegal: GilaniHIV/AIDS prevalence in Pakistan shows worrying increaseBreast cancer claims 400,000 lives a year in P akistanHow Pakistan came to feel snug in a Chinese pocketAfghan govt urges Taliban for a ceasefire before negotiationsBahrain unrest: policeman jailed for joining protestsSyria s Assad blames foreign conspiracy Iran confirms uranium enrichment at second underground facilityEgypt s Brotherhood treads carefully after victoryEg ypt wrapping up free electionsComplied by New Age Islam News Bureau Photo: The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=633 5 ------------Taliban Bomb Kills 35 in Revenge Attacks in Pakistan By Lehaz Ali (AFP) PESHAWAR, Pakistan January 10 2012 A remote-controlled bomb blast killed 35 peop le and wounded more than 60 others on Tuesday in the deadliest attack in months in the Taliban-hit tribal region of northwest Pakistan. The explosion took place in a market in Jamrud, one of the towns of the troubled Khyber tribal region, which also used to serve as the main supply route for NAT O forces operating in Afghanistan. "The total number of deaths in the blast is 35 while 69 people were wounded, and of them the condition of 11 is critical," a senior administration official, Sha keel Khan Umarzai, told AFP. Another top official in Khyber, Mutahir Zeb, said the target of the attack was n ot immediately clear. "According to initial information, it was a remote controlled device planted in a passenger pickup van," he said. Pakistan s remote and lawless northwestern region is a stronghold of Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives and other Islamist militants opposed to the government. Insurgents largely based in the tribal border lands have carried out bomb and gu n attacks killing more than 4,700 people across Pakistan since July 2007. But the market attack was the first major Islamist militant attack in Pakistan s ince a suicide bomber killed 46 people, targeting anti-Taliban militia at a fune ral in the northwestern district of Lower Dir on September 15. Pakistan has battled a homegrown insurgency for years, with more than 3,000 sold iers killed in the battle against militancy. On Monday Pakistani authorities recovered the bodies of 10 soldiers in an exchan ge of bodies with Taliban militants following a clash two weeks ago in the triba l belt. An official with the military s media wing said the soldiers had been missing in Orakzai district since December 21 when rebels attacked a checkpost and killed 13 others.

That exchange came four days after the corpses of 15 members of Pakistan s param ilitary Frontier Constabulary were found in the northwestern town of Shawa, in N orth Waziristan tribal region near the Afghan border, almost two weeks after the y were kidnapped. There were about 120 bomb attacks in Pakistan in 2011 and the same number in 201 0 according to an AFP tally -- an increase from 2009, but far below the violence of 2009 when there were more than 200 bomb blasts. The latest attack comes as the northwest border crossing for NATO supplies remai ns closed to trucks bound for foreign troops fighting in neighbouring Afghanista n following a crash in US-Pakistan relations in the wake of deadly NATO airstrik es on November 26 that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan rejected the results of the military coalition s investigation into the incident and said the strikes had been a deliberate act of aggression, leaving relations floundering between the uneasy anti-terror allies. http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iXu8b7gj9XmPajK2NTfKgTRvghVA? docId=CNG.77d4ca5bd8abd64f2796bdea5add04eb.421 -------Islam was never in danger in the Maldives By Minivan News January 8th, 2012 Islam was never in danger in Maldives, but what should alarm the people was the way the opposition political parties used this occasion not only to politicise t he whole issue but also to whip up frenzy to accuse the Government of trying to wipe out the Islamic faith of the people by subterfuge, writes S Chandrasekharan f or the Eurasia Review. But what we saw in Maldives on the 23rd was that the Government need not look be yond Maldivian shores for extremist preaching and that they have sufficient otherw ise sensible people to whip up religious frenzy to further their own political o bjectives. As I had said before time and again that the politicians are trying t o use religion as a political tool and that it would have disastrous consequence s. My paper 4459 of 1st May 2011 and the earlier one 3894 dated 27 June 2010 may be referred to. There were media reports to indicate that the rally was financed by Pakistan and it could as well be by Saudis too as many of the NGOs do get their money from a broad. It is regrettable that one person who should have stopped this unfortunate devel opment, instead took a leading role in getting the rally organised and getting h is statement read out in the rally as the star event. This was the former president Gayoom he said in the statement that was read out -Maldivians are not forced to be Muslims but they chose to believe in Islam and a llowing a religion other than Islam in Maldives will create division among the s ociety. Maldivians should have the right to defend the religion of Islam. I call upon the government to stop its efforts to weaken the Islamic faith. No one leas t of all the government was trying to introduce any other religion! Is it not an irony that a person who claims to have brought in democracy in Mald ives should go to such low levels to whip up frenzy only in the hope of getting elected once again as President in 2013? In this he was joined by Dr Hassan Saeed, the former Attorney General who had fe lt the taste of extremism in Maldives when his book on Apostasy was banned in Ma ldives. Look at the irony of the presence of Gasim Ibrahim the multimillionaire and head of Jumhorree party, who is making profits by sale of alcohol and resort spas that are alleged in the media to have shady activities? Even the Minister for Islami c Affairs Mohammed Abdul Majeed Bari is said to have stakes in the resort busine ss! http://minivannews.com/news-in-brief/islam-was-never-in-danger-in-the-maldives-e urasia-review-30518 --------Egypts Women Find Power Still Hinges on Men By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK CAIRO, January 9, 2012 At first Samira Ibrahim was afraid to tell her father tha

t Egyptian soldiers had detained her in Tahrir Square in Cairo, stripped off her clothes, and watched as she was forcibly subjected to a virginity test. But when her father, a religious conservative, saw electric prod marks on her bo dy, they revived memories of his own detention and torture under President Hosni Mubaraks government. History is repeating itself, he told her, and together they v owed to file a court case against the military rulers, to claim my rights, as Ms. Ibrahim later recalled. That case has proved successful so far. For the first time last month, an admini strative court challenged the authority of the military council and banned such t ests. Ms. Ibrahim will ask a military court on Sunday to hold the officers accoun table. But nearly a year after Mr. Mubaraks ouster, Ms. Ibrahims story in many ways illus trates the paradoxical position of women in the new Egypt. Emboldened by the rev olution to claim a new voice in public life, many are finding that they are stil l dependent on the protection of men, and that their greatest power is not as di rect actors but as symbols of the military governments repression. It is not a pl ace where Egyptian feminists had hoped women would be, back in the heady days of the revolution, when they played an active role, side by side with men, to brin g down a dictator. Changing the patriarchal culture is not so easy, said Mozn Hassan, 32, executive director of the seven-year-old group Nazra for Feminist Studies. Female demonstrators have suffered sexual assaults at the hands of Egyptian sold iers protected by military courts. Human rights groups say they have documented the cases of at least 100 women who were sexually assaulted by soldiers or the s ecurity police during the time of military rule including Ms. Ibrahims experience in March and the anonymous woman recorded on video last month as she was beaten and stripped, exposing a blue bra, by soldiers clearing Tahrir Square after fre sh protests. The vast majority of cases have come during the three-month crackdo wn on demonstrations that has taken more than 80 lives since the beginning of Oc tober. Even when women have pushed back, as they did late last month in a historic marc h by thousands through downtown Cairo many carrying pictures of the blue bra girl they have done so only with the protection of men. Men encircled the marchers an d at times those male guardians seemed to direct the crowd or lead its chants; m any chants led by women called for more gallantry from Egyptian men. Famous mainly as silent victims, women like the blue bra girl risk becoming mascot s of the male-dominated uprising, said Ms. Hassan, one of several Egyptian femin ists who said they were thrilled by the size of the march but winced at its depe ndence on men. If you are calling for men to protect you, that is bad, because then they define you and they stick to the traditional roles, Ms. Hassan said. (Even among feminis t groups, there were few all-women organizations in Egypt, and of the 13 founder s of Ms. Hassans organization, 6 were men.) At the same time, the revolution has opened the door for the ascendance of conse rvative Islamist parties, including religious extremists who want to roll back s ome of the rights women do have. The mainstream Muslim Brotherhood is poised to win nearly half of the seats in Parliament, when voting is completed this week, while the more extreme Salafis are on track to win more than 20 percent. While Brotherhood leaders talk of encouraging traditional roles but respecting w omens career choices, many Salafis oppose allowing women to play leadership roles and favor regulating issues like womens dress to impose Islamic standards of mod esty. We have major concerns because what they are proposing is very oppressive, s aid Ghada Shabandar, a veteran human rights activist. Even now, however, women have almost no leadership roles in the various activist s groups that formed out of the original protests that ousted Mr. Mubarak and so far women have fewer than 10 of the roughly 500 seats in Parliament. The electo ral debates have featured scant mention of womens issues from the pervasiveness o f genital cutting to legally sanctioned employment discrimination, despite offic ial statistics showing that a third of Egyptian households depend on female earn ers.

We have no feminist movement now, said Hala Mustafa, editor of Democracy, a staterun journal. Feminists say that for decades Egyptian security forces have kidnapped or sexual ly abused women as a way to pressure the men in their families. In a celebrated case from 2005, a journalist, Nawal Ali, sought to press charges against the gov ernment-aligned thugs who had beaten and stripped her in an attack. It is not al l bleak, though. Some argue that the revolution is helping to revitalize the dor mant womens movement, if only by opening up politics so Ms. Ibrahim could have he r day in court or thousands could march for the woman stripped to her bra. That is the difference the Egyptian revolution has made, Ms. Shabandar said. The wa ll of fear is gone, and now when we march for the blue bra girl, we march for Nawa l Ali. A few younger feminists, though, say that philosophy keeps women in the back sea t. That is the same thing women were told after the revolution, said Masa Amir, 24 , recalling when the military council picked an all-male panel of jurists to dra ft a temporary constitution. But the result was a document implying that the pre sident could only be a man perhaps because no one at the table raised the issue. But the stigma attached to victims of sexual abuse continues to force many to re main silent. Six other women were subjected to virginity tests by the soldiers that night in Ma rch when Ms. Ibrahim was assaulted. The humiliation was so great, Ms. Ibrahim sa id, that she initially hoped to die. I kept telling myself, People get heart attac ks, why dont I get a heart attack and just die like them? Her mothers advice was to keep silent, if she ever hoped to marry, or even lead a dignified life in their village in rural Upper Egypt, Ms. Ibrahim said in an in terview. When she did speak out, Egyptian new media shunned her, she said, and only the i nternational news media would cover her story. She received telephone calls at a ll hours threatening rape or death. But with the support of her father an Islami st activist who was detained and tortured two decades ago she persevered, and ne xt week will go back to military court in an attempt to hold the perpetrators ac countable as well. When she saw the video of the blue bra girl being beaten, it redoubled her resolve . I felt I had to avenge her, she said. Mayy El Sheikh contributed reporting. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/world/middleeast/egyptian-women-confront-restr ictions-of-patriarchy.html --------Libya quiet as Gaddafi deadline looms By Mary Ann Jolley, January 10, 2012, An International Criminal Court deadline looms for the new re gime in Libya to announce how it plans to deal with prized captive Saif al-Islam Gaddafi. The court says it has received no information about the health or status of Saif al-Islam, despite its request to Libyan authorities. Moamar Gaddafi s most prominent son was captured in southern Libya in November a nd is being held in a town in the western mountains of the country. The ICC has requested access to Saif al-Islam as it wants to know about his phys ical and mental health and crucially whether his jailers intend to hand him over to the Hague. So far the court says its received no official answer. If the information is not forthcoming by the end of Tuesday, the ICC could refer Libya to the UN Security Council. Under the UN Security Council resolution that brought the ICC into Libya, the ru ling National Transition Council (NTC) is obliged to hand Saif al-Islam over to the ICC unless it can convince the ICC judges he will get a fair trial inside th e country. Moamar Gaddafi s presumed successor is being held by a local militia in Zintan, south-west of Tripoli. During a recent and rare visit, Saif al-Islam told a representative of Human Rig hts Watch, New York-based Libya expert Fred Abrahams, that he was being treated

well but that he has had no access to a lawyer or seen the charges levelled agai nst him by Libya s new rulers. "His physical conditions were quite good. He had no complaints about physical ab use, maltreatment or torture," Mr Abrahams said. "He was getting enough food he said and he was seeing a doctor, that included an operation on his injured right hand. "He said his hand had been injured in a NATO attack on his convoy that killed 26 members of his entourage. "His main complaint was about access to a lawyer because he s facing very seriou s charges." Mr Abrahams says Libya has huge challenges ahead of it. "This is a country for four decades that had politicised core; the judiciary, as a system - it s weak, is not used to functioning independently and just on a ve ry practical level will Saif al-Islam be able to hire a lawyer? Because a person representing him could be under a lot of intimidation and threats," he said. "Those are big questions. They have to prove to the ICC judges that they really can do it and will do it." Libya s ambassador to Washington, Ali Aujali, says his country can do it and Sai f al-Islam will be treated justly. "We ll show that he will be granted all that he does need by law," he said, addi ng the government must show it is different to Moamar Gaddafi s regime. A hated man But Mr Aujali does acknowledge there is widespread hatred of Saif al-Islam. "If you ask anybody in Libya I think they will tell you simply that he s a crimi nal. He criminalised himself. He s terrorised the Libyans," he said. However, he says ensuring a fair trial after this history will not be difficult. "Why should it be difficult? We ll prove that Gaddafi, he s innocent or guilty," Mr Aujali said. The visit to Libya in the last few days by Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir is seen by many in the international community as a snub to the ICC. Bashir is wanted by the ICC for war crimes and genocide. Human Rights Watch s Fred Abrahams says it does not bode well for how Libya is g oing to deal with the case of Saif al-Islam. Mr Aujali says the Sudanese president s visit has nothing to do with Libya s att itude to the ICC. "This bilateral relation at the present time, I think this is very important for the security of Libya," he said. "It doesn t mean that we have violated any principles." http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-10/pm-saif-gaddafi/3766478/?site=melbourne ---------Norway killer permitted to receive visitors from Tuesday By Richard Orange, Malmo, 09 Jan 2012, The decision will open the way for Mr Breivik to give his fi rst interviews with the media since he killed 77 people last July, and potential ly to receive visits from those sharing his extreme anti-Islamic ideology. Odd Gron, a lawyer at Lippestad, the firm representing Mr Breivik, said his clie nt had received several letters from supporters requesting a visit. "There have been requests from fans," he confirmed. "There are letters from peop le giving him support, there are people who want to tell him that they don t wan t to give him support, and also letters from journalists requesting arrangements ." Breivik, 32, has confessed to setting off a bomb that ripped through Oslo s gove rnment district on July 22, killing eight people, then opening fire at the summe r camp of the governing Labour Party s youth wing, killing another sixty-nine. But in a manifesto he released on the day of the attack, he argued that the kill ings were "atrocious" but "necessary" to alert white Norwegians to the threat of a creeping takeover by Islam. Mr Gron said that the requested meetings will only go ahead if and when Breivik makes an application to the authorities at Ila prison, where he is being held in detention in the run-up to his trial in April.

"We have forwarded these requests to Mr Breivik, and so far he has not made any conclusion on any of them," he said. "He has not yet decided if he wants to take visits, who he wants to take visits from, and when." The ban on visits expires on January 9 under the terms of the extension to Breiv ik s time in custody until February 6, which was decided by the Oslo court back in November. A similar ban on Breivik receiving letters and newspapers expired o n 12 December. The prison authorities still have the right to refuse Breivik a visit for safety reasons. The prison s four psychiatrists stoked controversy last week when it w as revealed that they had seen no evidence that Breivik was psychotic, contradic ting the conclusion of the official assessment requested by the Olso court. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/norway/9002206/Norway-killer-An ders-Behring-Breivik-permitted-to-receive-visitors-from-Tuesday.html --------Pakistan, Teaching Intolerance And Violence Doug Bandow January 09, 2012, The U.S. may have no more difficult relationship than the one it has with Pakistan. This supposed ally plays a double game in Afghanistan, mi xes an unstable political system and weak civilian government with nuclear weapo ns, and acts as an incubator for religious intolerance. Obviously, Islamabad ha s its own, sometimes well-founded complaints against America. But there may be no more dangerous nation today than Pakistan. An important cause of conflict in that divided society is the educational system . All too often, both public schools and private madrassas promote intolerance and extremism. These attitudes have encouraged increasing violence which threat ens to consume the entire country with deadly effect. In November the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom publ ished a report written by Ashar Hussain (International Center for Religion and D iplomacy), Ahmad Salim (Sustainable Development Policy Institute), and Arif Nave ed (also SDPI). Pakistans birth was bloody, featuring violent conflict between and mass movement of Hindus and Muslims within the areas which became India and Pakistan. Althou gh Pakistans Islamic character was clear, founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah declared: M inorities, to whichever community they may belong, will be safeguarded. Their r eligion or faith of any kind will be secure. There will be no interference of a ny kind with their freedom of worship. Pakistan would be a much better place if these sentiments continued to reflect t hat nations reality. However, much has changed over the last six decades. For i nstance, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq promoted Muslim fundamentalism to win publi c support for his military rule. Rising Islamic currents around the world creat ed greater receptivity to extremism. Most recently, American military operation s in both Afghanistan and Pakistan generated widespread antagonism. These factors alone would have created a tough environment in which to protect t he human life and dignity of religious, ethnic, and political minorities. Howev er, the education system for a growing youth population has created an equally s erious barrier. As the Commission observed: education plays a critical role in the fabric of Pakistani life, with the potential of bringing the society togethe r or tearing it apart. Today, unfortunately, education, so-called, is far too of ten doing the latter. For years schooling in Pakistan was largely secular, but the public system faile d to educate most students. Gen. Zia increased the money going to education, bu t simultaneously infused the education system with rigid Islamic content, explaine d the USCIRF. Before dying in a suspicious plane crash in 1988, the dictatorial Zia changed curriculum and textbooks for the worse. His government stated that The highest priority would be given to the revision of the curricula with a view to reorganizing the entire content around Islamic tho ught and giving education an ideological orientation so that Islamic ideology pe rmeates the thinking of the young generation. The problem was not that the syste m emphasized Islam, but instead promoted intolerant fundamentalism. Dr. Nasim A shraf of the Middle East Institute said the Zia years were the turning point for

Pakistans educational system, creating the bedrock on which militant extremism was founded. The most obvious impact is that many religious minorities suffer through an educ ation which directly attacks their faith. Noted the Commission, minority studen ts are forced to study from textbooks and curricula that are biased against them and routinely face discrimination and intimidation from Muslim students and teac hers. So much for Article 22 of the 1973 Pakistani constitution, which states th at No person attending any educational institution shall be required to receive r eligious instruction, or take part in any religious ceremony, or attend religiou s worship, if such instruction, ceremony or worship relates to a religion other than his own. Even worse, though, warned the Commission, the educational system presents a chal lenge to the full implementation of protections for religious minorities, and in some cases has even been linked to physical violence against them. And not just against non-Muslims. In effect, the Pakistani government now is training those who are determined to kill even Muslims to get their way. Last year Islamic ex tremists murdered a liberal Muslim governor as well as a Christian government mi nister. The killers came from the generation which studied under the Zia educat ional reforms. http://www.forbes.com/sites/dougbandow/2012/01/09/the-problem-of-pakistan-teachi ng-intolerance-and-violence/ ----------Egypt businessman Naguib Sawiris faces blasphemy trial 9 January 2012 One of Egypt s richest men is to face trial for blasphemy after tweeting cartoon s of Mickey and Minnie Mouse wearing conservative Muslim attire. Telecoms mogul and Coptic Christian Naguib Sawiris re-posted the images on Twitt er last June. He subsequently apologised, saying he meant no offence. But a formal complaint against him has now been referred to court. Tensions between Egypt s Muslims and minority Christian community have worsened in recent months. "It s a decision showing that there is justice in Egypt," Mamduh Ismail, one of a group of lawyers who filed a legal complaint against Mr Sawiris, told Reuters. The tweeted images showed Mickey Mouse wearing a traditional Islamic robe with a full beard, while Minnie Mouse is wearing a niqab - a full-face veil - with jus t her eyes showing. She was identifiable by her large ears and trademark pink hair ribbon. After an angry reaction from people who said they were offended, he later tweete d: "I apologise for those who don t take this as a joke, I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry." But tens of thousands of people joined groups on Facebook and other social media condemning him. Conservative Muslim groups also called for boycotts of Mr Sawiris s companies, i ncluding mobile phone provider Mobinil. Growing alarm Mr Sawiris, whose father is the richest man in Egypt, is a champion of secularis m and has spoken out against the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the country, including the increasing number of women wearing full-face veils. The Salafists election wins have surprised many Egyptians After the anti-government protests that ousted President Hosni Mubarak from powe r last February, he founded a liberal political party, the Free Egyptians. The party struggled to make gains in recent elections for the lower house of par liament, which were mainly a contest between the Muslim Brotherhood s Freedom an d Justice Party and the Salafist al-Nour party. Salafists are Muslims who take their inspiration from the early generations of M uslims who were close to the Prophet Muhammad and his message. The Free Egytians Party has announced in a statement that it will be boycotting upcoming elections for the upper house of parliament because violations in polls for the lower house had not been properly dealt with. Many Egyptian Christians and liberals have been worried by the growing influence

of conservative Islam in the country, in particular the strong showing of al-No ur in the elections. A string of anti-Christian attacks after the overthrow of President Mubarak also led some Christians to accuse the governing military council of being too lenie nt on the perpetrators. In October, 24 protesters - most of them Christians - were killed by security fo rces during protests in central Cairo over the issue. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-16473759 -------US Muslim to march in protest of growing Islamophobia BY IINA SEATTLE (Washington, USA),JANUARY 9, 2012(IINA)-Hundreds of Washington State Mus lims are planning to march together to the Capitol Building, meet state lawmaker s in their offices and urge their legislators to speak out against Islamophobic rhetoric and hate crimes. This event will provide an opportunity for Muslims from the majority of our states legislative districts to learn more about the political process and to meet the ir elected representatives, said CAIR-WA Executive Director Arsalan Bukhari. Legislators should take action during this crucial year to allocate funds to pres erve critical services for the most vulnerable in our society. At the march, planned as part of the annual event, Washington State Muslims Day a t the Capitol, some 400 Washington state Muslims are scheduled to meet with dozen s of their elected representatives. Organized by the Washington state chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Rel ations, the event, to be held January 16, is one of the largest of its kind in t he nation. It is designed to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his defens e of civil rights through positive civic engagement. Muslim voters attending the event will represent 33 of the 49 state legislative districts. Participants will urge legislators to take action on other issues, including pre serving critical public programs and having a balanced approach to the state bud get. They will present legislators and their staff with a copy of the English transla tion of the Quran, Islams holy text. US Muslims, estimated at between six to eight million, have been sensing a growi ng hostility following a hearing presented by Republican representative Peter Ki ng on what he described as radicalization of US Muslims. Recently, a Republican Missouri lawmaker described Islam as a disease like polio while another Alaska Rep. branded Muslims as occupiers of American neighborhoods. Lawmakers in at least 15 states have introduced proposals forbidding local judge s from considering Sharia when rendering verdicts on issues of divorces and mari tal disputes. Marching to the Capitol, Muslims will provide information about recent anti-Musl im incidents, urging their legislators to speak out against Islamophobic rhetori c and hate crimes. We have witnessed 10 anti-Muslim hate crimes in the Northwest in just the past ye ar, which should be serious cause for concern and corrective action, Bukhari stat ed. Muslim constituents will work to make lawmakers aware of the growing problem of I slamophobia and of the veiled and camouflaged manner in which it is being promot ed. He added the increase in Islamophobic rhetoric and an accompanying spike in bias incidents is another issue of great concern to the states Muslim community. It is imperative that local and national leaders speak out and condemn the growin g level of anti-Muslim prejudice and work with their Muslim constituents and the ir allies to oppose this promotion of bigotry against minorities, whatever the s ource. A recent report by CAIR, the University of California and Berkeleys Center for Ra ce and Gender found that Islamophobia in the US is on the rise.

A US survey had also revealed that the majority of Americans know very little ab out Muslims and their faith. A recent Gallup poll had found that 43 percent of Americans Nationwide admitted to feeling at least a little prejudice against Muslims. http://iina.me/wp_en/?p=1006158 ------Indonesia: Celebrated for Pluralism, but Marred by Rights Abuses Calvin Michel Sidjaja January 10, 2012: 2011 was not a good year for human rights in Indonesia. Start ing with the persecution faced by the Ahmadiyah sect and continuing with the clo sure of the GKI Yasmin church in Bogor, the ongoing Papuan crisis and, at the en d of the year, news of the Mesuji massacre, the year seemed perfectly designed t o give way to a 2012 in which a child was charged for stealing a pair of a polic emans sandals. The wave of human right violations has caused no little public insecurity. Most of the cases have in common the fact that the victims are mostly from defenseles s minorities. The ignorant crimes of religious violence have been worsened by the fact that th e Religious Affairs Ministry has been traditionally slanted to favor Muslims. Th e Religious Affairs Minister openly stated his preference for disbanding Ahmadiy ah in August 2010. While the statement was made two years ago, it is a reminder that Indonesian public officials are capable of making irresponsible comments th at are not subject to consequences of any sort. The pluralism that has been long heralded by the government and praised by other countries is questionable. The absence of conflict does not mean our nation is peaceful; it is, in fact, a negative peace. Conflict is still likely in this nat ion of ours where oppression still continues. Religious discrimination will exist due to systematic discrimination in Indonesi an citizenship administration. It is still compulsory for all Indonesians to spe cify, in matters of citizenship, their adherence to one of six officially recogn ized religions. This creates problems as the religions of the world are not limi ted to these six. There are many world religions and faith systems such as Judai sm, Zoroastrianism, Paganism and countless indigenous religions that remain unre cognized by the government. Atheism and agnosticism are not allowed, either. To be irreligious or secularist is to be an infidel. The Baduy tribe in Banten province has long advocated recognition of the local f aith, the Sunda Wiwitan. Its struggle has not yet realized a happy ending. The f aith, still not recognized, is a reminder of systematic discrimination. Legally, Indonesians can leave their religion blank in their identity card, or K TP, as stipulated in a 2006 regulation stating that citizens whose religion was not yet officially recognized could leave their KTP blank but still be serviced and documented in the civil database. Full Report at: http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/opinion/celebrated-for-pluralism-but-marred-by-ri ghts-abuses/490124 --------Nigerian president admits Islamists have secret backers in government Monica Mark in Lagos guardian.co.uk, 9 January 2012, The Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, has c onfirmed for the first time that the Islamist group Boko Haram has secret backer s among government and security officials. Jonathan said Boko Haram presents Nigeria s greatest security challenge since th e 1967 Biafra civil war, when a three-year campaign by the Igbo people to secede from the country s 150 other tribes left a million dead. The organisation, whose name means "non-Islamic education is sacrilege", is figh ting to impose a strict interpretation of sharia law across Africa s most populo us country. A simmering low-level insurgency erupted on Christmas Day with four co-ordinated attacks that killed at least 30 people as they poured out of church services. Since then, a spree of violence at churches has claimed dozens of liv es, prompting a state of emergency in the group s northern homebase states and t

hreatening to ignite a sectarian conflict in a country split evenly between Musl ims and Christians. "During the civil war we knew and we could even predict where the enemy was comi ng from. But the challenge we have today is more complicated," Jonathan said. Now, Boko Haram backers and sympathisers are "in the executive arm of the govern ment; some of them are in the parliamentary/legislative arm of the government, w hile some are even in the legislative arm. Some are also in the armed forces, th e police and other security agencies," he said at a three-day literary service a ttended by authors Chinua Achebe and Wole Soyinka. Achebe and Soyinka, both giants of the Nigerian literary scene, urged the popula tion to refrain from retaliatory attacks amid reports of Christians fleeing the north, where Muslims are a majority, and vice-versa. But less than a day later, they took to the streets along with tens of thousands of ordinary citizens to protest at the end to fuel subsidies in the oil-rich st ate highlighting the other key challenge faced by state officials. As a labour union strike and huge protests paralysed much of the country, analys ts said Jonathan s admission was worrying given the size of the security budget, which this year was $5.7bn. "The security angle explains why the group are often one step ahead of the gover nment. It is also one of the reasons why members of the group have been floating around freely. The population are afraid to step forward as they think their se curity can t be guaranteed by security officials," said Shehu Sani, who heads th e Civil Rights Congress of Nigeria and maintains close contact with the group. In December, the US Congress said the group had morphed from homegrown criminals into terrorists capable of forging international links. Members of the group cl aim to have travelled to Somalia to share techniques and funding with al-Shabaab militants. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/09/nigeria-islamists-government-backers -admits-president?newsfeed=true --------Tunisia s Islamist Party Slams Anti-Semitic Chants By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA and PAUL SCHEMM Associated Press (AP) TUNIS, Tunisia January 9, 2012, The head of Tunisia s moderate Islamic party con demned anti-Semitic slogans chanted Monday by a handful of ultraconservative Mus lims during the arrival of a top Hamas official that have alarmed the local Jewi sh community. It was the latest action by a small group of ultraconservative Muslims over the past few months to have embarrassed the government in what was once one of the m ore secular countries in the Arab world. Rachid Ghannouchi reiterated the policy of his Ennahda party, which heads the co untry s new government, that Tunisia s Jews are "full citizens with equal rights and duties." "Ennahda condemns these slogans which do not represent Islam s spirit or teachin gs, and considers those who raised them as a marginal group," Ghannouchi said in a statement. Videos circulated online showed crowd members greeting Ismail Haniyeh, the prime minister of the Gaza government, at the airport in Tunis on Thursday chanting " Kill the Jews" and "Crush the Jews." The chants came from Salafists, ultraconser vative Muslims who have been making their presence felt in Tunisia recently. "It is worse then bad, it is catastrophic for Tunisia particularly in regard to the repercussions that these attitudes provoke abroad," Roger Bismuth, president of Tunisia s Jewish community, told The Associated Press. He said he was received late Monday by Ghannouchi and Prime Minister Hamadi Jeba li, who promised to resolve the situation possibly with an address to the nation . Perez Trabelsi, the head of the Jewish community on the island of Djerba where m ost live, described the slogans as "unreasonable" and said the government "could not let it pass." After decades of being oppressed by Tunisia s secular dictators, Ennahda won ele

ctions and has been at pains to demonstrate its moderate credentials and belief in universal rights and freedoms for all Tunisians. They have been repeatedly embarrassed by ultraconservative Islamic groups that h ave emerged since hard-line President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was ousted from po wer last year in an uprising in Tunisia that led to revolts around the Arab worl d. The groups have attacked university campuses and staged sit-ins over female stud ents not being allowed to attend classes in the conservative face veils and have demonstrated over a variety of moral issues in cities. Ennahda was at first slow to condemn their actions, earning the criticism of lef tist and liberal groups which already regard the Islamist party with suspicion. "I think if Ennahda doesn t come up with some way of being unequivocal in its re jection of some of these ideas and tactics it really does risk damaging its cred ibility with some of its coalition partners, progressive voters and internationa l donors," said Chris Alexander, an expert on Tunisia from North Carolina s Davi dson College, noting the danger of the party s slow response up until now. "I think a lot of people will see that hesitancy as a mark of their true intenti ons." At a rally in a sports complex for Haniyeh on Sunday, supporters of the banned u ltraconservative Hizb al-Tahrir party called for death to Israel, but did not re peat their anti-Jewish slogans. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/tunisias-islamist-party-slams-anti -semitic-chants-15321494#.TwvIkqXrqRY --------American Muslims Cooperation With Law Enforcement By Sheila Musaji Jan 9, 2012 , During Rep. Peter Kings hearings, one of the false memes about Amer ican Muslims that was consistently raised in the Islamophobic press was that Mus lims have failed to come forward and tell law enforcement about criminal plans, and that in fact American Muslims are uncooperative with law enforcement. I wrote an article Answers to Peter Kings Claims About the American Muslim Commun ity which discussed this false claim as well as many others. Here is what I sai d at that time: Actually many individuals who have been arrested for terrorist plots and activit ies were turned in by members of the Muslim community. These include: Craig Mo nteilh, Abdel Hameed Shehadeh, Times Square bomber, the Oregon jihadist, Lackawa nna six, Paintball 11 in VA, Matin Siraj plot in NY , Daniel Boyd in NC, 5 Musli m men who went to Pakistan from VA, Farooque Ahmed subway plotter. Muslims have also helped by infiltrating al Qaeda. There are many American Muslims promotin g non-violent solutions including people like John Muhammed Butt working with Ta liban. Los Angeles County sheriff Lee Baca said that there is nothing to support Kings v iew that American Muslims are being uncooperative with law enforcement. If he ha s evidence of non-cooperation, he should bring it forward. FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, stated before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee : And every opportunity I have, I re-affirm the fact that 99.9 percent of MuslimAmericans or Sikh-Americans, Arab-Americans are every bit as patriotic as anybod y else in this room, and that many of our cases are a result of the cooperation from the Muslim community in the United States. Attorney General Eric Holder said The Muslim communityhave contributed significant ly to the resolution of many things that we have resolved over the course last 1 2 to 18 months.Tips that we have received, information that has been shared has b een critical to our efforts to disrupt plots that otherwise might have occurred. He also said: Members of the American Muslim community have beenand continue to b estrong partners in fighting this emerging threat [of terrorism]. They have regularly denounced terrorist acts and those who carry the m out. And they have provided critical assistance to law enforcement in helping to disrupt terrorist plots and combat radicalization. Perhaps Rep. King is unaware of the FBI award given to Imam Yahya Hendi for comm unity leadership, and perhaps he questions the State Dept. sending Imam Feisal A

bdul Rauf on a speaking tour to improve relations between the U.S. and Muslim co untries? Many Muslim Imams, leaders and organizations have received awards and acknowledgements. Full Report at: http://theamericanmuslim.org/tam.php/features/articles/american-muslims-cooperat ion-with-law-enforcement/0018970 --------Worsening law and order in Balochistan Staff Report ISLAMABAD: January 10, 2012 Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry , expressing concern over the worsening law and order situation in Balochistan, on Monday observed that the number of missing persons in the province was increa sing day by day. The chief justice also hinted at hearing the Balochistan target killing matter i n the Quetta Registry of the Supreme Court. He said that uncertainty prevailed i n the province as bullet-riddled bodies were found every day. The chief justice observed that the personnel of the law enforcement agencies were also being targ eted in such incidents. Justice Khilji Arif Hussain said that if the authorities had closed their eyes o ver the situation, then the court would be compelled to interfere in the matter. http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\01\10\story_10-1-2012_pg7_3 -------Iran Imposes Death Sentence on U.S. Man Accused of Spying By RICK GLADSTONE and HARVEY MORRIS January 10, 2012, Irans judiciary on Monday sentenced to death an imprisoned Amer ican convicted of espionage for the Central Intelligence Agency. The punishment shocked his family and was imposed against a backdrop of increasingly bellicose relations with the United States over the disputed Iranian nuclear program. The sentence against the American, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, 28, a former Marine, wa s likely to become a new point of contention, and possible bargaining leverage, in Irans struggle against the West over its nuclear program. A tightening vise of sanctions, which threaten vital oil sales and with them the nations economy, has left Tehran feeling besieged and pushed relations with the United States and it s allies to the lowest ebb since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In retaliation, Tehran announced on Sunday that it had begun to enrich uranium a t a second site, after having threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz to shippi ng, a measure that would severely curtail oil shipments. Western pressure on Tehran over the program seemed to deepen on Tuesday when Eur opean Union foreign ministers said they would bring forward a meeting to decide on an oil embargo, news reports said. A statement said the gathering would now b e held on Jan. 23 a week earlier than initially scheduled on the same day as a s ummit meeting of European Union leaders on Jan. 30. The details of the case against Mr. Hekmati have been cloaked in secrecy since h e was detained in August in Iran, to which his family said he had traveled to vi sit his grandparents. Official confirmation that he was even in Iranian custody was not provided until last month. The White House and the State Department, not ing that Iranian prosecutors have a history of coercing confessions, denied that Mr. Hekmati was a spy and called for his immediate release. The C.I.A. declined to comment. Tommy Vietor, a spokesman for the White Houses National Security Council, said, We strongly condemn such a verdict and will work with our partners to convey our c ondemnation to the Iranian government. Iran has a record of arresting and convicting Americans suspected of spying, the n freeing them later after bail money has been paid. But rights activists said M r. Hekmatis case was the first in the nearly 33-year history of estranged relatio ns with the United States in which Irans Islamic authorities had ordered the exec ution of an American citizen. This whole case is very politically motivated, said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive dir ector of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, an advocacy group based in New York that has been monitoring Mr. Hekmatis case. Theres absolutely no

evidence against him. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/world/middleeast/iran-imposes-death-sentence-o n-us-man-accused-of-spying.html?ref=global-home -------Guantanamo Closure Hopes Fade as Prison Turns 10 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP)January 10, 2012, Suleiman al-Nahdi waits with dozens of other prisoners in a seemingly permanent state of limbo five years after he w as cleared for release from Guantanamo Bay. "I wonder if the U.S. government wants to keep us here forever," the 37-year-old al-Nahdi wrote in a recent letter to his lawyers. Open for 10 years on Wednesday, the prison seems more established than ever. The deadline set by President Barack Obama to close Guantanamo came and went two ye ars ago. No detainee has left in a year because of restrictions on transfers, an d indefinite military detention is now enshrined in U.S. law. The 10th anniversary will be the subject of demonstrations in London and Washing ton. Prisoners at the U.S. Navy base in Cuba plan to mark the day with sit-ins, banners and a refusal of meals, said Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer who represents seven inmates. "They would like to send a message that the prisoners of Guantanamo still reject the injustice of their imprisonment," said Kassem, a law professor at the City University of New York. Human rights groups and lawyers for prisoners are dismayed that Obama not only f ailed to overcome resistance in Congress and close the prison, but that his admi nistration has resumed military tribunals at the base and continues to hold men like al-Nahdi who have been cleared for release. Critics are also angry over the president s Dec. 31 signing of the National Defe nse Authorization Act, which includes a provision allowing indefinite military d etention without trial. "Now, we have Guantanamo forever signed into law," said Andrea Prasow, senior co unterterrorism counsel for Human Rights Watch. "Instead of pushing forward with the agenda of closure, he has accepted the idea of indefinite detention for the duration of some undefined hostilities." White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday that Obama still wants to clo se Guantanamo because "it s the right thing to do for our national security inte rest," a view that he says is shared by senior members of the military. He noted President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, while running for president in 2 008, also supported closing the prison. Full Report at: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2012/01/10/world/americas/AP-CB-Guantanamo-10thAnniversary.html?ref=global-home ------Attacks targeted Shias, kill 11 in Iraq, 15 Afghan pilgrims wounded BAGHDAD: January 10, 2011, Attacks across Iraq on Monday, many of which targete d Shias, killed 11 people and wounded dozens, including 15 Afghans visiting the country for religious commemorations, officials said. The violence, included bom bings in and around Baghdad against Shia worshippers walking to the shrine city of Karbala, 110 kilometres south of the capital, for Arbaeen rituals later this week. In the deadliest attack, a car bomb blast killed four people and wounded a t least 25 near Husseiniyah Shia mosque in Muasalat, southwest Baghdad, at about 6:30pm, said officials from the ministries of interior and defence. About half an hour later, another car bomb explosion killed one person and wounded at least five others in Shaab, a Shia neighbourhood in the east of the capital, the offi cials said on condition of anonymity. And on the outskirts of the central city o f Hilla, a car bomb wounded 15 Afghan pilgrims, three of them seriously, police and medics said. As part of the ceremonies, Shia pilgrims walk to Karbala from a cross Iraq. Devotees also descend on the city from around the world. afp http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\01\10\story_10-1-2012_pg7_8 ------

Afghanistan: Two Policemen killed in Sharan firefight 10 January 2012 Two policemen were killed when insurgents stormed a government building in south -eastern Afghanistan, officials say. Three assailants are also said to died in the assault on the government building in Sharan, the capital of Paktika province. The clash is said to be continuing. "Our forces are trying to move slowly because there are civilian employees insid e," said Mokhlis Afghan, a spokesman for the Paktika governor. He said the assault on the directorate of communications in Sharan had been carr ied out by four men he described as "suicide attackers", and that one of the att ackers was still alive and still exchanging fire with police. Two police officers have died, police and interior ministry officials said. A senior security official in Sharan told the BBC that the attackers "wanted to take over the building and use it as a launching pad to attack other government buildings. "They came with enough ammunition to fight for hours." Provincial Governor Muhibullah Samim told AFP news agency that the building the attackers wanted to target was an intelligence office close by. Haji Baazjan, a local tribal elder who witnessed the attack told the BBC: "I was about to enter the building when attackers opened fire on the guards. "Everyone, including myself, started running. As both sides exchanged fire, I he ard an explosion and in a matter of seconds, there was heavy fighting." http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16482140 --------Terrorists blow up NATO oil tanker LANDI KOTAL:January 10, 2012, Terrorists blew up a NATO oil supplying tanker at village Mian Khel on Shalman Road in Khyber Agency on Monday, the official sour ces said. The Afghanistan-bound oil tanker was parked at Mian Khel village when the terrorists detonated explosive material planted on the tanker. No loss of li fe was reported, although the vehicle was completely damaged in the explosion. T he blast was heard in far-flung areas. Thousands of liters of oil spread on the road causing a loss of millions of rupees. After the incident, a huge contingent of Khasadar Force rushed to the site, cordoned off the area and launched a sear ch operation. Political administration registered a case against unidentified mi screants. app http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\01\10\story_10-1-2012_pg7_11 -------Can democracy survive civil-military ties in Pak? Vinod Sharma, Hindustan Times New Delhi, January 09, 2012, Much is happening in Pakistan. Self-exiled Pervez M usharraf is threatening to join politics back home, Asif Zardari says he isn t u nder the army s pressure to quit, Nawaz Sharif s struggling to hold his own and Imran Khan going great guns in his quest for power. Amid such political ferment and reports that terror gangs were regroupingafter Pa kistan s retaliatory ban on US drones post an American air-strike that left 24 s oldiers dead the world s focus in 2012 will be on the Af-Pak region. Can democrac y survive a turbulent civil-military relationship? Scheduled in 2013, will elect ions happen at all or be brought forward? Who shall the electorate mandate in an increasingly crowded racethe Memogate-hit PPP, the PML (Nawaz) or a third entity or political front led by Imran s Tehreek-e-Insaaf? Imponderables these, together with the question whether Zardari s Presidency wil l last its term? Old timers who saw him in a TV interview this weekend could mak e out he wasn t in the best of health. And what s true of him is largely true of his party. "He has done to the PPP what dictators such as Zia or Musharraf coul dn t," said Afzal Khan, a noted Pakistani commentator. The PPP s main bet in the polls wouldn t as much be the Bhutto magic as the World Bank-funded Income Supp ort Programme named after Benazir. The scheme that reaches Rs 1,000 per month to disadvantaged sections helped the party win elections in PoK despite a pathetic governance record in Islamabad.

Full Report at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/Pakistan/Can-democracy-survive-civil-mi litary-ties-in-Pak/Article1-793830.aspx -----Pakistani National Sentenced In Scheme To Illegally Export Nuclear Materials By Newsroom America Staff (Newsroom America) -- U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz has sentenced Nadeem Akhtar, age 46, of Silver Spring, Maryland, to 37 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release for conspiring to commit export violations and to defraud the United States in connection with a scheme to illegally export nuc lear-related materials. The sentence was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Marylan d Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely of the Federal B ureau of Investigation; and Special Agent in Charge Rick Shimon of the U.S. Depa rtment of Commerce, Office of Export Enforcement s Washington Field Office. The United States regulates the export of items that can be used in nuclear facil ities, requiring a purchaser to truthfully disclose the end user, said U.S. Attor ney Rod J. Rosenstein. Nadeem Akhtar conspired to violate export regulations by s elling controlled items while misrepresenting what they were and to whom they wo uld be sold. The fast-paced nature of this changing world has created new challenges in preven ting nuclear technology from falling into the hands of those who are hostile to U.S. interests, said FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely. Nowhere in th e national security arena is the FBIs alliance with private industry as important in preserving the security of this country. This sentence underscores the importance of the U.S. Governments unwavering determ ination to disrupt and dismantle criminal proliferation networks endangering U.S . national security said Rick Shimon, Special Agent in Charge of the Commerce Dep artments Washington Office of Export Enforcement. Preventing sensitive U.S.-origin technology from being used in illicit nuclear programs is one of our top priori ties at the Commerce Department. According to his plea agreement, Akhtar, a Pakistani national and lawful permane nt resident of the U.S., owns Computer Communication USA (CC-USA). From October 2005 through March 11, 2010, Akhtar and his conspirators used CC-USA to obtain o r attempt to obtain radiation detection devices, resins for coolant water purifi cation, calibration and switching equipment, attenuators and surface refinishing abrasives for export to restricted entities in Pakistan. Full Report at: http://www.newsroomamerica.com/story/206277/pakistani_national_sentenced_in_sche me_to_illegally_export_nuclear_materials.html -------US think-tanks call Hillary Clinton to help protect Haqqani PTI WASHINGTON:10 JAN, 2012, A bipartisan group of foreign policy experts have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to speak with Pakistani leaders and make app ropriate public statements to ensure that former diplomat Husain Haqqani is not physically harmed and that due process of law is followed. "We would urge the US government to continue to weigh in with key Pakistani lead ers and to make appropriate public statements to ensure that Husain Haqqani is n ot physically harmed and that due process of law is followed," said a letter sig ned by 16 leading US-Pakistan scholars to Clinton. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said Clinton has received the lett er and would be responding to it. "It has come to our attention that Ambassador Haqqani is under intense pressure in Pakistan, including possibly threats to his life, over the so-called Memogate affair," the letter said. On Friday Nuland had urged Pakistan to ensure fair treatment to Haqqani, who ser ved as the Pakistan s Ambassador to the US, till he resigned in the aftermath of Memogate. According to these experts, the case against Haqqani follows an ominous trend in

Pakistan. "The assassinations of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, Minister for Minority Aff airs Shahbaz Bhatti, and journalist Syed Saleem Shahzad this past year have crea ted a culture of intimidation and fear that is stifling efforts to promote a mor e tolerant and democratic society. "Significant segments of the Pakistani media have already judged Haqqani to be g uilty of treason, which could inspire religious extremists to take the law into their own hands as they did with Taseer and Bhatti," the letter said. Signatories to the letter include Stephen P Cohen from Brookings Institution; Li sa Curtis from the Heritage Foundation; Sadanand Dhume from American Enterprise Institute; Christine Fair, from the Georgetown University; Robert M Hathaway fro m Woodrow Wilson International Center and Dennis Kux from Woodrow Wilson Interna tional Center. The experts said questions have been raised about the manner in which this case is proceeding against Haqqani and whether due process of law is being followed. "Internationally recognized human rights defender Asma Jehangir recently quit as Haqqani s lawyer, citing her lack of confidence in the judicial commission esta blished by the Pakistani Supreme Court to investigate the case. Because of her d oubts about the commission s impartiality, Jehangir refused to appear before it, " the letter said. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/us-think-tanks-call-hil lary-clinton-to-help-protect-haqqani/articleshow/11433213.cms -------Possible resumption of strikes, Pakistan terms drone attacks as violation of sov ereignty ISLAMABAD: In its reiteration over drone attacks, Foreign Office Monday strongly opposed any violation of its aerial space or sovereignty. Commenting on the reports regarding resumption of US drone attacks, Foreign Offi ce Spokesman Abdul Basit told Online, We have always expressed our serious reserv ations and concerns over drone strikes. The spokesman further said that Pakistan can never condone violation of its sove reignty. He made it clear that any such move would be opposed. Almost after two months lull in the drone attacks, certain media reports, while citing US official sources, are hinting at restart of the attacks. Since incident of November 26 when NATO forces raided two Pakistani posts and ki lled 24 soldiers and injured 16 others the attacks were seemed as vanished. The last drone attack was carried out on November 17 which had killed six suspec ted militants in a strike near Razmak in North Waziristan. No attack has been la unched over the past two months, which is likely to be the first time since 2004 that tribal areas witnessed a break in drone attacks for so a long time. The incident of November 26 triggered countrywide reaction in Pakistan. After th e raids Islamabad ordered US to vacate Shamsi base, believed to be operative sta tions of drones in Pakistans Balochistan, besides blocking supplies to NATO in Af ghanistan via Pakistan. The government had also called in an envoy conference to review its foreign poli cy and its relations with US and NATO. But the government says that the parliame nt would take final decision on such issues and the decision is in process. Pakistani Army has authorised its local commanders deployed near the Afghan bord er to retaliate to any future incursions by Nato forces. What would be the react ion of Pakistan if such a situation like drone attacks is emerged in the present situation is not very much clear as condemnation or showing concerns was contin uing for the last five years. When contacted Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Majo r General Athar Abbas declined commenting on the reports, saying that at the mom ent nothing could be said in this connection. Official sources on condition of anonymity said that unilateral action on part o f US as far as drone attacks are concerned, is impossible. So far Pakistani tribal areas have witnessed 283 drone attacks killing over 2,00 0 people besides injuring thousands of others and causing heavy damages to prope rties.

According to latest media reports, US spy drones were hovering over North Waziri stan area along Afghan border. A break in drone attack was noticed but such flig hts over Pakistani tribal areas seldom stopped in the past two months. http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=187882 -------Pakistan, Oman agree to strengthen cooperation in diverse areas (APP) ISLAMABAD, Jan 9 : Pakistan and Oman have agreed to further strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation in a number of areas including trade and commerce, financ e and banking, law enforcement, education and health care. This was agreed duri ng the fourth round of Pak-Oman Annual Bilateral Political Consultations held in Muscat on Monday, a press release issued by the ministry of foreign affairs her e said. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and Omani Under Secretary for Diplomatic Affairs , Ahmed bin Yousuf bin Obaid Al Harthy discussed whole range of bilateral cooper ation between Pakistan and Oman. Both sides also exchanged views on regional and international situation. Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir also called on His Highness Sayyid Asad bin Tariq Al-Said, Advisor to His Majesty the Sultan of Oman and the Minister Responsible for Foreign Affairs Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah. Pakistans Ambassador in Oman, Nawabzada Aminullah Khan Raisani and Director Gener al Middle East at Ministry of Foreign Affairs Mr Manzoor ul Haq also participate d in the consultations. http://app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=174219&Itemid=2 -------In Pakistan, Shashi Tharoor terms himself hawkish dove By Rohit Raj DC Kochi January 9, 2012 ,The former Junior External Affairs Minister, Mr Shahshi Tharoor , had lost a few fans when he quit the Union Council but his fan base has grown, making him a huge hit even in Pakistan. Followers are showering praises on Dr Tharoor on the twittersphere. Despite his blunt speak on Pakistan, Mr Shashi was received with warmth. Has been having a good trip2Pak! The people are wonderful, hospitality warm, sigh ts special, politics dysfunctional & discussions lively, he tweeted. Great paradox of Indo-Pakistan relations: there s no country in the world where an Indian fee ls more welcome -- even1 with unpalatable views, Mr Tharoor who has more than 12 lakh followers tweeted and hundreds retweeted. When he tweeted, Stimulating visit, esp talk & roundtable organized in Islamabad by Jinnah Institute. Spoke frankly & got some understandable pushback. Learned,2 ! Columnist Rakehsh Mani anticipating an article on experiences from Pakistan as ked Youve built a reputation as a hawk on Indo-Pak. Fair?" To this the most followed Indian in twittersphere replied: A hawk is often only a dove with an enhanced sense of realism. I come with an open mind & a willingnes s to learn from experience." The number of Pakistan followers for Mr Tharoor has also increased and evidently he tweeted, Even more amazing when I heard similar comments from young Pakistani s who had lived abroad, as a reply to a young Indian who got placed in Igate afte r taking Mr Tharoors name as the most inspired man for the interviews. Mr Tharoor who lost his ministership in connection with the IPL controversy did not forget to express his hopes for a top post in India. Impressed by his performance at the TV interviews, an NRI, Mr Arora, asked, How c an we make you India Prime Minister? A humble Mr Tharoor replied, Thanks, but at t he moment not even sub-prime! http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/north/pakistan-shashi-tharoor-ter ms-himself-hawkish-dove-337 ------Kayani, Pasha Submissions illegal: Gilani PTI ISLAMABAD, January 10, 2012, In yet another twist to the memo scandal, Pakistan

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Monday said the replies submitted to the Su preme Court by the chiefs of the Army and the ISI were unconstitutional and illeg al, as they were sent without the government s approval. The responses given by Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI DirectorGeneral Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha did not have the approval of the competent au thority as required under the rules of business, said Mr. Gilani. No summary or formal proposal seeking the approval of the competent authority fo r these two replies was initiated by the Defence Ministry, he said during an int erview with People s Daily Online of China. UNCONSTITUTIONAL Any official action by a government functionary without the prior approval of th e government is unconstitutional and illegal, he said. Mr. Gilani pointed out that the Supreme Court Chief Justice had observed that an y act of a government functionary without the government s nod is unconstitution al and, therefore, illegal. The Prime Minister said that in both the memo controversy and the recent NATO ai r strike on Pakistani military border posts, the civil and military leadership o f Pakistan had held detailed meetings and taken immediate decisions. REFERRED TO COMMITTEE Both issues were referred to the Parliamentary Committee on National Security an d the government had accepted the resignation of Husain Haqqani, Pakistan s form er envoy to the U.S. After the memo issue was referred to the parliamentary committee, the Supreme Co urt took suo motu action, he said. Mr. Gilani described the memo as a letter written by one American national to ano ther American. The memo, made public by Pakistani-American businessman Mansoor Ijaz, sought the U.S. help to stave off a feared military coup after the killing of Osama bin La den in May last. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/article2788531.ece ---------HIV/AIDS prevalence in Pakistan shows worrying increase By Sehrish Wasif ISLAMABAD: January 10, 2012, The prevalence of HIV/AIDs cannot be controlled in the country unless there is legislation and strong financial funding for its pre vention and control. This was stated by National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) A cting Programme Manager Dr Amir Maqbool at the inaugural session of a two-day wo rkshop titled, The state of HIV in Pakistan-2011 held on Monday at a local hotel. In the aftermath of the devolution of the Ministry of Health, there is no mechan ism to implement the legislation; something which previously fell under the purv iew of the Senate Standing Committee on Health. Devolution has rendered major don ors reluctant to fund the programme, Dr Maqbool said. Thus, the shortage of funds has created another hurdle in controlling the spread of the disease. Failure to control it, he said, might lead to a drastic increas e in the viruss prevalence by 2020. While talking about HIV/AIDS still remains a social stigma, treatment costs for many are unaffordable, running as high as Rs1 00,000 per year to combat the effects of the incurable disease. According to UNAIDS, Pakistan had an estimated 97,400 people living with HIV at the end of 2009, with 2,917 patients registered in 13 treatment and seven Preven tion of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS centres across the country. Of these, 1,320 are on antiretroviral drug treatment therapy. HIV rates are increas ing alarmingly among key demographics at higher risk of infection. On the other hand, they remain low among the general population, according to the national su rveillance findings. Three studies were presented as the key output of a second generation surveillan ce approach. These were not only focused on HIV status, but also the findings of behaviour patterns that increase the risk of infection. The studies were conducted by NACP, the Provincial AIDS Control Programmes and t he Canada-Pakistan HIV/AIDS Surveillance Project. The viruss prevalence among female sex workers had quadrupled since 2007. Meanwhi

le, it was found that since 2008, HIV among transvestite sex workers had increas ed from 6.4 per cent to 7.3 per cent and it tripled among male sex workers, up t o 3.1 per cent. The study also highlighted that since 2008, HIV prevalence among intravenous drug users rose from 20.8 per cent to 36.7 per cent. In the second study titled, Antenatal HIV Sero-Surveillance, Dr Nosheen Dar, princ iple investigator, revealed that pregnant women are more vulnerable to HIV becau se of potential infection from their husbands, who may have been infected by a s ex worker or other high-risk key population. The pattern of the disease in Pakistan has shifted from low to concentrated leve ls. An overall prevalence is of 37.8 per cent among intravenous drug users, 7.3 per cent among transgender sex workers, 3.1 per cent in male sex workers and 0.8 per cent in female sex workers. However, information on the extent of the virus among the general population is not known. The study revealed that out of 26,51 0 pregnant women tested for HIV, 12 were confirmed positive, a prevalence rate o f 0.05 per cent. Peshawar has the highest prevalence rate of HIV infection at wa s 0.22 per cent, followed by Multan with 0.07 per cent, and Karachi with 0.03 pe r cent. The third study was on mine workers, a high-risk population in Balochistan, wher e a bio-behavioural assessment was done. According to PACP in 2007, many mine wo rkers above the age of 18 were found to have sexually transmitted infections, an d the majority of them did not use condoms. However none of them found to be HIV positive. --------Breast cancer claims 400,000 lives a year in Pakistan ISLAMABAD: January 10, 2012Pakistan has the highest rate of breast cancer all ov er Asia due to which every year 40,000 women die. One out of every nine women in Pakistan faces risk of the disease while the prevalence of this deadly ailment is the highest amongst all types of cancer in the country i.e. 38.5 per cent. This was shared by the speakers at a workshop held here on Monday to inaugurate Pink Ribbon Campaign supported by higher education commission (HEC) and Pakistan atomic energy commission (PAEC) cancer hospital to mark 2012 as Pink Ribbon Yo uth Year National coordinator, Pink Ribbon, Omer Aftab said that fortunately, b reast cancer can be detected and cured at a very early stage. Therefore, it is important to focus on prevention and diagnoses rather than cure since early diagnosis in breast cancer increases chances of survival to more th an 90 per cent, he said. The recent trends in Pakistan have shown that the brea st cancer incidence is alarmingly high in young girls. On the other hand older w omen are also reluctant in getting them medically checked on reg-ular intervals. This issue, he said, can be addressed using daughters who are normally closer to the mothers and they can be used as influencers for the older generation. Th ey can motivate their mothers for a regular breast examination and medical check -up, said Omer. As many as 25,000 students from 15 colleges and universities of Islamabad and 50 0,000 youths of nearly 500 educational institutions all over the country will be given awareness about breast cancer this year, he said. Chairman HEC Dr Javed Laghari assured that HEC will provide assistance and full cooperation during the campaign. Additional secretary, Pakistan Post, Fazal Satt ar told that 500,000 postal stamps have been introduced to give awareness regard ing the disease. Assistant Inspector General Motorway police, Dr Farooq assured that as motorway police was already taking part in polio eradication campaign, officials of the f orce can easily take part in the awareness campaign regarding breast cancer too. Vice Chancellor Fatima JinnahUniversity, Samina Amin Qadir stressed that female university students can play a vital role in the campaign and they should make t heir families aware of the dangers of disease. Head of the learning and innovation department, HEC, Noor Amna Malik while talki ng to Dawn said that unfortunately it has become a routine that we receive progr ammes from west and introduce them in the country. We should first conduct rese arch on the diseases and after finding the reasons behind them, cure them and on ly then should launch awareness campaigns.

Environment, culture and lifestyle of east and west are different due to which methods of cure can also differ. One of the basic reasons of our problem is poor literacy rate. In India, just because of better literacy rate, breast cancer ra tio is ten times lesser as compared to Pakistan. So government should pay attent ion to the education sector, she said. Omer Aftab informed Dawn that their teams will start visiting the universities f rom Tuesday (today) besides starting to organise medical camps.-Ikram Junaidi http://www.dawn.com/2012/01/10/breast-cancer-claims-400000-lives-a-year-in-pakis tan.html -------How Pakistan came to feel snug in a Chinese pocket Jayadeva Ranade January 10, 2012,Chinas expanded influence in Pakistan came into prominence recen tly amidst the fog of verbiage surrounding the Memogate fiasco. The shorthand us ed for years to describe Pakistans political power triad namely, Allah, Army and A merica, now has to include China. Over the past few years and, especially since the US raid in May 2011 to elimina te Osama bin Laden, Chinas proximity to Pakistan has increasingly been on display . Examples include Sino-Pak collaboration to stall the Indo-US Civil Nuclear Agr eement, prevent the Nuclear Suppliers Group granting a waiver to India and oppos ition to India becoming a Permanent Member of the UN Security Council. Full Report at: http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_how-pakistan-came-to-feel-snug-in-a-chin ese-pocket_1635526 -------Afghan govt urges Taliban for a ceasefire before negotiations KABUL/BERLIN: January 10, 2012 Taliban insurgents must agree to a cease-fire bef ore formal peace negotiations can begin in Qatar, a spokesman for Afghan Preside nt Hamid Karzai said on Monday Presidential Spokesman Emal Faizi laid out the governments terms, days after the Talibans announcement that would open a political office in Doha, Qatar, a key pr ecursor to peace talks and the insurgents first public move toward a political se ttlement to the 10-year-long war. When the talks start, there should be a cease-fire and the violence against the A fghan people must stop, Faizi said on Monday on Tolo television news. Full Report at: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\01\10\story_10-1-2012_pg7_1 ------Bahrain unrest: policeman jailed for joining protests 9 January, 2012 A military court in Bahrain has sentenced a policeman to more than 12 years in j ail for joining protests against the royal family last year. Ali al-Ghanami, a 25-year-old junior police officer, had left his guard post and joined protesters on 17 February 2011 after security forces had cleared a major traffic circle in the capital Manama. On that day police action against peaceful demonstrators at Pearl Roundabout lef t two protesters dead and more than a hundred injured. Video footage from the day shows people being fired on with birdshot at point bl ank range. The footage was supplied by activists. His brother told the BBC Mr Ghanami witnessed dead and wounded being taken to ne arby Salmaniya hospital. "He was very emotional. He stood in front of people in his uniform and said I ca nnot work for a killer institution." He told the crowd he was leaving the force and joining the anti-government prote sts that were to convulse the tiny Gulf island kingdom for months. For the next month, Mr Ghanami spoke openly at rallies against the government of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Official anger Full Report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16472923

---------Syria s Assad blames foreign conspiracy 10 January 2012 Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has blamed a foreign conspiracy for trying to d estabilise Syria. The "external conspiracy is clear to everybody", he said in his first public rem arks in months. Syria s violent crackdown on 10 months of protests against his rule has drawn in ternational condemnation. He said elections could be held later this year but "terrorism", which he blames for the unrest, would be met with an "iron fist". "Regional and international sides have tried to destabilise the country," Presid ent Assad said in a speech broadcast live nationally from Damascus University. "Our priority now is to regain [the] security [in] which we basked in for decade s, and this can only be achieved by hitting the terrorists with an iron fist," h e said. "We will not be lenient with those who work with outsiders against the country." BBC world affairs correspondent Nick Childs says the speech was a riposte to tho se who are asking questions about the pressure under which Mr Assad is operating . It was a message that there will be no concessions and its main theme was that n othing is going to change as far as the Syrian response is concerned, our corres pondent says. No order to fire The UN said last month that more than 5,000 civilians had been killed since prot ests began in March last year. Anti-government protests have continued despite a heavy crackdown against them Syrian authorities say they are fighting armed groups, and that about 2,000 memb ers of the security forces have been killed so far. In recent months army deserters have joined the opposition and targeted governme nt forces. A team of 165 monitors from the Arab League has been in Syria since December to monitor implementation of a peace plan that calls for an end to all violence, th e removal of heavy weapons from cities and the release of all political prisoner s. Opposition groups have accused the Arab League mission of serving to cover up th e crackdown on the protests, which has continued despite the presence of the obs ervers. Mr Assad said that there were no orders for security forces to fire on protester s. "There is no order from any level about opening fire on any citizen. According t o the law, nobody should open fire - only in self-defence or during a clash with an armed person." No snap reforms Full Report at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-16483548 --------Iran confirms uranium enrichment at second underground facility By Adrian Blomfield, 09 Jan 2012 Iranian officials and diplomats at the Vienna headquarters of the UN s Internati onal Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that centrifuges at the Fordow enrichment pl ant near the holy city of Qom had begun production. The announcement represents a significant advance for Iran s nuclear programme a nd will add to the sense of foreboding in the West. The facility at Qom, which Iran went to great lengths to hide from international inspectors for many years, is buried deep inside a mountain, making it much har der to strike from the air. Iranian engineers began to transfer centrifuges to the Fordow plant from its mai n enrichment facility at Natanz last August, a move that led in part to renewed

speculation at the end of last year that Israel was preparing to launch unilater al military action against Iran. Israeli officials yesterday declined to be drawn into a response, but one said: "It is another reminder that time is running out to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power". Although the idea of unilateral military action has deeply divided the Israeli e stablishment, the development will undoubtedly raise fears that the prospect is drawing closer. According to sources close to Israeli intelligence, defence chiefs have develope d a doctrine, known as the "framework of immunity", which concludes that there i s a point in the development of Iran s nuclear project after which military acti on would no longer be considered effective. Full Report at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9003290/Iran-confirmsuranium-enrichment-at-second-underground-facility.html ---------Egypt s Brotherhood treads carefully after victory By HAMZA HENDAWI CAIRO: 1/9/2012 The Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the biggest winner in parl iamentary elections, but the fundamentalist group that has long dreamed of rulin g Egypt is likely to be cautious about flexing its newfound muscle. The Brotherhood has been crushed by the military before and will likely tread ca refully to avoid spooking the ruling generals or the country s western supporter s, who provide generous amounts of badly needed foreign aid. Appearing modest at its proudest moment may be the best tactic for the Brotherho od as it seeks to strike a difficult balance between translating its impressive electoral victory into political power while not appearing too keen to be alone at the helm in this turbulent nation of 85 million people. So, already, the Brotherhood s political arm, the Freedom and Justice party, is insisting it has no immediate desire to push through Islamic legislation, would not form a new government after the new legislature holds its inaugural session later this month or have its own candidate in the presidential election due befo re the end of June. Additionally, it has distanced itself from more militant Islamic groups the ultr aconservative Salafis have won a quarter of seats while going to great lengths t o avoid a clash with the powerful generals who took over from Hosni Mubarak 11 m onths ago and remain in power to this day. "The cautious approach is rooted in part in the lessons the Muslim Brotherhood h as learned from past clashes with the army for which it paid dearly," prominent columnist Abdullah al-Sinawi wrote in Monday s edition of the independent Al-Sho rouk daily. The Brotherhood has in the 84 years since its inception in 1928 as an outlawed o rganization. At times, it enjoyed a level of relative tolerance by authorities t hat allowed it to function as a religious charity and political body, running a huge network of social services and fielding parliamentary candidates as indepen dents. But for most of those eight decades, Brotherhood leaders and supporters have bee n targeted in harsh government crackdowns that saw hundreds of them jailed, tort ured and convicted, often on drummed up charges. Full Report at: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45929675/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/#.TwvH_6XrqR Y --------Egypt wrapping up free elections By Sarah Lynch, Special for USA TODAY CAIRO Nearly one year after the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians are concludin g their first free and fair elections in decades in what analysts say is a good sign for a country wracked by poverty, injustice and at risk for religious extre mism. "The elections have given Egypt a forward momentum," said Shadi Hamid of Brookin

gs Doha Center in Qatar. "At least now you can say there is something going on h ere and the process has started, even though there is a long way to go." The third stage of the voting for the 498 seats of the lower house of parliament will end Wednesday with some run-off votes. The elections were dominated by Isl amist parties long banned in Egypt and whose agendas are murky. Their newfound p ower will give them significant influence over the devising of a constitution in which the rights of women, religious minorities and the role of Islamic law wil l be enshrined. STORY: Egyptians vote in final round of election "This is the first democratically elected Islamist majority in Egypt that will h ave a say in the upcoming government, if not form the government," said Mazen Ha ssan, a political science lecturer at Cairo University. "That s a huge change in Egypt and in the Arab world. Now [Islamists] will be tested." The Muslim Brotherhood s Freedom and Justice Party won almost 40% of seats in th e first two rounds of elections, which began Nov. 28. The Salafist Al-Noor Party , which supports full Islamic law, gained more than 20%. Final results are likely this week. According to preliminary results from the co untry s election agency, the voting was similar to previous rounds with the Brot herhood taking more than one third and Al-Noor coming in second. Election monitoring groups say they saw some minor violations at the polls that ranged from campaigning on election days to failing to check the identities of s ome veiled women. Overall, they say, elections went smoothly and were accepted b y most Egyptians as legitimate, as opposed to elections under Mubarak, which wer e labeled fraudulent by election monitors and the U.S. State Department. Full Report at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-01-09/egypt-elections/52469998/1 URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamicWorldNews_1.aspx?ArticleID=633 5