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Dr Kaukab Siddique | Editor-in-Chief Jamada al-Thani 12,1430/ June 6, 2009, # 27

Trauma in Kashmir as Agonized Masses come out to protest gang rape of two Muslim women by Indian troops. Scroll all the way down for BBC report.

See unusual report from Lithuania about the "Holocaust" Story. Please scroll down.

A very important perspective from New Trend's correspondent in Montreal on the country from where Obama started his trip. Please scroll to end.

American Muslims Respond to President Obama's Speech in Cairo:
Imam Badi Ali
Dr. Kaukab Siddique
Sis. Sofia
Br. Shamim Siddiqui
Br. Jalaluddin Hussain

Spiritual inspiration from the Prophet Muhammad [peace be on him]
with thanks to Sis Aqsa

Shahr bin Haushab reported: I asked Umm Salamah (May Allah be pleased with her),
"O Mother of the Believers! Which supplication did the Messenger of Allah
(salallahu alaihi wa salam) make frequently when he was in your house?''
She said: "He (salallahu alaihi wa salam) supplicated frequently:

`Ya muqallibal-qulubi, thabbit qalbi `ala dinika
(O Controller of the hearts make my heart steadfast in Your religion).''
[Hadith collected by At-Tirmidhi].

With thanks to Br. Khalil Abdur-Rahman
Latest News of Imam Jamil Abdullah al-Amin: Florence, Colorado AD-Max Prison Outdoes Gitmo

June 5, 2009: Atlanta, Georgia: New Trend interviewed Sis. Karima, Imam Jamil's attorney and wife. Sis. Karima and the Imam's son, Khairi, visited him in the supermax prison in Florence on May 29, 30 and 31. Owing to protests by Muslims from across America, Imam Jamil is no longer in the "hole" [as the extreme isolation unit is called]. His health is good and his Islamic spirit and understanding of the issues are as high as ever.

However, the prison authorities have found a new way of dealing with the Imam. They have placed him a "bubble," which means that though he can see Muslim prisoners in the "recreation" area within sight he cannot talk to them or interact with them in any way.

The authorities claim that they have done this to the Imam because he was allegedly "recruiting" which is probably a reference to an attempt by an Aryan Nation ["white"] prisoner asking him for a Qur'an.

The family, wife, son, attorney cannot really meet the Imam. They have to talk to him through glass partition.
In some ways, the advanced maximum security prison in Florence is worse than Guantanamo Bay. Prisoners here are isolated scientifically in ways which had never been thought of before. If anyone ever comes out of here, he would be catatonic or full of rage. [It appears that the majority of prisoners here are Muslims. It's a concentration camp for Muslims organized so well that no one can prove any "abuse."]

No one has to be tortured here but they are no longer human beings. They are in storage, waiting to die.
Imam Jamil's support committee is working on several legal challenges to his continued incarceration.
The Struggle continues!

Note: During its last Shoora meeting, Jamaat al-Muslimeen urged Obama that along with Gtmo and Bagram, Florence' Ad-Max should be pulled down.

Spotlight #1 from Imam Badi Ali:
A mentally enslaved people welcome and cheer their conquerors.

Spotlight #2 from Imam Badi Ali
Obama and Napolean: History repeating itself: [Excerpted from Napolean's speech in 1798 on the conquest of Egypt]:

"Cadis, Sheiks, Imams, Chorbadgys, you will be told that I came to destroy your religion; do not believe it. Let your answer be that I come to reestablish your rights and punish your usurpers, and that I have more respect than the Mamelukes for your God, his Prophet, and the Koran."
"Tell your people that all men are equal before God. Wisdom, talent, and virtue make the only difference between them."
"But, is there a fine country? It is appropriated by the Mamelukes. Is there a beautiful slave, a fine horse, a fine house? All this belongs to the Mamelukes. If Egypt be their farm, let them show the lease which God has given them of it! But God is just and merciful to the people. The Egyptians will be called to fill the public stations. Let the wisest, the most enlightened, the most virtuous govern, and the people will be happy."
"You had formerly large cities, great canals, a flourishing commerce. What has ruined them all if not the avarice, the injustice, and the tyranny of the Mamelukes?"
"Cadis, Sheiks, Imams, Chorbadgys, tell the people that we, too, are true Mussulmans. Is it not we who demolished the pope, the great enemy of the Mussulmans? Are we not the friends of the grand seignior?"
"Thrice happy those who shall be found on our side! They will prosper in fortune and rank. Happy those who shall remain neutral! They will have time to know the result, and then will join us."
"But woe, eternal woe, to those who take arms in favor of the Mamelukes and fight against us! There will be no hope for them; they will perish!"
"Sheiks, Ulemas, believers of Mohammed, make known to the people that those who have been enemies to me will find no refuge either in this world or the other. Is there a man so blind as not to see that Destiny itself directs my operations?"

National Islamic Shoora of Jamaat al-Muslimeen will meet on July 25, inshallah.

Expansion of the movement for non-violent resistance to Zionism, Imperialism, exploitation of women and consumerism

Delegates have been confirmed from:

New York
Pennsylvania
Maryland
North Carolina
Tennessee
Louisiana
Texas
Colorado
California

Obama: Day 135
Analysis of President Obama's Speech in Cairo
by Imam Badi Ali, Dr. Kaukab Siddique and others
Blatant Attempt at Deception and Division: Supporting the Secular Tyrants of Muslim Countries

June 4, 2009: Before he left for Saudi Arabia, President Obama was insistent that his support for Israel is irrevocable. It was not very diplomatic of him to tell Muslims that he has close ties with the worst enemy of the Muslim world and from that vantage point he is going to be 'good' to the Muslims too.

Obama's Host:

His host was the tyrant of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, a main whose hands are stained with the blood of countless Muslim men, women and children. Egypt is under martial law and people were being arrested even as Obama arrived. Vast areas of Cairo were put under tight police clampdown. The Egyptian ruler works in close harmony with the known enemy of Islam, Israel. Egypt has been with the U.S. in its policies of acceptance of Israeli genocide towards Palestine. During Israel's genocide in Gaza, Hosni sealed off all escape routes into Egypt.

Obama's plan seems to be to make Egypt's Mubarak the most important and influential force in the Arab world as the viceroy of America.

The Religious Facade: "Moderate Islam."

The place and the very carefully chosen gathering for Obama's speech showed that two slinky, sold out religious groups are being used by Obama and will probably get open recognition in Egypt. These are the academics of Al-Azhar and some of the members of the Muslim Brotherhood [Ikhwan]. The brotherhood movement, decades back, abandoned its original Islamic goals and decided to become part of the status quo. The Ikhwan condemned the killing of Anwar Sadat and since then they have been begging to join the Egyptian power structure.

Obama's plan includes these architects of a new "Islam" labelled as "moderate Islam" under the influence of America's Rand Corporation.

"Islam" without Prayers!

The gathering addressed by Obama was not even symbolically Islam. The time for Zuhr prayer came and went and no one got up for prayer. There were no Islamic slogans at all: the audience constantly clapped and cheered like Americans. The cheering, about 44 times, seemed to have been organized by the regime.

Is this PEACE?

Obama tried to please the Muslims by saying "asalamu alaikum." [Peace be on you."] But where is the peace?

U.S. troops, 150,000 strong are in Iraq.

Another 21,000 [fresh] U.S. troops are being sent to Afghanistan.

At U.S. orders, Pakistan's people are under attack by Pakistan's own army, funded and armed by the U.S. Within a month, America's Pakistani army has created 3 million refugees from Swat, driven out by the terroristic use of heavy artillery, helicopter gunships and jet fighters [all provided by the U.S.]. Such a vast exodus of refugees in such a short period of time is unprecedented in recent human history.

Gaza: The Forbidden Word!

Obama maintained complete silence about Gaza. Not a word! even while he was admonishing Hamas for not recognizing Israel! On what basis can Obama claim sympathy for Palestinians when he can't [and adamantly refuses to] talk about Gaza.

Forget the Holocaust next door: Focus on Jewish suffering.

From Cairo, he went to Germany to visit the Buchenwald concentration camp site to show his love for Jews. Gaza, the holocaust area created by Israel, was much nearer, but he would not go there even for a symbolic stop.

To go to Buchenwald, he flew into DRESDEN. Again complete silence about the 100,000 German civilians burned alive in Dresden by the Anglo-American air forces.

"Unprecedented Holocaust?!" He forgot the history of the African people.
Obama forgot the 400 years of slavery in America and the extinction of many Native American tribes.

So what is this about a BLACK MAN WHOSE FAMILY HAD MUSLIMS IN IT? This is a form of deception. It's a way of saying : Dear Muslims trust me. I am one of you! He even included America in the list of Muslim countries!

Nearly 1.5 million people are in the concentration camp known as GAZA. Three million have been made homeless in Pakistan. A MILLION were killed in IRAQ. More than 40,000 have left their homes in Somalia most recently. USA is opposing Islamic rule in Somalia.

Not one Muslim prisoners has been freed from U.S. prisons. Draconian prison sentences were handed out to the Holy Land officials a few days back. Dr. Afia Siddiqui is in a U.S. prison in spite of her serious health condition.................

Important excerpts from Obama's speech:

On Israel:
"America's strong bonds with Israel are well known. This bond is unbreakable. It is based upon cultural and historical ties, and the recognition that the aspiration for a Jewish homeland is rooted in a tragic history that cannot be denied."

Obama's statement is not factual. Israel did not exist before 1948. How could there be cultural and historical ties between the U.S. and Israel?

Jews as victims and the holocaust story
"Around the world, the Jewish people were persecuted for centuries, and anti-Semitism in Europe culminated in an unprecedented Holocaust. Tomorrow, I will visit Buchenwald, which was part of a network of camps where Jews were enslaved, tortured, shot and gassed to death by the Third Reich."

"Around the world" is empty rhetoric. Jews were persecuted in Europe and they in turn committed mass murder and ethnic cleansing against Ukrainians, Poles, Latvians, Lithuanians and finally Germans. "Unprecdented Holocaust" is non-factual.

Obama wants CENSORSHIP.
"Six million Jews were killed - more than the entire Jewish population of Israel today. Denying that fact is baseless, ignorant, and hateful. Threatening Israel with destruction - or repeating vile stereotypes about Jews - is deeply wrong, and only serves to evoke in the minds of Israelis this most painful of memories while preventing the peace that the people of this region deserve."

Why not let the people of the world decide for themselves what happened? It is not the job of an American president to insist on the myth of "six million Jews." What has he studied on this subject? Occupation of Palestine cannot be justified on the basis of "painful memories" which have netted billions of dollars for International Jewry.

Incorrect Understanding of Muslim opposition to the West
".....sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam."

Islam is a global power. Every year this global power is symbolically displayed at Makka during the Hajj. As for modernization, the Islamic resistance is so highly modernized that the U.S. military could not win in Iraq or Afghanistan. President Obama is confusing westernization with modernization. We certainly do not want to be westernized.

This is Deception:
"Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case."

American troops have been there since 2001. Tens of thousands of Afghan civilians have been killed by the U.S. air force. These are very poor excuses for the occupation of an Islamic country. The U.S. held fake elections and set up a puppet regime in Kabul. Surely Obama knows that he is involved in aggession and occupation. Neither International Law nor Islamic Law permits anyone to attack and occupy a country because it has "violent extremists" in it.

Why did 9.11 Happen and who was targeted:
"...the events of 9/11. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody. And yet Al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale."

Was 9.11 a cosmic event which happened out of the blue without cause? Did the 19 Arab men decide to attack the Twin Towers and the Pentagon because these places were full of "innocent men, women and children?" or were these targets hit because they were America's high value buildings connected to international commerce, intelligence services and the military complex? Is it true that before 9.11, America put sanctions and an embargo on Iraq, the like of which have never been seen, resulting in ONE MILLION Iraqis dead including vast numbers of children? [Till now no one has claimed that there were children in the Pentagon and the Twin Towers. It's absurd to claim that Muhammad Atta was trying to kill children or that it was a random attack aimed at civilians. Why not investigate torture in Egypt as the source of Atta's rage. Egypt has been the source used by the U.S. to torture Muslims]

Quoting the Qur'an out of Context to justify war on Afghanistan
"They have killed people of different faiths - more than any other, they have killed Muslims. Their actions are irreconcilable with the rights of human beings, the progress of nations, and with Islam. The Holy Koran teaches that whoever kills an innocent, it is as if he has killed all mankind; and whoever saves a person, it is as if he has saved all mankind. The enduring faith of over a billion people is so much bigger than the narrow hatred of a few. Islam is not part of the problem in combating violent extremism - it is an important part of promoting peace."

President Obama should know quoting the Qur'an out of context so that its words are distorted and its meaning is changed is a MAJOR SIN called tahreef. Standing in front of Muslims and doing tahreef is a way of mocking and insulting Islam and Muslims.

Here is what the verse actually says: 'On that account we ordained for the children of Israel that Whoever kills a person - unless it be for murder or for disruption in the land ...it is as though he has killed all mankind. And whoever saves a life, it is as though he had saved all mankind..." [till the end of the verse. (Qur'an, 5:32)

We have underlined the words Obama left out. In fact there can be no doubt that Obama does not know the context. The Qur'an tells the story of the murder of Abel by Cain and then says: "On that account ..." As a Christian , Obama should know that the story of Cain and Abel is about envy and personal hatred leading to murder. No one has claimed [yet] that Al-Qaida and Taliban had personal hatred or personal grudge against anyone in the Twin Towers or the Pentagon. Retaliation for murder and war against FASAD [disruptive attacks like the bombing of Iraq] are permitted in Islam. Numerous chapters of the Qur'an are about Jihad where killing the oppressors and occupiers is a religious duty. Who has been fooling Obama that armed resistance is not a part of Islam?

We can understand that the U.S. wants to destroy al-Qaida because of 9.11 but to say that al-Qaida wants to kill Muslims or that they want to kill people because of their faiths is preposterous and not even good propaganda. It becomes funny when the president of a well-informed nation claims flat out that al-Qaida is against Islam! Who is going to believe that [other than the kings and dictators espoused by the U.S.]?

Viewpoint
Islam has the Potential to unite Muslims Globally: Obama is trying to Disarm Them
by Sis. Sofia [Instructor in English. New York City]

History tells us that wars are won by the side that has the latest weapons of war. So, the West is likely to be the winner. However, history also tells us that from time to time, the Spirit Force of a people manages to win against all odds.
Islam and the Qur'an have this power to confront enemies embedded within it in a manner that in an instant the entire Muslim Ummah could unite, inshallah. It is for Muslims as individuals to use the power given to each and every Muslim to be leaders and to confront corrupting evil forces around them and to never give up (This is why I believe that Islam is the only truly democratic entity in the world today).

It is for this reason that the West has for centuries been trying to destroy Islam, the Qur'an, it's Prophet and its followers. Islam poses a formidable challenge to all tyrants, corrupters of society, unjust rulers. The current US and most importantly Zionist/Israeli attitudes towards the global Muslim community reflect all past attempts to confront, disarm, weaken, and destroy the Muslims although they are trying very hard to find arguments to debunk this view.

They use words that would appeal to Muslims to disarm them and then attack to gain power. They physically disarm them by taking away their weapons including nuclear capabilities, make alms-giving "unlawful" because they say so, making charitable groups "unlawful" and on their "hit list" because they say so, etc.

If one listens and views all of the current attempts by President Obama from this angle, then one can see the purpose under the surface illogicality of his statements and offerings of peace to the Muslim world. (You will find fragments of this on the bbcnews.com/UK video of June 1, 2009 titled "Obama Praises 'Universal' Values"--where his statements seem to imply that Islam and Muslims lack universal values and the U.S. lives them.)

(President Obama mentions building of new settlements in Palestine must stop but nothing about dismantling those built in the past decades)
In the past the West has managed to disarm the Muslims with words (for evidence of this go to President Obama's recent (June 3, 2009(?) speech given in Cairo where he gets applause when he gives the Islamic greeting and quotes from the Qur'an, etc.). Will the Muslims continue to be duped or will they ask for actions from the West as proof of a change in policy and offerings of peace to them?

Some insights that I have gained from listening to the news and from "common folk" from time to time: (1) The Pope has verbally stated intentions of the Catholic Church to convert all of Africa to Christianity. (2) Many young men in the U.S. are signing up for military service with the sole purpose of converting the Afghan and Iraqi Muslims to Christianity. These could be found in the Navy Reserves(of all places!) and in the many Evangelical Christians in the U.S. military today. (3) There was strong propaganda used against Islam and Muslims by Catholic nuns in Turkey to topple it just before they fought its "founder" of Turkey as we know it today. Are Iraqis and Afghans aware of the evangelizing forces in their midst? (4) I agree what you say about CAIR, ISNA, Zaid Shakir and his Sufi buddy because I have experienced them at a personal level. It is unfortunate that Muslims do not unite under one purpose and one goal but opt out for personal gain or "protection" from the non-Muslim elements they face.

What does the future hold for Islam and Muslims? Only Lord Almighty knows! We can only try our best to live our lives as the Lord of the Universe(s) wants us to. Most importantly, to fear Allah, Lord Almighty alone. Then every other power on this Earth fades away into insignificance.

EVALUATION OF OBAMA'S CAIRO SPEECH OF JUNE 4, 09
Obama Stirred Fear of Iran, Ignored Muslims in Kashmir, Chechnya, China and Pakistan

[Shamim A Siddiqi, New York]

The writer is a leading teacher and preacher of Islam in America. Instead of the review of his amazing book on Sura al-Fateha, we present his powerful commentary on President Obama's speech. [See book review in the next issue, inshallah.]

There was a lot of expectations from his speech, especially in the Muslim world. However, he could not go beyond the "eternally" fixed agenda of the USA to protect Israel, the illegitimate child of Western hegemonies supplanted in the heart of Muslim world, irrespective of the fact whether its behaviors are right or wrong. President Obama strictly adheres to it. That is evident form his every gesture and beautifully coined phrases. Barak Obama is surrounded by "Ahley Yahud and Ahley Hanud" and he cannot think beyond the ken of their mortal prejudiced sight and vision which is nothing but blurred due to "anti-Islam and anti-Muslims prejudices of centuries together.

Definitely, he had spoken some fine words of gestures towards Muslim and he received wide applause for that from his audience. That was the art of his eloquence and the demand of the situation in which he was speaking. He vehemently advocated that Muslims must give up "violence" [even if they are butchered and tortured at the hands of America and its allies every where in the name of their false and concocted "War against Terrorism"].

His speech was full of empty exhortations. However, however, one thing was clear that he was sincere in his approach but the historical backlash of US foreign policy is "killing" him all around. If he cannot change the genesis of Americas so-called "paramount" interest to protect the State of Israel - right or wrong, the sheet anchor of its domestic and foreign policies, he cannot do any good to the Muslim world. UK created this world-class nuisance though Balfour Award in 1917 and the USA became its ultimate champion. It has destroyed the face of America in the Muslim world and will continue to damage its image for years and decades to come, if it does not change to: "justice for all and malice to none."

President Obama simply wants to get the Muslim states gathered together around the Peace proposal of King Abdullah for providing a safety "plug" to Israel and a free market to her booming war industry and commercial products along with providing massive support to American market economy. Equally, he is out to scare the surrounding Muslim states against the rightful emergence of Iran as a legitimate Nuclear power in the midst of expanding nuclear technology and where Israel is the most potential threat to world peace.

I don't expect any "Khair" [good] for Ummah to come out of his apparently innocent "gestures" towards Muslim countries. We should not live under any illusion or nurture any day-dreaming and expect any thing new from "Mubaraks, Abdullahs, Zardarieas and Karzais" of the Muslim world. They are the declared stooges of Uncle Sam and will soon be harping upon Obama's tunes. Obama exhorted them to be more "open and democratic" for their societies. It will fall apart on the deaf ears of these sitting tyrants and usurpers.

In fact, under the condition elaborated above, his hands are "tied", his lips are "sealed", and his eloquence is "shallow" due to aforesaid far-reaching, pre- determined and unrealistic commitment that the USA has given to the permanency of the Zionist State, in the heart of Muslim world. That will always keep the mind of Muslim youth agitated and igniting them to "revenge" and "retaliate" against the oppressors and the occupiers of their holy land. His only agenda behind his flawless speech was to get Israeli State.' recognized by the Muslim world, deter Iran from its rightful nuclear ambitions and that too for the safety of the Jewish State and get the Muslim world market opened "free" for the both. The rest were his cosmetic touches here and there to please the ever-increasing appetite of Muslim world nurturing "false" hopes that his forefathers belong to a Muslim clan which he shattered at the very outset by declaring that he is a "Christian".

Thus, in the fitness of the matter it must be emphatically emphasized that President Obama must FIRST do justice with all the profusely bleeding lands of Muslim world before asking Muslims to be the partners of his "peace" efforts. He must clearly understand: "NO JUSTICE NO PEACE. Let us see where he stands today:

* Kashmir has been bleeding for the last 60 years under the ruthless tyranny of Indian occupation and the USA is its best friend but keeping mum;

* Chechnya is hard pressed under the oppressive rule of Moscow for centuries together but both America and Europe are just its silent spectators;

* The Land of Quds stands occupied by Zionist regime with the open sanction of European and American hegemonies whereas its legitimate habitants are wandering like "destitute" in the neighboring countries for the last 60 years. America has even no words of sympathy for these innocent "wanderers" ousted by Jewish forceful occupants of their land in Palestine;

* Taliban have nothing to do with the tragedy of 9/11 but Afghanistan has practically been ruined by American bombardment and is occupied by America and its Allied forces with no intention to vacate it in near future - a totally unbearable situation for proud Afghans. Their pure blood is boiling against the occupiers while watching hopelessly and helplessly the killings of their innocent men, women and children daily in scores and fast destruction of their Islamic and traditional values at the altar of valueless America modernism;

* American interference in the internal affairs of Pakistan is growing fast, especially in its frontier region where air attacks by drones are increasing and killing innocent Muslims daily in scores. Who will pay the price for that? More than three millions refugees from Swat and Lower Dir are living in utter disparate condition due to direct sequence of false episode of "War against terrorism - who will bear the burnt of their curses? The movement in Pakistani masses is fast growing: "GO AMERCA GO" - providing the USA a mirror to see its "disgusted" face.

* The destruction of Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan and their respective refugee problems are the direct outcome of the misconstrued tragedy of 9/11 that America is pursuing blindly against Muslims around the world without ascertaining for the least through any judicial process: WHO DID IT & WHY? The entire war against terrorism is false and concocted. It is nothing but a total war against Islam and its values howsoever President Obama may deny it. He is unfortunately pursuing the misguided policy of Bush - Blare and could not get rid of it. How then Muslims can be his "camp-followers"?

* Muslims in the Central Asia, especially in the Province of Sinkiang of China are equally suffering for decades but the USA never said a single word against the atrocities being perpetuated against innocent Muslims of these lands and their notorious heads of these sates all are enjoying America's good wishes.

The list of Muslims' tragedies in Asia, Africa, Europe and America is limitless and pinpoints that FIRST America & Europe must learn to live in peace with justice with others and understand that the people fighting for their human rights are not terrorist at all. Those who FORCED them to resort to armed struggle for their human rights and occupied lands are the real culprits and are the declared terrorists and they must be "hanged" first on the gallows of history to get the abode of man CLEAN for Justice and PEACE.

At this juncture, President Obama must understand that this cosmos is running under the principle of "Cause and effect". The World cannot relish peace unless the causes of tension as shared above are removed for good.

With thanks to Mark Weber [California]
Lithuania Sees Jewish "Holocaust" Survivors as Criminals

In Other Words: Baltic Ghosts
Foreign Policy (Washington, DC)
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=4859&page=0

Lithuania is investigating Jewish Holocaust survivors as war criminals -- and using their own memoirs as evidence against them. / ... When Lithuania's chief war crimes prosecutor, Rimvydas Valentukevicius, read Arad's book, nearly 30 years after its publication, he didn't see a hero. He saw a possible war criminal. And in September 2007, when the prosecutor's office publicly announced an investigation into Arad, it was clear The Partisan would be Exhibit A against him. More war crimes investigations of Lithuanian Holocaust survivors have followed, and in each case, memoirs are playing a central role

War News:
Pakistan Military Admits that Victory in Swat is Not in Sight. [The following is from the BBC.]

Wednesday, 3 June 2009 13:47 UK

Swat fight 'may take two months'



Pakistani troops say they are making progress in the north-west

The offensive to eject the Taliban from the Swat valley of Pakistan could take another two months to complete, a senior army officer has said. Chief army spokesman Gen Athar Abbas said that troops needed time to stop militants from retaking control.

General Kayani's Army Destroyed Mosques, Shredded Qur'ans in Sultanwas [Buner District]
Pakistanis fume after army destroys homes

Taliban driven from frontier village but wreckage fuels backlash

Emilio Morenatti / AP

updated 7:18 p.m. ET, Thurs., May 28, 2009

SULTANWAS, Pakistan - When Pakistan's army drove the Taliban back from this small northwestern village, it also destroyed much of everything else here.

F-16 fighter jets, military helicopters, tanks and artillery reduced houses, mosques and shops to rubble, strewn with children's shoes, shattered TV sets and perfume bottles.

Commanders say the force was necessary in an operation they claim killed 80 militants. But returning residents do not believe this: Although a burned-out army tank at the entrance to Sultanwas indicates the Taliban fought back, villagers say most fighters fled into the mountains.

Beyond any doubt is their fury at authorities for wrecking their homes — the sort of backlash the army doesn't want as it tries to win the support of the people for its month-old offensive against the Taliban in Pakistan's northwest frontier region near the border with Afghanistan.

Beyond any doubt is their fury at authorities for wrecking their homes — just what the army does not want as it tries to win the support of the people for its month-old offensive against the Taliban in Pakistan's northwest frontier region near the border with Afghanistan.

"The Taliban never hurt the poor people, but the government has destroyed everything," Sher Wali Khan told the first reporting team to reach the village of about 1,000 homes.

'Treating us like the enemy'
"They are treating us like the enemy," he said as he collected shredded copies of a Quran from the ruins of a mosque.

The anger in this village is an echo of recent years, when previous army offensives against the Taliban in the northwestern frontier area caused widespread civilian casualties and damage to homes. The military's heavy-handed approach here shows it may still be more equipped to fight conventional war with India than guerrilla warfare in the shadows of mountain villages and towns, where militants use civilians as cover.

The Associated Press traveled to Sultanwas on Wednesday after the Pakistani army briefly lifted a curfew in the Buner district to allow residents to return.

But the fight for the region is clearly not over. Just beyond the village, a makeshift army checkpoint shows where its control ends. Beyond that, the army and villagers say the Taliban are in charge, patrolling streets on foot and in pickup trucks.

The United States wants a resounding victory against insurgents who are threatening not only the stability of this nuclear-armed country, but also the success of the American-led mission in neighboring Afghanistan.

But residents of Sultanwas say the militants in their village threatened no one.

Warned to get out
Khan, a 17-year-old who is quick with a smile and hopes to attend medical school, said about five militants occasionally came to a mosque. There, he said, they preached an ultraconservative brand of Islam and called for overthrowing the government because it was not implementing Islamic law. He said he did not agree with either position.

Khan fled with his family and most other residents when the army warned them last week to get out because the offensive was about to reach them.

The Taliban entered Buner last month from the Swat Valley, an advance that triggered the military's offensive. There was very little damage to buildings in the road leading to Sultanwas, which military officials said used to be one of the Taliban's major strongholds in the district.

Not for endorsement. Strictly for information only.
Taliban Video Shows Martyrdom Operator Blew Up Kayani's Military Camp in South Waziristan

May 23, 2009: Pakistani Taliban have issued a video showing a martyrdom operator named Yusuf blowing up a military camp of the Pakistan army in South Waziristan. Below are two of the scenes from the video. The first shows Yusuf smiling as he prepares to board a truck full of dynamite. The second shows Pakistani troops trying to stop the truck as it approaches the military camp's gate. The third shows the massive explosion which wipes out the main building of the camp. The fourth shows the explosion as seen from far away. [For lack of space, we are publishing only the first and last parts of the video.]




Photo shows Hafiz Saeed [center with white cap] coming out of a court in Lahore.
Hafiz Saeed, leader of Jamat-ud-Dawah has been released because the Pakistani court could not find any evidence linking him to Lashkare Taiba which India holds responsible for the attack on Mumbai. Three other leaders of Jamat Dawa were also released. Jamat-ud-Dawa has widespread support for its charitable activities.
India has expressed dismay at his release. Syed Munawar Hasan, leader of Jamaate Islami, visited him after his release [June 5]

U.S. Top General's Secret Visit to Pakistan on May 27 at height of Kayani's Assault on Swat


— AP/File photo.
ISLAMABAD: US Central Command chief Gen David Petraeus paid a secret visit to Islamabad on May 27

Killings provoke Kashmir protests

By Altaf Hussain
BBC News, Srinagar


The killings have shocked residents across the valley
June 1, 2009: Violent protests are continuing across Indian-administered Kashmir, following the deaths of two women who many believe were raped by Indian troops. The bodies of the two women were recovered on Saturday morning after they went missing on Friday.
A general strike called by separatist groups in response to the deaths of the women brought life in the Kashmir Valley to a standstill.
The government has ordered a judicial probe into the killings.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said an inquiry had become necessary because of the people's lack of faith in police investigations.
"Initial findings do not suggest either rape or murder. But there is a need to establish beyond doubt so that people are satisfied as far as possible.
"Most of the Valley is shut down. People want truth and they want it from a credible source," he said.
A retired high court judge, Justice Muzaffar Jan, has been given one month to complete the inquiry.
Action demanded
The incident has sent shockwaves throughout the Kashmir Valley in recent days. The separatist call for a strike was met with an overwhelming response as shops closed and traffic was suspended.
Daily demonstrations have paralysed the town of Shopian, where the women were from, as local residents demanded action from security forces.
The authorities have also imposed an undeclared curfew in the southern district of Shopian and police and paramilitaries have been deployed across the area.
The two women, who were sisters-in-law, went missing on the way home from their orchard on Friday. Their bodies were found the next morning, one in a canal and one on open ground about 1km (0.6 mile) away.
The results of the post-mortem report have not yet been made public.
On Saturday thousands of people marched in procession to the main square in Shopian town where they ransacked the local hospital in which the post-mortem had been performed.
The demonstrators allege that the women were gang-raped and subsequently killed by Indian security forces.
Local police reject the allegations saying that the women appeared to have drowned in a stream, the Associated Press news agency says.

Montreal Perspectives
By Jalaluddin s. Hussain

When will United Natiions Pass a Resolution on the Bombing of Swat? + The King of Saudi Arabia

Pakistan is burning and nobody seems to care. Besides Uncle Sam, Pakistan`s military is playing a very treacherous role and killing its own innocent population. Back in 1964 I visited Mingora (Swat). It was then a peceful and hospitable city and welcomed tourists, from all parts of the world. What has happened now? The three million peaceful Swatis are IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and living outside Swat, in miserable conditions. Uncle Sam`s fire-power and General Kiyani`s men, are wreaking destruction all over the Swat region! What is the United Nations doing? When will the members of the Security Council pass a resolution to call a halt to all this bombing of "Paradise on Earth", which is Swat!

June 3, 2009 issue of daily, "The Gazette", Montreal, reports that "expectations are high" for President Obama`s Mideast trip. The fact of the matter is that the President has started his trip on the wrong foot! King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, may be the king of a Muslim country but he is a ruthless dictator, who cares more for his kingship and less for his kingdom! He can feed both the terrorists and Uncle Sam, so long as his kingship is safe. Hosni Mubarak, the "perpetual" President of Egypt is no better. Iran is "bad" and North Korea is a "rogue" state, but Saudi Arabian and Egyptian rulers are good, so long as they are serving the interests of USA and Western powers. President Obama`s Mideast tour may serve America`s imperialist interests but it will surely not be beneficial for the Muslims, all over the world, at the grassroots level. Perhaps only time will tell that son of a Muslim father may have proved more dangerous than the evangelist Christian, who unfortunately has already wreaked havoc during his two "popular" mandates! God save the Muslim world, including Pakistan!

It was ruthlessly cruel of the Canadian Defence Minister, Peter Mackay, to blame Pakistan for becoming the "most dangerous place on earth". How can he blame Pakistan for Taliban militants marching on Islamabad and imperiling the safety of its (Pakistan`s) nuclear arsenal", when it were the Western forces who manipulated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda Mujahiddens, to drive out the Soviets from Afghanistan, in the 1980s. No other person than the present US Defence Secretary and former CIA Director, Robert Gates, knows better, for he was one of the architects of "Drive-the-Soviets-out" campaign. It were the USA and Western forces, who encouraged the drug mafia and the gun-runners of Afghanistan, to further their own narrow expansionist interests. Now the 50,000-plus strong NATO forces have diverted the extemists towards Pakistan and are now on a killing rampage on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border.

2009-06-07 Sun 21:18:54 cdt
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