In the news - muslims......

[Shammu]

Woman held in jail for naming a teddy bear "Mohammed"

Mon Nov 26, 2007 7:28am EST

By Andrew Heavens

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - A British primary school teacher has been arrested in Sudan, accused of insulting Islam's Prophet by letting her class of 7-year-olds name a teddy bear Mohammed, her school said on Monday.

Colleagues of Gillian Gibbons, aged 54 from Liverpool, told Reuters they feared for her safety after receiving reports that young men had already started gathering outside the Khartoum police station where she was being held.

Teachers at Unity High School in central Khartoum said Gibbons made an innocent mistake and simply let her pupils choose their favorite name for the toy as part of a school project.

Police arrested Gibbons on Sunday at her home inside the school premises, said Unity director Robert Boulos, after a number of parents made a complaint to Sudan's Ministry of Education.

Boulos said she had since been charged with "blasphemy", an offence he said was punishable with up to three months in prison and a fine.

A spokesman from the British Embassy in Khartoum said it was still unclear whether Gibbons had been formerly charged. "We are following it up with the authorities and trying to meet her in person," he said.

Boulos said he had decided to close down the school until January for fear of reprisals in Sudan's predominantly Muslim capital. "This is a very sensitive issue."

"We are very worried about her safety," he added. "This was a completely innocent mistake. Miss Gibbons would have never wanted to insult Islam."

CHILDREN VOTED

Boulos said Gibbons was following a British National Curriculum course designed to teach young pupils about animals and their habitats. This year's animal was the bear.

Gibbons, who joined Unity in August, asked a girl to bring in her teddy bear to help the Year 2 class focus, said Boulos.

The teacher then asked the class to name the toy. "They came up with eight names including Abdullah, Hassan and Mohammed. Then she explained what it meant to vote and asked them to choose the name." Twenty out of the 23 children chose Mohammed.

Each child was allowed to take the bear home at weekends and asked to write a diary about what they did with the toy. Each entry was collected in a book with a picture of the bear on the cover, next to the message "My name is Mohammed," said Boulos.

The bear itself was not marked or labeled with the name in any way, he added, saying Sudanese police had now seized the book and had asked to interview the 7-year-old girl.

Boulos said the first he knew about the course was last week when he got a phone call from the Ministry of Education, saying a number of Muslim parents had made formal complaints.

One Muslim teacher at Unity, who also has a child in Gibbons' class, said she had not found the project offensive.

"I had no problem with it at all," the teacher said. "I know Gillian and she would never have meant it as an insult. I was just impressed that she got them to vote."

The country's state-controlled Sudanese Media Centre reported late Sunday that Gibbons had been arrested for "insulting the Prophet Mohammad". It said charges were being prepared "under article 125 of the criminal law" which covers insults against faith and religion.

No one was immediately available for comment from Sudan's ministries of Education or Justice.

Unity, an independent school founded in 1902, is governed by a board representing major Christian denominations in Sudan, but teaches both Christians and Muslims aged 4 to 18.

Woman held in jail for naming a teddy bear "Mohammed"

[Shammu]

Once again, we are confronted with the religion of peace. What a crock!! There is no freedom and the thought police are everywhere. I hope this woman leaves the country as soon as possible. So much for educating the ignorant.

I'll pray for but, I have no sympathy for the Sudanese. They are barbarians who are led by a false prophet to worship a false god.

[Shammu]

Kenyan Muslims deny Sharia claims
27 November 2007

Kenyan Muslim leaders have dismissed as propaganda allegations that an opposition party promised to introduce Sharia for Muslims if it won elections.

The National Muslim Leaders Forum said its deal with the Orange Democratic Movement was to end the current discrimination against Muslims.

Christian leaders have been calling for the pact to be made public to end angry speculation ahead of December's polls.

Roughly one-third of Kenya's population of 34 million is Muslim.

Recent opinion polls show 45% of those interviewed support ODM's Raila Odinga compared to 43% who favour President Mwai Kibaki, who is running on a Party of National Unity ticket.

Rendition probe

Muslim leaders decided to make the pact public after a document circulated on the internet claimed that Mr Odinga's ODM had pledged to introduce Sharia in parts of the country where Muslims are in the majority.

"There was a fear that Muslims will force their faith on other people, Islam does not allow suppression of other religions and we will be the last to advocate for this," said Abdullahi Abdi of the National Muslim Leaders Forum.

Instead the memorandum of understanding, signed in August, states that Mr Odinga has pledged to defend Muslims against harassment and victimisation by state security forces who claim to be fighting terrorism.

If the ODM leader wins, he promises to set up a commission to investigate renditions of Muslims to Somalia, Ethiopia and the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay on the island of Cuba.

The document also commits Mr Odinga to initiate policies to redress the present marginalisation of Muslims living in the Coast and North-East provinces.

Kenyan Muslims deny Sharia claims

[Shammu]

"There was a fear that Muslims will force their faith on other people, Islam does not allow suppression of other religions and we will be the last to advocate for this,"

Can they spell LIES!!

In the past 1400 years, Islam has murdered 270,000,000 nonbelievers!!!!!!

Who has caused the majority of wars and killing throughout the history of mankind? It sure isn't the non believers, it's those who are compelled by their beliefs to eradicate the non believers from the earth, or kill those who they feel are not the "chosen people."

Also allah tells his people to spread his glory and name by spreading islam to get more people to bow before him. He doesn't tell them just to love each other and help one another, irrespective of being believers or idol-worshippers. He exhorts them to convert the non-believers and if necessary use VIOLENCE!!!!!

This is the core of Islam, which is really indefensible. Hence, the need for censorship at gunpoint, the need to murder people, or pass death sentences on people who expose islam. Hence the blasphemy laws in Pakistan and other islamic countries.

There is no such thing as radical islam, it’s all just islam. Osma bin laden, all the jihad's, suicide bombers, all those murdering in the name of islam are true muslims . They are following the exact teachings of the koran.  Hitler who once said that when you lie, tell a big lie. The two biggest lies in all history, is that islam is a "Religion of Peace" and muhammad, a prophet of Peace.

[Shammu]

Bin Laden: Europe must quit Afghanistan


Mark Tran
Thursday November 29, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

The al-Qaida leader, Osama bin Laden, called on European governments to end their military cooperation with the US in Afghanistan in a new audio message broadcast today.

With his fifth public message this year, bin Laden sought to exploit tensions between European capitals and Washington over the ongoing Nato military campaign in Afghanistan.

He reiterated that he was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the US, not the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan at the time.

"The American tide is ebbing," he said in a message addressed directly to the European public. "It is better for you to restrain your politicians who are thronging the steps of the White House."

In a quick rebuttal to bin Laden's audio message, parts of which were carried on al-Jazeera television, the Afghan government said bin Laden had no right to interfere with its sovereignty. It also rejected his accusations that Afghan civilians were being killed by Nato troops, saying they were being killed by extremists.

His message came as Poland is reconsidering its commitment of 1,200 troops to the Nato mission, following the election of a new government.

Bin Laden has issued four other public statements this year: on September 7, September 11, September 20 and October 22. The September 7 video was bin Laden's first in three years and was issued to mark the sixth anniversary of 9/11.

The last message in October was an audiotape broadcast on al-Jazeera television where bin Laden called for Iraqi insurgents to unite and avoid divisive "extremism".

Bin Laden's followers in Iraq have angered other Sunni groups and tribes through their hardline interpretations of Islam and the indiscriminate killing of civilians.

As a result, Sunni tribal leaders in Anbar province have turned against al-Qaida in Iraq and allied themselves with US forces.

In his October tape, the speaker said the strength of faith was in bonds between Muslims, not in a tribe, nationalism or an organisation.

A message released on 20 September called for a holy war against Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, who has sided with the Bush administration against the Taliban since 9/11.

Earlier this week, al-Qaida's media wing announced that it would soon release a new message from bin Laden. As-Sahab said bin Laden would address European countries in the message.

Bin Laden: Europe must quit Afghanistan

[nChrist]

al-Qaida and all of their associates have one purpose - killing innocents, elimination of Israel and Christianity, and destabilizing civilization for the end purpose to conquer. They don't ever change. They either continue on their mission or die in the process. The mission must be finished in Afghanistan, Iraq, and anywhere else a single head from al-Qaida pops up. That's not what they want, so that's exactly what should happen. This group is the most likely to start a nuclear war in whatever manner they can dream up. Their allegiance is to terror and death - nothing else. The simple fact is that their goals will be obtained unless they are wiped out, so they need to be wiped out. It won't happen in this Age of Grace, but it will happen at the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

[Soldier4Christ]

He reiterated that he was responsible for the September 11 attacks on the US, not the Taliban, who ruled Afghanistan at the time.

Where's Ron Paul and his followers on this one?   

[nChrist]

Where's Ron Paul and his followers on this one?   

     ROFL!  Ron Paul is one guy that I can't figure out at all. You never know what he'll say next. I did find it funny that the Bunny Ranch House of Ill Repute in Nevada endorsed him. He says a few things that are old fashioned Constitutional, but everything else just leaves you scratching your head. So, the guy sounds like an absolute genius about 1 minute out of every hour. The rest of the time, poor Ron is in the Twilight Zone.

[Soldier4Christ]

lol  ...  I think that he has moved from the Twilight Zone to the No Lights Are On Zone.

[Shammu]

Use of the word women 'banned from state TV'

Tehran, 29 Nov. (AKI) - The word 'women' must now be replaced on Iranian state television by 'family', reformist Norouz news agency reports.

In programmes broadcast throughout the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women last Sunday, Iranian state TV used the world family instead.

In recent weeks, Iran's Centre for the Participation of Women changed its name to the Centre for Family Matters.

At the time of former reformist president, Mohammad Khatami, the centre was set up within the president's office.

Khatami was president of Iran from 1997 to 2005.

Use of the word women 'banned from state TV'
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MORONS!!!

[Shammu]

One year anniversary of Hezbollah's occupation of downtown Beirut
Friday, 30 November, 2007 @ 7:38 PM

Beirut, Lebanon - The Hizbullah-led opposition on Saturday marks the first anniversary of its central Beirut sit-in that has sent 2,700 people unemployed and forced closure of 75 restaurants and coffee shops.

Nevertheless, the protestors vowed to maintain their Tent City for years if need be to force the resignation of Premier Fouad Saniora's majority government.

"The sit-in began because there is a government that we consider illegitimate, and as long as our goal has not been achieved we will stay there indefinitely," Hizbullah spokesman Hussein Rahal said.

The continued protest comes as the country grapples with a dangerous political vacuum that has left the presidency vacant because of a standoff between pro- and anti-Syrian factions.

The year-long sit-in has transformed a large swathe of Beirut's usually bustling downtown into a ghost town and led to the shutdown of some 200 businesses and thousands of job losses.

And although the sprawling tent city pitched by the protesters on streets leading to Saniora's offices is now empty for the most part, it is a sore reminder for passersby of the crisis pitting the government against the Shiite militant group and its ally, opposition leader Michel Aoun.

Groups of young men mill outside the tents at night, some smoking water pipes and others chit-chatting about politics, reading a newspaper or watching television.

Several of the militants interviewed said they work in shifts manning the tents -- which they said number 600 -- with some going to work during the day and returning to the camp at night.

"When we started we thought the government would fall quickly but the days have gone by and now I think it will take a while," Emile Hashem, a spokesman for the militants loyal to Aoun, said.

"Still, we are ready to stay until Saniora leaves and if that takes 10 years so be it," he added.

"We are here 24 hours a day and we are staying," chimed in a Hizbullah militant who did not wish to give his name.

Hashem and a Hizbullah official said a rally was planned Saturday to commemorate the year-long sit-in.

The prime minister for his part has ignored the protesters camped under his windows and refrained from removing them by force to avoid an escalation.

"Mr. Saniora respects their right to demonstrate but what they are doing is infringing on people's freedom and it is translating into millions of dollars in losses for businesses," his spokesman Aref El-Abed said.

Ralph Eid, who owns a shoe store in the downtown area and is a member of the merchants' association, said the Hizbullah-led standoff with the government had spelled the death knell for many businesses.

"They have taken us hostage by their action," he said. "If they want to make a political statement, they can do so for a day, two or 10 days, but it's been a full year and they are killing everybody's business," he said.

Tarek Barakat, a member of the local restaurant association, said of the 105 restaurants, snack bars and coffee shops that operated in the downtown area, only 30 were still in business and some 2,700 employees had lost their jobs.

"It's been more than a disaster because a disaster has an end," Barakat said. "And here there is no end."

One year anniversary of Hezbollah's occupation of downtown Beirut

[Soldier4Christ]

Chinese missiles 'smuggled into Saudi Arabia' 
Paper says suspected al-Qaida terrorists allegedly able to bring in 8

A Saudi Arabian newspaper said Sunday that suspected Al Qaeda terrorists were allegedly able to smuggle eight Chinese-made missiles into the kingdom before they were arrested as part of a terror sweep.

The daily Okaz, which is deemed close to the government, quoting unnamed officials as saying militants wanted to use the missiles to allegedly target hotels and other buildings in the kingdom.

The newspaper did not further describe the missiles.

The Saudi Interior Ministry last week announced that it made its largest terror sweep to date, arresting 208 Al Qaeda-linked militants in six separate arrests in recent months. One of the alleged terror cells was led by a non-Saudi missile expert, the ministry said.

The ministry said members of that cell were planning to smuggle eight missiles into the kingdom to carry out terrorist operations, but it did not say what kind of missiles or what the targets were. Okaz reported Sunday that the missiles were already inside Saudi Arabia.

The newspaper also quoted Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al-Turki as saying the leadership of another one of the alleged terror cells was based in another country. Al-Turki did not name the country.

Last week, the Interior Ministry said authorities arrested 112 alleged members of that cell during the terror sweep. The ministry said the cell was trying to smuggle men to Iraq and Afghanistan for training, after which they would be brought back to Saudi Arabia to try to carry out attacks in the kingdom.

[Shammu]

Sudan leader to meet British delegation

By ALFRED de MONTESQUIOU, Associated Press Writer 2 hours, 30 minutes ago

KHARTOUM, Sudan - Sudan's president will meet a British delegation to discuss a possible pardon for a teacher imprisoned in Sudan for allowing her students to name a teddy bear Muhammad, a presidential spokesman said Sunday.

Two Muslim members of British parliament, Baroness Sayeeda Warsi and Lord Nazir Ahmed, have been in Sudan for two days trying to set up a meeting with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir. He is the only one who can pardon Gillian Gibbons, the 54-year-old British teacher who has been imprisoned since Thursday.

"The (Sudanese) president will meet the British delegation at 10:30 (Monday morning) at the presidential palace," Mahzoub Faidul told The Associated Press. "He will discuss the case and a possible pardon."

Al-Bashir's decision to sit down with the two politicians could be a breakthrough in the case.

Gibbons was sentenced Thursday to 15 days in prison and deportation for insulting Islam because she allowed her students to give a teddy bear the same name as Islam's revered prophet — a violation under Sudan's Islamic Sharia law.

Concern for the teacher's safety grew Friday after thousands of Sudanese, many armed with clubs and swords and beating drums, burned pictures of her and demanded her execution at a rally in Khartoum.

Gibbons was moved from the Omdurman women's prison to a secret location on Friday after the demonstrations.

The British Embassy said they had not been officially notified about the meeting with al-Bashir. But spokesman Omar Daair said it would be "a positive development."

Earlier Sunday, Warsi said she and Ahmed had "some very, very difficult meetings" with Sudanese officials but indicated the two politicians had canceled their return tickets to Britain early Monday in hopes of a breakthrough.

Ahmed said "progress has been made" in their meetings.

"There is only one item on the agenda and that is Gillian and hopefully obtaining her pardon," said Ahmed.

He expressed hope that the cultural background of the two politicians would help bridge the gap between Britain and Sudan.

"That is very important, we are British and we are Muslim," said Ahmed. "We understand the sensitivity and culture of this part of the world and also our own culture and norms and customs."

The British Embassy said earlier that it was talking directly to the Sudanese government at the same time that the parliamentarians were working for Gibbons' release.

"We are working closely with Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi because we think their initiative has the best chance of success," Daair, the embassy spokesman, said earlier, adding that the British government was pressing for a meeting with al-Bashir.

Gibbons' chief lawyer, Kamal al-Gizouli, was optimistic on the chances of the British delegation to secure the teacher's release, in part because the whole affair has become an international embarrassment to the government.

"They want to get rid of the problem and the visit of the British lords would be a good opportunity," he said. "This case is a headache for the government. I would not be surprised if Gibbons was released today or tomorrow."

Gibbons escaped harsher punishment that could have included up to 40 lashes, six months in prison and a fine. Her time in jail since her arrest Sunday counts toward the sentence.

During her trial, the weeping teacher said she had intended no harm. Her students, overwhelmingly Muslim, chose the name for the bear, and Muhammad is one of the most common names for men in the Arab world. Muslim scholars generally agree that intent is a key factor in determining if someone has violated Islamic rules against insulting the prophet.

But the case was caught up in the ideology that al-Bashir's Islamic regime has long instilled in Sudan, a mix of anti-colonialism, religious fundamentalism and a sense that the West is besieging Islam.

The uproar comes as the U.N. is accusing Sudan of dragging its feet on the deployment of peacekeepers in the western Sudanese Darfur region.

Sudan leader to meet British delegation

[Shammu]

What can't be named Muhammad

British teacher Gillian Gibbons has been jailed for 15 days after insulting Islam's Prophet by allowing her pupils in Sudan to name a teddy bear Muhammad. What are the rules on using the name?

The Arabic name Muhammad is now the second most popular name for baby boys in Britain, adding together its 14 different spellings in English.

Muslim families - of which there are an increasing number in the UK - often choose names which honour the Muslim Prophet or show a link to their religion in another way.

 But is it acceptable for Muslims to name a toy Muhammad? The arrest and subsequent jailing of Ms Gibbons has sparked debate in Islamic circles. As is the case in so many religious matters, the question is open to interpretation.

The issue has been a vexed one for Muslims through the ages. Some believe that the name can only be given to boys - to give it to an object is idolatry (excessive veneration). Others say that pets and toys can bear the name.

Ibrahim Mogra, chairman of the Muslim Council of Britain's interfaith relations committee and an imam in Leicester, says the name should be reserved for boys. "Some of us believe we are assured of heaven if we name our children Muhammad."

But he says it's ridiculous that Ms Gibbons is being punished for a "miscalculation".

"If someone clearly intends to insult and cause offence with a toy in the form of a pig, for example, and someone knowingly and intentionally names it Muhammad, we know exactly where they're going with it - the idea is to cause offence. If it's just a miscalculation, we don't need to go overboard."

Dilwar Hussain, of the Islamic Foundation, has no problem with a teddy bear called Muhammad. For some years, the Islamic Society sold a soft toy made for British Muslim children named Adam the Prayer Bear. "Adam is also the name of a Prophet."

Would it be acceptable to give a religious name to a pet? In much of the Muslim world, he says, animals are seen as functional and so are rarely given names.

Idolatry

But Adel Darwish, the political editor of The Middle East magazine, says that Muslim children - "like children everywhere" - give their pets the names of characters they liked, be it a religious figure, sports hero or pop singer.

 "Millions of Muslim children in Muslim nations give their dolls, pets and teddies Muslim names of the Prophet and his mother, daughters and wives."

Gill Lusk, the associate editor of Africa Confidential and a specialist on Sudan, says the incident will have offended many in the country. As Sudan is a place where religion is never mocked or satirised, it's "unthinkable" that a toy or pet could be given a religious name.

"You're not supposed to give a religious name to any objects - it could be seen as idolatry."

But the majority of Sudanese people won't have wanted to see Ms Gibbons in trouble for the naming of the teddy bear.

"People are very forgiving of foreigners, particularly Europeans. Nobody would think she was trying to offend them - they would just think she was ignorant."

What can't be named Muhammad

[Shammu]

If someone clearly intends to insult and cause offence with a toy in the form of a pig

Oops, we're in trouble here............ Lizzie and I have a pig named Mohammad.