What’s next after Bin Laden’s death?

Arabs are proving that they are parting ways with the Bin Laden dogma; but can the West find the moral high ground to address this region’s quest for justice?

With the killing Monday of Osama Bin Laden in a US commando raid in Pakistan the biggest manhunt in modern history comes to a sensational end.

Bin Laden’s demise is a major victory for President Barack Obama and his allies in the 10-year-old war on terrorism. It also brings closure to the relatives of victims who had perished in the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington.

Osama: 9/11 author who defied Bush, Obama

London: Challenging the might of the “infidel” United States, Osama bin Laden masterminded the deadliest militant attacks in history and then built a global network of allies to wage a “holy war” intended to outlive him.

The man behind the suicide hijack attacks of September 11, 2001, and who US officials said late on Sunday was dead, was the nemesis of former President George W Bush, who pledged to take him “dead or alive” and whose two terms were dominated by a “war on terror” against his al Qaeda network.

‘Gujarat’ to replace ‘Bombay’ in all state Acts

Ahmedabad, April 01: The word ‘Gujarat’ will replace ‘Bombay’ in all the Acts and rules in force in the state from Sunday, fifty-one years after Gujarat was carved out of erstwhile state of Bombay.

The announcement was made by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi yesterday, during a function to mark the conclusion of the state’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, in Gandhinagar.

Gujarat Assembly, on March 28, had passed a special bill to replace Bombay with Gujarat in the names of all the Acts.

Modi or Sanjeev Bhatt: Who is lying?

The shadow of his alleged post-Godhra vindictive reflexes continues to follow Narendra Modi, says B Raman

The tussle between Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Indian Police Service officer of the Gujarat cadre Sanjeev Bhatt, who is currently posted in Junagadh, is becoming murkier.

The tussle has given rise to suspicions of petty-mindedness and vindictiveness on the part of Modi and a motivated unprofessional agenda on the part of Bhatt.

NY to Lahore for Islam

IT’S A rivetting story of love and Islam set in New York and Lahore. But it’s not a work of fiction.

Margaret Marcus, a Jewish American girl, came of age in the New York suburb of Larchmont in the 1950s, studied at New York University, and sailed away to Lahore as Maryam Jameelah at age 28, after years of corresponding with the Jama’at- i- Islami founder ( and the ideological forbear of Pakistan), Maulana Abul A’la Maududi.

Facebook a Fitna?

There is no doubt that social media has revolutionized online communication in the last few years. In just over a few years has Facebook become one of the most popular websites visited on the internet and today has more than 500 million members. If Facebook was a country, then it would have the 3rd largest population in the world.

‘Poor rainfall but vibrant economy – that is Israel’

Anantapur, April 29: Israel, the tiny nation with just 70 lakh population and 400 km long and 120 km wide is a vibrant economy despite a poor annual rainfall of 550 cm.

The nation’s economy thrives on agriculture and horticulture exports and is a highly developed country with the state of the art technology adopted in all sectors including Agriculture, according to V. Narasimha Reddy, Chief Executive Officer, Anantapur District Cooperative Central Bank (ADCCB).

Who will be lesser evil for Muslims in TN: Amma or Kalaignar?

New Delhi: With just 15 days left in the Judgment of Tamil Nadu assembly elections and amid various poll predictions, the political temperature of the state seems high. All election surveys point towards the possibility of a coalition government or a fractured mandate or a hung assembly.

Like general voters, no body exactly knows who the Muslim electorate favored on 13 of this month, although each alliance, led by DMK and AIDMK, claims to have got their votes.

Be aware of what you share

Do you think Facebook is doing all that it can to provide a safe online environment for its 500+ million users? The company recently rolled out a new suite of safety tools at its Family Safety Center (www.facebook.com/safety) but Internet security provider Sophos believes that Facebook and other social networking sites need to do more to enhance the safety of the user experience.

Islam is the answer to price hikes

A Muslim Brotherhood member presented Islam as an economic solution during a conference in Daqahlia Governorate Tuesday.

Talaat al-Shennawy, head of the Brotherhood’s Daqahlia office, said Egypt could curb price increases by following God’s rules.

Shennawy said the greatness of Islam lies in it being a comprehensive religion that embraces all fields of life. He said people should apply all Islamic orders rather than just the ones they like.

In apparent conflicting messages, the Brotherhood said during another conference in Minya that it does not want religion to govern the state.

Muslim leaders should voice their opinion for betterment of Muslims

Finally, leaders like Salman Khurshid, Minister of Minority welfare got a chance to voice his opinion for the innocent Muslim’s, after he got permission from the congress high command. He said it is an injustice to the nine Muslim’s arrested in 2006 in connection with the Malegaon bomb blast.

Besides him, few other self-centred, so called Muslim Ministers in the congress party were waiting for the permission from the congress high command to deliver such statements in public. Since, they have got the permission, they make the statements, as though they are favouring the innocent youth.

Hazare’s Anti-Corruption Protest: Genuine Or A Show?

Ironically, of the roughly 17 times that Mahatma Gandhi is known to have fasted throughout his career, none was regarding his stand against corruption. Yet, there is no doubt that the impression held then by the Father of Indian nation, Mohandas K. Gandhi holds true even today.

Indian interest at royal wedding of William and Kate

The much awaited royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton is generating interest in India with various hotels, honeymoon travel agencies, airlines, television channels and cafes gearing up for the event on April 29.

Jaipur and Jodhpur, tourist places of Rajasthan, figure among top royal honeymoon destinations for Prince William and Kate Middleton picked in a recent survey by a team of hotel experts.

Experts at hotels.com, a leading provider of hotel accommodation worldwide has set out scouring and researching the globe for places befitting the royal couple.

Tears of Gaza’ – Lest Our Tears Dry up

‘Tears of Gaza’ by Vibeke Lokkerberg is a documentary film that should be watched by every American, to see how Israel spends our taxes.  Every European should watch it, to see the true face of Israel. It should be viewed by every Arab, to renew our resolve not to allow a racist nation to wipe Palestine and her children from the map and from history.  

Girl dies after being denied father’s love

The Israeli occupation of Palestine claimed another innocent victim on Friday when 10-year-old Abeer Eskafi died, her young life snuffed out before she could fulfil her dying wish a hug from her father who is serving multiple life terms in an Israeli jail.

In a personal tragedy for the Eskafi family, which mirrors the plight of Palestinian people under occupation and oppression, the family said the little girl’s untimely death only serves to highlight the heartlessness of the Israeli authorities, especially in the prison where her father is being held.

Punish the corrupt – virtually!

Are you fed up of the corruption around you and want to deal with it? Do you feel like hurling a shoe at the corrupt politician who embezzled crores of taxpayers money or throw a rotten egg at a policeman demanding a bribe? Well go ahead – but virtually!

In a new game “Yes Prime Minister”, launched by gaming site Ibibo.com, a player can build his or her own India, declare himself or herself as the prime minister and appoint one’s online friends as vigilance commissioners in various departments.

How Modi fanned communal fire

A SENIOR police officer has provided damning evidence of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi’s complicity in the 2002 riots, saying he wanted Muslims to be “ taught a lesson” for the Godhra carnage.

An affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court by IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt states that the chief minister had convened a late- night meeting on February 27, 2002 after the Sabarmati Express burning at Godhra — 59 kar sevaks had been killed — and had asked the state police to allow the Hindus to vent their anger.

Be Muslim for a month in Istanbul: pray 5 times a day and fast

It has the ingredients of a conventional holiday – experiencing the culture and hospitality of one of the most exciting cities in the world. But few getaways encourage its participants to pray five times a day or try their hand at fasting, especially when those people are not Muslim.

A social enterprise is offering individuals the opportunity to immerse themselves in Islam, without having to convert, through a trip to Istanbul that takes in the regular sights and sounds but also includes prayers at dawn and midnight and lessons on Islam and its basic practices.

First Muslim to offer Prayers in Space

He is the first Muslim to have offered prayers in space.
He is a man with a strong determination and vision to take the Ummah to a new height of glory, to space.

Meet Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar — a doctor by qualification, an astronaut by training and a model by choice. Now the man is on a mission to establish an Islamic Space Agency (ISA).

“Around 500 people have gone into space but only nine of them have been Muslims,” said Muszaphar, a Malaysian, speaking about his ambitious project.

A Passage to Srinagar

I went to Kashmir for the first time the last weekend – to Srinagar and made a quick trip to Gulmarg. I spoke to everyone I met, going out of my way to do so; fortuitously I heard diverse people at a meeting I attended  – of civil society groups discussing what can be done about the situation. I am not writing about the discussions at these meetings for there will no doubt be a report.

Reflections on Civil Service

From 2006 onwards 21st April is being celebrated as Civil Service Day in our country. It is an event of profound significance for our civil servants. The Prime Minister of our country Dr. Manmohan Singh has been associating himself with the observance of civil service day  almost every year. On this occasion several issues concerning civil service are deliberated upon and the best among the civil servants who have both individually and collectively set splendid examples of service, efficiency and ethical conduct are recognized and awarded. 

Gaddafi’s men use rape as weapon of war

Horrifying accounts of the systematic use of gang rape as a weapon of war by fighters loyal to dictator Colonel Gaddafi have emerged from Libya. Women have been violated in front of their own children and some have asked their relatives to kill them rather than face Gaddafi’s men.

Khalifa al-Sharkassi, a German-trained doctor based in al-Baida in north-eastern Libya, told the Sunday Times he is collecting the testimony of abused women. He believes as many as 100 have been subjected to gang rape.

Hazare’s rise coincides with Pawar’s decline

The clash between two sons of Maharashtra — one, an ambitious neta, the other, a social activist — symbolises India’s war against corruption

Anna Hazare’s ascent in the socio-political landscape has coincided with the almost proportionate descent of one of India’s foremost politicians, Sharad Pawar.

As India battles corruption like never before, it is extraordinarily symbolic that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare’s ascent in the socio-political landscape has coincided with the almost proportionate descent of one of India’s foremost politicians, Sharad Pawar.

Star Wars: Rajnikanth vs. Amitabh Bachchan

If the buzz is to be believed, the next Rajnikanth film, ‘Rana’, will not only have the superstar in three roles but will also have the towering Big B to add to the star power. That Rajnikanth’s earlier year hits are unabashed remakes of Amitabh Bachchan is not a secret.

And the two superstars from the north and south of India are not coming together for the first time. From ‘Andha Kanoon’ to ‘Giraftar’, the two have shared on-screen chemistry. But the times were different. Rajnikanth was just another south Indian actor; oh yeah, he also lit cigarettes with bullets from his gun.

Nuclear families violate human rights of elderly: Study

Increasing popularity of nuclear families is violating the human rights of senior citizens in India who end up living a lonely life, which in turn has a negative impact on their emotional and physical well being, says a recent study.

There is lack of awareness among older persons about their human rights and they face discrimination due to old age, adds the pan India study conducted by Delhi-based NGO Agewell Foundation, which works for the welfare of the senior citizens.