Sunday, July 31, 2005
Shouldn't this money go to taxpayers?
"A special auditor tracking billions of dollars spent by the United States to rebuild Iraq said on Thursday he has found millions of dollars worth of fraud by US officials and companies."
"A special auditor tracking billions of dollars spent by the United States to rebuild Iraq said on Thursday he has found millions of dollars worth of fraud by US officials and companies."
This article details the goings on in Iraq, including the firing of a nasty official, Adnan al-Dulaimi, who used to oversee the Sunni Endowment (al-waqf al-Sunni).
"I think that the reason behind my dismissal is that they want to silence a voice that is speaking against unjustified practices against Sunnis such as arrests, torture in the prisons," al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press.
False! He should have been fired for his nasty remarks. He, for example, told the Sunnis to stay home on the election day and then began to complain that they are under-represented in the new government. The new guy, Abd al-Ghafour al-Samarra'i, is much better that al-Dulaimi, who seems to be 350 years old.
"I think that the reason behind my dismissal is that they want to silence a voice that is speaking against unjustified practices against Sunnis such as arrests, torture in the prisons," al-Dulaimi told The Associated Press.
False! He should have been fired for his nasty remarks. He, for example, told the Sunnis to stay home on the election day and then began to complain that they are under-represented in the new government. The new guy, Abd al-Ghafour al-Samarra'i, is much better that al-Dulaimi, who seems to be 350 years old.
LAWYERS for Saddam Hussein claimed the former dictator was attacked during a court appearance on Thursday.
This court thing seems to be going too slow that Saddam might die of old age before he gets punished.
This court thing seems to be going too slow that Saddam might die of old age before he gets punished.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
U.S. Muslims issue anti-terrorism "fatwa"
28 Jul 2005 17:03:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Romney Willson
WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - Top U.S. Muslim scholars issued a fatwa," or religious edict, against terrorism on Thursday and called on Muslims to help authorities fight the scourge of militant violence.
The fatwa was part of efforts by U.S. Muslims to counter perceived links between Islam and terrorism and avert any negative backlash after this month's bombings by suspected Islamic extremists in London and Egypt.
"Having our religious scholars side by side with our community leaders leaves no room for anybody to suggest that Islam and Muslims condone or support any forms or acts of terrorism," said Esam Omeish, president of the Muslim American Society, one of the groups which announced the fatwa.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said it was the first time Muslims in North America had issued an anti-terrorism edict, although they had repeatedly condemned such acts of violence.
American Muslims this month launched a nationwide advertising campaign in which they declared that those who committed terrorism in the name of Islam were betraying the teachings of the Koran.
Muslim organizations say they have not so far detected any widespread reaction against their community after the most recent bombings.
Hooper said Thursday's religious ruling, issued by the Fiqh Council of North America, said: "We clearly and strongly state (that) all acts of terrorism targeting civilians are 'haram' (forbidden) in Islam."
"It is 'haram' for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence, and it is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians," he quoted the ruling as saying.
The Fiqh Council is an association of Islamic legal scholars that interprets Islamic religious law. Hooper said it was the only one of its kind in North America.
Some 130 North American Muslim organizations and leaders have signed and endorsed the fatwa.
Similar anti-terrorism fatwas have been issued by other Muslim communities. After the bombings in London religious leaders from about 500 British mosques issued such an edict and presented it to local politicians.
According to Islam, only responsible, religious authorities which are recognized by a Muslim community may issue fatwas. Many Muslims say extremists such as Osama bin Laden have given these edicts a bad name in the West because they have used them without authorization and to call for acts such as murder.
Because Islam is not based on a world-wide hierarchical structure, the edicts are not globally binding, and only affect the community whose religious leaders have issued the rulings. (additional reporting by Caroline Drees)
28 Jul 2005 17:03:22 GMT
Source: Reuters
By Romney Willson
WASHINGTON, July 28 (Reuters) - Top U.S. Muslim scholars issued a fatwa," or religious edict, against terrorism on Thursday and called on Muslims to help authorities fight the scourge of militant violence.
The fatwa was part of efforts by U.S. Muslims to counter perceived links between Islam and terrorism and avert any negative backlash after this month's bombings by suspected Islamic extremists in London and Egypt.
"Having our religious scholars side by side with our community leaders leaves no room for anybody to suggest that Islam and Muslims condone or support any forms or acts of terrorism," said Esam Omeish, president of the Muslim American Society, one of the groups which announced the fatwa.
Ibrahim Hooper, spokesperson for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said it was the first time Muslims in North America had issued an anti-terrorism edict, although they had repeatedly condemned such acts of violence.
American Muslims this month launched a nationwide advertising campaign in which they declared that those who committed terrorism in the name of Islam were betraying the teachings of the Koran.
Muslim organizations say they have not so far detected any widespread reaction against their community after the most recent bombings.
Hooper said Thursday's religious ruling, issued by the Fiqh Council of North America, said: "We clearly and strongly state (that) all acts of terrorism targeting civilians are 'haram' (forbidden) in Islam."
"It is 'haram' for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence, and it is the civic and religious duty of Muslims to cooperate with law enforcement authorities to protect the lives of all civilians," he quoted the ruling as saying.
The Fiqh Council is an association of Islamic legal scholars that interprets Islamic religious law. Hooper said it was the only one of its kind in North America.
Some 130 North American Muslim organizations and leaders have signed and endorsed the fatwa.
Similar anti-terrorism fatwas have been issued by other Muslim communities. After the bombings in London religious leaders from about 500 British mosques issued such an edict and presented it to local politicians.
According to Islam, only responsible, religious authorities which are recognized by a Muslim community may issue fatwas. Many Muslims say extremists such as Osama bin Laden have given these edicts a bad name in the West because they have used them without authorization and to call for acts such as murder.
Because Islam is not based on a world-wide hierarchical structure, the edicts are not globally binding, and only affect the community whose religious leaders have issued the rulings. (additional reporting by Caroline Drees)
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
The one thing Washington people seem to never get is that the cover-up is often more injurious than the crime. It is hard to believe that no one really knows who gave the name of that agent to Bob Novak. The question is whether it will work this time around?
Now everybody is suspecting that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove had something to do with it. We shall see!
Now everybody is suspecting that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove had something to do with it. We shall see!
Friday, July 08, 2005
The London terrorist attacks turned July 7th into another shameful moment in the history of humanity.
What is equally shameful is that the world displays the right feelings and re-acts in the right way only when the tragedy hits certain areas but not some others. What happened in London is a great tragedy, there is no doubt about it, and the world's dismay and outrage is proportionate, to say the least. But this is exactly what Iraqis suffer almost every day for the past two and half years. Only there is no such outrage about it.
Our prayers for the victims of these acts of terror and for their families. And our continuous prayers for the Iraqis whose pain is much less lamented, even by their so-called Arab brothers.
What is equally shameful is that the world displays the right feelings and re-acts in the right way only when the tragedy hits certain areas but not some others. What happened in London is a great tragedy, there is no doubt about it, and the world's dismay and outrage is proportionate, to say the least. But this is exactly what Iraqis suffer almost every day for the past two and half years. Only there is no such outrage about it.
Our prayers for the victims of these acts of terror and for their families. And our continuous prayers for the Iraqis whose pain is much less lamented, even by their so-called Arab brothers.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Anatomy Of A Neocon Smear, by my good friend, Bill Beeman:
American neoconservatives were clearly not to be deprived of their cherished canard that the "mullahs were manipulating the election." Certain that Ahmadinejad's rival, former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, would win, they first denounced his comeback as "due not to popular demand, but to machinations of mullahs," as Danielle Pletka asserted in The New York Times on June 16, before the final voting. Once Ahmadinejad had been declared the surprise victor, the neoconservatives began to denounce him as the candidate of religious leader Ali Khamene'i, claiming that the election was fixed by the clerical establishment. Clearly, the election was to be demonized, whoever won...
American neoconservatives were clearly not to be deprived of their cherished canard that the "mullahs were manipulating the election." Certain that Ahmadinejad's rival, former president Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, would win, they first denounced his comeback as "due not to popular demand, but to machinations of mullahs," as Danielle Pletka asserted in The New York Times on June 16, before the final voting. Once Ahmadinejad had been declared the surprise victor, the neoconservatives began to denounce him as the candidate of religious leader Ali Khamene'i, claiming that the election was fixed by the clerical establishment. Clearly, the election was to be demonized, whoever won...
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
My article on the status of Iraqi universities (Arabic text).
Monday, July 04, 2005
Happy July 4th.
