Jakarta- In response to the plan of burning Qur'an by the Church of the Dove World Outreach Center in Florida, United States on 11 September 2010, Hizb ut-Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) rallied across the big cities in Indonesia. HTI denounces and condemns the plan.
On 31st August, 2010, in a campaign launched countrywide to expose the fraudulent elections and democracy in Afghanistan five members of HT have been arrested. On the other hand candidate with diverse thoughts and opinions are allowed to put their pictures, mottoes and distribute broachers, containing thoughts that are contrary to Islam.
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Americans are conflicted on Islam
A new poll showed Tuesday, revealing a sharp drop in support for the Muslim faith since 2005 even though less people see it as a violent religion. A slim majority (51 percent) objected to the building of an Islamic center and mosque near the site of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. But 62 percent of the 1,003 people surveyed last week by the respected Pew Research Center agreed that Muslims should have the same rights as other groups to build houses of worship in local communities. In July 2005, 41 percent of those questioned in a similar poll had a favorable opinion of Islam. That number plummeted to just 30 percent in Tuesday's survey. However, the percentage that were unfavorable to Islam rose only slightly from 36 percent to 38 percent, and almost a third of those questioned said they didn't know how they felt about the Muslim faith. Last year, 38 percent of those polled said they thought Islam was more likely than other religions to encourage violence. That number had slipped to 35 percent in the latest poll. But fewer people, 42 percent rather than 45 percent, believed the inverse was true and almost a quarter were now undecided on Islam's propensity to drive violent behavior. The results, as in the past, were partisan. By a ratio of more than two-to-one, Republicans had an unfavorable opinion of Islam, whereas 41 percent of Democrats had a favorable view of the faith.
In report, CIA worried about U.S. terror exports
The United States has long been an exporter of terrorism, according to a secret CIA analysis released Wednesday by the Web site WikiLeaks. And if that phenomenon were to become a widely held perception, the analysis said, it could damage relations with foreign allies and dampen their willingness to cooperate in "extrajudicial" activities, such as the rendition and interrogation of terrorism suspects. That is the conclusion of the three-page classified paper produced in February by the CIA's Red Cell, a think tank set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by then-CIA Director George J. Tenet to provide "out-of-the-box" analyses on "a full range of analytic issues." CIA spokeswoman Marie Harf played down the significance of the paper: "These sorts of analytic products - clearly identified as coming from the Agency's 'Red Cell' - are designed simply to provoke thought and present different points of view."
Mullen: Despite Attacks, No Delay in Iraq Withdrawal
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told reporters in Chicago Wednesday the United States will not change its plans to draw down troops from Iraq. That's despite a string of attacks that swept the country this Wednesday morning. Admiral Michael Mullen spoke to a group of Chicago-area business leaders just hours after a series of car bombs and improvised explosive devices killed dozens of people across Iraq. He said, "This is a - an effort on the part of Al Qaeda, in particular, in Iraq, to re-ignite the sectarian violence. "Just Tuesday the number of U.S. soldiers in Iraq dropped below 50,000 for the first time since the initial invasion in 2003.
U.S. Weighs Expanded Strikes in Yemen
U.S. officials believe al Qaeda in Yemen is now collaborating more closely with allies in Pakistan and Somalia to plot attacks against the U.S., spurring the prospect that the administration will mount a more intense targeted killing program in Yemen. Such a move would give the Central Intelligence Agency a far larger role in what has until now been mainly a secret U.S. military campaign against militant targets in Yemen and across the Horn of Africa. It would likely be modeled after the CIA's covert drone campaign in Pakistan. The U.S. military's Special Operation Forces and the CIA have been positioning surveillance equipment, drones and personnel in Yemen, Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia to step up targeting of al Qaeda's Yemen affiliate, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, known as AQAP, and Somalia's al Shabaab, U.S. counterterrorism officials believe the two groups are working more closely together than ever. "The trajectory is pointing in that direction," a U.S. counterterrorism official said of a growing nexus between the Islamist groups. He said the close proximity between Yemen and Somalia "allows for exchanges, training." But he said the extent to which AQAP and al Shabaab are working together is "hard to measure in an absolute way." Authorizing covert CIA operations would further consolidate control of future strikes in the hands of the White House, which has enthusiastically embraced the agency's covert drone program in Pakistan's tribal areas.
U.S. to spend $100 million on Afghan bases
The Pentagon says it plans to spend $100 million on air base expansions in Afghanistan with construction efforts continuing into at least 2011. Despite growing disaffection with the war and President Obama's pledge to begin withdrawing U.S. troops in July 2011, many of the projected installations have extended completion deadlines, The Washington Post reported Sunday. All three of the bases are for the sole use of U.S. forces. The House and Senate Appropriations committees have approved requests for an additional $1.3 billion for multiyear construction of military facilities in Afghanistan, the Post reported. The vote has yet to go before the full Senate. The United States has already set aside $5.3 billion to build facilities for the Afghan army and national police, with most of the "enduring facilities ... scheduled for construction over the next three to four years," a Pentagon release said. Troop withdrawal in 2011 does not mean the end of combat operations, as the three new projected bases indicate, the Post reported. The broader expansion of U.S. air facilities all over Afghanistan will be used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance using helicopters, manned and unmanned aircraft.
US: Pakistan will keep up counterinsurgency fight
This week the Pakistani English newspaper reported that a senior US military official in Pakistan says he is confident that Islamabad will continue in its fight against insurgents despite devastating floods that have left 8 million people in need of assistance. Army Brig. Gen. Michael Nagata, the No. 2 U.S. military official in Pakistan, told reporters he is not sure whether the timing or scope of counterinsurgency operations will be affected by the flood. He referred those questions to the Pakistani government. But when pressed, he said he was still confident that Pakistan would maintain a ''dedicated, committed struggle against violent extremism.''
Regarding to the plan of burning al Quran of small Christian secte in Florida, US on 11th of Coming September to commemorate WTC/911 tragedy, Hizbut Tahrir of Indonesia state:
Regarding to the plan of burning al Quran which was declared by Terry Jones, A Pastor in Dove World Outreach Center in Florida United State to commemorate the WTC/911 tragedy, Hizbut Tahrir of Indonesia made rally in front of US embassy in Jakarta on 27th of August after Friday praying, 02.00 pm.
As Palestine struggles under ruthless Zionist occupation, the citizens of the West Bank and Gaza face a more callous opponent, that of the Palestinian Authority. The PA tries to showcase itself in front of the West as a forthcoming contender of democratic values and basic human rights. However, this poses a major challenge to the residents of Palestine. A party that is rarely mentioned in the Arab media but often mentioned and widely discussed in Western media outlets, this party has the PA in a sort of a mess that it doesn't quite know how to deal with it. Ironically this party originated in the heartland of Palestine; it is 000 000 . Since the signing of the Annapolis Agreement three years ago, HT has been struggling a silent battle in which very few if any Palestinian news sources want to confront or highlight the plight of HT members in Palestinian jails.
The rulers parade around the world trying to dignify themselves by calling for human rights from Israel while they themselves dominate their own people from speaking to the masses. Palestinian security forces are unleashed by the hundreds when HT tried to form rallies and a conference last month. During the time before the conference and rallies were scheduled to take place, police and security forces were sent to raid people's homes and workplaces to detain and haul away sincere members and HT supporters to jails without any valid reason or known offence. Many members have been in jail for a few weeks. In some districts, HT members were released after a few days in jail, which was known to the people as precautionary attempts to delay or foil the conference and rallies. However in the district of Salfeet, the case is much more daunting. Until today two months after the Rajab conference was scheduled to be held, two members are still detained. The annual Khilafah "Caliphate" conference was denied the opportunity to be held due to massive restrictions by security forces which included roadblocks to widespread random arrests. Even the Israeli security forces worked hand in hand coordinating the checkpoints by guarding the southern entrance to Ramallah to ensure that Muslims from Al-Quds do not enter the Ramallah area to attend the conference. Indeed the picture is quite grim, when you have former enemies now cooperating with one another against a new common goal: to halt 000 000 from spreading its ideas to the public masses. HT is known for calling for the eradication of the Zionist state from the Holy Land of Palestine. The same people who labeled themselves as the Palestinian Liberation Organization now deserve an appropriate more fitting label "Oppressive Authority Organization" who once struggled and rebelled against the Zionist state of Israel now choose to collaborate with them against their own Palestinian brothers and sisters, jailing and torturing them and raiding their homes at all hours of the day and night. The new PA regime seeks to ensure the very safety and validity of the Israel State. Who could ask for better occupants?!
There are HT members still held without genuine charges. Intentionally given long unfair due process to judicial procedures, they sit in jail cells deprived of family and work. As lawsuits have been brought up against the courts, the courts squirm through loopholes and High Court judges miss their own court sessions therefore, purposely postponing all related HT hearings. Furthermore, when a court issued an innocence verdict, the security offices fail to apply the judgments of innocence and immediate release of the victims. The system is corrupt that everyone from the police officer to the High Court Judge acts as a lion in the territory wanting to enforce his own terrible will upon the people. Alhamdulillah, Allah swt is much greater than them.
وَلَوْ يَرَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُواْ إِذْ يَرَوْنَ الْعَذَابَ أَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ لِلّهِ جَمِيعاً وَأَنَّ اللّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعَذَابِ) )
{Oh, that those who do evil had but known, (on the day) when they behold the doom, that power belongeth wholly to Allah, and that Allah is severe in punishment!} (Al-Baqara: 165)
During several occasions, Adnan Dhameiri, the spokesman for the Palestinian Security Forces, said that 000 000 members and supporters should not be afforded the same rights and liberties as the rest of the Palestinian citizens. His so-called argument for this is that HT renounces the Palestinian constitution, shuns the Palestinian flag and its national anthem so according to him, HT members should not be given the rights of the Palestinian constitution. Further commenting that HT can't have the right to pick and choose suitable rights from the law. Now the problems arise, if the spokesman of the security forces does not want to acknowledge HT members as citizens of Palestine, then according to what laws and principles are you going to deal with these people. Are they above the law or exempt from law? As a matter of fact, those who know and apply the law, realize that HT members do not violate the laws of the constitution. So where does this leave Adnan Dhameiri's false logic? Regarding the banned Khilafah "Caliphate" conference, HT members are only required by law to give prior notice of their public venue to the city, because of traffic control purposes in public outdoor areas. If HT is not banned by the law of Palestine, so what has provoked the security officers so deeply? Why are people jailed and harassed because of their belief system? And banned from assembling rallies and conferences? So now the issue goes back to Dhameiri----it is not HT that is choosing which rights and principles to apply rather it is he who is engaging in this ploy. If one believes in the framework of his nation, why not uphold it for himself and all its citizens including HT members.
In actuality, HT does not pose a threat to the Palestinian Authority. While the Hizb does not intend to overtake or replace the Palestinian Authority, nevertheless they treat HT like Hamas who use violence to express their opposition. HT is not like Hamas nor does it employ material methods to achieve its means. HT uses intellectual fikr to further its concepts into the Ummah. Thus the question delves deeper into the Palestinian minds, if this is HT's reality then who is behind this resistance? Who is behind the banning of HT's voice across the lands in the mosques and rallies? Hence, it is a greater authority than that of the PA. Someone who is at greater risk for loss. The US is the one with the most to gain in banning HT and its work from being spread across the masses. It is fearful from the very concepts in which HT members deeply believe, risking jail sentences and police harassment. Indeed, it is the US with the most to lose. Palestine is under occupation by the Zionists and the US wants its plan to tread on without any resistance from sincere Muslims. The Zionist state is deeply protected by the US which whom it spends millions of dollars funding the PA to carry on its plan with the Jewish State. Therefore proving the PA does not possess the true authority to govern by its own constitution and uphold its law and principles upon its citizens. As revealed in the following ayah,
فَيَوْمَئِذٍ لَّا يَنفَعُ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مَعْذِرَتُهُمْ وَلَا هُمْ يُسْتَعْتَبُونَ ) الروم: 57 (
{In that day their excuses will not profit those who did injustice, nor will they be allowed to make amends.} (Ar-Rum: 57)
HT is and always will have the same belief system no matter which agent ruler or spokesman comes before the people. It realizes that this is much deeper than Dhameiri's statements. Therefore, HT members and supporters will not be shaken by their oppressors despite being imprisoned or harassed. Its members will not be silenced or stopped until the Islamic way of life comes to existence and uproots the Zionist state from the very Holy Land which HT originated, and returns Al-Quds to its rightful Muslim owners. Inshallah, by Allah's Great Will and Mercy this become the new reality in Muslims' lives as confirmed by the following ayah:
وَاللّهُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى أَمْرِهِ وَلَـكِنَّ أَكْثَرَ النَّاسِ لاَ يَعْلَمُونَ} يوسف: 21 }
{And Allah hath full power and control over His affairs; but most among mankind know it not.} (Yousef: 21)
By; Manal Bader
Bayt Al-Maqdes
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US warns Turkey on Iran and Israel
President Barack Obama has personally warned Turkey's prime minister that unless Ankara shifts its position on Israel and Iran it stands little chance of obtaining the US weapons it wants to buy. Mr Obama's warning to Recep Tayyip Erdogan is particularly significant as Ankara wants to buy American drone aircraft - such as the missile-bearing Reaper - to attack the Kurdish separatist PKK after the US military pulls out of Iraq at the end of 2011. The PKK has traditionally maintained bases in the remote mountains in the north of Iraq, near the Turkish border. One senior administration official said: "The president has said to Erdogan that some of the actions that Turkey has taken have caused questions to be raised on the Hill [Congress] . . . about whether we can have confidence in Turkey as an ally. That means that some of the requests Turkey has made of us, for example in providing some of the weaponry that it would like to fight the PKK, will be harder for us to move through Congress." Washington was deeply frustrated when Turkey voted against United Nations sanctions on Iran in June. When the leaders met later that month at the G20 summit in Toronto, Mr Obama told Mr Erdogan that the Turks had failed to act as an ally in the UN vote. He also called on Ankara to cool its rhetoric about an Israeli raid that killed nine Turks on a flotilla bearing aid for Gaza.While the two men have subsequently sought to co-operate over Iraq's efforts to patch together a coalition government, the US makes clear its warning still stands.
Iran condemns possible US military action
Iran took its case against the United States to the United Nations on Wednesday and strongly condemned the top U.S. military chief for saying military action remains a possibility if the country develops nuclear weapons.Iran's acting U.N. ambassador Eshagh Alehabib claimed in letters circulated to the secretary-general and presidents of the Security Council and General Assembly that Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and other U.S. officials and lawmakers "threatened" to use military action under the "totally false" pretense that Iran is developing nuclear weapons. Mullen said earlier this month that the U.S. military has a plan to attack Iran, although he thinks a military strike is probably a bad idea. Still, he said the risk of Iran developing a nuclear weapon is unacceptable and he reiterated that "the military option" remains on the table. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Wednesday that Iran's response to an attack would not be limited to the region, suggesting Iran would target U.S. interests beyond the Persian Gulf. "It's unlikely that they (U.S.) will make such a stupidity (to attack Iran) but all must know that if this threat is carried out, the field of the Iranian nation's confrontation will not be only our region," Khamenei told state TV. "The area of confrontation will be much wider."
Afghanistan and African nations at greatest risk from world food shortages
Soaring commodity prices and natural disasters in Russia and Pakistan have combined to put African nations and conflict-ridden countries such as Afghanistan most at risk from food shortages, according to a report released today.Sharp price rises for wheat and other grains will hit the world's neediest countries hardest, mainly in sub-Saharan Africa, as they grapple with their own poor harvests and failing transport networks, according to a food security index by risk management consultancy Maplecroft. It also says conflict is a key factor behind food insecurity and Afghanistan tops the index of threatened countries. The other nine nations categorised as "extreme risk" are all in Africa, led by Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Eritrea, Sudan and Ethiopia. African nations make up 36 of the 50 countries most at risk in the index. The report highlights climate change as having a "profound effect on global food security", with a heatwave in Russia coinciding with devastating floods in Pakistan - ranked 30th and "high risk" in the index."Russian brakes on exports, plus a reduction in Canada's harvest by almost a quarter due to flooding in June, are provoking fluctuations in the commodity markets," said Fiona Place, environmental analyst at Maplecroft. "This will further affect the food security of the most vulnerable countries."
Pakistan: Relief Operations hampered as US controls airbase
Health relief operations in Jacobabad are not possible because the airbase in the area is controlled by the US. The stunning statement was made by Health Secretary Khushnood Lashari during an appearance at the Senate Standing Committee on Health on Wednesday. "Health relief operations are not possible in the flood-affected areas of Jacobabad because the airbase is with the United States," Mr Lashari said while answering a question asked by Senator Semeen Yusuf Siddiqui of PML-Q. Dr Jahanzeb Aurakzai, coordinator of the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Centre, said: "Foreign health teams could not start relief operations in remote areas because there are no airstrips close to several areas, including Jacobabad." The town has been evacuated and 500,000 to 700,000 people have been affected. People displaced from Jacobabad, Thul, Kandhkot, Kashmore, Ghouspur and Karumpur are camping in Dera Allahyar. "It is very unfortunate that Americans can launch a drone attack from Shahbaz airbase but the government is helpless even in using the country's base for relief operations," Senator Semeen said while talking to this correspondent.
The Chinese Military Challenge
The Pentagon's annual report on China's military power finally surfaced Monday, five months overdue. Considering that the report tells us little that we didn't already know-not least, that China is rapidly modernizing and expanding its arsenal of missiles, ships and aircraft-we'll put the delay down to the Obama Administration's reluctance to offend Beijing's sensitivities. That may be the most alarming fact of all. A shift is afoot in the People's Liberation Army's attitude toward the U.S. in Asia. As recently as a few years ago, Chinese officials acknowledged that the American military is a stabilizing force in the region. But while China's civilian leaders still want to enhance military-to-military ties, Chinese officers have become increasingly confrontational, in written statements and deeds.Exhibit A is the PLA's challenge to the U.S. Navy's right to operate in international waters near China's coast. In response to the announcement this month of new exercises in the Yellow Sea involving the aircraft carrier USS George Washington-something the Navy has been doing for decades-Rear Admiral Yang Yi told an Australian journalist that this was "some kind of challenge and humiliation to China's national interest and the feelings of the Chinese people." After similar protests last month the Pentagon caved, opting to deploy the Washington and its battle group on the other side of the Korean peninsula. Beijing has also decided to enforce its claim to almost the entire South China Sea as its "historical waters," identifying this as a "core interest" on a par with Taiwan and Tibet. Early last year, Chinese patrol vessels and trawlers mounted a coordinated effort to intimidate an unarmed U.S. Navy surveillance ship. China has been equipping its fisheries service with ex-Navy ships to enforce a summer fishing ban in the South China Sea. In June, one such ship was involved in a confrontation with the Indonesian navy off the Natuna Islands. China's broader strategic goal is to keep the U.S. from operating freely in the waters bounded by Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia. Beijing's strategy, known as "access denial," involves fielding a large submarine force, developing cruise and ballistic missiles that could take out an American aircraft carrier, and deploying antisatellite weapons that can disrupt U.S. communications. These and other forms of "asymmetric" military capabilities are intended to prevent the U.S. Navy from gaining access to these waters in the event that, say, China decides to bully Taiwan into accepting reunification on Beijing's terms.
Pakistan is hit by the worst floods in its history. According to rough estimates around 200 million people are affected by it. Official death-toll figure hovers around the 1,500 mark while the actual number is feared to run in several thousands. Many areas are still cut off from the main cities and the only way to reach people is through the air.
In such a catastrophe, the response of the rulers can at best be described as "pathetic" or "rubbing salt in an open wound". Mr. Zardari, famously known as Mr. 10%, whisked away to France and Britain to enjoy his summer vocations, leaving his country submerged in water. In Britain he was received by angry but peaceful protesters mobilized by Hizb ut-Tahrir Britain as well as his own not-so-peaceful party worker who greeted him by throwing two shoes at him at a party convention. Initially the government and party officials flatly denied the incident but later accepted it and accused that the show-thrower was a member of Hizb ut-Tahrir who acted under the instruction of a PML-N leader. A claim which is as ridiculous and farcical as Zardari's presidency! The show-thrower himself came on TV and claimed that he was an affiliate of the People's party.
The response of the Prime Minster, the chief executive of Pakistan, was not any better. He was seen visiting emergency relief camps and distributing checks left, right and center only to be exposed later by the media that these camps as well as "victims" were fake! These camps were only setup for photo-shoots and acquiring media footage to deceive the masses as to how "caring and vigilant" our Prime Minster was. As for the response of the Federal and Provincial Ministers, they were protecting their own lands and industry by releasing flood water to poor localities and lands of small farmers.
The heartless government sees even this calamity as a golden opportunity to mint more money. Prime minster today has refused to setup an independent aid commission which would maintain transparency. The government officials are already asking for $15 billion aid similar to Marshall-Plan. So as far as the ruling elite is concerned; the bigger the catastrophe the more money chances of money flowing to their personal kitties.
But the most dangerous of all is the way US is exploiting the situation to further her goals in the region, especially Pakistan. America has sent 1000 Marines to Pakistan under the guise of flood relief activity. The question is why we need thousand Marines when Pakistan itself has over half a million trained solders? Nobody can answer the basic question as to why can't Pakistan pull its troops from FATA, who are fighting US's war of Terror, and use them in relief activity? Another shocking news came from the Secretary of Health who claimed that Shahbaz Air Base at Jacobabad is under US control and cannot be used for relief efforts. As a result health services cannot be provided to some 700,000 residents of Jacobabad.
Alhamdulillah, there is a good side to this gloomy situation in Pakistan. The Ummah lead by the media has woken up to this test of Allah (SWT). One can see camps all over the major cities collecting food items, clothes, house-hold utensils and medicines. People have no faith in the government this is why they are either taking the relief goods themselves or giving it to trusted organizations. Donations from other Muslim countries have also started to poor in. According to media reports just in a single day Muslims of Saudi Arabia collected $1.2 billion dollars of donations including goods; almost double than what US has given as relief (700 million).
The floods have once again exposed the evil in these rulers and their master, America, but at the same time it has shown the Khair (good) present in the Ummah. It was the same Ummah who generously helped their brothers and sisters during earthquake in 2005 and they are still doing their best in the current strangulating economic conditions. These rulers have no place in this world let alone the thrones on which they so proudly sit on. The dooms day for them is very near, by the leave of Allah (SWT).
We call upon the entire Muslims world to donate generously to their brothers in Pakistan who are in need in this hour of test. May Allah help us and protect us all!
Naveed Butt
The Official Spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Pakistan
