Teenager describes how youths are indoctrinated by extremists: paper

DAWN By Our Special Correspondent
Monday, 18 May, 2009

LONDON, May 17: TheSunday Times has come out with an unbelievable story of a 15-year-old who is said to have claimed that he and about 50 teenagers were recruited by Al Qaeda-inspired extremists and encouraged to travel to Pakistan to be groomed to carry out suicide attacks in Britain.

In what is called the first insider account of how radicals are preying on vulnerable Muslim youths, the teenager of Algerian descent is said to have disclosed how boys of his age group are being approached by Islamists at a mosque in south London that was used by the failed 21/7 bombers, and indoctrinated at a secret network of squats.

He was the youngest of about 50 recruits who were shown “martyrdom” videos and encouraged to travel to Pakistan to receive terrorist training.
The youth, who is called Adam, told The Sunday Times: “They showed us a jihadist video with the martyrdom flags behind the guy speaking, and the message I got was that I should prepare myself for martyrdom.

“I know a few of the others accepted that they would go (for training in Pakistan). Some of the young people said, ‘I’m going to go.’ That was the ultimate purpose of what these men were doing: what they were doing was training people up to carry out operations in the UK.”
Adam, who is now 18, quit the group after a year. The whereabouts of most of the other recruits is unknown.

“It was quite shocking to me,” he said. “I started to think, ‘well, hold on a second, I don’t want to kill anybody. Yeah, I’ve got anger inside me, but this isn’t the right way to deal with this’.”
Adam, whose real name is being withheld to protect his safety, is now enrolled in a rehabilitation programme for would-be terrorists.

When Adam fell under the spell of extremists at the Stockwell mosque in Lambeth in 2005, he was floundering at school, had few friends and was desperately in need of some direction.
He was the eldest of seven children whose Algerian father had died when he was just eight, and his new friends’ talk of Muslim brotherhood seemed to offer the stability he craved.

“A lot of people think that terrorists are recruited in special recruiting grounds, but the truth is that it actually goes on in mosques a lot of the time.”
Adam was told that more advanced recruits had been sent on training exercises to the Lake District and the New Forest in Hampshire, as well as paintballing sessions in the home counties.

Suicide attacks are un-Islamic: Ulema

By Syed Irfan Raza , DAWN
Monday, 18 May, 2009

A large number of Ulema and Mashaikh attending the National Ulema and Mashaikh Convention organised by Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan in Convention Centre, Islamabad.—APP

ISLAMABAD: Leading Ulema of the country declared on Sunday that suicide attacks and beheading of people were ‘un-Islamic’ acts and said that militants in Swat and Fata were pursuing the agenda of Pakistan’s enemies.

The edict was issued at a convention of Ulema and Mashaikh from different parts of the country. This is the first time that prominent Ulema and religious scholars, mostly belonging to the Sunni school of thought, have denounced the Taliban and their inhuman acts in such a categorical manner.

A unanimous resolution adopted at the convention said: ‘The assassination of Ulema should be stopped and sacred places, including shrines, should be cleared of extremists. Suicide attacks and beheading is Haram’.

The convention also condemned the killing of innocent people in the US drone attacks and urged the government to raise the issue at the United Nations.

The Ulema said the US drone strikes were challenging the country’s sovereignty. ‘The government must take effective measures to force the US to halt these strikes.’

They supported the military operation in Swat and other parts of Malakand and declared it a ‘war for Pakistan’s integrity and sovereignty’. The elements engaged in creating a state within the state must be crushed, they added.

The convention also adopted a resolution backing the all-parties conference convened by the prime minister. Maulana Sahibzada Fazal Karim, a leader of Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, said in his address that those trying to harm the integrity of Pakistan should be severely dealt with.
He and other Ulema stressed the need for forging unity against militancy. Some of them expressed readiness to form their own Lashkar against the Taliban if security forces needed their help to eradicate terrorists from the troubled areas.

‘We played our role during the independence movement and we will protect the country and foil every design of the enemy,’ Sahibzada Karim said, adding that the operation in Swat was the need of the hour because some sections of society were forcing people to accept their brand of Islam.

‘These elements kill those who opposed them,’ he said. The JUP leader also vowed to enforce Sharia in the country. He said a number of agencies were working against the integrity of Pakistan and were trying to destabilise its economy.

‘These agencies were pouring millions of dollars and large quantities of weapons into areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,’ he said.

Ruet-i-Hilal Committee chairman Mufti Muneeb-ur-Rehman criticised the establishment for patronising the militants for almost three decades. ‘We are now harvesting the crop we sowed three decades ago.’

He said the practice to surrender before the gun should end and called for a decisive offensive against the militants. Mufti Muneeb said those who were fighting in the name of Sharia must first abide by Islamic laws.
He said the Taliban were even slaughtering children. ‘This is contrary to the teachings of Islam which calls for protecting people who are not involved in battle,’ he said.

‘If the Taliban have any respect for Islamic values, they should give up bloodshed because it was harming national integrity,’ the Mufti said.

The Ulema also called on the Organisation of Islamic Conference to come forward to help the displaced people of Swat and other parts of Malakand. Dr Sarfaraz Naeemi called upon Ulema to forge unity in their ranks against the conspiracies of the Taliban, Sufi Mohammad and enemies of the country.

He urged the government to reject the US agenda of controlling Madaris. Sarwat Ejaz Qadri said the Taliban had tarnished the image of Islam across the world. ‘All Muslims should stand up against them.’

Haji Hanif Tayyab said security forces were fighting the militants to save the country. He called for trying Sufi Mohammad for mutiny.

Propaganda machines

Daily Times Letters

Sir: This is with reference to the numerous reports that have emerged of known extremist organisations, including some with proven links to terrorist outfits, are operating in the conflict zones in the NWFP, and are trying to influence the internally displaced persons against the government. Several flags of terrorist organisations have been seen flying over some camps, while other workers have been distributing material against the government and the army at the camps.

These activities must be stopped. While the militants are outnumbered and will soon be ousted from Swat, these elements are their propaganda machines, and are just as dangerous as the armed ones. Through misinformation and outright lies, they want to pollute the minds of the people against Pakistan. These are also the elements that hate democracy and our constitution; they must be stopped.
FAIZA KHAN
Karachi

Cheerios cereal is a drug!

Daily Times

Popular cereal is a drug, US food watchdog says

Popular US breakfast cereal ‘Cheerios’ is a drug, at least if the claims made on the label by its manufacturer General Mills are anything to go by, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.
“Based on claims made on your product’s label, we have determined that ‘Cheerios Toasted Whole Grain Oat Cereal’ is promoted for conditions that cause it to be a drug,” the FDA said in a letter to General Mills which was posted on the federal agency’s website.

‘Cheerios’ labels claim that eating the cereal can help lower bad cholesterol, a risk factor for coronary heart disease, by four percent in six weeks.
Citing a clinical study, the product labels also claim that eating two servings a day of ‘Cheerios’ helps to reduce bad cholesterol – when eaten as part of a diet – low in saturated fat and cholesterol, the FDA letter says.
Those claims indicate that ‘Cheerios’ – said by General Mills to be the best-selling cereal in the United States – was to be used to lower cholesterol and prevent, lessen or treat the disease hypercholesterolemia, and to treat and prevent coronary heart disease.

“Because of these intended uses, the product is a drug,” the FDA concluded in its letter.

Not only that but ‘Cheerios’ is a new drug because it has not been “recognised as safe and effective for use in preventing or treating hypercholesterolemia or coronary heart disease”, the FDA said. afp

Words on Quaid spark protest

Daily Times

Congregating for change

ISLAMABAD: Religious scholars gather at the Convention Centre to attend National Ulema-o-Mashaikh Convention, organised by Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan. (INSET ) Pir Muhammad Khan Chishti of NWFP is removed from stage after making a speech against the Quaid-e-Azam. agencies

Taliban heading to Karachi for safety

Daily Times

* Taliban member says they come in different batches to Karachi to rest, seek money, get medical treatment

KARACHI: Taliban fighters seeking money, rest and refuge from US missile strikes are turning up in increasing numbers in Karachi, according to the Taliban, police officials and an intelligence memo.
The Taliban presence in the port city shows how quickly their influence is spreading throughout the country.
Karachi is critical because it is the main entryway for supplies headed to US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, and is the country’s financial hub.
Few believe the Taliban could actually take over Karachi, but there is fear that they could destabilise it through violence.
Although a modern city by all standards, Karachi still remains the place where US journalist Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and found beheaded in 2002. Al Qaeda operatives including suspected September 11 attack plotter Ramzi Binalshibh have been arrested from the city, which is believed to have been a launching pad for the attackers who killed 164 people in the Mumbai attacks.

As the military intensifies its attacks in the north and the US continues with missile attacks, more Taliban are seeking safety in Karachi and other urban areas, their member said.
Batches: “We come in different batches to Karachi to rest and if needed, get medical treatment, and stay with many of our brothers who are living here in large numbers,” 32-year-old Taliban Omar Gul Mehsud told AP.
Shah Jahan, a 35-year-old who said he commands about 24 Taliban fighters in South Waziristan Agency, said the Taliban were scattering throughout Pakistan to avoid the US missile strikes. He said groups of 20 to 25 fighters would fight for a few months, then take leaves of up to one month in cities including Karachi.
“We are more alert and cautious following the drone attacks, and we understand that it is not a wise approach to concentrate in a large number in the war-torn areas,” he said.
On the outskirts of Karachi, large settlements of Afghan refugees and displaced Pakistani have swelled over the past year by as many as 200,000 people. These refugees and IDPs are mostly Pashtun. An intelligence report obtained by the AP warned that such neighbourhoods had become favoured hideouts for the Taliban linked to Baitullah Mehsud.

The report from the police’s special branch said Mehsud-linked terrorists were arriving in batches of 20 to 25 every 30 to 35 days “for rest as well as for generating funds”. It added that the Taliban made money “through criminal activities like kidnapping for ransom, bank robbery, street robbery and other heinous crimes”.

The Sohrab Goth neighbourhood is next to Super Highway, a major thoroughfare for materials heading to Afghan-based US and NATO forces. Past ethnic violence in the area, including as recently as December, has led to shutdowns of the highway.
Senior police officer Raja Omar Khattab said investigations showed earth-excavation companies owned by members of the Mehsud tribe were helping fund the Taliban.

“Forcibly or voluntarily, they are bound to pay 40 percent of their earnings to Baitullah because they belong to that tribe and they are concerned about their survival and their links to their tribe,” he said.
AD Khwaja, another senior police official, said up to a third of Karachi bank robberies in the past two or three years were believed to have helped fund terrorist groups, including the Taliban.

Analysts, political leaders and security officials agree that the Taliban have a network in Karachi, but differ on their actual numbers and the immediacy of the threat.
Khwaja estimated hundreds of Taliban, while leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement said the Taliban presence was in thousands, warning that the Taliban could find support among the countless students who attend Karachi’s 3,000 madrassas. ap

Kuwaiti women take first seats in parliament

Daily Times

KUWAIT: Women have won four seats in Kuwait’s parliament, the first women to do so in the Gulf Arab state’s history, official election results showed on Sunday. Kuwaiti women were first given the right to vote and run for office in 2005 but failed to win any seats in the 2006 and 2008 elections, held in this conservative Muslim country where politics is still widely seen as a man’s domain.

The KUNA news agency said liberal candidates Aseel Awadhi and Rola Dashti came in second and seventh place in the third constituency, giving them both seats in the House. Former health minister Massouma al-Mubarak, who became the first Kuwaiti woman minister in 2005, and another female candidate, Salwa al-Jassar, also secured seats in parliament. reuters

Kuwait City | Crucial win

Kuwaiti candidate Acil al-Awadi (C) celebrates with supporters following her victory in the parliamentary elections in the Kuwaiti capital on Sunday. Kuwaitis voted for change in the Gulf emirate’s second poll in a year. Four women candidates made history by winning the first female seats in the Kuwaiti parliament. Kuwaiti women were first given the right to vote and run for office in 2005 but failed to win any seats in the 2006 and 2008 elections. afp

Largest internal displacement in history

by Nasira Javed Iqbal

Just entering Lahore after distressing experience of visit to camps. Lacs of humans are homeless and forlorn. They Walked Miles with elderly, children and babes in arms through difficult terrain. Shelling, firing and turmoil all around. Reaching unknown places while losing family members en route. Largest internal displacement in history.

They are lodged in tents under scorching sun, no electricity, water, food clothing or succour. Some inadequate supplies by government. Those lodged in schools at least have electricity with load shedding, but bare floors, no covering, clothes or utensils. They were given food on their hands.

Despair is everywhere. We tried to partially mitigate their suffering by supplying some necessities like floor coverings, pillows, sheets, clothes, chappals, powdered milk, sugar, combs, hand fans, soap, towels etc. I pray Pakistan survives this traumatic war. The victims do not understand what is its root cause and ultimate objective. We all appear to be the losers with no end in sight.

Please also pray for this sea of humanity.