Somalia: amid famine and drought, Al-Shabab is training children as soldiers and murdering NGO workers

It has been widely reported in the media that as a result of the famine in East Africa, Somalia is facing ‘not only a humanitarian crisis’ but also ‘a human rights crisis and a children’s crisis.

This indication is contained in a report by the Prayer Communication team of Open Doors UK a United Kingdom based Christian humanitarian organization (www.opendoorsuk.org) adding that the Islamist insurgent ("terrorist" group), Al-Shabaab, the main armed group opposed to the government in Somalia, is reported to be systematically recruiting children under 15 as child soldiers.

...some UN agencies working in Somalia suspect that several local organizations which  they have funded and through which they have distributed aid, were giving money to al Shabaab, payments that the Islamist group called “taxes” .

The report details several cases where members of al Shabaab have asked for bribes to the UN and aid agencies in exchange for allowing them to work in rebel areas and in some cases, burning food and medicine when they didn’t get the required money.

...Al-Shabaab currently controls the majority of southern Somalia and targets Christians, who are then routinely killed. Kidnapping and killings of NGO workers have also been reported.

Iraq: Christian tortured, mutilated and murdered

His body was mutilated. His head was nearly severed off. He was tortured before he was executed, according to the Kirkuk police. His eyes were gouged out, his ears were cut off and his faced was skinned. There also were signs of dog bites on the body.
Mr. Jacob is survived by his wife and three children.
He was an Assyrian construction worker.

His name was Ashur Yacob Issa and he had been kidnapped. His family was asked for a $61.500 ransom, a sum they couldn't pay at all.

Photo found at AINA.org.

Pakistan: Christian community shocked after killings continue

A week ago 7o Muslims accused of murdering several Christians (some of them were burned alive) in Gojra were freed. But violence continues:

“Churches are trying to give them solace with daily prayers for peace,” Father Diego added. 

More than 30 people have been murdered in the last three days in target killings. Eight political workers from rival parties were killed yesterday as gunshots echoed in different areas around the city. Armed men occupied several buildings while others looted a few. 

Saima Mushtaq, a Caritas field worker, said she had to find alternative routes several times yesterday to pick up her son and take him home after tuition class.

Moroccan man kills Swedish tourist in attempted sexual assault, hurts another

While they were on a holiday trip in Spain:

(Apparently, both tourists) met a young 30-year-old Moroccan in a nightclub who was staying for the night at the same hotel as them but in a different room.

At 04:00 a. m., the alleged murderer went to the room of the two Swedish girls and after attempted to sexually assault them, stabbed one of them and killed her. The other girl escaped with wounds and alerted the hotel staff, who retained the subject with the help of a police trainee.

Posts for Nov 2nd: Drug trafficking, "Solidarity among Muslims", Christian burned for refusing to work as a slave, Karzai on drugs' raid, Greece's parcel bombs, Christian graves vandalised

1. Al-Qaeda, drug cartels and Chávez, united in drug trafficking: Al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez differ in many ways, but they share a common enemy — the United States. And according to U.S. officials, drugs help connect and fund the dangerous networks.
2. Iran: "Solidarity among different Muslims' faiths". Of course, Khamenei's fatwa doesn't include non-Muslim faiths...
3. Pakistan: Muslim burns and humiliates Christian who didn't want to work for him as a slave: Yaqub Masih said the young man’s refusal to work in Ghuman’s fields infuriated the Muslim, who was accustomed to forcing Christians into slavery. He said Ghuman considered Masih’s refusal an act of disobedience by a “choohra,” the pejorative word for Christians in Pakistan.
4. Afghanistan: Karzai criticizes US-Russia drugs raid. He called it a violation of Afghan sovereignty and international law. Russia said more than a tonne of heroin and opium, with a street value of $250m (£157m), was destroyed in the raid.
5. Sarkozy among targets of Greece's parcel bombs. Related.
6. Turkey: Christian graves vandalised in the island of Imvros (below). On the night between 28 and 29 October the feast day of the Republic founded by Kemal Ataturk, unknown assailants entered, in the cemetery of the island of Panagia Imvros (Goikocea in Turkish) and seriously vandalised 78 graves. A similar act had been committed in these parts 20 years ago.

Posts for 31 Oct: Ashtiani's son and lawyer tortured, Khamenei's speech at Qom, "Islamization is no crime", Bibles desecrated in Malawi, Oklahoma's Sharia ban, Maldives' denigrating "vows exchange", Iraqi church-goers kidnapped

1. Lawyer and son of condemned woman tortured: Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani‘s son Sajjad Ghaderzade and lawyer Javid Hutan Kian have been tortured since being arrested earlier this month.
2. Khamenei's speech in Qom: he strongly criticized Iran’s enemies, saying they sought to denigrate its citizens’ religious faith, the key to Iranian success. He noted that even though the enemies attempted to sever the bond between the Iranian public and the regime, the participation of 40 million Iranians in the last presidential election showed the public’s support for the regime and Islam. The enemy’s scheme failed, and the riots that broke out after the election made Iran immune to the “social and political microbes” that threatened it. He added that, using the media, Iran’s enemies are trying to promote two ideas: Islam without clerics, and separation between religion and politics.
3. Hamas: "Islamization is no crime", among other news. We have the right to control our life according to our religion, not according to your religion. You have no religion, you are secular,” said Zahar, who is one of the group’s most influential and respected voices
4. Malawi: Bibles' desecration could signal new Muslim militancy, priests' worries. Although the school had made it clear that no Bibles were to be given to the Muslim pupils and that no one was obliged to take a copy, some Muslim youths created an uproar. They tore up the Bibles, threw them at their teachers and then threw torn pages on the streets. Some of the students denounced the Bible distribution to their religious leaders as an “insult to Islam” and claimed that they had been forced to accept a Bible.
5. Oklahoma may ban Sharia Law. Voters in Oklahoma next week will be asked to consider an unusual ballot measure: whether the state’s constitution should be amended to outlaw Sharia, the sacred law of Islam.
6. Maldives: Police arrest "celebrant" of degrading "vows exchange". Under Maldivian law non-Muslims are not permitted to marry in the Maldives, but many resorts offer ‘renewal of vows’ ceremonies. The men have not yet been formally charged, “but this is a very serious issue related to our economy,” (Police Sub-Inspector) Shiyam said.
7. Iraq: Gunmen take church-goers hostage after killing 2 at stock exchange. The gunmen are demanding that the Iraqi government release a number of detainees and prisoners inside Iraqi prisons, saying the Christian hostages will be freed in return, according to the police officials.
   

Posts for Oct 20th: Evo Morales, Iranian universities, Taliban in South Korea, Saudi schoolgirls, Bomb in Pakistan, Hector Aleem, Indonesian Churches Attacked, Egyptian fundamentalism, Islam & Catalonia, Gadaffi in Europe

Latest posts on T&P:

1. Iran: Bolivian President Evo Morales on trade visit to "boost trade ties". Morales, who arrived on Sunday night, is to discuss an earlier agreement on projects worth 1.1 billion dollars over the next five years, and another 287-million-dollar investment by Iran in Bolivia.
   Morales’ second visit to Iran in two years was scheduled to last three days, the news network Press TV reported.
2. Iran: Govt forbids Universities from offering "Western subjects".“Expansion of 12 disciplines in the social sciences like law, women’s studies, human rights, management, sociology, philosophy….psychology and political sciences will be reviewed,” said Abolfazl Hassani, from the education ministry. These sciences’ contents are based on Western culture. The review will be the intention of making them compatible with Islamic teachings.”
3. South Korea: Govt fears Taliban are gaining foothold in the country. A man who was arrested when entering the country, said, during an interrogation that he was there to bomb US bases. But the problem is that the man had been entering 17 times during 5 years with a fake passport! They ask some pertinent questions, like if North Korea helped him in any stage of his endeavours.
4. Saudi Arabia: Schoolgirls warned against wearing "tight clothes". "”The schoolgirl’s dress must be in line with Islamic tenets…it must not be transparent or sticking to the body in a way that will highlight her organs…there should not be any resemblance to the boy’s dress as our prophet (peace be upon him) had cursed men who imitate women and women who imitate men.”
5. Spain: Conference on "Islamic feminism". "There are currents within Islamic feminism. Moderate and radical, but they all flatly refused to talk about the veil, hijab-(and banning) because, they say, “is an excuse to distract from other substantive issues.” Some carry it always, some never, some “sometimes, because it is a symbol of submission,” argues Marie Laure. But most Muslims believe that Islamic feminism is “a threat” to their traditions and religion. Women as Masuma Assad (Union of Muslim Argentinian Women) for whom Islamic feminism “is aimed at the destruction of Islam to uphold the principles of secularism in Islamic societies".”
6. Pakistan: Bomb blast at Sufi shrine killls four. The actual death toll is 8. "Sufi worshippers, who follow a mystical strain of Islam, have increasingly been the target of bloody attacks by Islamist militants in Pakistan".
7. Hector Aleem's trial for blasphemy: Mullahs gather outside the court. Hector Aleem is being tried in Pakistan for blasphemy against Mohammed, Islam’s prophet. On October 21st and 25th, the days of the hearings, some Mullahs were assembled in the main entrance of the court at Rawalpindi to chant slogans calling for his death and against Christianity and to shout “Allah Akbar“. His family has made some videos from a mobile phone.
8. Indonesia: 700 churches attacked in past decade. "The violence also increases the indifference of the civil authorities and police, who shrug off the violence".
9. Egypt: Islamic fundamentalism rising, govt suspends 12 TV channels. They were promoting religious hatred, violence and quack medicine.
10. Spain: pro-independency Catalonian entity wants to show the "bonds that historically have existed between Islam and Catalonia". "Muslims should vote for pro-independency parties, as they rely on us to get votes. But what they do not know is that, when they let us vote, we’ll all vote for Islamic parties because we do not believe in left and right. This will make us win local councils and from there with the great powers of Catalan autonomy, Islam will begin to be implemented" (Abdelwahab Houzi, Salafist Imam, Lérida, Catalonia).
11. Europe should convert to Islam, Gadaffi says.MUAMMAR Gaddafi sparked a backlash yesterday after calling on Europeans to convert to Islam, and demanding billions of euros to stop migration leading to a “black Europe”.

Non-Muslims Turn to Islamic Bank as a Safe Option

THE BIRMINGHAM POST: Growing numbers of non-Muslims are turning to Islamic banking as customers spooked by turmoil in the Western banking system increasingly see the sector as a safe haven.

The Birmingham-headquartered Islamic Bank of Britain said it had seen significant growth in non-Muslim customers since the onset of turbulence on financial markets as Islamic banks, bound by strict religious principles, are largely seen as insulated from the credit crisis.

Islam’s prohibition on the charging or paying of interest - riba - as well as rules on the kinds of investments they can make are among the reasons Islamic banks are coming through the crisis unscathed.

Islamic Bank of Britain head of marketing Steven Amos said: “Our core business will always be Muslims but the numbers of non-Muslims are really picking up.

“We’ve had massive interest and it’s down to the number of reasons why we’re insulated from the credit crunch.

“There were two reasons for the credit crunch. The first is liquidity - banks lending to each other on the money markets - but Islamic banks do not borrow or lend on money markets because interest is not allowed.

“The second reason Islamic banks are insulated is to do with assets - everything has to involve an underlying asset or service and if you are going to trade in an asset you have to own it first.”

The explosion in complex derivative products over the last few years has left Western banks reeling from exposure to toxic assets often far-removed from their everyday activities.

In contrast the more risk-averse Islamic finance system did not embrace this kind of deal.

“Conventional banks didn’t know what they were buying in these derivatives but we have no exposure to subprime as we just don’t deal in it full stop.

“That is one of the fundamental reasons we are insulated.”

Stipulations that you must own the asset you are trading in also mean practices such as short-selling are not a feature of Islamic banking. Non-Muslims Turn to Islamic Bank as a Safe Option >>> By Anna Blackaby, Business Staff | October 3, 2008

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