Pakistan Update

Posted on August 2, 2007 by Thanos

20070803_ed03.jpgMusharraf met with the military leaders to discuss the Indian nuclear deal, and more meetings of the Pakistan military commanders are underway even as on the political front the coalition between PPP and PML-Q continues to jell.

The government continues to expel foreign students from madrassas who don’t have a “non-objection certificate” from their country’s government in an effort to crimp the inflow of foreign extremists. 554 students were deported, and 717 cases are under further consideration. Continue reading →

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Al Qaeda and Taliban Declare War on Pakistan

Posted on August 1, 2007 by Thanos

pakistan-flag.jpgThe Al Qaida schism reported by Newsweek and others in my earlier post here was either exaggerated, or Al Libi has been brought into line and the split has healed for now. If I were in AQ or the Taliban I would still be watching my back; terrorists shouldn’t think think they can trust their allies anymore, because they still aren’t all in agreement. Al Libi released a tape that essentially seconds Al Zawahiri in declaring war on Pakistan and the Pakistani government. Continue reading →

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Hate Crime or Protest?

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Thanos

There was a great debate tonight on CNN regarding Stanley Smulevich being charged with hate crimes in New York for his vulgar protest involving two Korans at Pace University. Paula Zahn interviews Christopher Hitchens, and Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations). There’s also a guest cameo of Dennis Prager discussing Islamophobia, which CAIR would have you believe that America is rampant with.

Previous story here

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Mission to Mars Launches in August

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Thanos

The University of Arizona is set to launch an exploratory probe to Mars to search for signs of life, and to see if organic compounds and water exist near the surface. The Phoenix mission lifts off in August, and the vid clip below details the mission and purpose.

Posted in Blogging, Journalism, Science, The Future | 2 Comments

Truth in Iran is Punishable by Death

Posted on July 31, 2007 by Thanos

A few weeks back in Pakistan there were mass demonstrations against muzzling of the press by PEMRA ammendments which were quickly backed out of the law by the government when they saw that people were unhappy. In Iran, they don’t just shut down your paper or station — they put you to death under Sharia law. Truth in Iran is a crime punishable by death. Story at Fox news:

TEHRAN, Iran  —  The Iranian judiciary confirmed that two journalist from the country’s Kurdish minority have been sentenced to death, a rare verdict against media people here, the official Iranian news agency reported on Tuesday.
Adnan Hassanpour and Hiva Boutimar have been sentenced to execution on the charge of Moharebeh,” the agency quoted Ali Reza Jamshidi, spokesman of judiciary, as saying. Moharebeh, which literally means “fighting” in classical Arabic, is used in Iran’s Sharia law to describe a major crime against the religion and the Islamic state.

The official new agency did not specify what crime the two Kurdish journalists were precisely accused of.

Posted in Freedom, Journalism | 1 Comment

Pakistan Update

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Thanos

Political Front 

There’s a lot of speculation over Musharraf and whether, how, and when he will lose his uniform. My prediction: He will lose his uniform when he decides, which will be after the campaign in the frontiers that is inevitable now, but before full elections.

Some think he will be re-elected by current assembly in-uniform, and that there will be an interim PM, that remains to be seen. These could be ideas floated to see how popular or unpopular they would be. The Benazir Bhutto / Musharraf deal seems to have dug the holes and inserted the goal posts, but they aren’t quite to pouring the concrete yet.

Continue reading →

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Al Qaeda Split Graduates From Blogs to Media

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Thanos

The media has finally noticed the schisms within Al Qaeda, as new evidence of in-fighting hits the press:

Lahore, July 30 : A split has apparently surfaced within the al Qaeda over what strategy to adopt as retaliation to the Pakistan Army’s crackdown on the Lal Masjid.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, one faction favours retaliation, while the other believes that further strikes could force the Pakistan Army to attack their safe havens in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Radical Pakistani Islamists allied to the al Qaeda have revealed that Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, wants retaliatory attacks on Pakistani targets. Some other senior figures within the group are, however, “alarmed” that Zawahiri’s mission to topple and kill President Pervez Musharraf could provoke a military backlash.

A rival “Libyan faction”, led by Abu Yahya Al-Libi, an escapee from the US Bagram base near Kabul, apparently suspects Al-Zawahiri of trying “to position himself as Bin Laden’s heir” with this “crusade,” the Daily Times reported.

US intelligence operatives involved in the hunt for bin Laden have confirmed the reports of this rift from senior Pakistani jihadi sources.

Continue reading →

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Be CAIRful What You Ask For

Posted on July 30, 2007 by Thanos

Stan Smulevich has been charged with two felonies; he’s accused of tossing two Korans in a toilet at Pace University in New York on separate occasions. According to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Student Association (MSA) these acts constitute hate crimes, and they have lobbied the authorities in New York to charge them as such. The authorities complied.

Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging, Freedom, Journalism, Politics | 2 Comments

Musharraf and Bhutto: Pakistan United?

Posted on July 29, 2007 by Thanos

musharraf_pervez_pakistan.jpgbenazir-bhutto2.jpgIn an sweeping deal that enables great change and return to civilian rule President Musharraf and ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto have joined in a coalition of PPP and PML-Q parties, which combines the centrist groups of Pakistani politics.

The parties will work together to create an ammendment to the constitution that will allow Bhutto to serve a third term as Prime Minister, and from what Bhutto is saying, Musharraf will remove the Uniform as part of the deal.

Continue reading →

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Ramchand Pakistani

Posted on July 29, 2007 by Thanos

nandita-das.jpgNandita Das, an Indian actress, will portray the mother of a Pakistani boy in the upcoming movie “Ramchand Pakistani.” Nandita is a great actress and is known for playing in controversial films, as this film promises to be, but it would have been better if they had picked a Pakistani actress for the part.

Continue reading →

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