Iraq conflict: Crisis of an orphaned generation

By Caroline HawleyBBC News, Baghdad  Brothers Mustafa and Mortada lost their mother and father during the war

A recent survey in Iraq found that between 800,000 to a million Iraqi children have lost one or both of their parents.

According to aid workers this figure is a conservative estimate of the many thousands growing up in the shadow of violence.

Twelve-year-old Saif lost both his parents in a bomb attack - in which he was also injured - in the province of Diyala in 2005.

"I don't remember what happened," he says, quietly. "I was small. A man came and took me away and afterwards told me what had happened to my mother and father. There is no life when you've lost your mother and father."

Saif is now being brought up in a private orphanage where, despite the trauma he has been through, he enjoys playing computer games and singing, and dreams of becoming an actor.

No-one knows the exact number of Iraqi children who, like Saif, have been orphaned by Iraq's unrelenting violence.

Social crisis

But with bombs and assassinations still a daily occurrence, the number of orphans is continually growing.

Children in this private orphanage have better facilities than those in the state-run institution which the BBC visited

Beyond the individual tragedies, the sheer number of Iraqi orphans has created a social crisis in a country that has less than 200 social workers and psychiatrists put together, for a population of 30 million people. It has no child protection laws.

Officials say that desperately needed welfare legislation has been held hostage to sectarian squabbling in parliament.

The orphanage in central Baghdad where Saif lives was set up by Hisham Hassan and funded by private donations.

He told the BBC he could not stand by and watch the suffering of a generation of young Iraqis.

"The government has not grasped the size of the problem," he says.

Among the 32 boys he looks after are brothers Mustafa and Mortada, aged 10 and 11.

Their mother was killed in a shoot-out and their father disappeared during the height of Iraq's sectarian war.

They remember and miss a "good mother" and a father who used to play football with them.

Hisham Hassan and his small staff have done their best to create a homely atmosphere at the orphanage.

There is one room for the boys to create art, and a computer room where games are allowed once homework is done. And they are taught to sew and even cut hair.

After the harrowing experiences of their past, they are being encouraged to prepare for a better future.

"If they're not properly looked after, when they grow up they will be exploited by terrorists and they will be like bombs - a threat to the security and future of the country," says Mr Hassan.

'Caged bird'

On the other side of the city, in a state-run orphanage for 12- to 18-year-olds, a desperate 17-year-old Mustafa is terrified about his own future.

"I need someone to give me psychological care. Maybe we'll be involved in crimes because there is nothing good in our future," he says.

Many of the play facilities at Baghdad's Dar al-Waziriya orphanage need updating

Mustafa was brought to Dar al-Waziriya orphanage after he lost both his parents in a bomb attack when he was 12 years old.

"I feel like a bird in a cage here," he says. "I wish there was someone to listen to us."

The orphanage, home to 52 boys, is a dilapidated and disconsolate place - the playground has fallen into disuse, there is no light in the downstairs toilet, and no sink in the bathroom upstairs.

The steps to the boys' dormitories are crumbling and a broken door has not been fixed.

"I would like this to be a nice place to live," an eight-year-old boy tells me, shyly.

Iraq's Deputy Minister for Social Affairs, Dara Yara, told the BBC that he and his staff are doing their best, in difficult political circumstances.

"We're are working day and night to improve the services we provide to orphans. But the money I'm allocated for this is very limited. And the whole social security system in this country needs reform.

"This is a humanitarian issue and it's not being prioritised by parliament. We need laws and we need money from the ministry of finance to deal with the problem."

And he, too, worries about the security consequences if Iraq's orphans are not given the long-term care that they need.

"They are," he says, "very easy targets for recruitment by terrorists."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-20461110

Pakistan grilled by European Parliament for it's Kill and Dump policy in Baluchistan

The Human rights activists in Baluchistan have informed the International human rights community several times about the abduction of members of Baluch National Movement by Pakistani intelligence and how their body were found dumped near their houses but no stringent action has been taken against the concerned authorities despite of tons of evidence collected against the Pakistan authority. Alexander Alvaro, Member of European Parliament and member of South Asia Peace Forum (SAPF) slammed Pakistan for numerous reports of Human rights violations in Baluchistan. He particularly showed concern that Baluchistan despite being an international issue; few steps have been taken by the international Community to make Pakistan`s intelligence and security agencies answerable for continuing human rights violations in Baluchistan. He specifically asked Vice-President of the Commission that "Does the European Union envisage the appointment of a special rapporteur for Baluchistan to conduct, with the assistance of the international human rights organisation."? The European Union replied to which that both sides has agreed to reinforce this commitment for respecting human rights and other security issues, although Pakistan is widely being criticized for their Kill and dump occupation in Baluchistan, as much of valid facts are available in hands of many Human rights organizations.

Nawab Nazar’s mother has appealed the Int’l Human Rights Groups to play their role for recovery of his son

Occupied Balochistan,TURBAT: The mother of martyr Ilyas Nazar has demanded in a press release, that claimants of Islam and humanism should raise their voice for the safe recovery of his son Nawab Nazar. He is the only breadwinner of house. Nawab Nazar’s mother has also urged the Chief Justice, to take immediate action for safe recovery of Nawab Nazar, and provide us justice. She further said that, Nawab Nazar was never involved in politics or any other activities, and I even don’t know why they have abducted my son and punishing him. She has also appealed the abductors, to tell the fault of Nawab Nazar. She added, ‘’Previously my younger son Ilyas Nazar was martyred after abduction. Till today no one hasn’t said us about the fault of Ilyas Nazar, that why he was killed? She also urged the International Human Rights Groups, like Amnesty Int’l, Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Int’l Justice Bodies to play their role for safe recovery of his son Nawab Nazar.

Burka-promoting Pakistani preacher Farhat Hashmi barred from entering Canada?

by Tarek Fatah on Thursday, 29 November 2012 at 18:41

There are more women than men in this world ... Who will take care of these women? It is better for a man to do things legally by taking a second wife, rather than having an affair. ... Women that should understand the limits set by Islam."

-  18-year old Canadian student, Sadaf Mahmood

"I was a feminist...But after taking her classes, I don't think that way."

-  18-year old Canadian student, Madiha Khokar

October 29, 2005

Islamic School for Women:

Faithful or Fundamental?

By Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy

The Globe and Mail, Toronto

In a modest industrial park near Lester B. Person International Airport in Mississauga, 150 women varying white head scarves and long, black Saudi style coats called abayas sit in a medium-sized classroom listening attentively to their teacher.

This morning's lecture includes a perspective on the recent earthquake in Pakistan. "We must understand why such calamities take place," says Dr. Farhat Hashmi, addressing the room in Urdu. "The people in the are where the earthquake hit were involved in immoral activities, and God has said that he will punish those who do not follow his path." He students nod and murmur in agreement.

The classroom walls are pinned with interpretations of passages from the Quran, giving instruction on how Muslims should live their lives-guidance on when to smile, cry, tell the truth, when to be angry. Outside the front door, a sign reads, "no men allowed without prior permission."

Since April, 2005, women from across Toronto and as far way as Australia have come here to the Al Huda Islamic Centre of Canada to take a 20-month course called Taleem-ul-Quran; the "education of the Quran." Its teacher, and the school's founder, Dr. Hashmi, says she has come from Pakistan to enlighten young Muslim women about their religion.

Her critics in the city's South Asian community say she is encouraging women to cover up, stay at home and accept outdated gender roles.

The school is the latest extension of Al-Huda International which Dr. Hashmi founded in Pakistan in 1994 after graduating with a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Glasgow. Through her teachings, she has since become a well-known Islamic scholar, specially among middle and upper-middle-class women in Pakistan.

The school now counts more than 10,000 graduates and she has offered lectures to women in Dubai and London.

She has moved to Toronto with her husband and family, she says, in response to demand for young women in the city to gain a deeper understanding of Islam. For a nominal fee of $60 a month, students attend classes four days a week for five hours a day.

During a typical class, students p=recite prayers from the Quran, then follow up with a long session reading the Urdu translation of the Holy Book with Dr. Hashmi.

In order the non-certified diploma, students are expected to learn how to translate the 30 books of the Quran. Her lessons are also available on CD.

"My Canadian friends invited me here because they feel that there is an need to educate young Muslim girls in this society," explains Dr. Hashmi in an interview conducted in Urdu. "They come to me for answers," she says. "I teach them the Quran, and they leave with a sense of peace."

The young women who have come to the Al-Huda Islamic Centre seem to agree. They say there experience learning with Dr. Hashmi has transformed them.

Sada Mohsin, 17, says she wore jeans and t-shirts and often stayed out partying with friends in her senior year of high school in New York. "I was like an average high school student," she says. "I would go with the flow, listen to music, have both guy and girl friends."

When her father suggested that she move to Canada to go to the Al-Huda Islamic Centre, she initially resisted. "I knew that my parents were angry at me for pushing them away. They felt that I was becoming too American in my ways," she says.

But over the past few months, Ms. Mohsin has enjoyed the classes so much that he has stayed out of choice. "I'm giving up my old American friends and making new ones here in class. My whole life is changing," she says. "I've started wearing the abaya, and its this new environment and these new friends that have helped me do that."

Dressed in a denim jacket, white pants and a head scarf, Ayesha Awan, 20, makes her way to class every morning. She has cut her studies at York University to part-time to attend Al-Huda's 20-month course. "I wasn't religious when I started her class. I didn't cover my head before, but now I do," she says.

Her perspective on the role of women has also changed. "I agree with Dr. Hashmi that women should stay at home and look after their families," she says.

Ms. Awan was so impressed with Dr. Hashmi's sermons that she convinced 10 friends to enrol in the course. She believes that people who don't agree with Dr. Hashmi's message change their mind after they attend her classes.

"It takes time to get used to everything, because we are not used to segregation and covering up," Ms. Awan explains. "But there are a lot of people in Canada who practise it, so it is possible to do so."

But Tarek Fatah, the communications director of the Muslim Canadian Congress is highly critical of Dr. Hashmi's teachings. "Her concept is a grave threat not only to Canadian values, but also to Canadian Muslims. She is segregating society and encouraging the ghettoization of the South Asian Muslim community and making it very difficult for them to integrate into mainstream society," Mr. Fatah argues. "She is completely brainwashing these educated, middle-class women top stay at home."

His concerns are echoed by Ms. Kausar Khan, 37. "It has taken (Muslim women) so long to come out of our homes," the Brampton business owner says. "We have had to fight for an education and the right to work and Dr. Hashmi's message is negating all that."

"She is encouraging our women to stay home and be submissive to their husbands, and that settle well with the rest of us."

The reason that Dr. Hashmi's students are embracing her interpretation of the Quran, Ms. Khan argues is that most of them are not well versed in Islam and cannot question her authority. "These young women are naive," she says.

Dr. Hashmi, who considers herself an Islamic feminist, disagrees. "I don't force anyone to do anything. They don't have to listen to me if they don't want to."

Furthermore, she says that she is only helping her students better understand Islam. "People accuse me of preaching my views, they are confused," Dr. Hashmi says. "I refrain from using my personal opinion in my lesson. I just translate the word of God. So people don't have a problem with me, because my message is from the Quran, they have a problem with God."

She applies this explanation in response to the interpretation some put on her teachings that she preaches polygamy-a common accusation her critics direct at her. Dr. Hashmi denies the claim, but notes, "Islam gives women rights, so that a man cannot take advantage of her. If a man has relations with a woman outside of marriage, the Quran orders him to marry her."

Her student Sadaf Mahmood, 18, agrees with this logic, arguing that Western society accords less respect to women, allowing men to have affairs without taking any responsibility. "There are more women than men in this world," Ms. Mahmood adds. "Who will take care of these women? It is better for a man to do things legally by taking a second wife, rather than having an affair."

On the issue of women working, she again point to the Quran, asserting that women must recognise their own abilities and circumstances when entering the work force. "Women that should understand the limits set by Islam," she says. "Whichever field fulfills both the requirement of the individual and Islam, that would be the appropriate career."

But Canadian Muslims point to the Prophet Muhammad, the messenger of Islam from God, whose own wife was a business woman and renowned for her skills.

Muslim Canadians such as Kausar Khan are most alarmed at the possibility that the next generation of South Asian girls are embarking Dr. Hashmi's teachings. "We live in a secular society, where there is separation of religion and state. Then why is this woman being allowed to bring her extremist views to our country? She poses a danger to us and our Canadian way of life."

Dr. Hashmi insists her message will not confuse these young girls who are a product of western world; "Islam is for all times. Why does the environment here have to change the young girls, why can't they change the environment?"

Students such as 18-year old Madiha Khokar see the change. "I was a feminist...But after taking her classes, I don't think that way. I think that women have a place in society, and their rights are accorded to them by God in the Quran."

Baloch kid , No school ,,No play ground,,,,,,,,
Is at Life ??????????

The state sponsored terror organization, Mussaleh Defa e Tanzeem has gone rampage through the city of Kharan killing the innocent people of Kharan City who have sympathy with Baloch Freedom movement

Archen Baloch  29/11/2012

At the first week of this month of November the news media reported the arrival of MDT thugs in Kharan and reported a heavy handed crackdown on sympathizers of freedom movement and this organization's group photos were also appeared on facebook. The responsible members of the society cautioned all pro freedom political workers through general media for safety measures, and several families abandoned their homes behind and sought refuge in safe.places as they were already threatened for grave consequences.

These armed terrorists are fully backed by government, Therefore, they can carry out any kind of attack against innocent member of Kharan's hitherto peaceful society whenever they want to without any obstacle.

According to detailed report the state killers ambushed Alla Rahim along with his friend, Aslam Dagarzai at Kalan road of Kharan city when they were returning home at 7pm after buying necessary things for his wedding, as he was.about to marry after two days

It is noteworthy here that the nephew of Saleem Dagarzai, Nasir Dagarzai was also arrested twice by Pakistan.security forces and subsequently his tortured to death and his mutilated body was found in a desolate area

According to locals the killers, before opening fire on the Rahim and Saleem, called upon them to disarm themselves.and throw their weapons on ground and surrender

It is normal in Baloch society to carry gun, but only only when the rule of law and civility is absent, under that code of.self protection and defense both Rahim and Saleem were armed for self defense when ambushed

As per Baloch code of honor and the fear of being killed at the hands of ISI without resistance, both resisted the killers and embraced the martyrdom. During the resistance, one of the killers, Haji Mansoor got killed at the spot and three other injured, they were later on taken to CM military hospital in Quetta early moring by army helicopters.

When the people in the neighborhood tried to know what happened and approached the martyrs dead bodies, they were prevented by armed thugs with intense firing and warnings. According to further reports this carnage has been.carried out by the members of Besima wing of the DMT

Occupied Balochistan: Pakistani occupying have started a heavy millitry operation on the Baloch civilians in Kohlo and Mustung`s Areas.At-least 12 Balochs have been abducted by Pakistani occupying forcs during military operation in Kohalo.

Why I as a Muslim Woman Don't Wear a Headscarf

Does the Koran really demand that women wear headscarves? Or is it mainly older men who claim they can decide how women should dress – with no theological foundation whatsoever? For the Islam scholar Lamya Kaddor, there is no question about it: the headscarf is obsolete.


German Islam scholar Lamya Kaddor: "If God had required a special head covering, would He not have said so explicitly?"If I as a Muslim woman living in Germany ask myself whether I should wear a headscarf or not, that gives rise to the question of whether the additional head-covering called for in the Koran (33:59) still fulfils its original purpose of protecting women from male desire. My answer is: no. In contemporary Germany such covering-up no longer serves that purpose. 

It is even more likely to bring about the opposite of what God intended by exposing wearers of headscarves to discrimination. Today the intended protection against 'annoyances' is provided by a well-functioning legal system rather than by adherence to social rules from the past. A free state based on the rule of law protects a woman, for example by punishing attacks on her person.

This protection may be primarily concerned with bodily integrity, but people in a modern state are more than ever responsible for themselves with regard to the freedoms accorded – including in the realm of moral integrity. Covering my head cannot relieve me of that responsibility. I cannot hide myself behind a little piece of cloth. A free and democratic state grants rights and also imposes responsibilities. In such circumstances I can behave honourably with and without a veil or head-scarf – or not, as the case may be. 

A 'fashion accessory' from Koranic times?

If this argument is accepted, one can also abandon the Koranic demand for additional covering, directed towards women in Early Arabic tribal society. What would still initially remain is the khimâr, the head covering that was part of women's clothing at that time. The Koran neither speaks against nor in any way emphasises that form of covering. God uses the word only once in the Koran (24:31). That occurs in passing in connection with a call for moral behaviour. So there is no Koranic emphasis on such head covering.

However, if God had required a special head covering, would He not have said so explicitly? Thekhimâr thus merely constitutes a 'fashion accessory' according to the spirit of that age. Viewed rationally, functions consciously or unconsciously associated with head coverings across the course of history – such as protection against sand or evil influences – are all superannuated today and have lost their validity. People's powers of imagination have changed.


"Sura 24:30-31 calls on both men and women to behave chastely, but exegesis of the Koran up to the present day only puts the emphasis on chaste behaviour for women," Kaddor writesIn the Germany of the twenty-first century – at the very latest – women's hairstyles are no longer per se an erotic stimulus. The sight of head-hair no longer provokes sexual fantasies and thus immoral behaviour – except perhaps among fetishists. When you walk along a city's pedestrian precincts no one turns to look at you because of your hair. Only if you dress provocatively or in a particularly original way, and behave accordingly, do you attract some attention. 

In addition, this isn't a male world that still thinks as it did a thousand or more years ago. Thanks to the achievements of a free and democratic state, and thanks to the prevalent understanding of relations between the sexes, you no longer necessarily need a head covering in order to live morally. The headscarf has become obsolete.
More you can read this link:
http://en.qantara.de/Why-I-as-a-Muslim-Woman-Dont-Wear-a-Headscarf/15855c15997i1p/index.html

.Rise your wise against injustice juvenile crime.

 

Look at eyes of sweet innocent girl .she is Sweet Momal(Member of Hindu community) . Momal is 12 year old Girl from Sindh province many Hindus community girls were forcefully  change their religion by

Islamic extremist  they been kidnapped and forcefully  marriages Rise your wise against this cruel act of  injustice in the name of religion.

Baloch Girl Student Speaks on Right to Education on school

Plain clothed Pakistani official abducted a Baloch trader in Turbat

Kech :  Enforce disappearance of Baloch youth continues unabated as Shaheed Ilyas Nizar’s elder brother, Nawab Jan Nizar Baloch was abducted from Turbat on on Thursday morning (22 November 2012). Nawab Jan, his younger brother and a relative were travelling from Absor to Turbat at “Do Corm River” when plain clothed Pakistani officials abducted. Nawab Jan’s family told the media that he was not affiliated with any political party, he owns a small business in Turbat city and he was travelling, in his private car, to the city to attend his shop. His path at Corm River was blocked by two cars. His soon as he arrived at the river, the occupants of one car rushed to car and forced him out at gun point. He was then driven towards an identified location. Nawab’s younger brother Ilyas Nizar, a student of MSc, member of BSO-Azad and a writer for Balochi language magazine ‘Dhorant’, was also abducted by the intelligence agencies of Pakistan on 22 December 2010. His mutilated dead body was found along with body of another CC member of BSO-Azad Qamber Chakar on 5 January 2011 from Pedark area near Turbat, Balochistan. Anjuman Tajran Turbat [Trade union Turbat] an organization representing shops and other business owners in Turbat town, took out a rally against abduction of Nawab Jan Baloch. Students and other residents also joined the rally as it marched through the city chanting slogans against government. The march ended in a sit-in protest at the office of Deputy Commissioner where they demanded the immediate release of Nawab Jan Nizar Baloch. Separately, the Baloch Human Rights Organisation also took out protest rallies in Karachi and Quetta demanding the safe return of Nawab Jan Nizar Baloch. The Baloch Human Rights Organisation (BHRO) urged the United Nations to take notice of in-custody killings and abductions of Baloch youth by Pakistani secret security agencies. The BHRO said Pakistan is continuously committing gross human rights violations in Balochistan by so far the UN has failed to take any action against it. They appeal to the UN and other international human rights organisation to take notice of the abduction of Nawab Nazar Baloch and thousands of others who are languishing in Pakistani prisons.

Balochistan at a standstill

  By Sanaullah Baloch

Published: November 27, 2012

The writer was a member of the Senate from 2003-08 and of the National Assembly from 1997-99. He tweets @Senator_Baloch

The ‘supreme authority’ in Pakistan appears less enthralled to implement the repeated orders of the Supreme Court regarding the atrocious situation in Balochistan. After 71 hearings and countless interim orders by the Court, the situation in ill-fated Balochistan is at a standstill. Human rights violations are at an all-time high, extrajudicial killings by proxy death squads are on the rise, criminal elements are on the go to abduct civilians for ransom and corruption has surpassed all known records.

Since the high profile hearing on September 27, 2012, where Mr Akhtar Mengal presented his six-point roadmap for peace and stability, 109 innocent civilians and political activists have been killed along with four journalists.

Although the conflict in Balochistan has shattered the lives of ordinary citizens, it is an undeniable fact that ‘organised chaos’ has overwhelmingly empowered paramilitary forces and intelligence agencies. In fact, there is an undeclared emergency in the province, where the Baloch political process has been systematically stagnated and criminals and extremists are allowed to flourish and take control of society.

Despite the Supreme Court’s efforts and intentions, it seems unlikely that Balochistan’s bloodletting will stop in the near future. Since the Constitution is regarded as a mere piece of paper and overlooked by the ‘supreme authority’, i.e., the military establishment, the Court’s order will not discourage perpetrators of human rights violations to get away with their destructions.

Nevertheless, in Balochistan, the majority of the populace is discontented with the state system and its institutions. In such an environment, where distrust between the Baloch and Islamabad is high — the Balochistan National Party’s (BNP) leader, Akhtar Mengal, took a very courageous political decision to briefly end his prolonged self-exile so as to facilitate delivery of speedy justice to the victims of a decade-long conflict.

The BNP chief was overloaded with facts and truths about the endless miseries of the Baloch people by the militarised state and about the gross human rights violations of his people by the non-Baloch security apparatus.

Despite Balochistan’s small population, countless Baloch political leaders have been produced before civil and military courts as ‘traitors’ and offenders, thereby incarcerated because of their political opinion. Nevertheless, this was the first time in the history of Balochistan-Pakistan relations that a political leader from Balochistan, accompanied by 40 senior Baloch-Pashtun leaders, appeared in the Court as a complainant against the state rather than as a culprit.

Along with Akhtar Mengal’s verbal statements, the BNP submitted a comprehensive nine-page declaration and a 70-page dossier in the Supreme Court on September 27. Both statement and dossier encompass historic facts about the troubled relation between Balochistan and Pakistan, including details of systematic political, economic and human rights violations in their homeland. Akhtar Mengal talked passionately and factually before the Supreme Court about Balochistan’s state of affairs, including the epidemic of enforced disappearances of political activists.

The honourable chief justice and judges graciously received Mr Mengal and repeatedly indicated that Baloch leaders have shown respect for the rule of law and reminded the federation (government) to respond likewise. However, despite the Court’s meaningful advice to the federation (civil-military establishment), it has struck back with repeated rhetoric. The federal government injudiciously denied all charges of proxy death squads, military operations, missing persons and displaced Baloch.

Although the BNP’s six-point confidence building measures are not a recipe for permanent peace, if implemented, they could lead to a conflict-resolution process. Peace prospects between the Baloch and Islamabad are swiftly fading. The Supreme Court’s slow motion process is unlikely to dent the establishment’s anti-Baloch policy. The purposeful killing of moderate Baloch political activists will continue unabated until the establishment achieves its objective of a Baloch-less Balochistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2012.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/471195/balochistan-at-a-standstill/

'Golden eye' found! in shahr-i Sokhta (burnt city) in Balochistan

The world's oldest artificial eyeball was found on a female skeletal remains

The world's earliest prosthetic eye was worn by an ancient Persian priestess. The female soothsayer stood 6' (1.82m) tall, and the mesmerizing effects of the golden eyeball would have convinced those who saw it that she could see into the future. "It must have glittered spectacularly, conferring on the woman a mysterious and supernatural gaze," said leader of the Italian team Lorenzo Costantini, adding, "She must have been a very striking and exotic figure."

 

The priestess lived 5,000 years ago in what is now Iran, where her skeleton was unearthed in 2006 by Iranian and Italian archaeologists excavating an ancient necropolis at Shahr-i-Sokhta ["Burnt City"] in the Sistan desert. The eyeball was made of a lightweight material thought to be derived from bitumen paste and later determined to consist of a mixture of natural tar and animal fat. Lines had been engraved radiating from the iris and gold that had been applied in a thin layer over the surface. A tiny hole had been drilled on each side of the half-sphere, which had a diameter of just over 1" (2.5cm), so that it could be held in place with thread.

Microscopic examination confirmed that the artificial eye had been worn during life: the socket had an imprint from prolonged contact and marks from the thread. Further analysis suggested that the woman may have had an abscess on her eyelid because of long-term contact with the golden eyeball.

 Mansour Sajjadi (pictured), leader of the Iranian team, stated that the skeleton was that of a woman, aged between 25 and 30, whose cause of death could not be determined. She had lived between 2900 and 2800 B.C. and her facial characteristics differed from the local inhabitants, suggesting that she had migrated from Arabia. "However, considering the usage of tar in the artificial eyeball and proficiency of jewelers of Burnt City during ancient times, what we can say for sure is that the eye was made in this city."

http://www.sott.net/article/242244-5000-Year-Old-Golden-Eye-Found-on-Iran-Afghan-Border

What it's like to be a Muslim in India - Watch this to get the answer

Where’s my wife?’ Electronic SMS tracker notifies Saudi husbands

Thursday, 22 November 2012
 
 Saudi women’s male guardians began receiving text messages on their phones informing them when women under their custody leave the country. (Photo courtesy: zawaj.com)



By AL ARABIYA WITH AFP

Denied the right to travel without consent from their male guardians and banned from driving, women in Saudi Arabia are now monitored by an electronic system that tracks any cross-border movements.

Since last week, Saudi women’s male guardians began receiving text messages on their phones informing them when women under their custody leave the country, even if they are travelling together.
Manal al-Sherif, who became the symbol of a campaign launched last year urging Saudi women to defy a driving ban, began spreading the information on Twitter, after she was alerted by a couple.

The husband, who was travelling with his wife, received a text message from the immigration authorities informing him that his wife had left the international airport in Riyadh.

“The authorities are using technology to monitor women,” said columnist Badriya al-Bishr, who criticised the “state of slavery under which women are held” in the ultra-conservative kingdom.

Women are not allowed to leave the kingdom without permission from their male guardian, who must give his consent by signing what is known as the “yellow sheet” at the airport or border.

The move by the Saudi authorities was swiftly condemned on social network Twitter -- a rare bubble of freedom for millions in the kingdom -- with critics mocking the decision.

“Hello Taliban, herewith some tips from the Saudi e-government!” read one post.

“Why don’t you cuff your women with tracking ankle bracelets too?” wrote Israa.

“Why don’t we just install a microchip into our women to track them around?” joked another.

“If I need an SMS to let me know my wife is leaving Saudi Arabia, then I’m either married to the wrong woman or need a psychiatrist,” tweeted Hisham.

The trigger

But what provoked the new control method? Local media has reported that controversy caused by the escape of a Saudi woman to Sweden in recent month triggered the move.

The Saudi woman was reported to have converted to Christianity and fled the country, but she denied earlier reports of her conversion and said she wants to return to Saudi Arabia, local daily Al-Yaum reported in July.

The 30-year-old woman also denied that she appeared in a YouTube video posted on July 10 where a veiled woman who was thought to be her claims to have converted to Christianity after having a dream.

“I am a Muslim, I’m fasting in Ramadan and I will not change my religion until judgment day,” she told the newspaper.

The woman said she was facing some family problem when her boss, a Lebanese-national, convinced her that the solution to her problems was to leave Saudi Arabia to a freer country.

“A Lebanese man and another Saudi colleague helped me flee Saudi Arabia to Bahrain, and from there to Qatar before going onwards to Lebanon,” she said. She alleges that when she arrived in Beirut she was taken to a monastery where she was asked to work as a maid.

The woman’s father filed a lawsuit against the two men for helping his daughter leave the country without his knowledge. The Lebanese man was reportedly jailed Monday in the city of Khobar on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom applies a strict interpretation of Shariah, or Islamic law, and is the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.

No law specifically forbids women in Saudi Arabia from driving, but the interior minister formally banned them after 47 women were arrested and punished after demonstrating in cars in November 1990.

Last year, King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run in the 2015 municipal elections, a historic first for the country.

In January, the 89-year-old monarch appointed Sheikh Abdullatif Abdel Aziz al-Sheikh, a moderate, to head the notorious religious police commission, which enforces the kingdom’s severe version of sharia law.

Following his appointment, Sheikh banned members of the commission from harassing Saudi women over their behaviour and attire, raising hopes a more lenient force will ease draconian social constraints in the country.
But the kingdom’s “religious establishment” is still to blame for the discrimination of women in Saudi Arabia, says liberal activist Suad Shemmari.

“Saudi women are treated as minors throughout their lives even if they hold high positions,” said Shemmari, who believes “there can never be reform in the kingdom without changing the status of women and treating them” as equals to men.

But the many restrictions on women have led to high rates of female unemployment, officially estimated at around 30 percent.

http://english.alarabiya.net/articles/2012/11/22/251255.html 

Who Was Dr. Baqir Shah?

QUETTA: Dr. Baqir Shah, a police surgeon, had conducted the postmortem of the five foreigners, including three women who were brutally killed by the firing of security forces in Kharotabad area on May 17 this year. He had come up with a report that the victims were killed by the bullets that contradicted to the claims of security forces that the foreigners were killed due to explosion of a hand grenade that was in their hand.
Dr. Baqir Shah had made it public that he was receiving threats to his life after the statements he had made in the media and in front of the inquiry tribunal. He had raised fingers at some “quarters” for pressurizing him to change the earlier post mortem report and make it look supportive of the official stance of the police and the Frontier Corps.
Besides the threats, Dr. Shah was badly beaten up by a group of ten people attired in police uniform on Quetta’s Prince Road in a similar attempt to force him to change his statement against the local police and the FC. Later on, he was taken to the City Police Station.
Taking notice of that incident, the inquiry tribunal, which was headed by Balochistan High Court judge, Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, had recommended the suspension of two sub-house officers (SHOs). In addition, Dr. Shah had reiterated threats to his life in front of the tribunal and complained that the government had not provided him security.
Police Surgeon Dr. Baqir Shah Assassinated in Quetta
   
Dr Baqir Shah Talking about fact in killing of innocent human.

 
ISI target Baqir shah .because ISI  is gilt  killed of innocent human.Quetta on Thursday, December 29


 Unidentified persons shot dead police surgeon Dr. Baqir Shah, the key forensic investigator in the Kharotabad incident, in Quetta on Thursday, confirmed Superintendent of Police Fareedullah Bareach.
Bareach told reporters in Quetta it was premature to say it was a case of target killing ahead of official investigations.


Pakistani Killer Army they killing innocent tourist women 

The slain doctor was on his way home from Bolan Medical Complex hospital, where he was working, along with his personal staff Abdul Hameed Mengal when armed persons opened fire from point blank range close to his residence at Sabzal Road. He received all bullets in his skull and died on the spot. He was taken to Bolan Medical Complex Hospital in his car where the doctors pronounced his death.



Abdul Hameed Mengal, the only witness who sitting behind in the car, told the police that when  Dr. Shah slowed his car close to his house, one of the two gun men waiting along with their motorcycle rushed towards him and aimed the pistol and started firing at him. He said both were covering their faces and escaped on motorcycle.
A large number of doctors and his relatives rushed to hospital after hearing about his murder.
Police and personnel of Frontier Corps rushed to the site and cordoned off the area.


http://www.columnpk.com/kharotabad-incident-investigation-report-finds-police-fc-guilty/

'The Epichorus': Creative Heretics Build Bridges Between Faiths

When we hear the word religion, we often associate it with violence or conflict. The reason for this is that religion is frequently used as a means to ostracize or demean fellow humans and to justify violence. Political and socioeconomic causes of conflicts are also sometimes masked by invoking religious differences. This turns religion into a handy tool to promote certain agendas and perpetuate conflicts without addressing the underlying political and socioeconomic problems.

To address this abuse of religion, spiritual leaders and visionaries try to organize interfaith events. The hope is that when people of different religious backgrounds meet each other, they will engage in a dialogue. This should in turn allow them to recognize the similarities between their faith traditions and move past perceived differences. Such a fruitful interfaith dialogue could circumvent the abuse of religion as a tool for promoting conflicts. However, the problem with such interfaith events is that they do not necessarily result in a true dialogue. During many of the interfaith events that I have attended, people of different faiths politely present ideas, traditions or doctrines from their respective religions and engage in a discussion. Instead of this encounter becoming a transforming dialogue, participants sometimes end up merely "performing" monologues for each other.

One reason for the absence of true dialogue may be the inertia that prevents us from leaving our comfort zone. Few of us like to question the religious paradigms or doctrines that we grow up with. True dialogue is a spiritual and intellectual adventure. It is an exploration or journey that requires courage and openness, because it might challenge the religious dogmas that we like to cling to for the sake of convenience.

I recently came across what is a beautiful form of true interfaith dialogue: the music of the band the Epichorus. Rabbinical student Zach Fredman and Muslim singer Alsarah co-founded the band and their musical love-child is the wonderful album One Bead. In this album, Zach, Alsarah and the other members of the band combine Jewish and Sudanese-Arab musical traditions to create music that transcends the boundaries of culture or religion. The lyrics of the songs are mostly drawn from the Jewish tradition, such as the "Song of Songs" (Song of Solomon) from the Old Testament, but the album also includes the traditional Sudanese love song "Nanaa Al Genina" (The Mint Garden).

The common theme of the One Bead songs is love, the emotion that is at the core of our human existence and spirituality. Listening to the music, one feels a profound sense of harmony that exists between the various cultural and religious traditions that are part of the Epichorus. The lyrics for two of the songs are taken from the "Song of Songs" and this reminded me of something that the German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe wrote. He composed a cycle of poems called "West-östlicher Diwan" (or "West-Eastern Divan" in English). Goethe wrote these poems to represent a fusion between Eastern and Western traditions. He also wrote essays in which he elaborated on his poems and one of his comments specifically refers to the Old Testament "Song of Songs", of which he says, "...als dem Zartesten und Unnachahmlichsten, was uns von Ausdruck leidenschaftlicher, anmutiger Liebe zugekommen," which translates into English as: "...it is the most tender and unique expression of passionate and graceful love that has been given to us."

I asked Zach how he chose the name the Epichorus for their band and he said that it was a reference to Epikoros (or Apikoros), which is a term used in the Jewish tradition to describe outsiders or heretics. The members of the Epichorus are indeed outsiders in the sense that they have the courage to look beyond the boundaries of their religious traditions and have sought out a creative dialogue with people outside of their faith traditions. They are also "heretics" in the original Greek sense of the word, describing people who "make choices." They chose to embark on a creative adventure and found that they could engage in an authentic dialogue by creating beautiful songs together.

The music of the Epichorus is an excellent example of how creating culture together can promote true interfaith dialogue. Hopefully, we will hear more songs from the Epichorus, but I also hope that other artists, musicians or poets will be inspired by them and seek out their own creative paths to foster dialogue between faiths.

Tarek Fatah: White guilt and the islamofascists among us

Their names are Laila Rashidie and Suraia Sahar. Both seemingly born in Canada, both seemingly non-practicing muslims. But they are placed at the nexus of islamofascism and Leftism, that sweet spot of evil and stupidity. And these fifth columnists are not alone.

(There is a "Send Laila Rashidie and Suraia Sahar to Afghanistan" Facebook page, by the way. Oh and there's this:

Contact information (Laila Rashidie):
Twitter: twitter(dot com)/lovelaila3
Facebook: facebook(dot com)/laila.rashidie?fref=ts
Tumblr: luvlaila.tumblr(dot com)
Email: lailajustice@gmail(dot com)

Contact information (Suraia Sahar):
Twitter: twitter(dot com)/SuraiaSahar
Email:suraiasahar@gmail(dot com))

Chinese petitioners claim hotel used as 'black jail'

Chinese policemen guard Tiananmen Square in March ahead of the National People's Congress, which the petitioners claim they were prevented to attend.



Shanghai (CNN) -- The only souvenir that Xie Jinghua has from her stay at a Holiday Inn Express located in a vast tourism park alongside the East China Sea is a room key.

The 52-year-old said she was not able to buy any of the beach toys in the lobby, walk around a lake nearby, or enjoy the ocean just outside of her window. Xie was there, she said, because she was forced to be - held in a hotel room for eight days after she and her 56-year-old husband, Ma Haiming, traveled to Beijing in March to protest the compensation they were given for the demolition of the family's farmhouse to make way for the expansion of Shanghai's Pudong International Airport in 2005. When the couple arrived in Beijing, Xie said they were picked up by plain clothes police and forced to travel hundreds of miles back to Shanghai, then held separately at the hotel.

"I really felt quite sick inside," said Xie, who now lives in a tiny apartment near the airport where her son works as a janitor. Xie said she tried to escape from her third floor hotel room on March 10 via its balcony but was stopped by at least seven guards who, she said, "put me on the bed and used the bedspread" to hold her down. She said she stole the room key when a guard was not looking.

Xie and her husband were not alone. Three other people have told CNN they were held against their will at the Holiday Inn Express Nanhuizui - located in Lingang New City on the outskirts of Shanghai - to keep them from airing grievances to the central government during the 10-day annual meeting of China's legislature in March. The hotel management and owners deny their claims.

But people being detained without charge is nothing new in China, according to Human Rights Watch, which says authorities use hotels, homeless shelters, mental health facilities, farmhouses and obscure government compounds as so-called "black jails" -- unofficial prisons where Chinese officials hold citizens without charge.

However activists say this is the first time a facility run by a western company has been allegedly used for these unofficial detentions.

  

Petitioners claim they were evicted from their land for expansion of the Pudong International Airport.

"I have not come across an American branded hotel being used as a black jail," said Phelim Kine, a senior Asia researcher with the New York-based Human Rights Watch. "That is a first, and it is noteworthy."

The InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), the UK-based firm that owns the Holiday Inn Express brand, said there was no indication that guests at the hotel were being held against their will last March.

I have not come across an American branded hotel being used as a black jail ... that is a first, and it is noteworthy
Phelim Kine, Human Rights Watch

"We have found no evidence which would confirm these accusations or any sign that the hotel owner knew or cooperated with (the) government on this hotel stay and the hotel is operated in accordance with PRC [People's Republic of China] local laws and regulations," IHG said in a statement, noting that it had conducted a "thorough investigation" of the allegations. "As you'll appreciate, we can't provide details of the booking or guests due to privacy laws."

'Black jails' in China

According to a 2009 Human Rights Watch report on China's alleged "black jails," local courts often refuse to take cases from residents who have complaints against local officials, which means petitioning Beijing is the only option those residents have.

But their trips to Beijing present a major problem for local officials, who face demotions or other forms of retribution from higher levels of government based on the number of petitioners who come to Beijing, according to Human Rights Watch. As a result, local governments intervene, abducting the petitioners either before they leave or once they arrive in Beijing, Kine said.

The forced detention of dissidents has become its own cottage industry as public security offices subcontract people to work for them who "are paid per head for each person that they abduct and hold," Kine added. "This is a huge grey economy."

As Communist Party officials meet this week to decide China's new leadership, outside will be people like Wang Yifeng and Fan Jianjiang who are petitioning government leaders directly for compensation after the demolition of their homes. Both Wang and Fan are among the five interviewed by CNN who said they attempted to make their case last March, but were intercepted by police who took them into custody and held them in the Holiday Inn Express Nanhuizui.

Human rights groups say detentions without charge are common, particularly during times of central government meetings. "We always expect that around significant political events that there will be a tightening of surveillance and control over key individuals who the government considers to be troublemakers," said Catherine Baber, director of Asia Pacific for Amnesty International. "But certainly in the lead up to the transition, there is a growing list of people who are under house arrest."

We have found no evidence which would confirm these accusations
IHG statement

"Phenomenal resources are used for keeping tabs on [petitioners]," Baber said. "Detaining them and bringing them back, putting them under surveillance, sending them to reeducation through labor [camps]."

A spokeswoman for IHG said that during the time in question a group of rooms were booked by a government official from the Pudong district of Shanghai. That area is home to the five alleged detainees. They say their movements are constantly monitored by security officials in their home district after years of appealing for better compensation for their properties. According to the five, local officials have either intercepted them before they arrived in Beijing to make their petitions or tracked them down in the capital and sent them on the 665-mile journey back to the Shanghai area, where they were held.

An official at the Petition Bureau of Zhuqiao Town, home of the five petitioners, denied their claims. "I don't know what you are talking about, our channels of petitioning are open," said the official, who declined to give his name when he was reached by phone. "There's no such thing."

CNN contacted China's Ministry of Public Security on November 5 for a response to these claims, but there has not yet been a reply. However, in the past, Beijing has denied the existence of so-called "black jails" in China. The central government also last year issued new regulations outlawing violent forced eviction and offering new protections, including fair compensation.

'Violent forced evictions'

But rights groups say problems remain. "Violent forced evictions in China are on the rise as local authorities seek to offset huge debts by seizing and then selling off land in suspect deals with property developers," according to an October report by Amnesty International, called "Standing Their Ground."

 he 85-page report also said there is ineffective redress for Chinese citizens like Xie and her husband, who - without cash to hire legal help - petition the central government directly with local grievances that range from allegations of illegal land seizures and forced evictions to corruption and abuse from local authorities. They often face weeks or sometimes years of forced detentions without charge, human rights groups say.

"From our research and research from domestic Chinese human rights [groups], they are held from a few days to several months and routinely subjected to physical abuse, sleep deprivation and very often they have to buy their way out of custody," Kine said. "The government has denied there are any such black jail facilities in China. Even though [Chinese] state media run stories about black jails, there is an official disconnect."

Baber at Amnesty International said it is hard to quantify the number of people who are detained illegally in China, but "it is a large phenomenon," she said. "Just from the volume of people who put their energies into pursuing petitioning and continue to do so. It will be a large problem still."

Petitioner: Kept under guard

Xie said there were several guards posted outside of her Holiday Inn Express room and two women who were living in the room with her whose job was to monitor her.

She said while held at the hotel, she was told she would be given "classes about petitioner regulations." But there were no classes, she added. Xie took a reporter to the hotel to show where she was allegedly detained. The rooms were neatly furnished, with a flat screen TV and abstract art hanging on the walls.

When the front desk worker was asked whether they were aware people had allegedly been held against their will in the hotel, the employee said there were a number of guests who were staying in their rooms and were not leaving, and there were people standing outside their room, but that they had no idea why.

Violent forced evictions in China are on the rise as local authorities seek to offset huge debts
Amnesty International report

IHG said they interviewed all employees at the hotel in June after being first contacted by CNN, none of whom confirmed this story. A review of hotel security tapes was impossible, the hotel said, because recordings are erased after one month. The hotel had the employees sign affidavits attesting to their version of events, a hotel spokeswoman said.

"IHG is committed to operating our company with integrity and we have a Human Rights Policy applicable across the business. We have signed up to the UN Global Compact, aligning our operations and strategies with the ten universal principles that include commitments to human rights and labor standards," IHG said in its statement. "Our staff is trained to handle different situations and were a situation to arise, our staff would report an incident to the relevant authorities and IHG."

China has become a leading market for the InterContinental Hotels Group, which owns the Holiday Inn Express, Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza brands. Greater China led its first half, with a 9.7% increase in revenue per available rooms. IHG, headquartered outside London, generates revenue from 181 hotels in greater China, with plans to open 160 more hotels, according to the company.

IHG's local partner in the hotel is Shanghai Harbor City Hotel Investment and Management Co.-- a subsidiary of Shanghai Harbor City Development Group. Like most of IHG's properties in China, a local partner legally owns the hotel but IHG manages the property. Zhu Gang, a manager with Shanghai Harbor City Development, said the company "knows nothing about" people being detained at the Holiday Inn Express. "No violence happened in the hotel," he said.

Researcher Jack Zhang contributed to this story

http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/14/business/china-hotel-black-jail/index.html?hpt=hp_c1