Malaysia producing first high-tech TV animation series on Islamic hero Saladin

April 07, 2006

By EILEEN NG Associated Press Writer

The Associated Press

TMC Net

Muslim-majority Malaysia unveiled plans Friday to produce its first high-tech television animation series for the global market on the life of Saladin, the 12th century Islamic warrior who drove the Crusaders from Jerusalem. (Click Here to preview the offical Trailor)

The 13-episode show, "Saladin," is part of efforts to accelerate growth in Malaysia's decade-old information technology industry hub in the Multimedia Super Corridor -- renamed MSC Malaysia on Friday.

Officials also hope that the animated series will spur growth in Malaysia's digital content industry and help it tap into a global animation market expected to be worth US$644 billion (euro541 billion) by 2009.

The project is being undertaken by MDeC, the agency that runs MSC Malaysia, a 750 square kilometer (300 square mile) zone shaped after California's Silicon Valley that offers tax breaks and grants to information technology companies and researchers.
"Once completed, 'Saladin' will employ more than 400 creative minds to produce a world-class 3-D series that will put Malaysian talents on the radar screen of the animation industry," MDeC vice president Kamil Othman told reporters.

The project, expected to be completed by late 2007 or by mid-2008, could cost up to 10 million ringgit (US$2.7 million; euro2.25 million) in production and marketing, he said.

MDeC will market the television series in the Middle East, China and the West once the first two episodes are completed by the year-end, he said. It will also entice companies to develop merchandizing, comics, computer games and mobile content based on the Saladin characters.

Saladin, born into a Kurdish family in present day Iraq, is one of the greatest Islamic heroes, hailed as a chivalrous and valiant caliph. He united the Muslim world and drove the Christian armies out of Jerusalem in 1187 after 88 years of Crusader rule.

Kamil said two companies from China and the Middle East have expressed interest in funding the project.

"This project is not about making millions. It's a showcase of Malaysian talents. It's about opening doors for us to break into the global animation market," he said.

Malaysia produces some 2,000 graduates in this industry each year, and such projects will help retain local talent, he added.

An eight-minute trailer of the series was shown to Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and some 500 guests at a ceremony Friday to mark MSC's 10th anniversary.

Abdullah pledged to redouble efforts to woo major content companies to invest in the MSC, noting that Disney, Sony, Nintendo, Gameboy, Channel V and some Hollywood studios had outsourced parts of their work to Malaysian firms.

"We are not short of ideas but we are short of implementation. Along the way, others have overtaken us. We seem to have lost the staying power," he said. "We must act fast. We need to take the MSC to greater heights."

Punishment of a Liar

Narrated Anas: There was a Christian who embraced Islam and read Surat-al-Baqara and Al-Imran, and he used to write (the revelations) for the Prophet.

Later on he returned to Christianity again and he used to say: "Muhammad knows nothing but what I have written for him." Then Allah caused him to die, and the people buried him, but in the morning they saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is the act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and took his body out of it because he had run away from them."

They again dug the grave deeply for him, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. They said, "This is an act of Muhammad and his companions. They dug the grave of our companion and threw his body outside it, for he had run away from them."

They dug the grave for him as deep as they could, but in the morning they again saw that the earth had thrown his body out. So they believed that what had befallen him was not done by human beings and had to leave him thrown (on the ground).

Source: Sahih Al Bukhari, Volume 4, Book 56, Number 814.

What I Fear Most

What I fear most for my people are the hypocrites, who talk wisely, yet act unjustly.

-The Prophet Muhammad (SAW), as reported by Umar bin al-Khattab

Twilight Zone / A Doctor Without Borders

May 25, 2006

H a a r e t z . c o m

By Gideon Levy

This is a story about a resident of the Shoafat refugee camp who holds a blue Israeli ID card and has been a Bezeq employee for the past 20 years. He suffered a heart attack and waited more than an hour and a half from the moment he lost consciousness at home until he was brought to the emergency room of Hadassah Hospital on Mt. Scopus, a five-minute drive from his home. The refugee camp, with a population of 40,000, does not have a single ambulance. This is also a story about a Magen David Adom (MDA) team that decided to act with courage and dedication, in defiance of procedure, in an attempt to save the man's life.

What happened during the critical period, from the time the patient fainted at his home until he was declared dead at the hospital? Two MDA ambulances, first an ordinary ambulance and later an intensive care unit as well, arrived within minutes after being called, at the checkpoint that places the Shoafat refugee camp under siege. About another hour went by until the Israel Defense Forces escort arrived. Without such an escort, the ambulance is not permitted to enter this refugee camp, which is a Jerusalem suburb for all intents and purposes.

The intensive care team, headed by Dr. Aviv Tuttnauer, together with paramedic Ihab Elian, did not agree to wait, but decided to exercise their own judgment. After several minutes they entered the camp with their equipment in a private car, contrary to procedure, without an escort and without the ambulance, to try to resuscitate the patient, who was hovering between life and death in the Clalit HMO clinic where he had been taken. They didn't work "by the book," but by the Hippocratic Oath.

Could the patient, Omar Abu Kamel, 42 and a father of seven, who died in the end, have been saved if there had been an intensive care ambulance station in the camp - as there is in almost every kibbutz and in all the settlements? No one can give a definite answer to that question.

On Friday two weeks ago, telephone technician Omar Abu Kamel was not on duty at Bezeq; he remained in the camp. There were morning prayers at the mosque, quality time with the children, and talking with friends at the entrance to the local electrical appliances shop. Toward evening he made his way home, ate supper, spoke on the telephone to his mother in Bethlehem, his home town, and went to take a rest. A quarter of an hour later, his daughter Areej entered the room and noticed that something bad had happened to her father. It was about 6:30 P.M. She called her mother, Nasarin, and the two hurried to pour water on the face of Omar, who was already unconscious. Several relatives were called to the house, and they carried Omar to their car to take him to the medical clinic several hundred meters from the house. They didn't phone MDA because, they say, they preferred to have the doctor see him first, and let him explain the gravity of the situation - believing that the ambulance would thus be sent faster.

At 7:15 they arrived at the clinic. The doctor telephoned MDA at 7:20 and explained, in English, the seriousness of the patient's condition. At 7:21 the MDA ambulance was on its way. The director of the MDA Jerusalem district, Ronen Bashari, reads from the log: The first ambulance arrives at the checkpoint at 7:25; at 7:33 the intensive care unit arrives at the checkpoint as well. The Border Police refuse to allow the ambulance to pass without an escort. According to a new procedure, the escort must be provided by the IDF rather than the Border Police. At the checkpoint, the worried relatives are already waiting, and try to convince the police to allow the ambulance to enter; they are refused. They offer to take responsibility for traveling with the ambulance and escort it in their cars, but to no avail. That's the procedure. The officer, Igor: "We can't let in an ambulance without an escort."

After about 15 minutes, according to the relatives, or after seven minutes according to Bashari and his ambulance team, the MDA people decide to leave the ambulance at the checkpoint, take the necessary resuscitation equipment and drive to the clinic in a private car. This is contrary to procedure, but the Border Police don't prevent entry. From their point of view, there is nothing barring Israelis from entering the camp, located within the jurisdiction of the State of Israel - unless they are in an ambulance. "Situation upon arrival at the incident: critical," according to the MDA log.

In the clinic, the MDA team begins its attempts at resuscitation, including electric shocks. The driver, Ribhi Ibrahim, 22 years in MDA, remains at the checkpoint to guard the ambulance.

The resuscitation attempts last for about 45 minutes. The MDA ambulance does not arrive. The IDF escort does not arrive. At 7:50 they call the Shalom Clinic in the neighborhood of Shoafat, which is near the camp. This clinic of the Leumit HMO has an ambulance, and they call it. Arrival at destination, according to the Shalom Clinic log: 8 P.M.

Dr. Tuttnauer describes the events: "We left the station at top speed and arrived at the checkpoint without any mishaps. At the checkpoint we didn't meet an escort as required, but we had a sense of urgency, and after a few minutes we decided to enter in a private car that was available. We entered and began to work. MDA on-duty personnel from East Jerusalem arrived there as well. We had the feeling that we were incapable of handling the incident in the field, and we decided to get to a hospital.

"At that point the ambulance of the Shalom Clinic was waiting. We are really grateful to whoever decided to call it, and we went down with the patient. [People in] the street were watchful, but not hostile. We left very quickly. The problem was to get through the traffic. There was a small gathering in the market place, but the residents left it immediately, and at the checkpoint there was also a line of cars. We used the horn, and after a delay of a minute or two we passed the checkpoint. Between seven and eleven minutes from one end to the other, from the moment we left the clinic until we arrived at the Hadassah University Hospital on Mt. Scopus, where we pronounced the death."

The response of the IDF Spokesman: "In the wake of a number of incidents in which Israeli vehicles were attacked in the area of the Shoafat refugee camp near Ramallah, it was decided that MDA ambulances would not be permitted to enter the camp area without an IDF security escort. That same Friday, May 12, when the report about the patient was received, two army vehicles were called in from the nearest sector, in order to escort the ambulance.

"While driving in the area of the camp, the ambulance and the military vehicles were attacked by an angry crowd, in a manner that seriously endangered the occupants of the vehicles. Because of the serious violence, the danger to the lives of the soldiers and the medical team, and the desire to avoid escalation that was liable to endanger Palestinian lives, the vehicles turned back without being able to offer assistance to the patient."

The reply of the IDF Spokesman is very surprising. Ramallah? This refugee camp is an inseparable part of united Jerusalem. The spokesman is trying to present a false situation, as though the ambulance had traveled inside the camp area, was attacked by an "angry crowd" in a manner "that seriously endangered the occupants of the vehicles." This never happened. The MDA ambulances did not cross the checkpoint at any stage.

As for the "danger to the lives of the soldiers and the medical team," as a result of "the serious violence," the MDA physician, Dr. Tuttnauer, testified that people were not hostile. The ambulance driver, who remained with his vehicle on the other side of the checkpoint, testified that although there was stone-throwing, the stones were not aimed at the ambulance and presented absolutely no danger to him.

The IDF Spokesman chose to ignore the one-hour delay in the arrival of the escort force at the checkpoint, the only real reason why the ambulance was prevented from entering the camp.

MDA director Bashari says that this incident "brought to the surface many problems that will now have to be solved." And in fact, the IDF Spokesman said, "The IDF is investigating the event, and is examining ways and alternatives that in future will make it possible to offer medical assistance to Palestinian residents, while at the same time minimizing the risks to all those involved." Shortly before press time, an IDF spokesman added that the head of Central Command, Major General Yair Naveh, had appointed an officer with the rank of colonel to investigate the incident.

In the hospital, Dr. Tuttnauer approached one of the relatives of the deceased and said to him: "We did everything we could, but God loved Omar and He took him." In the Shoafat camp they planned this week to send him and his team a thank-you letter. "They were the only ones who treated us like human beings," said a member of the camp committee, Khadar Dabas.

On Shabbat they buried their loved one near the Al Aqsa mosque, and the Border Police even allowed 70 relatives from Bethlehem to enter and participate in the funeral. That is also mentioned with appreciation in the camp, where nothing humane is self-evident. Tzvi Vitenberg, Bezeq's acting vice president for Jerusalem and the south, and Moti Cohen, chair of the district workers' union, sent letters of condolence, on stationery with the slogan: "Bezeq, in any future you choose."

No Recognition of Israel

Editorial:

By Housewife4Palestine

As a Palestinian living in exile because of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, myself I will never recognize a terrorist organization such as Israel due to the fact their main agenda has always been the complete genocide of anyone who is Palestinian or Arab descent.

For Abbas to force, the Hamas government to except a proposal to recognize the State of Israel is crazy for the simple fact he will not have peace; he and other Palestinians would be signing their death warrant.

I am reminded of what happened to the Native American’s in the United States when they lost their land through deceptive Peace Treaties which was nothing but lies to steal their land. I have actually had the chance to read many peace treaties given to the Cherokee people for example, while the beginning of the treaty sounded so go but towards the end everything at the beginning of the document was null and void. This is where I think the Native American’s got the idea that whites talked with a forked tongue.

Many Native Americans today, live in poverty conditions on reservations and over time many have lost face to the point of sever alcoholism. Still by many in the United States they are treated with disgust to the point that more often then not a Native American is shot and no one does anything but hide the fact.

I do believe we should have peace in the region, but it is the Israeli government that needs to step down off their high horse and make peace with the Palestinian people because the Palestinian people have the legal rights to all of Palestine, not the Israeli’s. Just like the United States government stealing land from the Native American’s had no right.

Please, do not let history repeat itself, because if we are not careful it will!

Also, anyone associated with Israel or the Israeli government to date; should be held for war crimes and given the full extent of the law for said crimes against humanity.

Gunfire False Alarm Closes Capitol

Congressman Reports Gunfire Near Capitol, but It Turns Out to Be False Alarm


Capitol Police officer Joseph Spadaro
stands guard near the Rayburn House
Office building, center background,
on Capitol Hill, Friday, May 26, 2006
after reports of gunfire.
(AP Photo/Kevin Wolf)

ABC News

By LIZ SIDOTI

WASHINGTON May 27, 2006 (AP)— Heavily armed Capitol police swarmed through a House office building and briefly closed the Capitol on Friday after a congressman thought he heard gunfire and triggered what turned out to be a frightening false alarm.

Authorities reported no arrests, gunfire or even injuries after a methodical three-hour search that stranded lawmakers and aides alike in their offices though one aide was so rattled by the sight of police tactical teams that she was taken to a nearby hospital.

Through the day, officers with rifles stood by outside, and ambulances arrived after the phoned-in report of gunfire in the garage of the Rayburn House Office Building.

The report originated with Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., his press secretary said. Saxton heard what he thought were gunshots and had a member of his staff call Capitol Police, said spokesman Greg Keeley.

"I heard what I thought to be between six and ten shots. It sounded exactly like gunfire to me," Saxton told Fox News Channel after the search was concluded and the huge office building was reopened.

Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider said officers were looking at a "plausible explanation" that the day's events resulted from noise made by construction workers in the Rayburn garage. "In doing their routine duties, they made some sort of a noise that sounded like shots fired. So it was a valid call," she said.

On high alert, police lined the street between the Capitol and the Rayburn building, rifles prominently displayed, and four ambulances, two fire trucks and other emergency vehicles were on the scene. Police methodically searched the sprawling building, where congressional staff members had locked themselves into their offices as a precaution.

Before the all-clear, Schneider said, "Lives could be at risk. If we have a gunman in the building we certainly want to find him. It's premature to assume that it may not be a gunman."

The Senate was in session at the time, but the House was not as most lawmakers had left for the Memorial Day recess. Continued

Arab League official wants Israel at table

United Press International

JERUSALEM, May 26 (UPI) -- The secretary of the Arab League tells the Jerusalem Post that Israel took too rigid a view of a peace plan presented in 2002.

"I should know," Gen. Amr Moussa said. "I drafted it."

In the peace plan, known as the Beirut Initiative, the 22 Arab countries offered to recognize Israel if a settlement provided for a Palestinian state with full sovereignty and East Jerusalem as its capital. The plan also called for Israel and Palestine to be divided along the border that existed before the 1967 war and for a just settlement to the problem of Palestinian refugees.

Israel rejected the plan, arguing that the pre-1969 borders should be a basis for negotiation. Moussa said he agreed.

"What we are offering in the Arab initiative is two states," Moussa said. "An Israeli state with the Jewish people living there and a Palestinian state, dividing the land of Palestine along the lines of 4 June 1967 .... If there are changes in the borders, or around the borders, they have to be astride the borders. You take this, I take that. Just to adjust."

Moussa, who rarely gives interviews to Israeli publications, thought this one was so important that half an hour into it he said he was not getting his point across and said, "Let's start again."

Hamas discuss plan implying recognition of Israel

Hamas force members take position after they
evacuated Gaza streets May 26, 2006.
(Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

By Nidal al-Mughrabi

May 26, 2006

Yahoo News

GAZA (Reuters) - Hamas and other Palestinian factions on Saturday will discuss a plan indirectly calling for recognition of Israel which President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to put to a referendum if it is not adopted by early June.

Abbas on Thursday issued his biggest challenge to the Islamist militant Hamas since it won January elections when he threatened to call a referendum on the proposal within 40 days if it is not accepted in 10 days.

The plan, drafted by Palestinian leaders jailed in Israel, includes a clause calling for a Palestinian state alongside Israel. Hamas seeks to destroy the Jewish state and has rejected calls by Abbas and Western powers to soften its stance.

As a result, the United States and other countries have frozen aid to the Palestinian government, a move that has brought it to the brink of financial collapse and could lead to a humanitarian crisis in the West Bank and impoverished Gaza.

After two days of talks with several factions, Parliament Speaker and Hamas official Aziz Dweik said the groups would form a committee, chaired by Abbas, which would use the plan as "a suitable ground for national dialogue."

Azzam al-Ahmad, an official from Abbas's Fatah group, said the factions would discuss the proposal on Saturday.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has vowed to unilaterally set Israel's borders in the absence of peace talks, and says Abbas has to "change" Hamas for talks to take place.

The power struggle between Hamas and Fatah has intensified in recent weeks, raising fears of a civil war. The government ordered a new Hamas-led force off Gaza's streets on Friday after several clashes between its members and Abbas loyalists.

A referendum on the proposal Abbas has endorsed could stoke further tensions. But it also might offer Hamas an opportunity to moderate its opposition to Israel and any peace negotiations without having to formally change its stance.

The plan also calls for a peace deal if Israel withdraws from all of the West Bank and Arab East Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians want as a capital of a state.

Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batsh said his group, which is also sworn to destroying Israel, disagreed with parts of the plan. It was unclear whether Abbas would call for a referendum if groups other than Hamas ultimately rejected the proposal.

Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, had said earlier the government would make no political concessions, while Hamas official Ziad Dia said the group would reject any document that signaled recognizing "the Zionist entity."

(Additional reporting by Mohammed Assadi in Ramallah)

Quran Stands For The Dead

When a man dies and his relatives are busy in funeral rites, there stands an extremely handsome man by his head. When the dead body is shrouded, that man gets in between the shroud and the chest of the deceased.When after the burial, the people return home, 2 angels, Munkar and Nakeer (names of two special Angels), come in the grave and try to separate this handsome man so that they may be able to interrogate the dead man in privacy about his faith.

But the handsome man says,"He is my companion, he is my friend. I will not leave him alone in any case. If you are appointed for interrogation, do your job.

I cannot leave him until I get him admitted into Paradise". Thereafter he turns to his dead companion and says,"I am the Quran, which you used to read, sometimes in a loud voice and sometimes in a low voice. Do not worry. After the interrogation of Munkar and Naker, you will have no grief.When the interrogation is over, the handsome man arranges for him from al_Mala'ul A'laa (the angels in Heaven) a silk bedding filled with musk.

May Allah bestow this favour on all of us.

Colonial Heights, Virginia: Sign at Cal's Inc.

Editorial:

by Housewife4Palestine

Apparently this must not be much of a business because no business directory has them listed. It is disgusting that a business would put a sign in their window such as this; we as people are suppose to love each other, not put up sign that advertises hate or the death of another human.

Not all that long a go in American history their was another sign almost just like this one but it said, "The only good Indian is a dead Indian", when is people going to stop racism?

Furthermore, something like this makes a person sad because who ever put the sign in the window doesn’t realize all the things they are missing in their life.

The only good Indian is a dead Indian
General Philip Sheridan 1868
U.S. Union Army

Bush and Blair Own Up to Mistakes

President and British prime minister
admit to "missteps" in Iraq.

Video

Did Marines Massacre Iraqi Civilians?

Military Officials Fear 'Haditha' Will Become Synonymous With 'My Lai'


Twenty-four Iraqi civilians were killed
in their residences last November.
Several U.S. Marines could face charges.
(ABCNews.com)

By JONATHAN KARL

ABC News

May 26, 2006 -- Senior Pentagon officials are bracing for an investigation into the killing of 24 Iraqis last November in the town of Haditha. The officials tell ABC News the investigation will likely result in criminal charges that could range from dereliction of duty to murder.

As this unfolds, military officials say they fear "Haditha" will come to mean what "My Lai" — the massacre of Vietnamese civilians American troops in 1968 — meant for an earlier generation.
The incident is still under investigation, but several senior military officials say at least seven Marines could face criminal charges.

Although the investigation is not complete, the Pentagon has already briefed key members of Congress on the details of the investigation. After a briefing on Thursday, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John Warner told reporters, "there are established facts that incidents of a very serious nature did take place."

ABC News has been told by several senior military officials that investigators have so far established the following :

— Early in the morning of November 19, a roadside bomb hit a small convoy of 12 Marines killing Marine Lance Corporal Lance Terrazas. All of the marines belonged to Kilo Company of the 3rd Battalion 1st Marine Regiment..

— Shortly after the bomb went off, the Marines saw a car approaching and fired, killing five Iraqi men. Military officials say all of them turned out to be unarmed.
— Some of the Marines entered a cluster of nearby homes from where, they later claimed, they had taken enemy fire.

— In the first house, however, they allegedly found only unarmed civilians. Exactly what happened inside is unclear, but by the time they left, six of the civilians were killed, including a three year old boy.

— In a second house, the Marines allegedly found and killed 8 more unarmed civilians.

— A man was allegedly shot by a Marine as he fled one of the houses.

— In still another house, the Marines said they encountered four Iraqi men , including one armed with an AK-47, and another reaching for a weapon in a closet. The Marines allegedly shot and killed all four men. It's unclear to investigators if the AK-47's were found before or after the shooting.

Continued

Link:

US 'winding up' Iraq deaths probe

Hayden confirmed as head of CIA

The US Senate has confirmed the appointment
of General Michael Hayden as the head of the CIA.


Gen Hayden's confirmation was
welcomed by President Bush

26 May 2006

BBC News

Gen Hayden, approved by 78 votes to 15, is the first active or retired military officer to head the CIA in 25 years.

Gen Hayden, President Bush's nominee for the post, replaces Porter Goss, who resigned earlier this month.

Critics have questioned putting a military man in charge but Gen Hayden says he that will remain independent of the Pentagon.

Gen Hayden, 61, a four-star general, has been the leading deputy to National Intelligence Director John Negroponte.

Agency head

President George W Bush welcomed the confirmation.

"Winning the war on terror requires that America have the best intelligence possible, and his strong leadership will ensure that we do," he said in a statement.

"Gen Hayden is a patriot and a dedicated public servant whose broad experience, dedication and expertise make him the right person to lead the CIA at this critical time."

Gen Hayden was head of the National Security Agency for several years.

Some Democrats had expressed concern about the agency's eavesdropping programme, which monitors phone calls and e-mails of US citizens without warrants as part of the Bush administration's war on terror.

The previous head, Mr Goss, resigned after reported disagreements with Mr Negroponte over the future of the agency.

Guidance of the Day

Companionship yields two kinds of impact: one that drags a person down to the compost of the world and the other that points toward God the Exalted and an existence that lasts for ever. A companion who tries to sell the ephemeral stuff of this life and makes it the substance of conversation and pursuit in dragging the soul earthward.

It is better, beyond compare, to seek out the company of those who help one achieve contentment with God. When one is content, little will suffice. But without contentment, nothing suffices.

Seeking refuge with God is the most efficacious treatment for all diseases of the heart, i.e., to go to God with complete unconditional imploring. What is meant here is urgently seeking refuge in God's protection and guidance, to seek this as if one were holding on to a thread over a canyon. It is begging, which before God is honorable. [Purification of the Heart]

Abu Ghraib was biggest mistake in Iraq: Bush

May 26,2006




President George W. Bush said overnight that the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal was the "biggest mistake" made by the United States in Iraq.

Speaking after a summit with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Bush said "I think the biggest mistake that's happened so far, at least from our country's involvement, is Abu Ghraib. We've been paying for that for a long period of time."

The Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal that broke with the release of photos of Iraqi prisoners being sexually humiliated at the Baghdad prison drew international criticism for US forces.

Bush said he also regretted some of his tough talk during the war campaign such as his "bring them on" challenge to Iraqi insurgents in July, 2003.

Blair said that the way the international coalition embarked on the "deBathification" of Iraq after the ousting of Saddam Hussein as president had been the biggest mistake he had seen.

Palestina

ISLAM DENOUNCES TERRORISM

This film, produced by the Science Research Foundation,
a Harun Yahya institution, presents the Muslim response
to and denunciation of terrorism.

Video

God calls to the Abode of Peace and He guides whom
He wills to a straight path.
(Qur'an, 10:25)

Islam Denounces Terrorism


God calls to the Abode of Peace and
He guides whom He wills to a straight path.
(Quran, 10:25)

Free Palestine

The George Bush's Barbershop

"Your heading for Iraq son!"

Senate Passes Immigration Bill Overhaul

May 25,2006

By DAVID ESPO

My Way News


Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., talks with reporters on
Capitol Hill Thursday, May 25, 2006, after the Senate voted 62-36
to overhaul the nation's immigratikon laws. Left to right are Frist,
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Legislation to secure U.S. borders and offer millions of illegal immigrants access to the American dream cleared the Senate on Thursday, a rare election-year reach across party lines and a triumph for President Bush.

The 62-36 vote cleared the way for arduous summertime compromise talks with the House on its version that focuses on border enforcement - with no guarantee of success.
"Why not say to those undocumented workers who are working the jobs that the rest of us refuse, come out from the shadows," said Arizona Republican John McCain, a key architect of the bill.

The legislation includes money to better secure the borders, provide a new guest worker program and give an eventual shot at citizenship to many of the estimated 11 million to 12 million immigrants in the country illegally.

The bill "strengthens our security and reflects our humanity," said Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., McCain's partner in Senate compromise. "It is intended to keep out those who would harm us and welcome those who contribute to our country."

Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., and the Democratic leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, both sided with supporters, a reflection of the bipartisan backing for a bill that was months in the drafting and survived several near-death experiences.

Conservative critics attacked the legislation to the end after trying unsuccessfully to pull it apart with amendments.

"This bill will not secure our borders," said Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., one of the most persistent critics.

"This is amnesty," added David Vitter, R-La., who tried last week to strip out provisions relating to citizenship.

Not so, said Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, in a rebuttal to weeks of debate. "They have to pay a fine. They have to undergo a criminal background check. They have to pay back taxes, they have to learn English and they have to go to the back of the line," he said, referring to illegal immigrants who would apply for citizenship.

Still, Sessions, Vitter, John Cornyn of Texas and others echoed a view widely held among House Republicans, many of whom have vigorously denounced the Senate bill as well as Bush's call for a "comprehensive approach" to the issue.

That portended difficult compromise talks in the shadow of midterm elections, at a time when Bush's poll ratings are low, congressional Republicans are concerned and Democrats are increasingly optimistic about their chances in November.

For now, supporters of the Senate bill said they intended to savor their victory. Peppered with questions about the compromise talks ahead, Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., said, "I'm going to celebrate here."

The House bill, which passed on a largely party-line vote last year, is generally limited to border enforcement. It would make all illegal immigrants subject to felony charges and it contains no provision for either a new temporary worker program or citizenship for men, women and children in the country unlawfully.

In contrast, the Senate bill would mark the most far-reaching changes in immigration law in two decades. Built on compromise after painstaking compromise, it was designed to appeal to conservatives and others seeking tougher border enforcement; business interests eager for a steady supply of legal, low-wage labor; unions seeking enhanced protections for migrants who often toil in seasonal work the fields and Hispanics who are on the cusp of greater political power and determined to win a change in legal status for millions of illegal immigrants.

That last group - Hispanics - comprises the fastest growing segment of the electorate, and millions made their feelings clear in street demonstrations denouncing the House measure and calling for passage of a broader measure.

Bush played a prominent role in the run-up to passage. An Oval Office speech last week made explicit his support for the Senate's overall approach. A later trip to Arizona was designed to reassure conservatives about his commitment to stanching illegal immigration.

In more than a week of debate, the Senate made a series of changes in the legislation. Still, the key pillars were preserved when opponents failed to knock out the guest worker program or the citizenship provisions. A new program for 1.5 million temporary agricultural workers also survived.

To secure the borders, the measure calls for the hiring of an additional 1,000 new Border Patrol agents this year and 14,000 by 2011, and backs Bush's plan for a short-term deployment of National Guard troops to states along the Mexican Border. The bill calls for new surveillance equipment as well as the construction of 370 miles of triple-layered fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers.

The new guest worker program would admit 200,000 individuals a year. Once here, they would be permitted for the first time to petition on their own for a green card that confers legal permanent residency, a provision designed to reduce the potential for exploitation by employers.

A separate new program, a compromise between growers and unions, envisions admission of an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers who may also apply for permanent residency
Even supporters of the bill conceded the three-tiered program related to illegal immigrants was complicated.

Those in the country unlawfully for five years or more would be permitted to remain, continue working and eventually apply for citizenship. They would be required to pay at least $3,250 in fines and fees, settle any back taxes and learn English.

Illegal immigrants in the country for more than two years but less than five would be required to travel to a point of entry before re-entering the United States legally and beginning a lengthy process of seeking citizenship. They would be subject to the same fines, fees and other requirements as the longer-term immigrants.

An immigrant in the country illegally for less than two years would be required to leave with no guarantee of return.

A new electronic system for employee verification is designed to hold employers accountable for hiring decisions. It provides for maximum fines of $20,000 for each worker and possible jail time for repeat offenders.

A separate controversy erupted over a call to make English the national language. Supporters said it would leave all current rights in place. Detractors argued it could undermine an executive order that mandates assistance to individuals who receive services such as health care yet lack proficiency in English.


Senate and House Immigration Bills

May 25, 2006

By The Associated Press

My Way News

Highlights of separate immigration and border security bills passed by the Senate and the House.

Senate bill passed Thursday:

_Allows illegal immigrants who have been in the country five years or more to remain, continue working and eventually become legal permanent residents and citizens after paying at least $3,250 in fines and fees and back taxes and learning English.

_Requires illegal immigrants in the U.S. between two and five years to go to a point of entry at the border and file an application to return.

_Requires those in the country less than two years to leave.

_Orders deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of a felony or three misdemeanors no matter how long they have been in the U.S.

_Creates a special guest worker program for an estimated 1.5 million immigrant farm workers, who could also earn legal permanent residency.

_Provides 200,000 new temporary "guest worker" visas a year.

_Authorizes 370 miles of new triple-layered fencing plus 500 miles of vehicle barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border.

_Authorizes hiring an additional 1,000 Border Patrol agents this year, for a total additional 3,000 agents this year.

_Adds 14,000 Border Patrol agents by 2011 to the current force of 11,300 agents.

_Authorizes additional detention facilities for apprehended illegal immigrants.

_Requires employers and subcontractors to use an electronic system within 18 months to verify new hires are legal. Increases maximum fines to employers for hiring illegal workers to $20,000 for each worker and imposes jail time for repeat offenders.

_Delays by 17 months, until June 1, 2009, a requirement that Americans re-entering the U.S. after cruises or short visits to Canada and Mexico show a passport or high-tech identification card.

_Declares English the country's national language.

_Increases the number of H1-B visas for skilled workers from 65,000 to 115,000 annually, beginning in 2007. Immigrants with certain advanced degrees would not be subject to the caps, which could rise by 20 percent depending on labor market demands.

_Limits National Guard tours of duty on the U.S.-Mexico border to 21 days.

_Allows additional countries to participate in the visa waiver program, which allows citizens of certain countries to visit the U.S. without a visa. The United States and more than two dozen countries now have reciprocal visa waiver agreements.
---
House bill passed in December:

_No provisions providing path to legal residency or citizenship for illegal immigrants. No new temporary guest worker program.

_Makes illegal presence in the country a felony and increases penalties for first-time illegal entry to the U.S.

_Makes it a felony to assist, encourage, direct or induce a person to enter or attempt to enter or remain in the United States illegally.

_Beginning in six years, all employers would have to use a database to verify Social Security numbers of all employees.

_Increases maximum fines for employers of illegal workers from current $10,000 to $40,000 per violation and establishes prison sentences of up to 30 years for repeat offenders.

_Requires mandatory detention for all non-Mexican illegal immigrants arrested at ports of entry or at land and sea borders.

_Establishes mandatory sentences for smuggling illegal immigrants and for re-entering the U.S. illegally after deportation.

_Makes a drunken driving conviction a deportable offense.

_Requires building two-layer fences along 700 miles of the 2,000-mile border between Mexico and the United States.

Egypt: Israeli provocations need to stop

Egypt-Israel, Politics, 5/25/2006

Arab news

Egypt described an Israeli raid into the West Bank town of Ramallah yesterday as provocative and incompatible with peace efforts. "We demand an immediate end to the use of disproportionate violent measures which are likely to deepen the chasm between the sides," said Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.

He was reacting to a raid in which Israeli troops killed three Palestinians and wounded at least 40 others.

The Israeli forces took into custody Mohamed al-Shoubaki, a top financier for resistance group Islamic Jihad, before withdrawing from Ramallah under attack from Palestinian gunmen and stone-throwers.

Abul- Gheit said: "Storming Palestinian towns in this manner, which shows contempt for the feelings of Palestinians and provokes them, is not the approach which could lead ...towards starting negotiations and achieving peace."

In Ramallah, a spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said the raid showed poor faith by Israel, coming a day after its Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed in Washington to pursue peacemaking. "The Israeli government and army are doing their best to increase tensions, destroy the truce and prevent the return to the negotiating table to revive the peace process," Reuters quoted the spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdainah.


Previous Stories:

Two Palestinians killed, 40 injured by Israel (5/24/2006)

Israeli occupation arrests Hamas leader (5/23/2006)

Israeli occupation arrests 25 Palestinians (5/23/2006)

Abbas: Israeli occupation is cause of our problems (5/22/2006)

Mubarak: Israeli should face reality of Palestinian elections (5/3/2006)

Mubarak: Premature to talk about Palestinian-Israeli summit (4/24/2006)

Ehh, What's Up

You think this is bad it’s going to get worse, you can take that to the bank!

You can change it before hit hits the dumpster, but you won't?

Statement by President Bush

Press Release

Source: White House Press Office

Statement by President Bush

Thursday May 25, 1:51 pm ET

WASHINGTON, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by President Bush:

America's economy is on the fast track. Today's revised report by the Commerce Department indicates our economy grew at 5.3 percent for the first quarter of this year. That is the fastest growth in two-and-half years and another clear sign that our economy is powerful, productive, and prosperous. I commend America's workers, small business owners, and innovators for contributing to this strong economic growth. I will continue to work to pursue pro-growth policies, make the tax cuts permanent, and restrain government spending so that opportunity reaches every American neighborhood and every American family.

Source: White House Press Office

Commentary:

by Housewife4Palestine

What makes this statement interesting it is reminiscent to the for runner to the last depression, when people were starving and standing in bread lines; the government was saying how well the American’s were doing then.

Does Mr. Bush think the American public is stupid or just plain blind as a bat flying into the side of a hill? Please give the American’s a break Mr. Bush, before lighting strikes and you fall on the ground in flames with smoke in gulfing your expensive suit.

Harley Davidson with Middle Eastern Flavor

by Housewife4Palestine

One time, I met this young woman who was raised in a family that their whole way of thinking was about the Harley Davidson lifestyle. She happened to have a bracelet with a chain and ring attached like the woman in the above picture, but the only difference was the Harley Davidson set was more massive in silver and had their logo.

I mentioned to this young lady that the design for this jewelry she was wearing came from the Middle East and she found this hard to believe. So here it is for everyone to see.

Born To Be Wild

Through my observation, I think the Harley Davidson Corporation makes one of the finest motorcycles in the world, I think the lifestyle associated with this motorcycle is disgusting. The fornication, drinking and nudity that created this so called subculture lifestyle is nothing but Shaytaan showing himself.

The average person associated with this lifestyle used to be looked at with disgust in America, until corporate big wigs decided to buy a Harley and take to the road.

It is amazing how people can take beautiful things and turn them so foul!

Salaam, Lawrence of Arabia

Ramallah, Palestine


Cairo, Egypt at Night

Commentary:

by Housewife4Palestine

I am yet to wonder why people in the West remarks that anyone in the East lives solely with their Camel, hence “Camel Jockey!” I was told once by a friend that the idiom came from the America Military in Iraq, which makes the American Military look disgraceful. Even worse, just plain foolish!

I realize that the West knows very little about the East except what they have read in Westernized books or movies, but hey this is the twenty-first century. I mean do people still think in Egypt that it is the land of the Pharaoh’s and everyone there looks like Charlton Heston from “The Ten Commandments?”

While their still is Bedouins in the Middle East, most people live in modernized cities that don’t look dissimilar to the West. One thing the East has been known for is combining the old with the new which is commendable, but like in Saudi Arabia for example with the destruction of buildings and area’s of historical significance not to just Islam but the world has a whole is a shame; because it is destroying history for future generations.

Some people would rather see the severe destructions but what they are not taking into account if they are religious at all; they are destroying landmarks for not just Muslims, but Christians and Jews also.

Let’s not forget the history of the East was the beginning of the known world and yes some of what is there is as a reminder of the past and by destruction to this part of the world and its people will cause a backlash of cataclysmic portions.

Like in Palestine, this is where Allah’s heart is and no religion in the world could doubt this because of one place Jerusalem!

For you who likes to call us "Camel Jockey,"
a Bedouin camp. By the way, the Bedouin’s
have a reputation of being a kind and generous people.

Why Women Should Wear the Veil?

The ladies on the right are wearing the "burqa" which is surprisingly easy to wear. Basically it consists of three folds of material attached to a band. The band is tied around the head at the level of the eyes, and the first fold, the longest and usually the heaviest is drawn back over the head. This leaves a slit for the eyes, and one sees very well out of it. The second fold in front is usually a light voile fabric and it can also be drawn back over the head so that one's eyes are also covered, but one can still see. The third fold is more opaque but still light, and in fact it isn't particularly disagreeable to wear the burqa. One feels nice and private behind it, rather like sunglasses but more so....PHOTOS OF THE PEOPLE OF JORDAN


Women throughout the world spend millions of Dollars on facial beauty.Companies manufacturing 'beauty' products make a colossal figure in sales. It would be nothing short saying that the products used on the face farexceed other products. This in itself proves that humans are particularlypossessive of their looks - facial expression. People especially women takegreat pride and time in making up their faces.

Allaah Ta'aala has placed the beauty of man and woman in the face. Perhaps thebusiest part of the body is the face - used extensively in communication. The face communicates the person's mood and facial expressions and expressesthe character and mannerism.

Because so much of identification is assembled by the face, least to mentionthe beauty of women, Muslim women are required to hide away their beauty.The veil forms part of their concealment.

The Noble Qur'aan declares:

"Oh Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of thebelievers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screenthemselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That willbe better, that they should be known (as free respectable women so as not to be annoyed." (Ahzaab 59)

Furthermore, the Noble Qur'aan declares in Sura Noor verse 31, that thebelieving women 'should not display their beauty and ornamentation' except to their husbands and immediate family (Mahrams).

Allah Ta'aala says clearly that a woman's body should be covered by loose-fitting, non-transparent clothing so that the shape of her body is notrevealed. The Hijaab hides the beauty of the woman's form.

No one can dispute that a woman's primary focus of beauty is her face. Therefore, if Allaah Ta'aala places so much of emphasis on hiding the beautyof a woman's body, it's only logical that the centre of greater attraction -the face - should without a doubt also be covered.

Referring to the wives (Radhi-yallaahu ‘Anhuma) of Rasuoolullaah (Sallallaahu‘Alayhi Wasallam). Allaah (SWT) warns the men:

"And when you ask (His ladies) for anything you want, ask them from behind acurtain: that makes for greater purity for your hearts and theirs." (Ahzaab33:53)

If Allaah Ta'aala expects the prophet's wives to be so guarded then surelynone of the believing women can claim greater purity of heart andconsequently exemption from the directive to hide their beauty.

Hadhrat ‘Aa’ishah (Radhi-yallaahu ‘Anha) says, '(during Hajj in the state ofIhraam) when the male should walk in front of us while in the company ofRasoolullaah (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam), then we would drop our veils fromthe head over the face.'

This Hadeeth emphatically shows the manner adopted by the honoured wives ofRasoolullaah (Sallallaahu ‘Alayhi Wasallam). They have exemplified an extremelydignified way of life for the women of the Ummah.

(From Ask-Imaam.com)

Four Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in Ramallah

Palestinians help an injured youth during
clashes with Israeli soldiers in the center of the
West Bank town of Ramallah. Four Palestinians
were shot dead during an Israeli raid in the heart
of the West Bank's administrative capital that also
resulted in the capture of a leading Islamic Jihad militant.
(AFP/Abbas Momani)

by Nasser Abu Bakr

May 24, 2006

Yahoo News

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AFP) - Four Palestinians were shot dead during an Israeli raid in the heart of the West Bank administrative capital that also resulted in the capture of a leading Islamic Jihad militant.

The Israeli killings in the West Bank came on the eve of Palestinian cross-party crisis talks in Ramallah designed to put a lid on factional violence that claimed two more lives in the Gaza Strip.

And Palestinian foreign minister Mahmud al-Zahar accused Israel of seeking to torpedo Thursday's talks by escalating the violence in the Palestinian territories.

"We condemn this crime and demand that the international community exert pressure to make Israel stop its attacks," he said in a statement.

Around 60 other Palestinians were wounded during the Ramallah operation to arrest Mohammed al-Shubaki, the commander of Jihad in the Qalqilya area of the northern West Bank.

His capture came a day after Israeli troops also arrested the overall head of the governing Hamas movement's armed wing in Ramallah.

According to Palestinian security sources, the Israeli forces entered Ramallah to provide back-up for a unit of elite undercover soldiers who were already operating in the town.

An Israeli army spokesman said the forces opened fire after they came under attack from gunmen.

The deaths in Ramallah overshadowed another bout of intra-factional violence in Gaza with a Hamas follower killed after being abducted in the southern town of Khan Yunis and a Palestinian security officer killed in a Gaza City blast.

The Hamas activist, Salim Qadih, died of his injuries after being kidnapped along with two other members of the group's armed wing by unknown gunmen outside a mosque in the southern town.

The three were then dumped in the road several hours later before being rushed to the town's Nasser hospital for emergency treatment.

Although there was no immediate claim of responsibility, the shooting came amid a spate of armed clashes between supporters of the governing Hamas faction and followers of the former ruling Fatah movement.

Hours later, a Fatah follower who was an officer in the preventive security force was killed and another wounded when a device exploded in the path of their moving vehicle. There was no initial claim of responsibility.

The tensions between Hamas and Fatah have been growing by the day, exacerbated by Hamas's decision to deploy members of its own volunteer force while Abbas, the de facto leader of Fatah, was travelling abroad.

Under the terms of the Palestinian basic law, responsibility for security is meant to be the remit of Abbas.

The ranks of the police and other security branches remain stuffed with Fatah supporters despite the faction's defeat at the hands of Hamas in January parliamentary elections.

A Jordanian driver was killed and nine Palestinians wounded on Monday when the rival forces became embroiled in an armed confrontation outside the Gaza branch of the Palestinian parliament.

Abbas has said he hopes that the two-day "national dialogue" which he will host in Ramallah from Thursday will help lower the tensions between the factions.

"The entire world is aware that our national cause is in danger and we should therefore work for the success of this dialogue," he said on Tuesday.

Ismail Haniya, the prime minister of the Hamas-led government, is to participate in the talks via videophone from Gaza owing to Israeli-imposed travel restrictions on the Islamists.

Love Is Nice

A couple in Palestine.

One of the greatest treasures, I know of in this life is the love of a good marriage.


by Housewife4Palestine

A good husband is when he looks at you
And his face lights up the room.

When you fall asleep with another book
Upon your breast,
And you are woken with the gentle touch
Of your husband trying to remove it
To set on the night table.

Laughing and playing like two children
Never getting enough
At the days end.

Wishing for another tomorrow
As you both grow old
Happy with each moment
The two of you have shared.

But most of all,
Thanking Allah you got to even meet.

Friendship

Friends can come from anywhere on the globe, it doesn’t matter who they are as long as your hearts are one.

The Old Stock Market and the Real America

Sign of the Times




The Stock Market and the Real America




In regards to the stock market, I wonder when the janitor is going to come out with his industrial broom; sweep up and turn out the light?

US shares up while market jitters

Even though it looks worrying, price
volatility helps traders make money

24 May 2006

BBC News

US shares closed ahead after a day of see-sawing as jitters continued across global stock markets.

The Dow Jones and Nasdaq both opened lower, reflecting declines in leading European markets, and fluctuated all day before settling in the black.

Europe's main share indexes all lost value with the FTSE 100, the Cac 40 and the Dax down more than 1.2% by close.

Worries about inflation and interest rate rises in the US have overshadowed corporate profits growth.

Analysts expect volatile trading to continue.

Cautious mood

Weighing on the markets is the fear that higher interest rates needed to rein in inflation could kill off the global economic recovery in the process.

Higher borrowing costs put a brake on consumer spending and corporate investment, squeezing profits and jeopardising growth.

The cautious mood persisted in the US, with the Dow Jones and Nasdaq managing to end ahead by 0.17% and 0.48% respectively after an inconclusive day.

The confused directions of the markets were reflected in two economic reports - one showing sales of new housing had risen, the other that demand for durables such as aircraft and computers was down.

"People are still on very skittish ground here," said Miller Tabak & Co analyst Peter Boockvar.
"Every single rally has failed. The market seems to be in a corrective phase."

'No panic'

In Europe, the UK's main FTSE 100 share index closed down 91.6 points, while Germany's Dax and France's Cac ended the day down 91.26 points and 61.51 points respectively in late afternoon trading.

In India, another volatile day of trading saw the BSE Sensex index lose much of the 341 points gain made on Tuesday, closing down 2.3% or 249 at 10,573.

Analysts say that even though there are concerns that price growth may accelerate and push up interest rates, the sell-off means share prices are coming back to levels that could make them attractive to investors.

As a result, they predict that the declines may be short-lived.

Market watchers said they expected a period of consolidation, rather than a rapid recovery, with a lot depending on the quality of earnings and economic reports released in coming weeks.
"We are sceptical if there is anything fundamental about these falls," said Tristan Hanson of Cazenove. "It is more panic."

Japan's Nikkei 225 index rebounded strongly on Wednesday as a weaker yen lifted optimism that exporters, including camera firm Canon and carmakers Toyota and Honda, would benefit and foreign sales increase.

Dollar rebounds

One of the main areas of concern has been the rapid rise of commodity prices, amid fears that a market bubble is about to burst.

On Wednesday, investor selling pulled gold prices down by 6%.
Meanwhile, crude oil prices, one of the main factors behind the inflation fears, dipped as supply concerns eased.

In London, a barrel of Brent crude fell back $1.88 cents to $69.22 and a barrel of light crude slid 2.7% or $1.90 to $69.86 in New York.

The US dollar had rebounded against both the yen and euro in Asian trading, and climbed against most major currencies after the report on housing sales increased speculation that interest rates may be hiked next month.

Cave Complex Destroyed in Afghanistan

May 24, 2006

Video

In an air strike May 8, 2006, Coalition aircraft killed four extremists and destroyed a truck and cave complex in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. According to US officials, it is suspected more may have been killed and buried in rubble. Before the air strike, a joint combat team of Afghan National Army and US ground forces observed people loading rockets into truck near the cave. A request was then made for air support to attack the complex.

The attack was carried out by US Air Force A-10 aircraft and a Predator unmanned aerial vehicle assigned to the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing, Afghanistan. A patrol later sent to investigate the cave came under small arms fire. They returned fire and captured one person. Near the cave, they discovered two trucks buried under gravel, inside of which were two 107mm rockets.

A look at U.S. military deaths in Iraq

A picture released by the US Marines shows a marine paying his last respects to his colleague during his memorial service 11 May 2006 in the restive city of Fallujah west of Baghdad. Attacks across the country killed more than 20 Iraqis, including school teachers and six members of a single family, while the US military announced the deaths of six servicemen on Sunday, two of them killed when their helicopter was shot down south of the capital.(AFP/USMC-HO/Cpl. Brian Reimers)

By The Associated Press

May 24, 2006

Yahoo News

As of Wednesday, May 24, 2006, at least 2,460 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 1,940 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is two lower than the Defense Department's tally, last updated Wednesday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 111 deaths; Italy, 31; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 17; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Slovakia, Denmark three; El Salvador, Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Romania, one death each.

___

The latest death reported by the military:
• A soldier died Tuesday from small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades south of Balad.
___

The latest identifications reported by the military:
• No identifications reported.
___

On the Net:
http://www.defenselink.mil/n

OIF/OEF Casualty Update


Note:

More U. S. Military in Iraq died today.

Tapes from Osama bin Laden since 9/11

By The Associated Press

May 23, 2006

Boston news

Audio and videotapes from Osama bin Laden since Sept. 11, 2001:

-- May 23, 2006: Osama bin Laden purportedly says in an Internet audio tape that Zacarias Moussaoui had nothing to do with the Sept. 11 attacks.

-- April 23, 2006: In an audiotape on Arab TV, bin Laden says the West was at war with Islam and calls on his followers to go to Sudan to fight a proposed U.N. force.

-- Jan. 19, 2006: Bin Laden vows never to be captured alive and says the U.S. military has become as "barbaric" as Saddam Hussein in an audiotape broadcast on Al-Jazeera, the pan-Arab satellite channel.

--Dec. 28, 2004: An hourlong audiotape, he endorses Abu-Musab al-Zarqawi as his deputy in Iraq and calls for a boycott of Iraqi elections.

-- Dec. 16, 2004: An audiotape posted on an Islamic Web site shows a man identified as bin Laden praising militants who attacked a U.S. consulate in Saudi Arabia earlier that month and calling on militants to stop the flow of oil to the West.

-- Oct. 29, 2004: Al-Jazeera airs a video of bin Laden saying the United States can avoid another Sept. 11 attack if it stops threatening the security of Muslims.

-- May 6, 2004: In an online audiotape released on Islamic forums, bin Laden offers rewards of gold for the killing of U.S. and U.N. officials.

-- April 15, 2004: A man identifying himself as bin Laden offers a "truce" to European countries that do not attack Muslims.

-- Jan. 4, 2004: A speaker thought to be bin Laden says on an audiotape broadcast on Al-Jazeera that the U.S.-led war in Iraq is the beginning of the "occupation" of Persian Gulf states for their oil. He calls on Muslims to keep fighting a holy war in the Middle East.

-- Sept. 10, 2003: In the first video image of bin Laden in nearly two years, he is shown walking through rocky terrain with top deputy Ayman al-Zawahri. Two taped messages accompanied the video In one, a voice purporting to be bin Laden's praises the "great damage to the enemy" on Sept. 11 and mentions five hijackers by name. In the other tape, a voice said to be that of al-Zawahri threatens more attacks on Americans.

-- April 7, 2003: In an audiotape obtained by The Associated Press in Pakistan, bin Laden exhorts Muslims to rise up against Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and other governments it claims are "agents of America," and calls for suicide attacks against U.S. and British interests. The CIA determines the 27-minute tape is likely authentic.

-- Feb. 13, 2003: An audiotape purported to be of bin Laden reads a poetic last will and testament in a recording first obtained by the British-based Islamic Al-Ansaar news agency. Bin Laden says he wants to die a martyr in a new attack against the United States.

-- Feb. 11, 2003: Bin Laden calls on Iraqis to carry out suicide attacks against Americans and defend themselves against a U.S. attack in a tape broadcast on Al-Jazeera. U.S. counterterrorism officials say the audio message was probably authentic.

-- Nov. 12, 2002: Al-Jazeera broadcasts a brief audiotape in which a voice attributed to bin Laden says the "youths of God" are planning more attacks against the United States. U.S. experts say the tape can't be authenticated because of its poor quality.

-- Dec. 13, 2001: U.S. Defense Department releases videotape of bin Laden in Afghanistan on Nov. 9, 2001, saying the destruction of the Sept. 11 attacks exceeded even his "optimistic" calculations.

Three Beautiful Senses

Written by: Zohra Moosa

You hear the doorbell
I see the flashing lamp
You hear the words over the telephone
I watch the words on the screen
You hear human voices
I watch the interpreter’s sign
You hear the joyous greetings
I feel the friendly hands
You hear the sound of laughter
I see a joyous smile
You hear the anger of voice
I see the awful expression

You hear the howling of winds
I watch the leaves swaying and falling
You hear the stormy nights
I watch the heavy downpour with bright lightning
You hear the angry wild waves
I watch the frothy water that breaks against a rock
You hear the cheerful chirping birds
I watch them flying gracefully

You hear
the words the sounds of nature
of human voices

I see the expressions
I feel the sounds
I watch the actions
I see,
I feel,
I watch. Three beautiful senses!

House Votes to Cut Aid to Palestinian Authority

A Palestinian woman walks near the Qalandiya
checkpoint near the West Bank city of Ramallah,
May 22, 2006. (Loay Abu Haykel/Reuters)

May 23, 2006

Fox News

WASHINGTON — The House voted Tuesday to choke off the flow of U.S. aid to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Authority, drawing the displeasure of the Bush administration and dividing the pro-Israel lobbying community.
The measure, approved 361-37, would cut off aid to non-governmental groups working in the West Bank and Gaza except for health programs and would deny visas to members of the Palestinian Authority. It also would ban contacts with Hamas because of its classification as a terrorist organization and limit the president's authority to waive the aid bans.

Click here to see how your representative voted.

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a chief sponsor of the bill, said, "The United States must make it ambiguously clear that we will not support such a terrorist regime, that we will not directly or indirectly allow American taxpayer funds to be used to perpetuate the leadership of an Islamic jihadist group."
The vote on the Palestinian Anti-Terrorist Act came as Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was meeting President Bush at the White House to discuss Israel's plans to impose a West Bank settlement on the Palestinians. Olmert addresses a joint session of Congress on Wednesday.

The White House, which has already cut off funds for the Hamas-led government until it recognizes Israel's right to exist and renounces acts of terrorism, criticized the bill as unneeded and overreaching in its restrictions.

"The bill is unnecessary as the executive branch already has ample authority to impose all its restrictions and it constrains the executive's flexibility to use sanctions," the State Department said in a statement.

The measure must still be considered in the Senate, where Sens. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Joe Biden, D-Del., have a similar but somewhat less restrictive bill that carves out more exceptions for Palestinian Authority officials not affiliated to Hamas.

In three hours of sometimes emotional debate on the House floor Monday night, lawmakers were unanimous in condemning Hamas, which ascended to power in January elections, but differed sharply on the wisdom of the comprehensive sanctions outlined in the bill.

"The issue is not Hamas," said Rep. David Price, D-N.C., a critic of the bill. "The issue is rather the bill's ban on aid to all non-governmental groups, private groups and organizations, many of whom are diametrically opposed to Hamas's philosophy."

But Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, said Palestinians "have made their choice" in voting Hamas into power. "American aid to the Palestinian people must be predicated on their rejection of terrorism."

Pro-Israel groups, have also split on the issue, with the largest lobbying group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), pushing for its passage. "Today, Congress made it clear that Hamas' decision to continue its support for terrorism has direct and immediate consequences," AIPAC said after the vote.

Other groups, including the Israel Policy Forum and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, have come out against it. "We believe that this legislation will damage America's interests and Israel's as well by undermining the U.S. ability to advance peace and democracy in the region," the Israel Policy Forum said in a statement.

The bill also engendered a dispute between AIPAC and Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., who claimed that an AIPAC representative accused her of supporting terrorism by opposing the bill and banned AIPAC from her office until she gets an apology.

The volunteer, in a letter to McCollum, said it was the congresswoman's chief of staff who brought up the issue of supporting terrorism in her phone conversation with him. AIPAC executive director Howard Kohr has written McCollum offering to meet her to discuss the dispute.

Link:

Defying Bush, House backs limits on Palestinian aid

THE INSURGENCY

If You can not view, Please go Here.

Note:

I am presenting this video in the manner in which I found it and let the viewer make their own judgment, as I did.

Muhammad (PBUH) Legacy of A Prophet Documentary

The Name of Allah Most Gracious, most Merciful

Introduction:

by Housewife4Palestine

I do not thing I ever have put a series on my page before but here one is now, this documentary was orginally aired on PBS station's in America about Muhammad (PBUH). Please Enjoy!

Allah Almighty Said:

[002:049] "And remember, We delivered you from the people of Pharaoh: They set you hard tasks and punishments, slaughtered your sons and let your women-folk live; therein was a tremendous trial from your Lord."

[048:029] Muhammad is the apostle of God; and those who are with him are strong against Unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. Thou wilt see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from God and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks, (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Taurat; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the Unbelievers with rage at them. God has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great Reward.

A Film By Kikim Media & unity Productions Foundation/ A KQED Presentation.

Fourteen Hundred years ago , a humble merchant who could not read or right changed the face of arabia. Today, his influence has spread to every corner of the world including United States. This is the story muslims have passed down generations after generations for 1400 years. It is a story about a Merchant, Husband, Father, statesman and warrior whom they consider the Final Prophet.... The Man Whose Legacy Continues To Shape Their Lives Today.

This is the story of a 7th century merchant who changed world history in 23 years, and continues to shape the lives of more than 1.6 billion people today. This film creates a lively, thorough, and honest portrait of Muhammad, one that takes viewers not only to ancient Arabian locations where Muhammad's story unfolded, but also into the homes, mosques and workplaces of some of America's seven million Muslims. Leading scholars and theologians round out the documentary with insights and details about Muhammad, what he did, and why Muslims call him the Final Prophet.

This sweeping two-hour documentary goes well beyond the boundaries of the past. "Muhammad is 'history in the present tense,'" says co-creator/producer Michael Wolfe, a well-known Muslim author. "In it, we reflect on this 7th century story through the experiences of 21st century Americans who feel deeply connected to what Muhammad did, said and believed." A presentation of KQED/San Francisco, the documentary is produced by Kikim Media and Unity Productions Foundation. Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet was created and produced by Michael Wolfe and Alexander Kronemer, and produced and directed by Michael Schwarz. Noted actor André Braugher is the narrator. With some of the world's greatest scholars on Islam providing historical context and critical perspective, Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet tells of intrigue and faith, revolutionary ideas and bitter persecution, brutal war and brilliant diplomacy in an arid desert where tribal allegiance was often the only protection. Muhammad was orphaned as a child, but he was fortunate to be born into the powerful tribe of the Quraysh in the city of Mecca, a regional pilgrimage site and commercial crossroads. He became a successful trader based in this cosmopolitan center and married a woman who was a wealthy merchant. Yet as Muhammad prospered with the city, he saw that the poor were increasingly neglected and hedonism dominated the culture.

To Buy This Video Click Here, To View this Documentary free of charge please scroll at the bottom of this Page.

Whether you are Muslims or non muslims watch this Documentary Once - I consider this Documentary to be from one of the best Documentary by any muslims/non-muslim ever Made on/about our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). The way it deals with all the events that unfolded in his(pbuh)'s time is just amazing. People Such as Professer John Voll (of georgia University) , Hamza Yusuf ( Dorector of Zayton Institute , Karen Armstrong (author) , Professer M.Cherif Bassiouni (of Depaul University , chicago) Etc. It explains with logical reason that , Why A Orphan from the Arabian Peninsula became the most Influential man in the History.

A Man who stood side by side with the oppressed, and fought against the oppressers,

A Man who preached love, and strictly prohibited Hatred,

A Man who started his Mission single Handed, But completed it with billions,

A Man Who Made A Difference. Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)

Muhammed (peace be apon him)09:01
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 1

Muhammed (peace be apon him)08:39
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 2

Muhammed (peace be apon him)08:58
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 3

Muhammed (peace be apon him)09:04
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 4

Muhammed (peace be apon him)08:00
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 5

Muhammed (peace be apon him)09:17
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 6

Muhammed (peace be apon him)09:26
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 7

Muhammed (peace be apon him)08:28
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 8

Muhammed (peace be apon him)08:42
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 9

Muhammed (peace be apon him)09:11
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 10

Muhammed (peace be apon him)05:07
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 11

Muhammed (peace be apon him)09:47
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 12

Muhammed (peace be apon him)07:32
THE LEGACY OF Muhammed (peace be apon him)PART 13

The non-Muslim verdict on Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

K.S Ramakrishna Rao, an Indian Professor of Philosophy in his booklet, ("Muhammad, The Prophet of Islam") calls him the:

"Perfect model for human life."

Prof. Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying:

"The personality of Muhammad (pbuh), it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it can I catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes! There is Muhammad (pbuh), the Prophet. There is Muhammad (pbuh), the Warrior, Muhammad (pbuh), the Businessman; Muhammad (pbuh), the Statesman; Muhammad (pbuh), the Orator; Muhammad (pbuh), the Reformer; Muhammad (pbuh), the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad (pbuh), the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad (pbuh), the Judge; Muhammad (pbuh), the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like a hero."

Michael Hart in "The 100, A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in the History," New York, 1978., p. 33

"My choice of Muhammad (pbuh) to lead the list of world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in the history who was supremely successful on both the secular and religious level. It is probable that the relative influence of Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. It is this unparalleled combination of the secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad (pbuh) to be considered to be the most influential single figure in human history."

M.K Gandhi, statement published in "Young India," 1924

I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind..........I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and his mission.

These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was no more for me to read of that great life."

THOMAS CALYLE in his HEROES AND HEROWORSHIP, was simply amazed as to:

"how one man single-handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades."

Sir Bernard Shaw in "THE GENUINE ISLAM, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936"

"If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it would be Islam."

"I have always held the religion of Muhammad (pbuh) in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, which appears to me to possess that assimilation capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal in every age. I have studied him (Muhammad (pbuh)) - the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the savior of humanity."

"I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much needed peace and happiness: I have prophesized about the faith in Muhammad (pbuh) that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe today."

Sir Bernard Shaw said about him:

He was by far the most remarkable man that ever set foot on this earth. He preached a religion, founded a state, built a nation, laid down a moral code, initiated numerous social and political reforms, established a powerful and dynamic society to practice and represent his teachings and completely revolutionized the worlds of human thought and behavior for all times to come.


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