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Showing posts from March 1, 2009

How hawala money is used to fund terror Vicky Nanjappa in Bengaluru

March 06, 2009 15:41 IST The Financial Intelligence Unit last month marked 200 transactions in India -- running into Rs 2,000 crore -- as terror-financed. Now, it has commenced its probe to trace the origin of the funds. It is a known fact that terrorist outfits use counterfeit notes to finance terror operations. This is just one of the means adopted by terror outfits and Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence to raise Rs 1,800 crore a year to finance terror. However, in the case being probed by the FIU, there is a considerable amount of money deposited in the banks, meaning they are not counterfeit. The money which is pumped into terror operations is generated through various sources: smuggling of opium, real estate, fake notes and extortion bids. Interestingly, the main source of revenue remains the ISI. A study conducted on terror financing indicates that the Pakistan government allocates money officially to the Secret Service Funds. This amount is given for collection o

Indian Secularism versus Pakistani Islam

No love lost: By Vikram Sood 5 Mar 2009, 0000 hrs IST Source: timesofindia Over the years Pakistan has come to believe that the world is beholden to it because it exists. This notion of indispensability allows those in power in that country to be wild, delinquent and dangerous. Like the spoilt brat of a rich and doting parent, Pakistan either becomes petulant when it is not granted what it unjustifiably demands or becomes belligerent when it is granted that wish by its benefactor. Today, Pakistan has a begging bowl economy; terrorism is its main export. Unending unrest in Balochistan and sectarian violence in Dera Ismail Khan and Dera Ghazi Khan, coupled with a creaking law and order and judicial systems, evoke little confidence in that country. There are many in India who are ready to give Pakistan another chance forever. They say Pakistanis are like us but the poor souls are stuck with rotten governments and they need our help to get them out of their predicament. It is incredibly na

Andrew Buncombe: Well-trained, motivated and on the rise. But who are these militants?

Source: The independent The images are nothing short of terrifying. A dozen well-trained, well-armed men fanning out and taking up their positions with consummate ease and expertise. Nothing could be more different than the grainy CCTV footage of a single truck lurching up to the gate of a five-star hotel and its driver arguing with the security guards and, five minutes later, a massive bomb exploding. Related articles Suspicions grow that attack was 'inside job' Chris Broad: 'There were no security forces to be seen. They had clearly left us there to be sitting ducks...' Patrick Cockburn: My day with the terror 'charity' working 15 miles from Lahore Everyone is at risk now, says Morris Last night, as Pakistani police continued what increasingly seemed a hapless hunt for the perpetrators of the Lahore attack, a consensus was gathering that the ambush represented the emergence of a new and distressing te

2 blasts strike Myanmar's biggest city

source: Associated press March 3rd 2009 YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Two explosions shook parks near busy thoroughfares in military-ruled Myanmar's largest city Tuesday night. An official said there were no casualties although onlookers saw one man being led to an ambulance. The official said it was not immediately clear what caused the blasts in Yangon. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release information. Security personnel rushed to the sites of both blasts and blocked off one road, while soldiers and police stopped and searched vehicles along another main thoroughfare that passes by the sites of both explosions. The was no immediate comment from the ruling junta — standard practice in the tightly controlled nation where almost all government comment is released through state-run media. Witnesses said the first blast took place at about 9:40 p.m. at a small park in western Yangon near Myeinigone junction, a busy area with a bus terminal. The explosi

Police left us like sitting ducks, says referee

David Hopps and Saeed Shah in Lahore The Guardian, Thursday 5 March 2009 Article history Chris Broad, the ex-England batsman turned match referee who escaped injury in Tuesday's attack on the Sri Lankan cricketers, castigated Pakistan yesterday for not providing the promised "presidential-style security" and accused the security services of fleeing the scene and leaving the visitors as "sitting ducks". As Pakistani police began investigating whether the gunmen were planning to take the whole squad hostage, Broad arrived at Manchester airport with scathing remarks about the way Pakistani police had handled the attack. "After the incident there was not a sign of a policeman anywhere," said Broad. "They had clearly gone, left the scene

BAND OF FANATICS: THE ZAKIR NAIK SHOW

Source: weekly Blitz - VOLUME - 4, ISSUE - 9, DHAKA, FEBRUARY 18, 2009 Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury To a large section of the television viewers in Asia, Dr. Zakir Naik is a known name. This is mostly because of the prominent presence of his Islamist television channel named ´Peace TV´, which claims it to be the ´solution for humanity´. Dr. Naik operates this channel from Britain under the banner of an organization named Islamic Research Foundation and Peace TV runs with heavy donation and contribution by Muslims from a part of their Zakat, as well as donations from various Afro-Arab sources. According to Islamic dictionary, Zakat or ´alms for the poor´ is the Islamic principle of giving a percentage of one´s income to charity. It is often compared to the system of tithing and alms, but it serves principally as the welfare contribution to poor and deprived people in the Muslim lands, although others may have a rightful share. Zakat's similar-sounding, Arabic language analog is the

Lahore 'Cricket' attack may mark a shift in Pakistan

Source: Asia Times By Syed Saleem Shahzad , March 04, 2009. KARACHI - Pakistan might recently have signed peace deals with militants in its tribal areas, including with vehement anti-establishment Pakistan Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, but militants on Tuesday staged a brazen attack in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province and the second-largest city in the country. The attack by 12 heavily armed gunmen on a convoy escorted by police transporting Sri Lankan cricketers to a match against Pakistan has set off alarm bells in the capital Islamabad that militants are now taking their battle into major urban centres. At least five people died and six of the cricketers were injured in a 25-minute battle in which militants wearing backpacks and carrying AK-47s, rockets and grenades fought police. The assailants then all fled. The Sri Lankan cricketers have called off their tour and are heading home immediately. The attack bore some similarity to that of 10 well-armed gunmen, also with ba

Srilankan Team attacked in Lahore

New Delhi: Unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricket team as they were on their way to Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on Tuesday morning, Dawn news channel reported. The channel showed footage of two gunmen opening fire using Kalashnikovs. At least 12 gunmen were involved in the attack. According to the Pakistan Cricket Board seven players have been reported injured. Many of them are seriously injured - Thilan Samaraweera, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Thushara, Tharanga Paranavithana and Chaminda Vaas. Pacer Chaminda Vaas was carried off in a stretcher. Five security personnel are reported dead, three more are seriously injured and have been rushed to the hospital. The attackers - who came in a white car - lobbed two grenades at the van and the men then started firing at a police van which was providing security to the Lankan team. The gunmen, reportedly surrounded the team van and opened fire indiscriminately. They reportedly continuously for two to

Britain and its Muslims How the government lost the plot

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Feb 26th 2009 From The Economist print edition A desperate search for a new policy towards Islam has yet to produce results Guzelian A WAR, a riot, a terrorist attack or a row over blasphemy: not long ago, Britain’s government knew exactly what to do when a crisis loomed in relations with the country’s Muslims. As recently as July 2005, after bombs in London killed 56 people, Tony Blair was confident that he could avoid a total breakdown of trust between Muslim Britons and their compatriots. Using an old formula, the prime minister called in some Islamic worthies and suggested they form a task force on extremism. Then, hours before the worthies were due to reconvene and mull their response, Mr Blair breezily announced that a task-force of top Muslims had just been created. They moaned, but dutifully went to work. That system of trade-offs, the equivalent of the “beer and sandwiches” once used to woo trade unionists, had some big drawbacks. It gave hardline Musl

Hawala money in India linked to terror funding: US

Source: Dailytimes * State Dept report recommends New Delhi prioritise cooperation with international initiatives for increased transparency Daily Times Monitor LAHORE: ‘Hawala’ money in India is directly linked to terrorist financing, the US has warned, suggesting New Delhi should strengthen its anti-money laundering and counter terrorism-finance legislations. Citing a US State Department report, the Times of India reported that Washington had also recommended New Delhi work towards becoming a full-fledged member of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental body that develops policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. Noting the Indian parliament’s move to pass the Prevention of Money Laundering (Amendment) Bill, the report suggest India should make necessary legislative amendments to bring its anti-money laundering finance regime in conformity to FATF. Prioritise: “Given the number of terrorist attacks in India and the fact that in India hawal

The 19th-century roots of terrorism

By Chuck Leddy Globe Correspondent / February 26, 2009 Source: The Boston Globe Terrorist bombings of nightclubs, restaurants, and hotels are, unfortunately, the stuff of today's headline news. But the bombing of Paris's Café Terminus in 1894 was a new, stunning phenomenon made possible by a violent philosophy and the development of dynamite. Yale historian John Merriman does many things in "The Dynamite Club," his book about the bombing, and does them quite well, from explaining the intellectual and social underpinnings of anarchism to detailing the invention of dynamite to taking us inside the murky underworld of extremist Émile Henry, who built and then set off the 1894 bomb. THE DYNAMITE CLUB: How a Bombing in Fin-de-Siècle Paris Ignited the Age of Modern Terror By John Merriman Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 259 pp., illustrated, $26 "This book is motivated by a very simple question: Why did Émile Henry do what he did?" In seeking an answer, Merriman meticu

CHRONOLOGY OF MAJOR TERRORIST ATTACKS AGAINST U.S.

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source: t errorism project Also click here for significant terrorist incidents on US September 11, 2001 - Terrorists hijack four U.S. commercial airliners taking off from various locations in the United States in a coordinated suicide attack. In separate attacks, two of the airliners crash into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, which catch fire and eventually collapse. A third airliner crashes into the Pentagon in Washington, DC, causing extensive damage. The fourth airliner, also believed to be heading towards Washington, DC, crashes outside Shanksville, PA., killing all 45 people on board. Casualty estimates from New York put the possible death toll close to 5,000, while as many as 200 people may have been lost at the Pentagon crash site. Oct. 12, 2000 - A terrorist bomb damages the destroyer USS Cole in the port of Aden, Yemen, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39. Aug. 7, 1998 - Terrorist bombs destroy the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar

Islamic council's fatwas divide Indonesia Submitted by Marina Dimova on Thu, 02/26/2009

Souce: Visitbulgaria.info A series of religious edicts issued by Indonesia's council of Muslim scholars has triggered controversy, exposing sharp divisions between conservatives and liberals in the world's most populous Muslim nation. In January, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a fatwa, or religious edict, banning Muslims from practising yoga that includes Hindu rituals, such as chanting. It also ruled smoking in public and abstaining from electoral voting are sinful. The rulings, which are not legally binding, sparked criticism from some Indonesians who worried about their implications on human rights and democratic freedom with some critics going further by suggesting that the government disband the council. The council has been criticized for fatwas issued in 2005 declaring that liberalism and secularism are against Islamic tenets and that the Ahmadiyya Muslim sect is heretical because it does not recognize Muhammad as the last of the prophets. The fatwa on Ah

Sri Lanka lost $200 billion due to terrorism

Source: Financial Times By Quintus Perera Terrorism has cost Sri Lanka over $200 billion in terms of low business confidence, investors shying away and tourism suffering while, pressure exerted on the currency and borrowing has also become difficult, according to the country’s foreign secretary. Dr Palitha T.B. Kohona, Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, making a presentation on "Sri Lanka - Progress Towards Peace and Prosperity" as the keynote speaker at the Rotary District Conference last week, said however that the country's resilience has risen to these challenges. He said successive governments have continued the process of ensuring economic deve