The UN’s human-rights body approved a proposal by Muslims nations Thursday urging passage of laws around the world to protect religion from criticism.
The proposal put forward by Pakistan on behalf of Islamic countries – with the backing of Belarus and Venezuela – had drawn strong criticism from free-speech campaigners and liberal democracies.
A simple majority of 23 members of the 47-nation Human Rights Council voted in favor of the resolution. Eleven nations, mostly Western, opposed the resolution, and 13 countries abstained.
The resolution urges states to provide “protection against acts of hatred, discrimination, intimidation and coercion resulting from defamation of religions and incitement to religious hatred in general.”
“Defamation of religions is the cause that leads to incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence toward their followers,” Pakistan’s ambassador Zamir Akram said. (Heyyy, Zamir, so what about discrimination against non-Muslims in Islamic countries? Are they going to be protected against discrimination? No, right?)
“It is important to deal with the cause, rather than with the effects alone,” he said.
I had written before about this really worrying (at least for me) subject. It’s curious though: there are NO Spanish MSM which have published something about this, that I know of.
But you know what’s curious too? That the Organization for the Security and the Cooperation in Europe has alerted of the discrimination that Christians are suffering in Europe:
Last March 4th, for the 1st time in its history, the office of the Organization for the Security and the Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), for the Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), organised a debate in Vienna specially focused in the risks the right to religious liberty regarding Christians, experiment in Europe.
The intervention of Mario Mauro, VicePresident of the European Parliament, was the most interesting of all. He is also the personal representative of the OSCE Presidency against racism, xenophobia and discrimination. the MEP explained that the “examples show that that discriminations against Christians do not only exist in the countries where the Christians are a minority but also in those in which they are a majority of the population, not considering the persecutions that strike these communities outside the OSCE’s area”.
(…) But, why does the Organization for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) worry now about the abused rights of Christians? The answer was pointed out in the same debate, remembering that hate and intolerance do not only affect the people’s security but also to country’s stability. That’s why the Organization has decided lately to intensify the efforts to counter these discriminative cases more efficiently in the future.
It seems that Christians are mainly discriminated even in Christian countries. Something which is really worrying…
NOTE that they are NOT worried about the discrimination considerated as an unlawful and unethical fact, but because it can affect country’s stability. Specially in this economic crisis…
Anyway where are the riots? Where the enraged statements made by Governments about Christian persecution? Where the Pope’s statements calling for the murder of those insulting Catholicism/Orthodox/etc.? Where the cartoonists are obliged to live in hiding because they draw a cartoon mocking Jesus Christ or the Church (whatever Church it is)? So, now tell me who did all these things and what religion the belong to now, in this very same moment. Just in case someone begins speaking about “Christian extremism” or something like that…
Gunmen attacked Sri Lanka’s cricket squad Tuesday ahead of a match with home team Pakistan, the latest sign of the government’s weakening grip over the country’s security.
The early morning attack in Pakistan’s cosmopolitan city of Lahore killed five policemen and injured six players, after about a dozen men fired assault weapons at vehicles carrying the Sri Lankan team and their guards, according to Pakistani and Sri Lankan officials. The Sri Lankan team captain, Mahela Jayawardene, was among those injured. By early afternoon, the team had been airlifted from the cricket stadium and had announced it was canceling the tour.
Six Sri Lankan cricketers and their British assistant coach are wounded as gunmen attack their bus as it drives under police escort in the Pakistani city of Lahore. Video courtesy of Reuters.
“They were our guests,” Pakistan’s Sports Minister Aftab Shah Gilani told NDTV, an Indian channel. “We are very sorry about this. It’s really shocking.”
Pakistani police have arrested four suspects, but didn’t offer details about who had carried out the ambush armed with Kalashnikovs, grenades and rocket launchers. No group had claimed responsibility immediately following the attack.
The incident dealt another blow to a government already reeling from security setbacks and various other crises. Tuesday’s attack is likely to heighten worries about the nuclear-armed nation, as it reinforces an impression that the government is getting weaker while an Islamic militancy grows stronger, says Hasan Askari Rizvi, a political and defense analyst who lives in Lahore.
What is the problem here? Bangladesh has postponed their series against Pakistan, as they had to travel to the country. So. ehh, this means the Talibans/Islamists/whoever they are have again won: normal life is displaced by terror. What is more, Pakistan has NO IDEA about who did this:
Lahore police chief Habibur Rehman said officers raided locations in and around the city and arrested “some suspects” at a hostel, but he added, “So far, we have not made any headway toward the perpetrators.”
What is more: a survivor has accused Pakistani police of fleeing
The former England batsman Chris Broad (…) slammed armed officers for leaving his group like “sitting ducks” as the killers sprayed bullets at his van and the coach carrying the Sri Lanka Test team in Lahore.
Broad said: “There was not a sign of a policeman anywhere. They had clearly left the scene.” The attackers – with hand grenades, machine guns and rocket launchers – fired for 15 minutes before calmly walking away.
Did they know that it was going to happen? Were they in some kind of agreement with the attackers? Or seeing five police officers had been killed were simply terrified?
So as they don’t know who did this, Pakistan has accused India of the attack. The Navy Minister, Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, who belongs to the same political party as Pakistani PM, Zardari, considers this as a war declaration and previously the Punjab’s Governor has said that this bares “the same pattern as the Mumbay attacks, the same terrorists that attacked Mumbay, they were trained people”. So, India has not only had the disgrace of having people killed in its soil, now they have to bare also that the country who has been sheltering those same terrorists, accuses them of the terrorist attack. This is absolutely disgusting… No at all…
Angel and Ekawaaz have more on this terrible attack.
The results on the poll on Geert Wilders (Do you agree with the English decision of declaring Wilders “persona non grata”?) are:
A total and absolute error: freedom of speech must be preserved 94% (15 votes).
While I think that freedom of speech is important, I believe that religious sensitivities must be respected 6% (1 votes)
Who is Geert Wilders? 0% (0 votes)
This week poll is about the agreement between the Talibans and the Pakistani Government in Swat’s valley. Fareed Zakaria discusses it and says that while the Talibans are “bad guys”, we don’t have to worry about them as they don’t want to achieve the Global Caliphate:
The groups that advocate these policies are ugly, reactionary forces that will stunt their countries and bring dishonor to their religion. But not all these Islamists advocate global jihad, host terrorists, or launch operations against the outside world — in fact, most do not. Consider, for example, the most difficult example, the Taliban. The Taliban have done all kinds of terrible things in Afghanistan. But so far, no Afghan Taliban has participated at any significant level in a global terrorist attack over the last ten years–including 9/11. There are certainly elements of the Taliban that are closely associated with Al Qaeda. But the Taliban is large and many factions have little connection to Osama bin Laden. Most Taliban want Islamic rule locally, not violent jihad globally.
Pakistani Taliban militants announced on Tuesday an indefinite ceasefire in the Swat valley in the northwest of the country, a day after the army said it was ceasing operations in the region.
In the neighboring Bajaur region on the Afghan border, the government announced a four-day ceasefire in response to a unilateral truce called by militants there on Monday.
The ceasefires are likely to compound concerns among Western countries which fear truces allow militants to create sanctuaries in Pakistan where they can regroup and intensify their insurgency against Western forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.
You recently said NEWSWEEK might have gotten it wrong when we said that Afghanistan could be Obama’s Vietnam. Why? We could lose Afghanistan, and it would be bad but it would not present an existential threat to this country. If you “lose Pakistan”—and by that I mean if Pakistan collapses or is taken over by Islamic extremists—you face the prospect of Islamic extremists having nuclear weapons. That’s Al Qaeda’s dream. It’s our nightmare. That’s why Pakistan is Obama’s potential Vietnam. There’s no clear solution there. What you may try to do for several years is simply manage it. Kicking the can down the road in both Iraq and Pakistan is not an emotionally satisfying outcome, but it may be the most mature and even best scenario we can come up with.
For me, one of the failures of Bush Administration was an actual lack of logic and of real understanding of what IS going on. The necessary confrontation with Iran was not followed by an also necessary confrontation with Saudi Arabia and its funding of both terrorism and wahabbism. US support for Musharraf was also not very logical, specially taking into account the ISI’s support to the Talibans.
Days after the Pakistan government and the Taliban inked a peace deal in Swat following a failed military operation in the picturesque valley, three major Taliban groups in Pakistan have formed a new alliance – Shura Ittihadul Mujahideen (Council for Unity of Holy Warriors) – in the twin agencies of North and South Waziristan after burying the hatchet, declaring the ameer of the Afghan Taliban Mullah Omar as their supreme leader and al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden as their role model.
(…) “As Jews, Christians and Hindu infidels stand united against the Muslims particularly Mujahideen under the leadership of United States, Mujahideen have set aside internal differences and have joined hands, the Taliban announcement said, adding: “In order to make happy the Muslims in general and Mujahideen in particular, the three Taliban groups have formed a 13-member advisory council to run the affairs of the new alliance which would be led by the three Taliban commanders on rotation basis.
The three senior-most Taliban leaders in North and South Waziristan have joined forces to wage jihad against Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US…
…The new alliance further stated it was waging war “in an organized manner’” to “stop the infidels from carrying out acts of barbarism against innocent people” just as Omar and bin Laden were waging war against Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the US.
The creation of the Council of United Mujahideen and the Council’s open support of al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban has finally put to rest the Pakistani government’s claim that Bahadar and Nazir are “pro-government” Taliban. While Bahadar and Nazir opposed fighting the government for tactical reason they had openly supported al Qaeda and the Afghan Taliban.
The Pakistani Taliban is demanding an amnesty for jailed militants and the withdrawal of the armed forces from the Swat Valley in the country’s north-west before it endorses a peace agreement in the region. Taliban sources told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the Taliban’s shura, or tribal council, was expected to finalise its position late Friday and announce its response at the weekend.
“Demanding an amnesty for jailed militants and the withdrawal of the armed forces from the Swat valley“. They are preparing themselves for “Taliban regime Reloaded“.
Reporters Without Borders today urged the Pakistani authorities to act effectively to protect Kamal Asfar, journalist on the magazine Ash-Sharq (The East), who yesterday escaped a murder attempt. His brother, journalist, Aamir Wakil, was killed in Rawalpindi on 24 January 2009. “I am lucky to be alive today”, Asfar told the worldwide press freedom organisation. Two bearded men had fired several shots at his car near Kundyali in the Kohat district on Sunday, he said. “I was returning to Rawalpindi when a white car overtook us and tried to make us pull up. Two armed men turned towards us and opened fire. They first time they fired I didn’t stop. Then they shot again shattering the windscreen. I lost control of the vehicle and we left the road. Luckily we got out safely”, Asfar said, adding that he had reported the attack to police in Ghumbat, Kohat district. Asfar said he thought the attack may have been motivated by articles he wrote recently about the Pakistani Taliban in Ash-Sharq.
Meanwhile an official in Swat has been kidnapped by the Talibans, while the latter have said they have him as a “guest”.
Following the administrator’s disappearance a Taleban spokesman, Muslim Khan, in Swat told Reuters: “He is our guest. We have to discuss some issues with him. We will serve him with tea and then free him.”
Well, I wouldn’t be too comfortable having tea with this inviting Talibans, would you?
Pakistani President Asif Zardari has said he will sign an order implementing Sharia law in Swat valley only after peace has been fully reached there.
President Zardari’s spokesman said that this would require the laying down of arms by Islamic militants.
Meanwhile, pro-Taleban cleric Sufi Mohammad has arrived in the Swat valley to try to convince local Taleban leaders to agree to the deal (they were the ones who asked for Sharia Law to be implemented and now they have to be convinced about laying down their weapons? Are they kidding?).
Locals have largely welcomed it but critics say it is unacceptable (Gee, just the same… weren’t they the ones who asked for Sharia Law to be implemented. Another example of reality: terrorists are never going to stop asking if they see they can obtain more. They have obtained this without many insistence, so they are going to ask for more. And remember they asked for the Sharia Law to abrogate ALL civil laws).
Sufi Mohammad is the father-in-law of Maulana Fazlullah, the current head of the Taleban in Swat (everything is done inside the family).
(…) They believe introducing a separate system of justice sets a dangerous precedent for other militias in parts of Pakistan.
Information Minister Sherry Rehman denied the government had made any “concession”.
“It is in no way a sign of the state’s weakness. The public will of the population of the Swat region is at the centre of all efforts and it should be taken into account while debating the merits of this agreement,” she said (no, of course not, it’s a sign of the strenght of the Government. This woman is absolutely idiot).
(…) The NWFP government now hopes that a grand jirga (council) led by Sufi Mohammad will be able to persuade all the factions to comply.
The Taleban have said they will examine the document before ending hostilities permanently.
More than 1,000 civilians have died in shelling by the army or from beheadings sanctioned by the Taleban. Thousands more have been displaced.
Tehreek-e-Nifaz-e-Shariat Muhammadi (TNSM) chief Sufi Muhammad, who signed a controversial peace deal with the NWFP government on Monday, said he hated democracy and wanted supremacy of Islam over the entire world.
“From the very beginning, I have viewed democracy as a system imposed on us by the infidels. Islam does not allow democracy or elections,” he told Deutsche Presse-Agentur in an interview held a few days before the government accepted his demand of enforcing sharia in the region.
A Christian milkman has been murdered in Pakistan after demanding his pay cheque from his Muslim employers, according to International Christian Concern.
Ashraf Masih, 30, from the village of Shajwal was hired two months ago by three Muslim men to collect milk from neighbouring farms and houses.
In January, after working for one month Ashraf came to collect his wages. However his employers, brothers Muhammad Arfan, Muhammad Nadeem and their nephew Muhammad Imran, said that they would pay him two months wages after one more month.
With the need to support his family becoming more urgent, Ashraf returned on 1 February and again demanded his wages.
The three Muslims reportedly responded angrily to Ashraf’s request, saying, “You are Esai [a derogatory term for Christians] and you demanded your pay from Muslims, what courage you have. We will finish you right now. Then go to your Esa [Christ], He will give you everything.”
The three men then killed Ashraf and fled the scene.
THE Pakistan Government and Islamic hardliners have signed an agreement to enforce sharia law in the northwestern Swat valley, a provincial minister says.
“Today an agreement has been signed between the government of NWFP (North West Frontier Province) and Maulana Soofi Mohammed,” provincial information minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said.
“All laws against sharia will be abolished and sharia will be enforced under this justice system.”
The agreement will cover Pakistan’s northwest Malakand area, one of the districts of NWFP and of which the troubled Swat valley is a part.
Take my word this is first successful step of Taliban’s in Pakistan and in coming days we will see the some more steps similar to like these from Pakistan government, as all these truce policies between Taliban’s and Pakistan government will give more strengths to Jihadist and will make Pakistan so called democratic government more weaker.
I agree, and the perspectives in a country with nuclear weapons do not make me smile really…
Meanwhile, in South-American IPS Noticias they report that “in Pakistan, civil society is against honor killings“:
The campaign against “honor killings” in Pakistan wins supporters among lawyers and legislators who are making pressure to modify the Law and preventing the culprits from evading justice.
Wonder how, if they are supporting the enforcing of Shariah Law in one of its regions, where even the boys and girls have their lies threatened if they go to school.
In the last Garzon’s judicial operation (jan 20th) against alleged Al-Qaeda collaborators, a Pakistani named Abdul Razzaq Sadiq was detained. It has been discovered he is Executive Secretary’s of the Catalan Socialist Party (the branch of Zapatero’s party in Catalonia) in the Catalonian city Ciutat Vella. Interior Ministry’s press release published his surnames changed, so no one could guess who he really was. In all police’s documents, his surnames were in right order, so the change was made only afterwards in the Interior Ministry’s press release.
Three days after, they were freed by a Garzón’s resolution, which said that he didn’t have proofs which could link them with the terrorist group’s financing scheme. But they had been accused of sending illegally money to Pakistan.
This case makes me think: why some people are detained and only three days after the judge “discovers” that there was no reason for that arrest? It’s ridiculous. All were freed. Spanish police rarely messes up in these cases as they have truly good experience in dealing with terrorist thugs. So why on earth did this happen? Yes, I know that “people are innocent till proven guilty”, but isn’t this a kind of “rare” thing to arrest several people on these so grave charges to free them only three days after?
The teenager talked, with difficulty, of how his life had been destroyed since the fateful day in June 2002 when he refused to have sex with his teacher at a religious school in Pakistan.
The boy was horrifically injured in an acid attack after he rebuffed the Muslim cleric’s sexual advances. Now, he has alarmed Pakistan’s powerful religious establishment by pressing charges against his alleged assailants.
A teacher at the school, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and two of his friends are in prison awaiting trial for attempted murder and rape. All three deny the charges. A fourth alleged attacker is still at large.
Normally these happens to girls, not boys (consider the photos I posted here, here and here). But well, it is not surprising… It is dismaying that this happens with virtually no international consequences.
From the link above where the photo is:
Young Abid’s ordeal began when he refused to have sex with his religious teacher in a Karachi madrassa, where he had been enrolled by his parents. Abid was doused in acid as punishment for refusing to oblige him. “He threatened to ruin me for life,” Abid says, “but I didn’t take him seriously. I stopped going to the madrassa instead. I didn’t tell anyone about what had happened because I was ashamed.”
A few days later, Abid was playing with his younger siblings at home, when his school teacher, who was accompanied by three associates, broke into his house, bolted the main door and threw acid over his body. “This should be a lesson for life,” said Qari Amin, his teacher.
“I was unable to see anything,” recalls Abid. “My whole face was burning – I felt as if I was on fire.” Abid was rushed to a public hospital, where doctors told him he had been disfigured for life.
“It would have been better if they had just killed my son,” says 40-year-old Resham Jan, Abid’s mother. “We are dying every day. My son was such a good-looking person. I cannot believe he has been reduced to such a sorry state.”
This fortnight’s poll: priorities in the fight against Islamism
Fareed Zakaria says we don't have to be very worried by the Talibans as they don't advocate Global Jihad. Do you agree? Vote in this fortnight's poll!!
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