Of Evil Zionists and the Great Satan

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Gee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Senegal Football Coach Embraces Islam



http://www.milligazette.com/images2002/58senegal_conversion_Metsu.jpg

Cairo: Senegal`s national soccer team, French coach Bruno Metsu, decided to take the opportunity of his team?s historic victory over the French team in the opening match of the World Cup to announce that he has embraced Islam.

It was unclear when exactly he embraced Islam since he is married to a Senegalese Muslim, but he only made it public following the Senegalese team?s win.

Speaking on his program on Egyptian Television?s Channel 2, former Egyptian Captain Mahmoud Al Khateeb said that the Senegalese coach made the announcement right after the match.

?After Senegal winning the match, Metsu has been under the limelight which made him consider this as a good moment to make the announcement,? said Egyptian Sports Critic Abadi Al-Qusi.

Right after the match, Metsu said: ?It?s the match we?ve been dreaming of. It?s a great reward for Senegal and the team. We worked very hard. We?re really happy and feel that we?ve come a long way. But there are two other important matches coming up and we must maintain this same level of performance against Denmark and Uruguay.

?All the players must feel that they have gained a great chance to go up to the second round and as their coach I?m completely satisfied.? (IslamOnline) q

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this was an excellent article...i agree with most of your thoughts....

on a positive note, disillusionment stemming from religious fanatics and self-made crises in Muslim countries is forcing more and more Muslims to use their intellect to re-evaluate themselves...

hope to read more from you soon.

Romair,

Amazing, isnt it, that inspite of Islam, a ``caste`` system still persists in Pakistan?! It may show up as a tribal/feudal/sect system, but no matter how egalitarian a religion Islam is, it cannot erase the darker side of human mentality.

This is not specific to Pakistan or Islam only. Arabs & Afghans have their tribal rivalries too. The supposedly ``classless`` societies of Communist countries had their own priviledged classes. Personally, I dont think its religion or society at fault here, its the same old addage--the strong screwing the weak--literally & figuratively. I hope idiots like Jay dont give his goddamned editorials about this, because it happens in his precious Kerala too.

I do have to compliment the reaction of Pakistani society, though--from govt, press, judiciary to the common man. Everyone has lambasted this outrage & hopefully those responsible will be made to face the consequences.

PS: the ONLY reason I wont appear in a thong is cos I dont want to arouse any passions in that homo saxena:)

JOB FOR YLH,

YLH is one of the few patriotic pakistanis on chowk and he has political ambitions. There is a need of the hour for pakistan. YLH should launch an organisation, DPA, Deported Pakistanis Association. There is a real chance that these disappointed men could fall into to the jihadic trap. He can harness the xperiences of these men to start educational institutions.

Pakistanis have always maintained that it is the lack of job opportunities that attract the men to jihad. The deported pakistanis could also fall into this trap. YLH can raelly make a useful contribution to his country, much better than writing posts in chowk about the economic progress and massive investments that pakistan is witnessing at present.

POTENT FURY,

A man was stoned to death in pakistan, in the town of FAISALABAD. It is good to know that at last the town the name of which was changed to reflect the islamic foundations of pakistan and its links to to the saudi, is living up to its name. From dawn of today

Villager stoned to death on Imam`s call

By Shamsul Islam Naz

FAISALABAD, July 5: A man of Chak Jhumra was stoned to death on Friday by villagers on the call of a local Pesh Imam who had issued a decree (Fatwa) against the man accusing him of blasphemy.

Zahid Shah, 40, of Chak 103 JB (Barnala), about 26km from here, was booked under Section 295-B of the Blasphemy Act by Chak Jhumra police in Sept 1994 on the complaint of Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, Imam of the village mosque, for desecrating the Holy Quran and using objectionable words against the holy Prophet.

AND INDIA MARCHES ON....

The great news is that Simputer is now finally ready. Developed by the scientists of prestigious IISc Bangalore, it is a simple, cheap, multilingual hand held computer meant to bridge the digital divide. It is so simple that even the illiterate population of India would be able to operate it with little training. Moreover, it is multilingual; hence even someone who doesn`t know English can use it. India has 80 million people who have TV and cable connections but only 7 million people who have Computers. Anybody who can buy a TV should also be able to buy this Rs 10,000 Simputer for the benefit of his children. Let this Simputer reach the millions in the small towns and villages where the 60% of Indian population lives.

http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/ptech/07/05/india.simputer.reut/index.html

BANGALORE, India (Reuters) -- India is ready this month to roll out its $200 ``Simputer,`` a handheld computer aimed at wooing the poor across the digital divide.

``The waiting period is almost over. We are near the take-off stage,`` Vinay Deshpande, chairman of Encore Software Ltd., one of two firms with licenses to make the device, told Reuters late on Thursday.

The Simputer -- short for simple, inexpensive and multilingual computer -- was launched in April 2001 by the non-profit Simputer Trust, formed by officials at Encore and professors from Bangalore`s prestigious Indian Institute of Science to license designs of the device.

The Simputer, which has been delayed by funding problems and marketing concerns, aims to help India`s poor and rural folk who cannot read or write, but high-end users and overseas buyers have also been wowed by its features.

Resembling trendy handhelds such as those built by Palm Inc, the Simputer has easy-to-use applications including voicemail, text-to-speech capabilities and Internet access.

Powered by an Intel StrongARM processor, the Simputer runs off two `AA`-size pencil batteries and comes equipped with 32 megabytes (MB) or 64 MB of random-access memory.

``In our trials, we found that `one size fits all` doesn`t work because it also means one price and one particular configuration,`` said Deshpande, an engineer educated at Stanford University in the U.S., who is a pivotal figure in the trust.

``We are now making a range of Simputers with different configurations and prices ranging from 10,500 to 23,000 rupees,`` he said. Equivalent to roughly $214 to $469, this figure compares to average annual Indian per capita income of about $450.

......

PCs are relatively costly in India. At about $200, the Simputer would be three times cheaper than a PC, and cost nearly the same as a cheap color television set.

``We are in the process of making about 200 Simputers this month and about 1,300 to 1,400 by September based on potential and existing orders,`` Deshpande said.

Using free-to-use Linux software, the device allows personal data to be stored through a smart card, enabling many users to share it.

Sales of the Simputer are likely to rise to 50,000 by late 2003, Deshpande said.

``The profit is not in delivering hardware but solutions (for end use),`` Deshpande said.

``We are tying up with software developers who`ll make applications and we`ll deliver that box with the solutions.``

Trial sales have already been made to a number of countries including Sweden, Australia, France, United States, he said.

Romair says:

Although this is an extreme case, I am somewhat surprised that people are so shocked over it. Anyone, like myself, who has had the opportunity to live in remote parts of Pakistan (I spent quite a bit of time stationed in rural Punjab) has seen the plight of the average villager, under the control of the feudals and landowner and his henchmen.

...................

Granted it isn`t the first time something like this has happened, but does that mean that we should just read, or listen to the news..and just say `this is happened before` with no visible or audible reaction? This outrage was publicized more so in the British press it seems than the Amreekan press..but think of all the outrages that have NOT been recorded, that are happening. Why should there be surprise at our shock and outrage? Why should we not be shocked, and wonder as semipreciousme does about the next time, and the next time that this occurs?

Any members of a panchayat and any higher-ups that would support such a jahil action such as the rape of a young woman need to be removed and punished. I`m not taking away from the plight of an average villager, but let us not minimize what this woman went through, what so many women have been through, and will continue to go through if jahilia continues to dictate the law, by voicing our surprise at our shock. Bade aaye ye log izzat/honour ka bar bar zikr karte hue...I really have to wonder if they have even the slightest inkling as to what honour means.

Don`t be so surprised at our shock Romair, there are still those of us out there, who feel that there is value to a human life. I`m not implying that you don`t..but thanks for reinforcing the grim picture most of us know already exists.

The leadership to start Islamic Renaissance has finally emerged from Tunisia beating out Ben Ibn Musharraf by almost 5 points. From an op-ed:

The leadership for Islamic Renaissance is the Club of 98 Percent Vote Presidents. All of these presidents begin with a coup, go through a referendum and end their careers disgracefully. They come in many different packages but they all have one thing in common: They love to be called the elected President. But no matter how many times they get ``elected``, their desire is never satiated. They remain hostages to a perpetual crisis of legitimacy. They want the whole world to recognize them as Mr President so they invite foreign journalists to cover their referendums and elections, but no matter how much money they spend on these efforts, no one seems to give them any title other than the one they deserve: usurpers.

But the 98 percent vote presidents are getting tired of this farcical exercise. This is evident from what Mr Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia did last May. He produced a fantastic version of election farce: He got himself elected with 99.52 percent vote, along with a ``constitutional package of changes`` which makes him ``president`` of Tunisia until 2014!

Not only are the numbers, 99.5 percent, fantastic, it also beats all records. Whether the club of 98 percent presidents had pre-approved this number or not, it has certainly put Hosni Mubarak in a difficult position because he had struggled so hard to pull up 98 percent votes, one whole percent in front of Saddam Hussein`s outrageous 97 percent.

All of this is, of course, for the sake of democracy. In the words of Algerian foreign minister, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, the recent election will ``allow the emergence of a democratic system respectful of human rights, freedom of speech and political pluralism``.

re:Reply #: 41

Anika Zaidi,

Some of us Indians in chowk quote Paki newspapers to convince some Pakistanis about the bona-fides of the news (some in this chowk are more prone to believe the news if it is quoted in their own newspaper than in an Indian newspaper).

The article that you posted tries to critically analyse if India is secular and fails miserably. Such a critical analysis is lacking in most cases. Some like Ayaz Amir, Najam Sethi, some others who write in TFT do a good job now and then.By and large, i am not very much impressed. If i see a retd army fellow as the author of a piece, i just move on. I know this guy is more likely to be biased than the rest of the crowd (there are of course exceptions).

I read the article that you have posted. This is not objective but just accusatory.

Here are some excerpts from that article to prove my point. The author says:

``A genuine secular state is a state whose supreme rulers do not have a religion at all. They are as religionless as the elephant is wingless. If a Hindu prime minister of India claims that he does not allow his religion to interfere in his political affairs he is a superb liar.``

See the jump? The author says that a secular state should not have a Supreme Court with a religion (whatever that means; Supreme court judges are also human beings and need religion as much as anyone else; The court however should not be biased in terms of religion). Then he jumps from the Judiciary (which is what the Supreme court is)to the Executive branch of the Govt (which is what the P.M represents). If P.M is not secular, it is the duty of legislative branch to put things in perspective. It has done this from time to time. Babri Masjid issue is a case in point. Supreme court avoided a big clash between the 2 communities when it ordered VHP and others not to go ahead with Shilanyas sometimes ago in the disputed area. It thus put Secularism on a firm footing. VHP and its goons did not dare to defy the Supreme Court order.

Please do not just quote articles to score points. See if the article is well written and makes any sense. This article that you posted on the chowk clearly does not.

Sridhar

Semi Precious,

I just don`t know. The other equally tragic and disturbing part of this story is that the eleven year old boy was raped as well by individuals from the other tribe. Why did this happen?

I watched a news clip on BBC last night that said that at least 20 women were gang raped in this area in one month and that the police were lax in protecting women and children from this insanity.

My suggestion is the same one as always; Pakistani Americans MUST organize around these issues and let the Pakistani embassies, govt. and people know that from where we are, this situation of gang raping and lawlessness is absolutely inacceptable and must be dealt with immediately. This is not a criticism of conscious Pakistanis, but perhaps one means of leverage of addressing what is emerging as an extremely disturbing crisis for women and children in rural areas. Hopefully Pakistani and Pakistani American orgs. can coalition on this and other issues.

I agree with the interactors who have written that the issue of women, at least half of Pakistan`s population, and the human rights abuses they are subjected to daily should be the first item on an agenda of what Pakistan needs to think about.

Romair: Here is another example of ``feudalism`` in practice and thanks to Musharraf government that this case is also not pushed under the carpet by influential stone throwers.

[The daily Jang reported today that one man is stoned to death becuase he disrespected Quran. Several hundred people took part in stoning him and finally he died.]

Muslamano aik rastey se aao aur dosrey raste se jao. Doran-e-stoning ba awaz-e-bulund takbeerat paRthe jao............

How could disrespecting Quran be part of Islam when Quran was finally compiled and written down some 20-40 years after Mohammad`s death and only 2 or three copies existed by the time Ali was assassinated?

This is feudalism/ tribalism at its worst, transplanted in its original form!!!

Here is a post by a Pakistani lady from another website.

[The heinous crime of gang rape of an innocent girl to revenge the ‘love crime’ of her brother is discussed by many here – without even trying to look into the real causes. your anger is right but your failure to understand the underlying causes is telling. let us start from the beginning. a young boy and girl are caught in a ‘compromising situation’ – this is what started the chain of events that ended so shamefully. what should have been the right thing to do? Murder the girl – honor killing? Beat both girl and boy’s brains out? What? And Why? Why such uproar, such revengeful punishments? Why?

Only because, in our society, in our religion – women, girls – are considered a property of a family. We have placed the burden of sharam and heya on them. We have designated them the role of a mother and a sister. Our ideal girl is the one who never raises her voice, shows no signs of any kind of independence from whatever a male dominated society and religion has decided for her. They have no independent identity as a person. They are the property of the whole Ummah. We keep them covered in purdah. Even when we need them to go out and work or study, we expect them to keep their heads and other attractive parts of their bodies covered. We do not allow them to mix with men or boys. Half of Islam’s criminal laws is designed to keep the men and women in separate circles in the society. Chaddar and Chaardeewari are our ideals. They are not just women. They are ‘our’ women from a man’s point of view. No one can look at them, no one can touch them. No one can dare to come close to them – without men’s permission who own them – their fathers, brothers husbands.

In a society based on this idea of men as owners and protectors of women – there will always be these problems – not always leading to a gang rape or honor killing – but lesser and different atrocities. Our lives, women’s live, in a society ruled by religious principles and as a result by men will always be a story full of atrocities, form birth to death. As long as women have a secondary role in society, one dominated by men, this will continue. This concept of sharam and heya is just a form of slavery – women are slaves of this concept – and live all their lives in fear for this. In all Islamic and other religiously society women are slaves of men. When they overstep – are caught with a boy – the who family, caste, tribe is put to shame. Then there is no limit to anger. In the old days, when Islamic society was more pure, the couple was put to death by stoning by their neighbors. Their crime is never their own shame. It is the shame of their families and extended families who own them and of the whole society of whole ummah.

Unless women get equal – I mean EQUAL – rights. Unless they have the same freedoms, the same status that men have – their problems cannot be solved. An outdated moral code, an outdated religious code, an outdated family code and outdated social laws are ruling women’s lives. We are shocked by the public humility of a girl – but trust me – majority of the girls in Islamic society have to bear thousands of humilities – big and small – all their lives. We all keep quite on these – because we have accepted it. We are only shocked by what makes headlines. As long as we will only and only accept women as sisters, mothers or daughters – and will not recognize them as individuals, and give them same individual right sand freedoms that are given to men – they will always be a problem for the society.

P.S. I have talked about women in general in Islamic societies. There are always exceptions of educated liberal families and women.]

Islamic Renaissance? Forget it!!!!!

That was a great article with a lot of introspection.

Societies that picked up and decided to resurrect themselves from the ground up however calamitous their situation was, have succeeded spectacularly. Examples are post WWII Germany and Japan, Singapore, Korea and now China.

The Arab and Muslim world have found themselves on top of unbelievable wealth which they could have used to build societies that should have left the countries I mentioned above in the dust. It didn`t happen. Why?

Because they were also blessed with leaders who were so short sighted that they couldn`t figure out that ``cultural tradition`` only is no basis on which to build a modern, just and equitable society. That doesn`t mean that their culture should be jettisoned at the alter of modernity. Japan is a successful example of a society that melded it`s ancient culture with cutting edge modernity. The Arab and Muslim countries could have done the same but didn`t.

Why has a small sliver of land called Israel got stuck in the throat of the Arab/Muslim world when the modern age is about ideas rather than boundaries? Because it has been such a successful lightning rod to deflect attention away from the assorted tyrants that rule the Muslim world that they are loath to let it be resolved. In essence, the Arab/Israeli conflict is just fine by them as long as it simmers at a point that is high enough that it can never be solved but doesn`t get so high that it burns them into a crisp.

I think 9/11 has brought matters to a head and there is going to be a solution to the problem one way or another. Let`s hope that it is a just and equitable one.