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Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Islamic sect’s plan to build mega-mosque next to Olympics site collapses



Controversial plans to build Europe’s biggest mosque close to the London Olympics site have been halted, The Times has learnt. Tablighi Jamaat, the Islamic sect behind the proposal, is to be evicted this week from the East London site, where it has been operating illegally a temporary mosque and had planned a complex that would accommodate 12,000 worshippers. The Muslim Council of Britain said that the group had fallen victim to “unfounded hostility and hysteria”. However, another Muslim organisation last night welcomed the move. Minhaj-ul-Quran, which advises the Government on how to combat youth radicalisation, said that a mosque should be a “community effort” and not the initiative of one group with extremist links. Newham Council is now considering compulsory purchase of the land after Tablighi Jamaat, whose strict interpretation of Islam has caused concern, failed to lodge a masterplan of its vision. There was strong opposition when the sect unveiled its plans for the site, south of the London 2012 Olympic Park, in 2007. More than 48,000 people petitioned the Government to prevent the development, dubbed the “mega-mosque”. Although Tablighi Jamaat had publicly vowed to press on with its vision, there has been no activity on the project since last summer. The Times understands that its architects are not actively working on the plans and a company hired to win over the public is no longer formally engaged. Newham Council’s planning officers have not spoken to the mosque trust for several months. Newham Council confirmed that it issued enforcement notices against the trust on Thursday. The makeshift mosque on the West Ham site has been operating illegally since temporary planning permission lapsed more than three years ago. A spokesman said that action was taken because the trust missed its final deadline, earlier this month, to lodge a masterplan.The council was investigating all options, including compulsory purchase. Observers portray Tablighi Jamaat as a strict movement intent on spreading its version of Islam. British terrorists have had associations with the organisation and intelligence agencies have expressed fears that al-Qaeda was using membership as cover to network with extremists in the US. Founded in India in 1927, it has 80 million followers. It “utterly refutes any links to terrorism or terrorists”. Campaigners welcomed the outcome, saying that the proposed mosque — which would have held four times as many worshippers as Britain’s largest Anglican cathedral — was inappropriate. Alan Craig, a councillor representing the Christian Peoples’ Alliance, said: “It would have given a huge national platform, right by the Olympics, for them to promote their ideology.” However, Inayat Bunglawala, a spokesman for the Muslim Council of Britain, said: “We would hope that they will be able to work in co-operation with the local council if they wish to set up a mosque in the area. Tablighi Jamaat has no ties to terrorism. They have been subjected to some unfair coverage.” The mosque trust has refused to comment. The news comes as the Islamic group Minhaj-ul-Quran releases in Britain a 600-page document condemning terrorism. The fatwa, written by Dr Muhammed Tahir-ul-Qadri, a former minister of Pakistan and friend of Benazir Bhutto, declares suicide bombings and terrorism as unIslamic. It is one of the most comprehensive documents of its kind to be published in Britain. Released in Pakistan last month, the fatwa uses texts in the Koran and other Islamic writings to argue that such attacks are “absolutely against the teachings of Islam and that Islam does not permit such acts on any excuse, reason or pretext”.

Hakimullah Mehsud - dead or alive?



On Thursday, the rumours circulated widely that the Americans had got their man - the leader of Pakistan Taliban had been killed in a drone attack. From Peshawar to Islamabad, officials speculated Hakimullah Mehsud was dead. There's no doubt he was the main target of Thursday's attack by the unmanned drone strike on a compound on the North/South Waziristan border. Ten militants were killed but the Taliban insisted that Hakimullah Mehsud had left the area more than forty minutes before and was safe and well. However sources in the area that night reported that the Taliban was blocking access in the area, which led to suggestions that their leader was, if not dead, then seriously wounded. On Friday, Taliban spokesmen were being quoted as saying that Hakimullah had been injured in the attack, had suffered head injuries but had been moved out of the area to receive medical treatment. That set alarm bells ringing. The former leader of the Pakistani Taliban Baitullah Mehsud died last August but it took the Taliban a number of weeks to admit that he had been hit in the missile strike which killed him. Hakilmullah issued an audio tape saying he was well. The problem was he gave no indication when the message was recorded. The Taliban responded on Saturday by releasing another tape. This time Mehsud said: "Today is the 16th of January. I want to confirm to all my mujahideen brothers that I am Hakimullah and I am alive and in good health thanks be to God and that I was not injured in the rocket attack." The use of drone strikes in Pakistan is controversial. They have killed more innocent people than militants, yet the Americans believe it is an effective way of targeting people hiding out in the remote areas of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border.On Sunday, at least 15 people were killed when four missiles were fired into a house in Shaktoi, South Waziristan. It's thought most were Uzbek fighters working with the Taliban. There will be more drone attacks, that's for sure. And Hakimullah Mehsud remains the number one target.

Dozens die in Nigeria clashes



Troops are patrolling the northern Nigerian city of Jos after clashes between Christians and Muslims left at least 26 people dead and injured around 100 more, officials said. Violence erupted on Sunday over the rebuilding of homes destroyed in 2008 clashes between the two religious groups, residents said, although reports as to why the latest round of fighting broke out varied. According to the Associated Press, Muslim youths set fire to a church filled with worshippers, starting a riot that saw mosques and homes burnt. But the AFP news agency said the unrest was sparked by youths protesting the building of a mosque in a predominantly Christian area.

Google cyber-attack from China 'an inside job'



Google employees may have assisted hackers who launched a cyber-attack from China, prompting the company’s threat to leave the country, it has emerged. The world’s most popular search engine is believed to be investigating whether one or more of its own workers bases in the Chinese offices helped those attempting to break into the e-mail accounts of human rights activists last month. Last week, Google said that it may pull out of the country after it was was targeted, along more than 30 other companies, in a “highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China”. It has now emerged that a number of Chinese journalists may have also seen their e-mail accounts hijacked. The company is continuing to investigate the incident which took place in mid-December. But unnamed sources told news agencies today that the attack could have been an inside job.

Frustration mounts over Haiti aid



Tensions are rising on the streets of Haiti as the bulk of earthquake survivors continue to go without food, medicine or proper shelter. Aid organisations continued to struggle to reach them with supplies on Sunday, six nights after the devastating earthquake that killed tens of thousands of people and left hundreds of thousands homeless. A bottleneck at the capital's small airport – the main entry point for the massive assistance pledged by world leaders following the disaster – means little help has reached the many people waiting for help in makeshift camps on streets strewn with debris and decomposing bodies. Some aid agencies have complained about a lack of co-ordination at the Port-au-Prince airport, where the US military has taken over operations.People could see helicopters flying overhead, US military vehicles in the city and aeroplanes arriving at the airport with supplies, so it was difficult to understand why little aid appeared to be reaching the people. Meanwhile the European Union pledged over $575m in emergency and long-term aid, the bloc said on Monday. The union is also moving towards sending 150 people to assist the police force and help beef up security, as tensions in the Caribbean nation rise.

Four Mumbai attackers were Indian: Qasab



The man alleged to be the sole surviving gunman in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, Ajmal Qasab, has said four of the gunmen were Indians. Qasab told a court that three of the four gunmen who stormed the Taj Mahal hotel were from Indian-administered Kashmir, Gujarat and Mumbai. He did not reveal details about the identity of the fourth hotel attacker but claimed that he too was Indian. The attacks led India to suspend peace talks with Pakistan. India accused that all the gunmen involved in the Mumbai attacks were from Pakistan. Pakistan denied any responsibility in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. In December 2009, Qasab retracted a confession made earlier in the year that he took part in the attacks. Qasab said he had been forced by police to confess after being repeatedly beaten up.

Islam phobia on rise in UK



Islam phobia reached its ultimate high in Britain as a decision has been taken to bar construction of the tallest mosque in Europe. According to an English daily, a preaching group has acquired a land in East London, and erected a temporary mosque over there before finalization of master plan. According to the master plan, the mosque would have a capacity of 12,000 faithful, four times bigger than Britain’s biggest church. Around 40,000 locals have submitted an application against the construction of the mosque, and termed it a big risk, saying that the mosque would be located near 2012 Olympics Stadium. Newham Council has also issued notification to the mosque authorities and steps are also being considered to get back the said land.

Taliban Militants Launch Attack on Afghan Capital



Taliban militants struck in the heart of the Afghan capital Monday, launching suicide attacks at key government targets in a clear sign the insurgents plan to escalate their fight as the U.S. and its allies ramp up their own campaign to end the war. At least five people, including a child, were killed and nearly 40 wounded, officials said. After a series of blasts and more than three hours of ensuing gunfights outside several ministries and inside a shopping mall, President Hamid Karzai said security had been restored to the capital, though search operations continued amid reports that attackers were hiding in the city. It was the biggest attack in the capital since Oct. 28 when gunmen with automatic weapons and suicide vests stormed a guest house used by U.N. staff, killing at least 11 people including three U.N. staff. Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press that 20 armed militants, including some with suicide vests, had entered Kabul to target the presidential palace and other government buildings in the center of the capital. Explosions and heavy machine-gun fire rattled the city for hours. Debris was strewn on the streets, which were quickly abandoned by crowds that normally fill the area. Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said a child and a policeman were killed. The Ministry of Public Health later said five people — a civilian and four security forces — were killed and 30 others wounded. Four militants also were killed, including two suicide bombers who detonated their explosives, and Afghan forces were searching several other areas in the city for more attackers, Azimi said. The attack unfolded on a day in which confirmed Cabinet members were sworn in by Karzai despite the rejection by parliament of the majority of his choices. Presidential spokesman, Waheed Omar, said the swearing-in had occurred as scheduled and everybody in the palace was safe.