Yemen not to accept US killing of Awlaki on land

Al Arabiya News Channel

n assassination on Yemeni territory of a radical Muslim cleric wanted dead or alive by U.S. authorities would be unacceptable, the Yemeni prime minister said on Sunday.

U.S. President Barack Obama's National Security Council recently gave the CIA the green light to kill Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S.-Yemeni citizen whom they accuse of having links to al-Qaeda and who is believed to be in hiding in southern Yemen.
"We will absolutely not accept that," Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Megawar told Reuters in an interview.

"We are a sovereign country."

According to the latest information, Awlaki was still in the southern Yemeni province of Shabwa, Megawar said.

U.S. authorities say Awlaki was added to the CIA's hit list after he became "operational" in al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which claimed responsibility for a failed plot to blow up a U.S.-bound passenger plane on Christmas Day.

The Nigerian man accused in the attempted bombing met Awlaki while visiting Yemen, and the U.S.-born preacher also had contacts with a U.S. Army psychiatrist who shot dead 13 people at a U.S. Army base in November.

Yemen's foreign minister said earlier this month that Yemen would not hand Awlaki over to Washington, but instead put him on trial if he is arrested.

After the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States and Yemen joined forces to fight al-Qaeda, and Washington has kept a close eye on the impoverished country, which borders the world's top oil exporter Saudi Arabia.

Awlaki, whose father is a former minister in Yemen, travelled to the country in 2004, where he taught at a university before he was arrested and imprisoned in 2006 for suspected links to al-Qaeda and involvement in attacks.

He was released in December 2007 because he said he had repented, but he was later charged again on similar counts and went into hiding.

Megawar said he disagreed with Yemen being described as a refuge for al-Qaeda.

"Yemen is not a safe haven for terrorists. Yemen has al-Qaeda, we recognise that ... but they are spread out in different areas and are scared as a result of the strict crackdown by the government for all their actions", he said.

"Yes, al-Qaeda is present in Yemen, al-Qaeda is a risk in Yemen, but there is exaggeration by the media," he said.

Last week, a fugitive Saudi Arabian man who was detained for several years at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo until his release in 2006, was named as a senior member of Al-Qaeda's Yemen wing, according to a tape by the group.

Megawar said Othman Ahmed al-Ghamdi's appointment as a senior operative was another development in the ongoing fight against militants in Yemen but added, "We have nothing to do with who comes and goes."

Imam tells Italy that wearing of veil is in tradition of the Madonna

The Guardian

Veiled Muslim women have become the true upholders of western traditions of female dress, says Italy's top imam, who angrily condemned the decision to fine a woman in Italy for wearing a veil that completely covered her features.

The incident, which took place in the northern Italian town of Novara, was the first of its kind in Europe.

Izzedin Elzir, the president of the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy (UCOII) and a former fashion designer, said: "If we go and see the beautiful artistic representations of the Madonna, we see her with the veil. We don't see her semi-naked, I think.

"For that reason, I believe it is the Muslims who are protecting the traditions of our country."

His remarks are likely to cause outrage on the right, particularly among members of the Northern League, who maintain that Italy's identity is inextricably tied up with its Christian traditions.

The imam said: "I believe Italian tradition is that which can be seen by going to a church, to a museum and seeing the beautiful images of the Madonna with a beautiful veil. That is our tradition."

A ¤500 (£430) fine was imposed on Amel Marmouri, a Tunisian woman, who was stopped last week by carabinieri.

Marmouri, 26, was covered head-to-toe, though it was unclear whether she was wearing an Afghan-style burqa or the niqab, which is more common on the Arabian peninsula.

The fine, imposed under a municipal bylaw passed in January, fanned the flames of an already heated debate elsewhere in Europe. On 30 April, the Belgian lower house voted to ban full veils in public. In France, President Nicolas Sarkozy's government is drafting a bill to the same effect.

Marmouri's husband, 36-year-old Braim Ben Salah, said they were merely obeying the Qur'an, which said she "may not be looked at by other men". But Elzir disputed that.

"There are two interpretations," he said. "One interpretation has it that the woman should be totally covered. Another says the woman should be covered totally, except for her face and hands. Both schools of thought are valid and it depends on the woman which school she chooses.

"The important thing is the freedom of the individual. Whether the face is covered or not covered, this belongs to the private sphere of the individual where we believe our constitution – the Italian constitution – guarantees religious freedom."

He said the UCOII was not in favour of full veils. But, in a pointed allusion to Italy's in-your-face variety shows with their scantily clad hostesses, he added: "It's a personal choice, like a woman who decides to go on television half-naked. That's her freedom. That's her choice."

Elzir said that, when faced with episodes such as the fining of Marmouri, "the [Muslim] community feels really discriminated against. There are serious problems in our country, not whether one wears the full veil or does not use the full veil, but problems of the economy, which is crumbling, [and] of unemployment.

"I believe the politicians and those who have the responsibility for governing ought to be looking at the reality and trying to resolve the problems of society, rather than creating them."

According to a law that has been on the statute books since 1975, it is a criminal offence to wear a face covering. The law was introduced as an anti-terrorist measure during a period of political violence that came to be known as "the years of lead".

In practice, it is no longer applied. But the mayors of four towns in the north of Italy have passed bylaws to ensure that it is implemented in the cases of veiled Muslim women. One of those towns is Novara, whose mayor, Massimo Giordano, is a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League.

Ben Salah said that the fine imposed on his wife meant she could no longer leave their house.

"So what is better?" asked the imam. "That we condemn these hundred or so women who cover up their faces to spend the rest of their lives at home?"

Many of the mosques affiliated to the UCOII are linked in turn to the Muslim Brotherhood, and questions have repeatedly been raised in Italy about its support for democracy and the western way of life. Elzir has a record of furthering integration and dialogue with other faiths.

His first public appearance after being elected head of UCOII in March was alongside the rabbi of Florence at a Roman Catholic-run refuge for the homeless. A few weeks later he attracted notice by saying that his fellow imams should speak only Italian when delivering their sermons.

This, he said, had a bearing on another tense issue in Italy – the Northern League's unwavering resistance to the building of new mosques, which it claims are unnecessary.

Many of the applications have been lodged by groups of immigrants from non-Arabic countries who say they need a separate place of worship where the sermons are delivered in a language they can understand.

Elzir said opposition to the construction of mosques was often based on alleged security reasons. But he said: "We are for security. That is why we want the transparency, the visibility of mosques."

Belgium Decides To Ban The Burqa

Belgium is set to become the first ever country in Europe to ban the burqa from being worn in public places. Skip related content

The vote in Parliament for a nationwide ban on Islamic clothes or veils that do not allow the wearer to be fully identified was almost unanimous.




The full-face niqab and burqa worn by some muslim women are not a mandatory requirement for the religion of Islam, but one of personal choice.



People found flouting the new law could be given a fine of 15-25 euros (£13-21) or even be faced with a week in jail.



Vice-president of the Muslim Executive of Belgium, Isabelle Praile, warned that the new law could be the start of a slippery slope.

"Today it's the full-face veil, tomorrow the veil, the day after it will be Sikh turbans and then perhaps it will be mini-skirts."


"The wearing of a full-face veil is part of the individual freedoms" protected by Belgian, European and international rights laws, she said.


Amnesty International also condemned the move saying: "A complete ban on the covering of the face would violate the rights to freedom of expression and religion of those women who wear the burqa or the niqab."

In France President Nicholas Sarcozy has recently introduced a similar bill to ban the burqa - despite being advised that such a move could be unconstitutional.

The French move, which seems likely to go ahead, will be decided on May 19.

The Belgium bill now goes to the senate for a 15-day period of review where any final objections can be heard, before being passed iinto law.

AFP, Yahoo News...

Freedom of speech prize for Dutch Islam critic

Former Dutch MP and Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali has been awarded the Freedom of Expression prize by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The jury said that Somali/Kenyan-born Ms Hirsi Ali deserved the prize because of "her unrelenting conviction that one's views are worth fighting for".


Ms Hirsi Ali now lives in the United States where she works for the rightwing American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research. She is known for her fierce criticism of conservative Islam and of the oppression of women by conservative Muslims. Together with Dutch director Theo van Gogh she made a short movie entitled Submission, which criticised the position of women in Islam. Mr Van Gogh was later killed by a radical Muslim.


Cartoons

Jyllands-Posten is the paper which in 2005 published a gallery of Mohammed cartoons by several artists which caused outrage in Muslim countries because the face of the prophet was visible and because the drawings associated Islam with terrorism. The newspaper instituted the prize after the protests in the Islamic world.

The creator of one of the cartoons, Kurt Westergaard, escaped unhurt earlier this year after an attempt on his life by a knife-wielding attacker.

© Radio Netherlands Worldwide

UK 'involved' in regional tension

PressTV

A senior Iranian lawmaker has condemned the provocative remarks made by Emirati officials, adding the US and Britain have always played a role in regional tensions.

"The voice of Britain is heard from the mouth of Emirate's foreign minister," Head of the National Security and Foreign Policy Committee of Iran's Parliament (Majlis) Alaeddin Boroujerdi told the Mehr News Agency on Monday.

In a futile attempt, the Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan had tried to link the ownership of the three Persian Gulf islands of the Greater Tunb, the Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

Apart from a brief period of British rule in the 1800s, the three Persian Gulf islands are historically owned by Iran.

The islands were returned to Iran on November 30th, 1971 through a legal process long before the state of the United Arab Emirates was ever created.

"The United States and Britain exert pressure on Arab states which will occasionally lead to such remarks," Boroujerdi said.

He added that Iran's policy is based on promoting amicable relations with regional countries, particularly the Persian Gulf littoral states.

"Countries like the US and Britain have always attempted to portray a negative image of the Islamic Republic... since the victory of the Islamic Revolution (in 1979) to take advantage of good relations between Iran and Arab countries," the parliamentarian said.

He noted that Washington and London often plant security fears in the minds of weak-willed Arab statesmen in order to sell their most sophisticated weapons to these countries. 

Kuwaitis disrupt Lankan event

A massive Sri Lankan celebration in Kuwait was interrupted after angry Kuwaitis claimed it violated Islamic rules. More than 5,000 Sri Lankans, including K.S.C. Dissanayake, Sri Lankan ambassador to Kuwait, had to leave the Jahra stadium after Kuwaiti Islamists invaded the field and pressed organisers to suspend the celebration and threatened to escalate the tense situation.

Negotiations between the event organisers, the police and the angry Kuwaitis failed to reach a compromise. The protesters said that the presence of men and women at the stadium and the playing of music on a Friday afternoon made the celebration “unacceptable” for not respecting Islamic values.

The ambassador, seeking to end the deadlock peacefully, urged his compatriots to cancel the celebrations two hours before schedule and to vacate the premises.

The police said that the Sri Lankans had all the necessary permits and did not break the law. Sri Lanka is organising on Monday a “Sri Lanka Culture Week” in Kuwait to help promote the country as a tourist and cultural destination. The event is hosted by Kuwait’s National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters and co-sponsored by the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau and the Sri Lankan Airlines.

A28-member cultural troupe will perform 'Sri Lak Rangana', a fusion of historical and contemporary dance forms.

The week will also feature a handicraft exhibition of products, bronze items, masks, gems, jewellery and other ornaments while a food festival will introduce Sri Lankan cuisine to Kuwait residents.  

(Gulf News)

Sarkozy defies legal advice and seeks ban on burkas in street

By SYLVIE CORBET

A BAN on full-face veils being worn in the street and other public places has been ordered by French president Nicolas Sarkozy.

In a surprise move, he defied the advice of experts brought in by the government who warned such a broad ban risked contravening France's constitution.

Government spokesman Luc Chatel said after yesterday's weekly cabinet meeting that the president had decided the 

government should submit a bill to parliament next month on an overall ban on burka-like veils.

"The ban on veils covering the whole face should be general, in every public space, because the dignity of women cannot be put in doubt," Mr Chatel said.

It puts France on the same track as Belgium, which is also moving toward a complete ban in a similar reaction as Islamic culture has come into conflict with native European values. Mr Sarkozy has repeatedly said that such clothing oppresses women and is "not welcome" in France.

But Abdellatif Lemsibak, a member of the National Federation of Muslims of France, said he was shocked. "It's a transgression, an aggression even, on the level of personal liberty," he said. "The Muslims have the right to an orthodox expression of their religion."

The decision to seek a full ban, rather than a limited one, came as a surprise. After a cabinet meeting a week ago, a government spokesman said proposed legislation would take into account conclusions on the matter by the Council of State, France's highest administrative office.

The government had sought the council's opinion to ensure a law would pass constitutional muster, and it advised a full ban would be "legally very fragile."

A six-month parliamentary inquiry also concluded that a complete ban would raise constitutional issues, as well as enforcement problems.

France, a firmly secular country, has western Europe's largest Muslim population, estimated at five million.

People there worry about clashes in values as well as a spread of radical Islam. The authorities widely see the veil in light of gender equality and security issues.

In neighbouring Belgium, a similar initiative for a ban on full veils in public places, including in the streets, is expected to become law in July.

Muslim leaders in France say the face-covering veil is not a religious requirement of Islam but have cautioned against a ban.

The government spokesman said Mr Sarkozy considered burka-style veils that hide the face, such as niqabs, "do not pose a problem in a religious sense but threaten the dignity of women".

France outlawed Muslim headscarves and other "ostentatious" religious symbols from classrooms in 2004 after a marathon parliamentary debate.

Numerous girls wore headscarves in class, but only a tiny minority of women wear the all-covering veil. Nevertheless, debate on the question of whether a law is needed and how far it should reach has continued for nearly a year. Muslim leaders say the debate itself has stigmatised Muslims, as has a national debate on the French identity.

Mr Chatel said Mr Sarkozy had insisted that "everything should be done so that no-one feels stigmatised".

Source