Cairo’s audacity of hope - Indian Express

Saturday, January 29, 2011

http://www.indianexpress.com/comments/cairos-audacity-of-hope/743444#postComment

Comments posted on Indian Express website over news story: Cairo’s audacity of hope

The serial toppling of Arab/African govts. is a new wave of regime change mode of war on the weak by the strong: the US. It has exhausted its funds for wars by losing in Iraq and Afghanistan. It is now using Face-book and Twitter, as new tools of war to sow dissent and divisions in restive people of the region and impose its hegemony through its chosen proxies. Progressives like herd of sheep, are helping US strengthen its stranglehold on new colonies. US after unleashing its fake 'war on terror' is now embark on a new fake 'revolution for democracy' campaign by organized protests even in friendly countries to deepen its tentacles in their governance. Egypt is targeted for refusing to supply gas to Israel. Just like Mullah Omar was toppled and demonized for refusing to give UNOCAL permission of a pipeline through Afghanistan. Argentina's govt toppled (for cutting in on UNOCAL). Indian media and people should be very vigilant with US moves in the name of common strategies that will eventually rob of its freedom.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com

http://ghulammuhammed.blogspot.com  

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http://www.indianexpress.com/news/cairos-audacity-of-hope/743444/0

Sat, 29 Jan 2011

Cairo’s audacity of hope

New York Times

Tags : Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, streets of Cairo, Al Jazeera, Middle East diplomacy

Posted: Sat Jan 29 2011, 02:18 hrs
Cairo:

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak ordered the military into the streets to reinforce police struggling to contain one of the most serious challenges to his long and autocratic rule.


The president also imposed an overnight curfew nationwide, but fighting continued on the streets of Cairo and smoke from fires blanketed one of the city’s main streets along the Nile. The ruling party’s building was in flames at nightfall, and dramatic video footage on Al Jazeera showed a crowd pushing what they identified as a burning police car off a bridge.

CNN said Mubarak was expected to deliver a televised address, though it was unclear when that would happen. Internet traffic into and out of the country was cut off and cellphone networks disrupted. Vodafone said “all mobile operators in Egypt have been instructed to suspend services in selected areas.”

Demonstrations began earlier in the day as thousands poured from mosques after noon prayers, growing increasingly violent as protesters clashed with police who fired tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons. The demonstrations, on what protesters called a “day of wrath,” were on a scale far beyond anything in the memory of most residents.

The unrest in Egypt came after weeks of turmoil across the Arab world that toppled one leader in Tunisia and encouraged protesters to overcome deep-rooted fears of their autocratic leaders and take to the streets. But Egypt is a special case — a heavyweight in Middle East diplomacy, in part because of its peace treaty with Israel, and a key ally of the United States. The country, often the fulcrum on which currents in the region turn, also has one of the largest and most sophisticated security forces in the Middle East.

Calling out the military is a signal of how dramatically the situation had spiraled out of control. The army, one of the country’s most powerful and respected institutions, prefers to remain behind the scenes and has not been sent into the streets to quell unrest in many years. But the police, a much reviled force prone to violent retribution against anyone who publicly defies the state, appeared unable to quell the unrest. In several cases in the capital and elsewhere, the police were forced to back down by throngs of protesters.

In one of the most dramatic scenes of the day, in Alexandria, protesters snatched batons, shields and helmets from the police. Honking cars drove up and down a main street, holding police riot shields and truncheons out the windows as trophies.


In both Cairo and Alexandria, some army patrols were greeted with applause and waves from the crowds — a seemingly incongruous response from demonstrators who say they want to bring down the president.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, reading a prepared statement, called Friday on Egypt’s government to “restrain the security forces” and said that “reform is absolutely critical to the well-being of Egypt.”

“We urge the Egyptian authorities to allow peaceful protest and to reverse the unprecedented steps it has take to cut off communications,” she said. She also urged that protesters “refrain from violence and express themselves peacefully.”

The unrest in Egypt, a close ally, poses unique challenges for the Obama Administration, which has publicly supported Mubarak but privately pushed him to reform after decades in power.

At least one person appeared to have been killed during rioting in Suez, east of Cairo and the site of some of the most violent clashes. Reuters reported that protesters were carrying a man’s body through the streets as one demonstrator shouted, “They have killed my brother.” Details of his death were not immediately clear.

According to the Associated Press, Egyptian security officials said they had placed the most prominent opposition figures, Mohamed ElBaradei, under house arrest, but that could not be independently confirmed and reports throughout the day had been contradictory.

Shortly before, police doused ElBaradei with a water cannon and beat supporters who tried to shield him. 

“This is an indication of a barbaric regime,” said ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, as he took refuge in a nearby mosque. “By doing this they are ensuring their destruction is at hand.”

At Al Azhar in old Cairo, thousands of people poured from one of the most iconic mosques of Sunni Islam, chanting “The people want to bring down the regime.” DAVID D KIRKPATRICK & ALAN COWELL

TWEETS POSTED BY GHULAM MUHAMMED ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2011 - ON ORGANISED PUBLIC PROTEST IN ARAB WORLD AND AFRICA

TWEETS POSTED BY GHULAM MUHAMMED ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2011

@GhulamMuhammed Ghulam Muhammed

Aljazeera English TV acts like a war room for US/Uk/Israel waging a proxy war to overthrow regimes in Arab World and Africa thru reporters

@GhulamMuhammed Ghulam Muhammed

The passion AlJazeera brings blow by blow commentary on Egypt protests, gives people of the world virtual participation in an illegality.

@GhulamMuhammed Ghulam Muhammed

US role so uncharacteric of Obama's character, is a blatant attempt to impose its will on Nations; while swearing in the name of democracy.

@GhulamMuhammed Ghulam Muhammed

Is Obama in charge or Republicans have hijacked his presidency?

@GhulamMuhammed Ghulam Muhammed

Warning to Indian Government dithering with corruption and price rise; lest US/UK/Israel may try their 'regime change' strategy in India.

@GhulamMuhammed Ghulam Muhammed

The world cannot be silent to such an audacious serial toppling of governments that is nothing short of waging war on UN member countries.

Purohit plotted to kill RSS leader Indresh Kumar: Report - The Indian Express - Mumbai - India

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/purohit-plotted-to-kill-rss-leader-indresh-kumar-report/743063/0

Fri, 28 Jan 2011

Purohit plotted to kill RSS leader Indresh Kumar: Report

By Shishir Gupta

Tags : Indresh Kumar, RSS, Colonel Prasad Srikant Purohit, Malegaon blast, Abhinav Bharat, Mecca Masjid, Samjhauta Express

Posted: Fri Jan 28 2011, 03:03 hrs

New Delhi:
A Military Intelligence report of the Army on disgraced officer Lt Colonel Prasad Srikant Purohit — now in jail for his alleged role in the Malegaon 2008 blast and links with Hindu extremists — reveals that his organisation, Abhinav Bharat, had plotted to kill senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar.

Its reason: Indresh, Purohit suspected, was the “mole of the ISI” (Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence) in the Sangh Parivar and had received fake Indian currency to the tune of Rs 21 crore from the Pak agency.

Indresh’s name also figures in statements made by some of the accused in a string of terror attacks on Muslim targets, including Malegaon, Mecca Masjid and the Samjhauta Express. Indresh has denied any role and said the government has been playing politics with the investigation.

The plot to kill Indresh Kumar was revealed by Purohit in his interrogation in connection with the September 29, 2008 Malegaon blast, according to the MI report which has been obtained by The Indian Express.

Incidentally, the MI report on Purohit says: “Malegaon bomb blast coincided with birthday celebrations of Col Purohit’s younger son. It may not be a mere coincidence.”

Purohit was jointly questioned by the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) then headed by Hemant Karkare, the Intelligence Bureau and Military Intelligence-9 on October 29-30, 2008.

The MI report says Abhinav Bharat was Purohit’s brainchild, set up to counter ISI activities in India with “financial assistance” from wealthy RSS supporters. The report says that a Pune-based rich, “staunch” RSS supporter, Shyam Apte, was roped in to finance the plot to kill “ISI agent” Indresh with a fraud Sharda Peeth Shankaracharya alias Dayanand Pandey jumping onto the bandwagon to make money.

“Ajay Rahilkar aka Raja handled the financial affairs (of Abhinav Bharat) as directed by Col Purohit. One Shyam Apte (70 years), a committed worker of RSS was the main provider of funds. Rahilkar has disclosed payment of Rs 3.20 lakh to Rakesh Dhavde (the arms supplier of Abhinav Bharat) to buy arms as directed by Purohit. This has been separately confirmed by Dhavde and Col Purohit, who stated that these weapons were being procured on directions of Shankaracharya who tasked Col Purohit to eliminate one Indresh Kumar, a senior RSS functionary based in Delhi. Indresh Kumar was allegedly an agent of ISI and along with one Subedar Singh was also involved in pumping of fake Indian currency,” says the interrogation report.

While Purohit claimed that it was “Shankaracharya” who asked him to “eliminate” Indresh, Shyam Apte told the Maharashtra ATS that it was Purohit who told him that during a special assignment in Nepal, entrusted to him by Director General Military Intelligence, he unearthed the involvement of Indresh in ISI activities.

Purohit then reportedly claimed that Army headquarters didn’t act on his report and frustrated at this, he (Purohit) approached Apte to help kill Indresh as he was “the enemy of the country and Hindu dharma.”
The report underlines the fact that Sadhvi Pragya Singh also said that when she discussed the issue of the “proposed elimination” of Indresh, who was like a father to Pragya, the “Shankaracharya conveyed that it was Purohit who had requested him to accommodate two commandos (at his Faridabad ashram) in Delhi.”

The report says: “Shankaracharya told Pragya that he refused to accommodate the two commandos of Colonel Purohit as they had been sent to eliminate Indresh Kumar.”

The plan to assassinate Indresh was activated during Purohit’s visit to Delhi from Panchmarhi during January 26-29, 2008. According to the report, Purohit stayed at the Shankaracharya Ashram in Faridabad and introduced Major (Retd) Ramesh Upadhyay, Bharat Bhai and Sameer Kulkarni to Dayanand Pandey. According to Purohit, it was during this meeting that the Shankaracharya asked him to procure weapons for killing Indresh.

According to the report, it was during Abhinav Bharat’s first public meeting in Bhopal on April 11-12, 2008 that Purohit managed to bring the Shankaracharya and Swami Aseemanand on a common platform. “Presence of Sadhvi, Ramji Kalsangra and Sandeep Dange at the function also demonstrated his proximity to the core group who had undertaken anti-Islamic acts in the recent past. The officer initially denied his presence at the meeting but on confrontation with Sadhvi admitted to his illegal presence. He also admitted handing over a 9 mm pistol to one Aloke, close associate of Shankaracharya, at Bhopal Railway Station to kill Indreshji in Delhi,” the MI report said.

A Pak view on India:WikiLeaks may put India in big trouble - By Afshain Afzal - THE NEWS.COM - A Jang Group portal

A PAK VIEW ON INDIA:
http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=28148&Cat=2&dt=1/28/2011

WikiLeaks may put India in big trouble

 

By Afshain Afzal

Friday, January 28, 2011

 

Where Wikileaks served as a blessing in disguise for the western nations as it diverted the world’s attention from their humiliating defeat in Iraq, Afghanistan and other theatres, it also covered their war crimes and human right violations in these countries.

They also proved to be a bombshell for other countries, including India, as it exposed Washington’s view and analysis towards them as well as it compromised desires and ambitions of various leaders on different debatable issues. Interestingly, the so called ‘War on Terror’ has its own rules which have been authenticated by the United Nations Security Council resolutions but can we apply these on revelations through Wikileaks? The issue is to ascertain if these rules are same for all countries, organisations, groups and individuals.

Although WikiLeaks are nothing but a conspiracy of western intelligence agencies against their enemies and adversaries yet for the sake of discussion, let’s put India on the litmus test to check the authentication of the Wikileaks. Last month, the Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi brought into the notice of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly during its session that according to the Wikileaks disclosure, the Hindu militant organization Rashtriya Sevak Sangh (RSS) was a thousand times more dangerous than the Al-Qaeda. In the same regard, Azmi told the Assembly “It has been exposed in the Wikileaks as to how a thousand times more dangerous is the RSS than the Al Qaeda. Therefore, I demand that strong and stern action must be taken against the RSS.” 
Although, the remark and demand by Azmi drew strong protests from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena (SS) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) legislators and others but what he highlighted was a leak from the respectable offices of India’s most trusted friend and long time partner the United States of America (USA). Regardless of the fact that already New Delhi has many times sacrificed its sovereignty to please this beloved friend, the recent leaks have exposed the US diplomats’ long term strategy against the Hindus, which interestingly has appeared in black and white this time. One wonders if still any Indian has doubts in his mind about the US long term strategy in this region and conspiracy behind the US-Indo partnership.

If we recall, on September 24, 2001, President George W. Bush stated, “We will direct every resource at our command to win the war against terrorists, every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence. We will starve the terrorists of funding.” To achieve this objective, US Congress worked closely with the Department of the Treasury, along with the Department of Justice and took solids action against financial intermediaries and facilitators who were suspected to infuse terrorist organisations with money, material and support and they were held accountable along with those who perpetrate terrorist acts. It is pertinent to mention here that the campaign was mainly against the Muslims, especially those doubted to have links with religious outfits including Al Qaida and Taliban.

If we consider the Wikileaks as authentic and Hindu organization Rashtriya Sevak Sangh is a thousand times more dangerous than the Al-Qaeda, now it is time to take action. It would be a test for Washington and New Delhi that whether they would take action against RSS and all those who are directly and indirectly liked with the assistance to this organization. Confirmed intelligence input says that Shiv Sena working President Uddhav Thackeray had been receiving money from two Mumbai-based industrial houses namely Reliance and Tata Group of Companies.

This information is not hearsay as it is based on the intercepted phone recordings between Tata Group spokeswoman Shalani and Public Relations Corporate chief Nira Radia. We have a precedent that US, UK, India and other countries were in the forefront to ban all organizations, groups and individuals suspected to have anytime helped organizations suspected to be involved in terrorism like Al Qaida, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Tayyiaba, Al Khidmat Trust and many other religious, political and charitable organizations as well as freeze their bank accounts and assets. Now let’s see, what will be done about the Indian religious terrorist organisations and their financers including Reliance and Tata Group of companies.

afshainafzal@yahoo.com

Appeal to Muslims and other Deprived Groups to form Local Census Committees in All Villages & Mohallas : All India Muslim Majlis-e- Mushawarat

ALL INDIA MUSLIM MAJLIS-E-MUSHAWARAT

[Umbrella body of the Indian Muslim Organisations]

D-250, Abul fazal Enclave, Jamia Nagar, New Delhi-110025

Tel.: 011-26946780 Fax: 011-26947346 Email: mushawarat@mushawarat.com

Press Statement

Appeal to Muslims and other Deprived Groups to form Local Census Committees in All Villages & Mohallas

To Assist Fully in Census Phase II on Population Enumeration between February 9 & 28, 2011 

New Delhi: 25 January 2011, Mr Syed Shahabuddin, President All India Muslim Majlis-e- Mushawarat, has issued the following statement.

 

Phase II of the Census shall enumerate Population to produce the socio-economic demographic profile of the country. For this enumeration the Census Commissioner has framed a Schedule of Questions to be asked of all households. The results of this enumeration will have a direct bearing on the policies, development programs & financial allocations at every level for the next decade.

 

The enumerator will visit every household between 9 & 28 February, 2011 and speak to the heads of the households, and some other members, if necessary and record replies separately, for each household.

 

The Schedule has many questions including a question on Religion and another on Language and also on Age, Education, Marital Status and Physical Disability etc.

The AIMMM considers it imperative that all households participate fully in the Enumeration. All Muslims should indicate Islam  as their religion and their mother tongue as their Language. Those, whose mother tongue   is Urdu, specially in northern states should indicate Urdu, not any local dialect they may speak at home.

 

The AIMMM appeals to the educated youth among Muslims and all other deprived groups to form small Census committees in every mohalla and village which should accompany the enumerators from household to household & from family to family, to ensure that enumeration is universal and nobody is left out and that the replies by the households are recorded correctly.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Authorised for Publication Abdul Wahid

New Delhi, 25 January, 2011 Office Secretary

OPEN LETTER TO MARK MAGNIER OF LOS ANGELE TIMES ..... By Ghulam Muhammed

OPEN LETTER TO MARK MAGNIER OF LOS ANGELE TIMES .....

Mark Magnier
Los Angeles Times,

You had done a hatchet job as far as Noor Masjid demolition is concerned. First thing, you have taken this incident in focus and tried to make your Muslim-baiting more platable by expanding the coverage to all religious sites. That cannot hide the fact that your New Delhi correspondent, a Hindu, had a bias against Muslims and their Masjids, which are a regular target of communal Hindu authorities, a la Israel, to keep on demilishing old Masjid structures all over the country and earn political luarels from their Hindu votes banks.

The court case demolishing Noor Masjid, had yet to run its course. The Religious Awkaf, a state organisation with full documentation did have records proving the title of the Noor Masjid as legal and legitimate. However, the state authorities deliberately played truant and did not take up the case with the judiciary and the local municipal authorities ever eager to target Muslims, had a field day to show who is rule the country.

Your reporter Ansul Rana and you are responsible for this motivated shoddy reporting and you must dig up all the facts and rewrite the full and truthful account of the trouble instigated over Noor Masjid.

Ghulam Muhammed, Mumbai

<ghulammuhammed3@gmail.com>

PS. : Why LA TIMES is so concerned about religious places half a way around the world? Is this not a long range mischief-mongering?
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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-india-religion-20110124,0,2869899.story

Illegal religious structures spread through India

Mosques and temples encroach on sidewalks, schools and roads, despite court orders to stop them. Devotees help ensure the structures are hard to tear down once they are built.

Muslims offer Friday prayers at the site of a mosque demolished by authorities in New Delhi. With land at a premium and donations sizable, activists in India say religion is good business. (Adnan Abidi, Reuters / January 13, 2011)

By Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times January 24, 2011

 

Reporting from New Delhi —

They struck shortly after dawn on a weekday morning this month, taking bulldozers, backhoes and sledgehammers to the Noor Masjid mosque. But the stealth tactics by municipal workers fell short: Well before they finished razing the building, 1,000 Muslim protesters had gathered, and things got ugly.

Across town a few hours later, the city's public works department was busy again, this time leveling the Hindu Pushp Vihar temple. Followers clashed with police, devotees sang to the gods and protesters blocked a main road, sparking massive traffic jams.

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Illegal religious structures are mushrooming across India, eating into sidewalks, schools, roads, even prisons, despite numerous court orders to check their spread.

Once built, they're tough to remove in a country with strong religious passions and a history of communal riots.

"Governments find it difficult to touch anything to do with religion," said Gautam Bhatia, an architect and author.

For days after the mosque razing, protests raged. The most intense confrontation came during Friday prayers when thousands of young Muslims sporting skullcaps battered down police barricades, yelling, "God is great!"

"If we don't stand up, they'll walk all over us," Bashir Ahmed said. "They have no right to demolish our mosques."

Faced with protracted opposition, city officials eventually announced that they'd consider rebuilding the mosque.

The exact number of illegal religious structures in India is unknown, but an estimated 60,000 exist in New Delhi, up from 560 in 1980, while a recent survey found 250,000 more in five of India's 28 states. Built on public land without permission, building permits or much thought to traffic safety or crowd control, they range from makeshift to the decidedly elaborate.

Most start small. An illegal shrine may begin its life as a few ornaments and a candle in a tree. 

Then a bench is added. Then concrete floors, a roof, a sleeping alcove.

New Delhi's "ancient" Shiv Shakti Mochan Temple near Parliament is a case in point. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it started in 1968 as a bird-house-sized structure, said longtime neighbor Tara Singh, pointing out a backlit box wedged into the adjoining banyan tree.

In defiance of a Supreme Court order against expansion, it's now 20 feet by 60 feet with walls, columns, marble floors, twinkling lights, a sink and life-size statues in glass cases, completely blocking the sidewalk. Each time city workers try to raze it, supporters quickly mobilize to fend them off, alerted by a subaltern keeping watch 24/7.

Its keepers say it's only growing as fast as the banyan tree, the manifestation, they say, of a sacred mythical snake that fights evil.

"The power of this blessed tree will defeat any bulldozer," said the priest, identified as Panderji, as several pedestrians handed him donations. "A few months back, they wanted to tear us down and restore the sidewalk. They're always trying something."

Many of the buildings are inspired by strong religious beliefs in a country with the world's third-largest Muslim population and where divinities of the majority Hindu religion are plaintiffs in court cases.

But with land at a premium and religious donations sizable, activists cite another reason. "Religion is good business," said a Hindustan Times editorial condemning encroachments. "Like any other business, there are legit as well as not-so-legit practitioners."

"People in India who are religious-minded see gods in the stones, in flower pots, anywhere," said Bhagwanji Raiyani, whose public-interest filing in a Mumbai court led to the razing of 1,300 illegal structures. "Unscrupulous people who don't want to work hard just put a sign up and people pray and give them money. Sometimes 'temples' then turn into telecom shops."

Although Raiyani achieved a rare victory, the battle to take back the streets is complicated by public apathy, a creaky legal system, corruption, poor land records and politicians who back encroachers for votes.

"People think twice about giving to a beggar," said Nira Punj, founder of Mumbai's Citispace civic group dedicated to protecting public spaces. "They don't to a shrine. This encroachment, it's like terror tactics."

Nor are people above using unorthodox construction to manipulate policy, frustrate rivals or divert projects.
 
Labor leader Shashi Bhushan Pandit says his neighbor in Jogta, central Bihar state, didn't want a road through his property so he built a temple on it, which worked like a charm. "The government rerouted the road," he said.

Adding to the inertia is a public tendency to believe a building's been there much longer than it has.
"It's been here 50 to 100 years," demonstrator Kamal Hassan said of the razed Noor Masjid mosque, although in fact it was only 11 years old. "They pick on Muslims more than Hindus."

Such misconceptions are easily fueled by politicians and religious leaders making political hay, said Monu Chadha, head of the neighborhood group that sued to raze the mosque.
Even when government bulldozers prevail, there's no guarantee that the land will remain temple- or mosque-free.

In 2003, Mumbai demolished 1,100 illegal shrines, temples, mosques and churches. But a survey last year discovered that 200 had reappeared and 1,500 new ones had been built.

mark.magnier@latimes.com

Anshul Rana in The Times' New Delhi Bureau contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times