Archive for month: September, 2014
Photos: Imam Jawad martyrdom held at Karbala holy shrines
With broken hearts full of grief and eyes full of sorrow and tears , the servants of the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine have commemorated the anniversary of the martyrdom of the ninth of the lights of Ahl Al-Bayt (peace be upon them), Imam Muhammed Al-Jawad (peace be upon him), which coincides this year with Thursday, 29th of Dhu Al-Qi’dah, 1435 AH, corresponding to the 25th of September, 2014.
The Holy Shrine has prepared to commemorate as usual at every occasion and every revival of God rituals such as births and martyrdoms of Ahl Al-Bayt (peace be upon them), a condolences program including several parts that reflect this calamity that befell lovers and followers of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them).
So, a condolences procession led by officials of the holy shrine and holders of grief and sorrow banners started from the holy courtyard of the Master Aba Al-Fadl Al-Abbas (peace be upon him) heading towards the courtyard of the second grandson of the prophet (Prayers and Allah’s peace be upon him and his holy Household) Imam Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) passing through the courtyard between the Two Holy Shrines, chanting lamentations that describe the outrageousness of this tragedy and finally arriving at the courtyard of the Master Abi Abdillah Al-Hussayn (peace be upon him) for setting up a condolences council where they were reading elegies and some threnodies, for the loss of the ninth Imam of Ahl Al-Bayt (peace be upon him), who has dedicated his life in the service of the Mohammedan message that came to lay the lofty values and principles and to output human grievances of infidelity and enslavement to the path of guidance and inner peace.
Imam Muhammed Al-Jawad (peace be upon him) occupied the highest position in human virtues and moral attainments as this was the marked feature of the Prophet’s family. It was customary for the Imam to meet everyone humbly, fulfil the needs of the poor, maintain Islamic requisites of equality and simplicity, help the poor secretly, treat even foes fairly, extend hospitality, impart true Islamic knowledge to all and specially to the scholars of religion and the like, marked his saintly life-in full conformity with other members of this sacred series of infallible Imams.
The Al-Abbas’s (p) Holy Shrine opens the latest centre for physiotherapy and medical equipment in Iraq
In honour of the blessed anniversary of the marriage of the Commander of the Faithful and Fatima Az-Zahra (peace be upon both of them), the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine opened on Friday the 1st of Dhu Al-Hijjah 1435 AH, corresponding to the 26th of September, 2014 the Dynamics Al-Kafeel centre of physiotherapy and medical equipment. The opening ceremony was held at the Conference Hall of Imam Al-Hassan (peace be upon him) in the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine, and was attended by cultural, religious and academic figures as well as those interested of the medical field and representatives of the Iraqi health ministry, the Shiite endowment and the Government of Karbala represented by its governor Mr’ Aqeel Al-Turaihi, as well as the Secretary-General of the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine, his eminence Sayed Ahmed Al-Safi, members of the board of directors of the holy shrine and heads of departments.
The opening ceremony began with a recitation of verses of the Holy Quran and the word of the General Secretariat of the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine, presented by its Secretary-General Sayed Ahmed Al-Safi, in which he stated after presenting his greetings on the occasion of the marriage anniversary of the holy lights, Imam Ali and Lady Fatima Az-Zahra (peace be upon them) the importance of such project that concerns those who need special medical and physical care.
Followed by the intervention of the former Minister of Planning and the current Parliamentary Mr. Ali Shukri in which he thanked the great efforts of the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine in the establishment of projects that are characterized by integrity, serious and accuracy in the completion of the work, upon which the ministry of Planning based its cooperation and support of the holy shrine’s projects, wishing that in the coming days, the holy shrine succeeds to set up more projects dedicated to the service of the people of Karbala and Iraqis in general.
Then, came the intervention of the section of engineering projects at the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine, the body overseeing the implementation and the design of the project, presented by the head of the department, the engineer Dea’ Majeed Al-Sa’egh, in which he stated that the project of the physiotherapy centre done by the Al-Abbas’s (p) holy shrine is the 104th of its ongoing and completed projects that are accomplished in a short period, racing with time for the establishment of strategic projects and services that will serve not only the citizens but the whole country, thanks to its competent engineering cadres who supervise the works on diverse engineering and technical projects that all those who, are competent and have high experience, certify its quality and excellence.
The Dynamics medical equipment company, the body supervising the work of this project as well as the installation of its devices and equipments, is one of the competent international companies in this field, and it is entrusted with the task of preparing and forming a specialist cadre who will train a parallel team in operating the medical and treatment tasks. The company has presented by its regional director Dr. Sherif Shemti a brief explanation about the company and its external projects implemented in the countries of the region, and also about the most important devices provided to the Al-Kafeel Dynamics Centre, as well as its future plan that is consistent with the scientific and technical development of this field. It has also honoured the projects department of the holy shrine, represented by its president Mr. Dea’ Majeed Al-Sa’egh with a shield of excellence for his section as an appreciation for the efforts made during the period of the project’s construction, stating how they have overcome difficulties and solve all the problems and technical and administrative belongings.
Dr. Osama Abdul Hassan Kadhem, the Centre’s Director, gave afterwards a briefing about the management of the centre and its devices and equipment as well as an explanation about the services that will be provided.
And, appreciation gifts have been distributed to those who contributed to the success of this project. Then, all those present went to the project’s site for its opening, ushering a project that comprises a series of health projects adopted by the holy shrine of Al-Abbas (peace be upon him).
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Saudi Wahhabi forces kill a Shiite young political activist
A young political activist has reportedly been shot dead by security forces in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province as Riyadh continues its brutal crackdown on dissent.
According to recent reports, Bassem Ali al-Qadehi died of his injuries sustained after police opened fire while attempting to arrest him in the Qatif governorate of Eastern Province.
The Persian Gulf monarchy has come under fire from international human rights organizations, which have criticized it for failing to address the rights situation in the kingdom. Critics say the country shows zero-tolerance toward dissent.
Human rights bodies also say Riyadh has persistently implemented repressive policies that stifle freedom of expression, association and assembly.
In July, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay censured Saudi Arabia for harassing human rights activists under a failed judicial system.
It is said that over 30,000 political prisoners are held in Saudi Arabia.
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Russia FM Lavrov: 95% of Iran nuclear deal agreed
Russia says the nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 group of world powers are going ahead on the right track and that both sides have agreed on “some 95 percent” of a final deal.
“Some 95 percent of the deal is agreed,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Bloomberg Television on the sidelines of the 69th annual session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Saturday.
The Russian top diplomat noted that the remaining five percent consists of “two or three very difficult issues” that to be settled in the coming months.
Iran and its negotiating partners – the United States, France, Britain, Russia, China and Germany – are currently in talks to work out a final agreement aimed at ending the longstanding dispute over Tehran’s civilian nuclear energy program within a November 24 deadline.
Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the talks as “serious, intense and very frank.”
“Time is short, but issues are not that difficult to resolve,” Zarif told reporters in New York on Friday. “Everything is very far and very close, it depends on how you look at it and what time of the day you start looking at this question. We are still apart, there are still quite a bit of differences on all these issues.”
Last November, the two sides clinched an interim nuclear accord, which took effect on January 20 and expired six months later. However, they agreed to extend their talks until November 24 as they remained split on a number of key issues.
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Yemen Houthi fighters reach deal to disarm, withdraw
Ansarullah revolutionaries in Yemen have signed a security agreement that calls for them to disarm and pull out of the areas they have seized over the past months.
On Saturday, the Ansarullah activists, also known as Houthis, signed the accord as part of a UN-mediated comprehensive agreement with pro-government Salafist Islah party and other parties.
Houthi revolutionaries have the upper hand in the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, where they are seen as the strongest force on the ground. They have stationed thousands of troops and disarmed army barracks there.
According to Yemeni officials, 340 people were killed in week-long clashes between Ansarullah fighters of the Shia Houthi movement and Salafist militants backed by Major General Ali Mohsen al-Ahmar, who is former dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh’s stepbrother.
Ansarullah fighters have been staging demonstrations in the capital for more than a month, demanding the formation of a new government.
Earlier this month, the Yemeni government and the revolutionary forces signed an agreement on the formation of a new cabinet of technocrats within a month and the restoration of fuel subsidies.
Ansarullah fighters are affiliated to Yemen’s Shia Houthi movement, which draws its name from the tribe of its founding leader, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi.
The Ansarullah movement played a key role in the popular revolution that forced the ex-dictator to step down.
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The attack on Karachi police; Shia and Sunni
After a period of relative calm, Karachi was the scene of a car bomb attack last Thursday, and the target an officer of the special investigations unit, SSP Farooq Awan. Thanks to his bullet and bomb proof vehicle, Awan survived with minor injuries but two passers-by were killed and five other people were injured. This was the third failed attempt on the officer’s life. Over the recent months, several other policemen have lost their lives in targeted killings. These attacks are an evidence of the ongoing security operations’ effectiveness, and the risks police are taking in the performance of their duties. A lot more effort and time, though, is needed to eliminate the scourge of terrorism from this country.
A sectarian group Jundollah claimed responsibility for this latest act of terrorism. A few days earlier, the same group had claimed credit for killing the son of a prominent Shia scholar as well as a grenade attack on a police check post on the Shara-e-Faisal that left at least four policemen injured. In what looked like a reprisal attack, the incident was followed by another sectarian terrorist group killing a close relative of Mufti Naeem. According to the city’s chief of counter-terrorism unit, Jundullah has become active after a gap of about one-and-a-half years. It is worthwhile to note that Jundullah, which for quite some time has been carrying out terrorist attacks in northern areas, especially Gilgit-Baltistan, is also known to have a nexus with the Taliban. The ongoing military operation in North Waziristan has achieved major success, putting the Taliban on the run. That seems to be the explanation why these terrorists have once again become so active in Karachi. It is pertinent to recall also that just recently head of the Punjab Taliban, Ismatullah Muawiya, issued an announcement, saying from now on the group is to lay down arms and focus only on preaching Islam and Sharia in Pakistan while continuing to engage in “practical jihad” in Afghanistan.
Clearly, the terrorists are in disarray. But they are not going to abandon their agendas and the violent means to accomplish them unless and until thoroughly defeated. The government’s achievements in North Waziristan will come to a naught without elimination of these militants. As a senior military commander averred the other day, an intelligence-based counter-terrorism operation needs to be undertaken throughout the country. The police have a special role to play in it, and hence are vulnerable to targeted attacks. Luckily for the officer in the present instance, he was protected by a bomb-proof vehicle. Confronting militants in a city of over twenty million like Karachi would not be easy for any best prepared police force. But as various Sindh government leaders are now saying, the province’s police are both small in number and ill-equipped to deal with the challenges at hand. The federal government needs to respond to the province’s request for help in an urgent and appropriate manner. The situation in other provinces is not going to be an easy task, either. But it is a task that must be accomplished with patience and determination.
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Qatar Emir: Syria regime should be punished
Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani has warned that the US-led fight against Islamic State militancy will not succeed as long as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad remains in power.
US and Arab forces have bombed Islamic State targets in northern and eastern Syria this week, following US strikes on the al-Qaeda splinter group in Iraq since early August.
“We have to counter terrorism, yes. But I believe that the main cause of all this is the regime in Syria, and this regime should be punished,” Sheikh Tamim said in an interview with CNN broadcast on Thursday.
“…If we think that we’re going to get through the terrorist movements and leave those regimes doing what they – this regime especially, doing what he is doing – then terrorist movements will come back again,” he said, according to a transcript of the interview.
Islamic State fighters have exploited the chaos of Syria’s three-year-old civil war to carve out territory in the country’s eastern provinces.
Qatar, which has sent cash and arms to rebels fighting Assad, also supported the US strikes against Islamic State, contributing one plane on the first night of attacks on Tuesday.
Other US allies Jordan, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have joined in the strikes. All are ruled by Sunnis and are opponents of Assad.
The air raids follow growing alarm in Western and Arab capitals after Islamic State, a Salafi, Wahhabi militant group, swept through a swath of Iraq in June, proclaimed a “caliphate” ruling over all Muslims, slaughtered prisoners and ordered Shi’ites and non-Muslims to convert or die.
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