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Cuffs only strengthen our determination

Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Aliaa Radhi, wife of the detained Al-Wefaq Secretary-General Sheikh Ali Salman, said that she received a phone call from him directly after his first appeals court hearing ended Tuesday afternoon (September 15, 2015) and that he told her to deliver a message to the Bahraini people stressing on his determination to achieve the people’s just demands no matter what the cost is.

On her personal Twitter account, Radhi tweeted: “I received a phone call now from the Secretary-General after his first appeals court hearing and his voice filled me with hope and persistence,” adding that “Sheikh Ali told me to deliver a message to the loyal Bahraini people and to all his beloved ones. I felt his steadfastness and high spirit were reflected in his message.”

“His message to you is that ‘we will carry on until our just demands are met; our demands that we deem necessary in order to modernize the country and achieve stability,” she further stated, adding that Sheikh Ali Salman stressed “that this movement will continue and that he will not forsake it under any circumstance, until people receive their natural and basic rights.”

Rahdi went on to say that “Sheikh Ali is willing to sacrifice the rest of his life until democracy is achieved in Bahrain and until this people enjoys freedom, dignity and equality.” She also quoted his own words: “The cuffs and all this only strengthens our determination to demand our rights so that this generation and the coming generation rest reassured about themselves and their futures.”

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Saudi warplanes kill at least ten Yemenis

At least ten people have been killed and many more wounded in Saudi Arabia’s latest airstrike on Yemen.

The civilians were killed as Saudi warplanes bombed a residential neighborhood in Yemen’s capital city Sana’a early on Thursday morning.

Saudi jets also attacked a sports stadium and a military barracks in the capital, and some raids were also carried out on civilian targets in the country’s central western Dhamar province and central Ma’rib province.

On Wednesday, a Saudi troop captured by Yemeni forces called on Riyadh to put an end to its deadly onslaught on its southern neighbor.

In the footage aired by the Arabic language television channel, a soldier identifying himself as Ibrahim Mohammad Hakami can be seen calling on the kingdom’s armed forces to put down their guns and reject Saudi Arabia’s justification for the war on Yemen.

He then goes on to thank the Yemeni troops who captured him for their humane treatment of prisoners.

On March 26, Saudi Arabia began its aggression against Yemen – without a UN mandate – in a bid to undermine the Houthi Ansarullah movement and restore power to the country’s fugitive former president, Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally of Riyadh.

According to the UN, the conflict has so far left about 4,500 people dead and thousands of others wounded. Local Yemeni sources, however, say the fatality figure is much higher.

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Greek Orthodox Archbishop: We are united with Muslim brothers in face of Israeli attacks

Ahlul Bayt News Agency – Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sebastia Atallah Hanna visited Wednesday morning the Jerusalemite youths who were injured over the past three days while trying to prevent Israeli settlers and forces’ break-ins into al-Aqsa mosque.

During a press conference held shortly after his visit to Makassed Hospital, Archbishop Hanna denounced Israeli escalated attacks on al-Aqsa Mosque and sit-inners.

He stressed the urgent need for a real action in defense of al-Aqsa Mosque and holy sites in the occupied city of Jerusalem.

Christians in occupied Jerusalem express total rejection of the Israeli escalation in the city against Muslims’ holy shrines, he said.

Israel’s escalation, according to him, could only strengthen “our steadfastness, determination, and rejection to its unfair practices”.

“We, as Christians, share the same pain and sorrow as our Muslim brothers in occupied Jerusalem”, he continued. “Al-Aqsa Mosque is the main issue for all the Palestinian people, Christians and Muslims.”

He concluded by hailing the heroic steadfastness of those who sacrificed their lives in defense of al-Aqsa Mosque.

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Larijani: Iran Continues Supporting Syria

Iran’s Parliament Speaker says that Iran will continue supporting Syria.

Speaking to Syrian Ambassador to Tehran Adnan Mahmoud on Wednesday, Larijani said “The people of Syria and its leaders have passed difficult times in recent years; and this resistance is praiseworthy in real sense of the word.”

The Islamic Republic supports Syria based on a moral and religious responsibility, the Iranian official said and added “The Islamic Republic of Iran continues its support for Syria and believes that, with a new political strategy and initiative, Syrian leaders should be given the opportunity to solve their domestic problems and overcome the terrorists.”

The Syrian envoy, for his part, presented a report of his country’s latest developments and hailed Iran’s support for Syria in its fight against Takfiri terrorist groups.

“The main priority for the international community should be campaign against terrorism and the terrorists involved in committing crimes in the Syrian territory.” Adnan Mahmoud said.

He added that as Syrian President Bashar Assad recently emphasized resistance to terrorists and Takfiri groups will continue.

“Iran’s role in finding a solution to the conflict in Syria is vital and highly significant and this is indeed a fact that Western countries and many other states acknowledge,” he concluded.

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Iran Seriously Impairs US Power Factors: General Soleimani

The Islamic Revolution in Iran has seriously impaired all the factors that the US depends on as a superpower, Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani said.

What has happened over the past 20 years between the Islamic Iran and the US as a superpower is that Iran’s Islamic Revolution has seriously damaged all the factors making America a superpower, Major General Soleimani said in a gathering of IRGC commanders in Tehran on Wednesday.

He said Americans seek to rebuild their power from the very point where it began to wane, namely the Middle East region.

The Middle East is the point of dissolution of the US power and also the point of the Islamic Republic’s influence, he added.

Pointing to Washington’s failed policies in the region, Major General Soleimani said Americans formed alliances in an effort to remove Hezbollah from Lebanon, but all those plans ended in failure.

Instead, he said, “Hezbollah got stronger, in a way that today, its respected leader (Seyed Hassan Nasrallah) explicitly announces its capabilities and power.”

The top general then explained that Europeans are increasingly reaching out to Iran, albeit in coordination with the US, as part of a plan to create polarity in the Iranian society, raise public expectations and downplay the notion of encounter between Iran and the West.

Western countries have expressed enthusiasm for closer ties with Iran following the conclusion of nuclear talks between Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany).

Tehran and the Group 5+1 (also known as the P5+1 or E3+3) on July 14 reached a conclusion over the text of a comprehensive deal on Tehran’s nuclear program.

While many consider the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) a major breakthrough in the improvement of ties between Iran and the West, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has already made it clear that Tehran’s policy toward the US will remain unchanged regardless of the ultimate fate of the JCPOA.

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Crane incident shows Saud’s unable to manage two holy mosques

At a ceremony marking the new academic year at al-Mustafa International University, Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani criticized the Saudi authorities on their negligence in regard to protecting the lives of Hajj pilgrims and stressed that the incident showed the House of Saud is unable to manage the Two Holy Mosques.

Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Nouri-Hamadani spoke today at a ceremony marking the beginning of the new academic at al-Mustafa International University’s Imam Khomeini Specialized University in Qom.

Speaking to staff and students at this university for non-Iranian seminarians, the source of emulation stated that the present-day Shi’a seminaries are an extension of the schools of the Prophet Muhammad and Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq and in the spirit of their schools, Islamic sciences are taught and researched in our modern era.

His Eminence suggested three basic points in the field of religious education. Noting the importance of studying law and jurisprudence, he said that in the Holy Quran, God encourages people toward gaining a “profound understanding” in religion because if nobody becomes a jurisprudent in the Islamic community, they cannot have a significant impact on the world.

Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani said that a jurisprudent is someone who has expertise in ten areas: knowledge in the fields of theology and philosophy, religion, morality, economics, civics, culture, politics, government, justice and jihad.

The revered source of emulation explained the importance of the issue of cultural education, which is recognized as a priority in the Islamic world, and said: “In regard to the important issue of Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Jurisprudent), we still have not a reached strong and consistent opinion and there is room for further investigation in regard to this very important issue by jurisprudents.

” He said that the late Imam Ruhollah Khomeini was able to have a phenomenal impact on the world because he was a jurist, a philosopher and a politician and if jurisprudence was not established in his being, he would not be able to revive Islam.

In regard to the issue of religious education, Ayatollah Nouri-Hamadani stressed that another important issue is the seminarians’ recognition of the current era. Never before in history, has there been such of blasphemy, hypocrisy and injustice as there in the world today. “This issue is completely relevant to the students’ mission,” he added.

In another part of his lecture, His Eminence stated that Zionism is main enemy of humanity and Islam, saying: “Today, Zionists are trying to destroy religion and morality in the world in order to extend their evil domination throughout the world.”

The revered scholar stated that distortion and misinterpretation of religion are other problems facing Islam, such that today, some consider Islam to be a religion limited to 1,400 years ago because of its outward appearance and target the religion with slurs and involve themselves in creating divisiveness among Muslims.

Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi emphasized that we must constantly monitor the enemies, adding that one of the most important issues today is the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and warned that we must be vigilant in this area, lest the enemies use it against us.

The source of emulation also expressed regret over the tragic crane incident that killed a number of Hajj pilgrims in Makkah. He blamed the Saudi negligence as the cause of the crane collapse and condemned their disregard for the pilgrims’ safety. He also said this incident showed that the House of Saud is weak and cannot appropriately manage the Two Holy Mosques.

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Supreme Leader Condoles Passing Away of Ayatollah Khazali

Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Wednesday issued a message of condolence on the passing way of Ayatollah Abolghassem Khazali.

In the message, the Supreme Leader condoled the bereaved family of the Ayatollah and all the survivors as well as friends on his demise.

Recalling Ayatollah Khazali’s campaigns and struggles, the Supreme Leader wished him divine mercy and forgiveness.

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U.S Muslim organization coordinates blood drive in honor of 9/11 victims

The Al-Islam Student Association (AISA) at the University of Arkansas recently collected 171 pints of blood in a blood drive that took place on Sept. 8-9 in honor of the victims who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“Both days we held the blood drive, the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks had to work extra hard because we had an overflow of students,” said Naseer Naseem, president of the AISA.

The student organization raised 77 pints of blood the first day and 94 pints the second day, Naseem said.

This is the fifth year the AISA has organized the blood drive, and members have collected more than 600 pints over the years, Naseem noted.

The blood drive is part of the Muslims for Life national campaign, which has raised around 40,000 pints in the last four years, Naseem added. That amount can save around 118,000 lives, according to the Muslims for Life website.

The blood drive is sponsored to show that despite differences in religion, ethnicity and nationality, students can give back to the community and save lives, Naseem said.

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New billboard campaign in San Diego presents true image of Islam

Presenting the true message of Islam, three billboards campaign are now up in San Diego, to correct misconception surrounding the faith and offer reliable answers to those seeking more information about Islam.

Islamic Circle of North America’s (ICNA) national billboard campaign recently added San Diego, stating the city was an important part of the campaign inviting people to explore the Muslim faith, according to ICNA Vice President Imam Khalid Griggs.

The campaign will have around 100 billboards posted nationwide. Creators of the message said it could spark backlash amid a spike in anti-Islamic sentiment.

The billboards are meant to dispel the growing misinformation about Islam and its Prophet, Griggs said. Billboards invite passers-by to call the toll-free number 1-877-Why-Islam or online.

“People are curious to know about the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him),” said Naeem Baig, the President of ICNA. “They have many questions, and we are experiencing a surge in calls to our hotline and website visits since the billboards went up.”

It is noteworthy that ICNA is one of the largest, non-profit, grassroots Muslim organizations in North America with many projects, programs, and activities designed to help in reforming society at large.

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Egyptian Religious Figures Demand Change of Hajj Authority

Several Egyptian religious figures joined a growing number of Muslim world elites and politicians demanding the change of authority in charge of running Hajj rituals from Riyadh to a collection of Muslim states after the Friday night’s crane crash at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca killed and wounded hundreds of pilgrims.

“Many mistakes have been made during the Hajj ceremony in recent decades and the bloody Friday incident was not the first case and will not be the last either; therefore, unless a revolution doesn’t take place in the administration and management of the Hajj ceremony in Saudi Arabia, we will witness such incidents in future too,” Sheikh Salman Mohammad, the advisor of Egypt’s ministry of endowment said on Thursday.

Also Ashraf Fahmi, a professor at Egypt’s al-Azhar university, said that Saudi Arabia should admit its mistakes in handling the Hajj ceremony and take serious measures to correct the way it administers the ceremony.

Storms were lashing the Saudi city of Mecca when strong winds reportedly brought down the crane that was part of construction works.

Tons of rubble and debris crashed to the ground on top of scores of people gathering in the mosque for 6:30 prayers when a section of the crane crashed through the roof.

At least 107 people were killed and 238 more were injured when the crane collapsed on to the Grand Mosque during storms.

The crane which crashed through the ceiling of the Grand Mosque of Mecca, killing over a hundred pilgrims, operated for a company owned by Saudi Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, Arab media disclosed on Saturday.

Meantime, other media sources claimed that the crane belongs to a German crane company operated by the Bin Laden family’s consortium, who are heading the expansion of the Holy Mosque.

In relevant remarks on Monday, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani blamed the Saudi administration’ negligence as the main cause of the Friday deadly crane collapse in Mecca.

“The Saudi government should have made the necessary preparations to safeguard the lives of the pilgrims,” Larijani said in a message of condolence to the bereaved families of the victims.

He regretted that the Hajj rituals coincided with this sad incident, and asked Saudi officials to immediately probe into the case.

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