40% of Brits, 33% of Americans say Israel boycott ‘justified’: poll

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Over a third of Americans and nearly half of the British people say the Israeli regime deserves to be globally boycotted under the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement for its atrocities against the Palestinian people, a poll shows.

Some 1,100 adults in the US and Britain participated in the Ipsos survey, whose results were released this week.

Thirty-three percent of the US respondents and 40 of those polled in Britain said they believe boycotting the Israeli regime is “justified”.

In addition, about a quarter of the Americans and 33 percent of the Britons said they are ready to support the anti-Israeli movement.

The BDS campaign has gained popularity even among Israeli academics, with a report released last month revealing that prominent Israeli professors encourage, legitimize and often promote anti-Israel boycott efforts.

The report said dozens of Israeli academic figures, through petitions and letters, have encouraged the American Anthropological Association(AAA) to boycott Israeli higher academic institutions. They have urged the association to continue pressing for an academic boycott against Israel, drawing an angry response from a Zionist extra-parliamentary group.

Palestinian women read a placard stuck on the window of a shop to indicate to customers that it does not sell Israeli goods in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah, February 24, 2015. ©AFP

“Decision-makers and presidents of Israeli universities look to combat the international BDS movement, but completely ignore the boycott phenomenon from within Israel that is being led by Israeli academics,” Israeli media outlets quoted Matan Peleg, the CEO of the Zionist group Im Tirtzu, as saying on May 27.

The developments come as over 300 groups in Europe have recently urged the European Union to and join the BDS and hold Israel accountable for its human rights violations.

The BDS, initiated by over 170 Palestinian organizations in 2005, is a global effort that uses economic and political pressure on Israel to comply with the goals of the movement — the end of the Israeli occupation and colonization of Palestinian land, full equality for Arab-Palestinians living in the occupied territories, and respect for the right of return of Palestinian refugees.

Thousands of volunteers worldwide have joined the BDS ever since to help promote the Palestinian cause.

source : presstv

why won’t U.S. apologize for Hiroshima?

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37b973f3f9028bc0e28d212e7c6eefccWhen jahiliyyah (the era of ignorance) emerges and when satanic powers become dominant, then chaos occurs. The meaning of Taghut is, “Those who believe fight in the cause of Allah, and those who reject faith fight in the cause of taghut (false deities)” The Holy Quran, 4: 76, it is a criterion. Every step that an individual takes on the path of strengthening taghut, propels them into the camp of taghut. This is taghut’s purpose – corrupting individuals or causing them to behave in a corrupt manner. “When he turns his back, his aim everywhere is to spread mischief throughout the earth and destroy crops and cattle” [The Holy Quran, 2: 205].

God wants salvation for humanity, but taghut wants corruption for it. With one bomb they kill hundreds of thousands of people, in one or two cities, and when several years have passed they can’t even bring themselves to apologize. When people say to them, they should apologize for the event of Hiroshima, they answer, “No, we will not apologize.” They are not yet willing to apologize! They or their agents destroy the infrastructure of countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and other regional countries, nevertheless they pretend that nothing has happened and they continue down the same path.

This attitude demonstrates, “When he turns his back, his aim everywhere is to spread mischief throughout the earth and destroy crops and cattle.” This is the same orientation and front of jahiliyyah. In soul and spirit, today’s jahiliyyah is the same as the jahiliyyah of the Holy Prophet’s (pbuh) time. Of course, it benefits from new tools, new measures and a new shape. This situation definitely imposes a responsibility on all Muslims and on the entire Islamic Ummah. This responsibility is confronting taghut.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements made at an assembly, directed towards the Islamic Republic of Iran’s government officials and ambassadors of Islamic countries, May 5, 2016

When the Americans feel like expressing regret for their attack on Japan, for the two bombs they blasted in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they say, “Although tens of thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of people were killed, by the bombs that we dropped on these two cities, this was the price for ending World War II. If we (the Americans) had not dropped these nuclear bombs, the war would have continued. If we didn’t do it then two million people, instead of the two hundred thousand people who were killed as a result, would have been killed. Therefore, we rendered a service by dropping these bombs.”

Take note, that this is a common statement made by Americans (USA) in their official propaganda. 65 years have passed since that day but they repeat those very words. It is a deceptive and hypocritical statement, one of the elaborate lies, which is not told by anyone except the supercilious regimes. On the Christian calendar date of 1945, during summer, a crime was committed when two nuclear bombs were dropped and devastated two cities in Japan. This is while four months before that event, in the early spring of 1945, the primary warmonger Hitler, had committed suicide. Moreover, the second most important constituent to the war, Italian president Mussolini, was arrested. The war was approaching its end. Japan too, which was the third important element of the war, announced that it was ready to surrender. Therefore, the war was practically over, but these nuclear bombs were dropped regardless. Why? For experimentation purposes, these bombs had been built and they wanted to test them somewhere. Where were they going to test these weapons? The “best decision” for the US was to drop these bombs on innocent people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. They used war as a scapegoat, to do their experimentations, so results would clarify if these bombs work properly or not; such is their deceit.

Ayatollah Khamenei’s statements made at a meeting with fifty thousand Basiji commanders in attendance, November 20, 2013

  • Source : Khamenei

US mosques step up security amid growing safety concerns

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f62cb0ca0cccb549786ba4b98fd91e59From the suburbs of Los Angeles to the outskirts of Washington D.C., Mosques around the United States are warily stepping up security in the face of growing fears about reprisals on American Muslims.

The increasing safety concerns described by American Islamic leaders and the steps they are taking in response, including hiring armed guards represent the flip side of the rising public anxiety about ISIS terror after attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

The call by Donald Trump to ban Muslims from entering the United States only amplified concerns about an anti-Islamic backlash at Mosques and community centers, religious leaders and organizers say.

At least two mosques – one in Phoenix and the other in suburban Virginia are working with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to check up on the security their facilities provide for worshippers in recent weeks. Others report taking a range of steps, including hiring armed guards, because of fears that an American mosque could be a target for an attack.

“We are always concerned about lone wolf attacks,” said Usama Shami, president of a Phoenix mosque that has been working with the DHS to review its security measures since the Paris attack last month.

Given the rising tensions, some Mosques say they have struggled to hire and keep security guards. In Dulles, Virginia, a suburb of Washington with a large Muslim community center, security guards abruptly quit after the San Bernardino attacks, said Rizwan Jaka, chairman of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society.

“Security guards resigned because they were fearful of getting hurt in the backlash,” Jaka said. “People were concerned.”

The mosque has now hired armed guards and the imam of the Mosque, Mohammed Magid, said security had been increased for programs in which children take part. “We are concerned about the feeling in the larger community about Muslims,” he said.

Jaka said that after the San Bernardino shooting federal law enforcement officials had also completed a security assessment for the Mosque.

At the East Plano Islamic Center near Dallas, Texas, Nadim Bashir, the imam, said the mosque had hired an armed security guard ever since the Paris attacks. “We’re just trying to ramp up our efforts in the community and get a better name,” said Bashir.

A mosque in Corona, California, which, like San Bernardino, is a working-class suburb on the dusty eastern edge of Los Angeles, has spent $10,000 over the past two weeks to increase security. It is now asking for donations from the congregation to defer that expense, Imam Obair Katchi said.

The Islamic Society of Corona-Norco has also put up a banner on its website denouncing the San Bernardino attack. The mosque has faced extra scrutiny after it emerged that Enrique Marquez, who supplied guns used in the San Bernardino massacre, had once attended.

“The Muslim community stands shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Americans in repudiating any twisted mindset that would claim to justify such sickening acts of violence. We encourage everyone to be extra vigilant,” the mosque’s website says.

Not all mosques see the need for new security. Mufti Ikram Ul Haq at the Rhode Island Masjid Al-Islam said the mosque there is relying on a police presence during prayer times. “We have surveillance. We lock our doors and we have an alarm system,” he said. Local police, Haq said, “have been increasing patrols around our places of worship, and that gives us enough sense of security.”

The FBI will not release data on hate crimes for 2015 until next year. Some critics, including CAIR, say the official statistics undercount reported incidents targeting Muslims. For 2014, FBI data showed that out of 1,140 victims of anti-religious hate crimes, approximately 16 percent were victims of an anti-Islamic bias.

U.S. calls for investigation into Shia massacre carried out by Nigerian troops

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The U.S. on Wednesday joined urgent calls for an investigation into massacre carried out by Nigerian troops against Shiite Muslims in the country’s north.

The bloodshed began over the weekend when Nigeria’s military claimed Shiites attacked the Chief of Army staff’s convoy in Zaria in an apparent assassination attempt.

“The sect numbering hundreds carrying dangerous weapons, barricaded the roads with bonfires, heavy stones and tires,” the Army said in a statement. “They refused all entreaties to disperse and then started firing and pelting the convoy with dangerous objects.”

It claimed soldiers had “no choice” but to defend the convoy “at all cost,” adding in a statement two days later that the “loss of lives” was “most unfortunate.”

The Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, or IMN, strongly rejected that account. It said scores of its members were killed, “centers destroyed and burnt to ashes”

There were conflicting reports of how many were killed in the initial incident — or in the subsequent raids in Zaria near the home of the Shiite’s founder, Ibraheem Zakzaky.

A statement attributed to IMN spokesman Ibrahim Musa said “about a thousand” members of the sect had been massacred. Musa was later quoted by the Associated Press as saying that about 200 bodies were taken away from the area about Zakzaky’s home in Zaria on Monday.

The IMN — along with human-rights organizations — said Zakzaky’s relatives were among the dead and that the leader himself had been injured and arrested.

The U.S. said it was “deeply concerned” over the clashes and called on Nigeria’s government to “quickly, credibly and transparently investigate” the events in Zaria.

“While many details of the incidents…remain unclear, we are dismayed to learn of multiple civilian deaths,” the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said in a statement. “It is essential that all sides refrain from actions that further destabilize the situation.”

The statement echoed a similar call from Amnesty International which said anyone found responsible for the “unlawful killings must be brought to justice.”

“An impartial investigation is urgently needed into these killings,” Amnesty’s Nigeria Director M.K. Ibrahim said in a statement. “Whilst the final death toll is unclear, there is no doubt that there has been a substantial loss of life at the hands of the military.

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) is based in Kaduna state and was founded by Zakzaky.

“News of the killings and arrests have sparked protests in several other northern cities,” Crisis Group said in a blog post. “These protests, if not managed carefully, could further exacerbate the situation.” Nigeria’s military — which has long been accused of massive human rights violations — is already locked in a battle with the Boko Haram terror group.

IMN are strongly agianst Boko Haram insurgent.

American Hijab-Wearing Professor Suspended from Work after Citing Similarities between Christians, Muslims

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Larycia Hawkins, an associate professor of political science at Wheaton College, posted a photo of herself in the Muslim head cover last week, stating that she stands in “human solidarity” with Muslims “because we are formed of the same primordial clay”.

She added that Muslims, like Christians, are “people of the book…and as Pope Francis stated last week, we worship the same God.”

It didn’t take long for Wheaton College to respond, issuing a statement later that day which said it had received inquiries about remarks on social media by “some faculty members” who had spoken about the relationship between Christianity and Islam.

The private Evangelical college noted that such statements had “generated confusion about complex theological matters.”

“While Islam and Christianity are both monotheistic, we believe there are fundamental differences between the two faiths,” the college wrote.

Four days after that statement, the college announced that Hawkins had been suspended, adding that she will be subject to a “full review to which she is entitled as a tenured faculty member.”

In the same Facebook post, Hawkins encouraged women to wear a hijab in support of Muslims, and vowed to do so at work, throughout town, at social events, in airports, and on airplanes in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

“I invite all women into the narrative that is embodied, hijab-wearing solidarity with our Muslim sisters–for whatever reason. A large scale movement of Women in Solidarity with Hijabs is my Christmas #wish this year,” she wrote.

However, Wheaton College stated that Hawkins’ decision to wear a headscarf had nothing to do with her suspension.

“Dr. Hawkins’ administrative leave resulted from theological statements that seemed inconsistent with Wheaton College’s doctrinal convictions, and is in no way related to her race, gender or commitment to wear a hijab during Advent,” the university said in a statement.

The Chicago chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) is calling for Hawkins’ reinstatement, describing the college’s move as “unfathomable.”

“This was a genuine act of human solidarity, rooted in her sense of theological compassion, with those who are subjected to an onslaught of bigoted expression,” CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab said in a

The professor has also been supported by current and former students who are calling on the college both to reinstate her and offer a public apology.

“When Dr. Hawkins chose to show her support of our Muslim neighbors by wearing a hijab, she saw this as another instance of how she follows Jesus’ call to love everyone, especially those who are treated as undesirable or insignificant,” former student Clara Kent said, as quoted by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Meanwhile, Hawkins has called talks with the college “amicable,” and says she’ll continue her movement of solidarity until Christmas.

Located in the Chicago suburbs, Wheaton College is a private four-year Evangelical Protestant Christian liberal arts college comprising of around 3,000 students. Hawkins was the first African-American woman to become tenured at the college and has been a political science professor there since 2007.

Huge Rally at Fagge, Kano after Friday Prayers in Support of Sheikh Zakzaky

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Sympathizers in thousands came out and attended a protest rally after Friday prayers organized by members of the Shia Islamic movement in Fagge Friday mosque (18.12.2015) calling for the release of Shaikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) and a stop to the mass genocide and atrocities of the Nigerian Army on his followers in Nigeria.

This similar rallies and protest march were held in many Nigerian cities like Bauchi, Katsin, Yola, Minna, Gombe, Jalingo etc and world wide In attendances were children, young and old expressing their dismay on the atrocities of the Nigerian army with the President Commander in Chief staying mute up till this moment. They were surprise despite this carnage that all humanitarian have denounce comments mention the populace were told President Muhammadu Buhari is unaware of and attending a jamboree organized by film makers in Kaduna.

A press release signed by Mal Abdul Hamid Bello on behalf of the Islamic movement and Mal Sunusi Abdulkadir made a speech on the prevailing condition that touched the heart of those that attended the
rally.

In his speech Mal Sunusi denounce all atrocities calling for:

1) Members of the movement should be allowed access to Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky (H) as a means to taming the situation from further escalation.

2) Sheikh Zakzaky (H) must be allowed a doctor of his choice for medical treatment.

3) All detainees must be released together with the injured for medical attention.

4) All corpses of Brothers and Sisters must be handed over to us for proper Islamic burial.

5) A strong and inclusive committee must be constituted to include local and international representations to investigate and make public findings for the world to know the truth.

6) Compensation must be paid and those who committed the genocide must face the law.

Mal Sunusi called on members to continue exercising patience despite the difficult situation, continue praying, remain resolute on this noble path of Allah and restrain themselves from any effort of those
that want to create confusion amongst Muslim and the community to warrant detractors to continue with the evil plans of Zionist.

Mal Sunusi made an interview with member of the press and a closing dua was made with members leaving for their homes without any incidence of violence because they were not attacked by security
operatives or thugs, with all business activities and traffic flow taking place unhindered.

Muhammad Isa Ahmad

Photos: ‘Free Sheikh Zakzaky’ Protest in Manhattan, NYC (USA)

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A large number of Muslim Americans have held a demonstration in New York to condemn the Nigerian military’s massacre of Shia Muslims.

The demonstrators on Friday gathered in Midtown Manhattan near the Nigerian Mission to the United Nations and called for the release of senior Nigerian cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, P. TV correspondent Caleb Maupin reported.

The protesters chanted slogans and carried placards condemning the Nigerian military’s oppression against Muslims.

Hundreds of Shia Muslims have been killed during the weekend after clashes erupted between the Nigerian army and Shia Muslims in the northern city of Zaria in Kaduna State.

The clashes broke out when Nigerian soldiers opened fire on unarmed people attending a religious ceremony at Hussainiyah Baqiyatullah, a religious center belonging to the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN).

The Nigerian military accused the Shias of trying to stop a convoy of Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai. The military also claimed the Shias of attempting to assassinate Buratai – a charge Zakzaky, the IMN leader, denied.

Sheikh Zakzaky was arrested during a raid by the army on his residence and the buildings connected to the Shia community in Zaria.

“We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Sheikh Zakzaky, and all of the other detainees that have been illegally detained by the Nigerian military and the government,” said activist Ali Naqvi.

Seyed Ayleya of the Muslim Congress of America said that the Islamic Movement in Nigeria is vitally important for the entire African continent.

“Sheikh al-Zakzaky is one of the greatest leaders in Africa, and in the contemporary times we don’t find anyone similar to him in the entire continent,” he added.

“And the work he has done is just beyond the Shia community. He is a source for inspiration for the Sunni brothers there, and even [for] the Christian community.”

Activists said Zakzaky was targeted because he has bravely exposed links between the Takfiri group Boko Haram and the Nigerian government.

Boko Haram — whose name means “Western education is forbidden” — says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government.

The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.

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Family of Sheikh Zakzaky: Unclear If He is Dead or Unwell

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In a recent phone conversation with the son of the leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, we learned that Mr. Zakzaky’s family has not spoken directly to him since his arrest on Sunday.

Ibrahim al-Zakzaky’s son says his family has not been able to contact the Nigerian Shia leader since his arrest by the country’s forces earlier in the week.

According to the son, Mr. Zakzaky’s family does not know about his current medical condition and want him to see a doctor immediately.  The family has not even been able to speak to any officials who have had direct contact with Mr. Zakzaky.  Instead, the son informed that a military official assured the family that their patriarch is “safe and well”.

“We are concerned [Mr. Zakzaky may not be alive]. We want a doctor to speak to him who we can trust,” New York-based news agency Sahara Reporters, which tracks developments in Nigeria, cited the son as saying in a Thursday report.

The news agency also said that Zakzaky’s family has not been able to speak to any officials who have had contact with the Shia cleric.

Nigerian forces raided the house of the head of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in the country’s northern city of Zaria, in Kaduna state, on Sunday and arrested him after reportedly killing individuals attempting to protect him, including one of the movement’s senior leaders and its spokesman. According to media reports, dozens of people are believed to have been killed in the raid.

Britain-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said on Wednesday that there was credible evidence of mass graves in Nigeria following the Sunday massacre. The body, which put the toll at over 1,000, said that the Nigerian military had secretly buried hundreds of bodies in the graves after storming the house of the Shia leader.

Nigerian soldiers had opened fire on Shia Muslims attending a ceremony at a religious center in the city on Saturday. The Shias had reportedly stopped the convoy of Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai as Zakzaky was planning a speech in the religious center.

The son is the only one of Mr. Zakzaky’s children not currently jailed or dead.  The son told that 3 of his brothers were reportedly killed and, therefore, he is Mr. Zakaky’s last remaining son.

He also expressed concern about reports of mass graves, which were being kept hidden by the Nigerian army.

Meanwhile, a photo circulating on social media appears to show Zakzaky having been seriously wounded.
Source : Sahara

Russia: Hezbollah, Hamas Not Terrorist Groups

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The comment came as the Kremlin sought to secure international consensus on which forces in the Syrian civil war ought to be branded terror groups as part of political negotiations aimed at ending the nearly five-year-long conflict.

“Some say Hezbollah is a terrorist organization,” Bogdanov was quoted as saying. “We maintain contacts and relations with them because we do not consider them a terrorist organization.”

The Russian official noted that members of the Shiite group’s political wing were legally elected to Lebanese Parliament, and that the organization had never carried out attacks on Russian soil. He added that the group was a “legitimate sociopolitical” force.

Bogdanov also said Russia does not consider Gaza-based Hamas of the Kurdish Democratic Unity Party as terrorist groups.

Under pressure from the Zionist regime, certain European states and US has put the names of Hamas and Hezbollah in the list of terrorist organizations.

France may introduce nationwide curfews

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The French interior minister has given the go-ahead to local authorities across the country to impose a curfew in certain areas as part of security measures in the wake of shooting and bomb attacks in Paris, where over 120 people died.

Bernard Cazeneuve said on Saturday that local officials are allowed to introduce the curfews in areas which they deem necessary to prevent attacks similar to the deadly assaults in the capital on Friday.

The French interior minister, who was addressing the nation in televised remarks, said a series of increased security measures would also be introduced across France, including thousands more troops and police and special protection for certain public buildings. He said that demonstrations will be banned at least until Thursday.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (AFP photo)

Cazeneuve did not elaborate where the curfews could be imposed.

French authorities have yet to reveal the identity or the nationality of Paris attackers, who were reportedly killed at the scenes.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Saturday that France will hold a minute’s silence on Monday for the victims of the shootings and explosions on Friday as the nation is observing three days of mourning.

People wait to donate blood at the Hopital Saint Louis in Paris, France, on November 14, 2015, the morning after a string of attacks killed over 120 people in the French capital. (AFP photo) 

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said measures will be taken to boost protection of France’s official buildings abroad.

French President Francois Hollande said earlier in the day that the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group was behind the attacks. He said the attacks amounted to “an act of war.”

Shortly after the remarks by Hollande, Daesh in a statement claimed responsibility for the assaults.

Out of the roughly 200 people injured in the attacks, 80 individuals are reported to have been in a life-threatening condition.