World Terrorism: News, History and Research Of A Changing World #7 Security Watch

No one to counter Chavez In a region where the leading ideology is Bolivarianism, there is not one leader positioned to offer a better idea for a brighter future.

For over two decades, the prevailing ideology in Latin America was neo-liberalism, a Washington-born idea that claimed the power of open markets would lift the region’s poor from misery. It did not, and corruption ran rampant.

While democracy still remains strong, resentful voters ushered in a new generation of neo-populist leaders touting a new idea: a form of socialism, called Bolivarianism, that has slowly but surely become the loudest and most prevalent ideology.

Bolivarianism is anti-capitalist, supports nationalization, regional trade with like-minded countries and above all, suggests that a country should rely on itself or fellow socialist states, not imperialist powers, as a source of the economic growth that will lift all from poverty. It is a sort of refurbished socialism that is not a guiding light for the future.

Latin America cannot readily absorb the economic shock of open markets, nor can it get bogged down in the trappings of old socialist ideas. A blended ideology must be promoted, but the problem is that no one is strong enough to counter Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the leader of Bolivarianism.

Chavez calls it Socialism for the 21st Century. Cuba's Fidel Castro passed him the torch. Leaders around the region pay homage to their own past as socialist upstarts through hugging and laughing with Chavez on the international stage while taking care of often pro-capitalist, neo-liberal business at home.

Brazilian President Luis Inacio “Lula” da Silva is a perfect example. He has the leftist background and eye for fiscal conservatism to become a great ideological counterweight to Chavez. His politics represent an ideal blend for the region. But his politically weak position at home and strong voices from his own left deter any would be shouting match with Chavez.

Within a week after winning his second term in office, Lula visited Chavez for a photo opportunity on a bridge linking both countries. That was in November, and it looks like Lula’s administration will remain bogged down until March as he struggles to get past his party’s sordid past and form a working cabinet willing to share the same table.

Argentina of the past could have been a counter weight to the Bolivarian ideology. But since Nestor Kirchner has come to power, Argentina has become a Venezuelan puppet.

Chavez has literally bought the support of his southern neighbor with over US$3 billion in purchases of Argentine debt. The most recent purchase occurred on 16 February, when Venezuela dumped another US$750 million into Argentine government coffers.

Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has the politics to promote an ideological battle with Chavez. Colombia has been a model of economic growth through a mixture of neo-liberal policies and social programs. But Uribe has serious problems.

Political allies are falling like dominos due to links with former paramilitary leaders. And if Uribe took the time to speak out for neo-liberalism and against Chavez, he would be dismissed as another of Washington's puppets. Colombia is a top recipient of US aid.

The only other leader who could take up an ideological fight with Chavez is Mexican President Felipe Calderon. He has the right politics and his country has a history of not blindly supporting the US. Voting against the US invasion of Iraq at the UN is a clear indication. But Calderon won on the thinnest possible mandate. His opposition controls enough seats in the Mexican Congress to block any unwanted initiative, and his focus is on Mexican organized crime, not on verbal sword play with Chavez.

Finally, the US has launched a diplomatic offensive in the region. This is to be a year of engagement, but the US president is clearly obsessed with the war in Iraq, not with putting a muzzle on Venezuela’s leader for the sake of the region’s future. Washington is doubly discredited, first for promoting an ideology that clearly did not work, and second for doing nothing about it.

Latin America needs an independent leader willing to stand up to Chavez, but that leader does not exist on the region’s geopolitical map. Bolivarianism will continue to seep into the minds and hearts of millions across Latin America. Chavez and his pool of allies will control the headlines until the next round of presidential elections tell the world how the region has embraced this new ideology.

As Chavez puts it, Socialism for the 21st Century is just getting started. If that is true, then he will continue to trumpet his ideology until Latin Americans learn, the hard way, that Bolivarianism did not carry them much farther from poverty than neo-liberalism. Disillusionment with reality may then spread faster than hope for the future.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sam Logan is an investigative journalist who has reported on security, energy, politics, economics, organized crime, terrorism and black markets in Latin America since 1999. He is a senior writer for ISN Security Watch based in Brazil.

The views and opinions expressed herein are those of the author only, not the International Relations and Security Network (ISN).

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200704/s1891718.htm

Blair denies making deal for sailors’ freedom

British Prime Minister Tony Blair has denied any deal was done with
Iran
to secure the freedom of the 15 British naval personnel who have
returned home after being detained for 13 days in Tehran.

Meanwhile the British sailors and marines have been recounting their
ordeal to senior officers.

They have been explaining in detail how they and their vessels were
seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and what happened to them while
they were being held.

While the diplomatic and political fallout is analysed, the military is
carrying out its own examination.

They are investigating whether the navy’s rules of engagement need to
be
changed.

There are questions over whether the navy has the right vessels for
operating in inshore waters and whether it can protect itself from
threats.

While Iran continues to hold the captured boats, British boarding
operations, mainly aimed against smugglers, are at a standstill.

New boats are being found.

It has not yet been decided whether the 15 crew members will return to
pick up where they left off.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/yazarDetay.do?haberno=107525

Diary scandal puts judiciaryâ€™s independence in Turkey under
discussion

In a recent gathering with journalists Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
ErdoÄŸan complained that prosecutors had failed to act in immediately
launching an investigation into the diary scandal which erupted last
week when the Nokta weekly magazine published a diary revealing that
top
generals had allegedly planned to stage two coups against the Justice
and Development Party (AK Party) in 2004. ErdoÄŸan called on
prosecutors
to take action and investigate the issue as, according to the Article
309 of the Turkish Constitution, it is a serious crime to attempt to
change the constitutional order by force. For many the hesitation of
prosecutors to act against the supposed coup plotters, now retired
generals, recalled the case of Van Chief Public Prosecutor Ferhat
SarÄ±kaya. The man in question was dismissed from his profession for
having included then-Land Forces Commander Gen. YaÅŸar BÃ¼yÃ¼kanÄ±t
(now
chief of General Staff) in his indictment on the Åžemdinli case (a bomb
attack involving military officers), raising concerns about the freedom
and supremacy of the judiciary in Turkey.

Sabahâ€™s Ergun Babahan criticizes some of the judges and prosecutors
in
Turkey who are very sensitive about some issues while turning a blind
eye to others. They turn a blind eye to the reality of girls who cannot
enter university because they wear headscarves in Turkey and they
ignore
the perpetrators of coup attempts. He says that they do not care much
about democracy but they keep defending secularism for show. He
criticizes the prosecutors who do not show the slightest hesitation to
launch investigations into novelists such as Elif Åžafak and Orhan
Pamuk
under Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK) for allegedly
insulting Turkishness, but ignore the perpetrators of coup attempts.

Yeni Åžafakâ€™s Ali BayramoÄŸlu affirms that it is the judiciary that
should
take action against such illegal attempts, noting that this does not
seem to be an easy thing in Turkey — considering the power balances
and
precedents, like the fate of Ferhat SarÄ±kaya. BayramoÄŸlu questions
what
can be done and says that both the executive and legislative powers
should exercise their authority in order to protect democracy. He says
that, in principle, the General Staff is an administrative unit
responsible to the prime minister and thus ErdoÄŸan has the authority
to
launch an administrative investigation. He also notes that ErdoÄŸan may
ask the Prime Ministry Inspection Council to look into the case. It is
not very realistic to wait for the judiciary to take action without
political encouragement or political decree, BayramoÄŸlu asserts.

Vatanâ€™s Okay GÃ¶nensin admits that there are serious problems
concerning
the freedom and running of the judiciary in Turkey. He explains that
politicization of the judiciary is not limited to the disputes over the
appointment of some judicial officials between the judiciary and
government in Ankara, but it also includes prosecutors remaining silent
before certain cases. â€œIn the diary case, the judiciary seemed not to
be
involved in the case or got involved a little bit late,â€ he says.
GÃ¶nensin thinks that this recent case and many other similar cases in
the past show that Turkey needs to reform its judiciary. Actually he
says this change should be more revolution than reform.
06.04.2007

http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200704/06/eng20070406_364380.html

15:27, April 06, 2007
Illegal Pakistani migrants discovered in LPG tank of truck in Turkey

Turkish gendarmerie forces discovered some 59 Pakistani men hiding in a
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker truck near the Ercis district of
the eastern province of Van linking neighboring Iran, local Today’s
Zaman reported on Friday.

The migrants were discovered during a routine security search by the
gendarmerie on Thursday, said the report, adding that the illegal
immigrants, who were taken to the Ercis Judicial Court after they
stated
their cases, would be handed over to the Van Security Directorate
foreigners unit in order to be deported.

The report said that the driver of the vehicle escaped when he spotted
the gendarme, adding that investigation into the matter is continuing.

Turkey is a popular destination and transit route for thousands of
would-be immigrants from Asian countries, who seek a better life in
wealthier Europe.

The European Union, which Turkey aspires to join, has been urging
Ankara
to reinforce security to prevent human smuggling through its territory
to Europe.

Greece and Italy are usually the most preferred destinations in Europe
for the immigrants, who transit the Turkish territory.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/World/The_United_States/US_arrests_Asians_smuggling_arms_to_LTTE/rssarticleshow/1863963.cms

US arrests Asians smuggling arms to LTTE
[ 6 Apr, 2007 0957hrs ISTAFP ]

WASHINGTON: US authorities said they had busted an arms-trafficking
gang
comprising six Asians who had been trying to smuggle weapons from the
United States to Tamil Tiger rebels.

Singaporean Haniffa Bin Osman, 55, was the latest person to plead
guilty
in the investigation, which saw undercover agents track the alleged
arms
dealers from the eastern port of Baltimore to the South Pacific US
territory of Guam.

“The disruption of the supply chain of this organisation should
reassure
the public that the US government is committed to dismantling terrorist
groups worldwide,” said FBI special agent William Chase.

Osman and four Indonesians have now pleaded guilty to charges stemming
from the investigation, from conspiracy to supporting a terrorist
organisation to attempting to illegally export arms.

They all face significant jail terms. A sixth suspect, Sri Lankan
Thirunavukarasu Varatharasa, goes on trial next month on charges of
conspiracy, attempting to export arms, money laundering, and illegal
possession of weapons.

“Keeping sophisticated US weapons from falling into the hands of
terrorists has never been more important,” said James Dinkins, Special
Agent for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Baltimore.

“This three-year undercover investigation highlights the reach and
impact of international arms trafficking.” The rebels have been
blacklisted as a terrorist organisation by the United States since
1997.

Telegraph: Warlord takes up the reins in Chechnya

Warlord takes up the reins in Chechnya

Adrian Blomfield in Gudermes
The Telegraph, Last Updated: 1:22am BST 06/04/2007

A man known until now as the alpha warlord of Chechnya was sworn into
office as president yesterday.

Like a prize-fighter entering the ring, Ramzan Kadyrov, 30, strode
jauntily down the red carpet, flashing his trademark smirk as friends
and enemies alike rose to venerate him with rhythmic applause.

Hundreds of buses ferried in flag-waving children to line the streets
of Gudermes, Chechnya’s second city, and welcome the man Vladimir
Putin, the Russian President, has entrusted with the future of the
fractious republic.

Only the military had the stronger presence - an attempt to deter
separatist rebels and human rights activists keen to point out that
the new president and his private army had spread torture and fear
through Chechnya.

Mr Kadyrov’s Kremlin mentors insisted on an uncharacteristic measure
of decorum, initially at least. The president, a keen amateur boxer,
was even persuaded to swap his usual tracksuit for a jacket and tie.
advertisement

The ceremony, held in a marquee bedecked with turquoise polyester
ribbons, was strangely subdued.

There was a brass band and a traditionally costumed guard of honour,
but otherwise proceedings had a distinct feel of a school speech day.
Microphones worked badly, and an unfortunately positioned spotlight
caused the president’s head to glow an alarming red.

An aide to Mr Kadyrov promised an extravaganza of fireworks, pop stars
and celebrities at his official residence in Gudermes later. The aide
boasted that the food alone had cost £300,000.

All this in a republic where more than half the population is
unemployed and those with jobs have to surrender 30 per cent of their
incomes to the Kadyrov Foundation, ostensibly a charity set up by the
president.

http://www.worldpress.org/Mideast/2743.cfm

Jihad Materials Thrive in Yemeni Markets
April 5, 2007

A little-known aspect of the war on terrorism is being fought in the
mountainous Arab country of Yemen by a new generation of Sunni Muslims
who are circulating gruesome videos showing the murder and mutilation
of
“infidels” as part of a recruiting drive for Osama bin Laden’s
worldwide
terror network.

At a roadside stand, a video salesman sells “jihadi” movies to the
converted, as radical songs, including, “We will make jihad against the
pigs” (meaning Jews) blare from speakers in his bookshop.

The long-bearded buyers thronging his stall on the sidelines of a
sunset
prayer sermon in the Yemeni capital Sana’a belong to a group organized
by the radical Sunni wing of the Yemen Reform Group, also known as
Islah
â€” a powerful opposition Islamic party.

“Here is the latest movie of the beheadings,” the salesman tells his
customers, as they examine titles such as, “Slaughter of American
Soldiers in Iraq,” “Al Qaeda Victories in Fallujah in Iraq,” and
“Killing of Traitors in Afghanistan.”

In Yemen, which was compelled to join the United States-led global war
on terrorism after al Qaeda’s Sept. 11, 2001 attack, anger has risen
over what many Muslim clerics see as an attempt by America and the West
to repress Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan and around the world.

But that is only part of the story. Yemen has also been pushed into a
long battle with its own demons, particularly al Qaeda-related attacks
and sectarian violence that have killed thousands.

Recently, four people were injured when a Sunni riot broke out in the
Yemeni port city of Belhaf, allegedly after an engineer working for the
French company Total desecrated a copy of the Koran by throwing it on
the floor.

At the other north end of the country, in the restive Saada tribal area
bordering Saudi Arabia where fierce battles are still going on between
government forces and Shiite rebels, two Muslim students â€” one
French,
and the other British â€” were killed and several others wounded in a
recent attack by Shiite rebels on a fundamentalist Sunni religious
school.

The movie seller didn’t have the most recent action from the war in
Iraq, but he had something else just as gruesome.

“This one is about the activities of Mujahideen bombers in Iraq,” he
said, “and this is about the biographies of martyrs in Afghanistan.”

On Sept. 15, 2006, al Qaeda sympathizers attacked the American and
Canadian-owned oil facilities in the eastern provinces of Marib and
Hadarmout after they watched a movie in which Osama bin Laden issued a
fatwa ordering strikes on Western-owned oil companies in the Arab
peninsula.

Yemen, the ancestral homeland of bin Laden, has provided two-thirds of
the recruits for Osama’s Afghan camps, and is notorious for kidnappings
of foreigners as well as for the October 2000 bombing of the American
warship U.S.S. Cole in Aden that killed 17 sailors, and for the October
2002 bombing of the French supertanker, Limberg.

But the battle to eradicate such acts of terrorism has been
reinvigorated by a government crackdown on Yemen’s arms trade, which
fuels many of the fundamentalist Islamic groups and tribal conflicts.

The country has come under increased pressure from the United States, a
key financial and military backer, to take harsher action against the
illicit trade in weapons, which experts say are funneled to militias
and
radical insurgent groups throughout the Middle East.

“The explanation for them makes no haze or cloudiness about who is
producing them â€” they are al Qaeda’s Sunni sympathizers of the
political
Islamist Islah party,” said Mohammed Kuhaly, political analyst and lead
researcher of the local non-governmental organization (NGO) Political
Development Program.

For less than a dollar apiece, jihadi literature and VCDs admire the
brave and exciting actions of al Qaeda fighters, promise 72 heavenly
virgins for prospective martyred bombers and prescribe beheadings for
spies.

There are also training movies on how to run a guerrilla war, based on
Islamist insurgent militants fighting the American-led coalition forces
in Iraq.

Messages in the movies put all Arab leaders, including President Ali
Abdullah Saleh of Yemen, and President George W. Bush at the top of a
hit list for would-be murderers in a war against what are described as
the American “crusader forces.”

President Saleh has banned several radical religious schools belonging
to the opposition Islamist Islah party since 2002, and just two years
ago he launched yet another campaign against militant Shiite rebels,
stirring sectarian violence between Yemen’s majority Sunni and minority
Shiites.

Adel Qasim runs an Islamic bookstore in Sana’a and said Saleh’s
policies
since the Sept. 11 attacks have definitely been bad for such business.

“In fact, our sales were doing very well when we were trading jihadi
literature,” Qasim lamented. “Now this business, from time to time, has
gone underground. But it is openly sold to known people.”

In Sana’a also, the owner of another bookshop said such material could
always be arranged to be sold to trusted customers.

It is not difficult, however, to find the leader of one of the most
radical groups in Yemen. His message of extremist Islam can be heard
outside a number of well-known mosques.

Sheikh Hazza Al-Maswary, a representative of Islamist Islah party that
forms the largest opposition block in the Parliament, has kept a low
profile for some time because of pressure from Yemen’s security
apparatus, according to some analysts.

But outside Mujahid mosque in Sana’a, his voice blares out from
speakers
from among the shops selling perfumes, head caps, religious books,
cassettes and films after Friday prayers.

“Curse on the Christian Americans and Jews â€¦ those are killers â€¦
and we
will make jihad against them, we will rob them of their peace,”
legislator Al-Maswary thunders.

“Muslims must not follow the Christians and Jews, and God says he will
not accept anyone but Muslims.”

Not all Yemeni preachers are spreading messages of Jihad. Some are
moderate and are engaged in fighting radicalism within their groups,
while others exert efforts to mediate armed tribal conflicts and help
to
bring a measure of peace to this mountainous Arab country.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=446830&in_page_id=1770&ito=newsnow

New anti-terrorism teams will target muslim preachers of hate
Last updated at 10:52am on 5th April 2007

Mosques and imams are facing a clampdown as the Government unveils
plans
to target extremists with special police and legal teams.

Attorney General Lord Goldsmith has announced moves to create new
counter-terrorism units with the specific job of pursuing extremists
who
seek to recruit others.

At the same time Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly unveiled a six-point
plan to boost moderate Muslim leaders and introduce citizenship
education into madrassas â€” religious schools â€” in the UK for the
first time.

Twinning of Christian and Muslim schools and a new statutory monitoring
role for the Charities Commission over the work of mosques are key
planks of the package.

Lord Goldsmith said his scheme would involve specialist lawyers in the
Crown Prosecution Service working with counter-terrorist police to
target extremists preachers like Abu Hamza, the cleric convicted of
inciting racial hatred.

“For some time I have been concerned that we have not taken
sufficiently
effective action against a very small minority of extremists among our
communities who incite others to terrorism,” he said.

Ms Kelly announced Â£6 million to fund initiatives across 70 councils
in
England. London boroughs will receive large chunks of cash from the
Preventing Violent Extremism Pathfinder Fund, with Â£2 million for
local
authorities in the capital and Â£450,000 for authorities elsewhere in
the
South-East.

Among programmes being funded are a Muslim parents forum in Southwark,
which will train mothers to challenge extremist views among children.

In another project, Tottenham Hotspur will link Muslim footballers with
children in Haringey to promote the “positive values” of Islam.

Todayâ€™s plan includes:

â€¢ A new Â£600,000 Faith and Social Cohesion Unit within the Charities
Commission to check whether mosques are meeting their statutory duty to
help the public good.

â€¢ New higher standards of English and moderation for imams who are
hired
by the state to work in prisons and youth centres.

â€¢ Extending citizenship lessons to Muslim schools to teach core
British
values and culture.

â€¢ Local “forums against extremism” expanded from 12 to 40 nationally
by
next April.

Launching the strategy in London, Ms Kelly said that the Government
must
focus as much on “winning heart and minds” as on a robust security
response.

“We need to reach out and give greater support to the overwhelming
majority who are disgusted by terrorist attacks carried out in the name
of Islam,” she said.

An interim report by Muslim academic Tufyal Choudhury from Durham
University, published with the plans, suggested a new “British Muslim”
identity was forming in opposition to violent radicalism.

http://mathaba.net/0_index.shtml?x=552638

The need for a Muslim hero
Posted: 2007/04/05

Who is a real hero? It is often a person respected for possessing
certain characteristics he/she is blessed with. Admiration for the hero
could stem from an act of immense bravery. Followers of Islam around
the
world are yearning to proudly showcase a Muslim identity many feel is
constantly under fire. What the majority of Muslims really want to do
is
share Islam’s culture and identity with the world.

Psychologists often state that people grow up with a need for heroes,
and the media repeatedly offers candidates to fill this void. But is
the adoption of a hero more to do with ones own needs than the standing
of a particular hero.

“There is no universal hero,” says sports psychologist Richard
Lustberg,
PhD. “Subjectively, the hero is created within you. Heroes are created
as a great way to escape from whatever you need to escape from, and
they
can supply for you whatever you need.”

It is exactly with this notion in mind that Dr Naif Al Mutawa, CEO of
Teshkeel Media Group Kuwait, launched a comic book featuring
superheroes
with Islamic values. The 99 is the comic debut of a new legend of
Muslim
superheroes. Readers and adherents are now discovering the secrets of
the Dar Al Hikma and the powers of the mysterious Noor stones. They
meet
the cunning Rughal and the powerhouse known as Jabbar and Dr Ramzi
Razem the man who has devoted his life to finding The 99!

Al Mutawa grew up in a situation where Orwellâ€™s Animal Farm was
banned
not because it was about totalitarianism but because there was a pig on
the cover. He has described one inspiration for The 99 when he
accompanied his children to a puppet show in New York City. Mutawa
expecting a relaxing break spent the entire performance frenziedly
taking notes of the acts, featuring Islamophobic characters and
plotlines. The performance gave him a sharp lesson on the power of
messages in entertainment for young adults and children.

The 99 is is deeply rooted in proud Islamic history that every Middle
Eastern schoolchild knows. In 1258, the invading Mongolian forces of
Hulagu Khan destroyed the great libraries of Baghdad, including the Dar
Al-Hikma, which was destroyed by the invading Mongolian forces of
Hulagu
Khan. This attack was meant to destroy the true power of Islamic
society â€“ its knowledge and wisdom, and â€“ and so to impede the
cultureâ€™s progress. It is here the story of The 99 begins. Al-
Mutawa
is harking back to a time when Islam was at its cultural peak. During
this Golden Age of Islam, Muslim cities were centers of learning,
commerce, and time, there was widespread Islamic tolerance of other
faiths. With this â€œbetter timeâ€ shown directly on the booksâ€™
pages, it
implies, and hopefully inspires, a time of greater peace and tolerance
to come.

During his studies of psychology, Al-Mutawa found that the ideas of
Joseph Campbell, ignited an interest in finding a deeper meaning for
cultural products. â€œTufts is where I found my echo â€“ the voice I
wanted
to use,â€ Al-Mutawa said. Campbellâ€™s ideas about hero archetypes
show the
many similarities between comic book heroes and religious leaders.
Religious archetypes in entertainment, however, extend beyond comics.
Movies like Waterworld that draw on religious stories but donâ€™t use
religious language or symbols are much more effective in communicating
their message to audiences. â€œYou draw on a basic idea that is already
shared by millions of people within that tradition.

The creation of such a comic book with such graphic visuals will
promote
Islam and the Muslim world better, in terms of creating further
understanding in the eyes of the non-muslim world. Images are afterall,
a universal language, and as the saying goes, ‘worth a thousand
words.’
This I am sure was Al-Mutawa’s intention, in that he intended to use
pictorial and graphic images to educate, challenge and raise awareness
of the countless positive aspects of Islam.

There are some that say superheroes make children feel worthless unless
they posses supernatural powers. This is rubbish as The 99 are normal
people who do good to change the world. The characters are real people
with real problems that get their power from a stone. The stone
triggers
the power in them but it could in someone else - so there is an element
of “I could be one of these special people.” The villain of the piece
is not one of the Superheroes - he is an enemy of Ramzi who wants to
use
The 99 for his own greed and grandiose fantasies of world domination.
Basically, The 99, just like religion can be used for good and for bad
and will raise Muslim awareness around the world.

One other interesting point to consider is that within The 99, Islam is
used as an archetype, but the comics are not religious in nature. There
is no mention of Muslims, Islam, Allah or prayer and are very much in
the vein that Marvel and DCâ€™s heroes are based on a Judeo-Christian
archetype yet we rarely see a church or a bible in these comics. Also
many Western superheroes are orphans who work alone and can do
anything,
in the tradition of Western individualism. In contrast, the Japanese
inspired Pokemon series, each character can only do one thing well and
has to be trained and paired with others, reflecting the role of
teamwork in Japanese culture.

As a huge Marvel comic fan what impressed me the most is Teshkeel’s
move
away from the frilly ‘my little pony’ effects littered with waterfalls,
meadows and green grass. Al-Mutawa has spared no expense in creating a
modern day comic by using a team of artists who worked extensively on
projects like Spiderman, Superman and X-Men.

Comics and cartoons from different cultures also reflect larger ideas
about the role of hero and individual. Let’s be clear here. For
Muslims,
there are no better examples of superheroes than Muhammad Peace Be Upon
Him, the Prophet of Islam as well as his companions and those who came
after. Every community and nation has its own heroes, be they real or
mythical. These heroes are models of admiration, emulation and
adoration
by certain communities.

In the words of Mahmoud Esma’il Sieny, Ph.D., Professor of Applied
Linguistics Muslims, have no need to look for fictitious or mythical
heroes, because their history is abundant with heroes of real flesh and
blood, whose acts were heroic because of their faith, and a consequence
of their attitude to life and the world. In the twenty first century
though, a niche has been created for fictitional heroes. We live in a
world where Spiderman, Batman and Superman are used as ambassadors for
their respective cultures to the point of being on my children’s
various
items of clothing and maybe it is also time that Muslims had their own
fictional ambassadors and superheroes.

Al-Mutawa is a brilliant role model. A truly talented individual who
has
used his innovation to promote positive Islamic ideals in an effort to
encourage Muslim virtues of tolerance, peace and non-violence.
Governments, thinktanks and organisations can learn much from the
thirty
six year old who has used creativity and artistic expression to tackle
issues facing Muslim communities all over the world.

http://www.sopo.org/cgi-bin/news.cgi?action=full_story_SOPO&id=82315&unpub=false&strt=&act=search_SOPO&term=&keyword_bool=&websiteId=2

MoD presents Muslim News award for excellence

Sector: Central Government

Date: Thu 5th Apr 2007, 16:08:08

URL: http://www.mod.gov.uk

Source: Ministry of Defence

UK - Rear Admiral Amjad Hussain has presented Dr Adel Sharif with the
Fazlar Rahman Khan award for Engineering, Science and Technology on
behalf of the MoD and the Armed Forces at the annual Muslim News Awards
for Excellence.

The presentation by Rear Admiral Hussain, the highest ranking Muslim
officer in the Armed Forces, formed part of the MoD’s support for this
awards ceremony. This is the fourth consecutive year that the MoD and
Armed Forces have sponsored the awards.

Dr Adel Sharif is an Associate Professor and Reader in Chemical and
Process Engineering, and Director of The Centre for Osmosis Research
and
Applications at Surrey University’s School of Engineering. He has
received several awards for his work on desalination and water
purification, and holds 7 patents for inventions in this field. He was
a
scientific advisor to the Qatar Foundation and an advisor to the Arab
Science and Technology Foundation. Of Iraqi origin himself, Dr Sharif
is
a founding member of the Iraqi Community Association in the UK.

Rear Admiral Amjad Hussain said: “It gives me great pleasure to present
this award and I am delighted that the Ministry of Defence is once
again
sponsoring the Muslim News Awards.

“Promoting religious tolerance and diversity across the Armed Forces is
very important to the MoD. The Muslim community makes a tremendous
contribution to the United Kingdom and these awards present an
excellent
platform to promote their achievements.”

The Muslim News Awards are designed to recognise and highlight the
achievements of individuals, initiatives or organisations and to
counter
misconceptions and prejudices about the Muslim community.

http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/homenews/homenews3.htm

Iraqi scholars call for formation of fatwa council

AMMAN (JT) â€” Iraqi scholars on Thursday called for the creation of a
fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) complex for the issuance of fatwas,
preparing sharia studies and coordinating efforts with other sharia
institutions.

The scholars made their remarks yesterday at the conclusion of a
two-day
conference held by the Diwan Al Waqf Al Sunni in Iraq, the Jordan News
Agency, Petra, reported.

The waqf was formed after the US-led war, when Iraqâ€™s ministry for
religious affairs was dissolved and replaced by separate councils for
Shiites, Sunnis and other religions.

On Thursday, the gathering called for forming a body that would be the
sole authority among Iraqi Sunnis in issuing fatwas, the scholars said
in a statement.

The move was an attempt to preempt fatwas issued by those without the
required scholarly qualifications, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The scholars also decided to form a council for Iraqâ€™s Ulema to fill
the
gap in the field of fiqh and sharia.

â€œIt is necessary that fatwas be issued by a group of those who have
knowledge, awareness and piety, while implementing the principle of
shura or Islamic consultation in the issuance of fatwas,â€ the
statement
said.

Participants at the event adopted the aspects of Amman Message, which
was launched by His Majesty King Abdullah in 2004.

Translated into several languages, the document seeks to reveal a
message of tolerance and humanity and rejects extremism as a deviation
from Islamic beliefs.

It stresses the true values of Islam and advocates a proper
understanding of the faith, which honours all human beings and provides
common ground among different faiths and peoples.

The Amman Message stipulates that any person who is an affiliate of any
of the four religious schools in Islam, or any Muslim group that
believes in God, the Prophet Mohammad and the pillars of the faith, is
a
Muslim who should not be labelled as an infidel and whose property and
honour should be safeguarded.

The message determined that fatwas should only be issued by those who
are qualified and possess the knowledge in this regard.

They also demanded that those persons detained or kidnapped in Iraq be
released as a sign of good intentions for reconciliation between Sunnis
and Shiites.

â€œThe conference condemned the inhumane practices, such as kidnapping,
assassination, arrest, bombing and assault of prayer houses,â€ the
statement said.

Denouncing sectarian violence, the participants called on all parties
to
preserve the unity of Iraq and condemned all inhumane practices such as
kidnappings, assassinations and attacks on holy places.

They also underlined the importance of entrenching the culture of
dialogue and fighting the takfiri ideology.

The Iraqi scholars also called for holding an extended conference for
Muslims scholars from all religious schools in Iraq to end the
bloodshed
in the country and activate the deal arrived at in Mecca late last year
between Sunni and Shiite religious scholars.

In addition, the scholars urged for an end to the US-led occupation in
Iraq through â€œtaking all the legal ways and means to rid Iraq of
those
who occupy itâ€ and for the setting of a â€œtimetable for their
withdrawal.â€

At Wednesdayâ€™s opening, Sheikh Abdul Malik Al Saadi, a prominent
member
of the Sunni waqf, called for ending the sectarian killing in the
war-torn country and urged â€œour brothers the Shiite scholars and
politicians to advise those in the death squads against killing
Sunnis.â€

â€œBy the same token, I also urge the other side [Sunnis] to stop the
haphazard killing of the Shiites,â€ he said.

Sheikh Ahmad Abdul Ghafour Al Sameraie, head of the Sunni waqf, called
for national reconciliation in Iraq. He said all Iraqis must work to
promote moderation and counter the takfiri.

Friday-Saturday, April 6-7, 2007

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200704/200704060008.html

Apr.6,2007 06:36 KST
Korea is Missing Opportunities in the Islamic World

While on a visit late last month to Singapore, I was impressed to learn
that Singaporean government officials and business leaders are together
working to induce funds from Muslim countries and advance into the
Middle East. Looking beyond its Southeast Asian neighbors and China and
India, Singapore is turning to markets in the Islamic world, which has
a
population of 1.5 billion, as a new source of growth.

This campaign is headed by two former prime ministers of Singapore, Lee
Kwan Yew, 84, and Goh Chok Tong, 67. Despite his advanced age, Lee
toured Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Dubai late last year for
the
first time in his life. He has stressed the strategic importance of
building closer ties with those Muslim countries. “Singapore’s future
will rely on whether we can secure Middle Eastern funds. If we don’t
begin now, it will be too late,” he said.

Goh has visited the Middle East as the leader of his country at least
10
times in the past two or three years. On March 26 he joined hands with
Al Khalifah, a prince of Bahrain, in founding the Middle East Business
Group. His efforts are paying off: the volume of Singapore’s trade with
the Middle East has doubled from US$16 billion in 2003 to $31.2 billion
in 2006.

But expanding trade with the Middle East or tapping its billionaires
for
cash aren’t Singapore’s real goals. Singapore has its eyes on the
Islamic financial market which is valued at around $1 trillion and has
an annual growth rate of 19 percent. Sukuks, or Islamic bonds, are an
example of Islamic financial derivatives. In 2000 just $336 million in
sukuks were issued, but that figure topped $24 billion last year,
increasing 71 times in six years. This shows how quickly the Islamic
financial market is growing.

Singapore has recently joined the Islamic Financial Services Board and
introduced an Islamic stock index based on its stock exchange for the
first time in its history. These are stepping stones to building itself
into an Islamic financial hub.

Several countries are competing to become the dominant Islamic
financial
hub. Since last year Malaysia has poured $13.5 billion into
establishing
its name in the Islamic financial services sector. It has also exempted
Islamic financial institutions from corporate taxes for the next 10
years.

Even the U.K., a non-Islamic nation, has begun to push for tax breaks
and regulatory incentives for Islamic financial products as part of its
effort to build London into an international Islamic financial hub. And
Japan will become the first G7 nation to issue Islamic bonds, with the
state-run Japan Bank for International Cooperation planning to issue
sukuks worth $500 million in Malaysia during the first half of this
year.

Why are Islamic financial services so popular? It’s because while
competition there has yet to really heat up, the Islamic financial
market is seen as the next golden goose. As a vivid example, HSBC
Malaysia netted a profit of 180 million ringgit (about W48 billion,
US$1=W933) in just the Islamic financial sector last year, up 66
percent
from the previous year.

How about South Korea? Regrettably, we have yet to make even a basic
survey of the Islamic financial market, which is rapidly growing into
the next big opportunity.

We have achieved an important breakthrough by concluding the free trade
agreement (FTA) with the U.S. Now we should move a step further,
emerging from our far corner of Northeast Asia to compete in the “blue
ocean” to the south, including the Islamic financial market. The
opportunities are there — time, and our rivals, won’t wait for us.

This column was contributed by Song Eui-dal, the Chosun Ilboâ€™s
correspondent in Hong Kong.

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