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21 Raby' al-THaany 1437 A.H.- January 31, 2016 Issue # 5, Newsletter #1639



Hadith of the Week

Do Not be Angry

Narrated: Abu Huraira, r.a.,
that a man said to the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wasallam:

"Advise me! "The Prophet said, "Do not become angry and furious." The man asked (the same) again and again, and the Prophet said in each case, "Do not become angry and furious."

[ Al-Bukhari; Vol. 8 No. 137 ]

Comment by Kaukab Siddique:

Action based on anger is usually clouded by emotion. It can hurt those nearest to us and the damage is often irreparable.

Feeling anger about oppression and exploitation is natural but it should be controlled and action should be based on cool deliberation. Allah does not hold us accountable for feelings which we do not turn into action.

We should not remain undisturbed by evil but should organize and mobilize against the evil. Lashing out is not effective.




 Advice & Guidance

Required Reading. Very brief.

In the January 17 issue of New Trend, Br. Shamim Siddiqi wrote an advice column titled:
"Why is the Muslim World in such a mess?"

It should be required reading for all Muslims, in particular supporters of Jamaat al-Muslimeen.

Please think about it and get involved in this effort. Write to me via New Trend which responsibility would you be able to take in this da'wah effort.
Your brother in faith
Kaukab Siddique


[ ntma1637.htm#AdviceGuidance ]

Political Prisoners :

AhmedAbdelSattar.org

FreeZiyadYaghi.info

FreeMasoudKhan.net





 Obituary

Famous Activist Sundiata Sadiq Passes Away!

by Br. Kwame Madden, New York

Any activist or conscious person who was serious about struggle and was familiar with Sundiata Sadiq is in some form of mourning. Even if you are not sad, just the thought of him not being here anymore does it. His presence and years of experience in the movement was a treasure. He taught us so much, especially to stay the course, and never compromise with the enemy, and the struggle is protracted. Thank you Sundiata for your dedication and commitment. Free the land and Free all Political Prisoners were not just words for him but goals and objectives he worked for. You are on our minds brother. May Allah grant you Jannah Firdous!

New York City Jericho Movement
[With thanks to Br. Abu Akil.]

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 1 9:30 AM
PRAYER SERVICES
HUDSON VALLEY ISLAMIC
COMMUNITY CENTER
3680 LEXINGTON AVENUE
MOHEGAN LAKE, NY 10547
IMAM PAPA SAUL, 914 804 8085

FOLLOWING SERVICES:
BURIAL10:30/11 AM
HILLSIDE CORTLANDT CEMETERY
1033 OREGON ROAD
CORTLANDT MANOR, NY 10567
914 737 2929




 Breaking News

Syria

Assad Supporters hit hard in response to Russian Bombing.

January 31: In southern Damascus, where hizbullah militia as well as shia militia from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan have congregated, Islamic State carried out three deadly attacks. A truck bomb was followed by two martyrdom operators. At least 60 of the militias have been killed and 110 wounded. [Stats from Reuters and SOHR. Assad regime media say 45.]

[This area of Damascus is called Syeda Zainab because her grave is said to be located her. . The grave of Syeda Zainab was not the target. Shias allege that the grave of Syeda Zainab is located here but there is no evidence of such. Syeda Zainab, the daughter of Ali, r.a., survived the tragedy of Kerbala along with the child known later as imam Zainul Abedin. Both were sent with the greatest respect and comfort by Yazeed from Damascus to Madinah. Zainul Abedeen later gave the oath of allegiance to Yazeed and flourished in Madinah.. Hence the claim that hazrat Zainab's grave is in Damascus is doubtful.]




Iraq

Heavy Fighting in Ramadi [It was not captured in December!]

Jan 31. Al-Jazeera reported this morning that heavy fighting is continuing in Ramadi.

Also, the Islamic State fighters came out and hit Baghdad regime troops [backed by the US] east of Ramadi killing 17.




 Malaysia

$681 Million Saudi "Gift" to Malaysian Ruler is "Legal"
[Reuters January 26]

The attorney general of Malaysia, Mohamed Apandi Ali, clears the Prime Minister, Najib Razak, of criminal offences, saying $681m transferred into his personal bank account was a gift from the Saudi Arabian royal family.

In July last year, Najib sacked the country's previous attorney general, who had led the investigation into the scandal, for 'health reasons.'




 Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding could prevent 800,000 child deaths, Lancet says Breastfeeding at risk from poor government policies, lack of support for mothers and aggressive formula milk industry, research finds.

Women breastfeed their children in suburban Manila at the start of August last year to celebrate national breastfeeding awareness month.

If almost every mother breastfed her children it could prevent more than 800,000 child deaths a year, yet governments are failing to promote and support breastfeeding, with rates remaining far below international targets, new research has found.

Poor government policies, lack of community support and an aggressive formula milk industry mean breastfeeding is not as widespread as it could be, according to a two-part Lancet breastfeeding series published on Thursday.

The success or failure of breastfeeding should not be seen solely as the responsibility of the woman. Children who are breastfed for longer have higher IQs, lower death rates and less risk of infection than those who are breastfed for shorter periods or not at all, the research found. Breastfeeding may also protect against diabetes and obesity later in life, while for mothers it can help with birth spacing, protect against breast cancer and may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Despite these proven benefits, however, only 37% of children aged six months and under in lower- and middle-income countries are exclusively breastfed, with women worldwide failing to receive the support they need to start, or continue, the practice.

"The success or failure of breastfeeding should not be seen solely as the responsibility of the woman," said Dr Nigel Rollins of the World Health Organisation (WHO), who co-authored the series. "Her ability to breastfeed is very much shaped by the support and the environment in which she lives. There is a broader responsibility of governments and society to support women through policies and programmes in the community."

While global data shows that nearly 80% of newborns receive breast milk, rates of exclusive breastfeeding are far below the WHO target of half of all children under six months by 2025. Women in poorer countries tend to breastfeed for longer than those in higher-income countries. Yet as income increases, the trend is away from breastfeeding towards substitute milk instead - a change that has already taken place in wealthier countries.

"In the west, when GDP per capita doubles, breastfeeding rates in children at 12 months drop by 10 percentage points," said Rollins. "Not breastfeeding is seen as the modern and sophisticated thing to do - it seems convenient, it allows women to get back to work, it's all the things you want to 'achieve'. We've seen this trajectory with developed countries and don't want it to play out a second time in low- and middle-income countries."

Campaign groups hope that the series - the most comprehensive review of breastfeeding research ever - will lead to long-lasting policy change. "Breastfeeding is one of the most cost effective interventions for newborn health, but the support needed is too often lacking," said Brigid McConville, director of the maternal health group White Ribbon Alliance.

"Lancet's evidence will help citizen advocates push their governments to improve policies, and above all hold governments to account for their actions, making sure the policies lead to more support for new mothers and better health for their newborns."

If breastfeeding were scaled up to near universal levels, the authors found, 823,000 deaths of children under five could be prevented every year. An additional 22,000 annual deaths from breast cancer could be prevented if breastfeeding continued up to two years of age in lower- and middle-income countries, and up to 12 months in higher-income countries. "The benefits of breastfeeding have been widely publicised yet ... it's clear that efforts are still falling far too short and the grave reality is that this is costing children's lives," said Professor Russell Viner of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.

Not breastfeeding creates a major burden on the world economy as well, costing $302bn globally in lost earnings, the authors found. Children who are breastfed consistently perform better in intelligence tests - in some studies by as much as seven IQ points - with higher intelligence related to higher average earnings.

Losses in poorer countries are estimated at $71bn of gross national income - with the Middle East and north Africa losing $12bn, east Asia and the Pacific $28bn, and Latin America and the Caribbean $12bn.

S�o Paulo breastfeeding law would fine those who try to stop nursing mothers. Legislation in the Brazilian city - which officials believe to be the first of its kind - was approved last week and is expected to be signed into effect in next 20 days.

Governments can promote breastfeeding by raising awareness, improving maternity laws, and establishing nursing breaks and places to breastfeed in the workplace. Women who face stigma tend to stop breastfeeding earlier.

Even in countries where governments have actively encouraged breastfeeding, aggressive marketing by the formula milk industry - projected to reach $70bn by 2019 - far surpasses what governments spend to support breastfeeding.

Advertisements presenting formula milk as just as good as, if not better than, breast milk have - along with free samples - fuelled the industry in emerging markets. In Brazil, where hospitals, communities and the government all promote breastfeeding, the formula milk market is still projected to be worth $950bn within three years. The market is set to grow 7% in the Middle East and Africa, and 11% in Asia Pacific by 2019.

Promoting breast milk not only has social, medical and economic benefits, it is also environmentally friendly, the authors argue, as more than 4,000 litres of water are needed to produce a kilo of formula powder.




KHUTBA

 Dr Kaukab Siddique

Focus on the Qur'an and the Example of the Prophet, pbuh. Role of sahaba, r.a., in particular Usman, r.a.

Zionism and Imperialism cannot Defeat the Qur'an.


On January 29, Dr. Kaukab Siddique gave his third khutba for 2016 at masjid Jamaat al-Muslimeen in Baltimore, Maryland. It's a small masjid, so an outline of the khutba is given here for wide distribution on line.

In the inner city, where the masjid is located, the streets were lined with piles of snow from the blizzard of January 23. Entrance to the masjid and other outlets had been cleared but people had to make detours to reach the entrance.

Text:

"And those who disbelieve say: Why is not the Quran revealed to him all at once? Thus (it is sent down in parts), that We may strengthen your heart thereby. And We have revealed it to you gradually, in stages." [The Qur'an 25:32].

Khutba

  1. May Allah bless all those who arrived for juma' despite poorly shoveled snow and detours and cold weather.

  2. In this time of fitna and global attacks on Islam, Muslims can survive and even win by focusing on the Qur'an.

  3. To know the Qur'an we must know how it was revealed and how it was compiled and transmitted.

  4. The revelation began in the cave of hira with the word IQRA [read, also translated as recite.]

  5. Over 23 years the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad, pbuh, sometimes in very brief verses and sometimes in large passages.

  6. Allah sent jibril to get Muhammad, pbuh, to memorize each revelation. The Prophet, pbuh, would then get his closest companions, sahaba, r.a., to memorize each revelation. The sahaba also wrote down the revelation on pieces of skin or bones or sometimes on papyrus. There was no paper or ink at that time, so juices of fruits and blood were used as ink.

  7. Remember that memorization is more important than writing [contrary to our modern ideas]. Writing can have errors in it but if five people memorize a passage and each remembers it EXACTLY as the others, that is the best evidence of accuracy.

  8. The Prophet, pbuh, could not read or write, nor could most people, so those few who could write were very valuable. As the community grew, the prophet, pbuh, strongly urged the believers to learn to read and write.

  9. So, the Book was not revealed all at once. It was revealed in stages and each stage is connected with the life, seerah, and example, Sunnah of the Prophet, pnuh. Hence to understand the Qur'an we must study the hadith. For instance, we cannot know why Safa and Marwa, in sura Baqarah, are the Signs of Allah. We can learn about Hajira, r.a., in Sahih al Bukhari to understand Safa and Marwa.

  10. Of all the sahaba, the achievement of Usman, r.a.,, is the greatest. He got the sahaba to recite each part of the Qur'an they knew from memory, and then connected each to the written fragments. Thus the Qur'an took the shape of a Book. Four original copies were authenticated by ALL the sahaba, r.a., and the scattered segments were burned. This is the greatest achievement of a cross referenced book accepted by all Muslims.

  11. The Zionists know that many Muslims do not study the Qur'an or the hadith and most do not know how it was compiled. There are agents on line attacking the Qur'an and the hadith to create doubts, confusion and chaos.

  12. Remember that the Qur'an is a living miracle and the example of the Prophet, pbuh, is the perfect example. Weapons cannot help us to win in America. Notice how easily the armed white supremacists were defeated in Oregon yesterday. No one can defeat the Qur'an because it is the Word of Allah.

  13. The Qur'an has blessed the sahaba, r.a. in the highest possible words of praise. See 9:100. They are the ones who got the Quran and the Hadith from the Prophet, pbuh, and transmitted both with the greatest care.


Du'a: O Allah help us to study the Qur'an and the Hadith, Give us Islamic spouses and children. Give us health and jobs and discernment between good and evil.

O Allah give victory to the Islamic battle formations. Help us to unite and liberate Palestine.




War News

 War News

Syria

Afghan Shia Fighters pouring into Syria Backed by Iranian weapons and big Shia Money.

[This could explain why Shias are targeted in Pakistan & Afghanistan. It's a big Battlefield..... New Trend editor]

al-Jazeera report follows:

Iran 'foreign legion' leans on Afghan Shia in Syria war
Some 20,000 Afghan Shia fighters said to be fighting alongside Iran to help save government of Syrian President Assad. [200 already killed fighting mujahideen.]

 Afghan Shia Fighters

Iranian media says at least 200 Afghan Shia fighters have died in the Syrian war since 2013 [Abdalrhman Ismail/Reuters]

Iran is recruiting Afghan Shia fighters in their tens of thousands to step up the Islamic Republic's efforts in the Syrian war, offering them salaries to join the fight to save the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

As the conflict enters its fifth year, Iranian media has said that there are some 20,000 fighters in the Fatemiyon division, which is made up of both naturalised Afghans who lived in Iran and those who have travelled from Afghanistan.

"Five days ago, four Afghan Shia fighters were captured in southern rural Aleppo. In addition to Iranian fighters, there are also militia fighters from Lebanon, Iraq, Pakistan, and recently China," Anas al-Abdah, the secretary of the opposition Syrian Coalition's political committee, told Al Jazeera.

"Iran is recruiting fighters from Shia communities across the world to fight in Syria," continued al-Abdah, who is based in Turkey. "Iran considers itself the one and only reference point for all Shia people in the whole world. It organises them into political, social, and military organisations, both in their local communities and abroad.

"This is part of the main mission of the Iranian regime in terms of exporting the revolution. Iran recruits, motivates, organises, finances, and trains Shias from all over the world to help support Bashar al-Assad's regime from collapsing."

Confirming the exact number of Afghan Shia fighters in Syria was impossible, but Al Jazeera spoke with a military official who said 20,000 was in the correct range.

Colonel Hussain Kenani Moghdam of Iran's Sepah Pasdaran, or Revolutionary Guards - a branch of Iran's armed forces - told Al Jazeera: "Fatemiyon ... numbers in the tens of thousands; most of its fighters are already trained in Afghanistan and those that have no training get trained in Afghanistan, and enter into Syria through Iraq or Lebanon."

ISIL hits Afghan airwaves to drum up support

He added that the Fatemiyon force could be likened to Shia-led militias in Iraq. Meanwhile, Faris Baiush, a colonel in the Syrian opposition Free Syrian Army, told Al Jazeera that the FSA estimates that there are at least 2,000 Shia Afghan fighters currently in active battles in Syria, with most engaged in the city of Aleppo.

A report by Iran's Mashregh News, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, said that the Fatemiyon force comprises some 20,000 fighters. More than 200 of them, it added, have been killed in battles across Syria since 2013.

Many captured Afghan Shia fighters say they are attracted to Syria by the promise of a financial reward. Salaries made by their Iranian recruits are reported to range from $500 and $1,000 a month. Others say that joining the war is a way of escaping prison sentences on charges including drug trafficking, which often end in the death penalty in Iran.

Ghanbar Naderi, an Iranian political analyst and journalist for Kayhan International, told Al Jazeera: "There are some Afghans who are naturalised Iranians and are part of the armed forces as a foreign legion.

"They are sent to Syria to defend the holy sites and key government buildings just like Iranian nationals. A large number of these people have been killed in Syria and Iraq.

"Military links between Afghan nationals and the Iranian army have been ongoing for quite some time. Now the truth has surfaced that these people are fighting side by side [with] the Iranian, Syrian and Iraqi forces.

ANALYSIS: Is Iran really pulling out of Syria?

"The fact that there are no jobs any more due to the economy's downturn and punitive sanctions in this country, some Afghans find it lucrative to be sent to Syria to fight and make good amount of money - between $500 to $1000, but they are not forced to go."

The Fatemiyon is just one example of Iran's growing influence in recruiting fighters in the region.

Earlier this month, Major General Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) - another Iranian military branch - announced that Iran commands a regional force of 200,000 young armed men in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"The current developments in the region, the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Takfiri groups, and the events that occurred in the past years are paving the ground for the emergence of Imam Mahdi, and you can now see the positive results in the readiness of nearly 200,000 young armed in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen," Jafari said, addressing a memorial ceremony in Tehran for an Iranian killed in Syria.

Video footage emerges, almost on a daily basis, of Afghan fighters killed in Syria and paraded in their coffins across Iranian cities before burial.

Many captured by the Syrian opposition say they are from Afghanistan and belong to the Fatemiyon division, which has gained a reputation for its make up and heavy losses.

It is a division of Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force - an elite special forces unit responsible for extraterritorial operations.The brigade works under the command of Qasem Soleimani, head of Quds Force, who has risen to prominence recently to become Iran's most famous general.

In a documentary broadcast by Iranian media, one commander of the Fatimiyon force, Moallem, said: "The greatest freedom-loving men from all over the world and the Islamic world have come together here in whichever way they could, and as always the Shia of Afghanistan have also felt responsible and rushed to Syria to defend our religion and the Shrine of Zainab."

Afghans reticent

There has not been a census for several decades in Afghanistan, but it is estimated that between 10 and 15 percent of the Muslim-majority population are Shia - mostly from the Hazara ethnic minority.

In a video recorded by the Syrian opposition, one captured Afghan said: "We came from Afghanistan to Iran, and from Iran to Syria. In Iran they paid us two million toman (about $660) and told us to go to Syria to fight and protect the shrine of Zainab."

In another video, a captured Afghan Shia fighter who identifies himself as Burat-Ali, said: "I was imprisoned on drug charges with a sentence of six years ... they told us the shrine of Zainab will be destroyed [by ISIL] ... I came from Iran to join the war with the promise of a monthly salary of $600."

But while Iranian papers openly discuss and glorify the role of the Afghan Shia militia in the Syrian war, the Afghan media is largely silent on the subject. Contacted by Al Jazeera, Afghan authorities did not confirm attempts by Iran to recruit Afghan Shia volunteers to join the wars in Syria or Iraq.

"There are some media reports of Afghan nationals recruited by the Iranian government to join the war in Syria," Ahmad Shakib Mustaghni, spokesman for Afghanistan's foreign ministry, told Al Jazeera.

"However, we have no credible report or proof in hand to suggest that these reports are correct, but there may be individuals who have joined the war of their own accord."

The creation of an Afghan Shia division in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards structure is not new, and dates back to the Iran-Iraq war during the 1980s when an Afghan Shia force, the Abouzar Brigade, was formed to help fight Iraq.

Al Jazeera contacted Mohammad Mohaqiq, a serving member of the Afghan parliament and founder and chairman of the Hezb-i-Wahdat, or the People's Islamic Unity Party - the main Shia party in Afghanistan with close ties with Iran - but he refused to comment on the subject via phone.




Syria

Islamic Group has Released Women and Children.

[By contrast the Assad regime has several thousand Islamic women and children in its prisons.]

Finally on January 27, CNN also BRIEFLY admitted this fact, The Syrian propaganda had claimed that they were all killed.

ISIS has released more than half of the people it kidnapped over the weekend in Syria, freeing 270 of the 400 people taken in the city of Deir Ezzor, a Syrian rights group said.

Among the released were women, children under the age of 14 and men over the age of 55, said Rami Abdurrahman, director for the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.




ISMAILIA, Egypt

Four Egyptian soldiers killed, 12 injured in Sinai explosion

At least four Egyptian army soldiers were killed and 12 injured in the Sinai Peninsula after an armored personnel carrier exploded on the outskirts of the city of Arish, security and medical sources said on Wednesday.

Unidentified militants planted an improvised explosive device on the road and later remotely detonated it as the vehicle conducted a search operation, the sources said.
Egypt's official military spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

The most populous Arab country is battling an insurgency that gained pace after its military overthrew President Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's oldest Islamist movement, in mid-2013 following mass protests against his rule.

The insurgency, mounted by Islamic State's Egyptian branch Sinai Province, has killed hundreds of soldiers and police and started to attack Western targets within the country.

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former military chief who led Mursi's ouster, describes Islamist militancy as an existential threat to Egypt, an ally of the United States. Islamic State controls large parts of Iraq and Syria and has a presence in Libya which borders Egypt.

(Reporting by Yusri Mohamed; Writing by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Hugh Lawson)




Iraq

Learning to read US war statements. Notice that the US is still bombing IS in Ramadi.

Thus it was a lie coming out of Baghdad that the Shias had captured Ramadi a month back. New Trend has underlined the info for you. U.S., allies conduct 14 strikes against Islamic State - U.S. military

WASHINGTON The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and Syria staged 14 strikes on Tuesday against the Islamic State militant group, the Combined Joint Task Force leading the operations said.

In a statement released early Wednesday, the group said four strikes near three cities in Syria hit tactical units and destroyed three fighting positions and six workover rigs.

In Iraq, five strikes near four cities hit several tactical units and destroyed weapons caches and fighting positions, among other targets, the statement said. Five additional strikes in Ramadi destroyed a sniper position, two fighting positions and a fuel truck, and denied access to terrain, according to the statement.

(Reporting by Megan Cassella)




Libya

[Rapid IS advances in Libya .... Editor New Trend.]

The Pentagon is considering fresh military action in Libya more than four years after conducting an air campaign that helped topple dictator Muammar Gaddafi, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

Officials are currently "looking at military options" to stop the Islamic State militant group from gaining ground in another oil-rich Mideast nation, said Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook.

 Libya

At present, US efforts in Libya are focussed on identifying local allies to work with, for what a senior military officer has envisioned as a "decisive" confrontation with Isis.

US warplanes ceased operations after rebels killed Gaddafi in Sirte in October 2011, and since then a security vacuum has persisted in the country, prompting lingering questions about the wisdom of the US intervention.Those questions intensified after four Americans, including a US ambassador, were killed in Benghazi the following year.

They have persisted as one of the intervention's advocates within the Obama administration, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, campaigns for the presidency. Senator Ted Cruz, a leading contender for Republican candidacy, has said the Libya war made "no sense".

Cook acknowledged that the "metastasis" of Isis beyond its primary base in Iraq and Syria has prompted the Pentagon to revisit the question of a renewed war in Libya.

A "small group" of US forces had made contact with Libyan militiamen, "simply to get a sense of who the players are", Cook said, amid a fractured security landscape with multiple and overlapping combatants.

Although the US personnel are likely to be special operations forces, Cook did not specify how many of them had taken part in the mission, nor if they were still operating in Libya. Cook portrayed the contact as closer to a broad assessment mission than the so-called "shaping operations" that precede imminent combat.

"We are extremely worried about the metastasis of Isil in a number of locations, Libya being just one of those locations," Cook said.

In recent weeks, the Pentagon has forecasted an expanded effort worldwide against a jihadist army whose persistence and reach have taken the world by surprise. Defense secretary Ashton Carter said in a speech that beyond Iraq and Syria, the US would launch a "flexible and nimble response" against Isis in its north African strongholds and elsewhere, citing a November strike in Libya that killed an accused Isis leader.

Last week, the senior US military officer, joint chiefs of staff chairman General Joseph Dunford, said he and his French counterpart were preparing for "decisive military action" against Isis in Libya. Dunford said he desired nesting a military campaign within a political settlement that has eluded Libya and its foreign allies since the downfall of Gaddafi.

 Libya

Secret US mission in Libya revealed after air force posted pictures. Facebook post, accompanied by four pictures, said 20 armed soldiers arrived wearing bulletproof jackets

In December, the presence of a US special forces unit in Libya was revealed after photographs of the troops were posted on a Libyan military Facebook page. The incident was preceded by an attempt at making contact with potential allies amongst Libyan forces. Cook did not clarify whether the December foray was the only one, but occasionally used the present tense to refer to the outreach.

"They're trying to get a clearer picture of what's happening there, and they've made contact with people on the ground to try and get a better sense not only of the threat that [Isis] poses there but the dynamic on the ground in terms of the security situation," Cook said.




Holland

Even Tiny Holland is bombing the Islamic State: IS Cannot Shoot down Jet fighters.Dutch Labour party backs air strikes in Syria, creating parliamentary majority.

The Dutch Labour Party, the junior partner in the coalition government, now supports extending air strikes against Islamic State to Syria, creating a parliamentary majority for approval, an official said on Tuesday.

The Dutch government, which already approved sending warplanes to target Islamic State in Iraq under a U.S.-led bombing campaign, has been weighing the possibility of expanding its role for months.

"We discussed the issue today and decided to support efforts to intensify the fight against Islamic State," party spokesman Michiel Selten said. "It is now up to the Cabinet to come up with a proposal, but we are willing."

The Netherlands contributes a squadron of six F-16 aircraft to the bombing of the Islamist group's positions in Iraq, but Labour is traditionally warier of foreign military engagements than the larger conservative Liberal coalition partner.

France and Britain widened their bombing campaigns in the region into neighbouring Syria after the attacks in Paris in November, claimed by the Islamic State.

Foreign military interventions are especially sensitive in the Netherlands, which led a disastrous peacekeeping mission in Bosnia in 1995, when 8,000 Muslim men and boys were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb forces.

A previous Dutch government collapsed in 2010 over participation in military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan, where 2,000 troops were active.

(Reporting By Anthony Deutsch, Editing by Angus MacSwan)_




Senegal

Support for Islamic Uprising seen as a threat by pro-US regime [New Trend info] Senegal interrogates 925 people in counter-terrorism operation

Senegal said on Tuesday it had interrogated some 900 people over a three-day period as part of efforts to prevent attacks by Islamist militants following a series of strikes in the region.

The former French colony has a reputation for stability in an otherwise turbulent region, having never suffered a major attack, despite sharing a border with Mali where al Qaeda-linked fighters have been active in desert areas for years.

But two high-profile attacks targeting foreigners in the capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso since November have added to signs that an Islamist insurgency is spreading, prompting Senegal to boost security.

"Nearly 900 people were called in for questioning in the context of the security campaign led by national police amid the terrorist threat," said police spokesman Henry Boumy Ciss, referring to a weekend campaign in the capital Dakar and the nearby city of Thies.

A second security source confirmed the information, adding that 925 people had been questioned. Ciss said those interrogated were not targeted because they were terrorism suspects, but as part of a general vigilance campaign.

Most were subsequently released but some were held and charged with a range of crimes not related to militant activity, such as drunkenness and traffic offences, he added.

Seydi Gassama, executive director for Amnesty International in Senegal, said that police were authorised to conduct such operations provided there were government instructions.
However, the group will closely watch for any potential rights abuses in the heightened security context, given a history of police excesses, he said.

Diplomats have denied rumours of a specific threat to capitals of Dakar and Abidjan, both major hubs for Westerners working in the aid, diplomacy and financial sectors.

"... We want to avoid an unnecessary psychosis among both Americans and Ivorians," said the U.S. embassy in Abidjan on Sunday, urging citizens to remain prudent.

But everywhere there are signs of heightened security.

Police officers stop and search vehicles near Dakar's beachside restaurants while armed guards are conducting patrols through Western style shopping centres in both capitals.

(Reporting by Emma Farge and Diadie Ba; Editing by Alison Williams)




Syria

Russian airstrikes kill 1400 including 527 children and womenJanuary 30, 2016. Russian airstrikes have killed 1400 civilians including 527 children and 412 women.

This is the result of 122 days of bombing aimed at defenseless Muslims who have no weapon capable of shooting down jet bombers.

The statistics were collected by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights which has observers across the country in Syria.




Our America

 Our America

New York

Racial Issues at Ground Level: Uber breaking Yellow Taxi Cab Monopoly
by Sis. Aisha [Jamaat al-Muslimeen

New York City - I believe it was June 1998 when I saw a yellow taxi cab outside my Harlem window.....at night! How shocking. Yellow taxi cabs, who fall under the auspices of New York City's Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), never drove to neighborhoods where the people were mostly of African-descent. There was a classic hip-hop video collaboration by Living Colour and Gang Starr called "Funny Vibe." It was about the stereotypes people were subjected to based on race. In one scene a an African cab driver is refusing to drive Black riders anywhere.

There have been stories and jokes made about Black businessmen and celebrities waiting forever to find a yellow cab. In many Black areas, a cab service known as the "Gypsy" cab would take you anywhere you wanted to go but, the prices were unregulated and would change with the weather. Really, a two block cab ride, when it is sunny, would be cheaper than, if it were raining cats and dogs! Yellow cabs are regulated and charge a certain price per mile and they are cheaper.

Now, with the onset of gentrification and Whites moving to predominantly Black neighborhoods, yellow cabs are in abundance. Also, too, there is more competition. Many yellow cab drivers resent Uber, Lyft and other transportation services because it cuts into their monopoly. Capitalists do not like competition. They love money and will try everything in their power to keep a large slice of the pie. There were efforts to shut Uber and other taxi competitors down by TLC.

However, Uber fought back with a campaign of its own warning people of days of the old when yellow taxi cabs discriminated against minorities and how that made it difficult to get home safely, particularly at night. Many New Yorkers appreciate the competition. Although Uber could be a little higher than a yellow cab, the convenience can offset this drawback.

What makes Uber appealing is that it offers a mobile phone app, which allows you to call them whenever you need them. A car in your area will pick you up and the app lets you know how long it will take for them to reach you. The Uber driver never knows your race and Uber drivers can actually live in the area they service. So, no need for drivers to fear going into certain neighborhoods. There are also many average Joe's signing up for Uber and making a good income from it! No need to apply for a $100,000 medallion, which is what yellow cab owners need.

Now, Uber just lowered its prices, which is temporary, but if Uber stated, "The more users take advantage of these savings, the more likely we'll keep prices this low." Uber's price were lowered to compete with NYC yellow taxi cabs. Uber has lowered and then, raised prices before. this is another Capitalistic game that is played. When an influx of people take the lowered price bait then, the price is raised signaling control of a market or area. Hopefully, Uber does keep its word and keeps its prices lowered. They also have competition, now.

(Source: BlackEnterprise.com)

2016-01-31 Sun 18:30:56 ct

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