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Coup d’Etat In Mauritania

Mauritania’s armed forces have set up a military council to rule the country and put an end to the “totalitarian regime” of President Maaouya Ould Sid’Ahmed Taya, according to a statement on the state news agency.

The statement, signed by a so-called Military Council for Justice and Democracy, said the council would rule the country for two years.
Taya, the ex-president, was out of the country in a trip to Saudi Arabia to attend the funeral of the late Saudi King Fahd.

Earlier in the day members of Mauritania’s presidential guard took over state television and radio and blocked streets in the capital Nouackchott.
The troops, led by Colonel Mohamed Walad Abd al-Aziz, also seized army headquarters.

Dissident soldiers came close to toppling Taya in June 2003 during two days of street fighting in Nouakchott before loyalist forces regained control. The government says it foiled two more coup attempts in 2004.

[More: Al Jazeera, CNN]

King Fahd Of Saudi Arabia Dead

King Fahd, Saudi Arabia’s ruler since 1982, has died.
Crown Prince Abdullah was swiftly pronounced monarch.

Fahd, who was believed to be 83 and had been in poor health, had entered hospital on May 27 with acute pneumonia. A medical source said he died at around 6 a.m. local time (0300 GMT).

A Saudi official said Fahd’s funeral would take place on Tuesday to give time for foreign dignitaries to arrive.

State television said prayers for his soul would take place at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon, adding that Saudis would pledge allegiance to the new king and his crown prince on Wednesday.

Ordinary Saudis said they were saddened, but not surprised, by Fahd’s death. Over the past decade, the wheelchair-bound king’s public appearances had become increasingly rare. He chaired occasional cabinet meetings but barely spoke in public.

May God rest his soul in peace…

[Source: Reuters]

Deadly Rains In India

About 850 people have died from record-setting rains that caused extensive flooding in Mumbai and triggered landslides in the region.

Nearly half of those confirmed dead in Maharashtra state in western India died in the city of Mumbai — formerly called Bombay.

The city is used to heavy rain during the monsoon season, but Mumbai was deluged with 940 millimeters of rain in 24 hours — the most any Indian city ever has received in a day.

Our hearts reach out to the people of India in this hard time. Our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones.
May they rest in peace, and God bless their souls.

[More: CNN]

US Muslim Scholars Issue Decree Against Terrorism

Leading US Muslim scholars issued a Fatwa (religious edict) to condemn terrorism and religious extremism last Thursday.

“Islam strictly condemns religious extremism and the use of violence against innocent lives,” said the decree, or fatwa, released in Washington DC by the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA), a group of US Muslim scholars interpreting Islamic law.

The fatwa has been endorsed by major US Muslim groups.

In the edict, the 18-member FCNA said people who committed terrorism are “criminals,” not “martyrs.”

All acts of terrorism targeting civilians are haram (forbidden) in Islam,” and “it is haram for a Muslim to cooperate with any individual or group that is involved in any act of terrorism or violence,” declared the fatwa.

We pray for the defeat of extremism and terrorism,” the scholars wrote.

I totally agree.
People who commit these horrible acts are criminals and do not speak in the name of Islam; Islam condemns and forbids such acts.

[Sources: Xinhua, Daily Herald]

Palestinian-Israeli Unity Project

Ten teenagers, five Jewish and five Arab, chosen from schools in Haifa, will embark on a 15 day wildlife expedition together in August through the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina.

Afterwards they will share insights on what they discovered about life, compassion and each other while traveling, working and playing together during their wilderness expedition.

This is the new Palestinian-Israeli Unity Project, which is a partnership between Outward Bound and Breaking the Ice, that strives to create positive relationships between the two conflicting peoples through a common, rigorous outdoor experience.

The Palestinian-Israeli Unity Project is designed to build understanding and unity among cultures in conflict.
In last year’s Breaking The Ice program, four Palestinians and four Israelis embarked on a 30-day expedition from Chile to Antarctica. The Unity Project aims to set up a similar experience for the Israeli teenagers, including a visit to Atlanta on Aug 25.

Organizers hope the participants will return home with a new crosscultural acceptance and emphasis on peace that they can spread to Haifa and the Middle East overall.

They will continue to meet twice a month to work on service projects, outdoor activities with other students, and discuss peaceful resolutions to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

I think this is a great idea, and I hope we see more and more like it that promote peace, understanding and love.
Bravo…

[Related: Outward Bound, Breaking the Ice]

Bombings In Egyptian Sharm El Sheikh Resort

Three car bombs exploded in quick succession in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh early this morning, ripping through a hotel and a coffeeshop packed with European and Egyptian tourists. Police officials said at least 75 people died in the deadliest attack in Egypt in nearly a decade.

These bombings may be linked to a series of bomb blasts last October in the Red Sea resort of Taba, Egypt’s interior minister said.

I can’t believe how much ugliness, violence and terrorism our world has become a place for.
This must stop!!
There is no reason whatsoever that could ever come close to justifying the death of all these innocent people all over the world!
There is no religion in the world that endorses such actions!
People who commit these attacks are sick criminals who must be stopped!

Our hearts are with the people of Egypt and the families of the tourists who lost their lives today. May God bless the souls of those killed today and rest them in peace.

[News: CNN, MSNBC]
[Related: Say No To Terrorism!]

Jordan’s Vigil: “No For Terror”

No for terror

Sixty Jordanians held a vigil outside the British Embassy in Jordan’s capital, Amman, to protest at the London terror attacks and express solidarity with the British people.

The one-hour vigil was organised by two Jordanians, Mohammed al-Masri and Faris Breizat, who invited friends and others by email and mobile messages to join the candlelit silent protest.

“We are here to say loudly ‘no’ to terrorism and to tell the world that Arabs and Jordanians are not terrorists and they condemn such acts,” said Nidal Mansoor, head of local non-governmental organisation The Center to Protect Journalists.

You can check out more photos here.

[Source: Scotsman]
[Via: Murdoc Online, Natasha]

John Garang Joins Sudanese Government

Ex-rebel leader John Garang has been sworn in as Sudan’s vice-president, ending two decades of civil war.

His inauguration came after President Omar al-Bashir signed a power-sharing constitution at a ceremony in the capital, Khartoum.
The new constitution is a key aspect of a peace deal agreed in January.

Southern Sudan is to be given some autonomy and former rebels are due to take up cabinet seats next month.

As well as being named national vice-president, Mr Garang will head the autonomous administration in southern Sudan for six years, ahead of a referendum on possible secession.

One-and-a-half million people died in the conflict between the mainly Muslim north and Christian south, which lasted 21 years.

It’s great that they’ve reached peace at last, but I can’t but wonder why they couldn’t have done this earlier?!
Why did all those people have to die?!
Why did there have to be 21 years of horror and terror?!

I have a number of Sudanese friends, some of whom fought in the war and who were deeply affected by it both physically and psychologically; they still have nightmares of it to this very day, and the stories they told me are truly horrifying.
As for the people who didn’t fight in the war, they were always afraid of going back to Sudan and being thrown into the war by force.

Why did all that have to happen?
Why did all these people and their families have to suffer?
Why is it so hard for leaders to think of the people first and try again and again and again to reach peace?
Why?!!

Pentagon Turns to Lawrence of Arabia

The US military has turned to the wisdom of Lawrence of Arabia for guidance on how to win the war in Iraq and understand the mindset of its insurgents.

In the latest list of books recommended to commanders, T E Lawrence’s Seven Pillars of Wisdom, his first-person account of the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Turks between 1917 and 1919, is number two out of 100.

Extracts from the memoir and his essays have also been e-mailed directly to senior officers in the field.

Honestly, I think that unless they find something that says ‘Get the hell out of there right now!’ and follow it, it’s not going to do them any good.

Arabs have changed a lot since the days of Lawrence of Arabia, and so have the circumstances. Thinking that reading a book written nearly a century ago can give them insight into the mindset of Arabs, thus enlightening them on how to deal with the insurgents in Iraq is just pathetic.

[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

Reflections on the London Explosions

Our deepest condolences go out to the people of London, our hearts and thoughts are with you in this very difficult time.

The latest toll from the London explosions yesterday say that at least 50 people were killed and 700 injured, and the numbers are still set to rise.

Investigations are still under way, but a group calling themselves “The Group of al Qaeda of Jihad Organization in Europe” are claiming responsibility for the attacks.

I strongly condemn such attacks, and decry their use of Islam as a cover and reason for them.
Islam doesn’t support terrorism!
Islam doesn’t support the killing of innocent people!
Islam is totally against these sick and evil doings!
People who do such things are NOT Muslims!
They do not represent Islam, nor do they speak for us Muslims!
They do not have our support!