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Saturday, March 28, 2009

[mukto-mona] Saudi Power Struggle: Crown prince is seriously ill

Keys to the kingdom: Inside Saudi Arabia's royal family
The crown prince is seriously ill, and Saudi Arabia's normally secretive royal family is openly clashing over who will take the throne, reports Hugh Miles
Sunday, 29 March 2009
The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/keys-to-the--kingdom-inside-saudi-arabias-royal-family-1656644.html

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who was Saudi Arabia?s ambassador to Washington for 22 years, is at the centre of speculation over the royal succession. He has not been seen in public for weeks

A dispute over Saudi Arabia's royal succession burst into the open yesterday, revealing a power struggle in which one of the most senior princes in the oil-rich kingdom is reported to have disappeared. The prospect of instability in a country that is not only the world's largest oil exporter but also a key Western ally at the heart of the Middle East will cause serious concern in Washington, London and beyond.

Rumours are rife over the position of Prince Bandar bin Sultan, 60, son of the heir to the Saudi throne, who has not been seen in public for weeks. Prince Bandar is better known abroad than almost any other member of the Saudi royal family, not only for his extravagant lifestyle, but because of his daring foreign policy initiatives during 22 years as the Saudi ambassador in Washington, where he played an important role after 9/11 and during two Gulf wars. His absence from public life comes at a sensitive time in Saudi Arabia: his father, Crown Prince Sultan, is gravely ill with cancer, throwing the succession to King Abdullah into question.

One theory in political circles in Riyadh is that Prince Bandar was seeking to oust King Abdullah before Prince Sultan dies, thus placing his father on the throne. Other rumours claim that Prince Bandar is ill, or that he angered King Abdullah by dabbling in Syrian politics without authorisation. The Saudi embassy in London could not be contacted for comment last week, but this weekend political tensions in the kingdom came dramatically to the surface.

On Friday night King Abdullah unexpectedly announced the appointment of one of his half-brothers, Prince Nayef, the 76-year-old interior minister, to the post of second deputy prime minister, which had been left vacant. This was immediately taken as an indication that he would become crown prince when Prince Sultan dies or becomes king. But yesterday Prince Talal, another senior figure, publicly demanded that the king confirm that the appointment did not mean Prince Nayef would automatically become the next crown prince. Such public disagreement among senior Saudi royals is highly unusual.

Another indication of friction among the many descendants of the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Ibn Saud, who had 22 wives and more than 50 children, was the publication of a report last week by the Saudi National Society for Human Rights, one of the country's two human rights organisations. It was highly critical of Prince Nayef's draconian interior ministry, and is unlikely to have been released without the express say-so of another powerful member of the royal family.

Both Crown Prince Sultan and

Prince Nayef are members of the "Sudairi Six", the powerful surviving sons of Ibn Saud and his favourite wife, Hassa bint Ahmad Al-Sudairi. The seventh and eldest brother was King Fahd, who died in 2005; when he nominated his successor, in line with tradition, he bypassed his full brothers and chose Abdullah as crown prince.

The vying for position is intensified by Crown Prince Sultan's poor health. Aged about 85, he was first diagnosed with colon cancer in Jeddah in 2004. He has received treatment in Geneva and the US, and spent time convalescing in Morocco. Throughout his illness, Prince Nayef and another of the six brothers – Prince Salman, 73, the governor of Riyadh and another potential candidate for the succession – have stayed close to the crown prince's side. Three weeks ago Prince Nayef surprised viewers of prime-time Saudi TV by telephoning in during the news hour to tell viewers that Prince Sultan was recovering well, and would be returning home soon.

More independent information about the prince's condition has been suppressed, however. Last year, the long-serving Reuters bureau chief in Riyadh, Andrew Hammond, was told to leave the kingdom after reporting that Prince Sultan had cancer.

"I think Prince Nayef will be the next crown prince, because he is responsible for sensitive issues like security and he is supported by the players in the royal family," commented Abdul Aziz Al Khamis, the Saudi editor of Arabian Observer magazine, "but it is like a card game. Each plays his cards – power, security, money – and it's a very tough game."

Analysts believed King Abdullah, aware that his chosen successor might die before him, was thinking of skipping a generation in the nomination for his new deputy, in order to prevent a long procession of octogenarian kings as power passes from one elderly brother to another. But Friday's nomination of Prince Nayef, a hardliner whose rise to the throne would dismay many in the West, may have eliminated that possibility.

Since 2007 the mechanism for determining succession in Saudi Arabia has been the responsibility of the allegiance council, a 35-member official body formed from the sons and grandsons of Ibn Saud. Designed to smooth the transfer of power, the council promises the first Saudi succession decision to be made by consensus. Its creation by King Abdullah was widely praised by the West, but it may yet prove difficult for him to influence its decision, since the Sudairi Six are thought to have influence over more than half the council members.

To reduce the chance of a military coup, Saudi Arabia maintains a number of more or less equally powerful military forces, each under the command of different princes. King Abdullah controls the National Guard, but Prince Nayef heads the powerful interior ministry forces while also enjoying the support of Khaled bin Sultan, who has been effectively running the army on behalf of his invalid father for months.

Since the modern state of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932, power has always transferred without civil strife, even though in 1975 King Faisal was assassinated by his half-brother's son. But in the more distant past, disagreements over succession often turned nasty. At the end of the 19th century, the second Saudi state destroyed itself through fratricidal conflict. In recent times Saudi Arabia has been rocked by jihadi violence and demonstrations by its Shia minority, and most observers expect the transition will in the end be peaceful.

"They have already destroyed themselves once by brother turning on brother," said Mr Al Khamis. "I don't think they will do it again." Sir Alan Munro, the former British ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said: "In this very powerful family there could be some measure of negotiation over nomination and succession, but I expect eventually it will turn out to be a smooth process."


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[mukto-mona] Re: [ALOCHONA] War crimes_who freed_197 war criminals and 193000 Pak Soldiers

One thing we have plenty of in Bangladesh, Human Rights Advocates and Activists! It's a good thing I suppose. But I digress...
 
Mr. Sadik:
 
Would you kindly indulge us on how or from whom you "heard" that interesting theory? Not sure what new theory you are trying to imply here, but let's get some facts here. There were 93,000 (not 1,93,000) Paki POWs after Niazi and Aurora signed the treaty on Dec 16, 1971. Some of them were still in Indian captivity until 1973. The surrender document also states that both Bangladesh and India would treat Paki POWs according to the Geneva Convention, and the release of the prisoners was part of the Protocol 3 of the Geneva Convention.
 
Hope this helps?
 
Cyrus


From: Shahid Sadik <shahid123sadik@yahoo.com>
To: mukto-mona@yahoo.com; mukto_mona@yahoo.com; alochona@yahoogroups.com; sonarbangladesh@yahoogroups.com; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; voice-of-south@yahoogroups.com; world_peace_movement@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 2:08:24 AM
Subject: [ALOCHONA] War crimes_who freed_197 war criminals and 193000 Pak Soldiers

Dear friends,

 

It is heard that Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman with the help of Dr. Kamal Hossain and associates have done everything to free 195 proven war criminals including 1,93,000 Pakistani soldiers most of them directly had killed the freedom fighters and Bengalis.

 

Is it true? Please let us know more documents & information if you have any.

 

 

Thank you,  

 

Shahid Sadik

Human Rights Activist





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Re: [ALOCHONA] War crimes_who freed_197 war criminals and 193000 Pak Soldiers

One thing we have plenty of in Bangladesh, Human Rights Advocates and Activists! It's a good thing I suppose. But I digress...
 
Mr. Sadik:
 
Would you kindly indulge us on how or from whom you "heard" that interesting theory? Not sure what new theory you are trying to imply here, but let's get some facts here. There were 93,000 (not 1,93,000) Paki POWs after Niazi and Aurora signed the treaty on Dec 16, 1971. Some of them were still in Indian captivity until 1973. The surrender document also states that both Bangladesh and India would treat Paki POWs according to the Geneva Convention, and the release of the prisoners was part of the Protocol 3 of the Geneva Convention.
 
Hope this helps?
 
Cyrus


From: Shahid Sadik <shahid123sadik@yahoo.com>
To: mukto-mona@yahoo.com; mukto_mona@yahoo.com; alochona@yahoogroups.com; sonarbangladesh@yahoogroups.com; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; voice-of-south@yahoogroups.com; world_peace_movement@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 2:08:24 AM
Subject: [ALOCHONA] War crimes_who freed_197 war criminals and 193000 Pak Soldiers

Dear friends,

 

It is heard that Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman with the help of Dr. Kamal Hossain and associates have done everything to free 195 proven war criminals including 1,93,000 Pakistani soldiers most of them directly had killed the freedom fighters and Bengalis.

 

Is it true? Please let us know more documents & information if you have any.

 

 

Thank you,  

 

Shahid Sadik

Human Rights Activist





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[ALOCHONA] CCTV Video Clips & Claim of Army during Army & PM meeting at Army HQ

Dear brothers & sisters,


Greetings from the heart of Bangladesh.

 

Yesterday few TV channels broadcast few CCTV Video clips of BDR HQ massacre on the 25th February. One of this Video clips shown that the gate of armories were broken at 11.10 am after about 2 hours of the Darbar were started. Please follow the below links for detail :

 

 

http://www.amardeshbd.com/dailynews/index.php

 

http://www.shamokal.com/details.php?nid=107226

 

http://www.shamokal.com/details.php?nid=107228

 

 

On this issue the army officers were very critical (not to send troops to rescue the army officers and the gate no 5 was open). As the looting, oppression etc and finally the escape of killers happened there after.

 

 

Thanks & Regards,

Mosharraf Khokon

Poet, Organizer

Secretary General, WPM




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RE: [ALOCHONA] Re: RAW Bird Farida Majid and Faruk khan

You proved it right here in your four sentences below. This is nothing but "Gaye mane na apne morol."
 


To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
From: maqsudo@hotmail.com
Date: Sat, 28 Mar 2009 13:37:25 +0000
Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] Re: RAW Bird Farida Majid and Faruk khan

please read my mails..in a clear head, without politicial contamination of ur heart.
Then you might find them more meaningful.
What makes me a bullie?
do you actually know the meaning of " bullie".

cheers.

dr. maqsud omar







To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
From: Kraisuddin@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 26 Mar 2009 02:28:03 +0000
Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] Re: RAW Bird Farida Majid and Faruk khan

You are criticizing everybody outright. I have seen your many many postings only with bullys and not with any substance. Big brothership and learnedness work only if you can produce substantive materials. Bulleys do not really get sold out. Another Mohathir of BD.
 

To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
From: maqsudo@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 11:24:41 +0000
Subject: RE: [ALOCHONA] Re: RAW Bird Farida Majid and Faruk khan

Blaming simple people, who follow religion, is
THE  style of many pseudo-intellectuals, self-proclaimed genius in Bdesh.

They will attack any body with beard, who prays regularly.
These intellectuals don't pray, criticize islam + muslims, and quote Bertrand russel....
Karl Marx...Dr. taslima nasreen...with little excuse!

They have no time, to talk about the greedy bunch, in Bangladesh, who have looted millions, destroyed safety/ security of people.

They don't have time, to point out who nourished corruption and violence in Bangladesh.

They are scared to accept the fact that Bangladeshis, and only BANGLADESHIS,  have killed Sk. Mujib, BDR officers and Pesident Zia. We need to improve our horizon.

Pointing finger towards RAW, ISI, CIA will not improve our attitude, standard, performance.


Khoda hafez.

dr. maqsud omar







To: alochona@yahoogroups.com; ahumanb@yahoo.com; khabor@yahoogroups.com; notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com; uttorshuri@yahoogroups.com; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; amra-bangladesi@yahoogroups.com
From: afirozny@yahoo.com
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 2009 02:59:23 -0700
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: RAW Bird Farida Majid and Faruk khan

Dear members -
 
I want Farida Majid to define what makes a "jongi" and what makes a jongi a "Islamic jongi"? And what is the difference between the two?
 
She must be held in contempt for such behavior if she fails to explain the logic behind it.
 
In periods of turmoil and unrest such venomous fabrications[Islamic jongi] may gain credence among the ignorant and may poison their minds but the Muslim-baiter-legends Farida Majid is bound to destroy herself, like anti-Muslim myths of old. A lie may shuns the sunlight. It may thrives in darkness but it cant survive analysis and the truth must prevail.
 
If she ever uses the term "Jewish jongi" in USA then she would be kicked out or deported from United States of America.
 
Why does Farida Majid carry on a Muslim name when she can't use it where she works at? does it indicate that she is also the clone of her hidden planet? Perhaps a RAW agent in disguise planting psychological operation on behalf of raw's/mossad's causes?
 
As she suggests that she can critize the Govt. for certain actions then why does she not criticize the Govt. instead of she is tring to taking issue with the term "RAW bird" with Munshi when Mujumder who coined it? Why so such hypocracy on her part?
 
Give Munshi a break and if and when anything is chocking her throat then she must visit her primary care physician instead of acting it up.
 
 
Firoz Alam.







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check out the rest of the Windows Live™. More than mail–Windows Live™ goes way beyond your inbox. More than messages

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[ALOCHONA] Let the truth be said.

There is a long standing conviction among the conservative Muslim circle that Madrassa education is holy and essential to continue Islamic teachings. This belief in the Madrassa education was never shared by the majority in the Islamic communities around the world. The reality is that most of the Muslim children go for modern education avoiding institutional religious learning. But the demons created in the Madrassas around the world harvest on the fear factor which is the main pillar of Islam.  To be frank Madrassa education is there to produce some most reactionary minds ready to challenge the changing times and modern enlightenments. It's a wrong perception that Islam should stand alone as a religion and should still continue to claim that it's a complete code of life. A philosophical basis of life does not depend on any faiths specific preaching's. This wrong historical fallacy is the only curricula that are being taught in the Madrassas and a perpetual platform for conflict is created. The notion of a supreme fear which was used by Prophet Mohammad to discipline the pagan Arabs of Mecca has travelled to these days which still dominate the general Muslim psyche. The evil of fear can't be accepted to guide a person's life in his search for goodness. It's tantamount to serving Satan in the name of religion. There is an unbearable and deafening silence among the Muslims to confront the evil of religious extremism is self destructive. In a sleepy village of Bhola in Bangladesh arms and ammunition has been discovered in a Madrassa funded by a fundamentalist from London. Who is the enemy in Bangladesh? An 85% Muslim nation? Looking at the current upsurge of Islamic extremism one can safely conclude that Islam as a faith is helpless to guide its followers to the right path. Time has come to realize that every suicide bomber is potentially destroying a minaret of Islam. It's just a matter of time when the whole structure will come down.

 

Akbar Hussain


 



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[mukto-mona] Faizur Rahman: Hindu Rashtra versus Darul Harb

Hindu Rashtra versus Darul Harb
 
By Faizur Rahman
It's Christ who comes to mind when the VHP asks Muslim organisations to issue a fatwa that Hindus are not kafirs and that India is 'Darul Amn' (land of peace) and not 'Darul Harb' (land of war). Says the Gospel of Luke (6:42), of how Christ rebuked the religious extremists of his time:  "You hypocrite, cast out first the log out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the speck that is in your brother's eye." 
The VHP has no locus standi to ask for an edict of friendship from Muslims when its very raison d'etre (based on a skewed definition of Hinduism) is the demonisation of the minorities and the conversion of India into a Hindu Rashtra, a country exclusively for Hindus.
 It is ironic that an organisation which wants India to be declared Darul Amn is itself busy making it a Darul Harb  through its hostile activities (such as its alleged involvement in the demolition of the Babri Masjid and the brutal killing of Christians in Orissa and Karnataka last year) to say nothing about the divisive pursuits of its wings, the Bajrang Dal and the Durga Vahini.
 Given this scenario, it becomes imperative to clarify to the moderate majority of this country the issues raised by the Hindutva outfit.
 The terms Darul Amn and Darul Harb are neither found in the Quran nor are they authentic sayings of the Prophet. This artificial division was introduced by Muslim jurists decades after the death of the Prophet to identify nations that were hostile to Islam. Darul Harb thus refers to a "nation at war" with an Islamic state, and Darul Amn is that nation which, even while not being an Islamic state, allows Muslims the freedom to profess and practice their religion as a matter of right. This makes India Darul Amn without any doubt.
Supremacist interpretation
Interestingly, even Mecca was once temporarily a Darul Harb for the Muslims when the Prophet was forced to migrate to Medina. The revered scholar-historian, Imam Bukhari, relates two reports under the heading: "When a people embrace Islam in Dar-al Harb." The first talks of property being returned to some persons of the Quraish after they had accepted Islam in Mecca, and the second mentions Rabdhah, a place near Medina in the same context. It is because of the fact that both these places were at one time at war with the Muslims that Imam Bukhari speaks of them as Darul Harb. Do note that the heading of these traditions with the term Darul Harb was Bukhari's choice not that of the Prophet himself, which proves such a concept was alien to Islam during his prophethood.
 Unfortunately, some extremist theologians have exploited the concept of Darul Harb to refer to all states and countries that are not under Islamic rule though they may enjoy peaceful relations with the Muslims. This position, which has been one of the major causes of disunity between Muslims and non-Muslims, is not in consonance with the egalitarian ideology of the Quran and must rejected as a supremacist interpretation of Islam.
Equal citizens
But in the case of the VHP it is its own guilt that makes it suspect the loyalty of the Muslims as a reaction to the communal hatred perpetrated by some Hindu extremist outfits. The truth is that Muslims have always considered themselves as equal citizens of India and therefore the question of designating their own country as hostile to them does not arise. On the contrary, it is the Hindutva groups who must prove their loyalty to our constitution by issuing a 'fatwa' that India is not for the Hindus alone.
The idea of Hindu Rashtra must be given up and Hindu institutions should condemn the anti-social activities of organisations such as the MNS, the Sri Ram Sene, the Abhinav Bharati and a host of others.
It is not that the Hindu leaders are averse to issuing 'fatwas'. In September 2007, Ram Vilas Vedanti of the VHP pronounced a 'fatwa' against Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in which he sought his extermination for his alleged derogatory remarks on Lord Rama.
Who's a kafir?
Another word the VHP wants clarified is kafir. It has to be conceded that the Quran does not refer to non-Muslims as kafirs. The word kafir is derived from its Arabic root kufr which in general terms means; to conceal, to reject, to be thankless or ungrateful, to disown or to deny. Sometimes a farmer is referred to as a kafir because he conceals the seed below the soil.
 In Quranic terminology a kafir is a person (including a Muslim) who a) intentionally hides the truth b) refuses to see reason even in the face of evidence c) is ungrateful or thankless. Let us analyse a few verses to understand this.
 n  "O People of the Book! Why do you reject (takfuroona) the Proofs of God, of which you are witnesses? O People of the Book! Why do you clothe Truth with falsehood, and conceal the Truth, while you have knowledge?  (3:70-71)
n  "Do not those who deny (allazeena kafaru) see that the heavens and the earth were joined together (as one unit of creation), before we clove them asunder? We made from water every living thing. Will they not then be convinced?  (21:30)
n  "It is God Who has created the heavens and the earth and sends down rain from the skies, and with it brings out fruits to feed you; it is He Who has made the ships subject to you….And He gives you of all that you ask for. If you count the favours of God, never will you be able to number them. Yet, man is unjust and ungrateful (kaffaar)." (14:32-34)
In each of these verses the terminology used for "concealing of the truth", "refusal to see reason" and "ingratitude" (takfuroona, kafaru and kaffaar respectively) only describes the attitude of some people towards truth. There is nothing to show that non-Muslims are referred to here. The Quran, through many such verses only reasons with humanity to recognise the existence of the Creator.
No coercion
But does that mean that such kafirs must be forced to believe by those "Muslims" who have already recognised God? Certainly not. The Quran says, "If God had willed, all those who are on earth would have believed together. Will you then compel people till they become believers?" (10:99).
The Quran further instructs the Messenger, and through him all Muslims, saying, "If they (the kafirs) turn away (from the truth, We have not sent you as a guard over them. Your duty is only to proclaim the Message." (42:48)
 It may therefore be asked; who are the kafirs against whom war was permitted by the Quran? Assuredly they were not non-Muslims in general but those Makkan rebels who had unilaterally broken off their treaties with the Muslims and attacked them first. 
  It can thus be seen that there is no basis in the Quran to categorise non-Muslims as kafir. On the contrary, in the Quran the only requirements for salvation are the recognition of the Creator and service to humanity.  "Those who believe (in Islam), and the Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, (in short) any who recognise God and the Judgment Day, and work righteousness, shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear, nor shall they grieve."
------------------
 
*The author is a Chennai based writer and social activist. He can be contacted on email.faiz@gmail.com



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[mukto-mona] Barun Gandhi

When we will learn!

Barun Gandhi has been arrested for anti-Muslim comment in election campaign. If we were democratic, Khaleda Zia, SAKA, Sayeedi, Golam Azam, Nizami and many other so called leaders (They are in fact enemy of man kind) would have been banned for election and jailed long time before.



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[mukto-mona] John Mearsheimer - The Lobby Falters

The Lobby Falters
John Mearsheimer
London Review of Books
26 March 2009
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v31/n06/print/mear01_.html

John Mearsheimer is the R. Wendell Harrison Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science at the University of Chicago.

Many people in Washington were surprised when the Obama administration tapped Charles Freeman to chair the National Intelligence Council, the body that oversees the production of National Intelligence Estimates: Freeman had a distinguished 30-year career as a diplomat and Defense Department official, but he has publicly criticised Israeli policy and America's special relationship with Israel, saying, for example, in a speech in 2005, that 'as long as the United States continues unconditionally to provide the subsidies and political protection that make the Israeli occupation and the high-handed and self-defeating policies it engenders possible, there is little, if any, reason to hope that anything resembling the former peace process can be resurrected.' Words like these are rarely spoken in public in Washington, and anyone who does use them is almost certain not to get a high-level government position. But Admiral Dennis Blair, the new director of national intelligence, greatly admires Freeman: just the sort of person, he thought, to revitalise the intelligence community, which had been very politicised in the Bush years.

Predictably alarmed, the Israel lobby launched a smear campaign against Freeman, hoping that he would either quit or be fired by Obama. The opening salvo came in a blog posting by Steven Rosen, a former official of Aipac, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, now under indictment for passing secrets to Israel. Freeman's views of the Middle East, he said, 'are what you would expect in the Saudi Foreign Ministry, with which he maintains an extremely close relationship'. Prominent pro-Israel journalists such as Jonathan Chait and Martin Peretz of the New Republic, and Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic, quickly joined the fray and Freeman was hammered in publications that consistently defend Israel, such as the National Review, the Wall Street Journal and the Weekly Standard.

The real heat, however, came from Congress, where Aipac (which describes itself as 'America's Pro-Israel Lobby') wields enormous power. All the Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee came out against Freeman, as did key Senate Democrats such as Joseph Lieberman and Charles Schumer. 'I repeatedly urged the White House to reject him,' Schumer said, 'and I am glad they did the right thing.' It was the same story in the House, where the charge was led by Republican Mark Kirk and Democrat Steve Israel, who pushed Blair to initiate a formal investigation of Freeman's finances. In the end, the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, declared the Freeman appointment 'beyond the pale'. Freeman might have survived this onslaught had the White House stood by him. But Barack Obama's pandering to the Israel lobby during the campaign and his silence during the Gaza War show that this is one opponent he is not willing to challenge. True to form, he remained silent and Freeman had little choice but to withdraw.

The lobby has since gone to great lengths to deny its role in Freeman's resignation. The Aipac spokesman Josh Block said his organisation 'took no position on this matter and did not lobby the Hill on it'. The Washington Post, whose editorial page is run by Fred Hiatt, a man staunchly committed to the special relationship, ran an editorial which claimed that blaming the lobby for Freeman's resignation was something dreamed up by 'Mr Freeman and like-minded conspiracy theorists'.

In fact, there is abundant evidence that Aipac and other hardline supporters of Israel were deeply involved in the campaign. Block admitted that he had spoken to reporters and bloggers about Freeman and provided them with information, always on the understanding that his comments would not be attributed to him or to Aipac. Jonathan Chait, who denied that Israel was at the root of the controversy before Freeman was toppled, wrote afterwards: 'Of course I recognise that the Israel lobby is powerful and was a key element in the pushback against Freeman, and that it is not always a force for good.' Daniel Pipes, who runs the Middle East Forum, where Steven Rosen now works, quickly sent out an email newsletter boasting about Rosen's role in bringing Freeman down.

On 12 March, the day the Washington Post ran its editorial railing against anyone who suggested that the Israel lobby had helped topple Freeman, the paper also published a front-page story describing the central role that the lobby had played in the affair. There was also a comment piece by the veteran journalist David Broder, which opened with the words: 'The Obama administration has just suffered an embarrassing defeat at the hands of the lobbyists the president vowed to keep in their place.'

Freeman's critics maintain that his views on Israel were not his only problem. He is said to have especially close – maybe even improper – ties to Saudi Arabia, where he previously served as American ambassador. The charge hasn't stuck, however, because there is no evidence for it. Israel's supporters also said that he had made insensitive remarks about what happened to the Chinese protesters at Tiananmen Square, but that charge, which his defenders contest, only came up because Freeman's pro-Israel critics were looking for any argument they could muster to damage his reputation.

Why does the lobby care so much about one appointment to an important, but not top leadership position? Here's one reason: Freeman would have been responsible for the production of National Intelligence Estimates. Israel and its American supporters were outraged when the National Intelligence Council concluded in November 2007 that Iran was not building nuclear weapons, and they have worked assiduously to undermine that report ever since. The lobby wants to make sure that the next estimate of Iran's nuclear capabilities reaches the opposite conclusion, and that would have been much less likely to happen with Freeman in charge. Better to have someone vetted by Aipac running the show.

An even more important reason for the lobby to drive Freeman out of his job is the weakness of the case for America's present policy towards Israel, which makes it imperative to silence or marginalise anyone who criticises the special relationship. If Freeman hadn't been punished, others would see that one could talk critically about Israel and still have a successful career in Washington. And once you get an open and free-wheeling discussion about Israel, the special relationship will be in serious trouble.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the Freeman affair was that the mainstream media paid it little attention – the New York Times, for example, did not run a single story dealing with Freeman until the day after he stepped down – while a fierce battle over the appointment took place in the blogosphere. Freeman's opponents used the internet to their advantage; that is where Rosen launched the campaign. But something happened there that would never have happened in the mainstream media: the lobby faced real opposition. Indeed, a vigorous, well-informed and highly regarded array of bloggers defended Freeman at every turn and would probably have carried the day had Congress not tipped the scales against them. In short, the internet enabled a serious debate in the United States about an issue involving Israel. The lobby has never had much trouble keeping the New York Times and the Washington Post in line, but it has few ways to silence critics on the internet.

When pro-Israel forces clashed with a major political figure in the past, that person usually backed off. Jimmy Carter, who was smeared by the lobby after he published Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, was the first prominent American to stand his ground and fight back. The lobby has been unable to silence him, and it is not for lack of trying. Freeman is following in Carter's footsteps, but with sharper elbows. After stepping down, he issued a blistering denunciation of 'unscrupulous people with a passionate attachment to the views of a political faction in a foreign country' whose aim is 'to prevent any view other than its own from being aired'. 'There is,' he continued, 'a special irony in having been accused of improper regard for the opinions of foreign governments and societies by a group so clearly intent on enforcing adherence to the policies of a foreign government.'

Freeman's remarkable statement has shot all around the world and been read by countless individuals. This isn't good for the lobby, which would have preferred to kill Freeman's appointment without leaving any fingerprints. But Freeman will continue to speak out about Israel and the lobby, and maybe some of his natural allies inside the Beltway will eventually join him. Slowly but steadily, space is being opened up in the United States to talk honestly about Israel.


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[mukto-mona] RE: Taliban/slaves of Washington

. The Talibans are led by the murderous trio of Mulla Umar, Mulla Usama, Mulla Zawaihiri, with an elaborate command and control structure, head-quartered in Quetta Pakistan financed by Wahabi petro-dollars and rich Slaves of Allah from all over.

 

The command/control, the HQ, is in Washington – possibly in the White House. Taliban/Laden/the Sauds are the slaves of Washington, of Petro Dollars, not of Allah.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: SAIF Davdas [mailto:islam1234@msn.com]
Sent: 28 March 2009 08:14
To: mmhuq99@hotmail.com; mmhussain@aol.com; mohammad_b_haq@yahoo.co.uk; mohiuddin@netzero.com; mohuq@yahoo.com; Montu; mouch; Mowla; MOZUMDER; msa40@aol.com; msuc@hotmail.com; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; Munir; Mushtaq; nappul@yahoo.com; nazruldrmmc27@yahoo.com; nazrul; Nizam; rajaul karim; ranuc29@hotmail.com; rcacontracting@yahoo.com; rehman; russchowelldhury@gmail.com; saad khan; saifpacific@yahoo.com; Saleh; sayantha15@yahoo.com; sguha1@nyc.rr.com; Shafiq; shaheen72@gmail.com; shahin; Shamim; shawkatkhan@yahoo.com; Shenaz; Shibbir Ahmed; sislam6@hotmail.com; skhasina@hotmail.com; smahmood20@yahoo.com; Sohel; sufiasmannan@yahoo.com; SULTAN; suranjandutta@email.com; syed.aslam3@gmail.com; syed_aslam3@yahoo.com; TheDailyStar; titin; titu elahi; tsakhter@hotmail.com; turkman@sbcglobal.net; wahed hossaini
Subject: FW: Taliban

 



Friends>

Gun toting enemies of reason and rationality—these medieval forces of darkness—these followers of that Evil Madman of 18th Century Saudi Arabia, has become the most serious threat to world civilization since the rise of Euro-Fascism in Germany. The Talibans are led by the murderous trio of Mulla Umar, Mulla Usama, Mulla Zawaihiri, with an elaborate command and control structure, head-quartered in Quetta Pakistan financed by Wahabi petro-dollars and rich Slaves of Allah from all over. I cried, when the Princely, Pristine and heavenly tourism capital of the world, ‘Swaat’ was surrendered to these enemies of civilization by the morally bankrupt and coward Pakistani Government. Shame on Obama and shame on Zardari! Under this agreement, the girls cannot go to regular school anymore! She can be married off by her guardians at the tender age of 11! Actually, the Talibans wanted the marrying age to be Six years old because their beloved Prophet Married Ayesha at the age of Six! Am I the only one left in this world to condemn this monstrous ideology and its associated mental sickness?  O’ powerful Obama—why can’t you see this barbarism and evil mind? An apt analogy will be the Persian Zoroastrian mythologies, in which the Universe is divided into two distinct Forces—that is the force for Good and the Force for Evil. Like the Zoroastrians, we can tell that the end of time would witness a final, cataclysmic battle between the forces of good and the forces of evil—the end result would be the final triumph of the forces of good. Dear Mr. President Obama--We the Americans should never dither in our steadfast commitment to the supreme ideals of Sanctity of Life, Liberty, Plurality, Democracy and the Supreme belief in the Freedom of Conscience. Time has come for us, the Americans, to take one last stand. This is our defining moment. This is the moment that defines the testicular fortitude of a proud people. This is the stuff the Great Nations are made of—and this is our moment of truth—to live with dignity or to die with dignity—there cannot be any other option- period. If we abandon Afghanistan—the Talibans will win and go back to the days of 7th Century Arabia. Progressive forces will immigrate to the West, Women’s fate will be sealed, human rights vanished and constitutional form of Government can kiss its ass good bye. It is very tempting for us to make a deal with them. Mr. President--Please don’t. America has rendezvous with destiny and you must fulfill it. Time has come for America to play by the rule, to be fair, to be even handed and join the International Criminal Court at The Hague.  If we abdicate our historical responsibility, for the sake of expediency--We will be condemned by the history and it will be the beginning of the end. We must fight for the establishment of true meaning of honor and living with dignity. Double prong strategy of carrot and stick, combined with the escalation of our fire power in Afghanistan and Pakistan is a must---only way to stop this madness, lies in the hands of The Talibans, the Pakistanis, and the Al-Queda.  For the survival of the Human Race--We the Americans must defeat the Talibans--just as we had decisively defeated Nazism, Fascism, Communism, and Totalitarism. The alternative is another bloodbath, destabilization in Pakistan, a civil war and a possible Nuclear Armageddon.

 
SaifDevdas
islam1234@msn.com




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[ALOCHONA] FW: *~history**Islam~*** Should BNP include the opportunist or the Optimists?


 


Subject: FW: *~history**Islam~*** Should BNP include the opportunist or the Optimists?

Subject: RE: *~history**Islam~*** Should BNP include the opportunist or the Optimists?

 

Salaam, Mr. Mahathir of BD:

 

This kind of comments are cheap and somewhat frivolous. It does not provide any amount of insight or directive to the effect that people will have a chance to ponder and act upon. It is true that all parties must become careful in recognizing the opportunists and remain vigilant and in-guard against them. But the opportunists are not always obvious because in conventional politics almost everybody is opportunist. Especially in a society characterized by political-cultural inbreeding depression, it is almost impossible to separate the opportunist from the sincere. An un-smart sincere may look opportunist while a clever opportunist may very well present itself as quite sincere. Even a political genius of Mahatma Gandhi or Mahathir Muhammad may not succeed to recognize and distinguish them.     

 

Political or any kind of party/ group of individuals (or individual political/interest components) is formed with two major objectives: One is to gain collective strengths to win over the competitors, and the other is to camouflage the weaknesses of diversities to befool the opponents. If you have 'Tanveer Siddique' in mind, it would not be difficult to know because he was too obvious. However, please do not generalize.

 

In fact the MPs and Ministers who licked honey from the feet of the 'Founders' or lived in disguise happily in the 'Hairs' of the 'Leaders', successfully deceived and destroyed their 'Young-ones'( Tareq and Joy, alike) as well as their integrity, in effect, discredited the Parties and demolished the image of the nation. Don't you think that they were opportunists? Even many of the oldest senior members of both Parties, AL and BNP, were not only opportunists but also hypocrites. You probably know well that 'Opportunists are better than Hypocrites'.

 

If you are a BNP sympathizer, you should recognize that you have a difficult job to work on. Can you find a second 'Ziaur Rahman'? Look for it or you become one. Can you? Yes, you can. Let me give you a secret clue.

 

You screen the 10 million educated people (who had never been the cadres of student fronts) and sieve out those who are secular but Islamic, who are non-communal but Hindus, who are cultural but not atheists, who are poets or writers or actors or orators or even reporters but not anti-Islamic, who are more Bangladeshi Muslims but less Bangalee agnostics, who are male but gently masculine, who are female but decently dignified,  who have big hearts-heads-hands but little arrogance, and above all, who have at least a bit of sense of sovereignty and security for this unfortunate tiny little vulnerable nation-country surrounded by unkindly deceptive friends. If you succeed, you may find a BNP unbeatable by the mean-minded. Again, if you can establish a core group of genuine nationalists in the drivers seats but loyal to the real sense of democracy, you can make it. Good luck!

 

If you wait too long and the entire Bangladesh becomes anti-Islamic, you may have to emigrate or convert. Believe it or not, understanding, advocating, and correctly applying the principles and practices of the Qur'anic Islam should remain as the vitally democratic strength of BNP that distinguishes it from all other political parties in Bangladesh. You must act before most of your children (young voters) become addicts of drugs, idols, frenzies, vulgarisms, carnages, and cuddly cartilages of the briskets. Know that the borders are porous and quite insecure against the jackals and foxes.              

 

Thank you for your short comment that gave me an opportunity to lengthen it.

 

M. Jalaluddin                        

 

 

From: history_islam@yahoogroups.com [mailto:history_islam@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mahathir of BD
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 8:03 PM
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com; chottala@yahoogroups.com; dahuk@yahoogroups.com; notun_bangladesh@yahoogroups.com; sonarbangladesh@yahoogroups.com; reform-bd@yahoogroups.com; Amra Bangladesi; tritiomatra@yahoogroups.com
Cc: history_islam@yahoogroups.com
Subject: *~history**Islam~*** Should BNP include the opportunist( called reformist by stupid) or exclude?

 


BNP must exclude each and every opprtunist( Stupid people call them reformist) because these so called refomist may shake hands with present government  and cause damage to BNP. Is there any way to be sure that they will not take part  in present govt conspiracy against bnp?

 

 it is wise to keep unfaithful people outside of house.

 

To win in the next election, hasina's mouth which is open now and  Chatra Leaue will be enough for BNP. 

Present relation of AL with india can be compared only with extra marital affairs. Will it bring any good to AL and Bangladesh or disaster as extramartial affairs always bring ?

 



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[mukto-mona] RE: FW: Taliban

Many say that Israel attacks after lethal assaults by Gaza freedom fighters. The fighters shell Israel from civilian areas purposefully. The retaliatory Israeli destruction, the killings of children, becomes a Gaza victory. It is because the world condemns and remains shocked by such Zionist bombings that we see in the media but who provokes them?

 

I do not defend the killings or of occupation but both the sides, the Zionist army and the fighters, give a shit to the safety of their civilians. I condemn both. Both work with outside instructions/blessings. It is their deadly game carried out for the powerful.

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: mohiuddin@netzero.net [mailto:mohiuddin@netzero.net]
Sent: 28 March 2009 16:41
To: islam1234@msn.com
Cc: mmhuq99@hotmail.com; mmhussain@aol.com; mohammad_b_haq@yahoo.co.uk; mohuq@yahoo.com; ayesha1970@hotmail.com; mouchakaydheel@yahoo.com; mowlam9906@yahoo.com; mozumder@aol.com; msa40@aol.com; msuc@hotmail.com; mukto-mona@yahoogroups.com; captmunir@gmail.com; mushtaq1@msn.com; nappul@yahoo.com; nazruldrmmc27@yahoo.com; nazrul.islam@longandfoster.com; nizam_moer@sky.com; mrkarim2004@yahoo.co.uk; ranuc29@hotmail.com; rcacontracting@yahoo.com; rehman.mohammad@gmail.com; russchowelldhury@gmail.com; saadkhanqkl@hotmail.co.uk; saifpacific@yahoo.com; muhurys@yahoo.com; sayantha15@yahoo.com; sguha1@nyc.rr.com; shaft.islam@yahoo.com; shaheen72@gmail.com; shahin72@gmail.com; veirsmill@yahoo.com; shawkatkhan@yahoo.com; jadoomotte@hotmail.com; news@khabor.com; sislam6@hotmail.com; skhasina@hotmail.com; smahmood20@yahoo.com; reamin@banglalinkgsm.com; sufiasmannan@yahoo.com; rascx@yahoo.com; suranjandutta@email.com; syed.aslam3@gmail.com; syed_aslam3@yahoo.com; editor@thedailystar.net; khatoonshahida@yahoo.com; syedfazle.elahi@yahoo.com; tsakhter@hotmail.com; turkman@sbcglobal.net; wahed@cox.net
Subject: Re: FW: Taliban

 

Mr. Saif Devdas,

Is there any way available to stop state terrorism by Zionist terrrists of the state of Israel who recently comitted genocide in occupied Gaza ?

What civilized world can do to stop them from further gonocidal acts of state of Israel?

We see an organization ICC(International Crinminal Court)issued warrent for Sudans strongman General Omar Bashir I appreciate that action but why than the ICC can't do the similar justice to Ehud Olmert and its gang of state terrorists?

How long the civilized world will watch the horror of genbocidal acts of Isaraeli terror machine?

Israeli terror machine is not less evil than the taliba  and other teror organizations.

Can you explain your comment about Israeli State Terrirism well tolerated by western so called civilized nations? 



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