Ireland: Irish Imam pledges allegiance to peaceful Caliphate, sends message of peace to Northern Ireland

---

Irish-born Imam Ibrahim Noonan has travelled not to the Middle East, but to the leafy English countryside of Hampshire, where he is attending the UK’s largest Muslim convention.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Belfast Telegraph
By Umar Nasser | August 31, 2014

"Our motto is 'love for all, hatred for none', and we want to have dialogue with the people of Northern Ireland"

One of the most unnerving aspects of the current turmoil in Iraq and Syria has been the steady trickle of young British and Irish radicals joining extremists in their self-proclaimed 'Jihad'.

Whilst it has been reported that hundreds of EU citizens have fled their shores to join the purported ‘Caliphate’ of terror group Isis, one Irish Imam is making a very different kind of migration to meet a very different kind of Caliph.

Irish-born Imam Ibrahim Noonan has travelled not to the Middle East, but to the leafy English countryside of Hampshire, where he is attending the UK’s largest Muslim convention.

Ukraine: Putin Calls For Talks On Eastern Ukraine 'Statehood'

---

Ukraine should "hold substantive, meaningful talks, not about technical issues but about the question of the political organization of society and statehood in southeast Ukraine..."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Huffington Post / AP
By Jim Heintz | August 31, 2014

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday called on Ukraine to immediately start talks on a political solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine.

Hours later, Ukraine said a border guard vessel operating in the Azov Sea was attacked by land-based forces. Pro-Russian rebels have recently opened a new offensive along the seacoast.

Putin's comment, made to national TV network Channel 1, said Ukraine should "hold substantive, meaningful talks, not about technical issues but about the question of the political organization of society and statehood in southeast Ukraine, with the goal of safeguarding the legitimate interests of those people who live there."

Despite the use of the word "statehood," Putin did not envision sovereignty for the two separatist eastern regions that style themselves as "Novorossiya" (New Russia ), his spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later, according to a Russian news report.

Ahmadiyya Muslims: British convention of a religious minority persecuted abroad spreads a message of love and peace

---

“There’s so much love and peace in the atmosphere here ... I hope non-Muslims and Muslims alike will see the message that we’re portraying, that this is what Islam is all about.”

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: The Independent
By Emily Dugan | August 31, 2014

The rise of Isis has raised the threat of terror in the UK and led to a summer of negative headlines about Islam – even pushing leading British imams to call for a fatwa prohibiting Muslims from joining the terror group.

But in a field in Hampshire on Sunday, more than 30,000 Muslims gathered to celebrate a very different face of their religion.

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, whose motto is “love for all, hatred for none”, gathered in a specially created tented village for the largest Muslim convention in Britain. Their message was simple: peace, not jihad, is the true meaning of Islam.

Sunday was the final day of the Jalsa Salana (annual convention in Urdu). The three day event attracted Muslims from more than 80 countries around the world, who met to reaffirm their commitment to Ahmadi ideals of non-violence, neighbourliness and charity.

Rome: Vatican Addresses Report Saying Pope Francis Is An ISIS Target

---

"Rush O Muslims to your state. It is your state. Syria is not for Syrians and Iraq is not for Iraqis. The land is for the Muslims, all Muslims. This is my advice to you. If you hold to it you will conquer Rome and own the world, if Allah wills."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Huffington Post
By Cavan Sieczkowski | August 27, 2014

The Vatican is speaking out against a claim that Pope Francis is a target of the Islamic State militant group, otherwise known as ISIS.

In an article published Monday, Italy's Il Tempo newspaper reported that the pope is a target of ISIS. The paper, citing an unnamed Italian intelligence source, states the pope -- who is considered the "bearer of false truths" by the group -- is "in the crosshairs of ISIS" and that the extremist group plans to "raise the level of confrontation" by attacking Italy and greater Europe.

However, the Vatican has dismissed the report.

“There is nothing serious to this," spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi S.J. told Catholic News Agency. "There is no particular concern in the Vatican. This news has no foundation."

Perspective: Changes needed in Ferguson, USA

---

As an immigrant who suffered religious discrimination, it is highly disturbing for me to see what is happening in the city of Ferguson, Mo., involving racial prejudice.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Go Erie
By Fakhar Ahmadî | August 31, 2014

Belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, religious discrimination forced me out of my country of Pakistan, and I made the U.S. my second home.

As an immigrant who suffered religious discrimination, it is highly disturbing for me to see what is happening in the city of Ferguson, Mo., involving racial prejudice.

The incident is still under investigation but, apparently, inappropriate use of force and racial tensions seem to be behind the entire disturbance.

Time will eventually heal the wounds inflicted on the victim's family and the city of Ferguson, but practical steps should be taken at the community and social level to avoid this in the future. Community leaders should come forward and play their roles to ease tensions rather than some who have chosen to help escalate them.
The citizens should continue to be respectful of the law, and law enforcement should refrain from disproportionate force that will only complicate the situation further.

Perspective: On defining a Muslim

---

The question of whether any person can be defined through the faith that he holds is quite a daunting venture. No-one can ever be defined through something that is not quantifiable. Can the scale of how much faith anybody has ever been worked out?

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The News on Sunday
By Tahir Kamran | August 31, 2014

Ali Usman Qasmi’s prolificacy as a historian surprises me. His second book The Ahmadis and the Politics of Religious Exclusion in Pakistan has been published just a few weeks ago. Prior to this, his contributions to the existing body of literature on religion and politics have been lauded in and out of Pakistan.

His previous book Questioning the Authority of the Past: The Ahl ul Quran Movement in the Punjab was a pathbreaking study. Similarly his recent book in which he interrogates the complex intertwining of religion, politics and the post-colonial state in a bid to determine the status of Ahmadis in Pakistan is indeed a brave effort on his part. The mere fact that he has engaged with such a sensitive theme in the given situation is highly commendable. Equally creditable is his line of argument, academically formulated and marked with analytical profundity.

The rich source material on the Punjab disturbances in 1953 which was rotting in the Punjab Secretariat library has been put to its optimum use. Of extreme import are the statements of various Ulema before “the court of Inquiry constituted under Punjab Act II of 1954 to enquire into the Punjab disturbances of 1953”. Thus Qasmi’s pioneering work relies not only on the Munir-Kiyani Report and its proceedings, but also on a very recently declassified (unofficial) record of the parliamentary session(s) in 1974, whereby Ahmadis were declared non-Muslims. This is an archive-intensive scholarly venture on a subject which has remained quite peripheral to the discourse of our national history.

UK: More than 550,000 People Join Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Past Year | #JalsaUK

---

His Holiness said that the progress of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was due to Help of Allah and indeed many people had been guided towards the truth of Ahmadiyyat Islam by Allah the Almighty through dreams.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: AMJ Press release
By Staff report | August 30, 2014

The 48th Jalsa Salana of the UK chapter of the worldwide Ahmadiya Muslim Community is taking place in Hampshire

The Khalifa of Islam and the World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad delivered an annual report of the global activities and progress of the community. His Holiness delivered the report during the second day of the 48th Jalsa Salana (Annual Convention) taking place at Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Hampshire.

During his report, His Holiness announced that more than 550,000 people had joined the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community during the past year.

He also announced that the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was now established in 206 countries or distinct geographic units of the world and that during the past year Ahmadi Muslim communities had been established in Belize and Uruguay for the very first time.

UK: Spreading our message of peace | #JalsaUK

---

The focal point of the event will be addresses by His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, head of worldwide Ahmadiyya Community, who is our Caliph.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Kenilworth Weekly News
By Mohammad Salim | August 30, 2014

Each day the news is filled with stories of hate, strife and conflict. In a year when we commemorate 100 years of the Great War and the incalculable losses it brought, it is a tragedy that we continue to live in a world plagued by conflict.

At the end of August, I and tens of thousands of others from across the country will head to a unique event where we will pledge to make a difference.

It is a pledge we make each year - and annually the ranks of people around the world joining us are increasing. For we are a community that, since its inception in the 19th century, has renounced war, religious conflict and hatred and devoted ourselves to the cause of peace and universal brotherhood.

Britain’s foreign fighters aren’t just in Syria

---

The UK has no consistent policy on who can and can’t travel abroad to fight. Most volunteer soldiers travel to their destinations on commercial flights, making it difficult for authorities to gauge their motives on departure.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Global Post
By Corinne Purtill | August 25, 2014

The UK’s stance on Brits battling overseas depends on who they’re fighting for.

LONDON, UK — As UK special forces seek the British Islamic State militant suspected of murdering US journalist James Foley, the government is redoubling efforts to stop Brits from going to Syria and to prosecute those who return.

Government advisers have called for the return of “control orders,” controversial Blair-era legislation that allows terror suspects to be electronically tagged and placed under house arrest.

Home Secretary Theresa May has publicly reiterated her office’s ability to strip certain Brits abroad of their citizenship.

UK: At Ahmadiyya Mulsim Convention, Govt of Canada rep highlights the importance of peaceful pluralism

---

The convention aims to facilitate greater spiritual awareness amongst community members, strengthen community ties and promote peace. The event includes religious discourses and inter-faith sessions.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Canada News Wire
By Joe Kanoza | August 30, 2014

Minister of State Uppal addresses Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at international convention

Tim Uppal, Minister of State for Multiculturalism, addressed participants of the Jalsa Salana 2014 International Convention today, highlighting Canada's leadership on human rights issues and emphasizing the importance of religious acceptance and inclusion, in both Canada and abroad.

Minister Uppal is in London as part of the Canadian delegation to the Jalsa Salana UK 2014 convention, the formal annual gathering of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. The convention aims to facilitate greater spiritual awareness amongst community members, strengthen community ties and promote peace. The event includes religious discourses and inter-faith sessions.

USA: Texas lawyer Shaarik Zafar takes over as special representative for Muslim communities

---

Many feel dismayed that the Obama administration no longer gives high-profile priority to Muslim outreach compared to early in his presidency, when he made key speeches in Turkey and Cairo.

Shaarik Zafar speaking at Ahmadiyya Jalsa Salana - 2014

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Gulf News
By Gulf News | August 30, 2014

WASHINGTON: Is there a tougher job description than Shaarik Zafar’s?

As the State Department’s new “special representative for Muslim communities,” the boyish-looking Texas lawyer is America’s ambassador to Muslims around the world during a summer of non-stop grim headlines from Gaza, Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq.

Having just spent a decade working for domestic federal agencies primarily with fellow Muslims on topics that include civil rights violations, police surveillance and Transportation Security Administration screening, Zafar knows the deal.

His work will be done, often, through others.

“It has to be a bank shot,” says Zafar, whose appointment will be formally announced on Wednesday. “A Muslim guy with the US government is going to have limited credibility.”

Sri Lanka: Court extends order suspending deportation of Pakistani refugees

---

The petitioner, Anila Imran, in her petition has told the court that Pakistani authorities persecute Christians and Shia Muslims in the Ahamandi region and they had arrived in Sri Lanka seeking protection. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Colombo Page
By CP Report | Aug 29, 2014

A Sri Lankan court today extended an order it issued earlier suspending the repatriating Pakistani nationals who have sought refugee status in Sri Lanka.

The Court of Appeal on Friday ordered to extend the order for four more days when the case was heard before the court.

When a petition filed by an aggrieved Pakistani female was taken up for consideration today, the Appeal Court Judge Upali Abeyratna postponed the delivery of verdict to September 1.

The petitioner, Anila Imran, in her petition has told the court that Pakistani authorities persecute Christians and Shia Muslims in the Ahamandi region and they had arrived in Sri Lanka seeking protection. She has requested the court to stop sending them back to Pakistan.

Pakistan: The insecurity of life as a Pakistani non-Muslim

---

In the wake of 9/11, the infiltration of al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban and other militants into Waziristan from Afghanistan has caused irreparable loss of life and livelihood for non-Muslims.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Express Tribune
By Shamim Shahid | August 30, 2014

PESHAWAR: Looking back, non-Muslims were safe from bigotry-based violence during the war against the former Soviet Union, waged by the Afghans with the help of US-led allies and the Arab world.

It all changed after the collapse of late Najibullah’s regime in 1992. Hindus and Sikhs from Afghanistan poured into Peshawar and then continued their journey either towards India or the West. The Afghan Mujahideen were part of internal conflicts over power, and Afghanistan and adjoining tribal areas were their safe havens. The fall of Afghanistan into the hands of the Taliban eventually turned the region into a ‘forbidden state’ for adherents of other faiths or other interpretations of Islam.

In the wake of 9/11, the infiltration of al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban and other militants into Waziristan from Afghanistan has caused irreparable loss of life and livelihood for non-Muslims.

Ghana: Continue To Support Upbringing Of Children — Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission

---

The National President of the association, Hajia Hafsa Obosu, advised parents to inculcate in their wards the spirit of determination and perseverance to face and deal with the challenges they might face as they made progress in life.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Peace FM | Ghana
By Daily Graphic | August 29, 2014

A representative of the Ghana Muslim Mission, Mrs Habiba Abubakar, has advised women to continue to play an important role in the upbringing of children.

She said women were good managers of the home and thus needed to use their skills to help minimise indiscipline in the society, especially among the youth.

She gave the advice when she addressed the 35th National Convention of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women’s Association of Ghana (Lajina Imaillah) held at the Sunyani Senior High School in the Brong Ahafo Region.

The three-day convention, held on the theme, “Moral Excellence: Indisputable Requirement of An Ideal Women”, aimed at creating opportunities for the association to renew its commitment to God, share ideas and create a platform for networking.

UK: Female anaconda's West Midlands Safari Park 'virgin birth'

---

Reptile handlers at the park believe they are the first snakes of their kind ever to be born in captivity, without any help from a male.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: BBC News
By BBC News | August 21, 2014

The arrival of three baby anacondas at West Midlands Safari Park is being heralded as a "miraculous virgin birth" by staff.

Reptile handlers at the park believe they are the first snakes of their kind ever to be born in captivity, without any help from a male.

The scientific name for the births is parthenogenesis, which is literally Greek for "virgin birth".

Mark O'Shea, consultant curator of reptiles, said it had initially come as a "shock".

"Not everything is known, that is the beauty of science," he said. "We are still discovering things that surprise and amaze us."

UK: Now is time to preach love for all, advises Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad | #JalsaUK

---

The event is an annual Islamic gathering focusing on lectures geared towards peaceful co-existence, global religious harmony , Islamic and moral upbringing from renowned Islamic scholars across the world.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: National Mirror
By Sekinah Lawal | August 30, 2014

A clarion call has gone to humanity to preach the message of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat – “Love for all, hatred for none” at this crucial period that the whole world is going through various crises.

Speaking on Friday at the hosting of Liwa-e- Ahmadiyyat at the Jalsa Salana 2014 programme taking place at the Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Oakland Farms, Khalifa-tul Masih urged all to continue the prayers for peace and love among all nations irrespective of religion, race or colour.

Ahmadis all over the world gathered in London for this year’s Islamic conference as scholars and other world leaders address delegates at this year edition of the Jamaat’s Jalsa Salana.

The event is an annual Islamic gathering focusing on lectures geared towards peaceful co-existence, global religious harmony , Islamic and moral upbringing from renowned Islamic scholars across the world.

The gathering opened on Thursday with an International tabligh – preaching seminar on effective ways of peaceful propagation and better understanding of Islam by the Ahmadiyya Islamic Community. Distinguished guests, heads of governments across the world, traditional rulers and representatives of other religious groups, were present.

The highlight of the event is the global ba'it – Islamic allegiance to the Khalifah of the time and world head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifa-tul Masih V.

UK: The largest and longest standing Muslim conference comes to Hampshire - #JalsaUK

---

30 thousand people have arrived from around the world to take part in the Ahmadiyya Muslim convention at East Worldham near Alton.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: ITV News | UK
By ITV | August 29, 2014

A small village in North Hampshire has become the focus of a huge religious festival.

30 thousand people have arrived from around the world to take part in the Ahmadiyya Muslim convention at East Worldham near Alton.

Millions more will hear prayers and sermons via satellite links. Divya Kohli reports.
....
Jalsa Salana is being held on a 200-acre site at Oakland Farm, Green Street, East Worldham, Hampshire.

The convention began at 4.30 pm today after Friday prayers and the event will conclude with an address by His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad at 4:00 pm on Sunday, August 31st.

UK: Muslim Youth Plant Poppies To Commemorate WW1

---

AMYA UK has already helped to plant thousands of poppies on a bi-weekly basis to help with such an enormous project. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Youth
By Ahmadiyya Youth | August 29, 2014

An installation of ceramic poppies, unveiled at the Tower of London on 5th August 2014, is to symbolise 100 years since the first full day of Britain’s involvement in World War One.

888,246 poppies will be planted in the tower’s moat to commemorate each fallen soul during the war.

AMYA UK has already helped to plant thousands of poppies on a bi-weekly basis to help with such an enormous project.

Hundreds of volunteers are sent every weekend, demonstrating the organisation’s loyalty and commitment to its country. The poppies will continue to be planted until 11th November – Armistice Day – at which point the moat will be a sea of red, a very powerful scene to commemorate such a deadly war.

Nigeria: Ahmadiyya Muslim Leadership Joins Annual Conference Held in UK

---

Members across the world will also use the opportunity to discuss with the world head of the ahmadiyya community for spiritual upliftment and personal fulfillment .

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Nigerian Observer
By Raheem Ibrahim | August 29, 2014

The leader of the Nigerian Ahmadiyya Muslim jamaat, Dr Mashuud Fashola along with other nineteen members have joined their counterparts across the world in the Oakland Farm, UK for the 48th annual conference of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association , UK from 29th to 31st,of August.

In a statement issued by Qasim Akinreti, the National Secretary Publications and Media relation, officer, Ahmadiyya Muslim jamaat Nigeria, the three day event is an annual Islamic gathering focusing on lectures geared towards peaceful coexistence, global religious harmony , Islamic and moral upbringing from renowned Islamic scholars across the world.

The gathering will be opened on Thursday 28th with an International tabligh - preaching seminar on effective ways of peaceful propagation and better understanding of Islam by the Ahmadiyya Islamic community. Distinguished guests, head of governments across the world, traditional rulers, and representatives of religious groups have also been invited to grace the occasion.

Pakistan: Gunmen target Zikri minority sect

---

Zikris are relatively a new sect of Muslims in Pakistan who worship in groups at shrines and on mountains in remote, sparsely populated Baluchistan.

Photo: AFP

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Al Jazeera
By Al Jazeera | August 29, 2014

At least six people from the Zikri community shot dead at a shrine in Awaran district in the south of the country.

Gunmen have opened fire on worshippers at a shrine in southwest Pakistan, killing at least six members of a minority Islamic sect and wounding seven others, officials have said.

The attack came at a shrine of the Zikri community in Awaran district, about 650km southwest of Quetta, the capital of restive Baluchistan province.

Oil and natural gas-rich Baluchistan is wracked by separatist fighters and sectarian violence.

Pakistan: The Hindus facing eviction by army

---

With the help of a minority member of parliament, Isphanyar Bhandara, the community has been able to win a temporary stay on the eviction - the army has offered resettlement.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: BBC News
By Amber Shamsi | August 28, 2014

A poor Hindu community is facing eviction from an area in Pakistan's garrison city of Rawalpindi where its members have lived for more than 80 years.

The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO), an engineering branch of the army, plans to build a barracks and educational complex by demolishing the main Hindu temple that serves the minority community and 53 slum dwellings.

With the help of a minority member of parliament, Isphanyar Bhandara, the community has been able to win a temporary stay on the eviction - the army has offered resettlement.

However, the community is reluctant to leave the well-guarded Gracy Lines area, given the threats to minorities in Pakistan, and because of an association that goes back generations.

The BBC tried to get in touch with the Pakistan army's media wing for comment but calls were not returned. [ more ... ]

UK: Rotherham Muslims travel to national conference in Hampshire

---

At the event, from tomorrow until Sunday, attendees will pledge their allegiance to His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the worldwide head and caliph of the AMC.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Rotherham Advertiser
By Antony Clay | August 28, 2014

MUSLIMS from the Rotherham area will be joining thousands of others from across the country at an international event in Hampshire.

Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community (AMC) will be attending a three-day international event called the Jalsa Salana in Alton, Hampshire.

At the event, from tomorrow until Sunday, attendees will pledge their allegiance to His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the worldwide head and caliph of the AMC.

A spokesman said: “The AMC is a peaceful Islamic movement, established in the UK for more than 100 years.

“The event’s participants will travel from 89 different countries to attend the Jalsa Salana.”

UK: Over 20 Nigerians Ahmadis in London for Islamic Conference

---

The highlight of the event is the global ba'it - Islamic allegiance to the Khalifah of the time and world head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad, Khalifatul Masih V.

Senior Nigerian journalists have also arrive to cover the Ahmadiyya Muslim
48th Islamic Conference in the UK. (Photo: Twitter | @lalycase )

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Vanguard | Nigeria
By Haroon Balogun | August 29, 2014

The leader of the Nigerian Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, Dr. Mashuud Fashola along with other 19 members have joined thier counterparts across the world in the Oakland Farm, UK for the 48th annual conference of the Ahmadiyya Muslim association, UK from 29th to 31st, of August, 2014.

The 3-day event is an annual Islamic gathering focusing on lectures geared towards peaceful coexistence, global religious harmony, Islamic and moral upbringing from renowned Islamic scholars across the world.

The gathering which was opened yesterday 28th with an International tabligh - preaching seminar on effective ways of peaceful propagation and better understanding of Islam by the Ahmadiyya Islamic community. Distinguished guests, head of governments across the world, traditional rulers, representatives of religious groups have also been invited to grace the occasion.

Syrian militants hold 43 UN Golan Heights peacekeepers

---

The statement did not specify which armed group is holding the peacekeepers. Various Syrian rebel groups, including the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, have been fighting the Syrian military near the Golan Heights.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: CBC News | CA
By The Associated Press August 28, 2014

An armed group detained 43 UN peacekeepers during fighting in Syria early Thursday and another 81 peacekeepers are trapped, the United Nations said.

The peacekeepers were detained on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights during a "period of increased fighting between armed elements and the Syrian Arab Armed Forces," the office of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. It said another 81 peacekeepers are "currently being restricted to their positions in the vicinity of Ar Ruwayhinah and Burayqah."

The statement did not specify which armed group is holding the peacekeepers. Various Syrian rebel groups, including the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front, have been fighting the Syrian military near the Golan Heights. On Wednesday, opposition fighters captured a Golan Heights crossing point on the disputed border between Syria and Israel.

Perspective: The world does not need ISIS

---

The true Khalifa of Islam, His holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad who has been striving for peace and unity among Muslims and non-Muslims against all forms of terrorism for years.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Lanka Web
By A. Abdul Aziz | August 28, 2014

The news of the beheading of American journalist James Foley is another outrageous addition to the list of atrocities ISIS has committed in the last few months. I am appalled by its behavior not only as a human but also as a follower of Islam that it has been continuously and repeatedly abusing by its unjust, inhumane and cowardly actions.

It has created a so-called caliphate that does not and cannot represent true Islam. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I want the world to know about our spiritual leader, the true Khalifa of Islam, His holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad who has been striving for peace and unity among Muslims and non-Muslims against all forms of terrorism for years.

As a leader with followers in 200 plus countries worldwide, he compels his followers to live by the community motto Love for all, Hatred for none” even when they are faced with hate, prejudice and even persecution. The world does not need ISIS, the world needs peace and tolerance. The world needs to listen to the Ahmadi Muslim Khalifa.

Israelis cannot let Judaism be a mask for racism

---

It's time Jews in Israel shed their Diaspora mentality of fearing assimilation and start taking care of the minority religions living in this country.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: Haaretz
By Arie Hasit | Aug. 28, 2014

The recent protest outside the wedding of Morel, a Jewish-born woman who converted to Islam, and Mahmoud, a Muslim, has nothing to do with intermarriage, nor did it have to do with assimilation. It was racist, pure and simple.

Despite that the wedding was no one’s business other than that of the couple, their friends and families, I can understand why the wedding evoked strong emotions among members of the Israeli public. A Jewish-born woman chose to leave the faith, and even though she apparently now identifies as a Muslim, many Jews still see the relationship as intermarriage between a now-apostate Jew and a Muslim.

Even so, I am not convinced that the protests against the wedding came from a religious objection to intermarriage. First, the claim that the wedding was a religious intermarriage is a tenuous one, as Morel converted to Islam. While Judaism technically views her as a lapsed Jew, but nevertheless a Jew, in the eyes of the couple, the wedding was between two members of the same religion.

From a Jewish religious perspective, the problem is not that the bride was marrying outside the faith, but that she left the faith altogether. I can understand the sadness at seeing that our religion ceases to speak to some of our members, but we should not publicly mourn that departure from the faith at the celebration of two people joining their lives together.  [ more ... ]

Termoil in Pakistan: Let’s have a king

---

By playing up unsubstantiated allegations against the former chief election commissioner, who had accepted the assignment only to gratify his passion for holding a free and fair election, the media subjected an iconic figure to character assassination.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Daily Dawn | Pakistan
By I.A. Rehman | August 28, 2014

SINCE it is a bit too late to ask the British to relieve the people of Pakistan of the unmanageable burden of democratic governance, the best option available to us is to find a king, or an equivalent.

This is the result of the failure of aimless efforts to resolve the tussle between the Nawaz Sharif government and the challengers, as represented by Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan, and Altaf Bhai’s desperate plea to God to save Pakistan.

This is also the result of parliament’s having been sentenced to death for rigging in the 2013 election on the solitary testimony of a retired Election Commission official Mohammad Afzal Khan.

USA: Ahmadi Muslim Blood Drive Saves Lives and Dissolves Stereotypes

---

Blood collected here goes straight to the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center for distribution. Not only does the drive help save lives, but it also raises awareness of misconceptions held about the Islamic faith.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: KHRD ABC 40
By Galen Ettlin | August 25, 2014

BRYAN/COLLEGE STATION - In honor of the September 11th anniversary coming up, a group of A&M students is collecting blood donations that can save lives.

This is the fourth annual Muslims for Life blood drive these students have participated in, and the second one held on the A&M campus.

The drive is part of an initiative by Muslim community groups around the United States to commemorate the lives lost during September 11th, nationally collecting 33,000 pints of blood.

Blood collected here goes straight to the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center for distribution. Not only does the drive help save lives, but it also raises awareness of misconceptions held about the Islamic faith.

Indonesia: Activists demand Jokowi-Kalla end religious violence

---

The decision by the Bekasi administration to lock down the Al-Misbah mosque last May has added to the long list of discriminations inflicted on the country’s Ahmadis because of such discriminatory regulations.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Post
By Margareth S. Aritonang | August 28 2014

In a move to push president-elect Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s to unconditionally commit to uphold human rights when leading the country, human rights campaigners strongly called for the Jakarta governor to immediately end prolonged discrimination against the country’s religious minorities following his inauguration in October.

Activists included discriminations against members of the Ahmadiyah communities in Bekasi, West Java, and in Ketapang, West Nusa Tenggara, the Sampang Shia community in East Java and the congregation of the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Yasmin in Bogor, West Java in the list of cases of rights violations submitted to Jokowi through his transition team during a closed-door meeting at the team’s headquarters in Central Jakarta.

China to Vatican: Don’t Interfere With Our Religion

---

"China will always safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity and it never allows foreign forces to interfere with religion.": CPA Vice President Liu Yuanlong

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int6'l Desk
Source/Credit: China Topix
By Erika Villanueva | Augustg 25, 2014

In response to Pope Francis' offer for a new dialogue with the country, China's government cautions the Vatican to not 'interfere' with their religion as ties between the Holy See and Beijing are still on the rocks.

The Pope's efforts to reach out to China have never been this strong as the Argentinian head of the Catholic Church insisted on reconnecting with the far eastern country.

During his return flight from South Korea, Pope Francis cheerfully said he was ready to go visit China after he received positive responses from President Xi Jinping in reply to his two goodwill telegrams sent while his plane flew over the country.

On August 18, the Pope was interviewed by media and declared that he and the Catholic Church respect the Chinese people and "only asks for liberty for its task."

U.K.: Muslim Women Don The Veil To Declare Faith Amidst Intolerance

---

For despite a common view that young Muslim women are forced to wear veils by men or their families, studies and interviews point to the opposite in Muslim minority countries where it is often the case that the women themselves choose to cover up.

Muslim women in traditional hijab. Photo: Gulf News / File

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: The Guffington Post
By Reuters | August 22, 2014

When youth worker Sumreen Farooq was abused in a London street, the 18-year-old decided it was time to take a stand - and she started to wear a headscarf.

Farooq is one of many young Muslim women living in Britain who have, for various reasons, chosen to adopt the headscarf to declare their faith to all around them, despite figures showing rising violence against visibly identifiable Muslims.

For despite a common view that young Muslim women are forced to wear veils by men or their families, studies and interviews point to the opposite in Muslim minority countries where it is often the case that the women themselves choose to cover up.

"I'm going to stand out whatever I do, so I might as well wear the headscarf," said Farooq, a shop assistant who also volunteers at an Islamic youth centre in Leyton, east London. [ more ... ]

USA: U-Md. student who nearly won Pr. George’s school board seat tapped for regents seat

---

Ahmed said she learned several life lessons from her campaign for school board, lessons that she believes will make her a better member of the Board of Regents.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Washington Post
By Ovetta Wiggins | August 27, 2014

Raaheela Ahmed, the teenager who nearly defeated Verjeana Jacobs, the then-chairman of the Prince George’s County Board of Education two years ago, has been selected by Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) to serve a one-year term as the student member on the University System of Maryland Board of Regents.

Ahmed, 21, attends the University of Maryland in College Park, majors in both Finance and Economics and plans to graduate in May.

“I’m happy to have this position,” Ahmed said. “I’m ready to hustle.”

Ahmed has not formally had her orientation but she has taken it upon herself to tour the system’s institutions and regional center. She has trekked from Frostburg State University to Salisbury University to Towson University.

UK: Young Welsh Muslim peace campaigners outline their plans to stop extremism

---

The youth wing of the Welsh Ahmadiyya Muslim Community say more must be done to encourage young Muslims to take part in British life.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Wales Online
By Abbie Wightwick | August 27, 2014

Young Welsh Muslims campaigning for peace say Cardiff jihadis fighting for IS in Syria are not following the true teachings of Islam – and have called on all faith communities to work to stop extremism.

The members of the youth wing of the Welsh Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, a Muslim sect with 500 members in Wales, said people of all faiths and none must do more to encourage young people to take part in British life.

They want more to be done to give young Welsh Muslims a sense of belonging to stop them becoming radicalised like Nasser Muthana. The 20-year-old fighting alongside his brother Aseel, 17, and friend Reyaad Khan, 20, for the Sunni militant group behind the beheading of American journalist James Foley, they said.

UK event to see 30,000 Muslims denounce extremism and rally for peace in Iraq and the Middle East

---

“I hope that your good works, your message of peace and your philosophy of Love For All, Hatred For None continue to flourish in Britain and throughout the world.”

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Ahmadiyya Muslim Assoc. UK
By Press Release | August 27, 2014

The 125th anniversary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community will be a rallying cry for religious freedom in the face of growing militancy in Iraq and countless deaths of innocent men, women and children

Against a backdrop of conflict in the Middle East and the brutal killings by ISIS, including the recent murder of journalist James Foley, more than 30,000 Muslims will gather this weekend to pray for peace, commit to countering extremism in all its forms and vow to defend religious freedoms for all.

In a show of unity for moderate Muslims everywhere, worshippers from 50 countries will be joined by senior British politicians and inter-faith leaders at Oaklands Farm, in Hampshire, on Friday 29th, Saturday 30th, and Sunday 31st of August, to mark the 125th anniversary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community at the UK's oldest Muslim convention.

USA: American Suspected Of Fighting With ISIS Killed In Syria

---

A spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department would not confirm media reports that McCain had been killed in Syria but said the department had been in contact with his family and was providing "all consular assistance."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Huffington Post
By Reuters | August 26, 2014

An American man suspected of fighting with Islamic State militants operating in Iraq and Syria has been killed in the region, a U.S. security official said on Monday.

The official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that the FBI was investigating the death of 33-year-old Douglas McAuthur McCain.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department would not confirm media reports that McCain had been killed in Syria but said the department had been in contact with his family and was providing "all consular assistance."

Family members told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that McCain's mother had been called by an official from the State Department reporting that he had been killed in Syria over the weekend. [ more ... ]

Perspective: Asphyxiating Minorities in Pakistan

---

It is the state's bigoted approach that has exacerbated majoritarian religious violence in Pakistan, as religious and sectarian minorities live under a pall of enveloping insecurity and fear of persecution.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Outlook India
By Ambreen Agha | August 27, 2014

Pakistan is increasingly failing to protect its minorities for two broad reasons: principally, rising religious intolerance and the space ceded to violent ideologies. 

—Sherry Rehman, former Ambassador to the US, 2011

Little noticed amidst the ongoing pitched battle led by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led federal government, a group of protesters from minority communities held a rally in Badin district of Sindh on August 16, 2014, against the current government's failure to protect minorities from communal atrocities, including kidnapping-for-ransom, killings on religious grounds and abduction of girls for forced conversion.

Sri Lanka: Rights groups write to UN, Ravinatha

---

This obligation is not limited to protecting defenders from attacks by government officials; rather, it also extends to attacks by non-State actors. This is reaffirmed in the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Colombo Gazette
By Colombo Gazette | August 26, 2014

A group of six international rights organisations have, in a joint letter, called on the President and member states of the Human Rights Council, as well as the government of Sri Lanka, to take action to ensure no-one faces reprisals for cooperating with the United Nations.

In an open letter, the organisations cite a number of recent incidents, particularly around the ongoing investigation by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights into human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

The letter makes specific calls for action to the Government of Sri Lanka, to the President of the Human Rights Council, and to the member states of the Council.

The letter was sent by the ICJ, Amnesty International, Asia Forum for Human Rights and Development, CIVICUS, the International Movement Against Discrimination and All Forms of Racism, and the International Service for Human Rights.

UK: His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad inaugorates Jalsa Salana UK 2014 facilities

---

During the inspection, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad visited the various departments tasked with organising and running the three-day event. His Holiness was briefed on the arrangements as he inspected the site.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: AMJ International
By Press Release | August 26, 2014

Inspection of Jalsa Salana UK 2014 takes place for the 3-day Annual Convention which begins on Friday at Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Hampshire

The World Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, the Fifth Khalifa, His Holiness, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad conducted an inspection for the arrangements of the 48th Annual Convention (Jalsa Salana) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in the United Kingdom on Sunday 24th August.

The 3-day Jalsa Salana, which takes place at Hadeeqatul Mahdi in Hampshire begins on Friday 29th August.

During the inspection, Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad visited the various departments tasked with organising and running the three-day event. His Holiness was briefed on the arrangements as he inspected the site.

UK's Ahmadi youth members speak out on radicalisation of British Muslims

---

Reporter Louisa Clarence-Smith discussed the radicalisation of Islam with members of the Ahmadiyya Youth Community at the London Mosque in Southfields on Saturday.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Your Local Guardian
By  Louisa Clarence-Smith | August 26, 2014

As the hunt for the allegedly British murderer of US photojournalist James Foley continues, Muslims from the Ahmadiyya community in Morden have spoken out about combatting radicalisation in the UK.

Fears over British Muslims going to fight for extremists in Syria have intensified after Islamic State (IS) militants shared a graphic video of a man with a British accent beheading the captive photojournalist.

However, Muslim organisations, communities and individuals have condemned the killing as totally opposed to Islamic teaching which does not permit any terrorism or extremism.

“We are working towards peace so when you see the news [of James Foley’s murder] it’s like taking one step forward and ten steps back.

UK: Decision on Halesowen mosque extension appeal due next month

---

The matter will be considered by the national president before being put before His Holiness Hazrat Mirza Masroor Ahmed, head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya community.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Halesowen News
By Halesowen News | August 26, 2014

A DECISION on whether Halesowen Muslims will appeal against the rejection of plans to add two 21ft minarets and a central dome to a former Methodist church is expected next month.

The proposals for The Baitul Ghafoor Mosque were thrown out by Dudley planners in July in the wake of hundreds of objections.

The scale of the planned extensions to the ex Long Lane chapel was condemned as excessive and out of keeping for the area.

But the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association, which bought building and converted it into a mosque two years ago, said the additions would be in proportion and were important to members as symbols of their religion.

Indonesia: President Yudhoyono’s Blind Side: Religious Violence

---

But while Yudhoyono frets publicly about the far-away threat of the Islamic State, he and his government have allowed the FPI and kindred groups to carry out violence against religious minorities with near impunity. 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Jakarta Globe
By Phelim Kine | August 25, 2014

Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono broke his long silence on violent religious extremism the other day, describing it in an Aug. 21 interview as “shocking” and “becoming out of control.”

To the dismay of the many Indonesians who have fallen victim to the country’s rising tide of religious intolerance, Yudhoyono’s concerns were not for plight of the country’s besieged religious minorities, but rather a response to the actions of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. That group’s well-documented brutality and indications that Indonesians are joining its ranks is certainly cause for worry.

But Yudhoyono’s comments betray a troubling lack of concern about the acts of harassment, intimidation and violence suffered by Indonesia’s own religious minorities from Islamist militants during his decade as president. Instead, Yudhoyono downplayed such incidents in Indonesia by claiming it is “understandable that sometimes there will be conflict between different groups.”

Perspective: Truly a world religious leader

---

Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and my leader, teaches us: "If we want true peace and if we want to save the world from destruction, then we must act with justice, integrity and be ever faithful to the truth."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: The Calgary Herald
By Qasim Choudhary | August 25, 2014

I would urge Syed Soharwardy and all other Muslim leaders to begin educating youth about their respective religion. Once they learn about the true and pristine teachings of Islam, they will naturally find ISIS' actions distasteful, as it contradicts everything Islam teaches.

Without full recognition and awareness of one's faith, brainwashing of youth will continue, resulting in horrible atrocities. Mirza Masroor Ahmad, the head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community and my leader, teaches us: "If we want true peace and if we want to save the world from destruction, then we must act with justice, integrity and be ever faithful to the truth."

Words of wisdom from a true leader.

Pakistan: Equal citizens?

---

Although Pakistan has been observing August 11 as a national ‘Minorities Day’ since 2011, these celebrations do not reflect what happens to most religious minorities, away from the glittering political power houses in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The News
By Imtiaz Gul | August 25, 2014

In recent months Pakistan has witnessed an unusual surge in violence against religious minorities who have faced violence across the country. Not only have Pakistani Christians, Ahmadis, Sikhs, and Hindus suffered at the hands of unknown extremist groups but the Shia community, too, has borne the brunt of extremism and intolerance.

Recent cases include the killing of two Hindu brothers in Umerkot, Sindh on August 6, 2014. On the same day a young Sikh trader, who had fled fighting in Fata, was gunned down in Peshawar. Earlier on July 26, 2014, an Ahmadi man was poisoned and shot dead in Gojra in Toba Tek Singh near Lahore, while a few days before that, another Ahmadi was murdered in Nawabshah. In yet another brazen attack on a minority community, two Ahmadi girls, one woman and an unborn baby were burned on July 27 in Gujranwala, Punjab – and the list keeps getting longer.

Eye on Science: Travel to San Francisco from Shanghai, China in supersonic submarine within 2 hours

---

Li Fengchen, professor of fluid machinery and engineering, said the team of Chinese scientists had found an innovative means to address problems like designing a submerged vessel to travel at high speeds...

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Travel and Tours World
By T&TW | August 25, 2014

A recent technological advancement has revolutionized the concept of traveling! China advances supersonic submarine project connecting Shanghai to San Francisco covering nearly 9,900km in less than two hours. On completion of this project China will achieve another milestone in the history of human civilization. Traveling at such fastest duration was a distant dream in the recent past but with the advancement of technology scientists have reached the zenith of prosperity.  A team of experts at the Harbin Institute of Technology’s Complex Flow and Heat Transfer Lab have developed a technology that makes a submarine or a torpedo travel at extremely high speeds underwater.

The team was dedicated to create the complicated air “bubble” required for rapid underwater travel. The Soviet military developed a technology called “Supercavitation” during the Cold War. To avoid problems caused by water drag this technology helps in enveloping a submerged vessel in an air bubble. A torpedo called Shakval was able to reach a speed of more than 370 kilometers using this technology, which is faster than the usual torpedoes.

UK: Keighley Ahmadiyya Youth children raise cash for Manorlands at Morrisons Supermarket

---

"We wanted to give the children an idea of the excellent work that Manorlands Hospice does, because some of them have grandparents who've been treated by Manorlands."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | UK Desk
Source/Credit: Bradford Telegraph and Argus
By Miran Rahman | 25th August 2014

A GROUP of youngsters raised £250 for Manorlands by taking part in a weekend collection at a Keighley supermarket.

The five children aged five to 11 were supervised by two adults, and received the money from generous shoppers at Morrisons on both days this weekend. The collection was part of an initiative arranged by the youth wing of Keighley's Ahmadiyya Muslim Association.

Faheem Rahman, who was one of the supervisors, said: "We wanted to give the children an idea of the excellent work that Manorlands Hospice does, because some of them have grandparents who've been treated by Manorlands.

USA: Seattle protesters aim to block Israeli cargo ship over Gaza siege

---

Protesters in Oakland said they had successfully prevented the ship from being unloaded, but subsequent media reports suggested the ship had feigned a return to sea before returning to dock where its cargo was unloaded overnight.

Photo: Dean J. Koepfler/AP

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit:
By Renee Lewis | August 25, 2014

Palestinian rights activists in Seattle plan to picket the Port of Tacoma on Monday in an attempt to block a commercial Israeli cargo ship from unloading its merchandise.

The action follows a similar protest last week that managed to prevent the delivery of good for days from a vessel seeking to dock in Oakland, California.

Block the Boat organizers said the Seattle-bound ship, which is owned by Israel’s largest shipping company Zim, is schedule to arrive in the Port of Tacoma on Monday afternoon. Activists plan to block dockworkers from entering the port and prevent the ship from unloading, they said.

Organizers said the action is part of a wider Boycott, Divest and Sanction (BDS) movement, modeled after a similar effort targeting South Africa under apartheid. In a press release, they describe the actions as economic sanctions imposed in response to the current siege of the Gaza Strip and the ongoing occupation of Palestine.

Perspective: The World Needs the Ahmadiyya Muslim Caliph

---

I want the world to know about our spiritual leader, the true Khalifa of Islam, His holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad who has been striving for peace and unity among Muslims and non-Muslims against all forms of terrorism for years.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Dedsk
Source/Credit: Atlanta Muslim Examiner
By Saima Ahmad | August 25, 2014

The news of the beheading of American journalist James Foley is another outrageous addition to the list of atrocities ISIS has committed in the last few months. I am appalled by its behavior not only as a human but also as a follower of Islam that it has been continuously and repeatedly abusing by its unjust, inhumane and cowardly actions.

It has created a so-called caliphate that does not and cannot represent true Islam. As a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, I want the world to know about our spiritual leader, the true Khalifa of Islam, His holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad who has been striving for peace and unity among Muslims and non-Muslims against all forms of terrorism for years.

As a leader with followers in 200 plus countries world wide, he compels his followers to live by the community motto “Love for all, Hatred for none” even when they are faced with hate, prejudice and even persecution. The world does not need ISIS, the world needs peace and tolerance. The world needs to listen to the Ahmadi Muslim Khalifa.

India: Attack Pakistan, Uddhav tells PM Narendra Modi

---

"Now, the country is expecting that we should set fire to Pakistan's tail and reduce it to ashes - Don't make any further delay. Act and show that this is a 'manly' country. Prove to the people of India that a 'macho' government has taken over in New Delhi."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Zee TV News
By IANS | August 25, 2014

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attack Pakistan and teach a lesson for its continued intrusions in Indian borders.

In an edit in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana', Thackery said that recently Pakistan attacked 13 border villages, fired at 22 outposts in Jammu, leaving two dead and many more injured, compelling people from those villages to flee.

"This is the biggest incident of its kind since 2003. In fact, in the past one month or so, Pakistan has carried out 25 similar attacks on Indian territories. But we have kept mum - like some damp fire-cracker," Thackeray said.

Terming as "a matter of serious concern" the Pakistani high commissioner in India holding talks with Kashmiri separatists, the Shiv Sena chief said it is "futile" to hold any more talks with the neighbouring country.

India: At least 10 dead in Madhya Pradesh temple stampede

---

At least ten pilgrims killed on holy hill in Madhya Pradesh in latest in string of deadly accidents at religious events.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: Al Jazeera
By Al Jazeera | August 25, 2014

A stampede at a Hindu temple in central India has killed at least 10 people and injured scores more, according to local police and media. 

Hundreds of pilgrims were gathering at a holy hill in the Chitrakoot area of Madhya Pradesh state when some tripped and fell, sparking panic, police official Vinay Kumar Singh told the AFP news agency on Monday.

"A stampede broke out very early this morning, around 5:30 or so, where five women and five men have died," Singh said, adding, "the place is still very chaotic and crowded, but police and ambulances have reached the spot".

The stampede appeared to have occurred when some of the Hindu devotees were rolling on the ground as part of rituals performed on the hill for the full moon day of Somvati Amavasya to honour Lord Shiva, reports said.

UK: Finsbury Park Mosque detains journalist after tricky questions

---

I then spent the next 30 minutes asking to be let out of the room, with Kozbar and another man who did not identify himself refusing to let me go. I too dialed “999” to alert police that I was being held there against my will.

Mohammed Kozbar, chairman of the North London Central Mosque
Photo: The Independent | UK

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Al Arabiya News, London
By Ben Flanagan | August 24, 2014

London’s Finsbury Park Mosque is still struggling to shake off its association with “hate preacher” Abu Hamza – yet it does not seem to be doing itself many favors in the public-relations stakes.

Abu Hamza al-Masri’s sermons attracted the likes of 9/11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and failed shoe bomber Richard Reid, earning the mosque the reputation as a “suicide factory” and “Al-Qaeda camp in the heart of London.”

The dark days of Abu Hamza are long gone: Finsbury Park Mosque came under new management in 2005; its hook-handed former imam was this year convicted of 11 terrorism charges in the United States.

But as the mosque continues to rebuild its reputation, I can offer a few words of PR advice: Generally speaking, it’s best not to lock journalists in rooms against their will, no matter how much their questions may irk you.