Recently in India Category

Yet the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and Muslim Brotherhood front groups in the U.S. continue to claim that it is only greasy Islamophobes who "link Islam with terrorism." What is really astounding is that non-Muslim "journalists" pass on that charge uncritically. "Intelligence alert over terror attack on US consulate in Mumbai," by Mateen Hafeez in the Times of India, May 6 (thanks to Kenneth):

MUMBAI: The Western Naval command headquarters has alerted the city police about the threat of a bomb attack on the US consulate here on July 21. The intelligence was shared with reference to an anonymous letter received by the consulate-general and American Centre in Kolkata, threatening to attack both places.

A copy of the single-page letter was passed on by Sanjay Kumar, command intelligence officer, western naval command. The letter has 'Al-Jihad' written on top, much like a logo or the name of an organization. It said US consulate officials are the targets and told the Americans to vacate the consulates. It also said, "We shall carry out blasts in public places and railway stations of Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai in July this year."

It was unclear when the US consulate received the letter and why July 21 was chosen. Al-Jihad is not known to intelligence agencies but they are taking the threat seriously as terror outfits are known to hide under various names. The input has been shared with the Intelligence Bureau headquarters and its wings in Hyderabad, Kolkata, Bangalore and Mumbai.

The state anti-terrorism squad (ATS) also issued a terror alert, saying the Indian Mujahideen (IM) could target several places to avenge the conviction of and death penalty for its operative, Himayat Mirza Baig, in the German Bakery bomb blast case.

Amitesh Kumar, deputy inspector general of police, ATS, in a two-page alert stated, "In view of the death penalty to Himayat Baig in the German Bakery bomb blast case and the recent blast in Bangalore, retaliation cannot be ruled out. IM can possibly launch a fresh terror strike."

Kumar said of the likely targets that need special attention are the ones that have already been reconnoitered by terrorists, as revealed during interrogation of the CIA spy-turned-Lashakar-e-Taiba loyalist, David Headley. A National Investigation Agency team had interrogated Headley in the US.

The places mentioned in the hit list of terrorists include the Nashik police academy, Deolali army cantonment, the Osho ashram, ABC Farm, Hard Rock Cafe, Oakwood Hotel, Koregaon Park Plaza, J M Road, North Main Road in Pune, Gold Adlabs, Hinjewadi, and the RSS headquarters in Nagpur....

Temporary marriage, or mut'a, is the practice of entering into a marriage with a time limit: the couple is married only for a night, or a week, or whatever time period their agreement specifies. So in other words, it is prostitution under the guise of morality. Temporary wives are found in large numbers in seminary towns where young clerics-in-training are away from home and lonely.

This is a Shi'ite concept that mainstream Sunnis ostensibly reject; the Shi'ites point out that Muhammad allowed it, while the Sunnis maintain that he later abolished the practice. Shi'ites also justify it by reference to Qur'an 4:24, which says: "And those of whom ye seek content (by marrying them), give unto them their portions as a duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do by mutual agreement after the duty (hath been done)." They see in that reference to "what ye do by mutual agreement" the allowance of a time limit.

Sharia in action in India: "Teenager exposes India's 'one month wives' sex tourism," by Dean Nelson for the Daily Mail, April 14

Campaigners for Muslim women's rights said while short term 'contract marriages' are illegal in India and forbidden in Islam, they are increasing in Hyderabad, in southern India, where wealthy foreigners, local agents and 'Qazis' – government-appointed Muslim priests – are exploiting poverty among the city's Muslim families.

The victim, Nausheen Tobassum, revealed the scale of the problem when she escaped from her home last month after her parents pressurised her to consummate a forced marriage to a middle aged Sudanese man who had paid around £1,200 for her to be his 'wife' for four weeks.

She told police she had been taken by her aunt to a hotel where she and three other teenager girls were introduced to a Sudanese oil company executive. The 'groom', Usama Ibrahim Mohammed, 44 and married with two children in Khartoum, later arrived at her home where a Qazi performed a wedding ceremony.

According to Inspector Vijay Kumar he had paid 100,000 Rupees (around £1,200) to the girl's aunt Mumtaz Begum, who in turn paid 70,000 Rupees to her parents, 5,000 Rupees to the Qazi, 5,000 Rupees to an Urdu translator and kept 20,000 Rupees herself. The wedding certificate came with a 'Talaknama' which fixed the terms of the divorce at the end of the groom's holiday.

"The next day he came to the house of the victim girl and asked her to participate in sex but she refused. She is a young girl and the groom is older than her father," Inspector Kumar told The Telegraph.

Her parents reassured him they would persuade their daughter and told her she would be punished if she did not. Instead she ran out of their tiny one room home in Hyderabad's Moghulpuri neighbourhood and was rescued by a police patrol. The police arrested the groom, the victim's aunt and the Qazi, and issued a warrant for her parents' arrest – Nausheen is a minor under Indian law and cannot marry until she reaches 18. Her parents are now in hiding but will be charged with arranging a child marriage, 'outraging the modesty' of a woman, and criminal conspiracy.

Inspector Kumar said there are dozens of illegal short term contract marriages in the city, and that the Sudanese man they arrested had come to Hyderabad after a friend in Khartoum told him he had taken a '40 day wife' during an earlier visit.

"If a Sudanese wants to have sex, he has to pay three times more [in Sudan] because there are far fewer girls there, or he takes a second wife. In India the girls are coming for a cheaper rate and they are beautiful. Even if they are only staying for a few days they are doing this kind of illegal marriages for sex," he said.

He said the visitors want to marry because they believe prostitution is forbidden under Islam. Poor families agree to contract marriages because they have many daughters and cannot afford to pay for all their weddings.

Instead, they have a series of one-month contract 'marriages' to fund their own genuine wedding.

Shiraz Amina Khan of Hyderabad's Women and Child Welfare Society, said there were up to 15 'contract marriages' in the city every month and that the number is rising because. [sic]

The media should practice "self-censorship." If a large number of Muslims watch the show, then it must conform to Muslim "sensitivities," even if non-Muslims watch the show as well. But never fear: an investigation has been launched, and the principle will be reinforced that Muslims must be accommodated, no matter what inconvenience this causes to non-Muslims. Islamic supremacism in India: "Doordarshan Urdu channel's series in soup for showing pork dish," by Mohammed Wajihuddin in The Times of India, April 13 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

MUMBAI: Doordarshan's popular Urdu channel has landed in the soup with many Muslim viewers by airing a cooking show featuring a pork dish.

In its April 9 episode, DD Urdu's series 'Taste Ki Baat Hai' (Talk of Taste) presented a recipe with pork and went on to speak of its deliciousness.

The programming was criticized by some for being "in poor taste". A section of community leaders and scholars said since the majority of DD Urdu's viewers were Muslims, the channel had displayed a lack of "sensitivity" by showing a dish of pork, which is "haram" (forbidden) in Islam.

"An Urdu channel does not cater to Muslims alone, but it should be careful not to air a show that hurts the religious sentiments of a section of its viewers," said professor Akhtarul Wasey, who teaches Islamic studies at Jamia Millia Islamia University. "This could have been avoided."

The cooking series 'Taste Ki Baat Hai' often showcases different cuisines and lifestyles through families from different backgrounds. "We will investigate how this particular episode got telecast on the show," said DD Urdu's programming executive M Sengupta.

Islamic scholars said articles in the media and television shows should not be seen from a religious prism, but the media should "exercise self-censorship when it comes to religious sensibilities".

"There is no ban on people's tastes," said Islamic scholar Zeenat Shaukat Ali. "There is no ban on people's tastes. But if DD Urdu is viewed by a large number of Muslims, it should not have featured a cooking show on pork since the Quran forbids its consumption, and no Muslim will appreciate any session detailing the preparation of a pork dish."

Some commentators wondered how the episode slipped through scrutiny before being broadcast. "DD Urdu is becoming popular among Urdu-wallas," said activist and Urdu columnist Firoz Bakht Ahmed. "I'm surprised nobody pointed out the potential hurt it would cause to Muslim viewers before the show got aired."

So the girls are getting in their exercise -- what's the big deal?

What's that? They mean jihad as in warfare against unbelievers? How did Jamaat-e-Islami Hind misunderstand Islam in such a crazy fashion? Jihad as warfare against Infidels -- who ever heard of such a thing, except in the febrile imaginings of a few greasy Islamophobes? I am sure Hamas-linked CAIR's Ahmed Rehab is on his way to Mumbai right now to explain to Jamaat-e-Islami Hind how they are getting jihad all wrong, wrong, wrong.

"Mumbai Police's jihad circular on girls and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind kicks up storm," from the Press Trust of India, April 1 (thanks to Pamela Geller):

Mumbai Police kicked up a controversy following its circular which says the women's wing of an Islamic organisation is "brainwashing and training girls for jihad".

The outfit has threatened legal action if no apology is tendered by the police.

The "internal circular" said the Girls Islamic Organisation (GIO) of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, one of the country's largest Islamic organisations that runs 40 high schools and three junior colleges in Maharashtra, has been operating with the objective of "brainwashing college and school girls and train them for jihad".

"The group GIO is related to Jamaat-e-Islami Hind and it was established in Kerala. The purported aim of this organisation is to make more and more Muslim women aware of their religion and the holy Quran. But the real objective of this organisation is to brainwash school and college girls and train them for jihad," the circular, issued last month, says.

The document, meant for internal circulation, got leaked and has invited the wrath of Jamaat with its Maharashtra spokesman Mohammad Aslam Ghazi threatening to sue the police department if it does not apologise.

Ghazi alleged it was a deliberate attempt to tarnish the image of the socio-religious organisation.

"The circular was leaked with vicious intentions. The allegations against GIO are false and baseless," he said.

"The Mumbai police either has to prove the allegations or apologise for the error. Otherwise, we would sue them for defamation," said Ghazi, adding their organisation worked for "peace, justice and to fight against prejudice of the state machinery".

In India also, some Muslims showed solidarity with the would-be jihad murderer

One would almost get the idea that jihad terrorists enjoy broad popular support among Muslims in Pakistan -- and among Muslims in India as well, where this execution led to murderous riots.

"Pakistan's Parliament passes resolution against Afzal Guru's hanging," from NDTV, March 14 (thanks to Vijay):

Islamabad: Pakistan's parliament today passed a resolution condemning the hanging in Delhi last month of Afzal Guru and demanded the return of his body to his family.

India reacted strongly to the resolution with Minister for External Affairs Salman Khurshid saying, "This shows Pakistan's unhealthy interest in matters of our country."

"Pakistan should restrict themselves to their issues," Mr Khurshid added.

Guru was hanged and buried in a top-secret operation at Delhi's Tihar Jail for assisting in the 2001 attack on Parliament in which 13 people were killed.

His execution and the government's refusal to return his body to his family in Kashmir triggered large protests in the state....

"What do you want to do tonight, Marty?" "I don't know. What do you want to do?" "I'm bored. Let's go murder a large number of Infidels."

This is patently absurd. How bored would you have to be to commit mass murder? I have been bored now and again, particularly in endless meetings full of blather that never accomplish anything, but never once have I thought that an antidote to my boredom would be to spray the attendees (or anyone else) with gunfire.

But some people will go to any lengths, no matter how absurd, to exonerate Islam's bloody jihad doctrines of any responsibility for the violence committed because of them.

"'Boredom, not jihad, drew Headley to terrorism,'" from DNA India, February 13:

David Headley, one of the most infamous terrorists in the world and the man behind the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, was not a good jihadi. In fact, he probably turned to the cause not out of a sense of duty but due to boredom. Author and journalistHussain [sic] S Zaidi, who was in the city promoting his book, Headley and I, said that more than anything else, Headley’s own relationship with his father dictated his decisions.

The book that gives the perspective of both Bhatt and Headley, the son of Bollywood’s prominent director, Mahesh Bhatt, who—not knowing Headley’s true identity—shared a close friendship with him.

“This book is more about the complicated relationships that both Rahul Bhatt and David Headley shared with their respective fathers and how that, in turn, affected Bhatt’s own relationship with Headley. It is about how an absentee father can be detrimental to his son,” said Zaidi.

In fact, it was that what drew Headley to terrorism. “Headley is an unlikely jihad because he is just a contradiction. If you are a jihadi then you have to believe in the cause and really believe that you are united with God, but this was a man who liked his wine and was a womaniser. This was like a picnic to him. He was just bored with life,” he added.

An utterly inadequate explanation. According to a hadith, a man once asked Muhammad: "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals Jihad (in reward)." Muhammad replied, "I do not find such a deed." (Bukhari 4.52.44). Since jihad has the greatest reward, it outweighs all the sins one may have committed -- which, as we saw with the 9/11 hijackers visiting strip clubs, can tend to give jihadis a sense that they have a license to sin. And anyway, again: how bored would you have to be to plot jihad mass murder?

To understand the psyche of Headley and his friendship with Rahul Bhatt, Zaidi said he did extensive research, going through court documents, speaking to CIA agents involved in the case and got FBI documents as well.

Zaidi said that he was unimpressed with how India has dealt with terrorism so far. “India does not do nearly enough to curb terrorism. There is almost a feeling like the country is inviting terrorists to attack because they are not aggressive enough. In Israel and America, the situation is completely different. If you touch them with a feather, they come at you with bombs. When someone slaps us on the cheek, we actually really do turn the other cheek!” he said....

One would almost get the idea that jihad terrorists enjoy broad popular support among Muslims in India. Naah, that couldn't be!

"Protests erupt as Afzal Guru executed for 2001 parliament attack," by Matthias Williams for Reuters, February 9 (thanks to Lookmann):

(Reuters) - India hanged Mohammad Afzal Guru on Saturday for the attack on parliament in 2001, sparking clashes in Kashmir between protesters and police who wielded batons and fired teargas. Dozens of people were injured.

President Pranab Mukherjee rejected a mercy petition from the Kashmiri and he was hanged at 8 a.m. (0230 GMT) in Tihar jail in the capital. Security forces anticipating unrest had imposed a curfew in parts of insurgency-torn Kashmir and ordered people off the streets.

Guru was convicted of helping organise arms for the gunmen who made the attack and a place for them to stay. He always maintained his innocence.

India blamed the attack on the parliament of the world's largest democracy on militants backed by Pakistan, targeting the prime minister, interior minister and legislators in one of the country's worst ever militant attacks.

Pakistan denied any involvement and condemned the attack but tension rose sharply and brought the nuclear-armed rivals dangerously close to their fourth war. Nearly a million soldiers were mobilised on both sides of the border and fears of war only dissipated months later, in June 2002.

The hanging was ordered less than three months after India executed Mohammad Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving gunman of a 2008 attack in the city of Mumbai in which 166 people were killed.

Saturday's execution could help the ruling Congress party deflect opposition criticism of being soft on militancy as it gears up for a series of state elections this year and a general election due by 2014, while grappling with an economic slowdown....

In major towns of Indian Kashmir, where security forces have battled a Muslim separatist insurgency for decades, barricades were erected and hundreds of police and paramilitary force members were deployed.

"The hanging of Afzal Guru is a declaration of war by India," said Hilal Ahmad War, leader of a separatist faction.

Thirty-six people including 23 policemen were injured in protests, said police spokesman Manoj Sheeri, with most of the violence in Guru's home district.

Authorities shut down internet services to try to stop news of the hanging and unrest spreading. The chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir state, Omar Abdullah, made a televised appeal for calm.

Scuffles also broke out in New Delhi between Hindu activists and demonstrators who gathered at a city-centre protest site to condemn the execution, a Reuters witness said.

WARNING

Five militants stormed the parliament complex in New Delhi on December 13, 2001, armed with grenades, guns and explosives, but security forces killed them before they could enter the main chamber. Ten other people, most of them security officers, were killed....

India said the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad militant group was responsible for the parliament attack. The group fights Indian rule in Muslim-majority Kashmir.

"Jaish-e-Mohammad" = "The Army of Muhammad."

The hanging last year of Kasab after a long lull in executions, prompted speculation that India would move quickly to execute Guru.

But unlike Kasab's execution, which sparked celebrations in the streets, Guru's case was seen as more divisive.

Some Kashmiri leaders warned that hanging Afzal would fuel the revolt in India's part of the Himalayan region in which tens of thousands of people have been killed since 1989.

Curfews were imposed in Srinagar, the region's summer capital in the Kashmir valley, and major towns including Baramulla, Guru's home town.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, both of which claim the region in full and rule it in part. They have fought two of their three wars over the region.

In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, more than 250 people took to the streets to protest against the hanging, shouting "Down with India" and burning an Indian flag.

India has long accused Muslim Pakistan of arming and funding militants to fight Indian forces in Kashmir. Pakistan says it only provides moral support to the fellow-Muslim people of Kashmir, who, Pakistan says, face harsh Indian rule....

West Bengal authorities, anticipating Muslim protests, did not want him to come. Instead of standing up for the freedom of speech against violent intimidation, they become the willing enforcers of Sharia restrictions on criticism of Islam.

"Salman Rushdie's Kolkata visit cancelled over security concerns," from India Today, January 31 (thanks to Lookmann):

In a most unusual incident, controversial author Salman Rushdie, who was scheduled to visit Kolkata on Wednesday to promote Deepa Mehta's film based on his book 'Midnight's Children', was not allowed to come to Kolkata owing to security reasons.

The author of 'Satanic Verses' was supposed to come to Kolkata for promoting the film along with director Deepa Mehta and main cast Rahul Bose. But the visit had to be cancelled at the eleventh hour.

Deepa Mehta also cancelled her visit to Kolkata where she was scheduled to participate in an interactive session on her film at the second edition of Kolkata Literary Meet (KLM) being held at the Kolkata Book Fair. The film based on Rushdie's novel 'Midnight's Children' will hit the cinema halls on Friday.

Sources said the West Bengal government did not want the controversial author in the city anticipating there might be protests by some religious groups. A few years ago there were protests against the visit of Bengali writer Tasleema Nasreen that led to serious law and order problem in Kolkata.

Asked whether the state government stopped Rushdie from coming to Kolkata, home secretary Basudeb Banerjee told MAIL TODAY: "Initially we did not have any information about his arrival. I got the information at around 10 pm last night (Tuesday) from the police. They said Rushdie was not coming to Kolkata as they came to know from their counterparts in Mumbai that his visit was cancelled."

Banerjee said somebody like him (Rushdie) coming to Kolkata obviously had some serious implications. "Special security arrangements were needed for him. But as per I know there were no plans at all,"

Kolkata police joint commissioner (headquarters) Javed Shamim said that they did not have any prior information of Rushdie's visit to Kolkata. "I have nothing to say about Rushdi's visit. This much I can tell you. Please don't ask me anything more," Shamim told MAIL TODAY.

Organisers of the literary fest at the Kolkata Book Fair, however, said the police had asked them for a written guarantee that the author would not attend the meet. Sources also said the police had told the organisers if Rushdie came to the city he would be sent back immediately in the next flight.

Sources in Publishers and Book Sellers' Guild, the body responsible for organising the Book Fair, also said that phone calls from senior city police officers and "a senior minister" started coming from Tuesday afternoon directing them to cancel Rushdie's programme at the fair.

Last year Rushdie had withdrawn his name from the Jaipur Literature Festival after reports of a death threat. He was also forced to abandon plans to address the gathering by a video link after protesters threatened to march at the venue.

Meanwhile, anticipating Rushdie's arrival in the city around a hundred people from various Muslim groups had gathered at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport in the morning to protest against his visit. After the airport police told them the author was not coming to Kolkata from Mumbai, they gradually dispersed.

"This would be a moral outrage that is inexcusable." Yes. "American Mumbai plotter sentenced to 35 years," by Michael Tarm and Sophia Tareen for the Associated Press, January 24 (thanks to Kenneth):

CHICAGO (AP) -- An American drug dealer who had faced life in prison was sentenced instead to 35 years Thursday for helping plan the deadly 2008 attacks on Mumbai, India - a punishment prosecutors said reflected his broad cooperation with U.S. investigators but that a victim's family member called "an appalling dishonor."

It was David Coleman Headley's meticulous scouting missions that facilitated the assault by 10 gunmen from a Pakistani-based militant group on multiple targets in Mumbai, including the landmark Taj Mahal Hotel. TV cameras captured much of the three-day rampage often called India's 9/11. More than 160 people, including children, were killed.

Gee, AP, that's interesting. What kind of "militant group"?

Glimpses of the horror came through the teary testimony of one of the victims who described the gory scene as she huddled under a restaurant table with her friends as gunmen sprayed the room with bullets, then walked around executing men, women and children one by one. Her own clothes soaked with blood.

"I know what a bullet can do to every part of the human body," said Linda Ragsdale, a Tennessee children's author, who was shot. "I know the sound of life leaving a 13-year-old child. These are things I never needed to know, never needed to experience."

Headley faced life in prison, and at 52 years old, even a 35-year term could mean he'll never walk free. But federal prosecutors had asked for a more lenient 30 to 35 years, citing his extraordinary cooperation including as the government's star witness at the 2011 trial of a Chicago businessman convicted in a failed attack on a Danish newspaper.

Former U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald spoke in court calling Headley's cooperation within 30 minutes of his 2009 arrest "unusual".

However, Ragsdale and other victims called the 35 years unjust for the severity of the violence.

U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber said he considered the cooperation in imposing his sentence even though "the damage that was done was unfathomable." He cited a letter from Headley who vowed that he was a changed man, but Leinenweber said he didn't buy it.

"I don't have any faith in Mr. Headley when he says he's a changed person and believes in the American way of life," he said.

Headley, who did not address the court, showed no emotion when the sentence was announced. Security was tight at the packed hearing; dogs were walked through the lines of people waiting to get into the courtroom.

Prosecutors say Headley, who was born in the U.S. to a Pakistani father and American mother, was motivated in part by his hatred of India going back to his childhood. He changed his birth name from Daood Gilani in 2006 so he could travel to and from India more easily to do reconnaissance without raising suspicions.

He never pulled a trigger in the attack, but his contribution to the Pakistani-based militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba, made the assault more deadly. He conducted meticulous scouting missions - videotaping and mapping targets - so the attackers who had never been to Mumbai adeptly found their way around.

One woman whose husband and daughter were killed in the attack said a lighter sentence would be "an appalling dishonor" to those killed.

"I feel that for the magnitude of the killings that took place, David Headley has lost his right to live as a free man," said Kia Scherr, who is currently in Mumbai. "This would be a moral outrage that is inexcusable."...

As I have noted many times, jihadists and Islamic supremacists present their understanding of Islam as the pure and true version, the genuine article, pointing to the many violent passages in the Qur'an and Hadith to make their case -- and they gain recruits among peaceful Muslims by doing so. While Islamic supremacist groups and spokesmen in the U.S. claim that the "Islamophobes" agree with and validate the "extremist" Muslims, while ignoring and downplaying the vast moderate mainstream, it is they who actually ignore and downplay the fact that those whom they term "extremists" make headway among cultural Muslims by presenting themselves as the exponents of "pure Islam," and those who claim to reject this form of Islam have never mounted an effective comeback to this. Why they would do this is, I believe, obvious.

"‘Wahabi’ Islam gaining ground in the country," by Neeraj Mishra for the New Indian Express, January 14 (thanks to Twostellas):

The ultra-conservative brand of ‘Wahabi’ Islam has lately managed to find more takers among the country’s Muslim community, thanks to the efforts of the Wahabi preachers who constitute a major chunk of the over 20,000 foreign Islamic preachers that descend on Indian shores every year to preach at huge congregations in the hinterland.

In fact, a quarter of the preachers hailing from at least 25 countries are from neighbouring Pakistan and they move about in Tablighi Jamaats, according to intelligence and police sources. The Indian visa regime does not allow entry to Pakistani nationals if they do not have local sponsors and also bars entry to preachers of faith. Hence, all the scholars travel on a tourist visa.

The invites to the Pakistani Islamic scholars are extended by various well- known Islamic organisations likeTableeghi Jamaat Nizamuddin Markaz, Islamic Research Foundation, Ahl-e-Hadis and Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind among others.

Meanwhile, the Wahabis, who trace their origin to Saudi Arabia and preach a purer form of Islam, are not new to the country and they had even participated in the ‘Gadar’ of 1857. But their numbers have seen a significant rise in recent years. It is believed that almost 20 per cent of the nearly 20 crore Muslims in India today follow the Wahabi edict. Significantly, the number of Wahabis in the country was less than 10 per cent a decade ago. Incidentally, the Deoband University and the Nizamuddin Markaz subscribe to Wahabi school.

The Tablighi Jamaat has also been actively increasing its influence in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, UP and Gujarat. Though Bhopal has a tradition of holding Aalmi Tablighi Ijtema (world conference) which attracts at least 10 lakh faithful every year, Tabligh now wants to hold similar Ijtemas in Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and Hyderabad. Tabhlighis now also control the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and most Wakf boards, which had suffered a backlash even from moderate Muslims.

Syed Mohammad Ashraf of the All-India Ulema and Mashaikh Board (AIUMB) believes that “petro dollars are weaning away the Indian Muslims” and the government seems to be doing little about the 80 per cent Muslims who believe in a more Sufi influenced Indian form of Islam. And Arshad Alam a former professor at the Jamia Millia Islamia University believes that it is leading to the “obliteration of ethnic identity of Muslims”.

The influx of scholars has also led to invites to moderate Pakistani preachers like Tahirul Qadri -- a Canadian citizen of Pakistani origin. Known for his strong stand against Islamist terrorism, Qadri’s address to congregations in Baroda, Hyderabad and Raipur last year had been opposed by the Tablighis.

Qadri is so moderate that he framed Pakistan's notorious blasphemy laws.

Note that this Associated Press report does not contain what he actually said, which was that Muslims in India would need just 15 minutes without the police to show 100 crore Hindus who is more powerful and finish them off. A crore equals ten million, so 100 crore Hindus would be a billion. He was boasting that the Muslims could essentially wipe the Hindus from the face of the earth in fifteen minutes, if the police look the other way.

An update on this story.

"Muslim lawmaker held for inflammatory speeches," from the Associated Press, January 9 (thanks to Twostellas):

Indian police say they have arrested a Muslim lawmaker in a southern state for making inflammatory speeches against Hindus.

Police officer A.B. Venkateshwar Rao says Akbaruddin Owaisi, was arrested on Tuesday in Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh state.

In speeches three weeks earlier he reportedly accused police of bias against Muslims, denigrated Hindu gods and said Muslims could teach the rest of the country a lesson.

Owaisi, the leader of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, or the Council of the Union of Muslims, left for London after his remarks and returned to India this week.

Police charged him with threatening the security of the nation and promoting enmity between Hindus and Muslims.

How sweet. They're going to stay fit despite their busy schedules in Kashmir. What a glorious new age is dawning across the world!

"Pak Taliban vows to implement ‘Sharia’ in India, wage war in Kashmir," by Lalit K Jha for Niti Central, January 8:

Pak Taliban vows to implement ‘Sharia’ in India, wage war in Kashmir A top Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan leader (TTP) Wali Ur Rehman in a rare video appearance has pledged to send fighters in Kashmir and wage a struggle for implementation of Sharia rule in India.

Wali Ur Rehman, against whom the US has announced a $5 million reward for his involvement in the murder of seven CIA officials in Afghanistan in December 2009, is believed to have said this in a rare video of his along with the TTP chief Hamikullah Mehsud, in which the two militant leaders have for the first time spoken about their ambitions transcending beyond the Af-Pak border taking them to Kashmir, India and the United States as well.

“The practical struggle for a Sharia system that we are carrying out in Pakistan, the same way we will continue it in Kashmir, and the same way we will implement the Sharia system in India too. And this is the only solution for people’s problems,” said Rehman, according to the translation provided by the Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) of Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), a Washington-based think tank.

The 45:52 minute video in Pashto with Urdu subtitles has been produced by Umar Media, the broadcasting arm of TTP. The video is titled as “The False Propaganda of the Dajjali Media Revealed.” It was released to internet on January 6.

According to MEMRI, for the first time perhaps, TTP’s official spokesman Ehsanullah Ihsan is show in the video, which devotes a section towards the last part — on Kashmir.

Claiming that the Jihad launched by the Pakistani Government inside Kashmir has failed to yield any desired result, the TTP video says that it would launch its own jihad in the Valley and talks about sending its own jihadi forces in the Valley.

“Allah willing, the mujahedeen of Tehreek-e-Taliban will arrive in Kashmir and as per the Islamic sharia will help the Kashmiris get their rights. As our ancestors sacrificed their lives for Kashmir and had got Kashmir liberated by force [in 1947-48], the same way their progenies [i.e Taliban fighters], walking in the footsteps of their forefathers, will get Kashmir liberated [from India], and will help them get their rights,” Rehman said.

“That registered [i.e government-sponsored] jihad that Pakistan had begun cannot liberate Kashmir, and even if it were to be liberated, it will be for name only, but the system will not change [in favor of Islamic sharia rule] and their fate will not be changed, and if it were to change, only Shari’a system will change it. And it is our promise to those people [in Kashmir], that we will share their grief,” the propaganda says as per the translation provided by MEMRI.

“Insofar as Pakistan’s dirty policy [on Kashmir] is concerned, as per which Kashmiris have been ruined and destroyed under the pretext of Kashmir policy, their everything has been destroyed, we strongly condemn this policy too as much as we do about India’s atrocities,” said Rehman, who has been designated as a terrorist leader by the State Department.

"When you meet the unbelievers, smite their necks..." -- Qur'an 47:4

Of course, that verse has to be read in context. Hamas-linked CAIR will tell you that it means "When you meet the unbelievers, shower them with rose petals." Unfortunately, these Pakistani regular soldiers seem to have misunderstood the verse, probably under "Islamophobic" influence.

"Pak troops cross LoC, kill 2 Indian jawans brutally," from PTI, January 8 (thanks to Vijay):

JAMMU: In a "provocative" attack, Pakistani regular soldiers crossed into Indian territory in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir and ambushed an Indian patrol killing two soldiers, one of whom was decapitated.

Condemning the attack, which it called provocative, government said it will take up the incident with Pakistan. "We expect Islamabad to honour the ceasefire agreement strictly," defence ministry said in a late night statement.

Army's additional director general (public information) Major General S L Narasimhan said Northern Army Commander Lt Gen K T Parnaik visited the scene of action and confirmed that one of the two bodies was mutilated.

Other sources said the heads of both the Indian soldiers — Lance Naiks, Hemraj and Sudhakar Singh — have been chopped off and one was taken away by Pakistani intruders.

This was a chilling reminder of the brutal attack on Capt Saurabh Kalia and his team by Pakistani troops in Kaksar sector of Kargil during the 1999 conflict.

Today's attack took place along the Line of Control in Poonch district when Pakistanis came about 100 metres into Indian territory and assaulted the patrol party.

Besides killing two, they also injured two other soldiers and took away their weapons and other belongings.

In Islamabad, military spokesman denied India's allegation of provocative action in Poonch sector by Pakistani troops.

However, the sources said Pakistan army's border action team entered into Indian territory at Krishna Ghati area of Poonch district and carried out the strikes well past 11.30am and the attack lasted for more than an hour.

Army's Udhampur-based Northern Command came out with a statement terming the attack as a "significant escalation" to the continuing series of ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts supported by Pakistan army....

This article says that this practice of temporary marriage, i.e. prostitution behind the hypocritical fig leaf of a "marriage" with a time limit, violates Islamic law. However, it is actually an established Shi'ite concept that is also prevalent among some Sunnis. We saw it taking place in Egypt last summer. It is also rising among Saudis, even though Sunnis ostensibly reject it.

Shi'ites justify temporary marriage, mutah, by their reading of Qur'an 4:24:

And all married women (are forbidden unto you) save those (captives) whom your right hands possess. It is a decree of Allah for you. Lawful unto you are all beyond those mentioned, so that ye seek them with your wealth in honest wedlock, not debauchery. And those of whom ye seek content (by marrying them), give unto them their portions as a duty. And there is no sin for you in what ye do by mutual agreement after the duty (hath been done). Lo! Allah is ever Knower, Wise.

They see in this marriage as something contracted by means of payment ("give them their portions") for a specified time by mutual agreement.

"How Arabs buy 'wives' and dump them in a few weeks," from Mid-Day.com, December 28 (thanks to Vankat):

Mumbai: A month-long investigation by MiD DAY journalists has revealed a twisted form of human trafficking that involves rich Arabs, greedy Qazis, sham marriages, agents and girls lured into the flesh trade or those looking for a quick buck.

The modus operandi: set up a temporary or time-bound wedding to a rich Arab. The affluent Arab offers a negotiated amount for the services of a 'wife' during his stay in India. The price for the 'booty' varies from Rs. 15,000 to nearly a lakh for the 10-day marriage. Girls from poor families are sold like commodities to the Arabs, many of whom arrive on tourist visas from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar. While this may seem shocking to many, the women involved in this latest form of flesh trade are often willing participants.

The Arab and The Qazi
These predators have been perpetrating a blatant crime under the veneer of nikaah, abusing the Islamic rules of marriage. Abusing the sanctioned provision which allows a Muslim man to have four wives at a time, many old Arabs are not just marrying minors in Mumbai and Hyderabad, but marrying more than one minor in a single trip to the country.

The Pimp and The Victim
A healthy stream of women keep flowing into the city from all parts of the country to solicit the Arab clientele who have turned Mumbai into a sex haven. For as little asRs 2,000 per job, scores of women line up every evening hoping to catch the eye of the adulterous tourist.

Over a month-long operation, Kranti Vibhute posed as a would-be bride and Bhupen Patel as her friend trying to help her get the deal. They found that these deal brokers, prostitutes and Qazis have been running this business quite explicitly.

A Qazi, who solemnises the weddings and also facilitates the divorce proceedings, takes 50 percent of the negotiated price as his cut. The agent, who sources the girls, takes 25 percent of the balance amount.

The pimps, cab drivers and sub-agents charge Rs. 500-1,000 per deal.

The Arab gets a sex slave for a temporary period, who he calls his 'wife', and takes her on a vacation with him. Once the honeymoon period is over, he brings her back dumps her with a 'talaaq' and goes back to the Qazi's office for a new bride. The girl gets her cut and lines up for the next husband to come her way.

The Qazis solemnise these sham marriages, in violation of Islamic principles of nikaah and talaaq. A woman cannot be married off to another man unless her first husband gives her a divorce, or she has sought khula (separation) and has completed the iddat period (a gap of at least three months and 13 days).

Victims?
Owing to abject poverty and wretched living conditions, many women are forced into the world of flesh trade. While some girls have fallen victim to the flesh trade, tricked by the promise of monetary benefits and a better standard of living, others have chosen the path to make a quick buck.

During the course of the operation, MiD DAY discovered that several women, who were once sold as brides to Arabs, have now turned into agents and pimps. The women now scout villages and cities looking for fresh blood to incorporate into the trade.

Abdul Rauf, however, denies that he prayed for Kasab's soul, and says he is the victim of a power struggle. His words might be more credible, however, if Islamic supremacists didn't always disclaim responsibility for any wrongdoing, and blame someone else.

Noteworthy here is that Rauf was only dismissed after police began an investigation. How many other sympathizers with Kasab and his jihad mass murder remain in the Judge Mukku mosque, and other mosques? What programs have peaceful Muslims instituted in India or anywhere else to make sure that no other Muslims get the idea that massacring innocent civilians is pleasing to Allah? Why, there are no such programs, anywhere. "Kochi mosque official prays for Ajmal Kasab’s soul, gets the boot," by Ajay Kanth for TNN, December 29:

KOCHI: The managing committee of a Jama'at mosque here has initiated disciplinary action against its khatib (preacher leading Friday prayers) for allegedly praying for salvation of the soul of Ajmal Kasab two days after the terrorist was hanged in Pune's Yerwada Central Jail.

Khatib Abdul Rauf, however, preferred to resign from the post than wait for action against him following strong protest from the juma (Friday congregation) that had assembled at the Judge Mukku mosque at Thrikkakkara in Kochi's outskirts.

Though the incident had occurred on November 23, its details trickled out only after police began an investigation on Friday when it, once again, "became a talking point at the juma''.

"We have confirmed the incident. An investigation is on," a source in the police told TOI.

President of the Judge Mukku mosque managing committee Abdul Rehman also confirmed the incident. "Khatib Rauf did include the name of Ajmal Kasab in the prayer for the departed souls after the namaz,'' he told TOI.

"Every Friday we say a prayer for the souls. But to our surprise and shock khatib Rauf prayed for Kasab. There was instant protest from the juma,'' Rehman said.

The committee members immediately decided to suspend him. But before they could issue the suspension order, khatib Rauf offered his resignation.

When TOI contacted him, khatib Rauf maintained that he was being victimized. Rauf said he was being made a scapegoat of a tussle between two groups in the managing committee.

"I didn't pray for the salvation of Kasab's soul. That it was the first Friday after he was hanged I used his case as an example to advise the juma not to lead such a life,'' Rauf said.

All I said was that "Kasab got the punishment he deserved. Believers of Islam should never follow the path of these kinds of people", he said.

"I have been working in the mosque for the last 25 years and this was a ploy to oust me from the post by a group of people," Rauf said.

A crore equals ten million, so 100 crore Hindus would be a billion. He is boasting that the Muslims could essentially wipe the Hindus from the face of the earth in fifteen minutes, if the police look the other way.

This joins the Iranian leadership's many genocidal statements against Israel in being ignored by a world "human rights" community that is consumed with working out a remedy to "Islamophobia."

"Akbaruddin in trouble for hate speech," from TNN, December 29 (thanks to Lookmann):

HYDERABAD: Akbaruddin Owaisi, the firebrand leader of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), was on Friday taken to court over his disparaging remarks against Hindus in a hate speech, the main content of which was that Muslims would need just 15 minutes without the police to show 100 crore Hindus who is more powerful.

In a complaint filed against the MIM legislator, an advocate said he had stumbled upon YouTube uploaded hate speech made at a public meeting at Adilabad on December 24, about 300 km from the city.

The VII additional chief metropolitan magistrate after admitting the petition said the matter will be heard on December 31.

Akbaruddin, who is the younger brother of MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi, said Hindus have so many gods and goddesses, and every eight days, there are new gods coming up. "We knew about Lakshmi, but who is Bhagyalakshmi, we are not aware," Akbar said referring to the Bhagyalakshmi temple abutting the historic Charminar....

"Inflammatory speech by MLA Akbaruddin - Remove police for 15 mins, We will finish off 100 crore Hindus," tweeted television commentator and interviewer Karan Thapar, which was re-tweeted by journalist and columnist Swapan Dasgupta.

Does that include videos of shootings? And beheadings? The learned clerics didn't say. "Deoband says shooting videos against Islam," by Sanjay Pandey for the Deccan Herald, December 20:

Clerics issue fatwa against making films of ceremonies

A new fatwa by the prestigious Islamic seminary Darul Uloom, Deoband, has said that videography conducted at any ceremony or function is wrong in the eyes of shariat and should be avoided.

The religious decree was issued in response to a query by a resident of Pakistan by the Darul Ifta of the Uttar Pradesh-based seminary a few days ago.

The questioner wanted to know if making video of a ceremony and deriving income from such videography was proper in the eyes of Islam.

The clerics of the seminary replied that it was ‘un-Islamic’ and must be avoided. They said the income derived from doing so was also wrong.

“According to Islam, pictures and photographs are improper and hence any income from them will also be improper,” said senior cleric Maulana Mufti Arif Quasmi.

He, however, made it clear that pasting photographs on passports and other documents was permitted. The seminary is known for issuing fatwas at regular intervals, some of them on trivial social issues.

Many fatwas issued by Darul Uloom have drawn flak from a section of the Muslim community and the clergy.

Earlier, the seminary had said that a Muslim woman cannot work as receptionists as it was against the shariat or Islamic laws. It said the religion did not permit women from appearing before men without veil.

Islamic law forbids non-Muslim men to marry Muslim women. "Ex-sarpanch hacked to death for eloping with girl," from TNN, December 13 (thanks to Lookmann):

MACHERLA: In a gruesome incident, a former village sarpanch of a tribal hamlet was hacked to death for eloping with a girl from another community as the elders in her family were against their marriage. The incident took place in the wee hours of Wednesday at Ekonampet village of Macherla mandal in Guntur district. Two others, including the girl who married the tribal leader, were also injured in the incident.

According to information, Sreenu Naik, 30, of Ekonampet village fell in love with one Shaik Fatima, 23, of Macherla town a few years ago. However, Fathima's elders objected to their marriage as Sreenu Naik was already married and had two children. However, to get the consent of the family members of Fathima, Sreenu Naik, reportedly deserted his first wife and children.

Even then the family members of the girl and religious elders strongly objected to Sreenu's marriage proposal to Fathima and warned him to keep away from her. The story took a curious twist when Fathima herself left home to live with Sreenu. The couple fled Macherla town and were residing at Ekonampet village. Feeling humiliated by Fathima's decision, her brothers reportedly began hatching a plot to eliminate Sreenu about six months ago and got the chance on Wednesday.

Armed with deadly weapons, they reached the village in the early hours and tried to barge into the house. As the door was locked from inside, the assailants removed tiles on the roof and entered the house. At least three persons are said to have entered the house and hacked Sreenu to death. The victim died on the spot as he was attacked with sickles and axes and stabbed several times. When a terrified Fathima shouted for help, the offenders attacked her too leaving her with a severe head injury. A neighbour Sakru Naik, who rushed to the spot, was also attacked by the fleeing offenders. Sakru Naik suffered bleeding injuries. Locals rushed to the spot and took the injured to hospital. Macherla police launched an investigation into the case. With Sakru Naik's condition turning critical, the police shifted him to the Government General Hospital (GGH) at Guntur. Fathima is recovering at the Macherla government hospital.

Longtime Jihad Watch readers may notice that I have posted the following information before. And I will continue to post it, as long as the near-universal denial and obfuscation continues, which I expect will be until right around the time that hell freezes over.

Muslims commit 91 percent of honor killings worldwide. A manual of Islamic law certified as a reliable guide to Sunni orthodoxy by Al-Azhar University, the most respected authority in Sunni Islam, says that "retaliation is obligatory against anyone who kills a human being purely intentionally and without right." However, "not subject to retaliation" is "a father or mother (or their fathers or mothers) for killing their offspring, or offspring's offspring." ('Umdat al-Salik o1.1-2). In other words, someone who kills his child incurs no legal penalty under Islamic law.

The Palestinian Authority gives pardons or suspended sentences for honor murders. Iraqi women have asked for tougher sentences for Islamic honor murderers, who get off lightly now. Syria in 2009 scrapped a law limiting the length of sentences for honor killings, but "the new law says a man can still benefit from extenuating circumstances in crimes of passion or honour 'provided he serves a prison term of no less than two years in the case of killing.'" And in 2003 the Jordanian Parliament voted down on Islamic grounds a provision designed to stiffen penalties for honor killings. Al-Jazeera reported that "Islamists and conservatives said the laws violated religious traditions and would destroy families and values."

In light of all this, until authorities get the courage to tell the truth about honor killing, there will be many more such murders.

"Brother beheads younger sister over affair in India," from Gulf Today, December 8 (thanks to Kenneth):

KOLKATA: In the first case of honour killing in Kolkata, a garment trader decapitated his younger sister with a sword and took the severed head to the police station, where he surrendered.

The 29-year-old trader, identified as Mehtab Alam, discovered that his sister, 24-year-old Nilofer Bibi, a mother of two, was staying with a rickshaw-puller with whom she had eloped, police sources said on Saturday.

Alam went to the rickshaw-puller's house, dragged out his sister and beheaded her with the sword in full public view on Friday, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Port division) Mehboob Rehman.

Local people watched horrified as Alam walked down the road at Ayubnagar with the severed head dangling in his hand, before surrendering to the Nadial police station.

"He even asked for a glass of water after reaching the police station," police sources said.

According to eye-witnesses, Alam justified his crime saying he did it to punish his sister for the extra-marital affair.

"It was not the decision of the family to kill her. The brother had lost his temper and had unilaterally decided to kill her," Rehman said....

Shock horror! Avert your eyes!

Actually the fatwa was against that scourge of humanity, female receptionists.

Sharia Alert from the Darul Uloom Deoband: "Deoband seminary issues fatwa against Muslim female receptionists, from Dawn, December 4:

MUZAFFARNAGAR: India’s leading Islamic seminary, the Darul Uloom Deoband, has barred Muslim women from working as receptionists, calling the act un-Islamic and against Shariah law, said a reported published on Tuesday.

According to the Press Trust of India, the Darul Uloom Deoband has issued a fatwa against the appointment of Muslim women as receptionists. The seminary issued the fatwa after a Pakistan-based company submitted a query on Nov 29 regarding the appointment of Muslim women as receptionists, said the report.

Darul Uloom said that a Muslim woman working in offices as receptionist was un-Islamic because Muslim women were not allowed to appear before men without wearing a veil, as ordained by Islam.

Muslim cleric and president of the UP Imam organisation, Mufti Zulfikar Ali, defended the fatwa and said that Muslim women could work in offices if they wore the veil. However, he added, the post of receptionist required constant interactions with people, and thus should not be practiced.