Shafqat Hussain: Stop the hanging! Distraught prisoner “pissed in his pants” when describing alleged torture!

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Shafqat (left) and with his family

Shafqat Hussain age 24 is due to become one of the latest victims of Pakistan’s “revenge” hangings, which the Nawaz Sharif government decided to carry out in retaliation for Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) attack on Peshawar Army School on the 16th December 2014. Shafkat had nothing whatsoever to do with this horrific incident  which was carried out by TTP ironically to avenge alleged torture, killings in custody in the weeks preceding the massacre.

Shafqat was 14 years old, a child, when he was arrested and convicted of involuntary manslaughter related to the kidnapping and killing of another child when he was employed as a security guard in 2004. He, along with 25 others hanged earlier, were sat in their prison cells when TTP hit the school to take revenge against the military and police personnel that were claimed to have repeatedly acted outside of the law carrying out brutal attacks and killings of detainees in state custody.

Shafqat’s case is a disturbing one due to concerns raised by human rights organizations relating to the alleged torture of this young man whilst a juvenile which resulted in him being “illegally sentenced to death”. The Justice Project Pakistan and Reprieve have organized a petition following on from an earlier one in January stating that the Pakistani authorities that are due to hang Shafqat on Thursday have “broken their promise to investigate the many miscarriages of justice in his case and his life is in imminent danger once again”.

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URGENT please read and sign petition to stop the execution of Shafqat

https://reprieve.bsd.net/page/speakout/stop-shafqat-hussain-s-execution

By coincidence, I was asked to edit an article on Shafqat which includes interviews with his family members and details of his life as well as his case. I am unable to link to the article yet as it has not been published. However, one line stood out from all the rest which I am sure the author will forgive me for sharing as speed is of the essence in highlighting the case…. Manzore Hussain the brother of Shafqat said,

“when Shafqat talked about the police torture he suddenly pissed in the pants which make me realize clearly what had happened to him.”

As a trained psychiatric nurse, that says so much to me. Shafqat was in the presence of a close family member, not someone from a prison board or a human rights organization that he was aiming to convince of his circumstances. To lose control of one’s bladder when revisiting an incident suggests enormous fear and trauma at the memory. If the thought itself induces such a response, what must it have been like for a 14 year old child at the time, allegedly subjected to the most brutal treatment, alone, terrified and afraid for his life?

Manzore also told CNN that when he met his brother Shafqat in 2010,

“His nails had been removed and his thumb on his right hand was twisted because of being broken.

“He had cigarette stub marks all over his arm.”

The fear Shafqat experienced urinating on himself reminded me of numerous conversation I had with a man I interviewed in 2011 who was captured as a teenager related to an incident in Gafsa in Central Tunisia on 26th January 1980. Mistaken identity led to “Sami” being brutally tortured which included being, shot in the ankle, slapped around, a gun placed at his temple and soldiers anally raping him with a cola bottle leaving long lasting internal injuries. Their aim was to elicit a “confession” from him. The incident both physically and mentally affected Sami’s life and personal relationships as he relived the attack over and over again. He continues to suffer to this day from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). At the time of the interview I was only the second person with whom he had shared the full details of his torture apart from doctors treating him. The full story can be read here,

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/06/26/tortured-memories-how-a-mistaken-identity-led-to-anal-rape-gafsa-incident/

I recall also once listening to Moazzam Begg describing his own torture and saying a person would confess to just about anything when they or a family member were placed under severe threat. The following is the last paragraph from his essay, “Is torture ever justified”,

“I had a few spare hours before I was due to speak at an event in Edinburgh, so I decided to visit the castle there. My wanderings inside led me inevitably to the subterranean 19th century military prison, in the PRISONS OF WAR section. As I walked alone into one of the open cells I thought about my years of isolation in Guantánamo. But at least this cell had natural light and was twice as big. Suddenly, I heard the shouts of American voices and doors slamming shut and being bolted. For just a moment, my heart began to pound. And then I walked out. The young American tourists were just fooling around locking one another in the cells. As I ascended the stairs and left I thought, ‘If only they knew, if only they knew.’”

To return to Shafqat, Nawaz Sharif promised an investigation into this case. Torture in custody remains rife in Pakistan. IA Rehman, Director of Human Rights Commission Pakistan (HRCP) told DAWN media that investigation through torture was a common practice of police in Pakistan, he stated,

“Torture is a colonial legacy, which has been continued in Pakistan for decades. Torture is generally used to extort confessional statements from detainees. It has become societal attitude. Most of jail inmates are under trial prisoners, which is tantamount to torture as well. Similarly handcuffing of under custody is illegal, but the police still use it. The state agents justify torture in good faith for national security.”

What is so disturbing, is that such attitudes and behaviour are turning state agencies into criminal forces of terrorism which is inciting yet more terrorism through retaliation attacks.

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Reprieve report, a hearing for Shafqat’s case will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) at Sindh High Court. Maya Foa, Director of Reprieve’s death penalty team, said:

“The execution of anyone convicted when they were just a child is illegal, not to mention morally abhorrent. Shafqat’s innocence, and the fact that his ‘confession’ was extracted after nine days of brutal police torture, make the Pakistani government’s attempts to kill this young man even more horrendous. Minister Nisar promised an inquiry into Shafqat’s conviction because he knows that it was wrong to begin with – it is a shocking abuse of office that he has reneged on this commitment. Shafqat’s execution – and all others – must be halted so that the inquiry that was so rightly promised can go ahead. If it does not, it will show exactly how much weight the rule of law now carries in Pakistan.” 

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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TTP JA spokesperson says 2 “innocent” men lynched have “no links to us”

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Alleged lynching, angry mob attack 2 men in Lahore and burn the bodies photographing the horror (posted on Twitter)

Two men killed by a frenzied mob in Lahore appear to have been lynched in a tragic case of over reaction and mistaken identity as an official Taliban spokesperson has now denied the two had links to them.

Yesterday was a horrific day for Christians in Pakistan with the bombing of Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church in Youhanabad which claimed the lives of 15 people with 78 injured. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) claimed responsibility for the double bombings soon after the blasts stating, “we promise that until an Islamic system is put into place in Pakistan such attacks will continue. If Pakistan’s rulers think they can stop us, they should try to do so.” For the full story of yesterday’s attack can be seen on the following link,

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2015/03/15/pakistan-church-services-in-lahore-hit-by-taliban-bombing-ttp-ja-claims-responsibility/

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Beaten by mob

Feelings were running high as an enraged crowd took to the streets, Al Jazeera reported, “in the tense aftermath of the bombings, angry mobs burned to death one person they believed was involved in the attack and tried to lynch another, said Haider Ashraf, deputy inspector general for Lahore. Local television footage showed an angry crowd beating a person they thought was connected to the attack, while others attacked buses in the city.”

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Crowd formed a circle and set bodies alight

In a scene reminiscent of the burning alive of a Christian couple at a brick kiln, police failed to protect 2 men seized by the crowd as “suspects” and the situation got out of hand. Punjab Police IG Mushtaq Sukhera informed DAWN media after the lynching,“the policemen did attempt to resist but the mob was highly charged. It was not possible to use force at that time because it could turn the situation ugly and perhaps out of control.”

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No mercy

The crowd took photos of the terrible scene and no-one appeared to have intervened to stop the killings.

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Celebrating the shocking attack on two men

Taliban deny lynched men were linked to Taliban and brother of one victim claims he is innocent

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One of the “innocent” men murdered by the mob 

In a horrible twist today, Ehsanullah Ehsan spokesperson for Tehreek -e-Taliban Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) tweeted stating,

“the people who were burnt alive have no links with us. And we will revenge the two innocents, InshaAllah”.

According to Express News, Muhammad Saleem has now filed an application at Lahore’s Nishtar Colony police station on Monday related to the death of his brother, Naeem. Muhammad denied his brother who works as a glasscutter had anything to do with the church bombings. Saleem said,

“my brother was innocent and not a militant,”

“my brother was missing and when we went to the hospital we discovered he was one of those lynched.”

“we own a shop called Azeem glass and aluminum center and my brother was in the area to do some work when the incident took place.”

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Dawn News screengrab shows Babar Noman, a hosiery worker, who had come from Sargodha in search of employment at a factory.

According to DAWN media, “the second victim of Lahore lynching incident has been identified as Babar Noman, a garment worker who had come from Sargodha in search of employment at a factory” Although the family have come forward to claim the body, DNA tests are needed first for further identification.

There was strong condemnation on social media, 

Noor tweeted….

“Lynching, torching of 2 men in Lahore was barbaric. Every suspect has right to fair trial”

Maria Kari…

“Mob mentality, public lynching is now the answer? A desperate, tired nation we are. What the hell is happening?”

Syed Talat Hussain….

“Lahore mob burning of two alleged Church attack suspects is intriguing. Part of the mob, v organised, knew what they were doing.”

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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Jake Bilardi: Australian “Jihadi” in his own words and through the tribute of a “brother”

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From dreaming of being a political journalist to a “martydom” operation in Iraq

According to a tweet from terrorism theorist, Max Abrahms, referring to information from Radio France Internationale, “Australia now supplies the most jihadists to Islamic State per capita.” One of those jihadists was teenager Jake Bilardi, a Muslim revert from Craigieburn, Melbourne who allegedly carried out a suicide bomb attack against Iraqi forces in Ramadi, Iraq. Bilardi who was also known as Abu Abdullah al-Austrālī and later changed his name to Abdur-Rahīm abandoned his studies in 2014 to make “hijrah” (spiritual flight) and join the ranks of fighters with Islamic State. According to Fairfax Media,

“Jake was a high-flying student, a maths whiz, who attended Craigieburn Secondary College’s CEAP Excel accelerated learning program. However, he dropped out of high school mid-last year after converting to Islam and bought a one-way ticket to Istanbul, on the way to Iraq and Syria to fight for the so-called caliphate.”

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In his new role as a fighter for Islamic State

In the run up to departure, Bilardi set off on a path of “historical research” and “investigations” and went from describing himself as an “aetheist” to become an Islamist declaring on his blog, “I was growing tired of the corruption and filthiness of Australian society and yearned to live under the Islamic State with the Muslims’. Someone who knew him in person who goes by the Twitter handle of Hanibali Witness told me,

“I used to see him at salah (prayers). Didnt know him well, but we used to pray at the same Masjid, Hume Islamic Youth Centre. When I saw him, my first thought honestly was he looked out of place, skinny, clean shaven, white kid not exactly the type of person you see at a Salafi Masjid. If I say anymore my Identity is compromised”

Bilardi was clearly a well-educated and articulate young man. To gain some understanding of the thought processes that led a student (who once dreamed of being a “political journalist”) to make such a dramatic transformation in his life I have posted the final uncensored entry from what is alleged to be his blog. Bilardi described that journey as a transition “from being a reluctant-supporter of Islamic militant groups in different lands to become certain that violent global revolution was the answer to the world’s ills.”

Bilardi was also prepared with a Plan B if his efforts to leave his home country failed. Fearing that he may be detained by authorities he would take his fight to Australia and in his writing describes the violent methods he was prepared to employ to bring down the “kuffar” disbelievers.

A former classmate said of Bilardi in the Mail Online that he was “incapable of punching his way out of a wet paper bag. He was fragile.” However he was described by a “brother” (whose tribute I have also included in this blog) as being a “lion on the battlefield although he was at a young age and with a weak body, he was like a mountain.”

Iraqi military spokesman General Tahssin Ibrahim was keen to deter any future “would-be jihadis” from taking flight stating that Bilardi’s sacrifice had come to nothing and telling ABC that “instead of the paradise he had been promised Bilardi had only found hell. He never do anything, he just killed himself, he just destroy some cars.’ Working for change through violent means is usually deemed acceptable only if supported by the state and under the control of official armed forces.

“From the eyes of a Mujahir: An Australian Mujahir in the land of the Khilafah.”

From Melbourne to Ramadi: My Journey 

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The Yarra River in the heart of Melbourne, a beautiful city polluted by a corrupt society.

“With my martyrdom operation drawing closer, I want to tell you my story, how I came from being an Atheist school student in affluent Melbourne to a soldier of the Khilafah preparing to sacrifice my life for Islam in Ramadi, Iraq. Many people in Australia probably think they know the story, but the truth is, this is something that has remained between myself and Allah (azza wa’jal) until now.

My life in Melbourne’s working-class suburbs was, despite having its ups and downs just like everyone else, very comfortable. I found myself excelling in my studies, just as my siblings had, and had dreamed of becoming a political journalist. I always dreamed that one day I would travel to countries such as Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan to cover the situations in these lands. I was intrigued by the conflicts in these countries and I was bent on understanding the motivations behind violent political and social movements. While the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Syria and Ansar Dine/MUJAO in Mali occupied my mind day-in-day-out, I also took interest in the rise of violent street gangs in Mexico, El Salvador and Brazil. Through my research I found a common link between all these organisations, they are made-up of oppressed and neglected people seeking their own form of perceived justice.

But let’s go back a little bit further…

Being the youngest in a family of six, I was always treated as a student by my older siblings, all of whom were studying a variety of different topics. So from a young age I was being used as a study tool by my siblings, being taught Psychology, Biology and History among other subjects. I should be rivaling Albert Einstein if all the information had settled neatly in my memory, but most of it left as soon as it entered. It was my eldest brother’s deep interest in international politics though that grabbed my attention the most and while I may have fallen asleep during some of the ‘classes’, I can still to this day remember many of the things he taught me. In fact the first time I ever heard the words ‘al-Qaeda’ and ‘Usama bin Laden’, they came from his mouth, but as I know he is unhappy with me being here, I can confirm for his sake that, no, he did not ‘radicalise’ me.

From then on, my love of politics only grew, learning from my brother before going on to do my own research. Being just five-years-old at the time of the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001, my knowledge of the operation was basically non-existent. Despite this, I was immediately drawn to the topics of al-Qaeda and ‘Islamic terrorism’ based on the little information my brother had provided me with. I was intrigued, why would a group of people living in caves in Afghanistan want to kill innocent American civilians? And the even more perplexing, how did such a simple group fly commercial airliners into the global superpower’s trade and defence centres? It was from here that my research into al-Qaeda, Shaykh Usama bin Laden (May Allah have mercy upon him) and groups with similar ideologies worldwide began. I spent every day researching online and reading the books I had begun collecting and I was understandably very pleased when the Victorian state government introduced a laptop-in-schools programme, meaning I could now spend the otherwise wasted time in boring classes reading.

Australia, a nation full of proud nationalists and people who love democracy and what they perceive to be freedom, has forever stood beside the Americans in this war, deploying troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Therefore, in the media, the reports every morning when I sat on the couch eating breakfast and watching the news before school had to include a story on the Taliban’s brutality or fears of al-Qaeda operatives hiding in Europe. It was Channel 7’s program ‘Sunrise’ that I turned on most mornings, watching discussions such as, ‘Another attack in America, should we be suspicious about the Muslims in Australia?’ Still, as an Atheist of only 13-years-of-age I couldn’t believe everything I was seeing and hearing, my views of the Muslims were very positive and when it came to organisations such as the Taliban, my views almost six years ago would be considered by the Australian government as extreme and myself an Islamic extremist, although I was still an Atheist, a little confusing I know. I saw the Taliban as simply a group of proud men seeking to protect their land and their people from an invading force, while I did not necessarily agree with their ideology, their actions were in my opinion completely justified. I saw the foreign troops burning villages, raping local women and girls, rounding up innocent young men as suspected terrorists and sending them overseas for torture, gunning down women, children and the elderly in the streets and indiscriminately firing missiles from their jets. Who was I to believe was the terrorist? I saw similar events unfolding in Iraq where the mujahideen of Shaykh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (May Allah have mercy upon him) as well as other smaller factions were valiantly fighting the occupation. I read of the massacre in Haditha where US soldiers shot dead 24 civilians, majority of whom were women and children as well as an elderly man in a wheel-chair. I read about how soldiers raped 14-year-old Abeer Qasim Hamza al-Janabi in Mahmudiyah before killing her and her family and setting fire to their corpses. I read and viewed images of the inhumane torture in Abu Ghraib prison as well as many other atrocities committed, primarily by the Americans, with also cases of torture, summary executions and massacres of civilians being carried out by military personnel from other nations of the coalition. I was beginning to learn that what the media was feeding us was nothing but a government-sponsored distortion of the reality. The image of the American hero waving the US flag on top of a Hummer rolling through Baghdad was nothing but the soft cover to a brutal untold story.

It was from my investigations into the invasions and occupations of both Iraq and Afghanistan that gave birth to my disdain for the United States and its allies, including Australia. It was also the start of my respect for the mujahideen that would only grow to develop into a love of Islam and ultimately bring me here to the Islamic State, but I’ll get to that later.

Structuring my research, I saw the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the modern base for understanding the conflicts involving Islamic groups across Africa, the Middle East and Asia as well as sporadic attacks in Europe and the United States. From here I began focusing on the struggle in Palestine, this was the ultimate David and Goliath story, where the world was wanting so desperately to turn the victim into the oppressor and the oppressor into the victim, with much success. I saw the Israeli army tearing down the homes of Palestinian families to make way for a new Jewish family moving in from Europe, I saw Israeli soldiers torturing children for allegedly throwing stones at their heavily armoured vehicles, I saw them shooting innocent people and their treacherous leaders justifying their crimes by claiming that Jews are superior to all other races, stating that Arabs are less than dogs and should be treated as such, pointing to the Talmud as the source of their bigotry. My Atheist secularist views led me to support the aspirations of the Palestinian state and blinded me from realising what the true problem was, not Israel, nor Israelis but the religious ideology that governed them. I began to support the violent resistance in the Gaza Strip, recognising that it was this resistance that kept small pockets of Palestine from the hands of the Jews, even if it does mean that they are frequently hit with airstrikes. Also, the presence of a base to attack Israel from the west was always a sign of hope, especially considering the current aggressive advance of the Islamic State from the East and as well as the bayah to the Khilafah by the mujahideen in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula potentially allowing for attacks from all directions to liberate Palestine.

I could wrap this up very shortly but I want to divert away from my interest in violent Islamic movements for a minute to explain how I developed a wider world view and how I transitioned from being a reluctant-supporter of Islamic militant groups in different lands to become certain that violent global revolution was the answer to the world’s ills.

In the course of my research I decided to delve deeper into the blood-stained history of the world. I learnt for the first time in great detail, the scale of the atrocities committed against the native population of the Americas by both the British and Spanish colonialist forces. About how both nations attempted to completely wipe out the natives in order to build their own respective civilisations, slaughtering millions of innocent people, intentionally spreading disease amongst them and raping the native women in an effort to breed-out the present race. I also learned more about the similar systematic genocide in my own country, Australia, the stories they choose to leave out when you’re in history class at school. I learnt about how the Crusaders rampaged across Europe and the Middle East, seeking to eliminate Islam from the region and restore the rule of the Catholic Church. I learnt about how the British and the French competed with each other to colonise the African continent, the advent of which still today leaves the affected nations facing great difficulties. I was beginning to realise that the cruelness of the world today is nothing but a historical expectation.

I continued to read; America’s land grab in Mexico as well as their brutality towards the Filipinos after the Spanish, who were themselves no better, signed over control of the archipelago to the Americans. The Portuguese soldiers who rampaged across East Timor, the British who seized control of many of the Pacific Islands, enslaving the populations on the pretext that non-Whites were created to serve the White race.

Continuing forward and the world bore witness to two World Wars, the second more brutal than the first. US, British, French and Australian forces imprisoned captured Axis soldiers in internment camps, torturing them and executing them as a source of entertainment. When US forces entered Japan they proceeded on a systematic campaign of massacring civilians and raping the local women before delivering the infamous nuclear bombs to Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The crimes committed by all sides in these wars are far too many to innumerate, so I’ll leave the rest of them for you to discover on your own. Then as the American war machine was kicked back into action in the Cold War, the world again witnessed more of their brutality, particularly in Korea and Vietnam. Today, they hail as heroes their soldiers who fought in these wars, history will always record though that they were nothing but a gang of rapists, murderers and brutal cowards who loved to inflict pain on an already aching population. Then there was their trade embargo, economic sanctions and isolation of Cuba due to its Communist leadership which left the people of this small Caribbean island in unimaginable poverty. Then there was their economic and military support for brutal rebels and dictators throughout Latin America simply because they were anti-Communist. El Salvador, Chile, Brazil, Nicaragua and Argentina are just some examples of countries torn apart by extreme violence and whose people suffered under animalistic rulers due to American intervention. Today, the people of El Salvador are still seeking to identify the victims of the anti-Communist American-backed regime that slaughtered all who were associated with the Communist rebels, even those who had only seen the world for a mere three days. Argentina and Brazil are still seeking more information on the Nazi-style prison camps set-up by their own respective American-backed dictators and Chile still mourns their own 9/11, when on the same day in 1973 the Americans supported Pinochet’s coup and subsequent iron-fisted rule, during which thousands were killed and many more tortured and disappeared on allegations of dissent.

The Cold War, I noticed, bore great similarities to the current conflict gripping the world today. Yesterday the Americans were openly backing the tyrants simply to impose their own ideology on the people and today, they realised this backfired and has led to hatred of the US across Latin America so now they have tried to be smarter about how they colonise and only some have managed to see through the facade. Whenever America goes to war now, they claim it is simply humanitarian intervention. Take their recent airstrikes against the Islamic State, they hyped-up the story of the Yazidis trapped on Mount Sinjar, making unsubstantiated claims of genocide before admitting the situation was greatly exaggerated and it was not much of an issue. But this correction came after the first missile had been fired and therefore, they were already in, so… ‘Well, we can’t pull out now’… Now as a result, every day the Americans are firing missiles at innocent Muslims in both Iraq and Sham.

It was also through these two successive American-led campaigns to impose the Democratic system upon the world that I woke up to the reality of what this ideology was, nothing but a system of lies and deception. The democratic system focuses heavily on providing the people with so-called freedom, allowing the citizens to select their leaders, alter laws if they feel the need and ultimately have the people decide the way their country is run, but this is far from the reality and there was no statement that summed this up greater than the words of the former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, “The people who cast the votes decide nothing, the people who count the votes decide everything.” The reality of democracy became clear to me, place in people’s mind the idea of freedom and convince them that they are a free people while oppressing them behind the scenes. On top of this the Western world throws celebrities and false reality into the spotlight to distract the people from what is really going on in the world, hence the widespread political ignorance among Westerners. This was the turning point in my ideological development as it signaled the beginning of my complete hatred and opposition to the entire system Australia and the majority of the world was based upon. It was also the moment I realised that violent global revolution was necessary to eliminate this system of governance and that it I would likely be killed in this struggle.

I saw people screaming, “Where is the Democracy?” in supposed democratic states and it made me hopeful that perhaps people were waking up to the reality but as it turned out they were still deceived despite their moment of anguish. I found a people though who had lost all hope in the democratic system and the United States and so I had to learn more, they were the gangs of the Americas. While their brutality is unforgivable and the suffering they have inflicted on innocent people, unimaginable, their underlying rationalisation is the unheard tale of the failed democratic system. I remember watching documentary-after-documentary about the Mara Salvatrucha in El Salvador, the Amigos dos Amigos in Brazil, Los Zetas in Mexico and the various street-gangs in Los Angeles. The elite prefer to portray them as simply groups of young men looking at making some quick cash and who love killing and mayhem but when asked what the real reasons for the establishment of their gangs are, the founders of these criminal organisations as well as their members always seemed to agree that they had the right to steal, rape and murder because the government and police force were doing the exact same to them in their communities. They all referred to the government as gangsters and the police force as well and rightfully so. They are predominantly from poor communities unfairly targeted by law enforcement and government policies and they are denied the opportunity to integrate into the system and build a regular life, so turning to a gang becomes their most viable option. I don’t want to go much deeper into my studies into the gangs in this region because I wish to return to the conclusion of my story, but this was something that only confirmed my understanding of the deception of democracy and that this is something that can only and must be destroyed by violent revolution. What would replace it though? Socialism? Communism?? Nazism??? I was never quite sure.

Sorry for the long detour but I felt it necessary to give the full story, I’ll now start to wrap things up, you can take a break and finish it a bit later if that’s enough reading for you at the moment.

…With the so-called ‘Arab Spring’ revolutions only giving rise to new dictators in the lands of Libya, Egypt, Tunisia and Yemen, it also gave birth to new mujahideen and even the nationalist, democratic uprising in the land of Sham was the beginning of the return of the Islamic State and Khilafah in the region. It was around this time that my love of the mujahideen began changing from a political admiration to a religious one. I had begun researching different religions, seeing that they were key to many of the conflicts taking place in the world today and during this new period of study I found myself deeply confused by all of these outlandish and odd religious systems, that myself as an Atheist had never been exposed to. However, it was Islam that for me stood out as easy to understand and was shockingly consistent with established historical and scientific facts, which for an Atheist is about as likely as Earth colliding with Pluto. Slowly but surely I began being drawn towards the religion and it was no longer a political interest for me but the truth I had been circling around for years with my research into the mujahideen.

Just as I had been eager to gain knowledge of the political world, I had now opened a whole new realm of knowledge and was keen to learn as much as I could about the religion. The more I learned, the more I came to understand and make connections with my previous research. Then things took a turn, something I did not fear as an Atheist but began to fear as a Muslim, was supporting the mujahideen, convinced that I had been ‘radicalised’ by violent terrorist organisations. So, what I can say is one of the most shameful periods of my life, the research I had been doing all these years and the beliefs I had held so strongly to despite no-one around me sharing them were thrown aside.

However, as I read through the Qur’an, I couldn’t help but make strong associations between the speech of Allah (azza wa’jal) and the chaotic scenes around the world today. For example, Allah (azza wa’jal) says, “And when it is said to them: ‘Make not mischief on the Earth’, they say: ‘We are only peace-makers.’ Verily! They are the ones who make mischief, but they perceive it not.” [Surat al-Baqarah 2:11-12]. Is this not the reality of the kuffar today? Who claim to be helping to free the people while doing nothing but increasing their suffering. As my realisation of this reality re-kindled my previous views about global revolution, I began to truly understand what I had focused on studying for more than five years, the motivation of the mujahideen: The doctrine of jihad and it’s superiority in Islam. As the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ibn Abdullah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The head of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer and its peak is jihad.” I now for the first time truly understood why there were Islamic armies from Mali to China, from Chechnya to Indonesia, it was an obligation upon every able Muslim to fight, an obligation that a person who dies without having fulfilled, he dies upon a branch of hypocrisy as stated by Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). So after my period of peaceful, submissive, down-trodden aqeedah, my return to the path of ‘radical, terrorist’ aqeedah began and the more I learned about the concept of jihad, it’s benefits, it’s importance and the rewards for taking part in military operations to raise Islam in the land, the more I desired to join the mujahideen. As I learnt more about the aqeedah of groups such as al-Shabab in Somalia, Boko Haram in Nigeria and Ansar al-Sharia in Yemen as well as various other organisations across the world, my support for such groups grew and grew. My main interest though was the mujahideen in the land of Sham, I found myself drawn to Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham. Knowing the many ahadith regarding the blessings of the land of Sham I was eager to make hijra and join either of these two organisations. Despite my eagerness though, I met one key roadblock, how was I to get in? I had no contacts to assist me. After failed attempts at finding a contact I gave up all hope of making hijra.

As the war in Sham progressed and the Islamic State in Iraq and Sham appeared and the ongoing fitnah in the region was ignited, I found myself still on the side of Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham, agreeing with the assessment of the mischief-makers that the Islamic State were from the khawarij. I believed it a duty upon others to slaughter the mujahideen of the Islamic State and had no respect for them, falling for the many lies being spread against them. It was my conversations with brothers from the State online though that began getting me to question my view of the organisation and the stories I had heard about it. As the Islamic State began to expand, seizing the cities of Raqqah, Fallujah, Mosul, Tikrit and others, Allah (azza wa’jal) Himself exposed the lies of the liars and humiliated the enemies of the State, a clear sign that they were upon the truth. Slowly but surely, I would come to love the State, recognising that they are the only people in the region establishing the Islamic system of governance, providing services for the people and most importantly they possess a sound aqeedah and manhaj that has led to their correct and effective implementation of the Sharia. It was this realisation that once again increased my desire to make hijra but once again I failed to find any contacts. This time was different to previous attempts at leaving though, I was growing tired of the corruption and filthiness of Australian society and yearned to live under the Islamic State with the Muslims. I now had the determination to finally remove myself from this land. I continued my search for a contact, even at one point considering simply crossing the border alone without any assistance. Finally, I made contact with a brother online who promised to bring me across the border, it was a risky decision to trust someone online but I was desperate to leave and was confident the brother was genuine. Fearing possible attempts by the increasingly-intrusive authorities in Australia to prevent my departure I began drawing up a Plan B. This plan involved launching a string of bombings across Melbourne, targeting foreign consulates and political/military targets as well as grenade and knife attacks on shopping centres and cafes and culminating with myself detonating a belt of explosives amongst the kuffar. As I began collecting materials for the explosives and prepared to start making the devices I realised that the authorities were oblivious to my plans but if anything was to attract their attention it would be my purchasing of chemicals and other bomb-making materials and so I ceased the planning of Plan B and sat waiting until everything was prepared and I could exit the country undetected.

Without revealing any sensitive information about how I entered the Islamic State, I’ll skip to the moment I entered the city of Jarablus in Aleppo province. I felt a joy I had never experienced before, the first time my eyes spotted the banner of tawheed fluttering above the city, everything felt surreal, I was finally in the Khilafah. At this time I couldn’t help but remember that moment a few years ago when I told myself that there will come a day where I will fight to overthrow the democratic system, that day had come, just not in the way I had expected. After a difficult and long journey in Jarablus, I put my trust in Allah and signed myself up for a martyrdom operation and was promptly sent to Baiji in Salaheddine province, Iraq. I sat for one month in Baiji before my failed operation arrived. After I witnessed the mistakes made, I turned to fighting in the city before once again registering for a martyrdom operation, a decision that would bring me to the large yet modest city of Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province. And that is where I sit today, waiting for my turn to stand before Allah (azza wa’jal) and dreaming of sitting amongst the best of His creation in His Jannah, the width of which is greater than the width of the heavens and the Earth.

I guess I was always destined to stand here as a soldier in the army of Shaykh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (May Allah have mercy upon him) considering the great respect I had for him even before I entered Islam. May Allah accept him among the best of shuhadah and allow me to sit with him in the highest ranks of Jannah.”

End

                                                                     ————————

Tribute from a brother to Jake Bilardi

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A journey which ended in a “martyrdom operation”

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

“Abu Abdullah al-Austrālī, known as Jake Bilardi by his family & later changed his name to Abdur-Rahīm, was from an atheist family that didn’t know anything to do with any religion & was intelligent + successful academically & loved by family & friends.

His story is short, he would always think to himself “Who is the one who created me?” so he started his search for the true religion online by reading about other religions & after doing his research, Allah guided him to the one true religion, Islam.

He accepted Islam 3 years ago even though his parents basically went to war with him at home tried to stop him from reverting & even after all this he would take good care of his Salah & praying it in its time.

After a while, he started to ask himself about Jihad & shahādah & he searched for answers online by following news from the mujāhidīn.

Before a couple of months, Allah made him successful in making hijrah to shām & fighting in Jihād there. He started fighting in Baijī against the ISF Rāfidha & was a lion on the battlefield although he was at a young age & with a weak body, he was like a mountain.

After a short while, he signed up for a martyrdom op. & was sent to Ramādī to fulfil this. So he had to wait 3 months which he had felt it like 3 years so he would always ask the amīr to push him up the list & make him carry out the martyrdom operation sooner. Subhan Allah, he was only seeking the pleasure of his Lord & hated the Dunya.

He was known for his worship of Allah, he would fast a day & skip another (siyām dāwūd), He would only accept religious arguments from the Quran & Sunnah & he was known for his modesty & fear of riyā’ (showing off) in worship.

After months passed & his time was coming close to carry out the martyrdom operation, he was full of happiness as he was finally going to meet his Lord & receive the great rewards promised by Him. So he carried out his op. in Ramādī, seeking the forgiveness of his Lord & the pleasure to look at his face.

May Allah accept our dear brother Abdu-Rahīm. For indeed this ummah needs true men like him who wish to sacrifice this worldly life for the hereafter. Brothers & sisters, this brother originated from an atheist family & ended up selling his soul to Allah for a cheap price, to defend this ummah & give victory to this religion, while you sit at home at the comfort of your family born into Islam & not doing anything to stop this oppression, what is the matter with you?

Allah says in the Quran:

وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُم

“And if you turn back He will bring in your place another people, then they will not be like you.”

And Allah also says:

فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ

“Allah will bring a people, He shall love them and they shall love Him”

May Allah guide us all!”

Your brother Abu Ismā’īl:
Twitter: @i_AbuIsmael_i
Tumblr: millatibrahim.tumblr.com

End

Links

“Special Report: Interview with British jihadis and what you won’t read in the tackling extremism in the UK report.”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2013/12/13/special-report-interview-with-british-jihadis-and-what-you-wont-read-in-the-tackling-extremism-in-the-uk-report/

“Canada is not safe: New video message from Canadian jihadist with Islamic State”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/12/07/canada-is-not-safe-new-video-message-from-canadian-jihadist-with-islamic-state/

“Day of Hijra: A foreign fighter leaves for Syria plus links and resources on fighters in Syria.”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2015/02/20/day-of-hijra-a-foreign-fighter-leaves-for-syria-plus-links-and-resources-on-fighters-in-syria/

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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Pakistan, Church services in Lahore hit by Taliban bombing, TTP JA claims responsibility

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Traumatized by bombings (AP)

Christians gathering to worship in Lahore at the Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church in Youhanabad were caught up in 2 bomb blasts which claimed the lives of 15 people with 78 injured. Bombers attempted to gain entry to the buildings and ended up detonating their explosives at the gates to the churches killing 2 security guards. DAWN media reported,

“The bombings occurred during prayers at two churches located around half a kilometre apart in the city’s Youhanabad neighbourhood that is home to more than 100,000 Christians, officials said.

Broken window panes, blood and shoes were scattered across the blast sites.”

This is not the first time the Christian community has been subjected to attacks. Back in 2013, All Saint’s Church in Peshawar was hit by a double suicide bombing killing 80 and wounding over 100 others. At that time the Guardian reported Mano Rumalshah, the bishop emeritus of Peshawar stating, “it’s not safe for Christians in this county. Everyone is ignoring the growing danger to Christians in Muslim-majority countries. The European countries don’t give a damn about us.”

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Photo of Omar Khalid Khorasani appeared on the official media page of TTP JA with the words, “Blasts in Lahore Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Ahrar movement accepts responsibility”

Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesperson for Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) released a statement to media claiming responsibility for the bombings, he said,

“TTP JA claims the responsibility of Martyrdom attacks on the Churches. This attack was carried out by the Aafia Siddiqui Brigade of TTP JA. We will continue such attacks until the implementation of Shariah if Apostate Rulers can stop us, then let them try.”

TTP JA has recently announced joining forces again with Tehreek -e-Taliban (TTP) after a split last year and they are also joined by Tehreek-e-Lashkar-e-Islam see link for recent press statement,

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/wake-up-call-three-major-jihadi-groups-join-forces-as-united-mujahideen-tehreek-e-taliban-pakistan/

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Crowd turns into a lynch mob setting fire to bodies

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Anger on the streets

An angry crowd protesting at security failures turned on two men thought to be connected to the bombings beating and killing them and then setting the bodies alight. One man Abdullah, tweeted, “5th column in Pakistan has burned two innocent civilians alive merely on suspicion.” Lawyer and rights activist Jibran Nasir tweeted, “the mob in Lahore burnt alive two suspects. And the crowd stood and filmed it on their phones. Signs of an angry and traumatized nation.” It is also a sign that “anything goes” in lawless Pakistan where torture and extra-judicial killing in custody as practised by state agencies is a regular occurence.

The Bishop of Lahore appealed to protesters to stay peaceful as the crowd reacted violently on Ferozpur road. Demonstrators wielding sticks blocked this area of Lahore and turned their fury to smashing up a Metro bus station which was captured on camera.

The Pope was quick to condemn the killings,

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President Mamnoon Hussain said in DAWN that “the government has committed itself to eradicate terrorism and extremism in all its forms and manifestations and such coward attacks could not deter the resolve of our nation. The president stated that government and nation were determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism.”

Many took to social media to condemn the attacks and demonstrate their support for Pakistan’s minority groups.

Angel Zydon tweeted,

“Strongly condemn twin blasts on 2 churches in Lahore. Our love & support with the Christian brethren.”

Omar r Qurashi…

“Salute to guards Qaiser and Yousuf posted at the two churches in Lahore – both stopped the suicide bombers at the entrances – both died”

Babar Arwan…

“8 big houses at Lahore are protected by over 70% of total police. Even Mughals wouldn’t do this. Salary by people, security for rulers!”

Dewan Sachal…

“PTI strongly condemns the Church bomb blast in Lahore today. Govt should follow the SC order of providing Security to places of Worship.”

Abdullah Faizee posted an drawing of a church and a mosque weeping side by side.

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Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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Anjem Choudary writes obituary for former NHS doctor who joined Taliban

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AN OBITUARY FOR DR TARIQ MIRZA ALI (May Allah accept him Shaheed)

Dated 13th March 2015

I first met Dr. Tariq Ali in Ramadhan 2012 in London when he sat in a talk that Abu Izzadeen and I were giving just before Iftar in Regents Park Mosque. He told me afterwards that he first saw me in 2005 on BBC Newsnight following the 7/7 attacks and that he had always wanted to meet me.

Once we were acquainted I soon realised that Tariq Ali was no ordinary Muslim but rather in many respects an extremely exceptional one. Here was a man who refused to take orders when he was a Captain in the Pakistan army to fight against the Taleban because he feared dying at the hands of Mujahideen and going to the hellfire, despite the risk of himself being court marshalled and facing the firing squad.

As soon as I heard the incredible tale of how Tariq had escaped from Pakistan and sought asylum in Britain it was obvious that this story had to be told and I asked Tariq to make a video clip. In characteristic manner Tariq initially said that he was shy and had never done this before but later that same day I received a call from Tariq saying that in fact he would do it. The subsequent clip was quite simply amazing in the sense not only did Tariq relate his story in articulate detail but he also sent a strong message to others in the Pakistan army not to die apostates by fighting against Muslims at the request of the US.

As time went by Tariq became one of us in the UK Daw’ah field. However unlike many others he refused to be an observer. At the first demonstration he attended I asked Tariq to deliver a speech and he said that he had never done one before but that he would try to prepare something for the next protest. When that next one came along Tariq produced his written notes from his pocket and delivered an awe inspiring speech which one attendee said was one of the best he had heard at any protest.

I travelled around Britain taking Tariq as a companion and got to know him very well. The first time we travelled with Tariq we joked with him that the newcomer must sing a nasheed on the way home. Usually this results in light hearted humour due to an inability to sing. However when Tariq began singing his Urdu nasheed we were dumbstruck by his wonderful voice and the emotion he put into the Nasheed. In typical fashion the next time we travelled Tariq had memorised more Nasheeds and this time needed no prompting. He later became someone the brothers would call on to hear Nasheeds to fill their hearts with happiness and he never failed to respond.

A unique attribute of Tariq is that he never forgot the seriousness of the situation that the Unmah finds itself in and disliked drawing attention away from the serious task of calling to Islam and enjoining good and forbidding evil. To the extent that when his mother passed away (may Allah grant her paradise) in Pakistan, seeing as he had no passport to travel for the funeral prater, Tariq mourned in private and only disclosed his apparent sadness three days later to me.

Tariq’s skill as an NHS surgeon working at the Royal Free Hospital amongst others was also something which he used for the benefit of others outside of his work time. In once instance, instead of having me wait to be seen at the hospital to remove an infection in one of my fingers, Tariq brought his medical tools with local anaesthetic and operated at the back of a Cafe local to me! I wasn’t the only one to benefit from having such a skilled Surgeon as a friend.

Another of Tariq’s specialities was his love of Islamic history. When we initiated Shariah4Pakistan it was Tariq who soon became the main spokesman and who drafted the majority of the articles on the website including a detailed exposure of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the so-called founder of Pakistan but in reality a pork eating, alcohol drinking Kaafir stooge of the British. He also dealt with all the questions and answers on the site himself in his spare time.

At a demonstration against the Shia committing atrocities against Muslims in Syria, Tariq came to the aid of Muslims fighting against Shia in Edgware Road, London. But before he could be brought before the UK courts, as a result of this confrontation, Tariq managed to escape and while on his way to join the Jihad in Iraq he was instead detained in Croatia and then deported back to Pakistan where he ironically joined the Taleban whom he had refused to fight before. He said that this is what Allah has destined and he was more than content with it.

We soon learnt that Tariq had became a spokesman for the Taleban and that his incredible skills were once again being put to use.

Tariq never married and his Martytdom yesterday at hands of the murdering US and their drones, leaves behind the legacy of a man who exhausted his effort in Daw’ah and Jihad to see the implementation of the Shari’ah worldwide, wherever he happened to be.

An amazing story of an amazing and unique man. May Allah accept his martyrdom yesterday and enter him into his eternal paradise.

Mr Anjem Choudary

Friend of Dr Tariq Mirza Ali

End

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

 

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Islamic Emirate response to Human Rights Watch report on abuses in Afghanistan

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Human Rights Watch revealing report on abuses in Afghanistan

(Image HRW)

Human Rights Watch recently published an important new report on Afghanistan entitled,“Today We Shall All Die: Afghanistan’s Strongmen and the Legacy of Impunity” detailing the profiles of eight “strongmen” linked to police, intelligence, and militia forces responsible for serious abuses in recent years. Phelim Kine, deputy director of the Asia division at Human Rights Watch wrote an opinion piece on the report for Al Jazeera entitled, “Who will police Afghan’s policemen?” pointing out that “Afghanistan’s US-backed killers are on the loose…and on the payroll”. He stated,

“the cozy relationship between the U.S. and other Afghanistan allies and Afghan commanders implicated in human rights abuses are not exceptional. In a report released on March 3, Human Rights Watch details the abuses of eight strongmen from the Afghan National Police, the ALP and government-affiliated militias. The atrocities perpetrated by people, from local militia commanders to ministerial rank officials, underscore a pervasive lack of accountability for Afghanistan’s security forces.

Among them is Brig. Gen. Abdul Raziq, the Kandahar province chief of police who has been directly implicated in ordering extrajudicial executions. Another recipient of U.S. government largesse has been the former head of Afghanistan’s security agency, Asadullah Khalid, who maintains a close relationship with the U.S. government despite numerous credible reports that he has participated in torture, extrajudicial killings and sexual violence against women and girls. In December 2013, when he sought medical care in the United States for wounds incurred in a suicide bomb attack, he received a visit from President Barack Obama, reaffirming U.S. support for a notorious human rights violator.”

I contacted the Islamic Emirate (Afghan Taliban) that tend to be the main focus of foreign media when it comes to accusations of human rights abuses yet other perpetrators are virtually ignored. I asked them for a response to the report. Taliban have often highlighted rights violations under occupation in their own media releases. They have also been accused of certain incidents which they strongly denied such as the poisoning of schoolgirls. Inquiries at the time, led some researchers to suspect that certain elements were attempting to frame the Taliban at a time when their office was being opened in Qatar. Taliban accounts of human rights violations are usually unfairly dismissed as “propaganda” however all allegations of abuse must be considered and investigated especially considering the contents of both HRW and Unama reports. This is what they had to say:-

The Occupation is a Source of Humanitarian Sufferings and Grievances

(Article from Islamic Emirate, March 13th, 2015)

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US often supporting local militia that carry out atrocities (Image Al Jazeera)

“Recently, the Human Rights Watch published a 96-page report on 4th March 2015, exposing a number of human rights violators.

Meanwhile, it has called on the Kabul Puppet Administration to put the human rights violators on trial and urged American President Obama and other invaders to exert pressure on the Kabul Administration to implement their demand.

Whether the Kabul Administration is able or not to try some one (the violators), is a different question eligible for pondering.

But it is a fact that occupation of and aggression against independent countries is, in general, a source of sufferings, grievances and calamities.

It is because invaders usually resort to inhumane acts in order to achieve their nefarious goals.

They divide societies, favor a faction with privileges to suppress another one and then target another flank of a society.

Thus they try to scale down the trajectory of resistance of people in face of the invaders’ atrocities and entrap attention and thoughts of people in a dragnet of internal strife.

For example, yesterday on March 8, a horrendous incident took place with a gruesome report appearing in media that three persons were killed and more than ten injured in Shiberghan Prison.

In another report about attacks on women, 281 incidents of violence against women have been registered only in Balkh province. It is a report of incidents of only one province.

The most vital right of a man among other human rights is the right of life and freedom. Those who threaten life of a man and violate his freedom are, in fact, ringleaders among the violators of human rights.

The invaders on the one hand have occupied the land of Afghanistan, have control over land and air and have snatched away freedom from the Afghan people while on the other hand, have forced  the most incompetent and corrupt persons on the oppressed people.

Furthermore they have given them training in torture.

Robert Grenier, former CIA officer writes in his book: ‘These person (warlords) perpetrated atrocities against people because of the support they received from the Americans… The Americans condoned their atrocities as they were assisting them in their operations against Taliban’.

In his memoirs, Grenier writes that the CIA imparted training to its Afghan supporters on torture of detainees and encouraged them to commit torture.

It is a matter of shock and wonder that the Human Rights Watch has not mentioned the invaders as human rights violators.

However they are the real violators of human rights and trainers of other violators of human rights but HRW wants them to put pressure on the powerless Kabul Administration to bring to account those who are involved in violations of human rights.

Apt to say that they have handed over to them the scales of justice when the invaders themselves are those who have carried out raids on houses in the stillness of night, brutally killed sleeping children, women and men, have buried men alive under the rubble and inflicted people with sufferings under various charges and they are still bent on doing the same.

The Islamic Emirate calls on its noble people to adhere to their Islamic, national and social values, strengthen their fraternity on the basis of faith, intensify and extend their efforts for the establishment of an honorable independent Islamic state and make distinction between friend and foe.

All success comes from Allah (SwT) only.”

   End

The Islamic Emirate raise some key questions and concerns…. and highlight a disturbing reality, how do people get a fair investigation and justice when they are forced to rely on the same system set up by those who support and carry out human rights abuses? To whom can the people turn to address these issues? The US has spent billions overturning the Taliban, deceiving the public that they are improving human rights however the picture on the ground tells a very different story. The irony is the west is funding a system which is oppressive to many civilians and Afghanistan is now stuck in yet another quagmire of human rights abuses with no end in sight!

Links

“Afghanistan:New report from Human Rights Watch Questions Afghan, US government support to “notorious human rights abusers”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/afghanistan-new-report-from-human-rights-watch-questions-afghan-us-government-support-to-notorious-human-rights-abusers/

“Who will police Afghan’s policemen?”

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2015/3/who-will-police-afghanistans-policemen.html

“UNAMA” report: The state as an agent of torture, abuse and killings of detainees in Afghan custody.

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2015/02/25/unama-report-the-state-as-an-agent-of-torture-abuse-and-killing-of-detainees-in-afghan-custody/

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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Pakistan Taliban threaten to avenge death of former British surgeon Tariq Ali who joined their ranks in 2014

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Dr Tariq Ali gave up his medical profession to join Pakistan Taliban

A former British surgeon Dr Mirza Tariq Ali, 39, who once practised on the NHS has been confirmed dead in Pakistan by Taliban spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan who appeared with Ali in a “jihadi” video in 2014. Ali who began his medical career as a doctor in the Pakistan Army was struck off by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) after a hearing in Manchester, England. Before he left the UK, he had been dividing his time working between London and Cambridge.

Mr David Kyle, Chair MTPS panel investigating Ali (who was alleged to have connections to banned terrorist organisation Al Muhajiroun) was quoted in This is Local London as saying, “his behaviour is unacceptable and he has failed to uphold the proper standards of conduct and behaviour expected of a doctor.” The paper reported, “Ali was charged with violent disorder following a demonstration calling for jihad in Syria organised by Walthamstow-based extremist preacher, Anjem Choudary.”

News of Ali’s death appeared in a press release detailing a newly formed Taliban Coalition group consisting of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat ul Ahrar, Tehreek-e-Lashkar-e-Islam and Tehreek-e-Taliban. The statement read,

“Maulana Shakeel Ahmed Haqqani Shaheed and Doctor Tariq Ali also known as Abu Obaidah Al Islamabadi Shaheed martyring is carried out by the agents of the notorious ISI. Therefore, the revenge of these martyrs will be taken by Tehreek-e-Taliban jointly”

See following link for complete statement… “Wake-up call: Three major jihadi groups join forces as united Mujahideen Tehreek -e-Taliban Pakistan”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2015/03/12/wake-up-call-three-major-jihadi-groups-join-forces-as-united-mujahideen-tehreek-e-taliban-pakistan/

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Ali helped edit ‘Ihya-e-Khilafat’ publication

In 2014, the Daily Mail stated that Ali had originally intended to join the Islamic State but was captured before he could proceed. After his release from Croatia, Ali headed for Pakistan where he joined Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) and “helped edit an online English-language jihadist magazine, called ‘Ihya-e-Khilafat’, Revival of the Islamic Caliphate, aimed at recruiting Muslim youths from the West”

Ali appeared happy in his new life and said, “I am very impressed with the hospitality, sincerity and sacrifices of the Mujahideen here and found them very different from the brutal image that is being attributed to them by Pakistan media.” In contrast he was extremely critical of the Pakistan military and after participating twice in operations in his earlier life had allegedly refused to take orders a third time to participate in action in Miranshah. He encouraged others to disobey orders also.

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Well know leader Maulana Shakeel Ahmed Haqqani was also killed and will be a major loss to the Taliban

Also killed was Maulana Shakeel Ahmed Haqqani who was at one stage head of the TTP’s political shura and deputy chief of the TTP Mohmand. He was a close associate of Umar Khalid Khorasani (aka Abdul Wali) who helped found Pakistan Tehreek -e- Taliban (TTP) in 2007 and later assisted in forming splinter group Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) After a short split the groups are now reunited.

Ehsanullah Ehsan tweeted,

“Our two brave and respected brothers Maulana Shakeel Ahmed Haqqani & Doctor Tariq were martyred by the agents of ISI.”

“We are proud of the martyrdom of our brothers. InShaaAllah we will take the revenge from the enemy.”

Abu Musab Khorasani added,

“SubanAllah may Allah accept Dr tariq Ali ex pak soldier who joined the ranks of the mujahideen in pak taliban and shaheed Insha Allah”

Links

“Former surgeon Tariq Ali joins Taliban TTP JA, slates Pakistan army in new video”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/10/17/former-surgeon-tariq-ali-joins-taliban-ttp-ja-slates-pakistan-army-in-new-video/

“Soldier and Surgeon gives it all up for Islam, Dr Tariq Ali, My journey to Islam (video)”

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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Wake-up call: Three major “jihadi” groups join forces as united mujahideen “Tehreek-e-Taliban, Pakistan”

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Press statement from Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesperson (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban, Jamaat ul Ahrar (TTP JA) now part of newly formed Coalition

“We congratulate the Ummat-e-Muslima in common and especially the Mujahideens of Pakistan for the coalition of strong Jihadi groups, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat ul Ahrar, Tehreek-e-Lashkar-e-Islam and Tehreek-e-Taliban on one name Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan against the Taghooti, Infidel, Democratic, unIslamic system and the Na-Pak Murtad Army.  This blessed decision was taken by the leaders of all the three jihadi groups, Respected Maulana Fazlullah Khorasani, Omar Khalid Khorasani and Haji Mangal Bagh in a joint consultative meeting. An organizing committee was formed which will form a central supreme Shura (Rehbari Shura) and an organizing body in few days. We warn the followers and defenders of the Infidel democratic system of Pakistan that in any situation we will not let the conspiracies of the Murtad Na-Pak Army being succeed. It should be clear that to disagree and divide this blessed organization the notorious agency ISI martyred four of our members but InShaaAllah our enemy will not be succeeded in his plans and the organizing committee will investigate this incident. Whoever found guilty in this incident will be given punishment according to Shariah. On the other side, Maulana Shakeel Ahmed Haqqani Shaheed and Doctor Tariq Ali also known as Abu Obaidah Al Islamabadi Shaheed martyring is carried out by the agents of the notorious ISI. Therefore, the revenge of these martyrs will be taken by Tehreek-e-Taliban jointly”

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Maulana Shakeel Ahmed Haqqani Shaheed (left) and Doctor Tariq Ali also known as Abu Obaidah Al Islamabadi Shaheed (right)

End

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A similar statement in Urdu was issued by Muhammad Khurasani (TTP) Umar Media giving the same information on the new Coalition.

ہم امت مسلمہ کو عموما اور پاکستانی مجاہدین و عوام کو بالخصوص یہ خوشخبری اور مبارک باد دیتے ہیں کہ پاکستانی طاغوتی کفری جمہوری نظام اور اس مرتد ناپاک فوج کے خلاف لڑنے والے مظبوط جہادی جماعتیں تحریک طالبان پاکستان ،تحریک طالبان پاکستان جماعت الاحرار اور تحریک لشکر اسلام تحریک طالبان پاکستان کے نام پر ایک ہوگئے ہیں یہ فیصلہ تینوں جہادی قائدین محترم مولانا فضل اللہ صاحب ،محترم عمرخالد خراسانی اور محترم حاجی منگل باغ صاحب کے ایک مشترکہ مشاورتی مجلس میں ہوا۔اجلاس میں ایک تنظیم ساز کمیٹی تشکیل دی گئی جوکہ چند دنوں میں مظبوط رہبری مرکزی شوری اور انتظامی ڈھانچہ تشکیل دے گی ہم پاکستانی کفری جمہوری نظام اس کے کارندوں اور اس ناپاک مرتدفوج کو خبردار کرنا چاہتے ہیں کہ ہم انشاءاللہ کسی بھی صورت میں ان کے منصوبوں کو کامیاب نہیں ہونے دیں گے واضح رہے کہ اس مبارک تحریک کو ایک دوسرے سے بد ظن کرنے کیلئے بد نام زمانہ ایجنسی آئی ایس ٓئی نے جماعت الاحرار کے چار ساتھیوں کو شہید کیا لیکن انشاءاللہ دشمن اپنے منصوبوں میں ناکام ہوگا اور تشکیل شدہ تنظیم ساز کمیٹی اس واقعے کی تحقیقات کریگی جو بھی اس میں ملوث پایا گیا اس کو شرعی سزا دی جائی گی دوسری طرف شہید ہونے والے ساتھیوں مولانا شکیل احمد حقانی شھیداور ڈاکٹر طارق علی المعروف ابو عبیدہ الاسلام ابادی شہید کی شہادت چونکہ آئی ایس ائی کے کارندوں کے ہاتھوں ہوئی ہےاسلئے ان کا انتقام ان سے تحریک مشترکہ طور پر لے گا محمد خراسانی مرکزی ترجمان تحریک طالبان پاکستان

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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IS “Caliphate cub” executes alleged teenage spy while campaigners say “stop recruiting kids” into US military

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The Islamic State (IS) has released its latest video via social media appearing to show a young boy shooting Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam (19) an alleged Israeli Arab spy at point blank range through the head. It has not however been possible to independently verify if the youth who appeared on the 13 minute Furqan media production flanked by two adult militants was the actual executioner.

Musallam first featured in IS English language magazine Dabiq a month ago giving details of his alleged work spying on the group in Syria though his family deny this is the case.

The video begins with a nasheed and flashes up several alleged case files of Mossad agents with names and locations.

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Islamic State video… “And wretched is that which they purchased”

The transcript of the video reads as follows:-

And wretched is that which they purchased. A story whose chapters begin in the corridors of Jewish Intelligence in the land of Isra’ and conclude in Dar al-Islam at the feet of Khalifah’s young lions.

“My name is Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam. I’m 19 yearsold. I’m from Jerusalem. I used to work as a firefighter. My story is that we had a Jewish neighbour that worked as a police officer. He came one day and asked me to work with (Jewish) Intelligence. I told him, I’d think about it. I went and told my father Said Ismail Musallam and my brother Ismail Said Ismail Musallam about the matter. They both encouraged me to do it. They told me there was a lot of money in it and that you could advance to higher positions.They were encouraging me to do it and I knew at that point that they themselves were working as spies.

Then I went and met a guy named Eli. This Eli is an intelligence official and is responsible for the checkpoints in the West Bank. He came to our home and met with my father. My father had been staying with us. He began advising me in front of him and talking to me about the matter. Eli talked to me about the benefits and compensations, and about the job itself and that the pay would be proportional to the assignment and its level of importance. He then sent me to a training camp in East Jerusalem, Anatswt Training Camp where I began my training.

There were 9 of us in the training course. They began training us on how to survive an interrogation, how to maintain self control and howto extract information from people. I also trained with weapons. In the training course, they were all Jews, I was the only Arab. We were in the training camp for one month. I was paid 5,000 shekels during training. I completed training and left and began working as a spy in the people’s midst.

I was specifically trained in turning in weapons dealers, anyone throwing rocks, anyone who was wanted, anyone looking to infiltrate Jewish territory, and to report to the Intelligence any operation planned to be executed in Jerusalem. In Palestine the pay received for my assignments was 5,000 shekels or more depending on the importance of the assignment. The bigger the assignment and the more valuable the information, the more they would pay me and the more I would receive in bonuses.

I came home one day and found a guy named Miro sitting with my father and my brother. He was holding my file in his hand and was reading it. He suddenly began thanking and expressing gratitude for the work I was doing and the help I was providing. He told me to continue on this path so I could eventually work with them. My father and brother also began thanking me and telling me that I would get better and better, and encouraging me further. Then he left.

The next time he came, he said he wanted me to work with them and come and meet with them, I agreed. He said he would call us. He called me afterwards and said to come and see him at the office. I went to the office and met him. I went to the office and sat down and he began asking me some questions. He asked me if I would be able to take care of myself if they planted me in the midst of some people. He also asked me how many languages I knew and what kind of jobs I used to do in my country and took down my information. Then he said , “we want you to carry out an urgent assignment” I asked, “what’s the assignment?”  He said, “we want to send you to Syria.” He said, “we want to send you to the Islamic State and have you bring back information about them.”

I asked him, “How much will I be paid?” They said, “we’ll give you a monthly salary, we’ll give you a house and we’ll take care of any issues you have as well as your living needs when you return.” I asked them, what sort of information they wanted?” They firstly, you’ll give us the locations where their weapons and missiles are being stored.” “Secondly, the location of their bases, one by one.” Thirdly, the names of any Palestinians with Israeli citizenship who made Hijrah to the Islamic State from Palestine.” Give us the name of any Palestinian there.”  I asked them, “when do I leave?” And we began preparing.

They made it clear that when I went to the Islamic State, I shouldn’t start working or doing anything until I’d completing the training camp and the Shariah seminar. And that I shouldn’t contact them until I’d completed the training camp and the Shariah seminar, we’ll send you the equipment you need and the assignment and we may also give you new assignments. They would send me everything I need after the training camp and the Shariah seminar. We got everything in order and I agreed and we left for Turkey.

I had the number for a smuggler. I talked to the smuggler and told him I was in Turkey.  He showed me the way and I entered Syria and was in the territory of the Islamic State. We started moving from one guesthouse to another and up until that point I hadn’t been to training camp. We stayed in many guesthouses. We were in guest houses for 13 or 14 days. At that point I needed to leave and inform them that I had arrived here and there was nothing wrong. So I left the guesthouse and went to the internet cafe. I talked to my father, and told him, I’m fine, I’ve arrived safely. I returned to the guesthouse and found that my amir had discovered I had left the guesthouse.

He said, “why did you leave the guesthouse?” “You’ve gone against your obligation tio listen and obey. At that point I got scared and was afraid he’d got suspicious of me because I had gone and made a phone call and that he would punish me, have someone keep a close eye on me. I started having doubts. I got hold of myself and went and called my father and told him what had happened. He told me to get out of there.  Some men from the Islamic State’s border control administration came to me. Then I was detained.

They detained me and began interrogating me. During the interrogation, I confessed that I was a spy. I confessed to the things I used to do in my country and confessed to the path I had been upon since I first came through the Syrian border. I say to my father and brother who got me tangled in this mess and brought me here and tempted me with money and with all sorts of things and got me entangled in this mess. Repent to Allah azza  was jail. Repent and leave this work. Repent.

I say to those who came to spy on the Islamic State, you won’t succeed at all. In the end, they’ll capture you and implement the hadd on you.”

To be executed appears on the screen….

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Young boy is seen with the prisoner alleged Arab- Israeli spy Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam (age 19)

An Islamic State militant delivers the following message,

“Praise be to Allah, the Strong, the Mighty  who subdues the disbelievers and aetheists. May blessings and peace be upon the Prophet of mercy and Prophet of battle. As for what follows O Jews indeed Allah has gifted us with with killing your followers in your stronghold in France. As for here in the Islamic State, here are the young lions of the Khalifah. They will kill the one sent by the foolish Mossad  to spy on the secrets of the mujahideen and the Muslims. An evil, apostate spy. Allah has repelled your plot and you have not achieved anything good.

As for the near-term, you will see the legions of the Khalifah pounding your lands and your fortresses. They will liberate Jerusalem from your filth with Allah’s permission. Indeed they see it (as)distant but we see it (as) near (Al- Ma’arij 7 -6).  O Jews indeed the one who handed you Jerusalem said. “the Crusade is over.” But today we say to you the Islamic conquests gave begun and the Jews have become frightened because the promise is near. O supporters of the Islamic State. O grandsons of Muhammad bib Maslamah we’ve revealed to you come of the names and pictures of the spies in Jerusalem to make those who recruited them see their blood flow and kill them wherever you find them (An -Nisar:89) so that you attain the pleasure of Allah the exalted, and succes in the Hereafter. The Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon Him) said, “A disbeliever and his killer will never be gathered in the Hellfire.”

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Young boy appears to shoot Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam

The prisoner Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam is then seen kneeling wearing an orange jumpsuit and is shot in the head at point blank range by a young boy wearing desert style fatigues who shouts out “Allahua Akbar”.

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Caliphate Cub shouts “Allahu Akbar”

The following words are then heard,

“and our eyes will be on Jerusalem which will not be taken back except with a Quran that guides and a sword that supports (And sufficient is your Lord as a guide and a helper (Al- Furqan:31)

The video ends with several photos and files of alleged Mossad agents appearing on the screen as a nasheed is chanted.

End

—————-

Ikwan Syria English later reported that, “an Israeli soldier has been injured on the Syrian-Palestinian borders at Golan by shooting coming from Syria.”

Parents deny son is a spy

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Parents of Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam with photo of their teenage son

The father of Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam denied his son was a spy claiming he disappeared after travelling as a tourist to Turkey in 2014. He believed his son was pressured into making a “confession”.

The Wall Street Journal drew attention to an earlier interview which appeared in Haaretz  with a man claiming to be Mr. Musallam’s father, Said Musallam, the newspaper reported the following,

“the senior Mr. Musallam, who lives in East Jerusalem, said his son had traveled to Islamic State-held territory last fall and had asked for money beforehand on the pretense that he would be studying at a college near Tel Aviv, according to the article.

“He left that morning and the next day, I tried to call him and the telephone was turned off,” Mr. Musallam’s father was quoted as saying. “I thought that maybe he was busy. After a week we got an email that he wanted to be a martyr and he was giving up everything in his life and his family.”

US military recruiting children 

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“Stop Recruiting Kids” poster

“School-based military recruitment of adolescents is harmful.”—American Public Health Association

Meanwhile a campaign run by “Stop Recruiting Kids” accused the the federal government of spending “billions of dollars a year on military recruiting and advertising, much of it directed at teenagers as their target market.” They said,

“this is how tobacco companies used to recruit the next generation of customers for their products.

Science tells us that “the adolescent brain is not equipped to make accurate risk calculations” in life choices like using alcohol or tobacco or deciding to join the military before they reach adulthood.

We protect our kids from adult risks like alcohol and tobacco. We can protect them from the equally age-inappropriate adult risks of military recruiting while they are still in school.”

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“Women veterans who reported
being raped while on active duty…
were more likely to enter the military
at a younger age.”
~ American Public Health Association

For more information see following link,

“Stop Recruiting Kids” website…

http://www.srkcampaign.org/

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

 

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Taliban: TTP JA release statement on Shaikh Omar Bakri Muhammad detained by Lebanese regime

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Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Muhammad (image BBC) 

Ehsanullah Ehsan the official spokesperson for Pakistan, Tehreek-e-Taliban Jamaat -ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) has released an statement raising concerns regarding the treatment of Shaikh Omar Bakri Muhammad, a Muslim scholar detained by Lebanese authorities. The Independent reported the following on May 26th, 2014, “Lebanon’s Interior Minister, Nouhad Machnouk, told a press conference yesterday that Mr Bakri Mohamed had been arrested in the early hours of the morning in the city of Aley, in the mountains southeast of Beirut.” He was arrested for alleged links to terrorism. The Independent stated, Mr Bakri Mohamed was “previously sentenced to life in prison in Lebanon in 2010, following a terrorism conviction, but was released on bail after witnesses recanted their testimony.” Full story can be read on following link,

“Banned radical cleric Sheikh Omar Bakri Mohamed arrested in Lebanon over ‘links to terrorism'”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/banned-radical-cleric-sheikh-omar-bakri-mohamed-arrested-in-lebanon-over-links-to-terrorism-9434213.html

Human rights campaigners stress the importance of humane treatment for ALL prisoners wherever they are detained in the world. This includes access to legal representation, fair judicial process, the right to access medical treatment, the right NOT to be tortured or suffer degrading treatment, independent monitoring of the wellbeing of detainees.

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“Statement regarding arrest of respected Shaikh Omar Bakri Muhammad by Lebanese regimen” 

TTP JA statement from Ehsanullah Ehsan (official spokesperson)

We have learnt with great concern that a top Muslim scholar Shaikh Omar Bakri Muhammad is unjustly detained by the apostate Lebanese regimen for past 10 months. It has been brought into our notice that Shaikh is suffering from serious medical conditions like ischaemic heart disease and diabetes mellitus. Moreover he is not being given access to medical treatment and he is also being beaten in custody. Adding to the insult, Shaikh is stripped searched every time he is taken to kangaroo courts set up by the regimen.

It is very sad as well as annoying to hear such degrading treatment being given to a gentleman who has invested all his life in spreading the word of Allah SWT in the world. The services of Shaikh Omar Bakri Muhammad to the Deen of Al-Islam are well known. He has a key role in introducing the ignorant West to the light of Islam and he is one of very few scholars in the world who is upholding the true Manhaj of Ahl al Sunnah wal Jamaat. We are especially indebted to Shaikh and his students for their Shariah4Pakistan initiative and for their support of oppressed Muslims of Waziristan and tribal areas of Pakistan.

Our Prophet PBUH has said that all the Muslims worldwide are like one body.

ﻋَﻦْ ﺍﻟﻨُّﻌْﻤَﺎﻥِ ﺑْﻦِ ﺑَﺸِﻴﺮٍ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﻗَﺎﻝَ ﺭَﺳُﻮﻝُ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪِ ﺻَﻠَّﻰ ﺍﻟﻠَّﻪُ ﻋَﻠَﻴْﻪِ ﻭَﺳَﻠَّﻢَ

ﻣَﺜَﻞ ﺍﻟْﻤُﺆْﻣِﻨِﻴﻦَ ﻓِﻲ ﺗَﻮَﺍﺩِّﻫِﻢْ ﻭَﺗَﺮَﺍﺣُﻤِﻬِﻢْ ﻭَﺗَﻌَﺎﻃُﻔِﻬِﻢْ ﻣَﺜَﻞُ ﺍﻟْﺠَﺴَﺪِ ﺇِﺫَﺍ ﺍﺷْﺘَﻜَﻰ ﻣِﻨْﻪُ ﻋُﻀْﻮٌ ﺗَﺪَﺍﻋَﻰ ﻟَﻪُ ﺳَﺎﺋِﺮُ ﺍﻟْﺠَﺴَﺪِ ﺑِﺎﻟﺴَّﻬَﺮِ ﻭَﺍﻟْﺤُﻤَّﻰ

(5665 ﺻﺤﻴﺢ ﺍﻟﺒﺨﺎﺭﻱ ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺍﻷﺩﺏ ﺑﺎﺏ ﺭﺣﻤﺔ ﺍﻟﻨﺎﺱ ﻭﺍﻟﺒﻬﺎﺋﻢ)

The example of the believers in their affection, mercy  and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.

So we are restless on hearing the detention and maltreatment of Shaikh Omar Bakri Muhammad by the Lebanese regimen. We urge the regimen to release respected Shaikh immediately and see the writing on the wall. Mujahideen in the region are gaining ground and noose is tightening against Lebanon while the backers of the regimen like America, Britain and France etc are no longer able to exert significant influence on the world stage. Lebanese regimen should learn to respect our elders before the time arrives when Mujahideen will raid and break the prisoners free. If the matter lingers on till that stage then the oppressors should not expect any respect from us either!”

Ehsanullah Ehsan

Central Spokesman Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat-ul-Ahrar

———————-

Human Rights Watch stated the following on Lebanon in their World Report 2014 in the section, “Torture, Ill-Treatment, and Prison Conditions”,

“Lebanon, with substantial assistance from donor countries, has taken a number of steps to expand and reform the ISF (Internal Security Forces) in the last five years, including by establishing a new code of conduct. However, these efforts remain inadequate and have failed to address ongoing abuses. Despite repeated government pledges to prevent torture and ill-treatment, accountability remains elusive. Lebanon has not yet established a national preventive mechanism to visit and monitor places of detention, as required under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), which it ratified in 2008.”

http://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/lebanon?page=2

Human rights campaigners point out that it is in the interests of national, international security to follow human rights protocol for the care of prisoners as more research is coming to light linking maltreatment of prisoners to retaliation attacks which affects the wider community beyond prison walls. An example of this is the Peshawar Army School attack which was carried out by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) another Taliban group in December 2014 to avenge alleged torture, killing of detainees in state custody and resulted in over 140 deaths with many injured. It is unlawful to abuse those in custody and anyone committing such criminal offences must be held accountable as they are contributing to inciting acts of terror.

Links

“Cage case file for Omar Bakri Muhammad Fustuq”

http://www.cageuk.org/case/omar-bakri-muhammad-fustuq

Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad . She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.

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