Carol Anne Grayson (Radical Sister) blog

Omar Khalid Khorasani, a key figure in TTP JA

At the time of Eid al-Adha celebrated by the Muslim community, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Taliban Jammat -ul-Ahrar senior leader, Omar Khalid Khorasani has released a new video (October 3rd, 2014) calling for a united front from “Mujahideen groups” around the world. He addressed viewers in Arabic and was accompanied by major figures from TTP JA as well as bodyguards. The 25 minute video was sent to journalists by TTP JA spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan with a statement describing the content of the video as follows,

“Address by senior leader of Tehreek e Taliban Pakistan Jammat ul Ahrar Omar Khalid Khorasani suggesting Islamic State (IS, ISIS), Jabha tun Nusra (JN) and other mujahideen of the region to reconcile among each other. As Kuffar and their helper Murtadeen have formed a coalition to attack the Muslims of Iraq and Sham, it is important that the Mujahideen of the region and of the whole world are united together against this aggression. Omar Khalid Khorasani has also offered his influence to mediate between Islamic State, Al-Qaeda and Jabha tun Nusra. He has urged the Muslims of the whole world to become untied like a fist against the Kuffar and their Murtadeen helpers”

Video link… (in Arabic)

https://archive.org/details/IhyaeMasalihat

Background of Omar Khalid Khorasani (based on information released earlier by TTP JA)

Omar Khalid Khorasani was born in Mohmand Agency, Telsil Safi in 1980. He graduated from high school and studied at madrassas (Muslim school or college) in Karachi before becoming a journalist with tribal and local news agencies. The Taliban leader is also a poet and member of Mohmand literary organization Mohmand Adabi Ghuncha and is married with 3 wives.

On 22nd February 2000 Khorasani was nominated as Chief of the Harkut-ul-Mujahideen Mohmand Agency and was in Afghanistan Bagram entrenchment with other companions. He was settled on Kashmir border Hajeera section in 2003 and later assisted Islamic Emirate associates taking part in fighting in Paktia province in 2006. Khorasani then gave allegiance to martyred Commander Baitullah Mehsood and was nominated as Chief of Mohman Agency in 2006. He united different groups and announced Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) Mohmand Agency in October 2oo7, later in December of the same year, TTP in its wider capacity was officially formed. In 2012 Hakimullah Mehsud appointed Khorasani as Chief of Khyber Agency.

Now in 2014 he is a key and influential figure in TTP JA (Jamaat-ul-Ahrar) which recently splintered off from TTP central (Maulana Fazlullah group) due to personality clashes and infighting on how to proceed in the coming months. There were differences over whether a wider remit was needed to link up with IS and other groups in the quest to establish a Caliphate and defeat common enemies or to concentrate mainly on more localized issues. Both groups continue allegiance to Mullah Muhammad Omar, spiritual leader of the Taliban.

IS controversy

The video announcement from Khorasani comes at a time when IS (under the leadership of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi) is under heavy criticism from many Muslim organizations for the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning who was kidnapped in Syria. Many appeals including from Sheikh Hani Sebai, a respected authority in Jihadi circles were put out to secure his release. IS hold a number of prisoners and have recently carried out beheadings on James Foley an American freelance journalist, Steven Sotloff an Israeli-American journalist and David Cawthorne Haines, a British aid worker.

A British man known as “Jihadi John” is seen in the IS videos of the executions condemning the US/British “coalition with the United States against the Islamic States, efforts to arm the Peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) against IS and the bombing of the Haditha Dam dragging people into an “unwinnable war”. Western foreign policies have had a devastating effect on the region with a million dead in Iraq and ever declining security issues for locals with ongoing sectarian violence between Sunni and Shia groups as well as between different “jihadi” factions.

Links

“Alan Henning: Open letter from Abu Muhammad al Maqdissi, a Shari’ah ruling and an appeal from a revert sister”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/09/22/alan-henning-open-letter-from-abu-muhammad-al-maqdissi-a-sharia-ruling-and-an-appeal-from-a-revert-sister/

“Pakistan: Talking to Taliban on new splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and how it came into being”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/pakistan-talking-to-taliban-on-new-splinter-group-jamaat-ul-ahrar-and-how-it-came-into-being/

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”.

Maulana Fazlullah leader TTP photographed recently in funeral prayers

Tehreek- e- Taliban TTP (central, Maulana Fazlullah group) claim responsibility for an attack on the night of 2nd/ 3rd Oct around midnight where TTP members beheaded Special Forces officer Muhibbullah son of Sakhi Jaan at his home in Median, Swat. There were “no other deaths in the house, only he was targeted.”

The message came via the official TTP social media contact (Umar Media) as Shahidullah Shahid (main spokesperson) was said to be “away from here and busy, after a week he will be here.”

TTP Central also claimed responsibility for Peshawar coach blast on 2nd October, (Bazid Khel area on Kohat Road) describing it as an attack on a “shia” van “travelling from Peshawar to Khurram tribe” and raising concerns of a sectarian assault. The statement read,

DAWN media had reported earlier that at least seven people were killed and eleven injured in the explosion,

“police said explosives left in two bags went off in the Parachinar-bound coach on Kohat Road.

Capital City Police Officer Ejaz Khan told Dawn that a man had placed the bags in the rear of the vehicle. He asked the driver to wait for him that he was coming back with women accompanying him.

An officer of the bomb disposal squad said the bags contained over 5kg of explosives”

Three of the bodies were said to be “burnt beyond recognition”. The dead and injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar and the deceased named in Dawn as “Jamil Hussain of the Frontier Constabulary, passerby Fazal Khan of Bazidkhel, security guard Sadaqat Ali, who was coming from Karachi to celebrate Eid with family, and Imtiaz Hussain.”

The News reported that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak was said to have strongly condemned the blast, ordered an urgent inquiry and that compensation of Rs500,000 each for the dead and Rs200,000 each for injured would be awarded under the Shuhada Package.

With regard to the beheading of the Special Forces officer Muhibbullah son of Saaki Jaan, whose “head was cut off by knife”  I inquired, how do TTP train to decapitate people, do they practice on animals?  The reply was, “No. This is only the reaction to their actions killing our beloved ones and innocent people and destroying our houses, so only reaction. This is the way they train.” There may be restrictions on reporting in Pakistan as this incident has not appeared in the news to date.

In June this year Pakistan military launched operation Zarb -e-Asb in North Waziristan to curb militancy after peace talks failed and following an attack by insurgents at Karachi airport which left 28 dead including 10 attackers. There were fears of retaliation attacks in response to the actions of the military. TTP Central recently claimed responsibility for a blast on a Frontier Corps convoy near to Peshawar Press Club and more attacks are expected.

Link

“Peshawar: Taliban TTP Central claim responsibility for blast on Frontier Corps Convoy”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/peshawar-taliban-ttp-central-claim-responsibility-for-peshawar-blast-on-frontier-corps-convoy/

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”.

Reprieve Statement: Fri Oct 3, 2014

A federal judge has refused to hold the first-ever trial of prisoner abuse at Guantánamo Bay behind closed doors, issuing a sharply-worded order rejecting the Obama Administration’s request for secrecy.

Judge Kessler found the Administration’s request “deeply troubling,” noted that it “appears to have deliberately made on short notice”, and admonished the Justice Department that “one of the strongest pillars of our system of justice in the United States is the presumption that all judicial proceedings are open to the public whom the judiciary serves.”

The hearing in Dhiab v. Obama, scheduled for October 6-7 in Washington, DC, is the first time a US court will directly consider the lawfulness of prisoners’ treatment at Guantánamo Bay. Abu Wa’el Dhiab, a Syrian hunger-striker cleared for release since 2009, is challenging the legality of Guantánamo’s force-feeding practices, such as the needless movement of compliant prisoners to force-feeding by the ‘Forcible Cell Extraction Team’, a squad of soldiers in riot gear, and the use of a painful multi-point restraint chair. Three expert witness are due to testify in open court–two of them after examining Mr. Dhiab at Guantánamo–and are expected to describe the daily procedure as both punitive and abusive.

In a motion filed last Friday, Justice Department lawyers asked to hold this trial almost entirely in closed court. Mr Dhiab, represented by the international non-profit Reprieve, was joined by a consortium of sixteen major US news organizations in opposing the motion on open justice and public interest grounds.

The consortium had previously intervened in the case seeking the release of videotapes of Mr Dhiab being hauled from his cell by the ‘Forcible Cell Extraction Team’ and force-fed. Mr Dhiab was the first Guantánamo prisoner to win disclosure of this footage. The government has insisted the evidence is all “secret” and, in an unprecedented move, have barred Mr Dhiab’s attorneys from discussing the tapes even with other security-cleared counsel. Last month, 17 leading NGOs asked Defense Secretary Charles Hagel to release the tapes to the public. Judge Kessler has yet to rule on the media organizations’ request to publish the tapes.

Cori Crider, Director at legal charity Reprieve and one of Mr. Dhiab’s attorneys, said: “The was a brazen attempt by the Obama Administration to shut the American people out of their own courtroom. And how sad to see our Justice Department deliberately undermining one of the central pillars of our democracy: open justice. This has been a rather poor showing from what was supposed to be the most transparent administration in history. Mercifully, sanity prevailed, and we look forward to making our case in public.”

ENDS

Link

Reprieve website

http://www.reprieve.org.uk/guantanamo/

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”.

 Dedicated to the National Organization for Drone Victims Yemen (with thanks for images)

Message from Yemen

“Thank you for your sincere co-humanity and I hope to convey the suffering of these children and all drone victims in Yemen to the communities of Western people that do not know our suffering. The Western countries, especially the United States have committed crimes against innocent people and confiscate their right to life unlawfully and without accountability from the international community. It is really a tragedy and ignores the principles, moral values ​​and humanity which they flaunt in their fight against terrorism. They practice and sow terror increasing our hatred of Western society”

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”.

Free… leaving Belmarsh Prison (Photo from “Free Moazzam” Campaign)

It is with great delight that I heard some good news today… human rights campaigner, Moazzam Begg has been cleared of ALL 7 charges against him related to the conflict in Syria which included an allegation that he attended a terrorist training camp there. He was arrested earlier this year on terrorism offences along with a man age 36, a 44 year old woman and her 20 year old son.

Moazzam was previously detained for several years at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without trial and released without charge. Following this second arrest, he spent seven months in custody awaiting trial which was due to start on Monday and had pleaded not guilty to all charges against him. At the time of Moazzam’s arrest I wrote,

“my fellow activist comes across as a voice of reason in unreasonable times, a man of compassion in a world of increasing paranoia and hatred, a source of valued information who stands out from the peddlers of propaganda and false narratives. He is a man who befriended some of his former guards at Guantanamo and has not given in to bitterness and revenge. Moazzam chooses to educate and promote tolerance and understanding across diverse communities in accordance with the teachings of Islam”

Cage (formerly CagePrisoners) where Moazzam was appointed Director released the following press statement,

CAGE [1] is vindicated by the announcement that all seven charges against our Outreach Director Moazzam Begg have now been dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service due to lack of evidence. 

Asim Qureshi, Research Director of CAGE, said: 

“This has been a testing time for Moazzam, his family and the Muslim community. The criminalisation of virtually any Muslim that has been to Syria has only increased in intensity, while CAGE has been attacked from every angle by a host of government agencies [2]. We hope that Moazzam’s release is a sign that the government are now willing to adopt a more measured strategy in relation to anti-terrorism policy and avoid the attempt to criminalise all dissent and crush any organisation like CAGE that stands up for the rule of law and justice.” 

“CAGE and Moazzam have been maligned, defamed and vilified by far too many and we hope that now our calls for the protection of basic rights and innovative approaches built on dialogue to dispute resolution will now be heeded. Violence and the destruction of freedoms and liberties inherent in the War on Terror doctrine can never be the solution.” 

“We thank everyone for their support of Moazzam, his family and the CAGE movement.”

In a chilling prediction of things to come Moazzam warned that “sometimes knowing too much can be a curse.” Back in January he wrote an article highlighting the continual pressure he was under for trying to empower Muslims at a time when the community was being “purposefully undermined.” After a trip to South Africa, he returned to the UK only to be served notice regarding the confiscation of his passport as officials were assessing his previous visits to Syria and whether they constituted involvement in terrorism. These are Moazzam’s words,

“I am certain that the only reason I am being continually harassed – something that began long before any visit to Syria – is because CagePrisoners and I are at the forefront of investigations and assertions based on hard evidence that British governments, past and present, have been wilfully complicit in torture. 

How logical is it to stop me from travelling anywhere in the world simply because they want to prevent me from going to Syria? Numerous British citizens have been prevented from entering Turkey (the key entry point to Syria) at the behest of the British authorities. They could have done the same with me. 

It is these government-shaking issues that are the real reason why I have been continually harassed and targeted by the authorities in this country. I am not and never have been in anyway a threat to them, unless words seeking accountability are a threat”

News regarding Moazzam being cleared comes soon after the announcement of Abu Qatada, a 53 year old cleric also being cleared of terror charges in Jordan after he was deported from the UK following an 8 year legal battle. In an article, “From Bethlehem to Belmarsh” (2012) it was Moazzam that highlighted the “witchhunt” against Qatada, labelled by both British government and media as “radical” and ” extremist” and fought for his rights to be upheld. He stated,

“If Abu Qatada is the “truly dangerous individual” that the Special Immigration and Appeals Commission (SIAC) judge claimed him to be, there are some serious questions the Government must answer about him:

1. Why in over ten years has Abu Qatada never been questioned by the police or intelligence services?
2. Why can no one produce any evidence against Abu Qatada at a time when Britain has more antiterrorism legislation in place than it did at the height of the IRA campaign?
3. Why has the terrorism threat level in this country not decreased since Abu Qatada, who constitutes such a “threat to national security”, has been in custody?”

Both these men now deserve an apology. In fact it if anyone acted in an “extreme” way, it was Home Secretary Theresa May who tried every which way to deprive Qatada and others of their rights and threatened to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights in 2013 for what she deemed, “a crazy interpretation of our human rights laws”.

It is Theresa May that is announcing proposed new legislation from the Conservative Party, “extremism disruption orders”. According to the Guardian restrictions would include, “banned individuals from broadcasting, from associating with named people, and restricting their use of social media or the internet by requiring them to submit in advance any proposed publication to the police.” These proposals are already being heavily criticized by human rights organizations. The question is, given the recent history of wrongful accusations, which bodies would decide who is deemed to be “extreme” and what criteria would then be used!  

Link (see article, Feb 28th 2014)

“Missing Moazzam: For former Guantanamo detainee, the ordeal continues”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/02/28/missing-moazzam-for-former-guantanamo-detainee-the-ordeal-continues/

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”.

F16 fighters (Pakistan Air Force) but are PAF also linked to US drone strikes? (image Wikimedia, Commons)

A letter received by the author earlier this year may shed some light on the strange case of officers allegedly being penalized after seeking to take early retirement from the Pakistan Air Force and refusing their requests. There appears to be more to these cases than first meets the eye.

Back in June, DAWN media announced that “within a span of three weeks, three air force officers have gone to the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking premature early retirement from Pakistan Air Force (PAF), citing different reasons.”

Squadron Leader Akhtar Abbas sought to retire on medical and compassionate grounds and go abroad with his wife but his request for early retirement was turned down by PAF authorities leading to his detention soon after filing his petition on May 14th 2014. Two other petitions were then filed, one on May 26th from the father of Squadron Leader Shahzeb Mehmood for the early retirement of his son who was also allegedly detained. Then another petition was filed on June 2, from Squadron Leader Malik Masood Anwar who complained of being penalized by his employers.

Squadron leader Abbas alleged discrimination naming others within the airforce that had been granted early retirement. Discrimination was denied by PAF.

Although the DAWN article did not go into specific detail there were suggestions that at least one of the officers Squadron Leader Anwar may have been reluctant to carry out certain duties,

“his petition said he was posted at PAF base Mushaf, Sargodha, when he was sent “to another outfit which was employed on military operations at homeland/home soil, during 2007.

The petitioner due to his belief and understanding did not participate in these operations and kept himself away from such duty”

It appears that PAF spokesman commodore Tariq Mehmood declined to comment on the specifics of these duties thus adding more mystery to the cases.

Could Squadron Leader Anwar declining to participate in certain operations be related to drone policy?

US drones operating over Pakistan have long been an issue of contention due to civilian casualties with accusations on the one hand that America is violating Pakistan sovereignty and airspace whilst on the other hand there have been allegations that Pakistan secretly co-operates and assists the US.

In 2013 CNN reported that “ex-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf acknowledged his government secretly signed off on U.S. drone strikes, the first time a top past or present Pakistani official has admitted publicly to such a deal.” CCN went further to bring light to previously alleged clandestine operations by stating the following,

“in a cable sent in August 2008 and later posted online by Wikileaks, then US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson mentioned a discussion about drones during a meeting that also involved interior minister Rehman Malik and then-Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani.

Malik suggested we hold off alleged Predator attacks until after the Bajaur operation,” Patterson wrote. “The PM brushed aside Rehman’s remarks and said, ‘I don’t care if they do it as long as they get the right people. We’ll protest in the National Assembly and then ignore it.’ “

US drone strikes on Pakistan are now well documented but could Pakistan have played a more active role providing intelligence as opposed to simply turning a blind eye to drone strikes? I had been made aware of earlier allegations that US may receive help on the ground using lazers to guide drones to target but due to press denied access to the drone hit Federally Administered Tribal Areas, it is difficult to talk to those in the vicinity.

The following letter was received (author wishes to remain anonymous) regarding Sqn Ldr Akhtar Abbsas which alleges PAF may have more direct involvement in drones than previously thought:-

Allegations that Abbas case may be linked to drone policy (Pakistan, US)

Kindly highlight Sqn Ldr Akhtar Abbas case in British Media.

Why, because Pak Air Force is directly related to Drone Policy. Pak Air Chief is ever ready to bomb Waziristan in order to throw a spanner in peace process. However his F-16 are rusting when it comes to Abbotabbad or Drone issue.

If provided lawful protection, such young and honest officers can provide valuable input to stance against Drones/peace process as whistle blower to past 10 years genocide through drone attacks and bombing campaigns on Waziristan.

One of my old day friends who was in Pak Air Force as Air Defense Officer said in private gathering that Drone Attacks were monitored jointly by PAF Air Defense Officers along with American from US Embassy in Islamabad.

While the intelligence input for Drone was provided by CTC (Counter Terrorism Cell) in ISI. This cell headed by a Major General and was directly funded by US and it was not answerable to none even in ISI and Army.

For taking his case to media and court first Sqn Akhtar Abbas was posted to some remote location as punishment and now he has been arrested for no crime.

Sqn Ldr Akhtar Abbas cell number is + ………… 

Regards

We know PAF have an active role in the bombing of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) where jets and helicopter gunships are used and there have been questions over alleged killing of civilians discussed in previous articles. However last week in Geneva for the first time the Human Rights Council formally discussed the issue of armed drones over countries including Pakistan in violation of international human rights law as well as the UN Charter and condemned arbitrary killings. Representatives from 21 countries attended the conference.

Russia TV reports a statement given by Pakistan’s Foreign Office recently which condemned the latest drone strike, claiming,

“with the decisive action being taken against terrorist elements in North Waziristan, (referring to miliary operation Zarb -e-Asb, launched in June) there is no need for such strikes…… we, therefore, urge US for a cessation of such strikes”

Express Tribune highlighted Shahzad Akbar, Legal Director of the Foundation for Fundamental Rights who noted that “a state could not use deadly force merely because capture (of militants) was not feasible; the individual in question must pose an imminent threat to human life.” He said,

“the experience in Pakistan showed that this simply was not the case. The obligation was not upon individuals to prove they posed no threat but the obligation was upon the State firing armed drones to show that their use of force was necessary” 

Given the recent ethical and legal debates on drones, it is important to establish what exactly is the role of Pakistan in relation to the US and drones. Too much has already been swept under the carpet and if PAF does have a more active role which may be causing internal friction for officers surely they must be addressed. Dilema and possible dissent within armed forces cannot be good for the security of the country.

According to DAWN, Squadron Ldr Abbas now faces a series of charges,

“Mr Abbas was being tried by a Field General Court Martial for various charges, including a charge under Section 65 of the PAF Act, entitled ‘An Act Prejudical To Good Order And Air Force Discipline’.

His crime is that he ‘while being in the service of PAF, filed a writ petition against the federation of Pakistan and chief of air staff in the LHC’s Rawalpindi bench’”

Abbas is fighting back by filing the following charges with Rawalpindi bench of the Lahore High Court by

“seeking contempt of court proceedings against the defence secretary and the air force, alleging that they were treating him as an offender for seeking a judicial remedy”

It remains to be seen how much will come out in the public domain and whether disgruntled employees may reveal a lot more than was bargained for regarding the actions of Pakistan’s Air Force.

Link

“Double standards: US condemns use of drones as US strikes Pakistan once again”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/09/24/double-standards-un-condemns-use-of-drones-as-us-strikes-pakistan-once-again/

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”.

Anjem Choudary arrested in London

The recently formed Taliban group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar (TTP JA) which broke away from Mullah Fazlullah led Pakistan Tehreek -i-Taliban (TTP) released a statement today via their official spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan criticising the UK for the arrest of Anjem Choudary a former spokesman for the banned “extremist” group al-Muhajiroun.

The Guardian reported that “he and eight other men aged from 22 to 51 were arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of being members of a proscribed organisation, or supporting a proscribed organisation, as well as encouraging terrorism.” Choudary who has been on the radar of British security services for some time for his views claimed the arrest was “politically motivated”.

He asserted that the US/UK and allies were waging a war against Islam and Muslims and “the objective is to take Muslims away from the Shari’ah (Islam)”. Choudary stated that “the US/UK will never defeat the Islamic State (IS) by bombs from the air, rather they will yet again murder innocent men, women and children” and that “the Islamic State could not wish for a better rallying call for Muslims worldwide to join them than for the USA to start bombing again.”

The TTP JA statement called British politicians past and present, “some of the worst mischief makers and the enemies of mankind” and urged the British government “to treat the Muslims in your country with great care and respect.” The full statement can be read here;

Unjust arrest of Shaikh Anjem Choudary by the British government.

Choudary was released on bail on Friday as the news came that the British government had voted 524 to 43 to back airstrikes in Iraq. He tweeted,

“Alhamdulillah I’ve been released from police custody. Just in time for Cameron to declare war on Islam & Muslims in Iraq & Syria subhanallah”

“Cameron has today plunged Britain in a bloody war with Muslims in Iraq/Syria but who will pay the price when it has repercussions in the UK?”

Link

“Pakistan: Talking to Taliban on new splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and how it came into being”

https://activist1.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/pakistan-talking-to-taliban-on-new-splinter-group-jamaat-ul-ahrar-and-how-it-came-into-being/

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”.

Scene of blast in Peshawar (Photo Express Tribune, AFP) 

In a message to journalists, a top Taliban Commander confirmed that Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) central (leader, Mullah Fazlullah) claimed responsibility for a car blast on a Frontier Corps (FC) convoy near to Peshawar Press Club that killed at least 3 people and injured 13 others.

He stated that “the target of the attack was an FC Commandant considered an enemy combatant” and that ” it was a car blast, 300 kg of TNT, the suicide bomber was from valley of Swat”.

A statement followed shortly after from TTP spokesperson, Shahidullah Shahid, claiming

“our original goal strike was FC Commandant (Brigadier Khalid Javed)”

“this is an attack to avenge the death of three commanders, who become martyrs in an attack of FC forces at Sur Dand camp near Peshawar on 15th of August 2014, time 11:00pm…. Commander Jamil Adizai, Commander Shahidullah Adizai, Commander Umar alias Balaga Badhbair”

In a chilling warning he continued that “the series of operations will continue until the system of shariyat is implemented on earth.”

Earlier, DAWN media reported that Brigadier Khalid Javed remained safe however hospital officials confirmed deaths including civilian casualties of “a 20-year-old woman Saba Gul; a Noshera resident 27-year-old Muhammad Zahir Khan and a Bara FC official Zareen Afridi.”

Those injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) and Combined Military Hospital (CMH) with at least two persons said to be in a critical condition.

 PTI officials visit victim of car blast (Photo PTI)

Politician, Imran Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf  (PTI), strongly condemned the Peshawar blast tweeting that “prov govt must provide all required medical facilities to the injured and support to victims’ families”. Khyber Pakhtun­khwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak along with his Cabinet members visited Lady Reading Hospital to meet with the injured as did PTI officials.

The car involved in the attack was reported as a Suzuki Alto with Express Tribune claiming that “police have found the chassis and engine numbers of the car and are close to reaching the owner of the vehicle”.

Pakistan military launched operation Zarb -e-Asb in June in North Waziristan to curb militancy after peace talks failed, a backlash from insurgents was anticipated in response to air strikes in the region. In an earlier press statement TTP central spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid denied claims by the military that they had dismantled the communication and command system of TTP stating that “every commander of TTP is holding his position and operational as usual.”

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”.

Alan Henning joined Muslim aid convoy to Syria (photo via the Bolton News)

Over the last few days a series of appeals from a wide section of communities have been published and filmed calling for mercy for Alan Henning (47) from Eccles in Salford who was seized by the Islamic State (IS) while on an aid mission to Syria last December. His wife Barbara released a statement today pleading for his life saying,

“Alan is a peaceful, selfless man who left his family and his job as a taxi driver in the UK to drive in a convoy all the way to Syria with his Muslim colleagues and friends to help those most in need.

“When he was taken he was driving an ambulance full of food and water to be handed out to anyone in need. His purpose for being there was no more and no less. This was an act of sheer compassion.

“I cannot see how it could assist any state’s cause to allow the world to see a man like Alan dying.

Full statement can be read on the following BBC link,

“Alan Henning’s wife appeals to IS to release him”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29299031

IS hold a number of prisoners and have recently carried out beheadings on James Foley an American freelance journalist, Steven Sotloff an Israeli-American journalist and David Cawthorne Haines, a British aid worker. A British man known as “Jihadi John” is seen in the IS videos of the executions condemning the US/British “coalition with the United States against the Islamic States, efforts to arm the Peshmerga (Kurdish fighters) against IS and the bombing of the Haditha Dam dragging people into an “unwinnable war”.

The following letter from Abu Mohammad al Maqdisi obtained via Fouzi Slisli, (assistant professor in the department of human relations and multicultural education at St Cloud State University, Minnesota) draws attention to the case of Alan Henning, presenting a strong case for his release. Maqdisi is a Jordainian Palestinian writer and a renowned jihadi ideologue who was himself a prisoner for 5 years.

Abu Mohammed al Maqdisi’s open letter to ISIS on Alan Henning

“I tell ISIS: Fear Allah on behalf of the Muslims and on behalf of their Jihad. This is not a question of interceding on behalf of a British man or on behalf of Britain, as some scoundrels try to portray it. We do not side or defend Britain who killed thousands of Muslims and oppressed millions by planting the jewish entity at the heart of Muslim lands. The issue is to defend Islam and Jihad from being deformed…. This British man [Alan Henning] came to Syria as a volunteer with a humanitarian organization that’s run by Muslims. Those Muslims promised him safety and they should be respected. He also entered Syria with the permission of the Syrians who also gave him safety. Is it reasonable that his reward is kidnapping and beheading?!! He came to assist Muslims in need and for this alone, he should be received with thanks and gratitude, not with beheading and injustice which Allah does not approve of.

They [ISIS] should not oppress humanitarian aid workers REGARDLESS OF THEIR NATIONALITIES. They should not punish a man simply for being a citizen of a state that oppressed Muslims, but look into the specific situation of each individual. This man came in peace to assist the Muslims and has no responsibility for the injustice committed by the state of which he is a citizen. ISIS and Muslims in general should distinguish between people like him [Alan Henning] and those who come to aggress the Muslims… Those who do not distinguish are not Mujahideen, no by Allah they are not! They are enemies of Jihad and work to deform it, whether they know it or not.”

(Photo via Hasan Mir)

The following Shari’ah ruling comes again via Professor Slizli who uses social media to highlight well reasoned arguements why Alan should be released. Sheikh Hani Sebai who gives the ruling is an Egyptian Sunni scholar who has studied “comparative criminal jurisprudence” and is the founder and director of the Almaqreze Centre for Historical Studies in London. He is described by the Long War Journal as being “a longtime member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ).”

Sheikh Hani Sebai, a respected authority in Jihadi circles, gives the Shari’ah ruling on Alan Henning:

“Regardless of the fact that this man [Alan Henning] is a humanitarian aid worker, as far as Shari’ah is concerned, he was given safety by Muslims. It doesn’t matter therefore if he is a doctor or an architect or anything else. The important is that he was given safety by a group of Muslims, and even if he was given safety by ONE Muslim alone, his pact of safety would still be correct and should be respected. If those who hold him have proof that he is a spy, let them present that in front of a Shari’ah court and make those proofs public. What we heard from Muslims that we trust is that this British man was given a covenant of safety by a group of Muslims and this covenant is binding under Shari’ah.” 

Appeal to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (IS) from a new revert sister

I appeal to you, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as someone who came to know the beauty of the Qur’an whilst a Christian writing, independently to highlight human rights abuses such as the detainees in Guantanamo, the case of Shaker Aamer, the last Britain in Guantanamo, cleared for release but still in captivity in very poor health and also the case of prisoner Aafia Siddiqui to name but two. It was through daily contact with Muslim communities and seeing their faith and commitment to helping others that I came to revert to Islam earlier this year. I appeal to those who stand up for Alan Henning to speak up also for Shaker, Aafia and others denied their freedom, their dignity and their rights.

As a victim of US “collateral damage” myself, a widow that has witnessed first hand the injustice of so called “western democracies” I can understand why Alan Henning felt impassioned to act in a practical way joining an aid convoy to Syria. I have been involved in aid projects myself to other parts of the world and was Executive Producer of the documentary “Incident in New Baghdad” which highlighted the story behind the Wikileaks “collateral murder video” the killing of innocent civilians, including children by the crew of an Apache helicopter gunship.

There are many who see the horrors of Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Kashmir, Pakistan, Myanmar and do nothing. They will never understand the pain and suffering of those that rely on civilian aid initiatives nor will they ever face the risks of joining an aid convoy. Alan put whatever fears he may have had behind him unselfishly to help others in the spirit of Islam… he already has the heart of a Muslim.

How will we bring more people to Islam, to the wonder of the Qur’an, to our deen if people such as Alan are killed for their kindness, for being the very people that DID NOT TURN AWAY. That can never be right. The Qur’an guides people and shows Islam is love, mercy and respect for life…. Alan Henning has only ever helped Muslims in need.

The Quran teaches us,

“if any one slew a person … it would be as if he slew the whole humanity: and if any one saved a person, it would be as if he saved the whole humanity”

“verily this Qur’an does guide to that which is most light and gives the glad tidings to the believers who work towards righteousness, that they shall have a magnificent reward”

“and to those who receive guidance; he increases the Light of Guidance, and bestows on them their piety and restrains from evil”

Sister Carol Anne Grayson

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”.