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Volume 11 Issue 281 Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 AH / April 8, 2011 - $1

Libyan rebels 'disappointed'

by NATO

Promises, Blames & Scandals: Election 2011 Campaign Heats up!

Leaders of all major political parties, featured here (L-R) Stephen Harper (Conservatives), Michael Ignatieff (Liberals), Jack Layton (NDP), Gilles Duceppe (Bloc Quebecois) and Elizabeth May (Green Party) have unveiled their election platforms and are busy in visiting ridings across the country to secure votes. The federal elections will be held on May 2. Remember to vote!

Fresh clashes in southern Yemen

Security forces and armed men in civilian clothes have opened fire during protests in the city of Taiz in southern Yemen, a day after clashes there killed 15 people, witnesses said. Hundreds of security troops attacked tens of thousands of protesters, witnesses told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday, adding that plain-clothed policemen were wielding bats and daggers.

They said several people had been hurt, but there was no word yet from medical sources on casualties. Protesters responded to the attack by hurling rocks at the security forces. Our special correspondent, reporting from Yemen, quoted the opposition that the ruling party had called on their supporters to rally in Taiz. The supporters marched towards "Liberty Square". "They tried to enter the square but anti-government protesters stopped them after which clashes ensued. The police then opened fire and lobbed tear gas shells towards the protesters inside the square. "As events are unfolding, it is strengthening

their (the protesters) resolve." In Sanaa, pro-regime supporters marched from the presidential area towards Change Square and the headquarters of General Ali Mohsen, a key military leader who recently threw his weight behind the tens of thousands of protesters calling for Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's president, to quit. "They were on foot and in cars. As they approached the gate of the (Mohsen) HQ, people in one of the cars opened fire on the soldiers as well as the pro- and antigovernment supporters who were gathered there," added our correspondent. "Ali Mohsen's soldiers, loyal to the prodemocracy protesters, responded with fire. We are hearing that one person got killed, 26 others injured of which four are in a critical condition. "It is a clear indication of escalation; the president is not backing down and the situation remains very volatile - he seems to be increasing the security presence, not decreasing it." The official news agency SANA said four people had been killed and 56 injured. Meanwhile, Yemen has accepted an invitation by Gulf Arab states to hold talks on its weeks-old political crisis in Saudi Arabia as a drive to oust Saleh from his three-decade rule gathered pace. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) invited the Yemeni government and opposition representatives for talks in Riyadh in a bid to end the crisis, but a date has yet to be set. "We welcome the GCC invitation and the government is ready to discuss any ideas from our Gulf brothers to solve the crisis," Abubakr alQirbi, Yemen's acting foreign minister, told Reuters. Aides to Mohsen said the general also accepted the call for talks in Saudi Arabia. But leaders from the political opposition groups have yet to respond, saying they would only give an answer when they receive details of the proposed talks in Riyadh.

Source: Al-Jazeera

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Abdul Fatah Younis, the head of the Libyan opposition's armed forces, has accused NATO of acting too "slowly", or not acting at all, to protect civilians in their fight against Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader. Younis' comments came as the rebels were forced out of the oil town of Brega in the country's east by a renewed offensive launched by Gaddafi's forces. The rebels were forced to retreat to Ajdabiya, ending a stalemate over the last five days over who controlled Brega. Speaking at a press conference in the opposition stronghold of Benghazi, Younis, who was formerly the country's interior minister, said that NATO had "disappointed" the rebels, even though it is helping them.

"Unfortunately, and I am sorry to say this, NATO has disappointed us. My staff have been in contact with NATO officials to direct them to targets that should protect civilians, but until now, NATO has not given us what we need," he said.

In particular, Younis was scathing in his criticism of the NATO response to events in Misurata, where residents have been under siege from proGaddafi forces for the last 40 days. Younis said that Gaddafi had contaminated the drinking water, and that residents of the city did not have access to basic supplies. "Civilians are dying daily because of lack of food or milk, even children are dying. Even by bombing. If NATO waits for another week, it will be a crime that NATO will have to carry. What is NATO doing? It is shelling some defined areas only," he said.

"When a large force of tanks, and even artillery, is on its way to Benghazi, Ajdabiya or Brega, we always inform NATO straight away. Because we don't have such weapons. NATO's reaction is very slow. By the time the information reaches from one official to another until it reaches the field commander, it takes hours. "Will these forces wait for hours to bomb? No, they will go into the city and burn it down. That is why I want NATO to stand with us and support us, otherwise I will ask the [opposition] National Council to address this issue at the UN Security Council." Younis said that rebel forces were providing NATO with the coordinates where proGaddafi forces were present, but they were slow to act, allowing the forces to "enter a city, kill everybody, burn it down and then leave the city" before any action was taken. He also complained that NATO was not allowing the opposition to use the MiG fighter aircraft and helicop-

Continued on pg 6

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

British PM in Pakistan talks to urge 'fresh start' British Prime Minister David Cameron held talks in Pakistan on Tuesday, seeking a "fresh start" in relations with Islamabad, nine months after accusing it of turning a blind eye to terrorism.

In his first trip to the nuclear-armed Muslim country since taking office in May 2010, Cameron hopes to soothe tensions caused by his remarks during a visit to India, as well as boost cooperation on counter-terrorism and in Afghanistan.

The premier briefly visited Islamabad's Faisal Mosque, nestled under the foothills of the Himalayas, before embarking on a packed day of talks with high-ranking civilian and military officials, as well as opposition leaders.

"Let's today make a fresh start in our relationship. It is time for a new step in relations between Britain and Pakistan and between Britons and Pakistanis," Cameron was to tell an audience of university students.

"Let's make this the start of a new era in the relations between our countries, our governments, our peoples," he was to add, according to pre-released extracts of the speech.

"Let's clear up the misunderstandings of the past, work through the tensions of the present and look together to the opportunities of the future."

During a trade visit to India last July, Cameron caused a diplomatic row by saying Pakistan could not be allowed to "look both ways", promoting the export of terror while publicly working for stability in the region.

President Asif Ali Zardari papered over the row in a visit to London the following month, when he and Cameron said their ties were "unbreakable".

Cameron was to repeat the message Tuesday and discuss with Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani what Pakistan is doing to combat Islamist militants in the tribal belt on the Afghan border, and how they can cooperate more on security.

Britain's domestic intelligence chief, Jonathan Evans, said last year that 50 percent of serious plots linked to Al-Qaeda in Britain emanated from Pakistan's tribal areas, down from 75 percent two or three years ago.

Officials have attributed the fall to greater action against militants, but also to new threats coming from countries such as Somalia and Yemen.

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Tuesday's talks also involve the head of Britain's MI6 spy agency, John Sawers, and its military chief David Richards, as well as Pakistan's army chief Ashfaq Kayani and head of intelligence, Ahmad Shuja Pasha.

In an agreement to be signed by the two prime ministers, the countries will agree to set up a centre to share expertise on countering roadside bombs, which pose a major threat to British troops in Afghanistan.

The war in Afghanistan, where Britain has about 9,500 soldiers, will also be discussed with British officials keen to build on what they see as Pakistan's growing involvement in a process of political reconciliation there.

Cameron will also seek closer ties on development, trade and cultural ties, before rounding off his day-long trip with a meeting with Zardari.

"We want a strong relationship with a secure, prosperous, open and flourishing Pakistan," the British premier was to say in his speech.

"We want that relationship for the long term. We want to work to strengthen that relationship, now and in the future."

Cameron and Gilani would pledge to boost trade from £1.9 billion a year ($3 billion) to £2.5 billion a year by 2015, British officials said.

Cameron will also announce a new investment of up to £650 million over the next four years to get four million Pakistani children into education.

The money will train 90,000 teachers, buy six million new textbooks and build or refurbish 8,000 schools.

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China desires to invest in energy sector of Pakistan ISLAMABAD: A ten-member Delegation headed by Cao Guangjing, the head of Three Gorges Corporation, Chinese state owned corporation dealing with construction of power infrastructure met with the Federal Minister for Finance and Economic Affairs, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the Ministry here on Wednesday.

The President of the Three Gorges Project Corporation briefed the Minister about his Company’s desire to work closely with Pakistan for the development of Energy Sector and in this regard showed the Chinese interest for investing $

10 to $ 15 billion for the immediate development objective.

In this regard the President of the Company said that they have the required strong means and capability for investment to develop power projects in Pakistan.

The Federal Minister for Finance welcomed the Chinese offer and said that this is a beginning of a new era of cooperation between Pakistan and China, and he is looking forward to have a consensus on all issues including the problem of equity of all stakeholders of the Pakistan state craft in this manner.

Continued on pg 7

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

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Afghans continue to denounce Quran burning

Hundreds of people have taken to Afghanistan's streets in fresh protests against a Quran burning in the United States, as the UN vowed a deadly attack on its staff would not derail its work. At least two people were killed and 20 others injured in Sunday's protests, local officials said. Demonstrations occurred in the main southern city of Kandahar as well as Jalalabad, in the east, officials said, as anger sparked by the burning of Islam's holy book spread. In Kandahar, one person was killed when protesters set fire

to a gas cylinder causing an explosion. Protesters also attacked a police traffic booth, said Al Jazeera correspondent Hashem Ahelbarra.

The protest in Jalalabad city was peaceful, with hundreds of people blocking a main highway for three hours. They shouted for US troops to leave and burned an effigy of President Barack Obama before dispersing, according to an Associated Press photographer at the scene. The Taliban said in a statement emailed to media outlets that the US and other Western countries have wrongly excused the burning a Quran by the pastor of a Florida church on March 20 as freedom of speech and that Afghans "cannot accept this un-Islamic act". Staffan de Mistura, the UN's special representative in Afghanistan said on Saturday that the deadly attack on a United Nations compound in northern Afghanistan will not affect the world body's presence or work in the country. The attack "should not deter the UN presence, activities in this country in this del-

icate and particularly crucial period," the organisation's top diplomat said. De Mistura flew to Mazar-i-Sharif to handle the aftermath of the attack, when protesters enraged by the burning of a Quran by a radical fundamentalist Christian in the US overran the mission and murdered seven foreign staff.

He told a small group of journalists in the Afghan capital on Saturday that international staff would be temporarily deployed to Kabul until office was rebuilt. "Having discovered that the office was destroyed, I have decided to redeploy... temporarily to Kabul, 11 of our international staff who otherwise would not be able to operate, until we reconstitute a new office. "This is not an evacuation," the envoy told reporters, saying staff would return as soon as a secure office was established in Mazar-i-Sharif. In an interview with the Reuters news agency on Saturday, Jones was unrepentant and defiantly vowed to lead an anti-Islam protest outside the biggest mosque in the US later this month.

Government officials in Pakistan and Afghanistan have called for US authorities to arrest Jones. However, his public criticism of

Islam and desecration of the Quran are allowed under US laws protecting free speech. Jones defended the Quran burning and said the reaction in Afghanistan "shows exactly what we're talking about". Two suicide attackers disguised as women blew themselves up and a third was gunned down on Saturday when they used force to try to enter a NATO base on the outskirts of Kabul, NATO and Afghan police said. At least 10 people were killed and 83 others wounded in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Saturday. Some protesters in Kandahar carried white Taliban flags and shouted slogans including "long live the Taliban" and "death to America." The spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province said the protest was organised by the Taliban who used the Quran burning in Florida as an excuse to incite violence. Taliban denied any role in the Mazar attack or Kandahar protests and analysts warned against underestimating the depth of anti-Western sentiment in much of Afghanistan, after years of military presence and many civilian casualties Source: Al-Jazeera

Ottawa aims to limit findings on detainees The Conservative government is looking to limit the findings of an independent report into whether the Canadian Military Police knew that detainees transferred to Afghan custody faced a substantial risk of torture.

The Justice Department went to court last week in a bid to curtail what the Military Police Complaints Commission can include in its final report, requesting the exclusion of evidence gleaned from key witnesses such as former Afghanistan-based diplomat Richard Colvin. He alleged last fall that the government turned a blind eye to warnings that detainees were routinely tortured in Afghan facilities. “It’s a preemptive strike,” said Paul Champ, the lawyer representing Amnesty International and the B.C. Civil Rights Association on the detainee litigation. “They’re trying to put a muzzle on the commission before it provides any independent comment.”

The commission, which has already faced several legal challenges and has not even issued its interim report, held more than 30 days of hearings on the Afghan detainee allegations — a hot-button issue that last fall threatened to the fell the Tory government. Then, the opposition charged that the Conservatives were not forthcoming with thousands of pages of documents that could reveal what the government and top military officials knew of the abuse. “The fact that they’re going to court shows either that they’re nervous or that they’re not wanting to be accountable to the public,” said Bryon Wilfert, a Liberal MP seeking re-election in Toronto and a member of the Commons defence committee conducting its own probe into detainee abuse. “This demonstrates not only a lack of transparency and accountability, but also a disrespect for what has been a very exhausting, very expensive process by the commission.” Over the course of two days last week, the Federal Court heard arguments from Mr. Champ, the Justice Department’s senior counsel, and a lawyer acting on behalf of the commission, which is expected to issue its report sometime in the coming months. Arguing on behalf of the government, Alain Prefontaine said the report should be limited to what Military Police actually knew and would have in its “effective control,” rather than what the police reasonably should have known had it chosen to make inquiries. This request would effectively exclude Mr. Colvin’s evidence, as his early warnings and reports were sent to government superiors and top military officials — not directly to military police, Mr. Champ said. He argues that the information was, indeed, within Military Police officers’ “means of knowing,” even though the torture reports were not in their possession. He said that while the detainee documents and testimony have already been made public during the hearings, the government’s latest move would effectively “prevent an independent body from connecting the dots.” “This is completely extraordinary — the law is overwhelmingly against this kind of tactic,” he said. “I see it as a rather desperate attempt to try to curtail the report, because if the report says anything negative about the conduct of the Canadian Forces or the government, then it will reopen the issue.” Ron Lunau, a spokesman for the commission, said the government’s request is “premature,” and that it should “wait and see what the commission actually says, instead of speculating on what the report might say.” He said the commission is working on an interim report, which will be sent for review to senior National Defence officials before the final report is released. The Department of National Defence referred inquiries on Tuesday to the Department of Justice, which said it will not comment as the matter is before the court. Mr. Champ said the court may well render its decision before the May 2 election, although the final report is still months in the offing.

Source: National Post

32 killed in UN plane crash in Congo The UN Congo crash airplane kills 32 of the 33 people onboard. The United Nations plane was about to land in Kinsasha, Congo when it crashed. Reports reveal that the plane was trying to land in rainy, windy weather, and that it “landed heavily, broke into two and caught fire.” Source: AP

Ivorian leader under siege as exit talks fail Negotiations led by the UN and France aimed at securing the departure of Laurent Gbagbo, Cote d'Ivoire's incumbent president, have failed, Alain Juppe, the French foreign minister, has said. "The negotiations which were carried out for hours yesterday between the entourage of Laurent Gbagbo and Ivorian authorities have failed because of Gbagbo's intransigence," Juppe told parliament on Wednesday. It was not clear if Juppe was simply formally filling them in on earlier events, or if they have tried again to coax Gbagbo out of his bunker.

Earlier in the day, forces loyal to Alassane Ouattara, the president-elect, stormed the residence where Gbagbo is hunkered down. Patrick Achi, spokesman for Ouattara's parallel government, said troops had been ordered not to kill Gbagbo. "Alassane Ouattara has given formal instructions that Gbagbo is to be kept alive because we want to bring him to justice," he said. Issiaka Konate, the UK representative for Ouattara's party, the Rally for Republicans, told Al Jazeera they have "not captured Gbagbo yet". "The situation is that he is inside a bunker that has the capacity to house a few hundred people, so we are not sure how many he has with him," he said.

Gbagbo is still hiding and President Ouattara wants him seized and alive." The news came hours after Edouard Guillaud, the French armed forces chief, said on Wednesday that Gbagbo's departure would come in "a matter of hours". South Africa, Togo and Angola are possible safe havens for Gbagbo should he negotiate an exit from his West African country, African Union (AU) sources said on Wednesday. Gbagbo, meanwhile, said it was not his "aim to die" fighting Ouattara's forces and called for direct talks with his rival. "I'm not a kamikaze. I love life. My voice is not the voice of a martyr, no, no, no, I'm not looking for death. It's not my aim to die," Gbagbo, speaking from his residence on Tuesday, told the French TV channel LCI. "For peace to return to Ivory Coast, I and Ouattara, the two of us, have to talk." The UN and France, the former colonial master with more than 1,000 troops in Cote d'Ivoire, had said Gbagbo's departure was being negotiated following a fierce assault by Ouattara's forces. Juppe said the "only thing left to negotiate" were the conditions of Gbagbo's departure. "We have asked the United Nations to guarantee his physical security and that of his family," Juppe had told France Info radio on Wednesday. "This stubbornness is absurd. Gbagbo has no other solution anymore. Everybody has dropped him." After the evening newscast on Tuesday, Ouattara's private TV station showed the movie "Downfall", which traces the last days of Nazi Germany from inside Adolf Hitler's bunker.

"He is holed up in the bunker in his residence so we will continue with the United Nations, which is handling that, to put pressure on him so he accepts to acknowledge the reality," Juppe said. "There is only one legal and legitimate president today, it is Alassane Ouattara and I hope that persuasion will win and that we will avoid having to resume the military operations." Gbagbo had denied he was willing to surrender and rejected demands he recognise Ouattara as the winner of last November's presidential runoff in the west African nation.

Source: Al-Jazeera

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Nobel laureate Yunus loses legal fight to keep job Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus lost his final court appeal Tuesday to remain in control of the pioneering microlending bank he founded nearly three decades ago to lift Bangladeshis out of poverty. The ruling capped a month long dispute between the government and Yunus — an outspoken government critic — over the right of the "banker to the poor" to continue as managing director of the Grameen Bank. The battle has sparked international concern and threatened to dampen ties between Bangladesh and the United States. Last month Robert Blake, assistant secretary of state for south and central Asian affairs, visited Yunus during a trip to Bangladesh, told reporters the U.S. was "deeply troubled" by the situation and said that if no compromise was reached "I think it will have an effect on our bilateral relations." No compromise was reached by Tuesday. "The appeal is dismissed," Chief Justice ABM Khairul Haque said in his one-sentence ruling at a crowded courtroom of the country's highest court. Attorney General Mahbub-e-Alam said Yunus can't hold the post any longer. Yunus was not in court.

Comments from him or Grameen Bank were not immediately available. Yunus' lawyer Kamal Hossain declined to comment. Bangladesh's central bank removed the 71-year-old Yunus from the post last month, saying he violated the bank's retirement rule.

The High Court upheld his removal and he appealed then to the Supreme Court, his last legal option. Yunus has said the dismissal was illegal and alleged that the government was trying to take control of his bank, which pioneered the practice of giving tiny loans to alleviate poverty. His work spurred a boom in such lending across the developing world, earning him and

the bank the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Yunus has long had frosty relations with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. She was reportedly angered by Yunus' 2007 attempt to form his own political party, backed by the country's powerful army. Hasina has accused Grameen Bank and other microfinance institutions of charging high interest rates and "sucking blood from the poor borrowers." At the center of the court case was whether Yunus was exempt from a banking law setting the retirement age at 60. The central bank says its approval was never sought for an exemption allowing Yunus to stay. Grameen contends the central bank implicitly approved because it raised no objections when it audited Grameen. The microlending bank currently has nearly 9 million borrowers in Bangladesh, 97 percent of whom are women. Without needing collateral to borrow, many use their small loans to make ends meet or to start small businesses.

Source: Associated Press

Japan nuclear plant plugs highly radioactive leak

Workers at Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear power plant on Wednesday finally stemmed a tide of radiation that was pouring into the Pacific and exacerbating concerns over the safety of seafood. High levels of contamination have been measured at the shoreline of the Fukushima Dai-ichi complex in recent days, prompting the government to set limits for the first time on the amount of radiation permitted in fish. While officials have said the crack in a maintenance pit plugged early Wednesday was the only one found, they have not explicitly ruled out that radioactive water is leaking into the sea from another point. Authorities insisted the radioactive water would dissipate and posed no immediate threat to sea creatures or people who might eat them. Most experts agreed. Still, Japanese officials adopted the new standards as a precaution. And the mere suggestion that seafood from the country that gave the world sushi could be at any risk stirred worries throughout the fishing industry. "Even if the government says the fish is safe, people won't want to buy seafood from Fukushima," says Ichiro Yamagata, a fisherman who lived in the shadow of the power plant.

"We probably can't fish there for several years."

Fukushima is not a major fishing region, and no fishing is allowed in the direct vicinity of the plant. But experts estimate the coastal areas hit by the massive wave last month account for about a fifth of Japan's annual catch. Radiation concerns in the area intensified after the discovery over the weekend of the crack, which photos showed water pouring out of and splashing into the sea. Since then, workers have raced to find a way to seal it, pouring in concrete and injecting a mixture of polymer, sawdust and shredded newspaper. Both failed. But on Wednesday morning, Tokyo Electric Power Co. spokesman Naoki Tsunoda said the injection of 400 gallons (1,500 litres) of "water glass," or sodium silicate, and another agent near a seaside pit appeared to be successful. It was a rare bit of good news for the utility that owns the crippled nuclear plant, located about 140 miles (220 kilometres) northeast of Tokyo. But highly contaminated water continues to pool around the complex. Tsunoda said officials were investigating whether the contaminated water is leaking from other places. The new limits on radioactivity in fish were imposed after TEPCO announced water tested near the plant Saturday contained levels of radioactive iodine 7.5 million times the legal limit. That level had dropped to 5 million two days later. Japan said some fish caught last week about 50 miles (80 kilometres) from the plant would have exceeded the new safety limits, which may change as circumstances do. Fears of radiation contamination prompted India to announce Tuesday that it was halting food imports from Japan.

Few countries have gone so far, but India's threemonth ban reflected the unease created by the nuclear crisis among consumers. India said the ban would last three months or until the risk subsides. It planned to review the situation weekly.

Source: Canadian Press

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Israel urges UN to retract Goldstone Report Israel has called on the United Nations to retract a report which said it had committed war crimes during its December 2008January 2009 Gaza offensive, after its author said he may have been wrong. Richard Goldstone, the South African judge who led the UN investigation, said in a Washington Post column published on Friday that "if I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document," and likely less critical of Israel. Responding to Goldstone''s piece on Saturday, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel''s prime minister, urged the world body to "nullify" the report, saying it "must be thrown into the dustbin of history".

Goldstone chaired a factfinding mission which, in a 2009 report to the UN Human Rights Council, said both Israel and Hamas - which controls Gaza - were guilty of war crimes in the conflict. About 1,400 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and 13 Israelis were killed in the devastating war - named Operation Cast Lead - that was launched with Israel''s declared aim of ending crossborder rocket fire from Palestinian militants. Israel refused to cooperate with Goldstone''s mission and condemned his report as distorted and biased. During Operation Cast Lead, Netanyahu said Israel did not deliberately target civilians, while Hamas fired at innocent civilians and did not conduct investigations. "Everything we said has been proven true, Israel did not intentionally harm civilians, its investigating bodies are worthy and the fact that Goldstone has retracted should bring the report to be shelved once and for all," Saturday''s statement

by Netanyahu said. Goldstone indicated in his Friday essay that had Israel cooperated with him at the time, it could have shown civilians were not deliberately targeted "as a matter of policy".

Israeli military investigations into cases of misconduct later shed light on civilian killings, Goldstone said. "I regret that our fact-finding mission did not have such evidence explaining the circumstances in which we said civilians were targeted, because it probably would have influenced our findings about intentionality and war crimes," Goldstone said. Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesperson, dismissed Goldstone''s remarks saying that "his retreat does not change the fact war crimes had been committed against 1.5 million people in Gaza," and noted that the group cooperated fully with the fact finding mission. Riyad al-Malki, Palestinian foreign minister, said Goldstone''s comments did not change a thing. "The report was as clear as the crimes that Israel committed during the war," he said.

Source: Al-Jazeera

Libya: Continued from pg 1 ters that it had repaired. "NATO is moving very slowly, allowing Gaddafi forces to advance ... NATO has become our problem," he said. Earlier in the day, Brigadier General Mark van Uhm, NATO's chief of allied operations, said that NATO's new "number one priority" was the western town of Misurata, which Younis said was being inadequately protected. "Misurata is a number one priority because of the situation on the ground over there. We have confirmation that in Misurata tanks are being dispersed, being hidden, [and] humans being used as shields in order to prevent NATO sorties to identify targets," he said. Van Uhm said that Gaddafi's troops have been adjusting their tactics to deal with the threat from coalition airstrikes, travelling in trucks and light vehicles to the front line and hiding their tanks and armoured vehicles from sight. He said NATO had so far taken out 30 per cent of Gaddafi's military power, and had struck targets near Misurata on Monday.

Source: Al-Jazeera

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NOT JUST ARMCHAIR ACTIVISM [Exclusive Editorial for the Miracle]

in their communities and their country.

All year long, my facebook inbox was flooded with invites for rallies, hearings, petitions and the like. Even this Saturday, April 9th, I have been invited, as have many of my peers, to a rally in downtown to protest Mayor Rob Ford’s recent decisions. Another invitation, for the same day, calls for another rally: against the war and occupation in Afghanistan. It is scheduled to be held at the US General Consulate. This event has been endorsed

by Afghans for Peace and the Canadian Peace Alliance/Toronto Coalition to Stop the War. Afghans for Peace is a growing peace movement organized by Afghans globally, calling for the Afghan peoples right to self determination and end to the foreign occupation. The founders and local organizers of Afghan for Peace are students, many of them are Canadian.

One of its main strategies for gaining youth support and encouraging the spread of knowledge is youtube videos that give a voice to what youth think about certain issues.

It’s not any different on other social media sites such as twitter. I have met more student activists on twitter than I have ever met in my entire lifetime of networking. One twitter friend is connected to friends in Palestine and posts breaking news, before even reporters are able to compile stories and post them anywhere.

These days, the first thing I see when I log onto my facebook account is postings of election news by friends and classmates.

Tonight, the top of my news feed shows a link to an article in the Global News in Montreal about an NDP candidate in a Quebec riding. “That’s awesome! A Canadian aboriginal candidate running for the NDP party in the riding will ensure a good turnout among Cree and Inuit voters,” says the facebook user who posted the article. She lives in the GTA, yet, like other students, is paying close attention to election news all over Canada.

A week ago, a facebook comment by a friend and fellow leader and activist for Tamil rights caught my eye. “The Conservatives are calling the boat load of Tamil refugees ‘criminals...’ Remember when they called the Sikhs on the Kamagata Maru criminals in 1914? Recall the turning back of the Saint Louis by Mackenzie King - a boat containing Jewish refugees in 1939. Enough is enough: racism, xenophobia and Harper need to go.” About 30 other mutual friends “liked” the comment and a few others responded to the text.

More and more students are looking to social policy, public affairs, media, government and politics to make a difference

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Let us get together and vote!

Open Letter to the Muslim community in BC!

By: Aftab Alam, Vancouver

By: Mahmood Awan, Richmond My fellow Brothers and sisters, The federal election is on May 2, 2011. Our community should vote for candidates who are sensitive to our concerns. Some politicians are in the habit of expecting the Muslims to come out in large numbers to support them. These same politicians are very generous with giving us lip service and only taking notice when the elections are upon us. Communities where there is a large Muslim concentration are taken advantage of by candidates. Please do not vote for someone just because that person happens to be someone's friend. We need to stand for what we believe in and not get dictated to by others.

In November, the municipal election is coming up followed by the provincial election. Please do not let candidates give you false hopes and promises which they cannot deliver. We live in a very disposable world where everyone and everything is dispensable and the interests may only exist on the part of candidates until the voting results are presented to the viewers.

Stephen Harpers government has fallen and federal elections are likely to be held in the month of May. We the Muslims of Canada have another opportunity here to prove that we are good citizens and we participate in the electoral process of the country. Our goal is to be in the House of Commons and be part of the decision making process. We should be at the cabinet table so that we can voice our concerns at the highest level.

I and many others have been urging the community to vote in every election. This time again I say that please let us get together and vote because even when our candidate does not win the major parties of the country can find out which communities are voting and how many. If the numbers are high they take notice of it and they try to give representation to the community concerned. I can only request that please come out in great numbers to vote in the coming elections.

Contact Info Mailing and Office Address

9160-136A Street Surrey bc. v3v 7z8 canada Fax: 604-582-7809 Phone: 604-690-0400

take their families to the polling stations on voting days.

Some of the issues that students are looking out for in this election are things like funding for arts and media, lower tuition fees, racial profiling laws, employment opportunities. Some are just sitting back and watching the drama. Michael Sholars, a student at York University, is looking at “what Ignatieff is promising, how Harper is replying, what Layton is doing to distinguish himself this time. The huge scandals coming out of the salaries of Liberals attached to Hamilton hospitals.” With a busy student life, he doesn’t have time to go as in-depth as he would like, but he wants to be informed so that during election time, he can vote wisely.

Of course, there are always some students who feel like keeping up with election coverage is a waste of time for a variety of reasons, the most popular being that students never see the benefits of any election outcome. To a degree, they are right.

But times are a-changing and I have hope that youth will take back the vote.

Waan laysa lil insani illa ma’ sa’aa That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

This exclusive Editorial was specially penned for The Miracle by Ms. Iqra Azhar from Toronto

and other Hydro Power Pakistan : Continued from pg 3 Valley, projects in lower Indus valley.

He said that he will have words with the Law and Water and Power Divisions to have a considerate view on it. He briefed the Chinese delegation about the prevalent rules and laws for bidding in Pakistan and will ensure that bidding for the many projects shall be made in a transparent manner. He also assured the delegation that he will talk to the Law Division also to have a final word on it.

The projects that were discussed in the meeting were Kohala Hydro Power, Bhunji, Bhasha, Dashu in Upper Indus

The Minister appraised the delegation of the Government of Pakistan’s initiatives and resolve to have Chinese cooperation in the development of power sector and in this regard, he said, that their offer has been discussed at length in the Economic Coordination Committee of the Cabinet meeting in the recent past.

He hoped that the projects indicated by the Chinese Corporation would certainly be started with the same Chinese firm, and added that only after the fulfillment of the procedural headways

Missed you copy of the Miracle's new issue?

No problem! You can now read the entire issue online at our website.

You will find the original layout with all the articles, reports, pictures and advertisements.

It's just like reading the hardcopy!

Visit us: www.miraclenews.com/Miracle-Issue.htm

Founder : Nusrat Hussain Miracle Media Group Inc. ©

Half the time, that news would never be posted. Another activist on twitter tweets links to her blog where she writes about issues that need an audience, that need awareness. Having a wide following allows people connected in all sorts of ways to read and react to the information.

Regardless of origin, current residence, faith or any other discriminating factor, students are passionate about countries from Pakistan to Palestine and are proud to say so in their bios. Many of these students are Canadian.

Regardless of career choices, though, students in Canada have noticed that leaving well enough alone is not always the best solution. There is a lot that citizens and residents can do to improve the country from health care to retirement planning to foreign aid and the best way to do that is by getting involved with the political system or supporting those that already are. I see students around me getting their experience by joining volunteer organizations, running for student associations and boards, and becoming members of parties whose values they connect with. In this way, students develop skills and are given a chance to experience what it is like to influence change at a grassroots level. Others, who would like to remain aware and involved, but to a lesser extent, pay attention to news articles and spread the word. They also make sure to vote and

Managing Editor: M. Naseer Pirzada Sub-Editors: Misbah & Sabeeh Hon. Chief Editor & Urdu Editor Mohammad Rafiq Advertising Ph: 604-690-0400 Email: naseer@telus.net

Editorial Board : Mr.Shums Jillani, Mr Aslam Hayat, Mr. Shams Siddiqui & M.A.L. Naumani Graphic Design: Design Teams Copyright ® 2001 Miracle Media Group Inc. All Rights Reserved Printed in Canada

Attention: The opinions expressed herein contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of ‘The Miracle’. These are offered as a means for ‘The Miracle’ to stimulate dialogue and discussion in our continuing mission of ‘Bringing Harmony To All The Communities.’

Email:

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Cotents Editorial & Letters Int. News Local Articles Interview Faith Politics Lifestyle Sports Classified /Cont.

Urdu

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

MIR A LE

Listening with Your Heart

By: Suhaib Webb How can we benefit from the Qur'an? Ibn Qayim al-Jawziya mentioned a verse in Surat Qaf: "Indeed in that is a reminder for whoever has a heart or who listens while he is present [in mind]" (Qur'an, 50:37).

One of the names of the Qur'an is "reminder." Why? Because human beings always forget, and the main thing that we forget is that our purpose is to worship Allah (subhanahu wa ta`ala - exalted is He).

Allah says that this Qur'an is a reminder for the one who has a heart, and the one who alqa-ssam'a. Alqa means to throw, thus "throws his ears," meaning they're listening really intently. Wa huwa shaheed can be translated to "and he is a witness." These are the three requirements Ibn Qayyim alJawziya mentioned in a book called Fawaa'id. He says that in this verse we find three requirements to benefit from the Quran, lectures, and from our learning experience in general.

The First Requirement: The Heart The first one, as Allah says, is the one who has a heart. What does this mean, the heart?

We know the heart is the essence to everything. That's why we have a science in Islam called at-tasawwuf, to purify our hearts, which is related to tazkiyat al-nafs (purification of the soul) or ihsan (excellence in faith). And we find here that Allah said, "for whoever has a heart."

To really understand how your heart is the main variable conditioning your relationship with the Quran, listen to the following story: In the sixth year after the Prophethood of Muhammad started, `Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) was not a Muslim. He became angry and decided, "I'm going to kill Muhammad."

So he left his home with this big sword. His sword is huge, if you've been to Turkey maybe you've seen the sword of al-Farouk (i.e. `Umar). And so he went to kill the Prophet . This is deep, what Sheikh Sha`rawy said about this. `Umar went and he ran into Na`eem ibn `Abdullah, and Na`eem said to `Umar, "Where are you going?" `Umar said, "I'm going to kill Muhammad."

And he, Na`eem ibn `Abdullah, was Muslim.

He said, "Why are you going to kill him ?

You need to go and kill your own family [first], they're Muslim too. Your sister Fatima ibn al-Khattab is Muslim, and Zaid ibn al-Khattab, your cousin, who's the husband of your sister, is Muslim." `Umar became incensed, and he went to the home of his sister Fatima where he heard the Qur'an being recited. And subhan'Allah (glory be to Allah), the 'ulema (scholars) said that when `Umar heard the Quran he kicked down the door and [the people inside] heard `Umar coming. They used to say about him, "Umar was a door." He was a big person. When he used to ride an animal his feet would hit the ground, he was that big. So they heard him coming. There were three people in the home including one of the sahabi (companions) who was teaching Fatima and Zaid the Qur'an. He hid himself. `Umar kicked down the door and he said to them, "What is this speech that you're reading that makes no sense?"

They said, "What are you talking about?"

He said, "I heard you in here doing something." They said, "No." Then he said, "Are you all Muslim?"

When they said yes, `Umar grabbed Zaid, his cousin, and started to beat him down.

Then he slapped his sister so hard that blood was drawn from her face. Fa qad raqqa qalbahu (then his heart softened). `Umar , when he saw the blood coming from her face, said to her, "Show me what

you've been reading."

When he saw what they were reading, and he read Surat Taha. As he reached the fourteenth verse, where Allah says, "Indeed, I am Allah. There is no deity except Me, so worship Me and establish prayer for My remembrance" (Qur'an, 20:14). He became a Muslim.

Why did the Qur'an affect `Umar the second time, but not the first time? What changed?

It was his heart. The 'ulema said that subhan'Allah when `Umar saw the blood coming from his sister's lips he felt softness in his heart. So then he was ready for the Qur'an. That's why when he heard the Qur'an the first time there was very little impact, but when he heard the Qur'an the second time he was impacted, as Imam al Sha`rawy, may Allah have mercy on him, said.

So the heart is the main factor towards understanding the Qur'an. That's why the Prophet said, "Indeed in the body there is a piece of flesh, if it's good the whole body is good, and if it is corrupted the whole body is corrupted. Verily, it is the heart."

(Muslim) So when we come to the Qur'an, we should make sure our hearts are in check. I should check myself. This is a long series of discussions but, in general, internally we should feel, "I'm reading the speech of Allah.

Between my hands is the miracle of the Prophethood of Rasulullah ." When you hold the Quran, it's as if you're holding the same staff that Musa (peace be upon him) threw down that became a snake. When you're holding the Quran, it's as if you're holding in your hands the dead person that Isa brought back to life, by the will of Allah.

You are holding the miracle of the Prophethood of Rasul Allah in your hands.

So the first important factor is our hearts.

The Second Requirement: Listening The second important thing is listening.

Maybe some people say, "Listening?

Subhan'Allah why do we have to talk about listening?"

Go to any Friday khutbah (sermon) and see how many people don't listen. If you go to many Friday khutbahs you find, astaghfir'Allah (I seek refuge from Allah), some people doing their 401k on their cell phone in the back of the masjid, exclaiming, "Sell! Sell! Sell now!" Selling stocks in the back of the masjid. Look at the announcements in our masjids. Have they changed over twenty years? "Please park in the yellow lines that go to the curb. You put your car between there, not on it, not sideways. Please wipe up the water from the wudhu (ablution) area.

Please don't, please this, J.ul Awaal please that." Subhan'Allah, 04 nobody listens.

And Allah made listening a 29292205 condition for obedience 06 when He said, 07 "We hear and we obey."

08 (Qur'an, 2:285) 09 Before I can obey I have to hear. In another verse Allah 10 says, 11 "Who listen to speech and 12 follow the best of it."

13 (Quran 39:18) Those who listen and fol14 low. So listening is very 15 important.

16 And, subhan'Allah, Ibn Al 17 Munaya said that there are 18 four things you should do if you want to listen in the way that Allah mentioned in that verse of Surat Qaf. First, you should be tran-

quil, physically as well as spiritually. You should be tranquil with your body, spirit, limbs, and you should lower your gaze.

Subhan'Allah he said to lower your gaze. AlAdab (manners and etiquette) always precede knowledge. Look at Musa in Surat Taha again, when Allah called Musa from the valley Tuwa. Musa saw a fire and he went to it.

What's the first thing Allah said to him?

"Indeed, I am your Lord, so remove your sandals. Indeed, you are in the sacred valley of Tuwa," (Quran 20:12).

Take off your shoes. Why? Al-Adab (etiquette). So we must have etiquette with Allah.

As Ibn Al Qurtubi mentioned, in Surah Al Muddathir when Allah was talking to the Prophet , He told him qum-stand up (Quran 74:2). "Stand up" has a few meanings. One of them means to be active in da'wah (calling to Islam), or to be active as a Muslim. But also stand up out of Al-Adab.

That's why the mother of Imam Maalik, `Aaliya , when she sent Maalik to Rabi al Raee, his first shaykh (scholar), she told him, "Learn from him his adab before you learn from him his knowledge." `Abdullah ibn Mubarak said, "We are in more need of a little adab than we are in need of a lot of knowledge."

So the first criterion (of listening) is to be tranquil, and have tranquility all throughout the self.

The second one is to pay attention, to force the self to focus. You know some people when it comes to listening they are like the limb on a tree: whenever the breeze blows they will move. Their thoughts control them like that. But Allah said about the believer, asluha thabit (they are firm) (Qur'an, 14:24). Focus and listen.

The third one he mentioned is to gather the mind on what's being said-to focus internally through hearing and cognition.

The fourth one is to be excited and determined to act upon what you hear. How many of us, after this lecture, for the next two weeks we'll touch the Qur'an? Now we should feel that, "Oh subhan'Allah, I should read the Quran." This is a sign that I focused and took some benefit, and I listened.

And he (Ibn Al Munaya) said, "And this is the listening that is loved by Allah ." To repeat them: the first one is to be tranquil within the self; the second is to pay attention through hearing; the third one is to pay

Volume 6, Book 61, Number 538: Narrated Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari: The Prophet said, "The example of him (a believer) who recites the Qur'an is like that of a citron which tastes good and smells good. And he (a believer) who does not recite the Qur'an is like a date which is good in taste but has no smell. And the example of a dissolute wicked person who recites the Qur'an is like the Raihana (sweet basil) which smells good but tastes bitter. And the example of a dissolute wicked person who does not recite the Qur'an is like the colocynth which tastes bitter and has no smell. attention and gather the mind on what's being said; and the fourth is to be excited to act upon what is heard.

The Third Requirement: Witness The last thing Allah said (in the verse) is "and he is a witness." Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziya and others of the 'ulema commented that this means a witness in the heart. The heart is alive, focusing. Let me give you an example of being a witness with the heart. When you pray, why do you pray `Asr and Dhuhr (the afternoon prayers) without any voice?

This is the time to train your heart to be awake. Why do you pray the sunnah (the optional prayers) quietly? This is the time to listen with your heart. How many of us, subhan'Allah, when we pray our hearts are all over the field? All of us. Everyone of us struggles with it. This is the listening in the heart, internally. When the Imam is reciting, try to focus on what he's saying. Someone might say, "I don't understand Arabic."

Learn Arabic. Try to understand what's being said.

So, he is a witness in his heart. That's why Allah said in Surat Yasin that this Qur'an has been sent to warn the one who is alive: "That it may give admonition to any (who are) alive, and that the charge may be proved against those who reject (Truth)." (Quran 36:70). The `ulema said that this means alive in their hearts. The heart is alive.

Source: SuhaibWebb - Suhaib Webb, transcribed by Fuseina Mohamad

From April 8 - 22 , 2011 (Jamadi ul Awaal 4-18, 1432H) April8 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Day Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri

Fajar Sunrise Zawa1 Dhuhr 6:33 01:14 01:21 4:50 6:31 01:14 01:21 4:48 6:29 01:14 01:21 4:45 6:27 01:13 01:20 4:43 6:25 01:13 01:20 4:41 6:23 01:13 01:20 4:38 6:21 01:13 01:20 4:36 6:19 01:12 01:19 4:34 6:17 01:12 01:19 4:31 6:15 01:12 01:19 4:29 6:13 01:12 01:19 4:26 6:11 01:11 01:18 4:24 6:09 01:11 01:18 4:22 6:07 01:11 01:18 4:19 6:05 01:11 01:18 4:17

Asr Maghrib 5:54 7:59 5:55 8:01 5:56 8:03 5:57 8:04 5:58 8:06 5:59 8:07 6:00 8:09 6:01 8:10 6:02 8:12 6:03 8:13 6:04 8:15 6:05 8:16 6:06 8:18 6:07 8:19 6:08 8:21

Isha 9:33 9:35 9:37 9:38 9:40 9:42 9:44 9:46 9:48 9:50 9:52 9:53 9:55 9:57 9:59

Source: Masjid Al Noor

AQEEM USS SALAAT(Establish Prayer)

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

MIR A LE

Pak.Can.Association celebrates 71st Pakistan Day By: Raza Mirani Pakistan-Canada Association once again held a celebration event for the Republic Day of Pakistan. For the past 48 years Pakistan-Canada Association has been holding events marking this important day in our nation’s history. Over 400 people attended what was from all accounts a highly entertaining event. The event began with a growing tradition for PCA events, the raising of the flag of both Pakistan and Canada. The Consul General, Mr. Shuja Alam, along with members of the community stood and raised the flags as the anthems of both nations played. The event moved indoors with Master of Ceremonies Mr. Raza Mirani conducting the event. A highlight and pleasant surprise was the playing of an 8-minute clip of a speech from Quaid-e-Azam speaking about the importance of Pakistan and the sacrifice of countless thousands to make Pakistan a reality. Performances from the Miracle's own Naseer Pirzada, speeches from Islamic Trust Chairman Mr. Sabir

Ali Pannun, Consual General Shuja Alam and President Farrukh Alam capped the event. A surprise performance from singing sensation Kamal Khan kept the crowd charged and a pep rally style cry of support led by Khurram Rai for our Pakistani Cricket Team galvanized the audience in national pride. Overall an enjoyable family event and one that the board and trust of Pakistan-Canada Association.

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

MIR A LE

Press Release , March 26, 2011 By: Mr. Sabir Ali Pannun

Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un Mohammed Mujeeb Naumani, son of Maulana Naumani Sahib has passed away on April 2 in Surrey. He was 24 years old and died due to a brain hemorrhage. We pray to Almighty Allah (SWT) for His mercy, to forgive all his sins and reward him with the best place in the paradise and to give patience to the family (Ameen).

The Miracle Media Group, Pakistan Canada Association, Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association, British Columbia Muslim Association and many other Masajids, Islamic Centers, organizations and individuals convey their deeply condolence to Maulana Abdual Lateef Naumani on the sudden and tragic death of his son.

The Namaaz Janazah of Mujeeb Naumani was led by his father Maulana Naumani who made Duaa for his Maghfrat in Surrey Masjid on April 5, and buried in Victoria Memorial Cemetery ,White Rock.

Thank You Note!

By: Maulan Abdul Lateef Naumani I would like to thank all those who conveyed their condolence to me on tragic death of my son Mujeeb Naumani. A number of people came at Namaaz Janazah in Surrey Masjid and many of them joined in Funeral at White Rock.

Allah (SWT) bless you all. Ameen

BULLAY SHAH ACADEMY OF CANADA

Earthquake 2005 Fundraising Pledges Declaration I, Sabir Ali Pannun, being a Pakistan Canada Association (PCA) Islamic Trust chairman, have announced these figures many times for Earthquake Fund raising (through Radio India –Radio Thon 2005) in public meetings. Last time I handed over the bank statements to the print media before I left for Pakistan few months ago.

Now local media and print media has the right to announce / publish all these figures: Description Amount President Relief Fund $200,000.00 Human Concern International $100,000.00 Appna Sehat $100,000.00 President Relief Fund $250,436.89 Hope International $23,050.00 Operation Heartbeat $20,000.00 Edhi Foundation $100,000.00 Global Council of Pakistan $1,300.00 Ashshura Financial $2,800.00 Khan properties Inc. $2,968.00 Cost of Credit Cards Commission $2,697.20 ----------------------------------------------------------

Total:

Pir Afzal Ahmed Naqashbandi S.R. Pirzada Syed Wali Hussain Shah Astana-e-Alia Shahenshah-e-Weelayt Hazrat Qiblah-Sheik-ul-Hadith Gujrat-Pakistan

We invite brothers & sisters every last Saturday of the month for the Holy Darse Quran @ 5:00pm Visit Us at:- Club House of Mandley Village Unit 33, 12110 75A Ave. Surrey.

Tel/Fax: 604-592-9416 , Cell: 604-760-0096

$ 803, 252.09

Note: IN 2005, on Radiothons at Radio India, around a Million dollars were announced in cash, cheques and pledges but some of credit card payments were declined and many people did not fulfill their commitment. Whatever we collected from that fundraising, we had sent at above places. If anybody has any further questions regarding this earthquake and Flood relief funds, he/she can approach me or Pakistan Canada Association.

Sabir Ali Pannun: 604-309-6036 -----------------------------------------------------------

Additional public information of Flood Relief Fund of 2010 $ 160,000 was raised in Pledges, Cash and Cheques and this amount was handed over to Human Concern International The Citizens Foundation

$25,000.00 $135,000.00

Press/Media Release

FSAP President and National Expert/Author of National Fire & Safety Policy of Pakistan Capt. Suleman Mahtab honored by the Government of Pakistan as he leaves for Canada

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We, the Board of Directors and Members of Fire & Safety Association of Pakistan (FSAP), are thankful to the Minster of State for Local Government Mr. Ghulam Mohammad Naz for honoring our president Capt. Suleman Shah Mahtab with Ministerial Shield to recognize his tireless and relentless services for Pakistan and the citizens of Pakistan.

We greatly feel proud and honored to be associated with Mr. Mahtab to develop the firstever National Fire & Safety Policy of Pakistan 2010. It would have not been possible to achieve this milestone in our History without his vision and selfless efforts for over 18 months. We salute Mr. Mahtab for his love for Pakistan and unmatchable service for Pakistan and its people to enhance the safety of life and property.

We urge upon the federal Government of Pakistan to immediately take steps to approve the draft policy. We urge upon the Prime Minister of Pakistan to obtain ratification of this unanimous draft of the policy from the Parliament and make it the “National Fire, Safety and Emergency Management Act of Pakistan”. The Act would ensure minimize loss of lives, properties and resources; improves safety and wellbeing of emergency responders and secure employment for thousands of people of Pakistan.

We wish our hero Mr. Mahtab the best of luck as he leaves to join his family in Canada. We would always miss you Sir but we would continue working under your guidance and leadership as the honorable President of this worthy organization (FSAP).

Sincerely, Anwaar Ahmad Ghouri General Secretary, Fire & Safety Association of Pakistan (FSAP) Chief, Fire & Rescue

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

MIR A LE

Are hateful provocateurs any better than terrorists?

By: Dr. Habib Siddiqui Remember Christian pastor Terry Jones of Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida? He caused an international uproar last year by threatening to burn 200 copies of the Qur'an, the Muslim Holy Scripture, on the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Among others, the overall commander of forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David H. Petraeus, had warned at that time that such an action could provoke violence in Afghanistan and could endanger American troops. Jones subsequently promised not to burn the Qur'an.

Last month, on March 20, however, with only 30 worshipers attending, Terry Jones held a self-styled mock trial of the Qur'an in which he presided from the pulpit as a judge.

Sitting in judgment was a jury of 12 members of his church. Punishment was determined by the results of an online poll.

Besides burning, the options included shredding, drowning and facing a firing squad.

Jones said voters had chosen to set fire to the book, according to a video of the proceedings. So the Qur'an was burned.

The hateful act drew little publicity inside the USA, but provoked angry condemnation in the Af-Pak region, where it was reported in the local media and where anti-American sentiment already runs high. Last week, President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan condemned the burning in an address before the Parliament, and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan on Thursday called on the United States to bring those responsible for the Qur'an burning to justice. A prominent Afghan cleric, Mullah Qyamudin Kashaf, the acting head of the influential Ulema Council of Afghanistan and a Karzai appointee, also called for American authorities to arrest and try Terry

Jones in the Qur'an burning.

Obviously, the U.S. government will not take any action against the Christian pastor.

There is absolute freedom in this country to trash a religion, its founder and its holy book, although Tomahawks may be fired and bombs dropped to kill anyone considered hostile to the USA. The U.S. government doesn't have to put the suspect into a lengthy trial process; it is easier this way to simply vaporize him, his family and tribe, and the neighborhood he lived!

I am sure many westerners would see no problem with such a politically secular and chauvinistic attitude, considered so outlandish, one-sided or hypocritical by so many in the East. They forget that every freedom that we enjoy has its limitations. When the rights of others are violated, it is no longer deemed freedom but can be an abuse or a crime. Many of these bigots and self-righteous nuts like Jones forget that we live in a highly connected world in which information flies instantly. So the provocation here can trigger a political-diplomatic tsunami elsewhere. And we have witnessed plenty of such occurrences in recent years.

Consider for instance, the reaction to the demolition of the Buddha statues in Afghanistan. In the days following the Taliban insanity, scores of Muslim houses of worship were burned down in many Buddhist majority countries in south and south-east Asia. The same was the consequence in Nepal during the height of Iraqi occupation when thousands of Nepalese Hindus burned at least two mosques including the "Jamaa" mosque, the largest mosque in the capital Katmandu, in protest against the killing of 12 Nepalese who had been working as cooks and cleaners for the occupation forces by an Iraqi insurgent group in August 31, 2004. In Nepalgunj, Nepal's west-

Congratulations!

ern capital, nine houses inhabited by Muslims were burnt down. At least three Muslims were killed; several Muslim shops and businesses were also destroyed by the angry mob.

And who can forget the post-9/11 backlash in the USA - the steady stream of more than 800 cases of violence and discrimination suffered by American Muslims at the hands of know-nothing abusers? (It is worth nothing that while Muslims make up about 1 percent of the U.S. population, they are victims in 14 percent of religious discrimination cases.

These range from homicides and mosque burnings to job, school and zoning law abuses, according to the Justice Department.)

Afghanistan is not impervious to information either. Its people had more than its share of troubles since the 1970s with foreign occupation forces and their stooges. Deeply religious and reflexively volatile, it has long been highly reactive to perceived insults against Islam. Thus the provocative desecration of the Qur'an in Gainesville was not lost in its information radar screen. Last Friday some 20,000 protesters overran the compound of the United Nations in Mazar-iSharif, the northern Afghan city, during which 12 people died. The dead included at least seven United Nations workers, and five Afghans. The top U.N. official in Afghanistan blamed Taliban infiltrators for the killings. Violent protests against the burning continued on Saturday in Kandahar where 9 people got killed and 81 injured.

The attack once again underscored the latent hostility toward the nine-year foreign presence here, even in a city long considered to be among the safest in Afghanistan. The indiscriminate NATO bombing campaigns and drone attacks

that have killed thousands of civilians have only reinforced the perception amongst most Afghans, including the western-back government of Karzai, that these western forces and their mercenaries have no respect for Afghan lives. They want them out. Terry Jones, the provocateur responsible for triggering this latest episode, was well aware of the consequences of his sacrilegious action. He remains unrepentant and says that given the chance he would do it all over again. He audaciously demanded that the United States and United Nations take "immediate action" against Muslim nations in retaliation for the deaths.

"The time has come to hold Islam accountable," he said. Such deranged talks from a bigoted Christian pastor should not surprise us. In the post-9/11 era these Christian zealots have been trying everything possible to expand the West's war against the Muslim world. Knowing very well that they are protected by laws, these provocateurs have abused the notion of freedom of speech to incite violence, thereby endangering the lives of too many innocent people. And one death is too many!

It is high time for the U.S. government to understand that their nonchalant attitude against these 'terrorists' sends out a very incoherent message to the rest of the world when they see the same government justifying their bombing campaigns against hideouts of a radical Muslim cleric for inciting violence against occupation forces in a Muslim land. They call it the pinnacle of hypocrisy! It is simply inexcusable.

Dr Habib Siddiqui has authored nine books. His book: "Democracy, Politics and Terrorism - America's Quest for Security in the Age of of Insecurity" is available at Amazon.com.

The practice of Circumcision is a characteristic of the Fitra.

Mr. and Mrs. Nadeem Malik celebrated the first birthday of their son, Aariz Afzal Malik on April 2nd at Bollywood Banquet Hall. The happy family is seen here with the proud Grandmother, Mrs. Afzal Malik.

Abu Huraira – Sahih Bukhari 7.72.779

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

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ICNA Sisters hold Seerah Program to express love for Prophet (SAW) “Say (O beloved Prophet, to the people): If you love Allah, then follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins, and Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (3:31) ICNA sisters Canada held a Seerah program on March 27th at Pakistan house, under the title of “WE LOVE OUR PROPHET (S.A.W)”. This collaborative effort of ICNA’s department MCNA (Muslim children of North America) was a great success. About 150 kids and sisters attended the program.

Opening welcoming speech was delivered by sister Tahira. Then sister Yagana served as Master of ceremonies and requested sister Perveen for the Tilawat-e-Quran.

Students of MCNA have played a very vital

role in participating and presenting variety of items.

Hamd-e-Bari Taala “Hasbi Rabbi” was presented by Iqra Samad and Hiba Samad.

Followed by the speech on the topic of “An Excellent Role Model (S.A.W)” By Shaheer Hashmi. Young Muslim minds of level 3 were tested by the session of questions and answers in a quiz format. Besides kids, all the guests also participated in the quiz and won prizes through out the program.

Sister Nusrat’s beautiful Naat was followed

by Ammar Ahmed’s speech on the “SUNNAH OF MOHAMMAD(S.A.W)”.

Level 1 little kids participated in a Nasheed “ALLAH MADE EVERYTHING”, they themselve looked like flowers of Jannah.

Level 1 advance group kids acted out in a

drama about “Back Biting”. Followed by the level 2 students beautiful Nasheed “Ammantu billahi” .

AS we headed towards the end of the program sister Farooqa enlighten us with here “Dars-e-Quran” based on Surah Al-eImran(Ayah:164) “Indeed Allâh conferred a great favor on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad SAW) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur’an), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur’an) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW (i.e. his legal ways, statements, acts of worship)], while before that they had been in manifest

error.”

After Dua, refreshment was distributed.

In this Program, Everyone got more knowledge about Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W). Alhumdulillah!

ICNA Sisters having more programs throughout the year, ICNA sisters invite to create a healthy bond between our children and the Quran, and make it a part of their daily lives, by teaching it in a friendly environment.

Classes for sisters “Tajweed and Tafseer of the Quran” held on every Thursday at near Surrey Masjid. MCNA Classes held on Sunday in the Surrey Masjid basement.

Online Classes held for Teen agers girls and Sisters too.

For more info visit www.icnasisterscanada.com or contact mcnasurrey@yahoo.ca

Support and Solidarity Shown with the people of Bahrain

By Danish Zaidi On March 26th, the Muslim Youths for Justice organized a protest at the Vancouver Art Gallery to show support and solidarity with the people of Bahrain. They also denounced the brutal repression of Bahraini citizens at the hands of the ruling regime of Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa and the foreign troops from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in particular Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The protest commenced with a recitation from the Qur’an by Br. Muhammad alSammak followed by an informative speech

by Sr. Laya Behbahani about the history of oppression perpetuated against the people of Bahrain. Her speech was followed by a passionate address by Br. Jamshed Abbas who rallied the crowd with an insightful presentation interspersed with some powerful chants and messages. The speakers detailed some of the atrocities committed

in Bahrain, including the torture and killing of Bahraini protestors, their illegal imprisonment in Bahraini jails and the closure of hospitals and medical centers which were instrumental in providing medical care to the wounded protestors. They also called on the government of Canada to take action and to “acknowledge that the life of a Bahraini citizen is just as valuable as their Canadian counterparts”.

The subsequent speaker, Sr. Fatema Zehra Naqvi, read an emotionally charged letter to the ruler of Bahrain, questioning his lack of mercy and

justice in the face of the crisis that has gripped the country. She lauded the courage of Bahraini protestors who stood in the face of bullets, with “feet firmly in cement”, determined to acquire their rights.

The program culminated with a small talk and prayer by Br. Murtaza Bachoo. Prior to praying for the people of Bahrain, the speaker pointed out that the conflict in

Bahrain was not a sectarian conflict, but a conflict over human rights. In light of this, He bemoaned the silence and inaction of the Canadian government and demanded that the government initiate some real steps to pressure the Al-Khalifa regime to end the violence and bloodshed in Bahrain and grant equal rights to all the people of Bahrain.

CWCN organizes Health workshop on Holistic health Report by: Shabnam Khan Canadian Women Community Network Society exists to support diverse women, especially immigrant & refugee women and their families in the City of Surrey and surrounding areas to achieve their fullpotential to become productive members of Canadian society and participate in the socio-economic life of Canada.

The CWCN has a group of dedicated professional women, building a network of multicultural communities to help establish a pool of resources for diverse women population. The CWCN group has been having weekly Community Networking workshops every Sunday and we are proud to say that so far we have had a phenomenal response from the women community!

Some of the services provided by CWCN are: Health tips by Medical Doctors, Career

Plan / Resume with the help of Certified Employment Counsellors, Counselling tips

by B.C. Certified Counsellors, tips on Immigration matters

by Certified Immigration Consultants, beauty tips by Certified Aesthetician and Information and Referral Officers. CWCN recently conducted a health workshop on Holistic health on Sunday, 3rd April. Dr. Moosa (family physician), Sister Shameemah Kalaichelven and Dr. Saiqa Syeda (Ph.D) were the key note speakers.

The topics discussed were physical fitness, nutrition, stress management, health, mind & body and the power of prayer’s. The women willingly participated in the workshop and their questions and concerns

were well addressed by the presenters. Women freely discussed their personal life experiences and shared them with the group. The workshop started at noon and finished at 2

p.m. All participants had a chance to interact with each other and the day ended with hot lunch and snacks for everyone!

CWCN - We Connect, We Care, We Make A Difference!

Newborn and Children Circumcision (Khatna) Dr. Kim-Sing is a practicing Pediatrician in Burnaby with over 20 years of experience.

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For appointment and inquiry Contact Dr. Malcolm Kim-Sing, MB, FRCP

604-433-5750 108-3825 Sunset Street, Burnaby, B.C V5G 1T4

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

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Harper continues push for majority Conservative Leader Stephen Harper is making his case for a stable, majority government at campaign stops across the country, a tactical switch from recent elections. After two consecutive minority Conservative governments, the party is gambling that Canadians are now more comfortable with giving Harper a majority mandate. And the Conservative strategy for winning one depends on a carefully-crafted campaign that's designed to pick off very specific riding targets. Harper was visiting one of those potential swing ridings on Monday in Welland, Ont., where he reannounced his party's long-held commitment to scrap the long-gun registry. Harper's time in the southern Ontario riding, which was narrowly won by the NDP's Malcolm Allen in 2008, is a pinpoint strategy designed to nudge just a few more voters over to his side. He is using

these narrow ridings to show why his party needs a majority government. "[Tory MP] Candace Hoeppner's bill [to scrap the gun registry] failed by two votes. Why? It failed by two votes because enough Liberal NDP and BQ MPs — the coalition MPs — switched their votes to defeat it," Harper told the rally.

The NDP's Allen is one of the MPs who switched his vote to keep the registry alive.

While Harper toured a local peanut store, Allen showed up to talk to reporters and to pivot the discussion in the riding from the gun registry to the economy. "His corporate tax cuts have taken 9,200 jobs at GM in 1993 to 1,750 today, 800 good paying jobs at John Deere where they bargained a collective agreement that talked about how the increasing dollar would affect them, heading out of this country," Allen said. "So his corporate tax policy has absolutely failed." Allen's very

appearance at a Conservative event is a sign of how fierce the battle has become in Conservative's target ridings. And how closely Harper is involving himself in the ground war. Harper began talking about the need for a majority government when the election campaign kicked off two weeks ago. The strategy was verboten in previous campaigns as there were fears that voters may shy away from trusting the Harper Conservatives with a majority. When the election was called, the Conservatives held 143 seats, a dozen seats shy of the 155 needed for a majority in the 308-seat House of Commons. "Of course I would like to have a majority," Harper said on the day the election was called. "Every party would prefer a majority than a minority. But if Canadians elect a Conservative gov-

ernment, whether it's a Conservative minority or a Conservative majority, I will accept their mandate." Harper has used other campaign appearances to rally troops in close ridings. The Conservative leader used his first stop in New Brunswick to campaign in Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, a riding the Liberals held onto in 2008 but with a tighter margin.

Source: CBC News

Tories kept ‘scandalous’ G8 and G20 spending a secret: Ignatieff

Stephen Harper is keeping secret a government report into the “scandalous” waste of money at last summer’s G8 and G20 summits, Michael Ignatieff says. The Liberal Leader said Tuesday was the day Auditor General Sheila Fraser was due to release her probe of the expenses for the back-to-back world summits, which cost more than $1 billion. “We think that is one of the worst

examples of fiscal mismanagement in the history of the country and we think the public report on this by the Auditor General ought to be out there,” Ignatieff said during a campaign stop here Tuesday morning. “The key issue for Canadian citizens and taxpayers is the scandalous waste of public money and the scandalous chain of bad decisions that led to the waste,” he said. The auditor general is normally required to first table her reports in the House of Commons.

And because the Commons is no longer in session – due to an election forced by the opposition parties – her report could be delayed until Parliament returns.

But Ignatieff claimed that the Conservatives have already received advance copies of Fraser’s probe and he called on

Politics trumped policy as NDP lashes out at Harper government scandals Jack Layton kicked at Stephen Harper's closed-door campaign strategy and railed against alleged Conservative misdeeds Tuesday in a performance that overshadowed the

NDP's latest policy pronouncement. The New Democrat leader pre-empted a policy announcement on families to go over laundry list of scandals, including the latest revelation that the prime minister hired a senior adviser who had five fraud convictions. His comments were among his strongest criticisms of government ethics since the beginning of the NDP campaign, which has focused heavily on issues and solutions. Layton denied he was forsaking policy for politics in order to steer the national spotlight toward his party,

which is locked in a pitched battle with Liberals for left-leaning voters.

"I think with these new revelations regarding Mr. (Bruce) Carson, with the fact the government went to court to block access to the Afghan detainee documents, with the fact we have the auditor general's report on the G-8 available but not being released, it's time to speak out about the fact this government is not being truthful and open with Canadians," he said.

The latest revelations that Carson, a former PMO staffer who is now under investigation by the RCMP for alleged influence-peddling, rated only passing mention by Layton on Monday as his campaign shored up shaky votes in southwestern Ontario. The sense that there might be Conservative blood in the water over accountability and ethics, issues that brought the government down in a contempt-ofParliament motion, seemed to take

Continued on pg 27

Harper to make those findings public. “We think that report is on the Prime Minister’s desk and we think he ought to get it ought.

We think Canadians ought to know what’s in that report because in many ways it’s the most amazing example of waste in this Conservative government’s record,” Ignatieff said. In a statement, Conservatives accused Ignatieff of seeking to meddle in Fraser’s independence, noting that the auditor general is “fully independent.” “We will not interfere with the auditor general’s reporting to Parliament. In fact, we are a little surprised that Michael Ignatieff would suggest such a course of action,” Conservative spokesperson Mike White said in an email. The two summits last June played host to world leaders –

and stirred controversy for its sky-high security costs and the infrastructure cash that was funneled into Tony Clement’s Muskoka riding. “You have a perfectly good summit site at Huntsville. You could have put them all behind a screened porch looking at a real lake. Instead, you move it down to Toronto, you put up a fake lake and you blow a $1.2 billion in 72 hours,” Ignatieff said. Ignatieff sidestepped a question whether there should be a public inquiry into summit – which attracted wide criticism for its cost and the actions of police – saying he didn’t want to “short circuit” ongoing probes into police conduct.

Source: The Star

Canadian federal election, 2011 May 2, 2011 (2011-05-02) 308 seats in the House of Commons of Canada 155 seats are needed for a majority Opinion polls

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

MIR A LE

The Last Moments of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto

Translated by: Mukhlis T Translation of a chapter from Col Rafi ud Din‚s Urdu book “Bhutto kay akhri 323 din”

Official Notification of Mr. Bhutto's Execution According to the orders of the SMLA, the following officials were to inform Mr. Bhutto of his execution on the night of3-4 April 1979: 1) - Jail Superintendent, Mr. Yar Mohammad 2) - Security Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Rafi-ud-Din 3)- Magistrate First Class, Mr. Bashir Ahmad Khan 4) - Jail Doctor, Mr. Sagheer Hussain Shah This party entered the jail cell at 6:05 p.m. in the evening on April 3rd and found Mr. Bhutto lying on the mattress on the floor.

Jail Superintendent, Yar Mohammad, read the execution order to Mr. Bhutto, „According to the 18th March 1978 order of the Lahore High Court, You, Mr. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto are to be hanged for the murder of Nawab Mohammad Ahmad Khan. Your appeal in the Supreme Court was rejected on 6th February 1979 and the review petition was turned down on 24th March 1979. The president of Pakistan has decided not to interfere in this matter. So it has been decided to hang you.‰I did not see any signs of panic on Mr. Bhutto‚s face while the Jail Superintendent was reading out the orders. Instead, I could see that he was quite calm & relaxed and had a smile on his face. I was really surprised at the way Mr. Bhutto had handled the news. I was thinking that we were about to hang a leader who had listened to the orders of his execution with such calm and serenity. I could hear a voice inside me that the death of this person would be disastrous for our nation & our country. Probably for the first time in my life I felt that I was losing control over myself.

Bhutto Sahib looked the Jail Superintendent in his eyes and said to him (these words are Mr. Bhutto‚s own) “I should have been informed by the competent authority 24 hours prior to the execution, but it has not been done. On the contrary when my daughter and wife met me today at 11:30 hours, they were not sure about it. I called Jail Superintendent and asked him for necessary clarification. He told me vaguely that the required order for the execution has been passed and it was with him. He also told me that my relations: my sister Monawar ul Islam and my cousin, Mr. Mumtaz Ali Bhutto would be seeing me after my daughter and wife left me. He also told me that after the visitors, he would come himself to get my Œwill‚ etc. at 13:50 hours.

No written order of my execution has been shown to me so far. I want to see my counsels as soon as possible. My other relatives should have been allowed to see me. My teeth are very bad and I would like to see my dentist, Mr. Zafar Niazi, immediately”.After these words from Mr. Bhutto, Magistrate First Class, Mr. Bashir Ahmad Khan introduced himself and told Mr. Bhutto that he could write his will if he wanted to. He would be provided with paper etc. for this. After this, the official message read by the government party was over and the officials started to leave. I was still in a state of confusion at that time. I felt as if I was petrified. Bhutto Sahib tried to get up but stumbled. I helped him by supporting him with my arm. He said that he was feeling sick in his stomach.

Bhutto Sahib called out for his helper, Abdur Rehman, and asked him to bring some warm water for his shave. He then turned to me and asked me, “Rafi! What is this drama that is being staged?”

I remained silent for a while so he repeated his question. I answered, “Sir, have I ever tried to joke with you?” He said at once, “What do you mean?‚ and then repeated the

question again.I answered, „Sir, the order has been given. You will be executed today.”

For the first saw I saw a bewildered look on Mr. Bhutto‚s face. He waved his hand and said in a loud voice “OK... It‚s finished...

OK... It‚s finished.” I said, „Yes Sir. “ It seemed like Bhutto Sahib‚s eyes had exploded because of fear. His face turned yellow and dry. I cannot accurately describe the condition he was in at that time.

Then he said, ”At what time? Today?

I showed him 7 fingers of my hand just like a jump master tells the time before the jump.

He said, “After 7 days?” I went near him and told him, “Sir, hours.” He said, “Tonight, after 7 hours?” I answered by nodding my head in affirmation. When Bhutto Sahib was brought to the Pindi Jail he seemed as hard as a rock, but now he seemed to be evaporating. At that time I felt the reality of life.

After silence of a few moments he said; “Rafi, that’s all?” I said yes by nodding again.

After a brief silence I told Mr. Bhutto that Begum Bhutto and Benazir met me after their last meeting with him and the part I had played in conveying their mercy appeal to Gen. Zia. At that time I saw that Mr. Bhutto was feeling very nervous and weak. I helped him sit on the chair inside the cell. I told him that by now Begum Sahiba probably would have met Gen. Zia and I hoped that Allah would be merciful and would create a way out of this situation. Mr. Bhutto stood up from his chair and embraced me. He said, “You are a brave man. I wish I had met you earlier.” At that point I felt a slight bit of trembling in his body, but I could see that his nervousness had faded away to a great extent and he looked almost normal.After a short pause, he said, as if talking to himself, „My lawyers have messed up this case. Yahya* is responsible for my hanging. He kept on telling me all the wrong things. He has screwed everything up.‰ Then he said that his party needed a dead- not an alive- Bhutto.

He held my hand when I exclaimed that I was sorry to hear all that. He said that he was sorry that his lawyers had not treated me (Col. Rafi) properly. I told him that I had no ill feelings about it. Bhutto Sahib said that Pirzada** & Yahya had given statements against me in the press. I told him that I had not been questioned by the authorities and that he should not worry about these things.

He then thanked me for my kindness and how I had treated him with honor & dignity.

I also thanked him & reminded him that he should start writing his will. He wanted me to sit beside him but I had strict instructions not to be with him alone. It would have been very useful to spend some more time with him and he could have shared a lot of personal feelings with me at that particular time.

But just that moment a warder came in to deliver some writing material and I had to leave the cell.

As I have written before, Bhutto Sahib had never seriously thought that he would one day be taken to the gallows. He always thought that the case was cooked up against him, was politically motivated and was without any substance. On the 3rd of April, his wife and daughter had realized that the government had decided to hang him. But Bhutto Sahib still thought that to be a hoax because the jail authorities had not shown him the execution orders 7 days before the hanging as they were legally supposed to do.

After that, even after the government officials had informed him at 6 p.m. of his imminent execution, he was still in doubt. But I believe all his doubts were washed away when he asked me what all this drama was and I had answered plainly that he was to be executed that day. I believe that was the time when he realized that he was face to face with death. He was human after all and it was but natural to panic and be afraid when facing death.

After I left his cell, Mr. Bhutto shaved in the presence of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Khawaja Ghulam Rasul at 7:05 p.m.

During the shave he had the following conversation with the Deputy Superintendent: “Deputy Sahib, where will you find a leader like me? But why would you need a leader like me in the first place? I am needed by the poor, not by the likes of you. I used to make speeches to mochis (cobblers) at Mochi Gate because I am a mochi myself. You people are taking away the leader of the poor from them. I am a revolutionary. I am a supporter of the poor. Yaar, if you had to kill me, why didn‚t you kill me 2 years back? Why didn‚t you respect me like the whole world does? I could have been kept in a rest house and could have been killed with dignity. Today, the Chairman of the Islamic Council, who was selected by Muslims all over the world, cannot even shave on his own. You are standing near me so that I don‚t hurt myself with the blade. Yes, another thing, yaar... I have troubled you a lot... please forgive me. You have forced the other accused in this case to lie about me so that I can be hanged and they can go scot free.”

Then he called the sentry who was on duty outside his cell and told the Deputy Superintendent to give his wrist watch to the sentry after his death.

Tears came into Bhutto Sahib‚s eyes when at 8:05 p.m. his helper, Abdur Rehman, brought a cup of coffee at Bhutto Sahib‚s request. Bhutto Sahib said to him, „Rehman, please forgive me if I‚ve ever treated you badly. I will be hanged anyway and tonight is my last night with you. I am your guest for just a few more hours.‰Mr. Bhutto worked on his will from 8:45 p.m. to 9:45 p.m. After that, for about 10 minutes, he tried to organize his mirror, comb, hair brush, prayer mat etc. on his table.Then, till 9:55 p.m., he brushed his teeth, washed his face and combed his hair.After that, for about 5 minutes, he cleaned the ashes of his cigar and some burnt papers.

He again started to write from 10:10 p.m. to 11:05 p.m. He then burnt all the papers on which he had written. The ashes spread all over in his cell. He called Abdur Rehman and asked him to clean his cell. He asked the sentry how much time was left. The sentry replied that there‚s enough time left. Bhutto Sahib again asked how much time was left but the sentry remained quiet. Bhutto Sahib then said to himself that he could probably sleep for 1-2 hours.

The cell was opened at 11:10 p.m. and helper Abdur Rehman came in and cleaned the ashes from the floor. The cell was then closed and Bhutto Sahib lay down quietly.

At 11:25 p.m. he said that he‚ll try to sleep for a while because he was not able to sleep properly last night but you people should wake me up at 12 a.m. He called out Sanam‚s (Bhutto Sahib‚s daughter) name a few times while he was sleeping. At 11:55 p.m., Assistant Superintendents Majeed Ahmad Qureshi & Kazim Hussain Baluch arrived.

They tried to wake Mr. Bhutto from outside, but he did not respond. Mr. Qureshi telephoned the jail office and asked what he should do. He was told to enter the cell and try to wake up Mr. Bhutto. He went inside but Bhutto Sahib still didn‚t wake up. Mr. Qureshi informed over the phone that Mr. Bhutto was not answering, as if he was unconscious. I got worried at that state of affairs, as it was my responsibility to ensure that under no circumstances should Bhutto Sahib commit suicide. One minute before the clock struck midnight, I entered the security ward along with the jail superintendent, the jail doctor and the magistrate. Bhutto Sahib was lying on the mattress inside the cell and his face was towards the cell. Chaudhry Yar Mohammad & the jail doctor saw that Bhutto Sahib had opened one eye and after seeing all of us he closed it at once.

Chaudhry Yar Mohammad and I called Mr. Bhutto‚s name a few times but to no avail. I asked the jail doctor to check Mr. Bhutto. The doctor checked his pulse and then listened to his heartbeat with a stethoscope and whispered to me that Bhutto Sahib was fine. I again called Mr. Bhutto‚s name but didn‚t get a reply. I asked the jail doctor to check Mr. Bhutto again. The doctor checked him again and told me that he was fine. I asked the doctor to come outside with me and enquired why Bhutto Sahib was not answering. The doctor assured me that Mr. Bhutto was perfectly fine and that I need not worry. He told me that Mr. Bhutto was only faking. I told the doctor that he‚ld be responsible if anything happened to Mr. Bhutto and told him to check Mr. Bhutto again. The doctor checked for the third time and told me that he was fine and was just faking.

At 1:10 a.m. in the night, Mr. Bhutto got up

himself. Mr. Qureshi told him that warm water was available for his shower but Mr. Bhutto answered that he did not want to shower anymore.

Execution According to the orders, Bhutto Sahib was to be executed on the night of 3-4 April, 1979, in the presence of Inspector of Jails.

Chaudhry Nazeer Akhtar - who was present at the Rawalpindi Jail since morning on April 3rd. A stretcher had been arranged keeping in view Mr. Bhutto‚s physical condition because of the hunger strike that he had been on.

Arrangements had been made for a few petromax lamps as the night was extremely dark and there were thick clouds on the horizon.

The following officials entered the security ward at 1:35 a.m: 1) - Jail Superintendent, Mr. Yar Mohammad 2) - Security Battalion Commander,

Continued on pg 27

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Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE

Canadian Muslims and Societal Contributions through Community Involvement

Nadine Miville How often do we reflect upon the glorious past of our Muslim nation? The amazing contributions of Muslim civilization in Spain, examples of Islamic tolerance during the reign of the famous Salah-el-din and of course the incredible contributions Muslims have made to sciences, mathematics and philosophy? One can explore these contributions thoroughly and never cease to be amazed by the incredible milestones we can reflect upon proudly. Now let us ask ourselves one question: what have we contributed to the Muslim community and society at large which is comparable to our wealthy past?.

Muslims have been in Canada since 1871 .

That is only four years after Canada?s founding (post-European contact) and our first mosque was built in 1938! It is impossible to say that Islam is new to Canada nor can we say that it is ?foreign? because Muslims have established themselves in Canada before many other nations themselves! What does that mean to us today?

Let us look around and see what we have actually contributed to this nation- are there any resemblances with the tolerance exhibited

by Salah-el-din, or academic contributions as demonstrated during the height of Islamic civilization? What about our presence in community organizations, social development, research, charity? It would be bold to say that we are not present at all, that would ignore those humble few that have made conscious efforts to engage publicly in this society which is just as much their own. However, there is an immense void. It is shameful to say that many of us do not feel that Canada is ready for us or that society is too judgemental for us to integrate properly. Let us ask ourselves this: if Islam has been in Canada since

1871, why are there still misconceptions about this beautiful deen of ours? Who is to blame for the lack of understanding, the intolerance, and the judgement? Has the media been around convicting Muslims since 1871? There is no doubt, we are to blame.

There is no excuse for us to simply admire our predecessors in history and hope for a renewal of this spirit some day. The day begins today and with us all.

It is necessary for us to reclaim our faith as Allah asks of us: to be vicegerents on this earth and to accomplish what our duty is on this ephemeral earth. Allah tells us repeatedly in the Qur?an that the true believer, the Godconscious is s/he who constantly establishes prayer and gives from that which Allah has bestowed upon him; On the night of Miraaj (the Prophet’s ascension to heaven), he passed by some people with metal hooks in their hands who clawed at their faces and their necks with them.

When he inquired about them, Jibraeel said, ‘These are the people who eat the flesh of human beings and disgrace them.’” [Abu Dawud].

(2:2) This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt, to those who fear Allah (al muttaqeen); (2:3) Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We have bestowed upon them; Allah tells us constantly that after we accomplish our prayers we engage in zakah, in charity, in purification of the soul, in giving of what Allah has bestowed upon us. The blessings we receive from Allah are countless, among them: our strengths, our talents, our energy, our intelligence, our Islam. If the message of Islam was shared properly with our neighbors we would not feel misunder-

stood in this nation which is rightfully ours as well. It is time to give to our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, it is time for Muslims to step up to the plate and engage, be active participants of society, give in charity through our time because one of the most precious things which Allah bestows upon us , and is irretrievable, is time. To give your time to a cause and to the community is worthy of great reward. It is when we give that Allah increases your rewards, just as when you give money for the sake of Allah, you always find it returned to you, time will stretch for us once we engage in blessed actions.

If we do not step up today, when will it happen? 137 years of Muslims in Canada, yet little traces are to be found. Mosques, which are the foundations for our communities have existed for 70 years yet we have yet to expand and create civic institutions and social agencies for our own Muslim communities! ?And keep thy soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face; and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life; nor obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds.?18:28 With all of the opportunities that we have today in Canada, educational, professional and most importantly the free practice of Islam, there are no excuses for misunderstanding and intolerance towards us, it is our job today to step up as citizens in this nation and spend from what Allah has bestowed upon us. The ball is in our court, now is the time to make a change.

Here are some practical steps we can all take in the development of our community:

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1. Support already existing academic, social services, Islamic outreach and community service institutions in your community instead of ?reinventing the wheel?

2. Put your skills and talents to work in an Islamic organization i.e. journalists can help develop media teams at mosques to handle press inquiries and draft press releases 3. Request institutions to offer culture-sensitivity training about Islam in civic institutions ie. dietary concerns in hospitals; prayer accommodation in the workplace 4. Establish support groups for new immigrants i.e. ESL classes, classes on understanding and accessing civic institutions in Canada 5. Establish scholarships to promote enhanced academic performance in the Muslim community ie. scholarships in journalism to students who meet excellent academic standards 6. Increase our awareness and that of the Muslim community of local issues and how they affect the community at large to increase our participation and visibility individually and as a group i.e. learn about your local politician and get involved in issues that affect the community.

7. Participate in inter-generational learning settings to bond the community together i.e. study groups dealing with current day issues from an Islamic perspective geared towards parents and youth together.

Nadine Miville is currently an (MA) Candidate in International Development Studies. She obtained a(BA)International Development Studies and Social Anthropology from Saint Mary’s University. She worked for 2 years in an Islamic school and is devoted to social justice issues relevant to Muslim women in Canada and abroad.

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PCCA Celebrates Pakistan Republic Day An unforgettable patriotic gala evening Reported by Naadia Nadeem Keeping its long tradition of setting up, PCCA yet once again produced an evening to Kick off celebration of the year. To mark the celebration of 71st anniversary of the resolution, PCCA organized a gala that included speeches from Scholars, Politicians and religious leader, performances by children and live band and off course delicious food. One important inclusion this year was the first ever community award presentation, it was a long await recognition of prominent individuals and business from all walks of life.

Among other first was awarding medal and recognizing children from our community who performed extra ordinary and stood with distinction in their schools. PCCA picked the best crop of the students. Congratulations to all the children receiving the medals, good luck to all other and keep up the good work for the next year. Mr. Naveed Waraich, General Secretary of PCCA, also announced that in order to focus on achievements from individuals and businesses and recognize them it will be a separate ceremony for this award presentation next year name as PCCA COMMUNITY AWARDS 2011.

Present among the guest were Honorable Consulate General of Pakistan Mr. Shuja Alam, Honorable MP Mr. Sukh Dhaliwal MP Mr. H. Bains, Honorable MLA’s Mr. Dave Hayer, Sue Hammel, Jagroop Barar, School Trustee Ijaz Chatha and many others. First ever senator from Pakistani origin Mr. Nasar Khan, President of PCCA, thanked all the dignitaries and distinguished guest for talking time off their busy schedule and honoring this event, he also shed some light on importance of two nations’ formula that led to the creation of Pakistan and moving forward with cooperation between two neighboring nations. He also acknowledged and thanked all the volunteers for their time and efforts in making the evening a wonderful one.

It is an important part of PCCA’s agenda to build strong kids among the community and continuing to our tradition of “Kids First” this year’s Kids Tablo Dance on “Salam Pakistan” performed by Sofia, Marina, Javeria and Saleha

was a breathtaking performance at the stage. Soon after another slamming hit of the evening was kids fancy dress show, it was the highlight of the evening, credit goes to some of leading ladies of our community, Ms. Nadia Nadeem, Mrs. Sakina Talib, Mrs. Waricah, Mrs. Nasarullah Khan, Sadaf Amir, Uzma Erum, Sarma and Ramsha Tariq.

They spent hours and hours to prepare these kids for the fashion show and all these kids raised to the occasion.

The mesmerizing moment was the last segment of the show when Samiya Zia came out with a big Pakistani flag and beautiful kids in their beautiful Pakistani outfits lined up singing “Ess parcham key sayey talay hum aik hain!”

They stood united and waved the flag with such a patriotic spirit that brought tears in eyes of almost every person in the room. God bless Pakistan, God bless our kids and Pakistan Zindabad.

Speaking of Fashion shows Mr. Rizwan Shawl did a tremendous. The song selection was commendable and took several of the audience into the memory lane of Pakistan. It would be unfair not to recognize Jasmene Barar, Mr.Sufian Khan, Sukhi Walia who captivated and entertained the audience with their magical voice by singing many beautiful songs.

PCCA thank all our sponsors just because of them this show was possible. Last but not least thanks to Mr. Tauseef Wariach, Sehrish Ijaz Saarmah Azhar and Mr. Bilal Tarar and everyone in PCCA team. Bringing a complete soldout show with over 1000 attendees wasn’t an easy task. It will be remembered for a long time and leave everybody singing PCCA tunes.

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Japan radioactivity could enter food chain, kids at risk Radioactive materials spewed into the air

by Japan's earthquake-crippled nuclear plant may contaminate food and water resources, with children and unborn babies most at risk of possibly developing cancer.

Japanese officials said that more radiation was released at a nuclear plant disastrously damaged by last week's tsunami. Prime Minister Naoto Kan said radiation had spread from four reactors.

"The level seems very high, and there is still a very high risk of more radiation coming out," he said.

Even a meltdown would not necessarily mean medical doom, experts said. It depends on the amount and type of radioactive materials.

Donald Olander, professor emeritus of nuclear engineering at the University of California at Berkeley, said even the much higher levels of radiation are "not a health hazard."

Experts said any exposure to radioactive materials has the potential to cause various kinds of cancers, with higher levels of radiation seen as more dangerous. Thyroid cancer is the most immediate risk, and the Japanese government made plans to distribute potassium iodide pills to prevent it.

Worse case scenarios — lots of radioactive fallout — can lead to other cancers years later.

Japanese officials have evacuated 180,000 people from areas near the troubled reactors, where relatively minimal fallout was mostly confined at first. They've told people still in the area to wear masks, which can keep radioactive particles from being inhaled.

Most importantly, they have stockpiled and are making plans to give out potassium iodide — pills that can keep radioactive iodine from being taken up by the thyroid gland and causing cancer.

"Those are all preventable cancers" if the protective pills are taken right after exposure, said University of New Mexico radiologist Dr. Fred Mettler.

Experts said they needed more accurate measurements for the level of radioactivity in Japan, and the region, to give a proper risk assessment.

"The explosions could expose the population to longer-term radiation, which can raise the risk of cancer. These are thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukemia.

Children and fetuses are especially vulnerable," said Lam Ching-wan, chemical pathologist at the University of Hong Kong.

"For some individuals even a small amount of radiation can raise the risk of cancer.

The higher the radiation, the higher the risk of cancer," said Lam, who is also a

INVISIBLE SCARS

By Shabnam Khan - Family Counsellor So far I have written numerous articles regarding Parenting Styles and building a strong relationship with your children. The Parent-Child bonding starts from birth and follows through the years to come. Growing up in Canada, it sometimes becomes challenging for the Parents as well as the Children who has to adapt to western world. The children no doubt look up to their parents for love, support and right decisions when it comes to handling their questions and concerns and their protection! It does not matter how big or small their concerns are, it has to be addressed in a appropriate and mature manner.

Recently I attended a community cultural event and it was quite shocking to hear how one of the organizing members ill-treated my daughter before her stage performance.

Few minutes before her performance, the so called organizing member called her back stage and told her “ if my daughter’s are not performing today, I will not let you recite the whole song (the song was for our beloved Prophet Mohammed S.A.W)”PBUH and pushed her on the stage. This attitude is totally unexpected from such respected and so called leader! As a concerned parent, I am taking further action for his rude and inappropriate behavior to my daughter. When we called, he denied that he said it and later twisted the story that he said something else! We were told by him to contact the other organizing member who according to him was handling it.

When we contacted the other organizing member, the whole incident was mentioned to him. Without trying to solve this issue, he said “just go do whatever you want to do”.

In addition, this same organizing member

also contacted us to do the video recording for that day’s program in a short notice.

Since my nephew refused to do this volunteer work, he was also ill-treated at the event! My nephew wanted to volunteer with other stuffs but this same organizing member came to him and yelled at him few times and said “we don’t need your help; we have enough people so go inside”.

Being a leader, what kind of image are they portraying to our children? These leaders always say that they want youths to be involved in cultural events but what is happening here? This is the reason that our youths are pulling themselves away into the western society where they are at least treated with love and respect. It is totally painful to see that such an act is still happening around us and by our so called leaders.

Children deserve the same level of Respect and Dignity as an adult. They have emotions and they are very sensitive. My request to all parents is that whenever they have any concerns, please listen to them and try to play your role as a responsible parent.

As a parent, you are their Role Model! If you, yourself are weak and always trying to hide things from them and not teaching them the right from wrong, they will grow up to be like that when they are an adult as well. Secondly, if your child does come to you with their concerns and you do nothing about it, do you think they’ll come to you if something happens later in their life? They know that you will do nothing about it.

They will be very reluctant to discuss anything with you. This behavior slowly starts building up and as they grow, there is a barrier that starts creating between the parent and the child. They get drifted towards their friends and if they get influenced by the peer pressure, there is a high chance that children can end up in bad habits. Do you think you’ll have any control or say at that time? You were not there when they needed you, and why would they listen to you now?

Yes, you are the parent, but what happened when they needed you the most? Were you there for them?

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member on the American Board of Toxicologists.

Radioactive material is carried by minute moisture droplets in the air. It can then be directly inhaled into the lungs, get washed down by rain into the sea and onto soil, and eventually contaminate crops, marine life and drinking water.

Cow milk was also especially vulnerable, experts said, if cows graze on grass exposed to radiation.

Japanese scientist who treated victims of the atom bomb explosion in Hiroshima.

"Cows are like vacuum cleaners, picking up radioactive iodine that lands over a wide area of pasture, and then those particles very easily are concentrated and pass into the milk," said the expert, who declined to be identified. "This was what happened in Chernobyl, and unfortunately, information about the risk had not been supplied to parents."

How much radiation is dangerous?

Lee Tin-lap, toxicologist and associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's School of Medical Sciences, said waters around Japan must be measured for radioactivity.

"No one is measuring the levels of radiation in the sea," Lee told Reuters.

"Steam that is released into the air will eventually get back into the water and sea life will be affected ... once there is rain, drinking water will also be contaminated."

DNA mutations The World Health Organization said on Tuesday Japan was taking the correct measures to protect its population from radioactivity, including evacuations and stocking up on potassium iodide, an antidote to radiation. Radiation is dangerous because it can cause changes or mutations in DNA, which may then go on to cause cancer. While the human body can repair DNA changes or damage, a person is only safe if the repair process happens faster than the time it takes for the damaged or mutated DNA material to replicate.

Most experts agree that growing children and fetuses are most at risk because their cells divide at a faster rate than adults.

They also consume more cow milk than adults, putting them at further risk, said a

1 Radiation is measured using the unit sievert, which quantifies the amount of radiation absorbed by human tissues. One sievert is 1,000 millisieverts (mSv).

In the U.S., the average person is exposed to about 6.2 millisieverts a year, mostly from background radiation and medical tests.

Some facts about radiation exposure: • A person would need to be exposed to at least 100 mSv a year to have an increase in cancer risk. Exposure to 1,000 mSv during a year would probably cause a fatal cancer many years later in five out of every 100 people.

• Total body CT scan: about 10 mSv. • Mammogram: about 0.7 mSv. • CT colonography: about 5 to 8 mSv. • CT heart scan: about 12 mSv. • Typical chest X-ray: about 0.02 mSv • Dental X-ray: 0.01 mSv. • Coast-to-coast airplane flight: about .03 mSv. Airline crews flying the New YorkTokyo polar route are exposed to 9 mSv a year.

Sources: Reuters; New England Journal of Medicine; American Cancer Society; World Nuclear Association and Taiwan's Atomic Energy Council

Al-Mustafa Academy Is looking for the following candidates for its Early Childhood Educator program in Surrey:

• Child Care Manager • Assistant Manager We are looking for candidates who are: Child Care Professionals, Has the ability and demonstrates a commitment to children and the Early Childhood Profession, Has a positive outlook with a belief in the ethic of caring and inclusion.

Child Care Manager: • Plan and develop child care and Montessori school programs, • Provide supervision and guidance of daily activities, field trips and special activities, • Provide opportunity for creative expression through the mediums of art, dramatic play.

• Assess the developmental level of children, • Prepare progress reports and discuss with parents and other staff members, Knowledge of Day care Act, • Knowledge of licensing regulations, • Establish guidelines for behavior disciplines, work priorities • Ensure deadlines are met and procedures followed

Assistant Manager:: • Provide supervision and guidance of daily activities, field trips and special activities, • Conduct and monitor activity programs designed for young children, • Prepare craft materials and assist children to use them, • Guide children in development of proper eating, dressing and necessary habits, • Prepare and serve snacks, • Observe children and report observations to Manager.

• As a member of our team you will be working in our Preschool room with children 3-5 1/2 years of age. You will be expected to plan and organize activities appropriate for this age group.

Requirements: - AMI Trained Montessori Teacher and/or ECE Licensed Teacher - First Aid Certificate - Child Protection Criminal Background Check - Letter of Conduct and References Candidate will also have: Excellent People skills, Strategic thinking, Visionary, Flexible/adaptable to change,Self-management,Team player, Solve-complex problems, Ethical/high personal standards Please email your resume to : Sr. Nabila Jaffer at Nabila_128@hotmail.com

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Cairo's on-field fan violence probed

Egyptian soccer was thrown further into disarray after the Confederation of African Football said it will investigate a violent field invasion by fans of Cairo club Zamalek in an African Champions League match. CAF said Monday in a statement that its disciplinary body will meet in Johannesburg in April to consider reports by match officials after home fans rushed the field at Cairo Stadium to attack the referee and visiting players Saturday during a game against Tunisian team Club Africain. With the game tied at 1 and Club Africain leading 5-3 on aggregate, Algerian referee Mohamed Meknoz disallowed a Zamalek goal for offside 3 minutes into injury time, prompting the violence. The match was abandoned soon after. "CAF reiterates its call to all National Associations, clubs, players and supporters to help enforce and promote the spirit of fair play in all CAF competitions," the statement added.

No exact date for the CAF disciplinary meeting was given.

Another Cairo club, Al Ahly, is due to host a Champions League game at the same stadium in early May. Zamalek

could face a three-year ban from African club competition.

The Egyptian Football Association also responded to the violence -- where stick-wielding fans clashed with police and supporters damaged the goal posts -- by postponing the planned return of the country's domestic soccer league. In an emergency meeting Sunday, its second in four days, the EFA apologized to Club Africain and said the Egyptian league would not resume next week, as it had announced Thursday. EFA president Samir Zaher was also part of a group of officials that visited the Tunisian embassy in Cairo to make a formal apology to the ambassador, the EFA said. "The Board of Directors of the Egyptian Football Association and the president, Samir Zaher, apologize to the Tunisian people and Tunisia's Club Africain after the unfortunate events that took place in the Zamalek match," EFA said on its website. On Thursday, the EFA had announced there was an agreement for domestic soccer to resume on April 13 after it was postponed in early February because of the revolution that

removed long-standing Egypt president Hosni Mubarak from power. "We will hold a series of meetings with officials to discuss the situation and the final solutions for the resumption of the competition," Zaher said on Sunday after confirming the league had been postponed for a second time. Zaher added the EFA was considering holding matches behind closed doors to avoid a repeat of the violence. CAF is almost certain to impose sanctions on Zamalek, but could also punish the EFA by taking games away from Cairo. Al Ahly is set to host Zambia's Zesco United at 75,000-seat Cairo Stadium in its last 16 tie on the weekend of May 7 and 8 and Egypt's struggling national team is scheduled to play a crucial 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier against South Africa at the venue in June. Seven-time African champion Egypt's poor recent form, which has left it bottom of its qualifying group and in danger of missing the continental championship for the first time in 30 years, led the EFA to call its first emergency meeting last week. Source: ESPN

Dhoni and Gambhir lead India to World Cup glory Twenty-eight years on from the match that transformed the history of world cricket, India recaptured the crown that Kapil Dev and his men first lifted at Lord's in 1983, and this time they did so in their very own back yard. An iron-willed 97 from Gautam Gambhir was matched for intensity by the finest captain's innings since Ricky Ponting in Johannesburg eight years ago, as MS Dhoni trumped a poetic century from Mahela Jayawardene to pull off the highest runchase ever achieved in a World Cup final. Against a triumphant backdrop at the Wankhede Stadium, victory was sealed by six wickets with 10 balls to spare, as Dhoni - who had promoted himself to No. 5 to heap extra lashings of responsibility onto his own shoulders rushed through the gears as the victory target drew nearer. With 15 required from 17 balls, he flicked Sri Lanka's only true threat, Lasith Malinga, through midwicket for consecutive boundaries, before smoking Nuwan Kulasekara over long-on to finish on 91 not out from 79 balls, and spark the most delirious scenes of celebration ever seen on the subcontinent. However, the final margin did little justice to the tussle that had preceded it. Even the toss ended up being disputed, as Kumar Sangakkara's initial call was drowned out by the crowd, but it was the ebb and flow of Zaheer Khan's day that epitomised the fluctuations of a compelling contest. Zaheer opened his account with three consecutive maidens and the scalp of Upul Tharanga in a peerless spell of 5-3-6-1, only to be clobbered for 17 and 18 runs in his ninth and tenth overs, as Sri Lanka monstered 63 runs in the batting Powerplay to post an imposing 274 for 6. And India's day got much worse before the team's fortunes began to inch upwards. Virender Sehwag had hit a boundary from the first ball of six of India's previous eight innings in the tournament, but this time Malinga's slingers dealt him a second-ball duck, as he skidded a full delivery into his back pad. And then Sachin Tendulkar, for whom the script had seemingly been written, was drawn into a loose drive by a fast Malinga outswinger, having set the stadium on standby for instant history with 18 sumptuously accumulated runs from his first 12 deliveries. At 31 for 2 in the seventh over, India were struggling to keep their toehold in the contest, and it was all too much for a faithless few in the crowd who turned their backs and set off for home.

But Gambhir and Virat Kohli epitomise a generation that does not easily accept defeat, and their third-wicket stand of 83 laid the foundations for an epic turnaround. The prospect of a seam-friendly surface, allied to the grievous loss of Angelo Mathews to a thigh strain, had tempted Sri Lanka into four key changes to the team that had triumphed over New Zealand in Colombo, and with Muttiah Muralitharan lacking bite in the final wicketless appearance of his 19-year career, Malinga alone could not carry the day.

Source: Cricinfo

UCONN DEFEATS BUTLER TO CAPTURE NCAA TITLE UConn defeated Butler 53-41 in a low-scoring championship game. Jim Calhoun (pictured) captured his third title with UConn since 1999. Led by their defense, the Huskies stifled Butler’s offense and kept the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Shelvin Mack to 13 points.

NDP : Continued from pg 15 hold among New Democrats on Tuesday. The reported expulsion -- and/or exclusion -- of real or perceived opponents from Harper rallies only added to the incredulous tone. "Just because you have a different opinion, you can't walk into the room with the prime minister, that's wrong," Layton said. "And every Canadian should be worried about that, especially when the people he is letting into the room have the kind of record Mr. Carson has." The revelations came as Layton has faced increasing questions about the familiarity of many of the NDP's policy announcements, which have contained recycled promises from previous campaigns and ideas that have already been talked about, with the occasional tweak here and there.

"We're mixing the best ideas of the past with the new ideas of today," he said. The prime minister acknowledged knowing that Carson had been convicted in one case involving two counts of fraud, but not in another case involving three.

Layton said he doesn't believe Harper, and he

claimed most Canadians don't either. And just to emphasize the point, he repeated his entire condemnation in French rather alternating between languages as he does most often. The NDP's policy plank Tuesday centred on measures to help the so-called "sandwich generation" -- people who care for aging parents and young children at the same time. One in four Canadians cared for a seriously ill member of their family at home in the last 12 months. Layton is promising a retro-fit program to help families upgrade houses when elderly parents move in. It's modeled on an existing program in Manitoba and would provide forgivable loans to a maximum of $35,000. He also pledges to expand the compassionate-care provisions under employment insurance by extending leaves to six months from six weeks. The NDP also say they'd introduce a so-called caregiver benefit, similar to the existing Child Tax Benefit, to assist middle- and low-income households with the extra burden of caring for family members. It would be worth $1,500 per year. In total, the NDP's caregivers plan would cost the federal treasury $1.3 billion.

Source: CTV News

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27 Z.Bhutto : Continued from pg 14 Lieutenant Colonel Rafi-ud-Din 3) - Magistrate First Class, Mr. Bashir Ahmad Khan 4) - Jail Doctor, Mr. Sagheer Hussain Shah 5) ˆ Deputy Superintendent Jail, Khawaja Ghulam Rasool Assistant Superintendents of Jail Majeed Ahmed Qureshi, Kazim Hussain Baluch, Mahabat Khan and warders selected by the Jail Superintendent also followed the above mentioned officials up to the security ward.

Inspector of Jails Chaudhry Nazeer Akhtar went straight to the gallows from his office.

Additional army personnel had been deployed on the route from the security ward to the gallows.The officials entered Mr. Bhutto‚s cell. Bhutto Sahib was awake and was resting on the mattress. Magistrate Mr. Bashir Ahmad Khan asked him whether he wanted to leave any will. Bhutto Sahib remained quiet. He had turned yellow and pale and seemed very weak physically. His voice was barely audible because of weakness. He said something to the effect: I went near him and said as I bent over him, „Sir, are you able to walk or shall we pick you up?‰ He did not answer me, but kept looking into my eyes. I again repeated my question after a while. He kept on looking at me like that and then said, „I pity.‰ (He said something else also but we could not understand what it was).I again leaned forward and told him that I could not understand what he said. He repeated the same sentence again but I could not comprehend the last one or two words. I bent fully upon him and said, „Excuse me Sir, but I did not understand what you said.‰After a pause and with a lot of effort he said, „IHe was in a very sad state at that time. May be what he wanted to say was that he could not walk but he also did not want to be carried. May be he was thinking that his wife could have given him support, had she been present.

The magistrate again came forward and asked him if he wanted to write a will.

Bhutto Sahib remained quiet. The magistrate repeated his question. Bhutto Sahib replied, „Yes∑I∑would∑like∑to∑dic tate.‰At that moment, the time was up and the jail superintendent ordered the head warder to call his men inside and to lift up Mr. Bhutto. Four warders entered the ward. Two of them grabbed Mr. Bhutto‚s feet and two his arms, and lifted him up.

While he was being lifted, Mr. Bhutto said, “Leave me.“ Mr. Bhutto‚s back was almost touching the floor while he was being brought out of the cell. The lower part of his shirt got entangled in the warder‚s shoes and I heard the sound of the shirt being torn. He was put on the stretcher in the lawn. His hands were placed on his stomach and he was handcuffed. In the meanwhile, helper Abdur Rehman came with the cup of tea that Bhutto Sahib had ordered before we had entered his cell. I wondered: "on the other side of the Jail house‚s wall, in the Prime Minister House, Mr. Bhutto used to get anything that he wished for, from anywhere in the world. And today he could not even fulfill his simple wish of having a cup of tea."

he four warders lifted the stretcher from each corner. Bhutto Sahib lifted his head but remained motionless otherwise. His feet were yellow as if all the blood had been sucked out of him. He remained motionless till we reached near the gallows. The warders put the stretcher down on the ground near the gallows. Two of the warders put their arms under Mr. Bhutto‚s arm pits and helped him stand up on the plank of the gallows. I was the one closest to Mr. Bhutto. I was just keeping my feet away from the wooden plank of the gallows, but my ears were only a few feet away from

Issue 281 - Jamadi ul Awaal 4, 1432 / April 8, 2011 THE his face. His handcuffs were removed, his hands and arms pushed to his back with a forceful jerk, and he was handcuffed again.

In the meanwhile Tara Masih (the executioner) came and placed a mask over his face. He was either having trouble breathing because of the mask or he was feeling pain because of the way his arms were twisted when he was handcuffed. He said, „These‰. May be he wanted to say: " these are hurting me." I was very close to him. I had come so close to him, while avoiding the plank, that the distance between his face and my ears was not more than 1 or 2 feet.

But I could not hear his last sentence.At exactly 2:04 a.m. on 4th April, 1979, the executioner pressed the lever and Bhutto Sahib was executed. I climbed down the stairs to reach one level below to where Mr. Bhutto‚s body was hanging. I saw that Mr. Bhutto‚s body was moving slightly but that was because of the momentum of the body falling down. He was certainly dead at that time. I went and sat down near the Inspector of Jails on one of the chairs that had been placed near Mr. Bhutto‚s hanging body.The scene of Bhutto Sahib‚s hanging body is something that I have never been able to forget. I shiver even now when I think of that moment again. After a few minutes I saw someone moving Mr. Bhutto‚s body. I asked Chaudhry Yar Mohammad who it was. Instead of him, IG Prisons spoke up and told me that it was Tara Masih and he was straightening the arms & the legs so that the body would not get twisted due to spasms.

Mr. Bhutto‚s Burial Half an hour after the hanging, and after the jail doctor had issued the death certificate, Bhutto Sahib‚s hanging body was taken down at 2:35 a.m. His dead body was given a bath, the arrangements for which had already been made at the spot. A photographer, who had been sent by an intelligence agency, took some photographs of Mr. Bhutto (of Mr. Bhutto‚s private parts, which the author also mentioned in an earlier chapter). The authorities wanted to confirm whether Mr. Bhutto had been circumcised in Islamic manner or not. After the photographs were taken, it was confirmed that he was circumcised in the Islamic way.His body was then placed in a wooden casket and was sent towards Chaklala Airport. I also had to accompany Mr. Bhutto on this journey. I conducted this caravan to PAF Chaklala where a VIP C-130 was waiting for us. Bhutto Sahib‚s casket was loaded on to the plane along with a few other boxes and the plane started its journey towards Jacobabad. While the plane was over Sakesar (which is near Mianwali), I was told that there was some technical fault and the plane had to be taken back to Rawalpindi where another plane would take us to Jacobabad.Another C-130 was waiting for us at Chaklala. Bhutto Sahib‚s casket was loaded onto the plane and we again started our journey towards Jacobabad. We landed at Jacobabad Airport on the morning of 4th April, a few minutes before 7 a.m.

A helicopter was waiting for us.

Commanding Officer of 7 Punjab Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Sadiq, received Bhutto Sahib‚s casket from me, had it placed in the helicopter and then took off for Nau Dero. Mr. Bhutto was buried in a grave already dug for him in Garhi Khuda Baksh. * Yahya Bakhtiar, was one of Mr. Bhutto‚s lawyers ** Abdul Hafeez Pirzada, another of Mr. Bhutto‚s lawyers.

This article is an abridged translation of one of the chapters from Col Rafi ud Din‚s Urdu book “Bhutto kay akhri 323 din” (The last 323 days of Mr. Bhutto). Col. Rafi ud Din was the Special Security Superintendent of the Rawalpindi Jail.

MIR A LE

Public Announcements Dear Concerned Community Member: In the effort to better serve our community we would like you to take few minutes from your precious time to complete the following survey. Your input is very valuable. You can either complete the survey online (www.iqraschool.com/survey.aspx) or complete the attached form and mail it to the following address

14590 – 116A Ave, Surrey, BCV3R 2V1 Jazaakumullaahu khayran.

Iqra Islamic School Admin 1. Should Iqra School have a weekend school program? Yes / No 2. Are you interested in enrolling your child/ren in a weekend school program at Iqra? Yes / No 3. Number of children planning to enroll ________ 4. Should the weekend school program continue throughout the summer? Yes / No 5. If you answered yes in question 4, are you planning to enroll your children in weekend school program for summer 2011?

6. What would you like to see in a weekend program?

Dear Pakistan Canada Association

(PCA) Members, As you may be aware from the Notice issued by Mr. Raza Mirani, General Secretary of the PCA, annual Elections for the PCA executives will be held on Sunday April 24th from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm at the Jamia Masjid, located at 655 - West 8th Avenue in Vancouver, BC. Please make a note: All Completed Nomination Forms for a position must be sent to the Election Committee Members by mail or delivered in person on or before April 10, 2011, at 6:00 Pacific Time.

For additional details, guidelines and requirements to participate in this election please refer to the PCA’s Notice of "Annual General Body Meeting" issued on Mar 14, 2011.

The Election Committee Members are: Mr. Khuram Rai Mr. Mansur Mirani and Mr. Mumtaz Rana Tel: 604. 512-3235 604. 724-9461 604. 218-0213 To further facilitate the Nomination process and or to collect Nomination Envelopes etc., it has been very kindly agreed by the Committee Members that: 1. Mr. Khuarm Rai will be available in person at the Pakistan House in Surrey on Sunday April 10, 2011 from 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm.

2. Mr. Mansur Mirani will be available in person at the Jamia Masjid on West 8th Avenue in Vancouver from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm.

In case you need additional; information or assistance, please call me at telephone number (604) 218-0213 between 6:00 PM and 9:00PM daily.

Thank you for your consideration and continued support.

We look forward to meeting you on April 24th.

Yours Very Truly, Mumtaz Rana, The PCA Election Committee

PICS

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After the Great Success of First ever Pakistani Musical Contest of its Kind in BC

THE MIRACLE MEDIA GROUP

Proudly Presents

A Memorable Evening in Tribute to late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Let's Prove once again that Our Talent is no less than Others!

Singers of all ages will be competing for: Best Singer Awards Special Popularity Award(From Public) Musician Award Plus Prize Draw for Ticket Holders!

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• Chicken Biryani • Nihari • Haleem • Butter Chicken • Chicken Wraps with Paratha • Seek Kabobs Wraps with Paratha

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EST. 1982