Headlines 29/04/2016

Headlines

• UK: Whatever they do, Muslims Can’t Win in Our Society

• Afghans too Busy Fighting Taliban to Train, says US General

• Pakistan’s Army Chief Discusses ME Security Situation with Jordan’s King

Details

UK: Whatever they do, Muslims Can’t Win in Our Society

It is enough to make you feel proud to be British, citizens of a nation that loves little better than to boast about its brilliance at subsuming new cultures into our supposedly tolerant society. In the space of just a few days a Muslim woman clad in a hijab cooked the Queen’s 90th birthday cake, a Muslim footballer was voted player of the year for the first time and a Muslim woman notched up the unprecedented hat-trick of being the first black, female and Islamic student president. These small steps forward should have been starbursts of pride, signs of rapid evolution in a modern nation embracing diversity.

Instead suspicion clings to this community, with double standards that demand integration then treat its members so differently to others. Meanwhile Malia Bouattia, elected head of the National Union of Students, is forced to deny claims she is a sympathiser with Islamic State. It seems rather unlikely that religious bigots would have much truck with such an opinionated character, who has risen to the top of student politics. Unfortunately, such suspicion is far from unique for prominent Muslims, who often face questions over divided loyalties. Note how community leaders condemn bloody attacks in Europe yet, when their remarks go largely unrecorded, face questions for their failure to speak out. Bouattia is also under fire for her views on Israel, accused of antisemitism in her implied support for armed resistance in the occupied territories. I do not share such hardline sympathies, for all the valid concerns over treatment of Palestinians, and she has made obtuse comments. But many Muslims, like many non-Muslims, feel intense anger over repression in the West Bank and Gaza. One massive poll found Muslims feel more strongly British than any other faith or ethnic minority. Another found half the respondents expecting “a clash of civilisations” between British Muslims and native white Britons. As fear and hostility grows – exactly as sought by extremists on all sides – I know of young women living in outer London who are scared to travel into town because of abuse and stares. Why? Because like the new queen of cakes, they wear scarves on their heads. Muslims are just the latest group of immigrants to be subjected to profound suspicion. Many claims made against them echo with uncanny precision those once made against Jews and Catholics. Yet fissures only grow wider when politicians weaponise refugees and religion, when prominent figures get treated to such intense scrutiny, and when bile against one group becomes acceptable bigotry. We need to find the common ground of shared citizenship that brings people together, not constantly deepen the damaging divisions in our society. [Source: Guardian]

No matter how hard UK Muslims try to fit in, British society will never accept them. Muslims in the UK need to realise that their salvation lies in carrying Islam to fellow indigenous citizens and not in integration.

Afghans too Busy Fighting Taliban to Train, says US General

Efforts to build up the Afghan military have been delayed by heavy fighting and high casualties, the US general in charge of the mission said. This raises the specter of US troops not pulling out on schedule, or even being sent back into Afghanistan. Fighting the Taliban, Al-Qaeda and even Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) is taking up all the time and resources of the Afghan government forces, putting the US plan to train a self-sufficient army behind schedule, General John Nicholson said in an exclusive interview with Reuters. Nicholson assumed command of NATO’s operation Resolute Support and the US troops in Afghanistan in early March. He spoke with the agency after touring Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman province, one of the four main US training facilities in Afghanistan. Afghan forces had 5,500 killed and 14,000 wounded in 2015, Nicholson said. General John F. Campbell, Nicholson’s predecessor, told the House Armed Services Committee in February that the US may need to stay in Afghanistan “for years.” "Afghanistan has not achieved an enduring level of security and stability that justifies a reduction of our support... 2016 could be no better and possibly worse than 2015," Campbell said. He insisted that the Taliban only controlled 2 percent of the country, and “has influence” in 4 percent more, though some estimates put up to 30 percent of Afghanistan under the Islamist group’s control. A recent report from the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) said it was unlikely that a "robust and sustainable" Afghan force would come into being without continued US and NATO support. Some Afghans are not convinced prolonged US presence would make any difference, however. “The US has promised to build an effective army here for fifteen years, why believe that they can do it now all of a sudden?” Ali Aqbar Qasemi, a former military commander and current Afghan lawmaker, told RT in February. “All the foreign powers in Afghanistan follow their own agendas, none of them have the country’s interests at heart.” [Source: Reuters/Russia Today]

After having spent 15 years in Afghanistan, America has very little to show for the billions of dollars spent and the bloodshed of its soldiers. Instead, US military officials like Nicholson are determined to put forward excuses to cover up their failures. In the past, Britain, and Russia found Afghanistan to be unwinnable, and today America is discovering why Afghanistan is the graveyard for empires!

Pakistan’s Army Chief Discusses ME Security Situation with Jordan’s King

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif, who is on an official visit to Jordan called on King Abdullah II at king’s Palace in Amman on Tuesday. According to a statement issued by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), matters of mutual interest including enhanced defence and security collaboration and regional security situation in the Middle East came under discussion during the meeting. Both leaders agreed that Pakistan and Jordan share a great history of cordial relations and deep-rooted spirit of brotherhood which is transforming into enduring partnership, said the statement. King Abdullah appreciated Pakistan Army’s achievements in fight against terrorism and efforts to promote regional peace and stability. [Source: Geo News]

Speculation is rife that Shareef’s visit to Jordan is part of a wider plan to assemble a Muslim coalition of forces to intervene in regional hotspots such as Syria and Yemen. It remains to be seen whether this will manifest in the coming months. However, these interventions are not orchestrated at the behest of the rulers of the Muslim world; rather America is the principal designer and benefactor of such maneuvers. The Muslim world has lost its indepenedence, and only the Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashida upon the method of the Prophethood can restore honour dignity and political unity to the Islamic world. Allah (swt) says:

(يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَجِيبُواْ لِلّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ إِذَا دَعَاكُم لِمَا يُحْيِيكُمْ)

“Oh you who have attained to faith! Respond to the call of God and the Apostle whenever he calls you unto that which will give you life.” [TMQ: Al Anfal: 24]