Sunday, 24 August 2014
ISIS Beheading Videos Banned, ISIL Leader Says Islam ‘Is Not The Religion Of The Western Hippie’
In a related report by The Inquisitr, one of the most infamous ISIS beheading videos to make its way to the western world was the execution of James Foley by a British Islamic fighter. It was reported that ISIS offered a ransom demand before killing him and a special ops team tried and failed to rescue him back in July. The Foley family has since released a statement regarding the death of their son. President Obama denounced the terrorists for the ISIS beheadings videos but otherwise did little to persuade the world to take action, although some hope that various nations will rally together to declare a World War on ISIS.
According to al-Shishani, ISIS has already declared war on the world and promises to “fight them until they accept our rule” under a new Islamic caliphate. Al-Shishani is a Chechen terrorist who converted to Islam while spending three years in prison for illegally harboring weapons. The terrorist was named commander of the northern sector of Syria by the ISIS in 2013, only to be named their military leader in June of 2014.
In a recent interview with Australian talk show host Tom Elliott, al-Shishani promised to invade Iran when the ISIS in Iraq finish their goals. He also stated that their enemy is anyone who opposes Islam:
“We will fight them. We will take their women. We will take their children. They have to come to Islam or they will get wiped out.”When al-Shishani was asked about the ISIS beheading videos and the crucifixions, the ISIL leader admitted the goal is to subjugate the entire world underneath the Islamic caliphate and that anyone might become a target:
“Everybody who stands about us and makes trouble in our land. This is according to Sharia [and] God.”The talk show host then specifically asked the ISIS leader if Islam is a religion of peace. While al-Shishani did not specifically say “yes” or “no,” his actual answer was not exactly comforting:
“It is the religion of prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. It is not the religion of the Western hippie who tries to be accepted by you.”You can listen to the full interview here:
LiveLeak also released a statement explaining why they believe the ISIS beheading videos need to be banned:
Do you think banning the violent ISIS beheading videos helps or hinders the cause of the Islamic terrorist group?
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1426809/isis-beheading-videos-banned-isil-leader-says-islam-is-not-the-religion-of-the-western-hippie/#cKtmihi2sm6Iwfgf.99
“We will not be showing further beheadings carried out by [ISIS]. We’ve shown the world the true horror of this form of execution more than once in the past and we cannot find any compelling reason to even be thought of as promoting the actions of this group. There is no reason at all to show more beheadings.”Critics of this decision claim media outlets are watering down the truth by attempting to make the situation more family friendly. Those who support the decision say the only reason to watch such videos is because people desire to watch these gruesome actions and not because they desire to know the truth. They also contend that ISIS wants the videos to be spread and watching them only encourages more ISIS beheadings.
Do you think banning the violent ISIS beheading videos helps or hinders the cause of the Islamic terrorist group?
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1426809/isis-beheading-videos-banned-isil-leader-says-islam-is-not-the-religion-of-the-western-hippie/#cKtmihi2sm6Iwfgf.99
If Umno respects Dr M, they should reply to his criticisms
Perhaps the point is lost on Umno information chief Datuk Ahmad Maslan that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad did complain and criticise Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak privately.But it didn't work, so the country's longest-serving prime minister had to take his complaints and criticisms out in the open for all to see, no matter if Umno's political foes take advantage of it.
This isn't the first time that Dr Mahathir has publicly dropped support for an Umno president. He did it to Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi two years ahead of the 2008 general elections.
The Umno information chief said although he respected Dr Mahathir, he felt that the veteran politician should have been circumspect with his criticism of Najib's leadership.
"Please bear in mind that the situation and circumstances during Mahathir's times are different from Najib, both economically and politically," he said during a speech at the Seputeh Umno meeting today.
This is the thing with Umno politicians who cannot argue with Dr Mahathir, who was in power for more than 22 years. Instead of arguing with him point for point, Umno politicians insist they respect him but the circumstances are different.
How different is it? Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) still hold Putrajaya. They still control the mass media. They run the economy and under Najib, have put several transformation programmes for the country to be a high-income nation come 2020.
But they have yet to argue that Najib's policies have worked although Putrajaya's efficiency agency, Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) says that the policies are working.
Let's put in perspective what Dr Mahathir said this past week was carried only by the online media and not the mainstream electronic and print media.
“I have tried to give my views to him directly, which are also the views of many people who have met me," wrote Dr Mahathir on his popular blog, chedet.cc.
"This has not been effective so I have to criticise. I have no choice but to withdraw my support," he said, adding that Najib was no better than his predecessor, Tun Abdullah Badawi.
Dr Mahathir said he had hoped Najib learnt lessons from his poor performance in the last general election but it appeared that he had not.
“Many policies, approaches and actions taken by the government under Najib have destroyed inter-racial ties, the economy and the country’s finances,” he wrote, citing the BR1M direct cash aid and kow-towing to foreign countries.
This isn't new from Dr Mahathir. He has articulated this in the past in his blog and several forums in the past year. So why bother asking him to continue criticising in private when it has not worked?
This is the same mentality as having no-contests in Umno elections, which was the standard practice when Umno was reconstituted after being made illegal in 1988.
So times have changed, as Ahmad Maslan says. But Umno elections are still the same no-contests as in Dr Mahathir's time to ensure party unity.
If there is truly a change in situation, Umno politicians like Ahmad Maslan should take it upon themselves to reply to Dr Mahathir point by point. Respect Dr Mahathir by arguing with him, not asking him to criticise in private. – August 23, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/if-umno-respects-dr-m-they-should-reply-to-his-criticisms#sthash.OvIDZy4j.dpuf
Disciplinary hearing against Cecil postponed - Malaysiakini
The disciplinary hearing against senior lawyer
Cecil Abraham, who is in the centre of a storm in the legal fraternity,
has been postponed.
A source told Malaysiakini that the hearing before a disciplinary committee of the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board this morning was put off after one of the three-member panel could not make it.
The disciplinary committee is aimed at establishing the facts behind claims of misconduct against Cecil (left) and his son Sunil, who allegedly drafted a statutory declaration (SD) for private investigator P Balasubramaniam under duress.
The SD was for Balasubramaniam to retract his first SD just a day before,when he had linked Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak with murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.
If found guilty, the committee may recommend actions such as dismissal as counsel, a reprimand, a fine or suspension not exceeding five years, though the recommendations do not necessarily need to be taken up by the board.
Lawyer Americk Sidhu (below), who helped draft Balasubramaniam’s first SD, had revealed at a Malaysian Bar annual general meeting last year that Cecil admitted drafting the second SD on Najib’s instructions.
The revelation to the AGM came a day after Balasubramaniam’s death.
He and his family had been in exile for more than four years after the first SD retraction.
This led to the disciplinary hearing against Cecil.
Bar Council vice-president Steven Thiru, when contacted, declined to either deny or confirm the postponement.
"This is all supposed to be confidential, I cannot comment," he said.
'Mystery witness'
However, the source told Malaysiakini that a new hearing is expected to be held sometime in October or November.
Malaysiakini on Wednesday reported that a "mystery witness" was to testify at the disciplinary hearing today.
It was speculated that the person is a lawyer who was initially approached to draft Balasubramaniam’s second SD, which the person declined and the role was given to Cecil.
Balasubramaniam’s (left) family, who returned to Malaysia in 2013, filed a RM1.9 million suit
at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, where they named Najib and his wife
Rosmah Mansor, two of Najib’s brothers as well as Cecil, in the suit.
They are claiming losses and damages suffered during the time of their "forced exile".
All the parties being sued by Balasubramaniam’s widow have filed applications to strike it out.
To date, the death of Altantuyaa Shaariibuu, reportedly involved in a multi-billion ringgit Scorpene submarine deal, remains unsolved.
Two police Special Action Unit members, namely Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, were found guilty at the Shah Alam High Court with murdering Altantuya, while political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, once Najib’s close confidante, was acquitted.
However, the two police officers were both acquitted by the Court of Appeal last year and a decision is pending on the two policemen, following the prosecution’s appeal to the Federal Court.
A source told Malaysiakini that the hearing before a disciplinary committee of the Advocates and Solicitors Disciplinary Board this morning was put off after one of the three-member panel could not make it.
The disciplinary committee is aimed at establishing the facts behind claims of misconduct against Cecil (left) and his son Sunil, who allegedly drafted a statutory declaration (SD) for private investigator P Balasubramaniam under duress.The SD was for Balasubramaniam to retract his first SD just a day before,when he had linked Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak with murdered Mongolian national Altantuya Shaariibuu.
If found guilty, the committee may recommend actions such as dismissal as counsel, a reprimand, a fine or suspension not exceeding five years, though the recommendations do not necessarily need to be taken up by the board.
Lawyer Americk Sidhu (below), who helped draft Balasubramaniam’s first SD, had revealed at a Malaysian Bar annual general meeting last year that Cecil admitted drafting the second SD on Najib’s instructions.
The revelation to the AGM came a day after Balasubramaniam’s death.He and his family had been in exile for more than four years after the first SD retraction.
This led to the disciplinary hearing against Cecil.
Bar Council vice-president Steven Thiru, when contacted, declined to either deny or confirm the postponement.
"This is all supposed to be confidential, I cannot comment," he said.
'Mystery witness'
However, the source told Malaysiakini that a new hearing is expected to be held sometime in October or November.
Malaysiakini on Wednesday reported that a "mystery witness" was to testify at the disciplinary hearing today.
It was speculated that the person is a lawyer who was initially approached to draft Balasubramaniam’s second SD, which the person declined and the role was given to Cecil.
Balasubramaniam’s (left) family, who returned to Malaysia in 2013, filed a RM1.9 million suit
at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, where they named Najib and his wife
Rosmah Mansor, two of Najib’s brothers as well as Cecil, in the suit.They are claiming losses and damages suffered during the time of their "forced exile".
All the parties being sued by Balasubramaniam’s widow have filed applications to strike it out.
To date, the death of Altantuyaa Shaariibuu, reportedly involved in a multi-billion ringgit Scorpene submarine deal, remains unsolved.
Two police Special Action Unit members, namely Chief Inspector Azilah Hadri and Corporal Sirul Azhar Umar, were found guilty at the Shah Alam High Court with murdering Altantuya, while political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda, once Najib’s close confidante, was acquitted.
However, the two police officers were both acquitted by the Court of Appeal last year and a decision is pending on the two policemen, following the prosecution’s appeal to the Federal Court.
Repent, Indian chambers of commerce tells Dr M
In a statement today, Malaysian Associated Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Maicci) said that instead of flaying Najib, Mahathir (below) should “reflect on his own weaknesses”.
“Mahathir should stop discrediting the current prime minister but first look at his own weaknesses and please also keep in mind that being an elder statesman, whatever you say is gospel truth.
“The
Maicci management committee would like to convey to (Mahathir) to
always think good, do good and say good and repent for your wrong doings
during your tenure,” Maicci secretary-general M Davendran said.He added that Malaysia’s growth data – growing above expectation at 6.4 percent in the second quarter of 2014 - shows that the country is on the right track under Najib’s leadership.
“On the ground, among the business community, much is being felt with improved sentiments and spending from both business and consumers.
“This is indeed a strong testament of the direction taken by the country’s leadership to ensure Malaysia stays on track in meeting its vision,” he said.
He added that Najib’s commitment to the business community was also underscored when he had himself engaged Maicci in a dialogue in July.
“We were deeply surprised at the time taken at such a senior level to understand the business community’s needs and the preparedness of the senior leadership to engage with business leaders, in spite of our strong differences of opinion.
“In our opinion, Malaysia’s success economically at this juncture is due to this style of leadership of our prime minister,” he said.
Proton should fund itself
On a separate matter, Maicci disagreed with Mahathir’s proposal that a RM1.7 billion government grant be given to Proton Holdings.
“Maicci
(is) of the opinion that Proton Holdings is a private entity and they
should be funded by the shareholders and not via Malaysian taxpayers’
money,” he said.Proton had in July reportedly submitted a request to the Economic Council for a grant of RM1.7 billion.
The request came after Mahathir, who is Proton chairperson, said the carmaker will seek “reimbursement” from the government for the roughly RM300 million spent on research and development for its new car.
He had attacked Najib for being too “soft” and “quiet” on critical issues, and said that he regretted chosing him to replace than fifth prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Mahathir had campaigned hard to unseat Abdullah, whom he had hand-picked as a successor.
The Umno veteran’s assault latest on Najib has prompted an ardent show of support for the PM from Umno leaders and cabinet members.
No guarantee only Wan Azizah’s name will be submitted, says Azmin
The PKR deputy president said that based on past practices, the three parties in Pakatan Rakyat would submit their respective choices separately.
“In 2008 and 2013, the three component parties sent the names of the MB separately.
“However, the difference then was that we agreed to a common name,” he told reporters at the PKR 10th National Congress, Saturday.
He said that Pakatan on a whole had decided on Dr Wan Azizah and that it was up to the individual parties to submit the proposed name.
When asked if there was a possibility of PAS submitting two names, Azmin said that it was PAS’ prerogative.
“That is a decision for PAS to make which we must respect.
“I can’t speak on behalf of PAS even though my nomination was endorsed by them,” he said.
Azmin also confirmed that Selangor PAS’s 13 assemblymen had yet to sign the statutory declaration supporting Dr Wan Azizah.
“We have sent 30 names that signed the statutory declaration.
“We have the majority, it is now up to the Sultan to analyse the documents and come to a wise decision,” he said.
Meanwhile, PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said that Pakatan had convened a meeting on Friday to discuss the legal implications of the Selangor crisis with their lawyers.
He noted the issue over a different name to be submitted to the palace does not arise as Pakatan will maintain its earlier decision to nominate Dr Wan Azizah.
Two non-Muslim MH17 victims to be cremated on Sunday
A deputy general manager of NV Care Sdn Bhd Teh Khai Lin said Foo’s remains would be kept at the Nirvana Memorial Centre in Sungai Besi for two days from today for religious rites before being brought to Shah Alam.
“Ng’s remains will be stored for one day and brought back to his residence at Kota Kemuning, Selangor, tomorrow before it is taken to Shah Alam for the cremation rites on Sunday,” he told reporters at the centre in Kuala Lumpur today.
He said the process of receiving and handling the remains of the four non-Muslim victims had run smoothly.
They are the remains of Foo, Ng, Paul Rajasingam Sivagnanam and his wife, Mabel Anthony Samy.
The couple’s remains will be kept at the centre until tomorrow before being brought to their home in Bangsar in Kuala Lumpur.
Flight MH17 crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board. The Boeing 777-200 aircraft is believed to have been shot down over the troubled country.
The remains of 20 of the 43 Malaysian victims who perished in the tragedy were brought home from the Netherlands in a special aircraft.
Putrajaya has declared yesterday as a day of national mourning and a special ceremony was held to honour the victims at the Bunga Raya Complex in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport upon the arrival. – Bernama
The sedition of Surendran
Someone might actually be committing sedition without knowing it because the definition of sedition in the act is broad and vague.
The Sedition Act of today is the updated form of the Sedition Ordinance 1948, a law designed to silence critics of the British colonial government. In 1948, the biggest threat to colonialism in Malaysia was Communism, and its embodiment in the form of the Communist Party of Malaysia. The Sedition Act is the sibling of the Internal Security Act (ISA).
In a nutshell or non-legal speak, it is a law which allows its enforcers to put someone away for saying or publishing anything deemed to be seditious. Someone might actually be committing sedition without knowing it because the definition of sedition in the act is broad and vague.
Rest assured you are safe complaining about the terrible nasi lemak you had, but you would be walking a fine line when you grumble about the unfairness of GST. Anything beyond that and you might be facing a three-year jail sentence or a RM5,000 fine or both. The saving grace about this in comparison to the ISA is that it limits the punishment and allows you your day in court.
The terrifying downside is that you might have committed a crime without intending to do so because you didn’t even know it was a crime. A case in point is the Form 5 lad who is being investigated under this law for clicking the Like button while surfing the “I love Israel” page on Facebook.
The now repealed ISA was its bigger brother, in that it gave its enforcers the right to lock-up any individual whom the enforcers believed would commit, cause, or incite a security breach, without any recourse to trial, for an indefinite period. It is preventive in its action because it seeks to pre-empt the alleged security breach. However in practice it is also used after the fact.
Just imagine going to jail for something you haven’t done but because someone believes you would. No proof, no courts, no dice roll, straight to jail without passing Go. That is the gist of the ISA.
Last Tuesday, N Surendran was charged under the Sedition Act at the Sessions Court for allegedly making false statements in connection with Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial. Surendran is Anwar’s defence lawyer in that trial, as well as a PKR member of parliament for Padang Serai.
200 police reports
According to Surendran, he was discussing with the media the substance of a defence argument used in the Court of Appeal and how that could be relevant in the upcoming Federal Court hearing, and the Prime Minister’s name was brought up. The next thing you know 200 or so police reports are lodged against Surendran by Umno members accusing him of spreading falsehoods about Najib. The Public Prosecutor pressed charges.
Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram seems to think it valid for a defence attorney to discuss the merits of a judgement, or even disagree, so long as no disparaging remarks are directed at the judges themselves.
Human Rights Watch (Asia) says that this is “another blatant example of a draconian law being used to violate freedom of expression and silence critics” of Najib’s government.
In the legal profession, lawyers often have to walk that fine line if they are to represent their clients to the best of their abilities. Surendran was walking that fine line in the exercise of his duties as Anwar’s counsel.
Although not facing anything as serious, so was Edmund Bon in his defence of Khalid Ibrahim, as Bon was subjected to a Twitter campaign of hate by others in the legal fraternity, very much like the Form 5 boy who faced hate and resentment from teachers and schoolmates for simply being naïve.
This boy faces both the threat of the Sedition Act as well the hate from school and on Facebook.
This tool of convenience has been used frequently by the authorities in what seems a very arbitrary manner. It is a law no longer in step with the times and often abused as the catch all since the repeal of the ISA.
In a nutshell or non-legal speak, it is a law which allows its enforcers to put someone away for saying or publishing anything deemed to be seditious. Someone might actually be committing sedition without knowing it because the definition of sedition in the act is broad and vague.
Rest assured you are safe complaining about the terrible nasi lemak you had, but you would be walking a fine line when you grumble about the unfairness of GST. Anything beyond that and you might be facing a three-year jail sentence or a RM5,000 fine or both. The saving grace about this in comparison to the ISA is that it limits the punishment and allows you your day in court.
The terrifying downside is that you might have committed a crime without intending to do so because you didn’t even know it was a crime. A case in point is the Form 5 lad who is being investigated under this law for clicking the Like button while surfing the “I love Israel” page on Facebook.
The now repealed ISA was its bigger brother, in that it gave its enforcers the right to lock-up any individual whom the enforcers believed would commit, cause, or incite a security breach, without any recourse to trial, for an indefinite period. It is preventive in its action because it seeks to pre-empt the alleged security breach. However in practice it is also used after the fact.
Just imagine going to jail for something you haven’t done but because someone believes you would. No proof, no courts, no dice roll, straight to jail without passing Go. That is the gist of the ISA.
Last Tuesday, N Surendran was charged under the Sedition Act at the Sessions Court for allegedly making false statements in connection with Anwar Ibrahim’s sodomy trial. Surendran is Anwar’s defence lawyer in that trial, as well as a PKR member of parliament for Padang Serai.
200 police reports
According to Surendran, he was discussing with the media the substance of a defence argument used in the Court of Appeal and how that could be relevant in the upcoming Federal Court hearing, and the Prime Minister’s name was brought up. The next thing you know 200 or so police reports are lodged against Surendran by Umno members accusing him of spreading falsehoods about Najib. The Public Prosecutor pressed charges.
Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram seems to think it valid for a defence attorney to discuss the merits of a judgement, or even disagree, so long as no disparaging remarks are directed at the judges themselves.
Human Rights Watch (Asia) says that this is “another blatant example of a draconian law being used to violate freedom of expression and silence critics” of Najib’s government.
In the legal profession, lawyers often have to walk that fine line if they are to represent their clients to the best of their abilities. Surendran was walking that fine line in the exercise of his duties as Anwar’s counsel.
Although not facing anything as serious, so was Edmund Bon in his defence of Khalid Ibrahim, as Bon was subjected to a Twitter campaign of hate by others in the legal fraternity, very much like the Form 5 boy who faced hate and resentment from teachers and schoolmates for simply being naïve.
This boy faces both the threat of the Sedition Act as well the hate from school and on Facebook.
This tool of convenience has been used frequently by the authorities in what seems a very arbitrary manner. It is a law no longer in step with the times and often abused as the catch all since the repeal of the ISA.
Snap polls could see chaos and uncertainty in Selangor, forum told
The regularly-cited constitutional expert expressed fears of possible attempts to trigger unrest that may allow Putrajaya to regain control of Selangor via an emergency.
“If it is dissolved, we can do nothing … If this Monday His Highness decides to dissolve it, then it will be dissolved,” Aziz said of the state assembly.
Mentri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim is set to meet the Selangor Sultan on Monday, according to sources familiar with the matter.
The Selangor University (Unisel) lecturer pointed out to a previous case of an unsuccessful challenge against the dissolution of the Sabah state assembly, to back his point.
But he asserted that Khalid no longer has the authority to request for a dissolution of the assembly, as he can be considered a “caretaker” MB after a demonstrable loss of confidence in his administration among state lawmakers.
Citing the cases of the 1977 Kelantan Emergency and the 1966 Sarawak Constitutional Crisis, Aziz said an emergency might be declared in Selangor should chaos be instigated by agents provocateur.
“I’m worried it would turn out like that, it created a chaos. Then this provides the ground for the authorities to do what they want,” Aziz claimed.
In the 1966 Sarawak crisis, the federal government declared a state of emergency to reinstate a new chief minister after a High Court declared that the ouster of the previous chief minister Tan Sri Stephen Kalong Ningkan was illegal.
In the 1977 emergency, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong similarly declared emergency at the request of the federal government after street violence and a political impasse.
The impasse and violence happened after Kelantan MB Datuk Muhammad Nasir requested consent from the Regent of Kelantan for a dissolution of state assembly, but was refused instead.
Other panelists in the forum last night was electoral watchdog Bersih 2.0 chairman Maria Chin Abdullah and Khairul Ariffin Mohd Munir, the vice-president of Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (ABIM). It was moderated by Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan of the coalition Negara-Ku.
Selangor was thrown into a leadership crisis after PKR sacked Khalid for refusing to yield his position to party president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Khalid responded by removing all hostile PKR and DAP officials from his executive council, leaving Selangor in the hands of an independent MP and four excos from PAS.
The Pakatan Rakyat parties banded together last Sunday to demand Khalid’s resignation, saying he no longer commanded the confidence of the state’s lawmakers.
Khalid is refusing to acknowledge this until it is tested in a vote of no-confidence in the state assembly.
Remains Of Three More MH17 Malaysian Victims Coming Home
From Mohd Faizal Hassan
AMSTERDAM, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft carrying the remains of three more victims who were on board the doomed MAS Flight MH17 has departed here and is scheduled to arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Malaysia on Sunday morning.
The aircraft departed here at noon (6pm Malaysian time) Saturday.
The remains placed in a coffin and two urns are expected to arrive at the KLIA at 8.30am, said a Malaysian Embassy spokesman here.
So far, the Netherlands authorities have identified the remains of 30 Malaysian victims, including 20 which arrived at the KLIA yesterday.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, said the remains to be repatriated tomorrow were those of MAS chief steward Mohd Ghafar Abu Bakar and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) lecturer Ng Shi Ing, while the identity of the third was not revealed, following a request from the family.
He said the remains were expected to arrive at the Bunga Raya Complex, KLIA about 8.30am.
"We will have a ceremony honouring two of the remains as what was done for the first batch yesterday, and a minute's silence will be observed between 8.30am and 9am, which will be announced on the television and radio," he said.
Liow said the ceremony would be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Mohd Ghafar's remains will be laid to rest at the Taman Kosas Muslim Cemetery in Ampang, Selangor, while Ng's remains will be sent to the Xiao En Bereavement Care Sdn Bhd in Cheras here.
Liow urged all parties to respect the wishes and privacy of the family of the third victim whose identity was kept secret.
Meanwhile, he said the third batch of remains would be repatriated on Aug 30.
Flight MH17 was carrying 298 passengers and crew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was believed to have been shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17.
Besides the 43 Malaysian passengers, the aircraft was also carrying passengers from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Philippines, Canada and New Zealand.
AMSTERDAM, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- A Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft carrying the remains of three more victims who were on board the doomed MAS Flight MH17 has departed here and is scheduled to arrive at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Malaysia on Sunday morning.
The aircraft departed here at noon (6pm Malaysian time) Saturday.
The remains placed in a coffin and two urns are expected to arrive at the KLIA at 8.30am, said a Malaysian Embassy spokesman here.
So far, the Netherlands authorities have identified the remains of 30 Malaysian victims, including 20 which arrived at the KLIA yesterday.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, at a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, said the remains to be repatriated tomorrow were those of MAS chief steward Mohd Ghafar Abu Bakar and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) lecturer Ng Shi Ing, while the identity of the third was not revealed, following a request from the family.
He said the remains were expected to arrive at the Bunga Raya Complex, KLIA about 8.30am.
"We will have a ceremony honouring two of the remains as what was done for the first batch yesterday, and a minute's silence will be observed between 8.30am and 9am, which will be announced on the television and radio," he said.
Liow said the ceremony would be attended by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
Mohd Ghafar's remains will be laid to rest at the Taman Kosas Muslim Cemetery in Ampang, Selangor, while Ng's remains will be sent to the Xiao En Bereavement Care Sdn Bhd in Cheras here.
Liow urged all parties to respect the wishes and privacy of the family of the third victim whose identity was kept secret.
Meanwhile, he said the third batch of remains would be repatriated on Aug 30.
Flight MH17 was carrying 298 passengers and crew from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was believed to have been shot down in eastern Ukraine on July 17.
Besides the 43 Malaysian passengers, the aircraft was also carrying passengers from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Philippines, Canada and New Zealand.
British rapper a suspect in ISIS beheading
Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary — who recently tweeted a photo of himself holding up a severed head — was among three Brits identified as possibly being the masked killer known as “John the Beatle.”
Bary, 24, is the son of an Egyptian-born militant who is awaiting trial on terror charges tied to the deadly 1998 bombings of embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
Also under investigation are the brother of a British doctor once charged with kidnapping two Western war correspondents, and a former gang member who converted to Islam and traveled to Syria, Britain’s Telegraph newspaper reported.
A dozen American counterterrorism experts are expected to fly to the UK “within days” to help identify Foley’s killer, Britain’s Daily Mail reported.
Former hostages held by ISIS have said he is one of several jihadists they nicknamed “the Beatles” due to their British accents, with two of his cronies referred to as “George” and “Ringo.”
Bary, who went to Syria last year to fight in its bloody civil war, has a build, skin tone and accent all similar to those of “John,” according to The Telegraph.
Before becoming a jihadist, he was an aspiring rapper from West London known as “L Jinny,” whose music was played on BBC Radio 1.
Bary also appeared in music videos posted on YouTube for songs titled “Overdose,” “Flying High” and “Dreamer.”
But he was reportedly radicalized by followers of firebrand Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary and walked out of his family’s plush home in the Maida Vale district of London last year, saying he was “leaving everything for the sake of Allah.”
Earlier this month, he was seen in a photo posted to Twitter wearing camouflage clothing and a black balaclava while holding a severed head with his left hand — the same hand “John” is seen using to draw a knife across Foley’s throat in his execution video.
According to The Telegraph, Bary is on an official list of British jihadists who may be “John.”
Also on the list is Razul Islam, 21, the paper says.
Read more : http://nypost.com/2014/08/23/british-rapper-a-suspect-in-journalists-beheading-by-isis/
Brit jihadist 'John The Jailer' set to behead twenty more Western hostages
The captives are reportedly the number of reporters who went missing after they were abducted by the IS extremists in Syria.
The terror group intends to use the kidnapped reporters as pawns in their battle to stop US air strikes on their terror fighters, the Daily Star reports.
There are high chances the English executioner dubbed "John The Jailer," who slashed US journalist James's throat on camera, may slaughter the hostages in a similar fashion.
John The Jailer is one of the three British jihadists known as The Beatles owing to their English backgrounds.
At present, they hold the responsibility to guard and execute Western hostages.
It is feared that more than 500 British Muslims have fled to the Middle East to join the Islamic State.
The Brit jihadists reportedly account for a quarter of the terror group's army of freedom fighters and have a reputation of being the most violent and bloodthirsty. (ANI)
Saturday, 23 August 2014
‘James Foley was singled out for extra beating’
charge of holding foreign hostages in Raqqa, Syria, which comes under the control of Islamic State rebels, according to yet-to-be officially confirmed reports quoted in the press. The video of the execution entitled “A message to America” shows a man swathed in black whose British accent puts him as one amongst the hundreds of U.K. citizens who went to fight in Syria with the anti-government rebels, and eventually joined the forces of IS.
The man, who called himself John, is believed to be the main rebel negotiator on hostages for IS. He was described as “intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings”, by a former hostage to The Guardian. The group of three U.K.-born militants who were in charge of the hostages were apparently referred to as “the Beatles” because of their nationality, the former captive told The Guardian.
James Foley was taken hostage in 2012. The video of his beheading was publically issued by the IS-run media outlet called Al Furqan.
The U.K. Metropolitan Police have warned that viewing, downloading or disseminating the video could be a crime under the anti-terrorism laws.
Prime Minister David Cameron broke his holiday for the second time to hold briefings on the crisis. From Downing Street he said that it is “increasingly likely” that a British jihadist carried out the killing. “Let me condemn the barbaric and brutal act that has taken place and let's be clear what this act is — it is an act of murder, and murder without any justification,” Mr. Cameron said.
However, he ruled out any change in Britain’s policy towards the escalating crisis in the Middle East, ruling out the possibility of sending troops to the region.
British intelligence agencies are using voice recognition technology to identify the suspected British executioner. His accent suggests that he may be from London.
Meanwhile, two other former hostages of the IS have spoken to the media on the killer’s identity.
One of them, 53-year old Didier Francois, was released this April.
He told Europe 1 Radio that he was warned that if he told the media that he had been held with Mr. Foley and Steve Sotloff (another hostage) reprisals would follow.
Mr. Francois is reported as saying that Mr. Foley had been singled out for extra beating because his captors discovered photographs of his brother, who works for the U.S. Air Force.
This was confirmed by Nicolas Henin a reporter who was also taken hostage by IS forces. He told L’Express magazine that Mr. Foley became the “whipping boy of jailors” because of his brother and the fact that he was American.
Anti-Semitism In Sweden: Jewish Woman Beaten By Angry Group Of Muslims For Wearing Star Of David
Anna Sjogren, who was walking innocently through a predominantly-Muslim suburb of the city of Uppsala in central Sweden, was set upon by the group after they noticed she was wearing a star of David necklace.
Sjogren told the WZO Center: “A Muslim girl saw that I was wearing the Star of David on my neck and she started swearing at me and spat in my face. I got very upset and pushed her off.”
At which point, says Sjogren, a sharp object was thrown at her face and before she knew it she was surrounded by at least 10 angry Muslims. And what were they angry about? The fact that she was Jewish, even though Jews have been living in Sweden far longer than Muslims.
“There were at least ten witnesses to the attack. All ten of them were wearing hijabs or scarfs in the colors of the PLO. Some surrounding witnesses claim that I ‘tripped’ and fell and that no one hurt me. It’s just unbelievable,” the victim of the attack said.
When the vicious and unprovoked attack was ove, the victim suffered more as the group told her: “Shut up or we’ll kill you,” as the ambulance came to take her to the hospital.
Despite the attack Sjogren said she will not stop wearing her star of David necklace, which identifies her as a Jew:
“The Star of David is extremely meaningful and significant. I will never take it down no matter what happens. When other Facebook users show support I will stand up proudly for Israel, I will never let any one silence me. Am Yisrael Chai. We will never forget and never forgive.”The wave of anti-Semitism sweeping Scandinavia follows a similar theme to the same dangerous trend in other parts of Europe and America. That protagonists are hate-filled, violent Muslim groups which feel at liberty, even though they are in a minority themselves, to attack Jews in the streets.
Will the citizens of Sweden wake up soon enough to the threat that extreme Islam poses to them personally, as well as to their Jewish communities.?
Probably not!
Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/1422149/anti-semitism-in-sweden-jewish-woman-beaten-by-angry-group-of-muslims-for-wearing-star-of-david/#84VLH0LE8w7A14fH.99
Wan Azizah still awaiting reply from sultan - Malaysiakini
EXCLUSIVE PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail is still awaiting a reply from the sultan as to whether she would be granted an audience with the ruler.
Speaking to Malaysiakini in an exclusive interview today, Dr Wan Azizah said the palace has confirmed receipt of the request.
"At the moment, Datuk (Mohamad) Munir (Bani) says the request has been sent to him (the ruler) and we wait for the answer," she said, referring to Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah's private secretary.
This is Wan Azizah's second request for an audience with the sultan on the ongoing menteri besar crisis.Her first request, made on her behalf by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim, was rejected as the sultan said he had already heard about the matter from sitting Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim.
The sultan has cut short his trip overseas and is expected to return tomorrow.
It is understood that Khalid could have an audience with the ruler as early as Tuesday, fuelling speculations of a possible dissolution of the assembly and a snap poll.
PAS has revealed that its president Abdul Hadi Awang had an audience with the sultan more than three weeks ago, on July 31.
While the details of the meeting is not revealed, PAS Youth chief Suhaizan Kaiat said that it had led to PAS nominating both Wan Azizah and PKR deputy president Azmin Ali for the post.
Hadi's office later clarified that Azmin's name did not crop up during the audience, but Suhaizan had said that a second name was nominated in case of "eventualities between Wan Azizah and the palace".
Hadi's audience with sultan
Speaking at her sparsely-decorated office, Wan Azizah said that Pakatan Rakyat only found out about Hadi's audience "later", albeit before it hit headlines last week.
However, she believes that the PAS leader was not "hiding" it from the coalition.
Rather, she said, the audience happened during the Hari Raya break and was likely linked to the festivities.
“I
think he met the sultan on the third or fourth day of (the Islamic
month of) Syawal, so it was probably a (Hari) Raya meeting. Sometimes
when you meet for Raya, you don’t have to tell.”Asked if Hadi had briefed Pakatan on his audience with the sultan, she said that “maybe” Hadi told PKR de facto leader Anwar “as they (Pakatan leaders) deal with him, rather than with me”.
She also hinted that gender could be a factor in this, saying that when Hadi took over as president and Anwar got out of prison in 2004, she left it “to the men” to deal with the matter.
“He (Hadi), being a tok guru (revered scholar), I felt men will get it sorted out. But I suppose there are things that Ustaz Hadi figured... are to be and certain things are not to be,” she said, not going into specifics.
PAS’ revelation about Hadi’s audience with the sultan has given rise to speculation that the palace may not be keen on Wan Azizah.
Wan Azizah says that this is “touted by people” and “people can say what they want to say”.
“That is what the people have been talking about. They say Tuanku like this, Tuanku like that. I am waiting for an audience with him,” she said.
When speaking about being MB, the Kajang assemblyperson couches her sentences with word “if”.
Asked
what hurdles she may face to become MB, Wan Azizah said that the ruler
has his "preferences" for who will be the state's head of government.However, when asked to clarify, Wan Azizah said, it would be better to give Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah the “benefit of the doubt” and not to second guess his position on the on-going menteri besar crisis.
“Well in our state, we have a ruler of the state. Tuanku is there, and he is a very educated ruler of the state. He does have some preferences, I suppose.
“The constitution says the leader of the majority will lead the state. I think that will weigh heavily on the Tuanku to consider.”
Pakatan’s Plan B
So what is the ‘Plan B’, if indeed what PAS is implying - that the sultan is not keen on Wan Azizah for reasons yet unknown - becomes true?
“Oh, then we have to go back to the party,” Wan Azizah said.
Candidates can only come from PKR, with PAS declining the seat and DAP not qualified as it has no Selangor assemblyperson who is Muslim and Malay - a requirement for an MB under the Selangor state constitution.
But will it be Azmin, the Selangor PKR chief who has served the party and as aide to Anwar for decades? Or will he be surpassed yet again?
Despite being leader of the Selangor backbenchers’ club, Azmin has never figured in PKR plans as the next menteri besar, making it necessary for the Kajang seat to be vacated to allow Anwar passage to replace Khalid.
Anwar’s
sodomy conviction put a spanner in the works, and today, his wife’s
chances to succeed Khalid appear to be in the hands of the palace.Will Azmin finally be named if the palace takes a dim view of Wan Azizah?
“We go back to the Pakatan leadership to choose then,” she said.
Interview by Aidila Razak, Kow Gah Chie and Ahmad Fadli KC.
Singapore urged to end ‘barbaric’ punishment
Human Rights Watch makes a call against caning as appeal begins in Yong Vui Kong's case.
PETALING JAYA: Human Rights Watch (HRW) today urged the Singapore government to “immediately and unconditionally” abolish caning as a punishment for crimes.
The call came just hours before the Singapore Court of Appeal was to hear the case of Malaysian national Yong Vui Kong. Yong was found guilty of drug trafficking in 2008. His death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment and caning. His lawyer is in court today to challenge the caning part of the sentence.
In a press statement released early today, HRW Deputy Director (Asia) Phil Robertson said he hoped the Court of Appeal would recognise the damage that continued use of caning would do to respect for human rights in Singapore.
Describing caning as a “barbaric, colonial era throwback that constitutes cruel and unusual punishment,” he said the court should rule to end the “heinous” practice.
“Every time a prisoner is caned in Singapore, whether it be for vandalism, illegal entry, or something else, it is a dark stain on Singapore’s justice and its reliance on this systematic use of torture to punish people,” he added.
The call came just hours before the Singapore Court of Appeal was to hear the case of Malaysian national Yong Vui Kong. Yong was found guilty of drug trafficking in 2008. His death sentence has been commuted to life imprisonment and caning. His lawyer is in court today to challenge the caning part of the sentence.
In a press statement released early today, HRW Deputy Director (Asia) Phil Robertson said he hoped the Court of Appeal would recognise the damage that continued use of caning would do to respect for human rights in Singapore.
Describing caning as a “barbaric, colonial era throwback that constitutes cruel and unusual punishment,” he said the court should rule to end the “heinous” practice.
“Every time a prisoner is caned in Singapore, whether it be for vandalism, illegal entry, or something else, it is a dark stain on Singapore’s justice and its reliance on this systematic use of torture to punish people,” he added.
Gender discrimination in sports heats up
MCA says Kelantan PAS thinks all males are immature and just want to ogle.
PETALING JAYA: The gender discrimination debate in Kelantan heated up with Kelantan State Youth and Sports Secretariat director Ahmad Fadhli Shaari saying the organiser’s have the right to ban males from women’s netball competitions.
MCA Religious Harmony Board Chairman Ti Lian Ker took it one step further by saying that if that was the case, Kelantan should also ban mixed doubles badminton and tennis matches.
Ti said Ahmad Fadhli knew nothing about long term sports development, in particular, the participation of women in sports.
“They should remove themselves from consideration to host regional and international competitions like Sukma, SEA Games, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games as it would be impossible to prevent the opposite sexes from seeing each other,” he said in a statement.
Questioning where the line would be drawn, Ti painted a grim picture where fathers and brothers would be prevented from cheering family members in sports, male doctors prevented from treating female patients, female teachers banned from teaching male students, and more.
“The PAS-led state government underestimates all males as immature, like as if they will ogle at the female anatomy when sportswomen are competing,” he said.
MCA Religious Harmony Board Chairman Ti Lian Ker took it one step further by saying that if that was the case, Kelantan should also ban mixed doubles badminton and tennis matches.
Ti said Ahmad Fadhli knew nothing about long term sports development, in particular, the participation of women in sports.
“They should remove themselves from consideration to host regional and international competitions like Sukma, SEA Games, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games as it would be impossible to prevent the opposite sexes from seeing each other,” he said in a statement.
Questioning where the line would be drawn, Ti painted a grim picture where fathers and brothers would be prevented from cheering family members in sports, male doctors prevented from treating female patients, female teachers banned from teaching male students, and more.
“The PAS-led state government underestimates all males as immature, like as if they will ogle at the female anatomy when sportswomen are competing,” he said.
Nurul: My mum is better than Khalid
With Nurul Izzah taking the lead, Wan Azizah is enjoying strong support from members of the PKR Wanita Congress.
SHAH ALAM: PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah said her mother, Wan Azizah, will be a better Menteri Besar (MB) than Khalid Ibrahim because of her caring nature to listen to problems.
“All leaders should show empathy, which is a vital quality,” she told a press conference after launching the PKR Wanita Congress in Stadium Melawati Shah Alam today.
Nurul Izzah said her mother would be able to solve the problems of Selangorians.
Nurul Izzah said she supported her mother after her father, Anwar Ibrahim, was thrown behind bars in 1999.
“The most difficult time for me was when my father was in jail. My mother carried out her duties well as party president and a mother to six children,” she said.
However, she added that the final decision on the MB fiasco was up to Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan).
Nurul Izzah said it was common to have differences in opinion in the coalition but collaboration among the leaders was important.
PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said Wan Azizah was the first woman opposition leader in the Dewan Rakyat and there should not be any doubt of her capability to lead.
Zuraida said with her vast experience of 16 years, Wan Azizah would be able to transform the party.
She believed all Pakatan leaders would abide by the party’s decision despite the PAS Syura Council’s decision to reject a female leader.
“I am confident Pakatan leaders will help her lead the state,” said Zuraida.
Another speaker, Kelantan Wanita representative Norhanazalmah Mat Yusuf hit out at certain contestants in the party elections who sought the support of top leaders to win.
“Such an act is a breach of the people’s trust. The contestants with the right connections won and this will destroy the party,” she said.
“All leaders should show empathy, which is a vital quality,” she told a press conference after launching the PKR Wanita Congress in Stadium Melawati Shah Alam today.
Nurul Izzah said her mother would be able to solve the problems of Selangorians.
Nurul Izzah said she supported her mother after her father, Anwar Ibrahim, was thrown behind bars in 1999.
“The most difficult time for me was when my father was in jail. My mother carried out her duties well as party president and a mother to six children,” she said.
However, she added that the final decision on the MB fiasco was up to Pakatan Rakyat (Pakatan).
Nurul Izzah said it was common to have differences in opinion in the coalition but collaboration among the leaders was important.
PKR Wanita chief Zuraida Kamaruddin said Wan Azizah was the first woman opposition leader in the Dewan Rakyat and there should not be any doubt of her capability to lead.
Zuraida said with her vast experience of 16 years, Wan Azizah would be able to transform the party.
She believed all Pakatan leaders would abide by the party’s decision despite the PAS Syura Council’s decision to reject a female leader.
“I am confident Pakatan leaders will help her lead the state,” said Zuraida.
Another speaker, Kelantan Wanita representative Norhanazalmah Mat Yusuf hit out at certain contestants in the party elections who sought the support of top leaders to win.
“Such an act is a breach of the people’s trust. The contestants with the right connections won and this will destroy the party,” she said.
UN's Pillay slams Security Council 'failure'
In final address Navi Pillay says a more responsive UN Security Council could have saved hundreds of thousands of lives.
In her last address to the Security Council, the UN human rights chief sharply criticised the body for its ineffectiveness on Syria and other intractable conflicts, saying its members have often put national interests ahead of stopping mass atrocities.
"I firmly believe that greater responsiveness by this council would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives," said Navi Pillay, whose term as high commissioner for human rights ends on August 30.
Pillay said Syria's conflict "is metastasing outwards in an uncontrollable process whose eventual limits we cannot predict."
She also cited conflicts in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza.
"These crises hammer home the full cost of the international community's failure to prevent conflict," Pillay said. "None of these crises erupted without warning."
Call for change
Pillay spoke at a meeting where the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution promising more aggressive efforts to prevent conflicts.
However, the resolution said little about the political differences that often paralyse the Security Council, where sharp divisions between veto-wielding members Russia and the United States have often thwarted action on Syria and Ukraine.
Pillay touched on the problem in her remarks.
"Short-term geopolitical considerations and national interest, narrowly defined, have repeatedly taken precedence over intolerable human suffering and grave breaches of - and long-term threats to - international peace and security," she said.
The human rights chief said the use of veto power on the Security Council "to stop action intended to prevent or defuse conflict is a short-term and ultimately counter-productive tactic."
Pillay proposed that the council adopt a menu of new responses, including "rapid, flexible and resource-efficient human rights monitoring missions."
She also suggested building on the Arms Trade Treaty by requiring that, in countries where there are human rights concerns, governments accept a small human rights monitoring team as a condition of purchasing weapons.
Source: AP
 |
| Pillay suggested a number of measures to make UN Security Council more effective [Reuters] |
"I firmly believe that greater responsiveness by this council would have saved hundreds of thousands of lives," said Navi Pillay, whose term as high commissioner for human rights ends on August 30.
Pillay said Syria's conflict "is metastasing outwards in an uncontrollable process whose eventual limits we cannot predict."
She also cited conflicts in Afghanistan, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Ukraine and Gaza.
"These crises hammer home the full cost of the international community's failure to prevent conflict," Pillay said. "None of these crises erupted without warning."
Call for change
Pillay spoke at a meeting where the Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution promising more aggressive efforts to prevent conflicts.
However, the resolution said little about the political differences that often paralyse the Security Council, where sharp divisions between veto-wielding members Russia and the United States have often thwarted action on Syria and Ukraine.
Pillay touched on the problem in her remarks.
"Short-term geopolitical considerations and national interest, narrowly defined, have repeatedly taken precedence over intolerable human suffering and grave breaches of - and long-term threats to - international peace and security," she said.
The human rights chief said the use of veto power on the Security Council "to stop action intended to prevent or defuse conflict is a short-term and ultimately counter-productive tactic."
Pillay proposed that the council adopt a menu of new responses, including "rapid, flexible and resource-efficient human rights monitoring missions."
She also suggested building on the Arms Trade Treaty by requiring that, in countries where there are human rights concerns, governments accept a small human rights monitoring team as a condition of purchasing weapons.
Source: AP
Wanita PKR kecewa Khalid lapor ROS
Silap-silap Khalid boleh tanya balik… kira engkau punya kecewa saya…aku punya kecewa macam mana?
Ketua Wanita PKR Zuraidah Kamaruddin berkata Khalid seharusnya menghormati keputusan parti yang mahukan beliau unuk berundur lebih awal sebelum konflik itu semakin memuncak.
Bagaimanapun beliau menyifatkan masalah dalaman membabitkan jawatan Menteri Besar Selangor itu sebagai satu proses mendewasakan pentadbiran parti dan tidak akan menjejaskan sokongan rakyat terhadap PKR dan Pakatan Rakyat.
“Secara peribadinya kami kecewa dengan tindakan Khalid. Kita telah berikan peluang melalui pentadbiran negeri dan pimpinan parti. Beliau kena faham apabila parti suruh berundur maka beliau perlu berbuat demikian. Kami sedih tapi kena teruskan dan hadapi situasi ini,” katanya di sidang media Kongres Wanita PKR di Stadium Malawati Shah Alam Jumaat.
Minggu lalu Menteri Besar, Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim mengemukakan laporan kepada RoS, mempersoalkan kesahihan tindakan PKR memecat beliau daripada parti itu.
Dalam laporannya Khalid mahukan RoS menyiasat sama ada Lembaga Disiplin dan Majlis Pimpinan Pusat PKR mencabuli perlembagaan parti apabila memecatnya.
Beberapa media melaporkan sekiranya RoS mendapati PKR melanggar perlembaaan, parti itu boleh dibatalkan pendaftarannya dan diisytiharkan haram.
Khalid dipecat oleh PKR namun Sultan Selangor mengekalkannya sebagai Menteri Besar setelah menerima perakuan bahawa beliau masih punya majoriti dalam Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN).
Selepas mendapat mandat, Khalid memecat kesemua enam exco DAP dan PKR namun kekalkan empat exco PAS.
Friday, 22 August 2014
Why did Islamic State militants execute James Foley? (+video)
he execution of journalist James Foley was intended to send a message to young radicalized Muslims from Britain to Yemen who are drawn to the Islamists’ fight.
WASHINGTON — The video of the beheading of American journalist James Foley features a black-robed Islamic State militant claiming – in British-accented English – that the execution is in retribution for recent US air strikes against IS forces in Iraq.
The video also shows another prone and bound captured American journalist, Steven Sotloff, and issues a warning that he will suffer the same fate if the US pursues its military campaign against fighters for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
But while the IS militants who made and disseminated the gruesome video may have aimed on one level to halt the US air strikes, experts in Islamist terrorism and its messaging say the group had a range of objectives and audiences in mind.
In addition to President Obama – whom the black-robed executioner addresses directly – the message is intended for other Western leaders, moderate Muslims who would stand in IS’s way, as well as young radicalized Muslims from Britain to Yemen who are drawn to the Islamists’ fight.
“Clearly this kind of message has multiple audiences, and it wasn’t just President Obama and other Western decision-makers,” says Jerrold Post, a professor of political psychology at George Washington University in Washington and author of “The Mind of a Terrorist.” “I think it’s meant to remind moderate Muslims that they can expect to be treated just as harshly.”
“This was also designed in part as a kind of recruitment film,” he adds, “to bring in the people who are inspired by the ruthlessness on the one hand, but also by the expression of leadership and power.”
Indeed at one point in the video the IS fighter says, “You are no longer fighting an insurgency, we are an Islamic army.” In other words, analysts say, the group is declaring to the world that IS is now indeed a state, exercising powers associated with states – from establishing an army to rendering “justice,” including through execution.
Obama appeared to want to counter this claim of legitimacy – and whatever attraction the message might have for vulnerable Muslims – in the statement he delivered from his Martha’s Vineyard vacation Wednesday afternoon.
After saying the world is “appalled” by Mr. Foley’s murder and noting that he personally expressed to the journalist’s family how “heartbroken” the nation is, Obama went on to describe the “stark contrast” between IS and what he called the “civilized" world.
“Let’s be clear about ISIL,” he said, using the administration’s preferred acronym for the group, the organization’s “empty vision” has “no place in the 21st century.”
Declaring the group has “no ideology of any value to human beings,” Obama also said IS “speaks for no religion” as he noted that “their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim.” But he appeared to allude to the fact that the extremist group did receive assistance from some Sunni Arab countries when he listed “governments and people across the Middle East” among IS’s victims, and said that there “has to be clear rejection of these kinds of nihilistic ideologies.”
Just the fact that by their action IS elicited a swift and stern statement from the president of the United States could be conjured by the group as a sort of victory, some experts say.
“Of course [Obama] had to say something about this terrible act, but you get caught in a trap where anything you say about it can serve their purposes because it can make them seem powerful,” says Martha Crenshaw, an international terrorism expert at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation in Palo Alto, Calif.
Dr. Crenshaw, who has studied IS’s evolution from its roots as Al Qaeda in Iraq in the early days of the American invasion of Iraq, says the group [while still AQI] did for a time stop its tactic of widely disseminating beheadings and other extreme violence, and she’s unsure why the group recommenced with the Foley execution.
“It’s quite plausible they really thought it would frighten Americans, although I think it’s more likely to anger than to frighten,” she says. “It may also be something as simple as a reaction to the setbacks they’ve experienced” at the hands of the US, she adds, “It might simply be an act of retaliation.”
GWU’s Dr. Post agrees, finding that, “Beneath the bravado, there’s a certain amount of desperation, too.”
But Crenshaw, who is one of the organizers of Stanford’s “Mapping Militant Organizations” website, notes that perhaps a quarter of IS’s estimated 12,000 militants are from Western countries, and as a result she says the Foley video has to be seen as a potential recruitment tool.
“I do think we have to consider this as some sort of recruitment video, even though it’s hard for us to fathom the appeal,” she says. Having the message delivered by a fighter with a British accent has the potential to tell other European Muslims, “I’m showing the world how tough I am, and you can be tough, too,” she says.
Clearly to someone’s thinking “this [beheading] was some sort of implementation of justice,” Crenshaw says. Noting that IS militants hold captive other journalists besides Mr. Sotloff and aid workers, she says, “Sadly, I suppose we can expect more of it.”
WASHINGTON — The video of the beheading of American journalist James Foley features a black-robed Islamic State militant claiming – in British-accented English – that the execution is in retribution for recent US air strikes against IS forces in Iraq.
The video also shows another prone and bound captured American journalist, Steven Sotloff, and issues a warning that he will suffer the same fate if the US pursues its military campaign against fighters for the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.
But while the IS militants who made and disseminated the gruesome video may have aimed on one level to halt the US air strikes, experts in Islamist terrorism and its messaging say the group had a range of objectives and audiences in mind.
In addition to President Obama – whom the black-robed executioner addresses directly – the message is intended for other Western leaders, moderate Muslims who would stand in IS’s way, as well as young radicalized Muslims from Britain to Yemen who are drawn to the Islamists’ fight.
“Clearly this kind of message has multiple audiences, and it wasn’t just President Obama and other Western decision-makers,” says Jerrold Post, a professor of political psychology at George Washington University in Washington and author of “The Mind of a Terrorist.” “I think it’s meant to remind moderate Muslims that they can expect to be treated just as harshly.”
“This was also designed in part as a kind of recruitment film,” he adds, “to bring in the people who are inspired by the ruthlessness on the one hand, but also by the expression of leadership and power.”
Indeed at one point in the video the IS fighter says, “You are no longer fighting an insurgency, we are an Islamic army.” In other words, analysts say, the group is declaring to the world that IS is now indeed a state, exercising powers associated with states – from establishing an army to rendering “justice,” including through execution.
Obama appeared to want to counter this claim of legitimacy – and whatever attraction the message might have for vulnerable Muslims – in the statement he delivered from his Martha’s Vineyard vacation Wednesday afternoon.
After saying the world is “appalled” by Mr. Foley’s murder and noting that he personally expressed to the journalist’s family how “heartbroken” the nation is, Obama went on to describe the “stark contrast” between IS and what he called the “civilized" world.
“Let’s be clear about ISIL,” he said, using the administration’s preferred acronym for the group, the organization’s “empty vision” has “no place in the 21st century.”
Declaring the group has “no ideology of any value to human beings,” Obama also said IS “speaks for no religion” as he noted that “their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim.” But he appeared to allude to the fact that the extremist group did receive assistance from some Sunni Arab countries when he listed “governments and people across the Middle East” among IS’s victims, and said that there “has to be clear rejection of these kinds of nihilistic ideologies.”
Just the fact that by their action IS elicited a swift and stern statement from the president of the United States could be conjured by the group as a sort of victory, some experts say.
“Of course [Obama] had to say something about this terrible act, but you get caught in a trap where anything you say about it can serve their purposes because it can make them seem powerful,” says Martha Crenshaw, an international terrorism expert at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation in Palo Alto, Calif.
Dr. Crenshaw, who has studied IS’s evolution from its roots as Al Qaeda in Iraq in the early days of the American invasion of Iraq, says the group [while still AQI] did for a time stop its tactic of widely disseminating beheadings and other extreme violence, and she’s unsure why the group recommenced with the Foley execution.
“It’s quite plausible they really thought it would frighten Americans, although I think it’s more likely to anger than to frighten,” she says. “It may also be something as simple as a reaction to the setbacks they’ve experienced” at the hands of the US, she adds, “It might simply be an act of retaliation.”
GWU’s Dr. Post agrees, finding that, “Beneath the bravado, there’s a certain amount of desperation, too.”
But Crenshaw, who is one of the organizers of Stanford’s “Mapping Militant Organizations” website, notes that perhaps a quarter of IS’s estimated 12,000 militants are from Western countries, and as a result she says the Foley video has to be seen as a potential recruitment tool.
“I do think we have to consider this as some sort of recruitment video, even though it’s hard for us to fathom the appeal,” she says. Having the message delivered by a fighter with a British accent has the potential to tell other European Muslims, “I’m showing the world how tough I am, and you can be tough, too,” she says.
Clearly to someone’s thinking “this [beheading] was some sort of implementation of justice,” Crenshaw says. Noting that IS militants hold captive other journalists besides Mr. Sotloff and aid workers, she says, “Sadly, I suppose we can expect more of it.”
Malaysians, Foreign Visitors Want Perpetrators Brought To Justice
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- A number of Malaysians and foreign visitors want those responsible for shooting down the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH17 be brought to justice as soon as possible.This is the hope that is conveyed by the people, who gathered at Merdeka Square (Dataran Merdeka) and the vicinity of Sultan Abdul Samad building today to join other Malaysians nationwide to share together their grief on the Day of National Mourning.
A pensioner, Yurni Salleh, 56, said he could feel the pain of the family members, who unexpectedly lost their loved ones in the MH17 tragedy.
"Hence, surely they and myself want to see those responsible for the crime against MH17 being charged and punished," he said when met here.
For businessman Faizal Ramli, 38, from Penang, distance was not an obstacle for him, his wife and two children to join the gathering with thousands of others at Merdeka Square to honour the Malaysian victims of the MH17 tragedy.
"I am not acquainted with them but my wife and I are very sympathetic with the fate that befallen them.
"My family and I hope the perpetrators can be caught and charged in order to get justice for the families of the victims," he said.
Meanwhile a visitor from Belgium, Evelyn Hemeryck, 32, together with her husband and their three children, aged between three months and six years, were among those participating in the gathering at Merdeka Square.
"We come here because some of the MH17 passengers are Belgium nationals. We know this through the newspapers. Incidentally we're on vacation here for 16 days, so we stopped to pay our last respects," she said.
Her husband, Johan Maeck, 41, also hoped that those conducting investigation on the MH17 case would be able to prove the crime against the aircraft and bring those responsible to court.
Camilla Pedersen, 43, a tourist from South Africa, was deeply impressed with the Malaysian government for holding the ceremony honouring the victims, which paid attention to the details.
"Although I am not a citizen of Malaysia, this historic day affects me and my family. I hope investigations can be concluded very quickly," said the mother of a toddler, whom she brought to Merdeka Square.
The whole nation is in mourning today as a mark of respect to honour the first batch of flight MH17 victims' remains shot down in Ukraine last July 17. The remains of 20 of the 43 Malaysian victims were brought home from the Netherlands in a special aircraft Friday.
Despite MB impasse, poll shows Pakatan retains support in Selangor
More than half of Selangor voters will still keep Pakatan Rakyat (PR) as the state government if snap polls are held now to decide the menteri besar (MB) impasse, according to a survey by the Merdeka Center for Opinion Research.The survey, commissioned by The Malaysian Insider and conducted at the height of the impasse early August, also showed that 25% would support PKR president Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail as MB.
Her nomination had sparked an impasse as Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim refused to step aside, saying he still commanded the support of the majority of 56 assemblymen in the state legislature.
But, parties in PR have withdrawn their support and the two-term MB has now sought an audience with the Sultan of Selangor on his position.
The survey among 808 registered voters was conducted between August 11 and 17 by the respected pollster.
The poll coincided with Khalid's sacking of six PKR and DAP state executive councillors on August 12, and his decision to run the state government with only the four remaining PAS councillors.
The conflict within PR was only resolved on the night of August 17, when the PR Presidential Council decided that Khalid be replaced with Dr Wan Azizah.
Despite this, 57% of voters polled said they would give the PR coalition "the chance to govern the state again" should the Sultan of Selangor call for a dissolution of the state legislative assembly.
Whereas 29% said they would not give PR a chance to run the state, and 15% were uncertain, according to the survey which was conducted by telephone interviews.
But, only 43% of the respondents said they actually felt confident with Pakatan running the state, while 29% said they were confident with Barisan Nasional (BN), and 13% were indifferent.
"In our opinion, while the political developments in Selangor have dampened the mood of Selangor voters towards PR, the survey found contra-BN sentiments still strong among them," Merdeka Center said in a statement.
"This means that BN will still face an uphill struggle despite PR having suffered a loss of confidence and prestige among Selangor voters should an election be called at the current point in time."
The survey reported that 46% of voters still felt that their lives were better now than under BN's administration, while 36% said it was the same and only 15% said it was now worse.
But, the MB crisis has affected the views of the state, with only 46% of respondents saying Selangor was headed in the right direction, compared with 64% in March 2014.
The main concerns among voters were water supply issues (21%), followed by the MB issue (20%) and political instability in general (6%).
The voters were selected through random stratified sampling method along the lines of ethnicity, gender, age and polling districts, said the centre.
During his speech at the PKR Youth Congress today, deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali said the crisis was an opportunity for PKR to reflect and review its policies to strengthen the party and its cooperation with PR.
"We need to learn from the crisis. The lessons we learn from crises will make us stronger to manage crises in the future... experience from the struggles will contribute to our future," he said.
Newly-elected PKR vice-president Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin told the congress that the political imbroglio was sparked by a lack of consultation process in PR and the discipline to adhere to the decision reached.
Khalid remains the menteri besar for now, until he has an audience with the Selangor Sultan, who is away on an overseas trip, to discuss the matter.
The sultan is expected to return tomorrow, and may either decide to dissolve the legislative assembly, triggering a snap poll, or call for an emergency sitting so that a motion of confidence may be tabled. – August 22, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/despite-mb-impasse-poll-shows-pakatan-retains-support-in-selangor#sthash.wkQDEgJH.dpuf
Woman speaks out after alleged sex attack on Malaysia Airlines flight
It has not been a good year for Malaysia Airlines.
In the latest piece of negative publicity to hit the struggling company, an Australian woman has come forward claiming she was sexually assaulted on board a Malaysia Airlines flight earlier this month.
Laura Bushney told Australian news channel Seven that she was assaulted by the chief steward on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on 4 August.
Fighting back tears, the 26-year-old told of how she was too scared to scream for help. A video clip taken on her phone shows her tearfully speaking to a man across the aisle as he shakes his head.
‘You did, you did, you did, don’t lie. It’s what you did,’ she can be heard saying.
‘I’m so scared, I just want to get off this plane.’
She told Australian reporter that she was paralysed by fear during the alleged attack.
‘I couldn’t stop it, I just froze, I was just scared,’ she said.
The male steward – who is married with three daughters – was detained by French authorities and is still behind bars.
Sexual assaults on planes are rare, but are notoriously hard to investigate.
In February, Carlos Vasquez was sentenced to three years probation and fined $3,000 (£1,808) after molesting a 15-year-old girl on a Houston flight. The girl pretended to be asleep.
Malaysia Airlines, which was in serious financial trouble even before the twin disasters of MH370 and MH17, is battling for survival as bookings continue to slide and the latest piece of bad news will do nothing to help.
‘Malaysia Airlines expects and accepts nothing short of the highest standards of conduct from its crew and takes any such allegations very seriously,’ said a spokesperson.
 |
| Laura Bushney fought back tears as she described how she was too scared to scream (Picture: Seven) |
In the latest piece of negative publicity to hit the struggling company, an Australian woman has come forward claiming she was sexually assaulted on board a Malaysia Airlines flight earlier this month.
Laura Bushney told Australian news channel Seven that she was assaulted by the chief steward on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Paris on 4 August.
Fighting back tears, the 26-year-old told of how she was too scared to scream for help. A video clip taken on her phone shows her tearfully speaking to a man across the aisle as he shakes his head.
 |
| Footage shows Laura accusing the steward of being a ‘liar’ (Picture: Seven) |
‘You did, you did, you did, don’t lie. It’s what you did,’ she can be heard saying.
‘I’m so scared, I just want to get off this plane.’
She told Australian reporter that she was paralysed by fear during the alleged attack.
‘I couldn’t stop it, I just froze, I was just scared,’ she said.
The male steward – who is married with three daughters – was detained by French authorities and is still behind bars.
Sexual assaults on planes are rare, but are notoriously hard to investigate.
In February, Carlos Vasquez was sentenced to three years probation and fined $3,000 (£1,808) after molesting a 15-year-old girl on a Houston flight. The girl pretended to be asleep.
Malaysia Airlines, which was in serious financial trouble even before the twin disasters of MH370 and MH17, is battling for survival as bookings continue to slide and the latest piece of bad news will do nothing to help.
‘Malaysia Airlines expects and accepts nothing short of the highest standards of conduct from its crew and takes any such allegations very seriously,’ said a spokesperson.
America reaps what it sows, says preacher as British jihadists gloat
The NSA servers will be burning themselves tuning into every UK fibre-optic interface.
America reaps what it sows, says preacher as British jihadists gloat | The Times
America reaps what it sows, says preacher as British jihadists gloat
British jihadists gloated and cracked jokes as the news of James Foley’s death spread yesterday.
Some posted in Arabic, others in English. All legitimised the brutal act as religiously ordained.
Abu Aminah, under the username of @ghazisami, tweeted: “My hopes and prayers in this whole James Foley fiasco goes to the mujahid executioner. May Allah keep him and his family safe.”He used verses from the Koran and Hadiths to support the beheading. Indicating that he was British, he said of the knifeman: “Half of UK Pakis speak like that.”
Abul Muthanna, a self-described “soldier of the Islamic State”, described the British “brother” as a “lion”. Tweeting under the username of @abulmuthanna313, he said: “They went on a mad one.” He later wrote: “U can call our acts horrific but calling us cowards? Our men love death like u love life, they come at u with explosive belts #DeathSeekers”. The writer is thought to be Nasser Muthana, 20, from Cardiff. His younger brother Aseel, 17, and their friend Reyaad Khan, 20, are among about 500 British jihadists believed to have fought alongside IS forces in Syria and Iraq.
Anjem Choudary, the radical British preacher, said that the killing was the result of the bombing by “America and its allies” and added: “You reap what you sow. The effect has a cause.” He said that Foley “got in the way” and was “from their perspective the voice of the Americans and British who has to sell his piece and is not in any way shape or form someone independent”.
He said there was “no need” for journalists to go to Syria to report and they should “keep clear and allow the implementation of the Shariah”. “Muslims don’t rely on Western journalists,” he added.
Mr Choudary refused to condemn the killing and said it was irrelevant that the man was from Britain and a British passport was “just a travel document”. But he added: “Muslims in Britain are much more politicised than other western countries. They talk about jihad, Shariah and call for the khilafah [Muslim state] while others are talking about halal food and circumcision. I am not surprised so many are currently going to Syria and are prepared to sacrifice their lives abroad.”
Junaid Hussain, 19, a British hacker, is believed to have slipped police supervision and escaped to Syria after serving a jail sentence for stealing personal information about Tony Blair.
Calling himself Abu Abdullah al-Britani, he wrote on Twitter: “And know that the one who kills for the sake of His Lord will never go to the same place as the one he killed.”
Less than two weeks ago, Mr Hussain posted a photo of a fellow fighter sitting in the front seat of a vehicle, captioned: “From the streets of London to the dirt roads of Jihad.” He also posted pictures of various rifles and his “little Princess” dressed in a full niqab. He has encouraged his followers to take action, saying: “Some of you will only move when it is your mum in that prison and your wife that has been raped.”
Abu Turaab al-Kanadi, a Canadian fighter with the username of @AlTuraabSVD, made light of the decapitation, saying it was “time to play soccer”.
Another fighter calling himself Abu dhar al-muhajir tweeted: “We have heard that Roman blood is very delicious, and we have come here to enjoy it”. He added: “Revenge is sweet.”
Another man, tweeting under the name Life of a Mujahid, wrote: “Reason for American journalists or civilians being killed in response to American crimes against Muslims is, they haven’t left us a choice. You have more technology doesn’t mean you kill millions of innocents . . . An eye for an eye!”
Abu Bakr Al-Janabi, who tweeted images of other Isis fighters brandishing knives in what he said was preparation for further beheadings, wrote: “The man who carried out the execution was British. which send a signal by saying ‘We are everywhere, we will come after you’.”
However, one fighter — @mujahid4life — tweeted that the killing had been rash: “The airstrikes will immensely increase (in my opinion). If it does, did Beheading him serve it’s purpose? Or was he more Valuable as a bargaining chip alive.”
America reaps what it sows, says preacher as British jihadists gloat | The Times
America reaps what it sows, says preacher as British jihadists gloat
British jihadists gloated and cracked jokes as the news of James Foley’s death spread yesterday.
Some posted in Arabic, others in English. All legitimised the brutal act as religiously ordained.
Abu Aminah, under the username of @ghazisami, tweeted: “My hopes and prayers in this whole James Foley fiasco goes to the mujahid executioner. May Allah keep him and his family safe.”He used verses from the Koran and Hadiths to support the beheading. Indicating that he was British, he said of the knifeman: “Half of UK Pakis speak like that.”
Abul Muthanna, a self-described “soldier of the Islamic State”, described the British “brother” as a “lion”. Tweeting under the username of @abulmuthanna313, he said: “They went on a mad one.” He later wrote: “U can call our acts horrific but calling us cowards? Our men love death like u love life, they come at u with explosive belts #DeathSeekers”. The writer is thought to be Nasser Muthana, 20, from Cardiff. His younger brother Aseel, 17, and their friend Reyaad Khan, 20, are among about 500 British jihadists believed to have fought alongside IS forces in Syria and Iraq.
Anjem Choudary, the radical British preacher, said that the killing was the result of the bombing by “America and its allies” and added: “You reap what you sow. The effect has a cause.” He said that Foley “got in the way” and was “from their perspective the voice of the Americans and British who has to sell his piece and is not in any way shape or form someone independent”.
He said there was “no need” for journalists to go to Syria to report and they should “keep clear and allow the implementation of the Shariah”. “Muslims don’t rely on Western journalists,” he added.
Mr Choudary refused to condemn the killing and said it was irrelevant that the man was from Britain and a British passport was “just a travel document”. But he added: “Muslims in Britain are much more politicised than other western countries. They talk about jihad, Shariah and call for the khilafah [Muslim state] while others are talking about halal food and circumcision. I am not surprised so many are currently going to Syria and are prepared to sacrifice their lives abroad.”
Junaid Hussain, 19, a British hacker, is believed to have slipped police supervision and escaped to Syria after serving a jail sentence for stealing personal information about Tony Blair.
Calling himself Abu Abdullah al-Britani, he wrote on Twitter: “And know that the one who kills for the sake of His Lord will never go to the same place as the one he killed.”
Less than two weeks ago, Mr Hussain posted a photo of a fellow fighter sitting in the front seat of a vehicle, captioned: “From the streets of London to the dirt roads of Jihad.” He also posted pictures of various rifles and his “little Princess” dressed in a full niqab. He has encouraged his followers to take action, saying: “Some of you will only move when it is your mum in that prison and your wife that has been raped.”
Abu Turaab al-Kanadi, a Canadian fighter with the username of @AlTuraabSVD, made light of the decapitation, saying it was “time to play soccer”.
Another fighter calling himself Abu dhar al-muhajir tweeted: “We have heard that Roman blood is very delicious, and we have come here to enjoy it”. He added: “Revenge is sweet.”
Another man, tweeting under the name Life of a Mujahid, wrote: “Reason for American journalists or civilians being killed in response to American crimes against Muslims is, they haven’t left us a choice. You have more technology doesn’t mean you kill millions of innocents . . . An eye for an eye!”
Abu Bakr Al-Janabi, who tweeted images of other Isis fighters brandishing knives in what he said was preparation for further beheadings, wrote: “The man who carried out the execution was British. which send a signal by saying ‘We are everywhere, we will come after you’.”
However, one fighter — @mujahid4life — tweeted that the killing had been rash: “The airstrikes will immensely increase (in my opinion). If it does, did Beheading him serve it’s purpose? Or was he more Valuable as a bargaining chip alive.”
'Twice as Many' British Muslims Fighting for ISIS Than in UK Armed Forces
There are now more than twice as many British Muslims fighting for Islamic State than there are serving in the British armed forces, according to a British Member of Parliament (MP).
Khalid Mahmood, the MP for Perry Barr in Birmingham, estimates that at least 1,500 young British Muslims have been recruited by extremists fighting in Iraq and Syria in the last three years.
Mahmood told Newsweek that this figure had been building since the start of the Syrian conflict: "If you look across the whole of the country, and the various communities involved, 500 going over each year would be a conservative estimate.”
According to the Ministry of Defence, there are only around 600 British Muslims currently serving in the Armed Forces, making up approximately around 0.4% of total personnel. 4.3% of the British population are Muslim.
The UK Foreign Office said that they believe over 400 individuals have travelled to Syria since the uprising began, but said that they could not give exact numbers.
However Mahmood described such low estimates as “nonsense” and said that the British government was failing to deal with the problem of home-grown extremists. “We’ve not concentrated on the prevention work, we haven’t invested enough in de-radicalisation. It’s tragic, somebody’s got to wake up to it.”
The role of British jihadists fighting in the Middle East has been brought into sharp focus after Islamic State released a video showing the apparent beheading of US journalist James Foley by a masked jihadist who spoke with a British accent.
In June, three militants involved in an ISIS propaganda video were identified as Cardiff students Reyaad Khan, 20, Nasser Muthana, also 20, and his younger brother Aseel, 17.
Conservative MP Nadhim Zahawi last week told Channel 4 news that a Kurdish leader told him that Islamic State fighters in Iraq had been carrying a Liverpool FC season ticket and a gym card from Ealing in London. He estimated the number of Britons fighting for Islamic State at as many as 700.
Ghaffar Hussain of anti-radicalization charity the Quilliam Foundation argued that the number of British Muslims being drawn to Islamic State and other organisations meant that the UK was “definitely” losing the fight against radical extremism.
“There are an unacceptable number of Britons fighting for jihadist forces over the world,” Hussain told Newsweek.
“There are things the government can do to prevent this of course,” Hussain says. “There needs to be a greater effort in the way of civil society initiatives that discredit jihadist organisations in the UK and promote liberal democratic values.”
Islamic States militants’ recruitment campaign has overtaken Al-Qaeda in its effectiveness online, targeting primarily young muslims, the Quilliam Foundation told Newsweek.
“Their use of the internet is unlike anything we have seen before,” Charlie Cooper of the Quilliam Foundation said.
“Social media applications like Facebook and Twitter act as a facilitator to connect young radicalized Britons with jihadists in Syria and Iraq.”
Islamic State have so far run a very successful campaign of using public forums such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, whilst avoiding detection by authorities, with Quilliam reporting Islamic State supporters share resources on how to remain under the radar of the law.
Responding to the Islamic State video earlier today, UK-based radical Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary who is a vocal supporter of establishing a Caliphate under Islamic Sharia Law told digital radio station Fubar Radio that “it’s not important if it’s a British person carrying out the execution because you’re Muslim first and British second”.
A Home Office spokesperson told Newsweek that the British government is aware of the threat of Islamic State recruitment campaigns in the UK, insisting “the police and security services are actively working to detect and disrupt terrorist threats. People seeking to travel to engage in terrorist activity in Syria or Iraq should be in no doubt we will take the strongest possible action to protect our national security, including prosecuting those who break the law.
"We also have a wide range of powers at our disposal to disrupt travel and manage the risk posed by returnees," the spokesperson said.
The Ministry of Defence did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment.
Who’s being truthful about economy, Dr M or Bank Negara, asks Perkasa
Perkasa today said that the criticisms of former premier Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of Datuk Seri Najib Razak's management of the economy was contradictory to a Bank Negara report which had painted positive reviews of the country's economic growth.President Datuk Ibrahim Ali said that the country's economy grew 6.2% in the first quarter of this year and 6.4% in the second quarter, as reported by Bank Negara.
"So there is a contradiction between Dr Mahathir's statement that the economy is ruined and what Bank Negara said, that it was on the right track. So who is telling the truth?" he told The Malaysian Insider today.
Dr Mahathir had said on Monday that he was withdrawing his support for Najib and would now be criticising his administration as his performance was worse than his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
Dr Mahathir said he had hoped Najib learnt lessons from his poor performance in the last general election but it appeared that he had not.
“Many policies, approaches and actions taken by the government under Najib have destroyed inter-racial ties, the economy and the country’s finances,” he added.
“It is not because I do not love my leaders. But I love my people and country more,” he wrote in his blog, chedet.cc.
Ibrahim suggested that Dr Mahathir and Najib sit together to discuss the issues that have been raised and, together, find a way to resolve them.
He said Najib also had to stop being silent and answer all the criticisms that have been thrown at him by Dr Mahathir in order to stop the people from slamming him.
"Each have to give their own explanation or Najib and Dr Mahathir have to seriously discuss based on the facts we have. Make right what is needed for the country's benefit."
"When there is a clear admonishment, I hope Najib as the PM takes it positively and Umno leaders do not have to be defensive as it will only bring about losses," he said.
He also hit out Dr Mahathir, who is Malaysia's longest-serving prime minister, saying that his criticisms were not very clear in discussing the issue in detail.
He said, Dr Mahathir's statement on Najib's "humble attitude towards neighbouring countries" also had to be further explained so that the people could understand what he meant.
"Many have asked me about what he said on this and the economy. The statements were too general. Many want to know what he was talking about in detail.
"Dr Mahathir should explain this. Even if it's not long, there should be a few examples so we can understand it clearly.
"Najib then has to explain the issues Dr Mahathir has brought up professionally and convincingly," he told The Malaysian Insider.
Ibrahim said leaders should accept Dr Mahathir's criticisms well as it was a "sincere" admonishment from a former PM who led the government for 22 years.
"We all know that Dr Mahathir has been very vocal and open since before, what more after 22 years of being the prime minister. After he had done so much for the country, of course he is more sensitive to what is happening in the country.
"His criticisms towards Najib is to see Malaysia grow into a great and strong country," he added.
Dr Mahathir, the former Pasir Mas MP said, should not stop with his criticisms as it was an "emblem of democracy".
"We practise democracy and the freedom of speech. So anyone, including Dr Mahathir, has a right to speak. We have to hold on to this principle. We cannot say that he's retired so he shouldn't speak," he said.
Taking a shot at opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the Perkasa president also said this was the best time to judge the sincerity behind the criticisms of Dr Mahathir and the former.
"We can assume that Dr Mahathir's comments are sincere as he has no ambition of becoming PM again. He has retired from politics, which is different from Anwar.
"Anwar is in the process of fighting to become PM. He has to make threats and accusations that will benefit his political career. He wants to smear the government to become the prime minister. Dr Mahathir is not like that, he is sincere," he added. – August 21, 2014.
- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/who-is-telling-truth-about-economy-dr-m-or-bank-negara-asks-perkasa#sthash.mmfm0HVk.dpuf
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