Indian writer and political activist Arundhati Roy said the generally accepted
image of Gandhi was a lie. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian
Sunday, 20 July 2014
Watch: Hamas Places Civilians in the Line of Fire
IDF releases another video showing how Hamas deliberately puts civilian lives in danger.
The IDF has released another video which shows how Hamas deliberately puts civilian lives in danger.
The video shows that Hamas hides weapons and missile launchers in densely populated areas and sends men, women and children directly into the line of fire to be used as human shields for terrorists.
Hamas has openly boasted about the "success" of its strategy of using civilians as human shields during Operation Protective Edge, and the IDF has published extensive evidence of the practice.
By contrast, the IDF has dropped leaflets, sent phone messages, and issued general warnings to all civilians within range of upcoming airstrikes to prevent further harm.
The IDF has also called off attacks upon realizing that there are innocent civilians in the area or, as shown in the video below, when seeing the terrorist target enter an ambulance.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)
The IDF has released another video which shows how Hamas deliberately puts civilian lives in danger.
The video shows that Hamas hides weapons and missile launchers in densely populated areas and sends men, women and children directly into the line of fire to be used as human shields for terrorists.
Hamas has openly boasted about the "success" of its strategy of using civilians as human shields during Operation Protective Edge, and the IDF has published extensive evidence of the practice.
By contrast, the IDF has dropped leaflets, sent phone messages, and issued general warnings to all civilians within range of upcoming airstrikes to prevent further harm.
The IDF has also called off attacks upon realizing that there are innocent civilians in the area or, as shown in the video below, when seeing the terrorist target enter an ambulance.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American Desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)
Christians flee Mosul after ISIS ultimatum to convert or leave
Al Arabiya News
Christians have fled Iraq’s northern city of Mosul en masse before a Saturday deadline issued by the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for them to either convert to Islam, pay tax, leave or be killed.
Al Arabiya correspondent in Iraq Majid Hamid said the deadline set by the jihadist group was 12 p.m. Iraqi time (10 a.m. GMT). Hamid reported that many Christians fled the city on Friday. It is not clear if any remained after the deadline.
Patriarch Louis Sako told AFP on Friday: “Christian families are on their way to Dohuk and Arbil,” in the neighboring autonomous region of Kurdistan. “For the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is now empty of Christians,” he said.
Witnesses said messages telling Christians to leave the city by Saturday were blared through loudspeakers from the city’s mosques Friday.
A statement dated from last week and purportedly issued by ISIS that took over the city and large swathes of Iraq during a sweeping offensive last month warned Mosul’s Christians they should convert, pay a special tax, leave or face death.
“We were shocked by the distribution of a statement by the Islamic State calling on Christians to convert to Islam, or to pay unspecified tribute, or to leave their city and their homes taking only their clothes and no luggage, and that their homes would then belong to the Islamic State,” Sako said.
The patriarch, who is one of the most senior Christian clerics in Iraq, and residents contacted by AFP said Islamic State militants had in recent days been tagging Christian houses with the letter N for “Nassarah”, the term by which the Koran refers to Christians.
The statement, which was seen by AFP, said “there will be nothing for them but the sword” if Christians reject those conditions.
[With AFP]
Worshippers attend mass on Christmas Eve at a Christian church in
Mosul,
about 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, December 24, 2009.
(Reuters)
Al Arabiya correspondent in Iraq Majid Hamid said the deadline set by the jihadist group was 12 p.m. Iraqi time (10 a.m. GMT). Hamid reported that many Christians fled the city on Friday. It is not clear if any remained after the deadline.
Patriarch Louis Sako told AFP on Friday: “Christian families are on their way to Dohuk and Arbil,” in the neighboring autonomous region of Kurdistan. “For the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is now empty of Christians,” he said.
Witnesses said messages telling Christians to leave the city by Saturday were blared through loudspeakers from the city’s mosques Friday.
A statement dated from last week and purportedly issued by ISIS that took over the city and large swathes of Iraq during a sweeping offensive last month warned Mosul’s Christians they should convert, pay a special tax, leave or face death.
“We were shocked by the distribution of a statement by the Islamic State calling on Christians to convert to Islam, or to pay unspecified tribute, or to leave their city and their homes taking only their clothes and no luggage, and that their homes would then belong to the Islamic State,” Sako said.
The patriarch, who is one of the most senior Christian clerics in Iraq, and residents contacted by AFP said Islamic State militants had in recent days been tagging Christian houses with the letter N for “Nassarah”, the term by which the Koran refers to Christians.
The statement, which was seen by AFP, said “there will be nothing for them but the sword” if Christians reject those conditions.
[With AFP]
Netherlands in a bind over possible Russian involvement in MH17 crash, reports NYT
Having suffered the largest casualty in the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crash, the Netherlands is now caught in a dilemma over the prospect that Russian-backed separatists are involved in the tragedy as it counts Russia as a big trading partner, reported the New York Times today.The Dutch government is mindful of the fact that Russia is the country's third largest trade partner, with constantly expanding business ties, especially in natural gas, the paper reported.
According to Malaysia Airlines, of the 298 people aboard MH17, 192 passengers were Dutch nationals.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has not been as vocal as United States President Barack Obama on the MH17 disaster, said the newspaper.
Rutte told a press conference yesterday that flight MH17 had been taken down by a surface-to-air missile (SAM).
"It seems as if MH17 was shot down, but we have no exact information on what actually caused the disaster," Rutte was quoted as saying on state television.
Rutte's diplomatic reaction illustrates the small manoeuvring space the Dutch have when it comes to its relations with Russia.
"We are a small country, dependent on our exports," the New York Times quoted Alexander Pechtold as saying.
Pechtold heads D66, a liberal democratic party and is also one of Netherlands' main opposition leaders.
"Unlike the United States, we cannot always react from our moral high ground.
"However, if proven that the Russians are responsible for this terrible event, we cannot look in the opposite direction," he said in the New York Times report.
It reported that prominent Dutch author and historian Geert Mak as saying the Dutch were in a difficult position due to Russian support for the Ukrainian separatists.
Mak said in the report that Russia's support for Ukrainian separatists places the Dutch in a difficult position.
“We have a serious bone to pick with Russia after this horrible incident. Especially if it turns out that Putin (Russian president) armed these men,” he said of the Ukrainian separatists in the report.
Mak said in the report that this was also the way for a smaller country to survive and be prosperous.
“Now we are angry. Angry over the fact that Dutchmen have been killed, but at the same time we realise we need our ties with Russia. Activism is a way for us to do what we can,” he said in the report.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine for the downing of flight MH17, saying the country over which the aircraft crashed should be held responsible.
Steering lock driver to be charged on Monday
Siti Fairrah Ashyikin Kamaruddin, or Kiki, the
woman driver of the white Peugeot car who is alleged to have bullied an
elderly man using a steering lock earlier this week, will be charged in
court on Monday.
Pahang CID chief Zakaria Ahmad said police had also recorded statement from the woman last Thursday.
"She was detained at the Kuantan police headquarters at 4pm last Thursday, but was released on police bail on the same day as the police were satisfied with her statement," he told reporters in Temerloh today.
Zakaria
said the case was still being investigated under Section 427 of the
Penal Code for causing mischief and Section 506 of the same Code for
criminal intimidation.
The incident occurred at about 1.10pm last Monday at the parking lot of the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC).
The woman's road rage behaviour against the 68-year-old government pensioner was recorded by members of the public who were at the scene and was uploaded onto several social websites until the video lasting 2.33 minutes became viral and 'trending'.
- Bernama
Pahang CID chief Zakaria Ahmad said police had also recorded statement from the woman last Thursday.
"She was detained at the Kuantan police headquarters at 4pm last Thursday, but was released on police bail on the same day as the police were satisfied with her statement," he told reporters in Temerloh today.
Zakaria
said the case was still being investigated under Section 427 of the
Penal Code for causing mischief and Section 506 of the same Code for
criminal intimidation.The incident occurred at about 1.10pm last Monday at the parking lot of the Urban Transformation Centre (UTC).
The woman's road rage behaviour against the 68-year-old government pensioner was recorded by members of the public who were at the scene and was uploaded onto several social websites until the video lasting 2.33 minutes became viral and 'trending'.
- Bernama
Kula says gov't wavering causes cynicism
“This suspension between nobility of intent and an enfeebled will at enforcing good intentions is the reason behind the prevailing public cynicism about politicians,” observed the MP for Ipoh Barat.
Speaking at a forum on unilateral conversion of minors in Ipoh earlier this week, the federal legislator said that though seasoned politicians acknowledged that the road to hell is usually paved with good intentions, no lasting policy or initiative aimed at solving recurrent problems could take hold on society without it stemming from a good intention.
“The
government had a good intention when it set up the Royal Commission on
the management of the police force eleven years ago, but when the panel
recommended a viable solution to the problem of custodial deaths, the
government wavered on its implementation,” observed the lawyer who acts
for estranged spouses who have had their children caught in custodial
disputes converted to another religion.Kulasegaran was referring to the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) which the RC on making the police force more effective recommended in its report unveiled in March 2005.
He noted that the government also had a good intention in April 2009 when a Cabinet committee recommended the banning of unilateral conversions of minors caught in custodial disputes between estranged parents.
Ignoring custodial battle kids’ pain
“A feeble will is the reason why the government has not moved from converting good intention into the legislative mechanisms to prevent unilateral conversions of minors caught in custodial battles,” asserted Kulasegaran.
He said this vacillation which takes no heed of the anguish of bereft spouses and deprived children caught in custodial battles is the cause of widespread public cynicism about governance and those engaged in it.
“Politicians fiddle while affected parties fume and file for court action but the judicial process and enforcing agencies are stymied by being stranded in a grey zone where clashing jurisdictions compete for the right to be recognized as the rightful authority,” said the MP.
He said enquiries he had raised in Parliament about these interfaith disputes and custodial deaths receive ambiguous replies from the relevant ministries.
These replies, he said, raise the question of who really is determining policy in government – whether it is the Cabinet or government agencies which decree what ministers should say and do.
“Confusion
is created and scepticism about government and governance is bred such
that matters are left hanging in a grey zone where people are encouraged
to become cynical about politicians,” said Kulasegaran (left).He said that in the ensuing void, demagogues who represent only a few and some not even anybody rise to fill the gap, spreading their racial and religious tocsins.
“Pretty soon the waters are poisoned as the best of peoples lack conviction while the worst of them are full of passionate intensity. In this atmosphere, anything and everything can happen,” mused the four-term parliamentarian.
Kenapa harus terbang di ruang udara zon perang?
Alasan syarikat penerbangan lain juga terbang di ruang udara Ukraine tidak boleh di terima kerana keselamatan kita adalah tanggungjawab kita
SEREMBAN – Susulan penerbangan Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH17 dari Amsterdam ke Kuala Lumpur ditembak jatuh dengan peluru berpandu darat ke udara pada hari Khamis lalu, orang ramai mempersoalkan mengapa syarikat penerbangan nasional itu memilih untuk terbang di zon ruang udara wilayah yang sememangnya diketahui sedang bergolak.
FMT membuat tinjauan di bandar Seremban dan cuba mendapatkan reaksi orang ramai berhubung kejadian yang mengorbankan 298 penumpang dan anak kapal MH17.
Khairul Nizam Kassim, 44, bertanya kenapa MAS ambil risiko dan merentasi zon perang.
“Walaupun menggunakan laluan alternatif yang lebih jauh dan MAS akan rugi dari segi kos penerbangan, tetapi ia akan menjamin keselamatan penumpang.
“Sekarang siapa yang mahu dipertanggungjawabkan? Tiada ada sesiapa yang mahu mengaku menembak MH17.
“Bukankah pencegahan lebih baik?
“Pada bulan April, International Civil Aviation Organisation, telah menasihatkan agar syarikat penerbangan mempertimbangkan laluan alternatif selepas mengenalpasti kemungkinan wujudnya risiko yang serius kepada keselamatan penerbangan awam antarabangsa.
“Apakah MAS tidak peka?
“Malah kalau tidak ada mana-mana pihak memberi amaran pun, sepatutnya secara ‘common sense’ boleh fikir secara logik, kenapa ambil risiko lalu di ruang udara zon perang? tanya Khairul Nizam.
Ruang udara Ukraine dulu lain, sekarang lain
Khairul Mohamad, 31, pula berkata alasan sudah lama terbang di ruang udara berkenaan tidak boleh diterima.
“Tidak kisah berapa tahun laluan itu telah digunakan. Dulu lain sekarang lain.
“Dulu selamat, kini sejak beberapa bulan Ukraine bergolak dengan perang saudara.
“Maka sudah tentu ianya tidak selamat lagi untuk terbang di ruang udara Ukraine, lebih-lebih lagi di zon perang.
“Alasan kononnya ada banyak lagi syarikat penerbangan lain terbang di ruang udara tersebut tidak boleh di terima kerana keselamatan kita adalah tanggungjawab kita.
“Kalau dah namanya zon perang, pasti akan ada kejadian tembak menembak di sana sini, letup sana letup sini; tapi kitalah yang harus berhati-hati dan jangan lalu di zon perang.
“Pada hari Isnin, Eurocontrol, sebuah badan yang mengkordinasi semua trafik di ruang udara Eropah telah menghantar satu nota rasmi dikenali sebagai Notam, mengulangi amaran tersebut dan menasihatkan dengan tegas agar mengelak dari ruang udara tersebut,” jelas Khairul.
Terbang atas zon perang, ibarat serah nyawa
Mohamad Sudhay, 55, pula bertanya kenapa MAS lalu di ruang udara negara sedang berkonflik.
“Perang saudara di Ukraine ini bukan sehari dua, tapi dah berapa bulan.
“Terbang di atas ruang udara negara berperang ini seperti serahkan nyawa macam itu sahaja.
“Walaubagaimanapun saya menasihatkan orang ramai jangan takut penggunakan penerbangan udara.
“Ajal dan maut di tangan tuhan,” katanya.
Leong Chee Kong, 48, berharap kerajaan ambil tindakan tegas ke atas pihak yang menyebabkan kesemua 298 penumpang dan anak kapal MH17 terkorban.
“Saya juga harap kerajaan siasat kenapa pada hari tersebut MH17 dikatakan membuat sedikit lencongan daripada laluan asal.
“Apakah pihak berkuasa Ukraine atau Ukraine Air Traffic Control (ATC) telah dimaklumkan terlebih dahulu sebelum lencongan itu di buat? tanya Leong.
A Vanitha Sri, 18, pula berkata pihak yang bertanggungjawab menembak jatuh MH17 dan mengakibatkan orang yang tidak bersalah mati, perlu dihukum.
“Ini sangat kejam. Bayangkan berapa ramai kanak-kanak yang tidak berdosa terkorban begitu sahaja.
“Kenapa mereka (pihak yang menembak MH17) berbuat demikian?
“Macam mana boleh jadi begini?
SEREMBAN – Susulan penerbangan Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH17 dari Amsterdam ke Kuala Lumpur ditembak jatuh dengan peluru berpandu darat ke udara pada hari Khamis lalu, orang ramai mempersoalkan mengapa syarikat penerbangan nasional itu memilih untuk terbang di zon ruang udara wilayah yang sememangnya diketahui sedang bergolak.
FMT membuat tinjauan di bandar Seremban dan cuba mendapatkan reaksi orang ramai berhubung kejadian yang mengorbankan 298 penumpang dan anak kapal MH17.
Khairul Nizam Kassim, 44, bertanya kenapa MAS ambil risiko dan merentasi zon perang.“Walaupun menggunakan laluan alternatif yang lebih jauh dan MAS akan rugi dari segi kos penerbangan, tetapi ia akan menjamin keselamatan penumpang.
“Sekarang siapa yang mahu dipertanggungjawabkan? Tiada ada sesiapa yang mahu mengaku menembak MH17.
“Bukankah pencegahan lebih baik?
“Pada bulan April, International Civil Aviation Organisation, telah menasihatkan agar syarikat penerbangan mempertimbangkan laluan alternatif selepas mengenalpasti kemungkinan wujudnya risiko yang serius kepada keselamatan penerbangan awam antarabangsa.
“Apakah MAS tidak peka?
“Malah kalau tidak ada mana-mana pihak memberi amaran pun, sepatutnya secara ‘common sense’ boleh fikir secara logik, kenapa ambil risiko lalu di ruang udara zon perang? tanya Khairul Nizam.
Ruang udara Ukraine dulu lain, sekarang lain
Khairul Mohamad, 31, pula berkata alasan sudah lama terbang di ruang udara berkenaan tidak boleh diterima.
“Tidak kisah berapa tahun laluan itu telah digunakan. Dulu lain sekarang lain.
“Dulu selamat, kini sejak beberapa bulan Ukraine bergolak dengan perang saudara.
“Maka sudah tentu ianya tidak selamat lagi untuk terbang di ruang udara Ukraine, lebih-lebih lagi di zon perang.
“Alasan kononnya ada banyak lagi syarikat penerbangan lain terbang di ruang udara tersebut tidak boleh di terima kerana keselamatan kita adalah tanggungjawab kita.
“Kalau dah namanya zon perang, pasti akan ada kejadian tembak menembak di sana sini, letup sana letup sini; tapi kitalah yang harus berhati-hati dan jangan lalu di zon perang.
“Pada hari Isnin, Eurocontrol, sebuah badan yang mengkordinasi semua trafik di ruang udara Eropah telah menghantar satu nota rasmi dikenali sebagai Notam, mengulangi amaran tersebut dan menasihatkan dengan tegas agar mengelak dari ruang udara tersebut,” jelas Khairul.
Terbang atas zon perang, ibarat serah nyawa
Mohamad Sudhay, 55, pula bertanya kenapa MAS lalu di ruang udara negara sedang berkonflik.
“Perang saudara di Ukraine ini bukan sehari dua, tapi dah berapa bulan.
“Terbang di atas ruang udara negara berperang ini seperti serahkan nyawa macam itu sahaja.
“Walaubagaimanapun saya menasihatkan orang ramai jangan takut penggunakan penerbangan udara.
“Ajal dan maut di tangan tuhan,” katanya.
Leong Chee Kong, 48, berharap kerajaan ambil tindakan tegas ke atas pihak yang menyebabkan kesemua 298 penumpang dan anak kapal MH17 terkorban.
“Saya juga harap kerajaan siasat kenapa pada hari tersebut MH17 dikatakan membuat sedikit lencongan daripada laluan asal.
“Apakah pihak berkuasa Ukraine atau Ukraine Air Traffic Control (ATC) telah dimaklumkan terlebih dahulu sebelum lencongan itu di buat? tanya Leong.
A Vanitha Sri, 18, pula berkata pihak yang bertanggungjawab menembak jatuh MH17 dan mengakibatkan orang yang tidak bersalah mati, perlu dihukum.
“Ini sangat kejam. Bayangkan berapa ramai kanak-kanak yang tidak berdosa terkorban begitu sahaja.
“Kenapa mereka (pihak yang menembak MH17) berbuat demikian?
“Macam mana boleh jadi begini?
Ramai penumpang Belanda sepatutnya tiba di Borneo
Pusat peranginan Pulau Tiga mengesahkan menerima maklumat mengenai kumpulan pelawat itu dan telah membuat persediaan untuk menerima ketibaan mereka.
KOTA KINABALU: Seramai 26 daripada 189 rakyat Belanda yang menaiki pesawat MH17 yang terhempas selepas ditembak dengan misil di udara Ukraine pada malam Khamis, sepatutnya sudah berada di Sabah dan Sarawak untuk bercuti.
Penumpang rakyat Belanda itu dikatakan terlebih dulu akan melawat Sarawak.
Lawatan mereka di Sabah adalah untuk mengunjungi hutan di Sukau dan Taman Kinabalu untuk melihat keindahan Gunung Kinabalu.
Pulau Tiga juga adalah antara tempat menarik yang dirancang untuk dilawati sepanjang tiga minggu lawatan mereka di sini.
Pusat peranginan Pulau Tiga mengesahkan menerima maklumat mengenai kumpulan pelawat itu dan telah membuat persediaan untuk menerima ketibaan mereka.
“Antara mereka ialah Peter Essers, 66, isterinya Jolette Nuesink, 60, dan anak anak mereka Emma, 20 dan Valentijin, 17,” kata Richard Hii, jurucakap Tropical Adventure Sdn Bhd yang berpusat di Sarawak.
Syarikat itu sepatutnya menguruskan perjalanan mereka ketika berada di sini.
Menurut Richard, mereka sangat sedih kerana tetamu mereka ditimpa tragedi dan berharap sesiapa saja yang bertanggungjawab mengorbankan ramai orang yang tidak bersalah dalam nahas itu dihadapkan ke muka pengadilan.
“Tiada apa-apa yang kita dapat lakukan buat masa ini kecuali mendoakan roh mereka yang terkorban dan kesabaran diri keluarga serta kawan-kawan yang meratapi pemergian mereka,” katanya.
Penumpang rakyat Belanda itu dikatakan terlebih dulu akan melawat Sarawak.
Lawatan mereka di Sabah adalah untuk mengunjungi hutan di Sukau dan Taman Kinabalu untuk melihat keindahan Gunung Kinabalu.
Pulau Tiga juga adalah antara tempat menarik yang dirancang untuk dilawati sepanjang tiga minggu lawatan mereka di sini.
Pusat peranginan Pulau Tiga mengesahkan menerima maklumat mengenai kumpulan pelawat itu dan telah membuat persediaan untuk menerima ketibaan mereka.
“Antara mereka ialah Peter Essers, 66, isterinya Jolette Nuesink, 60, dan anak anak mereka Emma, 20 dan Valentijin, 17,” kata Richard Hii, jurucakap Tropical Adventure Sdn Bhd yang berpusat di Sarawak.
Syarikat itu sepatutnya menguruskan perjalanan mereka ketika berada di sini.
Menurut Richard, mereka sangat sedih kerana tetamu mereka ditimpa tragedi dan berharap sesiapa saja yang bertanggungjawab mengorbankan ramai orang yang tidak bersalah dalam nahas itu dihadapkan ke muka pengadilan.
“Tiada apa-apa yang kita dapat lakukan buat masa ini kecuali mendoakan roh mereka yang terkorban dan kesabaran diri keluarga serta kawan-kawan yang meratapi pemergian mereka,” katanya.
Allahyarham Ghafar bantah hidang arak dalam MAS
Yang Dipertua PAS Kawasan Masjid Tanah, Imran Abdul Rahman berkata demikian ketika menyampaikan ucapan takziah kepada ibu Abdul Ghafar, Maimon Sarpan, 74 di rumah beliau di Kampung Seri Tanjung di sini tengah hari tadi
Maimon berkata beliau terkejut menerima berita kejadian tersebut apabila diberitahu oleh anaknya pada tengah malam peristiwa malam itu.
“Anak saya telefon suruh buka TV tengok berita, dia kata Salim terlibat dengan kemalangan tersebut, saya baru nak tidur masa itu”
“Tidak ada apa yang dapat saya katakan, hanya air mata yang mengalir mengenangkan anak saya ini,” ujar beliau.
Menurur Maimon, Salim (nama panggilan keluarga untuk Ghafar) merupakan anak yang baik dan sentiasa ingat kepada keluarga.
“Kita mendoakan roh Allahyarham dan semua penumpang muslim lain dicucuri rahmat dan di tempatkan bersama roh para anbia, syuhada dan solihin”
“Kami juga mengharapkan Mak Cik Maimon dan keluarga tabah menghadapi dugaan Allah ini,” ujar Imran dengan nada sedih.
Dalam pertemuan itu Maimon menunjukkan gambar-gambar Ghafar dan sentiasa memuji kebaikan anaknya yang terkenal dengan kuat beragama dan sentiasa komited menjaga kebajikan keluarga.
Difahamkan Allahyarham Ghaffar adalah seorang yang berani melawan perintah syarikat agar tidak menghidangkan arak di dalam penerbangan yang diketuainya.
Seorang rakannya Halim Hassan menyatakan Ghafar adalah seorang yang suka solat malam, mengaji dalam penerbangan dan menjadi mutawif (pemandu ibadat haji dan umrah) kawan-kawannya semasa umrah, Halim Hassan menulis perkara itu dalam komuniti Whatsapp Masjid Bukit Indah yang kini disebarkan melalui media sosial.
Menurut rakan-rakannya dari kariah Masjid Bukit Indah itu, selain membuat bantahan kepada MAS tentang penghidangan arak di dalam kapal terbang, Ghafar pernah menulis surat kepada Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (Jakim) dan para mufti agar mengeluarkan arak daripada sajian dalam pesawat MAS.
Ghafar juga, kata Halim, pernah meminta pemangku Menteri Pengangkutan Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein agar membenarkan para pramugari beragama Islam untuk memakai tudung semasa bertugas.
Ukraine, rebels agree on security zone at crash site
HRABOVE, Ukraine — Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists agreed Saturday to set up a security zone around the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet to allow the orderly removal of the bodies of the 298 people killed in the shootdown of MH17 over eastern Ukraine two days ago.
The Malaysian airliner — en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew members — crashed into rebel-held territory Thursday after being hit by what U.S. officials say was a SA-11 surface-to-air missile. There were no survivors.
In a related development, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Ministere Sergei Lavrov agreed in a "frank discussion": by phone Saturday that all evidence in the case be turned over to independent, international investigators, the ITAR-TAss News agency reports.
"During the frank discussion, the minister and the secretary, without mincing words, exchanged assessments and arguments and agreed on the main point that it is necessary to ensure an absolutely impartial, independent and open international investigation of the Malaysian plane crash in Ukraine on July 17,"the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement."
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) should play a leading role in the investigation, the statement said.
Lavrov and Kerry agreed that "all evidence, including flight data recorders, should be made available for examination as part of an international investigation and that all necessary conditions should be created on the ground to ensure access for the international team of experts".
In Kiev, Ukrainian Security Service head Valentyn Nalyvaychenko said in televised remarks Saturday that trilateral talks, involving Russia, had agreed on a 7-square-mile security zone "so that Ukraine could fulfill the most important thing — identify the bodies (and) hand them over to relatives," Ukrinform reports.
The announcement of an agreement followed charges by Ukraine that local militia in the restive eastern Ukraine region near the Russian border had removed at least 38 bodies from the crash site near the village of Hrabove.
On a dirt road near the site Saturday morning, separatist officials from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's ministry of internal affairs began moving bodies in what appeared to be an unorganized and ad hoc operation.
At one point, about 15 bodies had been laid out on the rural road.
"Experts are removing the bodies," a separatist soldier who identified himself as Commander Ugriumny and seemed to be in charge told reporters. "Where we will move them, we will wait and see."
Until the soldiers arrived in a 10-vehicle caravan, the golden fields in this remote region near the Russian border were virtually empty, except for the decomposing bodies, some still strapped to their airline seats, and wide swaths of plane wreckage. There were no emergency services vehicles, no separatist soldiers.
The militiamen, who began setting up a perimeter, cordoning off the area and putting up tents, scoffed at charges by the Kiev government that bodies were being removed from the scene.
"No one stole any bodies," said Commander Ugriumny. "Or have taken them anywhere."
MH17: Government Will Do Its Best To Provide Closure, Bring Back Victims - Najib
KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak today gave assurance that the government will do its utmost to provide closure to the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 crew and passenger grieving families and it will also do its level best to bring back the victims of the tragedy.Najib said the Malaysian investigation team had arrived in Kiev, Ukraine, and was in the midst of making arrangements to access the location of the crash some 400km away.
"A few holistic approaches must be taken and it is understood that insurgents have agreed to create a safe passage for the recovery and investigation team.
"We hope they will do so as this is a serious event and they must all demonstrate compassion for the countries affected and the innocent victims," Najib said in his latest posting in his Facebook account here Saturday.
The prime minister said he had also asked Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai and Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman to go to Kiev as soon as possible to ensure that the team could do their work undisturbed.
"They (Liow and Anifah) are to facilitate and ensure our demands are met. Other than logistics, this is a geopolitical matter," he said.
Najib said the handling of flight MH17's blackbox must follow the international laws of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the recovery must be by Malaysia as owner of the blackbox.
"When meeting the next-of-kin, we understand their individual perspectives as a family unit. It was a very emotional session and I urge the public to uphold in prayers all those affected by this unspeakable tragedy," he said.
Flight MH17, carrying 298 people - 283 passengers and 15 crew was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it went down in Ukraine. 43 passengers including the 15 crew and two infants are Malaysians.
Ukrainian authorities believe that the Boeing 777 was shot down.
MH17 had left Amsterdam at 12.15 pm (Netherlands time) Thursday and was to have arrived in Kuala Lumpur at 6.10 am (Malaysian time) Friday.
SLAP IN THE FACE FOR M'SIAN AUTHORITIES: 'Not our job' to warn about dangers of missiles - UN aviation body:
OTTAWA/MONTREAL - The UN civil aviation body said on Friday it was not responsible for issuing warnings about potential dangers such as military conflicts, saying that duty fell to individual nations. (Rebel Leader Gives Bizarre Account of Malaysia Airlines Plane Crash)The role of the International Civil Aviation Authority has come under scrutiny after a Malaysian airliner was shot down by a missile on Thursday over eastern Ukraine, killing 298 people. (Barack Obama Reaches out to Global Leaders for Investigation on Malaysia Airlines MH17)
Montreal-based ICAO rejected suggestions it should have issued a warning about the potential dangers of flying over the area. (Malaysia Airlines Crash: Downing of Jet Exposes Defects of Flight Precautions Over Ukraine)
"ICAO does not declare airspace safe or unsafe or undertake any other direct operational responsibilities with respect to civilian air services," said spokesman Anthony Philbin. (Obama Points to Pro-Russia Separatists in Downing of Malaysia Airlines Plane)
"It is always the responsibility of our sovereign member states to advise other states of potential safety hazards."
Asked whether ICAO would ever issue warnings about the dangers of missiles, he replied: "It's not our job."
Malaysia's transport minister said earlier that ICAO had shut down a route over eastern Ukraine after the disaster. ICAO said it did not have the power to open or shut routes.
ICAO did issue a warning to airlines in April about flying over Crimea in the wake of the Russian invasion but it cited potential problems with conflicting air traffic controllers, not the risk of violence. The warning was not an order but rather said "consideration should be given to measures to avoid the airspace".
Malaysia said ICAO had approved the route the doomed airliner took but this appears to be a misreading of what the body does. ICAO issues advisories based on decisions taken by delegates rather than telling members what to do.
"It is up to countries to implement them or not, most countries do ... but ICAO standards are more or less equivalent to a treaty, you can either comply or not as you see fit," said a Canadian expert on aviation law, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak to the media.
Despite having an expertise in aviation, ICAO is challenged by its inherent structure as a UN body with 190 members, said John Saba, a lecturer at McGill University's Integrated Aviation Management Programme in Montreal.
"The political constraints are beyond them," Saba said.
"You have people from different countries who are trying to represent the interest of their country but also hammer out deals.
"To condemn them (ICAO) would be very, very unfair."
Philbin said ICAO would not pass on any information it might receive about airlines avoiding certain parts of the world because "ICAO doesn't really have an operational mandate".
Ukraine had allowed airliners to fly at 32,000 feet (9,753 metres) and higher above the area where the Malaysian flight crashed. US and other officials say the jet was shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired from territory controlled by Russian-backed separatist rebels. Brussels-based Eurocontrol is the agency responsible for coordinating European airspace. It and ICAO were cited in a safety bulletin issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency in April advising that Crimean airspace should be avoided.
Domestic authorities also have significant powers. The US Federal Aviation Administration issued an order on Thursday prohibiting American aircraft from flying over eastern Ukraine.
ICAO said on Friday that, in response to an official request from the Ukrainian government, it would send a team to assist with the investigation into the downing of the plane. But it noted that Ukraine is officially in charge of the investigation by virtue of being the "state of occurrence".
The crash highlights the fragmented nature of global aviation regulation.
Philbin said there had been no talk of ICAO taking on a more global regulatory role and Saba said the organisation was unlikely to change in the near future.
"The countries that are members of ICAO have to agree to it. How are you going to get them all to agree to give ICAO more power over them?" he said.
"They are our best hope for having any international rules. It may be an imperfect hope but they are our best hope." – Reuters
Arundhati Roy accuses Mahatma Gandhi of discrimination
Prize-winning author questions position in India of 'person whose doctrine of nonviolence was based on brutal caste system'
"Being outspoken is one thing but being so blase about your ignorance is quite another," said Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of the world-renowned thinker and activist. "It's just an attempt to get publicity."
Prof Mridula Mukherjee, an expert in modern Indian history at Jawaharlal University in Delhi, said Roy's criticism was misplaced. "Gandhi devoted much of his life to fighting caste prejudice. He was a reformer not a revivalist within the Hindu religion. His effort was in keeping with his philosophy of nonviolence and bringing social transformation without creating hatred," Mukherjee said.
Roy's comments are part of a long-running historical argument over Gandhi's views on caste.
Gandhi's stance is sometimes contrasted by commentators with that of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a Dalit who grew up in poverty but went on to become a prominent independence leader and India's first law minister, with responsibility for much of the country's constitution. Roy recently wrote a new introduction to Ambedkar's undelivered 1936 speech, The Annihilation of Caste, in which she called Gandhi "the saint of the status quo".
Mukherjee said Gandhi and Ambedkar "represented different understandings of how to solve problems of caste oppression in India, but each was equally sincere".
The British government recently announced that a statue of Gandhi would be placed in Parliament Square.
Roy's comments come amid a series of rows over the study and representation of Indian history.
The appointment of a little-known academic to the head of a national research body has raised concerns that the new Hindu nationalist government in India may try to promote an ideological version of the country's past.
The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi, won a landslide victory in May, ending a decade of rule by the centre-left Congress party. When last in power, between 1998 and 2004, the BJP prompted controversy with its criticism of prominent historians and efforts to excise what ministers claimed was a Marxist or western vision from textbooks.
Prof Yellapragada Sudershan Rao took up his post as chair of the Indian Council of Historical Research last month. Rao was formerly head of history and tourism management at a little-known university.
Rao immediately caused controversy with comments criticising alleged Marxist influence on Indian historical studies and western-inspired methods of research. He also told interviewers that he believed the Hindu literary epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, were historically accurate accounts of real events.
Salil Tripathi, a columnist in Mint, a local newspaper, wrote: "His appointment is troubling … because he appears to believe that history is shaped by both faith and reason. Faith matters, of course, but faith is part of a culture, it should not dictate history. Faith is about unquestioned belief; history is about facts and reality."
Romila Thapar, one of India's most respected historians, said she feared "the ICHR may now turn the clock back".
"Historical research in India is no longer limited to trying to prove that the narratives of the ancient texts were historically accurate. We are now perhaps more concerned with what they tell us about our past societies and cultures," Thapar wrote.
BJP officials have denied any intention to change the way history is taught in schools or elsewhere.
The decision in February by Penguin to stop distributing an academic work on the Hindu religion by US expert Wendy Doniger after a legal challenge from conservatives prompted particular concern among liberal writers and thinkers in India. The BJP government last week denied reports that it had destroyed thousands of files, including some related to Gandhi's assassination by a Hindu fanatic in 1948.
Arundhati Roy, the Booker prize winning author, has accused Mahatma Gandhi of discrimination and called for institutions bearing his name to be renamed.
Speaking at Kerala University in the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, Roy, 52, described the generally accepted image of Gandhi as a lie.
"It is time to unveil a few truths about a person whose doctrine of nonviolence was based on the acceptance of a most brutal social hierarchy ever known, the caste system … Do we really need to name our universities after him?" Roy said.
The caste system is thousands of years old but still defines the status of hundreds of millions of people in India. So-called untouchables, or Dalits, continue to suffer discrimination.
Speaking at Kerala University in the southern Indian city of Thiruvananthapuram, Roy, 52, described the generally accepted image of Gandhi as a lie.
"It is time to unveil a few truths about a person whose doctrine of nonviolence was based on the acceptance of a most brutal social hierarchy ever known, the caste system … Do we really need to name our universities after him?" Roy said.
The caste system is thousands of years old but still defines the status of hundreds of millions of people in India. So-called untouchables, or Dalits, continue to suffer discrimination.
Mahatma Gandhi, whose views on caste have been a
long-running argument among historians. Photograph: Corbis
The author's comments provoked immediate outrage from descendants and some scepticism from historians."Being outspoken is one thing but being so blase about your ignorance is quite another," said Tushar Gandhi, great-grandson of the world-renowned thinker and activist. "It's just an attempt to get publicity."
Prof Mridula Mukherjee, an expert in modern Indian history at Jawaharlal University in Delhi, said Roy's criticism was misplaced. "Gandhi devoted much of his life to fighting caste prejudice. He was a reformer not a revivalist within the Hindu religion. His effort was in keeping with his philosophy of nonviolence and bringing social transformation without creating hatred," Mukherjee said.
Roy's comments are part of a long-running historical argument over Gandhi's views on caste.
Gandhi's stance is sometimes contrasted by commentators with that of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, a Dalit who grew up in poverty but went on to become a prominent independence leader and India's first law minister, with responsibility for much of the country's constitution. Roy recently wrote a new introduction to Ambedkar's undelivered 1936 speech, The Annihilation of Caste, in which she called Gandhi "the saint of the status quo".
Mukherjee said Gandhi and Ambedkar "represented different understandings of how to solve problems of caste oppression in India, but each was equally sincere".
The British government recently announced that a statue of Gandhi would be placed in Parliament Square.
Roy's comments come amid a series of rows over the study and representation of Indian history.
The appointment of a little-known academic to the head of a national research body has raised concerns that the new Hindu nationalist government in India may try to promote an ideological version of the country's past.
The Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), led by Narendra Modi, won a landslide victory in May, ending a decade of rule by the centre-left Congress party. When last in power, between 1998 and 2004, the BJP prompted controversy with its criticism of prominent historians and efforts to excise what ministers claimed was a Marxist or western vision from textbooks.
Prof Yellapragada Sudershan Rao took up his post as chair of the Indian Council of Historical Research last month. Rao was formerly head of history and tourism management at a little-known university.
Rao immediately caused controversy with comments criticising alleged Marxist influence on Indian historical studies and western-inspired methods of research. He also told interviewers that he believed the Hindu literary epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, were historically accurate accounts of real events.
Salil Tripathi, a columnist in Mint, a local newspaper, wrote: "His appointment is troubling … because he appears to believe that history is shaped by both faith and reason. Faith matters, of course, but faith is part of a culture, it should not dictate history. Faith is about unquestioned belief; history is about facts and reality."
Romila Thapar, one of India's most respected historians, said she feared "the ICHR may now turn the clock back".
"Historical research in India is no longer limited to trying to prove that the narratives of the ancient texts were historically accurate. We are now perhaps more concerned with what they tell us about our past societies and cultures," Thapar wrote.
BJP officials have denied any intention to change the way history is taught in schools or elsewhere.
The decision in February by Penguin to stop distributing an academic work on the Hindu religion by US expert Wendy Doniger after a legal challenge from conservatives prompted particular concern among liberal writers and thinkers in India. The BJP government last week denied reports that it had destroyed thousands of files, including some related to Gandhi's assassination by a Hindu fanatic in 1948.
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