In a new precedent, never to occur before in Egypt or anywhere else in the world, the Minya Criminal Court issued a decision to refer the papers of 529 defendants to the Grand Mufti, in preparation for sentencing them to death, in the case of the attack on Matay police station in Minya.

News

On the 21 of March 2013 Barak Obama released a video message congratulating the Muslim world on the New Year celebrations of Nauryz. This holiday is widely regarded as Kazakh New Year in Kazakhstan. Oruch Alakhverdiev, Deputy Chairman of ‘Khazar' Azerbaijani Cultural Center, is quoted as saying; "Nauryz is a grand holiday for the entire Islamic and Turkic world. We celebrate it in Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and other countries. Nauryz is a holiday of unity and spring. It is a great holiday for all of us."

Comment

In saying these words, leaders of the Muslims declare their allegiance with thoughts and ideas that are opposite to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. The Prophet (saw) ordered his Ummah to only follow two annual celebrations of Eid in a direct action that opposes the Pagan and idol worshipping traditions. When the Prophet (saw) came to Madinah, he found that people used to celebrate two days during the time of ignorance period (Jahiliyya). The Prophet (saw) said, reported by Sayyidina Uqbah ibn Aamir,

«يَوْمُ عَرَفَةَ وَيَوْمُ النَّحْرِ وَأَيَّامُ التَّشْرِيقِ عِيدُنَا أَهْلَ الْإِسْلَامِ وَهِيَ أَيَّامُ أَكْلٍ وَشُرْبٍ»

Sayyidina Uqbah ibn Aamir reported that Allah's Messenger (saw) said, "The day of Arafah,the day of sacrifice and the days of tashriq are eid days (festivals) for us, the people of Islam. These are days to eat and drink."

The Nauryz celebrations have their origins in the Zoroastrian pagan traditions of the time before Islam and it represents the following of the solar calendar and the coming of the Spring Equinox that has nothing to do with the Islamic Lunar calendar and the 12 Hijri months.

Barak Obama' message of ‘Happy Nauryz' is a deliberate act to undermine the Islamic values in the Muslim regions. It is well known that the Muslim women of Iran and the Caucuses are often encouraged to take particular interest in the celebration of these false New Year practices by preparing special foods and arranging family gatherings. The women of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir wish to warn all Muslim women to guard against these non-Islamic practices and turn away from following any cultural or traditional practices that are not based on the pure teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. Islam is a complete message with it's own unique identity and celebrations with all of the answers to life's problems and we urge all Muslim women to not waste their precious time and energy in practices that will take them far from success but to put all of their energy into working for the Islamic System - the Khilafah "Caliphate" that will protect us and our children from non-Islamic values and give the truth the highest place in dominating over falsehood as Allah (swt) says in the Quran in Surah At-Taubah.

((هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَىٰ وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ))

"It is He Who hath sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, even though the Pagans (polytheists/idol-worshippers) may detest (it)." [TMQ 9:33]

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Imrana Mohammed
Member of the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir

Headlines

• French Prison Ordered to Provide Halal Food to Muslims
• Egypt's Sisi to Run for President, Vows to Tackle Militancy
• Obama Demands West Stand Firm Against 'Brute Force'
• $7b US Military Aid to Pakistan Angers Afghanistan

Details

French Prison Ordered to Provide Halal Food to Muslims

A French prison has been ordered to provide halal meals for Muslim prisoners pending a definitive ruling on the latest issue to pit the country's secular tradition against Islamic practice. Justice Minister Christiane Taubira is contesting a November ruling by an administrative tribunal in Grenoble that the local Saint-Quentin-Fallavier prison should provide halal meals on the basis that failing to do so would violate Muslim prisoners' right to practice their religion. Pending a ruling on the principle involved, the justice ministry sought a suspension of the tribunal's decision on the grounds that it was impractical for the prison to completely change its catering arrangements. That argument was rejected last week by an appeals court which ruled that the prison could easily organise a tender for an outside caterer to supply halal meals. "It is a new setback for the justice minister," Alexandre Ciaudo, the lawyer for the prisoner who brought the case, said Tuesday. "The prison now has to implement the ruling." The French government is arguing that the prison was doing enough to ensure the respect of religious freedom by ensuring that prisoners always have the option of either vegetarian meals or ones without pork, which is proscribed for Muslims. The debate has been mirrored by similar controversies over whether schools and holiday camps should be required to provide halal food for Muslim children and by higher-profile disputes over the wearing of veils in France, which has one of the largest Muslim populations in Europe. Any form of clothing linked to religious observance is banned from French state schools and since 2011 the wearing of full-face veils in public has been outlawed. [Source: AFP]

For the past decade or so, the French government has been involved in a series of measures curbing the role of Islam in French society to protect secular values. The ruling only serves to expose the bitter hatred of French officials towards Muslims, and reminds us that French freedom is only accorded to Muslims after judicial intervention as opposed to a guaranteed right enjoyed by all French citizens.

Egypt's Sisi to Run for President, Vows to Tackle Militancy

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the general who ousted Egypt's first freely elected leader, declared his candidacy on Wednesday for a presidential election he is expected to easily win. Sisi toppled Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood last July after mass protests against his rule and has emerged as the most influential figure in an interim administration that has governed since then. "I am here before you humbly stating my intention to run for the presidency of the Arab Republic of Egypt," Sisi said in a televised address to the nation. "Only your support will grant me this great honour. True, today is my last day in military uniform, but I will continue to fight every day for an Egypt free of fear and terrorism," said Sisi, 59, who had to resign his posts of army chief and minister of defence so he could run in the election. [Source: Reuters].

Humility is not one of Sisi's attributes. He is a ruthless dictator that is determined to destroy any Islamic threat to his rule, to the security of the Jewish State and to American interests in Egypt. Under the guise of fighting terrorism Sisi's agenda during office is to crush the Islamic opposition and to prevent Egypt from returning to the path of re-establishing the Caliphate.

Obama Demands West Stand Firm Against 'Brute Force'

US President Barack Obama says he believes democracy and the rule of law will triumph in Ukraine. Mr. Obama spoke late Wednesday to an enthusiastic audience at Brussels's Palais des Beaux Arts, after meetings with European Union and NATO officials. He said Western powers do not have any plans to try to dislodge Russia from Crimea by force. But he said over time, if the West remains united, Russia will recognize that it cannot use brute force to achieve its goals. Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Obama said after meeting with EU leaders that the international community is united in its determination to isolate Russia because of its annexation of Crimea, and that the issue highlights the need for Europe to find other sources for its energy supplies. Mr. Obama told reporters in Brussels that NATO needs a regular presence in countries that feel vulnerable to Russia. He said the situation in Ukraine is a reminder that "freedom isn't free" and added that collective defence means "everybody's got to chip in" to maintain a deterrent force. US Secretary of Defence Chuck Hagel said Wednesday that Russia has continued to build up military forces along its border with Ukraine, despite assurances it has no intention to invade. Russia, meanwhile, is showing no signs of pulling its forces from Crimea, and Ukrainian troops have withdrawn from installations there. On Tuesday, Ukrainian marines began leaving Crimea by the busload as Russian forces took control of the last remaining military base under Ukrainian control. President Obama says Washington is still concerned about "further encroachment" into Ukraine by Russia. [Source: Voice of America]

Russia's annexation of Crimea is forcing America's allies and foes alike to question America's ability to preside over the international order and maintain stability in different parts of the world. Lingering questions over the commitment of some NATO member states is fracturing NATO's ability to mount an effective challenge while Russia builds up its forces near Ukraine's border.

$7b US Military Aid to Pakistan Angers Afghanistan

A report in the Washington Post claiming that US military authorities have been in discussions with their Pakistani counterparts to hand over approximately $7 billion worth of military hardware to Afghanistan's neighbour has stunned and enraged much of the Afghan media, reigniting old Durand Line wounds. Despite Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and NATO troops fighting insurgencies in Afghanistan side-by-side in the last decade, a source in the report claims Pakistan is close to securing nearly 1,600 mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles and other modern military hardware which Afghan forces were hoping to receive. "No final decision has been made on the handover of the equipment and it is still being discussed," said Sedid Sediqi, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs. "We hope that this decision will not be made and the equipment is not handed over to Pakistan".Sediqi said that Afghan forces have become accustomed to handling and using MRAP vehicles. "We really need them. We desperately need modern equipment," added Sediqi. "Afghanistan Betrayed" Afghanistan Times ran with the headline: ‘Afghanistan Betrayed', asking why such valuable military equipment should go to Afghanistan's neighbour and not Afghan forces themselves.

"The US has deliberately preferred Pakistan over Afghanistan. The latter has been fighting terrorism sincerely and bleeding profusely, but the US largesse has always showered on Pakistan," wrote Afghanistan Times on the morning of March 24.

As America chooses between its agents to handle the security of both countries after the departure of some of her forces in late 2014, its agents in Afghanistan are upset. Instead of the Pakistani and Afghani leadership uniting for the sake of Islam and working to expel all crusader forces, both are vying with each other to please their American masters.

News

Dutchnews - The anti-immigration PVV party continued to fall apart on Friday evening, as the party's leader in the European parliament stepped out of politics.

Two MPs, one MEP, and reportedly four provincial councillors and all but one of the nine newly elected Almere city councillors have quit since Geert Wilders led supporters in an anti-Moroccan chant on Wednesday evening.

Earlier on Friday, PVV parliamentarian Joram van Klaveren resigned, citing Wilders' anti-Moroccan stance. On Thursday, MP Roland van Vliet also stepped down.

Chant

During the PVV local election celebrations in The Hague, Wilder asked his supporters ‘and do you want more or fewer Moroccans in your city and in the Netherlands?' To which the crowd chanted ‘fewer, fewer, fewer'.

'We'll arrange that,' Wilders said when the chanting died down.

Laurence Stassen, the PVV's leader in Europe has also left the party in the wake of the anti-Moroccan chanting. ‘I deeply regret having to take this step but continuing after this statement was not an option,' Stassen said. She has also stepped out of the PVV in Limburg.
Wilders is hoping to form an anti-European group with other populist parties in Europe after May's elections.

Local government

Also on Friday evening, all but one of the nine newly elected PVV councillors in Almere have ‘expressly distanced themselves' from Wilders, according to Dutch media reports.

One city councillor in The Hague also quit earlier in the day.

In Flevoland province itself, four of the six provincial councillors were said to have quit the PVV and formed their own group. The dissidents said in a statement they continue to support the PVV's policies but that Wilders' latest standpoint ‘is not ours', the Volkskrant reported.

Comment

What is happening with the PVV of Geert Wilders in the Netherlands?

The PVV rapidly begins to crumble. Is this caused by a stupid mistake by Wilders or does something else going on here?

In 2009 in an interview with a Danish television program, Geert Wilders called for the deportation of Muslims from Europe as to banish Islam from Europe. Undoubtedly, this call is more far-reaching and comprehensive than his call for less Moroccans.

Back then, no one opened their mouth, not the politicians, not his supporters nor his fellow party members, no one. But with this call for less Moroccans, The Netherlands is in uproar. What is the difference between then and now?

Salient detail is that Wilders seemed surprised as he responded to the crumbling of his party on national television. He told the television journalist that he had submitted these wordings to his party members and he said that they all agreed with the phrasing "We want less Moroccans". But once these words were uttered by Wilders at his election party they turned their backs on him. It is as if he almost saying that he was lured in the trap by his "own people."

This, together with the many dissidents in many election districts resigning from the party, and the timing just prior to the European elections pushes to think in the direction of a pre-planned action of the established order in The Netherlands. And that the crumbling or weakening the PVV is no accident but a deliberate plan.

Beside the elimination of Islam in Europe, Wilders has another goal and that's to regain the power from Brussels to Amsterdam. He is one of the fierce opponents against the EU and is trying to tear The Netherlands from the EU.

While the Dutch establishment used him for his anti-Islam rhetoric's now they want to get rid of him because due to potential threat to the interest of The Netherlands with Europe's and membership of Netherlands in Europe.

Written for the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir by
Okay Pala
Media Representative of Hizb ut Tahrir in The Netherlands