Arroyo vows justice over massacre

Gloria Arroyo, the Philippine president, has said "no effort will be spared" in the hunt for those behind what is believed to have been a politically-driven massacre in the south of the country.

Local media reports on Tuesday said that at least 46 people were believed to have been killed in the attack, up from an initial death toll of 22.

The victims were part of a group of people abducted in Maguindanao province by around 100 armed men.

Among those killed were the wife and family members of Esmael Mangudadatu, a local politician, as well as journalists.

The army has linked the killings to political rivalries ahead of next year's local elections.

Accountability

In a televised address to the nation on Tuesday afternoon, Arroyo said she was determined that those behind the killings would be held "accountable to the full limit of the law".

"The chief of staff has ordered the establishment of check points and choke points and as of last night, the military elements were in place to preserve peace in the areas.

"Additional troops have also been deployed to the area last night to further secure the area," she said.

Earlier officials in the president's office said she had ordered a state of emergency in the area, following what they said was the worst political violence seen in the country in recent history.

Lieutenant-Colonel Romeo Brawner, a spokesman for the Philippines military, said that about 500 more soldiers had been sent to Maguindanao province on the island of Mindanao "to go after the criminals" believed to be behind the killings.

He said the troops were under orders to arrest the followers of Andal Ampatuan, the incumbent governor suspected of being behind the killings.

"We maintain the Ampatuans are the suspects," Brawner told the AFP news agency.

On Monday, the military said 22 bodies - most female, some beheaded and mutilated - had been found in a mass grave in a remote mountainous area.

President's ally

Al Jazeera's Marga Ortigas, reporting from the Philippines, said Ampatuan is known to be closely-associated to the government and a close ally of Arroyo so people are watching to see what action the government will take.

Ampatuan is seen to have delivered the votes that swung the 2004 elections in Arroyo's favour, so people in the province fear he may not be punished if he is found to be behind the killings, she said.

Meanwhile Mangudadatu, whose family members, including his wife, were among those killed according to the military, told local radio that at least four people had survived the attack.

He said the survivors were safe under his care and "will come out at the right time".

Mangudadatu told local television network ABS-CBN on Monday that he had been warned about the dangers of standing for the governorship against Ampatuan.

Mangudadatu said he stayed behind in the capital Manila and sent his wife, Genalyn Tiamzon-Mangudadatu, to file his nomination in Maguindanao on his behalf.

Private armies

Maguindanao is one of the most politically tense provinces in the country.

The governor position is hotly contested because it is the seat of the autonomous region of Muslim Mindanao, she said.

Many politicians and elected officials in the region maintain well-equipped private armies.

Leila de Lima, a former election lawyer who now chairs the Commission on Human Rights in the Philippines, told Al Jazeera that the killings showed a "breakdown of law and order" in the area.

"Those politicians who are reported to be behind this, these are the gods in the area, they feel untouchable, they think and act like they're above the law. All these years they have been tolerated," she said.

"We're calling on the national authorities, including the executive department and the police, to do something swift and decisive to avert further violence and to obviate the impression that the situation might get out of control.

"We need decisive action this time. We cannot afford to have such a continuing environment and culture of impunity."
Source:Al Jazeera

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Uproar over India mosque report

The findings of an inquiry into the controversial destruction of a mosque by Hindu mobs that triggered bloody religious riots in the early 1990s has been tabled in the Indian parliament amid noisy disruptions from opposition members.

The cabinet approved the report in an emergency meeting earlier on Tuesday morning, India's NDTV reported, a day after the so-called Liberhan report was apparently leaked to a national newspaper.

The story, which appeared in the Indian Express newspaper, alleged the report "indicted" leaders from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), prompting angry scenes by party members in parliament on Monday and causing the house to adjourn.

P Chidambaram, the interior minister, tabled the 900-page report in both houses of parliament - Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha - amid unruly scenes.

Leaders indicted

The report indicts 68 people for the demolition of the mosque - mostly leaders from the BJP and a few bureaucrats.

Among those named are AB Vajpayee, the former BJP prime minister, and LK Advani, the party's current leader in parliament.

The 1992 destruction of the Babri mosque in the Hindu pilgrimage town of Ayodhya in northern Uttar Pradesh state sparked some of the worst Hindu-Muslim violence since the partition of the Indian sub-continent.

More than 2,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.

'Communal tension'

Rani Singh, a London-based South Asia analyst, said the report was sensitive because of India's religious make-up.

"Communal tension is simmering below the surface in India," she told.

"Although with a Hindu majority population, there are Muslims, Jews, Christians and Sikhs and other religions all living perfectly happily side-by-side.

"But the Ayodhya massacre in 1992 is a terrible scar on India's history that hasn't really healed."

She said the BJP had tried hard to distance itself from the destruction of the mosque and the subsequent killings.

"The BJP has wanted to kind of neutralise its tone a bit and wants to get away from any the whole idea that it planned - or was behind, shall we say - the massacre and the destruction of the mosque in 1992," she told Al Jazeera.

"Having said that, LK Advani does say that his long-cherished dream is to have a Hindu temple erected on that site."

'Strong objection'

In the 1990s, Advani travelled across India to draw support for his campaign to install a temple on the site of the Babri mosque.

Following the report in the Indian Express, Advani accused India's ruling Congress party of deliberately leaking the inquiry's conclusions to the press and protested his innocence.

"I take strong objection as to how the government has suddenly leaked the report," he told parliament, describing the mosque's destruction as "the saddest moment of my life".

Chidambaram denied the report had been leaked to the press.

But Tarun Vijay, the editor of BJP's official newspaper in New Delhi, said the Congress party appeared to be using the report to create a divide between the country's Hindus and Muslims.

"I think the report very unfortunately comes at a time when the country was going to remember and resolve to fight against terrorism in the wake of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai," he told Al Jazeera, referring to last year's deadly attacks in the Indian commercial capital.

"Perhaps the Congress is again planning to invoke a situation that creates a schism and a conflicting situation between the Hindus and Muslims that has always been a hallmark of the Congress politics.

"It wants Hindus and Muslims again divided on a very, very extreme position so that it can reap the full consequences of it .. to keep Congress in power in the next election."

Devout Hindus believe the Babri mosque was built on the ruins of a temple marking the birthplace of the Hindu warrior Lord Ram.

The report, authored by Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan, had been due to come before parliament in December, but the uproar over the paper's allegations prompted the cabinet to bring forward the date, Indian media said.
Source:Al Jazeera

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Iraq war inquiry opens in UK

A public inquiry into the UK's role in the Iraq war has opened in London, with former civil servants first to appear in hearings that will climax with Tony Blair, the former British prime minister, taking the stand.

One-time senior officials from the foreign and defence ministries will outline Britain's policy towards Baghdad in early 2000, as the five-member committee investigates what lessons can be learned from the US-led war.

John Chilcot, the inquiry chairman and a former civil servant, said he was confident of producing a "full and insightful" account of the decision-making that led Britain to join the 2003 invasion against strong opposition at home and abroad.

An appearance by Blair, who took Britain into the conflict, is likely to be the highlight of the inquiry, although he and other Labour government figures are not due to give evidence until next year.

'Unprecedented' inquiry

Shane Greer, executive editor of Total Politics, a British political magazine and website, told Al Jazeera that he believes the inquiry will uncover new information about the Iraq war.

"First of all the scope of this inquiry is absolutely unprecedented.

"Already back in July Sir John [Chilcot] began speaking with families of injured and killed soldiers ... now he's going onto the spy chiefs, civil servants ... and moving onto politicians.

"So I think we're going to see much more from this inquiry than any previous inquiry, because of course the frame of reference is so much wider, the access to information is so much wider.

"And also the inquiry has been given the power to apportion blame which really is quite incredible."

'No trial'

Chilcot has said that nobody will be on trial in the inquiry, held at a conference centre near parliament in central London, but has also vowed not to shy away from any criticism if the findings warrant it.

"No-one is on trial here. We cannot determine guilt or innocence. Only a court can do that.

"But I make a commitment here that once we get to our final report, we will not shy away from making criticisms, either of institutions or processes or individuals, where they are truly warranted," he said in opening remarks.

Chilcot and his fellow committee members have already met families of some of the 179 British troops who died during the six-year conflict, who raised issues about whether they were properly equipped and trained.

The inquiry will also look into the justification for the war, principally the claim that Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi president, had weapons of mass destruction.
These weapons were never found.

Among the first witnesses to be called on Tuesday is Peter Ricketts, who chaired the government's senior intelligence committee between 2000 and 2001 before taking a senior post at the Foreign Office (FCO) between 2001 and 2003.

Also due to present statements at the hearing are William Patey, the former head of the FCO's Middle East department; Simon Webb, the fomer head of operational policy at the Ministry of Defence; and Michael Wood, an former FCO legal adviser.

War 'legality'

Families of soldiers who died in the conflict have said they want "honest" answers from the inquiry.

Rose Gentle, whose son Gordon died in Iraq in 2004, said: "We do hope that the committee are going to be honest ... I don't know why he died until the end of this inquiry," she said.

Demonstrators have protested outside the conference venue, with some dressed up as former US and UK leaders with blood on their hands.

Anti-war campaigners are calling for a ruling on the legality of the conflict, which was carried out without explicit approval by the United Nations Security Council.

Two official investigations into the run-up to the war have already taken place, but ministers had refused to hold a full inquiry until after the military deployment had ended.

Analysts have said the inquiry is incapable of addressing the key issue of whether the invasion was legal, because of a lack of lawyers and judges on its six-member committee.

An unnamed senior judge told The Guardian newspaper that analysing the war's legality was beyond the committee's competence.

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Muttawifs... Making Hajj Easier

CAIRO — The Saudi government might manage hajj but a few number of young Muttawifs (hajj guides) strive to make the annual journey much easier for nearly three million Muslims. "We take control of the pilgrim from when he first puts his foot on the soil of Makkah," Imad Abdullah, a Muttawif, told Agence France Presse (AFP) on Monday, November 23.

Muttawifs are deployed in the holy cities of Makkah and Medina to organize and help pilgrims.

Their main task is to make sure that people who have waited a lifetime to perform hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, do that easily.

"We organize the shelter, food, transport, the rituals, and try to resolve any problems that come up," said Abdullah.

Every able-bodied adult Muslim -- who can financially afford the trip -- must perform hajj once in their lifetime.

Muttawifs also organize visits to important sites and help the pilgrims with their shopping trips so they can return home with gifts and souvenirs.

Knowing foreign languages is a particular asset for a Muttawif and many excel in the tongues of the region they handle.

Around three million pilgrims from over 160 countries are expected to perform hajj this year, which will climax on Thursday, November 26, when the faithful ascend Mount `Arafat.

Business

While serving the pilgrims Muttawifs encounter many funny and difficult situations.

"It's magnificent," said Abdullah recalling many times when pregnant women whom he was accompanying gave birth during hajj.

"But it makes the job complicated, because we have to take them to hospital."

He also remembers the story of a pilgrim who was mentally unbalanced.

"But under the effect of the intense heat in Makkah and the spirituality of the place, he ended up recovering his senses."

Though a grueling job, thousands of young Saudis, both men and women, seek to become Muttawifs.

The job has proved lucrative with a Muttawif making from 800 to more than 5,000 dollars for a few days' work depending on his/her experience.

Helping foreigners who do not speak Arabic to navigate through the lengthy hajj ritual is an old business that remained undisciplined until the 1930s.

Then King Abdul Aziz bin Saud, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, organized the families that controlled the business into six companies, each with rights to handle pilgrims from a specific region.

Abdullah's family, in the business for 150 years, is part of one of the companies.

"Our sons will inherit the job," said Abdullah, who has been specialized in helping Southeast Asian pilgrims for 30 years.

Source: IslamOnline

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UK Launches ‘Incompetent’ Iraq War Inquiry

CAIRO – A British public inquiry into the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq starts Tuesday, November 24, amid growing doubts about its competence, reported The Independent. "Our determination is to do not merely a thorough job but one that is frank and will bear public scrutiny,” the Iraq Inquiry head, Sir John Chiclot, said.

Chiclot leads a five-member committee to investigate the causes that led the British involvement in the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The committee’s first session on Tuesday discusses the British foreign policy on Iraq in the run-up to the invasion.

It will hear from a number of British officials, including Sir Peter Ricketts, who was the chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC) - which oversees MI5, MI6 and Government Communications Headquarters - from 2000 to 2001.

William Patey, head of the Foreign Office’s Middle East Department in 1999-02; Simon Webb, head of operational policy at the Ministry of Defense in 1999-2001 and MoD policy advisor in 2001-04; and Michael Wood, Foreign Office’s legal advisor in 1999-06, will also give evidence.

Former British prime minister Tony Blair is also on the list to testify before the committee.

A final report by the committee is expected by the end of the next year.

Without UN authorization, Britain joined the US in March 2003 in invading Iraq to topple the Saddam Hussein regime on claims of stockpiling weapons of mass destruction.

More than six years after the invasion, no trace of WMDs has been found.

A total of 179 British soldiers have been killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion.

There have already been two official probes into elements of the Iraq war.

The Hutton inquiry, which reported in 2004, looked at the suicide of David Kelly, a government scientist who killed himself after being named as the possible source of a BBC report claiming the government "sexed up" a dossier on Iraq's military capability.

Meanwhile the Butler inquiry, which reported the same year, highlighted failings in intelligence over whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

Incompetence

But the committee’s competence is being questioned over the absence of judges and lawyers in its membership.

"The panel clearly lacks the expertise to address the question of legality,” a senior legal figure told the Guardian.

“The members are not experienced at cross-examination – it is simply not their skill set."

A senior judge agrees, saying the committee members are incapable of analyzing the war legality.

"The truth of the matter is, if the inquiry was going to express a view with any kind of authority on the question of legality, it would need a legal member and quite a senior one," he said.

"Looking at the membership … it seems to me that legality just wasn't going to be a question they would be asked to review."

The lack of legal experience in the committee raises questions about whether the government, which established the inquiry, is willing to seriously look into the war legality.

"Some of the debates around the legality of the war are quite sophisticated – it is not all clear-cut," said the senior legal figure.

"It's going to be very difficult to deal with someone like Blair without a panel experienced in cross-examination.”

The senior judge also doubted the government’s willingness.

"Looking into the legality of the war is the last thing the government wants," he said.

"And actually, it's the last thing the opposition wants either because they voted for the war.

“There simply is not the political pressure to explore the question of legality – they have not asked because they don't want the answer."

Source: IslamOnline

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Exhibition shows America's early Muslims

CAIRO – Dusting off the annals of history, an exhibition in North Carolina is exploring the heritage of early Muslims and their contributions in building America.

"It’s amazing," Jamaal Albany, a teacher at Al-Iman Muslim school in Raleigh, told the News Observer on Monday, November 23.

Albany accompanied his sixth- and seventh-grade students to the "Muslims in America" exhibition at the Shaw University mosque to see contributions of early Muslims in building the country.

The event features portraits, letters and tombstones showing that Muslims arrived in America even before Christopher Columbus in 1492.

It also shows that Muslims fought in every US war since the American War of Independence (1775-1783).

Census records indicate that 584 soldiers with the last name Muhammad (spelled 33 different ways) fought in World War I.

"We're part of American society," organizer Amir Muhammad, a Washington history buff, said.

Muhammad initiated the exhibition during his search for his own family roots in the southern state of Georgia.

He found out that many West African Muslims were brought as slaves even before America’s discovery by Columbus.

"It didn't start with the Nation of Islam, and it didn't come with the wave of immigrants in the 1960s."

Though there are no official figures, the United States is believed to be home to nearly seven million Muslims.

* Muslim heritage

The exhibition shows that the south-eastern state of North Carolina was home to one of the most learned Muslim slaves, Omar Ibn Sayyid of Fayetteville.

"I studied this in college but I didn't know North Carolina's role," said Albany, the teacher.

Born in present-day Senegal in 1770, Sayyid was a Muslim scholar, who read and wrote in Arabic.

When he was 37, he was enslaved and taken to Charleston, a historic city in South Carolina.

Four years later, he escaped to Fayetteville, a city located in Cumberland County, North Carolina, where he was jailed.

Sayyid was later purchased by James Owen, a general in the state militia.

Impressed by the educated slave, Owen bought a translated version of the Noble Qur’an to Sayyid to improve his English.

Sayyid wrote his biography in Arabic, the first autobiography written by a slave.

"These are brothers we never knew the history of," said Ali Abdul Malik, who came out to see the exhibit.

"Now they are coming to light."
Source: IslamOnline

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