We are not interested in tensions between West and Muslim world- Putin

“Today tension between Western powers and the Muslim world is growing. Some politicians try to take advantage of it adding fuel to the fire. We’re not interested in it,” Putin claimed during a meeting with muftis in Ufa on Tuesday. The Russian leader also noted that today the necessity in “Russian presence is growing” in the Middle East in particular and in the Muslim world in general. “We should act more actively unmasking harmful for mankind projects which aim at manipulating countries and peoples, information and public opinion,” Putin stressed. Vladimir Putin assured that Russian wasn’t only not interested either in a split or “reshaping of the Muslim world” but, on the contrary, tried to pursue a consistent and hard line for consolidating its unity. Politicization of Islam The leaders of Russian Muslim organizations must resist the politicization of Islam jointly with the government, said Putin. "A politicization of religion - not always positive - is going on among the various tracks in Russia, including Islam. The government and the Russian Muslim community are facing new problems and tasks in this setting, which can only be resolved jointly," Vladimir Putin added. He also pointed out that "some political forces are making use of Islam - to be more exact its radical trends, which, by the way are untypical of the Russian Muslim community - in order to weaken the state, to create conflicts, governed from outside, to split ethnic groups within the Muslim community and to incite separatism in the regions." The attempts to divide should be countered by the Russian Muslims' devotion to their historical traditions, he said, adding that despite a variety of schools and trends in Islam, Russia's Muslims "have always been united in their service to the public and the state." Putin urged Russia's Muslims to establish partnership relations with other religions, first of all the Russian Orthodox Church. Russia's Islamic theologian school The president has proposed restoring Russia's Islamic theologian school: "If the present-day challenges are to be tackled effectively, the high authority of Russia's Muslim clergy and of the Islamic theologian school should be maintained." Russia's Islam has ample capabilities to play its role in promoting the rich theologian legacy, guided by the centuries-old national experience in the system of religious education, Putin said. "Among the most important tasks is that of recreating the national Islamic theologian school that would guarantee the sovereignty of the Russian religious space," the president added. This school should respond quickly to the most acute developments in Russia and in the world as a whole, and make assessments "that would be clear and respected by believers." Putin urges to stop inter-ethnic conflicts at the initial stage In this respect he called on local authorities to react actively to citizens’ inquiries. "One-time emergency measures to prevent inter-ethnic conflicts are not effective. We need to find modern systematic methods and approaches which are envisaged by the new National Policy Strategy. It will start working to its full extent only when regions are interested in it and take it as a guiding principle in actions and thorough systematic work aimed at strengthening inter-ethnic peace," Putin said. He underlined that substantial and active efforts made by local authorities and their willingness to implement a strategy were of particular importance. “However, we need to admit the work has been proceeding slowly. Only nine Russian regions drew up draft plans for implementation of a Federal Strategy. I repeat that we’re speaking only about plans and first necessary measures. If we analyze the actual work done I guess the situation will appear to be even more frustrating,” Putin added. “As far as actual strategic documents are concerned, 21 Federal subjects approved them. But it was done not as we wanted it to be as the majority of documents are out-of date,” Putin said. Vladimir Putin has also warned against disregarding unlawful deeds committed by immigrants. “It is unacceptable to tolerate unlawful actions by visitors violating the immigration law and committing offenses," Putin said at a meeting of the Council on Interethnic Relations. National policy Russia should gradually resolve problems of its national policy without stopping in the face of difficulties, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said during a session of the Russian International Affairs Council. “This topic is very important and not only to us but to all the developing countries,” he stated. Putin mentioned that problems in this field arouse in many developing countries. “Some of our foreign colleagues are speaking about the failure of their national policies,” he noted. “We can’t speak about it. Moreover, we have no right to even think about it,” the Russian President added. Ethnic relations Vladimir Putin claimed that ethnic harmony has always been a feature of Russian society. "Our fathers and grandfathers never discriminated against each other on the basis of ethnicity or faith," Putin said at an event on Tuesday marking the 225th anniversary of Russia's Central Muslim Spiritual Administration, the governing body of the country's large Muslim community. "They valued mutual respect, supported each other in joy and sorrow, and have left us a legacy of great, invincible friendship, the friendship that we will allow no one to destroy or blacken," he said. Putin also credited the Muslim community with a special role in Russia's ethnic relations. He insisted that younger generations be imbued with respect for other ethnic groups and with a sense of co-citizenship, patriotism and pan-national self-awareness.

Brunei to bring new sharia law

Brunei plans to implement a tough new sharia criminal code next year that could see citizens stoned for adultery or having a limb amputated for theft. Those convicted of drinking alcohol or committing other violations – such as abortion – could be flogged. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah – who is thought to be worth about $20bn (£12.3bn) and exercises tight control over the Muslim-majority country – described the legislation as "part of the great history of our nation" and a form of "special guidance" from God. "It is because of our need that Allah the Almighty, in all his generosity, has created laws for us, so that we can utilise them to obtain justice," the 67-year-old was quoted as saying in local media. The oil-rich sultanate already forbid the sale of alcohol and bans the evangelism of religions other than Islam. It is known for practising a more conservative form of Islam than its majority-Muslim neighbour Malaysia. While sharia law already exists within the small Southeast Asian nation – which is home to roughly 406,000 people, two-thirds of whom are Muslim – the Islamic court has, to date, primarily handled family-related affairs like marriage and inheritance. The new penal code will be enforced in phases, local media reported, and will apply only to Muslims. However, visitors to the Brunei could be flogged under existing secular laws for crimes including immigration offences. Caning is also used as punishment in Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. Brunei – which also calls itself the "abode of peace" – has seen an increase in crime in recent years, with courts dealing with petty robberies, drug trafficking, fraud and prostitution. Many in the country seem to welcome the new legislation, with many taking to social media to write "long live the sultan" and "praise be to Allah". Human rights activists denounced the move as "feudal" and "abhorrent". Brunei's leading Islamic scholar described the sharia code as "guarantee[d] justice for everyone". Mufti Awang Abdul Aziz told a legal conference on Tuesday: "Let us not just look at the hand-cutting or the stoning or the caning per se. It is not indiscriminate cutting or stoning or caning. There are conditions and there are methods that are just and fair." He said that tourists should not fear the new legislation as long as they were law-abiding. "Do all potential tourists to Brunei plan to steal? If they do not, then what do they need to fear? Believe me when I say that with our sharia criminal law, everyone – including tourists – will receive proper protection," he said. The sultan – who has reigned since 1967 and lives in an 1,800-room palace – also implied that those outside Brunei would do better not to judge the adoption of the new code. "We view others … without any form of prejudice," he said. "In return, we also have the right to expect that others will view Brunei in the same light."

Malaysia court rules non-Muslims cannot use 'Allah'

A court in Muslim-majority Malaysia ruled Monday (Oct. 14) that only Muslims are permitted to use the Arabic word “Allah” to describe God, overturning a lower court’s 2009 decision that allowed others to use the word. “The usage of the word ‘Allah’ is not an integral part of the faith in Christianity,” Chief Judge Mohamed Apandi Ali said in the ruling, supporting the government’s case. “The intended usage will cause unnecessary confusion within the Islamic community and is surely not conducive to the peaceful and harmonious tempo of life in the country,” said Ali, according to the government-run Bernama news agency. Allah is the Arabic word for God. Ali expressed the unanimous decision by the court’s three Muslim judges. “The name ‘Allah’ does not appear, even once, in either the Old or New Testaments. In the Bible world, God has always been known as ‘Yahweh,’” Ali said. The ruling was aimed primarily at a Catholic newspaper, The Herald, which had been printing the word in its Malay-language stories to describe the Christian God, until the government deemed it was illegal in 2008. When The Herald sued, a lower court ruled in favour of free speech in 2009 and allowed the paper to use the word. That decision resulted in clashes between the two religions, including arson attacks against dozens of churches and a few mosques. “It is a retrograde step in the development of law in relation to the fundamental liberty of religious minorities,” The Herald’s editor, the Rev. Lawrence Andrew, said after losing the case. Andrew said he would appeal to Malaysia’s highest court. “Some Muslim groups have said that the Christian use of the word ‘Allah’ could be used to encourage Muslims to convert to Christianity,” the BBC reported. Christians in Malaysia had used the word “Allah” for decades in churches and Malay-language Bibles, but the government decided a judicial ruling was needed to determine if the terminology should be legal

Qurani Ayat in Urdu and English(Surah Nahl)

Qurani Ayat

Pakistan wants greater trade with US

Islamabad : Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said that his country wants greater trade with the US, and not more reliance on its aid. In an hour-long address to the Pakistani-American community, the prime minister, on a four-day official visit to Washington, said that during his meeting with top US officials, he strongly advocated the case for more trade with the US, instead of reliance on aid, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported Tuesday. "The US is Pakistan's largest trading partner - we want greater trade and want to remove road blocks in the way of expansion of trade," Sharif said. He said both countries should work on the basis of equality and both should address mutual concerns.

US giving $1.6 bn aid to Pakistan

Washington : The US justified plans to release more than $1.6 billion in aid to Pakistan saying it was doing so partly to build Islamabad's counterinsurgency and counterterrorism capabilities "encouraged by an improvement in bilateral ties". "This is part of a long process of restarting security assistance cooperation that was slowed during 2011-12 when we had some bilateral challenges," state department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters Monday. Among the signs of improved ties, she pointed to the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his first to Washington since his election in May. He met Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday and is set to meet President Barack Obama Wednesday. "The visit last night with Secretary Kerry and Mr. Sharif was a good one," Harf said. "And so we're going to move forward with this 1.6 billion" which is separate from $1.16 billion that the administration has asked for 2014 Fiscal Year. The $1.6 billion in military and economic aid was from previous multi-year funding "that had been designated for Pakistan but that had been slowed because of the bilateral challenges", she said. Harf didn't spell out the "bilateral challenges" but aid to Pakistan had been blocked because of tension over events including drone strikes and the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan. The spokesperson said she didn't have an exact breakdown, but the $1.6 billion is "close to being 50/50" between security and military. "The security assistance will work on to continue to build the counterinsurgency and counterterrorism capabilities of Pakistan's security forces," Harf said. "This is especially important in the western border regions when we're talking about fighting Al Qaeda and its affiliated groups," she said. Asked if the issue of US drone strikes that has caused a lot of anger in Pakistan was discussed during the Kerry-Sharif meeting, the spokesperson said she did not have any specific information but "obviously, counterterrorism is an issue that we discuss all the time with the Pakistanis". "Again, we're going to keep talking to the Pakistanis about this," Harf said referring to a speech by Obama "when he talked about our counterterrorism operations, when he talked about the fact that, in any operation, we undertake every effort to limit civilian casualties". A State Department statement issued after the Kerry-Sharif meeting said it was their third meeting in three months, "and continued the robust dialogue on our shared goal of a stable, secure, and prosperous Pakistan". "Discussions covered a broad range of domestic and regional issues, including peace and security, counterterrorism cooperation, collaboration on Pakistan's energy sector, increasing bilateral trade and investment, and the common interest in a secure and stable Afghanistan. "Both sides agreed on the importance of our continued counterterrorism cooperation, and that extremism is countered in part by opportunities arising from greater economic stability," the statement added. "To that end, the US, Pakistan's largest trading partner, remains committed to an economic relationship increasingly based on trade and investment." Sharif Monday also met with US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and US Trade Representative Michael Froman and addressed a gathering of business leaders at the US-Pakistan Business Council.

Taliban commander killed by Afghan security forces in Afghanistan

Kabul: Afghan security forces killed a Taliban commander and arrested four people in the country's Wardak province, near Kabul, Sunday night, authorities said. "Security forces backed by aircrafts raided a Taliban hideout in Sayed Abad district Sunday night, killing a Taliban commander named Mullah Habibullah on the spot; while four others were captured in a Nurkh district on the same night," reported Xinhua cites the provincial government in a press release. The province is located 35 km west of the capital city of Kabul. Taliban militants did not comment immediately

39 killed, 51 wounded in Iraq bombings

Baghdad: At least 39 people were killed and 51 wounded in three bombing attacks in the Iraqi capital city Sunday, police said. The deadliest attack occurred when a suicide bomber detonated his vest of explosives in a popular cafe in the Amil area in southwestern Baghdad, killing at least 37 people and wounding 42, reported Xinhua citing a police source. Two people were killed and four wounded when a roadside bomb struck a civilian car travelling on the highway near the Amiriyah area in western Baghdad, the police source said. Five people were injured when another roadside bomb exploded in the Ghazaliya area in western Baghdad, he added. The deadly bombing attacks in Baghdad Sunday evening came after at least 12 people were killed and 27 wounded in suicide bomb attacks on a local government compound in Iraq's western province of Anbar at noon. No group claimed responsibility for the attacks. According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, almost 6,000 Iraqis were killed and over 14,000 injured from January to September this year.

Gunmen kill 19 in Nigeria highway attack

Lagos (Nigeria): Some gunmen dressed in military uniform killed 19 people in north-eastern Nigeria, near the border with Cameroon, BBC reported Sunday. According to witnesses, the attackers stopped motorists on a highway in Borno state and shot and hacked them to death. Earlier, a media report put the death toll over 10, while blaming suspected members of the Islamist sect Boko Haram for the incident. It's the latest attack in a region which has suffered violence from the militant sect of Boko Haram. The group had suffered a deadly blow only days ago in the northeastern state of Borno. On Tuesday, the Nigerian military had announced having killed 40 Boko Haram fighters during security operations. The Boko Haram sect seeks to enshrine the Islamic sharia law into the constitution.