Hamas

NEW YORK — The family of the alleged Fort Hood shooter held his mother's funeral at the same Virginia mosque that two Sept. 11 hijackers attended in 2001, at a time when a radical imam preached there.

Whether the Fort Hood shooter associated with the hijackers is something the FBI will probably look into, according to a law enforcement official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

The family of Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who killed 13 and wounded 29 at the Texas military base, held his mother's funeral at the Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Va., on May 31, 2001, according to her obituary in the Roanoke Times newspaper.

Israel Bans Worshippers from Entering Al Aqsa Mosque
Israel has deployed large numbers of police officers around the Old City of Jerusalem after sporadic clashes with Palestinian worshippers around the al-Aqsa mosque compound.

The shutdown of the al-Aqsa compound sparked sporadic unrest in Jerusalem's Old City [AFP]

Muslim men under the age of 50 were prevented from entering the compound as thousands of Jews gathered at the nearby Western Wall on Monday for prayers marking the week-long holiday of Sukkot.

All of us who are originally from here or have made Qatar our second home get very little information related to it's political dynamics. I, for one, have been trying to find a few good sources of information specially related to the issues of foreign intrests. Found this one informed.

The Qataris have made the generation leap under their new Emir, Shaikh Hamad, with the political situation having stabilised. As a result, Qatar is one of the most attractive countries for foreign investors in the Middle East, with the state's decision making mechanism having improved.

However, Qatar embraces many contradictions. The emirate hoists several different flags, which together describe the bizarre combination of its policies:

Bismillah al-Rahman al-Raheem

Answer to a Question

Question:

What are the political dimensions of the recent escalation in Gaza between Hamas and the Salafi group of Jund Ansar Allah, which led to the killing of about 28 persons, including the Emir of the group Abdul-Latif Moussa and injuring about 130?

Answer:

The political dimensions of what occurred in Gaza are likeliest to be as follows:

But this time between Palestinian factions:

The head of a Sunnite Islamic group which clashed with Hamas security forces since Friday, was killed, Palestinian medical sources said on Saturday.
Clashes between Hamas security forces and Jihadi Salafi, a radical Sunnite Islamic group, continued for the second successive day in southern Gaza Strip, bringing the death toll to 20, medical sources and witnesses said. Medical sources added that up to 140 people were wounded in the heavy gunfire and explosions that have been taking place in Rafah town for the past 24 hours.

Hello, I'm new to this site. However, I'd like to try and contribute actively to this forum.

I would like to post a story about Qatar which I came across the other day. It appeared in Kuwait Times last Wednesday. I'm providing the link to another person's blog who had attributed the story to Kuwait Times. It made interesting reading. It also shows Qatar's ambition.

(Unfortunately, I could not locate the story on Kuwait Times...)

http://thegulfblog.com/2009/07/20/qatar’s-increasing-international-profile/

Qatar’s increasing international profile

David B Roberts

Palestinians suspend Al-Jazeera in West Bank

By BEN HUBBARD, Associated Press Writer Ben Hubbard, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jul 15, 3:45 pm ET

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Palestinian government shut down the West Bank operations of the Arabic satellite channel Al-Jazeera on Wednesday, a day after a guest on the station accused the Palestinian president of involvement in Yasser Arafat's death.

For the feisty news station — the Arab world's most popular — the closure represents the latest clash with a Middle Eastern government. Israel often criticizes it, Iraq has expelled it and Saudi Arabia only let it resume work recently after a long ban.

Hamas bends to pressure in Gaza and abroad
Its support base dropped to 19 percent after the war; many blame the Hamas-Fatah standoff for their plight. Egypt hosts the rivals for a final round of reconciliation talks July 25.

By Rafael D. Frankel | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor from the July 7, 2009 edition

Gaza City, Gaza - By one calculus of Middle Eastern politics, Israel could say that its month-long offensive against Hamas and heightened economic blockade of Gaza have succeeded.

Hamas tries to detain woman walking with man

By DIAA HADID, Associated Press Writer Diaa Hadid, Associated Press Writer – Wed Jul 8, 3:05 am ET

JERUSALEM – An attempt by Hamas police to detain a young woman walking with a man along the Gaza beach has raised alarms that the Islamic militant group is seeking to match its political control of the coastal territory with a strict enforcement of Islamic law.

The incident was the first time Hamas has openly tried to punish a woman for behaving in a way it views as un-Islamic since seizing power two years ago. But it follows months of quiet pressure on Gaza's overwhelmingly conservative 1.4 million residents to abide by its strict religious mores.

Arabs largely silent on Iran election and unrest

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, Associated Press Writer Hadeel Al-shalchi, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 35 mins ago

excerpt:

Jordanian political analyst Labib Kamhawi said Arabs want "somebody else to fight their battles on their behalf."

CAIRO – Key Arab nations have kept silent about Iran's political upheaval, possibly reluctant to antagonize the powerful nation that sponsors such militant groups as Hezbollah and Hamas.

But there are signs the young and reform-minded have been inspired by the mass protests that followed the disputed election.

"It makes me feel so jealous," said Abdelmonem Ibrahim, a young pro-reform Brotherhood activist in Egypt.