MFS - The Other News

                         Afternoon Posting.

• HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.US lawmakers seek visa ban for Qadri supporters.Four US Congressmen have asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to refuse visas to those who praised the assassination of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer and showed support for his assassin Mumtaz Qadri.In a letter sent to Secretary Clinton, Congressmen Gary Ackerman, Steve Israel, Peter King and Michael McCaul said: “Some of the most prominent clerics, journalists and lawyers who have praised Mr Taseer`s death and have demonstrated support of his murderer, are people who frequently travel to the US and hold American visas.“We urge you to identify those Pakistani citizens that have shown demonstrable support of the assassination of Governor Taseer.“We further request that visas not be issued to such people and that applications for new visas from those who have endorsed this heinous crime be denied,” the letter said.After Governor Taseer`s assassination, thousands of supporters of extremist groups, including Jamaat-ud-Dawah, held rallies in cities to express support for Qadri.JUI chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman also addressed a rally in Karachi and pledged to defend Qadri in court. He is a frequent traveller to the United States.The US media noted that lawyers and members of radical groups showered rose petals on Qadri when he was produced in courts in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.Dozens of lawyers offered to defend him free of charge. The lawmakers said in the letter that their request for denial of visas to supporters of Qadri was “not just a moral issue but also an issue of national security”.They said it was “shocking” that Mr Taseer, a “strong advocate for religious tolerance, pluralism and democracy,” was “cut down by an assassin`s bullets who opposed changes to statutes against religious minorities.”“This unspeakable tragedy has been compounded by the public reaction of significant elements of Pakistan`s clerical, journalistic and law community who have praised the murderer and threatened the lives of other Pakistani officials who refuse to comply with the terrorisation of Christians, Ahmedis and women,” the letter said.“Further problems are plaguing the democracy in Pakistan,” the lawmakers noted, pointing out that PPP MNA Sherry Rehman had also received threats for introducing a bill in the National Assembly, proposing amendments to the controversial blasphemy law.“Further threats and violence are not the answer,” the letter added.Hmmmm.....Finally some real answers.Read the full story here.

• Talks on Iran's nuclear plans fail as countries cannot even agree on when or where to meet next.An apparent failure by world powers and Iran to make any progress toward resolving the dispute over Tehran's nuclear plans may increase U.S. talk of the need to step up sanctions against the Islamic republic. Two days of seemingly fruitless discussions in Istanbul between Iran and the six powers - the United States, France, Germany, China, Russia and Britain - ended today without even an agreement on when and where to meet again.Mark Fitzpatrick, a former senior U.S. State Department official now at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think-tank in London, said: 'This certainly gives Washington reason to push for further measures. But I don't think this is the end of diplomacy.'European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the door remained open but the outcome was clearly disappointing for her and other Western officials, even if no one had expected a breakthrough.Iran's delegation, headed by chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, made clear from the outset that the country's 'nuclear rights' were not negotiable, including uranium enrichment.
  Hmmm....How long before they realise that Iran and Turkey have just been playing for time?When the nukes hit?Read the full story here.

• Algeria democracy rally broken up.Several injured as police disperse 300 people who defied a ban and attempted to demonstrate in the capital, Algiers.At least 19 people have been injured after Algerian police broke up a banned pro-democracy demonstration in Algiers aimed at pressing the government to overturn a law banning public gatherings, government officials said.Hundreds of Algerians defied the ban in an attempt to hold the demonstration on Saturday but were confronted by dozens of police armed with batons, tear gas and plexiglas shields.Said Sadi, the head of the Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD), said at least 40 people were injured and dozens more were arested in the demonstration.Among those arrested was the head of the party's parliamentary group, Othmane Amazouz, Sadi said.Sadi said his party's headquarters in the Algerian capital's main avenue had been put under siege by police, describing himself as "a prisoner"."We cannot wage a peaceful campaign when we are under siege," he said, using a megaphone to address the crowd from a first-floor window.Ait Hamouda Nordine, an RCD member of parliament, told Al Jazeera: "[Algeria] is a violent regime, it's an anti-democratic regime and it is time for Algeria to attain credible and democratic systems and parties."The government had warned people not to show support for the demonstration in Algiers in a statement issued on the eve of the march, amid fears of popular unrest spreading from neighbouring Tunisia.The government warning, carried by official news agency APS, stated "marches are not allowed in Algiers" and that "all assemblies on public roads are considered a breach of public order".The march was planned "without authorisation", it said. Demonstrations are banned in Algeria because of a state of emergency in place since 1992.
  Unemployment, specifically of the young, is a crucial issue in Algeria, a country where according to the authorities 15 million of the 36 million population is under the age of 30.Hmmm....."Outreach to Muslims",now the Muslims are reaching out themselves it seems?The whole North Africa is getting to a boiling point,Egypt included!Read the full story here.

• Police join protests in Tunisia.PM's pledge to quit politics after elections fails to pacify demonstrators demanding dissolution of interim government.Thousands of demonstrators, including police officers, lawyers and students, have taken to the streets of Tunisia's capital in another day of unrest in the North African country.While many protesters are continuing to demand the dissolution of the interim government, police officers who have also joined the protests are seeking better working conditions and an improvement to what they call unfair media portrayal.Saturday's protests come in the wake of a month of turmoil that toppled Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia's longstanding ruler.Crowds gathered in front of the office of Mohamed Ghannouchi, the interim prime minister, and on Tunis' main street, the Avenue Habib Bourguiba. They were joined by members of the national guard and fire departments.Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Tunis, said that police were marching with protesters, wearing red armbands in solidarity with the marching crowds."They said they want to be with people now, they want to be part of the revolution," she said."They no longer want to be persecuted - they say, 'Please don't blame us for the deaths of the protesters'."At the prime minister's office, Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reported, protesters broke through barricades but no violence occurred.He reported that the anti-riot squad pleaded with the crowd, saying: 'Do whatever you want to do but please don't storm the office of the prime minister. That is a red line."But protesters were already starting to break the barricades by late afternoon.Masoud Romdhani, a trade union activist who was at the demonstration, told Al Jazeera that the protests must continue in order to oust the Constitutional Democratic Rally (RCD), the former ruling party, entirely.He said that labour activists feel that "nothing is done" until the RCD is removed from the cabinet entirely.Many are angry over the inclusion of several prominent members of Ben Ali's cabinet in the new interim government. Hundreds of protesters took to the streets on Friday as well, seeking the dissolution of the interim administration.In an interview on Tunisian television on Friday, Ghannouchi said he would leave power after a transition phase that leads to legislative and presidential elections "in the shortest possible timeframe".He was a member the RCD. Despite resigning his membership in the party, he has been struggling to restore calm under a new multiparty government that the opposition complains retains too many RCD members."My role is to bring my country out of this temporary phase and even if I am nominated I will refuse it and leave politics," Ghannouchi said.He did not say why he was leaving politics or specify when the elections would be held. He said the elections must be a success "to show the world that our country has a civilisation".Ghannouchi also said that all of the assets held abroad by Ben Ali's regime had been frozen and would be returned to Tunisia after an investigation.Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyedin, reporting from Tunis, said that Ghannouchi also announced that the state would provide compensation to those who died during the uprising, as well as their families.The army and the justice department have been ordered to preserve any documents and evidence that can be gathered so the old government can be implicated throughout the investigation, our correspondent said.Hmmmmm......Tunesia...Algeria who's next in line Egypt?Judging from the money beeing withdrawn out of the Egyptian stockmarket it may well be.Read the full story here.

• HT:IsraelMatzav.US to veto 'Palestinians' UN resolution?She didn't come out and say it, but if Barack Obama agrees with Hillary Clinton, this statement makes it difficult to believe that the United States will not exercise its veto over a 'Palestinian' resolution in the UN Security Council calling Israeli settlements 'illegal.' "The only way that there will be a resolution of the conflict... is through a negotiated settlement," Clinton said. "Therefore we do not see action at the UN or any other forum as being helpful in bringing about this desired outcome," the report cited Clinton as saying.Clinton did not say whether Washington planned on vetoing the resolution, AFP reported."Ultimately, the Palestinian and Israeli people have to make a decision about whether they can engage in a negotiation that will result in compromise on both sides to obtain," Clinton said.Jennifer Rubin also believes that the United States will veto the 'Palestinian'-sponsored resolution.I wonder why there are not more signatories. Perhaps the letter was not circulated for long enough. If anyone knows, please stick a note in the comments.I believe that the Obama administration will ultimately veto the resolution, because letting it pass would be extremely harmful to the President's re-election campaign. The longer the vote is delayed, the more likely that the US will veto it. And something tells me that the 'Palestinian people' might be willing to agree to a real territorial compromise (or even to agree to some form of autonomy rather than a 'state'). But their leadership is not willing to compromise.Hmmmm....The past has shown that "They don't trust me because of my middle name"doesn't allways care about what the Democrats wish,as i said before it all depends on how great his "love" for the Palestine people is?I wouldn't dare to say that he will veto The UN resolution.Remember his Cairo speech"The United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements."Read the full story here.

• HT:JudicialWatch.JW Files Lawsuit to Stop Government Tuition Benefits for Illegal Aliens.Would you approve of your tax dollars being used to subsidize the college education of an illegal alien? My guess is that your answer is the same as mine. Absolutely not! But that’s exactly what is taking place in Montgomery County, Maryland. And Judicial Watch has decided to take legal action to stop it.On Thursday, January 20, we held a press conference in Annapolis — Maryland’s historic state capital — to announce the filing of a taxpayer lawsuit against the Board of Trustees of Maryland’s Montgomery College for unlawfully charging discounted “in county” tuition rates to students who graduate from Montgomery County public high schools, regardless of their place of residency or immigration status.Given the political nature of the event, many questioned how it was set up and, specifically, whether the White House was involved in the t-shirt controversy. Being the curious folk we are, Judicial Watch filed a public records request with the University of Arizona asking for the following information:Any and all communications, contracts or correspondence between the University of Arizona and The White House concerning, regarding or relating to T-shirts bearing the logo “Together We Thrive: Tucson & America,” distributed to attendees at the January 12, 2011, memorial service for the victims of the January 8, 2011, Tucson shooting, held in the McKale Center on the campus of the University of Arizona Any and all records concerning costs associated with T-shirts bearing the logo “Together We Thrive: Tucson & America,” distributed to attendees at the January 12, 2011, memorial service for the victims of the January 8, 2011, Tucson shooting, held in the McKale Center on the campus of the University of Arizona.Well, just yesterday (January 20), the University told us it had no documents responsive to our first request. And it gave us one document responsive to our second request showing that the t-shirts cost the University of Arizona $60,885. Supposedly, the University of Arizona is paying this bill without the use of “tuition, state allocations, tax dollars or student fees.” Money is fungible, so the taxpayer apparently helps pay this bill, however indirectly.If we are to believe this official response, there are no records showing Obama White House involvement. Not only are we curious, but we’re skeptical. And we will push back a bit to ensure we’re not being trifled with by yet another government entity that doesn’t want to produce embarrassing documents.In the meantime, I leave it up to you to judge whether $60,850 for silly t-shirts for a memorial service is an appropriate expenditure for a public university.Hmmmmm......How about the bus benches popping up in Tucson with "Together we Thrive"on it?Also paid by the University?Read the full story here.

• Pakistan - Tribesmen protest drone attacks in North Waziristan.MIRAMSHAH/ PESHAWAR: In a rare show of strength, hundreds of tribesmen took to the streets in Miramshah on Friday and staged a big protest against the US drone attacks and alleged killing of innocent people in North Waziristan tribal region. The tribesmen kept all markets, shopping centres and public and private educational institutions closed to show their anger over the drone attacks.Interestingly, clerics and tribal militants were conspicuous by their absence in the first-ever anti-drone rally in North Waziristan. Tribal sources said it was a show of tribal solidarity in which the Utmanzai tribesmen from the Dawar and Wazir tribes expressed resentment over the frequent missile strikes by unmanned US aircraft. School and college students, traders, transporters and shopkeepers also participated in the protest rally. Tribal journalists, who normally avoid filming in the restive tribal region, were especially asked by the tribesmen to cover the rally and take pictures of the event. Carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans against the US President Barack Obama, Defence Secretary Robert Gates, CIA chief Leon Panetta, and CIA station chief in Pakistan Jonathan Banks, the protesting tribesmen marched on various roads before reaching the Miramshah Bazaar for the rally.Speakers at the rally said the United States had turned a peaceful Waziristan into a hell for its people and caused mental disorders. They said Barack Obama, Leon Panetta and Jonathan Banks were equally responsible for the killing of innocent tribal people, including women and children. They asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of the killings by the US spy planes in North Waziristan. The speakers said the United States should tell the world as to why it was frequently using lethal arms against the hapless people of North Waziristan. “The whole world knows that none of those involved in the 9/11 attacks on the US were Pakistanis or Waziristanis. Why are they mercilessly killing us?” asked one of the speakers and noted tribal elder, Malik Anwar Khan. He said it was pathetic that the United Nations and international community were silent over the missile strikes in which innocent tribesmen perished. The speakers asked the United Nations to send a team of observers to North Waziristan and find out the number of tribesmen who had lost their lives and others maimed in the drone attacks.Hmmmm.....Something tells me the UN might just do this.Read the full story here.

• Pakistani actress to cleric: 'What is your problem with me?'ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Pakistani actress castigated for appearing to cuddle with an Indian actor on a reality show lashed out at a Muslim cleric who had criticized her during a widely watched television exchange this week.The unusual outburst, punctuated by tears, came at a sensitive time in a country where Islamic fundamentalism is spreading and liberals are increasingly afraid to express their views."What is your problem with me? You tell me your problem!" an angry Veena Malik asked the Muslim scholar, who accused her of insulting Islam.Malik, 26, participated recently on Bigg Boss, an Indian version of "Big Brother." Clips of the show on the Internet include ones in which she appears cozy with Indian actor Ashmit Patel. Those scenes, and her involvement with a show in Pakistan's archrival India, prompted criticism online and on the air."You have insulted Pakistan and Islam," Mufti Abdul Qawi accused her on the Express TV channel talk show via a television link. The exchange first aired Friday and then again Saturday.A furious Malik shot back, saying Qawi targeted her because she is a woman, reminding him that the Quran admonishes men not to stare at a woman's beauty beyond a first glance, and telling him there were bigger problems in Pakistan, including the alleged rape of children at mosques.During the exchange, Qawi admitted he had not seen the clips of the show but had heard about it from others."What does your Islam say, mufti sir?" the actress asked. "You issue edicts on the basis of hearsay."Malik said she had read the Quran and she knew what lines not to cross as a Muslim as well as an entertainer in South Asia. She pointed out that she never kissed Patel, for instance."I am a Muslim woman, and I know my limits," she said. The cleric seemed unable to respond to her flood of words.Malik's fierce outburst sparked a barrage of comments on Twitter. While some writers said they didn't agree with her and one called her a "porn star," others said she was brave for standing up to the Pakistani clerical establishment, especially when such an act can mean personal danger.Wrote one supporter: "The only way to talk to these bloody clerics is to talk down to them. Veena Malik did just that, and how. Good for her!"
  Hmmmm.....Estimated Time to a Fatwa on her head for commiting "Blasphemy?Read the full story here.

• Russia - Muslim backing for Orthodox dress code.The national dress code for Russia, which the Orthodox Church has suggested could help improve the moral fibre of the nation, has been backed by a leading Muslim.Perm’s leading Islamic cleric, Muhammedagli Khuzin backed Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin’s calls for dress decorum.He said that parents should set their children a good example in everything – including dress sense – and said that all “common people” support Chaplin’s ideas.Khuzin said that before 1990 Russia observed “propriety in its choice of clothes”.And he lambasted modern fashion sense, with its emphasis on revealing outfits as popularised by pop stars such as Via Gra .“What kind of people can teach their children to shamelessly expose themselves in degrading attire, with a ring through the nose, tattoos all over, a cigarette in the mouth and a beer can to hand?” he lamented.“Only debauchery, or a special ‘subculture’ with animal instincts, desperate to depart from centuries-old traditions. And he hit back at those who had criticised Chaplin, particularly well-known human rights activist Lyudmila Alexeyeva.She dismissed the idea as “nonsense”, but Khuzin said he could not understand the indignation of the 84-year-old who “couldn’t even walk in a miniskirt”.Chaplin, who is head of the Synodal Department for Church and Society, provoked a storm of controversy with his comments about the immodest and inappropriate outfits seen on Russian streets.He suggested that women in miniskirts risked provoking sexual violence, and called for the creation of a national dress code to advise people on how to dress appropriately in public.The archpriest also said that badly-dressed men were objects of pity and looked as if they were homeless.His idea for a dress code was also supported by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, lenta.ru reported. The predominantly Muslim republic has been noted for its traditional dress code.Hmmmm....Islam tells you how to eat,dress and....Read the full story here.

• Blast rips through Russian shopping centre, 2 dead.A blast ripped through a five-storey shopping centre in the southwestern Russian city of Ufa on Saturday, starting a fire that killed two people and injured five.Shoppers were evacuated and firefighting teams tackled the blaze at the huge complex, which houses stores, restaurants and night clubs in the largest city in Russia's Bashkiria region, which has a large Muslim population.Television images showed the building engulfed in flames, with plumes of smoke rising above the blaze.The bodies of two people were found after firefighters searched the building."One is a man whose identity is being determined. Earlier the body of a girl was found, who was born in 1993," Maksim Rodionov, a spokesman for the regional Ministry of Internal Affairs, told Interfax news agency.Five people were injured in the fire, three of whom were hospitalised, Oleg Zugeyev, spokesman of the regional Emergencies Ministry, told news agency RIA.The cause of the blast was not immediately clear, but Zugeyev said the fire was believed to have started in a room reserved for smoking waterpipes located on the third floor. Eyewitnesses said two cars had exploded on a parking lot near the entrance to the building.Hmmmm.....Accident or ....Terrorists?Read the full story here.More here.

• Iraqi cleric al Sadr returns to Iran.NAJAF, Iraq // The Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al Sadr returned to Iran on Friday after spending a couple of weeks testing the political waters back home in Iraq after a long, self-imposed exile, aides said.Mr al Sadr, whose speeches rallied millions of poor Iraqi Shi'ites against US forces after the 2003 invasion and whose militia played a major role in the sectarian carnage that gripped Iraq, slipped out of the country without fanfare."Yes, definitely Sayyed Moqtada al Sadr went back to Iran," a source inside his office said, on condition of anonymity.It was not immediately clear if the young cleric had returned to Iran temporarily or if he intended to stay a while, perhaps to resume religious studies in Qom.One senior former member of Mr al Sadr's Mahdi Army militia said his return to Iran was a "surprise" while a member of his political bloc said he was expected to come back soon.Mr al Sadr's return to Iraq on January 5 rattled the political establishment, more than three years after he fled the country facing an old arrest warrant brought against him by US administrators.Mr al Sadr's movement has become a powerful political force in Iraq after winning 39 parliamentary seats in last year's election and playing a pivotal role in securing Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki's reappointment last month.Hmmmm......... I came - I saw and it blew up?Read the full story here.

• Lebanese leader: Hezbollah will turn us into Gaza.Leader of Lebanese Forces Samir Geagea warns that if Hezbollah assumes power of government it will trample economy, human rights. 'Who will invest a single lira in us?' he asks, comparing group to Hamas. A Christian Lebanese leader warned Saturday that Hezbollah would soon turn Lebanon into another version of the Gaza Strip if indeed it assumes political power in the country, trampling human rights and financial stability like Hamas.Samir Geagea spoke in the wake of the recent overturning of the Lebanese government. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said Friday he would support Hezbollah's candidate for prime minister in a move that will work against caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri. "The situation will be similar to that in Gaza, and we all know what the positions of the world and the Arabs will be, aside from Syria, regarding this government," the leader of the Lebanese Forces told a press conference."I ask those who rejoice in a government without Hariri, what of our financial situation? Who will invest a single lira in us? Does anyone think there will be investors in our economy?" Geagea added that if Hezbollah seized control, personal liberties would be greatly jeopardized. "Our students will have no freedom, they will not be able to set foot outside the universities. We all know what kind of liberties these governments allow," he said.The Christian leader said Hezbollah cared only about halting a probe against it on the murder of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. "Its only demand is that Saad Hariri stand up and say, 'I waive the international tribunal.' Can we accept this?" he asked.Political turmoil hit Lebanon last week, when 11 Hezbollah ministers resigned from Hariri's government in a successful attempt at toppling it. The ministers were protesting the investigation against the group.Hmmmm......Gaza?Do the want another "open sky prison"?Read the full story here.

• Women soccer fans in Iran may be banned from live broadcasts.Iranian authorities have ordered a ban on women from watching live broadcasts of soccer matches at public movie theaters, the semi-official ILNA news agency reported.A state police agency that monitors Iranian businesses called for the ban because "the presence of women and families at movie theaters increases security risks and inappropriate behavior," ILNA reported.Movie theaters in Iran's major cities have broadcast matches from this year's Asian Cup, where Iran's national soccer team has advanced to the quarterfinals after winning its first three matches.The final decision on the ban rests with a government office, according to an official with Iran's movie theater industry."Movie theaters operate under the authority of the Ministry of Culture and Guidance, so we're waiting for their decision in this matter," Amir Hossein Alamalhoda was quoted as saying.Women already are banned from attending men's soccer matches at stadiums.Hard-line government officials and clerics say the presence of women at men's sporting events is not compatible with Islam.Hmmm........An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious.” – Ayatollah Khomeini, 1979.Read the full story here.

• HT:AhmadiyyaTimes.Some Christians in Pakistan convert fear into safety.LAHORE, PAKISTAN—Dog-eared and tattered, the blue book is an inch thick and sits on a dented metal table in the corner office of Jamia Naeemia, an Islamic school tucked in a scattering of cement-walled homes and roadside shops.Many believe the book offers the promise of safety and perhaps even a better chance at prosperity.The book is a registry used to document religious converts to Islam and officials at Jamia Naeemia say business is brisk nowadays.At least 20 to 25 former Christians adopt Islam each week by pledging an oath and signing a green and white document in which they accept Islam as “the most beautiful religion” and promise to “remain in the religion of Islam for the rest of my life, acknowledging that blessings are only from God.”Human rights advocates say it’s no surprise some of Pakistan’s 3 million Christians are adopting Islam. These are vexing and dangerous days for the country’s religious minorities.Public reaction to Taseer’s assassination was stunning.Pakistan’s lawyers, praised just three years ago for saving this country’s independent judiciary, showered Taseer’s assassin with rose petals on his way into court. A rally to celebrate his death attracted 40,000 in Karachi and thousands more posted tributes to the killer on their Facebook accounts.“To be honest, I felt good when I heard he was dead; we got rid of him,” said Raghib Naeemia, an iman at Jamia Naeemia. “It’s very clear in the Holy Qur’an that if you say something nasty and harsh about the Holy Prophet, then you become a maloun (cursed) person. And we are supposed to round up those people and kill them very harshly.”While Taseer was among several high-profile politicians who have argued the blasphemy law should be amended, human rights workers say the real issue is how often the law is misused.An allegation of blasphemy shouted in the streets can, in an instant, whip a crowd into a frenzy and lead to assaults and dubious arrests.“No one feels safe right now,” said Nadeem Anthony, a Christian and a member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. “People are scared.If you want something from your neighbour or you are angry at him, you say blasphemy and that’s it.”The Christian woman and her husband are now in hiding, the paper reported.One of the results of this wave of anti-Christian activity unfolded on a sunny afternoon this week. Azra Mustafa, a 45-year-old housemaid, shuffled into the Jamia Naeemia and asked to speak to an imam. A recent convert to Islam, the housemaid and mother of six needed to get the proper documents to prove to her neighbours that she was no longer a Christian.“It feels great,” she said. “I moved to a Muslim neighbourhood and now I feel like we are one family.”Each day, Mustafa, whose husband remains Christian and now lives separately from his wife and children, wakes up to attend 5 a.m. prayers before she leaves for work four hours later. By the time she returns home at 7 p.m. from a job that pays her 2,500 rupees ($28) a month, darkness has fallen over her one-room home. After dinner, a teacher comes to her home to give Mustafa and her children 90-minute lessons on Arabic and the Qur’an.Asked if she felt safer in the wake of her conversion, Mustafa replied, “of course.”Mustafa sat patiently as the seminary’s staff and students hustled about, preparing to attend a rally scheduled for later that afternoon — a protest that featured at least 3,000 people who at one point chanted “death to Christians and the friends of Christians” as they marched through the heart of Lahore.As Mustafa gathered her papers together and prepared to leave, Parvaiz Masih, a 23-year-old auto rickshaw diver, walked into the office. He hoped to convert that afternoon, and had already told friends he would now be known as Muhammad Parvaiz.“I’ve been thinking about it for two or three years,” he said, wrapped in a heavy blue shawl. “About four days ago, I decided to do it.”It wasn’t long before another Christian, 26-year-old Naseer, entered Jamia Naeemia. With a crowd of men looking on, she, too, was hesitant to elaborate on why she wanted to follow Islam, but nodded when she was asked whether she believed she would be safer as a Muslim.Adjusting a pin on the saffron-coloured dupatta that covered her face, Naseer said she had slipped away from her parents’ home earlier in the day to make her way to the seminary. When another visitor asked again whether her personal safety played a role in her decision, Nasreen flashed a look of anger and snapped, “there’s no question.”It isn’t only Christians in Pakistan who are feeling uncertain nowadays.The blasphemy law is playing a role even in battles between Muslims, who make up about 97 per cent of Pakistan’s 180 million people.Zafar Hilali, a former Pakistani ambassador and foreign secretary, insists the venom over blasphemy has more to do with Pakistan’s class divide than religion.“The poor are becoming increasingly desperate and don’t know what to do; some religious leaders that are using that,” Hilali said, adding that the instability adds to their influence and political sway.Hmmmm....."Islam a religion of Peace",there can only be one?Read the full story here.