MFS - The Other News

                        Morning Posting.

• Updated !Earthquakes in the last 24 hours in the world seismic activity in Chile: 5.2 ! More info here.

• Japan : For the most accurate info on the nuclear disaster go to : Paul Langley's Nuclear History Blog.Here.

• Hurricane Irene : Latest Updates here , more here.

• Hurricane Irene: Videos, Photos.Hurricane Irene wreaks havoc on the Northeast, Matzav.com, in its leading online coverage, has put together numerous video links and photos of the damage wrought by the storm and the response to the raging hurricane.See an album of over 100 photos of the hurricane.See it here.

• CAP (Center for American Progress) : 'Anti-Islamists small in number, but influential beyond US'(TodaysZaman).In fact, according to the study, the “majority of terrorist plots in America since Sept. 11 have been committed by non-Muslims, particularly right-wing extremists and white supremacists.”A report on the Islamophobia network in the United States released by the Washington-based Center for American Progress (CAP) has highlighted that although the sources that spread anti-Islam sentiments based on false information in the country are but a handful of people, their influence on American politics and public opinion reach beyond the US borders and reach distant corners of the world as well as extremists, including the Norwegian assailant who murdered 76 people in a matter of hours to underscore his claim that Islam is a threat to the world.The extensive research, titled “Fear, Inc.: The Roots of the Islamophobia Network in America,” was published in August with collaborative efforts by prominent experts of the center on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, which traumatized not only the US but the whole world when planes hijacked by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization brought down the World Trade Center towers, a scene that still haunts the American psyche to this day.The center noted in the study that the anniversary of the tragic events might be an opportunity for right-wing extremists in the US to manipulate and “to ratchet up the nonexistent threat of Shariah and warn of apocalyptic dangers stemming from Muslims living in America,” while it claimed that the groups espousing anti-Islamic rhetoric were “small but effective,” with a reaching and extending influence over right-wing extremists across the world.Commenting on the ability of right-wing media outlets on cable TV and more abundantly on the Internet to disseminate ideas of hate and intolerance against Muslim with belief that the followers of the faith have been conspiring to control the US, the study drew attention to the rhetoric of right-wing officials elected at a state and national level, who “put these myths as facts and then craft political fundraising campaigns and get-out-the-vote strategies based on debunked information about Muslims and Islam.”Hmmmm......Did these 'authors' even contact the FBI for numbers?Read the full story here.

• Syria rejects Arab League statement as Turkey says lost trust in Damascus.(AlArabiya).Syria on Sunday rejected an Arab League statement demanding an end to the bloodshed in the country as the organization’s chief waited for a green light to travel to Damascus and as Turkish President Abdullah Gul said he has lost confidence in Syria.In a diplomatic note to the organization’s secretariat seen by AFP, Syria said the statement amounted to “a clear violation ... of the principles of the Arab League charter and of the foundations of joint Arab action.”The Syrian delegation protested that the declaration was issued “despite the meeting having closed with an agreement that no statement would be published or statement made to the press,” according to AFP.The statement contained “unacceptable and biased language,” the note said, adding Damascus would act as if it had never been published.The Arab League announced a peace initiative aimed at solving the crisis in Syria where more than 2,000 people have been killed in anti-regime protests, to be delivered in person by its secretary general, Nabil al-Arabi.The 22-member organization’s foreign ministers at a meeting on Saturday night called in the statement for an “end to the spilling of blood and (for Syria) to follow the way of reason before it is too late.”They expressed their “concern faced with the grave developments on the Syrian scene which have claimed thousands of victims and wounded.”The foreign ministers also called for respecting “the right of the Syrian people to live in security and of their legitimate aspirations for political and social reforms.”Arabi said on Sunday that he was awaiting a Syrian invitation to travel to Damascus. “I’m waiting for the response of Syria’s government,” he told journalists in the Egyptian capital, adding he was ready to leave immediately.Turkish President Abdullah Gul, meanwhile, said he has lost confidence in Syria.“In today’s world there is no place for authoritarian rule, one-party governments and closed regimes,” Gul said in an interview with Turkeys state-run Anatolia news agency. “These will either be changed by force or by the initiative of those who rule.” International pressure has been mounting for an end to more than five months of violence. US President Barack Obama earlier this month joined the leaders of the UK, France, and Germany in calling for Assad to step down. The protests that began in mid-March are part of the wave of unrest across the Middle East and North Africa this year that has unseated the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia and threatened the regime of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya.Gul said he was receiving detailed daily intelligence reports on the shootings of protesters in neighboring Syria.“Today how many will it be?” he asked. “We’ve lost our confidence.”Read the full story here.

• Perry Rips Obama For “Throwing Israel Under The Bus” With Calls For Withdrawing To 1967 Borders.(MySanAntonio). Iowa — Riding high in the polls, Gov. Rick Perry rode into Iowa on Saturday with tough talk on President Barack Obama and a declaration that Social Security is not only a Ponzi scheme but a “monstrous lie” for younger people.“If you’re for the status quo in America, I’m not your guy,” Perry told an overflow crowd eager to see the presidential candidate at The Vine Coffeehouse.Asked by a woman in the crowd about Social Security being viewed as an entitlement program, Perry reiterated the suggestion in his anti-Washington book “Fed Up!” that the program amounts to a Ponzi scheme.“It is a Ponzi scheme for these young people The idea that they’re working and paying into Social Security today (and) the current program is going to be there for them is a lie,” Perry said. “It is a monstrous lie on this generation, and we can’t do that to them.”Later, in Des Moines, when a reporter asked about the suggestion his campaign was backing off some positions in the staunch states-rights book, Perry said, “I haven’t backed off anything in my book. So read the book again and get it right.”He told the Ottumwa crowd that for people who are drawing Social Security or “like me” near eligibility, he wasn’t proposing a change in the program. But he said there should be a national conversation about potential changes for others, including raising the age of eligibility and establishing a threshold based on a person’s means.“Does Warren Buffett need to get Social Security? Maybe not,” he said.On foreign policy, Perry was asked about Israel and cited a statement by Obama that Israel’s borders with a Palestinian state should be based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps — a position Perry called “throwing Israel under the bus.”“I’m going to stand with Israel,” he said.Asked whether he’d consider pre-emptive strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Perry said there are “a lot of different ways to deal with Iran,” including diplomatically and financially, But he added, “I’m never going to take off the table our ability to have a military solution to a country like Iran.”Read the full story here.

• Is Rick Perry good for the Jews?(IsraelMatzav).Obviously, if Rick Perry remains a serious contender for the Republican nomination, I will look at this a lot more closely, but for now, here's a short blurb on Perry and the Jewish community.Read the full story here.

• CEO of Gibson Guitars' Main Competitor is a Huge Democrat Donor; Also Uses Same Wood Without Any Complaints From Feds.(DougRoss).Like almost all of the actions of the Holder Justice Department, the raid was likely motivated by political considerations....Henry E. Juszkiewicz, Gibson’s Chief Executive Officer, is a [large] donor to a couple of Republican politicians... When warrants as ridiculous such as these are issued and executed, there appears no other reason than because the company or individual at hand is being targeted, not because there is any sort of wrongdoing. As a company, Gibson is a legendary. They’ve done nothing wrong, except, apparently, deigning to have a Republican CEO. The plot thickens, however. One of Gibson’s leading competitors is C.F. Martin and Company. The C.E.O., Chris Martin IV, is a long-time Democratic supporter, with $35,400 in contributions to Democratic candidates and the DNC over the past couple of election cycles. According to C.F. Martin’s catalog, several of their guitars contain “East Indian Rosewood.” In case you were wondering, that is the exact same wood in at least ten of Gibson’s guitars. So how could the federal government justify its attempts to shut down one of the few companies still manufacturing valuable products in the United States? This federal government -- a behemoth now operated by the most partisan political hacks in my lifetime -- is completely out of control.Hmmmmm......Thugocracy coming out of the woodworks?Read the full story here.

• First Circuit Affirms Right to Record the Police.(Cato).By David Rittgers.Right to Record, a website devoted to the legal aspects of recording police officers, has the scoop. A panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the right of citizens to openly record police officers.Gathering information about government officials in a form that can readily be disseminated to others serves a cardinal First Amendment interest in protecting and promoting “the free discussion of governmental affairs.” Moreover, as the Court has noted, “[f]reedom of expression has particular significance with respect to government because ‘[i]t is here that the state has a special incentive to repress opposition and often wields a more effective power of suppression.’” This is particularly true of law enforcement officials, who are granted substantial discretion that may be misused to deprive individuals of their liberties. Ensuring the public’s right to gather information about their officials not only aids in the uncovering of abuses, but also may have a salutary effect on the functioning of government more generally.Read the whole thing. It provides a great discussion of the developing legal landscape, as well as some juicy details — like the fact that the attorney defending the statute for Massachusetts wrote her student note about how the Massachusetts wiretapping law is unconstitutional.This decision is a big deal. The case comes from Massachusetts, one of two states (the other being Illinois) that continues to criminalize recording audio in public. It’s the latest in a string of victories against the Massachusetts wiretapping law that has become a useful tool for police who want to shield their actions from public scrutiny. A Massachusetts District Attorney recently refused to proceed with charges against a woman who recorded a vicious police beating, the D.A. declaring that police officers have no reasonable expectation of privacy while on duty and in public. Cop Block founders Pete Eyre and Adam Mueller were just acquitted on felony wiretapping charges for openly recording their encounter with police officers Massachusetts.Moving on to the other holdout, Illinois, a woman who surreptitiously recorded Chicago Police Internal Affairs officers trying to persuade her not to file a sexual harassment complaint against police officers was acquitted of felony wiretapping charges. All of this sets the stage for the ACLU v. Alvarez, a lawsuit seeking to prevent future wiretapping charges against citizens who record on-duty police in public.For more Cato work on the right to record police, take a look at this video and this post on Anthony Graber’s victory over abuse of the Maryland wiretapping statute. Speaking of which, Right to Record provides a page on the Maryland wiretapping statute, supplying the decision in Graber’s case for anyone who faces similar charges in the future.Hmmm....."Know your rights".Read the full story here.

• No US parole for maid abuser.(Arabnews).RIYADH: Family and friends of a Saudi research student convicted of abusing his maid have expressed dismay after his efforts to receive parole were dashed late on Monday.Humaidan Al-Turki, who was jailed in 2006 in the United States, was left bemused after his review before a parole committee at Limon Correctional Facility, Colorado, was denied. The committee will now review the case next year, according to family spokesperson Fahd Al-Nassar.Al-Turki was sentenced in August 2006 to 28 years in prison on 12 felony counts of false imprisonment, unlawful sexual contact with his Indonesian housekeeper, theft and criminal extortion.Al-Turki had his sentence reduced on appeal. He received a revised sentence of eight years in jail in February this year.Al-Turki’s defense team had filed for a parole hearing after he completed half his sentence.The parole committee meets usually to review release requests for those who have already served half of their jail sentence.Other considerations taken into account when requesting parole include the humanitarian circumstances of the prisoner and his family, security and political issues related to the case as well as the costs of keeping the convict in jail.Al-Nassar had been optimistic Al-Turki would be paroled. He said the committee would consider the trial’s costs, which have proven to be a burden on the state, and the lawsuit Al-Turki filed against facility authorities for not providing him with treatment for his ill health.Al Turki, according to Al-Nassar, has been suffering from acute renal complications since August last year.Hmmmmm........He wouldn't be by any chance related to Sulaiman Al-Turki Deputy Minister at The Saudi Ministry of Finance?Read the full story here.

• Solid proof of Al-Qaida in lybian rebel group - Senior Islamist rebel is veteran Gaddafi foe.(TundraTabloids).

* Islamist rebel has long record of opposing Gaddafi

* Belhadj once spent time with Qaeda leaders

* Rebel once negotiated reconciliation with Gaddafi

By William Maclean - LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) – A senior Islamist rebel reported to have helped depose Muammar Gaddafi is a skilled guerrilla leader and veteran dissident who led a failed revolt in Libya in the 1990s and once spent time with al Qaeda leaders in Afghanistan, security experts say.Abdel Hakim Belhadj, reported by Arab media to have been prominent in the assault on Tripoli, helps lead an Islamist group that has fought in close cooperation with the main rebel National Transitional Council (NTC), analysts say.The Libyan Islamic Movement for Change (Al-Haraka Al-Islamiya Al Libiya Lit-Tahghir), is made up of former members of the now defunct Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) that once plotted against Gaddafi from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.Belhadj, in his late 40s and also known as Abu Abdullah al-Sadeq, is a highly skilled leader, said Noman Benotman, a former associate and fellow LIFG commander.Read the full story here.

• ANTICOPTISM !THE ANTISEMETISM OF EGYPT.(AlexanderMunch).By Dioscorus Boles.Anticoptism (anti-coptism or anti-Coptism) معاداة الأقباط, المعاداة للأقباط، معاداة القبطية, ضـد القبطية: is the antisemitism of Egypt, but that is not enough to define it. Let us first start by defining a much better known concept – anti-Semitism, and from there try to define anticoptism.Read and see the full story here.

• Obama-Allied Center For American Progress Blames Rich Jews For Stoking “Islamophobia” In America.(AT).The Center for American Progress being run by John Podesta, who was co-chairmnan of Obama’s presidential transition team and helped form his initial cabinet after the 2008 election.— The Obama-allied Center for American Progress has released a report that blames Islamophobia in America on a small group of Jews and Israel supporters in America, whose views are being backed by millions of dollars. This “network”, according to the news release, have “have worked hard to push narratives that Obama might be a Muslim, that mosques are incubators of radicalization, and that “radical Islam” has infiltrated all aspects of American society — including the conservative movement.Who are the figures mentioned as the promoters of prejudice? Most of them are prominent Jews and supporters of Israel, such as David Horowitz, Daniel Pipes and Steven Emerson (the founder of the Investigative Project on Terrorism). The eight foundations mentioned as funding this effort include are almost exclusively ones founded and funded by Jewish donors, and lest readers not be aware of this fact, the Center for American Progress lists not only the other beneficiaries of the charities and foundations (most of them having Jewish or Israel in the title) but also goes to the trouble of naming the individuals behind these charities — not just the donors but also those who serve on the boards.Why include this additional information except to highlight that Jewish people are behind this effort to “defame” Muslims? By “outing” the people involved, the report puts endangers them. Furthermore, this “report” relies on the conspiracy and age-old anti-Semitic trope that Jews fan prejudice towards others and promotes divisions for their own nefarious purposes (to support Israel in this case). This mindset is straight out of Mein Kampf.The report also stokes the view that rich Jews operate behind the scenes and use their wealth to control the media and government policy (politicians are also mentioned as being ensnared in this web).The Center for American Progress was founded by Herbert and Marion Sandler (prominent mortgage bubble billionaires who partner with George Soros in his political activities). The Center for American Progress to a great extent is funded by George Soros and his Open Society Institute. George Soros is a fierce opponent of Israel and alleges that the Israel “lobby” all but controls American foreign policy. This view is echoed by Stephen Walt who flags this report in his column at the Foreign Policy website.Hmmm......Read the full story here.

• PM: Cabinet will rule on changes in Egypt peace deal.(Ynet).The cabinet will have to approve any changes in the deployment of forces around the Egyptian border and in the Sinai Peninsula, as well as any amendments to the Israel-Egypt peace deal – should they be required, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday."Israel has to deal with complex security challenges that have to do with the changes the region is undergoing – and we are dealing with them," he said.Over the weekend, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said that in view of the recent terror attacks emanating from Sinai and the area adjacent to the Israel-Egypt border, Israel was considering allowing Egypt to deploy additional troops in the Sinai Peninsula. Such a move would be contrary to the 1979 peace treaty between Jerusalem and Cairo, but according to Barak, "Sometimes you have to subject strategic considerations to tactical needs." Though Barak said that Netanyahu was backing the plan, the prime minister stressed on Sunday that any such decision would have to be carefully reviewed and approved by the cabinet. "Security arrangements must be dealt with," the prime minister said, adding that the government plans to invest additional resources into the border project with Egypt. Still, a security source said Sunday that since Egypt has yet to make an official request to allow more of its forces into Sinai, the matter is "not on the agenda at this time." Speaking to reporters prior to the cabinet meeting, Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz also addressed the security situation vis-à-vis Egypt: "Israel's relations with Egypt are of strategic importance and every move has to be reviewed carefully, with its long-term effects in mind. "There are tactical and strategic considerations that have to taken into account in the long run, so every change has to be reviewed carefully," he added. Speaking of the nearing Palestinian bid for statehood, Steinitz said that Israel was "dealing with a Palestinian Authority which has turned its back on the core of the peace process and is trying to push for a hostile Palestinian state, without security or peace, without declaring an end to the conflict and without relinquishing the right of return." The PA, he added, "is mounting a campaign against the legitimacy of the State of Israel and we have to do everything in our power to either prevent it altogether or minimize the damage. I'm sure the prime minster will make an informed decision as he has done on other issues," Steinitz said. Meanwhile, senior Egyptian officials told Egypt's al-Masri al Youm newspaper that Cairo was considering the possibility of establishing a five kilometer buffer zone with Gaza.According to the report, Egyptian security forces have already begun preparations for the destruction of tunnels. The report stated that heavy machinery has already arrived in Egyptian Rafah to assist with the demolition of the tunnels. Over the weekend, Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby said on Friday that all peace treaties are subject to the Vienna Convention and that as such, the Israel-Egypt accords was "not sacred - they are not the Koran or the New Testament."Hmmmm......Read the full story here.

• Turkey and Iran wants a Kurd against Kurd war, says Iraqi MP.(Firat).Kurdish Alliance MP warned that Iran and Turkey are trying to ignite a Kurdish-Kurdish war through pressing Iraqi Kurds to fight against Turkish and Iranian opposition Kurds.Mahmoud Othman MP told Aswat al-Iraq that "this matter is clear through the pressures put against Kurdish region government".He called both countries to solve their Kurdish questions internally through dialogue and not resorting to violence."It seems that peaceful choice does not satisfy both countries and their continued desire to fight against PKK and PJAK parties, while both parties have their rights in freedom ", he added. Dr. Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish legislator, an Iraqi parliament member on the Kurdistan Alliance list.The Iranian bombardment continued for the last two months, while the Turkish started before two weeks which led to a number of casualties and material losses in the border villages.From August 17, Turkish jets carried out air strikes against the Kuridsh guerrillas in Iraqi Kurdistan region, forcing large numbers of Kurdish citizens of those areas to desert their home villages, including an air raid that killed 7 Kurdish civilians in a village north of Kurdistan’s Sulaimaniyah city on August 21st.The Turkish army is continuing its raids, under the pretext of chasing PKK members in the Iraqi mountains.Read the full story here.

• Religious Freedom for Turkey?(TheHill)By Elizabeth H. Prodromou and Nina Shea.The recent resignation of Turkey's military high command, along with reports that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will subordinate the military to civilian rule, could mark a new era for that nation. Sweeping constitutional changes, however, are still needed to ensure fundamental rights and avoid exchanging one form of repression for another. The United States should challenge Turkey's civilian leadership to make such long-overdue changes, especially regarding religious freedom, including for religious minorities.While Turkey has long been a formal democracy, it has been a decidedly imperfect one. Since Kemal Ataturk founded the Republic of Turkey in 1923, his rigid state secularism has stifled religious freedom. Restrictions have hindered the majority Sunni Muslim community and have discriminated against and threatened religious minority communities, including Greek, Armenian, and Syriac Orthodox Churches; Catholic and Protestant Churches; the Jewish community; and the Alevis.Constitutionally, the military was the protector of the secular state apparatus that engaged in or tolerated religious freedom violations. Indeed, the context for the recent military resignations was Erdogan's refusal to promote officers who allegedly plotted within Ergenekon, a clandestine ultranationalist group, to topple his Islamic-oriented government and commit violence against numerous faith communities and their houses of worship.As the inheritor of this legacy, Erdogan and his AK Party have faced an uphill battle to deepen Turkey's democratic institutions and culture. Their moves to bolster civilian rule have positive implications for respecting international human rights norms, including religious freedom.Indeed, the AKP government has widened the opening for public religious expression, which has helped Turkey's Sunni Muslim majority. Since 2007, imams have had some autonomy in drafting their sermons. While the ban on religious dress in state institutions continues, last month, the Council of State overturned Turkey's high court ruling which had barred the wearing of headscarves during the Selection Examination for Academic Personnel and Graduate Studies. Enrollment in Imam-Hatip religious schools has expanded notably. Without a doubt, Sunni Islam flourishes.When it comes to religious minorities, however, Turkey's record remains disappointing.To be sure, the AKP government has ushered in some improvements, including the addition of worship services allowed for a particular church, citizenship for the leaders of another, accurate national identity cards for converts, and continued engagement with Alevis. Yet, Turkey's widely publicized constitutional reform process currently omits any attention to religious freedom, thereby suggesting no systematic relief for Turkey's smallest minorities, such as Christians and Jews.Turkey's Christian minority has dwindled to just 0.15 percent of the country. In the words of one church leader, it is an "endangered species." In past centuries, violence exacted a horrific toll on Turkey's Christians and their churches. This provides a frightening context and familiar continuity to a number of recent high-profile murders by ultranationalists.Turkey's Jewish community also fears a reprise of past violence, such as the 2003 al Qaeda-linked Istanbul synagogue bombings. Societal anti-Semitism has been fueled in recent years by Erdogan's rhetoric against Israel's activity in the Middle East and by negative portrayals in Turkey's state-run media.Today, however, it is the state's dense web of regulations that most threatens Turkey's religious minorities.Religious communities are being strangled by legal restrictions on internal governance, education, houses of worship and wider property rights. It is difficult even to have a frank national discussion about their plight; those who have tried can face constitutional charges for insulting "Turkishness", as well as a broader climate of impunity.One example of the oppressive regulatory climate is the meddling in internal governance, as seen in the interference in the election procedure for the acting Armenian Patriarch, as well as in the refusal to recognize the title of "ecumenical" of the Greek Orthodox Church's Ecumenical Patriarch and the inherited titles of Alevi leaders.Another is the government's refusal to allow non-Muslim clergy to be trained in Turkey. The military's shuttering in 1971 of the Greek Orthodox Theological School of Halki, once the educational center for global Orthodox Christianity, is a case in point. Successive governments' policies have put at risk the very survival of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and its Greek Orthodox flock.A third example is the expropriation of land from the 1,600-year-old Mor Gabriel Monastery, the world's oldest Syriac Orthodox monastery. Last January, Turkey's Supreme Court granted its treasury parts of the monastery's territory. Besides impacting the church, such arbitrary state expropriations encourage acts of impunity against all religious minorities.Finally, there is the status of the Alevis, the nation's largest religious minority. Turkey refuses legal recognition of Alevi meeting places (cemevi) as houses of worship, and has denied them construction permits.These examples underscore how Turkey's religious minorities still lack full legal status and are deprived of full rights as citizens. To help remedy this injustice, the United States should urge Erdogan to fulfill his pledge to amend the military-drafted constitution of 1982 by making changes in line with religious freedom and the other human rights guarantees found in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Turkey ratified.By strengthening civilian control, Turkey has an opportunity to chart a clearer course toward greater freedom for all its citizens. It's time for the country's leaders to embrace constitutional reform, end impunity, protect religious diversity, and advance religious freedom for every citizen.Hmmmmm.......How can you expect 'religious freedom' from a leader schooled at an Imam-Hatip religious school?Read the full story here.

• Saudi Arabia - Indonesian autopsy reveals violence killed maid in Hail.(ArabNews).RIYADH: The case of an Indonesian housemaid allegedly killed by her employers in the northwestern Saudi city of Hail took a fresh twist on Saturday after the Indonesian Embassy in Riyadh rejected a Saudi hospital's autopsy report into her death.The embassy said it would send its own report to the Saudi Foreign Ministry after a leading hospital in Indonesia carried out an autopsy that revealed the maid, identified as Ernawati, died of injuries caused by blunt force, abuse and trauma.Embassy spokesman Hendrar Pramutyo said the autopsy results contradict a previous examination by the Saudi government, which the Saudi Foreign Ministry has always referred to in explaining the cause of Ernawati’s death.He said Ernawati sustained injuries from physical abuse at the hands of her employer in Hail. There were bruises on her face, chest, arms and knees because of injuries caused by a blunt object, said a report obtained by Arab News. There was also swelling, bleeding in the lungs, and bruises on the chest that was the result of violence by a blunt object, causing bleeding in lung tissue that led to her death. Ernawati died on Feb. 10 this year, several days after her elder sister Yenni Larasati filed a report with the Foreign Ministry in Jakarta alleging that her sibling was being physically abused by both her employer and his lover. Larasati said Ernawati was forced to kneel while her employer often slapped, punched, kicked, threw things at her or whipped her with a hose. But the first autopsy performed in Saudi Arabia determined that she died after consuming rat poison.Meanwhile, Pramutyo also denied the reports that the Saudi and Indonesian governments have agreed to lift the ban on recruitment of Indonesian women workers.He said that he had sought an answer from Jakarta about the authenticity of the news. He, however, pointed out that there had been substantial progress in talks since the visit of a presidential task force to the Kingdom last month.According to the latest available figures, there are still about 1,719 Indonesian workers, mainly maids, stranded in jails across the Kingdom.The moratorium on workers came into force on Aug. 1 after a spate of cases of alleged violence against Indonesian workers were reported, including the execution of a maid who had been convicted of killing her employer. Pramutyo said several steps had been taken by the Indonesian government to address the grievances of workers abroad.Read the full story here.

• Malaysian church raid increases tensions between Muslims and Christians.(AlArabiya).A raid by state Islamic enforcers on a church function in predominantly Muslim Malaysia has stirred religious tensions and revived fears of growing Islamization in the multi-ethnic country.Officials swooped on a dinner at a Methodist church hall outside the capital, Kuala Lumpur, on August 3, saying they had information that a group of Muslims were being converted, which is prohibited in much of the country.The relatively tame incident has unnerved some in one of Southeast Asia’s most prosperous nations, where religion and race are intertwined and the various ethnic groups have generally co-existed peacefully.The Damansara Utama Methodist Church denied the event was held to convert Muslims, but Islamic officials and pro-government media pounced on the case to allege a widespread Christian proselytizing campaign.Many Christians, however, dismiss the charge and say they face increasing pressure in a country whose ethnic Malay-dominated government has long presented Malaysia as a modern, ethnically harmonious Muslim state.“I am very unhappy with the way Christians are being portrayed and why authorities are treating the community so suspiciously,” Maria Varghese, 37, a Kuala Lumpur schoolteacher and ethnic Indian Christian, told AFP.“We are not trying to convert anyone. We have friends of all races and religions and have lived happily for centuries. I don’t understand why they are attacking us.”Half of Malaysia’s population are ethnic Malay Muslims − there are also sizeable Chinese, Indian and indigenous minorities − while Christians from a range of races form nine percent of the country’s 28 million population.Overt racial and religious antagonism has been minimal in recent decades, following deadly race riots in 1969.But an Islamization trend has gained pace recently as the long-ruling government coalition vies for Muslim votes with the increasingly influential Islamic opposition party, Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS).“Both Muslims and Christians have been carrying out missionary work in this country for centuries so this is not a new phenomenon,” said Shamsul Amri Baharuddin, head of ethnic studies at the National University of Malaysia.“But what is worrying is that this is now being politicised.”In 2009, churches were attacked with gasoline bombs after a court lifted a government ban on the use of “Allah” as a translation for “God” in Malay-language bibles.The ban had been in place for years but enforcement only began in 2008 out of fear the word could encourage Muslims to convert.Premier Najib Razak, head of the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), has called for national unity and met Pope Benedict XVI in July about opening relations with the Vatican.But with a hotly contested election expected soon, the Damansara raid has triggered anti-Christian rhetoric by some ruling-party politicians, Islamic officials and UMNO-backed media.A coalition of about two dozen Muslim civil society groups also issued a call to make apostasy a national crime.Converting from Islam is already banned in most of Malaysia’s 13 states and three federal territories, which have Islamic Sharia courts that run parallel to civil courts. Muslims, however, are allowed to proselytize.“As long as no one tries to convert Muslims, we can live in harmony with everyone,” said Ibrahim Salleh, 58, an elder at a Muslim prayer hall in the Kuala Lumpur suburb of Subang. “But if missionary groups try to exert their influence and erode Islam, then we must fight back.”The uproar has raised questions about the powers of the state Islamic Religious Affairs Department, known for its raids to enforce Islamic rules ranging from the alcohol ban to illicit relationships between unwed Muslims.Christian leaders warn the church incident risked upsetting the country’s delicate racial and religious balance.“These actions are calculated at creating mistrust and tension among the various religions in Malaysia and people should know better than to try and stoke such tensions through baseless allegations,” said Reverend Thomas Philips, president of the Christian Churches of Malaysia.But with Najib widely expected to call an election soon, he faces an uphill challenge to defuse the situation, said Shamsul of the National University of Malaysia, “as he is head of UMNO, which champions Malay rights and Islam.”Hmmmmm.....The 'religion of peace'.Read the full story here.

• Nasrallah: Syria's Assistance Enabled Iran to Assist Hizbullah, Palestinians.(Memri).In a speech on the occasion of Al-Quds Day (August 26), Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that, if it were not for the Syria regime, Iran may not have been able to give Lebanon and Palestine assistance, beyond moral and political assistance. He added that the sides in Syria must hold dialogue and settle their differences peacefully, for any other way would endanger Syria, Palestine and the region as a whole. He accused "elements in Lebanon" (i.e., the March 14 Forces) of working to exacerbate the conflict in Syria and arming the protesters there, and of persuading countries around the world to withhold support from the Lebanese government and army. He accused the Al-Mustaqbal faction of inciting rebellion in the Lebanese armed forces.Read the full story here.