http://www.islambasics.com/view.php?bkID=102&chapter=7

Stoning the Devil

By arriving to Minâ [An area close to Mecca on the road to ‘Arafah where pilgrims spend the Tashreeq days. It is the place of throwing pebbles at Jamarat and ritual slaughter of the sacrificial animal] the hajjis have fulfilled half the Hajj duty. The Hajj has two cornerstones without them it would never be complete and no expiations or whatever compensations are sanctioned to atone for them.

The first cornerstone is standing at ‘Arafât and the second is the Ifadah Tawâf [Pilgrims’ circumambulation of the Ka‘bah upon their return from Muzdalifah]. These are the two cornerstones of Hajj, in other than them it is permissible to make expiations and offer a sacrifice.

When proceeding onward from Al-Mash‘ar Al-Haram (the Sacred Monument) to Minâ for stoning the devil we must keep in mind an important issue: the story of Ibrâhîm (Abraham, peace be upon him) and his son Ismâ‘îl (Ishmael, peace be upon him). The story of manifest trial to which Allah subjected Ibrâhîm, who saw in a dream that Allah is commanding him to slaughter his son, Ismâ‘îl. A severe affliction fated by Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, but why? Because Ibrâhîm was an old man, while his son Ismâ‘îl was in the prime of youth. At an age when the father usually feels that his son is the continuation of his life and becomes proud of him, a son that lends a hand in the hardships of life. But over and above, his wife, Sarah (may Allah be pleased with her), was barren.

Which means the absence of causes to give Ibrâhîm another son, but surely the Originator of causes (The Causer Almighty Allah) is mightily able to give.

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, commanded Ibrâhîm to slaughter his son Ismâ‘îl. If He commanded him to kill his son it would have been easier, because he could have assigned some people to kill Ismâ‘îl away from him. It was also possible to take his son Ismâ‘îl to a mountaintop then push him to see nothing.

But the command was to slaughter Ismâ‘îl, in plain words to seize the knife, take his son while looking at him, slaughter him with his own hands and the son sheds to death. A very painful experience even if he had many children. But how much harder would it be when having a lone son in the prime of youth on the one hand and being an old man with a barren wife on the other hand!! A deed not to be fulfilled except by someone whose love for Allah surpasses all that exists, a love higher than any kind of love. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“None of you will have faith till I am dearer to him than his father, his children and all people.”

That is the trial of faith undergone by Ibrâhîm in this specific point, which proved that Allah is dearer to him than anything else. Not by words but by deeds.

Ibrâhîm took his son to slaughter him in fulfillment of the Command given by Allah. Ibrâhîm did not want to surprise Ismâ‘îl by taking him to the mount and shocking him by the knife and the slaughtering, but he wanted to tell him first.

The Noble Qur’an relates that story in the Perfect Divine Revelation saying (what means):

“And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: ‘O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allâh), so look what you think!’” (As-Sâffât, 37: 102)

Ibrâhîm wanted to inform his son Ismâ‘îl about what would happen. But how did Ismâ‘îl, the Prophet, receive the Trial decreed by Allah? He replied as the Noble Qur’an narrates to us (what means):

“He said: ‘O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Inshâ' Allâh (if Allâh will), you shall find me of As-Sâbirin (the patient ones, etc.).’” (As-Sâffât, 37: 102)

Ismâ‘îl loved Allah more than his life and soul. So, the old man and the youth hastened with the knife, but will the devil leave the obedience of Allah be fulfilled without spoiling it? Of course not, his mission is to ruin the obedience shown to Allah on earth.

Satan came to Khalîl Allah (the close servant to Allah), Ibrâhîm, to ruin the summit of faith. He came to Ibrâhîm asking him: What do you intend to do to your son? What is the meaning of slaughtering him when you are an old man in need of him? How could you believe such a dream? It is a lie.

It is narrated that the devil was personified to one of the worshippers as a lad who served him for long. Once the old man went to perform the Fajr (Dawn) Prayer on a rainy day and muddy ground. The incarnate devil held the lamp for the old man while rising and falling in the mud. The people wondered how that old man tortured thus the lad who accompanied him on such a rainy muddy night. Whereas the pious man simply told them to leave him suffer for the One Who decreed sufferance upon him is Allah. As though Allah has cast in the soul of that old man that this boy is a devil.

The devil never gives up a trifle he may steal through. Even more, he tries by any means to force man to sin. Therefore, the devil left no possible way with Ibrâhîm, Ismâ‘îl and Hâjar without pursuing it, perchance he might ruin one of the highest and most rewarding obedience shown to Allah, that of Summit Faith.

The moment Ibrâhîm and his son Ismâ‘îl (peace be upon them) left the house, the devil embarked on his mission murmuring to himself: It is a trial, a severe affliction and if I failed to seduce those people in such an adversity never will I be able to.

He came to Hâjar and said to her, ‘Know you whereto Ibrâhîm has went with your son?’ She replied, ‘To perform some errands.’ The devil said to her, ‘He took him not for some errands but took him to slaughter him.’ Hâjar asked, ‘Why slaughters him?’ The devil replied, ‘He claimed that his Lord commanded him to do so.’ Upon that she said, ‘Away from my face. As along as Allah has commanded, He must be obeyed.’

The devil withdrew away from her disgraced and hurried to overtake Ibrâhîm and his son. He started with Ibrâhîm struggling to deter him from fulfilling the Command of Allah. He said to him, ‘Who told you that this dream is from Allah? Perhaps it was jumbled false dreams (chimeras), for what Allah would gain from slaughtering your son? Disobey the order; otherwise you would live to regret it. If you slaughtered him, the face of your son while dying would be enshrined in your memory. His face would forever remain before your eyes torturing you for the rest of your life. You are an eighty-four years old man and would never be blessed with a son after him.’ And he kept tempting Ibrâhîm, but Ibrâhîm never listened to him.

When the devil despaired of Ibrâhîm he went to Ismâ‘îl and said to him, ‘Your father would slaughter you.’ But Ismâ‘îl replied, ‘If Allah commanded him to do so, let him do what Allah willed.’ Then, he tried to prevent Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl from going to the place of slaughtering, known afterwards as Al-Kabsh Mount (The Ram Mount), for being the mount on which the sacrifice was sent down.

The devil strived to impede the progress of Ibrâhîm at the Jamrat Al-‘Aqabah [The closest stone pillar to Mecca, known as Large Jamrat] in Minâ in order to fulfill the Command of Allah; thereupon Ibrâhîm seized seven pebbles and stoned the devil. But the devil and his offspring despaired not and chased Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl, perchance they could hinder them from honoring the Command of Allah. So, Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl stoned them to drive them away.

This is the story of stoning, stoning the devil and we are commanded to stone the devil just as Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl (peace be upon them) did.

The moral of stoning the devil

After standing at ‘Arafat and having our sins forgiven, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wants to instructs us by the story of Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl with the devil to guard our penitence. We have to stone the devil within ourselves in a nonphysical sense, barring all his gateways to us. Whenever the devil attempts to approach us with his evil whispers we should not listen to him, but to stone him by our defiance to yield to his satanic temptations until he recedes and leaves us dispossessed of all power over us.

Just listening to the devil is the first step taken in disobedience. He wants to entice you into listening to him. Do not give him that chance. Do not listen to his temptations, but stone him at once by defiance.

Some people may wonder saying, ‘We are pelting a stone, so what is its connection with the devil? And does the devil exist in it?’

Some religious scholars say that the devils are imprisoned in these stones during the days of Minâ. To them we say, ‘Whether this is true or false, it constitutes, as aforesaid, a trial of the strength of faith within the hearts.’ For the purpose behind the principles of faith lies not in understanding them or grasping the wisdom behind. But the purpose lies in their being enjoined by Allah, all praise and glory be to Him; we kiss a stone (the Black Stone) and pelt another. The reason is that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, has commanded us and we must obey the Ordinance without trying to philosophize matters based on our limited weak minds. Since Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, has commanded, there must be a wisdom that we may or may not know, because there are many secrets in the universe we know nothing about.

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wants us to keep in mind that since we have completed the Hajj, which is paid for from lawful money and performed for the Sake of Allah and therefore is surely accepted and is Mabrûr [Hajj performed in accordance with the Prophet’s tradition and is accepted by Allah], the devil would never leave us in peace once our sins are forgiven. He would push us hard to err and sin anew. The moment we return from Hajj he would contrive to ruin our allegiance to Allah and cast disobedience within ourselves.

The Almighty wants us to learn that in the Hajj we have conquered the devil by forbearing from all what He has forbidden. Not only a forbearance that involves the constant prohibitions but it extended further to include some of the lawful acts. Thus, the forbiddance intensified, but despite that we won through and completed the Hajj rituals while engaged in the Remembrance of Allah and solely occupied with worship and supplication. Meaning, not only are we able to obey the doctrine but also are able to do higher and greater acts of obedience.

If we remember well this wisdom we will firmly adhere to the Fear of Allah after performing the Hajj rituals and inwardly we will realize that we are capable to show far more obedience and abide by it. Therefore, The Truth, all praise and glory be to Him, says (what means):

“So when you have accomplished your Manasik [(i.e. Ihrâm, Tawâf of the Ka'bah and As-Safâ and Al-Marwah), stay at 'Arafât, Muzdalifah and Mina, Ramy of J amarât, (stoning of the specified pillars in Mina) slaughtering of Hady (animal, etc.)]. Remember Allâh as you remember your forefathers or with a far more remembrance. But of mankind there are some who say: ‘Our Lord! Give us (Your Bounties) in this world!" and for such there will be no portion in the Hereafter.” (Al-Baqarah, 2: 200)

In order not to go astray or err, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wants us to always remember Him as we remember our fathers when away from us. To remember Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, because that is the gathering where all desires and affiliations no longer exist.

The Truth, Blessed and Exalted be He, wants to approach to the minds of His creatures the concept that makes their movement work together and not against one another. Our Remembrance of Allah should be far more than that of our parents.

Because no matter how long they live in the end they will die. But Allah is Eternal, never to die. If parents are the immediate cause of our coming into existence, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, is the One Who originated and created us from nothing. The creatures are ascribed to The Creator; we are mere causes. Thus, we must remember the Origin in coming to be, The One Who originated things out of nothing far more than just remembering the causes.

After the triumph of Ibrâhîm, Ismâ‘îl and Hâjar (peace be upon them) and their firm stand in the adversity, the sacrifice was offered as the Noble Qur’an relates (what means):

‘“And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a ram); And We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among generations (to come) in later times. Salâmun (peace) be upon Ibrâhim (Abraham)!’ Thus indeed do We reward the Muhsinûn (good-doers - see V.2:112). Verily, he was one of Our believing slaves. And We gave him the glad tidings of Ishâque (Isaac, peace be upon him) a Prophet from the righteous.” (As-Sâffât, 37: 107-112)

When Allah ordered Ibrâhîm to slaughter his son he had no other children beside Ismâ‘îl, and then he was given the glad tidings of Ishâque (Isaac, peace be upon him). Despite the severity of the trial Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl resigned themselves to Allah and they complied with His Order. Therefore, Ibrâhîm was described in the Noble Qur’an as forbearing and ever oft-returning in repentance to Allah.

The act emphasizes that if we receive every Decree of Allah with contentment we will win the reward of obeying the Command of Allah. At the same time, Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, arrests fate, and that is exactly what happened with Ibrâhîm and Ismâ‘îl (peace be upon them). Allah, be ever gloried His Majesty and Might, says (what means):

“Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allâh), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering).” (As-Sâffât, 37: 107-112)

Meaning, Ibrâhîm actually began the execution and seized the knife to slaughter his son. But the knife slaughtered not, because a knife does not cut voluntarily but by the Command of Allah. Just as Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, commanded the fire into which Ibrâhîm was cast by saying (what means):

“We (Allâh) said: ‘O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrâhim (Abraham)!’” (Al-Anbiyâ’, 21: 69)

And the fire complied and did not burn him. Similarly, Allah ordered the knife not to slaughter and it complied. At the moment of fulfilling the Command, Almighty Allah called Ibrâhîm as narrates the Noble Qur’an (what means):

“And We called out to him: ‘O Abraham! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)!’” (As-Sâffât, 37: 104-105)

Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wants His creatures to believe in the wisdom of His Commands and proceed to their fulfillment with contentment. If you proceed to execute the Command with contentment, Allah raises His Decree. Therefore, memorize well this noble Qur’anic verse and remember it while in Minâ to realize that in all life incidents man lives through, Allah only raises His Decree when the afflicted person is contented with it. If you see a doom that lasted on an afflicted person, as a cureless disease in spite of all the applied remedies, or a hardship experienced either in children or property, and he was not freed from it despite the passage of a long time learn that the sufferer is not contented with the Fate of Allah and is complaining. The moment he feels contented and accepts the wisdom of Fate, he will be relieved from it.

Ibrâhîm fulfilled the vision and since he fulfilled it out of absolute contentment, willingness and submissiveness to the Wisdom of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, in what He commanded, the doom was arrested and it was said to him, ‘Do not kill your son.’ Then a ram offered as a sacrifice descended from heaven. As if Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, Himself ransomed Ismâ‘îl with that ram. Not only that, but instead of taking Ibrâhîm’s sole son, Ismâ‘îl, Almighty Allah gave him the glad tidings of a second son, Ishâque.

As a rule, anyone who proceeds to fulfill the Divine Commands, still within the veils of the Unseen, though blind to their wisdom but out of trusting the Divine Omniscience, will surely receive a great reward. The further steps the Decree beyond the power of imagination, the stronger the faith enclosed in the hearts. There are people who refuse to abide by the prohibitions set by The Creator for missing the wisdom behind, when the wisdom is unveiled and the harm that befalls man because of them becomes evident, they start to forbear. But their forbearance does not arise from belief in the Command of Allah, but out of belief in medicine, science or others.

We have to know that there is a difference between the duty man assigns to another and the duty The Creator enjoins upon His creatures. In the former, we have to know the wisdom behind it to fulfill it, but in the latter we fulfill it out of belief in the absolute Wisdom of Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, in whatever He legislated. Everything judged by Allah and our minds stand powerless to understand, we fulfill out of belief in the Omniscience of The Legislator.

When Imam ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) discussed wiping over footwear (when performing ablution), he said, ‘If the matter submits to reasoning power, wiping the underside of the foot would be more deserving than its outside. Because the underside of the foot is the part subjected to dirt. But the way lies in adapting the soul to approach A Lord Who wants you to approach Him with obedience, and never dare allow yourself to come near Allah with whatever sort of argument. For Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, cannot be questioned as to what He does or commands.’

When you come to stone the devil, you actually want to block the gateways through which he may steal into your soul, whether to attack the acme of your faith thus you stone the supreme devil, or the branches of your faith thus you stone the subservient devils. You stone the devil seven times. All is a physical matter that agrees with your corporality. But there is wisdom behind the Command that should not pass unnoticed; Allah, all praise and glory be to Him, wants us after performing the Hajj rituals to fully accept His Ordained Destiny with contentment no matter how it seemed to us. To be certain that whatever Allah has judged is surely the best.

Obedience and reasoning

During the Hajj the dialogue exchanged between the mind and obedience is continuous. Acts of obedience that bend the heads in mediation while performing the Hajj rituals as Tawâf [The devotional act of circumambulating (i.e. walking around) the Ka‘bah seven times while reciting prayers and supplication. Tawâf should begin and end at the Black Stone], Sa‘y [The devotional act of walking seven times between the knolls of As-Safâ and Al-Marwah which are located some distance from the Ka‘bah inside Al-Masjidul-Haram], kissing the Black Stone and stoning another, beside other rites.

We say that such matters are beyond the bounds of reason, for having to do with discipline in obeying Allah and accustoming the human soul to yield to the highest Command. For Allah, glory be to Him, did not just enjoin duties immoderately but based on Perfect Wisdom.

While stoning the devil you have to remember that he never leaves a question of faith without striving to ruin it. The devil pursued our master Ibrâhîm (peace be upon him), and every time Ibrâhîm drove him away he returned to him once again. By casting the stones we first obey the Command of Allah and revive the tradition of our father Ibrâhîm, out of faithfulness to the one who fulfilled all and named us Muslims before the revelation of the Noble Qur’an, about whom Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, said in His Noble Qur’an (what means):

“And of Ibrâhim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allâh ordered him to do or convey).” (An-Najm, 53: 37)

When we stone Iblis (the devil) in the Hajj we should be resolute not to obey him after returning home and we must feel that we have conquered him. That victory must subsist after the Hajj, because despite his conspiracies and evil insinuations to make us disbelieve we believed in Allah. Despite his struggles to make us join others in worship with Allah, we joined none. Then, we came to the Hajj and performed the rituals and thus transcended in obedience.

Stoning here symbolizes our victory over the devil on a day of damnation and manifest loss to the devils. The devil is accursed by Almighty Allah, the angels and the believers. The Curse of Allah on him is unseen to us but it exits and is continuous. Also, the angels’ curse on him is unseen to us but it exits and is continuous.

As for us we curse him in a physical sense; that is casting stones at him in Minâ. On that day the devil is seen in his most abject and contemptible state.

It is the day of revenge and retaliation against the devil that tempted you. It is the day of victory over your bitterest enemy, who must remain your archenemy. At the same time you have been taught a lesson to avail you in the rest of your life. Never lose sight of the devil nor give him the chance to conquer you ever again. Accept the Commands of Allah and His Prohibitions with love and be contented with His Ordained Destiny. If you seal all the devil’s passes, he will have no power over you. Not any trial Allah inflicts on you means an incurred anger because you do not see what Allah hides in His Decreed Fate. Perhaps, The Almighty has tried you because He wants you to earn a greater reward for your obedience and a higher compensation for not falling into sin, or to exalt you in Paradisal degrees. Surely, Allah, The All-Knower, knows the sincerity of your sought path and your heartily contentment with whatever destinies bring, so as to grant you the best of rewards for your sincerity and contentment.

After casting the pebbles of the Jamrat Al-‘Aqabah or Al-Jamrah Al-Kubrâ [The closest stone pillar to Mecca, known as the Large Jamrah or Jamrah of the supreme devil], you perform the Minor Ending of Ihrâm [This comes after concluding two of the three following rituals: Throwing the pebbles, Ifâdah Circumambulation or having one’s hair cut or shortened] then you must head for Mecca to perform the Ifâdah Tawâf [Pilgrims’ circumambulation of the Ka‘bah upon their return from Muzdalifah], which is the last cornerstone of Hajj. Afterwards, comes the Major Ending of Ihrâm [This comes after concluding three rituals: Throwing the pebbles, Ifâdah Circumambulation and having one’s hair cut or shortened. Then a pilgrim may act freely even to have conjugal relations], which sanctions to you the performance of all the acts that were forbidden during the Hajj.

If you have performed the Sa‘y between the knolls of As-Safâ and Al-Marwah during the Tawâf of Hajj you do not have to perform it in the Ifâdah Tawâf. But if you have not performed it yet, perform Sa‘y after the Ifâdah Tawâf.

There is voluntary Tawâf and Sa‘y to whoever craved a higher reward and compensation. Truly, nothing is dearer to Almighty Allah than performing additional acts like those He enjoined upon us: as offering Voluntary Prayers, fasting, giving charity or sacrificing animals. Because such deeds betoken that we not only perform what Allah has enjoined upon us but also perform beyond them voluntary acts, as a warm expression and a deep love of our servility to Allah, Whose Majesty reigns supreme.

"When his Lord said to him, "Submit (your will to Islam)!" He said, "I have submitted myself to the Lord of the Worlds." (Quran 2:131) "

"And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: "O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah), so look what you think!" He said: "O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Inshaa' Allah (if Allah will), you shall find me of the patient." (37:102).

Immediately when Allah Instructed His Prophet Ibraheem blessing and peace be upon him to submit / surrender himself to Allah, in other words, entrust the steering of himself, soul, affairs with Allah, without any hesitation, he replied, I submit myself to the Lord of the Worlds. It was then only normal to implement the Divine Command of slaughtering his own son, but what is even more important is the son's position who did not hesitate for a moment to encourage his father thereto.

Each year during this time, I keep pondering and reflecting on this very very touching story and marvelous lesson which we should take as beacon to our lives.
Allahum to You I surrender and submit myself, O Allah Assist me for it.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/feature...81308.html

Features

Swat Valley on edge after Malala shooting

Police not providing answers and locals scared after Taliban shoot Pakistani activist who fought to educate girls.

Asad Hashim Last Modified: 14 Oct 2012 21:00

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The inside of the van where Malala Yousafzai, Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramazan were shot [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera]

Mingora, Swat - The case of Malala Yousafzai, the 14-year-old Pakistani student activist who is struggling for life after Taliban gunmen attacked her on Tuesday, has captured the world’s attention.

Reports on her condition are being constantly circulated through the news and social media, while prayer and solidarity events have been held across the globe.

She was not, however, the only girl shot in that school van in the Swat Valley on Tuesday morning.

Tucked away in a small house in the Makan Bagh area of Mingora, Swat’s main town, lies Kainat Riaz, quietly recovering from the bullet wounds she suffered that day after a gunman opened fire inside the cramped confines of their school van.

“We were coming home from school, where we had an exam. It was our Urdu exam, so at that time I was discussing the paper with my friend. We were talking about how one of the fill-in-the-blanks was supposed to have one answer, but I put in another, when a young man stuck his head into the back of the van. He had a pistol in his hand,” she told Al Jazeera, of the morning of the attack.

“We were all terrified. I felt like I was watching a dream. We were screaming, and he told us to stop. When we stopped, he asked about Malala, asking who she was. When a classmate responded, he started firing. In the firing, Malala was hit and they then ran away. […]I don’t remember anything after that. I was in my teacher’s lap [and fell unconscious].”

Riaz was hit in her upper right arm; the bullet passing clean through without striking bone. Shazia Ramazan, another classmate, was less fortunate: her wounds required her to be evacuated to the Combined Military Hospital in Peshawar, from where she was expected to be discharged on Sunday, family members told Al Jazeera.

Family's ordeal

While Riaz’s wounds were not as severe as Malala’s, her family’s ordeal began after she had returned home and they realised that she would need immediate treatment for the bullet wound.

While Malala, who was the target of the attack and a national peace icon, was ably taken care of by doctors at the local Saidu Sharif government hospital, Riaz Ahmed, Kainat’s father, told Al Jazeera his daughter did not see the same level of attention.

“We received no support at the hospital. We had to buy all of the medicines ourselves. So much so that we even had to buy the thread for her stitches,” he said. “Even the syringe,” Kainat said.

All of this is at odds with the federal government’s statements on Riaz and Ramazan’s treatment. Asif Ali Zardari, the Pakistani president, said on Saturday that they were to be provided free medical care.

Raja Pervez Ashraf, the Pakistani prime minister, has echoed that sentiment, and the military, who is managing Malala’s care, said in a statement that the two girls were "also being taken care of at places where they can get best treatment".

“No one from the federal government has been in contact with us [about any of this],” said Ahmed, Kainat’s father, though he did point out that several local political leaders had visited and helped with sums of money in their individual capacities.

Al Jazeera asked Kainat if she felt her attackers would face justice.

"I don’t know," she said, simply.

Clouded in mystery

We put the same question to local police officials and, somewhat surprisingly, received little more guidance than Kainat had offered on the matter.

The investigation into the shooting has become shrouded in mystery, with police officials at each of the local police stations, including the one where the case was first filed, unable to furnish specifics regarding arrests or suspects.

Security outside the home of Kainat Riaz, another school girl shot by the Taliban [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera]

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a police officer who was working on the case told Al Jazeera that a special investigation team had been formed, with representatives from each of the local police stations, the public prosecutor’s office and the country’s intelligence services all represented.

He said that dozens of suspects had been rounded up and questioned, and that police were going through mobile phone data and witness testimony in order to narrow down their range of suspects.

Other police officials, however, confirmed that none of the at least 60 suspects who had been questioned by police in Swat had been held after their interrogations.

Others have been held elsewhere, however.

None of the investigators spoke on the record, citing concerns regarding the military’s orders on information regarding the high profile case.

“I think we are headed in the right direction,” said a police officer familiar with the case.

“It is a matter of days, we hope, before we are able to track down the suspects.”

"Swat’s people are helping us. They talk to us willingly - they want the local Taliban to be rooted out."

A habit of fear

While that may well be true, there is a surreal sense, when walking through the streets of Mingora, of seeing not a city in the present, but one upon which there still hangs the pallor of the two years, from 2007 to 2009, when the Taliban held sway here.

Residents will often refer to landmarks and buildings, for example, by citing how they were the site of a suicide attack, or how such-and-so government official had been killed there.

Al Jazeera spoke to residents and tradesmen near Khooni [blood] Chowk, a well-known intersection, where the Taliban used to string up the dead bodies of men they had executed for defying their edicts.

They continually cited how much better life had become since an army operation had driven the Taliban out into the surrounding areas, and how they were no longer as fearful.

At Khooni Chowk [blood Intersection], the Taliban have tied up the dismembered remains of men they killed for defying their edicts [Asad Hashim/Al Jazeera]

“People in Mingora do not feel like they have been attacked as a people and that the time will come again where fear will sit in their hearts," said Muhammad Raheem, 37, a shoe-seller at the chowk, who said he frequently witnessed dismembered dead bodies being tied up from a light pole as he came in to work in the years under the Taliban.

"Mingora’s people are taking this in their stride.

"We condemn the attack, and this was a very bad incident. It should not have happened."

Rehmat Ali, 36, who runs a cellphone store, said: "People will be scared, but as I see it, that fear is almost gone [compared to before].

"People send their kids to school, with prayers - but as far as the fear is concerned, it is almost gone.”

Fazal Wahab, 42, a local store-owner, echoed that sentiment. “The resistance will grow even more than before after this attack,” he told Al Jazeera.

“After the crisis with the Taliban, I have seen that the desire to educate one’s daughters has increased, not decreased.”

Police officials, however, tell a different story, about fear. They told Al Jazeera that while most people were entirely against the Taliban, they also feared for what would happen to them if they were seen to be co-operating with the authorities against them.

It’s a well-founded fear, given the Taliban’s record of targeted killings.

And on Saturday, the Taliban widened their net of potential targets in Swat, saying that they would now specifically target international news media, because their coverage of the shooting was discrediting the extremist force.

And what of Kainat Riaz’s fear?

She told Al Jazeera she did not sleep for two days after the attack, out of sheer terror. She even delayed going to the hospital, because she feared that the Taliban may launch a second attack on Malala Yousafzai after the first was unsuccessful.

“[but] I will go back to school as soon as the doctors say I can,” she said, confidently. “Ever since I was small my mother told me that I will do a job. And I want to be a doctor.”

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/asia-paci...um=twitter

The Philippine government and the largest Muslim rebel group have signed a preliminary peace pact that outlines steps to end the conflict in the country's troubled south by 2016.

Chief negotiators from both sides signed the "framework agreement"on Monday, in a nationally televised ceremony at the presidential palace attended by President Benigno Aquino, Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) chief Murad Ebrahim and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, whose country helped broker the deal.

The framework agreement calls for the establishment of a new autonomous region to be called Bangsamoro, or Muslim nation, in the southern region of Mindanao, by 2016.

The United Nations, the United States and other countries have welcomed the roadmap, achieved after 15 years of on-again, off-again negotiations between the MILF and various Philippine administrations, as a rare chance for peace.

However, the MILF's leadership, as well as independent observers and foreign governments, have warned the path towards peace remains littered with obstacles, and that Monday's signing does not guarantee an end to the conflict.

"We feel honoured to be welcomed in Manila, but I must stress this is just the beginning of the peace journey," Ebrahim's deputy for political affairs, Ghazali Jaafar, told AFP news agency on Sunday before flying to the nation's capital.

Independence struggle

Muslim rebel groups have been fighting for full independence or autonomy since the 1970s in Mindanao, which they consider their ancestral homeland from before Spanish Christians colonised the country in the 1500s.

The estimated four to nine million Muslims are now a minority in Mindanao after years of Catholic immigration, but they remain a majority in some areas.

Muslims would be a majority in the planned new autonomous region.

The conflict has left huge areas of Mindanao, a resource rich and fertile farming region covering the southern third of the Philippines, in deep poverty.

It has also led to the proliferation of unlicensed guns and political warlords who battle over fiefdoms, while smaller but more militant Islamic separatist groups have been able to create strongholds in lawless areas.

Most of the 150,000 people estimated to have died in the conflict were in the 1970s, when an all-out war raged.

A ceasefire between the MILF and the government in place since 2003 has largely kept the peace, but outbreaks of deadly violence have occurred over the past decade.

The MILF is the biggest and most important remaining rebel group, after the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) signed a peace pact with the government in 1996.

That peace pact led to an autonomous region in Mindanao, but Aquino described it last week as a "failed experiment" because of massive corruption and worsening poverty there.

The planned new autonomous region would replace the old one.

Obstacles to peace

Fresh attacks by the MNLF or small Islamic groups who still want independence are among the potential obstacles to the peace process.

Another is potential opposition from Catholic politicians and business leaders. The nation's parliament will have to approve the laws of the new autonomous region.

However, Aquino, who is one of the most popular presidents in the country's history, has invested a lot of personal political capital in pushing for an end to the conflict.

Experts have said that, unlike the unpopular Arroyo, Aquino may be able to convince the country's Catholic majority to support autonomy for Muslims.

The two sides have set 2016 as a deadline because that is when Aquino is required by the constitution to stand down after serving a single six-year term.

The formal peace talks have been held in Malaysia, and last week's announcement by Aquino that the "framework agreement" had been achieved came after months of intense negotiations in Kuala Lumpur.

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http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/israel-...36114.html

Israeli troops on Friday shot dead three heavily armed gunmen who sneaked across the Egyptian border and ambushed troops, averting "a very big terror attack," a military spokeswoman said.

"They opened fire toward IDF (Israel Defence Force) troops that were guarding the workers (building the fence) in that area. Another force that was nearby... rushed to the area and targeted those three terrorists," said spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Avital Leibovich, saying all three were killed.

"A very big terror attack was thwarted by the response of these soldiers."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11300552

An ice cream company banned from using an advert displaying a pregnant nun has vowed to position similar posters in London in time for the Pope's visit.

Antonio Federici's advert showed a pregnant nun eating ice cream in a church, together with the strap line "immaculately conceived".

The Advertising Standards Authority has ordered it to be discontinued, saying it mocked Roman Catholic beliefs.

Antonio Federici says it will now put up new posters near Westminster Abbey.

Pope Benedict XVI will visit Westminster Abbey on Friday, before holding Mass at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday.

Antonio Federici, a UK-based company, has yet to reveal what image will be portrayed in the new advert, saying only that it would be "a continuation of the theme".

A spokeswoman for the company said the new image intended to "defy" the ban from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).

She added: "We are in the process of securing a series of billboards close to and along the planned route of the Pope's cavalcade around Westminster Cathedral".

A spokesman for the ASA said its rulings "must be followed and we are taking steps to ensure Antonio Federici do so".

He added: "We do not comment on the likely compliance of ads that have not yet appeared.

"However, we are continuing to conduct work behind the scenes, including with the advertiser, to ensure they comply with the rules."

Continue reading the main story

“

Start Quote

To use such an image in a lighthearted way to advertise ice cream was likely to cause serious offence to readers, particularly those who practised the Roman Catholic faith”

End Quote

Advertising Standards Authority

Defending the banned nun advert, Antonio Federici said the idea of "conception" represented the development of their ice cream.

It added that the use of religious imagery represented its strong feeling towards its product.

The firm said it also wished to "comment on and question, using satire and gentle humour, the relevance and hypocrisy of religion and the attitudes of the church to social issues".

The banned advert was featured in editions of The Lady and Grazia magazines.

The ASA said in its ruling: "We considered the use of a nun pregnant through immaculate conception was likely to be seen as a distortion and mockery of the beliefs of Roman Catholics.

"We concluded that to use such an image in a lighthearted way to advertise ice cream was likely to cause serious offence to readers, particularly those who practised the Roman Catholic faith."

The publishers of The Lady said it had received eight complaints and that it had been a "misjudgement" to have published .

Grazia said it considered that the advert was lighthearted and did not mock any religious groups.

The ASA banned another advert for Antonio Federici in July 2009 that showed a priest and a nun appearing as if they were about to kiss.

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/france-...07247.html

.....Related Content.

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View Photo.France to shut embassies over cartoons

....France will temporarily close its embassies and schools in 20 countries on Friday after a French magazine published cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, a move it fears will further inflame tensions after the recent release of an anti-Islam video.

"We have indeed decided as a precautionary measure to close our premises, embassies, consulates, cultural centres and schools," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said of the shut-down on Friday.

On Wednesday, France stepped up security and appealed for calm after satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo published the cartoons.

Laurent Fabius, the foreign minister, said he had ordered special security measures "in all the countries where this could pose a problem". Demonstrations in the Islamic world often follow Friday prayers.

Fabius admitted that he was "concerned" by the potential for a backlash to Charlie Hebdo's printing of the series of cartoons, given the background of violent protests that have taken place in the Muslim world over the release of the anti-Islam video, Innocence of Muslims.

Police were deployed outside the Paris offices of the magazine on Wednesday. The left-wing, libertarian publication's offices were firebombed last year after it published an edition "guest-edited" by the Prophet Muhammad that it called Sharia Hebdo.

Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault urged "responsibility" and said anyone offended by the caricatures could sue.

Appeal for calm

Leaders of the large Muslim community in France said an appeal for calm would be read out in mosques across the country on Friday but it also condemned the magazine for publishing "insulting" images.

The weekly carries a total of four cartoons which include images definitely intended to represent the Prophet, as opposed to any other Muslim. In two of them, the Prophet is shown naked.

The cover of the magazine shows a Muslim in a wheelchair being pushed by an Orthodox Jew under the title "Intouchables 2", referring to an award-winning French film about a poor black man who helps an aristocratic quadriplegic.

But the explict, arguably vulgar, nature of the drawings made it inevitable they would cause offence.

Charlie Hebdo editor told Al Jazeera that its website has crashed after it was hacked.

'Freedom of expression'


Ayrault said anyone offended by cartoons could take the matter to the courts but made it clear there would be no action against the weekly.

"We are in a country where freedom of expression is guaranteed, including the freedom to caricature," he said.

"If people really feel offended in their beliefs and think there has been an infringement of the law - and we are in a state where laws must be totally respected - they can go to court," Ayrault said.

He also said a request to hold a demonstration in Paris would be refused.

France's interior ministry has already banned all protests over the controversial video following a violent demonstration last weekend near the US embassy.

Charlie Hebdo's editor, Stephane Charbonnier, has defended the cartoons.

"I'm not asking strict Muslims to read Charlie Hebdo, just like I wouldn't go to a mosque to listen to speeches that go against everything I believe."

as salamu alaikum...get your own windows live muslimmail. Muslimmail.at

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/fresh-e...47649.html

..Protesters angered by an anti-Islam film have stormed the US embassy compound in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, as similar demonstrations have spread to several countries across the Middle East and North Africa.

The protesters on Thursday removed the embassy's sign on the outer wall and brought down the US flag and burned it, according to witnesses.

A number of diplomatic vehicles were torched as security forces used water cannons and warning shots in a bid to drive them out.

In the Iranian capital, Tehran, up to 500 people protested over the issue chanting "Death to America!" and death to the movie's director, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

The rally, near the Swiss embassy that handles US interests in the absence of US-Iran diplomatic ties, ended peacefully two hours later.

US flags burned

Meanwhile, Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi has condemned the film that has sparked an outcry in his country.

"We Egyptians reject any kind of assault or insult against our prophet. I condemn and oppose all who... insult our prophet," Morsi, on an official visit to Brussels, said in remarks broadcast by Egyptian state television.

"[but] it is our duty to protect our guests and visitors from abroad... I call on everyone to take that into consideration, to not violate Egyptian law... to not assault embassies," he added.

Egyptians have clashed with police outside US embassy in the capital, Cairo, for the third day.

About 30 people have been injured, including more than 10 riot police in the overnight clashes, as the fallout from a film ridiculing Islam's prophet continued to rage on Thursday.

Police have used tear gas to disperse the crowd, as interior ministry said at least 12 people have been arrested.

American flags were also burned in Tunisia, outside the US embassy in the capital, Tunis.

Police fired tear gas at demonstrators who shouted their opposition to the film, and chanted slogans against the US.

A small crowd also burned an American flag in Gaza City where Hamas, the elected government there, has condemned the film.

Despite the Egyptian government's call for calm, protesters chanted in the streets and fires burned.

Innocence of Muslims, the film that mocked Prophet Muhammad, was allegedly produced in the US by a filmmaker with ties to Coptic Christian groups, and excerpted on YouTube with dubbing in Arabic.

On Wednesday, about 200 demonstrators took part in protests in the Egyptian capital.

They rallied into the night chanting "leave Egypt" but there was however no repeat of the previous day's events when angry crowds climbed the walls of the complex and tore down an American flag, which they replaced briefly with a black, Islamist flag.

YouTube block

Meanwhile, YouTube, the video website owned by Google Inc, has said it will not remove the film clip, but it has blocked access to it in those countries.

The Afghan government has ordered an indefinite ban on YouTube to prevent access to the film deemed offensive to Muslims, officials said on Thursday.

The US prosecutor-general said on Wednesday that four people were being questioned after Tuesday's events.

Nine Coptic Egyptian-Americans were also put on an airport watch list. They are believed to have contributed to the production of the anti-Islam film that led to the embassy protest.

The man behind the protests told Al Jazeera he just wanted to combat insults against Islam through legal and peaceful means. Wesam Abdel Wareth, the protest organiser, said his group was not happy that young people who joined their protest brought down the US flag.

He also said there was no co-ordination with protesters in Libya, and he condemned the violence there.

On Tuesday, Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar mosque condemned a symbolic "trial" of the Prophet organised by a US group, including Terry Jones, a Christian pastor who triggered riots in Afghanistan in 2010 by threatening to burn the Quran.

But it was not immediately clear whether the event sponsored by Jones also prompted the embassy events.

Egypt 'neither enemy, nor ally'

Meanwhile, US President Barack Obama has called the leaders of Egypt and Libya to discuss security co-operation following the violence in Cairo and Benghazi, the White House has said.

Obama urged Egypt to uphold its commitments to defend US diplomatic facilities and personnel and called on Libya to work with US authorities to bring those behind the deadly attack on the US consulate to justice.

Morsi promised Egypt "would honour its obligation to ensure the safety of American personnel", the White House said.

Obama told Morsi that while "he rejects efforts to denigrate Islam ... there is never any justification for violence against innocents".

Whatever the cause, the events appeared to underscore how much the ground in the Middle East has shifted for Washington, which for decades had close ties with Arab dictators who could be counted on to crush dissent.

Obama's administration in recent weeks had appeared to overcome some of its initial caution after the election of an Islamist Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, offering his government desperately needed debt relief and backing for international loans.

Egypt is neither an ally nor an enemy of the United States, Obama said on Wednesday.

"I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy," Obama said in excerpts of an interview with Telemundo aired by MSNBC.

...