The resistance fighters of the BLA are as invisible as those of Iraq and like the US Army in Iraq, the Pakistan Army in Baluchistan has been groping in the dark, without being able to identify them and penetrate their set-up.


B. RAMAN


(To be read in continuation of the earlier articles titled The Chinese In Baluchistan and The Unrest In Baluchistan)


The law and order situation in Baluchistan continues to deteriorate steadily despite the use of the Army by the military-dominated regime in Islamabad to put an end to acts of violence directed at the members of the Shia community, the Chinese experts deployed at the Gwadar port project, gas pipelines and other economic targets, including a local airport, and military personnel.


The responsibility for the restoration of law and order has been informally taken over by the Army without a formal proclamation and helicopter gunships, received in the past from the US for use in counter-terrorism operations directed against the dregs of Al Qaeda and the Taliban taking shelter in the areas near the Afghanistan border, are being used against the Baluchi population, which has had nothing to do with either Al Qaeda or the Taliban, in an attempt to suppress their movement against the military-dominated regime and what is perceived as its attempts to reduce the Baluchis to a minority in their traditional homeland.


There are various root causes for the resistance movement being waged by the Baluchis:


Mounting anger over the denial of the benefits of the natural gas and other mineral resources of the province to the Baluchis in the form of increased royalty payments.


The denial of any meaningful role to the Baluchis in decisions relating to the construction and administration of the Chinese-aided Gwadar port project.


The influx of a large number of Punjabis and other non-Baluchis into the province to work in the Gwadar project.


The continuing acts of discrimination against the Baluchis in matters of recruitment to the Armed Forces and various civilian departments of the Government.


The establishment of more cantonments in the Province to enable the Army better maintain law and order.


The ground situation has been further complicated by the import of the Shia-Sunni sectarian divide into the province from Punjab and Karachi and by the influx of the dregs of Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the Uighur terrorist elements from the Xinjiang province of China into the province, where they have been given shelter by the local fundamentalist organisations with the tacit approval of the Government.


The root causes mentioned above have given rise to two kinds of anti-Islamabad and anti-military movements:


An overt political movement in the form of protest meetings, demonstrations and rallies not involving the use of violence. Four non-religious political parties of Baluchistan, who have formed a united front, continue to play a leading role in this movement. These are the Jamhoori Watan Party, the National Party, the Baluchistan National Party (Mengal) and the Baluch Haqtawar.


A covert freedom movement involving targeted acts of violence against economic targets and other infrastructure and military personnel.


The factors mentioned above have made Quetta, the capital of the province, the scene of periodic anti-Shia incidents and the bordering areas of the province safe sanctuaries for Al Qaeda, the Taliban and the Uighurs for mounting operations against Afghan and American troops in Afghan territory. The presence of the Uighurs has added to the security concerns of the Chinese, necessitating the deployment of a large contingent of the Pakistan Army, exclusively for the protection of the Chinese experts working in the Gwadar port and the Saindak copper extraction projects.


The frequent visits of Chinese security experts to the province and the recent high-profile joint Sino-Pak counter-terrorism exercise held in Xinjiang were meant to restore the confidence of the Chinese experts and to strengthen the co-operation between the counter-terrorism agencies of the two countries.


The reluctance or inability of the provincial authorities to act effectively against the dregs of Al Qaeda and the Taliban operating from the border areas of the province and to put an end to their terrorist infrastructure directed against the Americans and the Hamid Karzai Government in Kabul have brought the Pakistan Army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) under US pressure to mount operations against these dregs in Baluchi territory, similar to the operations mounted by the Armyt since October last year against the dregs in the South Waziristan area of the Federally-Administered Tribal areas (FATA).


At a time when its troops inducted into the South Waziristan area have been involved in a bleeding guerilla warfare with the tribals and the Uzbek, Chechen and Uighur dregs in that area resulting in mounting military casualties, a further alienation of the local tribals and increasing anti-Musharraf feelings in the Armed Forces, the Pakistan Army is reluctant to get bogged down in a similar guerilla warfare against Al Qaeda and the Taliban dregs in Baluchistan, which might further come in the way of its efforts to quell the Baluchi resistance movement.


Senior army officers and the ISI are against getting involved in a two-front military operation in Baluchistan--- one against the Baluchi nationalists, who, in the Army's perception, pose a threat to Pakistan's unity and economic prosperity and endanger its relations with China and the other against the dregs of Al Qaeda and the Taliban, who do not threaten Pakistani lives and interests. Their first priority is quelling the re-emerging Baluchi independence movement before it assumes alarming proportions similar to those of the 1970s.


Gen.Pervez Musharraf has been trying to follow a three-pronged policy:


Keeping the door open for a political dialogue with the non-religious political parties, who have confined their activities to an overt political movement against Islamabad without indulging in acts of violence


A no-holds-barred military campaign against the Baluchi youth who have started a violent struggle to achieve their objectives. While large sections of the Baluchi population look upon these youth as freedom-fighters, the military has been projecting them as terrorists


Avoiding getting bogged down in operations against the dregs of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the bordering areas lest it weaken its operations against the Baluchis. The Americans seem to understand Musharraf's imperative of quelling the re-kindled Baluchi independence movement before acting against the dregs. The position might change as the US presidential elections approach, particularly if the reports regarding the presence of some senior Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders in the areas near the Iran border are confirmed.


The move for a political dialogue with the provincial political parties has been a non-starter till now in the absence of any indication of the military's willingness to consider their demands relating to the increase in the payment of royalty, suspension of the construction of the Gwadar project till its implications for the economic interests of the Baluchis are examined, the stoppage of the influx of the Punjabis and other non-Baluchis into the province and the abandoning of the plans for more cantonments. They also want the suspension of the military operations against the Baluchi youth.


Musharraf has already made clear his determination to go ahead with the Gwadar and other Chinese-aided projects in the province and the projects for new cantonments. His Government continues to deny any military operations against the Baluchi youth. Thus, the only issues on which his regime may be prepared to negotiate relate to the demand for more royalty and for more job opportunities for the Baluchis. Even this has not been indicated openly and specifically.


There are two generations of Baluchis now engaged in a simultaneous confrontation with the Islamabad regime. The first is the older generation, consisting of the grown-up members of the younger generation of the 1970s, which had spearheaded the post-1971 freedom struggle, which was brutally crushed by the late Zulfiquar Ali Bhutto with the help of the Army and the Air Force. In their midst, one could see recognisable faces like those of Ataullah Khan Mengal, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti, Khair Bux Marri etc and their progenies, who were born in the 1950s and the 1960s and fought with their elders against the Pakistan Army before giving up their armed struggle and taking up to politics.


The second is the post-1970 generation of young Baluchis. Many of them are from the same legendary tribes which had waged a freedom struggle in the 1970s, but had no role to play in it, because they were still children or not yet born. Many members of this younger generation went to the Gulf countries in the 1980s and 1990s, served in the local police and security forces, acquired a certain expertise in the use of arms and ammunition and explosives and have since returned to Baluchistan. It is these elements, which constitute the hard-core of the Baluch Liberation Army (BLA), which has been in the forefront of the current freedom struggle.


The BLA is a very well-organised and well-motivated clandestine organisation, with a high degree of invisibility. Very little is known about its leaders and cadres. One hears of them whenever there is a spectacular incident such as the eight explosions in Quetta on Pakistan's Independence Day on August 14, 2004, the ambush of a group of seven Pakistani army officers going for shopping in the Khuzdar area on August 1, killing five of them,, the abortive attempt to kill the Baluchistan Chief Minister Jam Yousef in the same area the next day, the frequent disruptions of gas and oil supplies to Punjab by blowing up the pipelines, the blowing-up of the Sui local airport etc, but one rarely sees them.


The resistance fighters of the BLA are as invisible as those of Iraq and have been operating in a large number of small. autonomous cells, capable of opportunistic actions without the apparent need for a central command and control. Like the US Army in Iraq, the Pakistan Army in Baluchistan has been totally foxed by their activities. It has been groping in the dark, without being able to identify them and penetrate their set-up.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


B. Raman is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Distinguished Fellow and Convenor, Observer Reserach Foundation (ORF), Chennai Chapter.

why did i choose Qutuz as a nickname and not Saladin or Abdel Rahman Al Nasser or any other hero name?


is it because Qutuz was blue eyed and blonde? sure No..Abdul Rahman Al Nasser was blue eyed blonde too


is it because of his courage? his valor is unmatched but that is just one of the reasons


read this article first


"Sweet fruit on a tree beckons to all"


The Islamic state in the seventh century AH (After Hijrah) was such fruit. Occupying the entire area from Samarkand and Bukhara all the way to the shores of the Atlantic, the Islamic empire was an invitation for the Moguls of southeast Siberia (bordering China) to expand West.


Thus the Muslims, throughout this century, were prey to wave upon wave of devastating Mogul expansionism. And the stronger the odor of blood, the faster the wild animals close in on the kill.


Amidst the sporadic Mogul settlements in the cruel Hayoubi desert, a young leader emerged: Temojin, better known as Genghis Khan. In 602 AH, Khan united the Mogul tribes under the common aspiration of expanding south to conquer China.


His men were fearless and accustomed to hard living. Taking advantage of the harsh desert conditions, the Moguls defeated China followed by its Western neighbor Kata. This took them to the border of the large Eastern Islamic state: The Khawarizmi state.


Aladdin al-Khawarizmi, the king of the Islamic State, had underestimated the power of the Moguls and mistreated the delegates sent to him by Khan. This was the opportunity Khan had been eagerly awaiting to leap into the Islamic towns, of whose riches he had long heard. Eventually, Khan and Khawarizmi locked in bloody battle. But triumph was for neither.


Realizing what he was up against, Khawarizmi retreated in a vain attempt to assemble his forces and protect his towns. Khan moved quickly and seized the towns of Bukhara, Samarkand, then Khurassan. One after the next, the Islamic towns fell to the Moguls.


Unlike the conquests of Alexander the Great and other warriors, Khan's conquests were nothing short of vicious. Wherever the Moguls set foot; men, women and children would be slaughtered; towns would be burnt to the ground, and terror and destruction would reign. Driven only by savagery and the thirst for blood, Khan's men took pleasure in violating helpless people in every possible way.


They raided the libraries and scattered and destroyed the books. Mosques were used as pubs or stables. After purging the people of the town of Jerjania, the Moguls flooded the town by destroying the Jaymon River Dam.


Survivors of the Moguls suffered with severe mental and emotional scars as well as illnesses. Ibn al-Atheer described one such experience: "For several years, I could not bring myself to mention this. Who is capable of writing the obituary of Islam and the Muslims with ease? I wish I had never been born, I wish I had died before having seen this, died and been eternally forgotten." Ibnul Atheer swore that later generations reading accounts of the Mogul events would find them hard to believe. He died in 630 AH and never lived to see the fall of Baghdad.


The death of Genghis Khan brought no end to the waves of Mogul expansionism into the Islamic State. Khan's grandson, Hulegu captured and destroyed Baghdad. The Abbasid Khalifah there was killed as a result of a conspiracy against him by his aid, Ibn al-Alaki ash-Shee'ei. Hulegu's forty days raid of Baghdad left over 800,000 dead. Those who came out of hiding after that were described as the living dead.


Hulegu's armies advanced toward the Levant. Their first action was to make a pact with the Christians in Antakia and Armenia against the Ayoubi royalty of the area. In 658 AH, they seized Aleppo then Damascus. Hulegu's plans to advance on Egypt were interrupted by his need to return to his homeland to resolve some issues with the ruling family. He delegated Qatabga to lead the Mogul forces in their attack on Egypt.


Since the decline of the Ayoubis, the Mamaleek reigned in Egypt led by Qutuz ibn Abdullah. Qutuz received a threatening letter from Hulegu vowing that Egypt was his next kill. Qutuz consulted with one of his learned men, al-Izz ibn Abdussalam. (Al-Izz was originally from Damascus. He had moved to Egypt as a result of a quarrel with the King of Damasucs, a descendant of the Ayoubis, over turning over the Fort of Safad to the Christians.) al-Izz advised Qutuz that fighting for the cause of Allah (Jihad) was unavoidable and triumph would be for the Muslims, Allah willing.


Qutuz prepared to collect money from his subjects in order to mobilize for the coming war, however, al-Izz firmly rejected this idea. He suggested that the royalty in Egypt were fully capable of providing for the war, considering their riches and the gold of their wives. Should there still be a need, al-Izz suggested they request loans from the merchants and impose taxes on the people.


Chilling accounts of Mogul warfare caused the Egyptians to be slow in their response to the call for battle. Qutuz urged them: "I am off to war. If you choose to fight for the cause of Allah, accompany me to meet the barbarians." Encouraged by his words, the royalty and the army marched toward Palestine. The final battle was fought at Ain Jalout in northeast Palestine. Qutuz detected some weakness in the Mogul lines. "Glory to Islam!" He reared, tearing off his helmet.


The victory of Allah descended and Qatabga, the Mogul leader, was killed. It was truly a triumph for which Muslims everywhere were thankful.


The battle had several significant outcomes. For the very first time, the Moguls had been defeated, and their army had been wiped out. The Mamaleek emerged with unprecedented power in Egypt and the Levant. They set out to cleanse the region of the Moguls and Christians. Cairo became the center of science and learning and many scholars settled there.


[Excerpts from: Al Jumu'ah, Vol 12, Issue 1]


http://www.islamweb.net/php/php_arabic/rea...lang=E&id=64374


so..quick timeline


1. Qutuz was raised as a prince in a kingdom which is in Afghanistan now


2. Mongols vandlaised this kingdom and killed the king (Qutuz's uncle) and sold Qutuz in Slavery


3. Qutuz was sold to a family in Damscus and later he was sold to a Memluk prince in Cairo


4. Mongols marched to Baghdad.


5. the caliph surrendered


6. the caliph is executed by the Mongols


7. Mongols and their christian allies enter Baghdad..vandlising the city and killing million civillian in 40 days.


8. the news shock the Islamic world....next stop..syria!


9. Mongols march to syria


10. Syrians showed great courage but their destiny was no better than their Iraqi brothers..but this time...it was brutal...one Syrian prince showed great courage in fighting and when he was caught the Mongols executed him by cutting his body parts and feed it to him! (REAL STORY)


<b>11. christians and non Muslims in Syria rejoice and side with Mongols....they humilated Muslims...drink wine inside mosques....forcing Muslims to eat pork and drink alcohol in Ramadan</b>


12. non Muslims believed its Islam end.


13. Muslims lost hope...Mongols are invincible and only Egypt is standing...after Egypt...the way to Mecca is clear!!!


14. Qutuz became the King of Egypt....God sent us the right man in the right time.


15. Hulaqo send messengers to Qutuz....surrender or you will suffer slow death..


16. Qutuz behead the messengers and hang their heads on a gate in Cairo...message delivered to the Egyptian people : mongols are human like us and we can defeat them!....did you see the blood when we cut their heads?..they are humans!


17. the battle of Ain Jaloot...enough said


18. Muslims turn....as the news arrive to syria an uprise against Mongols and the non Muslims start


<b>19. Qutuz march to Syria...not for Mongols...but for the triators.</b>


20. not gonna say what Qutuz did to the non Muslims triators in Syria...there is ladies here!!


don't you just loved this man?? sharp edge Qutuz.

Salam


so wot did people get well everyone in uk whos doing a levels


I got my reulst today good and bad


i got a B for I.CT, C for business and E for accounts


Neway wish everyone good luck with thier results


inshallah u'll all do well


hey all people getin ther GCSE results let us know wot u get

salam alaikum fellow muslims, i think maybe that this site should hace a forum just for quates (hope i spelled this right) of leaders. such as sharons statement: "'Every time we do something you tell me America will do this and will do that... I want to tell you something very clear: Don't worry about American pressure on Israel. We, the Jewish people, control America, and the Americans know it.' - Ariel Sharon, October 3 2001." just a thought


ma3salama

we all know about the tragic situation in Rwanada...thousands of people has been killed and christanity left its marks as we hear confirmed reports about priests and nuns turning over Tutsi refugees to Hutu so Hutu kill them...even in one case Tutsi refugees went to hide in a church and so a nun told them that its Ok and that they are safe, and then she went to Hutu to tell them she has a good number of Tutsis in her church and so the Hutus killed the Tutsi refugees in front of the church as the nun was watching.."love your enemy"..religion of hypocrisy....btw...this Nun was convicted in the War Crimes Court.


now what about the true religion.


<b>Islam Attracting Many Survivors of Rwanda Genocide</b>


By Emily Wax


RUHENGERI, Rwanda -- The villagers with their forest green head wraps


and forest green Korans arrived at the mosque on a rainy Sunday


afternoon for a lecture for new converts. There was one main topic: jihad.


"<b>We have our own jihad, and that is our war against ignorance between </b>


Hutu and Tutsi. It is our struggle to heal," said Saleh Habimana, the


head mufti of Rwanda. "Our jihad is to start respecting each other and


living as Rwandans and as Muslims."


Since the genocide, Rwandans have <b>converted to Islam in huge numbers</b>.


Muslims now make up 14 percent of the 8.2 million people here in


<b>Africa's most Catholic nation</b>, twice as many as before the killings began.


Many converts say they chose Islam because of the role that some


Catholic and Protestant leaders played in the genocide. <b>Human rights groups </b>


have documented several incidents in which Christian clerics allowed


Tutsis to seek refuge in churches, then surrendered them to Hutu death


squads, as well as instances of Hutu priests and ministers encouraging


their congregations to kill Tutsis. Today some churches serve as


memorials to the many people slaughtered among their pews


Four clergymen are facing genocide charges at the U.N.-created


International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and last year in Belgium, the


former colonial power, two Rwandan nuns were convicted of murder for their


roles in the massacre of <b>7,000 Tutsis </b>who sought protection at a


Benedictine convent.


<b>In contrast, many Muslim leaders and families are being honored for </b>


protecting and hiding those who were fleeing.


Some say Muslims did this because of the religion's strong dictates


against murder, though Christian doctrine proscribes it as well. Others


say Muslims, always considered an ostracized minority, were not swept


up in the Hutus' campaign of bloodshed and were unafraid of supporting a


cause they felt was honorable.


"<b>I know people in America think Muslims are terrorists, but for </b>


Rwandans they were our freedom fighters during the genocide," said Jean


Pierre Sagahutu, 37, a Tutsi who converted to Islam from Catholicism after


his father and nine other members of his family were slaughtered. "I


wanted to hide in a church, but that was the worst place to go. Instead,


a Muslim family took me. They saved my life."


Sagahutu said his father had worked at a hospital where he was


friendly with a Muslim family. They took Sagahutu in, even though they were


Hutus. "I watched them pray five times a day. I ate with them and I saw


how they lived," he said. "When they pray, Hutu and Tutsi are in the


same mosque. There is no difference. I needed to see that."


Islam has long been a religion of the downtrodden. In the Middle East


and South Asia, the religion has had a strong focus on outreach to the


poor and tackling social ills by banning alcohol and encouraging sexual


modesty. In the United States, Malcolm X used a form of Islam to


encourage economic and racial empowerment among blacks.


Muslim leaders say they have a natural constituency in Rwanda, where


AIDS and poverty have replaced genocide as the most daunting problems.


"Islam fits into the fabric of our society. It helps those who are in


poverty. It preaches against behaviors that create AIDS. It offers


education in the Koran and Arabic when there is not a lot of education being


offered," said Habimana, the chief mufti. "I think people can relate to


Islam. They are converting as a sign of appreciation to the Muslim


community who sheltered them during the genocide."


While Western governments worry that the growth of Islam carries with


it the danger of militancy, there are few signs of militant Islam in


Rwanda. Nevertheless, some government officials quietly express concern


that some of the mosques receive funding from Saudi Arabia, whose


dominant Wahhabi sect has been embraced by militant groups in other parts of


the world. They also worry that high poverty rates and a traumatized


population make Rwanda the perfect breeding ground for Islamic extremism.


But Nish Imiyimana, an imam here in Ruhengeri, about 45 miles


northwest of Kigali, the capital, contends: "We have enough of our own


problems. We don't want a bomb dropped on us by America. We want American NGOs


[nongovernmental organizations] to come and build us hospitals


instead."


Imams across the country held meetings after Sept. 11, 2001, to


clarify what it means to be a Muslim. "I told everyone, 'Islam means peace,'


" said Imiyimana, recalling that the mosque was packed that day.


"Considering our track record, it wasn't hard to convince them."


That fact worries the Catholic church. Priests here said they have


asked for advice from church leaders in Rome about how to react to the


number of converts to Islam.


"The Catholic church has a problem after genocide," said the Rev.


Jean Bosco Ntagugire, who works at Kigali churches. "The trust has been


broken. We can't say, 'Christians come back.' We have to hope that


happens when faith builds again."


To help make that happen, the Catholic church has started to offer


youth sports programs and camping trips, Ntagugire said. But Muslims are


also reaching out, even forming women's groups that provide classes on


child care and being a mother.


At a recent class here, hundreds of women dressed in red, orange and


purple head coverings gathered in a dark clay building. They talked


about their personal struggle, or jihad, to raise their children well. And


afterward, during a lunch of beans and chicken legs, they ate heartily


and shared stories about how Muslims saved them during the genocide.


"If it weren't for the Muslims, my whole family would be dead," said


Aisha Uwimbabazi, 27, a convert and mother of two children. "I was


very, very thankful for Muslim people during the genocide. I thought about


it and I really felt it was right to change."


http://rwandarugali.tripod.com/rwanda/id120.html


brothers and sisters...if you loved what you read then don't forget the great Mujahid Abdollah Ibn Yassin who made great effort to deliever the message of Islam to africans in the 12th century...and due to Allah blessing and his efforts we have brothers and sisters in Ghana,Nigeria,Rwanada,Burundi,Senegal and many other african countries.

Song of Jenin


Not enough tears on earth


to wash away the blood


Not enough blood on earth


To wash away the pain


Not enough faith on earth


to take away my shame





Pain in my heart


too hard to bear


Shame in my heart


For when I looked..


My brother was not there


I held up my head in pride


When the soldiers came


They never broke the man inside


Never flinched in pain,


never gave up my pride


I fought In Allah's name


For brotherhood I would have died


Couldn't you hear the cries


Couldn't you feel the pain


Didn't you realize


The butcher was back again


Fought a tank with a stone


But never thought I'd fight alone


Pain in my heart


To hard to bear


Shame in my heart


for when I looked..


my brother was not there


Did you hear me call your name


I tried to hold my ground


But my brother never came


No enemy cuts so deep


As when brother watches brother


Be slaughtered like a sheep


What no gun could ever do


You have done to me


I have lost much faith in you


And my heart will never be


Whole or happy or healed


Until Palestine is free


Until Islam sees unity

Come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses....


FOR THE GARDEN OF YOUR DAILY LIVING, PLANT THREE ROWS OF PEAS:


Peace of mind


Peace of heart


Peace of soul


PLANT FOUR ROWS OF SQUASH:


Squash gossip


Squash indifference


Squash grumbling


Squash selfishness


PLANT FOUR ROWS OF LETTUCE:


Lettuce be faithful


Lettuce be kind


Lettuce be patient


Lettuce really love one another


NO GARDEN IS WITHOUT TURNIPS:


Turnip for meetings


Turnip for service


Turnip to help one another


TO CONCLUDE OUR GARDEN WE MUST HAVE THYME:


Thyme for each other


Thyme for family


Thyme for friends


WATER FREELY WITH PATIENCE AND CULTIVATE WITH LOVE THERE IS MUCH FRUIT IN YOUR GARDEN BECAUSE YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW.

Two Travelling Angels


Two travelling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied,


"Things aren't always what they seem."


The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After offering what little food they had the couple, yet the angels only told them that they need to rest, let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. (Little did they know that angels need not rest) When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.


The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel how could you have let this happen?


The first man had everything, yet you helped him..


The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die?".


"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied.


"When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall. Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it."


"Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I prayed to Our Lord to take the cow instead,


"Things aren't always what they seem."


Sometimes that is exactly what happens when things don't turn out the way they should. If you have faith, you just need to trust that every out come is always to your advantage. You just might not know it until some time later...

Washington, DC—In an interview Aug. 12 with RFA's Diplomatic Reporter Arin Basu and a group of Japanese journalists, Secretary of State Colin Powell said the United States would help bear the cost of dismantling North Korea's plutonium and highly enriched uranium program. However, he said North Korea has to agree to "totally irreversible" dismantlement. In the broad-ranging interview, Secretary Powell also told RFA that Uyghur Muslims detained at Guantanamo Bay on charges of terrorism would not be returned to China. He said the Uyghurs "are not going to China" but where they will be relocated remains unresolved.


On Burma, Secretary Powell said that the international community must do more to put pressure on the Burmese regime. He said Burma is missing a "golden opportunity" to democratize. It is not enough, he said, for Burma to simply have a road map to democracy "if it's not a real road map and if it doesn't allow for pluralistic activities within the political system." He added that if Aung San Suu Kyi continues to be denied political participation the United State would seek "other levers" to apply against the regime.


Read excerpts from the interview with RFA's Arin Basu:


RFA: Can the Nunn-Lugar program be applied to North Korea? If North Korea decides to dismantle its program, would you give them money and expertise to jointly dismantle, the way it was done in the Soviet Union?


SECRETARY POWELL: I don't know whether it would be under the Nunn-Lugar framework, but certainly if North Korea moves in this direction we understand that outside resources would be needed to help North Korea. I think the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would have a role to play and all of the other parties to the six-party talks would have a role to play.


RFA: In money and expertise?


SECRETARY POWELL: Under the Agreed Framework we had experts who were monitoring things in North Korea, as was the IAEA, but I think just as we did with Libya in helping to remove the burden that it had of these programs, we would certainly help North Korea.


It's important to say, though, it has to be done in the context of something that is totally irreversible and it has to be done in the context of the entire program, all aspects of the program, and it has to be an acknowledgement of not only the previous programs of plutonium, but the enriched uranium programs as well.


So, in that context, and that's the six-party talks, certainly the United States would be willing to assist with the cost of removal, destruction and total elimination of the programs.


RFA: What would be the fate of the Uyghur detainees at Guantanamo Bay? Are they going to be given asylum in the U.S.? We understand they're not going to be sent back to China. Are they going to be relocated to a third country?


SECRETARY POWELL: The Uyghurs are a difficult problem and we are trying to resolve all issues with respect to all detainees at Guantanamo. The Uyghurs are not going back to China, but finding places for them is not a simple matter. We are trying to find places for them, and, of course, all candidate countries are being looked at.


RFA: Democracy in Burma has not progressed an inch. There is no evidence that the U.S. sanctions on Burma have, in any way, in any significant way, affected the military junta. The national convention was held without the NLD (National League for Democracy) participation. What more can the U.S. and the international community do?


SECRETARY POWELL: I'm disappointed that the Government of Burma has not moved in a positive direction with respect to democracy, with respect to letting Aung San Suu Kyi participate in her party, participate in the life, political life of Burma. I think Burma is missing a golden opportunity.


The United States has, perhaps, been the most outspoken country in the world on this subject, and we have not only been outspoken, but we have used what we can with our sanctions policy to express our displeasure to the Burmese Government.


I do it at every one of my Asia meetings. I do it every year at the ASEAN Regional Forum. And rather than saying, 'What more can the United States do?', what more can the rest of the international community do, because not all members of the international community have spoken out as clearly on this issue and have taken the actions they might take to put pressure on the regime.


And so we will continue to put pressure on the regime. We will not have a satisfactory relationship with Burma until this matter is resolved. And it is not enough to say, 'Well, we have a road map to democracy,' if it is not a real road map and if it doesn't allow pluralistic activities within the political system. And as long as Aung San Suu Kyi is denied the opportunity to participate in the political life of Burma, and her party is so denied, then we will continue to speak out strongly and find out if there are any other levers one can apply against the regime


LINK:http://origin.rfaweb.org/front/article.html?service=eng&encoding=10&id=143618

2004-07-30


WASHINGTON, July 28, 2004—A court in the Muslim Uyghur region of Xinjiang in northwest China has jailed a journalist who reported on political tensions there for separatist activities and leaking state secrets overseas, RFA's Uyghur service reports.


Abdulghani Memetemin, 40, was handed a nine-year jail term by the Intermediate People's Court in the Xinjiang city of Kashgar, according to a copy of the court judgement sent to RFA.


"Abdulghani Memetemin is accused of threatening the integrity of the state by separatist means, violating state secrets and sending them outside the country," the Kashgar court judgement said.


The judgement listed 18 counts of the charges against the former reporter for the Germany-based East Turkistan Information Center (ETIC), who was forced to work secretly and had warned ETIC that he was likely to be caught.


They included such news reports as the detention of a well-known Muslim cleric, discrimination against Uyghurs for adhering to Islamic religious practices by their employers, and an undercover trip to Central Asian countries by 20 Chinese State Security officers disguised as businessmen, it said.


The judgement also singled out Abdulghani Memetemin's translations into Chinese of key official speeches and news about oppression of Uyghurs, an issue of possibly even greater sensitivity for Beijing than the reporting of the pro-independence viewpoint overseas.


While the court found Abdulghani Memetemin guilty of violating secret state information, it said he could not be said to have threatened the integrity of the state. The judgement cited his helpful attitude and acceptance of the charges against him. Memetemin represented himself during the proceedings. His argument — that he had no separatist intentions &mdsah; was dismissed, according to the judgment.


It said the accused's assertion: "I admitted all my crimes and ask the court to consider this" was taken into consideration. But ETIC said he had been tortured at the hands of Chinese security officials.


"To claim that [Abdulghani Memetemin] disclosed the nation's secrets to people overseas and attempted to "split" the country is total slander," the East Turkistan Information Center (ETIC) said in a recent e-mail to Amnesty International forwarded to RFA's Uyghur service. "He never attended any political activities."


"According to our information, since he was arrested, he was inhumanly tortured by the Chinese government and his family members were banned from visiting him," ETIC said, calling for Abdulghani Memetemin's release.


The judgement concluded: "The crimes of the accused Abdulghani Memetemin are grave and the damage to the state secrecy is great and requires therefore a heavy punishment." Memetemin was sentenced to nine years in prison and "deprivation of political rights" for three years. The term of punishment ends in July 2011.


Human rights groups and Western governments routinely criticize China for its heavy-handed treatment of the Uyghur population in Xinjiang.


Beijing has backed the U.S.-led war on terror, and called for international support for its campaign against Uyghur separatists, whom it has branded terrorists.


China says Uyghurs seeking an independent Islamic state have killed 162 people and injured 440 others.


Uyghurs constitute a distinct, Turkic-speaking, Muslim minority in northwestern China and Central Asia. They declared a short-lived East Turkestan Republic in Xinjiang in the late 1940s, but have remained under Beijing's control since 1949.


According to a Chinese Government white paper, in 1998 Xinjiang comprised 8 million Uyghurs, 2.5 million other ethnic minorities, and 6.4 million Han Chinese-up from 300,000 Han in 1949. Most Uyghurs are poor farmers, and at least 25 percent are illiterate