Top Nigerian Shia cleric ‘Zakzaky’ blames Potiskum Ashura bomb blast on military

/in /by

Leader of the Shiite Islamic Movement of Nigeria, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky has blamed the military for Monday’s bomb attack on the Ashura procession in Potiskum, Yobe State.

About 30 people were martyred and 80 injured in the attack.

Speaking with reporters yesterday in Zaria, Kaduna State, Sheikh Zakzaky said he, on Sunday, alerted security agencies of a plan to attack the Ashura procession in Zaria.

He said: “The attack in Potiskum was pre-planned, as they did in Zaria on Quds Day, and the Movement had prior knowledge of the plan to be executed in Zaria, but it was least expected in Potiskum.”

The sheikh alleged that the bomb was thrown into the crowd by soldiers, who later came with armoured vehicles and shot at people at the Fudiyyah School.

He alleged that the plan was masterminded by Israel and the United States to clampdown on the Movement, adding: “Part of the plan was to use poisonous gas on the people during the procession from Tudunwada to Kwangila, in addition to planned bomb attack during the Zaria Ashura procession. Let them come out and dispute this claim. They are still bent on executing it. But we least expected an attack on the Potiskum procession. These people can do anything to satisfy their masters.”

Sheikh Zakzaky said the Potiskum attack was a continuation of the Zaria Quds “massacre”, adding: “Security operatives spent five months in Zaria planning the July 25 massacre. The plain clothes security operatives brought to Zaria for the aborted attack on Ashura have been withdrawn from the streets, but are still around contemplating the plan.”

He described the Zaria and Potiskum attacks as a shame on a nation, “which engages in war on its citizens to satisfy a foreign interest in exchange for worldly pleasure or reward”.

The cleric said: “If these people lived in the days of Imam Hussain, they would have done more harm to him than Yazid. There are Hussain and Yazid in every period. They are the Yazids of our time.”

He said: “The government is full of wild beasts, with an insatiable appetite for the citizens’ blood. They killed mostly children, dramatising the tragedy of Karbala. What we have is a heartless government backed by wild beast military with a license to kill. They cannot blame this atrocity on any group. We know it is them.”

/129

"Ashura bomb attack in Potiskum is act of savagery and cowardice"

/in /by

Ameer of Kaduna zone of the Shiite Islamic Movement in Nigeria, Malam Muhammad Mukhtar Sahabi has described the Monday bomb attack on peaceful Ashura procession in Potiskum by the Nigerian military as an act of cowardice and savagery.

Malam Mukhtar Sahabi who made the statement at the on-going Muharram Majalis in Kaduna said, Nigeria government is hiding behind foreign made faceless terror cells to unleash heinous crimes on the Islamic Movement as well as on the citizens.

He explained that the Sheikh Zakzaky and the Islamic Movement has become a thorn in the flesh of Israel and U.S. of which the Nigerian was given the task of crushing in an all-out war.

“But they could not come out openly and fight the Movement, but always devising strategies to make it accidental or the handiwork of a terrorist group. We cannot be fooled. This is a directive chiefly from Israel and U.S. that Ebele Jonathan has agreed to implement to remain in power, now that election is approaching”.

Malam Mukhtar Sahabi stated that, “You can kill us, but you can never kill Islam. We pledged to defend our revered Leader to the last drop of our blood. You should however know that, you can never remain in power forever”.

He said, the government is employing provocative strategies to force the Movement to take up arms to justify the pre-planned ban on the Movement and subsequent nationwide clampdown. “We will remain calm as usual, because we have a divine guided leadership. One thing is for sure; injustice and oppression never last forever, truth and justice always prevail and triumph. We remain on the path of truth and justice”.

He called on members to be steadfast, engage in fervent prayers and strict devotion to Allah as the only weapon to crushing oppression and injustice. “Our ultimate goal is to attain martyrdom, theirs is to kill. We lose nothing, they fail. But let them come out openly and say they did it, so that they answer their names Bully Boys of Israel and United States. This is an act of cowardice and savagery typical of vampires and cannibals”, he stated.

/129

Thousands of Shias including Sunnis participate at Potiskum Ashura martyrs’ funeral / Pics

/in /by

The people killed by Nigerian security bomb attack in Potiskum during Ashura procession on Monday have been laid to rest. The funeral prayer was conducted by Malam Mustapha Lawan Nasidi in Potiskum attended by thousands of people and sympathizers including Sunni brothers.

A suicide bomber has killed at least 25 people and injured about 80 others in a procession of Shia Muslims marking the ceremony of Ashura in Potiskum, north-eastern Nigeria.

The soldiers later returned to Fudiyyah school with armoured vehicles and opened fire indiscriminate and killed 5 people with many who sustained various forms of injuries.










Ashura Procession In Zaria, Nigeria / Pics

/in /by































Bahrain: Important Speech of Sheikh Ali Salman on the eve of Ashura

/in /by

Sheikh Ali Salman, the Secretary-General of Al Wefaq National Islamic Society, delivered this speech before the crowds in the Bahraini capital Manama commemorating the eve of Ashura* (1436 Hijri), November 3rd, 2014:

Our message to Imam Hussain (pbuh); O’ Hussain, we pledge allegiance to you, to spread the message you have sacrificed your life for. We will walk on your path, calling for reform in your grandfather’s nation in our country Bahrain, we will call for good and denounce vice. We reject the oppression against our people and we work to realize the truth and good. We swear that we will not accept humility. Your voice moved us when the oppressor put us in front of two options; the thorn and the humility, and we will not be humiliated. O’ Hussain, you have drawn a clear path for our movement and goals. We pledge to continue the movement we had begun on 14th February 2011 until every citizen and human in this country gains his rights in equality, freedom, justice and democracy.

In this speech, I will not talk a lot about the elections to be held on November 22nd, because these sham elections are a premature failure. The elections failed the day the Authority blocked the way in front of real dialogue and rejected the just and legitimate demands of the people. They failed when Mr. Malinowski was removed from Bahrain because he was attempting to find a political solution that brings the two sides together. Also, they failed when Nabeel Rajab and Osama Altamimi were arrested, and when nationalities were revoked from citizens, and when the Authority refused to free opposition figures Abdulwahhab Hussain, Hasan Mushaima, Ibrahim Shareef, Sheikh Mohammed Almahfoodh, Sheikh AlMiqdad and all the other oppressed prisoners. Moreover, these elections failed when the opposition powers and the known patriotic national personalities announced their boycott to the elections that then became nothing more than an amusement. This failure was further exposed at the declaration of the decision to suspend the largest political party that won more than 83,000 votes in the 2010 elections. Finally, the Authority gave a blow to these elections by removing the manifestations of Ashura.

Our message to our people;

We have gone a long way towards our rights, we have brought the world and the region to realize our democratic demands, and this is a big step to reach our legitimate demands.

Our message to our partners in the homeland;

Our Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) and his grandson Imam Hussain (pbuh) call on you to support the truth, in Bahrain, in the political life, so that the people of Bahrain from all factions will have the final say in their legislative, executive, judicial, security and media affairs. For all Bahrainis, to enjoy equality in redistribution, without exclusion or discrimination against any citizen.  Bahrain needs us all to fix the current situation. We should all enjoy right to elect our government. Why don’t we enjoy this right like 200 nations around the world do?

Our message to the Authority;

We are calling for real participation in the State affairs, as stated in the constitution. We are calling for the implementation of what we have agreed on in the National Action Charter; a constitutional monarchy like the prestigious constitutional monarchies of the world. This implies that the rule, prime minister and administration must be in the hands of the people through the recognized democratic methods around the world. This also implies that the elected council enjoys full legislative and monitoring power without the assigned Shura Council vetoing its decisions. The Authority needs to listen to its peoples’ necessary and just demands.

The Authority, the people and the homeland will all benefit from turning this conflict into a cooperation to build the country through a democratic competition. The Authority should not bet on the external developments, the region is tensed and it will remain like that. Major turning-points are possible, the morale, from what has happened and is happening around us, is more than enough for those with hearts and minds.

We are reaching out to the Authority for reconciliation and an agreement that make Bahrain a cohesive and united power in the face of the Takfiri terror that has hit the region and will hit the country in the coming months or years.

The Authority will find itself in a better position between other nations if it responds to the people’s demands for democracy and justice.

Our message to Mr. Ban Ki Moon, the respected Secretary-General of the United Nations, to the international community and the powerful states;

We, the people of Bahrain, are a people demanding the generally-accepted democracy, freedom, equality and justice. We are walking on the path to democracy like the people of South Africa, Eastern Europe, South America did, and which you contributed to the support of. You have seen with your own eyes, through the media, through thousands of credible reports by foreign offices and international rights organizations, through the respected study centres and through the BICI report; that our innocent sons were killed in the streets, and tortured to death in jails, our wives and daughters were sexually abused in jails, our mosques, where we worship God, were demolished. And this is ongoing in one way or another.

You all know and declare that our demands are just and fundamental in today’s world.

Your Excellency, Mr. Secretary-General, the problem in Bahrain has elongated, and your calls and pleads to the Authority in Bahrain to halt the violations and engage in a real dialogue and consensus to political solution are not being heard. You, and others in the region and the world, have offered help several times, but your offers were rejected. Your knowledge about this, and your responsibility to maintain world peace and support democracy and respect of human rights, imply you to play a greater role by helping the people of Bahrain to find an inclusive political solution, like you have in other places of the world.

I do thank you for your efforts, nevertheless, it is humanely and ethically inappropriate for the world to stand on the sidelines and watch the people of Bahrain being repressed for calling for their fundamental rights.

Mr. Secretary-General, you and the international community are called on to take a greater and clearer position and make real efforts to help the people and the government of Bahrain to find a comprehensive political solution, without delay.

The instant and narrow interests linked with petrodollars must not contradict ethics and conscience. The world’s interest lies in maintaining economic and political relations linked with finding political solutions that do not produce extremism like IS that threatens the interests of the West and East and the Muslim nations and others.

The political solution we are seeking is in the benefit of all, Bahrain, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the region and the world.

I thank all the individuals, organizations and states that stood by and supported the people of Bahrain.

* Ashura is an annual commemoration of the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed (pbuh), where he sacrificed his life to light the path of justice and nobleness.

/129

Bahraini Award Winning Photographer Ammar Abdulrasool Sentenced to Two-Years Imprisonment

/in /by

On 28 October 2014, a Bahraini court sentenced award winning photographer Ammar Abdulrasool to two years in prison. Americans for Democracy Human Rights in Bahrain (ADHRB), the Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) condemn the court’s decision and the ongoing prosecution and detention of photographers in Bahrain.

Ammar Abdulrasool, a member of the International Federation for Photographic Art (FIAP) and the Photographic Society of America, has received more than 80 international awards for his photography. Abdulrasool was arrested by security forces on 24 July 2014 without being shown a search or arrest warrant. The security forces seized two digital cameras and a mobile phone belonging to Abdulrasool.

Abdulrasool was arrested and taken, handcuffed and blindfolded, to the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID). While in detention, Abdulrasool was forced to stand for three days and denied the ability to pray. Security forces beat Abdulrasool, stripped him of his clothes, sexually harassed him, threatened him with electric shocks, and threatened to arrest his wife and infant daughter. Abdulrasool was subjected to enforced disappearance for seven days and was denied access to a lawyer.

Government forces interrogated Abdulrasool regarding his work, placing emphasis on a photograph showing a peaceful protestor giving a police officer a flower (above). The photo was taken during the February 2011 demonstrations that took place in Bahrain and has been widely circulated and acclaimed since its publication, winning a number of international prizes.

On 30 July, the public prosecution ordered Abdulrasool’s continued detention for 45 days pending investigation on charges of participating in an illegal gathering. On 27 August, authorities brought Abdulrasool in front of a judge without informing his lawyers and began legal proceedings on charges of participating in an illegal gathering, rioting and throwing Molotov cocktails.

Abdulrasool is one of many who have faced reprisals from the Government of Bahrain as a result of their work. The same day Abdulrasool was sentenced, the CID summoned photographer Mohamed al-Oraibi for interrogation. On 27 October, the trial of award winning photographer Ahmed al-Fardan was postponed until 20 January 2015. Award winning photographers Ahmed Humaidan and Hussain Hubail are serving prison sentences for their work, while the government has detained award winning photographer Ahmed Almosawi without a trial since 10 February 2014.

The aforementioned organizations believe that the Bahraini government’s reprisals against photographers is a violation of covenants and international treaties that guarantee the right to freedom of expression, in particular Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which states that “everyone has the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”

The aforementioned organizations calls on the government of Bahrain to ensure the following and call on the United States, the United Kingdom, the United Nations, and all other allies of the Bahrain government, and international institutions to put pressure on Bahrain to:

  •     Immediate release Ammar Abdulrasool and all detained photographers;
  •     Allow for the safe exercise of the right to freedom of expression without reprisals; and
  •     Put an end to the systematic targeting of photographers, journalists and bloggers.

/129

NGOs Call for Immediate Release of Bahraini Activists Detained for Free Speech

/in /by

Americans for Democracy and Human Rights in Bahrain, The Bahrain Center for Human Rights, and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy express deep concern over the continued abuse of judicial power in Bahrain to target human rights activists. In particular, the organizations condemn the continued detention of human rights activists Zainab Al-Khawaja and Ghada Jamsheer and the sentencing of human rights activist Nader Abdulemam, and call for their immediate release.

On 30 October, a judge ordered the trial of Zainab al-Khawaja postponed until 4 December. She did not attend the court date, choosing to boycott what she believed would be an unfair and partisan judicial process. The government arrested al-Khawaja on 14 October 2014 during a court appearance on charges of tearing a photograph of the king of Bahrain. Al-Khawaja, who is eight months pregnant, is anticipated to remain in detention until her court appearance. Her family stated that she is scheduled to deliver her baby on 3 December via caesarian section. ADHRB, the BCHR, and BIRD express concern over the possibility of al-Khawaja giving birth in detention, as prison conditions in Bahrain are unsuitable for a newborn infant.

Human rights activist Nader Abdulemam was arrested on 27 August 2014 for allegedly insulting a religious figure on his personal Twitter account. On 23 October, a Bahraini court sentenced Abdulemam to six months imprisonment on charges related to the tweet. He has been detained since his arrest. Abdulemam has been previously targeted for exercising his right to freedom of expression.

The government detained women’s rights defender Ghada Jamsheer on 15 September after issuing Tweets raising concerns of corruption and criticizing the management of Hamad University Hospital. Her Twitter account (@Ghada_Jamsheer) was suspended following her arrest. On 29 October, a Bahraini court ordered Jamsheer to pay a fine of 100 Bahraini dinars (USD 265) on charges of “defamation on Twitter”. She is facing two additional cases in relation to freedom of expression, while the public prosecution is investigating another eight possible defamation cases brought forward against her by individuals, including the hospital head General Doctor Salman Atiyat Allah Al Khalifa, a member of the ruling family. Her next court hearing will be on the 24 November.

The aforementioned organization call on the Government of Bahrain to:

  •     Immediately and unconditionally release Zainab Al-Khawaja, drop all charges related to freedom of expression and ensure proper medical care;
  •     Immediately and unconditionally Nader Abdulemam and Ghada Jamsheer and drop all charges related to freedom of expression; and
  •     Release all political prisoners and end the systematic targeting of individuals for exercising their right to peaceful freedom of expression.

/129

Australia: Shiite leader shot injured near mosque in Sydney

/in /by

Rasoul Al-Musawi was closing up an Islamic prayer centre on Rosedale Avenue is Greenacre when the attack occurred, with friends claiming he was targeted targeted by people claiming to be supporters of Islamic State.

Mr Al-Musawi was shot in the face and shoulder while he was with his wife and four of his children at the Husainiyah Nabi Akram centre.

Mr Al-Musawi’s friend – who did not wish to be named – is a Shiite Muslim and said the shooting in Greenacre was motivated by the sectarian struggle in the Middle East.

‘They called us “Shia dogs” and they threatened to come back down tonight and kill you, shoot you, whatever,’ he told ABC Radio on Monday.

The man said they had taken no notice of the threats made on the night of the shooting – which also included ‘IS lives forever’ – but then he received a phone call saying his friend had been shot.

‘He was walking his family home so he can come back and do the cleaning [at the Islamic Centre] and they shot him in front of his family,’ he said.

‘His wife, she just fainted.’
Mr Al-Musawi’s daughter said he was shot from behind and she and her father were leaving the Islamic prayer centre.
‘We heard two loud bangs. My dad just held his neck and ran inside,’ she told Network Ten.

‘All I see was blood running down his head and neck.’
He is now in a stable condition after undergoing surgery, and police described his wounds as ‘not life threatening’.  

ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) refers to terror group Islamic State who are based in Syria and Iraq.
The extremist militants see Shiite Muslims as a threat to their end goal of establishing a caliphate in the Middle East.

A police spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia they were not disclosing which hospital he had been taken to due to his personal safety.

‘As a precautionary measure, we’re not giving that out,’ she said.

Well-known member of the Shiite community Jamal Daoud said this was not the first time worshippers had been targeted while they were trying to pay their respects during Ashura – a 10-day tradition which marks Imam Hussain’s death. Imam Hussain was the grandson of Prophet Muhammed.

Mr Daoud told The Sydney Morning Herald the centre had experienced a few attacks in recent days.
On Friday about 8pm, a security officer employed by the centre was attacked by three men who hit him in the face, Mr Daoud said.

He said the ‘extremists’ were deliberately trying to threaten the Shiite community and the people he had talked to were ‘very concerned’ and ‘very scared’.

‘This is very dangerous. It’s a warning something bigger could happen.’
In a statement, NSW Police said they would like to hear from anyone who may have seen a vehicle driving in the vicinity of the location at the time of the shooting.

Investigators are still yet to see if the two incidents are connected.
Members of the centre took care of the man’s injuries until paramedics arrived after taking him off the street and back inside the building he had just exited, 9News reported.

The centre was opened 10 years ago in an industrial area of Greenacre – which has been closed off by investigators – where there are many smash repairs and wrecking yards.

Firearm detection dogs were seen searching the centre and the areas around it.
Officers investigating the shooting are asking those who had not already spoken to police to contact them.
They are still trying to figure out why the attack had been carried out.

‘At this point in time it does not appear that there is any type of motivation for the shooting,’ Inspector Dave Firth said.
‘We are following several lines of inquiry.’

Those who work in the area said the neighbourhood was normally ‘quiet’.
Police are looking into forensic evidence as well as CCTV footage. 














Australian PM condemns Shia cleric’s shooting, blames ISIL as culprit

/in /by

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has denounced the shooting of a Shia Muslim cleric in Sydney, calling it the work of apparent supporters of the “ISIL death cult,” local media reported Tuesday.

Rasoul Al-Musawi, 47, was hit in the face and shoulder outside the Husainiyah Nabi Akram mosque in Greenacre, southwest Sydney, in the early hours of Monday morning, the Australian newspaper said. His injuries are not life threatening.

Calling on Australians to reject the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) — the militant group terrorizing Iraq and Syria — Abbott said: “It seems there is an ISIL death cult influence in this shooting in Sydney in the last 24 hours. The important thing is for all of us to absolutely reject this death cult.”

The newspaper quoted him as saying: “What we have seen here is an apocalyptic, millennial, extremist ideology which is now rampaging across Syria and Iraq. It’s displaced millions of people, it’s killed tens — if not hundreds of thousands — of people, and it has echoes here in Australia.”

The premier, who leads Australia’s Liberal Party, said it appeared that the country had come “quite close” to recording the first murder by ISIL extremists on Australian soil.

The shooting occurred on the feast day of Ashura, the 10th day of the first month of the Islamic calendar that marks the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Hussein ibn Ali.

Police are still investigating whether the attack was religiously motivated, but witnesses claimed ISIL supporters — who follow an extremist vision of Sunni Islam and view Shia Muslims as apostates — had shouted slogans outside the mosque just hours before the shooting.

Meanwhile, around 3,000 Shia Muslims marched in Sydney on Tuesday to mark Ashura.

The crowd chanted praise for Hussein, who was killed in 680, as it moved through Hyde Park.

“We are hoping to spread the idea that peace can be achieved through speech and not war,” engineering student Ghufran Al-Khazali told the Australian. Some marchers carried anti-ISIL placards.

In September, a huge police operation saw the arrests of 15 people following intelligence that extremists were planning to attack Australians and stage a public beheading. A week later a terror suspect was shot dead after stabbing two police officers in Melbourne.

Australia has committed 600 troops to the U.S.-led coalition against ISIL, which has urged its supporters to kill civilians and soldiers in countries taking part. The government plans tough anti-terror legislation, including a law that could see Australian nationals jailed if they travel to countries declared off-limits.

A number of Australians have reportedly travelled to fight for ISIL in the Middle East and in recent days two have been reported killed, including Mohammad Ali Baryalei, the group’s most senior Australian leader.

/129

Grand Ayatollah Makarem: “Iran’s problems can only be solved by abidance to the culture of Ashura”

/in /by

In a lecture at Qom’s Holy Shrine of Lady Fatimah al-Ma’sumah on the sorrowful day of Ashura, Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem-Shirazi explained to the thousands of mourners gathered the most important messages of Imam Husayn’s uprising against the evil and oppressive caliph, Yazid ibn Mu’awiyah and his corrupt government.

He stated that the establishment of prayer, enjoining the good, freedom and standing up against oppression are the most important messages that we can learn from Imam Husayn. “All of our efforts must be to implement these lessons in society. In addition to mourning rituals, we must take the various dimensions of the uprising and movement of the Master of the Martyrs [a title of Imam Husayn] into consideration,” Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi stated.

The renowned source of emulation explained that that calling oneself a follower of Imam Husayn has obligations. “The movement of the Master of Martyrs was to protect and preserve the religion [of Islam] and if we want to follow on the path of the Imam, our efforts must be to protect the values which he stood up for,” His Eminence explained.

Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi explained that the revival of the obligatory duty of enjoining the right and forbidding the wrong is one of the most important principals we can learn from the event of Ashura. His Eminence criticized the various excuses that people use to weaken these important principles of the Islamic faith, saying: “Unfortunately, some would like to weaken these two divine principles which form the basis [of Islam] in order to give a green light to engage in sin. Due to these conditions, we must be vigilant.”

“When enjoining the good and forbidding the wrong there must not be any violence. It is our enemies who pretend to enjoin the good and forbid the wrong with violence,” His Eminence added.

Implementing and abiding by the culture of Ashura is the best way to overcome the problems of society, Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi said. “If we follow the culture of Ashura and Karbala, which is the same as opposition to oppression and to the oppressors, than we will be successful and will face no unsolvable problems.”

Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi stated that the successful Islamic Revolution which was led by Imam Khomeini was inspired by the uprising of Imam Husayn.

During his speech, he also commemorated the anniversary of the seizure of the American Embassy in Tehran which occurred on November 13, 1979. Iranians called the American Embassy the “den of spies” because it had turned into a centre of spying aimed at overthrowing the nascent Islamic Republic in Iran following the Islamic Revolution which occupied earlier in 1979.

He also emphasized that Iran can be successful with its nuclear dispute if it has the same Husayn-inspired spirit that led it to success over its enemies in 1979.

/129