Headline News 27/01/2017

Headlines

• Islam 'not sustainable' in its Current Form and Must 'reshape' to Modern Values, says Religious Expert

• US Committed to its Military Aid to Egypt, Trump Tells Sisi

• Pakistan Conducts 1st Test of Ababeel Nuclear-Capable Surface-to-Surface Missile

Details

Islam 'not sustainable' in its Current Form and Must 'reshape' to Modern Values, says Religious Expert

Islam is "not sustainable" in its current form with religious teachings that are "out of touch with the present", according to a leading Austrian professor. Ednan Aslan, professor of Islamic religious education at the University of Vienna, proposed several changes to a religion he said he wanted to "reshape" with modern values. With that in mind, Mr Aslan is currently developing a curriculum for an Islamic theology course to be taught across Austria, to encourage scholars to "question" the nature of the faith. "Islam, as it is now, is not sustainable," Mr Aslan told the Kurier. "We want to reshape the face of Islam. It is important that Islam is given a new face in order to be able to remain visible. It is out of touch with the present. "Currently, Islam is unfortunately a religion of isolation. A religion of migration. A religion of Turkey, of Saudi Arabia. But no religion of Europe, which advocates pluralism or prepares children accordingly for a plural society. "Why do we base the image of Muslims on women with headscarves?

Organisations which shape our image of Islam, but they are just a small section of it." Mr Aslan said European countries must lead the way in helping to amend the reputation of Islam, as certain Middle Eastern and African nations lacked the democratic freedoms necessary for such a debate. [Source: The Independent]

For 200 years, European orientalists have enlisted the help of Muslims to reform Islam into a benign way of life similar to Christianity’s reformation. However, this forcible separation of Islam from political life has failed to halt the tide of Islamic resurgence around the globe. Today, Muslims around the world yearn for the restoration of the rightly guided Khilafah "Caliphate" and modernists like Ednan should ditch the West and join the Islamic resurgence.

US Committed to its Military Aid to Egypt, Trump Tells Sisi

US President Donald Trump discussed on Monday in a phone conversation with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi the war against terrorism and extremism, and applauded El-Sisi's efforts on those fronts, Egyptian presidential spokesman said. The White House said Trump told El-Sisi his administration is committed to maintaining the US's annual military aid to Egypt. El-Sisi stressed to Trump Egypt's commitment in the fight against terrorism despite economic burdens the country faced in the past three years. Meanwhile, Trump reiterated to the Egyptian president his appreciation for the difficulties Egypt endured in the fight against terrorism, and commended El-Sisi on the country's economic reform program. The two presidents affirmed their belief in the strategic nature of the relationship between Cairo and Washington. Egypt annually receives $1.3 billion in military aid from the United States. Trump told El-Sisi he was looking forward to the Egyptian president's visit to Washington, which is in the planning stages, the spokesman said. Donald Trump assumed office as the 45th president of the United States of America on Friday. Egypt's president is the second world leader to be called by the newly inaugurated US President after the Jewish entity’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu. El-Sisi was the first Arab leader to congratulate Trump on the phone after he was elected on 9 November, inviting him to visit Cairo. [Source: AhramOnline]

Instead of reducing America’s footprint abroad, Trump is continuing with the policy of his predecessors to rule Egypt by paying the military brass of the country through aid.

Pakistan Conducts 1st Test of Ababeel Nuclear-Capable Surface-to-Surface Missile

Pakistan has for the first time successfully test-fired its surface-to-surface ballistic missile capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads, the military press department said. The missile, called Ababeel, has a maximum range of 2,200km and “is capable of delivering multiple warheads, using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle (MIRV) technology,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media branch of the Pakistani armed forces, said in a press release. It also confirmed that the missile can carry nuclear warheads and is able to “engage multiple targets with high precision, defeating the enemy’s hostile radars.” It was developed as an answer to the “growing... ballistic missile defense” capabilities of Pakistan’s regional neighbors and is designed to “further reinforce deterrence,” the press release says, apparently referring to India’s nuclear arsenal. India tested its own anti-ballistic missile system allegedly capable of intercepting a nuclear-capable ballistic missile last year, Reuters reports. The Indian Defense and Foreign Ministries have not yet commented on the issue.

“The test flight was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system,” the Pakistani statement adds. The press release also calls the test a “landmark achievement” and says that the Pakistani president and prime minister had already “conveyed their appreciation to the team involved.” The test comes two weeks after Pakistan successfully tested its first submarine-based nuclear-capable missile. On January 9, Pakistan launched the Babur-3 cruise missile “from an underwater, mobile platform” somewhere in the Indian Ocean. The missile “hit its target with precise accuracy,” the military said at that time. “The successful attainment of a second strike capability by Pakistan represents a major scientific milestone; it is manifestation of the strategy of measured response to nuclear strategies and postures being adopted in Pakistan’s neighborhood,” the military said following the Babur-3 test, as cited by Pakistan Today. Meanwhile, senior Indian defense officials confirmed they are preparing to deploy more than 460 main battle tanks along the border with Pakistan. The tanks will join the existing 900 or so T-90S Bhishma tanks currently stationed in the area. India and Pakistan, both nuclear powers since the 1990s, are long-term rivals who have been at odds over a number of issues, including the disputed region of Kashmir. Since independence from British rule in 1947 the two countries have fought four wars, two of which have been over Kashmir. Skirmishes periodically erupt over the border. The most recent incident took place in September 2016 when Indian armed forces conducted “surgical strikes” against alleged terrorists operating from Pakistani territory. Following the Indian strikes, Pakistan threatened nuclear war on India. [Source: Russia Today]

Pakistan now has the ability to penetrate India’s, so called missile defence and survive an Indian nuclear first strike. By launching cruise missiles with nuclear warheads from submarines, Pakistan retains a significant second-strike capability, enough to deter any aggressor. Yet despite, Pakistan’s nuclear strength it behaves like a banana republic in relations with regional and major powers.