Headlines:

• Expelled Muslims Should Get Citizenship Too
• More Americans Feel Afghanistan War is a Mistake: Poll
• US Realises Loss of 40,000 Pakistanis in War on Terror
• Xinjiang's Islamic Militants Posed Realistic Threat: China

Details:

Expelled Muslims Should Get Citizenship Too

Descendants of the Muslims who were expelled from Spain in the 17th century have criticized the Spanish government for only granting citizenship to the country's former Jewish population, saying the move could be "racist." Moriscos, meaning Moors in English, was the name given to the Spanish Muslims who decided to convert to Christianity to avoid expulsion under Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand in the early 1500s. Although they were allowed to remain in Spain for over a century longer than their Jewish counterparts, King Philip III decreed the Expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609, forcing them all to flee to neighbouring Muslim North Africa. Now that Spain's Justice Ministry has decided to grant citizenship to the descendants of the Sephardi Jews who were expelled 522 years ago, associations fighting to keep the memory of Muslim Spain alive are calling for the same civil code changes for the Moriscos. "The Spanish State should grant the same rights to all those who were expelled, otherwise their decision is selective, if not racist," Bayi Loubaris, President of the Association for Historical Legacy of Al-Andalus told Spanish news agency EFE. Loubaris still believes the ruling granting citizenship to Spain's Sephardi Jews is "very positive", arguing it acts as acknowledgment of the "guilt of the Spanish State in expelling its own citizens." Even though the descendants of Spain's Moriscos have less chance of obtaining dual nationality than Sephardi Jews, Loubaris's association is primarily focussed on obtaining recognition for what happened to Spain's Muslim population and how they left their mark on Spanish culture. Although the approximately 300,000 Morisco descendants in Northern Africa no longer speak Castilian Spain, they took with them the architecture, gastronomy and music which typifies Andalusia to this day. [Source: The Local]

More Americans Feel Afghanistan War is a Mistake: Poll

For the first time since the US military got involved in Afghanistan in 2001, US public opinion about the war is now more negative than positive, showed a poll. Americans' views are now split down the middle, with 49 percent saying the involvement there was a mistake and 48 percent saying it was not, Xinhua cited from Gallup's Feb 6-9 World Affairs survey. Gallup first asked Americans about US intervention in Afghanistan in November 2001, just after the US sent its military into the country after the Sept. 11 terror attacks on New York and Washington DC that killed nearly 3,000 people. The US invaded Afghanistan to punish the Taliban for harbouring al-Qaida terrorists responsible for the attacks. At that point, fewer than one in 10 Americans said US involvement there was a mistake - the most of any war since Gallup first asked the question during the Korean War in 1950. "Clearly, in the turbulent atmosphere and general 'rally effect' environment that followed 9/11, Americans were overwhelmingly supportive of the decision to send the US military to Afghanistan," Gallup said in a report that accompanied the survey. Americans' perceptions that US involvement in Afghanistan was a mistake rose as the war continued, although there were some ups and downs over the years. Those believing the war was a mistake reached 25 percent in 2004, and surpassed 30 percent for the first time in 2008, and 40 percent in 2010, according to Gallup. Still, the more than 12-year span during which less than half of Americans thought the US made a mistake in entering Afghanistan has been remarkably long, relative to past US interventions, Gallup found.

Afghanistan has become America's longest war, stretching over 12 years since US military forces were first sent in 2001, with well over 35,000 troops still there. The Obama administration plans to draw down the number of troops in Afghanistan significantly by the end of this year. Once that happens, Americans' assessment of whether the intervention was a mistake will largely depend on the political course Afghanistan takes, including whether terrorist cells are able to regroup there, Gallup said. [Source: Times of India]

Indeed for America the war in Afghanistan will become a deep source of regret and remorse, as its actions have only accelerated the efforts of Muslims worldwide to re-establish the Caliphate. History bears witness that whenever the enemies of Islam attacked Muslims in the past, they reawakened a giant. The Mongols and European Crusaders discovered this in the past, and it overwhelmed them. Soon America will come to witness the return of the glorious state of Islam.

US Realises Loss of 40,000 Pakistanis in War on Terror

United States Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander General Lloyd Austin on Wednesday said that the US realises the colossal loss of over 40,000 Pakistanis, including soldiers and officers of the armed forces, in the war against terror. General Lloyd Austin made the admission during his meeting with Defence Secretary Lt Gen (r) Asif Yasin Malik. He commended Pakistan's role in facilitating the drawdown process of the US and ISAF Forces from Afghanistan. While terming Pakistan as a vital partner for regional security, the CENTCOM commander said that both Pakistan and US are important to each others national interests. During the meeting, he said that Pakistan has always been a useful partner and relations between the two countries are progressing on an upward trajectory. The defence secretary reiterated that being a pivotal partner to the international community, Pakistan has sacrificed greatly in the war against terror. He reiterated that Pakistan wants peace in the region and is ready to play its role for achieving the goal of lasting stability. He said that the armed forces and people of Pakistan have courageously fought and withstood the menace of terrorism over the last decade. Malik added that Pakistan earnestly wishes for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan and pursues a policy of non-interference in Afghan affairs. [Source: News International].

Despite the loss of 40,000 Pakistanis to please America in her war against Islam, the Pakistani leadership is committed as ever to fulfil America's unending demands to spill more Muslim blood. Allah (swt) says:

وَلَن تَرْضَى عَنكَ الْيَهُودُ وَلاَ النَّصَارَى حَتَّى تَتَّبِعَ مِلَّتَهُمْ قُلْ إِنَّ هُدَى اللّهِ هُوَ الْهُدَى وَلَئِنِ اتَّبَعْتَ أَهْوَاءهُم بَعْدَ الَّذِي جَاءكَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَكَ مِنَ اللّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلاَ نَصِيرٍ

"And never will the Jews or the Christians approve of you until you follow their religion. Say, "Indeed, the guidance of Allah is the [only] guidance." If you were to follow their desires after what has come to you of knowledge, you would have against Allah no protector or helper." [TMQ: Al-Baqara: 120]

Xinjiang's Islamic Militants Posed Realistic Threat: China

This week China said that Islamic militants active in its restive Xinjiang Province posed "realistic threat" and vowed to step up anti-terror cooperation with "relevant" countries. "ETIM posed realistic threat to some regions in China including Xinjiang. They have caused great casualties and property losses of civilians by committing terrorist activities inside China," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told media briefing.

She was responding to questions on latest assault in Xinjiang two days ago in which militants armed with gas cylinders and machetes attacked a police convoy, killing 15 people, including three suicide bombers. Hua said ETIM was ganging up with "international terrorist forces" using internet. "The threat posed by them on the international security is on the rise. China's is firmly opposed to all forms of terrorism. We believe that to crackdown on the terrorist forces of ETIM is also important part of international campaign against terrorism. "We would like to enhance cooperation with relevant countries to crackdown terrorist forces including ETIM to jointly maintain international and regional stability," she said. Media reports have said that ETIM cadres are being trained in camps in Pakistan's tribal Waziristan region along with Taliban and al-Qaeda groups. Xinjiang has for years witnessed tensions between the ethnic Muslim Uygurs and Han Chinese over alleged repression and increasing Han settlement in the province. [Source: Business Standard]