Headlines:

• Irish Clergyman Attacks Islam
• Egypt Election Not a Fair Fight, Says Hamdeen Sabahi
• With Modi at the Helm, Pakistan Begins Back-Channel Diplomacy with BJP
• China Calls US Mincing Rascal Over Hacking Charges

Details:

Irish Clergyman Attacks Islam

An outspoken evangelical pastor has defended describing the Islamic faith as "satanic" and a "doctrine spawned in hell". Senior Pastor James McConnell made the remarks as he addressed his congregation at the Whitewell Tabernacle Metropolitan Church on Sunday evening. They were described as "very offensive", "hurtful" and "irresponsible" by a representative from the Belfast Islamic Centre. There has also been an outcry on social media, with some calling for a police investigation into his comments. One posted, "If this was a Muslim Imam speaking about Christianity, he would be arrested for inciting hatred." During his sermon, the clergyman said: "Islam is heathen, Islam is satanic, Islam is a doctrine spawned in hell." He also likened Muslims to the IRA, saying there were cells spread right across the UK. When contacted by the Belfast Telegraph last night, the pastor said he stood over his remarks. When asked why he made the comments, he said, "because it is against the holy scriptures". "The Bible says there is one God the father and one Lord Jesus Christ and that is what I believe and that is what Christianity is all about." [Belfast Telegraph]

Encouraged by Western media's relentless tirades against Islam, unknown pastors are now openly vilifying Islam. What has made the situation worse is the inability of the Muslim world to offer any resistance to such attacks. The only way to defend the Islamic values from intellectual and physical abuse is for Muslims to pressurise their leaders to take stern action against Western governments and their citizens. Muslims cannot be silent or fearful of pressing their leaders to act... Bukhari and Muslim narrated on the authority of Abu Saeed (ra) that the Messenger (saw) said,

ألا لا يمنعنَّ أحدكم رهبةُ الناس أن يقول بحق إذا رآه أو شهده "Let not the fear of people prevent one of you to utter the truth when he sees it (i.e. sees the munkar) or hears it." Hence, failure to do so, will only invite further harm.

Egypt Election Not a Fair Fight, Says Hamdeen Sabahi

Egyptian presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi has told the BBC that the election contest is not a fair fight, and his campaign is facing many problems. However, the left-wing politician vowed to fight on. He is the only challenger to the former Army Chief, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, who ousted the Islamist President Mohammed Morsi last July. Sisi is expected to win by a landslide in the election, which takes place next Monday and Tuesday. The BBC's Orla Guerin joined Hamdeen Sabahi on the campaign trial in Banha, north of Cairo. [Source: BBC]

Are such comments a joke or are they an indictment on West's unfettered support for Sisi to win. The West can no longer hide its duplicity and is unashamedly supporting the tyrant Sisi in the vain hope that somehow he will curb the return of the Khilafah "Caliphate". But Sisi will soon find out like Mubarak, Sadaat and other stooges of the West who came before him that it is only a matter of time before the victory of Islam is complete in the pure land of Egypt.

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said,

إِنَّكُمْ فِي النُّبُوَّةِ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ، فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ مُلْكًا عَاضًّا، فَيَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ جَبْرِيَّةً، فَتَكُونُ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ أَنْ تَكُونَ، ثُمَّ يَرْفَعُهَا إِذَا شَاءَ أَنْ يَرْفَعَهَا، ثُمَّ تَكُونُ خِلَافَةٌ عَلَى مِنْهَاجِ النُّبُوَّةِ، ثُمَّ سَكَتَ

"Prophethood will last among you for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will take it away. Then it will be (followed by) a Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashida (rightly guided) on the pattern of the Prophethood. It will remain for as long as Allah wills, then Allah will take it away. Afterwards there will be a hereditary leadership which will remain for as long as Allah wills, then He will lift it if He wishes. Afterwards, there will be biting oppression, and it will last for as long as Allah wishes, then He will lift it if He wishes. Then there will be a Khilafah "Caliphate" Rashida according to the ways of the Prophethood.' Then he kept silent." (Musnad Imam Ahmad)

With Modi at the Helm, Pakistan Begins Back-Channel Diplomacy with BJP

Pakistan has begun back-channel diplomacy with the Narendra Modiled Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government as its High Commissioner Abdul Basit quietly got in touch with members of the saffron party, days ahead of the swearing in. Basit tried to convey Pakistan's willingness for ‘meaningful engagement' with the new government. Basit conveyed a message on behalf of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's government that it was ready for a 'new beginning' with the BJP-led government, sources informed. It may be recalled that Sharif had called up Narendra Modi within hours of his resounding victory, and invited him to Islamabad. The High Commissioner told BJP leaders that the Pakistan government was pursuing a policy of ‘economic development and peaceful neighbourhood', sources said, adding that Basit has adding that Basit has also received a positive feedback. According to Sharif 's Adviser on National Security and Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, BJP's victory in Lok Sabha by a majority margin could help Delhi take 'decisive and positive' steps. It may be recalled that one of Modi's emissaries in the USA contacted Aziz with few rounds of voting still left. [Source: Economic Times of India]

The government of Pakistan is so eager to embrace Modi- the butcher of Gujrat that it could not wait for the formal election results to be announced. Then again is this a surprise. Pakistan's military and political leadership has a notorious record of embracing the arch enemies of Islam. Bush, Obama, Clinton, Advani, Vajpayee to name a few and now Modi. It is clear even to the blind and deaf person that the Indian-American axis is Pakistan's principal threat. Yet despite this, the Raheel-Nawaz government bends over backwards to accommodate American and Indian interests as the expense of Pakistan's sovereignty.

China Calls US Mincing Rascal Over Hacking Charges

Editorial in state press says Americans are world's biggest online spies and indicting Chinese army officers is 'shameless'. Washington is playing the victim of cyber-espionage when in fact it is the world's top intelligence power, a Chinese state-run newspaper has said in a sharply worded editorial after US authorities levelled criminal hacking charges at China's army. "Regarding the issue of network security, the US is such a mincing rascal that we must stop developing any illusions about it," wrote the Global Times, which is close to the ruling Communist party. On Monday, a US grand jury indicted five Chinese military officers on charges they broke into US computers to steal for Chinese state-owned companies. It is the first ever prosecution by the US of state actors over cyber-espionage. Beijing responded furiously, summoning US ambassador Max Baucus and accusing Washington of double standards. Chinese authorities also banned the use of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system on all new government computers and suspended activities of a bilateral cyber working group. [Source: The Guardian]

There is no doubt that America is the world's leading nation when it comes to spying on others. But China is also not immune to spying accusations. What the world desperately requires are new standards on how to protect privacy of ordinary people in the digital age. Both western liberal democracy and the Chinese model of governance cannot provide such guidance. Only Islam has the ability to offer robust guidelines on espionage, privacy of citizens and ensure that digital technologies are not abused by governments.