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kawkab:
Guard kills Pakistani governor

Wednesday, 05 January 2011 00:00 Editor News - World

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FOR apparently speaking against the country’s controversial blasphemy laws, the governor of Pakistan’s powerful Punjab Province, Salman Taseer, has been assassinated by one of his guards in Islamabad.

The killing of Taseer was the most high-profile assassination of a political figure in Pakistan since the slaying of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December 2007, and it rattled a country already dealing with crises ranging from a potential collapse of the government to Islamist militancy.

The suspected killer, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported, was taken into custody, and there were conflicting reports as to whether he was wounded.Taseer was a member of Bhutto’s Pakistan People's Party and a close associate of President Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto’s widower. The governor was vocal on a range of subjects, and frequently used Twitter to get across his views.

In recent days, as the People’s Party has faced the loss of its coalition partners, the 56-year-old Taseer has insisted that the government will survive. But it was his stance against the blasphemy laws that apparently led to his killing.
Interior Minister Rahman Malik told reporters that the suspect in the case had surrendered to police and told them he killed Taseer because “the governor described the blasphemy laws as a black law.”

“He was the most courageous voice after Benazir Bhutto on the rights of women and religious minorities,” said a crying Farahnaz Ispahani, an aide to Zardari and friend of Taseer. “God, we will miss him,” he added.

Pakistan's blasphemy law has come under greater scrutiny in recent days after a Christian woman was sentenced to death for allegedly insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
Under pressure from Islamist parties, the People's Party said recently it would not pursue changes to the law, which has long vexed human rights activists.

Police official Mohammad Iftikhar said Taseer was gunned down after he reached Khosar Market, a shopping center in Islamabad popular with Westerners and wealthy Pakistanis. Five other people were wounded as other security personnel responded to the attack.

Another police official, Hasan Iqbal, said a pair of witnesses told the police that as the governor was leaving his vehicle, a man from his security squad fired two shots at him. Taseer then fell, while other police officials fired on the attacker.
Taseer was believed to be meeting someone for a meal, Malik said. Other members of his security detail were being questioned, Malik said.The security for Taseer was provided by the Punjab government.

“We will see whether it was an individual act or someone had asked him” to do it, Malik said of the attacker.
Bullet casings and blood covered much of the scene at the market, and police quickly cordoned off the area.
Thousands of Pakistanis on Monday mourned Bhutto on the third anniversary of her death and demanded that her killers be brought to justice.

Loyalists from across the country descended on her grave in the southern village of Garhi Khuda Bakhsh, beating their chests and chanting “Bhutto was alive yesterday and Bhutto is alive today.”
Bhutto, the first woman to become prime minister of a Muslim country, was killed on December 27, 2007 in a gun and suicide attack after addressing an election rally in Rawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad.

Two senior police officers were arrested last week for alleged dereliction of duty over the assassination. Five alleged Pakistani Taliban militants held for nearly three years over the killing have yet to be indicted.
Bhutto's widower President Asif Ali Zardari pledged allegiance to his wife's policies and promised to stamp out Islamist militant groups, which have been blamed for killing more than 4,000 people across Pakistan since July 2007.

danbasco:
please i need an explanation for this event of my life. A little deviation from the main subject though.

while doing nysc, as a class teacher, a student of mine was reading a book while I was teaching. After calling the boy's attention for the third time, I attempted to seize the book from him. He resisted strongly and almost fought me in my class and then jumped out through the window.

I didnt understand what happened. I got upset and threatened not to enter thier class again. All the student sat quietly, pretending not to know what was going on. Shortly, a little girl managed to whisper to me that I couldnt have touched the book. That I was not clean. That was when it actually began to make sense to me. The boy had been reading a quran and I was "unclean" to touch it. I gave up on the matter and forgot about it all.

When i mentioned the matter in the staff room, a few teachers just giggled, no response. On my way returning from school that day, walking along the narrow path, I almost got lynched. It took the intervention of my fellow corpers to save me.

What actually did I do that almost cost me my life? Can somebody please tell me??

BinghiNya:
Muslims,


Please ignore the deluded ones. Islam and Christians both have renegades. People have forgotten how Captain Philips massacred benin people. They forgot how africans were sold into slavery. They forgot how muslims are terrorized day and night in the name of preaching at home, in offices, weherever. They forgot how gazan kids were massacred in thousands some years ago. Rev King is a muslim. Jimmy Swaggart is a muslim. TB Joshua is a muslim. Rev. Adeboye who prays for robbers and looters is a muslim. The eastern Killers and Robbers are muslims. The Catholic priests who sleep with kids are also muslims. Don't throw stone when u live in a glass house. My aunt once threw me out of the house for not attending a church. I am muslim and i am proud to be one. There is only One God, Allah Akbar.

Ivynwa:
I think the best way the good muslims can make the extremist ones stop is to form a peaceful unit and send out a high sounding message that if they continue to rub mud on you guys religion that you guys will have to let go of the muslim religion (I am not encouraging that you leave your religion.If christians stoop as low as these extremists are doing, I will choose to worship God on my own in the secrecy of my bedroom, once I can get sweet praise and worship songs in youtubes and read my bible).
I am sure that if they realize that their actions are putting others to shame and making the good ones want to lose their faith they will come to their senses and want to stop, they love the religion with passion and won't like to be the cause of others breaking away from it.
When did we all wake up and lose sweet peace, tolerance and unity in the name of religion. God please come heal our world!

What you said sounds nice but the whole truth is that there are no really "moderate" muslims,deep down if they were pushed,they would join up with their extremist compatriots.

What is also sad is that Islam has captivated Black Muslims to the extent that they are now Muslim first, when it should be Nigerian first.They would easily choose to destroy our nation than defend it against a Islamist extremist ideaology.

whiteroses:
its a lie some of their writers are school cert nonentities that publish whatever bullsh1t they scrounge from street hawkers how did she push the padlock out. padlock inside her womd should have killed her even discomfort of a pinch of metal in stomach can kill

Oloko Nla:
one thing is certain. Muslims in Nigeria are full of poo especially those up north. you look at the quality of life and exposure of the Muslims in countries like UAE,Malaysia, Saudi, Lebanon and Iran and you realize they are exposed, educated and not bigots.

They appreciate the beauty and importance of education as opposed to the idiots in the North of Nigeria who resisted western education to their peril. one of their so called leaders IBB once said,the North is 100 light years behind the south, Nigeria should break up, every tribe to their own and lets just see how long these illiterates who drag Nigeria's GDP to the dumps will last

illusion2:
I believe majority of muslims are peace loving. . .the reason we are discussing this is because hardly a day passes without someone trying to get into Aljannah

Harus:
@ Spearman: Muslims were commanded by God to fight the unbelievers who were 'Idol Worshiper' because the unbelievers violently attack muslims.

I guess Jesus (Isah) wuld have been commanded to figth too if the unbelievers begin to kill his followers.
Same will happen to Jesus if he were to be in prophet Muhammad's shoes.

See, u are allowed to practice your religion on this earth and I see nothing wrong in fighting for freedom .
People talk abt JIHAD, Its simply mean any act or action taken to convince a person (especially sombody with a diferent belief) to join your religion.

Preaching is also a Jihad. Christains do preach too.
Fighting as a Jihad, bcoms lawful 'if and only if' the unbelievers violently attack bcoz of the religion.
Also, the fighting is not done in silence, The two groups must have agreed to resolve by fighting. A battle field would then be choosen, the two groups then get prepared to attack. Killings in this form is lawful.

Most importantly, women, children, animals must not be attack, though they wuld remain home and the group that win must not go further to destroy the defeated's home.

But fighting as a Jihad were of those ancient times becoz evrybody, in any part of the world, now have right to practice any religion of his choice. The Jihad left now are preaching, enticing, e.t.c. and which is found in every religion.

Its indeed unlawful to take the life of a human fellow (wether christain or muslim) unless if the person has taken sombody's life. Allah said u will give account of all what u did on this earth, including how u relate or treat your fellow human (muslim or christain).

I strongly condemn killings (in d name of religion) in Jos and other parts of the world - These are not Jihad but political discrepencies. Punishment for a muslim that kill a christain is same as for a muslim that kill his fellow muslim provided the two cases are based on haterage, politics, e.t.c.

Bible teaches that christains shuld love their neighbour as they love themselves, same in Islam too. The fact that may be lots of muslims around u do not practice it does not mean that all muslims do not.

Islam, indeed is a religion of peace but some of the followers do not understand it well.
Christains are brothers to Muslims coz both believe in same One God (Allah) and Jesus (Isah).

I remember, God asked prophet Muhammad to send his followers on asylum (bcoz of violently attacks from unbelievers in Mecca) to a country headed by a christain king - ETHIOPIA.

Before the muslims reach Ethiopia, Unbelievers had already sent messages to their neighbouring cities (including Ethiopia) that some people may enter their kingdom to polute their respective religion.

When muslims reached Ethiopia, the christain king asked the muslims : "Who are u and what is your religion".
They replied: "We are MUSLIMS, we practice ISLAM, we believe in only ONE GOD and Muhammad is the messenger of God."

The king commanded his servants: "Take them away and lock them"
The muslims respond:"Muhammad asked them to come on aasylum in Ethiopia headed by a christain that believe in JESUS."

The king was surprised to hear Jesus from them, the king asked: "Tell me about JESUS"
They told the king a story from Quran, how Jesus was born by Mary.

The king, without hesitation, grant them asylum and told them "The diference between u and me is thinner than this line (by drowing a line with his stick)"

If u have lived with a true muslim, u will prefer to stay in their midst throughout your life.
Crisis in Jos, Kano, Kaduna are not religious but rather, political/ethnic.
The BOKO HARAM are another misleaded group claiming to be muslims while they are not.

I am a muslim and I love true christains.

Pls dont hate the religion, hate the person that refused to practice it well.

Troynow:
Let Nigerians desist from their high level of social illiteracy and lack of sophistication and know that the beach IS NOT FOR SWIMMING! There are swimming pools around Nigeria, na real wa, may her soul rest in peace if she died a christian.

armyofone:
Nigerians would prefer they go to spiritual churches for healing. oh yeah! tell an amputee from Iraq war to go to church for regrowth,
when western countries are being innovative, we are still blinded by superstition of na winch do am, na winch cause am. and they say why i love my A merry cah huh

OP, good job. can you imagine in this age no wheel chair accessible workplace or home?

God bless our troops
support our troops
SemperFI

dsgirl:
I really want to know how to deal with an unreasonably stubborn partner who is always bent on having his own desires fulfilled. Always thinking that whatever decision he makes is the right one and most annoyingly if you correct him he turn the whole discussion to blame you, and still does the same thing over and over again.

I really want to know the best way to handle such an irrational person.