Train the Iraq Army!!!

Bush was elected in 2000 to take America away from the problems of the world.He was re-elected in 2004 to make America safe from the problems of the world. He will leave, in 2008, America more vulnerable to the problems of the world than it has been in a long while. On paper, he wants to change the Middle East by changing Iraq into a democracy. In practice, Iraq is heading towards what might be called a radical-democracy, where popular support has shifted decisively towards those who oppose American policy as well as American values. The one thing that Shias and Sunnis are now agreed upon in Iraq is that Americans must leave their land.

George Bush and his fawn Tony Blair have now come to the end of their list of reasons for staying in Iraq. They now say that they must stay to train the Iraq Army so that it is able to fight the insurgency. In other words, they cannot pull out because of a problem that did not exist before they came. There was no insurgency before the Occupation. (The average death rate, by the way, is 30 per day; Iraqis also die, although there is reluctance to recognise this.) So we have the classic conundrum. American and British troops will not leave until the insurgency is controlled; and the insurgency will not end unless the Anglo-American armies go. Welcome to the near future.

- More here

Every War is not Jihad!

The intellectual onslaught against Muslims started long before 9/11, it was not a reaction. Huntington wrote about a clash of civilisations seven years before 9/11. It was a time when almost every Muslim nation had supported America in the wars for the liberation of Afghanistan and Kuwait. To blame the neocons is not enough. We have to answer them.

Judging by some of the reporting in the West, one would imagine that suicide was invented by Muslims. Suicide missions have always been an element of war tactics, with the highest honours being reserved for those who risk their lives to the maximum.Such has been the distortion of world opinion that the average person today believes that "terrorism" is something created by the doctrines of Islam. This is calumny of the most perfidious kind.

Like so many other Muslims, I too have been taunted and told that my religion is nothing but "Jihad". I am not defensive about the basic tenets of my faith. Islam is a religion of peace, but it recognises that in certain conditions, war may be forced upon you. It defines a legitimate war vis a vis an illegitimate one. Jihad is a war against injustice. The Prophet (PBUH) never took up arms during the long years of oppression and tyranny in Makkah; the war verses of the Quran were revealed only when persecution began to try and destroy the faith, and the Prophet was forced to take up arms against injustice. Jihad has clear rules: it has been stressed that you cannot kill women, children and innocents in a Jihad; you cannot even destroy palm trees. And hence my proposition: Every Jihad is a war fought by Muslims, but every war fought by Muslims is not a Jihad.
- How Green is My Valley?

Bush Lied, Soldiers Died!!!

As around 11 million of the nation's 15 million registered voters took part, which would put overall turnout at more than 70 percent. The slogans says aloud "Bush Lied, Soldiers Died" - the voice in unison is 'No War'

Many Sunnis said they voted to register their opposition to the Shiite-led government and to speed the end of the U.S. military presence. People said they would not care to die of hunger and thirst as long as Americans left. Opposition to the American military presence runs deeper among Sunni Arabs. The Shiites and Kurds are hopeful of security to be restored by the new government. However, on a common note, all appeared to be a yearning for an end to the turmoil that has engulfed Iraq since the U.S.-led coalition invaded in March 2003 to topple Saddam's regime. "This is a day of freedom for us - We need security and want our children to live a happy life" quipped the voters who hope that peace prevails soon.

And here's President Bush now admitting, an estimated 30,000 Iraqis have died in the war. He said, "I would say 30,000, more or less, have died as a result of the initial incursion and the ongoing violence against Iraqis," Bush said. "We've lost about 2,140 of our own troops in Iraq."

I've heard yet the Pentagon targets Anti-war Groups as Threats! Peace takes a courage and as Bush accepts the proposal to ban cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment of terrorism, here's a site with 160,000 American soldiers who desperately await to return home for Christmas!

Kashmir issue at OIC

OIC Declaration briefs:

In a declaration issued after the two-day summit of intellectuals in Mecca, the OIC leaders condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and rejected any justification for it. Considering terrorism as a global phenomena not related to any religion, race, colour or country, the conference emphasised the importance of joining international efforts to combat the menace.

Addressing the conference, Gen. Musharraf, raised the Kashmir issue at the summit on Wednesday.He said "failure to resolve Kashmir and Palestine issues led to desperation, confusion and extremism" and asked Islamic countries to ban extremist groups. He further said, "Our differences and divisions are exploited. Our failure to secure just resolution of disputes such as Palestine and Kashmir has spawned desperation, confusion and extremism"

OIC also called for "respect of the human rights of the Kashmiri people and agreed to provide all possible political and diplomatic support to the representatives of Kashmiri people. The 57-member organisation of Islamic countries has "extended" its support to the "inalienable right" of people of Jammu and Kashmir for "self-determination" in accordance with the UN resolutions.
- posted by ilaxi

War : Compulsions of Peace

War Blog : This blog aims to present the Byline extracts of MJ Akbar with the news on war, books, plots, rumors and conspiracy....hopefully, Lots More! MJ would pen down his thoughts n musings on the Blog and his voice aims to reach people round the globe. Let there be peace - For You-Me-Us : ilaxi

The Kashmir issue remains focused at the OIC Summit (Organisation for Islamic Conference) at Mecca and President Pervez Musharraf mentioned "Both in the 10-year action plan and the joint communiqué there are strong words on Kashmir. The new charter includes special mention on the conflict resolution mechanism. The new charter recognises all conflicts, including the conflict of Kashmir".

Till we know more of the OIC summit outcome, here is Compulsions of Peace : MJ Akbar, during the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus started with a significant achievement.


Compulsions of Peace
by MJ Akbar

War breeds vested interests that will not easily surrender their lucrative space. Peace must build its own vested interests.The war lobby, which of course is a coalition of varied interests, must have an objective, for war cannot be an end in itself. Let us try and examine what it is as coolly and unsentimentally as possible. Militants, the self-proclaimed "jihadis" who have picked up the gun, believe that the status of Jammu and Kashmir can be changed by continuous, low-intensity, high-casualty warfare as long as they have the protection of a base outside the reach of the Indian Army. They underestimate the will of a state to preserve its geographical integrity. It is easy to be gulled by the rhetoric of a television debate, particularly when someone else’s child is being sent into the killing fields.

Peace opens up opportunities but Peace has its compulsions as well. The compulsion of war is sacrifice. The compulsion of peace is economic growth and a better life.

- Read more....