Ihsan

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Salam bar Hussein!

Thursday, January 10, 2008

The Persian Gulf Incident

You've probably seen the patched together dubbed video and the fake garbbled audio released by the Bush regime (do a google search if you wanna see that one).

update 1/11/08: The video released by the Bush regime is looking more and more like a fraud, just as the Iranian government said....

The audio was superimposed on the video - i.e. the audio and video sources are different - this is something a three year old might do, like taking a video of Einstein and making his voice and words sound like Bush.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reported

' The audio includes a statement that says, “I am coming to you,” and adds, “You will explode after a few minutes.” The voice was recorded from the internationally recognized channel for ship-to-ship communications, Navy officials have said. Naval and Pentagon officials have said that the video and audio were recorded separately, then combined. On Wednesday, Pentagon officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak officially, said they were still trying to determine if the transmission came from the speedboats or elsewhere.

Now, this is the video released by the Iranian government - that clearly shows the Iranian navy identifying themselves, and in communication with the US killership. Seems to me that the US just invented yet another stupid crisis 'cause they not even have any straws left to grasp at...

Monday, January 07, 2008

What do Pakistanis want?

The latest poll on Pakistan, nothing that most Muslims, and Pakistanis don't know already --- but worth a read. Full report available here (pdf).

A few selected items:

Pakistanis want a larger role for Islamic Shari'a: 60%

A smaller role: 11%

Pakistanis oppose secularization of daily life: 69%

favor secularization: 13%

Importance of country governed by elected representatives

very important and absolutely important: 71%

Those who want secularization, are not too keen on having elected representatives (not surprising, given who the liberal-elite/secular forces are in Pakistan):

Among the 60 percent majority who support a larger role for Shari’a compared to current Pakistani law, 64 percent give the importance of democracy a 10; among those who want the role of Shar’ia to decrease or stay the same, only a quarter (25-26 percent) give the importance of democracy a 10. Similarly, among the 31 percent for whom it is extremely important to live in a country governed by Islamic principles, and who give Pakistan a low rating in this regard, 72 percent give the importance of democracy.

US military presence in Asia a critical threat: 72%

US military presence in Afghanistan a critical threat: 68%

Pakistanis are right on that the US so-called "war on terror" is a war on Islam and Muslims.

US goal is to weaken and divide the Islamic world: 86%

Pakistan / US cooperation has benefitted Pakistan: 18%

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Top 10 Podcasts

The top 10 podcasts from June 15th thru December 31st 2007 - click here to subscribe to the ihsan podcast (not updated as frequently as I would like, but very good quality). The numbers in parenthesis are the times the podcasts have been downloaded.

10 (286) Malik Rahim on Katrina and New Orleans

9: (300) Muslim and Arab Anti War voices

8: (314) Media Defamation of Muslims (direct audio lnk)

7: (336) As Sabiqun by Imam Musa (direct audio link)

6: (363) Shia Sunni Fitna by Amir Abdul Malik Ali

5: (375) Islam and Social Justice - Farid Esack and Ingrid Mattson

4: (460) Lal Masjid - What do they want? (Urdu, with partial English translation)

3: (661) Against Islamophobia

2: (662) Dua Ahad (a flash presentation)

And the #1 podcast is a video cast ---- The Dalai Lama's Family Album! viewed more than 1500 times!

Thursday, January 03, 2008

shaytan's fear

(Shaytan speaks to his advisors:)

I know this nation to Quran holds not,

The old craze for wealth (sarmiya dari - capitalism) is the Momin ‘s thought.

In dark nights of East this point I behold,

The sleeves of Harem Sheikhs no white hand hold.

I am but afraid that this modern age,

May force this age to know the Prophet’s creed.

Beware! hundred times from the Prophet’s Act,

It guards women honour, makes man perfect.

A death knell to those who made the mar, and slave,

It ruled out kingship, no beggary it gave.’

It cleaned the man’s wealth from’ every stain,

It made the rich trustees of wealth’s wrong drain.

No bigger revolution could be of deeds and thoughts,

not owned by a king, this earth belongs to Allah!

His Constitution must be kept hidden from whole world’s eye,

To my solace, the Momin is far away (from this Constitution) .

Let him be fastened in metaphysics lone,

In his own meanings of the Qur'an’s tone.

Allama Iqbal, iblis ki majlis shura original Urdu text here (don't bother with the English if you speak/read/write Urdu)

( shaytan's advisory council -English translation)

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