NEWS
14
Monday, September 6, 2010
Russia struggles to stem stubborn Islamist insurgency MOSCOW: Yesterday’s suicide bombing in the southern Russian republic of Dagestan showed how vulnerable it still is despite Moscow’s decades-long fight to stem an Islamist insurgency, officials and analysts said. A suicide bomber rammed his explosives-laden car into an army base, killing five people and wounding dozens more yesterday. Russia’s defense ministry swiftly imposed a state of alert at military installations in the country’s mainly Muslim southern regions after the attack. And the region’s leader Magomedsalam Magomedov called on security forces to bolster efforts to stamp out the insurgency. “Today’s terrorist attack shows that the rebel underground in the republic still has the power to carry out such foul acts,” Magomedov was quoted by Interfax as saying. Despite a recent surge of successful operations to hunt down rebels, he said, greater efforts were required from the security forces. Russia’s leaders have long seen the the Caucasus as the country’s weakest point. The poverty and staggering jobless rates there have helped drive youths into the arms of the Islamist rebels. Clan rivalry, corruption and heavy-handed tactics by the security forces have also fueled the discontent and violence. President Dmitry Medvedev himself last year admitted
BUINAKSK: A foot of a victim from the suicide car-bomb attack, at the blast site at a Russian base, in the city of Buinaksk in the violence-plagued republic of Dagestan yesterday. — AP
Iran threatens to ‘eradicate’ Israel DOHA: Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ruled out an attack on the Islamic republic over its nuclear program, during a visit to Qatar yesterday, because any such action would result in Israel’s destruction. “Any act against Iran will lead to the eradication of the Zionist entity,” he told a joint news conference in Doha with Qatar’s Amir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, after their talks. Israel, the region’s sole if undeclared nuclear power, has not ruled out a military strike to prevent Iran acquiring an atomic weapons capability, an ambition its archfoe Tehran strongly denies. “The Zionist entity and the US government would hit any country in the region whenever they are able to do so, and they will not wait to get permission. But (at the moment) they cannot,” he said. “Iran has the ability to retaliate, strong and hard,” warned Ahmadinejad, whose comments in Farsi
were translated into Arabic. Iran’s hardline president said the talk of war against Iran to halt its controversial nuclear program was aimed at putting psychological pressure on Tehran. “There will be no war against Iran. What could take place is a psychological war,” he said. In renewed criticism of the relaunched direct peace negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel, Ahmadinejad charged that the “decaying” Jewish state was hoping to “revive” itself through the talks. “The Zionist entity is decaying. It is in a critically difficult state, and hopes to revive itself through an unfruitful dialogue,” he said. Ahmadinejad had on Friday said the Washington-sponsored talks were “doomed” to fail, and infuriated the moderate Palestinian leadership by slamming it as unrepresentative. “Who gave them the right to sell a piece of Palestinian land?
The people of Palestine and the people of the region will not allow them to sell even an inch of Palestinian soil to the enemy,” he said at an annual pro-Palestinian rally. Unlike other Arab states in the Gulf that have echoed Western suspicions about Iran’s nuclear program and its ambitions in the region, Qatar has maintained friendly relations. In May when the United States was pushing for a new round of UN sanctions against Iran, Qatar backed Turkish and Brazilian efforts to broker a deal that would avoid further punitive measures. But Qatar is also a staunch US ally and hosts two American military bases. AsSayliyah base served as the coalition’s command and control centre during the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, while the US air force used Al-Udeid airbase in the 2001 war in Afghanistan and in the aftermath of the Iraq invasion. — AFP
Blair issues warning over ‘radical Islam’ Continued from Page 1 its narrative about Islam stretches far further than we think into even parts of mainstream opinion who abhor the extremism, but sort of buy some of the rhetoric that goes with it,” he added. Blair said he didn’t understand fully the phenomenon at the time of 9/11, when AlQaeda operatives hijacked planes and crashed two of them into the World Trade Center in New York, killing about 3,000 people. “If these people could have killed 30,000 or 300,000, they would have,” Blair warned. The former British prime minis-
ter’s remarks came just a week before the ninth anniversary of the attacks, which he said changed his outlook and led to perhaps the most controversial decision of his tenure-his support for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq. Blair said he felt “an enormous responsibility” for the lives lost in the conflict, which was fiercely opposed by many in Britain. But he said sanctions aimed at crippling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein were “crumbling” and there were real fears that his regime could help terrorists acquire weapons of mass destruction. “My view was in the circumstances after 9/11, you
have to send such a strong signal out on this issue,” he said. The former leader took a similarly hard line on Iran, which many in the international community fear is seeking nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear energy program. “I would tell them they can’t have it, and if necessary, they will be confronted with stronger sanctions and diplomacy. But if that fails, I’m not taking any option off the table,” he said. Blair said he did not favor war with Iran but added: “I’m saying I think you cannot exclude it because the primary objective has got to be to prevent them from getting a nuclear weapon.” — AFP
Taboo-breaking soap causes Ramadan stir Continued from Page 1 One episode shows Leila’s fundamentalist brother beating his sister and her friend, despite outwardly condemning such behavior by others. In another, Leila is whipped on the orders of the Sheikh for having a sexual liaison. But there are tender moments too, as when she meets her lover in a disused apartment and lifts her veil, revealing long black hair. The serial has been controversial as much for the subjects it tackles, and the religious and sexual taboos it challenges, as for the relatively startling scenes and explicit dialogue. “It is a soap opera that damages Islam. It shows that veiled women get punished,” said Motassem, a 30-yearold technician. But many Syrians are delighted by the new program. “It is rare to show such daring scenes on Syrian television,” said Rouba, 50, a dermatologist. “The question I
asked myself during the first few episodes was, is this really a Syrian program?” said Najiba, a teacher. She particularly appreciated the way it exposed what she called a society “dominated by money and hypocrisy.” That is exactly what the series aims to do, said its director Najdat Anzur. He says he wants “to shed light on the negative aspects” of society, like oppressive religious attitudes, corruption and violence. “My role is to offer a forum for the moderates,” Anzur added, rejecting the accusations that he is undermining Islam. “We are tackling taboos. It’s not the clothes we’re interested in, but human behavior,” he said. Fayez, a 50-year-old journalist, agreed. It is a work that “defends moderation” and “denounces the rise of extremism,” he said. The director said religious critics, who include well-known Damascus cleric Sheikh Said Ramadan Al-Buti, have even preached sermons urging Muslims to boy-
cott the show and calling for it to be banned on Arabic TV networks. Sheikh Buti, who added his voice to those calling for it to be suspended, accused Anzur of committing “gross errors” and of choosing the title of his series in order to ridicule the Quran. The Quranic verse used for the title refers to slaves, or to people under one’s guardianship, and lays down rules on men having sex with such people, but its meaning is the subject of much debate among Muslims. The program is currently broadcast on the state-owned Syrian satellite channel and Lebanon’s Al-Mustaqbal. In Syria, which has a largely Muslim population but a secular constitution, the authorities encourage a moderate and apolitical form of Islam. They recently ordered 1,200 teachers wearing the niqab to be transferred to other public sector jobs and banned the full-face veil in universities. — AFP
“Transactions by Iranian clients are closely monitored,” the banker said, adding that certain activities by Iranian clients, such as transfers to Asia to purchase goods, are sometimes blocked. “We used to deal with some banks in Tehran, but now it is almost impossible,” the banker said. Bank accounts of some Iranian clients have been closed recently, he added. “The volume of trade between Dubai and Iran has been reduced by 50 percent compared to before the latest round of
sanctions, mainly due to bank restrictions,” said Morteza Masoumzadeh, vice president of the Iranian Business Council in Dubai. “There are more restrictions, and things are getting more complicated” because of the latest sanctions, he said. For example, businessmen can no longer “open a letter of credit to overseas suppliers if the port of discharge is an Iranian port,” he said. UAE officials said last month that the country was implementing sanctions against Iran. It reportedly began taking steps to implement the latest UN sanctions against the Islamic
Barely a day later however, the rebels hit back, killing six policeman in a shoot-out in an attack on the home village of Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov, as the proMoscow leader visited. Moscow last year ended a decade-long anti-terror regime in Chechnya, where it fought two wars against separatists since the 1991 Soviet collapse. And in July, rebels also briefly took control of a hydroelectric plant in another Caucasus region, Kabardino Balkaria. “Such a scale of attacks has not been seen for a long time,” Alexei Malashenko, an expert on the North Caucasus at Moscow’s Carnegie Center said. “Those who carry them out are very strong. They have a strong support system... and the Kremlin strategy to battle them has not had any positive results.” Nevertheless, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin this week ruled out a fresh war in the North Caucasus, playing down the threat from the insurgents. “Today they are capable of carrying out isolated terrorist acts... They are capable of shooting from round the corner (or) blowing up something. “But they have neither strength nor money for a war,” Putin said in an interview with the Russian tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda. “No-one who would like to unleash something large there, has the strength for it,” he said. — AFP
Internet an equalizer for people with disabilities SAN FRANCISCO: Sally Harrison is developmentally disabled, but on Facebook the 35year-old woman is just like anyone else. Victor Tsaran scours the Web at lightning speeds and loves his touch-screen iPhone in seeming contradiction to the fact that he is blind. Internet gadgets and software are creating a virtual world of equality and opportunity for a large segment of the population once marginalized due to physical or mental impairments. “It is not about being able to do everything; it is about being able to do what you possibly can given your condition and the technology available,” said Tsaran, a project manager at Yahoo! ‘accessibility lab.’ For Harrison, Facebook was part of transition that took her from highly-supervised confines of a group home to getting a job and moving into her own apartment. “She started to blossom after that,” said Lisa Giraldi, executive director of Pacific Diversified Services (PDS), an organization devoted to ‘true community inclusion for adults with developmental disabilities.’ “For Sally, it has been fantastic.” Facebook privacy controls were set tightly and Harrison’s family signed on as “friends” and watch over her at the online social networking service. Harrison said that she has 83 Facebook friends and tries to check her online profile daily. “It has helped me a lot,” said Harrison, who grappled with low self esteem when she was first taken on as a client by PDS. “It is important to me because I get to connect with friends I haven’t seen in a long time.” PDS believes in people with disabilities living as independently as possible in communities, and Internet services such as Facebook,
email, and online chat help clients stay connected. “They communicate with each other on Facebook, which is really neat,” Giraldi said. “Then, they can make friends with other people’s friends the way the rest of us do... it’s a social equalizer in a way.” Facebook pictures, comments and other posts capturing people with disabilities out enjoying their lives can help dispel stereotypes. “Social networks shield you from the initial first impression people get of a person with a disability,” Tsaran said. “With social networking, you can create a shield around you so people don’t judge you first by your disability. That is a big one for me.” Teaching clients basic computer skills such as downloading digital pictures or buying songs for iPods at Apple’s online store iTunes has become standard at PDS. “It really adds to their sense of acceptance in the community,” Giraldi said. “It makes them feel a level of independence that really makes them feel good. Twitter will probably be the next thing.” Tsaran’s team at Yahoo! is devoted to getting engineers and designers to remove barriers that people with disabilities might face when visiting any of the California Internet firm’s websites. Yahoo! has a second accessibility lab in India. Approximately 60 million people in the United States have disabilities and their combined annual income tops a trillion dollars, making them valuable customers. The number of people living with disabilities worldwide is 650 million, according to statistics released recently by the White House. Technology on display in the lab included Web
pages with coding in pictures so descriptions of what might be seen on monitors was spoken aloud by “screen reader” programs used by the blind. Software let people with varying degrees of paralysis control computers with a tap of a finger, a puff of air, the turn of a head or the clench of a jaw. Apple has made a priority of building “universal access” into its devices, according to Brightman, who worked for 14 years at the California firm that makes iPods, iPads, iPhones and Macintosh computers. “The iPhone is the most popular smartphone among the blind population, because accessibility was part of Apple’s view and was built in,” special communities senior policy director Alan Brightman said. “To this day, I watch Victor use an iPhone and think it is amazing.” Accessibility features are also designed into Windows software at the heart of the majority of the world’s computers. Third-party software makers are also gearing technology for the disabled. For example, AssistiveWare on Thursday released a Proloquo2go update that lets people with trouble speaking use iPad tablet computers to act as their voices by touching symbols on the screens. People with disabilities are also benefiting from slick new gadget features such as software that converts spoken words into written text in smartphones running on Google-backed Android software. “We are really about independence and choices and participation,” Brightman said of efforts at the lab and elsewhere in the technology community. “You ought to be able to do anything anyone else can do; you just have to do it your way.” — AFP
Islamic finance ‘should diversify’ Continued from Page 1 (KMEFIC), believes they are still limited. “The products (of Islamic finance) that are available for investors are still very limited ... compared to high demand,” said Mukkamala, adding that the field of derivatives should be explored seriously. For his part, Kuwaiti economist Hajjaj Bukhdur believes there are enough products, and that even greater expansion has been subdued by a lack of both sufficient regulation and management skills. “Islamic finance already has around 30 different types of products and instruments, giving it a large degree of flexibility to meet investors’ demand and continue to expand rapidly,” Bukhdur said. “But it has two major shortcomings: there are different regulatory systems ... and managements have been less competent to realize the full potential,” he said. Assets of Islamic financial institutions increased five-fold to around one trillion dollars (787 billion euros) between 2003 and last year, but Moody’s Investors Service believes the full potential is at least five trillion dollars. But for now, it only makes up around five percent of the global financial industry. In May, speakers at a forum on challenges facing the sector, said it took 40 years to reach one trillion dollars in assets, but now it will take just five years to double. The number of Islamic financial institutions and banks grew from just a few in the mid-1970s to several hundred now operating in more than 50 countries across the
world, and with leading global banks getting into the business. The International Monetary Fund said last month that the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States and a sharp rise in oil price and revenue have greatly helped the rise of Islamic finance because more Muslim investors wanted to keep money at home. In a report in April, Moody’s urged the Islamic finance industry to innovate, particularly in the area of risk hedging, if it is to really thrive. The combined use of securitization and derivatives “offers considerable scope for reducing the risk exposures of Islamic financial institutions (IFIs) and thus improving their overall creditworthiness,” the agency said. “If employed with care, derivatives can enhance efficiency in IFIs through risk mitigation, thereby making them more competitive as well as appealing to customers,” it said. However, their application in Islamic finance is “highly controversial for reasons of speculation and uncertainty, two practices forbidden under Sharia,” or Islamic law, Moody’s said. “Islamic financial institutions have to be much more aggressive ... as there is a huge potential for growth. So far, they have been far less active than conventional finance,” Mukkamala said. The 2009/2010 World Islamic Banking Conference Competitiveness Report, produced in collaboration with McKinsey & Company, said Islamic banks must determine their future course of action by exploring new key areas. “They should enhance and diversify their business mix, by tapping into new growth business lines, such as per-
sonal finance, asset management and various areas of investment banking,” it said. The report, released in December, said that during the global economic downturn, Islamic banks have outperformed conventional units but were not immune from the fallouts. A number of Islamic banks have also been more strongly affected by nonperforming loans than conventional banks, and they also continue to have greater exposure to real estate assets, it said. Bukhdur attributes much of the impact to slow response by managements to the crisis. “Islamic financial units were less impacted by the global crisis than conventional banking industry,” he said. “But conventional banks have reacted quickly, and most of them are almost out of the crisis. On the contrary, the response by Islamic firms was very slow, resulting in a magnified impact. Many Islamic firms have not yet recovered.” The need to harmonize regulations is also a major issue. Each Islamic financial unit is normally advised by a Sharia board, which is responsible for interpreting Islamic jurisprudence. That has resulted in somewhat different interpretations by various boards. The leading regulatory bodies have all been working towards aligning Sharia law principles towards a consistent basis to ensure uniformity. Bukhdur said Islamic finance will continue to expand, but he believes the main expansion will come from the Islamic units of leading international banks rather than in new independent Islamic financial units. — AFP
Fugitive’s comments provoke MPs
UAE banks stop transfers to Iran Continued from Page 1
that “clans, thievery and bribes” were aiding the regional separatists. The rebels want to impose their vision of Islamic Sharia rule across the region in a so-called “Emirate of the Caucasus”. Dagestan, a land that stretches from the peaks of the Caucasus Mountains down to the Caspian Sea, is arguably Russia’s most violent region. The economically stagnant region is wracked not just with the toxic mix of an Islamist insurgency but with deep-rooted problems caused by the local mafia. Assassinations of local officials, suicide bombs and gun fights in the outskirts of the capital Makhachkala have become an almost daily occurrence over the last months. All this has given a rather hollow ring to the much-touted recent a string of victories against the Islamist insurgents. The violence has even reached the heart of Russia, hitting the Russian capital in March with twin bombings in the Moscow metro. The double bombings, carried out by two female suicide bombers on the Moscow metro on March 29, killed 40 and wounded more than 100. The head of the FSB secret services (ex-KBG) Alexander Bortnikov was bulling in August, when he announced that 30 rebels had been slain in the region that month. “This is a good result,” he insisted. “Heavy damage was inflicted on the rebels.”
republic in June. The UAE central bank ordered the freezing of 41 bank accounts because of the sanctions on Iran, according to the Emirates Business 24/7 website. Dubai, the UAE’s business and aviation transport hub, has also closed down the offices of 40 firms suspected of breaching the sanctions, the Gulf News daily reported. Iran is a significant UAE trading partner, with trade volume between it and Dubai alone estimated at about 10 billion dollars (7.7 billion euros) a year, mostly imports to the emirate. There are about 400,000 Iranians living in the UAE. -— AFP
Continued from Page 1 Bloc’s member MP Jamaan Al-Harbash asked the interior minister if any government authority has filed a lawsuit against Habeeb for insulting the Prophet’s wife. He also inquired about security and official measures taken by the interior ministry against Habeeb. Islamist Salafi MP Ali Al-Omair also asked the interior minister about the efforts it exerted to arrest fugitive Habeeb since he fled the country several years ago. Omair also asked the communications minister why the ministry has failed to block Habeeb’s website after his insults on the
Prophet’s wife. MP Mubarak Al-Waalan called on the interior minister to issue a warrant of arrest through the Interpol to extradite Habeeb, and then launch a probe into how Habeen mange to flee the country. Meanwhile, Shiite MP Faisal AlDuwaisan said that “provocative” statements by Habeeb outside of the country should not be exploited to incite sectarian tensions inside the country. Duwaisan said that Habeeb only represents himself and that Kuwaiti Shiites extend the olive branch for their Sunni brethren, and urged all parties to be wise in dealing with the issue. In another development, liberal MP
Saleh Al-Mulla praised statements made by the prime minister during his televised interview but added that such statements must be implemented to measure the performance of the government. Mulla said that the actions and practices of the government and ministers are contradictory to the statements calling for the rule of the law, which means the government actions contradict statements made by the prime minister. The lawmaker said that he likes when he hear the prime minister talk about the constitution and the rule of law, but “I am very pained because of the violation of the law in sports, development plan and tenders”.