Haqqanis seek Taliban role in Afghan talks
Passion Islam
I November 2011
The Afghan Haqqani militant group will not take part individually in any peace talks with the United States and negotiations must be led by the Taliban, a senior commander said. “They [the Americans] would not
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be able to find a possible solution to the Afghan conflict until and unless they hold talks with the Taliban shura,” said the Haqqani group commander, referring to the Taliban leadership council. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Islamabad with a heavyweight team of US military and intelligence leaders, urged Pakistan to persuade the Haqqanis to pursue peace. She also warned that tough action would have to be taken against Afghan and Pakistani militants if they did not cooperate in efforts to stabilise Afghanistan. The Haqqani commander, speaking on condition of anonymity,
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viewed her efforts with scepticism. “This is not the first time the US has approached us for peace talks. The Americans had made several such attempts for talks which we rejected as we are an integral part of the Taliban led by Mullah Mohammad Omar,” he said by telephone from an undisclosed location in Afghanistan. “We are united and our goal is to liberate our homeland Afghanistan from the clutches of occupying forces.” Clinton said the United States had held preliminary meetings with the Haqqanis — arguably the most dangerous Afghan insurgent faction — and was working with Afghanistan and Pakistan.
France to Host Islamic Embracing World Int’l Exhibition Islam in An international exhibition titled the Islamic World is set to be held in the French capital of Paris on December 17-19. Muslims from all over the world are to attend the event, whose theme is “Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), A Blessing for the World”. The French Union of Islamic Organization, the event’s organizer, has invited Muslims as well as nonMuslims from European countries to visit the exhibit. It will feature exhibiting Islamic books and photos, organizing forums with the presence of eminent Muslim scholars, holding Quran recitation and memorization competitions for the youth and teenagers, and a poetry reading contest with the theme of “Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)”. The exhibition had been planned
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to be mounted in late December, concurrent with Christmas holidays, but the organizers received suggestions from Muslims and nonMuslims to change the timing.
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Head of Kenya’s Muslims Supreme Council said more people embrace Islam in Africa every day. Abdul Ghafur Bu Saeedi told reporters that many in African tribes are converting to Islam. Predicting a bright future for Islam in Africa, he said Islam is going to be the first religion in the continent. “People show amazing interest in reading, reciting and memorizing the Quran,” he added. Bu Saeedi also noted that the number of institutes promulgating Islam in Africa has been on the rise. “On Fridays, you can see people coming into mosques all across Kenya to say the Shahadatayn (testimony of faith) and learn how to say prayers and read the Quran.” While the predominant religion in Kenya is Christianity, conversion to Islam is a growing phenomenon in the country.