Moderate Islam Needs to Condemn Jihadism Unequivocally

by Dr. Bhamy V. Shenoy

There has been an outpouring of sympathy for India from all over the world after the recent Mumbai carnage just like what the US received after 9/11.
In recent years there have been such senseless killings in Bali, Indonesia (October 2002), Madrid train killings (March 2004), and the London bombings (July 2005).
Between 9/11 in the US and 26/11 in India, there have been regular jihadi killings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Algeria, China and Russia. But jihadi terrorism involving the World Trade Center (New York), Madrid, Bali and London has been getting the world attention without any attempt to identify and solve the fundamental problem behind the carnage.
After the regular cyber jihadi terrorism talks and acts by Saudi millionaire terrorist Osama bin Laden, the world started to pay some attention to global jihadi ideology. While the world has realised the killing of millions by communism (according to Black Book of Communism it is more than 100 million), the world has still not taken jihadists seriously. In many respects they are more dangerous than the most deadly weapons of mass destruction. By this time it is well recognized that Bush's attack against Sadam Hussein, instead of solving the basic problem of international jihadi terrorism (IJT), has only worsened it.
After the Mumbai carnage where one could see on TV the beastly behavior of jihadi terrorists killing their hostages for just being non- Muslim there is an urgent need for the world community to face the long-term consequences of IJT. In his book on "Clash of Civilizations" Samuel Huntington was able to foresee the future wars based not on nationalities or ideologies like Communism but on religions. But he did not predict nor could he foresee the potent power of jihadi ideology which can hardwire Muslims into live bombs to kill people all over the world.
Douglas Feith, writing for the Wall Street Journal on how India will be a key ally in the fight against terror, has summarized IJT ideology: "The more we learned about jihadist ideology - that of Al Qaada, Lashker-e-Taiba and others - the less likely it appeared that India could free itself of terrorist attacks simply through territorial compromise with Pakistan over Kashmir. Jihadist leaders declare that the aim of their holy war is not to alter specific policies of their enemies, but rather to establish a universal Muslim state. Fighting and killing to implement this apocalyptic vision, they have a long list of grievances and hatreds, including against the rulers of most Muslim countries, who they deem apostates.
But the jihadists particularly despise democracy. They believe law-making and self-government by human beings is blasphemous, an affront to the sovereignty of God, who is the only proper source of legislation."
It is that IJT ideology quite possibly supported by the Pakistan Army and intelligence which led to the killing of Benazir Bhutto, according to the Economist. It is the same IJT ideology which was behind the Mumbai carnage.
When the world first heard of Chechnya and the Russian inability to handle it peacefully, the reaction was to sympathize with Chechen separatists and we failed to see the role of jihadi ideology. Even after the heart-breaking killings in Moscow and in North Caucasus, the world interpreted the Chechen problem more from the point of view of human rights and age-old grievances of Chechnya rather than the role of international jihadists in exacerbating the situation. The same is true about the Uighur problems in Xinjiang in China. Irrespective of the problems of Muslims in Xinjiang which may be genuine, why should international jihadists interfere in the internal affairs of the country?
Sudan and Nigeria, both of which are suffering from the curse of oil, are also victims of international jihadi terrorism in a less subdued manner compared to Kashmir, Iraq, and Afghanistan. Sudan was the country which had hosted Osama just before his bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
In Pakistan, the army and the intelligence wing, which is under the army, ensure the influence of jihadists. While the former military dictator Zia-ul Huq did not even try to control the army's jihadi role, the recent dictator Pervez Musharraf did not have much luck. Currently the civilian President Asif Ali Zirdari has no control over his army which has been getting billions of dollars to fight al Qaeda in Afghanistan from the US. But it is diverted to support IJT against India as has been revealed in the latest US report.
According to the Economist, Pakistan is the most dangerous place in the world because of the combination of two weapons of mass destruction - atom bomb and the rule of jihadi ideology. Today it is Pakistan. Tomorrow it could be another country like Bangladesh where democracy has not been able to set its roots. If the world does not start dealing with the fast spreading virus of international jihadi terrorism, IJT will be considered by the future generation to be a more deadly WMD than atom bombs.
There is an urgent need for the UN to organize a meeting of world leaders to discuss the increasing problem of IJT and to develop strategies to overcome it. While the UN is planning such a meeting, the world community should call upon the moderate leaders of Islam to isolate their jihadi elements in more forceful ways. Just like Hindus have been struggling to get rid of untouchability, caste-based discrimination and Sati (practically eliminated), Islam should start a movement to get rid of Jihadism.
While the majority of Muslims is critical of jihadists, there is still a significant minority in various Muslim-dominated countries where jihadists are getting full support. How can one explain the martyr type of respect shown to the killers of Bali bombing in Indonesia after they were put to death recently?
When the complicity of India's mafia leader Dawood Ibrahim is well known in various jihadi killings of Mumbai, how can one explain the indifference of the Pakistan government in extraditing him to India or being given lavish hospitality in the Middle Eastern countries? How can one explain millions of dollars being provided to promote international jihadi terrorism movement by the millionaires living in an oil rich country like Saudi Arabia?
Now is the time to take strong action because IJT will get more strength and support in the future as the world's reliance on Middle East oil starts to increase even more. The recent IEA report has predicted $200 per barrel of oil by 2030 mostly because the supply of conventional oil will start peaking. By that time more than 85 percent of oil reserves will be from the Middle East and all the nations there have Muslim majority. Unless those states take active steps and join the rest of the world community to eliminate these jihadi elements, the situation will only get worse.
There is no use in some affected countries like the US, India or Spain going and bombing the jihadi terror camps. Killing a few jihadists physically will not help much. In Hindu mythology there was a demon whose each drop of blood falling to the ground created hundreds of his clones. Similarly as it happened in Iraq, killing of Al Qaeda or LET will give rise to more of them instead of eliminating them as predicted. What is needed is for the followers of moderate Islam to condemn jihadism in no uncertain terms. Only they can put the genie of jihadism back in the bottle.

Algerians Turning Away from Islam

By Jacob Thomas

[Source: http://www.faithfreedom.org/2009/02/08/algerians-turning-away-from-islam/

To read the Arabic text of the article from Algiers, please go to:http://www.aafaq.org/print.aspx?id_print=7858]

The early Islamic Futuhat resulted in the disappearance of the Christian Church in North Africa. That tragedy took place in a part of the world that, prior to the rise of Islam, had a strong Christian presence. One of the greatest North African Christians was Saint Augustine of Hippo (354-430). It was his legacy that contributed to the rise of the Protestant Reformation.

Early in January, 2009, I read on the online daily aafaq, a report datelined Algiers that dealt with a growing number of young Algerians turning away from Islam, and embracing the Christian faith.

Here are excerpts, followed by my comments:
“Some Amazigh .1 websites have disclosed that many Algerian young people have left Islam and adopted Christianity. They confessed that they did so due to the ugliness of the crimes perpetrated by the Salafist ‘Da’wa and Combat Movement’ against civilians. They were tremendously disappointed and disenchanted with Islam, claiming that it was responsible for nurturing these Jihadists who have been terrorizing and murdering innocent people.

“The website noted that the spread of Christianity in Algeria has even reached areas that were entirely under the influence of the Islamists, such as in eastern Algeria. Furthermore, the Christian expansion in the country was not due exclusively to missionary organizations, as certain Islamic groups claim. The reason is to be found in Islam itself. It has been associated in the minds of the youth with Irhab, assassinations, and crimes against innocent people. They remember that many of the crimes were committed during the 1990s, and occurred in distant villages of Algeria when young women were abducted, taken to the mountains as “captives,” gang-raped, and then killed by having their throats slit. Such horrific scenes took place in Algeria over several years and resulted in the very word “Islamic” becoming synonymous with Irhab!

“The report added that in Islam a woman is regarded as an enemy that must be fought with all means. She must be punished for the simplest mistake, while men go unpunished when they commit similar misdeeds. Thus, a woman is held responsible for the simplest act, and is liable to be put to death, since she is by nature a “Shaytana” i.e. a female Satan. This seriously misguided and misogynist view of women causes young men to worry about their own sisters, and be anxious about their future daughters as well.

“It went on to explain that the Irhabis who committed those awful crimes against women held to a view of Islam that took for granted that discrimination between the sexes is normal. They believe in the notion that the bed is the sole reason for a woman’s existence. In northern Algeria alone, 5,000 women were raped. This Amazigh source regards these radicals as ‘Allah’s guards on earth’ who refuse to act as civilized human beings.

“The website ended its comments on the alienation of Algerian youth by stating that as long as Islam is unable to get out of its closed circle, and evolve according to the requirements of a civil society that is open to love, tolerance, and coexistence with others; it will continue to alienate more young people. Ultimately, it is the actions of the Irhabis that have been responsible for the Christianization of more than 20,000 Algerians during the bloody and dark decade of the 1990s.”

It was really a great piece of news, especially because it appeared on a widely-read Arabic-language site. Within 5 days (by 27 January) 17 comments were posted on the aafaq website. Five demanded that the Sharia Law of Apostasy be applied to the converts; and should they refuse to revert to Islam, they must be put to death.

A few comments claimed that Islam was not responsible for the acts of the Islamists. Two comments quoted from the New Testament, these words of Jesus taken from the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” Other comments criticized severely those who asked for the killing of the apostates.

While the major media in the West are replete with reports about the activities of the Islamists and Jihadists groups throughout the Muslim world, news about the growing dissatisfaction of many young people with Islam are never or seldom reported. We need to learn about these movements in order to refute the Muslim propagandists and their Western allies who keep chanting that Islam is a religion of peace and harmony. The experience of the Algerians growing up during the last two decades contradicts this claim. Some of them are turning to Christianity showing their utter dissatisfaction with a faith that has been to a great extent, responsible for the horrific acts of the Islamists of Algeria who have never hesitated to murder innocent people in their attempt to take over the reins of power!

1. Amazigh is the name preferred by the original people of North Africa. The Arab invaders called them Berber. During the French colonial era, their region in Algeria was known as the Kabyle, a word derived from the Arabic, ‘Qabila,’ a tribe. After independence, non-Arab Algerians began to use their ancient name, ‘Amazigh.’ It is especially among them that Christianity is spreading nowadays. There is growing awareness of the fact that their ancestors were Christian, prior to the Islamic invasions of the 7th and 8th centuries A.D.

Note: Please note that these are not my comments but the comments of the author whose name has been mentioned at the top along with the source of news. If anyone has a different view they can send in their comments to me at: suman2005s@rediffmail.com. If they are good they will be published in this blog....

Swat valley: Transition from Buddha to Radio Mullah

[My addition: Stop these people who nourish a dangerous ideology or else one day our mother India will be an extension of Talibanistan. These kinds of people (or should we call invaders) who started invading India from 11th Century, already destroyed the demography of this country by forceful conversions, destroying the places of worship and looting of India in the process.

It is to be noted here that, Mahmud Ghazni (November 2, 971 - April 30, 1030) discovering that Rajput Confederacy were rich, and that their temples were great repositories of wealth, set out on regular expeditions against them, leaving the conquered kingdoms in the hands of Hindu vassals annexing only the Punjab region.

He also vowed to raid India every year. The later invasions of Mahmud were specifically directed to temple towns as Indian temples were depositories of great wealth, in cash, golden idols, diamonds, and jewellery; Nagarkot, Thanesar, Mathura, Kanauj, Kalinjar and Somnath were all thus raided. Mahmud's armies stripped the temples of their wealth and then destroyed them at Varanasi, Ujjain, Maheshwar, Jwalamukhi, and Dwarka. This is the history of one such invador.

Also do you know that Ghaznavi is the name given to a Pakistani missile. It is named after the 11th century Muslim conqueror Mahmud of Ghazni (Yāmīn al-Dawlah Maḥmūd)??!! The Ghaznavi Missile is a short-range ballistic missile. A ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital, ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering a warhead with an optimal range of 290 km. The Ghaznavi Missile has a CEP (Circular error probable or probability) of 250 meters.

What friendship is Mahesh Bhatt and some treacherous (or should we say illiterate and ignorant) Indians speaking of with Pakistan, who can name their missile in the name of such a ruthless invader who destroyed and looted India??!!

These people do not believe in pluralism and are barbaric in their thoughts and belief. They only want their religion (Better word is " dangerous ideology") to survive---according to these wretched people others who hold a different view, should perish.

Resist any such kind of dangerous move before the time runs out and speak out boldly. India is a democratic country and there is freedom of expression not like Islamic countries. Defeat the forces in the coming election who support or who gives passive support to these kinds of dangerous ideologies. Boycott any Television Channel who you think gives slightest encouragement to these kinds of dangerous ideology. I will not tell you at present whom to vote but please use your conscience to vote. Don't get confused by the tall talks of cricketer-turned or film-star turned politicians.

Defeat the filmster turned politicians like Jaya Prada, Govinda, etc. who are just good for nothing---most of them won by the votes of Muslims (both moderate and staunch) but virtually did nothing for them. Show your strength in this election and give a fitting reply to all those vampires who were/are sucking your blood.

If you want to bring in a change you should go out and vote the candidate of your choice. "Jago Indians Jago" there is no time to sleep now.....Enemy is near our door and they can invade India any time from now.....]

New Delhi: Celebrated in the Hindu scriptures as 'udyan' (garden), it's a stunningly picturesque place where the Buddha once walked, cultures intersected, poets sang and mystics came in search of peace. But, sadly, Swat valley in northwest Pakistan has now become synonymous with unrest, bloodshed and Talibanisation.

Not many know that the Swat valley, which is in the news now for the local government's much-criticised peace deal that allows the Taliban to impose Sharia, or Islamic law, in return for surrendering arms, has an unbroken history of over 2,000 years that has seen many religions and civilisations come and go.

'The Swat river is mentioned in the Rig Veda as Suvashtu which literally means the river on which settlements can be made,' Kumkum Roy, professor of ancient Indian history at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the author of 'Historical Dictionary of Ancient India', told a news agency.

'Kushan rulers also had connections with the Swat valley,' she said.

Centuries later, the scenic river, which flows from the majestic Hindukush mountains into the Kabul river in the Peshawar valley, is a magnet for Pakistani tourists who love to flaunt the Swat valley as the Switzerland of Pakistan.

Some historical accounts also mention that in 327 BC Alexander the Great crossed the Swat river with part of his army and before going south to conquer the locals at what are now Barikoot and Odegram.

The region has also played host to a succession of dynasties like the Mauryans, the Indo-Greeks, the Indo-Syphians, the Kushans, the Turk-Shahis and the Hindu-Shahis down the ages before the invasion by Mahmud of Ghazni who brought Islam to the valley in the 11th century.

Buddhism thrived in the region that was once the centre of the Gandhara civilisation. The Swat museum has the footprints of the Buddha, who, as legend has it, came to Swat during his last reincarnation as the Gautama Buddha.

Statues of the Buddha, stupas, monasteries, rock carvings, art, coins, pottery and other artefacts can be found everywhere in the valley. Emperor Ashoka is also said to have ordered the erection of a stupa in the region.

In 403 AD, the famous Chinese pilgrim, Fa-Hien, counted 6,000 monasteries in the valley. Two centuries later, Hsuan Tsang, another itinerant monk, saw around 1,400 monasteries.This splendid multi-layered heritage now stands imperilled with a resurgent Taliban determined to impose its austere version of the ideal Islamic society based on Sharia that has no place for music or other niceties of life and scorns sending girls to school.

Although the restive Swat valley has been known for anarchy and lawlessness for some time, the process of Talibanisation started acquiring a sinister ring in July 2006 when Maulana Fazlullah, a firebrand cleric-turned Taliban ideologue and commander, started broadcasting his Wahhabi interpretation of the Quran and preaching extremist messages to people in the valley.

'Radio Mullah', as he came to be known, soon became a local legend and acquired an army of volunteers who pillaged and burnt girls' schools, CD shops, the famous ski resort and Buddha statues to turn his dream of installing an Islamic emirate into reality.

Not surprisingly, much after their ideological fellow travellers across the border in Afghanistan who brutally destroyed the famous Buddha statues in Bamiyan, they have also turned their ire on what they consider remnants of an infidel culture.

Nearly one and a half years ago, Fazlullah's informal army defaced a 23-foot-high, 7th century Meditating Buddha, carved in a rock in the lap of a mountain in Jehandabad village, in Swat, triggering protests among conservationists and Buddhists all over the world.Things can only get worse with the Islamabad-backed provincial government striking a deal with the local Taliban represented by Sufi Muhammad, the father-in-law of 'FM Mullah.'

Two Saudi cops beheaded for Rape

[My addition:This again proves that Saudi Arabia is a Barbaric Country, by carrying on Notorious execution methods like beheading. I do not think anywhere in the civilized world do we have such pre-historic methods of execution!! Moreover, Capital Punishment is not a solution to most of the crimes. It only brutalizes the societies. Hence stop death penalty in the name of curbing crime.

In one interview, a Saudi executioner, Muhammad Saad al-Beshi (Photo on the left side), once said, he is very proud to do God's work and does not lose sleep over beheading several people in one day.

"Despite the fact that I hate violence against women, when it comes to God's will, I have to carry it out."

The question remains who is God and when or where did he ask human being to do all these abominable things!! Or is God above law??!!

Mr.Beshi said he sometimes shot dead women convicted under Sharia. "It depends what they ask me to use. Sometimes they ask me to use a sword and sometimes a gun. But most of the time I use the sword," he said.

His job at a prison in Taif, where he had to handcuff and blindfold prisoners facing death, gave him a taste for executions.

The criminal was tied and blindfolded. With one stroke of the sword I severed his head. It rolled metres away," he said, recalling his first beheading.
"There are many people who faint when they witness an execution. I don't know why they come and watch if they don't have the stomach for it," he said. Once an execution goes ahead, his only conversation with the prisoner is to tell him or her to recite the "Shahada" - an affirmation of Muslim faith.
"When they get to the execution square, their strength drains away. Then I read the execution order, and at a signal I cut the prisoner's head off," he said.

Sometimes he also has to carry out amputations of hands or legs. "I use a special sharp knife, not a sword. When I cut off a hand I cut it from the joint. If it is a leg the authorities specify where it is to be taken off, so I follow that." .

Though rape should be considered as one of the dirtiest crimes and should be condemned with the strongest possible world, but I think there are better method to solve this problem rather go for barbaric methods.

Our aim should be stop crime and not go for archaic laws, damaging the basic tenants of our peaceful co-existence. This kingdom should be abolished as it doing a rape on the human civilization.

A kingdom which does not allow people to propagate other religions is not only farce but also a glowing example of religious intolerance.

When will to the world body restrain this backward kingdom from all sorts of inhuman exercises. The progressive nations world-over should abolish this notorious kingdom which is known to fund religious extremism across the globe. When will Saudi Arabia Join the main stream??!! How long will the civilized world witness such blatant violation of basic human rights. In this age of science we still have such primitive methods of punishment---where are we heading??!! STOP SUPPORTING DEATH SENTENCES].

Two Saudi police officers were beheaded after being convicted of raping an expatriate woman, the interior ministry said.
Corporal Shaalan bin Nasser al-Qahtani and Lance Corporal Fahd bin Hassan al-Sebeyi were convicted of attacking an expatriate and raping his niece at a checkpoint they were manning in the capital, the ministry said in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.
They had stopped them late in the night, beat the man up and locked him in a police car and then raped the woman, it added, without revealing the age or nationality of the victims.
The two men were arrested shortly after the victims reported them at the nearest police station, it said.
Their executions bring to 11 the number of beheadings announced by the Saudi authorities since the beginning of the year. A total of 102 people were executed last year.
In 2007, a record 153 people were executed in the country. That figure compared with 37 in 2006 and the previous record of 113 in 2000.
Rape, murder, apostasy, armed robbery and drug trafficking can all carry the death penalty in under the Gulf Kingdom's (Saudi Arabia) strict Islamic Sharia laws, where executions are usually carried out in public.

The Saudi authorities report public executions regularly - and are condemned by Western human rights groups.

"The world has become a hell after, Modern Terrorism was born in, 1967-1968. International socialists (communists) started the fashion all over the world. While national socialists followed suit, turning Marxists of Muslim origin into Islamists of Marxist origin".

'He saved me, but I could not save him'

Hamid Mir in Mingora, Swat

[My addition: Do you remember it was the same Hamid Mir, whom I scoffed, when he refused to believe the Indian Story of 26/11, in a number of his earlier interviews in various Indian Television channels; including Times Now. I even said, 'Please stop calling Hamid Mir a respected journalist'.

At that time if you remember, I said, 'One day when the terrorism will consume his near and dear ones he will understand what pain the sufferers of 26/11 and their relatives had gone through.

I did not expect that the story will be repeated exactly same way after nearly 3 and half months.

Moral: This is what happens if persons start to support an unrealistic ideology.

The world has become a hell after, Modern Terrorism was born in, 1967-1968. International socialists (communists) started the fashion all over the world. While national socialists followed suit, turning Marxists of Muslim origin into Islamists of Marxist origin.

Some experts are of the view that, Viktor Stepanovich Chernomyrdin (Chernomyrdin was Prime Minister of Russia from 1992 to 1998) was involved in businesses with Islamic extremists, and Russia succeeded in having Bill Clinton's administration participate in shady deals against American public interests.

There were also rumours of promised concessions in the pipeline projects, or in financial support to Gore's presidential campaign. Gore's loss at the November 2000 elections was a devastating surprise for Russian political establishment.

This time we have another Democrat in the form of Mr.Barrack Hussein Obama. Watch out guys.............

The point to be noted is that Islamism provides an alternative political ideology for promoting anti-American and pro-Russian sentiments.

Now a lady named Ms.Tista Svetelwad (I hope I have written the correct spelling) without understanding the roots of terrorism is belching out statements after statements in the various television channels; as if she is an authority on terrorism.

When will we see these moronic-elements vanish from television channels??!! I think we urgently have to call the Mega-magician, Mr.P C Sorcar to vanish these idiotic elements (of Barkha Dutt variety) from our eye-site, if the television channels fail to eliminate them in time....

Just ask yourself, is the incident which killed Mr.Musa Khankel a product of hatred?? Definitely not!! But who will teach these people who confuse Indians almost on a regular basis, through powerful media conduits??!! It is to be noted that many such parasites of Teesta Svetelwad variety, open NGOs and get huge funds from Middle-east and hence the obvious reasons for these kinds of out-bursts in front of camera (or should we call them "diatribes").

In another television-advertisement, a young girl is shown to take law in her own hands as she kicks an eve-teaser, after abusing Mahatma Gandhi in the process.....Did Mahatma Gandhi ever advise/suggest anyone to kiss or embrace any eve teaser??!! But these kinds of absurd concepts are being promoted by a Telecom Company which has high pedigree. What a disgrace to the "Father of the Nation"!!

I do not understand what is going on, in Indian Television Channels in the name of Freedom of expression!! This is appalling!! The question remain who will police the police!!

Anyway, I express my condolences for the bereaved family of the young and promising journalist Mr.Musa Khankel. I hope that the Islamic State of Pakistan will learn what Islamic Terrorism can do to modern complex societies, from this incident].

Geo TV Executive Editor Hamid Mir, whose colleague Musa Khankhel was murdered in the Swat valley this week, asks why the media is being targeted in the area. 'The pen is mightier than the sword' was a phrase that we learnt at school. Unfortunately, the dangerous situation in Swat has changed this phrase. Now it should be like 'the gun is mightier than the pen.' The truth is bitter and difficult to digest.
The assassination of brave journalist Musa Khankhel in the valley of Swat has discouraged many who always believed in the might of the pen.
Dozens of journalists left Swat within hours after the burial of their colleague. Many television channels moved their staff with equipment to safe places like Peshawar. Now the world may not watch the live coverage of the peace march initiated by Maulana Sufi Muhammad or the janaza(burial ceremony) of any slain journalist from Swat.
A senior journalist of Swat introduced me to at least two of his local colleagues and claimed "these two soldiers of the pen will also be killed very soon because they are fearless like Musa, but maybe you will not be able to telecast live the janaza of these two."
At least three local journalists working with prominent television channels informed me that they received threats to their lives even after Musa's assassination. Some of them were told by the callers that the technical staff of their channels who came from Lahore [Images], Islamabad [Images] and Peshawar for the live coverage of the situation in Swat would not stay alive and to send them back immediately.
Two technicians of the Geo television channel with a van full of transmission equipment were rounded up by the Taliban [Images] in the Chaharbagh area of Swat the other day. The Taliban declared them spies, but released them later on a promise that they will not come back.
An emergency meeting was called at the Swat Press Club to discuss new threats faced by journalists. I tried my best to convince more than 150 journalists there that they should not leave Swat. Maybe I was not aware about the problems faced by local colleagues. They blasted me and said the government is not in a position to provide them security. On the other hand, their superiors push them to find some exclusive stories and visuals. This urge for exclusives is not in the interest of both the Taliban and the security forces. They face problems from both.
One journalist angrily said he can only continue his profession by keeping a heavy weapon with him. I discouraged him and said that journalists should not carry weapons and they can take some other security measures. Most of the colleagues present did not agree with me. A young journalist showed me a pistol hidden under his jacket and said he did not move without his gun.
One local journalist proposed at the meeting that "we request all our non-local colleagues to leave Swat immediately because there is no government here and we cannot provide them security. They should come back when the times get better." Within seconds a majority of the local and non-local journalists supported this proposal. Only one local journalist Shrinzada and a local newspaper editor Ghulam [Images] Farooq opposed this move and pleaded with tears in their eyes that they were ready to sacrifice their lives like Musa, but they would not stop speaking and writing the truth.
We had no other choice, but to respect the majority. I also accepted the majority decision and agreed to leave Swat. But I must explain why the presence of the independent media is not in the interests of both the Taliban and the security forces.
The Taliban of Swat generally considers the electronic media as its enemy. They think that all the private television networks are in the control of the government and that the electronic media only projects the destruction of schools by the Taliban. They accuse the electronic media of having no courage to show schools occupied by the army and used as bunkers. They allege that sometimes local journalists provide information about their presence to the security forces and as revenge they have banned all the television channels to be telecast in Swat.
On the other side, the security forces always accuse the media of projecting the Taliban as heroes. The government has also discouraged the coverage of 'terrorists' on the media, but the same government and security forces have no problem in negotiating and making deals with the terrorists.
Some top officials in the security establishment have always considered brave journalists like Musa as 'bad chaps.' The slain journalist always refused to accept dictation from security officials. Musa's temper was another problem. Once a security official abused him and Musa abused him back. It was the start of a big problem. Musa was kidnapped and beaten for two days. He was threatened not to make a fuss or his family would be killed.
Musa shared this incident with me and some other colleagues. I wrote about these threats in an article in The News on January 13.
I wrote in that article: 'I also know another journalist of Swat by the name of Musa Khankhel from many years. In the last few months alone, he has survived two assassination attempts. He told me that some elements within the security forces wanted to eliminate him physically due to his reporting.'
A few hours before his murder Musa sent me a message that I must be careful while moving in the Kabbal area of Swat. I asked him why he was worried even after the peace initiative by Maulana Sufi Muhammad and the ten-day ceasefire with the Taliban. Musa said, "You will watch the scenes of destruction in the civilian residential areas of Kabbal. You will show destroyed homes and mosques and people will compare your coverage with the bombing of Gaza by the Israelis. You will become a security risk and they will kill you in the name of national interest and the blame will be thrown on the shoulders of the Taliban."
He convinced me that my movement in the most dangerous area of Swat was not in the interest of those who always considered the free media their enemy.
I never underestimated his opinion and immediately left Kabbal. Two hours after this telephone conversation I received the shocking news about his killing. He was concerned about my safety, but not about his own. He saved me, but I could not save him. Peace in Swat was Musa's dream, but he is no longer alive to fight for it.
The situation in this valley of horror and terror is very complicated, but I am still hopeful despite the fact that there is lot of distrust between the Taliban and the security forces. The moving force behind this peace move are the common people of Swat.
The ruling Awami National Party is a secular and liberal party and took a risk by negotiating peace with the religious cleric Maulana Sufi Muhammad, who does not support democracy but supports peace in Swat. The ANP leadership is aware that if there is peace in Swat then the government will get a chance to establish its writ. A provincial minister, Bashir Balour, visited Swat on February 18 after a long time. Two more ANP ministers visited Swat the next day to condole Musa's death.
The visits by provincial ministers to the no-go area of Swat proves that the ANP will not be the only beneficiary of peace in Swat, but the whole State of Pakistan will be ultimately benefited because only peace can help the State establish its writ.
Maulana Sufi accepted the importance of the political forces by sitting with them to negotiate peace. This move is the victory of political forces because finally they will try to force the Taliban to surrender their arms.
If the Taliban agrees to surrender then the provincial government can announce an amnesty for them. More than 400 closed schools can be reopened and more than 200 destroyed schools can be rebuilt.
Thousands of girls can go back to their education only if Maulana Sufi's peace initiative is a success. He has promised he will make all efforts to reopen the girls's schools. He cannot back out.
The majority of people in Swat say, "Peace and stability of our area is more important than winning the so-called war against terror." They are angry with the reaction of the West and some liberal Pakistani analysts who think that peace will only benefit the Taliban. These analysts must risk a visit to Swat in the interest of the truth. They will realise that there are only two options for the State of Pakistan to bring stability in Swat. One is peace and the other is war.
The State cannot win this war because the use of guns and tanks will keep producing more Taliban. If there is no peace, there will be more anarchy. There will be no development. No schools, no newspapers, no television networks. More journalists will be killed. More journalists will leave Swat.
I am leaving Swat today. I am committed to return to Swat, but I cannot come back if there is no peace. I can only use my pen and camera to report the truth if there is peace. Otherwise, I will become another Musa Khankhel and my pen will be silenced. Musa was killed by those who do not want peace. ANP Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said Musa was killed by a 'third force.' He never identified the 'third force.' Maybe he will expose the 'third force' after bringing peace to Swat.
Musa once asked me that if the British government could talk to the Irish Republican Army and make peace with them, then why can't the Pakistani government negotiate peace with the Taliban? I know that Gordon Brown or Barack Obama [Images] would not like this question to be answered. Maybe they will say that Musa Khankhel was a Taliban sympathiser.

Danger Lurks ahead for Indians as some parts of "Talibanistan" could be as near as 500 Km from Wagha Border (India)

The Taliban is a Sunni Islamist, predominately Pashtun movement that governed Afghanistan from 1996 until 2001, when its leaders were removed from power by Northern Alliance and NATO forces. While in power, the Taliban implemented the "strictest interpretation of Sharia law ever seen in the Muslim world," and became notorious internationally for their treatment of women.

The Taliban's extremely strict and "anti-modern" ideology has been described as an "innovative form of sharia combining Pashtun tribal codes," or Pashtunwali, with radical Deobandi interpretations of Islam favoured by members of the Pakistani fundamentalist Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) organization and its splinter groups. Also contributing to the admixture was the Wahhabism of their Saudi financial benefactors, and the jihadism and pan-Islamism of sometime comrade-in-arms Osama bin Laden.

It has regrouped and since 2004 revived as a strong insurgency movement fighting a guerrilla war against the current government of Afghanistan, allied NATO forces participating in Operation Enduring Freedom, and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). It operates in Afghanistan and the Frontier Tribal Areas of Pakistan.
The Taliban movement is headed by Mullah Mohammed Omar. Mullah Omar's original commanders were "a mixture of former small-unit military commanders and Madrasah teachers," [So now you have understood who makes terrorits] and the rank and file made up mostly of Afghan refugees who had studied at Islamic religious schools in Pakistan.

The overwhelming majority of the Taliban movement were ethnic Pashtuns from southern Afghanistan and western Pakistan, along with a smaller number of volunteers from Islamic countries or regions in North Africa, the Middle East and the former Soviet Union.

The Taliban received valuable training, supplies and arms from the Pakistani government.

Those who have interest in Politics and History could recall that in September, 2005, The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly introduced a Bill seeking to make provisions for the application of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) to people of that community in the State.

Seeking the permission of the House to move the Bill, Opposition leader Abdur Raheem Rather of the National Conference (The Party Headed by "Progressive" Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah". Now NDTV Ltd could come up with another/new version of being progressive and secularism) said that even as Shariat laws were applicable to Muslims in the State, they came into conflict with customs in many matters.

"I want that these customs should not come in the way of implementing the Shariat laws," he said.

However, earlier there were reports in a section of media that, A group of Muslim women under the banner of Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan challenged the Shariat laws and the Muslim Personal Law Board’s regulations on marriage and termed them discriminatory.

What might happen if Talibani Law is applied (Are they an archaic version of Islamic justice system??!!):

1. No education for women and they have to envelop their bodies with Burkha. Not obeying this dictat could be public humiliation, beating/flogging, and even death by stoning. Women should wear burqa in public, because, according to a Taliban spokesman, "the face of a woman is a source of corruption" for men not related to them.

2. They will not be allowed to work. They will not be allowed to be educated after the age of eight, and until then will be permitted only to study the Qur'an. Earlier when these Talibans captured Afganistan, women seeking education were forced to attend underground schools such as the Golden Needle Sewing School, where they and their teachers risked execution if caught.

3. Women will not be allowed to be treated by male doctors unless accompanied by a male chaperone. A chaperone (or occasionally chaperon) is an adult who accompanies or supervises one or more young, unmarried men or women during social occasions, usually with the specific intent of preventing inappropriate social or sexual interactions or illegal behavior (e.g., underage drinking or illegal drug use).

The chaperone is typically accountable to a third party, usually the parents of one of the accompanied young people., This might lead to to illnesses remaining untreated. They will face public flogging and execution for violations of these dictats/

4. Punishment for adultery---stoning to death in front of public.

5. Punishment for stealing---To be forced to lie on the ground while their hands, and sometimes their feet, were sliced off by men with scalpels. The penalties might follow rules of a sort: Steal a trifle and go to jail. Steal more than $50 and your right hand would be severed. Steal a bundle and, at the judge's discretion, you could lose both hands, or a hand and a foot.

Muhammad Daoud was just 14 years old in 1995, when he became the first person in Kandahar whose hand was amputated by the Taliban. Now a mild-mannered man of 29, unemployed and with two small children, he vigorously denied that he stole money when he worked as a cashier in the money-changing bazaar, the crime of which he was accused. He said that his bosses, two men with close ties to the Taliban, took money and blamed him for it, and that he had no chance to defend himself.

This punishment was carried out in a LARGE MOSQUE that is normally used for public celebrations after Ramadan.
Two men hauled him in front of the buzzing crowd and restrained him as he struggled, shouting that he was innocent, Mr. Daoud said. They wound a tourniquet around his arm and jabbed his wrist with local anesthetic. Then a former combat medic who called himself Dr. Baloch leaned over with a surgical knife.

''He cut through the skin and I saw blood, and then I passed out,'' Mr. Daoud said. What certainly happened next, people who witnessed several such events said, is that the men snapped his wrist violently and Dr. Baloch cut through the broken joint with his scalpel.

He said in the usual routine, the surgeon would hold up the severed hand by the thumb, for the crowd to see as a lesson against malfeasance, then fling it to the ground for later burial.
Mr. Daoud says he awoke at the local branch of the International Committee for the Red Cross, which evacuated him to nearby Quetta, Pakistan. There, Red Cross doctors had to redo the botched amputation, trimming the bones and skin and fighting infections, and he was hospitalized for more than three weeks.
6. Murder cases might follow ancient laws: shoot a man and be shot by his brother, unless the relatives choose to forgive. Kill with a knife and your own throat would be slit.

7. Punishment for Prostitution for women: They would be made to kneel against a goalpost on another and then shot in the back of the head at close range.

8. Those deemed to be spies or traitors might be hanged, their bodies put out for public display. Career robbers might be hanged or shot or their throats slit.

9. Punishment for adulterous couple: Stonning to death. Men caught in homosexual acts might be propped against any convenient old wall, which will then be toppled onto them by a tank.

10. Stop co-education in schools or ask school owners and teachers to close down all institutes offering co-education even at the pre-school level. The Taliban, led by Maulana Fazlullah-led militants, had in Dec 24 asked all government and private schools to close down girls’ classes by Jan 15, 2009, in picturesque but restive Swat Valley in Pakistan’s northwest province.

Bowing to a Taliban diktat, some 400 private schools in the Swat Valley in Pakistan’s northwest have discontinued girls’ classes, depriving more than 40,000 students of their basic right to education. Additionally, 84,248 girl students of state-run institutions are unlikely to attend school due to the fear of Taliban militants, who now control the entire area, despite the resolve of the local administration to reopen the schools March 1,2009. Managements of private schools also appealed to the militants to take back their decision in the interest of thousands of girl students and hundreds of female teachers, many of them the lone breadwinners of their families.
“The Swat TTP reviewed the decision a couple of weeks ago with Maulana Fazlullah in the chair. They did not withdraw their threat, but softened their stance and allowed girls to attain education up to the fourth grade. However, the chief of the terrorists renewed the threat of bombing educational institutions if any school continued higher education for girls,” The News said.

Taliban militants have already destroyed 172 schools - 122 for girls and 50 for boys -depriving 40,646 students of education. These include 23,308 girls and 17,338 boys. This apart, 18 schools have been occupied by the armed forces engaged in operations against the militants. This has impacted 7,039 students.

11. Stop issuing identity cards to women with or without pictures.

12. We might again hear this echo: "The Sharia does not allow politics or political parties. That is why we give no salaries to officials or soldiers, just food, clothes, shoes and weapons. We want to live a life like the Prophet lived 1400 years ago and Jihad is our right. We want to recreate the time of the Prophet and we are only carrying out what the Afghan people have wanted for the past 14 years".

Islamic law to be imposed in parts of Pakistan
By RIAZ KHAN

PESHAWAR, Pakistan – The government agreed to impose Islamic law and suspend a military offensive across much of northwest Pakistan on Monday in concessions aimed at pacifying the Taliban insurgency spreading from the border region to the country's interior.
The announcement came as three missiles believed fired from a U.S. drone aircraft destroyed a house used by a local Taliban commander elsewhere in the northwest, killing 30 people, witnesses said.

The cease-fire, in Pakistan's Swat Valley hundreds of miles from the missile strike in Kurram, will likely concern the United States, which has warned Pakistan that such peace agreements allow al-Qaida and Taliban militants operating near the Afghan border time to rearm and regroup.

The truce announcement came after talks with local Islamists, including one closely linked to the Taliban.

Speaking in India, U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said the unrest in Swat was a reminder that the United States, Pakistan and India face an "an enemy which poses direct threats to our leadership, our capitals and our people."

Amir Haider Khan Hoti, the chief minister for the North West Frontier Province, said authorities would impose Islamic law in Malakand region, which includes the Swat Valley. Swat is a one-time tourist haven in the northwest where extremists have gained sway through brutal tactics including beheading residents, burning girls schools and attacking security forces.

He said the laws would only be implemented when the valley was peaceful.

The Swat Taliban said Sunday they would observe a 10-day cease-fire in support of the peace process. They welcomed Monday's announcement, which did not mention any need for the militants to give up arms.

"Our whole struggle is for the enforcement of Shariah (Islamic) law," Swat Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said. "If this really brings us the implementation of Shariah, we will fully cooperate with it."

Hoti gave few details, but said the main changes were included in existing laws stipulating Islamic justice that have never been enforced. They allow for Muslim clerics to advise judges when hearing cases, but do not ban female education or mention other strict interpretations of Shariah espoused by the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"This was the people's demand ... for speedy justice." he said. "There was a (legal) vacuum and we will be filling that vacuum in the near future," he told a news conference.

Hoti also said that troops in Swat, which had been conducting an offensive there against the militants, would now go on "reactive mode" and retaliate only if attacked.

Pakistani military officials were not immediately available for comment.

The missile attack Monday was the first known such strike in Kurram. Most of the strikes have occurred in South and North Waziristan, other tribal regions considered major Taliban and al-Qaida strongholds.

Rehman Ullah, a resident of the targeted village of Baggan, said drones were seen in the sky before the attack and that he saw 30 bodies dug up. An intelligence official said field informants reported that militants showed up at the village bazaar and ordered 30 caskets. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

The U.S. has stepped up missile strikes in the border region since August, killing some suspected top militants. Pakistan routinely protest the strikes, saying it undercuts its fight against terror.

Regaining the Swat Valley from militants is a major test for the Pakistani government. Unlike the semiautonomous tribal regions where al-Qaida and Taliban have long thrived, the former tourist haven is supposed to be under full government control and lies less than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the provincial capital, Islamabad.

Among those Islamists taking part in talks with the government in the provincial capital Peshawar was Sufi Muhammad, who Pakistan freed last year after he agreed to renounce violence. Muhammad is father-in-law to Maulana Fazlullah, leader of the Taliban in Swat.

Hoti said Muhammad had agreed to travel to Swat and urge the militants to give up their arms.

"Seeing the trend we can hope peace will soon be restored in Swat," he said.

President Asif Ali Zardari has been indirectly involved in the dialogue after growing increasingly concerned about civilian casualties in Swat, said an official in the president's office who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.

Overall security is deteriorating in Pakistan, and several foreigners have been attacked or abducted in recent months.

Also Monday, a spokesman for kidnappers holding American John Solecki captive in Pakistan said the deadline to negotiate for his release was extended for a "few days" after appeals from "some international organizations." On Friday, the captors said they would kill Solecki, a United Nations official, in 72 hours if their demands were not met.

Solecki was abducted on Feb. 2 in Quetta, a major city in the southwest near the Afghan border. On Friday, his kidnappers threatened to kill him within 72 hours and issued a 20-second video of the blindfolded hostage.

Shahak Baluch, who claims to speak for the little-known Baluch United Liberation Front, announced the extended deadline in a call to the Quetta Press Club.

The group's name indicates a link to separatists rather than Islamic extremists. Its demands include the release of 141 women allegedly held by Pakistani authorities, but Pakistan has denied it is holding the women.

A Young Muslim Lady Slaps Barkha Dutt's rotten ideas

A young Muslim Lady slaps Barkha Dutt on the face, through her arguments...All my appreciation for her.........My goodwishes for that Muslim Lady for being different from most of the Lunatics/drunkards/alcoholics, present in the the "We the People".

Also how Renuka Choudhury changed colour due to intense pressure from all quarters and says she never said, "Pub Bharo Andolon". Bah Ustad Bah......This time at least see that this lady is not elected through your votes. Let her go to Rajya Sabha but not Lok Sabha.

Barkha, you moron, the debate is not about Indian Culture. The debate is whether people should be encouraged to go to pub and drink and in the process become alcoholics.......

Everyone has condemned the beating up of men and women. But it seems NDTV Ltd after promoting alcoholism is now promoting "Gender Bias" which is dangerous....To read more on this topic visit: www.sumanspeaks.blogspot.com.

The "Pink chaddi" campaign was absolutely " in very bad taste".......There could be other saner methods of protests....

COMING UP all these issues......AND THANKS FOR BEING HELPING IN MY MISSION TO SEE A DRUG FREE WORLD.

Married? You’re in a Minority now as Wedding rates fall to Record Low

Rosemary Bennett

Married couples are in a minority for the first time since records began as fewer people choose to tie the knot, new figures indicate.
They showed that couples are less likely to get married now than ever before, with the number of weddings at a 100-year low. The marriage rate, a more accurate guide to the long-term trend, also fell sharply to a record low in 2007.
Experts say that since the number of marriages is closely tied to the fortunes of the economy the proportion of married couples is likely to shrink even further in 2009.
Only one in 50 single women now marries each year, and only one in 43 single men. Those are the lowest marriage rates since they were first calculated in 1862. At that time weddings were largely the preserve of the wealthy, with everyone else settling for common law marriages.
Related LinksPeople still want to share a life Case studies: ‘In 1953 it was the thing to do’ Williams - gay sex 'comparable to marriage' Data due in June is now expected to show only 48.8 per cent of the over16 population had marriage status in 2007, according to analysis conducted by The Times. When these records first began in 1971, more than 68 per cent of the adult population were married. It would be the first time that the married proportion of the adult population has been recorded as dropping below 50 per cent.
There were only 231,450 marriages in 2007, down 3.3 per cent on the year before. The only year that has had a smaller number of weddings was 1895, the first year a count was made, when there were 228,204.
The figures, for England and Wales, have been released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) a week after a report from a leading children’s charity said that a third of 16-year-olds were living with one parent, and that children of separated parents were far more likely to perform poorly at school and suffer behavioural problems.
Marriage is likely to be a political battleground at the next general election. The Conservatives have promised to offer tax breaks to married couples, while Labour says that financial help should be directed at the most needy families.
Anastasia de Waal, director of family and education at the Civitas think-tank, predicted that the credit crunch would keep marriage on a downward trend. “This is not a case of people not wanting to get married, but about it being increasingly out of their reach, and that is going to get worse in the economic crisis,” she said.
“Our research shows that 70 per cent of people actively want to get married with only a minute number believing that it is old fashioned. But either the cost of the wedding or the desire to be more financially secure, such as owning their own home, was making them put it off.”
Justine Devenney, head of policy at One Plus One, which researches relationships and breakdowns, also forecast that the figures would fall further next year. “The average cost of a wedding is now over £20,000,” she said. “So it is easy to see why, if you are worried about redundancy or are a young couple who can’t get a foot on the housing ladder, getting married may not be a priority. Marriage rates go up when the economy is strong, so we may see people choosing to wait till things are less uncertain.”
A spokesman for the Ministry of Justice said: “The Government supports marriage in principle and in practice but accepts that stable families may come in a variety of forms and some people may choose to cohabit. The Government will continue to work to strengthen the family unit in whatever form it may take.”
The marriage rates for men is 21.6 in every thousand of unmarried men over 16, compared with 23 in 2006. The rate for women dropped from 20.7 to 19.7. The number of marriages has fallen by a quarter since 1991, according to the ONS.
The data showed that two thirds of the marriages were the first for both parties. Remarriages for both parties accounted for 18 per cent of all marriages. The average age at first marriage for men increased to 31.9 years and to 29.8 for women, compared with 31.8 and 29.7 respectively the year before. In 1970 the average age for marriage for men was 24 and for women 20.
Church weddings are also in decline. There were 77,490 religious weddings, just under 56,000 of them Anglican ceremonies. Numbers of church weddings have halved since the early 1980s. The only type of wedding that proved more popular was the ceremony in “approved premises” such as hotels, stately homes and football grounds. There were 99,760 such weddings, up from 95,760 in 2006.
Jill Kirby of the centre-right think-tank Centre for Policy Studies, said: “The decline of marriage is worrying because of the very clear evidence of the importance to children of growing up in a married family. Research this week has shown that Britain stands out in Europe and the Western world in doing nothing in the tax and benefit system to support marriage.”
A spokesman for Marriage Care, which helps to prepare people for marriages and offers a counselling service, said: “There are many reasons for the figures but I think a lot of people have experienced parental break-ups and the pain involved, and that puts some people off despite all the known positives of marriage. People are much more independent these days

An atheist Parent asks: Should Creationism be Examined in the Science Class?

In the midst of all the Darwin celebrations, many questions are being raised, once again, about creationism, Darwinism and what to tell the children.
Wo King, father of an 11-year-old, is one of those wondering what's best. Here he explains how he feels, and wonders why his son is not being taught more about Darwin's theories:
"I am an atheist father of a bright and beautiful 11-year-old boy. My son goes to a South London secondary school which has just opened and for now only has a year 7 and 8.
I am intimately involved in his education and upbringing and been impressed with the commitment and quality of the teachers. However, being a new school they have not yet formulated policy on some contentious issues.
One of those is evolution and creationism. Due to the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth and 150 years since the publication of The Origin of the Species I have been asking for nearly a year now for the school to mark this occasion and for them to tell me how they deal with Creationism and Intelligent Design. They have revealed that they are only going to mark it during science week in assembly and pointed to where it is taught in the curriculum.

Considering the host of other extra-curricular activities and projects that he has to do, the fact that this anniversary of the birth of the author of this most groundbreaking theory was being hardly mentioned, made me wonder if some schools are trying to avoid this issue and why.
As an atheist, my automatic reaction was of indignation when Michael Reiss of the Royal Society suggested that the issue of creationism in the science class should be addressed. Now though I am not totally sure. I still think it has no scientific basis, but am concerned for another reason.
In schools, especially in South London, there is a sizeable minority of children who come from families which believe in creationism. It has got to be hard for a science teacher to tell them that their parents, and an important part of their upbringing, is wrong. To say that science and religion can remain separate when one stipulates that people can come back to life and both explain how life around us came to be, is naive and confusing to children.
I do not believe that religion has an automatic right of respect, but I do believe that a child, who is being taught what can be fundamentally contradictory to his upbringing, has to be dealt with sensitively and intelligently. Otherwise some children will ignore the teaching, keep it quite from their families or get into bitter arguments. In America, they are having bitter battles about the teaching of ID and evolution. At least it is being debated there. What we seem to be doing is a very English trait of compromising while trying to respect others' beliefs. This is not helping anyone, especially not the children, or the theory of evolution.
Opinion amongst educators is deeply divided on how to address ID. There is no proper guidance from government which just says that ID should not be taught in the science class but in RE. But the children have questions which cover both disciplines and we are leaving the parents and others to fill the gaps. The argument that you should bring it in to be debated is a fallacy as debates should be proportionate. Not every argument should have a for or against, as there is no evidence that ID has any basis to it. Debating it would give it undue prominence and weight.
While online forums and debates rage between the two sides, the child's feelings and sense of confusion and the teaching of evolution seem to be ignored. If we are to increase the acceptance of evolutionary thinking we should not be so worried about respecting the beliefs of the parents no matter what side they are on, but better understand the needs of the child. The school is now wondering how it is going to deal with Creationism if the subjects is brought up by a pupil or parent.

So I can give some input to the school as they ponder this subject, my questions are:How should a teacher handle a child's questions that have been brought up with creationist beliefs?

Should there be clearer guidance as to how this should be addressed? I would like to know what to say to my school instead of the silence, anger or avoidance that usually follows this issue. The children and Charles Darwin's theory deserve better."