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Letter from Gaza by a Norwegian doctor

July 20, 2014, 3:06 pm
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The last night was extreme. The "ground invasion" of Gaza resulted in scores and carloads with maimed, torn apart, bleeding, shivering, dying - all sorts of injured Palestinians, all ages, all civilians, all innocent.
The heroes in the ambulances and in all of Gaza's hospitals are working 12-24 hour shifts, grey from fatigue and inhuman workloads (without payment all in Shifa for the last 4 months), they care, triage, try to understand the incomprehensible chaos of bodies, sizes, limbs, walking, not walking, breathing, not breathing, bleeding, not bleeding humans. HUMANS!
Now, once more treated like animals by "the most moral army in the world" (sic!).
My respect for the wounded is endless, in their contained determination in the midst of pain, agony and shock; my admiration for the staff and volunteers is endless, my closeness to the Palestinian "sumud" gives me strength, although in glimpses I just want to scream, hold someone tight, cry, smell the skin and hair of the warm child, covered in blood, protect ourselves in an endless embrace - but we cannot afford that, nor can they.
Ashy grey faces - Oh NO! Not one more load of tens of maimed and bleeding, we still have lakes of blood on the floor in the ER, piles of dripping, blood-soaked bandages to clear out - oh - the cleaners, everywhere, swiftly shovelling the blood and discarded tissues, hair, clothes,cannulas - the leftovers from death - all taken away ... to be prepared again, to be repeated all over. More then 100 cases came to Shifa in the last 24 hrs. Enough for a large well trained hospital with everything, but here - almost nothing: no electricity, water, disposables, drugs, OR-tables, instruments, monitors - all rusted and as if taken from museums of yesterday's hospitals. But they do not complain, these heroes. They get on with it, like warriors, head on, enormously resolute.
And as I write these words to you, alone, on a bed, my tears flow, the warm but useless tears of pain and grief, of anger and fear. This is not happening!
An then, just now, the orchestra of the Israeli war-machine starts its gruesome symphony again, just now: salvos of artillery from the navy boats just down on the shores, the roaring F16, the sickening drones (Arabic 'Zennanis', the hummers), and the cluttering Apaches. So much made in and paid by the US.
Mr. Obama - do you have a heart?
I invite you - spend one night - just one night - with us in Shifa. Disguised as a cleaner, maybe.
I am convinced, 100%, it would change history.
Nobody with a heart AND power could ever walk away from a night in Shifa without being determined to end the slaughter of the Palestinian people.
But the heartless and merciless have done their calculations and planned another "dahyia" onslaught on Gaza.
The rivers of blood will keep running the coming night. I can hear they have tuned their instruments of death.
Please. Do what you can. This, THIS cannot continue.


Mads Gilbert MD PhD
Professor and Clinical Head
Clinic of Emergency Medicine
University Hospital of North Norway
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حماس کے عسکری ونگ نے اسرائیلی فوجی کو پکڑ لیا

July 20, 2014, 3:33 pm
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حماس کے عسکری ونگ عزالدین القسام بریگیڈز کے ایک ترجمان نے کہا ہے کہ ان کے مزاحمت کاروں نے غزہ کی پٹی میں لڑائی کے دوران ایک اسرائیلی فوجی کو گرفتار کر لیا ہے۔
ابوعبیدہ نام کے اس ترجمان کا اتوار کی شب حماس سے وابستہ ایک ٹیلی ویژن اسٹیشن سے بیان نشر ہوا ہے جس میں انھوں نے اطلاع دی ہے کہ ''ہم نے ایک صہیونی فوجی کو پکڑ لیا ہے اور قابض فوج نے اس کا اعتراف نہیں کیا ہے''۔انھوں نے بتایا کہ اس وقت اسرائیلی فوجی شاؤل ایرون القسام بریگیڈز کے زیر حراست ہے۔
دوسری جانب اسرائیلی فوج کی ایک خاتون ترجمان نے کہا ہے کہ وہ اس دعوے سے آگاہ ہیں اور اس کی تحقیقات کررہے ہیں۔فرانسیسی خبررساں ادارے اے ایف پی کے مطابق جونہی عزالدین القسام بریگیڈز کی جانب سے صہیونی فوجی کو پکڑنے کی اطلاع سامنے آئی تو مغربی کنارے کے شہروں رام اللہ اور الخلیل کے مکینوں میں خوشی کی لہر دوڑ گئی اور انھوں نے خوشی میں ہوائی فائرنگ شروع کردی۔
حماس کے عسکری ونگ نے غزہ کی پٹی پر اسرائیلی فوج کی جارحیت کے تیرھویں روز صہیونی فوجی کو پکڑنے کا دعویٰ کیا ہے۔اسرائیلی بمباری میں چارسو اڑتیس فلسطینی شہید ہوچکے ہیں اور فلسطینی مزاحمت کاروں کی جوابی کارروائیوں میں اٹھارہ فوجیوں سمیت بیس یہودی مارے گئے ہیں۔
عزالدین القسام بریگیڈز کا کہنا ہے کہ اس فوجی کو چوبیس گھنٹے قبل غزہ شہر کے مشرق میں واقع علاقے طفاح میں اسرائیلی فوجیوں پر ایک حملے کے دوران پکڑا گیا تھا۔اس علاقے میں اسرائیلی فوجیوں اور فلسطینی مزاحمت کاروں کے درمیان شدید لڑائی کی اطلاعات ملی ہیں اور اتوار کو اس محاذ پر تیرہ جارح فوجی ہلاک ہوچکے تھے۔
حماس کے ترجمان سامی ابوزہری نے صہیونی فوجی کو پکڑنے کی اطلاع کا خیرمقدم کیا ہے اور اس کو القسام بریگیڈز کی ایک بڑی کامیابی اور شہداء کے خون کا بدلہ قرار دیا ہے۔قبل ازیں اتوار کو غزہ کے علاقے شجاعیہ میں اسرائیلی فوج کی ٹینکوں سے شدید گولہ باری کے نتیجے میں ساٹھ سے زیادہ فلسطینی شہید ہوگئے ہیں۔
ٹیگز

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Pakistani-American Haris Suleman's aircraft crashes into sea

July 23, 2014, 1:18 pm
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The plane of seventeen-year-old American-born Pakistani Haris Suleman and his father Babar Suleman, who were attempting to fly around the world in 30 days, has crashed into the Pacific, DawnNews reported.

A family member confirmed that the body of Haris Suleman has been recovered by rescue teams. Babar Suleman has not been found at the time of writing.

The Sulemans had undertaken the challenge in a bid to raise money to help educate Pakistan’s poor children.

They were being supported in their endeavor by the Citizen’s Foundation (TCF).

They started their journey from Plainfield, Indiana, in the US, on June 19, and visited Canada, Iceland, England, Greece, Egypt and the UAE before reaching Pakistan.
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A Palestinian woman walks past the rubble of a residential building, which was destroyed in an Israeli air strike

July 24, 2014, 1:59 am
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A Palestinian woman walks past the rubble of a residential building, which police said was destroyed in an Israeli air strike, in Gaza City
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Death and destruction continue in Gaza

July 25, 2014, 8:32 pm
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 Death and destruction continue in Gaza












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Palestinians: Most Gaza dead are children, women, elderly

July 25, 2014, 8:39 pm
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Palestinians: Most Gaza dead are children, women, elderly
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If you forget Gaza...

July 27, 2014, 3:49 am
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Old Pakistani TV dramas - The golden age of Pakistani television

July 28, 2014, 8:33 am
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Considered by many to be the products of the golden age of Pakistani television, these close-to-reality yet fictional quality dramas dealt with many family and social issues. For some Indian and Pakistani expatriates, they recall earlier days before easy access to television programming when videocassette players ruled; for others, the dramas are reminders of families back home for people far from home. In fact, some of the old plays were so popular that newborns were named after the characters. Fans say the modern television programs just don’t cut it, so there are still hundreds, if not thousands, of expatriates who press the rewind button in their memories and remember the good old days. All Eids for them are associated with one drama or another.

When Shoaib Nagrami, a popular radio personality from Lucknow in India, arrived in Saudi Arabia during the late 1970s, he also was a fan of these dramas from Pakistan. “They made fantastic programs; they had great writers, and their dramas had a social message. These dramas were meant to bring about positive change in society. They were literary masterpieces. Extreme care was taken to do justice to the beauty of the Urdu language,” he said with an air of nostalgia. “They no longer make dramas of that caliber.”

Nagrami, who is now retired and living in Thuwal, north of Jeddah, says he doesn’t care for television’s current, “third-rate” dramas. “They have lost the plot these days.” But he still has his favorites from the old days. “One was ‘Qaabeel,’ and the other was ‘Ghanti.’ Even to this day, ‘Ghanti,’ in which Qawi Khan and Sameena Peerzada played lead roles, brings tears to my eyes,” Nagrami said.

Azam Shaikh, an Indian national who currently works at Alkhobar-based Alissa Group, arrived in the Kingdom in 1982.
“I was in Al-Hasa then. A Pakistani friend of mine introduced me to these Urdu dramas, and I have been addicted to them since. For me, every Eid means spending hours on end watching these dramas. Each drama came in five or six three-hour VHS tapes. We never got tired. The dramas were so gripping that we would watch and watch without ever looking at our watches.” Shaikh said his favorite teleplays of those days were “Tanhaiyaan,” “Ankahi,” “Aanch” and “Dhoop Kinaray.”
“My all-time favorite was ‘Tanhaiyaan,’ which was about two sisters, Zara (Shahnaz Sheikh) and Saniya (Marina Khan), who lose their parents and go to live with their aunt. The eldest of them, who is a lot more emotional, tries to buy back her parents’ house, but in the process she gets detached from those surrounding her and becomes very lonely. Marina was fantastic. To this day, I watch this drama and still do not get bored.”

So impressed was Shaikh with the Pakistani dramas that he took nearly 48 VHS tapes to Mumbai, India, where they were otherwise unavailable. “These tapes were in huge demand in India. I would watch these dramas here in Saudi Arabia and would remember my family. I wanted them to watch, as well.”Riyadh-based Ambreen Faiz, a Pakistani national and writer of features for local newspapers, arrived in the Kingdom in the mid-1990s with her husband. “I am not into movies at all, and Eid holidays were special occasions to watch these teleplays,” she said. “These dramas lessened the pain of homesickness. They acted as an emotional cushion for us expatriates. They had the capacity to freshen our minds. They taught us many lessons, they taught us to be better, more sensitive human beings. They carried important messages.”

Rehana Perveen, a Pakistani doctor who works at a Dhahran hospital, agrees with Faiz.
“I am still fascinated by the play ‘Dhoop Kinare,’ which centers on a team of doctors and revolves around their routines at the hospital and private lives at home. That was a classic play, one that warmed many a heart. I remember each twist and turn. Two decades in Saudi Arabia has not dulled my memory,” she said proudly. For Javed Bukhari, an Indian national working as a travel consultant, the play “Ankahi” remains evergreen. “Shehnaz Sheikh as Sana Murad and actor Shakeel as Taimoor were phenomenal, and the chemistry between them was brilliant. They were so natural. And so were Timmy (Jamshed Ansari) and Moby (Behroze Sabzwari). I remember most of the dialogues of this particular play. So impressed was I with this drama that I still call my eldest son Moby.”

Mohammad Rahat Sultan, assistant director of technical department at Alkhobar-based Abdullah A. Al-Khodary Sons Co., said he is a diehard follower of Urdu teleplays. “When I was in Bahrain, I would watch these dramas regularly. My favorites were ‘Aanch’ and ‘Khwaja and Son.’ According to me these two were the best dramas ever produced by Pakistanis. I took copies of these dramas home and made each and every member of my family watch them to learn lessons from it. ‘Aanch’ teaches us the art of compromise. It restores our faith in the institution of marriage. There is so much to learn from the sacrifices that Ulfat (Shagufta Ejaz) makes in the drama. It is philosophical and real at the same time — superb.”

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'Eid Mela' To Celeberate With N. Waziristan IDPs

July 28, 2014, 8:43 am
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Ebola outbreaks

July 31, 2014, 2:18 am
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Fears that the west African Ebola outbreak could spread to Europe grew on Wednesday, with the EU allocating extra spending and a leading medical charity warning the epidemic was out of control.

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned the crisis gripping Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone would only get worse and could not rule out it spreading to other countries.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has met global health officials on implementing measures to halt the spread of the disease, as the pan-African airline ASKY suspended all flights to and from the capitals of Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile the European Union allocated an extra two million euros ($2.7 million) to fight the outbreak, bringing total EU funding to 3.9 million euros. "The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost," said  EU Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva.

In Britain, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond chaired a meeting of the government's COBRA crisis management committee to assess the situation. Prime Minister David Cameron "does regard it as a very serious threat", Hammond told Sky News television.

Since March, there have been 1,201 cases of Ebola and 672 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Ebola can kill victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea and, in some cases, organ failure. — AFP
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Things to know about Ebola outbreak

August 2, 2014, 1:09 am
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Two Americans who had been working to treat Ebola patients in Africa have been stricken by the disease. Officials say they will be taken to Atlanta's Emory University Hospital in a tightly sealed isolation unit. The first is expected to arrive Saturday, and the other a few days later, according to hospital officials.


Here are five things to know about Ebola and how it is spread:



1. THE WEST AFRICA EBOLA OUTBREAK IS NOW THE LARGEST IN HISTORY. The current outbreak in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone has sickened more than 1,300 people and killed more than 700 this year.



2. BUT SOME PEOPLE HAVE SURVIVED EBOLA. While the fatality rate for Ebola can be as high as 90 percent, health officials in the three countries say people have recovered from the virus and the current death rate is about 70 percent. Those who fared best sought immediate medical attention and got supportive care to prevent dehydration even though there is no specific treatment for Ebola itself.



3. EBOLA CAN LOOK A LOT LIKE OTHER DISEASES. The early symptoms of an Ebola infection include fever, headache, muscle aches and sore throat, according to the World Health Organization. It can be difficult to distinguish between Ebola and the symptoms of malaria, typhoid fever or cholera. Only in later stages do people with Ebola begin bleeding both internally and externally, often through the nose and ears.



4. EBOLA IS ONLY SPREAD THROUGH BODILY FLUIDS. The Ebola virus is not airborne, so people would have to come into contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. These include blood, sweat, vomit, feces, urine, saliva or semen — making transmission through casual contact in a public setting unlikely.



5. FEAR AND MISINFORMATION THOUGH IS MAKING THINGS WORSE. In each of the affected countries, health workers and clinics have come under attack from panicked residents who mistakenly blame foreign doctors and nurses for bringing the virus to remote communities. Family members also have removed sick Ebola patients from hospitals, including one woman in Sierra Leone's capital who later died. Police had to use tear gas to disperse others who attacked a hospital in the country. — AP

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اگر دعاؤں سے فرصت ملے تو۔۔۔.........

August 3, 2014, 10:24 am
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تین روز قبل اسرائیل کے بقول سیکنڈ لیفٹننٹ ہادار گولڈن کو حماس کے چھاپہ مار 72 گھنٹے کی جنگ بندی شروع ہونے کے فوراً بعد اغوا کر کے لے گئے۔ لہٰذا اسرائیل کو جنگ بندی کے صرف چار گھنٹے بعد مجبوراً پھر سے بمباری کرنی پڑی اور 100 کے لگ بھگ مزید فلسطینی بادلِ نخواستہ ہلاک ہوگئے۔باقی دنیا نے حماس کی جانب سے اغوا کی پرزور تردید کے باوجود ہادار گولڈن کے دن دہاڑے اغوا کے اسرائیلی دعوے پر آمنا و صدقنا کہتے ہوئے کہا کہ یہ واردات اس بات کا ثبوت ہے کہ حماس کو جنگ بندی سے کوئی دلچسپی نہیں۔

اقوامِ متحدہ کے سیکرٹری جنرل بانکی مون، امریکی وزیرِ خارجہ جان کیری اور صدر اوباما نے ہادار گولڈن کی غیر مشروط فوری رہائی کا مطالبہ کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ ایسی گھٹیا حرکتوں سے غزہ میں جنگ بندی کے امکانات کو ناقابلِ تلافی نقصان پہنچ رہا ہے۔غزہ کے عام شہریوں کی ہلاکتیں بھی افسوسناک ہیں لیکن لیفٹننٹ ہادار گولڈن کا اغوا ایک بہیمانہ فعل ہے جس کی جتنی بھی مذمت کی جائے کم ہے۔
 
ہائے بے چارہ ہادار گولڈن !! ابھی23 برس کا ہی تو سن تھا۔چند ہی ہفتے بعد اس کی شادی ہونے والی تھی۔اس کے دادا اور دادی نازیوں کے گیس چیمبر میں دھکیلے جانے سے بال بال بچے اور پھر دونوں نے بطور شکرانہ فلسطین میں آ کر اسرائیل کی جنگِ آزادی میں بھرپور حصہ لیا۔

غزہ کے عام شہریوں کی ہلاکتیں بھی افسوسناک ہیں لیکن لیفٹننٹ ہادار گولڈن کا اغوا ایک بہیمانہ فعل ہے جس کی جتنی بھی مذمت کی جائے کم ہے۔
لیفٹننٹ ہادار گولڈن کے والد سمبا اور والدہ ہیڈوا کیمبرج یونیورسٹی میں پڑھاتے رہے اور اب پروفیسر سمبا تل ابیب یونیورسٹی میں تاریخ ِ یہود کے استاد ہیں۔ہادار کا جڑواں بھائی زور اسرائیلی فوج میں خدمات انجام دے رہا ہے۔ جبکہ ایک بھائی مینہم اور بہن ایلات زیرِ تعلیم ہیں۔ایسے پڑھے لکھے محبِ وطن امن پسند خاندان کے لیے اپنے جگر گوشے کے اغوا اور پھر اس کی ہلاکت دونوں کی نیتن یاہو حکومت کی جانب سے تصدیق کسی قیامت سے کم نہیں۔

چنانچہ جس طرح اسرائیل کی بری و فضائی افواج نے ہادار کے مبینہ اغوا کے غم میں جنگ بندی کی بے فکری میں ضروریاتِ زندگی خریدنے والے اہلِ غزہ کو نشانہ بنایا اسی طرح ہادار کی ہلاکت کی تصدیق کے سوگ میں ایک اور اسکول پر حملہ کردیا جس میں اقوامِ متحدہ کے تحفظ میں بہت سے فلسطینی پناہ لیے ہوئے تھے۔

اب آپ کہیں گے کہ مجھے 1700 کے لگ بھگ فلسطینیوں کی لاشیں اور 
9000 زخمی اور پانچ لاکھ دربدر اہلِ غزہ اور اقوامِ متحدہ کے جھنڈے والےدفاتر اور سکولوں میں پناہ گزین ڈیڑھ لاکھ لوگ اور ان عمارتوں پر ہونے والی بمباری کیوں نظر نہیں آتی۔ مجھے غزہ کی مسلسل کئی برس کی بحری ، فضائی اور بری ناکہ بندی کیوں دکھائی نہیں دیتی۔میں صرف لیفٹننٹ ہادار گولڈن کے دکھ میں کیوں مرا جا رہا ہوں۔
 
مجھے ٹی وی چینلز پر اقوامِ متحدہ کا پھوٹ پھوٹ کر رونے والا اہل کار کرس گنیس کیوں نظر نہیں آتا۔میں ان چار بچوں کا ذکر کیوں نہیں کرتا جو ساحل پر کھیلتے ہوئے کسی اسرائیلی جنگی کشتی کے گولے کا نشانہ بن گئے۔میں کریم ابو زید کی بات کیوں نہیں کرتا جو غزہ کی موجودہ جنگ شروع ہونے سے سولہ روز پہلے پیدا ہوا ۔تئیس روز نہ سمجھ میں آنے والے دھماکوں سے ڈر کر ماں کی چھاتی سے چمٹا رہا اور اب سے تین روز پہلے اپنی عمر کے 40 دن پورے کرکے جسم یہیں پے چھوڑ گیا۔

مسلمان دنیا کے لیے اچھی خبر یہ ہے کہ 11000 کلو میٹر پرے جنوبی امریکہ کے ملک وینزویلا نے غزہ کے یتیم اور زخمی فلسطینی بچوں کو گود لینے کی پیش کش کی ہے۔ بھری مساجد میں رقت آمیز دعاؤں سے فرصت ملے تو وینزویلا کو اسلامی کانفرنس کی صدارت پیش کرنے پر غور کیجئے گا۔

وسعت اللہ خان

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Palestinians carry a wounded man following an Israeli air strike at a United Nations-run school

August 4, 2014, 12:37 am
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Palestinians carry a wounded man following what witnesses said was an Israeli air strike at a United Nations-run school, where displaced Palestinians take refuge, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip
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Palestinian women walk past a mosque and water tower damaged by Israeli air strikes

August 4, 2014, 12:52 am
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Palestinian women walk past a mosque and water tower damaged by what police said were Israeli air strikes and shelling in Khuzaa, east of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip
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The Ruins Of Gaza

August 5, 2014, 2:34 am
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Palestinians sit next to their destroyed house after returning to the Shejaia neighbourhood, which witnesses said was heavily hit by Israeli shelling and air strikes during the Israeli offensive, in the east of Gaza City  . Israel pulled its ground forces out of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday and began a 72-hour truce with Hamas mediated by Egypt as a first step towards negotiations on a more enduring end to the month-old war. Gaza officials say the war has killed 1,834 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed since fighting began on July 8, after a surge in Palestinian rocket launches. — REUTERS



The Ruins Of Gaza

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Sayeeda Warsi

August 5, 2014, 3:10 am
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Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, born 28 March 1971) is a British solicitor and politician of Pakistani origin who was created a life peer in 2007. From May 2010 to September 2012 she was the Co-Chairman of the Conservative Party, along with Lord Feldman, and a Minister without Portfolio in David Cameron's Cabinet. She was the first Muslim to serve in a British Cabinet, the third Muslim minister and the first female Muslim to serve as a minister in the United Kingdom, although she never won an election. On 4 September 2012, she was appointed Senior Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Minister for Faith and Communities.[1] Warsi resigned from both posts on 5 August 2014 citing concerns that she was no longer able to support government policy on Gaza. [2]

Early life and career 

Baroness Warsi was the second of five daughters born in Dewsbury, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1971, to Pakistani immigrants fromBewal, Gujar Khan. She is of the Jat caste, her ancestors being from southern Pakistan. Her father, Safdar Hussain,[3] after starting life as a mill worker, operates a bed manufacturing company, which has a turnover of £2 million a year. Warsi has said that her father's success led her to adopting Conservative principles.[4]

Warsi was educated at Birkdale High School, Dewsbury College, and the University of Leeds, where she read Law. She attended the College of Law (now the University of Law), York, and completed her legal practice training thereafter with both the Crown Prosecution Service and the Home Office Immigration Department.

After qualifying as a solicitor, she worked for the last Conservative MP for Dewsbury, John Whitfield, at Whitfield Hallam Goodall Solicitors and then set up a practice in Dewsbury.



Political career 

Warsi was the unsuccessful Conservative parliamentary candidate for Dewsbury at the 2005 general election, becoming the first Muslim woman to be selected by the Conservatives. During the election campaign she was criticised for election literature which was described as "homophobic" by the gay equality group Stonewall.[5] She served as a special adviser to Michael Howard on community relations, and was appointed by David Cameron as vice chairman of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for cities.

Life peer 

On 2 July 2007, Warsi was appointed Shadow Minister for Community Cohesion.[6] To take up the post, she was created a life peeras Baroness Warsi, of Dewsbury in the County of West Yorkshire, on 11 October 2007 and was introduced in the House of Lords on 15 October 2007.[7] On joining the House of Lords, she became its youngest member.[8]

On 1 December 2007, Warsi travelled to Khartoum, with the Labour peer Lord Ahmed, to mediate in the Sudanese teddy bear blasphemy case (a British citizen teaching at Unity High School had been prosecuted and jailed for insulting Islam after allowing her class to name a teddy bear Muhammed). Although the peers' meeting with Sudanese PresidentOmar al-Bashir did not lead directly to Gillian Gibbons being pardoned, it is acknowledged that, along with the enormous efforts made by her family, friends, and others, it was a helpful contribution to her release. Gibbons' son thanked Warsi and Ahmed for "their hard work behind the scenes" and the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, praised both peers, saying "I applaud the particular efforts of Lord Ahmed and Baroness Warsi in securing her freedom." The left-leaning Guardian newspaper referred to the incident as "Tory Peer's Triumph".[9][10]
In Government[edit]
Minister without portfolio[edit]

On 12 May 2010, David Cameron appointed Baroness Warsi as Minister without portfolio in Cabinet, when she succeeded Eric Pickles as chairman of the Conservative Party. The appointment made Warsi the first Muslim woman to serve in the Cabinet.[11]

She was sworn of the Privy Council on 13 May 2010.[12]

Cabinet reshuffle 

Ahead of David Cameron's first cabinet reshuffle, Warsi told the Daily Telegraph: "If I genuinely had a choice, I would like to stay doing what I'm doing." Speaking in Tampa Bay, Florida, where she had been attending the Republican Party convention, Lady Warsi said the Prime Minister knew her strengths and weaknesses. She said the party needed more votes from people in urban areas and more women. She said: "If you look at the demographics, at where we need to be at the next election, we need more people in the North voting for us, more of what they call here blue collar workers and I call the white working class. We need more people from urban areas voting for us, more people who are not white and more women. I play that back and think, I'm a woman, I'm not white, I'm from an urban area, I'm from the North, I'm working class - I kind of fit the bill. All the groups that we're aiming for are groups that I'm familiar with. I believe you've got to have the right people in the right job," she added.[13]


In the same interview she said that she was angry to be viewed "as a tokenistic appointment". Lord Ashcroft found “At the 2010 election, only 16% of ethnic minority voters supported the Conservatives. More than two thirds voted Labour1. Not being white was the single best predictor that somebody would not vote Conservative. The gulf between the Conservative Party and ethnic minorities is a well-known feature of British politics. It persists in spite of the Tories’ efforts in recent years to reach beyond their core voters.” [14]

In the event, on 4 September 2012 Warsi was shuffled to the new post of "Senior Minister of State" in the Foreign Office and Minister for Faith and Communities (the latter being a role she shadowed in opposition). Warsi announced she had been removed as Party Chairman via twitter, tweeting, "It's been a privilege and an honour to serve my party as co-chairman, signing off @ToryChairman".[15]

Minister in UK 

Senior Minister of State 

At the Foreign Office she was responsible for: • Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh • central Asia • human rights • UN, OIC, International Organisations and the International Criminal Court • all FCO business in the House of Lords.[16]

At the Department for Communities and Local Government she worked with religious and community leaders to promote faith, religious tolerance and stronger communities within the UK.[17]
Islamic Finance 

Baroness Warsi established and co-Chaired the UK Government’s first Ministerial Task Force on Islamic Finance.[18] She said that the industry worth around $1.85 trillion (£1.15 trillion) globally, with growth rates of up to 15 per cent each year. She argued “with billions of pounds in reported assets, and with the world’s financial capital, the UK is an increasingly important global player in Islamic finance”. Iconic buildings like London’s Shard have been given life with the help of Islamic finance, and London is home to a growing number of banks, law firms and other service providers with expertise in the sector. Added to this she argued “is Britain’s wider business offer. From our legal system and regulatory framework, to our time-zone and track record of innovation, the UK is rightly seen as a partner of choice”. She said the UK Government was determined to play its part in the development of the Islamic finance market. This is why the Prime Minister announced that we want to become the first country outside the Islamic world to issue an Islamic bond, a sukuk. She argues Britain is “a first class destination for trade and investment” and she is determined to “cement Britain’s position as the leading player for Islamic finance”.[19]

Her vision of an ‘Islamic Finance economy that never sleeps” has struck a chord by the industry.[20] At the World Islamic Economic Forum, the UK Government announced that Baroness Warsi will chair a new Global Islamic Finance and Investment Group. The Group will include members from key Islamic finance centres, including Chief Executives and Central Bank Governors. It will meet regularly to identify and address the critical factors that will drive the global Islamic finance market over the next 5 years. Bringing together senior experts and practitioners from industry and governments the group will consider the issues surrounding Islamic finance and how best to work together to promote its development.[21]

Persecution of Christians and Minorities 

At a speech in Washington DC, Baroness Warsi stated, “There are parts of the world today where to be a Christian is to put your life in danger. From continent to continent, Christians are facing discrimination, ostracism, torture, even murder, simply for the faith they follow”.[22]

She called it a “global crisis”, and made the case for an international response. She called for a “cross-faith, cross-continent unity on this issue – for a response which isn't itself sectarian. Because a bomb going off in a Pakistani church shouldn't just reverberate through Christian communities; it should stir the world”.[22]

Gay rights 

The gay rights organisation Stonewall, as well as several Labour politicians, questioned her suitability for a high-profile Conservative Party role owing to leaflets issued during her 2005 election campaign that contained views which they claimed were homophobic. Some of her 2005 campaign leaflets claimed that Labour's lowering of the homosexual age of consent from 18 to 16 (under the Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000) was "allowing schoolchildren to be propositioned for homosexual relationships",[23] and that homosexuality was being "peddled" to children as young as seven in schools.[24]

Speaking in December 2013 at a BNP Paribas event in support for the Kaleidoscope Trust, she apologised for her leaflets and said she was ‘on the wrong side of history’ on gay rights[25]

Warsi abstained in the vote over the second reading of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill in the House of Lords.[26]

Immigration 

In discussing immigration, Warsi said that people who back the British National Party (BNP) may have a point: "They have some very legitimate views. People who say, 'we are concerned about crime and justice in our communities – we are concerned about immigration in our communities'".[27][28] On 22 October 2009, Warsi represented the Conservatives on a controversial edition of Question Time marking the first ever appearance of Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP.[29] During that broadcast she strongly criticised the BNP, and when directly asked whether she was in favour of civil partnerships, replied, "I think that people who want to be in a relationship together, in the form of a civil partnership, absolutely have the right to do that."[30]

Islam 

On 30 November 2009, she was pelted with eggs by a group of Muslims whilst on a walkabout in Luton. The protesters accused her of not being a proper Muslim and of supporting the death of Muslims in Afghanistan. Warsi told the BBC that the men were "idiots who did not represent the majority of British Muslims". She later continued her walkabout with a police escort.[31] In May 2010, British radical Islamic preacher Anjem Choudary warned that she could be in physical danger if she visited Muslim communities. He said she would be attacked by eggs every time she went near a Muslim community and some protesters may take the attacks further, because he did not view her as a Muslim and could not represent Islam or any Muslim due to her support of the military involvement of the British Army in some Muslim countries.[32]

In the context of the United Kingdom debate over veils, a Tory MP tried to ban women from wearing burqas in public in 2010. Warsi responded that the garment does not limit women from engaging in everyday life. Amidst critics who say the burqa is divisive and has no place in British society, she argued that the choice of what to wear should be down to the individual.[33]

Lady Warsi argued against following the example of France and banning Muslim women from wearing the veil as this was “not the British way” she said “that allowing people wear what they want was the basis of a free society”. She added: “I think I would be as offended if I was told ‘actually you must wear a miniskirt to work because that's that we like women to wear’ as I would be if somebody came to me and said ‘we want you to be covered from head to toe because that's what we like woman to wear’.”

But she also insisted that those who choose to wear garments such as full-face veil must accept that there are some situations in which it is not appropriate and some jobs they might not be able to do.[34]

She was supported in her position by her colleague, Immigration Minister, Damian Green who said banning the face veil would be "un-British" and would be at odds with the UK's "tolerant and mutually respectful society".[35]

Church and society 

In September 2010, during the visit of Pope Benedict XVIto England and Scotland, Baroness Warsi said the Labour government appeared to have viewed religion as "essentially a rather quaint relic of our pre-industrial history. They were also too suspicious of faith's potential for contributing to society – behind every faith-based charity, they sensed the whiff of conversion and exclusivity. And because of these prejudices they didn't create policies to unleash the positive power of faith in our society."[36] She returned to this theme, as a cabinet minister, in February 2012, saying "Britain is under threat from a rising tide of militant secularisation", before an official visit to the Vatican to mark the 30th anniversary of the re-establishment of full diplomatic ties between Britain and the Vatican.[37] She went on to say, "I am not calling for some kind of 21st century theocracy. Religious faith and its followers do not have the only answer. There will be times when politicians and faith leaders will disagree. What is more, secularism is not intrinsically damaging. My concern is when secularisation is pushed to an extreme, when it requires the complete removal of faith from the public sphere".[38] While she herself is a Muslim, she says that Europe needs to be "more confident and more comfortable in its Christianity".[37]

On the Church of England, she insists she had “no doubts whatsoever” about maintaining its position as the Established Church. Describing the CofE as a “bedrock” of society. She believes “the system works”. “We have an Established Church”, it has “a unique position” an “obligation to all of its parishioners irrespective of their faith”. She thinks “it is an incredibly positive aspect of our life in Britain and long may it continue.” [39]

In November 2013, Lady Warsi, told an audience at the University of Cambridge, that Faith was being put back at the “heart of government,” as it was under Sir Winston Churchill and Baroness Thatcher. The Coalition she argued, is one of the “most pro-faith governments in the West,”. “More often than not, people who do God do good.” She said that religious groups must be allowed to provide public services without the state being “suspicious of their motives”. Quoting Margaret Thatcher she said 'I wonder whether the State services would have done as much for the man who fell among thieves as the Good Samaritan did for him?’  [39]

Resignation 

In early August 2014, it was reported that Baroness Warsi resigned her roles as senior minister of state at the foreign office and minister for faith & communities in protest at the government's position on the recent Israeli operation in Gaza, Operation Protective Edge.[40]
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Gaza officials say the war has killed 1,834 Palestinians, most of them civilians

August 6, 2014, 3:38 am
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Gaza officials say the war has killed 1,834 Palestinians, most of them civilians. Israel says 64 of its soldiers and three civilians have been killed since fighting began



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Top Countries by number of research papers published

August 7, 2014, 12:27 am
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Top Countries by number of research papers published
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Gaza Under Attack : The Children of Gaza

August 7, 2014, 3:29 am
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The UN, Unicef and others have already reported on the dire impact the conflict between Israel and Hamas has had on the children of Gaza. 373 children have died in the conflict and graphic and heartbreaking images of those dead or injured have become a staple of news reports from the area. Save the Children took out full page ads in numerous UK newspapers today listing the names of all the children that have been killed. 


A UN report published yesterday said Israel’s nearly month-long offensive against Hamas had had a “catastrophic and tragic impact” on children in the area. The UN has repeatedly warned that Gaza is on the brink of a full-blown crisis and has warned that it is struggling to cope. The UN relief and works agency says at least 270,000 people are in shelter at around 90 of their centres across Gaza. Israeli shelling has destroyed or damaged 142 schools, 89 of which were UN run. Unicef has estimated that those children who have survived the conflict will be left with severe psychological difficulties and will require immediate psycho-social support. The organisation believes upwards of 373,000 children with have some kind of psychological trauma and many face an “extraordinarily bleak” future. ernille Ironside, head of the field office run by the UN children’s agency in Gaza said: "How do we expect parents and caregivers to care for their children and to raise them in a positive and nurturing way when they themselves are barely functioning as humans?"
"People have lost entire strands of their family in one blow. How can a society cope with this? This is a deep, deep, deep wound," 
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فٹ بالر میسی کا غزہ کے بچوں ساتھ اظہار یکجہتی........

August 8, 2014, 4:25 am
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ارجنٹینا کے مقبول عام فٹ بالر لائنیل میسی نے غزہ کے مظلوم فلسطینی بچوں کے حقوق کا دفاع کرتے ہوئے کہا ہے کہ ''ایک باپ اور یونیسیف کا سفیر ہونے کے ناطے میں غزہ پر اسرائیلی بمباری کے بعد سامنے آنے والی فلسطینی بچوں کی تصاویردیکھ کر سخت خوف زدہ ہوا ہوں۔ ''
واضح رہے آٹھ جولائی سے اب تک غزہ میں 1900 سے زائد فلسطینی شہید ہوئے ہیں جن میں اکثریت عام شہریوں کی اور لگ بھگ چار سو سے زائد بچے شہید ہوئے ہیں، جبکہ زخمی بچوں کی تعداد کہیں زیادہ ہے۔
میسی نے فلسطینی بچوں کے بارے میں اپنے جذبات کا اظہار فیس بک پر کیا ہے۔ میسی کے فیس بک فالوورز کی تعداد چھ کروڑ اسی لاکھ تنتالیس ہزار نو سو تیرہ ہے۔
میسی جنہوں نے حال ہی میں بارسلونا کے لیے کھیلا ہے اپنے فیس بک پر مزید لکھا ہے ''اسرائیل اور حماس کا تنازعہ بچوں نے کھڑا نہیں کیا تھا لیکن اس کی سب سے بھاری قیمت بچوں کو ہی ادا کرنا پڑی۔ ''
میسی نے زور دے کر کہا ''یہ احمقانہ تشدد ضرور رکنا چاہیے، ہمیں جنگی مضمرات کے حوالے سے بچوں کے تحفظ کا ضرور اہتمام کرنا چاہیے۔''
میسی کے ان انسانی ہمدردی پر مبنی جذبات کا ایک پہلو یہ ہے کہ میسی نے انہیں انگریزی اور عربی دونوں زبانوں میں فیس بک پر دیا ہے۔ جبکہ ایک زخمی فلسطینی بچے کی تصویر بھی ساتھ لگائی گئی ہے جس کی ڈاکٹروں نے مرہم پٹی کر رکھِی ہے۔
میسی کے اس پیغام کو اب تک 63 ہزار سے زائد لوگ پسند کر چکے ہیں اور 12 ہزار سے زائد نے شئیر کیا ہے۔ اس پر بعض نے اعتراض بھی کیا ہے کہ ایک بین الاقوامی سٹار نے فلسطینیوں کی حمایت کی ہے۔ ایک نے لکھا ہے ''آپ عرب دنیا کی دہشت گرد تنظیم کی حمایت کیسے کر سکتے ہیں
بعض نے اس کی تحریر اور جذبات کے حوالے سے اس کی زبردست تحسین کی ہے۔ میسی نے جولائی کے دوران فلسطینی بچوں کے لیے دس لاکھ ڈالر کا عطیہ دیا تھا۔٫
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