Above, clockwise from left: John Burke’s Irish passport, which was returned to his father after his death; a photograph that appeared with the obituary of Muhammad Omar in Al Jihad magazine, following his death in April 1989; the site in Afghanistan that is believed to be John Burke’s grave; an excerpt from one of his letters to his father, describing his time on the front in Afghanistan. Photographs courtesy of the Burke family
For The Irish Times , this story began with a note in a book, about an Irishman who had died fighting in 1980s Afghanistan. Foreign Correspondent MARY FITZGERALD traced his origins to a terraced house in Clonmel, where a father still grieves for John Burke, Tipperary man and Ireland’s only known jihadi ‘martyr’
On a Sun-Bleached plain some 30km from the city of Jalalabad in eastern Afghanistan lies what is believed to be the final resting place of the only Irish person known to have died in the cause of jihad. As is the custom in that part of the world, his is a simple grave, its boundaries marked by a circle of stones. It is also anonymous; there is no headstone or plaque to tell what few travellers may pass by this remote spot that here lies Muhammad Omar, born John Gerard Burke in Clonmel, Co Tipperary, in October 1962; died April 1989.
There are several accounts of the circumstances surrounding his death.
Political parties and religious groups across Pakistan are holding rallies in support of the separatist movement in Kashmir. And in his first public speech since release from house arrest, Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the head of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, is set to address one ‘Kashmir Solidarity’ rally in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Friday.
Jamaat-ud-Dawa has been accused of being a political front for the Lashkar-e-Taiba network – the group blamed by India for the 2008 attacks on Mumbai in which gunmen killed more than 160 people. Saeed denies involvement and was released in June by a Lahore court which found insufficient evidence for his continued detention.
“Its not your country, it is our country as well. We have ruled this country for centuries, the only difference is that you (hindu) are an early immigrant to this country and we came later on. the original resident of India are Dravidians.” – Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, when Hindus started killing innocent Muslims in India after Muslim League announced that it will demand a seperate homeland. He further added:
“United India means slavery for the Muslims and complete domination of Hindu imperialistic rule throughout the sub-continent and this is what Congress seeks to attain with constant threat to all everyday and this is what we are determined to resist with all that lies in our power.”
“Pakistan is our deliverance, defence and honor. If we fail then there will be no trace of Muslims and Islam in this Subcontinent. “
‘Allah is the Greatest. O Allah bring us the new moon with security and faith, with peace and in Islam, and in harmony with what our Lord Loves and what pleases Him. Our Lord and your Lord is Allah.’
TeamPKKH Wishes You A Blessed Ramadan.
We wish you and your loves ones Allah’s forgiveness, blessings and acceptance of our prayers during this holy month of Ramadan. Lets also remember in prayers our brothers and sisters in Malakand, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Chechnya, in Kashmir, in India, and in Falasteen. May Allah grant them sabr and bless them with peace and prosperity in the days to come. Allah-o-Akbar.
Below are PKKH’s Ramadan Greeting Cards that you can open, save/download and send to your loved ones.
PKKH Editorial Team Exclusive Report By Noreen Shaikh | Edited by Hammad Q and Tanya Abbas
There are many among the youth of our country who underestimate the beauty of Pakistan; they fail to see the treasures hidden under the cultural landscape and look at it condescendingly, comparing it to other countries with superficial “luxuries” to offer. Among the many things that are unwary of, they do not know that this wondrous land which is the sixth most populous country in the world, boasts the second largest Muslim (and Shi’ite Muslim) population, only after Indonesia. It has been listed as one of the next eleven economies identified by Goldman Sachs investment bank and is believed to have a high potential of becoming the world’s largest economies in the 21st century, Insha’ALLAH.
This land of the pure has natural resources in such abundance that it can sustain itself for many years ahead. Scientific investigation and exploration, into the resources, have only really been under way for a few years; the equipments used are obsolete and outdated, while the analysis is incomplete. Regardless of all the constraints, it is believed that all of while has been identified so far is a mere tip of the iceberg.
It is an irrefutable fact that Pakistan and Islam can never be isolated from each other. One was created for the protection and promotion of the other. The British tactic was always to instil territorial nationalism in the Muslim world and thus drive them apart. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the great twentieth century Muslim poet-philosopher, confronted this attempt with his enlightened Islamic philosophy which emphasised how important it was for Muslims to unite and revert to the teachings of Islam which came with “legal concepts”, “civic significance”, and “religious ideals” that could not be separated from a social order. According to his Two-Nation Theory, Pakistan was the only way by which these ideals could be realised. Thus, it was essentially on the basis of Islamic philosophy and as a hallmark of Islam that Pakistan came into being.
MUMBAI: “Am I a criminal or a terrorist?” asked an upset Emraan Hashmi on Friday. The Bollywood actor said he had been denied a house he wanted to buy in the upmarket Pali Hill area of Mumbai because he was Muslim. Read ‘Muslims unwelcome? Yes, says Emraan Hashmi‘
This, ofcourse is not the first time the ‘myth’ of India’s so called ‘Secularism’ has been shred to pieces. Noted Indian actress, Member of Parliament and renowned social activist Shabana Azmi is among the thousands of Muslims in India who have been a victim of India’s religious intolerance.
Quoting from IndianMuslims.com, instances like the one narrated below are a daily occurrence in ‘Secular’ India:
“As soon as I entered the train, I saw some commuters beating up a Pathani-clad man. Even before I could realise what was happening, two of the commuters saw me and started hitting me as well. They just kept saying ‘get out of this country, go back to Pakistan, you do not belong here, you are the ones responsible for the blasts in the city’,” says a shocked Ghojaria.
The watch repair mechanic was all the more stunned when he was asked to take the name of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. “When they started hitting me, I screamed ‘Allah’. That’s when they told me to call out to Ram and Krishna instead. They said they wouldn’t let go of me if I did not chant the names,” alleges Ghojaria, adding that the mob even pulled his beard. The abuse stopped only when the train reached Churchgate terminal. “Nobody came forward to help me. I felt utterly helpless throughout. When the train came to a halt at Churchgate, all the commuters, including the attackers, simply walked away,” adds Ghojaria. [Read Full Article]
In this latest episode by Brasstacks, Zaid Hamid sheds some light on Khilafat-e-Rashida that how it was the greatest form of governance ever by human kind.
And on Sunday, LA Times reported, US Defense Secretary Robert Gates saying, “US-led forces must gain ground against militants in Afghanistan by next summer to avoid a public perception the war is un-winnable.”
While noting that the Taliban would not be defeated within a year, Mr Gates told the newspaper it was critical that the US military and its allies showed they were making progress. Defense Secretary also said that “Troops are tried and American people are pretty tired”.
Puppets like Hamid Karzai and his drug dealing warlords are proving of zero worth in US interests and as a matter of fact, US forces are loosing ground fast with European allies, even staunch ones like UK, are desperate to withdraw troops support to USA in the war USA is just about to loose – insha Allah.
In this latest episode by Brasstacks, Zaid Hamid sheds some light on Khilafat-e-Rashida that how it was the greatest form of governance ever by human kind.
In 2005-06, we witnessed blasphemous cartoons against Islam and Prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.) in Danish newspapers resulting in uproar of protests by Muslims all over the world but it did not end here. These blasphemous cartoons were repeatedly published in many newspapers throughout Europe. It was claimed by Westerners that people making cartoons have a right of “freedom of expression”.
Whilst playing with her son in a public park in Germany, Marwa asked a man sitting on a swing if he could let her son play since it was the only swing available, the man who is a 28 year old German with Russian origins, started insulting Marwa calling “terrorist” and “Islamic whore” and attacked her by pulling her veil off!
Thus in an attempt to gain back her dignity and rights Marwa sued this merciless person. The court ruled in favor of Marwa, asking for 750 Euros fine to be given to Marwa.
The villain asked for a second hearing, in which he stabbed the three month pregnant Marwa 18 times resulting in her death, in front of the whole court including her son and husband who was also heavily attacked by the German police and is now under medical care! The German police now have custody of the felon who is alive and well.
“At least one picture shows an American soldier apparently raping a female prisoner while another is said to show a male translator raping a male detainee.”, writes Duncan Gardham of Telegraph for inhumane treatment and fierce torture on illegal detainees in Abu Ghuraib jail.
“Further photographs are said to depict sexual assaults on prisoners with objects including a truncheon, wire and a phosphorescent tube.”, “Another apparently shows a female prisoner having her clothing forcibly removed to expose her breasts.”, Major General Antonio Taguba, the former army officer who conducted an inquiry into the Abu Ghraib jail in Iraq writes in his investigative report.
Despite of this, Obama administration is defiant to bring perpetrators to justice by providing full cover to officials of Bush administration by blocking the publication of at least 2,000 of such photographs.
Obama says, “The most direct consequence of releasing them, I believe, would be to inflame anti-American public opinion and to put our troops in greater danger.”
This blueprint is being used by India in Kashmir and Americans in Iraq — to explore more on “filthy face” of claimants of freedom, liberty and democracy, click here:
An excellent attempt to unfold the concept of Mard e Momin of Allama Iqbal by Zaid Hamid. This lecture was arranged by EPIC in Lahore. PKKH thanks DISNA (Dr. Iqbal Society of North America) for presenting the audios and we are indeed privileged to present this lecture.
“The BJP is an open enemy of the Muslims, and the Congress is a hidden enemy. I’d rather vote for the open enemy, so I can go to them for protection.”
Muslims in India’s Gujarat state who bore the burnt of religious riots in 2002 say they have been abandoned by the political parties, writes Soutik Biswas
The acrid smell of burning oil singes your nose and eyes as you walk into Bombay Hotel, a sprawling ghetto of Muslim-owned homes on the eastern flank of Ahmedabad, the main city in western Gujarat state.
A pall of black factory smoke hangs over this untidy patchwork of squat, ugly houses. Residents pay 150 rupees ($3) a month to a private contractor who supplies yellow-coloured drinking water through dirty garden pipes. Sewage flows out into the street.
Bombay Hotel, which takes it name after a local roadside eatery, is one of the places where many Muslims displaced by the 2002 Gujarat riots moved to. Over the past seven years, it has transformed from a remote industrial colony to become a busy refugee settlement.
The anti-Muslim riots, sparked off by the death of Hindu pilgrims in the firebombing of a train, led to the death of 1,392 people in five districts, according to official records. NGOs say the toll is closer to 2,000.
New Delhi: Union Minorities Affairs Minister A R Antulay suspects the truth behind Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad chief Hemant Karkare’s murder is being suppressed.
Karkare was leading the investigation into the Malegaon blast and was shot dead during the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26. Antulay told CNN-IBN he was not sure whether Karkare was a victim of terrorism “or something else”.
“Karkare was a very bold officer. I know his acumen was great. He had vision and was prepare to lay down life for country at any time. Now how come instead of going to the Taj (Hotel) or the Oberoi (Hotel) he went to such a place where there was nothing?” said Antulay.
“He was also making an independent investigation. (in which) he found that there were non-Muslims who were terrorists. Whether he was just a victim of terror or something (else), I don’t know. I knew him personally; I salute him.”
Karkare, Additional Commissioner of Police Ashok Kamte and Inspector Vijay Salaskar were shot dead by the terrorists who had hijacked a police vehicle and were speeding away toward the Cama Hospital.
Karkare had come under attack from Hindu groups for arresting Hindus for the Malegaon blast and was accused of working under political pressure. At least two Hindu seers and a serving officer have been arrested for the blast, which killed five persons in the communally sensitive Maharashtra town on September 29 last year. [Source]
Also read this detailed list of contradictory claims made by Indian officials and the Media about the captured terrorists in Mumbai – since the ‘arrest’.
Strange that none of the media (TV or Print) have picked this up at all. Or have they been deliberately ignoring it?
Have a look at the above picture of one of the terrorists. [Another angle]
Notice the orange thread / band on his right hand.
Tying a red thread or cord around the wrist is a Hindu practice and it is unlikely a Muslim, especially one politicized enough to carry out an attack such as this, would observe it. I think this provides more evidence that this was a false flag operation or at least an attack by a non-Muslim group. For more information about the significance of the red thread see wikipedia and this blog post. [Thanks to Uruk]
Additionally, the terrorists inside the Nariman House Building were reported to have stocked up on supplies on Wednesday evening, buying not just food items but liquor, among other things, from a local store [Source]. Again, it is highly unlikely that a Muslim, let alone a ‘Mujahid’, and especially one politicized enough to carry out such an attack, would consume liquor in normal life, let alone hours before his inevitable ‘martyrdom’.
Don’t let them ignore it. Circulate this to as many people as you can as we strongly believe it wouldn’t have been ignored if the terrorists were carrying a copy of the Qur’an, or a taveez.
It is an irrefutable fact that Pakistan and Islam can never be isolated from each other. One was created for the protection and promotion of the other. The British tactic was always to instil territorial nationalism in the Muslim world and thus drive them apart. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the great twentieth century Muslim poet-philosopher, confronted this attempt with his enlightened Islamic philosophy which emphasised how important it was for Muslims to unite and revert to the teachings of Islam which came with “legal concepts”, “civic significance”, and “religious ideals” that could not be separated from a social order. According to his Two-Nation Theory, Pakistan was the only way by which these ideals could be realised. Thus, it was essentially on the basis of Islamic philosophy and as a hallmark of Islam that Pakistan came into being.
