ASMA- On 23rd July 2007 at 12.00 Noon

The Enigmatic Gordon Brown

The Enigmatic Gordon Brown

By Halima Columbo Freelance Writer — UK

The main concern for Brown is dealing with an unprecedented security situation. As Chancellor of the Exchequer, the serious but somewhat enigmatic Gordon Brown has been at the heart of economic decision-making throughout the Blair years. When he assumes his new role as prime minister on June 27, he will have another focus. Constitutional reform, further anti-terrorism measures, Britain's role in Iraq, and the promotion of social cohesion have all been forced to the top of the agenda by the fallout from the Iraq War, in addition to changes in British society and environmental concerns. They will have direct impact on Muslims in Britain and abroad. However, these are also issues on which Brown has been mostly silent in the past. As Chancellor of the Exchequer in charge of economic affairs, Brown influenced health, transport, and education policies. It was he who decided to keep Britain out of the European Monetary System and who introduced the surprising, but tactically smart, move of giving the Bank of England the responsibility to set interest rates. He introduced tax credits to supplement the income of families with low earnings, and he massively increased spending on social policies. He encouraged major investment in large capital projects, such as hospitals, through the Private Finance Initiative. Critics question whether the increased spending has been used effectively, and they worry about increasing levels of public and personal indebtedness, the consensus being that during Brown's chancellorship, the economy has been relatively prosperous and stable. British Values Will Brown act differently by moving away from the unpopular policies of the past? Join the ongoing discussion now Brown's style exhibits the pragmatic balance that was so successful in sweeping New Labour to power in 1997. The son of a Presbyterian minister, he once stated in an interview that he had been brought up to believe in God and to have a "moral compass," including the virtue of hard work, respecting others, and "not passing by on the other side" (a reference to the parable of the Good Samaritan in the Gospels whose lesson is that true piety lies in helping those in need). However, he learned from the long years of Conservative rule that there is no purpose in uncompromising idealism if it prevents the gaining of power. He is interested in ideas across the political spectrum, having a doctorate degree in the early history of the Labour Party but also quoting enthusiastically from Himmelfarb, a thinker of the American right. It has sometimes been difficult for people to determine exactly where Brown's interests lie. Is he a businessman well-versed in the language of the left or a trade union man in a business suit? Brown is said to particularly admire the values of 18th century British Enlightenment thinkers such as Locke, Smith, and Burke, who all emphasized that reason should be tempered with compassion for the well-being of society. Thus, his politics are informed by a moral vision of what society should be. Unprecedented Challenges As Brown has been very closely associated with Blair, the political challenge is to carve out an identity distinct from the past, distancing himself from the mistakes of the Blair years and restoring public trust in politics without being too critical of a government in which he played a central role. In an interview with the journalist Andrew Marr earlier this year, he told him that "I think the next ten years will have challenges that are quite different from the last ten years," adding that we need "a new settlement for our times" (BBC, 8 Jan. 2007). The way Brown sees it, the three main challenges facing Britain are security, the environment, and the economy. Many of the biggest challenges are the legacy of the Iraq War that Brown acknowledged is "the most divisive issue for Labour and the country," at a recent meeting of Labour leaders in Sheffield (BBC, 27 May 2007). So, will Brown withdraw troops from Iraq? Brown has admitted that the government "made mistakes" over the handling of Iraq and does appear to be hoping for a reduced role, emphasizing that the number of British troops in Iraq are being reduced. He also has called for making intelligence gathering independent of political control in the future. However, he has defended Britain's role in Iraq and it is unlikely that he will call for an immediate withdrawal of troops. The main concern for Brown is dealing with an unprecedented security situation. Recent proposals supported by him extend anti-terror measures. They include new powers for police across the country to stop and search people, even without reasonable suspicion. Such powers are already in force in London. Tens of thousands of individuals, mainly Muslims, have been stopped although few arrests have been made as a result. Another proposal is to extend detention without charge from 28 days to 90 days. Brown believes it is necessary to increase the length of detention in order to give time for the gathering of evidence that may come from abroad, despite the fact that the last time the government attempted to introduce this, it was defeated in the House of Commons. Another proposal he believes to be necessary is the admission of intercept evidence from telephone tapping, providing there are safeguards to protect the anonymity of the security service sources from whom this evidence was obtained.He also supports continued interrogation of suspects after they have been charged. Brown hopes to gain cross-party support for these new measures and counter fears that they are further eroding civil liberties by saying that these should be balanced by increased parliamentary and judicial scrutiny. He has also repeatedly talked about the need to win hearts and minds the battle against terrorism, likening this to "the cultural war" fought against Communist propaganda during the Cold War. This work will be in the field of community cohesion, where ministers have set out plans to have a national day celebrating British values. High levels of immigration and declining levels of political participation have also contributed to a sense that Britain urgently needs to define and celebrate what it means to be British. Proposals include enabling citizenship to be "earned" by accruing points for things like voluntary work, points that can be lost for criminal behaviour. It is hoped that a heightened sense of nationhood will not further increase suspicion of Muslims as not being loyal to Britain because of their criticism of Government policy. The problem for Brown is that whilst reasonable people everywhere believe that values such as compassion, honesty and fairness are a good thing, not all agree that Britain is living up to such values and thus many will find it hard to summon up the enthusiasm to feel much like celebrating. New Settlement As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Brown influenced health, transport, and education policies. Brown started his election campaign with a pledge to restore powers to Parliament and to have a more open and accountable Government in order to restore trust in the democratic process. Brown has argued that the challenges of the age need a change in the way politics are conducted, telling Andrew Marr, "We do need a new settlement over these next few years between, if you like, the executive, the legislature, and that is the power of Parliament and the House of Commons, and people themselves." (BBC, 8 Jan. 2007). He also emphasized in the same interview that he was interested in "new ways of engaging people in the decisions that really do affect their lives." He said in a recent speech in Glasgow that he was going to lead a "listening government" (BBC, 2 June 2007). However, in order to restore trust in the government is important that Brown does more than just listen. He must also act by moving away from the unpopular policies of the past, or it will just be a case of ‘everything changes and everything remains the same’, which will just reinforce voter cynicism. Sources: Brown Stresses "listening Labour". BBC News. 2 June 2007. Accessed 21 June 2007. Brown Warned on "Shadow" of Iraq. BBC News. 27 May 2007. Accessed 21 June 2007. In Full: Gordon Brown Interview. BBC News. 8 Jan. 2007. Accessed 21 June 2007.

The Marriage Contract: Its Basic Elements

The Marriage Contract: Its Basic Elements

By Bilal Dannoun

All praise is due to Allah, the Creator of our world and the laws that govern it. And peace and blessings of Allah be upon His slave and final Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), the one sent to all of mankind, the one sent to guide people out from the darkness of shirk (polytheism), into the light of tawheed (montheism). Know, dear reader, that Allah Most High has created things in pairs. Those pairs must get together in certain ways in order for reproduction to occur. The way for reproduction to occur among humans—males and females—is through marriage, known in Arabic as nikah. Islam urges Muslims to marry and prohibits premarital relationships. Allah Most High says in the Qur’an: [And marry those among you who are single and those who are fit among your male slaves and your female slaves; if they are needy, Allah will make them free from want out of His grace; and Allah is Ample-Giving, Knowing.](An-Nur 24:32) Also, Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), in the hadith found in Al-Bukhari and Muslim, commanded young people to marry, and advised those of them who could not afford it to fast as a means of controlling their sexual desire. From an Islamic perspective, marriage is not viewed merely as a means of satisfying natural desires and passions. Its goals are much deeper than just obtaining legal sex. Allah Most High points out one of the main objectives behind marriage by saying [And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you might live with tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your hearts (hearts).] (Ar-Rum 30:21) The marriage contract is the formal bond that turns two individuals from strangers to husband and wife. It is the most important contract that most people execute throughout their lives. Since the marriage contract has such great significance, the deen of Islam provides a number of guidelines. Before delving into the basic elements of marriage, it is worth mentioning here that marriage is a serious matter and should be dealt with seriously. It is not allowed for a man to marry and then claim he did not really mean it, or that he was joking. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “There are three matters in which it is not permissible to joke: marriage, divorce, and emancipation (of slaves)” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). The Islamic marriage contract has conditions, requirements, pillars, and optional elements. A contract must be Islamically acceptable. Eligibility of Bride and Groom The first of these conditions is that both the bride and groom must fulfill certain requirements. The groom must be a chaste Muslim having attained the age of puberty. He must not be related to the bride by any of the permanently prohibiting blood, milk, or marital relationships such as his sisters, paternal and maternal aunts, daughters, granddaughters, and others. He must not be prohibited from marrying the bride for any of the temporary reasons stipulated in the Qur’an and Sunnah. An example of a temporary reason is that as long as a man is married to a particular woman, all of her sisters become temporarily prohibited for him; that is, he may not marry any of them unless he divorces their sister or she dies. Others who are temporarily prohibited in marriage include a woman who is married to another man; a woman and simultaneously her niece; an adulteress or prostitute that has not sincerely repented; and others that the Islamic Shari`ah may have listed. The requirements a bride must fulfill is that she must be a chaste Muslim, Christian, or Jew. She must not be married to another man, and must not be related to the groom by any of the permanently prohibiting blood, milk, or marital relationships, in addition to not being prohibited from marrying the groom for any of the temporary reasons as stated above. Bride’s Permission The next required element of the marriage contract is the bride’s permission. Without her permission, the contract is either null and void, or may be invalidated by the Islamic authorities at the bride’s request. The minimum required permission may be done by either voicing her approval or through a passive expression such as remaining silent when asked about a potential husband and simply nodding her head, or making any other motion to indicate that she does not object to the marriage. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “A deflowered unmarried woman (i.e., widow or divorcee) may not be married without her instructions; and a virgin may not be married without her permission, and her silence indicates her consent” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). The Woman’s Wali The next requirement for a valid contract is the approval of the woman’s guardian known as the wali. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A marriage (contract) is not valid without a wali” (Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, and others; verified to be authentic by Al-Albani). Normally, a woman’s wali is her father. If for any reason her father is unable to be her wali, her wali would then be her next closest blood relation: the grandfather, uncle, brother, son, and so on. It is not permissible for a woman to take another woman as her wali. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A woman may not give another woman in marriage, nor may a woman give herself (independently) in marriage” (Ibn Majah, Al-Bayhaqi and others; verified to be authentic by Al-Albani). If the bride does not have a Muslim blood relative as a wali, the Islamic authority, represented by the ruler or judge, would appoint a wali for her. In non-Muslim communities the local imam is the one to be appointed as the wali of a woman who has no wali. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A marriage (contract) is not valid without a wali” (Ahmad and Abu Dawud; verified to be authentic by Al-Albani). (See The Wali in Marriage: Role and Responsibilities.) The presence of the wali or a representative he has appointed is an integral element of the contract or else the contract is deemed invalid. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Whichever woman marries without her wali’s permission, her marriage is void, her marriage is void, her marriage is void. If he (the husband) performs intercourse with her, the mahr (dower) becomes her right because he had access to her private parts” (Ahmad and Abu Dawud; verified to be authentic by Al-Albani). The Witnesses Another condition for the validity of a marriage contract is the presence of at least two trustworthy Muslim male witnesses. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A marriage is not valid without a wali and two trustworthy witnesses” (Ahmad, Ibn Hibban, and others; authentic according to Al-Albani). The Mahr (Dower) The next element of the marriage contract is a mandatory marriage gift from the husband to his wife. In Arabic, this gift is called mahr or sadaq. Allah Most High said, [And give the women their dowry as a free gift] (An-Nisaa’ 4:4). He also commanded regarding this by saying: [ And give them their compensation as an obligation] (An-Nisaa’ 4:24). The mahr is the sole right of the wife and no one may take any of it without her permission—not even her parents. The dower can be in the form of money, jewelry, clothing, or other material things. It can also be a non-material gift. The Shari`ah has not specified any amount, but it should be in accordance with the husband’s financial ability and with what is reasonable for the bride in her social status. It is normally determined by agreement between the husband and the bride or her wali. A woman came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and offered herself to him. He declined, so a man who was present with him said, “O Messenger of Allah, marry her to me.” The Prophet asked him, “Do you have anything to give her?” He said, “No.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Give her at least an iron ring.” But he still could not afford it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then asked him, “Have you memorized any portion of the Qur’an?” He replied, “I have memorized such-and-such surahs.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then said, “I marry her to you for the portion of the Qur’an that you have memorized.” This means that he was expected to teach her some of what he had memorized and to treat her kindly based on this memorization. All of that would be much more beneficial to the bride than lots of material gifts. Know that the best dower is that which is light and easiest upon the husband. This is actually a sign of blessing for the bride, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Verily, a sign of blessing for a woman is that her engagement, dower, and giving birth are all made easy” (Ahmad, Al-Hakim, and others; its chain is good according to Al-Albani). `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) once gave a sermon in which he said, “Do not be excessive in regard to the women’s dowers.” It is recommended to give the bride her dower immediately after executing the marriage contract. Yet it is a very common practice to divide the mahr into two portions, an advanced and postponed portion. It defeats the very purpose, which is to be a gift prior to having any intimacy with the bride. Conditions At the time of carrying out the marriage contract, the two parties may wish to set conditions whose violation would invalidate the contract. This is acceptable as long as the conditions do not violate any Islamic principles. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Every condition not according to the Book of Allah is void, even if it be a hundred conditions” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim). An example of a condition may be that a woman stipulates that she remain in a particular homeland during their marriage. The conditions are normally set by the wife’s side, because the husband can terminate the marriage by uttering the divorce. Carrying Out the Contract It is recommended for the person conducting the marriage ceremony to start with a sermon, khutbat al-hajah, that was reported by Ibn Mas`ud and Jabir in At-Tabarani and by Al-Bukhari in At-Tarikh. The main and actual pillars of the contract are the offering and acceptance known as ijab and qabul. They signify the mutual agreement and acceptance between the two parties to join in this marriage bond. The ijab and qabul must be stated in clear, well-defined words, in one and the same sitting, and in the presence of the witnesses. The person conducting the ceremony may help the two parties say offering and accepting words. Documenting the marriage contract is not a requirement for the contract’s validty. However, it is important to document it for future reference and to preserve the rights of the husband and wife. Once the marriage contract is executed, all rights and responsibilities for the two parties become immediately due. We ask Allah to bless us with beneficial knowledge and cure us from the ailment of ignorance and Allah knows best!

US, EU Resume Aid to Palestinian Gov't

US, EU Resume Aid to Palestinian Gov't

IslamOnline.net & News Agencies

"I told the prime minister that we want to work with his government and support his efforts to enforce the rule of law and to ensure a better life for the Palestinian people," Rice said. WASHINGTON/LUXEMBOURG — One day after Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas formed an emergency government without rival Hamas, the US and EU decided on Monday, June 18, to normalize ties with the new cabinet and resume the frozen direct aid. "I told him the US would resume full assistance to the Palestinian government and normal government-to-government contacts," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters after phoning Palestinian Premier Salam Fayyad, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). "I told the prime minister that we want to work with his government and support his efforts to enforce the rule of law and to ensure a better life for the Palestinian people." Bypassing parliament, where Hamas enjoys a comfortable majority, Abbas swore in a new emergency cabinet on Sunday, June 17, under West-educated economist Salam Fayyad. The move followed a decision by Abbas to sack the three-month Hamas-led national unity government and declare emergency across the Palestinian territories poised to end its 15-month aid embargo. The new emergency cabinet does not include any Hamas members. The American decision came after hours after a similar one was made by Euroean foreign ministers in Luxembourg. "The EU will resume normal relations with the Palestinian Authority immediately," the ministers said in a statement. The ministers also agreed to "resume direct financial support to the government" and undertake "intensive efforts to build the institutions of the future Palestinian state". The 27-nation bloc -- the biggest donor to the Palestinians – and the US froze ties with the government and suspended direct aid after Hamas swept to power last year through the ballot boxes. Israel also froze hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes and customs revenue collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority after Hamas's electoral victory, greatly exacerbating the economic crisis in the Palestinian territories. Full Support Rice told West-educated Fayyad, a respected economist and former employer of the World Bank, that American money would pour in again. "We intend to lift our financial restrictions on the Palestinian government, which has accepted previous agreements with Israel and rejects the path of violence," she said. "This will enable the American people and American financial institutions to resume normal economic and commercial ties with the Palestinian government." The US has outlawed sending any aid to the Palestinians and threatened to punish banks that transfer funds to the Palestinians, leaving millions of dollars donated to the Palestinians by Arabs and Muslims, peoples and government, locked in bank accounts. The announcement on lifting the 15-month embargo on direct aid to the Palestinians was all but certain Monday. "I'll talk to you later," Rice told reporters earlier Monday when asked about that possibility. President George W. Bush on Monday threw his backing behind Abbas during a 15-minute phone call. "The president pledged help and support," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. "President Abbas described the steps that he has taken in the last week forming an emergency government and appointing (Fayyad) as the prime minister," Snow said of the conversation with Bush. "Also he noted that he wanted to resume the political process and open political channels." US Consul General in Jerusalem Jacob Walles said earlier on Monday that Washington would normalize relations with the new government. "I told him that we will re-engage with this government. We will again have a normal relation with this government," he told reporters after a 90-minute meeting with Fayyad. "I told him that the USA supports him."

Click on to Lanka’s bloggers

By Smriti Daniel. Pic by Saman Kariyawasam. They rant and rave, they wax lyrical, they crack each other up; they spout poetry, abuse and sympathy; they analyse politics, plays and personal problems; they post videos, photographs and racy limericks. Acclamations and insults are exchanged under anonymous and unlikely pseudonyms as more and more people join the fray, choosing sides, forming allies. The keyboards click, the screens flicker, as comment after comment follows post after post. These are ordinary people made extraordinary by the revolution they lead. After all, it has already begun to change forever how we see our world. Welcome to the Blogosphere. It all began not so long ago when in December 1997 Jorn Barger coined the term weblog to describe the process of “logging the web” as he surfed. By mid-1999 the weblog had not only become quite simply a ‘blog’ it had also gathered a small but devoted following – a following that would soon turn into a multitude numbering in the tens of millions. One of the more popular blogging sites – Blogger.com explained: “A blog is a personal diary. A daily pulpit. A collaborative space. A political soapbox. A breaking-news outlet. A collection of links. Your own private thoughts. Memos to the world” – in other words, whatever you wanted to make it. “Bloggers” now “blogged” about just about anything, using not only text, but pictures, videos and even audio and music elements to make their point. Today Kottu is rife with debates and diatribes. The blog’s popularity lies, at least in part, in its almost magical simplicity. With the click of a few keys you can instantly share whatever you choose with a vast audience; you can make your voice heard, make your opinion matter, be seen, turn celebrity, stand up and be counted – at least in theory. The technology is simple, you don’t need to be a computer wizard or internet geek. You don’t even have to know anything about graphics or the programmes that make these things run. Even better – sites like Blogger and Blogsome will set you up with your very own blog for free. It’s no wonder then that in the last few years hundreds of Sri Lankans have taken to blogging like so many fish to water. Kottu - a syndicated community of Sri Lankan weblogs – boasts a blog-roll nearly 200 entries long – and numbers continue to slowly grow every week. “Sri Lankan blogging truly came into its own after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami,” says Ayeshea Perera, an undergraduate student at the University of Colombo who recently completed her thesis on blogging in Sri Lanka. She goes on to explain that “some bloggers such as Morquendi were able to send back news of badly affected areas that were as yet inaccessible to the mainstream media while other Sri Lankans chose to use blogging as a means of catharsis; a way in which to express their grief, shock and horror at what had happened.” Readers from around the globe logged on and some extracts from blogs were even featured in major international news networks. Suddenly Sri Lankan bloggers were getting global recognition. It was around that time that Indi Samarajiwa and Mahangu Weerasinghe put together Kottu – and the possibility of a Sri Lankan blogging “community” was born…the rest, to use the old cliché, is history. For Indi – who still acts as the site’s ‘janitor’ – Kottu is giving many a new blogger a chance to break in the easy way. “When I first began blogging four or five years ago, the only person who would read my blog was my mother,” he says ruefully, explaining that it used to take a long time for any blog to gather a following. In contrast, a blog on Kottu now, however new, has a pretty decent chance of being noticed immediately. For Indi as for Ayeshea, much of the charm of Kottu is simply in the way it brings people together. “The blogs on Kottu are so diverse – it’s a real mish-mash of personalities; and it is safe to say that a lot of these people may never have met let alone become friend, formed alliances etc. if not for the fact that they all blogged,” says Ayeshea. Today Kottu is rife with debates and diatribes on the subject of recent eviction of Tamil lodgers from the capital. Those arguing take both sides, speaking out with real fervour and conviction, often attempting to root themselves in measured objectivity or coherent analysis but sometimes simply just cutting loose. Commenting on the situation, Electra who has an established reputation for eloquent, passionate sarcasm blogged on Portrait: “Oh please, feed me another. As if this ‘back to where they came from’ rot isn’t the last thing this country needs. As if we can’t see that just by promoting the notion that these Tamils must ‘go back to where they came from,’ we’re strengthening the idea that this is not their country to begin with….” Indi – easily one of Sri Lanka’s most read bloggers - has comment threads that run for miles thanks to his thought provoking, unashamedly outspoken posts. In a post made awhile ago, he expanded on the idea of what living in a united Sri Lanka would really mean: “If you want a United Sri Lanka then you want to live with Tamil people. It means that you want them as neighbours, co-workers and friends. It means that you want to see their language and hear their music and eat their food and do all the fun and annoying things that come with living together. It means that they deserve the same security, rights and common decency as any fellow citizen. Both posts generated some heated debate, with bloggers coming out of the woodwork to make their opinions heard. Some comments were supportive, many were not. Some were altogether vicious and pointless. Not surprising really, considering that this is an open forum. But it does have you begging the inevitable question of who, if anyone, controls the blogs. Who stops someone from being abusive and violent? To take it a step further, how much of what you read can you really trust? The answer is very little according to Ayeshea. “You can pretty much write anything you want,” she says, however, “whether you get read or not, is another thing altogether.” Admitting that you have to be prepared for some very aggressive responses to your blog, particularly if it is a political topic, Electra says that tolerance is often key to staying a blogger. And a sense of humour always helps. As David Blacker, a regular on the now defunct Moju said in a post: “The short months here on Moju have been quite amusing. I’ve never actually been called a government stooge, a Tiger sympathiser, an NGO-backside kissing peacenik, a war criminal, as well as a jaded defeatist in such a short period before. Roll on.” Some communities do have rules for participant blogs, as Indi makes clear on the Kottu website. “In terms of libel, it’s basically not cool to personally attack people to the point of (seriously) threatening violence or publishing phone numbers, addresses, and revealing anonymous identities. There is a lot of rough and tumble on Kottu, but there is a grey line.” Now and then, the occasional bloggers nicknamed “Trolls” will inch towards that very same line – posting messages that are inflammatory, insulting, incorrect, inaccurate, absurd, or off-topic, intended to provoke a reaction from the others. Case in point being the notorious blog Pada Show which absolutely delights in mocking and reviling every blogger he/she comes across from a safely anonymous position. The anonymity which allows someone to say whatever they want also means many bloggers experiment with several online ‘personalities’. Blogger Agradevadutha freely admits to maintaining several different blogs ‘authored’ by entirely fictional characters. “It’s fun,” he says simply. While it’s obvious that the anonymity can be very liberating, blogs are far from being limited to mind games and angst ridden diaries. Increasingly, blogs are also serious sources of information and news. In Sri Lanka, the site ‘Groundviews’ allows aspiring ‘citizen’ journalists to cut right past mainstream media to discuss and analyse current events. “Groundviews has become a place people go to get news, views and perspectives that they can’t get anywhere else,” says Sanjana Hattotuwa, editor of the site. With nearly 30 registered contributors the site logs an average of 500 visitors every day – a number that only shoots up every time there is a newsworthy incident, he reveals. Here, as in Kottu, Trolls are given short shrift. Other bloggers find yet more innovative uses for their blogs. Tracy Holsinger, for instance, used her blog very effectively to promote her recent play ‘Chatroom’. Posts featuring pictures of the cast at their first dress rehearsal drew over 200 viewers. For Tracy and her fringe theatre company Mind Adventures this sort of publicity is invaluable, not least because big advertising budgets are still an impossibility. Nazreen Sansoni, Director of the Barefoot Gallery uses her Barefoot blog to publicise events, while husband Dominic Sansoni is one of many photographers including Alefiya Akberally, Yanik Tissera, Isuru Perera and Devaka Seneviratne who maintain photoblogs. Despite their increasing popularity, it will take blogs quite some time to go entirely mainstream in Sri Lanka. This is in most part because “a lot of things have to come together before a blogger is born… internet access, some knowledge of blogging, knowledge of English, etc,” explains Ayeshea. Though the time when the Sri Lankan blogging community will be a force to be reckoned with is still very much in the future, it’s obvious that they have already begun to take their first steps. “The voices are overwhelmingly young, vibrant and passionate,” says Sanjana and each and everyone revels in the freedom blogging gives them. In the end, everyone has a different reason for blogging says Electra. For some it’s a love of writing, or a desire to keep up a political commentary; for others it’s the pleasure of being in the know or wallowing in the diverse personalities and opinions that the internet offers… “but it’s mostly because they feel secure with the unstinted freedom of expression,” she says, adding, “on your blog, you’re allowed to be yourself and express your mind, and you can rest assured that no one will disrespect that to an extent in which they have the power to take your space away, or forbid you from blogging ever again.”

Local Nation With Hamas and International Support with Fatah

More Sensitive Issue in Palestine

Hamas is freedom fighters of Palestine. The founder Sheikh Ahmed Yasin strictly followed a policy “No War within Muslim Organizations and Parties” this was an excellent policy of Hamas. This was made them more comfortable with all other parties which have different attitude and ideology in Palestine. But after the last general election

Hamas got the power of the parliament by using same democracy which is following by all over the democratic countries. But the western world in back of Israel has made several struggles to continue the power. They band the economy and helpings. Nearly more than 2 years hamas passed a hard situation in their own country, finally they came to know that Western world need to keep the power by PLO and FATAH not with Hamas. The two other second parties have also played a tricky game. This is the reason of present conflicts. Hamas has decided to wipe out the FATAH from Gaza strips and got the power, for me this is not fit that much for Hamas. Because their going to break the great policy, but according to the Hamas’s Statement they are justifying this attempt. But the situation is completely different that mean we can find Local Nation with Hamas and International Support with Fatah. Most of the International countries especially western world and the Israel don’t like Hamas Because of its stand on Israel. But Most of the Local nations Like and support Hamas because of its stand on Israel. Then the question is which Democarcy is????

Abbas appoints new Palestinian PM

Abbas appoints new Palestinian PM

Fayyad, a former World Bank economist, was finance minister in the national unity cabinet [AP] Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has appointed Salam Fayyad, an independent parliamentarian, as prime minister of an emergency government. After the announcement on Friday, Khaled Meshaal, the Hamas leader, called for dialogue with Abbas and Fatah after Hamas's virtual takeover of the Gaza Strip. Fayyad was finance minister in the unity government between Hamas and Fatah which Abbas sacked on Thursday. In Gaza, meanwhile, the looting of Fatah security force buildings continued and Hamas supporters celebrated even as Ismail Haniya, sacked as prime minister, ordered an end to reprisals. Fayyad is former World Bank employee who has good relations with the West, and Marwan Bishara, Al Jazeera's senior political analyst, said that he is thought of as a safe pair of hands. Bishara said: "He is not a strong man in Palestinian society and is not known for his charisma or vision. He is known as a correct accountant, not a reckless investment banker." Dialogue call The appeal for dialogue from Meshaal, the chief of Hamas's political bureau, came at a news conference in the Syrian capital Damascus, where he lives in exile, within hours of an Arab foreign ministers' meeting in Cairo to discuss the crisis. Witness accounts Voices from Gaza He said Hamas had no option but to use force to wrest control of Gaza in fighting that killed dozens of Palestinians. He said: "What is needed now is to deal with the Palestinian schism. Hamas is for Arab sponsorship of a dialogue in the Palestinian national interest. "The lack of security drove the crisis toward explosion. What happened in Gaza was a necessary step. The people were suffering from chaos and lack of security and this treatment was needed." Haniya's stand Before the announcement of Fayyad as his replacement on Friday, Haniya said he remained open to dialogue with Abbas. Your Views "If you ask me Fatah and Hamas are the same: both seek power and both want to obtain it through violence" sepharad, montreal, Canada Send us your views If you are in the Gaza Strip, you can also mail your opinions to: Gazacrisis@aljazeera.net He said: "I still stress that the door is open to restructure Palestinian relations on the basis of national values." Earlier Haniya said that the "unity government" would continue to function despite being sacked by Abbas. He called his dismissal and the declaration of a state of emergency on Thursday "hasty". Nour Odeh, Al Jazeera's correspondent in Gaza, said: "We know that he can carry on leading the government in the Gaza Strip with the Hamas ministers who are in the Gaza Strip. "We do not know how they will be able to fund the government, how they will bring in food and supplies or how they will be able to have any influence in the West Bank." Chaos Hamas, now in apparent full control of Gaza, declared clemency for all Fatah members and security forces on Friday, after seizing several senior officials, a spokesman for the group's military wing said. Meshaal said on Friday that Hamas had no option but to wrest control of Gaza [AFP] Civilians poured into the presidential compound in Gaza City on Friday, hauling away fridges, satellite dishes and doors, as Hamas fighters fired shots into the air in an attempt to disperse them. Portraits of Abbas and his predecessor, the late Yasser Arafat, lay on the ground as Hamas fighters showed reporters pools of blood where they said two of Abbas's guards shot themselves rather than surrender. A Fatah official said the guards were killed. Johnston steps In another development on Friday, Hamas said it had made contact with the captors of Alan Johnston, the kidnapped BBC journalist, and was taking "serious and practical steps" to win his release. BBC reporter Alan Johnston was kidnapped three months ago in Gaza [AP] Abu Obeideh, a spokesman for Hamas, said his group "will not allow anyone to attack journalists or foreigners, because they are helping our people". When asked whether the use of force is possible in winning Johnston's release, Abu Obeideh said all options are open. Johnston, 45, was seized in Gaza three months ago by a group believed to have some links to Hamas, and a message purporting to be from his captors has demanded the release of prisoners, including a cleric being held in Britain.