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Afghan tribal elders have convened in the capital Kabul to debate the fate of the US forces in the war-torn country beyond 2014. The participants in the gathering known as Loya Jirga are discussing the draft of a long-awaited bilateral security deal between Kabul and Washington. The draft agreed on Wednesday appears to meet US demands on some thorny issues. Among them are US troops\' unilateral operations, their authority to enter Afghan homes and immunity from prosecution. In his opening speech at the meeting, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said 15000 foreign forces would remain in Afghanistan if the deal is inked. The presence of US-led forces in Afghanistan has generated deep anti-US sentiments among Afghans who accuse Washington of violating their country\'s sovereignty and killing civilians.

The hidden suffering of the young, elderly, women and men in Somalia is truly a disaster for a country that has suffered for over two decades. Representatives from member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened in an emergency meeting in Istanbul. The organization, which groups 57 Muslim countries, is discussing how to boost aid to the worst affected people in Somalia. In this edition of the show we ask the following question: Are the Muslim countries doing enough to help Somalia?

Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr Dares Saudi Regime to Attack Iran and Declares: We Are Loyal to Allah, Not to Saudi Arabia or its Royal Family Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr, which was posted on the Internet on October 7, 2011. Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr is from the city of Awwamiyah in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. He is an outspoken Shia cleric known for his criticism of the Saudi government and his constant call for freedom of religion, equality, and justice for the Shia minority in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, Al-Nimr said that the dignity of the Saudi Shia is more precious than the unity of the land, and suggested that Saudi Shia might secede from Saudi Arabia. Fearing arrest, Al-Nimr currently is in hiding. Nimr Al-Nimr: �For the past 100 years, we have been subjected to oppression, injustice, fear, and intimidation. From the moment you are born, you are surrounded by fear, intimidation, persecution, and abuse. We were born into an atmosphere of intimidation. We feared even the walls. Who among us is not familiar with the intimidation and injustice to which we have been subjected in this country? I am 55 years old, more than half a century. From the day I was born and to this day, I�ve never felt safe or secure in this country. �You are always being accused of something. You are always under threat. The head of the State Security Service admitted this to me in person. He said to me when I was arrested: �All you Shi�ites should be killed.� That is their logic. The head of the State Security Service in the Eastern Province said so himself. [...] �They are still plotting to carry out a massacre. They are more than welcome. We are here. Our blood is a small price to pay in defense of our values. We do not fear death. We long for martyrdom. [...] �A few months ago, the flame of honor was sparked in the spirits of the youth. The torch of freedom was lit. The people took to the streets demanding reform, honor, and freedom. There are people who have been held in prison unjustly for more than 16 years. In addition, the Peninsula Shield Force and the Saudi army invaded Bahrain. Then there were more and more arrests. �So who was it who instigated strife and unrest? [...] �The strife and unrest in Awwamiya were instigated by the regime, not the people. [...] �We will continue to defend both the veteran and the new prisoners. We will stand by them. We don�t mind being arrested, and joining them. We don�t even mind shedding our blood for their sake. We will continue to express even stronger solidarity with Bahrain. It is our own kin in Bahrain. Even if the Saudi army and the Peninsula Shield Force had not intervened, it still would have been our duty to stand by the people of Bahrain, our kin, let alone when the Saudi army takes part in oppression, the killing, the violation of women�s honor, and the plundering of money. [...] �[The Saudi regime says] that we are acting �at the behest of a foreign country.� They use that false pretext. By �foreign country� they mean Iran, of course. You can�t really tell if it�s Iran, Turkey, a European country, or the U.S., but they usually mean Iran. In December 1978, there was an Intifada to defend the honor of Awwamiya, when the riot police attacked the town. This was on December 10, 1978, before the Shah was deposed, before the Islamic Republic of Iran was even established. �It was in 1978 � four months before the fall of the Shah. A group of people convened to perform the religious rite of taziyeh for Imam Hussein. It had nothing to do with political or security matters, but the security forces arrived and attacked them, and a confrontation ensued. People were defending themselves, as well as their faith and their honor. That night, they arrested 100 people. This was in December 1978, prior to the fall of the Iranian [Shah]. So how can they talk about foreign interferen

[29 April 2012] UNRWA; Empowering Palestinian Youth Refugees - Remember Palestine - English A two-day international conference on "Engaging Youth: Palestine Refugees in a Changing Middle East" convened by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), concluded on the 20th of April in Brussels with UNRWA Commissioner-General, Filippo Grandi, unveiling ten "Youth Commitments" on behalf of the UN Agency. The commitments also included enhanced vocational training and micro-finance opportunities, fundraising for scholarships, expanding its successful skills programme for young refugees first piloted in Syria, advocacy on rights of special concern to youth. The idea of the conference was to increase Youth participation, economically empowering refugee youth, building and investing in human capital, and youth confronting marginalisation. The edition of the show will focus on the perspectives of youth Palestinians and how the new generations of Palestinians refuges manage pending inherited issues as their right to return and how organizations like the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) can help to empower them.

Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr Dares Saudi Regime to Attack Iran and Declares: We Are Loyal to Allah, Not to Saudi Arabia or its Royal Family Following are excerpts from a Friday sermon delivered by Saudi Ayatollah Nimr Al-Nimr, which was posted on the Internet on October 7, 2011. Nimr Baqir Al-Nimr is from the city of Awwamiyah in the eastern part of Saudi Arabia. He is an outspoken Shia cleric known for his criticism of the Saudi government and his constant call for freedom of religion, equality, and justice for the Shia minority in Saudi Arabia. In 2009, Al-Nimr said that the dignity of the Saudi Shia is more precious than the unity of the land, and suggested that Saudi Shia might secede from Saudi Arabia. Fearing arrest, Al-Nimr currently is in hiding. Nimr Al-Nimr: �For the past 100 years, we have been subjected to oppression, injustice, fear, and intimidation. From the moment you are born, you are surrounded by fear, intimidation, persecution, and abuse. We were born into an atmosphere of intimidation. We feared even the walls. Who among us is not familiar with the intimidation and injustice to which we have been subjected in this country? I am 55 years old, more than half a century. From the day I was born and to this day, I�ve never felt safe or secure in this country. �You are always being accused of something. You are always under threat. The head of the State Security Service admitted this to me in person. He said to me when I was arrested: �All you Shi�ites should be killed.� That is their logic. The head of the State Security Service in the Eastern Province said so himself. [...] �They are still plotting to carry out a massacre. They are more than welcome. We are here. Our blood is a small price to pay in defense of our values. We do not fear death. We long for martyrdom. [...] �A few months ago, the flame of honor was sparked in the spirits of the youth. The torch of freedom was lit. The people took to the streets demanding reform, honor, and freedom. There are people who have been held in prison unjustly for more than 16 years. In addition, the Peninsula Shield Force and the Saudi army invaded Bahrain. Then there were more and more arrests. �So who was it who instigated strife and unrest? [...] �The strife and unrest in Awwamiya were instigated by the regime, not the people. [...] �We will continue to defend both the veteran and the new prisoners. We will stand by them. We don�t mind being arrested, and joining them. We don�t even mind shedding our blood for their sake. We will continue to express even stronger solidarity with Bahrain. It is our own kin in Bahrain. Even if the Saudi army and the Peninsula Shield Force had not intervened, it still would have been our duty to stand by the people of Bahrain, our kin, let alone when the Saudi army takes part in oppression, the killing, the violation of women�s honor, and the plundering of money. [...] �[The Saudi regime says] that we are acting �at the behest of a foreign country.� They use that false pretext. By �foreign country� they mean Iran, of course. You can�t really tell if it�s Iran, Turkey, a European country, or the U.S., but they usually mean Iran. In December 1978, there was an Intifada to defend the honor of Awwamiya, when the riot police attacked the town. This was on December 10, 1978, before the Shah was deposed, before the Islamic Republic of Iran was even established. �It was in 1978 � four months before the fall of the Shah. A group of people convened to perform the religious rite of taziyeh for Imam Hussein. It had nothing to do with political or security matters, but the security forces arrived and attacked them, and a confrontation ensued. People were defending themselves, as well as their faith and their honor. That night, they arrested 100 people. This was in December 1978, prior to the fall of the Iranian [Shah]. So how can they talk about foreign interferen

[28 Aug 2012] NAM summit proves US failure Former IAEA inspector - English

[05 Sept 2012] Egypt still follows some Mubarak-era policies - English

[20 August 2013] Iran new cabinet meets for the first time - English

Signed on 23 Dhul Hijja 1434 / 28 October 2013 At a meeting convened by the Universal Justice Network This is the link to the UJN Press Release on the declaration. It contains the links to: The text of the declaration Scans of the signed copies The photos of the signing and the video of the signing http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/10812-press-release-pakistani-leaders-sign-historic-anti-sectarianism-declaration ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Universal Justice Network (UJN) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 28 October 2013 Press Release: Pakistani leaders sign historic anti-sectarianism declaration Muslim scholars from Pakistan have signed a historic agreement condemning sectarianism and vowing to remove it as a cause of conflict in the violence-stricken country. Meeting in the Turkish seaside resort of Bodrum under the auspices of the UJN the scholars, who represent all of Pakistan\\\'s major Islamic sects and tendencies, agreed to come together to tackle religious intolerance in the interests of Muslim unity. The signatories include Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza of the Sunni Ittehad Council, Sahibzada Muhammad Hamid Raza of Jamiat Ahle Hadith and Allama Syed Niaz Hussain Shah of Hoza Ilmia Jamia Al Muntazar. The 11-point UJN Pakistan Unity Declaration commits the signatories and the UJN to sign statements in the upcoming Islamic month of Muharram denouncing the killing of fellow human beings on the basis of colour, creed, ethnicity or religion as haram. The statements will also declare excommunication or takfir against fellow Muslims and abusing the Prophet Muhammad\\\'s family and companions as against the Shariah. Also party to the accord were Allama Mohammad Sadiq Qureshi (Minhaj ul Quran International), Maulana Syed Ali Murtaza Zaidi (Jamay Imamia), Liaqat Baloch, MP (Jamaat-e-Islami) and Muhammad Sarwat Ejaz Qadri (Pakistan Sunni Tahreek). The accord is based on Charter 3:103, initiated by the Islamic Human Rights Commission in 1997 and now a UJN core project, and since adopted by scores of Muslim organisations, which calls for Muslims to be united in accordance with the 103rd verse of the third chapter of the Holy Quran. It also addresses the challenging problem of madrasas in Pakistan, believed to be a breeding ground of intolerance, recommending that syllabuses and curriculums under the signatories\\\' respective spheres of influence address the need for respect, harmony and peace between all members of Pakistani society. Chair of IHRC, and UJN co-ordinator, Massoud Shadjareh said: \\\"The signing of the declaration is a detrmined step out of the quagmire of murder and fear that has come to characterise the landscape in Pakistan. The situation of sectarian killings and intimidation that has worsened year on year has been dealt a blow by the unity shown today.\\\" Director of Citizens International and UJN Co-ordinator Mohideen Abdul Kader said: \\\"The dream for many that the inception of Pakistan once was had become a nightmare. Today\\\'s events bring back hope that one day Pakistan can put the internecine strife of the current era behind it.\\\" Photos of the signing ceremony can be found at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihrc/sets/72157637054317024/ The full text of the document and images of the signed copy canbe found here http://www.ihrc.org.uk/activities/press-releases/10812-press-release-pakistani-leaders-sign-historic-anti-sectarianism-declaration Please contact the IHRC Press Officer on [email protected] or +447958522196.

In France, farmers have protested rising taxes by blocking roads around the capital Paris. The angry farmers say they are fed up with what they call over-taxation. This they say includes the so-called \"eco-tax\" placed on road freights. The farmers believe the measure will lead to the loss of thousands of jobs. Some are also against a government decision to focus on EU subsidies on poorer livestock farmers. Rising taxes have been a source of growing anger in France. Several violent anti-tax protests have erupted throughout the country during the past weeks. At least one fireman was killed in one of the incidents.