Tag: Iran

  • Singapore Man Sentenced In US For Plot To Export Bomb Parts To Iran

    Singapore Man Sentenced In US For Plot To Export Bomb Parts To Iran

    A Singaporean man was sentenced to 40 months in prison Thursday for helping ship US-made radio frequency modules to Iran that were eventually found in IED bombs in Iraq.

    Lim Yong Nam, 43, also known as Steven Lim, pleaded guilty last December in Washington to fraud charges related to US sanctions violations by helping route 6,000 of the modules through Singapore to Iran.

    Lim and others he worked with had declared Singapore as the final destination for the electronics, but instead they were forwarded from the south-east Asian city-state in five lots to Iran, the US Justice Department said.

    “Lim and his co-conspirators were directly aware of the restrictions on sending US-origin goods to Iran,” the department said.

    The modules can be used in networking home and office computer equipment. But in 2008-2009, coalition forces in Iraq discovered modules from the same shipments being used in the detonation systems of unexploded IEDs, or improvised explosive devices.

     

    Rilek1Corner

    Source: http://www.businesstimes.com.sg

  • Don’t Be Fooled, Trump’s New Muslim Ban Is Still Illegal

    Don’t Be Fooled, Trump’s New Muslim Ban Is Still Illegal

    The revised order also continues to traffic in bigoted and largely false perceptions: By requiring the government to compile occurrences of “honor killings” by immigrants, it gives official recognition to an inflammatory and misleading trope of Islam that is perpetuated by anti-Muslim hate groups.

    President Trump has not been subtle in his intentions. We need look no further than his own words to figure them out. On the campaign trail, he constantly conflated the vast majority of peaceful Muslims with the small handful of violent Muslims.

    After the Paris attacks in November 2015, Mr. Trump said that “we’re going to have no choice” but to close some mosques in the United States, where “some really bad things are happening.” The next month, after the attack in San Bernardino, Calif., he called for a “complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States” and released a factually dubious statement that “large segments of the Muslim population” have “great hatred towards Americans” and favor Shariah law. Astonishingly, that statement is still posted on Mr. Trump’s website.

    In December, when a reporter asked whether he had reconsidered his stance on Islam, President-elect Trump replied: “You know my plans. All along, I’ve been proven to be right.” This dark and wholly unsubstantiated worldview about Islam and the American Muslim community is shared by several of the president’s senior aides and advisers.

    Let’s be clear: This revised order is a Muslim ban. All the countries he has excluded are more than 90 percent Muslim. Three of them — Iran, Somalia and Yemen — are more than 99 percent Muslim. Even though Mr. Trump tailored his order to survive legal challenges, as his former adviser Rudolph Giuliani conceded on national television, his objective is clearly to exclude Muslims.

    The Trump administration argues that the ban protects the country. Yet by excluding Iraq from the order, Mr. Trump has cleared travel from one of the two countries from which Islamic State terrorists operates. Moreover, the Department of Homeland Security concluded last month that “country of citizenship is unlikely to be a reliable indicator of potential terrorist activity.” Former national security officials from Democratic and Republican administrations have made clear that the January order does not make our country safer. Instead, the bigotry that Mr. Trump spews at news conferences and on Twitter have been a boon for terrorists’ recruitment efforts.

    The twisted worldview does not match reality. Muslims have been part of America for centuries, since the first slave ships arrived in the 17th century. Today, Muslims represent 1 percent of the United States population: They are our teachers, doctors, neighbors and co-workers.

    American Muslims will suffer a particular harm from this executive order: Those who have ties to the banned countries won’t be able to see their family members and close friends. American Muslims will also be deprived of the instruction from the leading Islamic scholars who are from those countries.

    Thousands of Muslim men and women serve in the armed forces; many have given their lives defending our nation and our ideals. They contribute to the diversity that has always been our nation’s pride and strength. President George W. Bush paid tribute to this in the weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks when he said, “There are thousands of Muslims who proudly call themselves Americans, and they know what I know — that the Muslim faith is based upon peace and love and compassion.”

    President Trump and his top advisers would be wise to listen to President Bush. The Muslim ban and President Trump’s relentless attacks on Islam are not just an assault on thousands of patriotic, innocent Americans — they violate our Constitution and our most fundamental American values and beliefs.

    Source: NYTimes

  • Suami Isteri Berbasikal Ke Makkah Sudah Lepasi 11 Negara, Tinggal 1 Negara Untuk Sampai Destinasi

    Suami Isteri Berbasikal Ke Makkah Sudah Lepasi 11 Negara, Tinggal 1 Negara Untuk Sampai Destinasi

    Sepasang suami isteri Melayu yang sedang dalam perjalanan menunaikan ibadah umrah dengan sekadar mengayuh basikal sahaja, bakal mencapai hajat mereka tidak lama lagi setelah mengembara sembilan bulan lamanya.

    Ya, pasangan rakyat Malaysia itu – Encik Ahmad Mohd Isa, 27 tahun dan isterinya Noradilah Mohd Sapie, 28 tahun memilih untuk mengayuh kenderaan dua roda itu sahaja ke tanah suci.

    Sebelum ini, pasangan itu dilaporkan nekad mencabar keupayaan mereka melakukan ekspedisi berbasikal ‘Kembara Memburu Hikmah’ (KMH), dengan mengayuh basikal dari Malaysia ke Makkah sejauh 17,000 kilometer.

    Setelah bertolak dari Malaysia, mereka perlu melalui 13 buah negara lain dalam tempoh sembilan hingga 12 bulan – iaitu Thailand, Myanmar, India, Nepal, Pakistan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, UAE, sebelum menjejakkan kaki ke Arab Saudi selaku negara ke-13.

    Encik Ahmad Mohd Isa dan isterinya Noradilah Mohd Sapie ketika di Khazakhstan.

    TINGGAL 1 NEGARA UNTUK SAMPAI MAKKAH

    Dalam wawancara menerusi kiriman emel dengan BERITAMediacorp, pasangan itu memberitahu bahawa mereka kini sudah berada di Afghanistan, negara ke-11 daripada 12 negara yang perlu dilalui. Ini bermakna tinggal lagi 1 negara perlu direntasi sebelum tiba di Arab Saudi.

    “Alhamdulillah, selama 27 hari kami di Uzbekistan iaitu dari 11 Disember 2016 hingga 6 Januari 2017, sekarang kami sudahpun berada di Afghanistan. Insya Allah, mengikut perancangan kami, perjalanan seterusnya (mengikut urutan) adalah Iran, Amiriah Arab Bersatu dan Arab Saudi,” kata mereka.

    Menurut Encik Ahmad dan Cik Noradilah, antara cabaran besar yang mereka lalui sepanjang pengembaraan itu adalah masalah komunikasi dengan masyarakat di sesebuah negara.

    “Bahasa yang mereka tuturkan seperti Urdu, Uighur, Parsi dan Bahasa tempatan lain tidak dapat diterjemahkan menggunakan mana-mana aplikasi di internet.

    “Mereka pula kebanyakannya tidak memahami bahasa Inggeris atau Arab. Maka ini menyulitkan komunikasi antara kami untuk saling bertukar-tukar pandangan,” pasangan itu memberitahu BERITAMediacorp.

    Encik Ahmad Mohd Isa dan isterinya Noradilah Mohd Sapie ketika di Kyrgystan.

    PERTAMA KALI BERBASIKAL PADA MUSIM SALJI

    Sungguhpun begitu, pengalaman yang diraih ada juga yang memberi kesan mendalam kepada pasangan yang memang ‘kaki basikal’ dan membesar dengan berbasikal daripada zaman sekolah hingga ke universiti.

    Di laman Facebook KMH, pasangan itu berkongsi “pengalaman hebat” ketika berbasikal pada musim salji di Kazakhstan – menerusi video yang dimuat naik – kerana itulah kali pertama mereka bergelumang dengan salji!

    Ternyata bukan mudah kerana mereka beberapa kali tergelincir. Namun menurut pasangan berkenaan ia “membuatkan hati mereka semakin kental untuk meneruskan perjalanan”.

    “MAKANAN TIDAK PUTUS-PUTUS”

    Selain itu layanan baik yang diterima cukup membuatkan mereka tersentuh.

    “Pelbagai bentuk layanan dan bantuan yang di luar jangkaan kami terima daripada insan-insan berhati mulia sepanjang perjalanan ini dan semuanya membuat kami tersentuh.

    “Sejak memasuki negara-negara ‘STAN’ (Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kazahstan), rezeki dalam bentuk makanan tidak putus-putus. Kami tidak sempat untuk berasa lapar.

    “Setiap kali dijemput makan, makanan penuh terhidang atas meja, kata mereka, ini adalah adat budaya mereka untuk memanjakan tetamu dengan pelbagai jenis hidangan.

    “Semoga Allah merahmati hidup mereka yang memberikan bantuan, sokongan dan mendoakan kami sama ada kami tahu atau tidak. Setiap kebaikan itu ada balasan dan rahmat di sisiNya.”

    MAHU “SUJUD SYUKUR DEPAN KAABAH”

    Setelah sekitar sembilan bulan perjalanan mereka, iaitu sejak April 2016, kini Cik Noradilah dan suaminya semakin hampir ke destinasi utama, yang diidam-idamkan setelah sekian lama.

    Ketibaan mereka di Makkah nanti pasti menjadi satu detik bersejarah dalam kehidupan mereka dan tiada tolok bandingnya.

    BERITAMediacorp diberitahu sebaik sahaja menjejakkan kaki di Makkah, perkara pertama yang ingin dilakukan adalah “bersujud syukur di hadapan Kaabah”.

    RINDU DAKAP IBU BAPA

    Encik Ahmad dan Cik Noradilah dijangka berada di Makkah menunaikan umrah selama dua minggu sebelum pulang ke pangkuan keluarga tercinta di Malaysia.

    “Kami rindu sekali menjejakkan kaki ke tanah air sendiri selepas ke tanah suci Makkah dan Madinah. Selain itu kami juga rindu ingin mendakap kedua-dua ibu bapa kami yang tidak putus-putus mendoakan perjalanan kami agar sentiasa lancar dan selamat,” luah pasangan kembara ini.

    Encik Ahmad Mohd Isa dan isterinya Noradilah Mohd Sapie ketika di Nepal.

    Selain melakukan misi kemanusiaan di setiap negara yang dijelajah, pasangan suami isteri itu turut membawa cabaran merekod data berkaitan sejarah, budaya dan kehidupan masyarakat Islam.

    Turut mengiringi misi KMH itu ialah Mohd Nur Aiman Mohd Zaid, 27 tahun, dan Amirul Ariff Abd Wahab, 28, yang bertindak sebagai kru penggambaran video.

    Perkembangan semasa ekspedisi itu boleh diikuti melalui facebook Kembara Memburu Hikmah.

    Encik Ahmad dan Cik Noradilah yang berasal dari Selangor, dijangka menamatkan misi itu dan tiba di Masjidil Haram pada April 2017.

     

     

    Source: BeritaMediacorp

  • Saudi Arabia Grand Mufti: Iranians Are Not Muslims

    Saudi Arabia Grand Mufti: Iranians Are Not Muslims

    Saudi Arabia’s top cleric has declared that Iran’s leaders are not Muslims and regard Sunni Muslims as their enemy.

    Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz ibn Abdullah Al ash-Sheikh was responding to Iran’s supreme leader, who denounced Saudi Arabia’s handling of the annual Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

    The Grand Mufti said the claims of the Iranian Ayatollah were “not surprising” and accused Iran’s leaders of being Zoroastrians, an ancient pre-Islamic Iranian religion.

    Saudi Arabia’s population is nearly 90 per cent Sunni and has long been at odds with the 95 per cent Shia Iran – two denominations that have been in conflict since the 7th century.

    In remarks published on Wednesday, Sheikh Abdul-Aziz Al ash-Sheikh said: “We must understand these are not Muslims.

    “They are the son of the Magi and their hostility towards Muslims is an old one, especially with the People of the Tradition [Sunnis].”

    Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the Saudis on Monday of “murdering” pilgrims caught up in the stampede during last year’s Hajj.

    At least 2,426 people, including 464 Iranians, were killed in the stampede. According to Saudi authorities, only 769 were killed.

    Without providing evidence, the Ayatollah said: “The heartless and murderous Saudis locked up the injured with the dead in containers.

    “Instead of providing medical treatment and helping them or at least quenching their thirst. They murdered them.”

     

    Source: www.independent.co.uk

  • Singapore-Flagged Vessel Fired At By Iranian Forces In International Waters

    Singapore-Flagged Vessel Fired At By Iranian Forces In International Waters

    WASHINGTON: Five Iranian boats fired shots across the bow of a Singapore-flagged vessel in the international waters off the Gulf on Thursday (May 14).

    The captain of the oil and chemical tanker told Channel NewsAsia that the vessel, Alpine Eternity, was first approached by two armed skiffs, which are small vessels consistent with those used by Iranian forces in the Gulf.

    He recounted that three more skiffs arrived later and shots were fired. He was then ordered to stop the vessel, but he refused. The captain was then told to head to the Iranian port of Abu Musa, an island in the Gulf. The captain said he again refused the order, and headed to Dubai’s territorial waters.

    The captain added that he was 15 miles off the Iranian coast at the time of the incident, and that would put the vessel three miles outside the territorial waters of Iran.

    The ship apparently does not appear to have been hit and there were no reports of injuries. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) confirmed that all the crew members are safe, and that no Singaporeans were on board the vessel.

    The captain said he will conduct a full assessment of the ship to check for damage.

    The Pentagon said it is investigating reports that five small speedboats manned by members of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard fired shots across the bow of the tanker. It is not clear why the Iranian Revolutionary Guards started opening fire.

    However, Reuters reported that Iran had attempted to intercept the vessel in international waters because Tehran says the tanker is liable for damage to an Iranian-owned oil platform it hit on Mar 22, quoting a US official speaking on condition of anonymity.

    A US Navy warship was in the area, but it was apparently not contacted for help by the captain of the Alpine Eternity, who shortly after the incident turned his craft around.

    As of Thursday evening, MPA said the tanker was the territorial waters of UAE.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com