Hassan Rouhani has taken the oath of office as president of Iran before parliament in Tehran, promising to lead a government of hope and moderation

Hassan Rouhani has taken the oath of office as president of Iran before parliament in Tehran, promising to lead a government of hope and moderation

    Sunday, August 04, 2013   No comments

In his first speech he promised to lead a government of righteousness, honesty and trustworthiness. He said Iranians had rejected extremism in the June presidential election. The Iranian people had smiled at the world by electing him, he said. "The people voted for moderation ... the people want to live better, to have dignity, and enjoy a stable life. They want to recapture their deserving position among nations," he said.

The new president called for better relations with the world and the demise of international sanctions. "The only path to interact with Iran is through negotiations on equal grounds, reciprocal trust-building, mutual respect and reducing hostilities," he added.

The Scottish-educated cleric was elected in June on pledges to improve Iran’s economy and world standing, and enters office as the country experiences its worst political and economic isolation in two decades. The economy is hampered by accelerating inflation and a weakened currency resulting from sanctions spearheaded by the U.S. in an effort to curb Iran’s nuclear program.
Ayatollah Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s highest authority, praised Rohani’s past service and backed his approach to foreign policy. In his first press conference after being elected, Rohani said he would seek to make the nuclear program more transparent and improve relations with Western nations.
“I approve of the prudent approach,” Mr Khamenei said on Saturday. “We need to take action wisely and prudently.”

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PYD leader: Turkey continues to support al-Nusra Front against Kurds

PYD leader: Turkey continues to support al-Nusra Front against Kurds

    Sunday, August 04, 2013   No comments

Turkey continues to provide support for al-Qaeda-linked groups fighting Kurds in Syria's north despite statements by Turkish officials that such groups are a threat to Turkey's security as well, the leader of the most powerful Syrian Kurdish group has said.
Saleh Muslim, who heads the Democratic Union Party (PYD), said in remarks published on Sunday that witnesses on both sides of the border have confirmed that there was a transfer of weapons and ammunition from Turkey to Syria through the Karkamış border gate in the southeastern province of Gaziantep on the night of Aug. 2. He said the weapons were then transported to Arab villages near the Kurdish-populated town of Kobani (Ayn al-Arab in Arabic) apparently in preparation for attacks on Kobani.

“Kobani is next. It is impossible to understand how Turkey lets this happen. If the al-Nusra Front is the enemy, then this should be prevented,” Muslim told Taraf daily in an interview. The al-Nusra Front is one of the al-Qaeda-linked groups involved in clashes with the Syrian Kurds in Kurdish-populated towns near the Turkish border. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), another al-Qaeda affiliate, is also fighting the Kurds.

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Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (pictured right) won the first round of Mali’s presidential election with 39.24% of the vote while Soumaila Cisse (left) earned 19.44%, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The victor will be decided in an August 11 run-off

Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (pictured right) won the first round of Mali’s presidential election with 39.24% of the vote while Soumaila Cisse (left) earned 19.44%, the Interior Ministry said Friday. The victor will be decided in an August 11 run-off

    Friday, August 02, 2013   No comments

Former prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita came in first in Mali’s presidential election but he will face ex-finance minister Soumaila Cisse in a run-off after he failed to secure an outright majority, the government said on Friday.

Keita secured 39.24 percent of the vote in the July 28 poll, well ahead of Cisse with 19.44 percent, Moussa Sinko Coulibaly, Mali’s minister of territorial administration said. The run-off will be held on August 11.
Cisse is expected to form an alliance with two of the other principal candidates, Dramane Dembele and Modibo Sidibe.

While Sunday’s voting was peaceful and has been praised by observer missions, the three men came together on Monday to complain about the process.

Cisse has called for the resignation of the minister of territorial administration, who announced Tuesday’s partial results, accusing him of preparing public opinion for an eventual illegitimate win by Keita.

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Bashar al-Assad Is On Instagram

Bashar al-Assad Is On Instagram

    Friday, August 02, 2013   No comments

If you're looking for new follows to spice up your Instagram feed, why not check out the official account of Syria's one and only dictator, Bashar al-Assad. Yes, the Syrian president has opened up an official Instagram account to show off all the great things going on in his country that are not part of the brutal two-year civil war tearing apart the rest of it.

The photos aren't the candids, selfies, and food shots of a typical Instagram account, but are mostly staged photos of Assad and his wife doing presidential and First Lady things, like visiting people in hospitals,hugging children, waving to adoring crowds, and unveiling things. It isn't even propaganda so much as it is a really boring family slideshow.

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Dianne Feinstein Initiates Pro-Iran Diplomacy Letter in Senate

Dianne Feinstein Initiates Pro-Iran Diplomacy Letter in Senate

    Friday, August 02, 2013   No comments

Dear President Obama:

We urge you to seize the opportunity presented by the upcoming inauguration of Iran’s new president, Dr. Hassan Rouhani, by reinvigorating diplomatic efforts to secure a verifiable agreement that ensures that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons.

Since 2010 Congress has worked with your Administration to increase U.S. and international sanctions against Iran. The impact on Iran’s economy has been significant: the value of the Iranian rial has plummeted against the U.S. dollar since 2011, unofficial estimates of inflation range as high as 70 percent, exports of oil have been halved, Iranian oil production has declined 35 percent to 2.6 million barrels per day, the Iranian economy declined by as much as 8 percent between March 2012 and March 2013 and is set to decline further in the next year, and unemployment estimates range as high as 20 percent.

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Arab Cinderella: A Life Poem

Arab Cinderella: A Life Poem

    Tuesday, July 30, 2013   No comments

By Laila Alawa*

I always felt

as though my life, my being, my very self

were forevermore saddled with the

very expectations of

generations before me,

dusty individuals, their fervent whispers carrying,

moving, traveling,

across centuries of near-still air,

air rippled only with the occasional revolution,

scented softly with rosewater and hot Arabic coffee,

that their unfulfilled wishes, needs and every desire,

were now mine,

like a sort of modern-day Cinderella wish,

upon turning sixteen years of age, a welcome to the

world of

a dissatisfied life,

one in which you try your very hardest but

never get anywhere,

where you put your very best in,

but only the worst comes out,

a tired life.

It was one bestowed upon me,

an one I tried to shake off,

a cloak of heavy, dull satin,

pinned tight about my neck,

stranglehold.

Countless attempts. So much of my

being put in to making that cloak

shine, making it glow,

failed efforts heavy with the

stench of misintention,

a slew of sins.

Dissatisfaction. I began to

feel uncomfortable,

tears springing to my eyes as I contemplated

the heavy, deep fastenings of the cloak, only

unfastened through true lawlessness or truthful

intention.

I stumbled about with the heavy cloak

until one day

one morning,

fresh, calm and cool, the birds alight with their trills,

I faced towards the Kaabah and

felt the true cool of the deen

surrounding me and

transforming the cloak of dull expectations into

one of shining possibilities,

open and airy and effervescent

a garb of intentions, open worlds

a refuge of Islam.

______________

You can usually find Laila engaged in a deep conversation with a stranger, or nursing a cup of Earl Grey tea with three teaspoons of sugar. She graduated from Wellesley College in 2012 and currently works at Princeton University, conducting a study on Muslim American perceptions of belonging and community within the greater American diaspora. Laila funnels her love for jewelry making into her own business and works to bettering the Muslim American experience for both Muslims and America at large. She heads a faith anthology project for Muslim American women called Coming of Faith.

Exhibition showcasing over 1000 years of Islamic art and architecture opens at the Asian Civilisations Museum

Exhibition showcasing over 1000 years of Islamic art and architecture opens at the Asian Civilisations Museum

    Tuesday, July 30, 2013   No comments

The Asian Civilisations Museum presents an exhibition of works of art from the Aga Khan Museum. Featuring masterpieces of Islamic art and architecture spanning many centuries and from regions around the world, Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum: Architecture in Islamic Arts are on display at the ACM from 19 July to 28 October 2012. Architecture, with tiled and gilt domes, shaded courtyards, and inscribed gates, became a natural expression of Islam. The exhibition reveals how Muslim artists perceived the Islamic built environment. Over 100 objects, ranging from manuscript illumination, paintings, and architectural elements to hajj certificates and tiles decorated with passages from the Qur‟an, illustrate ideas of space and decoration in both religious and secular environments. The exhibition offers insights into some of the great Islamic dynasties: the al-Andalus of the Iberian Peninsula; Ilkhanid, Timurid, and Safavid Iran; Ottoman Turkey; and Mughal India. “Islamic architecture is one of the most visible aspects of Islamic culture,” says Dr Alan Chong, director of the Asian Civilisations Museum. “This exhibition approaches architecture from several points of view. Intricately painted illuminations capture the world in miniature, and invite the viewer into splendid palaces and intimate gardens. At the same time, visitors can inspect carved wooden beams and brilliantly coloured glazed tiles that once decorated mosques and other buildings. We hope that visitors will gain new insights into the history and creativity of the Islamic world.”

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Former Malian prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's campaign team said on Monday its results put Keita in a strong lead and in reach of outright victory in Mali's election, but rivals said they were sure a run-off vote would have to be held

Former Malian prime minister Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's campaign team said on Monday its results put Keita in a strong lead and in reach of outright victory in Mali's election, but rivals said they were sure a run-off vote would have to be held

    Tuesday, July 30, 2013   No comments

The statements came ahead of official tallies from Sunday's vote and are the first signs of tension after a robust turnout and the lack of violence showed how eager Malians were to turn the page on more than a year of turmoil, war and an army coup.

The first official figures were not due until Tuesday. Full provisional results are expected by Friday, the country's director-general for territorial administration told state television late on Monday.

"We have information coming from our own teams ... that show we are well ahead and a first round victory is in reach," said Mahamadou Camara, a spokesman for Keita, who is universally known by his initials, IBK.

A run-off would take place on August 11 if no candidate secures over 50 percent of the vote.

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a presidential spokesman: Eight Tunisian soldiers were killed when gunmen ambushed an army unit near the border with Algeria. The attack took place on Jebel Chaambi, a suspected hideout of al Qaeda-linked militants

a presidential spokesman: Eight Tunisian soldiers were killed when gunmen ambushed an army unit near the border with Algeria. The attack took place on Jebel Chaambi, a suspected hideout of al Qaeda-linked militants

    Tuesday, July 30, 2013   No comments

Tunisia’s presidential spokesman says gunmen ambushed an army unit patrolling in a mountainous region near the border with Algeria, killing eight soldiers.

Adnan Mancer told The Associated Press that the attack took place Monday on Jebel Chaambi, Tunisia’s tallest mountain and a suspected hideout of al-Qaida-linked militants.

The army has been searching the mountainous region near the Algerian frontier since a patrol was hit by a roadside bomb in April.

On June 24, the army declared the mountain cleared of extremists in a campaign that cost three lives and left 27 soldiers injured.

In the course of its operation, the army discovered evidence suggesting an al-Qaida-linked movement supported by the local population had set up training camps in the area.

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Azeri maqami musician Alim Qasimov will be joining an Iranian band to perform a concert at the 49th International Festival of Carthage in Tunis

Azeri maqami musician Alim Qasimov will be joining an Iranian band to perform a concert at the 49th International Festival of Carthage in Tunis

    Tuesday, July 30, 2013   No comments

Vocalist Mohammad Motamedi will lead the group, which also features Sina Jahanabadi on kamancheh, Azad Mirzapur on tar, Pasha Hanjani on ney, and Hossein Rezaeinia and Milad Abassi on daf.

The concert has been scheduled for August 3 at the festival, which is currently underway in Tunisia. The festival will run until August 17.

Maqams or maqamat are sets of musical scales and characteristic melodic elements, or motives, and traditional patterns for their use, forming a system for the melodic and tonal development of performances in Islamic music.

Maqami music is connected to the traditions and perspective of an ethnic group living in a particular region.