If a Bangladesh…

If a Bangladeshi tabloid is to be believed, President Asif Ali Zardari‘s son Bilawal Bhutto is ‘deeply in love’ with foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar. Pakistan is abuzz with the reports of their love affair, and their plans to get married and settle in Switzerland.

Khar reportedly sent Bilawal a greeting card on his birthday on 21 September 2011 with hand-written message stating – “The foundation of our relations is eternal and soon we shall be just ourselves.”

That’s not all. Media reports from Bangladesh suggested that Junior Zardari received a “special gift” from his girlfriend Khar on the day of Eid Ul Fitr. Later, he also received a flower bouquet and a hand-written greeting card stating – “No wonder we waited enough, not (sp) its time to give an end to our waiting. Eid Mubarak!”

Bilawal Bhutto, Hina Rabbani Khar.

According to the Blitzweekly, Khar is poised to end her marriage with millionaire businessman Firoze Gulzar, from whom she has two daughters named Annaya and Dina.

But, Bilawal’s father, PresidentZardari is not quite happy with the high-profile romance.Reports say, “the secret affair between Bilawal Bhutto and Hina Rabbani Khar came to the knowledge of Asif Ali Zardari, when the duo was caught in compromised position inside the official residence of the President.”

Later, President Zardari collected mobile call records between Bilawal and Hina to confirm their affair.

The report also claims, that in an effort to dissuade Khar from going ahead with the relationship, Zardari used the government machinery against the business interests of Hina’s husband, but he failed in his endeavour.

When Zardari came to know about the affair, he called Khar and expressed intense disapproval of her extra-marital affair with his “minor son”. Khar, reportedly, in a harsh tone criticised Zardari’s “meanness” and asked him to refrain from “poking his nose into her personal affairs”, the report added. She even threatened to resign from the ministry as well as membership of Pakistan People’s Party if Zardari didn’t apologise for his “inappropriate behaviour”.

Despite Zardari’s tough stand, Bilawal is said to be adamant on going ahead with his plan to marry Hina. Bilawal has also threatened to leave the post of chairman of Pakistan People’s Party and leave the country by the end of the year.

Maybe Zardari should let go. To think of it, when miya biwi razi, to kya karega kazi?

 

 SOURCE:   http://www.firstpost.com/world/in-love-with-bilawal-we-have-waited-enough-says-k 

 

BBC News – Azhar Ahmed convicted of offensive Facebook message

Dual and ugly face of Western media and law.

BBC News – Azhar Ahmed convicted of offensive Facebook message.

Isn’t it really pathetic??

Muslims for Peace – Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ahmadiyya Times: Point of view: Inflammatory anti-Muslim film and the US Constitution

A good read from Ahmadiyya Times about inflammatory anti-Muslim film ‘Innocence of Muslims’

Ahmadiyya Times: Point of view: Inflammatory anti-Muslim film and the US Constitution.

Source: Ahmadiyya Times

From ‘Desert Warrior’ to ‘Innocence of Muslims,’ a controversial YouTube video is both catalyst and scapegoat

In early July, a YouTube user known as “Sam Bacile” posted a trailer for Innocence of Muslims, a vicious spoof of the Prophet Muhammad. The fourteen-minute video wasn’t a particularly good advertisement for anything — in fact, it failed to mention the title of the film. And for some time, it was all but ignored. Then, in September, dubbed Arabic versions began to appear in the Egyptian media. Protests broke out in several countries, denouncing both the video and the Pope’s upcoming visit to Lebanon. And in Benghazi, Libya, armed attackers set fire to the US Consulate, killing US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others.

YOUTUBE SAID THE VIDEO WAS ‘CLEARLY WITHIN OUR GUIDELINES,’ BUT IT TOOK THE RARE STEP OF BLOCKING IT IN EGYPT AND LIBYA

The response was sudden. YouTube said the video was “clearly within our guidelines,” but it took the rare step of blocking it first in Egypt and Libya, then India, Indonesia, and other countries, sometimes after legal threats. YouTube itself was banned in some countries, most recently Pakistan. Although still available elsewhere, the English-language version was reposted several times with information about the protests or a simple “thumbs up for free speech.” The White House asked YouTube if it would review the video and remove it if necessary. Outlets from The Wall Street Journal toGawker tried to dig up information about Bacile, a mysterious figure who turned out to be Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian on parole for bank fraud. While the video is certainly drawing ire, it’s not clear that protests provided more than cover for the attack that killed Ambassador Stevens. Unnamed US officials have told CNNthe Consulate faced a “clearly planned military-type attack,” and that “the video or 9/11 made a handy excuse.” It’s also been suggested that the attackers used these protests as a diversion. Whatever happened, we’re left with the question of how a poorly produced YouTube video can spark global controversy and be credited with causing the death of a US official. The trailer for Innocence of Muslims is on par with a lesser Ed Wood film, its cast solemnly debating sexual ethics in face paint and pasted-on beards. Outdoor scenes were clearly shot in front of a green screen, making actors appear to float above stock footage of a desert. If anything, though, the poor quality makes it more effective propaganda. It may not be revealing, thought-provoking, or competent, but Innocence of Muslims is indubitably insulting, depicting Muhammad as a hypocritical and bloodthirsty philanderer in a truly terrible costume.

IF ANYTHING, THE TRAILER’S POOR QUALITY MAKES IT MORE EFFECTIVE PROPAGANDA

Since the trailer gained infamy, it’s become evident that almost no one involved knew it was meant to be about Islam. Casting calls show that it was described during filming as a period piece called Desert Warrior, with Muhammad given the name of “Master George.” In the trailer, he’s usually referred to as “Master,” and any direct references to Islam are clumsily dubbed in after the fact. It’s easy to believe the actors when they say they were misled. At the same time, the undubbed parts of Innocence of Muslims wouldn’t be nearly as effective if they didn’t play off existing fears and beliefs about Islam, including the frequently repeated claim that the Prophet molested children. The film fits into a long narrative about protests over the depiction of Muhammad. But unlike The Satanic Verses, which has also drawn criticism from Muslims, there’s no larger message or artistic flourish behind the trailer. And unlike the famous Danish political cartoons from 2005, Innocence of Muslims wasn’t professionally published or circulated much outside YouTube. Instead, it’s a disposable piece of internet trolling, created for the sole purpose of generating outrage. It’s just gained an extraordinarily wide audience.

ANY REFERENCE TO ISLAM IS DUBBED IN, BUT THE WHOLE TRAILER PLAYS ON COMMON FEARS AND STEREOTYPES

Given how unsympathetic Bacile / Nakoula is, it’s become easy to blame Innocence of Muslims for tension that may have already been building. When White House Press Secretary Jay Carney pushed for the video to be taken down, he told The Washington Post that “this is not a case of protest directed at the United States writ large or at US policy.” Recent events, he said, were “in response to a video, a film, that we have judged to be reprehensible and disgusting.” One YouTube user who re-posted the film described it as the movie “that caused Muslims to kill United States ambassador, J Christopher Stevens,” succinctly summing up popular perception. As others have pointed out, it’s also simplistic. Coptic Christians like Nakoula have a tense relationship with Muslims in Egypt, and they’ve faced violence before. Both Egypt and Libya are still in the midst of major political transitions. And rising food prices could be contributing to unrest worldwide.

THIS IS NOT A CASE OF PROTEST DIRECTED AT THE UNITED STATES WRIT LARGE OR AT US POLICY.

In some ways, Innocence of Muslims is the culmination of the internet’s role as a great leveler. YouTube can place tiny, self-published projects on equal footing with those made by traditional media outlets, and an anonymous or pseudonymous troll can claim to havestolen data from the FBI or hold Mitt Romney’s tax returns hostage. But the novelty and reach of online culture can also make it easy to exaggerate its importance, something that’s seen both in protesters’ insistence that the trailer is somehow condoned by the US and in the belief that Innocence of Muslims caused an attack that was likely planned for months. Even if YouTube bans Sam Bacile and his trailer, the numerous repostings, dubbed versions, and translations highlight the near impossibility of silencing offensive material once it has been released into the remix culture of the web. And the violence that followed is a reminder of how powerful online video can be at promoting an idea… or inciting populist outrage.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/17/3346428/innocence-of-muslims-protests

Anna Gurji & ‘Innocence Of Muslim: Horrified Actress Writes Letter Explaining Her Roles’

The Huffington Post  |  By Kia Makarechi

Anna Gurji starred in “Desert Warrior,” the film that was dubbed over and became “Innocence of Muslims.”

Anna Gurji is one of the actresses who starred in “Desert Warrior,” a movie that was supposed to be about tribal battles prompted by the arrival of a comet on Earth. Unfortunately, “Desert Warrior” was given a heavy dose of dubbing and post-production editing. The film is now known by a new, infamous name: “Innocence of Muslims.”

The anti-Islam movie, which now centers on a negative portrayal of Muhammad, has led to riots around much of the Arab world. After a series of bizarre twists involving false identities, the man behind the project has been identified as Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a man with a criminal past that includes convictions on federal fraud and methamphetamine charges. Nakoula was taken in for questioning early Saturday morning, but was not under arrest.

In a letter posted on author Neil Gaiman’s website, Gurji makes explicit that she was not privy to Nakoula’s plans.

“There was no mention EVER by anyone of MUHAMMAD and no mention of religion during the entire time I was on the set,” she writes. “I am hundred percent certain nobody in the cast and nobody in the U.S. artistic side of the crew knew what was really planned for this ‘Desert Warrior.’”

The actress said that when “people [ask me what my reaction is] after seeing that,” she only has one word to offer: “shock.”

“Two hours after I found out everything that had happened I gave ‘Inside Edition’ an interview, the duration of which I could not stop crying,” she continues. “I feel shattered … It’s painful to see how our faces were used to create something so atrocious without us knowing anything about it at all.”

While Gurji fears for her safety, she has not gone into hiding. “I don’t know what else to do but speak the truth,” she said. “I will not go into hiding (since I have nothing to hide), because if we don’t speak the truth, there is no world worth living for.”

Alan Roberts, a softcore porn director, has been identified as the project’s director. It appears as though he was also duped into thinking he was working on “Desert Warrior.”

SOURCE:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/17/anna-gurji-innocence-of-muslims-letter_n_1890041.html?ir=World&ref=topbar

What Ahmadi Muslims have done for Pakistan

What Ahmadi Muslims have done for Pakistan_ – Truth comes out