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Thursday, 30 April 2009
' FAITH FIGHTER '(a game allowing a stage fight with jesus,mohammed & other prophets) GAME GOES OFFLINE AFTER MUSLIM PROTEST
JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia – The creator of the Faith Fighter online game allowing players to stage fights involving Jesus, Mohammed and other prophets said on Tuesday it has withdrawn the game after a Muslim protest.
The game is "incendiary in its content and offensive to Muslims and Christians," a spokesman for the Jeddah-based Islamophobia Observatory of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference said.
Italian game publisher Molleindustria said on its website: "Today after an official statement from the Organisation of Islamic Conference we decided to remove the game Faith Fighter from our site."
The Observatory spokesman said the game would serve no other purpose than to incite intolerance. He called on the game's internet host to take "immediate action" by withdrawing it from the web.
Molleindustria said Faith Fighter was meant to be a game against intolerance that used over-the-top irony and a cartoonish style.
"Faith Fighter depicted in a mildly politically incorrect way all the major religions, as a response to the one-way Islamophobic satire of the Danish Mohammed cartoons.
Islam forbids images of Mohammed and a Danish newspaper angered the Muslim world in 2005 by publishing cartoons of the prophet that were deemed offensive.
Molleindustria said: "If an established organisation didn't understand the irony and the message of the game and is claiming it is inciting intolerance, we simply failed."
The game was released more than a year ago and has been played by millions of people on the Internet, it said.
The influential OIC has 57 member countries and represents 1.3 billion Muslims.
HEAT WAVE TO CONTINUE TO IN DELHI : NAGPUR INDIA'S HOTTEST CITY AT 47.1 DEGREE : PRAY & MAKE A DIFFERNCE...
The meteorological office said that the daytime temperatures may continue to rise as there is no sign of relief. "There is no sign of rain - temperatures are likely to rise because of this," the official added. The hot westerly winds blowing from Rajasthan have increased day temperatures across northern India. The maximum temperatures are hovering five degrees above average, the official said.
NAGPUR: Vidarbha sizzled under heat-wave conditions on Wednesday, with Nagpur registering the country's highest temperature of 47.1 degrees Celsius,
which is 5 degrees Celsius above normal. This broke Nagpur's all-time April high of 46.1, recorded in 1942. Wednesday's high was a sharp rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius from Tuesday's maximum of 45.6 degrees Celsius.
NAGPUR: Vidarbha sizzled under heat-wave conditions on Wednesday, with Nagpur registering the country's highest temperature of 47.1 degrees Celsius,
which is 5 degrees Celsius above normal. This broke Nagpur's all-time April high of 46.1, recorded in 1942. Wednesday's high was a sharp rise of 1.5 degrees Celsius from Tuesday's maximum of 45.6 degrees Celsius.
According to deputy director general of meteorology (Pune) A B Majumdar, this was indeed a very high temperature for the region for this time of the year. "Regions like Rajasthan and parts of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh are experiencing heat-wave conditions," he said. Nagpur beat Akola to the top spot on Wednesday by a tenth of a degree Celsius.
The maximum temperature recorded in Akola was 47 degrees Celsius. Other stations in the region which recorded temperatures over 45 degrees were Chandrapur at 46.5 degrees Celsius, Wardha 46 and Bramhapuri 45.9 degrees Celsius.
The met department has said that the temperature will continue to hover around this mark and may well head further north in the next few days. As for those who had to go out in the heat, it was nothing less than torture.
S Pushkar, a first-year engineering student, who appeared for his university examination on Wednesday, said he had a tough time coming back home after the paper. "Our exam ended at 12.30 pm, and it was sheer torture riding my bike on the way home," he said. "Not only did my eyes water, and my hands were practically blistered on touching the metallic surfaces on my bike. My exposed skin seemed to be burning. By the time I reached my home, I was completely exhausted. One of my friends is down with a severe headache since reaching home, while another has high fever now,"
Pushkar said. Professor N V Chaudhari said, "It was indeed a scorching day. I felt it after going out for just a few minutes around noon. However, I was in a car, bike riders must have been much worse for the wear." Another student, Shweta Muley said, "I had planned an outing with friends today, and the heat was simply unbearable. Even sitting in the shade or in a room did little to temper the heat! However, I was looking forward to meeting my friends today, and I somehow managed to disregard the heat."
Table: Temperatures in Vidarbha Station Max (deg C)
Nagpur 47.1, Akola 47.0 ,Amravati 44.5, Brahmapuri 45.9, Buldhana 43.2 ,Chandrapur 46.5, Gondia ,Washim 43.8, Wardha 46.0 ,Yavatmal 44.2.
12 YEAR OLD BECOMES A MOTHER IN JAIPUR ( INDIA )
JAIPUR: She was too young to even to realize that she was pregnant until she had delivery on Wednesday morning. Due to ignorance and illiteracy,
the only medical care she received during pregnancy was when an emergency ambulance picked her up from the roadside and admitted her to ‘Mahila’ Hospital, but that was only after she had delivered the baby girl.
According to doctors, the mother is apparently 12 or 13 years old, and both she and the baby are doing fine. The girl, Komal (name changed), has yet to come to terms with the fact that she has become a mother. All the attention from media, police and health officials is something the ragpicker, who used to live on Hasanpura roadside, is completely unfamiliar with.
She claims she was “married” to a boy of her age group, Jeetu, who stayed with her for nearly 45 days a few months ago. Her father, though, has a different take. “She used to live with a guy till some time ago, but we are not sure if this is his child.
She never told me that she felt any different. It was only last night that she complained of stomach ache and it was only when she gave birth to the child that the situation became evident,” says her father. The family, bewildered by the incident and sudden attention, is yet unsure about the future of the mother and the baby.
OBAMA'S REQUEST TO COVER CHRISTIAN SYMBOL IN GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY REVEALS COUNTRY'S MOVE TOWARDS SOCIALISM & SECULARISM,SAYS CONGRESSMAN
“This administration has no problem spending money imprinted with the phrase, ‘In God We Trust,’ but won’t have our president speak with any symbol of Christ in public view,” Fleming said. “We begin each day in this chamber with a prayer, and clearly visible in this house is the same phrase. With our country having such problems, people turn to faith for help in this time of uncertainty, as they should,” he added.
“This country was founded on the solid principles of Judeo-Christian ethics,” Fleming said. “Why should our president cover this important symbol of our heritage and values?” As first reported, the pediment attached to the wall that was to be the backdrop for Obama’s speech at the Catholic university featured the IHS symbol for Jesus Christ. The Obama administration asked school officials to cover the symbol, which was done by placing a piece of plywood painted black over it.
Fleming told that he sees President Obama’s request as symbolic of his political agenda for the country. “I have a concern about the very sharp turn to socialism that’s happening in our government,” Fleming said. He said the policies the president supports, from “cap and trade” government regulation of carbon emissions to universal health care and nuclear disarmament, is evidence of the country moving toward a European style of socialism, which in turn leads away from religion. “Where you see socialism, you see a decline in Christianity and religion in general,” Fleming said.
“If, indeed, our president and our liberal Congress – based on the legislation that has happened and what’s in front of us – that would be consistent with the secularization of society,” he added. Fleming said he wanted to call attention to the White House request to have the ISH symbol covered, because he believes it reveals the president’s values. “The administration has justified that they covered other things as well and it had nothing to do with religion,” Fleming said. “But obviously that suggests that our president does not want to be associated with religious symbols, at least not Christian symbols.”
FLORIDA COULD ISSUE JESUS,CROSS NUMBER PLATES IF LAW MAKERS PASS A BILL IN THE LEGISLATURE
TALLAHASSEE -- If you want Jesus on your license plate, the Florida Senate is looking out for you.
Religious specialty plates offered by Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, and Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, made it onto a bill Friday even though many members had not seen images of those plates and none were produced for the debate.
Siplin didn't mince words when asked what his ''Trinity'' plate looks like, saying: ``It has a picture of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.''
It, along with a ''Preserving the Past'' plate offered by Siplin, would benefit the Toomey Foundation for the Natural Sciences.
Storms' ''I Believe'' plate would benefit Faith in Teaching, an Orlando company that funds faith-based programs at schools. The design features a cross over a stained-glass window.
Several members had concerns about approving plates they had not seen. And one questioned using religious symbols at all.
''The issue is whether the state of Florida ought to be producing license plates with religious images on them,'' said Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, ``and I don't believe that we should.''
Before the day was over, the Anti-Defamation League and the ACLU registered opposition, and across the hall in the House, proposals for the same plates were withdrawn from legislation.
Florida has more than 100 specialty plates with several new ones proposed this year.
Coming Monday: a push to eliminate all specialty plates within two years in favor of specialty stickers sold for use on standard Florida license plates. It's the idea of Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, who said it will save the state money, generate more revenue for charities and most importantly, help ``law enforcement clearly and swiftly identify a Florida license plate.''
''What this does is it lets automobile owners have choice 1 and 2, both options, and to generate more money for the charities involved,'' Crist said. ``It's a win-win situation.''
Crist doesn't have a prototype of his idea but said there would be two spots on each plate for maybe 2-inch-square stickers, in the bottom right and left corners.
So, if you are a University of Florida graduate who loves manatees, you can support both on your tag.
But those options would come too late for Friday's debate in the Senate, where Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, invoked the devil to make her point: ``What if someone comes next year and decides to vote on something that has the devil on it, and horns, horns on each side. I know that people are called the devil, but if the symbol of a devil is on it, I would not vote for that.''
After a not-so-simple vote (two voice votes, a voided roll call vote, two quorum calls and finally one that counted), the amendment with Siplin's tag was adopted 22-13. Storms' tag passed on a voice vote.
For his part, Siplin said FAMU has a snake on its plate and the University of Miami has an ibis, ``so I think we should have an opportunity for every citizen around the state to be able to purchase a license plate of their choice.''
Siplin wasn't bothered by the opposition, saying, ``If you don't like that particular license plate, you're not forced to buy it.''
Religious specialty plates offered by Sen. Ronda Storms, R-Valrico, and Sen. Gary Siplin, D-Orlando, made it onto a bill Friday even though many members had not seen images of those plates and none were produced for the debate.
Siplin didn't mince words when asked what his ''Trinity'' plate looks like, saying: ``It has a picture of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.''
It, along with a ''Preserving the Past'' plate offered by Siplin, would benefit the Toomey Foundation for the Natural Sciences.
Storms' ''I Believe'' plate would benefit Faith in Teaching, an Orlando company that funds faith-based programs at schools. The design features a cross over a stained-glass window.
Several members had concerns about approving plates they had not seen. And one questioned using religious symbols at all.
''The issue is whether the state of Florida ought to be producing license plates with religious images on them,'' said Sen. Ted Deutch, D-Boca Raton, ``and I don't believe that we should.''
Before the day was over, the Anti-Defamation League and the ACLU registered opposition, and across the hall in the House, proposals for the same plates were withdrawn from legislation.
Florida has more than 100 specialty plates with several new ones proposed this year.
Coming Monday: a push to eliminate all specialty plates within two years in favor of specialty stickers sold for use on standard Florida license plates. It's the idea of Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, who said it will save the state money, generate more revenue for charities and most importantly, help ``law enforcement clearly and swiftly identify a Florida license plate.''
''What this does is it lets automobile owners have choice 1 and 2, both options, and to generate more money for the charities involved,'' Crist said. ``It's a win-win situation.''
Crist doesn't have a prototype of his idea but said there would be two spots on each plate for maybe 2-inch-square stickers, in the bottom right and left corners.
So, if you are a University of Florida graduate who loves manatees, you can support both on your tag.
But those options would come too late for Friday's debate in the Senate, where Sen. Larcenia Bullard, D-Miami, invoked the devil to make her point: ``What if someone comes next year and decides to vote on something that has the devil on it, and horns, horns on each side. I know that people are called the devil, but if the symbol of a devil is on it, I would not vote for that.''
After a not-so-simple vote (two voice votes, a voided roll call vote, two quorum calls and finally one that counted), the amendment with Siplin's tag was adopted 22-13. Storms' tag passed on a voice vote.
For his part, Siplin said FAMU has a snake on its plate and the University of Miami has an ibis, ``so I think we should have an opportunity for every citizen around the state to be able to purchase a license plate of their choice.''
Siplin wasn't bothered by the opposition, saying, ``If you don't like that particular license plate, you're not forced to buy it.''
CARBOARD VILLAGE BECOMES 'HOME' TO 200 CHRISTIAN STUDENTS
Around 200 students at a Christian university in Indiana are spending four days this week living in a cardboard village to experience and highlight the plight of the world’s homeless population.
Since Monday and until this Thursday, the scores of Taylor University students will be abstaining from technology and showers while wearing the same clothes and living on a diet of rice and beans, according to Dr. Michael Jessup, a sociology professor at the Upland, Ind., institution.
“To truly understand poverty, social injustice, and oppression is wisdom, and provides a window into the heart of God,” explained Jessup ahead of this week’s Social Justice Week ‘09.
"I want our students to realize that social justice week is not just something we do for fun, not something we add to the gospel, but a biblical mandate," he told the school’s news service. "As Christians, we are required to love justice, encourage the oppressed, demonstrate love to our neighbor, and preach the good news to the poor."
Since 2007, Taylor University has been holding its "Social Justice Week," a five-day, campus-wide experience with multiple activities designed to engage the Taylor community in the exploration of critical societal issues.
Other events scheduled for this week include nightly speakers and a poverty simulation designed to help participants grasp the challenges facing low-income families.
Since Monday and until this Thursday, the scores of Taylor University students will be abstaining from technology and showers while wearing the same clothes and living on a diet of rice and beans, according to Dr. Michael Jessup, a sociology professor at the Upland, Ind., institution.
“To truly understand poverty, social injustice, and oppression is wisdom, and provides a window into the heart of God,” explained Jessup ahead of this week’s Social Justice Week ‘09.
"I want our students to realize that social justice week is not just something we do for fun, not something we add to the gospel, but a biblical mandate," he told the school’s news service. "As Christians, we are required to love justice, encourage the oppressed, demonstrate love to our neighbor, and preach the good news to the poor."
Since 2007, Taylor University has been holding its "Social Justice Week," a five-day, campus-wide experience with multiple activities designed to engage the Taylor community in the exploration of critical societal issues.
Other events scheduled for this week include nightly speakers and a poverty simulation designed to help participants grasp the challenges facing low-income families.
WATCH THIS SHOCKING VIDEO : TALIBAN GUNMEN EXECUTING A COUPLE WHOM THEY REPEATEDLY SHOT FOR THE ALLEGED CRIME OF ADULTERY : PRAY & MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Their deaths were squalid, riddled with bullets in a field near their home by Taliban gunmen as the execution was captured on a mobile telephone.
In footage which is being watched with horror by Pakistanis, the couple try to flee when they realise what is about to happen. But a gunman casually shoots the man and then the woman in the back with a burst of gunfire, leaving them bleeding in the dirt.
Moments later, when others in the execution party shout out that they are still alive, he returns to coldly finish them with a few more rounds.
Their "crime" was an alleged affair in their remote mountain village controlled by militants in an area that was only recently under the government's sway. It was the kind of barbarity that has become increasingly familiar across Pakistan as the Taliban tide has spread.
But this time, with black-turbaned gunmen almost at the gates of Islamabad, the rare footage has shown urban Pakistanis what could now await them.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, has warned that Islamic extremists could take over the nation.
In the past few days the footage has circulated among Pakistanis who usually show little interest in the rough ways of the distant frontier regions.
They have now started to wake up to the fear that al-Qaeda-linked rebels from the frontier could take over their nation.
The killings happened in Hangu district, in North West Frontier Province, about two hours drive from the regional capital Peshawar. The punishment was administered by a local group of the Pakistani Taliban, the Islamic militia which has swept across the NWFP towards the capital Islamabad.
Last week, the Taliban had reached within 60 miles of Islamabad, in Buner district. Their takeover sparked panic in the West, which was already appalled by a peace deal that the government had signed this month with Taliban in adjacent the Swat valley.
In an extraordinary move, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, called on the people of Pakistan to defy their government, saying they "need to speak out forcefully against a policy that is ceding more and more territory to the insurgents".
The Taliban had agreed a withdrawal, in the last couple of days, to their stronghold of Swat. That will scarcely make the government and elite in the capital Islamabad feel much safer, as Swat is only 100 miles from them.
"The Taliban are steady and confident, the government is weak and faltering," said Pervez Hoodbhoy, a professor at Islamabad's Quaid-e-Azam University and one of Pakistan's leading intellectuals.
"A Taliban victory will enslave our women, destroy Pakistan's rich historical and cultural heritage, make education and science impossible, and make the lives of its citizens impossibly difficult. Some are already contemplating an exodus."
Pakistan today stands on a knife-edge, threatened with anarchy. The desperate deal signed with the Taliban in Swat looks set to fall apart. The result will almost certainly be violence. An army convoy heading into Swat on Saturday morning was stopped by the Taliban and forced to turn back, in a naked display of their power.
They seem to have been only emboldened by the peace agreement. Many believe that a bloody military operation now looks inevitable,
For those in areas falling under Taliban control, their harsh rule is terrifying.
An SOS text message sent out on Friday by a terrified local resident, in an area of Swat called Bahrain, says that the Taliban have established total control. Asking not be named for fear of reprisal, he said that they have set up check posts at the entrance to Bahrain, from where they kidnap those they want, including young women.
"They've even warned the local schools to close the girl classes or face dire consequences. Yet the government says its writ is in Swat."
Another Swat resident said: "Every day I see armed Taliban move around freely. At the time of prayer, if they see anyone in his shop or walking about, they whip him with a stick."
The Pakistani Taliban, a copy of the Afghan extremist movement, have long controlled the tribal area along the Afghan border, which is a sanctuary for militants, including al-Qaeda. But it is their march into the heart of the country that has horrified ordinary Pakistanis, and the wider world. And the threat comes not just from the Taliban to the west. Islamic extremists, who are not part of the Taliban, are already entrenched in Islamabad and across the Punjab, the most populous province, seemingly ready to surface when their moment comes.
Islamabad's defences are being hurriedly fortified, with paramilitary troops stationed on the Margalla Hills, which overlook the city from the West. In the capital, there are thousands of followers of the radical Red Mosque, where there are now open calls for Islamic revolution at the weekly Friday prayers.
"The Taliban will not stop at Swat. They will come towards Islamabad," said Hasan Askari Rizvi, a military analyst based in Lahore. "If the army is to take action against them, it is going to be a really bloody battle. And then civil government will be knocked out."
"Extremist groups based in Islamabad will move from within and they (Taliban) will build pressure from outside."
The footage Pakistanis have been watching shows them what they could expect.
A local journalist was invited to witness the execution, who filmed it with his mobile phone for a Pakistani channel, Dawn News. The Sunday Telegraph is showing the footage in the West for the first time.
There were no names for the two victims.
"Using the media is part of their (the Taliban's) psychological warfare," said Imtiaz Gul, chairman of Centre for Research and Security Studies, an independent think tank in Islamabad. "This way, they inject fear into the minds of people who might oppose them, keeping the majority silent."
After the couple were shot, the family were told to take their bodies away for burial. The punishment was administered by a local group of the Pakistani Taliban linked to warlord Baitullah Mehsud.
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