British Columbias premier-designate Christy Clark cast doubts on Monday on aplanned increase to medical service premiums, saying her government needs torethink the tax burden it places on families. Ms. Clark also flagged concern with pro-posed rate hikes on electricity a strong hint that the Crown corporation, BC Hydro,may run into opposition with its plan to increase the price of power by 50 per centover the next five years. Ms. Clark, who won the B.C. Liberal leadership on Feb. 26,will be sworn in March 14. At the same time, shell unveil a new and smaller cabinet.Although she campaigned as an outsider to government who would represent change,she played down on Monday just how different her cabinet will look. People wantchange but we also want to have some stability in government as well, she toldreporters in Victoria. The bigger change, she suggested, is in the way the governmentwill operate under her leadership: To make sure we are pursing a families-first agendafor government, andthat is making sure

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New air raidshit Libyan oil

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Forces loyal to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafihave launched new air raids on the oil city of RasLanuf and are closing in on the western town of AzZawiyah. Fresh reports of rockets landing on RasLanuf came on Wednesday, leading to a growingconcern for the city's gas facilities, which ifbombed, could spell disaster for people living in thearea. Jacky Rowland, Al Jazeera's correspondent inRas Lanuf, said fighter jets were circling overheadand the rebels were firing back. "What we are hear-ing is intense and repeated attacks by Gaddafi's air-planes on the rebels," she said. "The air force isconcentrating on the big junctions at the entranceto the town. The fact that its such consistent blacksmoke could well means there is oil underneath it.It is continuing to burn. "The opposition fightersare extremely panicked." Khaled Kwafi, a memberof the opposition forces based on the outskirts ofRas Lanuf, told Al Jazeera that people were killedand injured in the attack. "An hour ago we sawwarplanes in the sky. We heard very huge explo-sions and lots of smoke. Our people tried to gothere but they were stopped," he said. "We heardthere are people killed and injured there." Asidefrom attacks in Ras Lanuf forces loyal to Gaddafilaunched a bombardment near rebel positionsaround the east Libyan oil terminal of Es Sider onWednesday, blowing up storage tanks at the facility.Rebels retaliated by firing back with rockets as afireball exploded from one of the oil tanks and thesky above the terminal filled with black smoke.Gaddafi's forces are also reported to have surround-ed the rebel-held town of Az Zawiyah, close to thecapital Tripoli. Tanks of forces closed in on therebel-held main square of on Wednesday and theirsnipers shot at anything that moved, rebel and resi-dent sources said. They said bodies were lyingunrecovered in the ruins of many buildingsdestroyed in air raids earlier in the week and therewas no one in the streets of the centre. The Libyan

Issue 278 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 20112 MIR A LETHETHEMIR A LE

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A suicide bomber attacked a funeral procession in the north-western city of Peshawar on Wednesday killing at least 36 peopleand wounding over 50, DawnNews quoted senior ministerBashir Bilour as saying. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsi-bility for the assault, an AP report said. The funeral in the citysMatani area was for the relative of a pro-government, ethnicPashtun tribal elder, DCO Peshawar Siraj Ahmed told Reuters.The attacker mingled with the mourners before setting off hisexplosives, Ahmed said. Like in other parts of the northwest,Matani is home to several tribal armies that fight against theTaliban and get some government support. The militants haveoften targeted the militiamen. The Pashtun elder whose relativewas being buried on Wednesday was involved with a pro-govern-ment militia force. It was not immediately clear if he had beenkilled or wounded in the explosion. People had gathered andhad just started praying when a boy walked in and blew himselfup, survivor Mohammad Eman told a private television chan-nel. Bloodied shoes and caps littered the ground where theattack took place, on the outskirts of the city, as stunned sur-vivors milled around or bundled the wounded into trucks andaway to hospital, television images showed. The PakistaniTaliban claimed responsibility for the assault. Talibanspokesman Ahsanullah Ahsan said the insurgents targeted themilitiamen because they were allied with the Pakistani govern-ment and, effectively, the United States. We will carry out moresuch attacks if they did not stop their activities, he said viaphone from an undisclosed location. The attack came a day

after militants set off a car-bomb at a natural gas filling stationin the central city of Faisalabad killing at least 25 people andwounding about 125. Pakistani Taliban fighting to bring downthe government claimed responsibility for that attack. Pakistanhas seen a wave of bombs in the past three years, many in thenorthwest near the border with Afghanistan, where the militaryis battling al Qaeda-linked Pakistani Taliban insurgents. Thearmy says that several military offensives have weakened the mil-itants but bomb attacks are still common.Source: Dawn

Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gilanion Monday soughtMuslim scholars helpin curbing extremismand urged the coun-trys youth to followIslamic teachings oftolerance and peace.Pakistani PrimeMinister Yousuf RazaGilani delivered aspeech at the openingceremony of a three-

day conference of Islamic clerics and scholars in Islamabadon March 7, 2011 The countrys present situation demands that we follow thelife of the Prophet Mohammad, who taught us tolerance andbrotherhood, Gilani said at a conference of Muslim scholars.Today we need to follow the true message of tolerance andunderstanding preached and practiced by the Holy Prophet,added Gilani.Gilanis appeal came after suspected militants gunned downShahbaz Bhatti in broad daylight in Islamabad last week.Born on September 9, 1968, to a Christian family in Punjab,

Shahbaz Bhatti was the only non-Muslim minister in thePakistan Peoples Party-led (PPP) coalition government.The slain minister was one of the founding members of theAll Pakistan Minorities Alliance (APMA) in 1985 and was arepresentative of the religious minorities in Pakistan. Hejoined the PPP in 2002. He tabled a bill in the NationalAssembly Secretariat in 2008 that called for the doubling ofminority seats in the national and provincial assemblies, andproposed that seats also be allocated to minorities in theSenate.He said the murderers of Shahbaz Bhatti tried to create awedge between Muslims and Christians. But, he said, Iwarn such elements they will never succeed in their objec-tive.Gilani also said that Islam and the constitution ensure rightsand freedom for minorities.In their speeches, scholars vowed opposition to suicidebombings, extremism and terrorism, saying that they werestruggling to spread Islams message of peace.Extremism, terrorism and suicide attacks are heinous actsand have nothing to do with Islam. Such acts violate whatIslam stands for, senior scholar Mufti Abu HurairaMohiuddin told the gathering.Some misguided individuals are violating Islamic teachings.Islam guarantees protection for all of humanity, he added.

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 20114 MIR A LETHETHEMIR A LE

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sundaytold US General David Petraeus, the com-mander of international troops, that his apol-ogy after nine children died in a NATO airstrike was "not enough". Afghan protestorshold a placard during a demonstration inKabul on Sunday. A roadside bomb rippedthrough a car in eastern Afghanistan, killing12 civilians, as hundreds of people protestedangrily in Kabul over the deaths of nine chil-dren in a NATO air raid. (AFP/Shah Marai)Hundreds of angry demonstrators also ralliedin central Kabul over the deaths in an air raidby coalition helicopters in the easternprovince of Kunar on Tuesday. NATO'sInternational Security Assistance Force(ISAF) said the children -- who were collect-ing firewood in the province's Dar-e-Pechdistrict when they were killed -- were mistak-en for rebels. Petraeus and US PresidentBarack Obama both apologised. TheWestern-backed Karzai, who has shaky rela-tions with Washington, had already con-

demned the deaths, but on Sunday addressedPetraeus directly at a cabinet meeting atwhich the US general was present. "PresidentKarzai said that David Petraeus's apology isnot enough," a statement from the Afghanpresidency said. "The civilian casualties are amain cause of worsening the relationshipbetween Afghanistan and the US," the state-ment quoted Karzai as saying. "The peopleare tired of these things and apologies andcondemnations are not healing any pain."On behalf of the people of Afghanistan Iwant you to stop the killings of civilians."The air strike that killed the children wasagainst insurgents who had attacked a mili-tary post, but it hit the young victims by mis-take, according to military officials. Civiliancasualties -- especially involving children --are a highly sensitive issue in war-tornAfghanistan, where a Taliban-led insurgencyhas raged since the Islamists were oustedfrom power by a US-led 2001 invasion.Karzai says deaths of civilians in military

operations turn people against his delicatepro-US administration. Civilian casualtieshave also been a key source of tensionbetween Kabul and its Western backers, theUS and NATO. A week before the childrenwere killed, Karzai said troops had killed 65non-combatants during operations in Kunarprovince's Ghaziabad district. That was fol-lowed by another incident in which Afghanauthorities said troops killed six civilians inneighbouring Nangarhar province, also in anair raid. About 500 people poured onto thestreets of Kabul earlier on Sunday and chant-ed anti-American slogans over the deaths ofthe children. Marching through centralKabul they shouted "Death to America --Death to the invaders." A placard carried by aveiled woman read: "Occupation = killing +destruction." "We don't want the invadingforces," chanted one demonstrator carryingposters of the dead children. Another shout-ed: "Death to the government of PresidentHamid Karzai!" "When I saw the demonstra-

tion and realised it is against the Americans Ijoined," Azizullah, one of the protesters, whouses one name, told AFP. Also Sunday, aroadside bomb ripped through a car in east-ern Afghanistan, killing 12 civilians. TheTaliban-style home-made device struck thecar in the province of Paktika, killing fivechildren, two women and five men, theprovincial administration said in a statement.The victims were on their way from neigh-bouring Pakistan, it said, without giving fur-ther details. Mohibullah Samim, the provin-cial governor, blamed the bombing on "ene-mies of peace who once again revealed theirtyrant face to the public," the statementadded. Rebels loyal to the Taliban and othermilitant groups often use improvised -- orhome-made -- bombs in attacks againstAfghan security forces and their Western mil-itary backers. There are about 140,000 for-eign military forces operating in Afghanistanunder the command of Petraeus. Bombs areusually planted on public roads and often killcivilians instead of their military targets. Asimilar device on February 26 killed ninecivilians in Khost province, which bordersPaktika.

Source: AFP

At least 75 pro-democracy demonstrators injured in the shooting as calls for president Saleh's ouster gain momen-tum. Three of the wounded were in a serious condition, according to medical sources.

Afghan civilian deathshit new high

Tribunal rules Tamil migrantno threat to Canada

Afghans Protest Civilian Casualties,Say Apology 'Not Enough'

YYYYeeeemmmmeeeennnniiii ppppoooollll iiiicccceeee ffffiiiirrrreeee oooonnnn pppprrrrooootttteeeesssstttteeeerrrrssss

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 20115 i n t e r n a t i o n a l MIR A LETHE

A Tamil asylum seeker accused of extremist links forliving in a former rebel-controlled area of Sri Lankais not a threat to Canada, a tribunal ruled Monday."The man's work for the LTTE -- Liberation Tigers ofTamil Eelam designated as a terrorist organization byCanada -- was not in support of its terrorist activi-ties," the Immigration and Refugee Board said in awritten decision. "In the context of the LTTE's hege-mony in the area, everyone in some way providedmaterial support for the organization, from paying abus fare or selling a soft drink to a soldier, teachingchildren in an LTTE-created school, or... fixingmotorbikes or public bus engines." The man, whoseidentity cannot be revealed under Canadian law, wasalso ordered released from detention while awaiting adecision on his refugee claim. Known only as passen-ger B173 for the proceedings, he came to Canada lastyear aboard the rickety cargo ship MV Sun Sea as oneof 492 asylum seekers from Sri Lanka. Most weredetained. Another 76 were arrested in 2009 uponarrival to Canada's west coast aboard a secondfreighter. Canada and Sri Lanka alleged the migrantsmay have included members of the Tamil Tigers, out-lawed in Canada as a terror group before their defeatin 2009 by Sri Lanka's government after a lengthycivil war. In this case, authorities alleged the manknowingly carried out, attempted to carry out, par-ticipated in or facilitated terrorist activity as a mem-

ber of the LTTE. But the refugee board disagreed,saying: "In the context of life in the LTTE-controlledarea, the evidence does not support a finding that theman crossed the line from being a mere sympathizeror supporter to a member." Rather, it characterizedwork he did for the LTTE and his contact with thegroup as "unavoidable dealings that anyone in thearea would likely have had with the LTTE." Before itsdefeat, the LTTE controlled a vast area of northeast-ern Sri Lanka. "Mere association with the LTTEshould not make somebody inadmissible to Canada,"Canadian Tamil Congress spokesman DavidPoopalapillai said after the ruling. The board alsonoted that the man had no military training, did notdistribute LTTE propaganda or solicit others to jointheir armed struggle, and was not involved in thegroup's political wing. He was the first of 32 Tamilasylum seekers to appear before an admissibilityhearing, accused of human smuggling, war crimes orbelonging to an organized criminal organization orextremist group. A next round of hearings is sched-uled for March 8. The refugee board is also stillreviewing the detention of 59 others from the MVSun Sea to determine whether they are a security orflight risk, board spokeswoman Melissa Andersontold AFP. The rest have been ordered released pend-ing a decision on their refugee claims.Source: AFP

Last year was the deadliest yet for civilians in the Afghan war with a 15percent jump in the death toll, the UN said in a report on Wednesdaywhich laid bare the conflict's impact on ordinary people. The 2,777 deathsunderscore the level of violence in the country as foreign troops prepare tostart handing control of security to Afghan forces in some areas from Julyahead of a full transition due by 2014. Insurgents were responsible for 75percent of all civilian deaths, up 28 percent on 2009, the figures said. Thatcompared to 16 percent for international and Afghan government forces,down 26 percent on the previous year, while responsibility for the remain-ing deaths could not be attributed. Large numbers of children and womenwere among the dead -- 1,175 and 555 respectively. The issue of civiliandeaths caused by coalition forces, long a thorny question for the US-ledtroops, is particularly sensitive in Afghanistan at the moment. Last week,nine young boys were mistakenly killed while out collecting firewood in anair strike in eastern Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai rejected a rarepublic apology over the incident from General David Petraeus, the UScommander of troops in Afghanistan, while US Defense Secretary RobertGates also said he was sorry during a visit to the country Monday. Airstrikes by pro-government forces killed 171 people, according to the reportreleased by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan(UNAMA) and the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission(AIHRC). As it was published, Staffan de Mistura, the UN special repre-sentative in Afghanistan, issued an appeal to all combatants for civiliancasualties to be reduced. "While we're sending a strong message to theTaliban and anti-government forces, we're also requesting and remindingthe international forces one civilian victim is one too many," he said."Let's not forget that the whole purpose of the international engagementin Afghanistan is protection of civilians." He also urged the Taliban tocontribute to next year's report. But Taliban spokesman Yousuf Ahmadidismissed the figures as "totally made up" and refused de Mistura's call,saying: "Working with them for us would mean recognising the invadingforces and the Kabul administration." Overall, the figures indicate that theaverage number of Afghan civilians killed in the war last year stood atnearly eight per day. The total toll was nearly four times higher than the2010 death toll for international troops, which stood at 711, according toindependent website iCasualties.org. "In a year of intensified armed con-flict, with a surge of activity by pro-government forces and increased useof improvised explosive devices and assassinations by anti-governmentelements, Afghan civilians paid the price with their lives in even greaternumbers in 2010," said Ivan Simonovic, the UN's assistant secretary-gen-eral for human rights. A UN spokesman in Kabul confirmed that thecivilian death toll was the highest since the Taliban were ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001, triggering an insurgency fought with increasingintensity in recent years. An extra 30,000 troops were sent to Afghanistanin a bid to break the Taliban following an annou cement by US PresidentBarack Obama in December 2009. Suicide attacks and improvised explo-sive devices (IEDs) were the biggest killers in 2010, taking the lives of1,141 people or 55 percent of all those killed by insurgents, the report said.It also revealed that 462 civilians were assassinated by insurgents, a 105percent increase on the previous year, with huge spikes in the key Talibanstrongholds of Helmand and Kandahar in southern Afghanistan.UNAMA and AIHRC called for all parties in the war to take more care toprotect civilians in 2011, a year which politicians, officials and military fig-ures predict will bring more bloodshed amid the transition process.Source: AFP

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 20116 i n t e r n a t i o n a l MIR A LETHERafsanjani ousted from

Iranian post AU troops killed

in Somaliaclashes

Death penalty for India train blaze

Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a former Iranian presidentand opposition member, has lost his position as head ofan important state clerical body after being criticised byhardliners for being too close to the reformist opposition.Ayatollah Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, 80, was elect-ed as the new chairman of the Assembly of Experts onTuesday, after Rafsanjani withdrew his candidacy, thesemi-official Mehr news agency reported. Rafsanjani hadchaired the 86-member body - which selects the supremeleader, supervises his activities and can dismiss him -since 2007. Rafsanjani declined to make a fresh bid forthe post he had held for four years after Mahdavi Kanideclared his intention. Mahdavi Kani was a follower ofthe founder of the Islamic revolution, Ayatollah RuhollahKhomeini, years before the triumph of the revolution in1979. Before serving as acting prime minister in early80s, he shortly served as interior minister. He is the cur-rent chairman of Imam Sadaq University where manyserving Iranian diplomats studied. The cleric also headsthe Association of Militant Clergy, a conservative clericalorganisation whose many of its members are holding keyregime posts. Rafsanjani, who was president from 1989 to1997, is considered a moderate and pragmatic conserva-tive. But he has never hidden his disdain for President

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who defeated him in the 2005presidential election. His fallout with Ahmadinejadbegan when he indirectly offered support for oppositionleader Mir Hossein Mousavi at the 2009 presidential poll.Ahmadinejad's victory in the poll, which was hotly dis-puted by Mousavi and another losing candidate, MehdiKarroubi, sparked mass demonstrations in the streets,with protesters demanding a new election be held. In theaftermath of the riots, in which dozens were killed andhundreds arrested, Rafsanjani made headlines by callingfor political freedoms and for the release of political pris-oners. He repeated the calls on a number of occasions,triggering the wrath of hardliners. He also came underharsh criticism from conservatives, who demanded thathe publicly condemn the two opposition leaders. The callsgrew more strident when anti-government demonstra-tions resumed mid-February. In a gradual about-turnwhich some say was due to increasing pressure fromhardliners, Rafsanjani, who also heads the ExpediencyCouncil, another key institution of the Islamic republic,finally distanced himself from the opposition. He morerecently condemned the opposition protests and, referringto Karroubi and Mousavi, said the "leaders of sedition ...best served America and the Zionist regime." One ofRafsanjani's sons, Mohsen Hashemi, resigned on Saturdayas chairman of Tehran's metro, reportedly under pressurefrom the municipality by the government ofAhmadinejad. Hashemi was reportedly at odds withAhmadinejad, resulting in the metro not receiving thegovernment subsidies it was allocated. Faezeh Hashemi,Rafsanjani's outspoken daughter, was briefly detainedafter "leading anti-revolutionaries and rioters" in Tehranprotests on February 20. Rafsanjani's other son, Mehdi,who is outside Iran, has an arrest warrant issued againsthim over his supposed role in the post election protests,though it has never been executed.Source: Al-Jazeera

In Indian court has sentenced 11 people to death for set-ting a train on fire in 2002, an incident that killed morethan 50 people and sparked some of the country's worstreligious rioting. The ruling on Tuesday comes a weekafter 31 Muslims were found guilty on conspiracy andmurder charges related to the train fire in Godhra in thewestern state of Gujarat. The other 20 convicts were sen-tenced to life imprisonment, JM Panchal, the special pub-lic prosecutor, said. He said the judge felt the crimes fell"under the category of the rarest of the rare". "There wasan active role, as far as these people are concerned, in theconspiracy and also setting fire to the coach," he said.The death sentences must be confirmed by a higher court,and all of those convicted have 90 days to appeal theirsentence. The train fire, which killed 59 Hindu pilgrims,sparked an anti-Muslim backlash that saw Hindu mobsrampaging through Muslim neighbourhoods in threedays of fighting, which left more than 1,000 people dead.Although Hindus blamed Muslims for the fire, Muslims

have always denied setting the train ablaze. The state gov-ernment, which has been controlled by the Hindu nation-alist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has been accused by theopposition and sections of the media of not doingenough to stop the violence and of even stoking it.Narendra Modi, Gujarat's chief minister and a prominentmember of the BJP, was accused of failing to stop theriots, and even of encouraging them. Gujarat officialshave denied the claims. Last month an Indian supremecourt panel criticised Modi for his "partisan" handling ofthe unrest, but found no evidence to justify criminal pros-ecution of him. A national enquiry into the fire conclud-ed the fire was an accident, but other official investiga-tions have differed in their findings. A total of 94 people,all Muslims, had stood trial at the court in Gujarat'sbiggest city, Ahmedabad, in a case that lasted nearly nineyears. They had been detained since 2002. The judgeacquitted 63 of them last week.Source: Al-Jazeera

At least 50 African Union (AU) peacekeepers have died in fight-ing in Somalia in a major offensive against al-Shabab fighters,officials have told news agencies. The fighting started two weeksago in the Horn of African nation which has had no central gov-ernment for two decades and is struggling to rein in the group,the former military wing of the deposed Islamic Court Union.Two Nairobi-based diplomats, speaking on condition ofanonymity, said at least 43 Burundian and 10 Ugandan troopshave been killed since February 18, citing information from peo-ple involved in the operation. The AU force, known as AMI-SOM, has publicly confirmed only a handful of deaths since thefighting broke out. The Associated Press news agency said onSaturday that the AU appeared to be trying to conceal losses dueto political considerations in Burundi, one of two nations pro-viding the bulk of the forces that are fighting alongside Somalitroops. An AU spokesman in neighbouring Kenya's capital,Nairobi, did not answer calls on Friday and Burundi's govern-ment spokesman was unavailable for comment. Military officersin Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, confirmed the death of the 43Burundi soldiers, adding that 110 others were wounded. "Inreality, 43 soldiers of the Burundi contingent ... have been killed,another four are missing and 110 were wounded during the lastjoint offensive ... in Mogadishu," a senior officer who declined tobe named due to the sensivity of the issue said. "The majority ofthese soldiers were killed on the first day of the offensive. Theycame upon many insurgents at a major target located near theformer defence ministry which we conquered." The officeradded: "The troops' morale is good despite these losses which arethe worst since we have been deployed in Somalia, because weachieved our goals." Meanwhile, an AU commander said onSaturday that his forces had captured a key position from al-Shabab in the capital Mogadishu. Major-General NathanMugisha said the soldiers had captured the former ministry ofdefence building in the north of the city, gaining control of amajor al-Shabab base. "By taking these positions we have effec-tively reduced their freedom of manoeuvre in that sector,"Mugisha told a news conference in Nairobi. "This peace inMogadishu comes at a price, and this burden has fallen heavilyon AMISOM and government forces." Earlier, al-Shabab fighterswere forced to abandon their positions in Belet Hawo, a townwhich borders Kenya, said Sharif Abdiwahid Sharif Aden, aspokesman for pro-government armed forces. The latest offen-sive aims to break al-Shabab's hold on large swathes of the coun-try's south and central regions. The group - which has instituteda Taliban-style system of rule, with strict edicts enforced by itsown courts and public executions - has boxed in the governmentto just a few city blocks of Mogadishu. The transitional govern-ment has been promising a full-scale war against al-Shabab foryears, but co-ordination among its poorly trained, seldom-paidgovernment forces has delayed that push. A report last monthby the think-tank International Crisis Group described the gov-ernment as being on "life support".Source: Al-Jazeera

every aspect of government is thinking about familiesas it formulates its decisions. Ms. Clark signalled thatlowering taxes for families would be a priority. Whilethe government has touted its personal-income-taxrates as the lowest in the country, Ms. Clark argued tax-payers are really in the middle of the pack, nationally,when it comes to their total tax load. One of thethings that government needs to start doing is, ratherthan just talking about where our tax rates are, shesaid, is look at where are we in terms of the total bur-den of costs that government puts on citizens. BCHydro, after allowing capital investments to lag formore than a decade, is now embarking on a series ofmajor capital investments of roughly $2-billion annual-ly. It has projected it will have to hike electricity ratesdramatically to pay for the improvements. Hydrosinvestments include an $800-million seismic upgrade tothe Ruskin dam a small Fraser Valley power stationthat will produce power for just 33,000 homes. As well,it is launching a $1-billion smart-meter program that

has been exempt from review by the utilitys watchdog.The utilitys costs are not only driven by capital costs,however. BC Hydros payroll has increased by 52 percent in just three years, from 2006-2009. The FinanceMinistry has not included hydro rates when it com-pares B.C.s taxes to other provinces. Government hasto think more holistically about those costs, Ms. Clarksaid. She also said she wont throw out the budget thatwas tabled on Feb. 12, although it includes a six-per-cent hike in MSP costs for British Columbians who paythem. But she may well bring in a new budget or evencall a provincial election after a June 24 referendumon the harmonized sales tax. Ms. Clark, who does notyet have a seat in the legislature, has suggested shefavours an early election, but it wont be until after thereferendum. And although she wants to win a seat inthe House, she still hasnt figured out where she wouldrun. Premier Gordon Campbell, who will officiallyhand over the reins next Monday, has offered to stepdown in the riding of Vancouver-Point Grey. Thatseems a likely option, she said. Although well seewhat happens. Source: Globe and Mail

Clark : Continued from pg 1

Libya : Continued from pg 1government claims it has taken back the coastal town of Bin Jawadafter heavy shelling there. Gaddafi himself remains as defiant asever, saying the Libyan people will take up arms if western powersget involved in events in Libya. On Wednesday, three of his privateplanes left Tripoli. At least one of them, carrying a high-rankingofficial for talks with the head of the Arab League, landed in theEgyptian capital, Cairo. Earlier, in his second televised speech in asmany days, Gaddafi once again alleged involvement of foreigners inthe rebellion against his more than 41-year-old rule. In an addresson state TV early on Wednesday he warned of a plot to coloniseLibya. As proof, he said his security forces had captured several for-eigners during a raid on Monday. His address followed an offer bythe rebels, granting him a safe exit. The offer came amid reportsthat Gaddafi had sent feelers to the opposition movement, express-ing willingness to negotiate his exit. Unconfirmed reports indicat-ed that Gaddafi was willing to step down in return for having warcrimes charges against him dropped and a guaranteed safe exit forhim and his family. He also reportedly wanted guarantees from theUN that he will be allowed to keep his money. Libyan state televi-sion has, however, denied the reports. An official from the Libyanforeign ministry described the reports as "absolute nonsense".Hoda Abdel-Hamid, Al Jazeera's correspondent in the eastern cityof Benghazi, said she was hearing conflicting accounts of what hap-pened. Source: Al-Jazeera

Nothing is constant but change; remainsan accepted reality. Having exhaustedtheir patience for many decades of statusquo, a boiling point is a natural phenom-enon. Zero freedom, massive unemploy-ment, rampant poverty and hunger inwealthy countries make no sense at all.Enough is enough for the sufferers andnow the ongoing tug o war among theunhappy public and the oppressiveregimes in the Middle Eastern/NorthAfrican (MENA) countries is the groundreality. It's getting real ugly, messy, nastyand extremely scary. It is almost impossi-ble to distinguish between military andmilitancy.Initially, the riots in Tunisia and Egyptstimulated discontent almost in the entireArab land. The youth have been wideawake against human rights violations inTunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Algeria andBahrain. As a result, the oppressed Arabworld has become defiant and gone furi-ous enough to get going on gun-fightingspree. Furthermore, the defecting soldiersmake it even harder for the governmentsoldiers to revert the fatal scenario atthis stage.As the virus of rebellion has grippedmany Middle Eastern Autocracies.Colonel Qaddafi is in trouble too.The militant public is well positioned tostrategically target the government troopsleft and right with much ease.Surprisingly, the rebels are dangerouslyarmed with rocket launchers, surface-to-air missile launchers, anti-aircraft gunsand tanks. Opposition forces are gainingmomentum. On the other hand, LibyanAir Force has been bombing and teargassing the defiant public, yet the opposi-tion forces are calling for the Libyanleader's ouster at the earliest.The public and the youth are asking forcomplete elimination of autocratic rulers

in the region to regain the lost social jus-tice, democracy and freedom.After decades of unpopular rule, politicaland economic reforms in Egypt andTunisia are underway, while Libya is goingthrough the pain of civil war andanarchy facing the worst uprising ever -costing lives, movable and immovableproperty. However, Government of Libyatightened its hold on the capital Tripoli,the Libyan soldiers made an intensifiedassault on town of Zawiya to reclaim thefallen city. Yet at the same time, rebelfighters went on the offensive in centralLibya, attacking regime forces to win oilport Brega.As the intense fighting is going on inLibyan cities, Bahrain, Yemen, Algeria arestruggling to defuse the anger of theirpublic to escape any potential hazard. Thebloodiest uprising against the rulers in theMiddle East and North Africa is causing ahumanitarian crisis, especially on theTunisian border where tens of thousandsof foreign workers have fled for safety.It seems certain that the autocratic rulershave no choice but to leave. Most proba-bly, anti Saudi elements have alreadyattempted to circumvent the country'sstrict rules and regulations to triggerchaos in the country to achieve theirobjectives, yet, Shariah laws, local customsand traditions in the Kingdom prohibitdemonstrations or protests. Even abettingof such activity or encouragement thereofclearly breaches the law; and alsoencroaches upon the rights of others.Most importantly, the Saudi securityforces have been given the green light totake all precautionary measures todeal with those who want to underminethe country's security and apply lawsagainst them. The Saudis claim that secu-rity is essential for people to enjoy peace-ful and prosperous lives, prevent blood-

shed, protect wealth, promote trade andensure the protection of rights.Just in time, a majority of Saudis havealready commended the regime's effortsto enhance the progress and prosperity ofits people. Therefore, Saudi kingdom stillstands a good chance of survival for anumber of reasons: The king has beenlately providing his people. King Abdullahrecently announced a handsome welfarepackage worth SR110 billion, includinga 15% pay raise for public employees.Social insurance benefits for the poorhave been substantially enhanced.Prisoners held for minor crimes havebeen released. Prices of consumer goodsin the Kingdom are lower. No complaints.In the past, the trend in the MiddleEastern countries has been to hire foreignworkers, but now there is a shift in hiringpractices just to silence the local popula-tion through accommodating themagainst any job vacancies. Nevertheless,reality bites, as most companies feel morecomfortable to hire foreigners for theirprofessionalism, competitiveness, efficien-cy, productivity and hard work.Current circumstances would negativelyimpact the overall global economichealth for years. The autocratic regimes inthe affected regions have been holdingstakes worth $320 billion in publicly trad-ed firms, either directly or through rulersand sovereign funds. But, the presentdeteriorating condition in oil-producingregions is highly inflammable andunnerving indeed.The scenario can be best described as "aturmoil leading to expensive oil" for thewhole world as the crude oil price is skyrocketing with no end in sight in the nearfuture. Hence, there is a golden opportu-nity for profiteering, yet a bad news forthe consumers. More worrisome is theincreased production in the "arms and

ammunition" industry which is probablyemploying millions to kill millions - ofcourse.Last year, MENA countries produced 22.7million barrels per day. Now the deadlyrevolt is ripping through the OPEC-mem-ber country (LIBYA) destroying almost1/2 of its 1.6 million barrels per day out-put, if the present scenario is allowed tolinger on without a fix on urgent basis,another "global economic recession" isimminent.Talking about foreign intervention at thispoint is not a good sell, because thatwould escalate the crisis - hurting thealready bleeding Arabs.Actually, the people deserve to be heard,as "people's free will" always prevails inthe end. Nevertheless, the Arab Leagueand the OIC are obligated to resolve thecrises as soon as possible.Sadly, in order to hide the looted national treasure, the so called Muslimdictators/autocrats are unethicallyinvolved with foreign banking for theirpersonal gain. The misappropriatednational money in billions and billionsof dollars becomes legally frozen in for-eign lands as soon as the said Rulersteps down after losing his legitimacy.Thus, the nation is further victimized/deprived due to flight of money.The question is - whether the peoplewould ever get out of repression toenjoy real freedom and better lives, orwould it be just a shift from oneregime to another illegitimate ruler? Onlytime will tell.

Waan laysa lil insaniilla ma saaa

That man can have nothing but what he strives for.

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 20117 e d i t o r i a l MIR A LETHE

Contact Info

Mailing and Office Address

9160-136A Street Surreybc. v3v 7z8 canada

Fax: 604-582-7809

Miracle Media Group Inc.

Founder : Nusrat Hussain

Managing Editor: M. Naseer Pirzada

Sub-Editors: Misbah & Sabeeh

Hon. Chief Editor & Urdu EditorMohammad RafiqAdvertising Ph: 604-690-0400 Email: naseer@telus.net

Editorial Board : Mr.Shums Jillani,Mr Aslam Hayat, Mr. Shams Siddiqui &M.A.L. Naumani

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Editorial & LettersInt. NewsLocalArticlesInterviewFaithPoliticsLifestyleSportsClassified /Cont.Urdu

75,610,11,12,1314. 25........81625262728-40

Attention: The opinions expressed herein contain positions and viewpoints that are not necessarily those of The Miracle. These are offered as a means for The Miracle to stimulate dialogue and

discussion in our continuing mission of Bringing Harmony To All The Communities.

DEGENERATING MID-EAST SITUATION

L E T T E R S & O P I N I O N S

Remembering thepast

Congratulations andThank you

Its a Miracle! By M R Malick, Travel ConsultantGaba Travel Ltd.

By: Aamir Muneer, Delta I am recalling the days 10 years back, whenthe founder of Miracle Mr Nusrat Hussainwas standing outside the Richmond and try-ing to introduce his bi-weekly newspaper tothe Pakistani community. Finally he intro-duced this to the community and when MrNaseer Pirzada joined this media, the strugglebecame more effective.During this period of 10 Years, they facedmany ups and downs but finally now thismedia is well established and this credit goesto Mr Pirzada and his family members too.May God Almighty give them more strengthand unity to continue this business to theirforth coming generation. Ameen"

This seems to just like yesterday, when Mr.Nusrat Hussain handed me a copy of Miraclenewspaper to me in front of a bank in straw-berry Hill area in Surrey, B.C. I congratulatedhim for taking a big and first step, to give anindependent English newspaper to thePakistani community. That was a miraclethen and now miracle is happening everyfortnight. This newspaper under the guidanceof Mr. Naseer Pirzada and Mr. MohammedRafiq and their advisory team & regular writ-ers are keeping the community informed. Toadd Urdu pages was a great decision by the

My congratulations on a wonderful 10thanniversary edition of The MiracleNewspaper! You and your family and theentire Miracle team deserve enormousrespect, appreciation and credit for your tire-less devotion and passion in providing such athoroughly informative and communityfocused publication. May Allah bless all ofyou with continuous and ever growing suc-cess (Ameen).I would also like to thank you, for displayingmy design idea so prominently in the news-paper. I am overwhelmed and humbled thatyou would think so well of my work to graceit on an entire page of the newspaper. Rightinside the front page in fact! I was quite

pleasantly surprised. It was truly very gener-ous and kind of you to do so. I'm quitespeechless what to say.... Thank you so muchfor your energetic spirit and ceaseless passionfor your work. You're an inspiration to all ofus!

By: Intikhab Ahmed, Surrey

Miracle. Readers from Pakistani origin, andUrdu lovers from all over the world are keento read Urdu articles in Urdu section, whereUrdu language spoken, written and read. Imet an elderly person at Jamia Masjid parkinglot. He was from the Indian Punjab, and wasin his eighties. I asked him, Sardar Ji, can Ihelp you? He looked at me and asked if hecan get an Urdu newspaper. I asked him tocome back on Friday, he will be able to haveone. Miracle newspaper has built bridgesamong readers from all over subcontinentorigin. All the sections in the newspapers arecompletely, up to the task, Awaze Peer anUrdu editorial section keeps us informedwithin the community and at large Canadian& international issues. At the end I willrequest the Miracle media inc. to increase cir-culation and start weekly edition, at the end Iwill say its a miracle that his Miracle havestayed on its footings for so long, and I prayfor long life of Miracle.

By: Sadullah Khan O Prophet of Allah, where shall I find thesource of my adoration for you? I havememorized hundreds of your sayings sincemy youth, taught your seerah (example) tonumerous students, grown a beard, used themiswaaq, sang and proudly taught othersodes (qasidahs) in praise of you. But I didnot find you in these rituals nor did any ofthese make me any more like you; rather theymerely flung me into the fray of insignificantdebates in the arena of so many of the sun-nahless Muslims who see your sunnah only asan endless array of harsh laws and practicesor as some justification for their cultural ten-dencies. O Allah, save me from being ofthose who consider the sunnah of Thybeloved as being expressed only through aim-less imitations and who know Thy Prophetonly as a conveyor of commands and warn-ings.O Prophet of Allah, I did not truly find youin the books of fatawa (religious edicts), norin grand seminars and conferences through-out the world, and certainly not in the harsharguments between groups proclaimingmutually exclusive rights over you.I found my source of adoration for you in thelove and respect that the Almighty has pro-claimed for you; in the honor that Hebestowed upon you; in His confirmation ofyou as "the ultimate exemplar"; "seal of

Prophets" and "mercy unto all existence".Allah has elevated the very memory of youand has made His boundless love accessiblethrough obedience to you.I catch but a dimension of you through theinstances of compassion you extended to oth-ers; how you played with the poor orphanedboy when other children refused to play withhim, how you prolonged your prostration outof consideration that your change in posturemay inconvenience or hurt your belovedgrandson who had climbed on your back;how you commanded your army away fromthe anthill in order not to disrupt the ants'activities; how you blessed with Paradise thesinful woman for saving the life of a cat bymaking the water of the well accessible withher shoes; how you intervened and preventeda man from abusing his wife by teaching himthat "the best of men are those who treattheir wives the best"; how you patched yourclothes, mended your shoes and did yourdaily household chores; how you wrestledwith your nephew and raced with your wife;how you joked with the kids and carried thebaggage of the elderly; how you hosted theChristians of Najran in your mosque andstood up to honor the bier of a Jew.O Prophet of Allah, why is it that so many ofus who claim to be of you refuse to be likeyou. We sing for you and dress like you, butdo not come near fulfilling the expression of

love, care and beauty that generated fromyourself. Why is it that we see in you thatwhich suits our cultural, organizational andchauvinistic interests, yet ignore the essenceof what is essential to your being. Otherswho are not of you proclaim the multi-dimensional and multi-faceted nature of yourpersonality. "The personality of Muhammadis most difficult to get the whole truth of it.Only a glimpse of him I can catch. Whatdramatic succession of picturesque scenes?There is Muhammad the Prophet; there isMuhammad the General; Muhammad theKing; Muhammad the Warrior; Muhammadthe Businessman; Muhammad the Preacher;Muhammad the Philosopher; Muhammadthe Statesman; Muhammad the Orator;Muhammad the Reformer; Muhammad theRefuge of Orphans; Muhammad theProtector of Slaves; Muhammad theEmancipator of Women; Muhammad theJudge; Muhammad the Saint.. In all thesemagnificent roles and in all these depart-ments of human activities he is equally ahero." (Professor Ramakrishna Rao). OProphet! Your life-example is an integratedbiography, history and law; it is above all amodel of excellence.O Prophet of Allah, you have certainly beenadored by many much more worthy than I.Yet, neither the inability to capture my appre-ciation of you with the eloquence of poets

nor my weakness as a believer debars mefrom qualifying as one who adores you; for inthe commemoration of your being do I findthe dignity and honor of my existence.Sa'dullah Khan is the Director of IslamicCenter of Irvine. He has presented lectureson Islamic Civilization at California StateUniversity at Dominguez Hills. He is a fre-quent lecturer for the Academy of Judaic,Christian and Islamic Studies at UCLA(University of California, Los Angeles). He isalso an advisor to the Chancellor'sCommittee on Religion Ethics and Values atUCLA and serves as Director of MuslimAffairs at USC (University of SouthernCalifornia).

L E T T E R S & O P I N I O N S

end, however before end of thearticle I understood he is aleaned intellectual person, he isDr. Let him know this apprecia-tion. We are lucky we are enjoy-ing freedom of speech in non-Muslim countries; many Muslimcountries don't allow this. Likehim we should use more of ourintellectual power or knowledgeand less of our agitation ormotor nerve. While writing thisemail the only Christian ministerin a Muslim country has beengunned down.Some Muslim events in SurreyBC are portraying a lot of emo-tional agitation which may createtrouble for us in future. Oncewhile going to an event I saw aMuslim's car (in long kurta andbeard) blew up a stop sign inNewton area, then evaded myright-of-way. Then hecame out of the car beforeit was fully parked. In thesame place there were half-dressed girls coming out ofNewton pool, I was think-ing who should be morecivilized here. Minutes laterI saw him in the centerstage with mic, deliveringspeech, and then I feltsorry. He was a visitingscholar cleric from UK, Iam afraid of what directionour community may go inthis country.Since becoming a studentapprox 25 years ago, I amworking with non-Muslimbosses, co-workers,employers and we faceembarrassing questions orexamples. I strongly feel weMuslims should concen-trate more on practicalaspects, such as: how tonegotiate on table withoutsword or agitation, how torespect the opinion ofmajority, how to differenti-ate culture from religion,etc. Allah bless you,

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 20118 f a i t h MIR A LETHE

Volume 1, Book 2, Number 11: Narrated Abu Musa:

Some people asked Allah's Apostle,"Whose Islam is the best? i.e.

(Who is a very good Muslim)?"He replied, "One who avoids

harming the Muslims with histongue and hands."

Note: * Day Light Saving starts from Sunday, March 13, 2011From March 11 - 25 , 2011 (Rabi ul Thani- 6, 1432H)

R.Ul-II07

29292208*09101112131415161718192021

March8 1112*131415161718192021222324 25

Day Fri Sat

*Sun Mon Tue

Wed Thu

Fri Sat

Sun Mon Tue

Wed Thu

Fri

Fajar4:544:52

*5:505:485:455:435:415:395:375:345:325:305:285:255:23

Sunrise6:326:30

*7:287:267:247:227:207:177:157:137:117:097:077:047:02

Zawa1212:22

12:22*01:2201:2201:2101:2101:2101:2001:2001:2001:1901:1901:1901:1901:18

Dhuhr 12:2912:29

*01:2901:2901:2801:2801:2801:2701:2701:2701:2601:2601:2601:2601:25

Asr 4:214:22

*5:235:255:265:275:285:305:315:325:335:345:365:375:38

Isha7:467:48

*8:498:518:528:548:568:578:599:009:029:049:059:079:09

Source: Masjid Al Noor

AQEEM USS SALAAT(Establish Prayer)

Maghrib 6:166:18

*7:207:217:237:247:267:277:297:307:327:337:357:377:38

In Search of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)

CongratulationsMiracle!

By: Kamal Rashid

As usual I got my paper from the mosque andwant to congratulate you for this wonderfulachievement. The Printing, set up, articles andcolors are all outstanding. I can only say MayAllah bless Miracle and wish you many manymore anniversaries. I fully understand howdifficult task is to compete with others butyou have undoubtedly shown that.MIRACLE IS THE BEST AND WILLALWAYS REMAIN (Inshallah)

For more than 30 years, the Western coun-tries, principally, USA and Canada, have beenvisiting Mideast dictators to promote tradewith their countries. The politicians werenormally accompanied by the tycoons ofindustries, usually oil, armaments and con-struction, and manufacturing. Contracts weresigned and the wealth of the mid east coun-tries was slowly but surely siphoned off intothe West by such lucrative contracts.Amazingly, the majority of the refugees fromthe mid east countries to the Western coun-tries based their refugee claims on humanrights abuses. But the Western countries usu-ally turned a blind eye to those problems aslong as there was a flow of wealth from theircountries into the West.

Dictators in MuslimCountries

By: Hossain Chow

I appreciate the article written by DrAbdullah in Miracles 10th anniversary issue,the headline says about Dictators/Kingdomsin Muslim countries.The writer nicely focused on the politicalproblems of ME Muslim countries. They areruled by dictators or kings, who keep peoplearound them from their own tribes, familymembers, relatives, etc. He mentioned aboutseven decades but I would say more; weMuslims are centuries behind in some practi-cal aspects, one of them is organization orhow to pursue a common mission/vision col-lectively by a group of interrelated depts./organs of unrelated people.Our minds are still living in the Caliphateages when a ruler was also rule maker, butnow-a-days we need different governing bod-ies, from a few hundred parliamentarian lawmakers to a few dozen executive ministers,etc. I remember I was student when a gulfMuslim country first time allowed women tovote!Dear editor, you gave me a hard time andmay be to some other readers as well, thearticle continues to a different page withwrong page number, I thought you didn'tpublish the reminder by mistake, I was lost inthe middle of so much interest. Few dayslater I did full review of that Miracle copyand found the rest in a different page :)The writer is from USA as introduced at the

Western Relationswith the Middle East

By: Mehboob Hajee, Surrey

The people of the Middle East heard so many promisesfrom the Western powers to help the populace improvetheir lives but all that really materialized was that theWest supplied the Arab dictators with arms and sup-plies and gave them instruction on how to stay inpower. Whomever the West suspected of being terror-ists, was captured and sent back to their countries oforigin to be tortured, as torture was not legal in theWest. A classic example is that of Maher Arar, born inSyria, Canadian citizen, sent back to Syria where he wastortured for over one year. Other examples will befound in sites such as Wikileaks.

important note:We do not publish anonymous letters or the let-ters of the people who do not disclose their identi-ty to The Miracle. A writer can use a pen name

or request The Miracle to withhold his / heridentity. Please include your daytime telephonenumber for the confirmation of your letter. We

regret the inconvenience.

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 20119 MIR A LETHE

On March 5, the United Muslims group cele-brated Milad-Un-Nabi at Renfrew CommunityCenter in Vancouver. It was an auspicious nightwith the blessing of prophet Mohammed(S.A.W). M/C Mr. Tariq Din started this pro-gram and called Mohsin Chaudhry for Tilawat-e-Quran. Childrens of Din and Khan family pre-sented Naats and also Hamds (praise to Allah).Guest speakers included Mufti Shujat Ali fromBCMAs Masjid ul Haq at Welwyn Street inVancouver. He spoke about the life of ProphetMohammad (SAW) and his teachings in the lightof Quran and Sunnah in detail. The secondspeaker was Imam Fode Drame who deliveredfew words on Seerat of beloved prophetMohammed (PBUH) and his highest rank inmankind.Haji Rahman Ali was also invited to speak at theevent. He mentioned that that Milad of Nabi

(SAW) is the greatest gift of Allaw SWT. Theteaching of the prophet (SAW) converted the evildoers into pious people who subsequentlychanged the entire history of jahalia. He quotedfew examples, and also recited a Naat.The night ended with special Naats from BrotherSalis and Brother Ismail Rajput that left not asingle dry eye in the gathering. Haji KaramudDin and his grandson Yousef Ali recited salaamand were joined by Brs. Salis, Ismail Rajput whileHaji Rahman Ali ended with Duaa. The foodwas prepared by brother Riaz Khan ofEvergreen Punjabi Corner Inc. Thesponsors of the Milad were HajiRahman Ali and Haji Karamud Din.The food was served by volunteers,with a special thanks to Brother AshiqAli Din.

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201110 l o c a l MIR A LETHEUnited Muslims celebrate Milad-Un-Nabi(SAW)

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By: Waqar JanOn February 26, Progressive Intercultural CommunityServices Society (PICS) organized a workshop onIslam as a part of their Interfaith Bridging Project Accepting Cultures and Embracing Diversity at theSurrey Jamia Masjid. The event was hosted in collabo-ration with the BC Muslim Association.The event was attended by people from Muslim,Hindu, Sikh and Christian faiths. The attendeesincluded the Pakistan Canada Association, PakistaniCanadian Cultural Association, Vedic Hindu Society,Vishva Hindu Parishad, Sahaja Yoga Group and repre-sentatives from various churches in the area. The eventwas also attended by MLAs Harry Bains, and BruceRalston. City of Surrey Councillor Marvin Hunt wasalso present. The event started with an introduction to

the project by PICS Director, Devinder Chatthafollowed by a brief talk by PICS C.E.O., Mr.Charan Gill and BCMA president, Hashmat Aliwho welcomed all present at the event. MusaIsmail Vice President Planning and Developmentin his welcome address welcomed all the partici-pants to the Surrey Delta Branch of BCMA. He

thanked the organizers and provided a brief overviewof the ongoing BCMA projects. It was then followedby two presentations by Muslim Scholar Mufti AasimRashid. The first presentation gave an Introduction toIslam; the second presentation highlighted the contri-bution of Muslims to the society. The talk was fol-lowed by a Question and Answer Session. Many peoplegot the opportunity to get answers about MuslimIdentity and Muslim practices from Imam AasimRashid. Councillor Marvin Hunt also spoke at theevent stressing on the importance of such projects andtheir sustainability. He thanked the organizers.Facilitator Waqar Ahmad Jan gave information aboutthe Interfaith Bridging Project called ACED,Accepting Cultures and Embracing Diversities fund-

ed by Embrace BC. The aim of this proj-ect is to create awareness about thediverse populations of British Columbiaand dispel myths about ones religion andculture. This in turn will create an envi-ronment where stereotyping is minimizedand an inclusive community is created.He also thanked the BCMA for hostingthis important event and urged theorganizers to continue these interfaithengagements to build more understand-ing. He particularly thanked Br. HashmatAli for his leadership, Br. Basharat Sidhuand Br. Haqiq with all the young volun-teers who helped out in the event.

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201111 l o c a l MIR A LETHELegendary Naat Khawan Junaid Jamshedattracts over thousand at Crystal @York

PICS hosts workshop on Islam as partof Interfaith Bridging Project

By Misbah NaseerJunaid Jamshed is no stranger to fame. In thelate 80s he stormed the Pakistani music sceneand quickly rose as the top pop singer of thecountry. At the beginning of the century, hewas at the top of his game, selling millions ofalbums and receiving world recognition.Then, in 2004, people around the world wit-nessed the transformation of this singer into adevout Muslim who dedicated himself to thecause of spreading the name of Allah (SWT)and message of Islam. The clean-shaved, longhaired celebrity pop star was gone, and nowemerged a bearded man singing praises onlyto Allah (SWT) and his Prophet (SW). Manyin the newer generation, including Jamshedsyounger children, now only know him assomeone who sings Naats and Nasheeds andspreads the message of Islam.On March 5, The BC Institute of HigherIslamic Studies organized a special eveningwith Jamshed at Crystal @York Banquet Hallin Surrey. This was the second time Jamshedhad made a stop in Vancouver. Once again, theevent garnered a lot of interest and wasattended by over thousand people, includingmen, women and youth. Men and womenwere seated in separate halls and women were

able to watch the speaker on TV screens acrossthe hall. Presidents and board of directors ofmany Muslim associations, including theBCMA, and Imams of masajid, attended thisprogram. The MC of the program was MuftiAsim Nazir.The program started with the recitation of theholy verses from the Quran by Mufti AsimNazir, followed by an introduction of the chiefguest.Jamshed told the audience about his journey

from a pop singer to a religious speaker invit-ing people to Islam (dawah). He explained theunexpected events that led his attendance at aTableegh Ijtemaa and gave him the blessedopportunity to be in the company ofrenowned Muslim scholars. Throughout thepresentation, he admired the support he hasreceived from different scholars.He also mentioned some of the obstacles hefaced in this journey. When he decided tobreak all singing contracts and refused to doconcerts, he faced heavy fines by the sponsors.To return this money, he and his family evenhad to sell their family home and the familywas literally hand to mouth. During this jour-ney, there were many temptations, especiallywhen big sums of money were being offered

for a single song at the time he did not have asingle cent. He emphasized that Allah (SWT)returned everything to him and his familygradually. He entered into a business ofsewing and selling Shalwar Qameez which isnow thriving. Therefore, no one should thinkthey would lose everything if they follow thepath of Allah (SWT) and Dawah. Firm beliefin Allah (SWT) is the sole requirement forundertaking this journey.Jamshed also expressed his gratitude for theimmense support he received from his family,particularly his wife. Many women in theaudience appreciated the valuable advice hegave to married men about respecting theirwives and following the example of ourbeloved prophet Mohammed (PBUH) as heconducted himself with his wives.While he described his spiritual journey,Junaid Jamshed also recited many Naats andNasheeds in his heart-touching voice at inter-vals. He mentioned that Naats in Urdu lan-guage are like reciting Darood on the HolyProphet (SW). The entire presentationincreased interest of many in become involvedin Dawah, and was an overall inspiration foreveryone to become a better Muslim.

The Surrey Board of Trade is proud toannounce the winners of the 2nd AnnualSurrey Women in Business Awards held onMarch 9, 2011 at the Sheraton VancouverGuildford Hotel in Surrey, BC. Over 300

people attended the event, sponsored bythe LaLibert Investment Team at DundeeWealth. Featured Keynote speaker was for-mer CEO of Starbucks USA, COO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK, and now CEO of First

West Credit Union. The event was MCd byGlobal TVs Steve Darling. The judgingpanel reviewed the careers of these womenand based their decisions on their work inSurrey, their business acumen, leadershipskills, approach to a balanced lifestyle andcommunity involvement.The winners were:Surrey Board of Trade Surrey Women inBusiness Awards Entrepreneur Category - Sponsored by A.S.Bubber & Associates

Lorraine Duclos, PDQ Post Group Inc.Surrey Board of Trade Surrey Women inBusiness Awards Professional Category - sponsored by

Simon Fraser University Karen L. Baillie, Laurel Place Surrey Board of Trade Surrey Womenin Business Awards Corporate Category - Sponsored byIRLY Distributors Heather Bell, Nav Canada

Surrey Board of Trade Surrey Women inBusiness Awards Leadership Category - Sponsored by theLaw Firm of Hamilton Duncan Armstrong& Stewart Jonquil Hallgate, Surrey Urban Mission Surrey Board of Trade Surrey Women inBusiness Awards Not-for-Profit Category - Sponsored byWhalley Printers Beth Barlow, Surrey Libraries Surrey Board of Trade Surrey Woman in Business CommunityAchievement Award 2011Karla Pearson

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201112 l o c a l MIR A LETHESurrey Women in Business Award WinnersAnnounced by the Surrey Board of Trade

Muhammad Hassaan wins 3rd prizein Regional Skills Competition

Muhammad Hassaan Ghani Sheikh and his team ofPrincess Margaret Secondary School Surrey won 3rd Placein Regional Skills Competition for Jr. Gravity Vehicle held by Skills Canada BC. Hassaan as leader of the team designed a car named Aireal Ace and competed with many secondary schools around BC.

Alanna Dean Burk of PRIME learning Group Inc,daughter of Realtor Feroz Dean, pictured here with herparents, was nominated in the profesional category

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201113 l o c a l MIR A LETHE6th International Eid-Milad-un Nabi(SAW) celebrated by ISCC BC Chapter

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On Feb 26, BC Chapter of the Islamic SupremeCouncil of Canada organized the 6thInternational Eid-Milad un-Nabi (SAW)Conference in Crystal at York Banquet Hall inSurrey.The conference was overwhelmingly attended byhundreds of men, women and youth. Mr. HaiderKhan, director of Islamic Supreme Council ofCanada, BC chapter was the Master of the cere-mony (MC) of the Conference.The Program started with the recitation of HolyQuran by guest of honor, Qari Syed FasihuddinSoharwardy. Naat-e- Rasool-e- Maqbool (SAW)was presented by Awais Khan, Mr. Salis Rasooland Mr. Ismail Rajput.Mr. Khan welcomed the participants and recog-nized the presence of the religious scholars, ule-

mas and distinguished guests.Speeches regarding theme of the conference weredelivered by Mr. Ilyas Shareef, Imam Mustafa andImam Fode Drame. They highlighted Seerat unNabi, in English with the references of Quranand Sunnah. Maulnan A. Latif Naumani deliv-ered a brief speech in Urdu on Milad un Nabi(saw) and gave his share of time to main speaker.Prof. Syed Badi-ud-Deen Soharwardy, presidentof Islamic Supreme Council of Canada deliveredthe keynote address. He shed light on Finality ofthe Prophethood, the life & teachings of the holyprophet Muhammad (SAW) and the message ofIslam to the mankind. He said that we Muslimshould make our lives nearer to belovedMohammad (SAW). He also gave many exam-ples, i.e., Hzt Yahya (A.S) Hst. Huzaifa(r.a) and

many others. He also emphasized that faith in allMessengers of Allah (SWT) is the part of Imanfor every Muslim. At the end of Prof.Soharwardys speech, he said that we shouldunite and act on teachings of Islam and lovebeloved Prophet as He (pbuh) deserves.The Second session of more than one hour wasdedicated to beautiful Naats in the voice of worldrenowned Naat Khawan, Syed FasihuddinSoharwardhy. Syed Soharwardy had flown fromPakistan to attend this event. He presented beau-tiful hamd-e-baari taala, naats and religiouspoetry as pin-drop silence in the audienceproved the mesmerizing power of his voice.A vote of thanks to the participants, scholars,distinguished guests, sponsors, media, volunteers,management of the Crystal banquet hall was

given by Mr.Haider Khan.At the end Dua was offered bySyed Syed Badiud DeenSoharwardy with Darood o Salam.

By: David Ali One of many workshops on MuslimCulture Awareness was held on Feb 22 forthe Social Workers and frontline staff ofthe BC Ministry of Children and FamilyDevelopment. The event was held at theMasjid Al Salaam and Education Centre inBurnaby. It was designed to create aware-ness and provide a better understanding ofIslam and the sensitivity and diversity ofthe cultural backgrounds of Muslims.The Workshop commenced at 8:30am withbreakfast and registration. David Ali,Public Relations of the MCFD MuslimAdvisory Committee welcomed close to100 attendees. Farida Bano Ali, Chair ofthe MCFD Muslim Advisory Committeespoke about how the cooperation betweenthe MCFD and the Muslim AdvisoryCommittee has benefitted our communitysince the Workshops have started. AMuslim Foster Parent recruitment Seminaris currently being organized to promoteawareness and to help encourage Muslimcommunity members to become fosterparents.

As the workshop commenced, MP PeterJulian gave a speech about the Muslimcommunity working together successfullyin a diverse society. Burnaby CityCouncilor Sav Dhaliwal, mentioned thatthe Muslim Advisory Committee hasworked closely with City Hall by takingpart in the Sustainability PlanningCommittee and that David Ali has beenappointed as a Burnaby Library Trustee.Dhaliwal also added that Burnaby is whereover 100 languages are spoken.Surrey School Board Member Ijaz Chatthastressed the importance of keeping fosterchildren in a familiar environment. AndImtiaz Asin, the BCMA VP of YouthServices highlighted his experiences grow-ing up in a Multicultural Society where hefaced many challenges.Sam Rizvi, MCFD Muslim AdvisoryCommittee Coordinator thanked all theparticipants, speakers, presenters Oves andAnees Wahab and MCFD representativeTodd Koverchuk for their attendance. Avery special thank you from the MCFDMuslim Advisory Committee goes to the

volunteers and the wonderful cateringteam headed by Sister Sadrul Buksh of theBurnaby Womens Branch. In addition, aspecial acknowledgement is given to theBurnaby Branch for facilitating this work-

shop. The Workshop concluded at12:30pm for a delicious lunch and Salaah,followed by a tour of the Burnaby Masjid.The evaluation forms demonstrated a verypositive feedback of the Workshop.

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201114 l o c a l MIR A LETHEMCFD Social Workers and Staff educated about

Muslim Culture and Diversity

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Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201115 l o c a l MIR A LETHENew Civic Projects Re-Define

Surrey and Attract InvestmentBy: Tara Foslien,Senior Communications SpecialistOn March 1, Mayor Dianne Watts andthe City of Surrey kicked off construc-tion of the new Surrey City Hall andCommunity Plaza at a celebration inCity Centre. She said, We are creatingMetro Vancouvers second downtowncore and its important to have a civicpresence in City Centre, were redefin-ing Surrey and positioning ourselves forgrowth over the next decade. Theseprojects will act as a catalyst to stimu-late further private sector investmentand job creation, and will enhance thequality of lifefor our resi-dents.The new City

Hall andCommunityPlaza are partof the BuildSurrey pro-gram, themost compre-hensive con-struction and

capital works program in the citys his-tory. The program will see a variety ofcommunity centres, recreation facilitiesand infrastructure projects built inevery town centre over the next tenyears to create vibrant, connected,pedestrian-friendly communities.On behalf of the Downtown SurreyBusiness Improvement Association, weare excited to see the groundbreakingceremony for our new City Hall andCommunity Plaza in City Centre, saysPresident Bill Rempel. Surrey is anexciting, dynamic and growth-orientedcity and our new City Hall will work as

a catalyst to continue the transforma-tion of our downtown core. As a resultof the new City Hall, there will beopportunities for investment, job cre-ation and attracting new people to thearea which will result in a positive eco-nomic impact for our downtown. Welook forward to building a vibrant CityCentre with the Mayor, Council andbusiness as we head toward becomingthe largest city in the province.Other Build Surrey projects in City

Centre include the new Chuck BaileyRecreation Centre, a new 75,000 squarefoot regional library currently under

construction, a covered youth park, a performingarts centre, as well as walking trails and beautifica-tion initiatives. In conjunction with the major newresidential developments underway, these projectswill support new commercial, entertainment, educa-tion, civic, and recreation opportunities for residentsand businesses in Surrey. Over the next 20 years,Surreys population is expected to grow by 200,000people and City Centre is expected to expand byclose to 10,000 residents and 30,000 employees.City Centre will become the new commercial, cul-tural and social hub of the city. We are welcomingmany other exciting new developments to the area,including an expansion to Surrey Memorial Hospitaland Simon Fraser University Surrey Campus, thenew Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and SurgeryCentre, the new RCMP E Division headquarters, thenew main administration building for the SurreySchool District, and our new iconic downtownlibrary, which opens later this year. The new 200,000square foot City Hall, designed by Kasian/Moriyama& Teshima Architects, will be built on the south sideof 104th Avenue, east of University Boulevard, andhas a net cost of $50 million. The new CommunityPlaza will serve as a celebration site capable ofaccommodating up to 5,000 people.

The Miracles Managing editor Mr. NaseerPirzada also spoke with Dianne Watts at theevent and asked her some questions.

Continued on pg 27

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201116 MIR A LETHENew Bussinesses open in Surrey

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Getting Your Needs Met By: Shabnam KhanFamily Counsellor We all have needswe want fulfilled.Beyond basichuman needs forfood, water andshelter, humanbeings posses lim-itless desires.Many relation-ships experiencechallenges becausethe people within them complain abouteach other and attempt to get these needsmet. Rather than improving things, com-plains often keep them mired in their cur-rent problems and perpetuates their frus-trations.Negative communications, such as com-plaining, can be an important factor in thecouples relational satisfaction. Researchindicates that negativity and negativecommunication are positively correlatedwith relational dissatisfaction. People whoare in the relationship where there is a lotof complaining tend to be less happy intheir relationships.It is not particularly surprising that dis-

tressed couples exhibit negativity in theinteractions and that these interactions arethe source of a lot of negative emotions.Undoubtedly, the negative communicationbehaviors and negative emotions displayedin these interactions are causally related.Complaining in relationships may begin asa result of one or both people being dissat-isfied in the relationship and attempting toget their needs met. Soon, however, thecomplaining itself becomes the cause ofdissatisfaction and escalates it.A Dissatisfaction - Complaint loop iscreated, in which dissatisfaction leads to acomplaint. This leads to another com-plaint, which causes more dissatisfaction,and on it goes. Decreasing negative effecthas more effect on improving couplesmarital happiness than increasing positiveeffect. Stopping the negativity of com-plaining does more to improve relation-ships than does adding positive aspects tothe relationship. In other words, its morebeneficial to the relationship to send kindwords than to send flowers. To WinWithout Fighting Is The Best Of Skills.For further enquiries regarding the servic-es, please contact:shabnamsk@hotmail.com

On March 8, Transglobal Travel and Tours debut send-off. Mr. Saraj Ali Khan, a prominentmember of the community, went for Umrah, along with his sisters, nephew, niece and grandchildren, with the youngest member of the group being two years old. A total of fourteenpeople departed from Vancouver airport. All members of the group were extremely eager toget on their way to perform Umrah. We wish the Khans family a wonderful and agreeablejourney.

Issue 278 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201117 MIR A LETHETHEMIR A LE

Issue 278 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201118 MIR A LETHETHEMIR A LE

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By Naomi WolfAmong the most prevalent Western stereotypes aboutMuslim countries are those concerning Muslim women:doe-eyed, veiled, and submissive, exotically silent, gauzyinhabitants of imagined harems, closeted behind rigidgender roles. So where were these women in Tunisia andEgypt? In both countries, women protesters were noth-ing like the Western stereotype: they were front and cen-tre, in news clips and on Facebook forums, and even inthe leadership. In Egypt's Tahrir Square, women volun-teers, some accompanied by children, worked steadily tosupport the protests helping with security, communi-cations, and shelter. Many commentators credited thegreat numbers of women and children with the remark-able overall peacefulness of the protesters in the face ofgrave provocations. Other citizen reporters in TahrirSquare and virtually anyone with a cell phone couldbecome one noted that the masses of women involvedin the protests were demographically inclusive.Many wore headscarves and other signs of reli-gious conservatism, while others reveled in thefreedom to kiss a friend or smoke a cigarette inpublic. But women were not serving only assupport workers, the habitual role to which theyare relegated in protest movements, from thoseof the 1960s to the recent student riots in theUnited Kingdom. Egyptian women also organ-ized, strategised, and reported the events.Bloggers such as Leil Zahra Mortada took graverisks to keep the world informed daily of thescene in Tahrir Square and elsewhere.The role of women in the great upheaval in theMiddle East has been woefully under-analysed.Women in Egypt did not just "join" the protests they were a leading force behind the culturalevolution that made the protests inevitable. Andwhat is true for Egypt is true, to a greater andlesser extent, throughout the Arab world. Whenwomen change, everything changes - andwomen in the Muslim world are changing radi-cally. The greatest shift is educational. Two gen-erations ago, only a small minority of thedaughters of the elite received a university edu-cation. Today, women account for more thanhalf of the students at Egyptian universities.They are being trained to use power in ways thattheir grandmothers could scarcely have imag-ined: publishing newspapers - as Sanaa el Seifdid, in defiance of a government order to ceaseoperating; campaigning for student leadershipposts; fundraising for student organisations; andrunning meetings.Indeed, a substantial minority of young womenin Egypt and other Arab countries have nowspent their formative years thinking critically inmixed-gender environments, and even publiclychallenging male professors in the classroom. Itis far easier to tyrannise a population when halfare poorly educated and trained to be submis-sive. But, as Westerners should know from theirown historical experience, once you educatewomen, democratic agitation is likely to accom-pany the massive cultural shift that follows.Thenature of social media, too, has helped turnwomen into protest leaders. Having taught lead-ership skills to women for more than a decade, Iknow how difficult it is to get them to stand upand speak out in a hierarchical organisationalstructure. Likewise, women tend to avoid thefigurehead status that traditional protest has inthe past imposed on certain activists almostinvariably a hotheaded young man with a mega-phone.In such contexts with a stage, a spotlight, anda spokesperson women often shy away fromleadership roles. But social media, through thevery nature of the technology, have changedwhat leadership looks and feels like today.Facebook mimics the way many women chooseto experience social reality, with connectionsbetween people just as important as individualdominance or control, if not more so.You can be a powerful leader on Facebook just

by creating a really big "us". Or you can stay the samesize, conceptually, as everyone else on your page youdon't have to assert your dominance or authority. Thestructure of Facebook's interface creates what brick-and-mortar institutions - despite 30 years of feminist pres-sure - have failed to provide: a context in which women'sability to forge a powerful "us" and engage in a leader-ship of service can advance the cause of freedom andjustice worldwide.Of course, Facebook cannot reduce the risks of protest.But, however violent the immediate future in the MiddleEast may be, the historical record of what happens wheneducated women participate in freedom movements sug-gests that those in the region who would like to maintainiron-fisted rule are finished.Just when France began its rebellion in 1789, MaryWollstonecraft, who had been caught up in witnessing it,wrote her manifesto for women's liberation. After edu-

cated women in America helped fight for the abolition ofslavery, they put female suffrage on the agenda. Afterthey were told in the 1960s that "the position of womenin the movement is prone", they generated "second wave"feminism a movement born of women's new skills andold frustrations.Time and again, once women have fought the other bat-tles for the freedom of their day, they have moved on toadvocate for their own rights. And, since feminism issimply a logical extension of democracy, the MiddleEast's despots are facing a situation in which it will bealmost impossible to force these awakened women tostop their fight for freedom their own and that of theircommunities.Naomi Wolf is a political activist and social critic whosemost recent book is Give Me Liberty: A Handbook forAmerican Revolutionaries.

Issue 279 - Rabi ul Thani 6, 1432 / March 11, 201125 l i f e s t y l e MIR A LETHE

& Lots of Enjoyment

Meet with Salma Ataullahjan, Canadian Pakistani Senator

The Middle East feminist revolution

International Women's Day (IWD), origi-nally called International WorkingWomens Day is marked on March 8 everyyear. Nowadays this is a major day of glob-al celebration of women. In differentregions the focus of the celebrations rangesfrom general celebration of respect, appre-ciation and love towards women to a cele-bration for women's economic, politicaland social achievements. Started as aSocialist political event, the holiday blend-ed in the culture of many countries, pri-marily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the for-mer Soviet bloc. In many regions, the daylost its political flavor, and became simplyan occasion for men to express their lovefor women in a way somewhat similar to amixture of Mother's Day and St Valentine'sDay. In other regions, however, the original

political and human rights theme designat-ed by the United Nations runs strong andpolitical and social awareness of the strug-gles of women worldwide are brought outand examined in a hopeful manner.International Women's Day has beenobserved since in the early 1900's, a time ofgreat expansion and turbulence in theindustrialized world that saw boomingpopulation growth and the rise of radicalideologies.However, In 1977, the United NationsGeneral Assembly adopted a resolutioncalling on member states to proclaim a dayfor women's rights and internationalpeace. Following the United Nations' lead,Canada chose March 8 as InternationalWomen's Day (IWD).Each year at thistime, Canadians celebrate progress toward

equality forwomen andtheir full par-

ticipation, reflect on the challenges andbarriers that remain, and consider futuresteps to achieving equality for all women,in all aspects of their lives.Over time,International Women's Day has grown intoa week-long series of commemorativeevents and activities across the country.International Women's Week FACT SHEET about Canadian women Canadian women have made enor-mous strides. The current Government hasthe highest percentage of women inCabinet in Canadian history. The House of

Commons currently has 67 women. Women are also increasing their partici-pation in other aspects of Canadian life.Currently, women make up the majority offull-time students in most university facul-ties. he labour force participation rate forworking-age women (15-64 years) hasrisen from 68.2 per cent to 74.3 per centover the past decade (1997-2008). In 2007,women made up 35 per cent of all self-employed individuals. There has also been a