2000 Mosques to Be Made Safe in Tehran, Iran

2000 mosques in the capital Tehran will be renovated and made safe in near future, director of Tehran Municipality’s religious activities center said.

Hojat-ol-Islam Abdol-Moghim Nasehi said that the municipality has allocated some funds for the plan but asked for help from the citizens and the mosques boards of trustees so that it could be carried out faster and better.
He said that the project has already started in some mosques across the capital.
Hojat-ol-Islam Nasehi added that the municipality regards it as one of its duties to make sure that the city’s places of worship are safe and that the required services and facilities are available in mosques.
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Shimon Peres Depicted Bowing to Erdogan

Israel is turning a blind eye to a huge poster showing its President Shimon Peres seemingly bowing to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that was unfurled from a crane in an Ankara suburb on Sunday.

Israel is turning a blind eye to a huge poster showing its President Shimon Peres seemingly bowing to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan that was unfurled from a crane in an Ankara suburb on Sunday.

Neither the Israeli President’s Residence nor the Foreign Minister would comment on the poster, which superimposed an image of a bowing Peres in front of Erdogan, over the caption “Erdogan, a leader whom the world bows down to.”

While at first glance this seemed to be Turkish retribution for the public hazing of Turkey’s ambassador to Israel in January, when Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon sat him on a lower chair and reprimanded him over an anti-Semitic television show broadcast in Turkey, the Turkish press reported that Erdogan’s office had the poster taken down before Erdogan appeared at the site to inaugurate a new road network.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the poster, with some diplomatic officials in Tel Aviv saying it obviously came from the top, while others said it was quite possible that this was an independent act of protest that was not choreographed by the government.

One diplomatic official in Tel Aviv termed the incident “scandalous,” saying that it demonstrated a great deal of disrespect both for Peres and for Israel.

Relations between Erdogan and Peres reached a nadir in January 2009, after Operation Cast Lead, when the two had an angry exchange at the World Economic Forum in Davos, with Erdogan at one point storming off the stage after telling Peres, “When it comes to killing, you know well how to kill.”

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais that was published Monday, Erdogan said that the Davos incident – which made him a hero in much of the Arab world – ushered in a new Turkish approach to foreign policy. “That opened a new approach to foreign relations,” he said. “We have a philosophy of strength. It is a foreign policy with a backbone.”
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Iran President: Iran will cut the hand of any potential attacker: president

Iran President: Iran will cut the hand of any potential attacker: president President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Tuesday that Iran will cut the hand of the enemies if it came under attack.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad warned on Tuesday that Iran will cut the hand of the enemies if it came under attack.
The president told a crowd of people in Birjand, South Khorasan province,
that unity and vigilance are key to success. He said the enemies have been resorting to different tricks to drive a wedge between the Iranian people.
Ahmadinejad said the days for global arrogance and capitalism are numbered. He added global powers have been seeking to create insecurity in the region in order to survive.
They are oblivious to the fact that the crimes they have committed in the region are driving them ever closer to their demise, he noted.
Elsewhere in his talks, he said Iran will welcome any hand which is sincerely reached out for friendship, but the Iranian nation will “chop off the hand of any attacker from the arm.”
Ahmadinejad also said the West is provoking the Zionist regime to attack its neighbors. However, he said if the Zionist regime repeated its past mistake the regional countries would be very harsh in their response.
He dismissed worries over Iran’s nuclear program, saying the arrogant powers have stockpiled thousands of nuclear weapons and yet hypocritically express concern over Iran’s peaceful nuclear program.
Ahmadinejad referred to the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program and reiterated that “Iran is not after an atomic bomb”.
Referring to Iran’s technological advances to produce nuclear fuel rods to power its medical reactor, he reiterated that the door to diplomacy is still open for a nuclear fuel swap with the West.
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Iran to reveal evidence of Jundallah ties with US

Iran to reveal evidence of Jundallah ties with US Iran says it has irrefutable evidence confirming that terrorist ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi had been aided and abetted by the US government before his arrest.

Iran says it has irrefutable evidence confirming that terrorist ringleader Abdolmalek Rigi had been aided and abetted by the US government before his arrest.
The leader of the Jundallah terrorist group was on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan when he was tracked down by Iranian security forces on Tuesday.
An informed source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Press TV that Rigi and one of his deputies were captured after Iranian security forces forced their plane to land at an airport in the Persian Gulf city of Bandar Abbas.
Iranian security forces said he was at a US base in Afghanistan 24 hours before his capture and had a forged Afghan passport issued by the US in his possession when he was detained.
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast told reporters on Tuesday that there is strong evidence suggesting that Rigi was supported by the United States.
"Not only are we aware of the many crimes against humanity committed by [Rigi], but we also have more than enough evidence that this terrorist group was in fact acting on US orders," Mehmanparast said.
"This is a disgrace for a country which tries to portray itself as an avid supporter of human rights," he added.
The details of Rigi's arrest and his link to the US government will be made public by the Intelligence Ministry in the near future, Mehmanparast said.
On Tuesday, Iranian Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi said security officials had been tracking Rigi down for over five months.
In addition to Rigi's stay at a US base, he had also met with the NATO military chief in Afghanistan in April 2008 and also had links with some EU member states, Moslehi stated.
He noted that Iran received no assistance from regional intelligence services in the capture of Rigi.
Jundallah, which is based in Pakistan, has carried out a slew of bombings, assassination attempts, and terrorist attacks in Iran, one of which killed at least 40 people in the southeastern city of Pishin.
Members of the Iranian parliament have expressed their satisfaction over the arrest of the Jundallah leader.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, over 200 Iranian lawmakers congratulated Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei on the successful arrest of Rigi.
"We are overjoyed by the arrest of the Jundallah leader, who was acting as a lackey and a spy on behalf of the intelligence agencies of Britain and the US," read part of the statement.
"This certainly is good news. We are proud of our military, police, and security forces for their hard efforts to find this man and bring him to justice," the statement added.
According to the parliamentarians, the arrest of Iran's most wanted man shows the strength and power of the Islamic Republic in security issues, which is something the entire Muslim world should be proud of.
The MPs also said Rigi's arrest would have never been possible without the support and positive encouragement of the Leader.
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Lebanese official: Israel on its last legs

Lebanese official: Israel on its last legs Head of Center of Strategic Studies and Research in Lebanon said Zionist regime was on its last legs due to its failures and defeats.

Head of Center of Strategic Studies and Research in Lebanon said Zionist regime was on its last legs due to its failures and defeats.
Dr. Imad Rizk told Qodsna reporter on the sidelines of a conference in defense of resistance strategy in Beirut (which wrapped up on Sunday) that resistance caused an awakening in the region especially in Palestine and Iraq.
Pointing to current Zionist regime’s threats against resistance, he described the remarks and reaction of Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as a free declaration of war to Zionist regime.
The message of such remark is clear that if Zionist regime continues its crimes, aggressions and violations of international laws, the resistance will do everything for the final destruction of this regime.
Nasrallah has warned that the movement will strike Israel's infrastructure, including its airports and refineries, in the event of any Israeli attack on Lebanon.
An international conference began work in Beirut in on Friday and wrapped up on Sunday in support of the strategy of resistance in the presence of personalities from the five continents.
An Iranian delegation took part in the conference, comprised of expert in ME affairs, Mohammad-Ali Mohtadi, political analyst, Hussein Rooyvaran, and several other ME experts including Hussein Kanani Moqaddam, Mohammad-Sadeq Kooshki, Hamid-Reza Taraqqi, Forouz Rajayifar, Ahmad Soroushnejad, and Habibzadeh.
They delivered speeches to the conference on the inter-relation of strategy of resistance and the US projects in the Middle East. The Palestinian rights was also addressed in the Iranian lectures.
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Sunni cleric expresses satisfaction over Rigi arrest

Sunni cleric expresses satisfaction over Rigi arrest Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Esmaeil Zehi, the Friday prayer leader of the Maki Mosque in Zahedan, has expressed satisfaction over the arrest of Jundullah terrorist group leader Abdolmalek Rigi.

Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Esmaeil Zehi, the Friday prayer leader of the Maki Mosque in Zahedan, has expressed satisfaction over the arrest of Jundullah terrorist group leader Abdolmalek Rigi.
“The news of Abdolmalek Rigi’s arrest made me happy and made the people of Sistan-Baluchestan Province happy. People in the province want peace, security, and unity,” he stated in Zahedan on Tuesday.
He made the comments a few hours after Iran’s security forces arrested Rigi on board a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan.
He said Rigi was an illiterate terrorist who created insecurity in the province.
None of the people in Sistan-Baluchestan Province want insecurity, banditry, or suicide attacks, he stated.
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Mashhad to Host Int’l Conference on Imam Musa Sadr

Mashhad to Host Int’l Conference on Imam Musa Sadr An international conference will be held in the holy city of Mashhad this week featuring Iranian-born Lebanese Shia leader Imam Musa Sadr.

Entitled “Imam Musa Sadr, A man of Wisdom and Morality”, the conference will be held by Imam Musa Sadr Cultural Research Institute on February 27 to discuss the ideas and thoughts of the great Shia scholar and leader.
Imam Musa’s son Hamid Sadr, Sheikh Mustafa Mals, Father Antoine Zue, and Hassan Qabalan will travel to Iran from Lebanon to attend the event. Ayatollah Vaez-Zadeh Khorasani and a number of the lecturers of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad will also address the conference.
“Resistance in Imam Musa Sadr’s Thought and Deed,”, “Dialogue between Islam and Christianity from Imam Musa Sadr’s Point of View,” and “Culture of Dialogue and Interaction with Opponents from Imam Musa Sadr’s Point of View” are among the topics of discussion at the conference.
Born in 1929 in Qom, Iran, Imam Musa Sadr left Iran for Lebanon in 1960 and became an influential Shia leader there.
In August 1978, Imam Musa Sadr and two of his companions departed for Libya but after meeting with officials from Qaddafi's government were never heard from again.
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'Rigi case will go to court soon'

'Rigi case will go to court soon' A senior Iranian Judiciary official says Jundallah terrorist group leader Abdolmalek Rigi will be prosecuted soon.

A senior Iranian Judiciary official says Jundallah terrorist group leader Abdolmalek Rigi will be prosecuted soon.
“Undoubtedly, Rigi's case will be considered soon,” Ebrahim Hamidi, the highest-ranking Judiciary official in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, told the Fars news agency on Tuesday.
Hamidi stressed that the case is of “great importance” and could be used to obtain more intelligence about the terrorist group.
Iran's security forces arrested Rigi on Tuesday when he was on a flight from the United Arab Emirates to Kyrgyzstan.
Rigi's terrorist group carried out most of its attacks in Sistan-Baluchistan province.
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Norouz named as Internatioanl Day of Peace

Norouz named as Internatioanl Day of Peace With adoption of a resolution in the United Nations, Norouz was named as International Day of Peace.

The resolution was adopted in consensus by member states of the UN.
In a joint initiative with Azerbaijan Republic, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations, prepared the resolution. Thes countries celebrate the day as a national day.
India , Albania and Macedonia also joined the resolution sponsors before voting.
Norouz Day was approved in the UN General Assembly on its February 23, 2010 meeting in New York in the framework of “Peace Culture.”
Iran’s deputy head of representative office and Ambassador to the UN, Ishaq Al-Habib presented the resolution to the General Assembly and pointed out that commemorating Norouz is honoring one of the exalted goals of the UN, which is strengthening world peace through respecting national cultures, world cultural heritage and cultural diversities.
He added that Norouz is not just a day in the calendars, but is a deep-rooted culture which brings hope, peace and happiness to millions of human beings on earth.
The Iranian diplomat went on to say that Norouz was founded in Pars land and during centuries, it became a common day for millions of people in India, Central Asia, Middle East, Caucasus, Balkan, Black Sea area and many other regions in the world.
Now, more than 300 million population honor this day all around the globe.
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Gaza, living in the dark

Gaza, living in the dark Gaza survives on a minimal amount of electricity, leaving residents without power for the most part of the day. No television is one thing; no street lighting and hospital equipment is another.

The Israeli Air Force bombed Gaza's main power station in 2006, plunging the strip's 1.5 million residents into darkness. Although the station was repaired, the situation took a turn for the worse in November 2009, when the European Union suspended its monthly aid installment of 13 million dollars, which had paid for the carbon needed to fuel the station. Since then, it has been running at reduced capacity -- 30 megawatts instead of 67 -- and at only certain times of the day.
“Hospitals aren’t able to provide a constant supply of electricity for all their machines”
These constant and long power cuts have turned everything upside-down. We barely get ten hours of electricity per day. To compensate, a lot of Gazans have bought small generators in order to be able to turn on their lights, televisions and computers. Anything that requires a lot of electricity however, like fridges, washing machines, boilers, and motors that pump water to higher floors in a building, are lost on us. We can't have a daily shower and don't get to wash our clothes very often.
The cuts also affect our social lives. Friends and relatives, tired of using the stairs when the lifts don't work, are less likely to visit if you live on the top floor. Old people rarely go out and are affected by loneliness. Children become annoyed because they can't watch their favorite TV programs or play video games. The worst affected are pupils and students; during exam periods they become easily tired after straining their eyes from trying to revise in the dark evenings.
On top of that, the number of car accidents has shot up since the street lights don't work. Hospitals aren't able to provide a constant supply of electricity for all their equipment, putting many people's lives in danger.”
Hussam El-Nounou runs an NGO in Gaza that deals with people suffering mental problems.

Pakistan’s Most Wanted Terrorists....

Pakistan’s Most Wanted Terrorists.... Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency has published an updated version of its Red Book of ‘Most Wanted Terrorists‘. Containing 119 names, the list includes some of the most dangerous men in the country,

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency has published an updated version of its Red Book of ‘Most Wanted Terrorists‘. Containing 119 names, the list includes some of the most dangerous men in the country, including those who planned and carried out the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the attempted murder of former President Musharraf.
For each terrorist listed there is an extensive description and a short summary of their crimes. Heading up the list, for example, is Ibad ur Rahman from Attock. The report notes: “He was close associate of Baitullah Mehsud (killed) and member of terrorist cell constituted by Nadir Khan @ Qari Ismail (killed) of Madrassa Haqqania Akora Khattak, Nowshehra. This group joined Baitullah Mehsud in 2007 and under the direction of Baitullah Mehsud executed suicide attack on Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto on 27-12-2007″ and that “He used to operate training camp at Soor Dhand, near Bara, Khyber Agency and has excellence in explosives and bomb making.”
Also on the list are a number of financiers of the Lashkar-e-Toiba group and crew members of boats used by terrorists. Presumably these are boats used in the attack on Mumbai.
Another of those listed is Rana Ishfaq Ahmed. Described as having a bullet wound in his shoulder, he is wanted in connection with the bombing of the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad. The report says: “Brother of Rana Ilyas (arrested) and linked with Qari Saifullah Akhtar Group in Waziristan. He is trained jihadi and main suspect of Marriott bombing. He is associated with HJI since 1997 and used to get monthly salary from the organization. He got training from Afghanistan in 1998. Presently connected with Taliban in Waziristan. He lodged suicide bomber of Marriott blast namely Zakir Ullah with him in Peshawar before the incident. He along with Ibrar ud Din (at large) got rented Vitz car used in the incident. He also served as driver of Maulana Alam Tariq brother of assassinated Maulana Azam Tariq of SSP.”
Some of the details listed are fascinating and contain much more information than is generally found in the Pakistani media. Well worth perusing.

Head of the Biggest Terrorist group in East of Iran Arrested + 2nd Updated

Head of the Biggest Terrorist group in East of Iran Arrested + 2nd Updated Iran's Intelligence Ministry announced on Tuesday that Abdolmalek Rigi, head of Jundollah terrorist band was arrested eastern country in an operation by the Ministry's forces.

According to the Iran's intelligence ministry the head of the Jundullah Terrorist group, Abdul Malik Rigi has been arrested by Iranian security forces.

Iran's Arabic language al Alam television said Rigi was arrested in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan but the country's interior minister said Rigi was arrested outside Iran.

Iran's Press TV said Rigi was arrested on board a flight from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan in Central Asia.

"Rigi was arrested outside Iran and transferred over to Iran," the semi-official Fars news agency quoted Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar as saying.

"The arrest of Rigi by our security and intelligence forces (abroad) is indicative of Iran's intelligence predominance over the region."

Najjar reiterated that Rigi was arrested following several months of extensive works. He did not specify the country in which Rigi was arrested. The minister added that he was consequently transferred to Iran.

“This evil person who took orders from intelligence agents of foreign countries was captured in a proper time outside the country,” he told reporters in Birjand, eastern Iran.

The Jundallah group has claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist attacks in Iran.

The government of Iran has accused the group of committing mass murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, carrying out bombings, targeting civilians and government officials and acts of sabotage.

In their latest attack, which occurred on October 18, more than 40 Iranians, among them 15 members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) in addition to several tribal elders, lost their lives when Jundallah terrorists carried out an operation in the border region of Pishin, which is located in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

Residents of this southeastern province of Zahedan start celebrating after they heard about the arrest of the notorious terrorist gang leader, Abdolmalek Rigi, on Tuesday.

Jundullah and U.S. :

Investigative journalist Seymour Hersh revealed in another report in July 2008 that US Congressional leaders had secretly agreed to former President George W. Bush's USD 400 million funding request, which gave the US a free hand in arming and funding terrorist groups such as Jundallah militants.

The Pakistan-based terrorist organization denies having any link to Washington but Rigi's brother, arrested earlier and now in Iran's custody, confirmed in an interview with Press TV that the Jundallah leader had, in fact, established links with the US administration.

Abdolhamid revealed that a go-between, named Amanollh-Khan Rigi, put the terrorist group in connect with the US administration, which had promised the anti-Iran terrorist group a safe haven in Pakistan.

"His name is Amanollah-Khan Rigi. He is my father's cousin. He was a royalist during the Shah's regime," Abdulhamid told Press TV.

"After the [1979] Revolution in Iran, he left the country via Pakistan and sought asylum in the United States."

Abdulhamid said the Americans had asked Amanollah-Khan to forge a link between the US and Jundallah. "The Americans asked him [Amanollah-Khan] to introduce them to [Abdolmalek] Rigi in Pakistan and that's how link was established."

He also claimed to have visited the US Embassy in Pakistan to seek more US cooperation with the terrorist group.

"The most important issue that I raised was Jundallah's security in Pakistan," he said.

"I told the Americans that we needed support from the media, newspapers, radios and satellite channels to get our message across to the Baluch around the world," he said.

According to Abdolhamid, the Pakistani government was well aware of the whereabouts of the Jundallah terror group.

"It is impossible to believe that Pakistan is unaware of Jundallah's presence on its soil," he said. "Pakistan is a perfect haven for Jundallah."

Source:  http://abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=179584

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