CRTC approves Al-Jazeera's application to broadcast

For Immediate Release

Toronto, November 26, 2009 - Today, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) announced that it has approved Al-Jazeera English's (AJE) application to broadcast in Canada. AJE - a 7x24 all news channel which is already broadcast in dozens of other countries, including the US - had made its application in February, and the Canadian public was asked to provide input in May and June. "The commission notes the substantial support for the addition of AJE to the digital lists and considers that AJE will expand the diversity of editorial points of view in the Canadian broadcasting system," the CRTC said in its announcement.

While such applications and approvals are not unusual, there was special interest in this case as AJE's sister channel - Al-Jazeera (Arabic) - was approved only with severely limiting restrictions in 2004. Nevertheless, AJE Director, Tony Burman consistently asserted during the application process that AJE and its affiliate Arabic station are run with entirely different management structures. When the application was announced, there was great support from many segments of Canadian society, but also concern that the approval of AJE might also be subject to highly limiting constraints. The recent CRTC announcement clears the way for distributors in Canada to start providing AJE to viewers imminently.

"We are obviously very pleased with the recent decision by the CRTC," announced Tom Woodley, President of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (CJPME.) "We are also pleased with the role that CJPME was able to play in terms of encouraging this approval: we helped introduce Tony Burman to Canadians through two public events, and we also encouraged many of our adherents to submit official letters of support to the CRTC." CJPME believes that AJE will bring much-needed variety and perspective to the Canadian news market, as AJE is known to provide far more extensive coverage from the Developing World than other international news stations.

CJPME was highly involved in generating public support for AJE's application to the CRTC. In addition to public events hosting AJE's Managing Director, Tony Burman, over 2200 CJPME adherents sent letters to the CRTC in support of AJE's application. These letters of support accounted for over 83 percent of the total comments submitted by Canadians. CJPME has learned that only 2 percent of the comments to the CRTC were unsupportive of AJE's bid.

#####

For more information, please contact:
Grace Batchoun
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East
Telephone: (514) 745-8491
CJPME Email - CJPME Website

While Performing Hajj: Ottawa's Imam Mohammad Rashad Passed Away in Arafah Today

by Abdurrahman Al-Hejazy - Nov 26, 2009

Dear brothers and sisters in Islam,
Assalamu Alaikum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatuh,

Today (Arafah) at 3:00pm Mecca time, and while he was on the mountain of Arafah, in his white Ihrah cloths, our beloved, prominent, and most respected Sheikh Mohammad Rashad (Imam of Masjid Assalam, photo to the left) gave his last breath... Inna lillah wa Inna elaihi Rajioon.

He called me 3 hours before his departure to Mecca, showing his gratitude for establishing the condensed Sunday courses at Masjid Assalam. I told him: "in chaa Allah, when you come back, we will work together to make even more". With a very emotional tone he started to cry and said: "Masjid Assalam is a trust on your shoulders!".

His daughter has passed away last Ramadan, and he gave the best example of a patient father. Another very close relative of him passed away two weeks ago in Ottawa, and he was very patient. Now, Allah took his blessed soul on the mountain of Arafah while in his while Ihram cloths... May Allah grant him Maghfirah, Rahmah, forgiveness and mercy.

May Allah grant Him Jannat Alferdous. May Allah give him reward for every Muslim who pray in Masjid Assalam and for every Muslim who learned from him and from his teachings and Khutbahs. May Allah escalate his rank in Jannah, and give him the glad tiding of being close to the prophet. Ameen.

Today, Ottawa has lost one of the most prominent figures in the Islamic Da'wah and work. May Allah grant us and his family patience, and give us a substitute for this real calamity befalling us.

Brothers and sister, please keep Sheikh Mohammad Rashad in you most sincere Duaa.

Afghan detainee handling concerned Red Cross

The International Committee of the Red Cross had serious concerns about Canada's handling of Afghan detainees, according to memos Richard Colvin sent to the office of former foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay in 2006, CBC News has learned. MORE.....

See also: Colvin testimony on torture 'ludicrous': Hillier

Yahya Comment: Army Protocol.DENY..DENY..DENY..Government words. We did not know, we were not told...my deputies did not give me the message! While evryone in the public eye raised questions. From Canadian Politician Colvin to Red Cross and Amnesty International. Why do we place such people in power?

Also read A better way to the truth of the detainee matter by Retired major-general Lewis MacKenzie.

Canadian, Australian journalists held in Somalia arrive in Kenya

Two freelance journalists held hostage in Somalia for 15 months arrived safely in neighboring Kenya on Thursday.

Amanda Lindhout, a Canadian reporter, and Nigel Brennan, an Australian photojournalist, were freed in Mogadishu on Wednesday after being kidnapped by gunmen in August 2008 as they visited a camp for displaced families near the capital.

The pair said they were tortured during their captivity and feared being sold to hard-line al Shabaab rebels.

They made no comment on their arrival in Nairobi, where they were whisked away in cars with diplomatic plates. MORE.....

400 cops raid 39 locations to disable passport forgery ring run by Middle Eastern men in Montreal and Toronto

400 police officer have pounced on a major ring which was forging passports, documents and credit cards.

They raided 39 businesses, homes and day care centres to dismantle fully equipped labs that forged Canadian passports, credit cards and documents as well as U.S. documents including permanent resident cards.

The tentacles of the organization reached into Montréal, Laval, Blainville, and in the Toronto are with 32 individuals runniing five document manufacturing labs, RCMP said as they continued to pounce on suspects in Project C-DEVANCER.

Among those cops present were RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement team which has cracked down on how passports are issued and forged following the entry in 1999 into the U.S. by Montrealer Ahmed Ressam who was carrying a legitimate Canadian passport under the name Benni Antoine Norris. MORE.....

Muslim graves hit for third time in south Manchester

Vandals have targeted Muslim graves at a south Manchester cemetery for the third time in two months.

More than 20 headstones at the Southern Cemetery on Barlow Moor Road were pushed over in what police are treating as a racially-motivated attack.

The offenders struck sometime between Friday afternoon and Monday morning, a police spokesman confirmed. MORE.....

Obama's Plans to Increase Afghanistan Troop Levels Would Leave US With No Reserve

President Barack Obama intends to announce next week that he will deploy tens of thousands of additional US troops to Afghanistan, according to numerous published reports citing unnamed administration officials, to fight an eight-year-old war that a majority of Americans do not support and numerous Democratic lawmakers say is no longer worth waging. MORE.....

Thomas Walkom in Toronto Star: Balance on Mideast is a liability

The most interesting aspect of the fuss over Conservative flyers that try to paint the Liberals as anti-Semitic is not the nastiness of these pamphlets. While Prime Minister Stephen Harper is a master at character assassination, he's not the first Canadian politician to use this tactic.

Rather, what's intriguing about this controversy is that it has led Liberals and Conservatives to vie with one another over which party is most pro-Israel and, in so doing, has strengthened those who wish to define the Middle East around this single issue. MORE.....

Palestinian Trade Union Movement Unanimously Confirms Support for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)*

25 November 2009

In reaction to reports alleging that a Palestinian trade union official has stated his reservations about the Palestinian civil society campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS), the full spectrum of the Palestinian trade union movement has expressed solid support for the BDS National Committee (BNC)* and for the global BDS campaign against Israel as an effective form of resisting its military occupation, war crimes and apartheid policies.

On November 12, the Jewish Chronicle, a staunchly Zionist paper published in the United Kingdom, reported that the Secretary General of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions (PGFTU), Shaher Sa'ad, had told a small delegation of British trade unionists that PGFTU “had so little interest in the subject [of boycotting Israel] it had never discussed boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS).” The head of the delegation, Steve Scott, who is the director of Trade Union Friends of Israel (TUFI), a well-oiled lobbying front for Israel in the trade union movement, is quoted in the same article as saying, “the only area where the PGFTU did have a boycott policy was with regard to produce from West Bank settlements. Even then, there was concern about whether that boycott could do more harm than good for the 30,000 Palestinians employed there.”

On November 14, Shaher Sa'ad categorically denied the above report in an interview with Aljazeera TV, reiterating his support for the boycott against Israel. The following day, in an official speech [1] before thousands of Palestinian workers at a political rally in Nablus, he called again for "boycotting [all] Israeli goods" and "supporting local
[Palestinian] products" as an effective "form of resistance against the Israeli occupation."

Whether Mr. Sa'ad made the statement attributed to him by the Zionist media outlets in the UK or not, the fact remains that PGFTU has officially endorsed the Palestinian civil society campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, since it was launched on 9 July 2005, and has been a member in the BDS National Committee (BNC), the coalition of Palestinian unions, political parties, NGOs and
networks that leads the global BDS campaign, ever since its inception.

If the Jewish Chronicle's report is accurate, something that cannot be taken for granted, given the paper's notorious record, Mr. Sa'ad will have isolated himself completely from the absolute majority of the Palestinian trade union movement, including a solid majority within PGFTU itself. Since the above report, the BNC has officially asked PGFTU for clarifications and for a public, written position confirming its support for the boycott and calling on international trade unions to support BDS. Within hours of our letter, PGFTU-Gaza (which forms a sizeable part of the whole Federation) issued an official statement confirming its support for BDS and condemning any alleged violation of it by Sa'ad. Six trade union factions within PGFTU immediately followed suit, endorsing the BNC position and confirming their unambiguous support for BDS. Union leaders affiliated to all political parties represented in the PGFTU have insisted on the need to combat any attempts to undermine the BDS movement.

Furthermore, the largest, most representative Palestinian trade union federation, the General Union of Palestinian Workers (one of the constituent mass organizations of the PLO), reiterated its steady support of BDS and denounced Sa'ad's reported statements as falling completely outside the Palestinian trade union consensus behind the boycott of Israel. The Palestinian Federation of Independent Trade
Unions also issued a similar position. It is worth noting that all three federations are part of the BNC.

The Israel lobby groups in the UK and elsewhere have felt quite desperate lately in their abortive attempts to stop the spectacular growth of the BDS movement, particularly among major international trade unions. In South Africa, Great Britain, Ireland, Brazil, Canada and France trade union federations representing tens of millions of workers have endorsed – partially or fully – the BDS campaign against Israel.

Many trade unions in Europe, Latin America and Canada have also announced their support for the Israel boycott, underlining the dramatic shift in international public opinion against Israel, especially in the aftermath of its war crimes against the Palestinian people in the occupied Gaza Strip, which were squarely condemned by the UN Fact Finding Mission led by South African Judge, Richard Goldstone.

The BNC, including all three federations representing the Palestinian trade union movement, warmly salute all international trade unions who have endorsed BDS, confirming that this is the most effective and needed form of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the strongest challenge to Israel's criminal impunity and exceptionalism. As in the struggle against South African apartheid, Israel's occupation, colonialism and apartheid will only come to an end when international
civil society shoulders the moral responsibility by holding Israel to account before international law and universal principles of human rights, and by treating it as a pariah state, as apartheid South Africa was, deserving comprehensive and sustained BDS campaigns.

Any isolated and dissonant statements attributed to any Palestinian trade union official can never be regarded as remotely representing the Palestinian trade union movement, as it would be in direct conflict with the consensus in this movement behind BDS. We urge all international trade unions to heed the call of Palestinian civil society, including the trade union movement, by endorsing BDS. We further urge all trade unions and trade union federations to sever their links with the Histadrut, a Zionist organization that has always played a key role in perpetuating Israel's occupation, colonization and system of racial discrimination, and that has justified and applauded Israel's war crimes in Gaza in December 2008 and January 2009.

The Histadrut and Israel apologists within the international trade union movement have continuously tried to use partial comments and innuendo by this or that Palestinian trade union official to create a deceptive impression of an imagined “split” in the Palestinian trade union movement on BDS. Today, we reconfirm to the TU movement worldwide that _*the Palestinian trade union movement stands united in support of BDS and calls on every TU to endorse BDS*_. This is our best hope to end Israel's grave violations of international law and to attain our inalienable, UN-sanctioned rights, especially our right to self determination.

*The Palestinian Civil Society BDS National Committee (BNC)*

[1] _http://www.maannews.net/arb/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=240140_

*The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee
(BNC) is a wide coalition of the largest Palestinian mass organizations,
trade unions, networks and organizations. *

On the Anniversary of the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, the Suffering of Palestinian Women Continues

Today, 25 November, 2009, the world celebrates the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women. Adopted by the UN in 1999, this day forms part of the overall effort to eliminate violence against women, and to urge countries to take actions necessary to ensure women’s rights. MORE.....

Transit strike cost Ottawa's city government $5.9M, auditor finds

Ottawa's public transit strike wasn't just bad for the pocketbooks of the city's transit employees. It was also costly for the city administration, with $5.9 million in direct costs, according to an audit released Wednesday.

The audit report found that wage and fuel savings were more than offset by lost pass and ticket revenue. City council gave transit riders generous deals to entice them back to transit after the 58-day stoppage of service. MORE.....

"We will have to kill them all": Effie Eitam, thug messiah

Colonel Efraim (Fein) Eitam was only following orders when he told his troops to beat Ayyad Aqel in 1988. They beat him to death.

Eitam, who since then has held several senior posts in the Israeli government, has recently toured the US as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "Special Emissary" to the "Caravan for Democracy" program of the Jewish National Fund (JNF). This is a marriage made in heaven. Since Israel was founded, the JNF has organized the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians and the settlement of Jews on their expropriated land; Eitam sees himself as the messianic soldier-prophet directing future expulsions of Palestinians from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Hillel of Buffalo, New York, invited Eitam to speak at our campus, the University at Buffalo (UB), on the recommendation of UB Professor Ernest Sternberg, a board member of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and a founder of its local campus chapter. MORE.....

What’s Next After the Goldstone Report?

Of course there is prima facie evidence that Judge Richard Goldstone is biased. He is Jewish, chair of Friends of the Hebrew University, president emeritus for the World ORT Jewish school system, and has a devoted Zionist daughter who made “aliyah” to Israel. But Hamas somehow neglected to make the allegations, even though Goldstone’s Sept. 15 report devoted over 70 pages to considering allegations of Hamas war crimes—compared with some 350 pages to allegations against Israeli forces, which the report suggested may have committed “acts amounting to war crimes and perhaps, in certain circumstances, crimes against humanity.” MORE.....

Swine flu 'levelling off' in Canada

The number of new swine flu cases across some communities in Canada appears to be levelling off, federal health officials said Wednesday.

"We say it is levelling off because in most communities, the number of positive tests has fallen and there have been fewer reports of flu outbreaks in schools," Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, told a news conference in Ottawa.

"This is in line with what some Northern Hemisphere countries are seeing. However, in the last few weeks, the number of people with influenza-like illness seeking medical treatment was still four to seven times higher than what is usually seen at this time of year for seasonal flu."

No all-clear has been issued, since H1N1 infections occur in waves and don't hit all areas at the same time. more......

Philippines world's 'most dangerous' for media: Watchdog

The Philippines has become the most dangerous place in the world for journalists, according to an international press watchdog, after an election-linked massacre of at least 57 people this week.

The Belgium-based International Federation of Journalists said that by its count at least 12 journalists and "around eight media staff" were among the victims of the mass killing, blamed on a local politician and his bodyguards.

"Under the current government the Philippines has become the most dangerous place in the world for media workers," the group said in a statement, urging President Gloria Arroyo's government to give the press more protection. MORE.....

University of Ottawa student starts club for separatists

A group of students at the University of Ottawa has started the first Bloc Québécois student club outside the province of Quebec. MORE.....

DON'T MISS THIS CBC PROGRAM ON 911 TRUTH

There is an interesting development. Up to now, the media has been complicit with the Neocons in promoting their agenda, and, the official 911 story. Even publicly funded CBC has been careful to avoid being tarred as "911-deniers". However, the CBC is now expected to broadcast a 'balanced' 911 Truth program on the 27th of November in their flagship investigative program "The Fifth Estate" (9:00 p.m. Ontario time; Please check your local TV schedule for time).

Visit CBC Website:
http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/

and Click on

" the fifth estate Eight years after 9/11, why are doubts growing about the official record of that day?"

Finally, we may be beginning to see a smidgen of journalistic honesty, and, professional responsibility. I must say,I wouldn't hold my breath until we see it! That is because, previously they betrayed, went back on their promise and twisted the whole story in the Neocons' favour. (Read about this here ) http://www.911blogger.com/node/21879

Let us hope they keep their words this time.

On another note, you may recall my recent correspondence with a Montreal Gazette reporter. Subsequently, he showed interest in knowing the 'other side of the story' and wanted me to send him a few websites. We chose a few, which hopefully, would whet his intellectual appetite. I am sharing the same list with you, since, often there are occasions when our colleagues, co-workers and others raise this topic. Passing on these websites may help open their eyes.

An important aspect to note is that the people involved in these Truth movements are of such high calibre in their fields, that it is simply not easy to dismiss them as 'conspiracy nuts' or with any other ad-hominems. Below are the websites worth reading:

http://patriotsquestion911.com/
http://www.journalof911studies.com/
http://www.ae911truth.org/
http://physics911.net/
and one more I forgot to add:
http://www.pilotsfor911truth.org/

Hope you will watch the CBC program.

Meer Sahib --- msahibpeng@gmail.com

Globe and Mail Editorial: Four questions on Afghan detainees

The federal government's dissembling on abuse Afghan detainees suffered after they left the hands of Canadian Forces is now transparent. The government must be held to account, and needs to answer these questions. MORE.....

Trouser woman: I may not return to Sudan

Sudanese journalist says she will continue her campaign for women's rights from abroad. MORE.....

Canada needs to 'dismantle' health care system: Palin

Palin strolled over, looking down on Walsh and her crew to tell them that "Canada needs to dismantle its public health-care system and allow private enterprise to get involved and turn a profit."

"Basically, she said government should stop doing the work that private enterprise should do," Walsh said. MORE.....

Canadians not buying government denial of claims Afghan detainees tortured: Poll

Canadians aren't buying the Harper government's assertion that there's no credible evidence Afghan detainees were tortured, a new poll suggests.

Indeed, The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey indicates Canadians are twice as likely to believe whistleblower Richard Colvin's claim that all prisoners handed over by Canadian soldiers to Afghan authorities were likely abused and that government officials were well aware of the problem. MORE.....

Afghanistan: Elections and the Crisis of Governance - New Crisis Group briefing

Afghanistan: Elections and the Crisis of Governance,* the latest policy briefing from the International Crisis Group, examines the situation in Afghanistan after a deeply flawed presidential electoral process delivered a critical blow to the legitimacy of both the government and the international community. The briefing argues that institutions facing a credibility crisis of such huge proportions cannot defeat the insurgency. MORE.....

Old Age Security system needs strengthening: report

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 25, 2009

OTTAWA—Canada’s Old Age Security system needs improvement in order to help ensure the economic security and dignity of Canadians in retirement, says a new report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

The report, by pension expert and CCPA Research Associate Monica Townson, reviews OAS and its associated programs of the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Allowance and discusses measures that could be taken to strengthen this part of Canada’s pension system.

“Old Age Security is an important source of income for today’s seniors—particularly for women,” says Townson. “However, maximum combined benefits from OAS and GIS fall below the poverty line for single individuals.”

The report notes that failures in the third tier of the pension system (private arrangements such as workplace pensions and RRSPs) may place greater stresses on the OAS system in the future and makes the following recommendations for reform:

· increase GIS for single individuals;

· index OAS/GIS to wages instead of to prices;

· modify the residency requirements for OAS to make it easier for immigrants to qualify for benefits; and

· remove discriminatory provisions from the Allowance program.

In order to offset the cost of reforming the OAS system, the government should consider reducing taxpayer subsidies to RRSPs and workplace pensions that benefit a minority of Canadians.

“The net cost in lost tax revenues of tax subsidies to registered pension plans and RRSPs in 2010 is estimated to be $28.9 billion—greater than the total cost of OAS benefits, which are estimated at $27.6 billion for the 2009-10 fiscal year.”

This is the second in a series of reports on pension reform released by the CCPA. The first report, What Can We Do About Pensions?, provides an overview of the issue and is available on the CCPA website (http://policyalternatives.ca).

–30–

A Stronger Foundation: Pension Reform and Old Age Security is available on the CCPA website at http://policyalternatives.ca

For more information contact Kerri-Anne Finn, CCPA Senior Communications Officer, at 613-563-1341 x306 or 613-266-9491.

Malaysian ‘Muslim’ woman battles to be declared Hindu

A Malaysian woman who was converted to Islam as a child is battling to be recognised as a Hindu, in the latest conversion dispute to erupt in Malaysia.

S. Banggarma, 27, has said she was made to convert to Islam at the age of seven when she was placed at a children's home in Penang state.

She was given a Muslim name and her identity card — a critical document in Malaysia — declared her to be a Muslim. But as a teenager she rediscovered her identity and later married a Hindu man in a religious ceremony.

However, she cannot register the marriage due to their different religions — Malaysian Muslims are not permitted to marry someone of another faith, unless the spouse converts to Islam.

She is also unable to name her husband as the father of their two children, aged eight and two, on their birth certificates.

Banggarma is now seeking permission to change her name and religious status on her identity card but conversion out of Islam is extremely difficult in Malaysia. MORE....

Video: Mecca undergoes expansion project

China’s mine deaths: The brutal face of global capitalism

The tragic death of 104 workers in China's latest coal mine disaster is a glaring reminder of the brutal exploitation of the country's 400 million workers, whose sweat and labour constitute the foundations of Chinese and global capitalism. MORE.....

Ambassador seeks to rebut Afghan detainee allegations

A high-level bureaucrat who used to run the government's Afghanistan Task Force says he wants to appear as soon as Wednesday before a parliamentary committee looking into allegations that detainees were tortured in Afghan prisons. MORE....

Testimony: Israel impedes olive harvest in Bethlehem

I am eighty years old. I’ve seen a lot in my life. The most important thing to me is my land, which I can’t get to. Nobody else in my family can get to our lands either, to plow them and pick the fruit.

I have twenty-seven dunams of land [almost seven acres] with olive trees. Seven dunams are in a-Tantur and thirteen in Khallet Mar Elias, behind Checkpoint 300. Another seven dunams are in Jaren al-Hams, under Har Homa. All these lands lie behind the separation fence north of Bethlehem.

Every time olive-harvest time comes, I have lots of trouble, because my sons and I can’t get to our land to pick the olives, eat them, and make oil from them. I have hundreds of olive trees, but since the beginning of the second intifada we’ve barely been able to get to our land. I get no benefit from the fruit. MORE.....

Globalization Unchecked: How Alien Media is Suffocating Real Culture - by Ramzy Baroud

A Muslim family sits across of me in café, in a largely Muslim Asia country. An older woman shyly hunches over and desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the giant plasma screen TV, blazing loud music on the popular music video channel, MTV. The scantily dressed presenter introduces her ‘top song’ for the week. Beyonce, dressed in so very little, annoyingly reiterates that she is “a single lady.” The old woman’s son is mesmerized by what he sees. He pays no attention to his mother, young wife or even his own son who wreaks havoc in the coffee shop. The man’s T-Shirt reads: “what the fxxx are you looking at?”

Respecting the message on his T-Shirt, I try to keep to myself, but find it increasingly difficult. The wife is completely covered, all but her face. The contradictions are ample, overwhelming even. MORE.....

School Dropout High in Palestinian Refugees: UN

The school dropout rate among Palestinian refugees in Lebanon is alarmingly high with 50 percent of 17-year-olds and 40 percent of 16-year-olds receiving no education, United Nations officials warned on Friday.

"We are sounding the alarm that the dropout rate is too high among school-aged children from the intermediary to the high school level," said Ray Virgilio Torres, head of the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Beirut, as he issued a report on the subject.

The report was released to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the international convention on the rights of the child. MORE.....