Imran Ahmad, a Montreal born lawyer, has been elected VP (French) of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Ahmad completed his college studies at Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf and earned his civil law degree from Université de Montréal in 2005.  Imran moved with his wife to Gatineau in 2006 where he worked for Lieutenant-General The Honorable Roméo A. Dallaire, a Canadian hero.

He completed a master of laws at the University of Ottawa and went on to clerk for Justice Edmond P. Blanchard at the Federal Court of Canada, the Competition Tribunal and Court Martial Appeals Court in Ottawa.  In 2008, Imran moved to Calgary where he worked as an attorney at Bennett Jones LLP and relocated his practice with the same firm to Toronto.  He now resides in Vaughan with his wife and three children.

14-4

Analysis By William Maclean

An undated picture received December 8, 2011 shows a member of Iran’s revolutionary guard pointing at the U.S. RQ-170 unmanned spy plane as he speaks with Amirali Hajizadeh (R), a revolutionary guard commander, at an unknown location in Iran. The unmanned U.S. drone Iran said on Sunday it had captured was programmed to automatically return to base even if its data link was lost, one key reason that U.S. officials say the drone likely malfunctioned and was not downed by Iranian electronic warfare. REUTERS/Sepah News.ir/ Handout

LONDON (Reuters) – A backseat passenger on a motorcycle weaving through the crush of Tehran’s morning traffic reaches out and places a small magnetic device on the door of a silver-grey Peugeot 405.

When the directional bomb explodes seconds later, blasting through the sedan’s door and instantly killing nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan, a 32-year-old father of one, the motorcycle has already vanished, accelerating into the ranks of the Iranian capital’s rush hour.

The proficiency of the latest assassination to deplete Iran’s community of atom specialists suggests that violent actions by one or more of Iran’s adversaries form an increasingly active – and public – element in a multifaceted international drive to impede Iran’s nuclear program.

Some old espionage hands voice respect for the expert landing of clandestine, deniable blows against a program the West suspects is aimed at acquiring a nuclear bomb capability and Iran says is for civilian purposes.

“Ten out of 10. They hit the target and nobody got caught,” former U.S. intelligence officer Robert Ayers told Reuters of the January 11 killing. “What makes these things so impressive is they gather a lot of information and do their ‘on the ground’ homework, which can take months.”

Sidney Alford, a British explosives expert, says the hit was technically “professional. It worked and it worked very well.”

But whoever the apparently adept perpetrators were, the attack appears to form part of a quickening series of sabotage and assassinations that is growing less covert by the month.
And the more visible the cloak-and-dagger campaign grows, some analysts argue, the more acute its affront to national prestige and sovereignty, and the deeper the siege mentality widely held to motivate Iran’s drive for nuclear prowess.

PRESSURE, OR REGIME CHANGE?

Ahmadi-Roshan was the fourth Iranian nuclear scientist killed in the past two years; another scientist survived an explosion that wounded him and his wife.

Iran says scientists have also been kidnapped, a computer virus attacked its nuclear equipment, and a massive explosion at a military base, which Iran called an accident, killed more than a dozen officers including the head of the Revolutionary Guards missile program.

The campaign, coinciding with a toughening of economic sanctions, may strain any discreet diplomatic feelers between Tehran and Washington, some Western analysts say.

Iran is in defiant mood.

“If Israel thinks they can prevent our studies with four terrorist attacks, it’s a very weak way of thinking… Everybody will learn that they can’t stop us with such actions,” said Iran parliament speaker Ali Larijani the day after the killing.

Ali Vaez and Charles D. Ferguson of the Federation of American Scientists wrote that “such acts of terrorism” are unlikely to significantly delay or deter Tehran’s nuclear work.

“The resulting climate of insecurity feeds ammunition to hardliners in Tehran demanding reprisals.”

Ahmadi-Roshan’s killing happened less than two weeks after the Obama administration signed into law an unprecedented tightening of sanctions aimed at Iranian oil exports.

To some, the evident effectiveness of tougher sanctions in getting the attention of Tehran’s leaders might obviate at least for the moment any need for a resort to clandestine methods.

In response to a new U.S. law targeting Iranian oil income Tehran threatened to choke the West’s supply of Gulf oil if its exports are hit. Washington warned that the U.S. navy was ready to open fire to prevent any blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a third of the world’s seaborne traded oil passes.

“In this process of ever-accelerating sanctions, we have arrived at a point where sanctions begin to blur into actual warfare,” wrote Iran expert and former U.S. official Gary Sick.

“If the sanctions succeed in their purpose of cutting off nearly all oil exports from Iran, that is the equivalent of a blockade of Iran’s oil ports, an act of war.”

Meanwhile, spectacular mishaps in Iran’s nuclear program or military facilities appear to be multiplying, in tandem with a series of espionage-related incidents that have raised the diplomatic temperature, including an Iranian court’s sentencing of an Iranian-American man to death for spying and the apparent malfunctioning and crash in eastern Iran of a U.S. drone.

INDIGNANT

The attacks are making some in the West uncomfortable.

Hans Blix, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1981-97 and a former Swedish foreign minister, told Reuters: “”When it comes to the murder … What is the effectiveness of it?
“I think people will be indignant, and in fact not only in Iran. I think people everywhere are indignant.”

The result of more frequent and public attacks could be increased tension, analysts say, raising risks of a clash between U.S. and Iranian forces in the Gulf or of a unilateral Israeli air strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, either one of which might result in temporary closure of the strategic waterway.

Iranian officials remember well that before Israel’s 1981 air strike on a nuclear reactor in Iraq, there were similar acts of sabotage and assassination attributed largely to Israel.

John Cochrane, a defense specialist at London-based Exclusive Analysis, told Reuters that the killings in Iran could be seen as effective “in the narrow sense” that they sought an erosion in Iran’s nuclear expertise.

“But clearly the big risk is that the Iranians are quick to point the finger at Israel or the U.S., so there is no particular restraint on their (Iranian) side from carrying out some particular asymmetric attack which has the risk of producing a spiral of violence.”

“Israel is the key player. It is the state that sees itself as under existential threat and has the capacity, just, to exercise a strike option.”

Metsa Rahimi of Janusian security consultants in London said the killings had failed to deter Iran’s nuclear program since “the Iranian regime’s will is made of stronger stuff and most (of its leaders) would probably say that the death of a few scientists will not be decisive in this game.”

“WAR-FATIGUED”

The day after the assassination, Iran’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani reiterated on a visit to Turkey that Iran wanted to restart negotiations with six world powers to resolve the nuclear row. The last talks collapsed a year ago.

Western countries have so far refused Iran’s proposal for more talks, arguing that it is a waste of time because Tehran will not discuss halting its uranium enrichment.

Speculation has lingered about a possible divergence of views between the United States and Israel on tactics. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responded to the January 11 killing by saying the United States had nothing to do with any “violent acts inside Iran” and condemning such actions.

U.S. Iran expert Sick wrote: “The U.S. government had made no such intervention in previous assassination cases. If the perpetrator was, as widely suspected, Israel, this was a serious warning not to interfere in U.S. diplomatic efforts.”

He wrote that while the Israeli government distrusted the diplomatic track, the Obama administration had looked hard at the potential effects of a war with Iran and “has decided that a return to the negotiating track is essential.”

Asked where the Iran standoff was heading, Blix replied: “For the moment the decibel level is fairly high. But it is clear to me that the Obama administration … does not want war and bombing. That is quite clear.”

“The American public is clearly somewhat war-fatigued.”

Israel and its main allies are on common ground on much when it comes to Iran. Israel, the United States and Britain have all made clear that they view covert operations as a sensible alternative to conventional military action.

Last year’s Stuxnet computer worm, which damaged computers used in industrial machinery, was widely believed to have been a U.S.-Israeli attack to cripple Iranian nuclear centrifuges.

KILLINGS “UNACCEPTABLE”

In a speech at Reuters London offices in 2010, John Sawers, overseas espionage chief of U.S. ally Britain, said that stopping nuclear proliferation could not be done just by conventional diplomacy.

“We need intelligence-led operations to make it more difficult for countries like Iran to develop nuclear weapons. The longer international efforts delay Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons technology, the more time we create for a political solution to be found.”

But it is not clear that the United States and its European allies believe subversion acts involving violence are prudent.

One former senior European intelligence strategist told Reuters killings were “an unacceptable tactic.”

A spokesman at the Foreign Office of U.S. ally Britain said the government had repeatedly denied involvement in the assassinations and did not condone the killings of civilians.

“A ban on Iranian oil would be a further legitimate and peaceful way to increase the pressure on Iran to return to talks,” he said.

The scars of the Iraq war, which was launched on information about Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs that turned out to be false, run deep.

A 2011 RAND Corporation study led by former U.S. diplomat James Dobbins said that U.S. military options apart from conventional air strikes included “show-of-force operations in the Persian Gulf, cyberwarfare, and a broad-based air campaign against political and military targets.”

But Dobbins’s report argues that while covert action might slow the Iranian nuclear program it is unlikely to stop it and might have “the unintended consequence of fortifying the regime’s resolve in continuing the nuclear program.”

Israel does not comment directly on covert operations but it is suspected by some of viewing more favorably than its allies covert actions that risk or seek to inflict bloodshed.

Israel says it has no option but to take seriously appeals by Iranian leaders for Israel’s demise, calls that have prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to liken them to the Nazis.

NOT SHEDDING TEARS

And to those who object to assassination on moral grounds, Israel’s supporters such as Louis Ren Beres, professor of international law at Purdue University, Indiana, say such targeted killings may be justified in self-defense.

“As long as Iran proudly announces its literally genocidal intentions toward Israel, while simultaneously and illegally developing nuclear weapons and infrastructures, Jerusalem has no reasonable choice but to protect itself with the best means available,” he wrote.

Any Israeli pre-emptive measures, he wrote, would perhaps involve “the targeted killing of selected enemy scientists or military figures and substantially expanded cyber-warfare.”

Israel’s intelligence minister Dan Meridor distanced himself from the January 11 killing, saying “I don’t know this subject.”

But at other times Israeli officials have sometimes reacted to news of the periodic mishaps in Iran’s nuclear program by issuing denials or comments that have bordered on the laconic.

“I don’t know who settled the score with the Iranian scientist, but I am definitely not shedding any tears,” Israel’s military spokesman Brigadier-General Yoav Mordechai said on his Facebook page.

In November, days after a mysterious explosion was reported near the city of Isfahan, Meridor himself told Israeli Army Radio: “There are countries who impose economic sanctions and there are countries who act in other ways in dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat.”

“COVERT WAR BEING WAGED”

Some Middle East watchers such as former British diplomat Carne Ross think the one option that has not been tried seriously is simply talking to Iran about regional security.

Israeli concerns about Iran’s nuclear program were understandable but the Iranians “have a covert war being waged against them … tension is mounting and conflict would be disastrous for everybody, so we have to examine alternatives.”

“If they feel threatened the one way to address this is to talk about it with them,” he said.

But other experts say the mistrust between Iran and Washington is so great that the prospects of contacts are poor.

Economic sanctions may be far more effective than any covert operation, some analysts say.

Prices of staples are soaring, the rial currency has plummeted and inflation is rising rapidly. Working class Iranians are under economic pressure. With the parliamentary elections in March, the first nationwide vote since 2009, the Iranian clerical establishment is worried that Iranians might stay away from the ballot boxes over economic dissatisfaction.

The last Iranian election was followed by eight months of violent protests. The authorities successfully put the uprising down through force, but since then the Arab Spring has shown the vulnerability of governments in the region to public anger fuelled by economic hardship.

Despite the mounting tension, Iranian leaders have to stick to the country’s nuclear course, because otherwise they will risk losing their core hardline supporters, also essential to secure a high turnout in the March vote, analysts say.

“Iranians have always managed to cope with sanctions, but now with talks about oil embargo the authorities feel cornered. That is why they have increased the volume of harsh rhetoric,” said Iranian analyst Khosro Karami.

“They will do anything to prevent street unrest, which will jeopardize the clerical establishment’s existence.”

(Reporting by William Maclean; Additional reporting by Peter Apps in London, Dan Williams in Jerusalem and Fredrik Dahl in Vienna; Editing by Peter Graff)

14-5

By Andrew Quinn

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The number two official in the U.S. State Department met with a leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood on Wednesday but chose not to see a more hardline Islamist group that has also fared well in Egypt’s first free legislative vote in decades.

Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns met Mohamed Morsi, the head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), in Washington’s highest level outreach to the Islamist group as part of a series of meetings with Egyptian political figures in Cairo, the State Department said.

“From our perspective it was an opportunity to hear from them and to reinforce our expectation that all the major parties will support human rights, tolerance, rights of women and will also uphold Egypt’s existing international obligations,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Burns, the principal deputy to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is the highest-level U.S. official to meet with Muslim Brotherhood officials since Washington tweaked a long-standing ban on formal contacts with the Islamist group earlier this year.

Islamists including the Muslim Brotherhood hope to cement control over Egypt’s lower house of parliament as a final phase of voting began on Tuesday.

Banned under former President Hosni Mubarak, a strong U.S. ally, the Brotherhood has exploited a well-organized support base and projects it will take some 41 percent of the 498 elected seats in the assembly’s lower house.

Nuland said Burns did not meet hardline Salafists, which have also logged strong showings in early rounds of voting and espouse an even more conservative view of Islam that some have compared to Afghanistan’s Taliban.

“He was not able to meet with all of the parties so this was a selective group of some of them,” Nuland said, adding that the Salafists had not been invited.

“This was a chance to get to know some of the people that he wanted to get to know.”

Burns’ talks with Brotherhood representatives follows Washington’s decision earlier this year to drop a ban on formal meetings with the group in recognition of its political role in Egypt’s democratic transformation.

The shift, which looked likely to upset Israel and its U.S. supporters, was first reported by Reuters in June.

The Brotherhood long ago renounced violence as a means to achieve political change in Egypt. It will have a big role in shaping a new constitution, making it a force to be reckoned with for the country’s military rulers.

The Brotherhood has sought to craft a moderate image, distancing itself from street protests by pro-democracy activists demanding the army relinquish power immediately.

Egypt’s staggered three-stage parliamentary election began on November 28 and drew an unprecedented turnout. The lower house will hold its first session on January 23.

Nuland said that Burns also met senior Egyptian officials to discuss recent government raids on U.S.-backed non-governmental organizations with Washington has called “unacceptable.

“He reaffirmed our strong support (for the groups),” Nuland said. “He also pushed hard with the government to try to resolve the remaining problems and we do think we are making some headway, but we have not yet resolved all the issues.”

(Reporting By Andrew Quinn)

14-3

By Karin Friedemann, TMO

“Hast thou not seen that Allah sent water down from the sky and led it through sources into the ground? Then He caused sown fields of different colors to grow.” (Quran 39:21)

The Quran provides us with an intuitive grasp of the eco-system and its relationship to our lives. So you can imagine my shock, as a new Muslim, walking nervously towards my local Islamic Center, to find my Quran teacher applying lawn care chemicals to the grass – less than a half mile from Lake Saint Claire! My shyness prevented me from shouting, “WHAT are you doing?!”

In Islam, water is considered a gift from God, so no individual literally owns it. Humans are the stewards of water and other common resources that belong to the community.

Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey show that pesticides and herbicides most frequently detected in streams and shallow ground water throughout the country come from home and garden use.
Documented cases of pesticides in groundwater wells show cancer clusters in many towns.

Lawn chemicals also harm the microorganisms, beneficial insects and earthworms that are essential to maintaining healthy soil. In turn, this affects the long-term survival of birds and fish. World supplies of honey are running low, resulting in dramatic price increases, because honey bees are dying in huge numbers due to pesticides. In the long run, pesticides can actually help the very pests they target by also killing their predators, so that their use becomes self-perpetuating.

There is a joke, circulated on the internet, entitled “God and Lawn Care,” which begins:

“GOD: What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, milkweeds and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon.

The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles.

“ST. FRANCIS: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers ‘weeds’ and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.”

St. Francis goes on to explain that these humans do not bale the grass to feed it to animals. They pay for water to grow the grass that they then mow once or twice a week, put in bags. and pay somebody to haul away. They do the same thing with the tree leaves, which God thought was supposed to be the natural fertilizer for the grass. Needless to say, God is quite exasperated.

The modern lawn care industry began after World War II. Companies that produced chemical and biological weapons for the military needed a new market for their products. The chemical industry saw money making possibilities in the lawns of the growing postwar suburban communities. Chemical companies like Dow and Dupont produced the pesticides, and lawn care pesticide applicators marketed them to consumers. Many of today’s pesticides include components of war-time defoliants like Agent Orange, and nerve-gas type insecticides.

During a typical year in neighborhoods across the country, over 102 million pounds of toxic pesticides are applied in pursuit of a perfect lawn and garden. This figure continues to increase despite the growing body scientific evidence of the public health and environmental consequences.

According to the EPA, 95% of the pesticides used on residential lawns are carcinogens. Chemicals commonly used on lawns and gardens are associated with birth defects, cancer, neurotoxicity, kidney and liver damage, and endocrine disruption. The National Cancer Institute reported that children develop leukemia six times more often when pesticides are used around their homes. The American Journal of Epidemiology found that more children with brain tumors and other cancers had been exposed to insecticides than children without.

Studies by the National Cancer Society and other medical researchers have discovered a definite link between fatal non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL) and exposure to lawn-care chemicals. Exposure to these pesticides is even linked to learning disabilities like autism, as well as skin rashes and asthma.

Increasingly, reports from many people around the country are “beginning to link feeling terrible with the fact the neighbors had the lawn sprayed the day before,” notes Catherine Karr, a toxicologist for the National Coalition Against The Misuse Of Pesticides.

Chemicals from lawns are tracked into homes and settle into the dust, becoming lodged in carpets. Children are especially vulnerable to toxic contamination because they often play close to the grass or carpet.

Statistics are frightening, so what do we do if we are serious about having a beautiful yard?

Some lawn care companies offer “natural” or “organic” services. Before hiring them, make sure you read the ingredients in their products and do some online research. The increasing marketplace for “environmentally friendly” products is also opening the door for fraudulent and misleading claims.

Using alternative gardening strategies will bring better results and be kinder to the environment. There are simple, long-lasting solutions which require no chemicals and much less money. Integrated Pest Management  is a relatively new approach to lawn care that looks at the overall health of the soil.  The quick-fix that chemicals offer does not address the fact that weeds are a sign indicating the overall health of your lawn. IPM looks at issues such as pH balance and aeration of the soil, as well as irrigation and drainage. Composting household food scraps and grass clippings should become a central part of soil fertilization for the serious lawn and garden enthusiast.

Karin Friedemann is a Boston-based freelance writer.  Karinfriedemann.blogspot.com.

14-3

By Andrew Torchia

CAIRO, Jan 11 (Reuters) – Egypt is taking a step back from financial crisis by resuming talks with the International Monetary Fund on emergency aid, but it is unlikely to escape a drop in its currency or see any quick revival of the investment needed to fuel growth.

For seven months, since the army-backed government which replaced ousted ruler Hosni Mubarak rejected the IMF’s offer of a $3 billion loan, the economy has been in limbo. Investment has largely dried up as a slide in foreign reserves threatens a currency crisis, and as the policies of the democratic government that will replace the army remain uncertain.

An IMF deal could break this cycle — not only by giving Egypt an infusion of fresh cash, but also by committing it to a set of policies to rein in the state budget deficit and push through economic reforms.

However, an IMF agreement will be negotiated under difficult political conditions, by a government which is expected to hand over power within months. And it is probably already too late to prevent some depreciation of the Egyptian pound, which could push up living costs for the country’s angry poor.

Alia Moubayed, senior economist for the Middle East at Barclays Capital, said an agreement with the IMF might be reached quite quickly, perhaps in time to allow an initial disbursement of money in March.

But she added: “At this stage, only a comprehensive package of coherent policy actions and commitments will be enough to restore consumer and investor confidence.”

That package needs to include steps to contain the budget deficit, restore public security and advance the transition to democracy, and attract aid from other international donors on top of the IMF, she said. Even with an IMF deal, the currency is likely to stay under pressure for now, she added.

POLITICS

Egypt and the IMF will begin talks in Cairo this week on the possibility of a $3 billion, 18-month loan to ease immediate balance of payments needs, an IMF source told Reuters on Tuesday.

The IMF has successfully negotiated deals with caretaker governments before, for example in Portugal last year. But in Egypt’s case the political uncertainty is greater.

Elections to the lower house of parliament, now drawing to a close, are expected to lead to a governing coalition led by the Muslim Brotherhood, which has not previously held power. The military plans to continue ruling until the end of June, by which time a new president is to be elected; major aspects of the new political system, including the balance of power between the presidency and the parliament, have still not been decided.

The military rejected last year’s offer of aid from the IMF out of a mixture of national pride and a reluctance to commit itself to policy conditions required by the Fund, such as curbs on government spending. Any new Egyptian government may have similar reservations.

There are signs, however, that the IMF and Egyptian politicians are finding ways around these obstacles. The Muslim Brotherhood has not opposed the idea of IMF aid, and since it became clear the Brotherhood will probably dominate the next government, it has been developing communications channels with the military-backed government; this suggests any IMF deal might be reached with the Brotherhood’s tacit consent.

One option may be for the IMF to extend aid under a facility it created in November, the Rapid Financing Instrument. This does not require traditional IMF conditions attached to loans, though the Fund says countries “still need to set out their policy commitments in a letter of intent and be willing to cooperate with the IMF in addressing their difficulties”.

Another positive sign was a statement by Egyptian Finance Minister Mumtaz al-Saeed this month that Egypt would limit its budget deficit to 8.6 percent of gross domestic product in the fiscal year to June 2012, versus an official estimate last June of 9.5 percent for 2010-11.

The IMF said in June 2011 that fiscal measures announced by the ministry at that time might be benchmarks for a loan deal — so this month’s talks will not start from scratch.

Sayem Ali, senior economist for North Africa at Standard Chartered Bank, said Egyptian politicians would be forced by the economic situation to be pragmatic, and that an IMF dealt “may be the only option left for Egypt to avoid a serious balance of payments crisis”.

“The only way to pacify the market is to have an institution with the IMF’s expertise and experience overlooking the economic reform agenda,” he said. He added that an IMF deal would probably involve commitments on fiscal reforms, taxes and subsidies which harsh economic circumstances would eventually force Egypt into making anyway.

CURRENCY

An IMF agreement would avert disaster by forestalling any uncontrolled collapse of the Egyptian pound that disrupted imports, hurting factories’ ability to operate, analysts said.

“The challenge is avoiding a chaotic maxi-devaluation of 30 to 40 percent that could stir further panic,” said Moubayed. “That should be do-able in the context of an open and regular policy dialogue with the IMF.”

But while a $3 billion IMF deal seven months ago might have reignited capital inflows into Egypt, economists think an accord of that magnitude would no longer be enough. They cite the precipitous drop in the country’s foreign reserves, which halved over the past year to $18.1 billion in December.

The reserves have recently been shrinking by about $2 billion every month; $3 billion would only offset about six weeks of the slide, or cover less than a month’s imports of goods and services. Ali estimates Egypt will need about $20 billion of external financing over the long term to allow its balance of payments to stabilise.

This suggests the IMF may eventually have to provide much more aid to Egypt than it originally envisaged, and that contributions from other donors will be important.

Cairo has received in-principle offers of aid totalling well over $10 billion from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries, but actual aid flows have been slow to arrive, possibly reflecting diplomatic tensions over the putting on trial of Mubarak.

So economists still expect the Egyptian pound to weaken gradually in coming months. Standard Chartered forecasts the pound, now near a seven-year low at 6.03 against the U.S. dollar, will hit 6.3 by June this year; Ali said it could reach 7 or 7.5 by mid-year and perhaps close to 8 by the end of 2012 if the political transition does not go smoothly. Moubayed said the pound could reach around 6.5 by June or 7 by September.

Investment has not entirely died in Egypt. In Cairo, renovation work continues on the opulent Nile Ritz-Carlton hotel, located next to the burned-out shell of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party headquarters, which was torched in last year’s uprising; reviving tourism is important to boosting foreign reserves. This month Arqaam Capital, a Dubai-based regional investment bank, said it acquired Egyptian brokerage firm El Rashad Securities.

But with the currency expected to fall and the political outlook uncertain, there are still strong deterrents for both local and foreign investors. Foreign direct investment into Egypt shrank to $440 million in the third quarter of last year from $1.60 billion a year earlier, the latest data shows.

“It might be three or four months until we have a clear indication of who is in control in Egypt and what policies are in place,” said Ali. (Editing by Stephen Nisbet)

14-3

By Nargis Rahman

Captions: People swarmed out of the convention halls after the RIS programs. Tickets were sold out to 20,000 people.

While American families were enjoying feasts at the dinner table over Christmas weekend, 20,000 people flooded the halls of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the Reviving the Islamic Spirit convention in Toronto.

For the first time in 10 years, tickets were sold out by the second day of the 3-day program, organizers announced. The convention was put together by Toronto’s Muslim youth to tackle the backlash on Islam and Muslims after 9/11, and to build a bridge of understanding with non-Muslims.

On revivingtheislamicspirit.com the mission said, “Reviving the Islamic Spirit” convention is an attempt by the youth to help overcome new challenges of communication and integration…within the North American Society through reviving the Islamic tradition of education, tolerance and introspection, and across cultural lines through points of commonality and respect.”

Scholars, speakers, professors, musicians, family and youth attended from around the globe. Programs were held in a large concert-like hall with lights, graphics on the stage and nearly a dozen drop-down screens spread out about every 20 rows. 

Organizers reminded people not to save seats, while people sat on the floors, lined up against the sides of the hall, and others stood outside the hall waiting for vacant seats. An extra room was set-up to accommodate families with children. People who couldn’t make it to the convention had a chance to purchase an online live stream version of the program on the group’s website.

This year’s theme, “Control Chaos or Community: Three Ways, One World, Our Choice,” focused on standing up for injustice and oppression, the future and reality of the Arab Spring, and doing something to change ourselves to help the community. Past programs focused on a similar upbeat spirit of revitalizing the core spiritual soul and working toward enriching the societies Muslims live in.
Highlights of speeches:

•    Habib Ali Al-Jifri of UAE, who is related to the Prophet sws through Husain, said the Prophet (s) related, Allah said people who love each other for His sake are the envy of prophets and martyrs, and they will be under His shade on the Day of Judgment. “Our religion is of love.”

•    Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Islamic Studies in the Faculty of Theology at Oxford University, said to take care of your spiritual selves and check emotions. “Support people when we get right understanding,” with knowledge.

•    Imam Zaid Shakir, co-founder of Zaytuna College, said Muslims should be responsible, take care of their own business and rely on Allah. “Never think you cannot contribute positive to society.”

•    Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, co-founder of Zaytuna College said Muslims need to create institutions based on moral principles.

•    Activist and author Jamal Badawi said people need to uphold their contracts, for example, serving in the country they live in, as long as freedom of religion is not contradicted.

•    Umar F. Abd Allah, international Islamic scholar, said part of our moral responsibility is to take care of the environment, and animals. The beauty of the world helps us remember Allah. “If only the world of existence nature could talk…it would lift the veil of the creations of God.” He said when man-made environments of drugs and prostitution are prevalent, evil appears normal.

Qari Mishary Rasheed Al-Afasy resonated the audience (and put people to sleep) with his recitation of Surah Ar-Rahman before the entertainment segment on the last day. Singers Junaid Jamshed, Sami Yusuf , Benammi and Khalid Belrouzi, Fez Singers, and Danish hip-hop group Outlandish were in attendance.

A full-time bazaar with over 100 vendors was open during the convention.

People stayed in lecture halls until 12:30 a.m. Monday morning to listen to final messages from the speakers before squeezing out onto the escalators and leaving the center.

Attendees posted comments on Twitter during and after the weekend. User Tomran39 said, “It was because of RIS last year I decided to embrace Islam and it was so much better this year now that I’m Muslim! Amazing!!” Another Twitter user, Alhusayn Hamidaddin said, “The most inspiring 3 days of my life. Thank you speakers, organizers and a special thank you to all the volunteers.”

A knowledge retreat and appreciate dinner followed the convention.

Nargis Hakim Rahman, Freelance Writer; nargishakim@gmail.com.

14-3

Washington, DC: Around fifty delegates from ten States of USA attended a unique “Africa Summit 2011” organized by Helping Hand for Relief & Development (HHRD) in Washington DC on Sunday, December 18th. Leadership of the Islamic Circle of America (ICNA), partner organization of HHRD, facilitated with the proceedings of the Summit.

Majority of the delegates were American born (with African heritage) and expatriates’ from various African countries, like Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Guinea, Gambia, Mali, Nigeria, and Ghana.

Program started with Quranic recitation by Hafiz Amjad Saeed, HHRD Georgia Representative. After that everyone introduced themselves and initial presentation by Dr. Farrukh Raza (CEO/President of HHRD) about the goals & objectives of the Africa Summit, Dr. Sulayman Nyang, professor and chairman of the African Studies Department at Howard University in Washington, D.C. presented a complete overview of the Africa Continent.

Dr. Sulayman Nyang exclaimed that natural shape of the continent of Africa is question mark (?) and hopefully if we solve this question, we will resolve the political, social, humanitarian, and all other problems of Africa. He talked about the influence on Africa of European powers that occupied various parts of Africa (they gave the name Africa to this continent), as well as the rich Muslim heritage of Africa, which came to this part of the world by Muslims from Arabia and Malaysian traders. He informed about the diversified cultures, from West, to North, to North-East, to East, to Horn of Africa, to Central, and then South Africa. Africa has the richest of natural resources and several parts of the continent is most fertile for agriculture. He said from the beginning, Africa has issues related to health with mosquitoes killing many Europeans through malaria, and health & clean environment remain the main issue, as healthy body has healthy mind, which is very important for progress of societies. He added that other than health, there is need to promote education, and bring people of various areas of specific countries and then the whole countries of Africa, to come together in resolving their tribal, ethnic, and political issues.

Dr. Asha Samad (PhD ), Professor of Medical Anthropology and associated with SAFRAD Somali Association from New York, talked about specific political, societal, and humanitarian issues that are adversely affecting the development of Horn of Africa and East Africa. She informed about the vulnerable in these areas to be women, children, and the minorities.

Dr. Ali Ibrahim Bahar, a Professor at Houston Community College, informed that when it comes to helping people of Somalia, everyone is going to Mogadishu, which is good. He said however there are other places in vast Somalia, that are peaceful and where there is extreme drought & famine, and they also need immediate assistance, like Somaliland and Puntland (Northeastern Somalia). He talked about specific educational projects through an organization IQRA that he initiated a few years ago.

After Duhar prayer and Lunch break, the afternoon sessions started with Nadia Zeeshan making a general presentation about HHRD and ILyas Hasan Choudry doing the specific HHRD work’s presentation in Africa presentation. Azmat Akbar, who is one of the Coordinators of the humanitarian work in Africa, called from Kenya to greet everyone and informed that HHRD staff in the field in Africa is viewing all the proceedings via Video Conferencing.

From 2pm. onward, group discussion was initiated by Dr. Iqbal Unus, where after about four hours’ of very extensive pondering, and small break-out groups deliberations, a consensus was built; and that was since there is famine, drought plus security issues, so HHRD should continue doing the emergency relief work of food & water distribution, basic healthcare, shelter, and in-kind donations among the internally displaced persons in various camps across Africa and due to existing situation, this may continue for a while; and then for long-term development phase, which can be started at the same time where there are not many security issues and where proper clusters can be formed, is to concentrate on programs & projects in the field of Healthcare, Education, Poverty Eradication, and Women Empowerment.

It was further emphasized that arrangements should be made by HHRD in coordination with their field staff in Africa, for Medical Staff visits from USA and Canada, where doctors & nurses can go to Africa for one to two weeks, work in the field, give pertinent advises to the local HHRD staff, and over a period of time improve the health conditions of Africans.

HHRD will continue to interact with these delegates with the formation of an Advisory Council on Africa, and through the various regional offices of HHRD, reach out to communities nationwide through presentations, workshops, and fundraising efforts, to bring respite to the people of Africa.

For more information on the Summit, one can call Farrukh Raza, CEO/President of HHRD at 1-732-593-7017.

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By Parvez Fatteh, Founder of http://sportingummah.com, sports@muslimobserver.com

The new owner of the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars, Pakistani-American auto-parts tycoon Shahid Khan, has his first head coach. Mike Mularkey, most recently Offensive Coordinator of the Atlanta Falcons, will be hired as the fourth head coach in Jacksonville Jaguars history.

The hiring comes 40 days after the Jaguars fired Jack Del Rio, who was in his ninth year with the franchise, after a 3-8 start this season. Mularkey interviewed in Atlanta this week, one of three offensive coordinators known to have interviewed for the position so far. Paramount for the Jaguars will be developing quarterback Blaine Gabbert, who the Jaguars drafted 10th overall in last year’s draft, and Mularkey was part of the quick development of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan was drafted out of Boston College in 2008, the same year Mularkey became the Falcons offensive coordinator. Ryan threw for 3,440 yards in his rookie year and had an 87.7 passer rating with 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In the 2011 season, Ryan threw for 4,177 yards with 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He had a passer rating of 92.2.

Mularkey, 50, was previously head coach with the Buffalo Bills, and went 9-7 in 2004 and 5-11 in 2005. Mularkey’s Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday in a 24-2 loss to the New York Giants.

Mulkarkey, a Miami native, is familiar with the area, having played for the University of Florida. He played tight end in the NFL for nine seasons (1983-91), six with the Minnesota Vikings and three with the Pittsburgh Steelers. His son, Patrick, is a scout for the Jaguars.

Mike Mularkey became the Falcons’ offensive coordinator after a two-year stint as an assistant coach under Nick Saban with the Miami Dolphins. Mularkey was an offensive coordinator under Saban in 2006 and was scheduled to interview for the Dolphins’ head coach opening this week. Mularkey began his pro coaching career as a tight ends coach for Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, then became the Steelers offensive coordinator from 2001-03 before going to Buffalo.

The Jaguars also interviewed Jaguars interim coach Mel Tucker, Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer and Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski. The move is sure to be questioned in many circles, however, as Mularkey headed an offense in Atlanta that was felt by most observers to have overachieved. But in the end it was Mularkey’s history with Jacksonville general manager Gene Smith that appears to have gotten him the job. Hopefully Shahid Khan’s faith in Gene Smith has not been misplaced.

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