Iranian Guards accused of Rape

Bin Laden's daughter accuses Iranian guards of rape and death threats.

Bin Laden's daughter Iman is still being held in the Saudi Arabian Embassy in Iran. From the day that Bin Laden't daughter arrived at the Saudi Embassy until now, the Saudi government has argued heatedly with the Iranian government for her safe return. Ms Iman Bin Laden has claimed that while in the house where she was living in Iran guards have taken her out and raped her.

They also allegedly made death threats against her if she ever spoke about what happened to her. While guards took her shopping and to bring her to their private hideouts she was able to escape.

The Iranian government has been eager to silence Bin Laden's daughter so she wouldn't tell her story. If so her release would be granted. The Saudi government has also said that such information wouldn't be allowed to be released to the media.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said that the Saudi government is in talks with Iran to secure the release of the Osama Bin Laden's daughter. Prince Saud al-Faisal said "we do not want to get involved in the political issues relating to this case because I do not want to complicate the issues, and possibly delay Iman's departure from Tehran."

The statements made by the Saudi Foreign Minister represent the first official response to this case by the Saudi government. Asharq Al-Awsat first discovered that Iman Bin Laden escaped from the guards assigned to her during a shopping trip in Tehran and sought refuge in the Saudi embassy.

This story represented the first conclusive evidence that some of Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden's children are present in Iran.

This was later confirmed by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki who confirmed that Iman Bin Laden is present in the Saudi embassy in Tehran, and will be allowed to leave Iran once her identity is confirmed A source close to the Saudi government has said "return of Iman Bin Laden is guaranteed by Iran.

US Muslim Targeted in New Hate Attack

NEW YORK - A new physical and verbal attack targeting a Muslim veiled woman at Niagara Falls is sending shockwaves as an indication of a growing anti-Muslim sentiment across the United States, The Buffalo News website reported on Saturday, July 16. 

"What may appear to be isolated hate crimes may be more accurately viewed as a troubling symptom of the growing level of Islamophobia in our society," said Ibrahim Hooper, National Communications Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in Washington.

The incident occurred last Thursday when 26-year-old woman of Pakistani origin was walking along Portage Road on the way to meet her husband.

Seeing the woman, who was donning a purple hijab and a traditional Pakistani attire, Antoinette S. Ivey, 32, of Ninth Street, and another woman in a van hurled ethnic and racial slurs at her calling her “bloody Paki”, a derogatory term for people of Pakistani origin. 

They continued to yell at the victims even after she met her husband.

Totally disturbed by the unjustified attack, the victim asked them why they were swearing at her, the two women got out of the van and assaulted her.

According to witnesses, the victim was slapped in the face, knocked to the ground, punched and kicked repeatedly, police said. 

Her hair also was pulled, and she suffered bruises, pain and swelling on her head and body.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, where she was treated and released, police said. 

Police described the incident as uncommon in a city that regularly welcomes international tourists of many ethnic origins.

Moreover, a local Muslim leader described relations between Muslims and others in the Buffalo Niagara region a much better than many other parts of the country.

Charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime, Ivey was held in the Niagara County Jail in lieu of $750 bail. 

A second assailant is being sought by police.

The crime normally is a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in a county jail, but as a hate crime, it becomes a felony punishable by up to four years in state prison, Assistant Niagara County District Attorney Peter M. Wydysh said.

Religious and Political Role 

Seeking an effective resolution for the growing anti-Muslim sentiments, CAIR called on political and religious leaders to address the problem and stem out its roots. 

"How do you prevent something like this if [you're a] law enforcement officer?" asked Hooper.

"It's almost impossible," Hooper said. 

"I think it's more of a job for religious and political leaders, who need to speak out against this anti-Muslim sentiment in our society, so that those who carry out these attacks don't see tacit approval of their actions in the silence of public officials."

CAIR also called on the FBI to investigate the hate attack, a third on New York Muslims in recent months.

Hooper cited the most recent examples of growing Islamophobia, including GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain's opposition to a Tennessee mosque, claims that a Virginia mosque is seeking to take over America.

Another attack was the exposure by CNN of fraudulent "ex-terrorist" Walid Shoebat, and a Virginia Tea Party group's effort to ban a "pro-Islam" textbook. 

Although there are no official figures, the United States is believed to be home to between 6-8 million Muslims.

According to a report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the University of California, Berkeley's Center for Race and Gender said that Islamophobia in the US is on the rise.

A US survey has also revealed that the majority of Americans know very little about Muslims and their faith.

A recent Gallup poll, however, found 43 percent of Americans Nationwide admitted to feeling at least “a little” prejudice against Muslims.

tension between CIA and ISI

Fresh tension erupted between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) after several Pakistani media outlets published the alleged name of the CIA station chief in Islamabad, The Guardian newspaper reported on its website.
The report quoted two senior (Pakistani) officials as saying the name published, Mark Carlton, was incorrect, but one said it was similar to the real one. Despite the inaccuracy, publication of the name was seen as a sign of worsening relations between the two spy agencies a week after the death of Osama bin Laden, said the report.
Publication of an American spy’s name caused friction between the two agencies six months ago as well, said the report. The previous station chief, Jonathan Banks, was identified in court papers and the media in December, causing him to leave Pakistan immediately, it said, adding that some US officials blamed the ISI for the leak. This time, the name was published by the private television station ARY One on Friday, and then reprinted in a rightwing newspaper on Saturday, said The Guardian.
The newspaper said that reportedly, “Mark Carlton” was given an angry reprimand by ISI chief Lt General Shuja Pasha over the operation to kill bin Laden. The published name sounded similar to the real one, the report quoted a senior Pakistani official as saying, suggesting the leak had come from a lower-level ISI source rather than from the top. “It sounds similar. Mike can be misheard as Mark,” he was quoted as saying.
“It sounds like something someone misheard in the corridor, perhaps someone who is ideological or not very well educated.” The official declined to give the real name, and US media did not report the incorrect name, saying that the information remained classified under US law. The US official said, however, that the CIA had no plans to withdraw its top spy from Islamabad.