Yes, I am aware bro, but the ‘silly football club’ and Chrysler building spends are investments and not throw away money. Anyway, the participants of this Telethon were not just the elites but residents from all backgrounds (and not limited to natives of the land either). *I hope the Palestinians get to rule their own land in peace (and dignity), first. I’m sure they’ll do well after their primary human needs are met.

AlMaghrib Institute will be doing a unique ONLINE fundraising event in cooperation with Islamic Relief for the needy in Gaza on Tuesday, Jan 13th at 7:15 PM EST... (UAE time - 4:15 am, Wednesday Jan 14th) Free Sign-up: www.ilminar.com As the world watches the grave events unfolding in the Gaza Strip, history is awaiting to document the actions humanity is about to take: Shameful Inaction or Heroic Justice? It is human nature to feel all kinds of intense emotions towards the atrocities in Gaza: anger, sorrow, shame, fear, sadness….yet history is filled with stories of these very emotions resulting in dangerously wrong courses of action. It is evident, then, that these natural feelings act as fog: blurring our hindsight and preventing us from seeing the big picture. The question then is: in these trying times, how do we use hikmah (wisdom) instead of emotion when taking the right course of action for our Ummah? Join us for a special Ilminar as we answer this very question and in co-operation with Islamic Relief launch a unique ONLINE fundraising effort for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Be among those whom history documents as partakers of heroic justice, and above all, those who embodied the true message of Islam. Free Sign-up: www.ilminar.com

On his death, I heard AT&Ts version from some of his family members but the wound was obviously not what killed him. Ilaahay ha u naxariisto. Adam, those videos are of his brother Ahmed. Mohammed didn’t do many riwayads and the few he did were political and got him into trouble with Barre. (He jailed him) Here’s a short bio. http://shunuuf.tripod.com/maxmooge.html

Wa iyaakum khayr sisters. Oh, yeaaah!! I know what you mean Haneefah . I also find myself questioning my niyah when I do acts of worship for rewards of the dunyaa and I feel like this stains the purely for the pleasure of Allah factor. By rewards of the dunyah I mean, I want to do something but my desires get in my way and then I push myself to do it because Allah might give me something better than what I’m giving up or He may make my affairs in the world easy as reward for the actions. I know that the worldly reward is as a result of the pleasure of Allah but urrrm, but it just keeps niggling at me. :confused: Maybe brother Nur can shedh some light on this…

I feel you hon, but don’t forget the charity of the poor is highly rewarded to give when it hurts, that’s true charity. Illahayoow qacmaha noo fur. I have to give it to the Emaratis for their generosity; it never ceases to astound me. Masha Allah, Illahay khayr iyo danbi dhaaf ha uga dhigo. There were also demos right across the country yesterday. Video: A day for Gaza UAE

Telethon raises Dh315m Rasha Elass and Matt Kwong Last Updated: January 10. 2009 12:28PM UAE / January 10. 2009 8:28AM GMT ABU DHABI // A nationwide telethon broadcast on three major networks, lasting seven hours and 45 minutes, yesterday raised more than Dh315 million to aid Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Intercut with video showing casualties in the occupied territory, notable UAE figures and TV personalities appealed for donations to aid the Gazans, who are running out of food and drinking water. “There are sins that are unforgivable, like when you see a man drowning and you’re able to help but you don’t help,” said the Islamic scholar Dr Ahmad al Qubaisi. “This is what we’re facing today. The greatest form of jihad is to give charity. “On a day like this one … a single dirham goes a long way.” Organisers said the fund-raising campaign would continue until the first week of February. In a fatwa, the prominent Islamic scholar Dr Ahmad al Qubaisi said: "You can donate anything to this campaign and deduct it from your zakat. “It can be a bed frame that costs Dh1,000, and you can deduct that amount from the zakat due onto you for this year." Zakat is an annual charity tax that Muslims must pay as a percentage of their net worth. Ali al Kaabi, the chairman of the UAE Red Crescent Authority, spoke about tales of warmth and generosity from Emiratis. “We were in a tent the other day,” he said, “and there was a little girl with a piggy bank that she donated. The organiser said, ‘OK, let’s have an auction to sell this piggy bank’, and he managed to raise Dh21,000 for it.” Fifty lorries carrying a total of 300 tons of aid bought in Egypt including food, 30,000 blankets, winter clothing and other necessities arrived in Arish on the Egyptian border with Gaza. Some made it into Gaza by last night. The aid was provided by the UAE embassy in Cairo on the orders Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and chairman of the Red Crescent Authority. The Relief of the Palestinian People campaign was broadcast on Abu Dhabi TV, Sharjah TV and Sama Dubai TV channels, in collaboration with the Red Crescent and the International Red Cross. The Red Crescent opened 80 telephone lines from 2pm to 9:45 pm for donations. Within the first hour, the telethon had already raised Dh12 million. By 4pm, the amount was Dh53 million, boosting the Red Crescent’s total donations to Dh93 million. The Dh315m ($US85.8m) in contributions announced did not include separate collections in shopping malls and other stations. At Marina Mall, for example, more than Dh6 million was said to have been collected. A 13-year-old boy named Ahmed al Shamsi contributed Dh30,000 and there were several anonymous donations in the thousands of dirhams, as well as at least two anonymous Dh1 million contributions. Other notable donors included Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, the chairwoman of the UAE Family Development Foundation (Dh5 million); Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed (Dh3 million); Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, the Deputy Prime Minister (Dh10 million); and Abdul Aziz al Ghurair, the Speaker of the Federal National Council (Dh15 million). The rulers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai pledged to rebuild 1,200 homes in Gaza, while Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, the Minister of the Interior, pledged to rebuild 100 houses. The NMC Hospital gave Dh1.4 million of medical equipment. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Minister of Presidential Affairs, pledged to build an extension to al Shafaa Hospital in Gaza. The Palestinian ambassador to the UAE, Dr Khairi al Oridi, said: “The UAE is constantly at the helm of supporting Palestinians as it provides aid when the Palestinian people need it.” The Western Region donated Dh150,000 and 110 grams of gold. Shukran al Murtaji, a Palestinian artist, said: “I have family there and we’re hearing they’ve run out of coffins.” Another guest on the show, the Lebanese singer Huda Haddad, said she could relate to the plight of the people in Gaza because she had been through a similar experience in Lebanon. “I call on the Arab world to stand together, hand-in-hand, and I thank the UAE for its leading efforts,” she said. Donations could be received at the branches of the RCA and also through SMS. Mr al Kaabi reminded viewers that donations need not necessarily be in cash. “We’ve managed to get ambulance cars and… other medical equipment,” he said. “We had one man who said, ‘I have no cash, but can I donate my jacket’?” The UN Relief and Works Agency has reported that most of Gaza is without electricity and sewage is mounting due to the lack of power for pumps. In a taped interview, the head of the Gaza emergency services, Muawiyah Hassanein, said: “Gaza is dying. We’re under a death sentence.” An ambulance driver told Abu Dhabi TV: “We avoid the areas that have heavy shelling, but even when we go to the more quiet areas we still feel targeted with shelling. That’s not right.” relass@thenational.ae

Complete Duaa How many times have we heard this duaa in our lives: Rabbana aatina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qinaa athaban naar. Have we ever contemplated how complete this duaa is? Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says فَمِنَ النَّاس& #1616; مَن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَ& #1575; آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْ& #1610;َا وَمَا لَهُ فِي الآخِرَ& #1577;ِ مِنْ خَلاَقٍ وِمِنْه& #1615;م مَّن يَقُولُ رَبَّنَ& #1575; آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْ& #1610;َا حَسَنَة& #1611; وَفِي الآخِرَ& #1577;ِ حَسَنَة& #1611; وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّار& #1616; Translation: And among the people is he who says, “our Lord, give us in this world,” and he will have in the Hereafter no share. But among them is he who says, “our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” [suratul-Baqarah, verses 200-201] These ayaat are in the part of Suratul-Baqarah that addresses Hajj and its rites. In the first part of the ayah (”And among the people is he who says, “our Lord, give us in this world,” and he will have in the Hereafter no share.”) Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) says that there are people who remember only the dunya in their duaa, even when making duaa during Hajj. Why even at that time? When a person makes duaa, he focuses on what he wants, what is important to him, and what he thinks about the most. For these people–may Allah not make us from them–the dunya is their priority, and they think most about it wherever they are. This is the case whether they are performing tawaf or standing at ‘Arafat–they only think about attaining the dunya. In the second part of the ayah, Allah explains that such a person will not have a share in the hereafter. Why? Because that is not what he was asking for. In the ayah, the Arabic word “Khalaaq” خَلاَقٍ means a portion or share which is given to someone because of his good character. Therefore, we also learn from this ayah that good character leads and opens doors to doing good deeds. Then there is the other type of person, the one who says: “our Lord, give us in this world [that which is] good and in the Hereafter [that which is] good and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” What are the blessings he is asking for in this dunya? Rizq, offspring, wealth, a home, family, and good health. We live in this dunya, we have needs, and we are allowed to ask for them–the companions would even ask Allah for help when their shoelaces broke. So these people also ask for “hasanah” (good) in this world. Then they say, “and good in the hereafter.” What is this good? Jannah, and all the steps that lead to Paradise. They ask for protection from the punishment of the grave. They ask that when the trumpet is blown on the Day of Judgment they are not among those who are terrified[1]. They ask that their book will be given to them in their right hand[2]. They ask that when their deeds are weighed, their good deeds will be heavier then their bad deeds[3]. They ask that when they have to cross the Siraat, they cross it with ease and quickness[4]. They ask to pass the Qantarah without any hardship[5]. And finally, they ask to enter Jannah with ease When we make this duaa, we should have all of these things in mind inshaAllah. And when will a person ask for these things? Only when he or she knows about them, and knows that they are the steps that we will go through in the akhirah. Knowledge of what we are asking for helps our duaas come from the heart; when a person knows what he is asking for, he is no longer merely repeating the words “hasanah” in the akhirah and “hasanah” in the dunya, he sincerely thinks about what the words include. In the final part of the ayah, Allah says that these people will then ask for salvation from the hellfire. Why? Because they know what a severe torment and punishment it is. It was reported from Anas ibn Malik (رضالله عنه) that Rasul Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) this du’aa the most [saheeh Muslim, Book 35, Hadith 6705]. When Anas ibn Malik (رضالله عنه) would make duaa, he would include this duaa. Therefore, we, too should make this duaa as much as we can, and with the meaning in mind. May Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) make us among those who will have good in this dunya, good in the hereafter and those saved from the torment of Hellfire. ameen References [1] “Whoever brings a good deed, will have better than its worth, and they will be safe from the terror on that Day. ” [surah Naml, verse 89] [2] “Then, as for him who will be given his Record in his right hand, He surely will receive an easy reckoning, And will return to his family in joy!” [surah Al-Inshiqaq, verse 7-9] [3] “And the weighing on that day (Day of Resurrection) will be the true (weighing). So as for those whose scale (of good deeds) will be heavy, they will be the successful” [surah Al-A'raaf, verse 8] [4] “There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell): this is with your Lord, a Decree which must be accomplished. Then We shall save those who used to fear Allah and were dutiful to Him, And We shall leave the wrong-doers therein (humbled) to their knees (in Hell).” [surah Maryam, verse 71-72] [5] Abu Sa’eed al Khudree reports that the Prophet (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said, “when the believers cross the Hellfire, they will be stopped at a small arched bridge (Qantarah) before entering the paradise and will be given retribution for injustices between them until they become purified. (Then) they will be permitted to enter Jannah. So, by the One in whose hands is my soul, they will know their way to their homes in Jannah, better than they knews their ways to their homes in Dunya. (Saheeh Bukhari)

^LOL. Not any shoes, love. Delightfully cute ones! It's compliment, walaal. Ameen@ Haneefah.

A more pertinent question is why Somalis hate on Somaalis. Even the the vanguards of Somalinimo hold every Somali with contempt. :confused: Back to topic. The funniest reasons that I keep hearing is because my adeeros friends’ cousins uncle was called a Cabd when he worked in Saudi Arabia and the keep giving me huruuf at Dubai airport.

Wow, has it really been 7 years?? Funny, I’ve been through so many changes over the years but SOL is one of the few consistent things in my life. Tis the habit that kicks me. I’ve made some brownies earlier, so here’s to you Valenteenah and the rest. What’s with the ‘itch’, thinking of seeing a lawyer?? KK aka stylish diva, your party must involve red shoes. I saw a cute pair there other day and somehow I thought of you.. LOL. (I love red too). :cool:

War on Gaza - Timeline Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:24:35 GMT The following is a timeline of events leading to the ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip that began on December 27 with Israel's aerial bombardment of Hamas-linked compounds in the coastal sliver: 2008 June 19: An Egyptian mediated ceasefire begins between Hamas and Israel. The Palestinian movement agrees to stop firing rockets as Israel accepts to gradually ease its embargo on the Gaza Strip. July 27: Israel kills Shihab al-Natsheh, a senior Hamas fighter, in his house in the West Bank city of al-Khalil. August 2: Three Hamas police officers and six pro-Fatah gunmen are killed in factional fighting in the Gaza Strip, the worst of such since June 2007. October 8: Israel prevents Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) from entering the embattled Gaza Strip. November 5: Israel raids houses in the Hamas-controlled region and arrests seven Palestinians. Israel attacks areas inside Gaza, killing at least six Palestinians. Ghassan el-Taramse, a nineteen-year-old Palestinian activist, is killed in an Israeli air raid in the northern parts of the coastal sliver. Palestinians fire several dozen rockets and mortar shells at western Negev in Israel in retaliation. No casualties or property damage is caused, but three women are treated for shock. November 8: Israel violates the ongoing truce as its tanks and bulldozers cross the southern border of the Gaza Strip. November 14: Hamas fires a barrage of homemade rockets at the city of Ashkelon. Four rockets are also fired into western Negev after Israeli air strikes wounded two people in Gaza. November 15: Israeli air strike kills two Palestinians in the town of Beit Hanoun in Gaza. November 18: Israeli tanks backed by a bulldozer and a military jeep roll half a kilometer into Gaza. The Israeli army claims the incursion is "a routine operation to uncover explosive devices near the border fence in the southern Gaza Strip." November 20: An Israeli tank fires shells, killing a Palestinian fighter east of Gaza City. November 23: The Israeli army wounds two Palestinian residents while shelling homes in various cities in the strip. November 28: Israeli forces backed by tanks enter the southern parts of the coastal region and kill two Palestinians. November 29: Projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip wound eight Israeli soldiers in an army base in the town of Nahal Uz. December 02: The Israeli army launches air strikes into southern Gaza and kills at least two civilians and wounding four others. December 17: Five Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip injure two Israelis in the southern town of Sderot. December 18: A Palestinian man is killed in Jabaliya as Israeli aircraft target metal workshops in the towns of Jabaliya and Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military claims the targets are used to manufacture rockets. December 19: The six-month truce officially ends. December 20: Israeli launches air strikes on the northern Gazan town of Beit Lahiya, killing one Palestinian and wounding two others. December 21: Palestinian fighters fire rockets into Sderot and Negev and one Israeli is wounded. December 22: A twenty-four hour truce is declared between Israel and armed Palestinian factions at the request of Egyptian mediators. December 23: The twenty-four hour truce expires. Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian resistance fighters leave three members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades dead along the border fence in northern Gaza. Six Qassam rockets are fired into western Negev. The rocket attacks do not hit any targets in Israel. December 24: Gaza fighters fire two dozen mortar shells at three different targets inside Israel. An Israeli air raid kills a Palestinian and wounds two others in southern Gaza. December 27: Israeli F16 bombers and apache helicopters carry out at least 30 simultaneous raids on various targets across the Gaza strip. The operation kills at least 230 and wounds hundreds of Palestinians. Hamas responds with rocket fire from Gaza and kills one Israeli in the southern town of Netivot. December 28: Israel begins a fresh wave of air strikes. Israel deploys tanks and troops along the Gaza border. Tunnels in and out of Gaza are bombed. A Hamas missile strikes near the largest city in the south of the occupied lands, the deepest reach into Israel to the date. Global protests against the Israeli attacks begin. Palestinian death toll rises to 296; 900 are injured. December 29: The third day of attacks on the strip brings the death toll to 340. At least 1,400 Palestinians are wounded. Muslim world announces day of mourning. Two more Israelis are killed and one is injured. December 30: Israeli air operations continue as Tel Aviv declares the area around Gaza a 'closed military zone'. Israeli floats the idea that a ground invasion of Gaza is imminent. Palestinian casualties rise to 360 dead and 1,500 injured. December 31: Israel continues tunnel attacks and civilian casualties increase. Hamas says Gaza will be victorious. The UN and Arab League find no solution to end the crisis. Palestinian death toll rises to 400 with 1,600 injured. January 1: Israeli bombardments continue; first senior Hamas official dies in air attacks. Israel denies a 48-hour request for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza by rejecting an EU truce. Hamas calls for Palestinian protests; it rockets hit several positions. 417 Palestinians and 6 Israelis dead. January 2: Curfew imposed on West Bank and foreigners are told to leave Gaza. Top Israeli ministers discuss ground invasion into the Gaza Strip. The United Nations condemns Israel and describes situation in Gaza as "appalling". Kadima, Israel's ruling party, losses ground in polls ahead of elections. Death toll continues to rise. January 3: A senior leader of the armed wing of the Palestinian Hamas is killed in Israeli air strikes in Gaza. Hamas warns Israel not to "commit the *********" of taking its offensive to the next level. The group says its fighters have foiled an attempt by Israeli ground forces to cross the border into the Gaza Strip. The Israeli cabinet approves a military ground incursion in the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes bomb a bridge linking Gaza City to the rest of the coastal slither. Hamas fires eight rockets into Israel, seven into the Western Negev and one into the Eshkol region. Israeli warplanes raid several targets in Gaza and kill four people. A Hamas rocket hits a four-story building in Ashdod -- Israel's second largest port - and lightly wounds four people. An Israeli air raid on a mosque in the Gaza Strip kills at least 16 Palestinians. Israeli tanks begin shelling areas inside the strip, causing a large explosion in Gaza City as well as a series of blasts stitching the nearby frontier with Israel. Israeli tanks roll into Gaza. A Palestinian rocket destroys a house in the Israeli city of Netivot. Israel bans a Red Cross medical team from entering Gaza to treat injured residents. Hamas says that nine Israeli soldiers have been killed and 25 wounded. The United Nations Security Council calls for an emergency meeting. January 4: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon calls for an immediate cessation of the Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes bomb the coastal region, lighting up the sky hours before sunrise. The United States blocks a UN Security Council bid to require an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Israeli bombers hit the Hamas-run al-Aqsa radio station inside Gaza. A Palestinian ambush allegedly kills five Israeli troops. Hamas says its fighters have captured two Israeli soldiers during clashes with invading Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip. Israeli forces surround the largest city in the Palestinian territories, Gaza City. Clashes continue between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in four spots in the north, around Gaza City, Beit Hanun, Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya. Gaza resistance fighters fire ten more rockets into Israeli cities, two targeted at western Negev and three hit Sderot city. Israeli bombers target heavily populated areas inside the Gaza Strip, killing five Palestinian civilians and wounding 40 others. Medics inside Gaza confirm that they have found traces of depleted uranium in some Palestinians wounded in the Israeli ground offensive. Israel kills two senior Hamas officials, Hussam Hamdan and Muhammad Hilo, in an air strike on Khan Yunis. Palestinian fighters fire at least 40 Qassam and Grad rockets into southern Israel. Israeli President Shimon Peres rejects the possibility of a ceasefire. Palestinians target an Israeli helicopter and allegedly destroy seven Israeli tanks inside the strip. http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=79964&section id=3510304

Gaza conflict: Timeline A day-by-day account of attacks in Gaza and southern Israel since the offensive began on 27 December 2008. THURSDAY 8 JANUARY Gaza Strip: The Israeli military says it launched 60 air strikes overnight, targeting Hamas smuggling tunnels near Rafah , police sites, weapons storage facilities and gunmen. Palestinian sources say a mosque was hit. The house of a Hamas military commander, Mohammed al-Senwar, in Khan Younis is destroyed in an air strike, witnesses say. Northern Israel: Several rockets are fired from Lebanon , landing on or near the town of Nahariya . Israel announces it will halt attacks on Gaza for another three hours to allow Palestinians to replenish food supplies. WEDNESDAY 7 JANUARY Gaza Strip: Israeli forces launch 40 air strikes overnight. Dozens more targets are attacked during the day, the Israeli military says. Israeli planes bomb the Gaza-Egypt border area after dropping leaflets on the town of Rafah warning residents to leave. In all, at least 20 people are reported killed in Gaza. Palestinian health officials say at least 683 Palestinians have been killed and more than 3,085 injured since the conflict began. Israel: Israel halts attacks on Gaza for three hours in the first of what it says will be a daily ceasefire to allow residents to seek food and for the dead to be buried. Eighty trucks carrying supplies are allowed into Gaza. Fighting stops at about 1100 GMT and witnesses report fresh violence shortly after 1400 GMT. Southern Israel: The Israeli military says more than 20 rockets are fired from Gaza into Israel over the day. No casualties are reported. TUESDAY 6 JANUARY Gaza Strip: Fighting along length of coastal enclave as Israel's ground assault enters its fourth day. At least 40 people were killed - including children - and 55 injured when Israeli artillery shells landed outside a United Nations-run al-Fakhura school in the Jabaliya refugee camp. UN officials said the school was being used as a refuge for hundreds of people. Israel said its soldiers had come under fire from militants inside the school. A spokesman for Hamas denied there had been any hostile fire coming from the school. Israeli forces reportedly widen their attacks to include Khan Younis in the south, after heavy fighting on the edges of the Deir al-Balah refugee camp in central Gaza. Gaza City: Heavy fighting between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants on the outskirts of a northern district, where pre-dawn skies were lit up by flares as helicopter gunships pounded militant positions. Rafah: Reports of an Israeli air raid on the main crossing point between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Northern Gaza: At least 18 Palestinians killed. Three Israeli soldiers killed by fire from Israeli tank. In all, at least 70 Palestinians and five Israeli soldiers were killed during the day. MONDAY 5 JANUARY Gaza Strip: The Israeli army says it has hit 40 targets, including several tunnels and the homes of a number of Hamas officials. Hospitals say they are overwhelmed by casualties, mostly civilians including women and children. Ground forces enter the edges of the urban area of Beit Lahiya . Gaza City: Heavy clashes are reported east of the city, and hundreds of people head further into the city centre to escape the fighting. A BBC producer in the city's main hospital says he has seen 900 people being treated there. Doctors say they are running short of vital medical supplies. SUNDAY 4 JANUARY Gaza Strip: Witnesses report clashes around the towns of Beit Hanoun , Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya refugee camp. Witnesses also report Israeli troops in the Zeitoun area, and that the main north-south road is blocked. Israeli troops take control of the site of the former Jewish settlement of Netzarim . Gaza City: Many civilians killed when shells fall near a school and a market, Palestinian sources say. Beit Lahiya: Twelve civilians killed by a tank shell, witnesses say. South Israel: At least 25 short-range rockets fired, mainly on Sderot, Netivot and other towns near the Gaza border. One woman is slightly injured in Sderot. SATURDAY 3 JANUARY Gaza Strip: Israeli troops enter northern Gaza, initiating a much-anticipated ground offensive. Hours earlier, Israel fired artillery shells across the border for first time since the offensive began. Gaza City: One of the leaders of Hamas's military wing, Abu Zakaria al-Jamal, was killed in an overnight raid. South Israel: At least 20 Palestinian rockets landed, including in Ashkelon, Ashdod and Sderot. No casualties were reported but a house in Ashkelon was hit. Beit Lahiya: At least 10 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli strike on a mosque, local medical sources said. Earlier, a caretaker was killed in a raid which destroyed large parts of the town's American school. FRIDAY 2 JANUARY Khan Younis: Three Palestinian children killed in Israeli air strike. Jabaliya: A mosque described by Israeli security officials as a "terror hub" used to stockpile weapons, was destroyed. Ashkelon: Hamas fired more than 20 rockets into Israel, with some landing in the port town of Ashkelon. No casualties were reported. THURSDAY 1 JANUARY Gaza City: The Justice Ministry, Legislative Assembly, Civil Defense Building, Education ministry were hit, as well as at least two money changers' offices and a workshop. Jabaliya: A senior Hamas leader, Nizar Rayyan, was killed in an air strike along with at least nine people, including several members of his family. South Israel: More than 30 rockets fired, including at least one landing in Ashdod and two in Beersheba. WEDNESDAY 31 DECEMBER Gaza City: Office of former Prime Minister Ismail Haniya and other Hamas buildings attacked. Israeli aircraft continue to strike tunnels near the border with Egypt. Beersheba: Hit by Hamas rockets for a second day, but no casualties reported. TUESDAY 30 DECEMBER Beit Hanoun: Two girls killed in an air strike. Gaza City: At least three buildings in ministry compound hit. Ashdod: Woman killed in rocket attack Beersheba: Attacked by rockets fired from Gaza, the furthest into Israel a Palestinian missile has ever reached. MONDAY 29 DECEMBER Nahal Oz: Israeli soldier killed and five others wounded at unspecified military base near a border crossing. Gaza City: Interior Ministry and Islamic University at Tel al-Hawa badly damaged in air strike. Home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniya at Shati refugee camp targeted. Ashkelon: One man killed and several other people injured in rocket attack. SUNDAY 28 DECEMBER Jabaliya: Several people killed at a mosque - including five sisters - in air attack at the refugee camp. Yabna refugee camp: Civilian family reported killed Rafah: Three brothers reported killed. Khan Younis: Four members of Islamic Jihad and a child reported killed. Ashdod: Palestinian rockets hit the city, the first attack so far north. Deir al-Balah: Palestinians injured, houses and buildings destroyed. Israeli planes strike tunnels running between Egypt and Gaza. Naval vessels targeted at Gaza City port andintelligence building attacked. SATURDAY 27 DECEMBER Gaza City, Rafah, Khan Younis: Israel launches a wave of air and missile attacks on targets across Gaza. Some 225 people are killed, according to local medics. Most are policemen within the Hamas militant movement; police chief Tawfik Jaber is among the dead. Women and children also died, according to officials in Gaza. Netivot: One man killed, several injured in Palestinian rocket attack. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/ 7812290.stm

Asia, Tuesday Jan 06, 2009 A well deserved 5* commentary. It baffles me, how European politicians, with their experience with terrorism, could somehow not appreciate that Israel is doing the right thing, doing its part to weed out terrorism. If Israel is defeated, and USA minds its own business, then the Europe will have to do the job themelves. Protests against Israel’s ‘war’ on Gaza are taking place across the world, the evil of its attacks are frighteningly obvious, so why are people in power still letting it happen? In his excellent book ‘Future: Tense’, author - and former 7DAYS contributor - Gwynne Dyer quoted American journalist Sydney J Harris; “‘Terrorism is what we call the violence of the weak and we condemn it; ‘war’ is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it”. And so it is with the self-fulfilling prophecy that is the “War on Terror”, and now, horrifically, Israel’s latest atrocities in Gaza. Palestinians, war-loving savages. Israelis, peace-loving victims. How much longer can we have our intelligence insulted? And how much more misery can be heaped on the Palestinians? World leaders continue to demand an end to hostilities “triggered” by Hamas firing rockets into Israel. Triggered by Hamas. Not by the crippling one-year blockade that has devastated, and starved, Gaza. Not by the continuous incursions by the Israeli army. Not by 61 years of oppression and misery. But by Hamas’ feeble rockets. Astonishingly, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni at the weekend denied that the Gaza Strip was suffering a humanitarian crisis after a week of Israeli air raids. “Is there a humanitarian crisis? There is no humanitarian crisis in Gaza,’” she said as the bodies piled up. You can understand her confusion as she barely qualifies as a human being herself. How many people have to be wrong for Israel to be right? Peace in the region will remain a dream until world leaders find a cure to their paralysing fear of offending Israel. No one is holding their breath on that one. You can use the bully metaphor, you can use the cornered animal metaphor and you can draw parallels with the horrors of the Holocaust. You can show them pictures of severed limbs. Of bombed mosques, of bombed schools, of dead babies. You can tell stories of people scrounging in garbage for food. Of overcrowded hospitals. But it just won’t make a difference. Israel will simply say it has the right to “defend” itself against the might of Hamas, just like the rest of the world has the right to fight Al Qaeda. Never mind the fact that “Operation Cast Lead” was planned six months ago even as a ceasefire was being agreed, and that it was Israel who broke the truce on November 4 while the rest of the world was preoccupied with events in the US. When it comes to the US and Israel, the tail has been wagging the dog for a very, very long time now, but even by his pitifully low standards, George W Bush plumped to what many of us thought were unattainable depths of cowardice when he urged the international community to put pressure on Hamas to stop this conflict. Condoleezza Rice, fearing someone out there is even more shameless than her, piled in with a little gem of her own. “We are deeply concerned about the escalating violence. We strongly condemn the attacks on Israel and hold Hamas responsible.” This prompted a brilliant comment from The Independent’s Mark Steel who said she should be asked about teenage knife-crime to see if she’d say: “I strongly condemn the people who’ve been stabbed, and until they abandon their practice of wandering around clutching their sides and bleeding, there is no hope for peace.” President-elect Barack Obama might be infinitely preferable to the democracy-spreading mob currently running the White House, but the world will shortly discover that when it comes to standing up to Israel, the motto is a strict “no we can’t”. Middle Eastern countries are, as ever, utterly, but predictably, helpless. The notion of them uniting to take action against Israel is so outrageous as to be laughable. But is it too much to ask of some leaders not to be complicit in the deaths of Palestinians? And so what is left is a race that has been forsaken by the rest of the world. As politicians continue to pay lip service to a “lasting peace” in the Middle East, what happens should the guns were to fall silent and “peace” really was to dawn on the region? How do you wipe away the misery and humiliation of the last six decades. Are Palestinians just expected to forgive and forget? Just lay down their weapons, give up their land and accept horrendous living conditions in their ghettos. And be thankful about it. For a race that has suffered historically, it is beyond comprehension how the Jewish nation continues to heap such unimaginable atrocities on a race that was not in any way responsible for their suffering. And as people around the world voice their anger against this extermination, can we please leave the Holocaust denials and “Hitler was right” rubbish out. Denying others’ - even your enemy’s - suffering only takes away your right to rage against yours. One day this “war” will end, and when it does, you want to be able say that in spite of all the horror, you, unlike Livni, and others, were able to maintain your humanity.

Originally posted by NGONGE: Bah! Ayeeyo hates agreeing with me. No, no dear. Only this time because you were being terribly mean to Ibts.

I hate say this but I agree with NG. It's not a great idea, not really helpful at all. I can just imagine them telling each other that they got a call from a random stranger and trying to workout their motives. They could do with out the stress. There a desperate need for donations of food, cloths.. money etc. That will make a difference. And as she said, make Duaa.

Unconventional weapons used against Gazans Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:43:01 GMT By Akram al-Sattari, Press TV, Gaza Doctor Mads Gilbert is a member of a Norwegian triage medical team present in the besieged Gaza Strip. The team has exposed that Israel has used depleted uranium weapons in its war on the impoverished territory which is home to 1.5 million Palestinians. He described the conditions inside Gaza in an exclusive Press TV interview. Press TV: What can you tell about the uranium findings? Dr. Mads Gilbert:The findings about the uranium I cannot tell you much about, but I can tell you that we have clear evidence that the Israelis are using a new type of very high explosive weapons which are called Dense Inert Metal Explosive (DIME) and are made out of a tungsten alloy. These weapons have an enormous power to explode. The power of the explosion dissipates very quickly and the strength does not travel long, maybe 10 meters, but those humans who are hit by this explosion, this pressure wave are cut in pieces. This was first used in Lebanon in 2006, it was used here in Gaza in 2006 and the injuries that we see in Shifa [Hospital] now, many many of them I suspect and we all suspect are the effect of DIME weapons used by the Israelis. On the long term, these weapons will have a cancer effect on those who survive. They will develop cancer we suspect. There has been very little research on this but some research has been among other places in the United States, which show that these weapons have a high tendency to develop cancer. So they kill and those who survive risk having cancer. Press TV: And what do you have to say about this? Dr. Mads Gilbert:All that is happening in Gaza here now is against international law, it is against humanity and I think it is against what it means to be a decent person. You don't treat other people like this. Even if you disagree with him… maybe even if you fight with them, you don't treat civilians, children and women like this. And I have an appeal to the Israeli doctors and nurses. They are my colleagues. We belong to the same international community, the medical community. I wish that the good doctors and nurses in Israel tell their government to stop these atrocities. We cannot continue with this. We may differ in opinions, but you cannot treat the civilian Palestinian population in Gaza in this way. Today, they were bombing in Gaza City; we received 150 wounded and more than 50 killed. Press TV: Only at Shifa?! Dr. Mads Gilbert:Yes, here in Shifa. I treated a ten-year-old boy. He had his whole chest filled with fragments from the bomb. On his lap was another person's leg that had been cut off. We resuscitated him and did everything we could do to save his life but he died between our hands. This is such a terrible experience and behind the numbers that you report all the time, there are human beings, families, women, grandmothers, children. That is in fact the reality in this situation. Those who are paying the price for the Israeli bombardments now are the common people, the Palestinian people. Half of the population in Palestine are below 15 years and 80 percent of the people in Gaza live below the level of poverty defined by the UN. Now they don't have food, they don't have electricity. It's cold they don't have warmth and in addition to that, they are killed. This must be stopped. Press TV How many people did you see that are effected by this weapon? Dr. Mads Gilbert: Almost all of the patients we have received have these sever amputations. They seem to have been affected by this kind of weapon. Of course, we have many fragment injuries and burns but those who have got their limbs cut off, constitutes quite a large proportion. You know we have a lot to do. Palestinian doctors, nurses and paramedics do an incredibly heroic job to save their people. Doctor Eric and I are just a small drip in the ocean, but we learn from them. Unfortunately, we don't have the time to do research, we have to save lives, but this question should be researched by the international community. AA/AA http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=80685&sectio nid=3510302

I guess, it's a way of venting and standing up for them but that's not enough. They don't do demos here (think they're illegal) but Masha Allah the whole city is collecting for the Gazans. Gaal iyo Muslimba, it's good to see that there's still some humanity in us..

I've all this bent up aggression today, I just want punch the lights out of someone.. I miss my shoodhe..

Lol Cadaan, Habi baarty dhay may biibol! Cabdiyo, Naa bax!! I was born on the 4th of the 4th. Thought that I was unique ..till now!! Blessings@ Malika. XX

A really good documentary made by Jews.. Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land: Media & the Israel-Palestine Conflict. This was made before the latest sanctions, abuse and killings. p.s Ngonge / Zulfa Speaking of dead self hating Arabs, do you guys know where I could get a full translation of Nizar Qabbanis 'When will they announce the death of Arabs'?

^No malice intended sis. It's just that I see you as the romantic of the forum.

I don't see the problem, most nations have business communities abroad, why should Somaalis be different? The money trickles down to the Somaali in Somaalia and the economy is (partially) built on it. That has always been the case... This would continue even if (when) there is peace and prosperity in Somaalia (Insha Allah). Kudos to our business men and women. :cool:

^Haha.. leave the Syrians alone waryaa.. LOL@ NG. I was thinking maybe he's born with it all along, bal ka waran.

Stop it guys, you're spoiling it for Aaliyah LOOOL@ Malika.. waa lagugu mirqaamey, dheh. 'Eww!' and 'Awwww' in equal measures. LOOL p.s Tis a nice way of picking a fight when bored..

^Why off course, darling. I'm down sizing to a villa and extending the deadline.. Ducada soo badi, yaah!