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Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Work Has Taken Me Away From My Normal Posting Frequency

As with everyone, sometimes "reality" intrudes into the online world, and so it is with me, as I can't post with the frequency that both you and I have become accustomed to at the Singh On The World.

I'll try and get some posts out asap, when my 'work' commitments allow. In the meantime, check out the automatic Google Reader that I've setup for your blog fix, it includes as many Sikh authored blogs as I know of as well as the feed from Sikh Sangat.com.

Write to you soon.

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Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Did Indians Discover Calculus

No. But that won't stop some people from trying to give India credit for it... Angry has more, but here's an excerpt. Note my comments on Angry's site....
The question is raised about who invented calculus.

Let me answer that question. Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz share that honour. The Kerala School might have come up with the Taylor expansion of trigonometric functions, but that is not the same as calculus. Nor did they contribute their discovery to the body of human knowledge.

No need to rewrite the history books on this one, even if it means evil Westerners retain the credit for something good.

I wrote,
Interesting that Europeans or English are tripping over themselves to give credit for something as profound as the creation/ discovery of Calculus to Malayalam/ Keralese without so much as a whimper.

Usually, if you follow papers from India, the people there are blaming imperialism or colonialism for some discovery or the other being stolen, unrecognized or some other form of malfeasance depressing their greatness.

There will be more of this as the western world's affliction of self-loathing manifests itself in, what hitherto would have been unbelievable, increasingly self-inflicted self-delusions.

Posted by: Kaptaan at August 15, 2007 08:49 AM


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Tuesday, August 14, 2007

1 More Indictment of Canada's Healthcare

When are people going to learn that Government delivered healthcare is a no win situation. The health care costs are huge and the standard of care poor. What don't people understand when it comes to the dangers and lack of value in government healthcare?

It would be one thing if government healthcare provided the best possible care and treatment while costing taxpayers an 'arm and a leg', but it's quite another when the healthcare is substandard and it can cost patients, literally (see all the c.difficile or flesh eating disease cases), and taxpayers, figuratively, an 'arm and a leg'.

CTV reports,
According to the report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), the chances of patients receiving the wrong medication or wrong dose was about 1 in 10 in 2005.

The chances of an adult contracting an infection while in an acute care hospital are about the same: 1 in 10, while the chances of a child contracting an infection while in hospital are about 1 in 12.

Incidents in which a foreign object is left behind in a surgical cavity are less common, affecting about 1 in 3,000 patients in Canadian hospitals (outside of Quebec and parts of Manitoba). Yet that still adds up to more than 200 incidents per year between 2003-2004 and 2005-2006.

Previous studies show that obese patients are at higher risk of having a foreign object left behind after surgery, though the reasons aren't clear.

Other higher risk groups include: patients who undergo emergency operations, those who have an unexpected change in operation or those who have a change in nursing or surgical staff during a procedure.


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Ujjal Dosanjh Communist

I've been doing a bit of reading lately and came across the following from "The Canadian Association For Free Expression."

Now I don't know this organization at all, and am not sure what they have to say about anything else. I did find this interesting though about, Ujjal "Ujjie" Dosanjh, member of parliament Canada, which they wrote about back in the year 2000. [From reading this article the conclusion that I draw is that Ujjie is a communist, or at a minimum a communist sympathizer. Which would explain quite a bit about him, his politics, and his antics in the media.]

"Ujjal Dosanjh: Architect of Repression

In a recent issue of The Free Speech Monitor (November, 1999), we exposed a document from the B.C. Human Rights Commission entitled A Call to Action: Combatting Hate in British Columbia. Some of the major repressive measures in this anti-racist blueprint for repression, including seizure of computer hard drives, making possession of "hate" for distribution a criminal offence, and adding sexual orientation to the list of privileged groups, all originated with one man, B.C.'s new premier Ujjal Dosanjh, the former attorney-general. The document explains: "In June, 1998, the B.C. Attorney General wrote to the Minister of Justice recommending changes to the Criminal Code to promote the fight against hate. The Federal/Provincial/Territorial Working Group on Diversity, Equality and Justice supported these recommendations in principle. The recommendations were then forwarded to the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Ministers responsible for Justice in October, 1998 where they received support. " [See Free Speech Monitor, December, 1998.]

It's worth looking a little more closely into the past affiliations of the Punjabi-born Dosanjh who brings such a narrow view of freedom of speech to his high office. In an article headlined "From Communist to Premier" The Report Newsmagazine (March 13, 2000) reported: "In an interview last month with CBC radio reporter Chris Brown, [Dosanjh] admitted to having, in Mr. Brown's words, 'dabbled with communism' as a teenager in England. Mr. Dosanjh's extremism apparently continued after he immigrated to Canada in 1968. According to a Vancouver Sun profile [February 21, 2000], Mr. Dosanjh 'began turning up at demonstrations that attracted members of the Communist Party of Canada (Marxist-Leninist), a small but noisy group that allied itself first with the policies of Mao Tse-tung, then Albanian leader Enver Hoxha. As recently as 1984, Mr. Dosanjh's political opponents in the Sikh community considered him 'a committed Marxist', according to a letter sent at the time to media outlets. ... The new premier's early far-left bent is attributed to the influence of his maternal grandfather. One Sun story identified the man as a communist and another reported that he 'fought to liberate Sikh temples from British colonial rule -- and spent almost 10 years in British jails in retribution.' (Mr. Dosanjh said during the convention that his grandfather was sentenced to '20 years in jail.') A report in the Globe and Mail [February 19, 2000] described his grandfather as 'a Sikh preacher who tempered his teachings with Karl Marx and Mao Tse-tung.' B.C.'s new premier clearly considered his grandfather a hero. 'He made politics seem like the most noble of callings,' he told the convention, 'and I still believe that today.'"

While Dosanjh denies being a card carrying member of the CPC (M-L), his attachment to that group, then known as the Maoists, is very worrisome. These violent, hard-core communists, cheered on the Vietcong during the Vietnam war. The used heavy sticks to beat opponents at demonstrations. Their turgid paper People's Canada Daily News was almost impenetrable with its poorly translated Chinese speeches, full of communist rhetoric and phrases like "running dog of U.S. imperialism," "comprador," "Marxism-Leninism-Mao-Tse-tung-thought" and "splittist". Maoism was a violent, repressive system that caused the deaths by starvation and execution of millions of Chinese. Dissidents were executed or carted off for "re-education" in the countryside. This, then, was the system with which Dosanjh and his grandfather "dabbled". Perhaps, Dosanjh's fondness for repression is not at all surprising, given his never repudiated youthful affiliations."

What is particularly interesting is the last sentence. Ujjie has never repudiated his affiliations with Marxist-Leninist Communists. My question is how anyone with those kind of affiliations, a self-described lack of religious base, and a family history of communist party activism, can ever be described as a Sikh?

Doesn't it stand to reason that someone with those affiliations may have a bias against people who have a strong and firm religious foundation? Isn't the Communist Party of China an avowedly atheist organization? Doesn't the CP of India (CPI) look to the CP of China (CPC) for inspiration? Isn't it feasibly that the elimination of religion is a goal of these people? Wouldn't they find it in their interest to de-legitimize or otherwise cause people who have a strong and visible religious affiliation to be somehow discredited? Don't Sikhs stand out? Are Sikhs visible?

Is Ujjie ANTI-SIKH? That is the question, where does Ujjal stand on this point? I don't recall him ever speaking out against state sponsored torture or extra-judicial killings of Sikhs in Punjab and India, but I do recall him speaking out against Sikhs advocating for freedom from such abuse via their own homeland.



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Monday, August 13, 2007

The UK has Got IT Bad

What is it with the UK? Kathy Shaidle points to a news item about Muslim men targeting white girls for sex........

who are as young as 12!

Why can't people honestly address the situation and condemn the perpetrators directly? Aren't muslims themselves talking about these kinds of people? It's the reputation of all Muslims that gets impacted, whether they are Sunni [Barelvi, Deobandi, Salafi, Wahabbi], Shia [seven, twelver, Ismaili], or Quadiani. I'd be interested to know if the UK even keeps crime stats breaking it down by community to that degree?

Having spoken to people in the UK, it seems they all know good, decent Muslim people who are their friends, and I've met some Muslims as well who seem decent enough. But do those people with close friendships with Muslims ever bother to even ask them what 'kind' of Muslim they are, and their thoughts on those Muslims bent on subjugating the world?

I can well imagine some Muslims say it is a part of their religion to harass these girls, such as those Muslims who believe in Jihad, Kafirs as sub-human, and oppression of non-Muslims. Them engaging in what is ACTUAL anti-social, sub-human behaviour is not a surprise.

But what about the rest of the Muslims out there? Why doesn't anyone ever hear of them condemning the perverts in their midst? Are they afraid of them or just too ignorant or oblivious to care? Do they in fact sympathize with those people? Or is it that the newspapers don't put those protests into print?

Friday, August 10, 2007

Blazing Cat Fur: Gets A Hose Down.

Blazing Cat Fur: Love Is....Multiculturalism!: "do not import your domestic poltics here" gets hosed down here.

UPDATE:

BCF is not listing this post as a, "link to this post", not sure why she wouldn't want to let people read all the views and form their own opinions. I guess you have to agree with BCF to get that kind of recognition, not very blogger friendly if you ask me.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Not Too Often That An Ismaili (or is he?) Gets Charged With First Degree Murder in a Cop Killing

but then again cop killings are a rarity in and of themselves... at least I think Nadeem Jiwa is an Ismaili. Jiwa is a fairly common Ismaili Muslim name and the newspapers don't really get into that specific a description. Regardless, it's a heinous act and he should face a stiff sentence. I am sure his parents are ashamed of him and the disrepute they've brought to him and his community.

But my question is really this, if he is an Ismaili, why would he engage in stealing air-bags?

I thought the Ismailis had a pretty good system of integrating its young people into more productive concerns. Anyone know this fellow or his background? Please feel free to post a comment.

From Steve Janke, who seems to have done some research into this character and his shady past,
The brutal death of Constable Robert Plunkett while trying to arrest alleged car thieves has brought into focus the lucrative business of auto theft for parts. In this case, the alleged thieves were trying to steal airbags. Components such as these are sold for lucrative profits to unscrupulous auto shops to sell to unsuspecting customers.

Given, therefore, that the alleged thieves weren't working alone, but quite likely had a buyer lined up for the airbags, you can be certain police will be working hard to roll up the entire operation.

Update: Both suspects were known to the criminal justice system.
The death of Constable Robert Plunkett was as brutal as it was shocking:

Detective Constable Robert Plunkett, a 22-year veteran of the force who was known for his bravery and charity work, was part of a team of officers that had followed two suspected car thieves to a quiet suburban neighbourhood.

As Det. Const. Plunkett approached a suspect, the man put the car into reverse and hit the officer with an open door. Det. Const. Plunkett was then dragged backwards and suffered fatal injuries when he was pinned between the door and a maple tree.

The officer was dragged backwards over several shrubs and onto one of the neatly trimmed lawns on Ascot Crescent. When the open door of the car struck a maple tree, he was pinned against the trunk until the thief was able to break free.

The alleged thief was Nadeem Jiwa. His alleged accomplice was Baseer Mohammed Yousafzai, who was out on bail for undisclosed charges.

Nadeem Jiwa, 19, of Toronto, is charged with manslaughter and Baseer Mohammed Yousafzai, also of Toronto, is charged with violating bail conditions, possession of stolen property and tampering with stolen property.

Nadeem was allegedly in a gold Honda, removing the airbag, when Plunkett tried to make an arrest. Yousafzai was in a white Honda and was trying to flee the scene when he was arrested.

Nadeem Jiwa has been very active online in the buying and selling of radio-controlled car, cell phones, and real cars,. As serpentracer123, in 2003, identifying himself as a 15-year-old in Toronto, which would make him 19 today, trying to sell a radio-controlled car:

MICRO RS4 FOR SALE w/ pics posted. WILL TRADE FOR NITRO. L@@K CHEAP CHEAP.
THIS MICRO COMES WITH :

-speed 300 motor
-stock motor
-msonik ecos fet esc.

asking 180

Other posts on the thread warn potential customers away from Nadeem Jiwa:

FYI guys, many local people in Toronto (not spelled Tooronot ) have had problems with Nadeem Jiwa.

Deal with him carefully if at all.

I live in Ottawa but everyone from London to Ottawa and in-between has heard of this guy. He has basically been kicked off the TORC forum for ripping people off.

On yet another R/C forum, Nadeem Jiwa is tagged as someone to avoid:

This kid is a chump, but another kid to look out for is Nadeem Jiwa, he also lives in the Toronto Area, I believe its Mississauga. He has burned a few people up here, but I dont know if he comes to any american boards, just a heads up guys.

His wheeling and dealing included selling a scooter in order to buy a car:

Posted by: Blunt87

Hi everyone,
Selling this gas scooter purchased on april 9, 2003. This is a mosquito dx 26 cc scooter.

Bought new for over 800.00

Reason for selling: I am getting a car .. need money.

asking price: 500

email : serpentracer123@hotmail.com

Nadeem was in a rush, looking to get that $500 "soon".

That was in May of 2003.

By July, Nadeem Jiwa had a 1984 Camaro for sale or trade:

sup all ,
selling a 1984 chevy camaro, this car is mint condition uner the hood and interior here are the specs:

interior: interior is mint, except for 1 rip in the fabric.

exterior:the ext...

Now, instead of serpentracer123, he was using the email account teamfast0@lycos.com.

It ought to be noted that on this forum, Nadeem went by the handle Blunt87. "87" no doubt refered to the year of his birth (making him 19 today), but in his profile, he lists his date of birth as January 1, 1952. It might be a defaulting date (the "January 1" date suggests that).

After buying, selling, and trading cars and cell phones through 2003 and 2004, Nadeem Jiwa drops off. Does his horse-trading continue? Did his reputation improve?

The report from the police states that the second man arrested, Baseer Yousafzai, was driving a white Honda Civic. Presumably this was the getaway car to be used to drive Jiwa and Yousafzai away from the site where the gold Honda, the one from which the airbag was being removed, would have been abandoned had Plunkett not attempted to make an arrest.

The white Honda was in the possession of Jiwa and Yousafzai with the permission of the owner:

The white Honda Civic is registered to Vishal Bilimoria, of Ajax, who runs an auto body shop there. When contacted yesterday by the National Post, Mr. Bilimoria said Mr. Jiwa would occasionally borrow his car and that he had been in possession of it for the past week.

"He is a friend of mine and he wanted to borrow the car to go out one night and I told him, 'Go ahead.' He would borrow the car from time to time. I had no idea what he was doing."

Mr. Bilimoria said Mr. Jiwa had just finished high school. "From what I know of him, he's a really nice guy, a jolly guy ... I was shocked to hear about all of this.

"I don't even know why anybody would take air bags. They're not that expensive to come across."

Vishal Bilimoria lives in Ajax, and besides running an auto body shop, he is also the Sports & Recreation Coordinator for Mochi Gnati Mandal Ontario, an East Indian cultural association.

I'm surprised by Bilimoria's comments with regards to air bags. He operates an auto body shop, so he ought to know the price of airbags. Poking around the web, it seems that replacing an airbag can cost upwards to $3,000 on some car models. Per airbag. The price of the replacement has created a thriving market in grey market airbags:

Since January, 43 air bag thefts have been reported, with Hondas and Acuras the most popular targets, Chief La Barge said. Stolen air bags seem to be a lucrative industry -- each can be sold for between $1,500 and $2,000 to autobody shops or individuals, he said.

The auto shop mechanic then sells the bag as new to unsuspecting customers. In other variations of the scam, the bags are acquired for a lot less, then sold to the customer as "reconditioned" for less than the cost of a new airbag. The customer is enticed to make the purchase to save on the full price of a new air bag, while each of the people in the theft ring makes a decent profit.

At least the customer is getting an airbag. Less scrupulous operations will install an empty shell in the airbag compartment and charge for it. Since you don't know if an airbag is really in there until it deploys (or doesn't deploy), many people fall victim to the scam.

Given the tragic death of a police officer, there is no doubt that police in all the GTA forces, from Peel through York and into Durham region, will be following up all leads. If Nadeem Jiwa was indeed working as part of a theft ring feeding airbags to unscrupulous auto shops, you can be certain police will be working to pull down the entire operation, all along the chain.

Update: Whatever people though of Nadeem Jiwa as a source of R/C products, somewhere along the line Nadeem Jiwa's reputation went badly south with the criminal justice system:

Nadeem Jiwa, 19, who was under a recognizance order to live on Hawkeshead Crescent in the Warden and McNicoll avenues area, has been charged with manslaughter.

No mention is made of the circumstances that led to Jiwa's order.

So both suspects were under recognizance orders.



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Sikh FaceBook Site Draws Unflattering Attention

I saw this posted at Kathy Shaidle's blog
Ain't multiculturalism grand?

Well, Sikhs DO carry knives...

"if i get a chance.. i will have this white trash choke on his own blood some day..."

The stuff you find while browsing FaceBook, huh?
# posted by Kathy : 2007-08-09 10:47:48

and followed the link to Blazing Cat Fur who makes some ridiculous comment about "Mai" from Road to Khalistan blog...
Mai Mai Mai - you weren't wrong about that "foaming at the mouth" stuff at all;) Perhaps you should have left this at home when you emigrated.

I find it kind of funny how when "mainstream" Canadians are demonstrating or protesting or otherwise engaged in LEGAL political advocacy for some issue or the other, people like Blazing Cat Fur, don't tell them to have left "this" wherever they came from.

Why is it that when Sikhs (or Tamils, or [insert visible ethnic or religious minority here]) are demonstrating or protesting or otherwise engaged in civil action, they are expected to set aside their constitutionally guaranteed rights, and leave "this" at some "home" that apparently isn't in Canada? I don't know about you, but having been born in this country along with the majority of Sikhs that I know, Canada is my "home". In fact, Canada is my homeland, thank you very much.

I wrote this in response to Blazing's post in the comments section. Check it out.


Kaptaan said...

1. I am against this pseudo multi culti ism as well. People should come straight out and call it what it is - a project to eliminate the predominance of the Anglo-Saxon culture and values under the guise of the promotion of minority culture and relativism.

2. As for a few Sikhs who get overly aggressive when writing from behind the computer screen - that's hardly only the exclusive domain of Sikhs and its quite disingenuous to claim that it is. I'm sure you'll find a multitude of global warming advocates and enviro lefties doing the same in support of their pet causes.

3. The WSO launching a lawsuit, to defend itself against the allegations made in the CBC documentary, is as Canadian as Canadian gets, unless Sikhs and Sikh organizations are no longer allowed to exercise their legal rights in Canada (or are somehow engaging in a sinister activity if they do).

4. If a Jesus Christ figurine can be put into a liquid combo of blood and urine and labeled "piss Christ", you'd think that making a picture of Terry Milewski out as a Vampire or blood sucker, would be covered by the same extension of the term "Art", unless you hold Terry up as some unassailable messiah or prophet perhaps?

5. If non-Sikh Canadians have the right to free expression and can agitate against Communism, Nazism, the USA, etc... and Canadians are demonstrating against China for a free Tibet, then WHY shouldn't CANADIAN Sikhs and supporters of HUMAN RIGHTS be free to express a desire to see the creation of Khalistan or any other state?

6. SIKHS are CANADIAN and are here to stay - like it or lump it. It's time you figured this out instead of yammering on about how they should leave this that or the other at "home". Home is Canada (for CANADIAN Sikhs), not anywhere else. Canada IS our homeland, it's one country where we are free to worship as we choose, say what we think, and live free (except the confiscatory taxes and general erosion of individual rights of course) without the threat of state-sanctioned and delivered death, torture or harassment.
10:14 AM


Fur Cat came back with this comment
Blazing Cat Fur said...

You are a mass of contradictions Kaptaan.

1) On Multicult we agree

2) On aggressive Sikhs hiding behind computer screens - I do not see how I can be disingenuous when I made no such claim that this practice was exclusive to Sikhs.

3) On the WSO lawsuit - I agree it has become Canadian to sue because someone "Hurt your feelings". We are burdened by PC Nonsense & Multicult.

4) Piss Christ as Art? What nonsense. You are really stretching here. Piss Christ is simply part of the same attack on Western values and civilization that MultiCult and it's sister plague Moral Relativism represent. Terry is no prophet, the pictures merely evidence Sikh extremism.

5) WHY shouldn't CANADIAN Sikhs and supporters of HUMAN RIGHTS be free to express a desire to see the creation of Khalistan or any other state? I agree until you start blowing up airliners that is.

6) Home for Sikhs would appear to be the future Khalistan you advocate. Don't piss on my leg and tell me it's raining Kaptaan- Canada is merely an address of convenience.
10:36 AM


to which I replied,


Cat Fur,

To be human is to be a mass of contradictions.

1) At least we have some common ground.

2) My point is that Sikhs aren't the only ones who post things that they aren't likely to do in actual reality. It's common parlance to vent in aggressive language when perturbed and it only gets amplified when you read it on a computer screen and aren't there to actually hear/ see the person who wrote it. My take was that you implied that Sikhs are engaging in extremist vitriol vis-a-vis your commentary. You state that somehow the group is engaged in some "media savvy" dissembling by wanting the Terry pics removed and not having members make any "death threats". Is it so hard to believe that a majority of Sikhs don't support "death threats" and violent reactions?

3) The WSO suit is about protecting the WSO's reputation which they feel has been harmed by the CBC documentary. I'm sure if someone slandered or libeled the CBC, that they would defend their brand and reputation against such assaults. So it's not about "hurt feelings".

4) re-read my comment, if society is willing to allow "piss christ" as art, then why isn't the pic of Terry afforded the same license? I personally don't believe there is any redeeming value in "piss christ", but apparently the NYT covered it as "art".

5) Sikhs haven't "blown up airliners" as you suggest. Sikhs have condemned anyone who engages in this kind of activity many,many times and have been consistent in this. There is NO religious justification or Sikh school of thought that supports any other conclusion. Perhaps you should read the book "Soft Target" by a couple of Globe and Mail journalists for something other than the usual pablum.

6) HOME for CANADIAN Sikhs IS and ALWAYS will BE CANADA. Just as Irish-Canadians aspired to have an Irish homeland, so too can Sikhs aspire to have a Sikh homeland. Whether Irish-Canadians call Ireland home, is a different story, but I'm sure they are content just the same knowing that it's there. No one questions the loyalty of Irish-Canadians (despite hearing that they hold a parade or two in Canada celebrating their Irishness), and no one should question the loyalty of Sikh-Canadians either.
11:31 AM



UPDATE
I saw that American Princess got into the Sikh "bashing" (it may not be "bashing" per se, but it sounds more - what's the word - lively :-))...
While They Were Busy Outing a Giuliani

Apparently, the media overlooked a more interesting posting on Facebook--the group full of death threats against a Canadian reporter who questioned the ability of Sikh residents to assimilate into Canadian culture.

Ah the joys of Multiculturalism can't you just feel the Love? Seems members of this Facebook Sikh Community (note you will need a Facebook login), are incensed at the CBC & Terry Milewski for a piece he did on Sikh Extremism.

The examples are defended as "Art" as defined by forum creator Nav Dhanda. Sikh members of this community have asked that the pictures be removed because they don't want to be portrayed as well..."extremists".

Can you feel the love?

and was forced to post a response.
E.M.,

Blazing Cat Fur acknowledged the following in the post that you based your comments on.

1. with regards to the vampire pictures that were posted, BCF said, "I was careful to be fair and point out that Sikh members have themselves complained about the pictures"

2. regarding the "death threats" being toned down due to the site moderator/ admin being "media savvy" - she pointed out that was in relation to the site on Tarek Fatah, not the Sikh Site, in response to one of my comments to her (I believe BCF is a "her"). BCF wrote, "My "media savvy" comment is directed at the Tarek Fateh site, not the Sikh site," "I also agree that over the top invective is found across the spectrum and in fact I employ it myself."

So before you condemn Sikhs as having a Facebook group, "full of death threats against a Canadian reporter", get your FACTS straight.
Posted by: Kaptaan at August 9, 2007 02:10 PM


Update
Kate at SDA got in on the action as well, I guess her and Kathy and Cat Fur have a triple tag team going on... I wonder if its a chain or cage match, maybe it's both at the same time? haha...

Anyways, I digress, here's what Kate wrote,
Feel The Diversity

When the concept of "multiculturalism" was introduced to Canadians, most assumed it meant "more pavilions at Folkfest".

(Punjabi Stephane - call your office.)

and here's a comment that Cat Fur made and my response in the, you guessed it, comment section,
Andrew- careful with Kaptaan - he will not acknowledge that Sikhs were responsible for the Air India terrorisst attack and seems to wish to promote "alternate" theories i.e. Indian Security Service involvement.
Posted by: Blazingcatfur at August 9, 2007 8:47 PM ...

Ah yes, Blazing Cat Fur says, "careful with Kaptaan".

Think of a 70's tv series trailer and some guy saying the following, while dark figures roam the screen, "Watch out for the Kaptaan, he won't acknowledge Sikh involvement in the Air India crash :-)". "What else won't Kaptaan acknowledge next?" "Stay tuned, we'll soon find out!" da,da,da,da... as the screen fades to black and cuts to commercial.

Well, I'll give you this much BCF, I'm not ruling out the involvement of individual Sikhs. In fact, I asked you to look into the book, "Soft Target : The real story behind the Air India disaster", by Zuhair Kashmeri and Brian McAndrew, former Globe and Mail journalists, for something other than "the usual pablum" as it were.

In case you were wondering, its not so bad to have an "alternate" explanation for current events. Take global warming and climate change, for example, the media and the common man's consensus is that, "the humans did it!" or "Bush is behind it!", while an "alternate" explanation is that, "it's the sun (or a result of some other 'natural' phenomenon)"...

and BTW you didn't really answer the point I made about the double standard when it comes to ethnic/ religious minorities exercising their rights under the Charter versus "mainstream" Canadians and how folks such as yourself end up telling the ethnic/ religious minority to "leave 'this' back 'home' before you emigrate" to Canada.

Anyone who doesn't know what I'm writing about can reference Blazing Cat Fur's blog for more...
Posted by: Kaptaan at August 9, 2007 11:35 PM


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Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Times of India (and Indian media) should Butt Out of Sikh Affairs

I read an 'editorial' at the Times of India. Basically, the TOI is arguing that the DSGMC is wrong to tell Sikhs how to conduct themselves in relation to Sikh weddings.

Who exactly are the Times of India to be telling Sikhs anything, let alone criticize the DSGMC on an issue that has everything to do with the DSGMC's role as a leadership organization in the Sikh community?

The DSGMC wants to highlight that ostentatious weddings are a burden on ordinary, middle class Sikhs and that the Sikh community would do well to practice some discipline in conducting weddings. Not to mention the fact that the DSGMC wants to highlight that dowry giving and lavish weddings are, at the very least anecdotally, responsible for female infanticide and abortion.

You would think that a group taking the initiative in India to try and make a dent in this heinous practice, of murder essentially, would be praised for the effort, but I guess because it is a Sikh organization some people in India would rather criticize and inject themselves into what is an internal conversation. Neither the Indian media nor Indian government have any right to tell Sikhs how they should govern themselves, provided Sikhs stay within the laws of the country.

The person who wrote the editorial seems to think that the Indian government can usurp the private space for dialogue amongst and in relation to Sikhs.
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee has set out an elaborate code defining how members of the community should conduct their weddings. Austerity is at the heart of the committee's widely reported prescriptions.

The argument that weddings should be solemnised in gurdwaras during the day accompanied by, at most, a later reception where alcohol, non-vegetarian food and a plenitude of delicacies should be strictly abjured is arbitrary, authoritarian and intrusive as far as individual rights go. On the other hand, the argument that this will help curb the menace of dowry and female foeticide by helping eliminate competitive conspicuous consumption, especially among the less affluent members of the community, is specious...


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SGPC and Akal Takht Should Take Control of All Guru Ji's Birs

When I say take control, what I mean to say is not allow any 'beadbi' or sacrilege to take place. If SGPC and Akal Takht exercise their copyrights, terms of use, and publication rights, perhaps they can prevent individuals from installing the Guru Granth Sahib in places where alcohol is served and/ or other acts of disrespect (bhangra, dancing, etc....or offence to Sikhs take place.

Personally, I think that taking a legal route to removing the Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from places in England, Canada, etc... where Rehat Maryada isn't followed, on the grounds that the terms (of use) under which someone acquires the right to install the Guru Ji in a place of worship (or othewise) has been violated, would allow the community to peacefully close down places like 'Bear Creek' Hall in Surrey or that place in Vancouver, on Main Street by 49th or 50th St. in Punjabi Market that has Guru Ji as well as Murtis installed on the second floor (I believe it's in the building housing Pabla's Himalaya restaurant, if I'm not mistaken). Anyone in Vancouver who knows is welcome to add their comments to correct me if I'm wrong on that point.

SGPC should have anyone who wants to install the Guru Ji sign a contract which commits them to specifically honour the Rehat Maryada under penalty of fines, removal of Guru Ji, etc.. if they don't. In places that have the Guru Granth Sahib Ji in place already should be sent notices that SGPC and Akal Takht are enforcing their copyright and legal rights to the Guru Granth Sahib Ji in getting them to sign a contract outlining the terms under which Guru Maharaj must be kept.
The Punjab government will issue an ordinance banning the publication and publishing of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh scripture, by private publishers.

The decision was taken by the government following the reception of a letter from Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandik Committee (SGPC) president Avtar Singh Makkar by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Acknowledging the reception of the letter from the SGPC, Mr Badal told mediapersons here today that the government will issue an ordinance in this context. He directed his Principal Secretary D S Guru to issue the ordinance which would be valid till the next assembly session.

In the letter, Jathedar Makkar had pointed out that despite the ban, a number of private publishers still continued to publish and print the Sikh scripture. He had sought the state governments help to curb this trend.

The SGPC had a few years back banned private publishing houses or individuals from printing and publishing the Guru Granth Sahib.

The ban was imposed after it was found that a majority of the publishers had not been adhering to the 'religious rules' framed by the SGPC, which tantamounts to showing 'disrespect' to the scripture.

The 'rules' are normally those followed when a devotee goes to a gurdwara to pay obeisance. These include covering the head and washing ones hands and not wearing shoes or slippers while publishing the Guru Granth Sahib.

Consumption of alcohol, tobacco and smoking are also banned inside pulishing houses or in shops where the scripture is displayed for sale. Under the rules, pages or verses of the holy scripture which are 'rejected' due to printing errors have to be 'cremated' as per traditions laid down in Sikhism.


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Kuka Baba Ram Singh Started Non-Violence Movement In India's Freedom Struggle

Most people don't know outside the Sikh community that it was Baba Ram Singh Ji who started the non-violence movement and whose movement of non-violence that Mohandas K. Gandhi (aka Mahatma Gandhi) latched onto.

Whatever your views on Namdhari Sikhism, you still have to give credit to the Kukas for being at the forefront in the freedom struggle and their willingness to sacrifice their lives in a just cause.
The Punjab Government will set up memorials in the memory of all the Kuka martyrs of freedom movement at their native villages in the state.

This was announced by the Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the occasion of a function held in continuation of a year-long state level celebrations of 150th anniversary of the first call of Independence by Sat Guru Ram Singh Ji at Sri Bhaini Sahib in Ludhiana.

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Badal, after paying his gratitude to Sri Sat Guru Jagjit Singh Ji, paid tributes to Sant Gurmukh Singh, Sant Mangal Singh and Sant Mastan Singh, all the three martyrs of Saka Raikot on August 5, 1871. He also announced the setting of a community centre at Pitho village in Bathinda district, the native village, in the memory of these three brave Kukas, who had sacrificed their lives during Kuka movement. He also announced an immediate grant of Rs 10 lakh for setting up of this community centre.

While addressing a large gathering, Badal called on the Central government, the state government and the people to celebrate a National day at New Delhi in the memory of all the Punjabi martyrs, who had sacrificed their lives for the freedom of their motherland from the clutches of British rule. Badal said that Punjabis, even after being 2.5 per cent of the total population of the country, had contributed 80 per cent sacrifices during India’s freedom struggle.

While later interacting with the mediapersons, Badal said that the government was committed to augment 5000 MW power within next five years, in addition to 6200 MW power presently being generated in the state He said that within five years, Punjab would be in position to sell power to other states, after providing 24-hour electricity to every resident of the state.

Speaking on the occasion, K. Sudarshan, president, RSS, recalled the freedom struggle and the contribution of Sat Guru Ram Singh Ji. He said that being a great reformer of his time, Sat Guru Ram Singh Ji used non-cooperation movement and boycotted the British Administration, its machinery and its service, as a social and political weapons that put the British rule in a great trouble.

On this occasion, Badal released a book of Ajit Singh Namdhari titled “Jange Azadi De Marg Darshak Sri Sat Guru Ram Singh Ji Atte Namdhari Sidhant” published by Punjab Government and presented a copy of it to Sat Guru Jagjit Singh Ji. A calendar, a poetry book authored by Bib Ranjit Kaur and a book titled “History of Kukas” authored by Prof Tara Singh Anjan were also released on the occasion.

Others, who spoke on the occasion included Charanjit Singh Atwal, Deputy Speaker, Lok Sabha, Avinash Rai Khanna, MP, Kuldip Singh Wadala, H S Hanspal, Prof Tara Singh Anjan, Jaswant Singh, historian, Surinder Kaur Kharal and Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal, ex-MLA.


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Now If SGPC Could Get Kar Seva Done Along These Lines in Punjab...

Seems that after the Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat the ASI and Gujarat governments had a damaged Gurdwara Sahib repaired in a manner that took conservation best practices into account and have been rewarded for their efforts with a UNESCO heritage award.
UNESCO has conferred its "Asia-Pacific Heritage Award" to a Sikh shrine in Gujarat's border district of Kutch.

The government of Gujarat undertook the conservation and reconstruction of the 200-year-old gurdwara at Lakhpat in Kutch district after it was damaged during the 2001 earthquake.

"Impressed by the efforts, UNESCO has conferred the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award to the Lakhpat gurdwara and thereby appreciated the state government," an official release said.

The cultural activities department had taken up reconstruction of the gurdwara through people's participation. The project received a grant from the Archaeological Survey of India and had the cooperation of the United Nations Volunteer Programme.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, had stayed for a night at Lakhpat, about 450 km from here. The gurdwara was built in his memory.

Conferring the award, UNESCO stated, "The restoration of this Sikh house of worship demonstrates a sophisticated holistic understanding of both the technical and social aspects of conservation.

"Careful attention to detail and sensitive repair work have ensured the retention of the building's historic character. The emphasis on involving and empowering the community ensures the long-term survival of the historic building and its associated cultural traditions."


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Wednesday, August 01, 2007

Medical Science Brought Man Back from Near-Vegetative State

This is amazing news for people who may have family members in this situation. Reuters has the story.
A man with severe brain injuries who spent six years in a near-vegetative state can now chew his food, watch a movie and talk with family thanks to a brain pacemaker that may change the way such patients are treated, U.S. researchers said on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old man is the first person in a minimally conscious state to be treated with deep-brain stimulation, a treatment that uses a pacemaker and two electrodes to send impulses into a part of the brain regulating consciousness.

His awakening may change the way doctors think about people with severe brain injuries, who are largely unresponsive but still have some level of consciousness. These patients typically spend the rest of their lives in nursing homes, with little efforts at rehabilitation and slim chance of recovery.

"This is a group of patients that are really, in many ways, forgotten about," said Dr. Ali Rezai, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Neurological Restoration.

"We have to do more research, obviously, but I think down the line it will change the way we are treating or even looking at people with severe brain injury."

Rezai and a team of specialists from the JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute-Center for Head Injuries in Edison, New Jersey, and the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York detailed the patient's progress in the journal Nature.

They used a device made by Medtronic Inc.. Like a heart pacemaker, the device is implanted in the chest under the skin, but electrodes deliver stimulation to precisely targeted areas deep in the brain.

Researchers think the electrical stimulation may be enhancing the brain circuits that are still capable of functioning.

LOVED TO DRAW

Before his injury, the man -- whose identity was not disclosed -- loved to draw, collected comic books and fancied movies about superheroes.

He was attacked and robbed in 1999.

"His skull was completely crushed and he was left for dead," his mother told reporters in a telephone briefing.

He spent the next five years in a nursing home with no hope of recovery. He would occasionally mouth the word yes or no, but could not communicate reliably or eat on his own.

His parents agreed to try the experimental treatment in August 2005, and doctors saw immediate results.

He was alert and could move his head to follow voices.

He can now drink from a cup, recall and speak 16 words, and watch a movie.

Rezai said he is engaged with his family, playing cards with his mother and taking short trips outside the facility.

Because of years of immobility, he may never walk.

"He still has got a long way to go, but given where he was, he is dramatically improved," Rezai said.

The man is the first of 12 patients who will undergo the treatment as part of a pilot study approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Experts believe about 100,000 to 300,000 patients with traumatic brain injury may be in a minimally conscious state. Most do not receive active therapy, but Rezai and colleagues think this may need to change.

"Judging from the results, we are very encouraged about the potential of this technology to improve the function of these brain-injured patients," he said.



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How Much Longer Before Open Warfare or Civil War Erupts in Pakistan?

You really have to wonder how effective the radicalization and Islamization of Pakistani muslims has been since Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (who ushered in Pakistan's 1973 constitution) and Zial-ul-Haq (military dictator who deposed Bhutto from power in Pakistan) injected that policy into the Pakistani political lexicon. If the Islamization has been a full success we'll see the Talibanization of Pakistan very shortly (within the next 1-3 years). If it has been less successful (ie: not enough Fundos to take over as yet) we'll see Pakistan continue to teeter on the edge until more "even-keeled" muslims grow a pair and force the Islamists to the margin or the Islamists finally decide to take it full force to the less excitable muslims in a winner takes all "Battle Royale".
Annabelle Quince: In 1973 a new constitution was ushered in by Bhutto. The first Article declared that Pakistan was to be an Islamic Republic, and Islam was to be the designated State religion.

Ahmed Rashid: Well you see by then, the Islamic parties had become very powerful. They'd forged very close links with the military. During the war in Bangladesh, they had supported the military in the war against the Bengali population in what was then East Pakistan. They had encouraged the Islamisation of the military, of the soldiers, of the ideology etc., so they were getting much better response within the army for their own points of view than they were getting in civil society, where of course there was a lot of resistance to the mullahs, and to Islamisation. And of course the humiliation suffered by Pakistan in the 1971 war with India, did tend to move it towards more of an acceptance that we have to define ourselves very clearly vis-à-vis India, and the way to define ourselves was not to be more Pakistani, but to be more Islamic.

Annabelle Quince: Hussain Haqqani argues that Bhutto actually strengthened the nexus between the Islamic extremists and the Pakistani State.

Hussain Haqqani: He strengthened it by making Islam a very integral and important part of Pakistan's foreign policy, thereby providing justification for the Islamic political parties to present themselves as an integral part of Pakistan's national vision, instead of saying, 'You know what? These guys, they're outlaws, they're not really people who are in the mainstream of Pakistani political thought etc.,' he just gave in to a lot of their demands and expectations and made those part of his own policies. He took over the policies of some elements and hoped to ride the tiger.

Annabelle Quince: It was a tiger that Bhutto couldn't tame. In 1977 there was a military coup and he was removed from power. Two years later he was charged with authorising the murder of a political opponent, convicted and sentenced to death.

Newsreader: In Pakistan, on 4th April 1979, a brief news announcement on the radio, ended months of uncertainty about the fate of the former Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

Reporter: Sulfikar Ali Bhutto was hanged to death at 2 o'clock this morning in Rawalpindi District Jail.

Annabelle Quince: the man behind the coup was General Zia, who finally cemented the position of religious extremists in Pakistan.

Hussain Haqqani: Well General Zia-ul-Huq was personally more religious and therefore he found it easier to accept the notion of an Islamic State. In practice, he empowered the mullahs, gave them positions in courts etc., changed the laws. A lot of the substance was not necessarily changed, but the national discourse completely changed.

Annabelle Quince: Then in December, 1979, the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.


The Fourth Rail as usual outlines another nail in the coffin of Pakistan as we know it, with a report regarding Al-Qaeda's call for its takeover via defenestration of Pervez "I am honor bound to Simon & Schuster not to comment" Musharraf.
Al Qaeda leader calls for the overthrow of Pakistan's Musharraf

Statement by Abu Yahya al Libi contradicts Newsweek report on divisions in al Qaeda over Pakistan policy

Al Qaeda has weighed in on the Pakistani government's military assault on the Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, in Islamabad last month. As Sahab productions, the media outlet for al Qaeda's central leadership, released a 21 minute tape by Abu Yahya al Libi, a senior al Qaeda leader who has served as a spokesman and released numerous propaganda videos. In the video, titled “Of the Masters of Martyrs,” al Libi praised the followers of the Lal Masjid and Jamia Hafsa as "martyrs." He forcefully called on Pakistanis to take up arms against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who he called the "dirty tyrant" and a pawn of the West.

The tape was released in both Arabic and Urdu, a clear indication the message is targeted at both Pakistanis and Arab al Qaeda. Al Libi began the video by insulting the men of Pakistan for their timidity against the Pakistani government and their failure to fight. "It is the time for men to wear the burkas of the women and stay at home in the darkness after they abandoned attacking the sites where nobody can attack but the heroes and leave the way to the women," al Libi said. "Maybe they could do something the men refuse to do."

He then praised the students and leadership of the Lal Masjid for "engraving a page of history, a story of fighting which seldom will be repeated." The Islamabad mosque "graduated students and scholars who promoted virtue and prevented vice," in the past, but after the showdown against Pakistani security forces "graduated a new generation ... decorated on the same level of the masters of martyrs."

Al Libi singled out Abdul Rashid Ghazi, who he referred to as "the Imam, the brave scholar, and martyr" who "spoke the truth in the time of submissiveness." Ghazi was killed by Pakistani forces during the assault on the Red Mosque.

After listing the virtues of the "martyrs" of the Red Mosque, al Libi openly called for the overthrow of the secular Musharraf regime and for attacks on "his fragile army."

O people of jihad in Pakistan, lions of sacrifice! O those asking for martyrdom, husbands of the [72] virgins. Man may die only once, so take charge at the gardens of martyrdom. It has opened its doors in your country. Rise as one, and see if Allah will be pleased. Go to battle together in order to be rid of this infidel tyrant and remove his heretic secular rule. May you pound away at his fragile army, at his swarms of intelligence miscreants and the fortresses of his unbelieving control. Take example from your neighbors, the brave people of Afghanistan. Their determination, power, will and strong belief have turned their land into a graveyard for the haughty and overbearing empires. These, in turn, are leaving in defeat and disappointment, with their tails between their legs and their collaborators [local ones, traitors] with them. This is how you must act.

Know this: The tax paid for lowliness – which the Pakistani people will pay after surrendering and succumbing to this infidel government – is many times greater than the tax paid for glory. The latter will be paid kindly and fondly in order to fortify our religion, set the law, process doctrine, gain freedom from serving the servants and find joy in serving the Lord of Servants.

Last month, Newsweek reported on a purported split between the Libyan faction of al Qaeda central command, which is led by al Libi, and Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda's second in command. According to Newsweek, the Libyan faction opposed Zawahiri's "personal crusade to assassinate or overthrow the Pakistani leader." The purported anti-Zawahiri faction fears "Zawahiri is inviting the Pakistani leader's wrath, prematurely opening up another battlefront before the jihadists have properly consolidated their position" inside Pakistan's tribal areas."

Al Libi's latest tape calls into question this analysis, as he is openly calling for the overthrow of Musharraf. While there are certainly internal divisions within al Qaeda leadership over their policy on Pakistan and other theaters, the divisions are not as deep as the Newsweek article makes them appear. Al Libi is on message with al Qaeda's senior leadership, as the tape was released through As Sahab, al Qaeda senior command's official propaganda arm.

At the time the Newsweek article was released, a senior American military intelligence officer told The Fourth Rail the divisions between Zawahiri and al Libi were exaggerated. The intelligence official also explaned there were even elements inside the U.S. and foreign intelligence communities that believed al Libi is part of "the moderate wing of al Qaeda." Al Libi's latest tape also dispels this notion.

Nick Grace, the co-host and producer of Global Crisis Watch, explaned in an email that the release of al Libi's tape through As Sahab indicated that al Qaeda's leadership approved the message, He also noted al Libi's statements undermines any reporting of a moderate Libyian wing in al Qaeda.

It is important to place as-Sahab within the context of the al Qaeda organization. It was until the Damadola strike under the leadership of Abdul al-Maghribi, Ayman al-Zawahiri's son-in-law and is answerable directly to AQ's Shura Majelis ruling council. To date, Abu Yahya al-Libi has appeared in 8 videos produced and distributed by as-Sahab this year, accounting for 10% of as-Sahab's total video output. Last year he appeared in just 4 videos. Ayman al-Zawahiri, in contrast, has appeared in 3 (compared with 15 in 2006). Al-Libi's increasing visibility on as-Sahab and his calls for Musharraf's overthrow in today's video should put this talk of a "moderate Libyan wing" to rest.


Abu Yahya al Libi escaped from Bagram prison in Afghanistan in the summer of 2005, along with senior al Qaeda operatives Abu Nasir al-Qahtani and Omar Farouq. British special forces killed Omar Farouq in Basra, Iraq. Farouq was reassigned to Iraq after his escape to facilitate the flow of money, weapons and fighters for al-Qaeda, some of it funneled from Iran. Qahtani was captured in Afghanistan in November 2006. Al Libi is operating “in the tribal areas of northern Pakistan,” an American military intelligence official told The Fourth Rail last fall.



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Peer Syed Sahib and Ajmeri Baba - Scammers Based in England

Steve Janke writes about the scam being run by some muslims, targeting Sikh and Hindu people, who call themselves Peer Syed Sahib and Ajmeri Baba. Whatever you do, let the newspaper and television managers know that you won't support their newspaper or television station if they continue to allow scammers to advertise there.
I've written a piece about the strange advertising of mystic Peer Syed Sahib I spotted in a Toronto-area Indian-language newspaper. The ad, or what little I could understand, seemed to promise miraculous results after a mere phone call, and a wad of cash.

Plenty of people have complained about Peer Syed Sahib's tactics -- constant phone calls asking for more money (large sums) and for family information. Moreover, I'm not sure that this sort of advertising is allowed in Canada.

But in poking around, I've noticed that at least two of the largest mystics seem to share a lot in common. Too much in common, I think. And suddenly the darker rumours that surround what these people do seem more credible.....

The Syeds relocated from Scarborouh to Cheshire, England. The Syed operation has an address at Court Hill House, while Ajmeri Baba lists a post office box in Cheshire.

Still, lots of coincidences here. Same home town, immigrated at the same time, working out of the same city in England...

But the clincher was finding these "corporate" blogs. Created by "Ahmed", there are three blogs for Peer Syed Sahib and three for Ajmeri Baba:

* Peer Syed Sahib
* Peer Syed Sahib Miracles
* Peer Syed Sahib Greatness
* Ajmeri Baba
* Ajmeri Baba Miracles
* Ajmeri Baba Greatness

In each of the three Peer Syed Sahib blogs, the exact same stories are published. A different set of stories is published in each of the three Ajmeri Baba blogs. "Ahmed" himself doesn't provide any content to the blogs. The entries consist entirely of testimonials, repeated in triplicate.

Certainly looks like blogs being used as a means of corporate communication. Certainly "Ahmed" had to be provided the testimonial information. And even more telling is that all six blogs were created on Monday, July 9 -- only one week ago. Three days later, all six blogs were populated with same repeated stories, for a total of ten posts each.

Is it a stretch to think that the same corporate entity is running both operations? Right down to the blog advertising being launched on the same day by the same blogger working from the same desk to exactly the same schedule.

I bring this up because in my reading about Peer Syed Sahib, I noticed that where Peer Syed Sahib advertises, Ajmeri Baba advertises as well:

Peer syed sab, ajmeri baba ads are every where in literally all Indian publications of Canada, USA and the UK.

Z tv is no one channel that is broadcasting non stop these guys ads and innocent people 99.9% are Indian origin are being milked in large numbers.

From a consumer protection point of view, showing two ads for two different suppliers of the same service without mentioning that they are in fact the same commercial operation is certainly misleading.

But there is a darker undercurrent that keeps coming up when I read about these guys, and that seem all the more credible now that I strongly suspect that they are all the same single unified operation, and that is possible links to terrorists:

Beware of people. If you live in Australia, UK, Canada or USA or other places where Indian channels are available thru satellite televison, there are two three thugs with international terrorist ties who are fooling Indian people.

Two of them peer syed sahib and ajmeri baba are extremely dangerous •••••••• who are milking money from innocent housewives. They advertise heavily spending millions of dollars on Z tv, Sony tv and Tv asia etc. They never do surprisingly on Pak Tv or prime tv as it is known.

They claim to resolve all problems and ask for 250$ then 400$ then thousands more of dollars without doing anything. There is no way to get hold of them. They ask people specially women who r vulnerable to send them cash. Me and about dozen people did thorough investigation and we have found that they have links to muslim terrorist organizations and with this money coming from Hindu and Sikh families, who are innocently drawn to it, they are financing muslim terrorists in many countries.

This money ends up in hands of terrorists. Please do inform every single family you know not to ever call these crooks and call your television channel not to carry these ads. These people are extremely dangerous.

And this one:

people do not for gods sake call the swindlers peer syed sahib and ajmeri baba. It is a mafia related to terrorist groups and all your money goes to islamic fundalmentalists who are actually hurting the whole world.


it would make sense for the ISI, Pakistan's Secret Service and known to be a source of funding for Islamic fundamentalist terrorists in India and in Afghanistan, to run scams aimed at the Indian Sikh and Hindu expat communities in affluent Western countries, instead of focusing solely on tapping into the more carefully monitored Islamic expat communities. Present different faces to lull the targets into thinking that he or she is doing some comparison shopping for the right mystic to call, then no matter which mystic gets the call, the same people begin to aggressively milk the victim of large amounts of money, sending it all back to Pakistan and to bank accounts run by the ISI.

Funding terrorism through a mystic scam in England running ads in Canada and elsewhere? Don't laugh. Al-qaeda funding came primarily through fake Islamic charities running in Western countries before those charities were shutdown after 9/11. Hezbollah and Hamas still use bogus charities to raise funds under false pretenses.

Plus the complaints that Peer Syed Sahib's people constantly demand information about the families of the clients while demanding more money seems scarier too. Over-the-top telemarketing, or intelligence gathering?

Like I said, just a wild theory based on several anonymous message board posts, but for the fact that it certainly looks like one person or one group is behind at least two of the most aggressive mystics in this industry.

And if this theory is credible, and Peer Syed Sahib and Ajmeri Baba are different fronts for the same money-making scheme for terrorists, what does that say about the advertisement I found blowing around my yard that got me started on this in the first place? A Canadian conduit of funds that is ultimately helping the Taliban fight Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan?

Suddenly a silly ad seems a lot more sinister.

Update: One message I've found states that Ajmeri Baba married into Peer Syed Sahib's family. It is a family operation, though not revealed to be such:

Hi Yes these guys are frauds. They live in UK and I have there real names, addresses and home phone numbers. Pundits real name is Naseem and he is 41 years old. Peer Syed's real name is Naeem and he is 34 years old. Ajmeri Baba is someone that married into their family and moved to UK approx 13 years ago - his name is Imtiaz.They now have nephews, eg Imran that has the name Peer Kazim and he is only 24 years old but speaks with a deep voice.


Opinion seems split on whether the Sahib-Baba operation is purely for their own self-enrichment, or whether a large portion of the money is funnelled to the ISI.


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Koreans Should Be Vigilant and Strong In The Face of Evil

The ongoing hostage taking by the Taliban of Korean missionaries in Afghanistan is a call to arms for Korea. The Koreans need to understand that if they give in to these fascists today, then that will only embolden them to do more tomorrow. Once you give in to these murderers, you set yourself up to be a victim again and again.

It's good to see that at least the operation to free the hostages and kill the perpetrators of this heinous act has started. I pray that the hostages are rescued unharmed and that their countrymen and families remain vigilant and strong. As a Sikh, I would say that they should stay in Chardi Kala.
A military operation to rescue the remaining 21 Korean hostages held by Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan began on Wednesday, hours after a Taliban deadline expired, a provincial official said.

"The operation has started," said Khowja Seddiqi, the district chief of Ghazni's Qarabagh district, where the Taliban kidnapped 23 Korean Christian volunteers nearly two weeks ago.

He did not give more details or say which forces were involved.

Any attempt to rescue the hostages is fraught with risk, as the kidnappers have split the 18 women and three men into small groups and are holding them in different locations across the mainly flat terrain.

The Taliban could not be immediately be contacted, but spokesmen for the radical Islamist movement have repeatedly said any use of force would jeopardize the lives of the hostages.

Earlier the army had dropped leaflets warning civilians of an assault.

"The national army has dropped leaflets from helicopters telling people in several districts to evacuate their houses because it wants to launch an operation," said Khowja Seddiqi, district chief of Qarabagh, in Ghazni province.

The Taliban have killed two male hostages after the Afghan government refused to bow to rebel demands to free jailed insurgents.

The defense ministry said earlier that the Afghan National Army had launched an operation in Ghazni, but insisted it was "routine" and was not linked with the kidnapping.

Earlier in the day, a Taliban spokesman said the group was expecting to hear from Afghan mediators over its demand for the government to release rebel prisoners, but insisted some of the hostages would be killed if that demand was not met by 3:30 a.m. EST.

The Afghan government has said that giving in to rebel demands would only encourage more kidnapping.


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These People Definately Deserve Jail Time

From The Hindu,
Six awarded RI for cheating 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims

New Delhi, Aug. 1 (PTI): Six persons were awarded rigorous imprisonment (RI) for varying terms by a city court for misappropriation of funds meant for the 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims.

Special Judge Vinod Goel, yesterday sentenced Surinder Singh Zaidi, a Junior Management Officer in the State Bank of India to five years' RI and a fine of Rs 55,000, after holding him guilty for cheating, forgery, using forged document and under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The court also sentenced Zaidi's four close associates, Ravinder Sharma and his three sons - Ashwani Sharma, Praveen Sharma and Prithvi Raj Sharma - to five years' RI and imposed a fine of Rs 22,000, Rs 9,000, Rs 10,000 and Rs 8,000 on them respectively.

The court also sentenced Hemchand Sharma, an accountant, to three-and-half-years' RI and slapped a fine of Rs 10,000.

"The fact of this case lead me to remember the sad days of 1984 when our the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was killed by her bodyguards and thereafter riots took place across the country and thousands of innocent people were killed," the judge said in his 95-page judgement.

"In Delhi, the government had awarded a compensation of Rs 20,000 to the relatives of the victims. But, instead of showing sympathy to the widows of the riot victims of 1984, the convicts have added insult to their injuries and fuel to the fire," the judge said.


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