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SURRY, Britain – Following the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him), Muslims and mosques in the southern British country of Surry are reviving the centuries-old sport of horseback archery at weekly sessions, which attract many young Muslims.

"Archery is one of those sports that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) specifically recommended that we do, likewise horse riding, and it also helps you to overcome certain fears as well," Coach Jehad Shamis, of organization Archery for All, told the BBC.

"British Asians and Muslims in general are not that good with animals either and it's something that we really need to overcome."

Participating in horseback archery competitions all over the world, coach Shamis now gives weekly archery lessons in a hall at the Woking's Shah Jahan Mosque.

He also oversees the students' riding lessons at local stables.

Currently, the students are learning the two skills separately before combining them next summer.

Recommended by the Holy Last Messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him), the sport has witnessed a revival in Britain with the establishment of the British Horseback Archery Association in 2007.

During the lessons, Shamis reads out a sayings of the Holy Last Messenger (peace and blessings upon him), better known as Hadith, in which archery or horse riding is mentioned.

Students are learning the standard finger release method of archery, but also the more eastern or "Mongolian" thumb draw.

“Initially, when people learn archery we teach them with the finger release,” Shamis said.

“It's very similar to what you'll see in the Olympics. But then, with those that are wishing to do traditional archery, we do the thumb draw.

“Although there is disagreement over this, it lends itself to horseback archery because it's a little bit more efficient and easier to release.”

Mosque Role

Shah Jahan Mosque was praised for its role in encouraging young Muslims to play a sport, while observing the daily prayers at the mosque.

“More than anything else I think in our community we never had these facilities before,” Sajida Rehman, a qualified instructor, told the BBC.

“People can come and pray in the mosque but also there are other activities on offer." she said.

Ambar Rachad, 16, is one of the students who learn both skills and is pointed out as "the best" by her mostly female fellow students.

Understanding the significance of archery in Islam, Rachad managed to overcome first difficulties in the games.

“When we first started our lessons, we went back into the history of archery," says Ambar.

“Basically, it's a 'Sunnah' (a practice of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings upon him) which is recommended.

“We've done competitions which are really fun, but every lesson is a competition because we try and beat each other.”

Britain is home to a sizable Muslim minority of nearly 2.5 million.

The British government is harboring a criminal, Altaf Hussain, leader of the Pakistan Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), who has been convicted of multiple murders related to organized extortion schemes against honest citizens and who has now further incriminated himself by hurling violent threats of murder and intrigue at the members of political parties who have verbally opposed his reign of criminal terror on the citizens of Karachi, Pakistan and elsewhere.  During his most recent, nearly deranged tirade, he went so far as to foment the suggestion of separating Karachi from the rest of Pakistan.

It is unthinkable that a person of such character would be granted full British citizenship, when he has been implicated as the chief suspect in over 100 murder cases, yet apparently, Britain selectively protects individuals who perpetrate terrorism and  advocate separatist action in Muslim countries. At a time when the innocent are being persecuted for alleged crimes without evidence, witnesses, trial or conviction, this culprit , deemed ‘the Godfather of Karachi’ by British MP George Galloway, has sought and received asylum and basically unconditional acceptance in exile in England.  

American Muslims urge the government of England to put Altaf Hussain on trial for inciting insurgency amounting to separating Karachi from Pakistan.

Although the MQM party emerged victorious in recent elections, Hussain responded to protests against alleged rigging of votes by MQM in a fuming, enraged speech in which he bragged on his ability to ‘cause havoc in the city (Karachi)’, threatened to ‘break the arms’ of his party’s opponents, and speaking of the young protesters, he ‘ would have them cut down with swords.’

In a speech to the British House of Commons, MP Galloway queried : “Why is Altaf Hussain being allowed to mastermind terrorist operations in Pakistan from London, in full view of the authorities and why was he awarded British citizenship?  Mr. Galloway has yet to receive a reply.

Altaf Hussain’s connection with ‘mob culture’ precedes him, for when attempts to spread the tentacles of corruption, targeted killings, and criminal dealings to Lahore and the Punjab regions, the people in those areas have responded by rejection of the MQM – to the extent that in Lahore their offices were attacked and burned to the ground multiple times.

American Muslims deem it necessary for the British government to prosecute Altaf Hussain and to refuse to provide him a safe haven.  He has murdered thousands, extorted money from merchants and murdered the genius physicist Hakeem Muhammad Saeed, former governor of Sindh and others.

We advise the government of England that the political winds have changed.  Currently, the youth have become reactant to such strategies adopted by the West which have led to the destruction of Islamic unity.  These acts have led to the deployment of United Nations ‘peacekeepers’ that are, in actuality, occupational forces in Muslim lands. We are shocked by the horrendous death and destruction that is taking place in Myanmar, Burma; however, in response to that crisis, the United Nations has been want to assume an authoritative, mature, and responsible role in dispatching aid and encouraging peace there, and in other nations where minority groups are being systematically targeted and exterminated.

Isabella having left, Umar Lahmi and Muaz  went to their houses and began to study the Holy Qur’an and the Bible and noted down important points to be discussed. Next morning on Sunday, the news of this discussion was known all over the city. The Christians had made arrangements that only a few Muslims should be allowed to enter the church. So many Muslims had to return disappointed. Umar Lahmi, and Muaz, and some Muslim divines came to the church and entered on getting permission. They found eminent priests of Cordova present there busy in their worship. After some time, however, the discussion began. Isabella and all her companions were present.

Michael (Isabella's teacher): We have learnt that you have some doubts about Christianity and have come here to resolve them and that you have promised that on getting convincing replies you will forsake Islam and adopt Christianity.

Umar Lahmi: We have not the least doubt about Christian beliefs and teachings but are fully convinced their doubts are baseless. But if you satisfy us and convincingly explain your belief, we are all certainly ready to become Christians.

Then Michael reckoned to an elderly man to take up the question. He came forward and sat near Umar Lahmi . His name was Peter and he was known as an expert in Arabic learning and Islamic literature and had to his credit many books against Islam. He was supposed to be the most efficient debater against Muslims. He addressed Umar.

Peter ( in a superior, rather commanding, tone): I am told that your great objection is why St. Paul has called religious law a curse. But this is a minor and side issue. You are Muslims and believe in the Quran and, therefore, the decision about Lord Jesus Christ and Christianity should be according to the Qur’an.

Umar Lahmi: I had clearly defined the subject of discussion in my letter as you yourself admit, but now you want to discuss other matters. When I have written that the discussion should be on the religion law and curse, what objection do you have?

Peter: We will answer your question also, but first let us deal with the basic issue and that too from your Qur’an. Does not your Quran say about our Lord Jesus is to be Ruhullah (the Spirit of God) Kalimatullah (the word of God )? Has it not been mentioned in it that he used to bring the dead to life? Then if you believe in the Qur’an,  how can you doubt Lord Jesus being the son of God?

Umar Lahmi : You have started a quite different discussion which is not even remotely concerned with our object. What I want is to understand the significance of religious law and the curse. If you are prepared to discuss it, then do it, otherwise let us take leave.

Peter: I put up the Qur’an before you and want  that the basic issue should be decided first. If you want to avoid the basic question and enter into side issues, it means that you have no answer to it.

Umar Lahmi: Well, you want to discuss the basic issue apart from your religion and taking the cover of the Qur’an. If you want to discuss the basic issue, let us first decide whether Adam did commit a sin or and if it is decided that he did, then we should discuss whether it passed from one generation to generation to the entire humanity, that is one account of Adam’s sin all human beings became naturally sinners. If this had happened, we will discuss how the blot of sin can be removed. Then we may discuss the chastity of Prophet Jesus (according to the Bible). Thereafter you shall have to prove that Jesus was God and he only can absolve humanity of sin. When all this is proved, you shall have to prove that Jesus was crucified and for all the sin he remained in hell for three days. This is to be discussed and not what the Qur’an says about him.

Peter: All this is irrelevant. What I want is to prove from the Qur’an that Jesus was the” Spirit of God” and the” word of God” and he brought the dead to life. Therefore Christian religion is just.

Umar Lahmi (pointing to Isabella): Now I appoint her the judge and ask her why we were called here. (To Isabella:) Sister, you have to say now what I wrote in my letter and why you brought us here.

Isabella: In fact the real talk was as to whether religious law is a curse or not. If it is a curse, why do the Christians by following it become accursed? But the objection of our holy father (Peter) is also justified and my judgment is that first your objection should be met and then the holy father may put questions on the Qur’an.

Umar Lahmi: This is for me to leave the ground open for you. Now, I give you the promise that when you have dealt with our objection we will immediately allow you to put general questions. But when, as I promised, I embrace Christianity, what need then there will be of any further questions?

Peter: Well, sir, then you state your question clearly.

Umar Lahmi : You go on replying each of my questions one by one and the matter will be clear. First, let me know whether not to steal, not to kill, not to oppress the neighbor , etc. are religious commandments and whether they are concerned with religious law.

Peter: Surely, all of these are related to the religious law.

Umar Lahmi: And what is Saint Paul's decree about religious law?

Peter: What decree? I do not follow.

Umar Lahmi: You do understand it well, but you want to evade the answer. Just say if Saint Paul has called religious law a curse.

Peter: Saint Paul has called religious law a curse in this respect that the core of religious law came in the form of Jesus Christ and it is a folly to leave the core and run after the skin.

Umar Lahmi: This is what I also mean that Saint Paul, taking Jesus as the soul and religious law as the body, has called religious law a curse, and then, as you said, the commandments of Old Testament are related to religious law, therefore to refrain from killing and fornication is also a curse.

Peter: The thing is that you cannot understand these mysteries without the help of the “Holy Ghost” and it is not necessary that a matter which you cannot understand is in fact wrong. Saint  Paul has called physical religious law a curse and not all kinds of religious law.

Umar Lahmi: Agreed. Granted that Saint Paul has called physical religious law a curse. Now just tell me if not to steal, not to fornicate, not to oppress parents, etc.,  are physical religious law or simply internal, spiritual and moral.

Peter: You are hitting on the same topic. Just listen. What Jesus Christ has said is more preferable to what Saint. Paul said and our Lord had asked us to follow the commandments of the Old Testament.

Umar Lahmi: That is, to obtain salvation it is necessary to follow the Old Testament. If this is so, why did you raise the problem of Atonement by crucifying the “Son of God”? Why this boggle of Atonement when it is necessary to follow the Old Testament? Is it necessary to follow the commandment of the Old Testament even after the atonement of Christ?

Peter: We know nothing except that our Lord has directed us to follow the Old Testament. But salvation cannot be gained by merely following the Old Testament without Atonement.

Umar Lahmi : So Prophet Moses (Musa), David (Dawud), Soloman (Sulaiman), and Joseph ( Yusef),  and Noah ( Nooh) and other prophets must have been deprived of salvation, for their means of  salvation was just following of the religious law. So also must their communities have been deprived.

Peter: Before the advent of Christ the only means of salvation was following the religious law, but the Lord's Atonement changed it and now the only means is Atonement.

Umar Lahmi: First you rejected what Saint Paul had said that religious law was not a curse and then you rejected the religious law as the basis of salvation. Can you quote anything to prove that Saint. Paul saying that religious law is a curse is not true?

A person: Gentlemen, in fact it is apostasy and disbelief to talk on these matters. All these relate to unseen mystery. Saint Paul has certainly called religious law a curse and it is really so, but you people are able unable to understand the mysteries. Our means of salvation is the Divinity of Christ and and Atonement, because Jesus was free from sins and the embodiment of God, who by his grace and benevolence suffered on the cross in lieu of us and gave us salvation.

Another person: Do not indulge in mutual quarrels. You have begun  to refute Saint Paul.

Umar Lahmi: This is the result of the untrue and baseless talk . Now, this other gentlemen has broached the subject of Divinity and Atonement. First let the discussion of religious law and curse be concluded.

Peter: You have been given a conclusive reply. Now you may take eight days to ponder on the matter. If your doubts  are not resolved during this time, you may come here again.

Umar Lahmi: You do not regard religious law a curse and your colleague says it is a curse and Saint Paul was correct. Which of you to is on the right?

Peter: Those who say this are not acquainted with the mysteries of the Christian religion. You should not attend to what they say.

Umar Lahmi: (to Isabella): Now, you say which of them is on the right and whether Saint Paul was wrong in calling religious law a curse.

Isabella: I came here to listen to your discussion and cannot intervene in any matter. But I will request my teacher Michael to resolve this question by his great learning and intelligence, since, apart from our honored guests, I myself have not yet understood it.

These words of Isabella felt like a bolt from the blue on the entire assembly and everyone begin to look askance at one another. Just then Michael got up.

Michael: Brethren, we have assembled here to search faith and it is certainly very auspicious. But for it, it is necessary that there should be a sincere heart and an urge to accept the truth. The question of faith is such that no one can succeed by his own effort without divine help. We should, therefore, earnestly pray to God that He should manifest the truth to us through the help of the “Holy Ghost” and reveal to us the mysteries of the Christian faith. (Loud cries of Amen from all the Christians.) Gentlemen, whether religious law is a curse or not is an irrelevant question. The real thing is that our Muhammadan brethren have no knowledge of Christian creed and principles and so they are indulging in polemics. The essence of our religion can be stated in just two words, i.e. the Divinity of Christ and Atonement. One who has understood these two has understood all the secrets of the Christian faith. How gracious is God that He sent His only son for our salvation to suffer all the troubles of this world and then at last he was killed on the cross as an atonement for our sins. So I will request my friend Umar Lahmi and his associates to give up the useless discussion of religious law and curse and think of the holy personality of our Lord Jesus and his matchless atonement and embrace Christian faith.

Umar Lahmi: We have not come here for mere talk. We follow a principle and want to discuss a basic problem. We have already defined the subject of our talk in my note, as witness is our sister Isabella here. Now, if you want us to give up the real subject matter and discuss the Divinity of Christ and Atonement, I am ready for that also, providing you give me in writing that we give up the subject of religious law and should talk of the Divinity of Christ and Atonement.

Peter: We do not mean to say that you should not discuss these problems, but that we may leave aside marginal issues and discuss basic problems.

Umar Lahmi:Then why did you call us here? Churches and Mosques are not necessary for discussion. If you do not want to discuss, then say so clearly that our time is not wasted.

Michael: You have misunderstood holy Peter’s talk. He did not mean that we should close the dialogue altogether. He only wanted to stress that you should put questions by thinking over the basic problem. But it is already noon and you may have to take lunch. Say when it will be convenient for you to come once again.

Umar Lahmi: This time is very convenient. No one can say whether we shall have this auspicious occasion again.

Michael: But you have also to offer your prayer.

Umar Lahmi: We can offer our prayer and in this very church.

Peter: I think we better take up the discussion again next Sunday.

Umar Lahmi: I think the discussion should not be put off for so long. Possibly we may be guided by Allah.

Michael: All right, we restart the discussion tomorrow at this time and continue till midday.

Isabella: if the discussion to be put off for tomorrow, then it should not end at noon but continue to the evening so that we may come to some conclusion

Michael: Not at all, have we no other business?

Isabella: I think, no other business can be more important than this.

It was, however, decided that the discussion should begin in the morning and continued till noon.

This concluded the first meeting. Umar Lahmi, thanking all Christians, leaves for his home while the priest and Isabella remained sitting in the church.

One priest: It is regrettable that you gave the opportunity to these “unbelievers” to raise objections and that the Christian faith be ridiculed. The only way to treat these heathens is to put the Qur’an before them. Holy Peter did this in the very beginning but, unfortunately, they cleverly wriggled out and took up the discussion of religious law. If the same is done tomorrow also, we will be badly let down, because what they inquire about the Divine secrets that which no one except saints can understand.

Michael :In fact, the discussion went into wrong channels in the very beginning, otherwise they would have been let down by their own Qur’an. Does not the Qur’an say that our Lord Jesus is the “ life giver” and brings the dead to life? Does not the Qur’an call him the “Spirit of God” and the “Word of God”?

Peter: But, now, the subject of discussion for tomorrow has been defined. It will be on the Divinity of Christ and Atonement. See how cleverly I wanted them to divert from it, but Michael put them again on it.

Michael: Do not blame me. It is all your handiwork.

Another priest: What is the use of indulging in mutual quarrels. It will be seen tomorrow, when Divinity of the Lord will come under discussion that our Christian religion is not a soft morsel which anyone can swallow at a gulp.

After this conversation all the Christians left the church and dispersed. Isabella also left with her companions and made for her home. On her way she spoke to her companions.

Isabella: Just see, behind the back of Muslims they boast that Muslims cannot stand before them, but when they were faced with Muslims they were thoroughly exposed. I am sorry that my father had to leave immediately after leading the prayer as he had full confidence in the ability and learning of Michael and Peter, otherwise he would have silenced these Muslims.

One companion: In fact, the problem is a bit too tough. What even your father could have done?

Another campanion:  In fact, our beliefs and dogmas are poor. Otherwise our priests would have not been so beaten.

Isabella: God forbid! Just a single discussion has upset you. Our beliefs are certainly well-founded, but there should be someone to explain them. Now, tomorrow the Divinity of Christ will be discussed and  you will see how badly they will fare.

They had now reached a crossroad where all the girls turned towards their respective homes.

NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen warned Monday that further cuts in defense spending by European nations risk reducing the continent’s defense and security to “hot air,” turning the alliance into what he called a “global spectator” rather than a real force on the world stage.

“The only way to avoid this is by holding the line on defense spending and to start reinvesting in security as soon as our economies recover,” he told a meeting in Brussels of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Rasmussen said European nations should not become absorbed by their own domestic issues, including sluggish economies that have contributed to defense cuts, and instead develop a “truly global perspective” to respond to crises further away from home. “Having the right capabilities is important, but it is not enough,” he said. “We must also have the political will to use them, to deal with security challenges on Europe’s doorstep, to help manage crises further away that might affect us here at home, and to better share the security burden with our North American allies.”

Meanwhile, he said, European nations need to make better use of what they have – “to do more together as Europeans – within the European Union and within NATO – to deliver the critical defense capabilities that are too expensive for any individual country to deliver alone.”

It was the latest in a series of warnings over the past several years by Rasmussen that further cuts by European governments in defense spending could put NATO’s viability at risk. In 2011, Rasmussen said the trend suggested the continent was headed toward getting out of the security business entirely, pointing out that European nations had cut their defense budgets by $45 billion – the equivalent of Germany’s entire annual defense budget – while U.S contributions to NATO had increased from about half of total alliance spending to close to 75 percent.

Those comments were followed by a blunt warning from then-U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, who said NATO risked “irrelevance” and a “dismal future” if alliance members were not seen as “serious and capable partners in their own defense.”

Today, Rasmussen said soft power alone really is no power at all.“Without hard capabilities to back up its diplomacy, Europe will lack credibility and influence,” he added. “It will risk being a global spectator, rather than the powerful global actor that it can be and should be.”

(IP) A group of Belgian lawmakers have proposed a bill that would deem Islamophobia a crime punishable by fines and/or imprisonment.  Six senators of the Belgian Parliament drafted the resolution that would  categorize a person who “ considers Islam to be violent, threatening or supportive of terrorism”or “considers Islam to be a political ideology used for political and military purposes to establish its hegemony” as an islamophobe, and liable for prosecution under this law, if passed.  Opponents of the bill say it would be a ‘devastating blow to free speech’ in Belgium.

The French-speaking region of southern Belgium known as Wallonia has officially assigned the four major Christian holidays (Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and All Saints Day – known as Halloween in the US) secular names in a move that critics claim is catering to the atheistic views of the Socialists and the influence of the Muslim elements of its population.  Removal of religious paraphernalia and reference to religious holidays and practices by government and within government buildings and proceedings has rapidly proliferated globally, with pointed reforms taking place in the United States. Prayers are no longer said at the start of the school day in most public schools and events in efforts to avoid offending those who profess no religious persuasion.

The French Community of Belgium has jurisdiction over five provinces, including the Francophone population of Brussels, the Belgian capital and has adopted ‘a framework decree that formally establishes the new secularized names on the public school calendar in the interests of “administrative simplification”, according to a report by Soeren Kern on the RightSidenews.com website.  The Belgian French-language newspaper La Libre stated: “…school calendars  within Belgium's French speaking community will permanently use the following terminology: the Christian holiday previously known as All Saints Day (Congés de Toussaint) will now be referred to as Autumn Leave (Congé d'automne); Christmas Vacation (Vacances de Noël) is now Winter Vacation (Vacances d'hiver); Lenten Vacation (Congés de Carnaval) is now Rest and Relaxation Leave (Congé de détente); and Easter (Vacances de Pâques) is now Spring Vacation (Vacances de Printemps).”

Right-wing groups who are opposed to the proliferating multiculturalism in Belgium are criticizing the permanent holiday name changes, some accusing the government of attempting to ‘de-Christianize’ the traditional Christian holidays, the most vocal of which is the Reformist Movement (Mouvement Réformateur, MR), an alliance of four center-right parties that together comprise the largest classical liberal political formation in French-speaking Belgium.  The MR fears that reforming the holiday names will facilitate the eventual introduction of Muslim holidays into the school and public calendars and cultural expression; the holiday name-change decree already provides Muslims with a waiver by which Islamic holidays will be recognized legally.

The mayor of Brussels, Freddy Thielemans,  is a Socialist and more than half of the eleven council members are either Socialists or Muslims – or both.  The Council has moved to refrain from the display of any religious holiday décor in the city, and replaced some with modern art works to give the metropolis a more ‘avant – garde character’; although, according to the Brussels Nieuws, one Council member from the Christian Democratic and Flemish Party, Bianca Debaets,  argued that  it was the ‘religious sensitivities of the Muslims’ that prompted the display of the cubical ‘light’ sculpture in place of a religious-toned  display - a Christmas tree.

The efforts of making Belgium more ‘Islam-friendly’, however,  leaves many Muslims still feeling alienated from the greater Belgian society.  The article by Soeren Kern states: “According to a new survey of Muslim youth in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern half of Belgium, only 30% of Muslim males between the ages of 15 and 25 feel as though they are accepted by Flemish society. This figure drops to 25% for Muslim females in the same age group.”

“The survey, which was published by the daily newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen on April 19, shows that 60% of Muslim youth believe that they will never be integrated into Belgian society. One in three of those surveyed say that he or she has been discriminated against at school, and one in five say they have been discriminated against at work. More than 50% say they have been victims of racism. Although 93% of those surveyed have Belgian citizenship, 42% of them say they consider themselves to be foreigners.”

“The results are virtually unchanged from a similar survey conducted in 2005, and imply that years of government efforts to make Belgium more multicultural have done nothing to change the minds of Muslim youth.  According to the Flemish Minister for Integration, Geert Bourgeois, Muslim youth should work harder and complain less. "That so many young people feel discriminated against and do not feel accepted means that our society still has a lot of work to do. It's actually an 'us-them' story. We as a society can and should still make an extra effort, but conversely, Muslim youth should do more as well. Perhaps an inverted research shows that we just think that young Muslims do not belong because they do not want to belong," Bourgeois said.

According to the authors of the resolution, a person would be guilty of Islamophobia if he or she:

• Considers Islam to be a single monolithic bloc, closed and static, incapable of adapting to new situations;

• Considers Islam to be separate and "different," devoid of having any aims or shared values ​​with other cultures, not influenced by other cultures and not influencing other cultures;

• Considers Islam to be inferior to the West, to be barbaric, irrational, primitive and sexist;

• Considers Islam to be violent, threatening and supportive of terrorism, actively engaged in a 'clash of civilizations';

• Considers Islam to be a political ideology, used for political and military purposes to establish its hegemony;

• Rejects out of hand criticisms made by Islam of 'the West';

• Shows hostility towards Islam to justify discrimination and social exclusion of Muslims;

• Accepts hostility toward Muslims as natural and normal.

Mr. Kern states further:  “This definition of Islamophobia, which is based on a 1997 report published by the London-based Runnymede Trust, would effectively outlaw any critical discussion of Islam in Belgium [and label it as] ‘combating racism’.

The draft resolution has outraged free speech activists, who are demanding more public scrutiny of what they say is a "draconian" measure  that is contrary to liberal democratic values. But the sponsors of the text remain unapologetic.In an interview with the daily newspaper Le Soir, Senator Richard Miller from Wallonia accuses critics of the resolution of trying to make the draft text say things it does not say.”

Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group.

(IP) --Mental illness is on the rise. Despite the efforts of Sigmund Freud and the versions of his materialist psychology practiced for the past 100 years, mental diseases show no sign of abating. On the contrary, more illnesses are classified each decade that had not existed in the same form previously.

In September, Reuters reported 38 percent of Europeans are plagued by mental and neurological illnesses--almost 165 million people. Reuters quoted  a recent study that examines known cases of depression, anxiety, insomnia or dementia, addiction and schizophrenia, among other ailments. "Mental disorders have become Europe's largest health challenge of the 21st century," the study's authors said.

The results, published by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ENCP), show an "exceedingly high burden" of mental health disorders and brain illnesses, according to Hans Ulrich Wittchen, director of the institute of clinical psychology and psychotherapy at Germany's Dresden University and the lead investigator on the European study, at a London news briefing.

Wittchen concluded that in Europe, that grim future had arrived early, with mental illnesses already the single largest contributor to the EU's burden of poor health.

Author Jim Kouri, writing for the Examiner, reported similar startling facts for the United States. “At least half of the American population have at least one form of mental illness during their lifetimes, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The CDC report was published on September 2 in the agency's Mental Illness Surveillance Among Adults in the United States... Mental illness is an important public health problem in the United States.”

Upwards of 8.4 million contemplated suicide in the past year, and 2.2 million actually made plans to kill themselves, whole one million Americans attempted suicide in just one year, the CDC report claims.

The eradication of the diseases themselves are elusive in secular societies that repudiate religious guidance. It is easily observed that poor lifestyle choices eventually affect adults and children in the form of depression and anxiety, at the very least. This truth is denied by the psychiatric industry because it stems from the religious community as the rates of mental disease continue to escalate. The necessary steps toward lowering incidents of psychosis are ignored.

These steps were encapsulated in El Gilani Methodology by Dr Mubarik Ali Shah Gilani some thirty years ago: adopting the moral lifestyle most prominently found in the Biblical Ten Commandments; and being prescribed a program rich with God’s remembrance thereby increasing one’s inner Divine Light, and erasing darkness accumulated in one’s soul. Patients are thoroughly cured by El Gilani Methodology, in a non-profit environment free of charge. EGM challenges the psychiatric industry that insists mental disorders are incurable.

Diagnosing Kids at Earlier Ages Good for Business

Recent developments show children could bear the brunt of the frantic effort to stop skyrocketing instances of mental illness. European lead investigator Wittchen told Reuters: "Only early targeted treatment in the young will effectively prevent the risk of increasingly largely proportions of severely ill ...patients in the future."

David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacology expert at Imperial College London who was not involved in the recent study, agreed. "If you can get in early you may be able to change the trajectory of the illness so that it isn't inevitable that people go into disability," Nutt told Reuters. "If we really want not to be left with this huge reservoir of mental and brain illness for the next few centuries, then we ought to be investing more now."

However, a real concern surrounds haste in the widespread diagnosing of children. Emily Allen of the UK Daily Mail pointed out that doing so could lead to a shy or moody child running the risk of being diagnosed with mental illnesses and given powerful drugs like Prozac.

“Psychologists in the UK fear school-age children could be diagnosed with mental illnesses like 'social anxiety disorder' if they are quieter among their peers, or ‘depression’ if a child is temporarily sad or is battling bereavement,” Allen writes.

“Once diagnosed, psychologists say children are likely to be treated with powerful drugs like Prozac or Ritalin to curb their behaviour - without fully understanding the long-term impacts.

“Ritalin is already used to help control attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in youngsters under six and about 650,000 children aged between eight and 13 have also been prescribed the drug or an equivalent.” The pharmacological effects of Ritalin in children is similar to that of cocaine for adults.

As of press time, the American Academy of Pediatrics expanded its guidelines for diagnosing and treating kids with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, recommending that doctors evaluate all children that show signs of the condition.

Unfortunately for those with mental ailments, psychiatrists still offer no cure; although, the sale of drugs no doubt increases their business.

Austria has had a checkered history when it comes to relations with Muslims, but its 100-year-old Law on Islam is seen as a symbol of tolerance.
Islam has been an officially recognised religion in Austria for 100 years. The law gives Muslims the same rights as other officially recognized religions in Austria, such as Catholicism, Lutheranism, Judaism and Buddhism. The century of the Islamic Law was commemorate with a program attended by senior members of the Austrian government and the Muslim community. Also in attendance were key ministers, European officials and Austrian President, Heinz Fisher.  The event started with recitation from the Holy Quran and ended with a stunning performance by the renowned Islamic artist Maher Zain.  People of all professions and walks of life attended.
The Law on Islam, described as unique in Europe by members of the Austrian Islamic Community, guarantees Muslims in the country wide-ranging rights including religious education in state schools, administration of internal affairs and public worship.
In a speech at Vienna's neo-Gothic town hall, where the ceremonies were held, the head of Austria's Islamic Community, Fuat Sanac, described the law as an example for the rest of Europe. Islam in Austria, he said, was seen by most people as enrichment, not as a danger.
President Heinz Fischer called for peaceful and respectful relations. He stressed that Austria's official religions, because of their legal status, were obliged to "respect and accept the laws of the state".
A Vienna City councilor, Omar Al-Rawi, says the law does much to integrate Muslims into Austria, giving them a sense of being accepted.
"Austria is a model in Europe in dealing with Islam, but the Austrian Muslims are also a European model," he said.
"The Muslims know that with rights there are also obligations and duties. And if you have a lot of rights and benefits, you also have something to lose," he said.
"Austrian Muslims go all over the world saying we are Austrians, we belong to this country that gave us respect and recognition and gave us a lot of benefits that even some Muslim countries don't enjoy. And that is why they are very proud saying that they are Austrians."
Turmoil of war
The Law on Islam was brought into force in 1912, under the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph, as a result of Austria's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
It began as an attempt to integrate Muslim Bosnian soldiers into the Habsburg Army, and referred at first just to adherents of the "Hanafi rite of Islam". It was later expanded to include all Muslims who are now represented by the Austrian Islamic Community.
After the empire collapsed at the end of World War I, Austria's Muslim population was reduced to a few hundred people.
But it started growing after World War II with the arrival of Turkish and Yugoslav workers in the 1960s and Bosnian refugees in the 1990s.
Now about half a million Muslims live in Austria, about 6% of the population. In Vienna, Islam is the second-largest religious grouping, after Roman Catholicism.
About 60,000 children take part in Muslim religious education classes in Austrian state schools, according to the Islamic Community. The classes are held in German.

Austria has had a checkered history when it comes to relations with Muslims, but its 100-year-old Law on Islam is seen as a symbol of tolerance.
Islam has been an officially recognised religion in Austria for 100 years. The law gives Muslims the same rights as other officially recognized religions in Austria, such as Catholicism, Lutheranism, Judaism and Buddhism. The century of the Islamic Law was commemorate with a program attended by senior members of the Austrian government and the Muslim community. Also in attendance were key ministers, European officials and Austrian President, Heinz Fisher.  The event started with recitation from the Holy Quran and ended with a stunning performance by the renowned Islamic artist Maher Zain.  People of all professions and walks of life attended.
The Law on Islam, described as unique in Europe by members of the Austrian Islamic Community, guarantees Muslims in the country wide-ranging rights including religious education in state schools, administration of internal affairs and public worship.
In a speech at Vienna's neo-Gothic town hall, where the ceremonies were held, the head of Austria's Islamic Community, Fuat Sanac, described the law as an example for the rest of Europe. Islam in Austria, he said, was seen by most people as enrichment, not as a danger.
President Heinz Fischer called for peaceful and respectful relations. He stressed that Austria's official religions, because of their legal status, were obliged to "respect and accept the laws of the state".
A Vienna City councilor, Omar Al-Rawi, says the law does much to integrate Muslims into Austria, giving them a sense of being accepted.
"Austria is a model in Europe in dealing with Islam, but the Austrian Muslims are also a European model," he said.
"The Muslims know that with rights there are also obligations and duties. And if you have a lot of rights and benefits, you also have something to lose," he said.
"Austrian Muslims go all over the world saying we are Austrians, we belong to this country that gave us respect and recognition and gave us a lot of benefits that even some Muslim countries don't enjoy. And that is why they are very proud saying that they are Austrians."
Turmoil of war
The Law on Islam was brought into force in 1912, under the Habsburg Emperor Franz Joseph, as a result of Austria's annexation of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
It began as an attempt to integrate Muslim Bosnian soldiers into the Habsburg Army, and referred at first just to adherents of the "Hanafi rite of Islam". It was later expanded to include all Muslims who are now represented by the Austrian Islamic Community.
After the empire collapsed at the end of World War I, Austria's Muslim population was reduced to a few hundred people.
But it started growing after World War II with the arrival of Turkish and Yugoslav workers in the 1960s and Bosnian refugees in the 1990s.
Now about half a million Muslims live in Austria, about 6% of the population. In Vienna, Islam is the second-largest religious grouping, after Roman Catholicism.
About 60,000 children take part in Muslim religious education classes in Austrian state schools, according to the Islamic Community. The classes are held in German.

After boycotting and effectively halting proceedings for four months,, Dr Radovan Karadzic presented a two day opening statement before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in the Hague justifying his actions during the Balkan War.