From: imnet2@max.u.washington.edu
Newsgroups: soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna,soc.culture.african
Subject: ISLAMIC WORLD NEWS (2nd)
Date: 4 Oct 92 04:26:53 GMT

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!     IN THIS ISSUE:                                                  !
!                   * NEWS UPDATE                                     !
!                   * THE AFRICAN CRISIS                              !
!                   * ANNOUNCEMENTS                                   !
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BOSNIA-HERCEGOVINA
  Everyday fresh evidence surfaces about more Serbian atrocities.
On September 30, Serbian gangs attacked Grbavica, a Muslim suburb
of Sarajevo, driving out 500 Muslims at gunpoint.
They were terrorised and threatened with summary executions. The
young men were not allowed to leave. Mothers were hardly able to
rescue their daughters from the Serbian fascists.
The US State department has at long last admitted that in May
and June, at least 3,000 Muslims were killed by the Serbs in
such places as Brcko and other towns.
The Bosnian Medical Crisis Centre issued statistics on October 1
showing that almost 10,000 children are dead or missing since the
Serbs attacked Bosnia in April.
The number of people whose death has been confirmed stands at
14,364. Another 57,000 are missing and are presumed dead.
In many areas, the Serbs have indulged in their macabre ritual
of slitting children's throats in front of their parents
or slaughtering parents while forcing the children
to watch.
As the winter sets in, the condition of Muslims in Bosnia is likely
to get worse. At least 146,000 to 300,000 people are in danger of
starving or freezing to death.
Since September 3, when an Italian plane was shot down taking
relief supplies to Sarajevo, all relief flights have been
suspended.
The Bosnian organization, Merhamet, has estimated that between
250,000 to 300,000 tons of flour and 100,000 litres of vegetable
oil are urgently needed to feed the people for the winter.
If these supplies are not delivered by October 15, there is a
danger that the weather will get so bad that nothing much could
be delivered after that.
The desperate food situation aside, the UN and the west are still
refusing to lift the UN embargo on weapons to Bosnia so that they
could defend themselves against the heavily-armed Serbs.
The Serbs have no problem because they are supplied from the
stocks of the Serbian-dominated army of former Yugoslavia.
The west's hypocrisy has never been more exposed.
The Muslim world too has been slow to find a way around this. Why,
for instance, are the Muslim governments not telling the UN
clearly that its embargo against Bosnia is immoral, illegal and
discriminatory and that the Muslims will go to the defence of
the defenceless people of Bosnia-Hercegovin?
What will the UN do if the Muslim States decide to defy its
racist resolution?
Would a similar resolution have been imposed on Israel, for instance,
if it were involved in a life-and-death struggle?

TAJIKISTAN
Russian troops have occupied Dushanbe airport in Tajikistan following
fighting there among supporters and opponents of the deposed
president Rakhman Nabiyev.
Fighting has been going on in the Kulyab and Turgan Tyube regions,
believed to be strongholds of Nabiyev supporters, for nearly a
week now.
There have also been reports that Gulbuddin Hikmatyar, leader of
the Hizb-e Islami Afghanistan, has been sending arms and
volunteers to support the uprising against the communist old-guard
in Tajikistan.
Hikmatyar is also involved in the struggle in Kabul and is at
loggerheads with the present interim government headed by professor
Burhanuddin Rabbani.
Direct Russian involvement in Tajikistan indicates the dirty role
troops from the so-called Commonwealth of Independent States
are playing. Their role clearly seems to be to prop up the old
communist guard and suppress the legitimate aspirations of the
Muslims there.

OCCUPIED PALESTINE
The zionist occupiers of Palestine have proposed a meeting between
president Hafez al-Asad of Syria and prime minister Yitzhak Rabin
of Israel.
The offer, made on September 30, came with the explanation that unless
the two rulers met face to face, the psychological barriers will not
be broken to strike a deal.
The Syrians have so far insisted that there must be a comprehensive
settlement of all the Middle East issues before Syria will agree to
such a deal.
The Palestinians, led by Yasir Arafat, fear that should the Asad-Rabin
meeting materialize it will leave them out in the cold, a repetition
of the Sadat-Begin scenario in 1977.
The next round of the so-called Middle East peace talks, held under US
auspices, are scheduled to resume on October 21. The earlier, month-long
talks ended on September 24 without making any substantial progress.

EVENT SCAN ###############################################################
*******COURTESY OF CRESCENT INTERNATIONAL, The newsmagazine of the global  
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             DROUGHT AND FAMINE STALK MUCH OF AFRICA
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Special Report (CI)

    While the world's attention is gripped by the famine in Somalia,
the situation in much of the rest of Africa is little better.
In fact, sub-Saharan Africa may suffer the same fate that has befallen
Somalia should international help not be forthcoming soon.
The dithering that characterised relief efforts in Somalia causing
hundreds of thousands of deaths may be repeated on a much greater
scale in sub-Saharan Africa.
Of the estimated 110 million inhabitants, at least 30 to 40 million
are near starvation. Among the countries most affected are Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, Malawi, Botswana, Zambia, Angola, Zaire, Tanzania,
Kenya, Ethiopia and Liberia. Drought seems to be the cause of much
of the problem compounded by civil wars raging between rival guerrilla
factions, tribes or even members of the same clan,for power.
Liberia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Mozambique and Angola fall under this
category. Others, like Malawi and Zaire, are ruled by corrupt dictators
who are busy plundering the wealth of their country while the
people starve.
Zimbabwe, a net exporter of grain, has been forced to introduce rationing 
and resort to importing large quantities of food to avert a famine. The 
government recently revised its estimate of maize imports from 1.8 million 
tonnes to 2.5 million tonnes. Even so, at least five million people - 50 
percent of its population - are affected. Their monthly ration has been
reduced to 8 kilograms per person from 15.
The State-run Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) last month
ordered a 30 percent cut in electricity consumption by industry. Household 
electricity use has been even more severely curtailed with prolonged 
black-outs.
In Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second largest city, local officials warn 
that water will 'run out' by the end of this month unless rains fall before
then. Bulawayo's rains do not start until mid-November.
The city's industrial production, accounting for a quarter of Zimbabwe's
total output, has been affected.
In addition to Somalia, civil war has affected Sudan, Liberia, Ethiopia,
Angola and Mozambique. Tin-pot dictators, like sergeant Samuel Doe
of Liberia, and Siyad Barre of Somalia, may have been driven out of
office but greater chaos and turbulence has followed.
Heavily-armed rival gangs terrorize people both in Liberia and Somalia.
Angola and Mozamabique have only recently agreed to end their civil wars;
the former also went through the ritual of elections on September 29
and 30 but to expect that peace will automatically follow would be
unduly optimistic.
Africa is not a poor continent despite the racist label of the 'dark 
continent' given by the Europeans. It is enormously rich. Its riches,
however, are being plundered by western multinationals in league
with corrupt dictators, who are maintained in power through mercenary
soldiers.
This is true of Hastings Banda of Malawi as it is of Mobuto Sese Seko
of Zaire. A corporal in the Belgian colonial administration, Mobuto has
siphoned-off billions of dollars in the nearly 30 years that he has
been in power.
While denying that he has plundered the country's wealth, Mobuto was
greatly upset at a recent newsmagazine article putting his personal
fortune at only $50 million!
The African continent has the ability to feed itself seven times over but 
but such calamities as drought, compounded by gross mismanagement of the
economy and plunder of its resources, has brought it to the brink of
disaster. Africa has 90 percent of the wold's cobalt deposits, 50 percent
if its gold, 40 percent of its potential hydroelectric power and 40 percent
of its plutonium. There are also large deposits of uranium.
These resources and imperial ambition attracted European colonialists in
the last century but thy have not really left despite claims to independence  
by the local elites. The independece of countries in Africa, as indeed in
much of the rest of the 'third world', is a myth. The entire post-colonial
system is hostage to the west's economic and political interests.
Drought is not a new phenomenon in Africa. In fact, since time immemorial,
the continent has had cyclic droughts. What is new is the resultant famine.
The first-ever famine in Africa occurred in Cameroon in 1927. It is important 
to understand why. Prior to the arrival of the Europian clonialists, 
Africa's agriculture-based economy produced crops for local
consumption. 
Under the system introduced by Muslims, grain was collected and stored in 
in the years of good harvest for distribution when there was drought. This 
ensured that nobody starved.
With the arrival of the colonialists, production patterns were changed to 
suit the needs of the Europeans. Cash crops like tobacco, coffee 
and exotic fruits and vegetables were grown for export to Europe. Fairly 
soon, the first famine occurred and since then, it has been a recurring 
nightmare of Africa.
It may be asked: what is preventing the rulers of these 'independent' African
States to change this pattern now that the colonial powers are no longer in 
control? The answer lies in the manner in which Africa was carved-up
by the competing colonial powers without any regard to tribes, 
history or geography. The artificial boundaries drawn by the colonial powers 
are now viciously being guarded by local elites to maintain themselves in 
power. They need weapons to fight their silly wars over these borders. 
Such weapons, manufactured in Europe and America, can only be purchased
with hard currency - hence the constant need to produce cash crops for
exports.
Cross-border and civil wars have uprooted millions of people, most of them 
Muslim, from their long-established communities. Famine and starvation have
forced them to seek handouts at feeding centres established by western 
aid agencies and church groups. In return for food, many are being converted 
to Christianity.
In the absence of any effective response from the Muslim world - at its
narrowest point, Africa is only 12 miles from Saudi Arabia across the Red
Sea - millions of Muslims will remain an easy prey for Christian missionary 
activity. Muslim wealth is used to kill other Muslims or gambled away 
in the casinos of Europe and America.
############################ ANNOUNCMENTS ################################
*** This section is open for posting announcements for the
purpose of education and information only, no commercial or
solicitation ads please. ***********************************
*************************
Medical Doctors Relief & Development(MDRD), a voluntary,  
non-profit organization is seeking the support of members and 
volunteers who are willing to provide medical relief and
set up development operations in the poor countries of the world.
For more information, please contact Dr. Mohammad Amjad Alvi,
   1530 Albion Rd. Rexdale, Ont. Canada, M9V 1B4.
    Tel. (416) 240-0570, Fax (416) 240-1728
________________
Bosnia Appeal Fund:
As Musl;im suffering continues in Bosnia, another committee has 
setup a follow up league to coordinate the support. Donation could 
be mailed to:
Bosnian Appeal Fund,
4174 Dundas Street West,
Suit 209, Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada
Phone (416) 236-9411
_________
The Third Annual Islamic week will be held from Oct. 12th - 21st
at the Univesity of Washington. The program consists of:
Islamic art and books display, Panel discussions, and lectures.
Imam Mohammed H. Asi will be in Seattle on Oct. 16th in Sha' Allah. 
For more information contact the Union.
-----------
Crescent International Has opened a Somali Relief Fund for onward 
transmission:
Somali Relief Fund c/o Crescent International,
300 steelcase Rd West,
Unit 8, Markham, Ont. L3R 2W2, Canada.   Phone (416) 474-9292
_______________
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Newsgroups: soc.culture.bosna-herzgvna