The 8th March 2010 saw the 100th anniversary of International women's day in which women come together globally to celebrate the political, social and economic inroads that women have made in the last century. It is an official holiday in China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The UN gave it official recognition in 1975.

At the turn of the 20th century women began to see the fruits of their battle to gain the right to vote; and following a conference for working women in 1910 in Copenhagen, Clara Zetkin, (leader of the Women's Office for the Social Democratic Party in Germany) spearheaded the launch of a day for the recognition of women's rights.

Women globally have made some progress since the industrial revolution when scores of women entered the work place.  The discussion of women's rights began to take shape in the early 1800s when women were denied the right to vote, denied the right to own property, they were denied entitled entitlement to inheritance, denied education and were generally employed as home helps and paid a meagre wage.

The Enlightenment saw the ‘rights for women' movement become political. John Stuart Mills the political theorist wrote: "We are continually told that civilization and Christianity have resorted to the woman her just rights. Meanwhile the wife is the actual bondservant of her husband; no less so, as far as the legal obligation goes, than slaves commonly so called."

The Iraqi Parliamentary election is being heralded as a successful conclusion to another American inspired project of regime change and nation building. The US has gone to some lengths to prove that Iraq is now ‘mission accomplished' and with the upcoming parliamentary elections on March 7th the US is contemplating the withdrawal of its troops. The introduction of democracy has become axiomatic to the discussion of how the developing world, and especially the Islamic world, will provide stability and prosperity for its suffering millions.

For America Iraq is another successful conclusion to America's track record of successful nation building. For the US Iraq is its 21st century Japan and Germany.  Both nations were defeated in World War 2, and systematically deconstructed, with the past ideologies replaced with democratic institutions.

How the US has reached the current situation where an election can take place is central to understanding the future in store for the Muslim of Iraq.

Invasion

The neoconservatives who built the case for war against Iraq expected a quick and decisive victory. The Iraqi army, armed mainly with Soviet-built equipment, was considered overall ill-equipped in the face of America's superior fire power. For the Neocon's this was their first project since the infamous Project for the New American Century (PNAC) was set up, that advocated the use of military force to spread democracy around the world.

Monday, 15 February 2010 20:28
Guardian

Incident follows death of 12 civilians after stray Nato rockets were fired in Helmand yesterday

James Meikle, Declan Walsh in Islamabad, and Stephen Bates

A Nato airstrike against suspected insurgents has killed five civilians in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan today.

Monday, 15 February 2010 20:27
The Times

Jerome Starkey in Lashkar Gah, Tim Reid in Washington and Ben Anderson in Marjah

US Marines and Afghan troops were making slow progress as they came under attack from snipers on the third day of a major offensive to seize the Taleban's stronghold in southern Afghanistan.

Monday, 02 November 2009 22:08

Press TV

Palestinian security guards have foiled a Jewish gunman's attempt to infiltrate the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a Palestinian official reports.

Monday, 02 November 2009 22:06

Antara News

Some 1,000 Muslims took to the streets in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar on Sunday to protest against Israel`s aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has embarked on a three day tour of Pakistan that includes a town hall meeting which is claimed to be a "no holds" barred question and answer session at a university in Lahore. The aim of the trip is reported to be amongst other issues to address popular concerns and suspicions about America. Hillary Clinton's attempt to win over the Pakistani public sentiment- should not be seen as just another way to add American insult to Pakistani injury. It has more meaning than this.

Umar Bin Al-Khattab (ra) in the year 636 was the first to do so. Under his command as Khaleefah, the armies of Islam, after their continued expansion outside the Arabian Peninsula, had reached the gates of Jerusalem (Al Quds) and had the city surrounded. Partly because of the city's immense importance - it is home to Masjid-Al-Aqsa (the third holiest mosque in Islam) and had been the first Qibla for the Muslims - Umar (ra) himself journeyed to the land and oversaw the liberation of this sacred city.

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak called on Israel to halt "all settlement activity" and warned of the dangers of "judaizing" Jerusalem, in talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Cairo on Sunday.

Mubarak "called on Israel to stop all settlement activity, including 'natural growth' settlements," presidential spokesman Suleiman Awad said after the talks.

Advice on the forthcoming anti-Islam demonstrations in Harrow

The English Defence League (EDL), a far-right anti-Muslim organisation, has planned a demonstration outside Harrow Central Masjid on the 11th of September. A counter demonstration has been organised by anti-fascists at the same time. A similar event in Birmingham in July ended in violent clashes.