Being a country that still has a mandatory military service period enforced on all of its populace; North Korea is certainly different in nature from South Korea and even the United States. According to North Korean legislation every citizen of the country is supposed to serve at least five years in the Korean People’s Army (KPA).

Looking at the country’s past we can surely say that they have never acted in aversion when it comes to warfare. Having an aggressive military focused point of view about all their national and international matters, North Korea has been in the line of fire more than once. It appears from the steps taken by their leadership in the past seven years, since their first nuclear experiment in 2006 that they won’t hold back when it comes to the time of showdown.

The tension between North and South Korea has always been armed, and similar, if not worse are their sentiments towards America. It was made certain by their recent experiments that Kim Jong Un is not willing to show any signs of flexibility, when it comes to nuclear power retention.

As a direct consequence of their 3rd nuclear test, the international community spearheaded by the US vowed to strengthen sanctions on the problem child to the maximum levels. North Korea has reacted as expected by announcing that they are now practically working towards an actual attack on the US -something that has been termed as impractical by all the leading war analysts.

But is that the real question at hand? Instead of asking whether North Korea can wage a war against the United States of America, the question we should be worrying about is; if they will. Based on their past, the answer is fairly evident yet dangerously unsettling!

North Korea has more than 1.1million of active army personnel making it the 5th largest army of the world; an even more alarming statistic is their reserve personnel count of 8.2million -world’s largest! As unbelievable as it may seem, it is true that they honestly believe that military is their sole way of survival. Putting as much as 25 percent of its GDP into the development and maintenance of army, North Korea is steadying itself as much as it can for the looming war. Since the strength of the country in terms of capabilities has been restricted due to a long standing embargo, they have developed other mediums to make up for the lack of technology like stealth based semi-submersible infiltration crafts or huge air lifters.

When it comes to facing a super power like America, one should obviously think twice. The deciding factor in the actual war, if there is one, would be resources. Looking at it from a more practical approach, North Korea doesn’t even have missiles to cover up enough area in the US if it comes to a direct assault -something N. Korea denies. Yes, they have enough ammo to sustain a battle lasting for a hundred days, but I don’t think they have enough defenses to withstand an assault from America.

Lets just hope that their recent threat turns out to be another one of their well versed tactics to trigger dialogue on flexible terms - for their own sake and the world’s. The first two world wars have given us enough loses to grieve upon that I don’t think this planet would survive another one.

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Running an IT consultant company. Providing web development, social media marketing, SEO and content writing services.

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Technology is something that is highly appreciated in a developing country. However, there are so many parents that are concerned about their children in Pakistan because they have become too involved with their cell phones and laptops. Not every child in Pakistan has a laptop and not every child can afford a phone, but those that do are using these things 24/7.

Many people would think this is normal because the world is turning around and things have become so fast paced. Parents in Pakistan do admit that computers are necessary for education and are needed for communication; however, most parents feel that computers and cell phones are being used for all the wrong reasons. Children do not have time to look up from their cell phones because they find the apps, games, messages, and other things so amazing. The family time is diminishing, and children are talking less to their parents. There are parents who say that their children have poor speech skills, and cannot talk in public because they are so used to text message what they have to say. Some even feel that their children have low self confidence because of cell phones. They can talk to anyone on a cell phone, but do not have to courage to speak to that same person in public.

The other problem, that is sweeping this country, is that kids are becoming so addicted to such things, and it is becoming so hard to monitor what they are doing. Kids are not really kids anymore, and they have minds like adults. Technology has been extended over the past few years, and if we think about it kids can do anything online if they are not monitored. Many parents reveal that they refused to buy separate laptops for each child because they wanted to have one desktop in the living room. This would allow the parents to monitor what the children are doing and would help to keep them away from harmful things online.

Children do not understand that things online can be very detrimental, and if the trend of family time diminishes or if children rely too much on technology, then we can only imagine what it will be like in the next few years. Children will become so dependent on these things, and it will become hard to control them. Technology is great, but the use of it should be limited. Parents in Pakistan are concerned, and many parents are even implementing strict rules such as no use of cell phones during dinner and family time. There are also set limits for children on how long they can use the computer.

This concern continues to increase and parents have to implement strict rules and keep an eye on their children so that they do not forget their values or overlook the things that are really important such as religion or family. Parents in Pakistan are going through a tough time and let’s just hope that they find suitable ways for kids to understand that technology is not everything!

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Randolph Linn is behind bars after pleading guilty to federal arson and related crimes committed at the Islamic Center of Greater Toledo, but local Muslim leaders are concerned there may be more people like him out there.

Linn, a 52-year-old truck driver and ex-Marine from St. Joe, Ind., was initially charged with one count each of intentionally damaging religious property and using fire or explosives in commission of a felony for the Sept. 30 arson attack. A third charge, of using a firearm to commit a crime of violence, was added by a grand jury Dec. 18.

He pleaded guilty to all three counts in U.S. District Court in Toledo on Dec. 19 as part of a binding agreement and could be sentenced to 20 years in prison in April. He will also be required to pay a $250,000 fine and restitution that may exceed $1 million.

"Yes, justice has been served and the Islamic Center will be rebuilt and we will meet inside it and continue to do so. But the actual problem hasn't been dealt with," said S. Zaheer Hasan, a spokesman for the United Muslim Association of Toledo.

"There's a bad feeling, first of all because of the environment, which is becoming hateful," he said. "The arson attack was an isolated incident, but it was a product of that hatred."

Mahjabeen Islam, president of the Islamic Center, said it was "upsetting" to sit through Linn's hearing, during which the suspect vented his hatred of Muslims. "It was terrible because he was guilty, but he has no remorse at all," Islam said. "It was very apparent to everyone that he blamed the media; he blamed Fox News; he tried to blame alcohol."

Linn told U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary that prior to his crime he drank 45 beers in seven hours. He then said he spontaneously decided, after seeing a wounded U.S. soldier on television, to get into his Chevrolet Sonic and drive 82 miles from St. Joe to Perrysburg.

He brought three firearms and stopped along the way to fill three gas containers, authorities said.

Linn said in court that he had hauled his truck many times past the domed mosque at the junction of Interstates 75 and 475.

According to Islam, when Zouhary asked Linn if knew any Muslims personally, he replied, "No, I only know what I hear on the radio and see on Fox News." He told the judge that Muslims are "going around killing us," Islam said.

Zouhary told Linn that the attack on the mosque was an attack on all places of religion. "You are no better than the terrorists or extremists you sought to punish," the judge told Linn.

Islam said she believes irresponsible media coverage fanned Linn's hatred and distorted his view of her faith. "My feeling is that the media needs to be more responsible. The combination of ignorance about Muslims and Islam, and hate and alcohol, and then whipping up all of this hatred in the media, is a lethal combination," Islam said.

Damage to the mosque from the blaze and from the building's sprinkler system and firefighters' hoses is estimated at $1.5 million, Islam said, adding that insurance is covering the expenses. Repairs are scheduled to be completed by the end of March. In the meantime, the mosque is holding Friday prayers at a Rossford indoor sports complex – with added security – and the center's Islamic school meets at Owens Community College.

Islam said surveillance cameras showed Linn, wearing a camouflage hat and sweatshirt, walking through the mosque with a pistol in his left hand. He left a beer can in the women's hijab room, she said, before pouring gasoline on the carpet in the main prayer room and igniting it.

"Had somebody been there, I dread to think about what could have happened because he had a gun. If people had been there, it might have been like the [Oak Creek, Wis.] Sikh temple shooting."

Toledo Free Press, 28 December 2012

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"I think I can safely speak for the majority of the community when I say that the government is guilty of double standards and an inability to tackle the issue appropriately. On the one hand we have politicians frequently scapegoating Muslims when they need to distract the public from their own failures, and on the other they think we should be grateful for the fact that they have provided us with a helpline to monitor the consequences of their actions."

Sofia Ahmed responds to Sayeeda Warsi's speech at the Tell MAMA dinner last week.

Huffington Post, 31 January 2013

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Rape is something that is a huge problem in developing countries like Pakistan and India because the government is weak. The laws are not stringent enough in these countries and no one does anything to stop the madness. It seems like the police and politicians are bribed or they are just not paying attention to this major problem. There are thousands of women that are victims of rape each year. The thing that one must understand is that these countries are poor countries. The women that are targeted do not have any choice. They may not have the means to hire a lawyer or may try to conceal the fact that they have been raped.

These sad cases happen every single day and no one does anything about it. The news that is usually seen on television focuses on how many people were killed in target killings or who will win the elections. Cases like rape are seen as trivial and when women do fight for justice they are killed or threats are given to their families. The case of Mukhtaran Mai that happened a couple years back is just an example of how things are in Pakistan. She was gang raped by 13 men and they were all captured by the police. However, when the case was taken to court almost all of the men were free to go. This shows that the system in Pakistan is a male dominating system. Patriarchy prevails in this system and women are victims of subjugation.

There have been many reported incidents of men abusing women on buses, on the roads, girls are abused at school and so much more. It is evident that these developing countries have a patriarchal setup. Males dominate the homes and they dominate the streets by raping women.

The question that arises is how do the criminals get punished or how to catch the criminals. The blame cannot completely be placed on the police because sometimes it is hard to capture the offenders because the police do not know what is always happening. They cannot police each and every road in these countries. However, it is evident that they are lacking on their duties. If the police was stronger or if strict punishments were enforced, then problems like this would start to decrease. The politicians and police are not loyal to the country and every citizen knows that. The police take bribes and when cases like this are reported they act like if it is not a major issue. We cannot say this about every police officer, but it is true for most of the police officers. One can give 100 Rs to an officer for driving recklessly on the roads and they will let you go. There need to be checks and balances in a country, but how is that possible if the politicians are allies of the police?

This is why rape cases are on the rise and they have taken an extreme toll. The number continues to increase because no one is doing anything to put it to an end!

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An American-born Muslim student who was prevented from flying to San Diego from Costa Rica after being told his name was on the U.S. government no-fly list returned home Thursday evening after flying to Mexico and then walking across the pedestrian border crossing to his waiting family.

Kevin Iraniha, 27, was met by his father, Nasser, brothers Jahan and Shervin, and several representatives from the San Diego chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, including executive director Hanif Mohebi. The council came to Iraniha's aid this week after a friend referred the family to the organization, Mohebi said.

Iraniha was born and raised in San Diego and is a San Diego State University graduate. He graduated this week from a yearlong master's program in international law at the University for Peace in San Jose, Costa Rica. His father and brothers went to his graduation.

When they all went to the airport on Tuesday to return to San Diego, Iraniha was told he could not get a boarding pass for the flight. He was later told his name was on the no-fly list. He said he was questioned by an FBI agent about recent travels to Iran, and about trips to India and Egypt.

He said Thursday night that he had flown home in December for winter break, spending several weeks in San Diego, and had no problems.

Iraniha is a self-described peace activist. He said he was disappointed to be treated in a skeptical way that people in other countries "are really fighting" against.

U-T San Diego, 8 June 2012

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