Diaspora | DesPardes.com

NEW JERSEY, NOV 28 - A Pakistan student living in Houston who overstayed on his student visa and an American Muslim convert have been indicted by a federal grand jury with conspiring to train with firearms with a goal to fight with the Taliban against coalition forces in the Middle East. Adnan Babar Mirza, 29, is already in custody on immigration violations, while Abdul Kabir, 33, aka Kobie Diallo Williams, surrendered himself to members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force today,federal prosecutors announced. Both Williams and Mirza have been ordered to remain in federal custody without bond pending further criminal proceedings. Mirza could get up to thirty-five years in prison, Kabir 5 years and $US250,000 fine.

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Muslim teacher sacked after veil controversy

NOV 26 - An Indian origin Muslim teaching assistant in UK has lost her job after she refused to remove her veil in the classroom.

Aishah Azmi, 24, was dismissed from her job at the Headfield Church of England School in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. She had claimed that her religious beliefs meant she had to wear a veil at all times in the presence of male colleagues, including when working with pupils. Azmi had said she was willing to remove her veil in front of children.

Aishah's one-year fixed-term contract was renewed in August despite her not having worked for six months. She attended a disciplinary hearing this week, with her face veiled, in front of school governors and members of the local education authority.

Born in Cardiff, Aishah's family moved to Birmingham. Her father is an academic and came from India to Britain in the 1970s. From Birmingham, the family moved to Dewsbury in West Yorkshire. She is married to Ahmed Masoud Khan, also an Indian expatriate and the couple has a two-year-old daughter, Zainab.

Aishah, who attended the hearing alone, was told she was being dismissed and her legal advisers are awaiting official notification before considering any appeal.

A month ago she was awarded 1,100 pounds by an employment tribunal for �injury to her feelings�, but her claim of being discriminated against because of her religion was rejected. The case was seen as a test of the new Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2004 and could yet be referred to the European Court.

Aishah was studying English and Arabic at Leeds University to become a full-time teacher. Of the school�s 530 pupils, aged seven to eleven, 92 per cent were Muslim, mainly from India and Pakistan.

Azmi's case became a central part of a national debate on multiculturism in Britain.

Prime Minister Tony Blair said the veil row was part of a necessary debate about the way the Muslim community integrated into British society.

The veil was a "mark of separation" which made people of other ethnic backgrounds feel uncomfortable, he added.

His comments came after Leader of the House of Commons Jack Straw, said wearing the full veil - or niqab - made community relations more difficult.

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Pakistani arrested in France for setting woman on fire
NOV 18 - A man accused of setting on fire a young Pakistani woman last year in a Parisian suburb was arrested in France on Friday evening after flying back from Pakistan. The 25-year-old Pakistani, who could not be named, was arrested at Roissy airport upon arrival, and was led away by a dozen police officers. It is alleged that on November 13, 2005 the man doused 18-year-old Chahrazad Belayni with petrol and set fire to her for refusing to marry him before fleeing to Pakistan. The woman received 60 percent burns and has undergone several operations.

5 Pakistanis Accused of Marriage Fraud in US
NOV 16 - Five Pakistanis living in Kansas City have been accused of paying American women to marry them. If convicted, the men face deportation, the Kansas City Channel reported on Thursday. US Attorney Bradley Schlozman said he believed that all five men were involved in sham marriages to stay in the United States. A 52-year-old woman from Independence, Robyn Adele Raja, has also been charged in the case. Schlozman said that Raja is a US citizen and was paid to marry one of the five Pakistani men. The five men charged in the 12-count indictment are Qammaruz Zaman Raja, 47, Riaz Ahmed, 44, and Muhammad Safique, 42, from Independence and Waseem Qammar, 26, and Nadeem Qammar from Sugar Creek. All six were charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.