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Throughout northern Africa, Turkey, and in other parts of the Middle East, Muslims wear the necklace and , "Hand of Fatima" , as a jewellery and also for superstitious protection. Fatima was the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad who married Ali, the nephew of the Prophet. From their descendants Shi'a Muslims claim a direct line of authority over Muslims. Miracles were attributed to Fatima, such as when she prayed in the desert, it started raining. She is described as a faithful, holy woman. This article from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Turkey tells of the importance of jewelry named for her:

"Almost all Anatolian (Turkish) jewelry has a special meaning of its own and its own story, and the 'Hand of Fatima Necklace' is one of these, a lovely piece of silver and gold from which silver hands are hung and in whose good luck the women of Anatolia (Turkey) believe. Its romantic story is as follows: One day Lady Fatima (daughter of the Holy Prophet Mohammed) was cooking helva ( halvah ) (the texture is like a dry oath meal , with sugar and butter in it . They use semalina as the main ingredient . ) in a pan in the garden when suddenly the door opened and her husband the caliph Ali entered along with the new bride. ( Islam allowed four times marriage to man ) concubine (slave-girl), she was deeply grieved and u the wooden stirring spoon in confusion dropped from her hand and unaware , she continued stirring the halvah with her hand. Because of the grief in her heart she never even felt the pain of her hand mixing the hot halvah. However, when her husband hurried to her side and exclaimed in surprise "What are you doing there, Fatima?" she felt her hand burning and the pain. Thus it is from that day on the hand of the Lady Fatima has been used in the Islamic world as a symbol of patience, abundance, and faithfulness, and thus it is that girls and women wearing this necklace from whose end the hands hang believe the hands of Lady Fatima will bring them good luck, abundance and patience."


The story continues ; the bride and Ali as the groom go into their wedding room . The house is wooden , and Fatima can not stop herself from looking through a tiny little hole of a room from the second floor. And when Ali leans over the bride ,from that tiny hole , Fatima's tear drops to his shoulder , which stops him.

So , the necklace of Fatima ,rather popular in Islamic countries is formed of peaces shaped after a teae drop. The Ethnographical Museums of Turkey havr fine examples . Fatima was the daughter of the prophet Mohammed, but in fact this hand has been around before Islam, and there is still much right hand-left hand magic in Morocco. The left hand is for doing bad things; it also protects against the evil eye if you put it palm up in front of you (so naturally that's an insulting thing to do to someone, implying they have the evil eye)."

images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.columbia.edu/i...

Hand of Fatima / Hand of Miriam
This symbol is known in Islamic societies as the *Hand of Fatima*, sometimes the *Eye of Fatima*, and in Jewish lore as the *Hand of Miriam* or *Hamesh Hand*. Its origin predates Islam; the symbol was previously used in Punic religion (a Latin version of the term "Phoenician"), where it was associated with Tanit (a Carthaginian lunar goddess).

The symbol serves as an ancient talismanic way of averting the evil eye, or more generally of providing a "protecting hand" or "Hand of God". It appears, often in stylised form, as a hand with three fingers raised, and sometimes with two thumbs arranged symmetrically. The symbol is used in amulets, charms, jewelry, door entrances, cars, and other places to ward the evil eye.

Tradition in Islamic cultures associates the symbol with Fatima Zahra, daughter of the prophet Muhammad. In Israel and in Jewish culture globally it is most commonly known as "hamsa" or "chamsa". Some sources link the significance of the five fingers to the five books of the Torah, the Jewish name for the Old Testament scriptures, or to the Five Pillars of Islam, the core principles of Sunni Islamic faith, though this significance was probably attributed after the fact to the symbol, as it pre-dates both religions.

In recent years some activists for Middle East peace have chosen to wear the hamsa as a symbol of the similarities of origins and tradition between the Islamic and Jewish faiths.

Bush unleashing dogs of war in Mideast

The Zionist regime has launched a series of brutal raids on northern Gaza, killing over 120 Palestinians, about half identified by medical workers as civilians, leaving the Gaza Strip's public health system on brink of collapse.

The food supplies distributed by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to the Gazans will run out in a few weeks. About 80 percent of the people in Gaza are dependent on food aid, much of which is provided by UN aid agencies.

The Israeli regime continues its atrocities in the Gaza Strip while the international community does nothing to prevent them.

Is it not catastrophic to see scores of Palestinians being massacred while no international organization does anything to stop the nightmarish hell created by Israel? Isn't the US government ashamed of throwing support behind a criminal regime that has usurped a land from its people, stolen their dreams, incarcerated them in a virtual prison and inflicted upon them any atrocity?

The Israeli regime is bold to continue its myriad crimes in Gaza because it is supported by its US mentor who pretends to be seeking a peace deal.

After all, the Zionists have other ulterior motives which should not go unheeded. They have been recently preparing themselves for another military strike on Lebanon by conducting war games on the northern border with Lebanon.

The martyrdom of Hezbollah's military commander Imad Mugniyah was a calculated act carried out by the Zionist regime with the express intention of provoking the Shias into seeking to retaliate, an act which might give them the pretext to launch their new military assault on Lebanon by way of redeeming their lost reputation in the 33-day war against the Hezbollah which led to their humiliating defeat.

Given the volatile political situation in Lebanon, the Zionist regime believes the government would fail to defend itself properly and would give in to the situation, leaving room for the Zionist troops to seize reign in the country.

The act of invasion which could be favorably supported by the Bush administration would turn to the best interests of the Zionist regime and the US. But that's not all.

The whole scenario is assumed to drag the war into Iran and Syria in order to serve the US. The military presence of the US troops off the Lebanese coast is a testimony to this assumption.


In a muscle-flexing move, the Bush administration has ordered the deployment of the USS Cole and other warships to the Eastern Mediterranean in a bid to cover up Israel's recent brutal attacks in the Gaza Strip and expand the war to the entire region.

The Cole which has the capability to strike targets throughout the region with cruise missiles will be joined soon by the US naval USS Nassau amphibious warship and its strike group of six vessels carrying 2,800 marines, flight crews and sailors.

Analysts believe that this is a provocatively dangerous act, threatening those who do not revolve in the American orbit and that the US is adamant on wreaking holocaustal havoc in the region with the help of Israel.

The military buildup seems to be targeted at Syria, Iran and Hezbollah. To be plain, the recent Zionist atrocities in the Gaza Strip are a prelude to more horror in the region.

In a statement released on Saturday, Hezbollah said the dispatch of US military interference was part of President Bush's "tutelage plot which prevents Lebanese unity and hampers all initiatives to defuse the prolonged political crisis in Lebanon."

"The plan also wants to incite one group against the other and withdraw the cards of strength from their hands to the benefit of its strategic ally -- the Zionist enemy," the statement said.

On a deeper level, the Zionists are serving the interests of the Bush government by creating chaos and instability in the region in order that the US presence in the region may be justified.

In his recent exclusive interview with the Zionist Ynews, US prospective Democratic candidate Barack Obama vowed to continue 'unshakeable' US commitment to Israel, and pursue 'aggressive diplomacy' on Iran.

"The principles that will guide me are 1) that Israel's security must be guaranteed; 2) that the status quo is unsustainable over time, and the best long-term guarantee of Israel's security is a negotiated two-state solution with the Palestinians, if it can be achieved; and 3) that Israel has to remain a Jewish state and the Palestinian state must be viable.

My approach to Iran will be based upon aggressive diplomacy. I will not take the military option off the table. But I also believe that under this administration, we have seen the threat grow worse, and I intend to change that course."

Obama's support for Israel and condemnation of the Muslim countries is nothing new.

It is manifest that Israel and the US administration have colluded to exacerbate the crisis in the Middle East, expand the war to other countries and exercise greater control over the region.

The dirty war euphemistically called the 'war on terror' which was started by Bush and his cronies will not stop in Afghanistan and Iraq but will stretch to the entire region.

The ghoul of imperialism has run amuck and it will not stop until its thirst for blood and expansionism is quenched.

Press TV

ADONIS, I feel sorry for her husband and later her children. What an example!

MEMORIES OF VIENNA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C9VbSUp59Y&feature=related




PLAISIR D'AMOUR

The joys of love
The joys of love
Are but a moment strong
The pain of love endures
A whole life long

His eyes kissed mine
I saw the love in them shine
A rainbow brightened my window
Such love divine


And now he's gone
Like a dream that melts with the dawn
His memory stays locked in my heartstrings
He was ne'er mine

http://leemun.blog.hr/2008/02/1624210438/joan-baez-plaisir-damour.html

Plaisir d'amour ne dure qu'un moment
chagrin d'amour dure toute la vie.

The joys of love are but a moment long,
the pain of love endures the whole life long.


Your eyes kissed mine, I saw the love in them shine,
you brought me heaven right then when your eyes kissed mine.


My love loves me, and all the wonders I see,
a rainbow shines in my window, my love loves me.


And now he is gone, like a dream that fades into dawn,
but the words stay locked in my heart-strings, "My love loves me".


Plaisir d'amour...





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiJ-KMotjME

Grafin Maritza: Komm Zigany (Come, Gipsy)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLmCW2sSGZk

Conditions in Gaza 'the worst since 1967'
The British Government should end its boycott of Hamas and work to lift a crippling blockade of Gaza which has left humanitarian conditions at their worst level for 40 years, the top UK charities say today.


The call on Britain to spearhead a radical change of EU policy by promoting reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah comes in a stark report that describes the Gaza Strip overwhelmed by steeply rising poverty, power cuts of up to 12 hours a day, and water and sewage systems close to collapse.

The report condemns rocket attacks on Israel but warns that the "failing" international policy of isolating Hamas has not "reaped any benefits". Instead both the UK Government and the EU should begin a "political dialogue with all Palestinian parties" as a first step towards the establishment of a "credible" peace process with Israel involving both the West Bank and Gaza.

The report was published as the Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, yesterday bowed to US pressure and current international policy by agreeing to resume his negotiations with Israel only hours after warning that he would not do so until there was a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

The agencies, including Oxfam, Amnesty International, Save the Children UK, Care International UK and Christian Aid, say that last weekend's "upsurge in violence and human misery" in which more than 100 Palestinians were killed in Israeli military operations against rocket attacks "underlines the urgency of this report". They call for pressure on Israel to reopen the Gaza crossings.

The report says that with 80 per cent of families in Gaza are currently dependent on food aid humanitarian conditions in Gaza are now worse than "at any time since the beginning of the Israeli occupation in 1967".

With unemployment set to rise to 50 per cent, 95 per cent of Gaza's industrial operations have halted because of the closures of Gaza crossings. It says that between 40 million and 50 million litres of untreated sewage continue to pour into the Mediterranean daily because of a lack of fuel for treatment plants and warns of a current "60-70 per cent" shortage of diesel required for hospital power generators.

It quotes World Health Organisation estimates that the proportion of patients given permits to leave Gaza for medical treatment has fallen from 89 per cent in January 2007 to an "unprecedented low" of 64.3 per cent in December 2007 and that 20 per cent of patients, including five children, have died while waiting for permits. Christian Aid's director, Daleep Mukarji, said yesterday: "The UK Government should acknowledge that a new strategy is needed for Gaza. The current policy does not secure vital security for Israeli citizens, and even if it did the blockade policy would still be unacceptable and illegal."

He added: "Humanitarian aid can help stave off total collapse but it will not provide a long-term solution. Gaza cannot become a partner for peace unless Israel, Fatah and the Quartet engage with Hamas and give the people of Gaza a future."

Mr Abbas's U-turn came as the US Secretary of State, Condoleeza Rice, wound up her mission to the region by saying that the US brokered negotiations – which deliberately exclude Hamas – would resume and that while the Palestinian President would like to see an end to the violence in Gaza, "this is not a condition".

As 10 Qassam rockets landed in open areas in Israel yesterday, the Israeli security cabinet backed further military operations after last weekend's incursion – in which Israeli and Palestinian human rights groups estimate that more than half the deaths were of civilians.

Mr Abbas's espousal of two diametrically opposite policies in a single day appeared to reflect a deepening conflict between the goal of satisfying the demands of the international community and pursuing negotiations on the outlines of a future two-state solution, which show little sign of making progress.

The Israeli religious party Shas, which at present occupies a pivotal role in Israeli Prime minister's Ehud Olmert's coalition, has threatened to walk out if the "core issue" of Jerusalem – essential to any future negotiated deal – is discussed in the talks.
THE INDEPENDENT UK

BRUKAN
According to KurdishMedia Sean Connery will be playing a famous Kurdish tribal leader whose tribe and life were endangered after the Ottoman Army assaulted his tribe. Opposite to Connery will be none other than the all time and hottie and never aging Sophie Lauren.

According to the report, the tribe was dispersed as far as Yerevan, Armenia and only since the establishment of the Republican Turkey the tribal members been able to move back to Turkey, and I am sure have found peace and comfort there, sans the mass killings of Kurds up untill recently.

The story of one of the most famous Kurdish tribes, the Brukan tribe, is going to hit the screens of Hollywood. The main player will be Sean Connery. The movie will tell about the flight of the members of this tribe, after the attack of the Ottoman army.

The production company of the movie, which is lead by the Kurd Kasim Gultekin, said everything is prepared. The recordings will start in autumn. The budget is currently 5 million dollars. But the company wants to expand it, with the help of foreign investors. “With this movie, we want to let the world know the history of the Kurds”, said Kasim Gultekin.

Sophie Lauren will be playing Fate Xanim wife of Mir Shemdin the chief of Brukans.

[…]

Brukan or Brukis forced to immigrate from their traditional homeland Karajadag/Amed region around 1609 by the Ottomans. Brukan are currently over 500.000 inhabitants who live in a wide range of Area in Wan, Qers, Agiri, Caucasus (Revan/Erivan), Iran Xoy, Maku(Eastern Kurdistan) and even in Black Sea Province of Samsun they have over 10 villages in Samsun. They lived in exile mostly until 1922. After 1922 they were able to get back to Northern Kurdistan(Turkey).

Apart from being a historical movie, the movie will actually be a love story between Merdan and Zozan.

Can’t wait to see Sir Sean making out with Signiora Sophie! What a sight will that be! Yahoooooooo, I mean goooooogle!!!

Turks are already protesting and banning all Connery and Lauren movies.



http://iararat.wordpress.com/2006/07/16/the-day-sir-sean-connery-became-a-turk-and-sophie-loren-too/

The Turkish government's initiative to prepare a new constitution and its recent move to lift the headscarf ban in universities was intensely debated at a conference held this week at Columbia University.

The conference titled “The New Draft Constitution of Turkey” was described as “a critical exchange between the drafters of the new Turkish constitution and scholars of democratic theory and comparative constitutions” in the flyers of Columbia University.

Mir Dengir Mehmet Fırat, deputy chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), and Ergun Özbudun, a professor of Law at Bilkent University, both active in the preparation of the draft constitution attended the conference sponsored by the Center for the Study of Democracy, Toleration and Religion and the Institute for Religion, Culture and Public Life at Columbia University. The Turkish Cultural Center was also among the sponsors.

“There are parties in Turkey that still use ethnic politics; therefore it is impossible to build a total consensus on the new constitution,” said Fırat. “In the 21st century, individual rights are more fundamental than minority rights. Same as everybody else, minorities in Turkey will benefit from the constitutional rights.” Fırat also added that the AKP disagrees with mandatory religion classes. “We think parents should decide if they want their children to attend those classes. We will not change the Constitution over this issue however we will change daily practices.”

Cüneyt Yüksel, a member of the Turkish Parliament, said if the AKP succeeds in passing a new constitution, this would be the first civilian constitution of Turkey.

Özbudun besides his position at Bilkent University is also the head of the committee drafting the new constitution. He said even the people who criticize the AKP agree that there is a need to change the 1982 Constitution. “But it is almost impossible to reach a compromise with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) over issues such as Article 301 – a controversial article of the Turkish penal code that makes it a crime to insult Turkishness, the definition of citizenship and education in the mother tongue.” The MHP that has 71 seats of Parliament's 550 formed an alliance with the AKP to pass a resolution that lifts the ban on headscarves in universities. Özbudun said the AKP should proceed by itself if the MHP does not cooperate in the other problematic issues of the Constitution.

Andrew Arato, professor of Political and Social Theory at the New School of Social Research, on the other hand, said the legitimacy of any constitution that did not manage to build the consensus of the majority will be questioned. Arato also suggested that taking the new constitution to a referendum is the best way to eliminate any legitimacy problem.

Fırat and Yüksel will also travel to Boston and Washington DC to talk about the draft of the new constitution.

http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=98161