Saturday 25 November 2017

The Middle East


May we place these important concerns before you for you prayer participation?
1 For the United Arab Emirates believers to go forward together, especially the ministry leaders, after the recent national prayer initiative there in a united prayer and mission movement that God will use to bless that nation and the world like a new Antioch.
2 For the ministry leaders of Israel- Messianic Jews, Israeli Arabs and Palestinians- to come together in spite of their divisions about the land and government and form an ongoing united prayer movement for the healing of their land and even the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict. With God all things are possible! For us in the IPC to know what our part should be to aid in this process.
3 For the current ceasefire to continue, humanitarian shipments to flow in where needed, and for an end of the war in Syria that has caused the deaths of up to 400,000 and made millions homeless refugees. Pray for the crucial March 9 meeting to move the peace process forward. Also, that Syrians, many of whom are now very responsive to the Gospel, will hear it and come to Christ.
4 Turkey national and regional prayer initiative, May 18-21. For the organization, program development team, and funds still needed for several hundred Turks, Koreans and other nationalities that are coming together to pray for this most unreached land and the rest of the Middle East.
Thanks so much for joining us in prayer for these important matters. 

What Is The Middle East And What Countries Are Part Of It?
The Middle East is a geographical and cultural region located primarily in western Asia, but also in parts of northern Africa and southeastern Europe. The western border of the Middle East is defined by the Mediterranean Sea, where IsraelLebanon, and Syria rest opposite from Greece and Italy in Europe. Egypt in Africa also borders the Mediterranean and is sometimes considered as part of the Middle East, while Turkey and Cyprus literally connect Europe to Asia and oscillate between being called European and Middle Eastern. 
ArmeniaAzerbaijan, and Georgia, all located just northeast of Turkey, are at times associated with the Middle East, Europe, Asia, or as their own separate region. South of the Mediterranean Sea, the Red and Arabian Seas surround the southern part of the Middle East. Saudi ArabiaYemen, and Oman border these waters, with Iraq and Jordan connecting them to the western part of the region. At the center of the Middle East rests the Persian Gulf, cutting into the region and giving it its hook-like shape. Countries along the Persian Gulf include the United Arab EmiratesQatarBahrainKuwait, and Iran
The eastern and northern borders of the Middle East are somewhat difficult to define. Both Afghanistan and Pakistanborder Iran to the east, but Pakistan’s shared history with India causes it to sometimes be seen as part of South Asia instead of the Middle East. Some of the countries bordering Iran and Afghanistan’s north, such as TurkmenistanTajikistan, and Uzbekistan, are sometimes included within the northern borders of the Middle East, but are other times seen as their own Central Asian region alongside Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan
There are also several unrecognized or partially recognized states within the Middle East. Palestine, which is made up of the Gaza Strip and West Bank regions in and around Israel, declared its independence in 1988 and is currently recognized as independent by 134 countries, though it is not an official member of the United Nations and is not considered to be its own countries by every G-8 nation except Russia. Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia are all located within the Caucasus region around Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia and all declared their independence during the 1990s, with limited recognition internationally. Northern Cyprus declared its independence in 1983 but is only recognized as a sovereign state within the UN by Turkey, with every other member considering it as simply part of Cyprus. Some borders within the Middle East are similarly difficult to define as a result of territorial disputes between countries within the region. Some examples include the island of Abu Musa in the Persian Gulf, which is administered by Iran by claimed by the United Arab Emirates, the Golan Heights plateau, which was part of Syria until it was occupied and annexed by Israel during the Six-Day War, and the region of Kurdistan, which is officially a part of northern Iraq but also has an autonomous status.

I was in my room in the Baghdad Hotel on al-Sadoun street last Sunday evening, writing about the chances for stability in Iraq taking hold, when the walls and floor began to shake. They jerked sideways and up and down several times as if my room was the cabin of boat in a rough sea.
My first confused thought was – this being Baghdad – that there must have been some huge bomb explosion, which would explain the rocking motion of everything around me. But almost simultaneously, I realised that I had not heard the sound of an explosion, so a better explanation was that there was an earthquake, though I had never thought of Baghdad as being in an earthquake zone.
The jerking movements of the walls and floor of my room were so spectacular that I wondered if the building was going to collapse. I looked under the desk where I was sitting, but the space was too small for me to crouch in. I got down on my hands and knees and started to crawl towards the bathroom which is meant to be the safest place in the event of a bomb explosion, and I supposed the same must be true of earthquakes.
I had got about half way there when the shaking stopped. The lights were still on which seemed a good sign. I got back on a stool and googled “Baghdad earthquake” on my laptop and read a series of alarmed tweets confirming that was indeed what had just happened.
It was a 7.3 magnitude quake centred 19 miles from Halabja, a small city in Iraqi Kurdistan 150 miles north-east of Baghdad and close to the Iranian border. Nine people had been killed in Iraq, but the catastrophic damage was in Iran where 530 people had died.
In earlier times, an earthquake like this would be taken as an omen: a warning of bad times to come. Shakespeare is full of such grim portents which commonly precede assassinations and defeats in battle. This would be a pity in the case of present day Iraq because, for the first time since Saddam Hussein started his war with Iran in 1980, the prospects look positive.
The central government is stronger than before, defeating Isis in the nine-month long siege of Mosul and ending the move towards secession of Iraqi Kurdistan by peacefully reoccupying Kirkuk and other disputed territories.
Substantial successes these certainly are, but what has really changed the political landscape of Iraq is that there is no longer a community, party or faction fighting the central government with financial and military aid from foreign backers. For once, Iraq has good relations with all the neighbouring states.
The earthquake may not herald more domestically-generated violence in Iraq, but in the real world it is a useful reminder that the country, along with the rest of the Middle East, is vulnerable to unexpected and unpredictable events. Of course, these are always a possibility anywhere, but never more than at present because of the strange character change of two traditionally conservative powers in the region: the US and Saudi Arabia. Previously committed to preserving the political status quo, both have become mercurial and prone to saw off the branch on which they are sitting.
Shortly before the earthquake in Baghdad, I was making the above point about Iraq stabilising to a European diplomat. He said this might be true, but that real danger to peace “comes from a combination of three people: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump’s son-in-law and Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, and Bibi Netanyahu in Israel.”
Probably, the Saudis and the Americans exaggerate the willingness of Netanyahu and Israel to go to war. Netanyahu has always been strong on bellicose rhetoric, but cautious about real military conflict (except in Gaza, which was more massacre than war).
Israel’s military strength tends to be exaggerated and its army has not won a war outright since 1973. Previous engagements with Hezbollah have gone badly. Israeli generals know that the threat of military action can be more effective than its use in maximising Israeli political influence, but that actually going to war means losing control of the situation. They will know the saying of the 19th century German chief of staff, Helmuth Von Moltke, that “no plan survives contact with the enemy”.
But even if the Israelis do not intend to fight Hezbollah or Iran, this does not mean that they would not like somebody else to do so for them. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told me in an interview earlier this month that his greatest fear was a US-Iranian confrontation fought out in Iraq. This could happen directly or through proxies, but in either case would end the present fragile peace.
On the optimistic side, US policy in Iraq and Syria is largely run by the Pentagon and not the White House, and has not changed much since President Obama’s days. It has been successful in its aim of destroying Isis and the self-declared caliphate.
The wars in Iraq and Syria already have their winners and losers: President Bashar al-Assad stays in power in Damascus, as does a Shia-dominated government in Baghdad. An Iranian-backed substantially Shia axis in four countries – Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon – stretches from the Afghan border to the Mediterranean. This is the outcome of the wars since 2011, which is not going to be reversed except by a US land invasion – as happened in Iraq in 2003.
The great danger in the Middle East today is that Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman and Jared Kushner appear to have a skewed and unrealistic understanding of the world around them. Inspector Clouseau seems to have a greater influence on Saudi policy than Machiavelli, going by the antics surrounding the forced resignation of Saad Hariri as Prime Minister of Lebanon. This sort of thing is not going to frighten the Iranians or Hezbollah.
The signs are that Iran has decided to go a long way to avoid confrontation with the US. In Iraq, it is reported that it will support the re-election of Abadi as prime minister which is also what the US wants. Iran knows that it has come out on the winning side in Iraq and Syria and does not need to flaunt its success. It may also believe that the Crown Prince is using anti-Iranian nationalist rhetoric to secure his own power and does not intend to do much about it.
Nobody has much to gain from another war in the Middle East, but wars are usually started by those who miscalculate their own strengths and interests. Both the US and Saudi Arabia have become “wild cards” in the regional pack. The sort of Neo-con and right-wing think tankers, who in 2003 were saying that a war with Iraq would be a doddle, are back in business in Washington, pushing for war with Iran – and are stronger than ever.
The wars in the Middle East should be ending, but they could just be entering a new phase. Leaders in the US and Saudi Arabia may not want a new war, but they might just blunder into one.

Related articles
What happened?
Witnesses said dozens of gunmen arrived in off-road vehicles and bombed the packed mosque before opening fire on worshippers as they tried to flee.
The assailants are reported to have set parked vehicles on fire in the vicinity to block off access to the mosque.
Pictures from the scene show rows of bloodied victims inside the mosque. At least 100 people were wounded, reports say, overwhelming hospitals.
"They were shooting at people as they left the mosque," a local resident who had relatives there told Reuters news agency. "They were shooting at the ambulances too."…

Wednesday 20 September 2017

Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school

Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school

Put safety first at all times - theSundaily

I HAD to wait for a few days to gather my thoughts on the tahfiz school fire 
 last week in Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, where 23 people lost ...Hafidz Baharom
Learn English
mylearningenglishdaily.blogspot.com

The blaze at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school
The nation was rocked today with news that a deadly fire broke out at a religious school in Kampung Datuk Keramat.
The blaze, at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school, claimed the lives of 23 people. Two of them are the school’s wardens.
The incident has been described as the country’s worst fire disaster in 20 years.
Here’s what we know so far about the tragedy.
WHAT HAPPENED
A fire broke out at the Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious centre located at Jalan Keramat Ujung, Kampung Datuk Keramat around 5.15am today.
The fire is believed to have started in one of the dormitory rooms on the top floor of the three-storey building.
At the time, there were a total of 36 students and six teachers in the building.
The tahfiz centre had only been in existence for about a year. It was built from contributions from the local surau.
EMERGENCY CALL
The Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Department said it received a distress call at 5.41am. It is unknown for now as to why the department was reportedly only alerted to the incident almost 30 minutes after the blaze started.
CAUSE OF FIRE
The Fire and Rescue Department have yet to determine the exact cause of the fire. Among the possible cases include a short circuit, as well as mosquito coils, which may have sparked the blaze.
One of the survivors, a student, had claimed that he smelled a gas-like scent just before the fire. The boy had also claimed that the fire spread “very quickly.”
Rescue authorities have deployed sniffer dogs from the K9 unit to aid them in uncovering the cause of the blaze.
THE TRAGEDY
It is understood that the students were asleep when the blaze happened. The authorities believe that when the fire broke out, the students tried to make their way out but were trapped.
It is learnt that the building’s windows were fitted with grills which could not be opened from inside. In addition, there was only one door to enter and exit the building. There was also no dedicated fire exit.
Firemen who entered the building found the charred remains heaped on top of one another. They were found at several locations, all near windows at the third floor.
Several boys however managed to escape after breaking open a window at the third floor and jumping a first-floor awning.
WERE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS MET?
Did the school meet the necessary safety requirements?
The Fire and Rescue Department said the school had submitted its building plans in 2015. The authorities had briefed the school management on the necessary fire prevention methods.
The school however, did not submit its mechanical and engineering plans for approval before constructing the building.
The building was instead built without MNE plan approval and an inspection by the Fire and Rescue Department.
Interior renovations were also made, with more dividers built. One exit was also closed off.
Authorities also believe that the dorm beds being arranged too closely together may have played a factor in preventing a swift escape for the victims.
AFTERMATH
To date, 23 students, aged between 13 and 17 have perished. Also dead were two wardens.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam told a press conference that the bodies were burnt so severely that DNA tests are required to identify them.
This process will likely take several days.
Seven fire victims are being treated at the KL Hospital. Of the seven, six are students while another is a Keramat resident who came to assist the victims during the incident.
Four are badly injured.





At what cost Safe Schools? UNLIKE the 60th Merdeka celebration that was buoyed by the golden success of the SEA Games, Malaysia Day saw a starkly different scenario.
The nation was still in mourning following the demise of a beloved former Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Adding on to that was an even more heart-breaking tragedy of a fire that claimed the lives of 21 schoolchildren and two teachers just days before Malaysia Day.
Reportedly there have been more than 200 such tragedies since 2015. And after each tragedy, there has been no shortage of words of sympathy and promises. But why the apathy in nailing down the issue?
This time we again read more of the same. Wonder if it is another "hot air" balloon meant to distract us from the real problem, namely, a blatant lack of interest...
What is Safe Schools? Safe Schools is an $8m four-year federally funded national program that began in 2013 with bipartisan support. It grew out of a Victorian scheme to create safe and supportive schools for same sex-attracted, gender diverse and intersex young people. Schools can voluntarily join the Safe Schools Coalition in their state, which mostly provides training for teachers and other staff. An eight-part All of Us lesson plan may be taught in part or in full to students at the school’s discretion – the Safe Schools staff do not teach this course... 

What People Say About Fire At Darul Tahfiz 

Police: Youths started fire after being insulted by tahfiz students ... Police: Youths started fire after being insulted by tahfiz students .... I cannot believe someone would do this,” Siti Salfari said. She learnt about ... Religious school fire: Cops given footage from over 30 CCTVs - Nation ... CCTV footage could shed light on the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school ... on Friday that the footage showed some people loitering in the area, but ... "Some might say that it was fate, but without proper regulations it's as if ... Keramat tahfiz school fire: Here's what we know so far | New Straits ... fire broke out at the Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious ... The authoritiesbelieve that when the fire broke out, the students tried to ... 23 die in KL tahfiz school fire | The Malaysian Insight .. after a pre-dawn fire broke out at the Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah religious ... Sixpeople were rescued, of whom three are in critical condition and now warded ... KR1M Tudan closed because of losses, says ministry. What Penalty Should Be Served By Tahfiz Fire Suspects ... - Says The incident led to the tragic death of 23 people, with the youngest victim ... The massivefire that broke out at Darul Quran Ittifaqyah (DQI) tahfiz ... Tahfiz School Blaze Kills 23 In One Of The Country's Worst Fire ... - Says The fire broke out at around 5.15am at Pusat Tahfiz Darul Quran ... Along with other peoplein the neighbourhood, I tried to help the students. 7 teens arrested over deadly Malaysia school blaze - Channel NewsAsia A Malaysian national flag flutters outside burnt windows of the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah ... JUST IN: 7 suspects believed to have set tahfiz fire after being teased, "ejek mengejek". "We have solved the case," says KL police chief pic.twitter.com/wNkMIR3jPq .... Hamidah Gul well, people have different opinion. Short circuit could be cause of fire at Kuala Lumpur religious school ... people were in hospital, according to the report. ... the deaths of many children," the New Straits Times quoted the DPM as saying. ... Very sad to read of the Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyahfire and the loss of 20 lives. Fire at Malaysia school kills 23 students, two wardens | world-news ... Twenty-five people, most of them students, were killed when a fire tore ... in the two-storey building, Tahfiz Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah, located in the ...


Read more...

Keramat tahfiz school fire: Here's what we know so far | New Straits ...The nation was rocked today with news that a deadly fire broke out at a religious school in Kampung Datuk Keramat. The blaze, at the Darul ... Keramat tahfiz fire: Suspect had returned to scene of crime, claims ... One of the teenagers arrested in connection with Thursday's tahfiz school fire had returned to the scene of the crime several hours later to witness the aftermath of their action.The 15-year-old suspect was said to have casually chatted with one of the Darul Quran ... No remorse from teenagers nabbed over Keramat tahfiz school fire ... The seven teenagers who allegedly set fire to Darul Quran Ittifaqyah (DQI) tahfiz school last week did not show any sign of remorse even after ... Seven picked up in relation to Keramat tahfiz school fire: Sources ... Police are believed to have picked up more people in connection with Thursday's tahfiz school fire that killed 23 in Kampung ... 23 die in KL tahfiz school fire | The Malaysian Insight AT least 21 pupils and two wardens died after a pre-dawn fire broke ... Ittifaqiyah religiousschool in Jalan Datuk Keramat, Kuala Lumpur, today. 23 dead in fire at religious school in Jalan Datuk Keramat (updated ... At least 23 people died after a fire broke out at a religious (tahfizschoolin Jalan Datuk Keramat early Thursday. Religious school fire: Cops given footage from over 30 CCTVs - Nation ... Footage from over 30 CCTVs near the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school in Jalan Datuk Keramat here have been given to ... Tahfiz school fire: Man says son leapt to safety | Free Malaysia Today Tahfiz school fire: Man says son leapt to safety ... at the Darul Quran Ittifaqiyah tahfiz school, located in Jalan Keramat Ujung, just before dawn.  23 dead in fire at KL tahfiz school - Updated (Video) - theSundaily  ... out at a religious schoolTahfiz Darul Ittifaqyah in Jalan Datuk Keramat, ... City police chief Commissioner Datuk Amar Singh said the city Fire ...


Religious Education...

Purposes of Religious Education - Sandwell Council Purposes of Religious Education. ... "Religious Education makes a distinctive contribution to the school curriculum by developing pupils' knowledge and understanding of religionreligious beliefs, practices, language and traditions and their influence on individuals, communities, societies and cultures... Religious Education in Catholic schools - Catholic Education Service  Religious Education is the "core of the core curriculum" in a Catholic school (Pope St John... ... What is the purpose of Religious Education in Catholic schoolsReligious education - Wikipedia In secular usage, religious education is the teaching of a particular religion and its varied ... Many countries have state-run schools for this purpose (known as Madrasah Islamiyyah in Arabic; meaning"Islamic school"). Traditionally ... Do faith schools serve a purpose? | Education | The Guardian Academics argue faith schools undertake 'social sorting' along lines of class, ability andreligion, writes Jessica Shepherd. What is the purpose of Religious Education? | JeremyREteacher ...about what the purpose of Religious Education is within our Catholic schools. ... I am sure all Catholic schools would agree that they want… Why religious education has an important role to play in our society  Why religious education has an important role to play in our society ... RE in schoolscontributes not only to the personal reflection and development ... with others in a respectful manner on the search for meaning and values. The importance of religious education: joint statement Feb 22, 2006 - This inclusive statement of the aims, purposes and nature of religious education inschools in England was agreed by all major faith ... The Significance of Religious Education in Local Primary Schools ... Aims and Objectives. What is Religious Education? The purpose of Religious Education. Attitudes inReligious Education. Chapter 2. Christianity as a ReligionPurpose of the Religious School | University Synagogue We at University Synagogue believe that the purpose of Religious School is: To instill a sense of pride in a child's Jewish heritage and an appreciation of the ... Teachers' perception of the purpose of classroom religious education ... However there has been little research about teacher beliefs concerning the purpose of the subject. This thesis reports research into teachers' beliefs about the purpose of classroom Religious Education in Catholic secondary schools in New Zealand.