Released Indian prisoner Surjeet Singh on Friday claimed that Sarabjeet Singh, another Indian prisoner on death row, has ‘converted to Islam’ and was now known as Sarfaraz in the prison, according to The Indian Express.

Surjeet claimed another Indian prisoner on death row in Pakistan, Kirpal Singh, had also ‘converted to Islam’ and had a new name ‘Mohammed Din’.

Speaking to journalists at the information centre of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple, Surjeet said that “Sarabjeet Singh and Kirpal Singh have converted to Islam. They probably did so in the hope of getting mercy. But no mercy was granted to them. Pakistani authorities do not grant mercy to even their own nationals.”

When contacted, Sarabjeet’s sister Dalbir Kaur denied that he had converted to Islam.

“This is not true at all. Sarabjeet was a Gursikh, is a Gursikh and will remain a Gursikh. He has kept photos of Sikh gurus in and a Sikh religious book in his cell. He regularly recites from that book,” she added.

Dalbir stated that during her visit to Kot Lakhpat to meet her brother, she heard people calling Kirpal by a Muslim name. “But this is not the case with Sarabjeet. Had he converted, he would have some Muslim name,” she said. “When I went to meet him in Pakistan, he was either addressed as Sarabjeet or Manjeet.”

When informed that Surjeet claimed that Sarabjeet had changed his name to Sarfaraz after ‘converting to Islam’, Dalbir insisted: “No way, Sarabjeet remains Sarabjeet and a Sikh and has not changed his name or converted to Islam.” Dalbir also took exception to Surjeet’s statement that Sarabjeet was hale and hearty in jail.

Meanwhile, Surjeet claimed that if things fell in place, he would ensure that Sarabjeet would be home in India in three months.

“I am very good friends with seven to eight lawmakers of Pakistan. Even Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is my friend. I have had breakfast with Zardari. And I will ensure Sarabjeet’s release,” Surjeet boldly stated.

SOURCE:THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt’s newly elected president has read the oath of office in Tahrir Square and defied the country’s military rulers by saying, “I fear no one but God.”

Mohammed Morsi addressed tens of thousands of mostly Islamist supporters Saturday in a strongly worded speech.

He spoke on the eve of his official swearing-in ceremony that was scheduled in front of a high court. But many protesters called on him to take the oath in the square to defy the ruling generals who took power after Hosni Mubarak’s ouster.

Morsi vowed that the power of people is above all and that no one can take away the president’s authorities

The ruling generals said they will transfer power to an elected president by July 1. But days before Morsi was declared winner, they gave themselves sweeping powers that undercut the authority of the president. The generals’ constitutional declaration also designated them the country’s legislature, following a court decision that dissolved the country’s first freely elected parliament that was dominated by Islamists.

Protesters took to the streets, demanding that the generals rescind the declaration and reinstate the parliament.

Morsi’s first test in his power struggle with the generals will be the venue of his oath-taking ceremony.

He will be sworn in before a high court Saturday. Traditionally, presidents are to be sworn in before parliament. For many of the protesters, Morsi’s swearing-in before the court, as dictated by the generals’ constitutional declaration, was a concession to the military.

“We demand from the president of the republic that he calls off the constitutional declaration, reinstate the parliament as it was, and to stand here among us to be sworn in and swear he has all his powers,” said a preacher in the square who addressed the crowd before Morsi arrived.

“From now on, we make our demands to the president of the republic, not the military council. The military council no longer rules Egypt.”

Ali said Morsi’s agreement to take oath before the court does not mean the battle to regain his powers is over.

“This is an affirmation that (Morsi) respects the law and constitution,” he said. “It doesn’t mean approval of the declaration.”

Speaking to newspapers editors Thursday, Morsi said there are still discussions on how to on how to implement the law dissolving the parliament. The court decision declared a third of the elected seats unconstitutional and Brotherhood lawyers argue it is still possible to only dissolve that third. Morsi urged patience.

Morsi, the first elected Islamist leader of an Arab country, is also trying to reach out to many of the liberal and secular forces that were behind the uprising. They, along with Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority, fear Morsi would work to establish a religious state. Most of those powers have stayed out of the protest in Tahrir.

However, the prominent April 6 movement took part in the square protest.

“We should be patient with one another, two, three or four years, and try to live together in this atmosphere of freedom and democracy after the revolution,” he told the editors, according to comments published in the state-run Al-Ahram daily. “This is definitely a better atmosphere than before. But there are big challenges.”

Before heading to Tahrir, Morsi prayed in Al-Azhar mosque. Al-Azhar is the Sunni world’s most prestigious learning institution, and represents moderate Islam. Morsi’s visit there is an acknowledgement of respect to the institution.

Protesters in the square chanted, “The military council should leave tonight,” and, “The president takes the oath in the square.”

SOURCE:shreveporttimes.com

Marwa Atik needs five pieces of trim, the kind embellished with pearls and black jewels. At a store in downtown L.A.’s Fashion District, boxes of trimmings line the walls from floor to ceiling, but Atik scans quickly and zeroes in on what she wants. At her direction, a clerk climbs a tall, wooden ladder and pulls down one of the cardboard boxes. He counts out five pieces and, after 30 seconds of bargaining, Atik makes her purchase.

For the next five days, the designer will create elaborate hijabs, which are headscarves for Muslim women, to display at an upcoming Irvine fashion show. Atik’s company, Vela, specializes in unique designs of an item known more often for its conservative connotations than its stylistic value.

But for Atik, a 21-year-old student at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, who has worn the hijab since the eighth grade, conservative dress provides an opportunity for style. For her first scarf, in 2009, she used a brass-colored zipper as trim for charcoal gray fabric, giving a softly draped piece an urban touch.

Shopping, she admits, can be a challenge for Muslim-American women because the fabric of hijabs often cover the designs of blouses. So Atik creates headscarves that can be the focal point of an outfit: say, pastel ruffles and pleats that hang down the front of scarves.

This year, at the Irvine show, she debuts a white scarf with a white-to-black gradient fringe – think Tina Turner singing “Proud Mary,” but styled into the front panel of a headscarf. The jeweled pieces she picks up downtown are hand-sewn into the fronts of a few limited-edition formal-wear scarves.

Leaving the trimming store, she walks a block, past the rolls of polyester and cotton fabrics – often in dizzying patterns or, inexplicably, covered in feathers – greeting proprietors. She’s come to know them well since starting her company. At the next store, Atik walks purposefully to the back, where rolls of fabric are stacked one atop another. She’s looking for a particular shade of red silk chiff on.

“I’m really mad,” she jests with the clerk. “Why don’t you have really good reds?”

But a coral-colored roll has caught her eye, and she begins to envision a different scarf. When she has an idea, Atik explains, she just has to run with it right away. As she leaves the store, the clerk jokes about her black jumpsuit. “It’s a safari suit,” she retorts, putting on her oversized sunglasses to go back outdoors.Four days later, on June 3, Atik is one of seven designers whose conservative clothing is on display on the UC Irvine campus.

Hosted by the nonprofit Fashion Fighting Famine, the fashion show raises money for Charitable causes, including One Laptop Per Child and Syria Relief & Development.

More than 800 women watch the runway for ruffled maxi dresses and harem pants; head-to-toe abayas, with ruching or silver studs on the shoulders; and bright caftans, including Marena y Sol’s jeweled creations, famously worn by Kim Kardashian on a trip to Dubai last fall. After the show, the women cram the lobby to connect with designers and buy the pieces they like best.

It’s the biggest show Fashion Fighting Famine has hosted since its 2007 beginning, organizers say. Designers and guests traveled from as far as Cairo and Singapore to attend, paying up to $75 a seat.

While the show has always been limited to women – the volunteer models and customers are, after all, interested in modesty, and might not feel comfortable being watched by or shopping with men – organizers are beginning to open up beyond their Muslim audience. This is the first year they have invited the media to cover the event, and co-director Nida Chowdhry says they haven’t ruled out expanding to events That include men. The organization also is tasked, in part, with providing a platform for female entrepreneurs to show their products to the world.

And while modesty is the one thing every piece has in common, Muslim-American fashion is diverse. Some women wear hijabs; some do not. And those who do cover their heads wear their scarves in many different ways, from Vela’s side knot to the leopard-print, mohawk-shaped hijab of one of the guests.

Muslim women often buy stylish clothes but have to layer underneath in order to provide more coverage, Atik says. Here they can purchase right off the shelf items that fit their beliefs. A woman in a plain black abaya and niqab, a face veil, shops for colorful scarves and skirts amid young girls chattering excitedly about their choices.

Amani Alkowni, 21, came to the event with her friends from San Diego. She bought a turquoise, pleated Vela scarf two years ago; people still ask her where she got it, she says.

At the show, Singapore-based designer Nancy Hoque debuts the “flag line” for her headscarf company, SixteenR. The display, which is swarmed by shoppers before and after the models take the runway, features American and British flags, as well as a scarf of the French flag with an imprint of the Eiffel Tower. France in 2004 banned girls from wearing headscarves in schools.

For Marwa Atik, the show is a chance not only to meet new customers but also to debut her first dress. She wears the longsleeved gown herself, modeling the flowing gray-and-beige silk charmeuse skirt worn open to the front over a black skirt. She pairs the dress with a hijab, accented with rich brown belt buckles over the coral fabric she found downtown earlier that week.