In Pictures: Massacre of Gazan Children

December 30, 2008 PNN -Israeli forces killed two girls in an air attack on Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip early Tuesday. Local sources report that a missile destroyed a house belonging to Talal Hamdan in Beit Hanoun today, killing his two daughters of 12 and 4 years old. A son is reported seriously injured. Yesterday Israeli forces killed four sisters and a four year old boy. Over 40 children have been killed since Saturday. The bodies of two girls, aged four and 11, who were killed in an Israeli air strike in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip Strip December 30, 2008. Palestinians carry the body of 4-year-old Lama Hamdan during her funeral in the town of Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip December 30, 2008. Palestinians bury the body of 4-year-old Lama Hamdan at Beit Hanoun cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip December 30, 2008. Palestinians mourn beside the bodies of three children in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip December 29, 2008. Three Palestinian children from the Balosha family, of five who were all killed in the same Israeli missile strike, are seen in the morgue before their burial at Kamal Edwan hopsital in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008 Palestinian children from the Balosha family, who were all killed in the same Israeli missile strike, are seen in the morgue before their burial at Kamal Edwan hopsital in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. Palestinian women mourn over the bodies of three Palestinian children from the Balosha family, of five who were all killed in the same Israeli missile strike, in the morgue before their burial at Kamal Edwan hopsital in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. A Palestinian man buries the body of 4-year-old Dena Balosha at Beit Lahiya cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip December 29, 2008. A Palestinian man carries the body of his 4-year-old daughter Dena Balosha during the funeral for her and her four sisters in Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip December 29, 2008. A Palestinian mourner shouts as he lifts the body of a child from the Balosha family, of which three children and two teenagers, were killed in an Israeli missile strike, during their funeral in the Jebaliya refugee camp, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. A Palestinian man buries the body of 5-year-old Sodqi al-Absi in Rafah cemetery in the southern Gaza Strip December 29, 2008. A Palestinian mourner carries the body of 4-year-old Dena Balosha, foreground, one of five members of the same family including three children and two teenagers who were killed in an Israeli missile strike, during their funeral in the Jebaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008 The father of Palestinian Dena Balosha, 4, left, one of five members of the same family including three children and two teenagers who were killed in an Israeli missile strike, carries her body during their funeral in the Jebaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. bedroom of 5 killed girls Samera Baalusha (34) carries her surving child Mohamad (15 months) while she waits to see the body of her daughter Jawaher Baalusha (aged 4) during the funeral held for her and four of her sisters who were killed in an Israeli missile strike, on December 29, 2008 in the Jebaliya refugee camp, in the northern Gaza Strip Palestinian mourners bury 8 children killed in Israeli air strikes  Dec 29 – Palestinian mourners on Monday (December 29) buried 8 children who were killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza Strip. In the northern Gaza town of Jabalya, hundreds took to the streets to attend a funeral procession for five girls of the same family who were killed in one Israeli strike. In this image taken from APTN video, Palestinian men carry two injured children into hospital after Israeli aircraft struck Hamas security compounds across Gaza in Gaza City on Saturday Dec. 27, 2008. A wounded Palestinian boy is carried by his father following an Israel air strike in Gaza December 28, 2008. A Palestinian boy is carried to al-Shifa hospital following an Israel air strike in Gaza December 28, 2008 A Palestinian security force officer carries a wounded girl into the emergency room at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008. A Palestinian girl wounded in an Israeli missile strike is carried into the emergency area at Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 27, 2008. A Palestinian man carries his wounded child to the treatment room of Kamal Edwan hospital following an Israeli missile strike in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Dec. 29, 2008. A wounded Palestinian boy is carried by his father at a hospital in Gaza City following an Israeli air strike Children Wounded – Image by Watan News Agency Shifa hospital ICU: a six year old down’s syndrom with brain trauma Children From Gaza – December 27, 2008 Children of Gaza – song on guitar   Live recording of Doc Jazz playing a (new!) song emanating from the grief not only over the war crimes committed by the thugs of the state of Israel against defenseless Palestinian children – but over the criminal silence with which this Holocaust is condoned … Break the Silence! Visit http://www.soundclick.com/docjazz for more songs by the Palestinian writer of songs of liberation.

Mr Zardari, Do these look like Terrorists?

KARACHI – Hundreds of school children have turned out to protest the decision by United Nations to ban a charity accused by India over the Mumbai attacks.
Outside the Karachi Press Club, students of Jama’at-ud-Dawa run schools in the city of Karachi complained that Jama’at-ud-Dawa was not a terrorist organisation and should not be banned.
“Thousands of children all over the country have been affected by this unjust ban”, said one of the teachers. “This is a total farce, we are not terrorists.”
The children carried placards and posters demanding the government overturn the ban.
“We just want to go back to school. We’re very scared. Education is our right – don’t take it away from us. Don’t destroy our future”, read some of the placards.
A majority of the approximately 25,000 children studying in Jama’at-ud-Dawa’s schools come from extremely poor families or are orphans, and would’nt otherwise have been able to get an education. Jama’at-ud-Dawa provides free education to these children.
The schools are of a much higher standard than those run by the Pakistan government, and subjects include English and modern Sciences. Most of Jama’at-ud-Dawa’s schools have fully furnished science and computer labs and facilities comparable to any good school in Pakistan. The basic curriculum taught is the same as schools all over Pakistan.
Since the ban has come into effect, teachers and students of the school have complained of harassment from the police, leading to a lot of parents not sending their children to school out of fear. A number of schools have been sealed shut, while others have no option but to remain closed as parents are hesitant in sending their children to school, and perhaps justifiably.
Education is the transmission of civilization. Its a real shame that the Pakistani government has taken these measures against Jama’at-ud-Dawa when there’s never been any proof of their involvement in any illegal activity in and outside Pakistan. Ultimately, its the children that will suffer as in the case of most of them, their families cannot afford to educate them. Jama’at-ud-Dawa had been doing it for free.
Official Statement:
کراچی( ) اقوام متحدہ کی جانب سے جماعة الدعوة پر پابندی سے متاثر ہونے والے الدعوة اسکولز کے سینکڑوں طلباءو طالبات نے بلاجواز پابندی کے اقدام کے خلاف کراچی پریس کلب کے سامنے احتجاجی مظاہرہ کیا۔ اس احتجاجی مظاہرے میں کراچی کے 14الدعوة اسکولز کے طلباءو طالبات اور اساتذہ نے شرکت کی ۔ مظاہرے کا اہتمام متاثرہ اسکولوں کے اسٹاف اور بچوں نے کیا تھا۔ مظاہرے کے دوران ننھے بچے پابندی کے خلاف پرجوش انداز میںنعرے بازی کرتے رہے ۔ بچوں نے ہاتھ میں بینرز اور پلے کارڈ اٹھا رکھے تھے جن پر اردو اور انگریزی زبان میں نعرے اور مختلف مطالبات درج تھے۔ مظاہرے کے دوران بچوں کے ہاتھوں میں اٹھائے ہوئے بینرز اور پلے کارڈز پر “UNOکیا ہمیں تعلیم دینا جماعة الدعوة کا جرم ہے؟ ، تعلیم ہمارا حق ہے یہ ہم سے نہ چھینو، دہشت گرد ہم نہیں دہشت گرد امریکہ ہے، پابندی کی آڑ میں ہمارے مستقبل کو تباہ نہ کرو، ہمارا اسکول بند ہوگیا ہم کہاں جائیں جیسے نعرے درج تھے۔ جماعة الدعوة پر پابندیوں کی وجہ سے ملک بہر میں الدعوة اسکولز میں زیر تعلیم 24ہزار طلباءمتاثر ہوئے ہیں۔ کراچی میں متاثر ہونے والے 14اسکولز کے ساڑھے 23سو کے قریب طلباءو طالبات ہیں۔ اساتذہ اور طلباءنے میڈیا سے گفتگو کرتے ہوئے کہا کہ پولیس اور سرکاری محکموں کے اہلکار اسکولوں میں آ کر بچوں اور اساتذہ کو حراساں کرتے ہیں۔ بار بار پولیس کے آنے سے بچے اور ان کے والدین خوف کا شکار ہیں۔ اور اس تفتیشی عمل کی وجہ سے بچوں کی پڑھائی میں خلل آرہا ہے۔ والدین بچوں کو اسکول میں بھیجنے سے گریز کر رہے ہیں۔ الدعوة اسکول ملیر کے استاد نے میڈیا سے گفتگو کے دوران کہا کہ پولیس نے اسکول کو سیل کر دیا ہے اور دوران پڑھائی آ کر پرنسپل اور دیگر عملے کو حراساں کیا ہے۔ جسکی وجہ سے پڑھائی کا عمل شدت سے متاثر ہوا ہے۔مظاہرین نے مظالبہ کیا کہ جماعة الدعوة پرامن اور محب وطن رفاہی تنظیم ہے۔ امریکہ و بھارت عالمی دہشت گرد اس پر بلاجواز پابندی لگا کر پوری دنیا کی آنکھوں میں دھول جھونک رہے ہیں۔کیونکہ جماعة الدعوة نے آج تک کوئی ایسے اقدم نہیں کیے جو ملکی سالمیت یا مفاد عامہ کے منافی ہوں۔ معصوم بچوں اور ان کے معلمین کو دہشت گرد قرار دینا سراسر نا انصافی پر مبنی ہے۔ ایسی تمام بے بنیاد اور ناجائز پابندیوں کو ختم کر کے حکومت جماعة الدعوة کی تمام رفاہی اور تعلیمی سرگرمیاں بحال کرے۔
Jama’at-ud-Dawa operates 14 schools in Karachi, 20 overall in Sindh, and over 150 in total nationwide. Apart from secondary and high schools for boys and girls, Jama’at-ud-Dawa also runs a science college in Shehdadpur, Sindh, and plans to open many more.