Sheikh Ibraheem El Zakzaky was borned on 5th May 1953 (15th Sha’ban 1372 AH) in Zaria City. His early education was at the traditional Quranic and Islamic schools from tender age to the age of sixteen in the historic city and traditional center of learning. He did not attend formal primary school. His first contact with formal education was in 1969 at the Provincial Arabic School, Zaria – a school where the then Zaria NA was locally training Arabic teachers for its primary schools.

From 1971 – 1975 he attended the famous School for Arabic Studies (SAS), Kano. Founded in 1934 as Northern Nigeria Law School it has been described as “the mother of Bayero University”. Almost one hundred per cent of Northern Grand Khadis are products of the school. Being interested in some subjects not taught at the school, El Zakzaky combined his Grade II Teachers Certificate course with private GCE studies in subjects like Government and Economics. In 1975 after finishing school exams he sat for Advanced Level GCE in Government, Economics, Hausa and Islamic Studies. Successful results in these exams qualified him for a direct entry into the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria for a B. Sc. (Economics) degree course from 1976 to 1979. He was active member of the Muslim Student Society (MSS) at both campus and national levels. In 1978, then Secretary – General of the MSS (ABU), was believed to be the main brain behind the nation-wide demonstrations in support of the inclusion of Shari’ah in the Nigerian constitution. He was elected Vice-President (International Affairs) of the MSS (National Body) in 1979.

Interestingly, he continued to learn from deferent ulama in the traditional system of learning in both Kano and Zaria. His teachers include Malam Sani Abdulkadir, Malam Isa of Madaka, Malam Sani Na’ibi and Malam Ibrahim of Kakaki all in Zaria. In Kano he learnt from Shawish Abdallah of Sagagi and Malam Nuhu the Imam of Yola. His main occupation from student days to date is an Islamic scholar and activist – engaged mainly in learning, research and teaching Islamic studies. His speeches have been written into many booklets mainly in Hausa Language. In the words of Dr Iqbal Siddiqui he is “the de facto leader of the Islamic movement in Nigeria”. The goal of the Islamic movement is to enlighten the Muslims as to their duties as individuals and as a community. The movement owns more than three hundred primary/secondary schools located in different places mainly in the northern part of the country. They are known by the name of Fudiyyah Schools. This is in addition to many Islamic centers and other institutions. The movement also owns the Nigeria’s most widely circulated newspaper, Al Mizan, in the Hausa language.

The Sheikh was jailed several times for his ideas by all the successive Nigerian regimes from Obasanjo in khaki to the last Abacha/Abubakar regime. Charges against him were always sedition or inciting disaffection to Government. In Abacha time it was for declaring, “there is no government except that of Islam”. His total prison experience is nine years in nine different prisons across the country – the most famous being Enugu (1981-1984), the notorious Interrogation Center of NSO, Lagos (1984-1985), Kiri-Kiri Maximum Security (1985), Port Harcout (1987-1989 and 1996-1997) and Kaduna (1987 and 1997-1998).

He traveled widely across the world. Countries visited include UK, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Lebanon, Sudan, South Africa, US and Russia. All the travels have been for Islamic reasons – mostly attending conferences and seminars. He is married to one wife with nine children.

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Ezzedeen Al Qassam Information Office published today morning several pictures for the leader Mahmoud Al Mabhouh, he was assassinated last week in Dubai. Hamas movement blamed the Zionist entity for his killing.

Zionist entity exiled himin 1989 during the first Intifada, the Zionimst entity accused of practice resistance actions against the Zionmist occupation forces.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Tuesday blamed the capitalist systems and US policies as the main causes of air pollution in the world.

Speaking at a seminar marking the Clean Air Day in Tehran, President Ahmadinejad said the US causes one-fourth of the world’s industrial emissions and must revise its policies to protect the environment.

He also criticized capitalism for damaging the environment in order to increase production levels.

Ahmadinejad said damaging the environment will ruin man’s future and that his government had taken positive steps toward creating a pollution-free environment.

Said Siyam is the most senior leader of the Hamas resistance movement to have been martyred since the beginning of the “Israeli” offensive on the Gaza Strip.

Siyam, his son, brother Iyad and his brother’s family, had died when an “Israeli” missile struck his brother’s home in Gaza City on 15 January.

The “Israeli” military say he was killed in a joint operation carried out by the “Israeli” Southern Command and the Shin Bet internal security agency.

The 52-year-old was interior minister in the Hamas government and oversaw thousands of members of the Executive Force, a paramilitary organization. He has six children- two boys and four girls.

He is also said to have been one of three members of the “collective leadership” of Hamas in Gaza since 2004, which was formed after Sheikh Ahmad Yassin and Abdel-Aziz Rantissi were killed by “Israel”.

Siyam was born in the Shati refugee camp near Gaza City in 1959 after his parents fled their home in the village of al-Jura, near Asqalan-now known as the “Israeli” settlement of Ashkelon-during the 1948 Arab-”Israeli” war.

After completing his secondary education in Gaza City, Siyam gained a diploma in sciences and maths, followed by a bachelor’s degree in Islamic education from the Al-Quds Open University.
He then became a teacher at local UN-run schools, a profession in which he remained until 2003.

It is not known when Siyam joined Hamas, which was formed by Palestinian Muslim Brotherhood leaders following the outbreak of the first mass uprising – or Intifada – against the “Israeli” occupation in 1987.
However, Palestinian reports say he was arrested at least four times by “Israel” between 1989 and 1992 for participating in Hamas activities.

And later in 1992, “Israel” deported him along with senior Hamas leaders Abdel-Aziz Rantissi, Mahmoud Zahhar and Ismail Haniya, and more than 400 other officials, to South Lebanon.
Siyam was again detained for a few months in 1995, not long after his return to Gaza, however this time by the Palestinian Authority, which was dominated by Hamas’ main rival, Fatah.

In subsequent years, Siyam rose through Hamas’ ranks, preaching at a local mosque, and reportedly becoming close to the movement’s spiritual leader, Sheikh Yassin, who was released from an “Israeli” prison in 1997, and its exiled political leader, Khaled Meshaal.

After ending his teaching career in 2003, he became a member of the movement’s Political Bureau and head of its foreign affairs department, leading negotiations with Egyptian and Iranian officials, with whom he enjoyed warm relations.
In March 2004, Sheikh Yassin and his successor, Abdel-Aziz Rantissi, were assassinated within days of each other. Wary of further attacks, Hamas kept the appointment of Rantissi’s successor secret.

But Palestinian sources said Siyam had been appointed to the movement’s “collective leadership” with Mahmoud Zahhar and Ismail Hanieh.
Two years later, he won election to the Palestinian Legislative Council, collecting the most votes for any single candidate.

Hamas won a total of 76 seats out of 132 in the parliamentary poll, challenging Fatah’s long-held dominance, and was asked to form a new government.
Siyam was appointed interior minister, a post which put him in control of three of the Palestinian Authority’s five security services.

Analysts say Siyam’s death, though a blow to its security apparatus, is unlikely to end the resistance movement’s defiance in the face of the “Israeli” aggression.
“Some of our leaders will fall, some of our people will fall, but the flag of resistance won’t fall,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said after Siyam’s martyrdom.

Iran has successfully tested an optimized version of the solid-fuel Sejjil-2 deterrent missile as part of its long-term plans to defend the country’s borders.

The high-speed surface-to-surface, which was launched on Wednesday morning, has been designed and built by the Iranian Ministry of Defense.

Back in May, Iran tested the initial version of the two-stage Sejjil-2 missile. The Sejil-2 has a longer range than the Shahab-3 missile.

The deterrent system was built as part of an effort to design a more accurate and swift missile than previous Iranian-made models.

This new version of the Sejjil-2 is faster during the powered flight portion of its trajectory and also during the re-entry phase.

It is also harder to detect for anti-missile systems, as it is covered with anti-radar material.

The new highly maneuverable missile is also more efficient as it requires less amount of time for prelaunch preparations. This quality reduces the possibility of it being targeted prior to take off.

According to comments made by Iran’s defense minister, Brigadier Ahmad Vahidi, the missile-launch is part of Iran’s efforts to boost deterrence capabilities.

“The launch of an optimized version of Sejjil is part of Iran’s defense doctrine and its standard missile activities,” Vahidi said in a speech before the test began.

“Iran’s missile capabilities are strictly defensive and at the service of regional peace and stability. They will never be against any country,” he stressed.

In a phone interview with Press TV, journalist and political commentator Kiyan Nader Mokhtari elaborated more about the features of the new missile.

“The engine and various fuels have been tested and the platform is now highly reliable. The latest tests to be carried out are mainly to do with the variety of warheads that it has to carry,” he said.

“Some of the warheads obviously have been designed to be able to evade anti-ballistic missile defenses of the enemy in actual battle conditions,” he added.

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One year after Israel’s grinding war on Gaza, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution says should Israel start a new armed conflict against Gazans, it would suffer a much heavier blow.

Speaking during a meeting with visiting Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal, Imam Ali Khamenei pledged Iran’s unwavering support for Palestinians.

“One of the main reasons behind the enmity of the global hegemony toward the Islamic Republic is the Palestinian issue,” said the Leader on Tuesday.

“If Iran had backtracked about the Palestinian issue, much of such hostilities would have ceased to exist; however, regarding this matter we stand fast,” Ayatollah Khamenei added.

The Leader blasted Arab states for failing to support the Palestinian cause, saying, “certain Arabs under the guise of Muslims who betray the people of Palestine” are a major concern regarding this matter.

Imam Ali Khamenei went on to say that the only solution to the Palestinian crisis is “resistance, having trust in God and taking action.”

Calling to mind the plight of the people of Gaza during a deadly Israeli assault in 2008, the Leader warned Israel against waging another war in the region.

“If the Israeli regime launches another war against the people of Gaza, they will receive a much heavier blow and suffer a more crushing defeat than before,” Imam Ali Khamenei said.

Israel’s three-week offensive against Gaza in 2008 — seeking to topple the democratically-elected government of Hamas in the Palestinian territory — left nearly 1,300 Palestinians dead, more than half of them civilians, according to medical sources.

The Israeli assault led to the destruction of schools, mosques, houses, UN compounds and government buildings, which Israel has a responsibility to protect under the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Israeli extremists have attacked a mosque in the occupied West Bank, vandalizing the property and desecrating the holy book of Islam, the Qur’an.

Suspected hardline Israeli settlers stormed the holy site in the northern West Bank village of Yasuf at night, set fire to the mosque’s library and sprayed hate messages on the building.

Israeli security authorities said they had failed to arrest the attackers, adding that a probe had been launched into the incident.

Following the overnight attack, Palestinians in the locality rallied in protest at the attack and clashed with Israeli forces, who fired tear gas to disperse the angry protesters.

The incident is the latest in a series of anti-Muslim violence, which has also seen the eviction of Palestinians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

In October, Israeli vandals attacked the Al-Aqsa Mosque — the Muslim world’s third-holiest site — in Jerusalem Al-Quds, which caused public outrage in the Muslim world and prompted condemnations from the international community.

The recent temporary freeze in construction of illegal settlements by Tel Aviv is believed to have stepped up the acts of violence by Israeli settlers.

The Israeli army had earlier voiced concerns that settlers may attempt to display their opposition to the 10-month settlement freeze by targeting the Palestinian population in the West Bank.

Palestinian officials in the region have expressed dismay over repeated settler attacks, saying Israeli security forces have done little to protect Palestinian civilians from the assailants.