This is a holy time of year for Christians. They will flock to churches around the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus. But Christianity is not the only world religion that embraces Jesus as a holy symbol. The figure of Jesus plays a central role in Islam. Rochester, Minn. — It's shortly after Friday prayer at the Rochester mosque. A small group of men and boys kneel in a semi-circle on a red-patterned carpet. They've gathered to discuss the role of Jesus in Islam.

Promoting the image of Israel as a beleaguered David against an Arab Goliath, where bombs go off every day and our enemies at the doorstep is not only a distortion of reality but also harmful to Israel. Billions of dollars of foreign investment do not come, tourists remain at home, and philanthropic dollars go to waste.

In 1948 the illegitimate state of Israel was established. The Zionist state, that continues to seek to be for "Jews" and "Jews" only, is seen by many the world over to be a clearly racist and apartheid state. In large part, a reason why Israel was able to be established is because of the 1948 mass Palestinian refugee exodus.

A massive debate is raging within the Muslim community right now about the Holocaust. Heavy weights on both sides are fighting this over. In short there are two arguments being put forward. The first is by those that are boycotting the event. The boycott argument falls under two categories; the first argument is championed by the MCB, it takes the form of demanding remembrance of all people around the world who have died under a general “Genocide Day”. They argue that remembering one group of people over and above another is wrong.

Tony Blair has backed Abu Mazen's call for fresh elections in Palestine. However, serious questions need to be asked closer to home. It is pretty clear that peerages were sold for tens of millions of pounds worth of donations to the Labour Party. This money went towards them winning the General Election last year. This breaking of the law destroys the legitimacy of the result. We need fresh elections here.

What does the world community think it can achieve from all of this? A resolution of the conflict, as Blair so naively believes? A resumption of negotiations with a Palestinian party on Israeli terms as Olmert so arrogantly expects? An end to all Palestinian struggles for justice as the neocon-led US administration so ignorantly hopes? Or an end to rivalry by an Islamic resistance movement that is loyal to the Palestinian dream as Abbas and his minders wish?

In a letter addressed to Jewish citizens of America, former President Jimmy Carter explains the media's "pro-Israel bias" partly on a powerful lobbying organization which faces no "significant countervailing voices," but primarily puts the blame on "Christians like me." Carter's recently published book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid, has caused a "stir," which was "partly intentional," the former president told Newsweek.

The pen as we know it was developed significantly only in the nineteenth century. In 1809, in England, Folsch took out a patent for a pen with an ink reservoir and another was taken out by Scheffer in 1891. Also in 1891 J. H. Lewis produced a quill pen with a reservoir and was actually called a "fountain pen". The introduction of durable, non-corroding rubber in 1844 enabled a significant step to be made towards a practical pen which was consequently produced in the same year by L. E. Waterman of New York City.

Imagine if this was Tony Blair? If he had in his heart the fear of Allah (God) and the love of his fellow country men, why isn't he roaming the streets to help the less fortunate ones? If Tony Blair was doing his rounds in Ipswich, those women might now be alive, getting help to free themselves from drugs and prostitution. May Allah (SWT) bless our country with a leader who has the heart for his people and not for his personal gain.