Passion Islam I March 2009 ORLD NEWSW I 13
CIA destroyed
92 videotapes
of terror
Madinah to host
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) The CIA is putting together a list of
destroyed 92 videotape recordings of the destroyed records, any secondary
International
the interrogation of terrorist suspects, accounts that describe the destroyed
it was revealed. contents, and the identities of those
Quran & IT Seminar
The revelation indicates the who may have viewed or possessed
destruction of such recordings was the recordings before they were
Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Islamic
much more extensive than previously destroyed, the letter, written to a judge
Affairs, Endowments, Call and
known. in the case, said.
Guidance will hold a seminar on “Holy
The information became public The names of CIA personnel who
Quran and Information Technology”
knowledge through a letter filed by viewed the tapes may be classified,
in the holy city of Madinah in
U.S. government lawyers in New according to lawyers connected to the
October. Custodian of the Two Holy
York, where the American Civil criminal investigation.
Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul
Liberties Union has sued to force the “The CIA intends to produce all of the
Aziz has granted approval to hold
release of more details of U.S. terror information requested to the court
the seminar on “the Holy Quran and
interrogation programs. and to produce as much information
the Contemporary Technologies”
The letter, written by Acting U.S. as possible on the public record to the
(Information Technology). King Fahd
Attorney Lev Dassin, said, “The plaintiffs,” said Dassin in his letter.
Holy Quran Printing Complex will
CIA can now identify the number of The probe of CIA videotapes
host the three-day event, which will
videotapes that were destroyed. Ninety included interrogations of top al-Qaida
begin on October 13, according to
two videotapes were destroyed”. lieutenant Abu Zubaydah and another
Dr. Mohammed Salim Al Aufi, the
Such tapes were the topic of back- high-level leader of the organization.
Secretary General of the Complex,
and-forth during the trial of Zacarias Government officials have said those
said in a statement to the Saudi
Moussaoui, who was charged with tapes were destroyed to protect
Press Agency.
conspiracy in the Sept. 11, 2001, the identities of the government
Dr. Mohammed Salim Al Aufi
terror attacks in the United States. interrogators as the U.S. Justice
noted that the seminar’s preparatory
Prosecutors first said no such Department was doing an internal
committee, the scientific committee
recordings existed, then later said review of whether some methods used
and the consultative committee have
two videotapes and one audiotape of during the interrogations -- including
already been constituted.
interrogation of terror suspects had waterboarding, which simulates
“The seminar aims at utilization of
been made. drowning -- were illegal.
all the means of the information
technology in learning the Holy
Quran.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia move
Prominent international figures,
including leading scholars, who are
up telecommunication rankings
well versed in Quranic topics, as
The new International from Europe, Asia and North
well as IT experts and scientists from
Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) America.
within the Kingdom and abroad will
new ICT Development Index (IDI) Western and Northern Europe and
take part in the event,” he said. The
says some developing countries have North America are the regions with the
organizers of the conference have
moved up considerably in the Index highest IDI scores, and most countries
already launched a website (www.
over the five-year period, including from these regions are among the top
Quranlt.org) to provide further details
Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, China and twenty ICT economies.
of the event.
Viet Nam. Poor countries, in particular the
Earlier, the King Fahd Complex
This is partly due to high mobile least developed countries, remain at
organized international seminars
cellular growth, coupled with an the lower end of the index with limited
on the topics such as the attention
increase in Internet users. access to ICT infrastructure, including
given by Saudi Arabia to the Holy
The report says that Sweden tops fixed and mobile telephony, Internet
Quran, translation of the meanings
the new ITU ICT Development Index, and broadband.
of the Holy Quran, the Holy Quran
followed by the Republic of Korea, This is partly due to high mobile
in the oriental studies, and the
Denmark, the Netherlands, Iceland cellular growth, coupled with an
attention given by the Kingdom to
and Norway.They are followed by increase in Internet users.
the Prophet’s Biography.
other, mainly high-income countries www.passionislam.com
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