Michael Jackson's mom sues production company AEG Live for son's death

Los Angeles, California -- Michael Jackson's mother filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing AEG Live of causing her son's death by pushing him to rehearse for his comeback concerts despite poor health.

Katherine Jackson's suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, claimed that the concert production company controlled Jackson's health because it hired and directed Dr. Conrad Murray.

Murray faces trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge for administering drugs to the pop star that the coroner ruled caused Jackson's death in June 25, 2009.

The suit claims that Murray was "selected by, hired by, and controlled by AEG," a worldwide concert promotion and production company.

Jackson signed a contract in January 2009 with AEG Live for a series of comeback concerts in London that would begin in July 2009.

"Indeed, AEG demanded and required that Michael Jackson be treated by this particular doctor to ensure that Michael Jackson would attend all rehearsals and shows on the tour," the suit said.

The lawsuit contends that the concert production company had a legal responsibility to "treat him safely and to not put him in harms' way."

"AEG, despite its knowledge of Michael Jackson's physical condition, breached those duties by putting its desire for massive profits from the tour over the health and safety of Michael Jackson," it said.

The company failed to provide Murray with cardio-pulmonary resuscitation equipment and a nurse as was promised in his employment contract, the suit said.

A spokesman from AEG told CNN-affiliate KTLA that he had not seen the lawsuit and had no comment about it.

The autopsy report on Jackson's death noted the lack of medical equipment in the Los Angeles home where Murray administered a powerful anesthetic to help Jackson sleep during several nights before his death.

The lawsuit outlines the last week of Jackson's life, which it said included a visited to his home by AEG CEO Randy Phillips on June 18, 2009. Phillips went there to meet with Jackson and Murray after the singer failed to show up for a rehearsal, it said.

"AEG threatened that if Jackson missed any further rehearsals, they were going to 'pull the plug' on the show," it said. "AEG told Murray that he had to make sure Jackson got to rehearsals."

"They said it was to be 'tough love' and that they had read Jackson the 'riot act,'" the suit said.

When Jackson finally showed up for the rehearsal at 9:30 p.m., "he was visibly shaken," it said. "Witnesses present at that rehearsal confirm that Michael Jackson was not himself that day."

Later that evening, Murray administered a "cocktail of Valium, Ativan, Versed and Propofol in order to get him to sleep," the lawsuit said.

"Jackson was freezing cold" at a rehearsal two days before his death, the suit said. "His assistants had to give him several shirts to wear under his long heavy coat."

Jackson's shivering and disorientation continued the last day before his death, it said.

"AEG was well aware of his condition but did not postpone any rehearsals, nor did AEG relent in its demands that Jackson continue to maintain the grueling rehearsal schedule," the suit said. "Rather than react reasonably and relax the rehearsal schedule so Michael Jackson could recuperate from his physical problems, AEG insisted that he attend every rehearsal in a grueling schedule, threatening that if he missed even one more, they would cancel the tour."

His mother's lawsuit described Jackson in his last months as "confused, easily frightened, unable to remember, obsessive, and disoriented."

"He had impaired memory, loss of appetite, dehydration, and absence of energy," it said. "He was cold and shivering during the summer rehearsals for this show."

The company "should have known that it was jeopardizing Jackson's health and safety by assuming control over the doctor-patient relationship between Jackson and Murray, and by directing and influencing Murray to act without regard to medical safety standards," it said.

Joe Jackson, the pop star's father, is not a direct party to the lawsuit. He filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Murray this summer.

Source : CNN

Pakistan leader a 'robber president,' al Qaeda's No.2 leader says

Al Qaeda's second-in-command lashed out at the government of Pakistan in a purported statement released Wednesday, saying it had turned on its people by cooperating with the United States and its allies.

The statement, attributed to Ayman al-Zawahiri, referred to Pakistan's leader, Asif Ali Zardari, as a "robber president."

The statement linked Zardari to the American war effort in Afghanistan, and to allegations of American desecrations of Qurans.

The people of Pakistan are sinning by being silent against the current administration, he wrote.

The statement also expressed the terrorist leader's condolences for victims of the recent flooding in Pakistan. More than 1,600 people have died, according to the country's disaster authority, and at least 17 million Pakistanis have been affected.

The statement declared that Zawahiri wished for al Qaeda to be there to help with aid efforts, "but the treasonous ruling class in the Pakistani government and army came -- and continues to come -- between us and this honor, as a service to the senior criminals in Washington, London and Tel Aviv."

Pakistani officials did not immediately comment on the statement.

The al Qaeda second-in-command also took aim at what he characterized as American manipulation of the transition from former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to Zardari, and claimed that the United States was trying to do the same with the candidacy of Mohamed ElBaradei in Egypt.

"There must be awareness of the flimsiness of the position which says that we might be able to achieve our liberty, honor and dignity by rallying around American influence and following its emissaries," he said. "All this flimsy call will bring us is a move from one vassalage to another vassalage and from one corruption to another corruption."

Source : CNN

Antisipasi Islamopobia, Negara Bagian Jerman Resmi Ajarkan Islam di Sekolah

Negara bagian Jerman Lower Saxony akan mulai memasukkan kurikulum inti sekolah-sekolah mereka termasuk mengajarkan Islam sebagai bagian dari sebuah inisiatif untuk melawan meningkatnya sentimen anti-Islam di Eropa.

Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Menteri Pendidikan di negara barat laut Lower Saxony, mengumumkan bahwa sekolah-sekolah di negara bagian itu akan mulai mengajarkan pendidikan Islam dalam kurikulum utama mereka, lapor surat kabar berbasis di London Asharq al-Awsat melaporkan Kamis hari ini (16/9).

"Saya pikir kami akan dapat memulai pelaksanaan pengajaran Islam pada tahun akademik berikutnya," kata Althusmann selama kunjungannya ke sebuah sekolah dasar di kota Hanover di mana ia menghadiri kelas pendidikan Islam.

Untuk saat ini, pendidikan Islam tidak melampaui model beberapa percobaan di 42 sekolah di Lower Saxony. Hampir 2.000 siswa Muslim di sekolah-sekolah saat ini mendapatkan pendidikan Islam di negara bagian Jerman tersebut.

Inisiatif pengajaran Islam ini dipicu oleh gelombang sentimen anti-Islam, terutama dengan pembentukan sebuah partai baru Jerman yang meniru sebuah partai konservatif Belanda yang dipimpin oleh tokoh kontroversial Geert Wilders dengan film Fitna nya yang telah membuat umat Muslim marah di seluruh dunia.

Partai baru, yang disebut Freedom, didirikan oleh anggota parlemen asal Berlin René Stadtkewitz yang diusir dari partainya Angela Merkel Uni Demokratik Kristen karena pandangannya terhadap Islam dan atas tindakannya yang telah mengundang Geert Wilders untuk memberikan pidato di Berlin.

Stadtkewitz (45 tahun), mengatakan bahwa Islam adalah alasan mengapa imigran gagal untuk mengintegrasikan diri ke dalam masyarakat Jerman karena penolakannya terhadap pandangan yang berbeda.

"Islam bukan hanya agama, tapi juga sistem politik. Islam tidak toleran terhadap orang-orang yang berpikir secara berbeda, " katanya dalam sebuah pernyataan.(fq/aby)

Source : eramuslim

Ayman Al-Zawahiri: Elbaradai Antek Amerika di Mesir

Hanya beberapa hari setelah peringatan kesembilan dari serangan 11 September, orang kedua di Al Qaidah, Ayman Al-Zawahiri telah merilis sebuah rekaman audio baru yang berisi serangan terhadap "Tentara Salib" AS di Afghanistan dan menyebut pemerintah Pakistan sebagai "agen" dari Barat.

Pesan orang kedua Al-Qaidah ini diterbitkan pada situs web kelompok jihadis yang sering digunakan untuk mendistribusikan kaset propaganda Al Qaidah, berikut sebuah foto Zawahiri dan transkrip tulisan berbahasa Inggris. Rilis pesan ini pada saat CIA meningkatkan serangan pesawat tak berawak di wilayah perbatasan Afghanistan dan Pakistan, di mana Zawahiri dan Usamah Bin Ladin diyakini bersembunyi.

Dalam pesan audio berdurasi 44-menit, Zawahiri menandai hampir satu dekade "perang salib" AS di Afghanistan dengan cacian tentang peristiwa terkini, termasuk tanggapannya terhadap pemerintah Pakistan dalam mengatasi banjir dahsyat dan pemilihan presiden Mesir mendatang.

Dalam menanggapi pemilu mendatang di Mesir dan rencana majunya mantan direktur eksekutif badan energi atom internasional, Muhammad ElBaradai dalam pencalonan sebagai presiden Mesir, Zawahiri dengan tegas menyebut Elbaradai sebagai antek utusan Amerika.

Zawahiri mengatakan bahwa Elbaradai sebagai tokoh sekuler, yang mecoba mengelola Mesir dengan backingAmerika.

"Apakah kita harus membayar antek Amerika ElBaradei untuk memerintah melalui pemilihan umum, seperti yang terjadi di Pakistan, atau mempertahankan pemimpin seperti Gamal Mubarak, sehingga keduanya berlomba-lomba memberikan layanan dan kesetiaan kepada kaisar dan Washington," kata Zawahiri.

Dalam pesannya Zawahiri menyebut Perang Salib telah hancur dan mengatakan Barat telah menyadari tidak bisa menang secara militer di Afghanistan.

Zawahiri juga merujuk kepada penodaan Al-Quran dan penghinaan terhadap Nabi Muhammad di barat. "Bukankah mereka juga telah menodai Al-Quran yang mulia di Guantanamo, Irak dan di tempat lain?" tanya Zawahiri dalam pesan audionya.

Ben Venzke dari Intel Center, sebuah organisasi swasta yang menganalisa video propaganda jihad, mengatakan kepada ABC News bahwa pernyataan dirilis pada pola distribusi yang biasanya digunakan oleh Al Qaidah dan tampaknya otentik.(fq/abc/islamtoday)

Source : eramuslim