SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – With the Islamist president by his side, Egypt’s army chief warned against slandering the military, denying in remarks broadcast Friday that the military committed any abuses against protesters during the turbulent transition of the past two years.

The joint appearance by President Mohammed Mursi and the top general seemed to have been prompted by media leaks from a report commissioned by the president himself that found the army unlawfully detained protesters and possibly killed some during and after the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Mursi created the fact-finding mission soon after he took office in June to investigate all abuses against protesters during the uprising and the nearly 17 months of military rule that followed, after promising in his campaign to bring justice in the nearly 1,000 people killed over that time.

The mission’s report was finalized in late December but has yet to be made public.

The British newspaper The Guardian quoted parts of the report that it obtained, describing the military’s torturing of detained protesters, its role in the forced disappearance of others, and its possible responsibility for a number of killings of some who went missing and then turned up dead with signs of torture and beatings during the 18-day protests against Mubarak.

The leaked findings are consistent with previous allegations against the military by international and local rights groups. But the leaks provide specific testimonies and details of abuses, which the military has always denied.

Such findings would be potentially embarrassing for the military, which has presented itself as a supporter of the anti-Mubarak uprising. The findings would also be sensitive for Mursi, who himself commissioned the report but also has sought to maintain good ties with the powerful military.

Any attempt to prosecute members of the military would likely bring a backlash from the generals. At any rate, newly adopted, Islamist-backed constitution protects much of the independence and privileges of the military and introduced new clauses that ensure only the military can prosecute its own members.

On Friday, Human Rights Watch urged Mursi to release the report, saying it would be an acknowledgement of two years of military and police abuse, and a way to stem a culture of impunity.

Heba Morayef, Egypt’s director at Human Rights Watch, said the fact that a formal government commission documented such abuses and recommended questioning senior military officers is a “very serious fact” that can’t be underestimated.

Prosecutions not likely after report

The report is not likely lead to prosecutions since the military’s own judiciary has never brought “real accountability” over previous allegations, Morayef said. But she said it should be published at least for people to know what happened.

“It will be a long battle for the amendment of the constitution and the military code of justice,” she said. But the findings are “not something they can contain anymore.”

But the comments by army chief Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi and Mursi appeared to rebuff such calls, though they did not directly mention the fact-finding mission’s report or the media leaks.

“You must understand the armed forces is a very, very honorable institution, and very loyal and very careful of its nation,” el-Sissi said, standing next to Mursi and a line of the country's top brass after they met late Thursday.

“I swear by God the armed forces since January 25 (2011), and I swear by God, didn’t kill or order any killing, didn’t cheat and didn’t order any treachery, didn’t betray and didn’t order any betrayal.”

“I want to tell all those who listen to me that they must really watch out before defaming the military and its forces,” el-Sissi said. “It is honorable, nationalist and loyal and is very affected by any defamation it is subjected to.”

Mursi came to the defense of the military, saying, “I will not ever allow slanders in any way, shape or form or ... any means to attack any member of the armed forces starting from its leaders ... to its smallest member.”

“This is something I tell the whole society. Any slandering of any member of the armed forces is a slandering for us all,” he said.

Mursi said Egyptians appreciate the role of the military.

“I tell the world about the great role the armed forces played in protecting the security and safety of this nation inside and outside from any aggression, and its role during a period we all know for in protecting its internal security and it still does,” he said.

Mursi also announced the promotion of the heads of Egypt’s air force, air defense forces and navy to the rank of lieutenant-general during the meeting with the generals.

Trying military officers, as well as police, for alleged abuses during and after the uprising remains a top demand by many revolutionary groups. During the uprising, the military declared it was neutral and it refrained from widely cracking down on the protesters demanding Mubarak’s ouster. Since then, it has touted its role protecting the uprising.

When the fact-finding mission first handed its report over to Mursi’s office in late December, a member of the panel that drafted it told The Associated Press that it included details of killings and torture of protesters by the military. The leaked parts of the report also had testimonies of abuses by the military during its rule, before it handed over power to Mursi, following presidential elections in June 2012.

The elected leader’s relations with the military have been a subject for much speculation, because it is the first time Egypt is ran by a civilian president. Mursi’s office and military have repeatedly denied reports of strained relations between the two sides.-www.shafaqna.com/English

Source: Al Arabiya

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Pope Francis has called for "decisive action" in the fight against sex abuse of minors by priests.

He told Bishop Gerhard Mueller, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith - the Vatican watchdog that deals with sex abuse cases - to ensure that perpetrators were punished.

It was the Argentine Pope's first public statement on clerical sex abuse.

A leading sex abuse survivors' group has responded with scepticism, saying "actions speak louder than words".

The new Pope was elected last month, replacing Pope Benedict, who became the first pope in 600 years to resign.

When first elected, Benedict XVI promised to rid his Church of the "filth" of clerical sex abuse, but critics accused him of covering up abuse in the past and failing to protect children from paedophile priests.

Victims of sex abuse by clergy had called for a strong response from the new pontiff to the crisis that has rocked the Church.

In his remarks on Friday, Pope Francis said combating the crisis - which has mired the Church in scandal from the US, Ireland and Europe to Australia - was important for the credibility of the Church.

A Vatican statement said the Pope had urged Bishop Mueller to "act decisively as far as cases of sexual abuse are concerned, promoting, above all, measures to protect minors, help for those who have suffered such violence in the past (and) the necessary procedures against those who are guilty".

In 2011, the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith called on bishops' conferences around the world to submit guidelines for helping victims; protecting children; selecting and training priests and other Church workers; dealing with accused priests; and collaborating with local authorities.

Three-quarters of the 112 bishops' conferences have sent in such guidelines, with most of those yet to respond coming from Africa, the Vatican says.

The Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) responded to the statement by calling for actions rather than words.

"We can't confuse words with actions," SNAP Outreach Director Barbara Dorris told the BBC. "When we do, we hurt kids.

"We must insist on new tangible action that helps vulnerable children protect their bodies, not old vague pledges that help a widely-discredited institution protect its reputation."

www.shafaqna.com/English

The four priests submitted claims of abuse against UK's top cardinal to the Pope’s representative, the week before Pope Benedict's resignation. They fear that, if O'Brien travels to the papal conclave to elect a new pope, the church will not address their complaints.

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Three priests and a former priest report the head of UK’s Catholics church, Cardinal Keith O'Brien to Vatican over inappropriate behaviour stretching back about 30 years. The four, from the St Andrews and Edinburgh churches, have complained to the Vatican's ambassador to Britain, and demanded O'Brien's immediate resignation. A spokesman for the cardinal said that the claims were contested. O'Brien, who is due to retire next month, is an opponent of gay rights, condemning homosexuality as immoral, opposing gay adoption, and most recently said that same-sex marriages would be "harmful to the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of those involved". Last year he was named "bigot of the year" by the gay rights charity Stonewall.

One of the accusers alleges that the cardinal developed an inappropriate relationship with him, resulting in a need for long-term psychological counselling. The four submitted claims to the Pope’s representative the week before Pope Benedict's resignation. They fear that, if O'Brien travels to the papal conclave to elect a new pope, the church will not address their complaints. "It tends to cover up and protect the system at all costs," said one of the complainants. "The church is beautiful, but it has a dark side and that has to do with accountability. If the system is to be improved, maybe it needs to be dismantled a bit."

Allegations of sexual abuse by members of the Catholic Church have surrounded the papacy of Benedict XVI. Following the announcement, rumours circuled in Rome that Benedict's resignation may be connected to further scandals to come. It is understood that the first allegation against the cardinal dates back to 1980. The accuser, who is now married, was then a 20-year-old seminarian at St Andrew's College, Drygrange, where O'Brien was his "spiritual director". The Observer reported that the statement claims O'Brien made an inappropriate approach after night prayers. The seminarian says he was too frightened to report the incident, but says his personality changed afterwards, and his teachers regularly noted that he seemed depressed. He was ordained, but he said in his statement that he resigned when O'Brien was promoted to bishop.

"I knew then he would always have power over me. It was assumed I left the priesthood to get married. I did not. I left to preserve my integrity." In a second statement, "Priest A" describes being happily settled in a parish when he claims he was visited by O'Brien and inappropriate contact between the two took place. In a third statement, "Priest B" claims that he was starting his ministry in the 1980s when he was invited to spend a week "getting to know" O'Brien at the archbishop's residence. His statement alleges that he found himself dealing with what he describes as unwanted behaviour by the cardinal after a late-night drinking session.

"Priest C" was a young priest the cardinal was counselling over personal problems. Priest C's statement claims that O'Brien used night prayers as an excuse for inappropriate contact. The cardinal maintained contact with Priest C over a period of time, and the statement alleges that he engineered at least one other intimate situation. O'Brien is, says Priest C, very charismatic, and being sought out by the superior who was supposed to be guiding him was both troubling and flattering. The ex- says "You have to understand, the relationship between a bishop and a priest. At your ordination, you take a vow to be obedient to him. He's more than your boss, more than the CEO of your company. He has immense power over you. He can move you, freeze you out, bring you into the fold; he controls every aspect of your life. You can't just kick him in the balls.” All four accusers are concerned that the church will ignore their complaints, and want the conclave electing the new pope to be "clean".

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – A grateful servant of God is the one who does not abuse God’s blessings to commit sins and does not stand against His commandments that are meant for the happiness of man.

It is a great sin that people use God’s blessings, like the human body, the earth, the air, the food, the clothing, and every material thing in the world, to commit sins and to act against the commandments of God, who has blessed us with all these bounties.

A sinner has no tools to commit sins, but God’s blessings. Someone who looks at women with lust is actually using the gift of eye for committing a sin.

Someone who is listening to unlawful music is using the gifts of ears to commit a sin.

Lying, falsely accusing someone, mocking a person, starting a fight, cursing, acting unjustly, being cruel, giving a false testimony, etc. is using the gift of tongue to commit a sin.

Anyone who is doing a wrong deed is in fact using one or more of God’s gifts for dong that.

What Does It Mean to Be Grateful?

Prophet David asked God, “Lord! What should I do to be a grateful servant for you?”‌

“Use my blessings in the way I have commanded you,”‌ said God, “That is how you could thank me.”‌

Therefore, according to this, committing sins is actually being ungrateful towards God.

As the starters, we need to know more about the gifts of God. After that, we should believe that everything we have is a blessing of God and in order to thank Him for the given blessings, we need to use those blessings in the right way. This will bring us happiness both in this world and in the world after.

We should not use God’s blessings in order to satisfy the desires of our whims. We should only use these gifts to make us a happy life in this world and in the world after. Otherwise, we will be severely punished.

We should be careful that these blessings won’t create problems for us. God has given us all these bounties to live happily. So, we should learn from the prophets and from Qur’an in what way to use them.

We should feel even more responsible towards the spiritual gifs. They will help us gain perfection and happiness in this world and in the world after.

Being indifferent towards Quran, prophets, Imams, Islamic sages, and mystics is as big a sin as disbelief and ungratefulness.

All the people will be questioned on the Day of Judgment, in regards to the gifts they had in the world.

Prophet Muhammad said, “There are four things people are asked about in the world after: How did you use your life and your body? Where did you get your wealth from? How did you spend it? And the last question is about their love towards me and my household.”‌ A man asked Prophet Muhammad, “What proves that someone loves you?”‌ “His love towards this man,”‌ said he and put his hand on the head of Ali bin Abi-Talib.

In order to be grateful for the gift of life, one should spend it in the way of God, and in order to be grateful for the gift of body, one should worship God, help the people, earn his livelihood by lawful means, believe in Imams, and obey them.

Imam Ali told his son Mojtaba, “Son! Stay away from committing sins, say your prayers on time, pay Zakat, forgive other’s sins and do not get angry at people, visit your family often and be patient with the ignorant, be persistent in your way, be loyal towards Quran, be nice to your neighbor, propose to people what is acceptable and deny from them what is prohibited, and stay away from every sin.”‌

If one lives based on this saying, he really is a grateful servant of God.

Different People in regards to God’s Gifts

A point to be mentioned is that, there are four types of people in regards to the gifts of God, especially the spiritual ones:

1.These people accept neither the material bounties of God, nor about the spiritual ones. They are whether lazy and corrupted people who refuse to work, or ignorant and cruel people who do not accept the religion of God.

2.These people accept the material or spiritual bounties of God, but they are too stingy to use them. They just save them up without using them or helping others out.

3. These people accept the material or spiritual bounties of God, but they use them in a wrong way. Like the wealthy courtiers and so.

4. These people accept the material or spiritual bounties of God, and they believe that God has trusted these gifts with them, so they need to use them in the right way. These are the people whom Quran calls ‘the grateful people’.

According to Imam Sadiq, “In order to be grateful towards God, you should be careful not to commit sins with his blessings and not to resist His teachings by the power of His own gifts.”‌

Translated by: Sadroddin Musawi

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Several private Twitter accounts have been disabled after they were revealed to contain indecent images of children.

Some hacking groups are claiming to have unmasked them, the NSPCC said.

Members of the public have reported the accounts to Greater Manchester Police and North Yorkshire Police, while Ceop - the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre - says it is "aware".

The NSPCC asked people to "be vigilant" and report such suspicious activity.

Ceop - the policing unit dedicated to eradicating the sexual abuse of children - said it had had 25 to 30 reports of these accounts.

A Ceop spokesman said Twitter had disabled the accounts and would be reporting the find to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) - Ceop's US equivalent - which as an American company it was legally required to.

"NCMEC will forward the account details to law enforcement in the countries where the individual concerned is," he said.

It is unclear whether the images were uploaded by a UK user, or a user based abroad.

The NSPCC said the accounts were made public in the early hours of Monday.

"To be honest, it's not a massive surprise. In our experience sex offenders will use whichever mean they can to connect with each other. They are usually quite devious," a spokesman said.

He asked people to be vigilant.

"It you see something, or are aware of something, you should report it."

As for those people storing such content, Professor Alan Woodward, of the University of Surrey's department of computing, said they were increasingly using social media rather than computers.

"If they use the web to keep any pictures then they will be able to claim it wasn't them. The weight of evidence isn't the same."- www.shfaqna.com/English

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) -- Amnesty International accused the Pakistani military on Thursday of carrying out widespread human rights abuses in the country's northwest tribal region where the army is fighting a domestic Taliban insurgency.

The military has regularly held people without charges and tortured or otherwise mistreated them in custody, the London-based rights group said in a new report. Some detainees do not survive and are returned to their families dead, or their corpses are dumped in remote parts of the tribal region, it said.

"Detainees who are released alive and their families are threatened with dire consequences if they speak publicly about their treatment in detention," said the report, titled "The Hands of Cruelty: Abuses by Armed Forces and Taliban in Pakistan's Tribal Areas."

The military rejected the allegations and in a statement sent to media called the report "a pack of lies" and part of a "sinister propaganda campaign against Pakistan and its armed forces."

Amnesty criticized the Taliban for a range of rights abuses, including the killing of captured soldiers and innocent civilians.

The army and the Taliban have been engaged in a bloody fight in the northwest in the past several years. The militants have carried out scores of attacks around the country that have killed thousands of people.

Amnesty acknowledged the challenge Pakistan is facing in fighting the Taliban along its border with Afghanistan. But it criticized the government and the military for failing to investigate the alleged abuses. It also said a combination of new security laws and colonial-era regulations often provided the military a legal cover for abuse.

The rights group said it was unaware of any serving or retired member of the military, law enforcement authorities or intelligence services being prosecuted for alleged involvement in unlawful detentions, torture or other ill-treatment.

"Without urgent action by the Pakistan government to guarantee respect for human rights in the Tribal Areas, millions will continue to be locked in a perpetual state of lawlessness," said Amnesty.

The report was largely based on over 100 testimonies from victims of human rights violations in detention, witnesses, relatives, lawyers, Pakistani officials and militants.

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) --  A German Catholic Church study showed most priests found guilty of sexually abusing minors were psychologically normal, according to survey results presented on Friday.

Only 12 percent of those surveyed were diagnosed as paedophiles, said the report released by Trier Bishop Stephan Ackermann, the church's spokesman on abuse cases.

Psychological tests commissioned by priests' dioceses around Germany found only five percent could be classified as ephebophiles - attracted to teenagers, it said.

"There are no significant differences to results found in the general population in Germany," said Dr Norbert Leygraf, one of the experts reviewing reports on predator priests found out in the past decade.

Victims advocate Norbert Denef dismissed the study as biased in favor of the Church that commissioned it, and called for an independent commission to study clerical abuse cases.

"You wouldn't ask the mafia to investigate its own crimes," Denef, head of an advocacy group called Netzwerk B, told daily newspaper Die Welt.

A wave of revelations of clerical sexual abuse, with many cases dating from previous decades, shook the German Catholic Church in 2010 and prompted it to order an overall study of diocesan reports to spot any trends.

MOST VICTIMS MALE

About 600 people filed accusations of sexual abuse against priests following these revelations. Some 180,000 Germans left the church that year, a 40 percent jump over 2009.

Leygraf gave no reason why so many men described as psychologically normal, 68 percent of the group under investigation, had abused minors.

"The alleged sexual abuse was committed for reasons that can mostly be described as within normal psychological bounds and only a few cases resulted from a specific psychopathology," he said, according to a Church statement.

According to the study, the diocesan reports showed 54 percent of the priests were identified as heterosexual, 37 percent as homosexual and nine percent as bisexual.

Ackermann ruled out any link to celibacy, a rule for Catholic priests that some critics blame for the wave of abuse cases that have rocked Catholic communities in Europe and North America for over a decade.

"There is no causal connection between a celibate way of life and sexual abuse," he told a news conference in Trier.

Almost all the priests said they met their victims in their parishes or in schools. Asked why three-quarters of victims were male, Ackermann noted many cases dated back several decades when priests were likely to only come into contacts with boys.

"There were no girl altar servers back then," he said. "The boys were there and were the ones the priests had the most to do with in their daily work."

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – Australia's government has apologised to hundreds of victims of abuse within the military, clearing the way for victims to receive compensation.

In an address to parliament on Monday, Defence Minister Stephen Smith acknowledged that soldiers, sailors and member of the air force had suffered abuse, often by superiors under the excuse of toughening up younger recruits, since the early 1950s.

"Young men and women have endured sexual, physical or mental abuse from their colleagues which is not acceptable and does not reflect the values of a modern, diverse, tolerant Australian society," Smith told parliament.

"On behalf of the government, I say sorry."

An independent report into abuse within the military earlier this year found 775 plausible allegations of sexual, physical

and mental abuse within the armed forces since 1951.

The report detailed 24 allegations of rape that never went to trial.

'Hostile to women'

Smith said senior military leaders were committed to changing a defence force culture which has often turned a blind

eye to abuse and was often hostile to women or those who spoke out or complained about their treatment.

The apology follows an independent report sparked by an incident in 2011, when footage of a female defence academy cadet having consensual sex with a male colleague was streamed online to other cadets without her knowledge.

"That at the time, was said to be an isolated incident," Al Jazeera's Andrew Thomas, reporting from Sydney, said. "But very quickly, other people came forward and said similar sorts of abuse had happened to them while they were in the military.

"The government asked a law firm to conduct a review and over 1,000 people came forward, saying they had suffered some form of abuse."

Defence Force chief General David Hurley also apologised, saying he recognised "the damage and suffering that has been caused to some"."

The Australian Defence Force has begun addressing these causes through its cultural reform programme," he said.

Smith said an independent task force would now examine specific allegations and rule on compensation of up to A$50,000 ($52,200) for victims. It will also refer matters to police or the military justice system if there is evidence of a crime.– www.shfaqna.com/English

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - The former Bishop of Lewes in south of England was arrested today on suspicion of child abuse. Bishop Peter Ball is being held on suspicion of eight sexual offences committed against eight boys and young men aged from 12 to the early twenties, at addresses in East Sussex. Police said the offences took place in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Also a 67 year old Church of England priest was arrested on suspicion of two separate sexual offences against two teenage boys in East Sussex between 1981 and 1983.

The Rt Rev Ball, former bishop of Lewes and later Gloucester, has connections with Prince Charles (British Crown Prince) whom he has described in the past as a 'loyal friend'. He is thought to be the highest member of the clergy to be arrested in connection with a sex abuse investigation so far.

The arrests come after the Church of England issued an 'unreserved apology' earlier this year for historic cases of child abuse by some of its clergy. The Rt Rev Paul Butler, Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and chair of the Churches National Safeguarding Committee, confirmed the arrests and said that the church has been working closely with police throughout the investigation. A spokeswoman for a group representing the survivors of abuse by clergy said the arrests were "historic in terms of the seniority of the people being looked at". "This is the first bishop we have seen arrested over abuse allegations," said Ann Lawrence, of the Ministry and Clergy Sexual Abuse Survivors Group.

The handling of allegations of abuse in the Chichester diocese was subject to an inquiry this year ordered by the outgoing archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and is the first such Church of England "visitation" in more than 100 years. When he published the interim report in August, which did not identify any of those accused, Williams said the "abiding hurt and damage done to [survivors of abuse] is something that none of us in the church can ignore, and I am deeply sorry that they should have been let down by those they ought to have been able to trust".

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) – After recent revelations of widespread abuse against children and young people in care, hospitals, schools, churches and in sport, British parliament this week called for a national inquiry into child abuse, amid mounting complaints that authorities for decades failed to investigate these cases. However judging by the comments from British people, most of them do not trust those in power and cannot believe that after decades of serious negligence and cover ups a clear outcome will result from these enquires or the abuses will ever stop.

The abuse cases have recently become public due to the fact that a few of those who have been abused found the courage to come forward and speak to undercover reporters at first. The abuse scandal at BBC for decades is one of the most astonishing of these cases. It has now been revealed that hundreds of children and young adults have been abused inside the BBC buildings throughout the UK and in hospitals, schools and other places by the very famous BBC personality, Sir Jimmy Savile.

The tax payer funded BBC allowed Savile, a cigar chomping DJ turned television star with connections to the very high authorities including British royal family and Catholic Church whose victims now say used his influence to mask a lifetime of sexual abuse of young children. Savile’s influence prevented hundreds of abused children and young adults who were mainly from poor, needy, sick and vulnerable in the society, to voice their sufferings for decades because no one in the authorities dared to investigate or listen to their predicaments.

Regarding Savile’s connections to higher authorities in the UK, Guardian revealed his involvements with the British royal family in an article published on 20 October 2012. A spokesman for Charles, the Prince of Wales (the future King of Britain) confirmed the prince and Savile formed a relationship in the late 1970s after coming together through the wheelchair sports charities. Charles led tributes to Savile when he died a year ago.

Charles reportedly sent him a box of cigars and a pair of gold cufflinks on his 80th birthday with a note that read: "Nobody will ever know what you have done for this country Jimmy. This is to go some way in thanking you for that." Savile used to boast of his royal connections, made sure to be photographed with Charles on numerous occasions and ingratiated himself once telling the Daily Mail the prince was "the nicest man you will ever meet".

In another case of abuse that came to light recently, one victim of a major child abuse scandal in north Wales in the 1970s and 1980s, Steve Messham has said that investigations failed to expose the true nature of the crimes, and authorities refused to examine accusations against a senior political figure at the time. He said that he hoped the former political figure that has not been publicly named except as a member of the Conservative Party, would eventually face arrest. "I would love to see him in court, I would love to see him in prison, he deserves it," he told BBC radio. The BBC did not name the political figure connected to the scandal.

Amid serial abuse cases, the British Prime Minister Cameron, was forced under pressure from the public opinion to order two investigations into the abuse cases in Wales. One, led by a High Court judge, Macur, will review the work of a previous inquiry into the scandal, while a second will focus on whether police failed to take seriously allegations made by young people. With several inquiries already under way into Savile’s case including a police investigation, two internal reviews at the BBC and a study by the National Health Service into the TV presenter's charity work at hospitals, some called for a single national examination into how allegations of child abuse were handled in the past.

Some believe that all these parallel investigations are diverting attentions from the main issue that those in high authorities abused their powers and used their influence to get away with the most serious crimes committed against the most vulnerable people of the society with no voice at all. "Is it not now time, rather than wake up every week to see a new institution involved in this mire, that we have an overreaching, robust public inquiry into the whole failings of child protection?" Member of the Parliament and ex-children's minister Tim Loughton asked the British parliament.

Yvette Cooper, the main opposition Labour Party's spokeswoman on home affairs, also called for a single national inquiry. "We remain concerned that these multiple inquiries have no way to draw together the common themes, the problems, the lessons that need to be learned," she said. Last month a TV documentary detailed alleged abuse by Savile, who died last year. Police have called the claims a "watershed moment" that has given some victims the confidence to contact authorities for the first time and tell all that crimes committed against them.

In an open letter to the British Prime Minister, Labour member of parliament, Tom Watson, who last month voiced concerns over a suspected "paedophile network" with links to Parliament and the prime minister's office, reiterated his call for a special police investigation into the abuse cases in order to cut through any potential "establishment cover-up". "A dedicated police unit is essential, investigating the organised abuse of children, wherever it happened - from the seediest backstreets even to Downing Street - without fear or favour of exposing the rich and powerful, or those who covered up for them."

The revelations about BBC star presenter Jimmy Savile as one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders has prompted wider concern that some powerful paedophiles from the 1970s and 1980s may have used their influence to avoid punishment. Lawyers for some of Savile's victims say their clients have indicated there was an organised paedophile ring at the BBC at the height of Savile's fame in the 1970s and 1980s.

Messham, who gave evidence in 2000 at an inquiry into child abuse, told the BBC that he had been abused "more than a dozen times" by the influential Conservative politician who cannot be named at the moment. "You were just sexually abused, various things would happen, drink would be involved. It was basically rape, but there wouldn't be just him, there would be other people involved as well," Messham said. The Telegraph news website said it had spoken to the politician at the centre of the accusations and he had denied the claims. He said if the BBC named him, he would sue for libel.

Under mounting public pressure, British Police have so far arrested singer Gary Glitter and comedian Freddie Starr as part of their investigations but they have been released on bail. The abuse cases against Savile and the cover ups by various high ranking decision makers in the corporation have also ruined the reputation of the BBC. The British Prime Minister Cameron has said the sex abuse allegations leave the BBC and other institutions with serious questions to answer.

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By A. Hamrang