New Orleans Truck Attack: Death Count Rises To 15, Hint Of Islamic State Involvement
New Age Islam News Bureau
2 January 2025
Undated photo of Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
FBI
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· New Orleans Truck Attack: Death Count Rises To 15, Hint Of Islamic State Involvement
· Balochistan Liberation Army Among Main Perpetrators Of Terror In 2024
· Can You Show Police Outpost Near Sambhal Mosque To Kuwaiti Leaders: Owaisi Asks PM Modi
· Dhaka-Delhi Ties Won’t Get Stuck On Single Issue, Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: Foreign Advisor
· 'Will PAS Ban Govt Agencies From Celebrating Non-Muslim Festivities?'
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North America
· Has Europe’s Islamist Threat Come to America?
· Rudy Giuliani to Newsmax: NOLA Attack Looks Like Islamic Terrorism
· Trump's return reignites 'Muslim ban' fears for US immigrants
· Gunman kills ten in Montenegro mass shooting
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Pakistan
· After Kurram Peace Agreement, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Chief Announces Ending Sit-Ins
· Speakers call for institutionalization of Islamic social finance
· Man accused in Rs3bn tax fraud case granted bail against Rs100 surety bond
· FIA finds black sheep in its own ranks
· Children above 10 will require new ‘biometric’ Form B
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India
· Wonder what is questionable over meeting Lalu Prasad: Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan
· ‘14 Foreign Ultras Killed, 13 Terror Modules Busted In Jammu Zone In 2024’
· Tension In Gujarat After 3 Shops On Mosque Premises 'Forcefully' Evicted
· SC to hear AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's plea on places of worship law on January 2
· Hope UT status is temporary, Centre should restore statehood soon: Omar Abdullah
· Uttar Pradesh: Muslim man killed by mob in Moradabad over claims of cow slaughter
· Mumbai heroes: Islam Gymkhana awards Rs 5 lakh to brave rescuers of tourist boat, felicitates young hero
· Kerala CM Vijayan Disrespecting Sanatan Dharma To Appease The Muslims: BJP Leader
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South Asia
· Islamic System; The Only Option For Ruling Afghanistan
· 32 BNP men discharged from vandalism case
· Water Management in Afghanistan Respects Neighbouring Rights: Energy and Water Ministry
· Over 50 Afghan imprisoned in Pakistan for lacking documents released
· 25% rise in asylum seekers crossing English Channel to UK in 2024
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Southeast Asia
· DAP Leaders Slam Hadi On 'Secularism Bigger Sin Than Defamation' Remarks
· 'Manipulating Religion': PAS Plan To Rally Against Nga, Yeoh Slammed
· After Guan Eng criticises Najib solidarity gathering, Zahid says DAP leader’s time has gone
· Shepherds or predators? Police say finding more sexual groomers among religious figures
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Mideast
· Gaza Population Down By 6 Percent Since Start Of War — Palestinian Statistics Bureau
· Israel Warns It Will Step Up Gaza Strikes If Hamas Keeps Up Rocket Fire
· Awqaf inaugurates new mosque in Rasheeda area
· Hebron Authority: Israeli Diggings In Ibrahimi Aimed To Dominate Mosque
· Imam Reza Shrine Hosts US Shia Pilgrims On Christian New Year
· 10 killed as Israeli airstrike targets shelter for displaced families in Gaza, medics say
· 11 years on, Syria protesters demand answers on abducted activists
· Tens of thousands of people in Istanbul protest Gaza war
· Israel’s Former Defence Chief Gallant Quits Politics
· Syrian civil war killed more than 528,500: monitor
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Arab World
· New Initiative To Train Saudis In Generative Artificial Intelligence
· Security Exhibition Showcases Saudi Arabia’s Tech Advancements
· Saudi Arabia condemns New Orleans attack
· Heart of hospitality: Saudi cultural host welcomes world with open arms
· Syrian high-level delegation arrives in Saudi Arabia
· Saudi Arabia Executes 6 Iranians For Drug Trafficking
· Heritage in hand: ‘Year of Handicrafts’ honours Saudi Arabia’s cultural legacy, artisans
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Europe
· Halal Tech: How Muslim-Friendly Websites And Apps Blossomed In 2024
· Ahmadiyya Muslim community lead annual New Year street clean
· Muslim group tidy up 'dirty' Huddersfield town centre on New Year's Day
· UN Slams Ukraine’s Crackdown On Orthodox Church
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Africa
· ‘The Hope You Are Trying To Inspire Does Not Align With The Difficulties Your Policies Have Caused Nigerians’ – TUC President Fires Tinubu
· Kenya: Ruto admits security abuses amid kidnapping outrage
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/orleans-truck-attack-islamic-state/d/134224
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New Orleans Truck Attack: Death Count Rises To 15, Hint Of Islamic State Involvement
Undated photo of Shamsud-Din Jabbar.
FBI
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02.01.25
New Orleans rang in the new year with a tragedy as a man drove a pickup truck into crowds of revellers early Wednesday, killing 15 and injuring dozens more in a horrifying attack near the iconic Bourbon Street.
Authorities are now investigating potential ties between the suspect, a 42-year-old Army veteran from Texas, and the Islamic State terrorist group.
The rampage, which unfolded just after 3 am, left the city shaken and raised urgent questions about security measures in the bustling French Quarter. The suspect, identified as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, was killed in a shootout with police after crashing his rented truck.
Investigators later found an ISIS flag, weapons, and a possible explosive device inside the vehicle, intensifying concerns about a coordinated terrorist plot.
Police Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick confirmed that two officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire but are expected to recover.
“We had precautions in place, but the terrorist found a way to exploit a gap,” Kirkpatrick said, referring to temporary changes in security measures due to ongoing repairs ahead of next month’s Super Bowl.
The attack, described as one of the deadliest in recent city history, has also forced the postponement of the Sugar Bowl, which was scheduled for Wednesday at the Superdome. The game will now take place on Thursday, as officials work to reassure residents and visitors of their safety.
Federal agents are now racing to piece together Jabbar’s motives and potential connections to international terrorist networks. Alethea Duncan, assistant special agent with the FBI, urged anyone with information to contact authorities. “This investigation is moving swiftly, and we’re pursuing every lead,” she said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/terror-strikes-new-orleans-15-killed-and-dozens-injured-in-french-quarter-rampage/cid/2074831
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Balochistan Liberation Army Among Main Perpetrators Of Terror In 2024
Iftikhar A. Khan
January 2, 2025
• Attacks by Baloch insurgents saw 119pc rise from previous year; Hafiz Gul Bahadur group remained major threat in parts of KP
• PIPS report urges increasing capacity, role of civilian law enforcement agencies in both provinces to better address threats
ISLAMABAD: In 2024, the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) emerged as a key perpetrator of terrorist violence in Pakistan.
While the attacks by the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) killed about 300 people during the year, BLA-orchestrated attacks caused 225 fatalities, according to the Pakistan Security Report 2024.
Released by Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) on Wednesday, the report documents a disturbing rise in both the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks in the country, sparking fears that the security landscape could regress to pre-2014 levels if the current trajectory persists.
It noted that in 2024, the number of terror attacks reached levels comparable to the security situation in 2014 or earlier.
A significant difference is that unlike the period before 2014, terrorists no longer control specific territories inside Pakistan. Yet, the prevailing insecurity in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan is alarming, the report says.
Over 95 per cent of terrorist attacks recorded in 2024 were concentrated in KP and Balochistan.
KP recorded the highest number of terrorist incidents in the country in 2024, with 295 attacks.
Meanwhile, attacks by various outlawed Baloch insurgent groups, primarily the BLA and the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), saw a staggering 119 per cent increase, accounting for 171 incidents in Balochistan.
Worsening situation
The report noted that after a gradual decline in terrorist violence since 2014-15, the trend began reversing following the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul.
For the fourth consecutive year, the number of terrorist attacks in Pakistan increased in 2024.
In 2024, as many as 358 personnel of security and law-enforcement agencies were martyred in terrorist attacks. In these attacks, 139 militants were also killed.
Markedly, 2020 was the last year to witness a relative decline in terrorist violence in Pakistan, a trend that had been ongoing since 2014, following military operations in the ex-Fata tribal areas and Karachi.
The report noted that while the banned TTP remained a key perpetrator of terrorist violence in KP, the Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group emerged as a significant threat in Bannu and parts of Waziristan. A case in point was the group’s November attack on the Mali Khel check post in Bannu, where 12 soldiers were martyred.
Over the past year, the group has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks, including suicide bombings, in Bannu and Waziristan. Similarly, the Lashkar-i-Islam-TTP nexus in Khyber district has exacerbated the terrorism situation in the district.
Local residents have been voicing growing concerns over the increased presence and movements of militants in Khyber, which shares a border with Peshawar.
Compared to 15 in the previous year, 12 terrorist attacks occurred in Sindh, including 10 in Karachi and one each in Dadu and Larkana districts. These attacks killed a total of 14 people and injured 28 others.
Punjab experienced 11 terrorist attacks in 2024, a significant increase from six in the previous year. These attacks claimed six lives and left 12 people injured.
Recommendations
Although kinetic actions and enhanced surveillance by security forces may reduce or prevent some attacks of the TTP, the root cause — shelter and support available to the proscribed group within Afghanistan — must be addressed to achieve long-term security, recommends the report.
It adds that there is a need to increase the capacity and role of civilian law enforcement agencies, especially the police’s counter-terrorism departments (CTDs) in KP and Balochistan, to better address terrorist threats through community-rooted structures.
The issue of enforced disappearances in Balochistan, often exploited by insurgents to gain support and recruits, must be addressed through a lawful and amicable policy to counter militant narratives effectively.
“There is a critical need to isolate the BLA from the broader Baloch population,” says the report.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1882568/bla-among-main-perpetrators-of-terror-in-2024
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Can You Show Police Outpost Near Sambhal Mosque To Kuwaiti Leaders: Owaisi Asks PM Modi
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.
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01.01.25
Attacking the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Wednesday asked whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi can show the police outpost being built allegedly on Waqf land near the mosque in Sambhal to Kuwait leaders whom the latter met recently.
Speaking at an event here, he alleged that the police outpost near the Jama Masjid in Sambhal was being constructed on Waqf land, a charge denied by the district magistrate.
"(Prime Minister) Narendra Modi has gone to Kuwait. He was hugging the Sheikhs of Kuwait. You call and show the Sheikhs what your government is doing here (in Sambhal)," he said.
He alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government is constructing the outpost to close the way to the stepwell that has been found in the area.
On the Sambhal District Magistrate's comments that no certified and legal party had come forward with relevant documents (to show that the land belongs to Waqf), Owaisi charged that the official is acting as per directions of the Yogi Adityanath government in UP.
The outpost will function under the Sambhal police station and was planned in wake of the November 24 violence, official sources have said.
The area around the Shahi Jama Masjid has witnessed tensions, with a violent clash erupting on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era mosque. The clash resulted in the deaths of four locals.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/can-you-show-police-outpost-near-sambhal-mosque-to-kuwaiti-leaders-owaisi-asks-pm-modi/cid/2074745
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Dhaka-Delhi Ties Won’t Get Stuck On Single Issue, Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: Foreign Advisor
Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina:
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Jan 2, 2025
Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain today said maintaining good ties with three powers -- India, China and the United States -- and addressing the Rohingya issue are among the government's top priorities in 2025.
He also said that no single issue will hinder the Dhaka-Delhi ties.
"Resolving the Rohingya crisis, maintaining good relations with the three important countries and creating a more stable position on economic and diplomatic fronts are the priorities," he said while talking to reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Asked what will be the impact on Dhaka-Delhi ties if India refuses to return former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Touhid said the two countries have many bilateral issues and this is just one of them.
"We have many issues of mutual interest. We will deal with those simultaneously," said the adviser.
On December 23, Dhaka sent a diplomatic letter (note verbale) to Delhi seeking the extradition of Hasina. The interim government is yet to receive a reply from the Indian side.
BILATERAL VISIT TO CHINA
Meanwhile, the foreign adviser said he would pay a visit to China on January 20 to discuss bilateral issues.
"Our relationship with all the three countries [India, China, US] is important. I am going there on China's invitation," he said.
Touhid, however, did not go into details about the issues to be discussed during his visit to China.
He said Foreign Secretary Md Jashim Uddin has convened an inter-ministerial meeting to fix the agenda.
TIES WITH INDIA, CHINA, US
Touhid said maintaining strong ties with India, China and the United States are Bangladesh's priorities.
"We want good relations with our neighbour. We want good relations with the United States. We also want good relations with China," he said, referring to mutual interest Bangladesh shares with these three countries.
Touhid hoped that ties with these countries will improve and strengthen by the end of the year.
Touhid said the country can expect better days as some sort of stability has returned to Bangladesh after the recent turmoil.
He also said things will become smoother in terms of economic and foreign relations.
Touhid said the Rohingya issue will be very challenging considering the ground reality. He said their aim is to make sure the Rohingyas can return to Myanmar with safety and dignity.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/diplomacy/news/dhaka-delhi-ties-wont-get-stuck-single-issue-3789586
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'Will PAS Ban Govt Agencies From Celebrating Non-Muslim Festivities?'
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng
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Jan 2, 2025
As controversy brews over Christmas celebrations, a DAP MP has questioned if PAS would extend its objections to other government-organised cultural and religious festivities.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said if PAS is truly serious about this issue, the Islamist party should clarify whether it also intends to ban official Deepavali, Chinese New Year, Kaamatan and Gawai festivals, which government agencies also organise celebrations for.
“If so, they should boldly declare this stance before the...
Source: malaysiakini.com
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https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/730433
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North America
Has Europe’s Islamist Threat Come to America?
01.02.25
In the wee hours of the New Year, revelers in New Orleans’ French Quarter were still popping champagne and dancing in the streets to live music when their joy suddenly turned to horror.
Around 3:15 a.m., the driver of a Ford F-150 Lightning truck barreled through the crowds on Bourbon Street, killing at least 15 people and injuring dozens more. Among the dead were a young mom, a former college football star, and a 37-year-old father of two. After ramming the crowd, the driver stepped out of the truck and began shooting at police, two of whom were injured and taken to a hospital. The driver was then shot dead by law enforcement. IEDs were also found in other areas in the French Quarter, and authorities have disabled at least two. Multiple surveillance cameras and bystanders captured video of the incident. Here is one angle:
Later, the FBI identified the killer as 42-year-old Shamsud-Din Jabbar, a U.S. citizen and resident of Houston, Texas. After police found an ISIS flag, weapons, and an improvised explosive device (IED) in the truck, what initially appeared to be a random attack by a mentally deranged person came to seem like an act of terror on American soil.
That sense only deepened when, later that same day, a Tesla Cybertruck exploded outside Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas, killing one and injuring seven. Authorities are now saying they are investigating both the Vegas incident and the New Orleans massacre as acts of terrorism. While the identity of the Cybertruck driver has not been confirmed, officials insist there is no proof the two attacks are linked—although both vehicles were reportedly rented through the car-share app Turo.
So who is Jabbar? An IT specialist who served in the Army from 2007 to 2015, he was deployed to Afghanistan and later served in the Army Reserve until 2020. After leaving as a staff sergeant on an honorable discharge, he advertised himself as a real estate agent in a 2020 YouTube video. According to the New York Post, he lived in a run-down trailer park with “sheep and goats in the yard—just blocks away from the local mosque” in a neighborhood “on the outskirts of Houston that is home to mostly Muslim immigrants.” Jabbar had recently converted to Islam, and started “being all crazy” after his conversion, according to Dwayne Marsh, the husband of Jabbar’s ex-wife, who spoke to The New York Times.
Late last night, President Biden said Jabbar was “inspired by” ISIS and had expressed “a desire to kill.” It is not yet known if Jabbar was acting alone. In a statement, the FBI said it is “working to determine the subject’s potential associations and affiliations with terrorist organizations.”
That Jabbar was born and bred in the U.S. raises the question: Could America now be experiencing the same type of Islamist threat that has plagued Europe for years? In 2015, France was shocked by the Bataclan massacre, in which Islamic State extremists murdered 130 people and injured hundreds at a rock concert. Two years later, terrorist bombs killed 22 people, including an 8-year-old, as they left the Manchester Arena after a performance by Ariana Grande. In August of last year, a “soldier of the Islamic State” went on a stabbing rampage at a festival in Solingen, Germany, killing three and wounding eight.
Michael Weiss, co-author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror, told The Free Press that the jihadist threat does not stop outside the borders of the U.S.
Jabbar’s background is “by no means atypical” for a jihadist, Weiss said. The FBI and DOJ have indicted dozens of people, some “not even of a Muslim background,” who still “became radicalized because of the images and the propaganda that they were digesting online.” In October, another U.S. Army member, Cole Bridges, was sentenced to 14 years for attempting to help ISIS murder his fellow American soldiers after being radicalized online by jihadi propaganda.
The 9/11 model of foreign hijackers infiltrating the United States is “not how it works anymore,” according to Weiss.
“When ISIS had an actual perch that spans a territory the size of the UK, from Syria to Iraq, what they would do is they would bring people in, train them up in the deserts of Syria, and then dispatch them back to their native countries, where they could go on these rampages and set things off, such as the Bataclan massacre in Paris,” he said. “But when the Caliph crumbled, they increasingly looked to remote control or remote operations.”
Many of the cases Weiss has examined in the past decade involve people who “are among us.” Indeed, in a 2023 lecture by the National Counterterrorism Center’s then-director, Christine Abizaid, she warned that “the American public today is more likely to experience a terrorist attack by an individual attacker than a highly structured terrorist organization.”
“I’m less worried about migrants doing this kind of thing than I am about the disaffected and extremely emotionally unstable elements within our own society that we seem to be producing at an industrial scale,” Weiss said.
When the threat comes from within the United States, it’s also very hard to neutralize. “Apart from catching these people before they do something bad, destroying any kind of infrastructure they may have here, there’s not much you can do,” said Weiss.
The New Orleans massacre should be a wake-up call to those who see Islamism primarily as a problem far away from home, Hannah E. Meyers, director of policing and public safety at the Manhattan Institute, told The Free Press.
We “let our guard down,” she added. “That someone went to joyous, jubilant New Orleans on New Year's Eve to commit a jihadi motivated terrorist attack, if that’s what it's confirmed to be, is a sign that we should have been more vigilant and more diligent,” she said. “There is a real threat.”
While using a car is “obviously very low-tech,” Weiss said, the “butcher bill here could have been a lot higher had any of these bombs that he had constructed, or whoever else he was working with had constructed, gone off.”
Though there is much still to be learned about the New Orleans attacker, “clearly, he was an American,” Weiss said. “That's what frightens me more, to be honest.”
Source: thefp.com
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https://www.thefp.com/p/has-europes-islamist-threat-come-to-america
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Rudy Giuliani to Newsmax: NOLA Attack Looks Like Islamic Terrorism
01 January 2025
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani told Newsmax on Wednesday that the attack on New Year's Day revelers in New Orleans looks like "an Islamic extremist act of terrorism."
"Of course, the [Biden] administration would be very, very loathe to say 'Islamic extremist terrorism' since we've been prohibited from doing that since [former President Barack] Obama — a terrible mistake, because it's terrible and difficult to defeat your enemy if you don't name them," Giuliani said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "Like, if we had never named the Nazis, it might have been difficult to defeat them. But, hopefully, that's going to change."
Giuliani, called America's Mayor for his leadership of New York City after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, praised the mayor of New Orleans and the coordination between local and federal authorities as the investigation begins.
"The first thing is you make sure that everyone is working together, which I think the mayor has done," he said. "I thought her press conference was excellent.
"The chain of command has to be clear. Here, the FBI has taken control of the investigation, which seems appropriate, particularly since it's not only an act of terrorism; now it looks like an act of classical terrorism.
"I would think the FBI's hesitation at the very beginning was we're kind of getting very, very general in the definition of 'terrorism.' Any terroristic-type act is 'terrorism.'
"But I think what they wanted to see is this connected to a terrorist organization. When you found the black [Islamic State group] flag, when you found the additional explosives in the car ... they were comfortable saying it's an act of terror."
When asked what steps the leaders of other major cities should be taking to ensure public safety, Giuliani said they should be "focusing on almost obsessive-compulsive practice for terrorism attacks and inter- and intracity and state federal practice.
"I can't tell you how much that helped us on Sept. 11, helped me and George Pataki, the governor. There was a point at which we were practicing so much that we thought we were doing it too much.
"And then when 9/11 happened, I think we both said to each other, 'We maybe should have done it more.' But, remember, we had a warning.
"We had an attack in 1993 by Islamic extremist terrorists on the World Trade Center that didn't accomplish what they wanted. We knew they were going to come back. It just was a question of when and how.
"So we started preparing from the day I became mayor. I started a mayor's Office of Emergency Management, which we never had before, and they would try to keep us up on all of the most modern things that were going on," Giuliani said.
"And the governor did the same thing. So, sure, we were shocked that airplanes were used as missiles by al-Qaida to attack us, but we expected them to attack us."
Source: newsmax.com
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https://www.newsmax.com/newsmax-tv/rudy-giuliani-new-orleans-islamic-terrorism/2025/01/01/id/1193566/
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Trump's return reignites 'Muslim ban' fears for US immigrants
January 02, 2025
In 2017, seven days after Donald Trump took office, fear and confusion took hold of the nation.
The new president signed an executive order banning the entry of people from seven Muslim-majority countries. The result: An untold number of people were left stranded at airports as immigrants and refugees were turned away from the United States.
These people—not unlike many U.S. immigrants who have faced discrimination based on their birthplace—had legal visas or were green card holders.
As the country readies for Trump’s second term, immigrants are recalling the panic and uncertainty that accompanied his first term. Today, some are wondering if they should travel at all.
RaineKamilova, an international student from Uzbekistan, worries that returning home to renew a visa while Trump is in office could mean not being let back in.
“For individuals in this situation, it’s tough. It is scary to go back home and re-apply for a visa because under Trump, visa rejection rates are higher than normal, especially in developing or Muslim countries,” Kamilova told Amherst College’s student-run newspaper last month.
NBC news reported that in early December, many universities decided to err on the side of caution. Schools including Cornell, Harvard, and the University of Southern California sent emails to international students traveling home for the holiday, urging them to allow extra time upon returning in case of complications or worse—like denial of reentry.
Some are choosing to forego trips home altogether.
“[These students are] not just away [from home],” Mush Shaheen, a Syrian professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst told NPR. "You're oceans away from what you know, and you're homesick, and you were looking forward to going back for a break time, and that is not going to happen.”
Their concern isn’t unwarranted. During Trump’s first term, the administration took aim at student visas when officials proposed a rule that limited the duration that international students could study in the country. The rule specifically targeted students from Muslim and select Asian countries; it was withdrawn by President Joe Biden in 2021.
During his latest run for president, Trump once again campaigned on closing U.S. borders and reinstating his “Muslim ban”—and didn’t bother to tamp down the racist dog whistles.
“I will restore my travel ban to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of our country,” he said. “We don’t want our buildings blown up.”
Hiroshi Motomura, an immigration professor at the UCLA School of Law, explained to Daily Kos that these fears are rooted in Trump’s past ban and visa restrictions as well as the president-elect’s ongoing inflammatory comments against immigrants and “wokeness” in higher education.
But in an age of clickbait and fearmongering media reports designed to drive up ad revenue, it’s reasonable to question whether this caution is overblown.
One Japanese man living and working in the U.S. on a student visa questioned just that as he looked at flight options for a monthlong trip back home.
“My therapist told me to return before January 20th, but I wonder if that’s really necessary since I have a student visa?” he wondered during a conversation with Daily Kos. “I want to spend more time at home. I miss Japan.”
Given its good standing with the U.S., Japan is unlikely to be targeted by any hypothetical travel bans.
But because Trump campaigned on anti-higher education sentiment and vowed to overhaul curriculum and cut federal funding, Motomura said that immigrants holding student visas might also be subject to scrutiny or prejudice as they arrive back in the U.S.
As Motomura explained, it isn’t the validity of a person’s visa status that causes heightened anxiety, but rather the officials deciding who can or cannot enter the U.S. through international airports.
“Many decisions at airports and other ports of entry—to let in noncitizens or to keep them out—are highly discretionary,” he explained.
Motomura speculated that a “change in attitude” among government officials overseeing these ports of entry might “result in more decisions to bar admission.”
This risk is well-known among immigrants coming and going from U.S. soil. Some immigrants legally in the states have opted to stay put altogether because they’ve been treated so poorly upon reentering.
Andrea, whose name has been changed to remain anonymous due to a pending green card application, recalled her boyfriend’s harrowing experience with U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents as he entered the country from Colombia under political asylum.
She said U.S. customs agents were intimidating while holding him in an investigations room without a translator.
“Customs does kind of play by their own rules,” she told us. “They can use intimidation tactics and most people with visas are terrified of getting their visas revoked or being deported.”
The result?
“He hasn’t been home for the holidays for over three years. [The holidays are] a very depressing time for him because of that,” Andrea said of her boyfriend. “He could potentially ask for permission to leave the country [to travel somewhere other than Colombia], but he won’t because of the risk of not being admitted back in.”
A State Department spokesperson told Daily Kos that they could not comment on the policy initiatives of any future administration but that they will “work with the President-elect and the transition team to ensure a smooth transfer of power.”
Trump’s transition team did not respond to Daily Kos’ request for comment.
Source: dailykos.com
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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/1/1/2292309/-Trump-s-return-reignites-Muslim-ban-fears-for-US-immigrants?pm_campaign=blog&pm_medium=rss&pm_source=main
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Gunman kills ten in Montenegro mass shooting
1 Jan, 2025
At least ten people, including two children, were killed in a shooting rampage on Wednesday in Cetinje, Montenegro. The suspect, identified as AcoMartinovic, 45, is still at large, with police deploying special units to apprehend him.
The violence began in a local bar, where a brawl escalated into shooting. Interior Minister DaniloSaranovic confirmed that Martinovic killed the bar owner, the owner's two children, and members of his own family before fleeing the scene.
Local media reports indicate that Martinovic was known for erratic behavior and had previously been detained for illegal possession of weapons. According to public broadcaster RTCG, the suspect left the bar after the initial altercation, retrieved his gun, and returned to open fire, killing multiple people.
The authorities have urged residents of Cetinje, Montenegro’s historic capital, to stay indoors as the armed and dangerous suspect remains on the run. Footage shows police working under holiday lights while continuing their manhunt, cordoning off neighborhoods and searching the surrounding hills.
“All available police units are deployed in Cetinje, and efforts are underway to locate and detain the suspect,” said Saranovic. Police investigations into the exact motive behind the shooting are ongoing, but the minister described it as a “situational event not related to organized crime groups.”
Prime Minister MilojkoSpajic, visiting the hospital where the injured were being treated, described the incident as a “terrible tragedy” and announced three days of national mourning.
Montenegro, with a population of 620,000, has a deeply rooted gun culture, as the Western Balkans remain flooded with weapons from past conflicts in the region. This is the second mass shooting in Cetinje in three years. In August 2022, another gunman killed ten people, including two children, before being stopped by a passerby.
Spajic stated that the government is considering stricter gun laws, potentially including a total ban on firearms, in response to the tragedy.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/news/610317-montenegro-mass-shooting/
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Pakistan
After Kurram Peace Agreement, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen Chief Announces Ending Sit-Ins
By Web Desk
January 01, 2025
In a major development, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) on Wednesday called off their over week-long sit-ins in different areas of the provincial capital which is also the economic hub of the country.
In a statement issued on late Wednesday, MWM Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said the peace agreement has been signed between the rival tribes of Kurram after a grand jirga was held in Kohat.
He announced ending sit-ins across the country, saying the peace agreement reached with the consent of the warring tribes. "Now ball is in government's court to implement the agreement," the MWM chief added.
The development came hours after the two warring tribes in Kurram inked a 14-point peace accord aimed at establishing peace in the district.
Speaking to Geo News, MWM's KP chapter president Shabbir Sajidi announced that it has been decided to end sit-ins across the country except Parachinar. "The ongoing sit-in outside the Peshawar Press Club has also been ended," he noted.
Referring to the Parachinar protest, Sajidi said that the sit-in would continue until the roads are reopened in the restive territory and essential items are delivered.
He asked the government to ensure the restoration of normalcy in Parachinar as the negotiations have been completed.
Earlier, the MWM chief linked the calling of their protest sit-ins in Karachi to the opening of roads leading to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's restive Kurram district for general traffic.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Senator Abbas blasted the Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur-led provincial government — with whom the MWM is still an ally, saying: “Closure of roads leading to Parachinar is the failure of the provincial government.”
He held the KP CM responsible for the closure of the roads leading to the violence-hit district. “KP government has not cooperated [with us] so far,” he admitted.
Expressing his satisfaction over the Jirga-brokered peace agreement, the senator said that the tribal elders had fulfilled their responsibility. He hoped that the peace accord would be implemented in its true spirit.
Over 130 people have been killed in the recent deadly clashes in the country’s north-western Kurram district, Reuters reported citing District administration official Wajid Hussain.
MWM’s sit-ins continued for nine days in different parts of Karachi, the country’s economic hub, paralyzing daily life and businesses.
'Warring tribes agreed to surrender weapons'
Earlier, speaking to Geo News, Sawab Khan — who is part of the grand jirga — said that 45 people from each warring side have signed the 14-point peace agreement.
"Both sides have agreed to hand over their weapons to the government," he said, warning of the government's action if either side fails to do so. Furthermore, he said, it was decided in the agreement that all bunkers will be dismantled.
The jirga member added that a committee will be constituted within 15 days to start implementing the agreement, hoping that the situation in restive Kurram would return to normal within a month.
In response to a question, Khan said that the government would decide on the opening of the roads. “Members of Anjuman-e-Hussainia Association and members belonging to Anjuman-e-Farooqia, gave assent to the accord."
A grand peace jirga was convened at Kohat Fort to mediate talks between the warring tribes of the violence-hit district. The peace talks, held under the supervision of GOC 9 Division Major General Zulfiqar Bhatti, aimed at establish lasting peace between the warring tribes whose clashes have claimed over 130 lives since November.
Despite multiple truces announced over the past year, the issue remained unresolved, with tribal elders continuing efforts to negotiate a permanent peace agreement.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1267621-will-call-off-karachi-sit-ins-only-after-parachinar-roads-reopen-mwm-chief
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Speakers call for institutionalization of Islamic social finance
January 01, 2025
ISLAMABAD - Speakers at a day-long pre-conference seminar titled ‘Elimination of Interest from the Economy: Sustainable Islamic Banking and Investment Practices’ have called for institutionalizing the Islamic social finance.
They emphasized the need for taking practical steps to eliminate riba (interest) in light of the 26th Constitutional Amendment and the recent decision of the Federal Shariat Court. The speakers stated, “Eliminating riba from the country requires a movement and results will only be achieved if everyone actively participate in this struggle.”
Addressing the seminar, Justice Dr. Muhammad Anwar of the Federal Shariat Court said, “Eliminating riba is an integral part of our faith.”
He urged that we must not consider the consequences of ending interest but instead align the financial system with Allah’s commands. He praised the Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Allama Iqbal Open University for initiating this vital dialogue and called on other universities to raise awareness about this critical issue.
Justice Dr. Anwar congratulated the Dean of the Faculty of Arabic and Islamic Studies, Prof. Dr. Mohiuddin Hashmi, on organizing the seminar and suggested hosting another dialogue on this topic before the International Conference on Islamic Finance scheduled for April.
Dr. Ahmed Khalid, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration at Brunei Darussalam University, presented his paper on Islamic finance.
Prof. Dr. Mohiuddin Hashmi elaborated on the objectives of the seminar, stated, “This dialogue on eliminating riba will continue and serves as a precursor to the upcoming International Conference in April.”
He highlighted that the Open University had established a department of Islamic Finance offering a four-year BS program, diploma programs, publishing a research journal, and organizing international conferences on Islamic finance.
Other speakers included Sahibzada Muhammad Qamarul Haq, Principal of Jamia Muhammadi Sharif; Hafiz Atif Waheed from Al-Quran Academy, DHA Phase II, Lahore; and Advocate Qaiser Imam from Islamabad High Court.
Source: nation.com.pk
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https://www.nation.com.pk/01-Jan-2025/speakers-call-for-institutionalization-of-islamic-social-finance
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Man accused in Rs3bn tax fraud case granted bail against Rs100 surety bond
By Awais Yousafzai
January 01, 2025
ISLAMABAD: A man accused of being involved in a Rs3.20 billion sales tax fraud case was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday against the surety bond of just Rs100.
The high court, in its ruling today, declared the department's criminal probe as an excess of authority.
During the hearing, IHC Justice Babar Sattar also directed to send a copy of the court's order to Federal Bureau of Revenue's (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial.
According to the verdict, the manager of a bank was arrested for helping in opening account at power company branch. It said that the state did not provide any material regarding the petitioner's involvement in the tax fraud crime.
The court also said that the tax department did not determine the tax due on the taxpayer as per the law. Moreover, the verdict said that the tax department arrested the petitioner in violation of the Lahore High Court's verdict.
The tax department initiated criminal proceedings despite being aware of the LHC's verdict, said the IHC, adding that the FBR chairman should distribute the copies of the LHC and IHC's judgments to the tax officers.
The court said in case of violation, the tax collection authority and the tax officers will face action for misuse of powers.
The IHC further remarked that the legal and police powers delegated to public officials should be exercised in accordance with the law.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1267574-man-accused-in-rs3bn-tax-fraud-case-granted-bail-against-rs100-surety-bond
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FIA finds black sheep in its own ranks
Zulqernain Tahir
January 2, 2025
• Over 30 officers dismissed for ‘colluding’ with human traffickers
• Criminal cases filed against 13 officials over alleged involvement in trafficking
• Four more bodies of victims of last month’s boat tragedy recovered
LAHORE/RAWALPINDI: More than 30 officers of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have been booked and dismissed from service over their alleged collusion with human smugglers in illegally sending Pakistanis abroad.
The agency began the purge last month following the capsising of a boat carrying illegal immigrants near Greece.
As per the estimate, more than 80 Pakistanis drowned in the accident, 36 of whom were rescued. The remaining have been presumed dead.
In response to the tragedy, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered the authorities to take action against human smugglers and officials aiding them.
Since then, a countrywide crackdown has been launched against human smugglers, leading to the arrests of over a dozen suspects.
According to the FIA, criminal cases have been filed against 13 agency officials for their alleged involvement in human trafficking.
FIA Director General Ahmed Ishaq Jahangir conducted departmental hearings of 49 officials implicated in boat incidents, the agency said, adding that 35 were dismissed from service.
These officers included four inspectors, 10 sub-inspectors, two ASIs, five head constables and 14 constables.
“The purpose of departmental accountability is to rid the organisation of corrupt elements,” the FIA DG was quoted as saying.
Mr Jahangir added that strict measures were being taken against FIA officials involved in illegal activities.
More arrests
The FIA has claimed to have arrested four more alleged human smugglers, including a wanted criminal.
The suspects included Imran Hussain alias Mani, who was wanted for allegedly sending abroad migrants who died in a boat tragedy near Libya in 2023. He was listed in the agency’s Red Book’s “most wanted” category.
Other suspects were identified as Muhammad Ijaz, Imran Saqib and Rizwan Khadim, an FIA spokesperson said.
The arrests were made from various areas of Gujranwala and Gujrat.
The FIA spokesperson claimed Hussain was a member of an international human trafficking gang and was named in six cases registered in Gujrat.
He allegedly extorted Rs2.4 million from each of the six victims of the Libya boat incident.
The victims were sent from Pakistan to Egypt and Dubai on visit visas and later to Libya, where they were kept in safe houses. Later, they were placed on the Europe-bound boat, which capsized.
The FIA Gujranwala zone has so far registered 32 cases and launched two inquiries against human traffickers.
And 10 suspects involved in the Greek boat accident have been arrested while a crackdown was underway to arrest their accomplices, FIA said.
Bodies recovered
The bodies of four more Pakistanis who died in last month’s boat tragedy have been recovered, taking the total death toll to nine.
The victims have been identified as Shabbir, Zain Ali and Zeeshan of Narowal and Awais Ali of Sialkot.
The bodies of three of the five Pakistanis earlier recovered from the sea have already been airlifted to Pakistan, while the remaining two will be transported on Thursday.
The deceased were identified as Haji Ahmed from Mandi Bahauddin, Muhammad Sufyan from Sialkot, Rehman Ali from Gujrat, Muhammad Abid and Muhammad Abdullah.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1882577/fia-finds-black-sheep-in-its-own-ranks
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Children above 10 will require new ‘biometric’ Form B
Iftikhar A. Khan
January 2, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Form B — the identity document issued by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) for children — will now have special biometric security features, the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday.
The special security features will be included in the identity documents of all children above the age of 10, including fingerprints and photographs.
The issuance of these special Form B (registration certificate) will be carried out in phases from January 15.
The interior ministry said these steps will help prevent the theft and misuse of children’s identity information and prove helpful in preventing crimes like forgery of identity documents and illegal passports as well as human trafficking.
According to a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior, in the first phase, fingerprints and photographs of children above the age of 10 and below the age of 18 will be taken at Nadra centres from January 15.
These children must be accompanied by one of the parents or legal guardians, who must also bring their computerised national identity card and the child’s computerised birth certificate, issued by the union council or town committee.
According to the spokesperson, children above the age of 10 and below the age of 18 will have to submit a Form B with fingerprints and a photograph issued by Nadra while applying for a new passport, while the old Form B, which does not include a photograph and fingerprints, will not be acceptable for children of this age group. According to a spokesperson, parents or legal guardians should obtain a new Form B with a photograph and fingerprints of a child above the age of 10 from Nadra.
The spokesperson said that steps will be taken to integrate Nadra’s identification system with the Civil Registration Management System of the provinces.
According to the spokesperson, steps will be taken to ensure better services on Nadra’s Pak ID mobile app and digital IDs will be issued to all Pakistani citizens.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1882578/children-above-10-will-require-new-biometric-form-b
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India
Wonder what is questionable over meeting Lalu Prasad: Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan
02.01.25
Bihar Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Thursday frowned upon questions being raised, in a section of the media, over his meeting with RJD president Lalu Prasad, hours before his swearing in.
Khan expressed anguish while interacting with journalists here, after he was administered the oath of office by Patna High Court Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran.
He was asked about his visit, Wednesday evening, to the residence of Prasad, shortly after the RJD president's son Tejashwi Yadav, who, incidentally, was also present at the swearing in ceremony, had called on him at the Raj Bhavan.
"You tell me one thing. If you visit a place and you have old acquaintances, would you not like to meet them? Likewise, would I not like to spend some time with those whom I have known since 1975, once I am in their city? I wonder what is questionable in this matter,” Khan said.
Urging the media "not to view all things through the prism of politics", Khan said he looked forward to a great tenure in Bihar, where he has come as a "sevak" (servant).
"Bihar is unparalleled in terms of its glorious history. It also has tremendous potential, if we think in terms of the future,” he said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/wonder-what-is-questionable-over-meeting-lalu-prasad-says-bihar-governor-arif-mohammad-khan/cid/2074924
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‘14 foreign ultras killed, 13 terror modules busted in Jammu Zone in 2024’
Jan 2, 2025
JAMMU: As many as 14 foreign terrorists were killed and 13 terror modules busted in J&K’s Jammu division in 2024, a police spokesperson said Wednesday, adding that 827 overground workers were also booked for anti-national activities in the period.
“In 2024, Jammu Zone achieved significant progress in security and crime control. On the anti-terror front, the killing of 14 foreign terrorists dealt a critical blow to terror networks attempting to disrupt peace and stability in the region,” the spokesperson said.
“Of the 13 terror modules busted across Jammu, one each was unearthed in Rajouri and Reasi, two each in Poonch and Kathua districts, three in Udhampur and four in Doda,” said the spokesperson.
Police maintained constant pressure on anti-national elements and cracked down on 827 OGWs in 2024, as compared to 282 in 2023. “As many as 180 people were detained under the Public Safety Act in 2024. This figure was 168 in 2023,” the spokesperson said.
“In 2024, 476 NDPS cases were registered and 9.99kg of heroin seized from LoC area in Nowshera sector in April, and 33.58kg from Jammu bus stand area in Aug, leading to multiple arrests. Properties were seized/frozen in 84 NDPS cases, with nine cases confirmed by the competent authority SAFEMA [Smugglers and Foreign Exchange Manipulators (Forfeiture of Property) Act],” the spokesperson said.
Source: indiatimes.com
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Tension in Gujarat after 3 shops on mosque premises 'forcefully' evicted
Jan 2, 2025
Tension prevailed in Gujarat's Rajkot on Wednesday after a group of people tried to evict three shopkeepers and forcibly throw out their wares, claiming that the properties belonged to the Gujarat Waqf Board and were illegally transferred to their descendants. The shops are located on the premises of the Nawab Masjid.
After the attempt to forcibly evict the shopkeepers, a complaint was filed against five people involved in the incident. According to the police complaint, the shops were rented to three Hindu businessmen about 60 years ago.
On Wednesday, a group of people broke the locks and threw out the goods, claiming that the shops belonged to the Gujarat Waqf Board.
When questioned, the people showed documents bearing the Gujarat State Waqf Board letterhead, dated December 19, 2024, granting approval for the eviction.
The letter said the shopkeepers illegally transferred their tenancy to their descendants without obtaining the necessary approval. The trustee of the shops, Gujarat State Waqf Board, also cited unpaid taxes and pending electricity bills of 15 years for immediate repossession.
In the complaint, it was highlighted that the letter from the Waqf Board laid down a process for taking back the shops legally. It included giving three legal notices to the tenants, talking to the tenants, making a new rent agreement, informing the police about the notice and then taking legal action. However, the complaint mentioned that the steps were not followed.
Speaking about the incident, Farooq Masani, who was involved in the eviction, said, "We have taken over the shops after getting the order of the Gujarat Waqf Board. The shops have been closed for years and are in a dilapidated condition. The mosque is also getting damaged. We have followed the order we got."
Local BJP MLA Darshita Shah met the Rajkot Police Commissioner regarding this issue and sought action against the eviction of the shopkeepers in an "illegal manner".
"I met the commissioner after the incident. I asked him to launch a probe and to ensure that no such incident happens in the future. The letter by the Waqf Board provided for a streamlined process for the eviction of shops, which was not followed. The eviction was illegal. I have asked the commissioner to take action against those involved in the act," Shah said.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/gujarat-hindu-shopkeepers-forcefully-evicted-nawab-masjid-rajkot-2658377-2025-01-02
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SC to hear AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's plea on places of worship law on January 2
01.01.25
The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on January 2 a plea of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi seeking implementation of the 1991 places of worship law, which asks to maintain the religious character of a place as it existed on August 15, 1947.
Lawyer and MP Owaisi, who heads the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, filed the plea on December 17, 2024, through advocate Fuzail Ahmad Ayyubi.
On December 12, however, a bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna while acting on a batch of similar pleas against the 1991 law, restrained all courts from entertaining fresh suits and passing any interim or final orders in pending cases seeking to reclaim religious places, particularly mosques and dargahs.
"As the matter is sub-judice in this court, we deem it appropriate that no fresh suit would be registered and proceedings are undertaken till further orders of this court," the CJI-led bench had said.
As a result, the top court stalled the proceedings in about 18 lawsuits filed by various Hindu parties seeking surveys to ascertain the original religious character of 10 mosques, including Gyanvapi at Varanasi, Shahi Idgah Masjid at Mathura besides Shahi Jama Masjid at Sambhal where four persons' lives were snuffed out in clashes.
The special bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan, was hearing about six petitions, including the lead one filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, challenging various provisions of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991.
One of the contentions was that the provisions took away the right of judicial remedy to reclaim a place of worship of any person or a religious group.
The 1991 law prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it existed on August 15, 1947.
Owaisi, in his plea, has sought a direction to the Centre to ensure effective implementation of the law, said his counsel.
He also referred to instances where several courts had ordered survey of mosques on pleas by Hindu litigants, he said. It is likely that the top court would on January 2 tag Owaisi's plea with the pending matters for hearing.
Pleas of the Muslim side have also sought strict implementation of the 1991 law to maintain communal harmony and to preserve the present status of mosques, sought to be reclaimed by the Hindus side saying temples existed in these places before invaders razed them.
The Gyanvapi Mosque management committee had moved the apex court to oppose several pending petitions that challenge the constitutional validity of the 1991 law.
It listed a series of contentious claims made over the years concerning various mosques and dargahs, including the Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura, the Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque near Delhi’s Qutub Minar, the Kamal Maula Mosque in Madhya Pradesh, and others.
The petitions challenging the law were filed with "mischievous intent" to facilitate lawsuits against these religious sites, which the 1991 Act currently protected, the committee said.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/sc-to-hear-aimim-chief-asaduddin-owaisis-plea-on-places-of-worship-law/cid/2074724
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Hope UT status is temporary, Centre should restore statehood soon: Omar Abdullah
Jan 2, 2025,
SRINAGAR: Chief minister Omar Abdullah Thursday expressed hope that Jammu and Kashmir's Union Territory status is a temporary phase and that the central government fulfils its promise of restoring its statehood. "It has been a little over two months since we came to power. It took us time to understand how the UT government works. We have been associated with the government earlier, but there is a vast difference between that form and the present form," Abdullah said at a media interaction at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) here.
The chief minister said the start of the new government has been "decent" and that they "did not find much difficulty" in it.
"We are bound by our election promises. We have started the process of implementing some of the promises and for other promises, we need change in the system. I hope J&K being a UT is a temporary phase," Abdullah said.
"We the people are now expecting that the promises made with us will be fulfilled. The biggest promise is the restoration of the statehood. The Supreme Court in its judgement had also stated that the statehood should be restored as soon as possible. One year has passed since and we think one year should be enough," he added.
Abdullah said the sentiments of the people should be respected their aspirations should be fulfilled.
Addressing reporters, the chief minister termed it an interaction, and not a press conference.
"We are not making any big announcements as was being speculated on social media. We only wanted to have an interaction. We will try to answer your questions," he said.
"I would like to have this kind of interaction without any agenda at least twice a year," he added.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/hope-ut-status-is-temporary-centre-should-restore-statehood-soon-omar-abdullah/articleshow/116876057.cms
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Uttar Pradesh: Muslim man killed by mob in Moradabad over claims of cow slaughter
Scroll Staff
01.01.25
A mob in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district on Monday assaulted a Muslim man after claiming that he slaughtered a cow, leading to the man’s death a day later, The Indian Express reported.
The police alleged that a group of unidentified persons caught the man, Shahedeen Qureshi, slaughtering a cow on the premises of the Mandi Samiti in Moradabad in the early hours of Monday.
Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Ran Vijay Singh said that Qureshi had three associates, who fled the area when the mob arrived, the Hindustan Times reported.
The police official claimed that a cow carcass was found at the spot.
The mob reportedly attacked Qureshi with batons and rods. A police team later arrived at the spot, rescued the man from the mob, and sent him to a hospital.
Qureshi, however, succumbed to his injuries in the early hours of Tuesday. His brother Mohammed Alam filed a complaint with the police, after which a murder case was filed against unidentified persons under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. No arrests have been made in the case yet.
Alam claimed that some persons took away Qureshi from his home, and that they were responsible for his death.
The police also filed a case against Qureshi and his three associates under the Cow Slaughter Act. A man named Adnan, alleged to be one of the associates, was arrested in the case, The Indian Express reported.
A post-mortem examination of Qureshi’s body was carried out, after which his family conducted his last rites on Tuesday morning. The autopsy report is expected to be completed on Wednesday.
Source: scroll.in
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Mumbai heroes: Islam Gymkhana awards Rs 5 lakh to brave rescuers of tourist boat, felicitates young hero
Jan 1, 2025
MUMBAI: The iconic Islam Gymkhana has announced a Rs 5 lakh award to Arif Bamne and three others who rescued 35 passengers from a sinking tourist boat after a navy speedboat hit it on December 22.
The boat was headed to Elephanta from the Gateway of India. Eleven-year-old Dongri boy Faiz Khan, who fought off a robber to save his mother, was also felicitated by the Gymkhana on Saturday.
“Arif and his group acted very fast and saved 35 precious lives. They set an example of how to react in a crisis. They are not financially well off and, besides being congratulated and felicitated with bouquets and shawls, they should also be given cash prizes. The Gymkhana will give them a cash prize of at least Rs 5 lakh,” announced Gymkhana President Yusuf Abrahni.
Many others, including Abid Ahmed Kundalam of Global Care Foundation and businessman Mehboob Doodhwala, also announced a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each to Bamne and his group of boys who rescued 35 passengers, including women and children, from the sinking boat.
“They deserve more than mere congratulatory words. They should be helped in a way that becomes exemplary,” said activist Saeed Khan.
Activist Saeed Khan exhorted citizens, especially with deep pockets, to come forward and do more than mere felicitation of the heroes with flowers and shawls. "These boys come from the lower strata of society and they deserve monetary help besides words of praise," said Khan.
Retired ACP Iqbal Shaikh too announced a monetary help and also declared he would help them apply for the awards from the state and Centre.
Many people jostled with one another to get selfies with Bamne and other heroes.
Source: indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/mumbai-heroes-islam-gymkhana-awards-rs-5-lakh-to-brave-rescuers-of-tourist-boat-felicitates-young-hero/articleshow/116852099.cms
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Kerala CM Vijayan Disrespecting Sanatan Dharma To Appease The Muslims: BJP Leader
Jan 02, 2025
New Delhi [India], January 2 (ANI): Reacting to Kerala Chief Minister PinarayiVijayan's alleged remarks against Sanatan Dharma, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shehzad Poonawalla on Thursday called it a "disrespect" to Sanatan Dharma. He further added that CM Vijayan has done it deliberately to appease the Muslim community in order to consolidate the vote bank.
"... First he disrespected Sanatan and now he is defending his statement. This is a well-thought-out way to utilise the Muslim vote bank... He is disrespecting Sanatan Dharma to appease the Muslims and compete for their vote bank," said the BJP leader while speaking to ANI.
Many other BJP party leaders have come forward and condemned CM Vijayan's statement on Sanatan Dharma. Former Union Minister V. Muraleedharan took strong exception to the Kerala Chief Minister's recent remarks on Sanatana Dharma, calling them an insult to the faith and the Sivagiri Mutt. Speaking at the Sivagiri Mutt, Muraleedharan questioned if Vijayan would dare to make similar statements about other religions, including the Holy Quran.
BJP Chittorgarh MP CP Joshi stated that Congress and its allies have been targeting Hinduism for a long time. Sometimes they abuse Hinduism, calling Sanatan Dharma dengue-malaria and AIDS and sometimes call it Hindu terrorism, but I believe that Sanatana is the soul of this country... Political parties should stay away from all this and talk only about development in the country.
On Tuesday, Vijayan, while addressing the Sivagiri Pilgrimage, stated that attempts to portray social reformer and saint Sree Narayana Guru as a proponent of Sanatana Dharma are nothing but the practice of caste-based Varnashrama Dharma.
"Sanatana Dharma is synonymous with or inseparable from Varnashrama Dharma, which is based on the Chaturvarna system. What does this Varnashrama Dharma uphold? It glorifies hereditary professions. But what did Sree Narayana Guru do? He called for defiance of hereditary professions. How, then, can Guru be an advocate of Sanatana Dharma?" the Kerala CM said.
"Guru's ascetic life was a constant questioning and defiance of the Chaturvarna system. How can someone who proclaimed, "One Caste, One Religion, One God for humankind," be an advocate of Sanatana Dharma, which is rooted in the confines of a single religion? Guru championed a dharma that opposed the caste system," Vijayan added. (ANI)
Source: .aninews.in
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South Asia
Islamic System; The Only Option For Ruling Afghanistan
January 2, 2025
Afghanistan has experienced different regimes over the past four decades. From the Soviet Union invasion to the 20-year of the U.S. occupation, many parties and factions ruled, but all of them failed and left the country with a legacy of widespread corruption, civil and foreign wars, and increased poppy cultivation and drug-trafficking. During the communist era, all efforts were made to serve the interests of the Soviet Union and the debased ideology of communism, and the country was transformed into a playground for the competition of great powers. This is why one of the bloodiest wars in modern history took place in our country, and millions of Afghans were martyred and injured, and millions of others were forced to migrate to other neighbouring countries. As a result of the sacrifices of millions of Afghans, the country was liberated and the Soviet Union was forced to leave this sacred land, but in its place, a coalition government of parties and factions was established, and the internal conflicts put the country at risk of civil war and even disintegration and division. However, with the help of Allah Almighty, the first era of the Islamic Emirate came to power, averted many misfortunes and brought security, unity, and happiness to the country. More than two decades ago, the United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan against all international standards, overthrew the legitimate Islamic system. In order to deceive the Afghan nation and the world, they established a weak administration here from former warlords for their own interests. During the twenty-year period of occupation, such atrocities were committed under the guise of democracy and freedom that even the founders of the republic were ashamed of and most others were fed up with their actions. At that time, insecurity and corruption in the country reached their peak and the Afghans’ lives and honor were not safe. Yet, with the great blessing of Almighty Allah and the sacrifices of thousands of martyrs, the occupation and incompetent government were overthrown and replaced by a powerful Islamic system led by the Islamic Emirate, which established a central government, restored security, and waged a genuine fight against corruption and narcotics. Besides, the Islamic Emirate has also launched numerous infrastructure projects in various provinces of the country. After four decades of internal and external wars in Afghanistan, the improvement of the overall security situation, stability, and progress under the leadership of the Islamic Emirate has shown that there is no better formula for governance than the Islamic system. Despite the above-mentioned achievements under the rule of the Islamic Emirate, the international community does not officially recognize the Islamic Emirate due to ideological contradictions and creates obstacles for it in the political and economic fields. The Afghan nation needs to support its government and fully take part in the reconstruction and development of the country. Hussain
Source: thekabultimes.com
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32 BNP men discharged from vandalism case
Jan 2, 2025
A Dhaka court yesterday discharged 32 BNP leaders and activists from a case filed over vandalising vehicles and assaulting policemen in 2018.
BNP Executive Committee Member Habibur Rashid Habib, its Dhaka South City Member Secretary Rafiqul Alam Majnu, JatiyatabadiJubo Dal President Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, and its former president Saiful Alam Nirob are among the accused.
Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate MdMahbubul Islam passed the order after their lawyers submitted petitions for discharging them from the case.
According to the case statement, a group of BNP leaders and activists led by Tuku gathered in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in the capital's Paltan around 1:45pm on April 23, 2018 protesting the conviction of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman in the Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case on February 8, 2018.
At one stage, they obstructed people, vandalised vehicles and prevented policemen from discharging their duties, leaving three policemen injured.
Source: thedailystar.net
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Water Management in Afghanistan Respects Neighboring Rights: Energy and Water Ministry
2025-01-01
KABUL (BNA): The Ministry of Energy and Water has assured that Afghanistan’s water management efforts aim to ensure equitable use without infringing on the rights of neighboring countries, amidst concerns raised by some regional states regarding dam construction projects in Afghanistan.
Mujib-ur-Rahman Omar Akhundzada, Deputy Minister of Water, stated during the inauguration of the Shah waAros Dam in northern Kabul, “Afghanistan’s water management is not intended to disregard the rights of our neighbors. Our country has long lacked proper water resource management due to years of crises.”
This response comes after EisaBozorgzadeh, spokesperson for Iran’s water industry, expressed concerns over the construction and water storage of the Pashdan Dam in Herat. Omar Akhundzada addressed these concerns, emphasizing, “Our goal in managing Afghanistan’s water resources is not to create problems for neighboring countries but to secure the rights of the Afghan people over their water resources.”
He also highlighted the severe impacts of drought in Afghanistan, mentioning that many residents of provinces such as Uruzgan, Helmand, Farah, Kandahar, and Zabul have been forced to migrate due to water shortages.
Despite Afghanistan’s commitment to equitable water management, Omar Akhundzada criticized Iran for constructing hundreds of small and large dams, utilizing more water than their entitlement, which has left thousands of hectares of farmland in Afghan provinces like Zabul, Helmand, Kandahar, Farah, and Uruzgan unable to be irrigated.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Water, more than half of Afghanistan’s cultivable land remains underutilized due to inadequate water supply and management, further underscoring the need for efficient and sustainable water resource development within the country.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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Over 50 Afghan imprisoned in Pakistan for lacking documents released
ByFidel Rahmati
January 2, 2025
The Ministry of Refugees and Repatriates of Taliban reported that more than fifty Afghan prisoners have been released from jails in Pakistan and have returned to Afghanistan. The Ministry has stated that these individuals were detained for periods ranging from 3-20 days due to lacking legal documents, and after their release, they returned to Afghanistan.
The Ministry states that these Afghan migrants crossed into Afghanistan through various borders after their release on Wednesday, January 1.
According to the report, these prisoners had been detained by the Pakistani police for periods ranging from 3 to 20 days due to their lack of legal documentation.
It is noted that the released prisoners returned to Afghanistan via the Torkham and Spin Boldak border crossings.
This is not the first time that Afghan prisoners have been sent back to Afghanistan after being released from Pakistani jails.
In recent months, Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey have intensified their efforts to arrest and deport Afghan migrants.
The detention and deportation of Afghan migrants by neighboring countries have always sparked reactions, with Pakistan, Iran, and, in many cases, Turkey justifying the actions by citing the migrants’ lack of legal documents in these countries.
The ongoing situation reflects the broader plight of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, many of whom live in precarious conditions without proper documentation. The increasing raids and deportations have left thousands of Afghan migrants vulnerable, facing an uncertain future in their host countries or upon their return to Afghanistan.
The Afghan government, along with international organizations, must provide greater support to these refugees by negotiating with neighboring countries to ensure their legal protection. More comprehensive solutions are needed to address the root causes of migration, improve the legal status of Afghan refugees, and safeguard their rights. Without such efforts, the cycle of vulnerability and displacement will continue to haunt many Afghan families.
Source: khaama.com
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25% rise in asylum seekers crossing English Channel to UK in 2024
ByFidel Rahmati
January 2, 2025
Statistics from the UK Home Office reveal that more than 36,000 asylum seekers crossed the English Channel “illegally” into the UK in 2024. This represents a 25% increase compared to 2023.
The UK Home Office has not released figures on the number of people who have lost their lives during the migration journey, but it had previously declared 2024 as the deadliest year for asylum seekers crossing the Channel.
However, the French Coastguard reported that at least 53 people lost their lives on this route over the past 12 months.
A spokesperson for the UK Home Office commented on human traffickers, saying, “Smuggling gangs don’t care whether people live or die as long as they’re getting paid.”
The UK Home Office has reiterated its commitment to taking all necessary steps to dismantle human trafficking networks.
The UK’s National Crime Agency reports that there are currently about 70 open cases related to organized migration crimes or human trafficking.
Both of the UK’s major political parties have pledged to reduce the number of people crossing the English Channel. However, the number of “illegal” asylum seekers entering the UK via this route has significantly increased since 2018.
According to statistics, around 300 people crossed in 2018, this number rose to 1,843 in 2019, 8,466 in 2020, and reached 28,526 in 2021.
The rising number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel underscores a growing humanitarian crisis that requires urgent attention. Despite political promises to reduce these numbers, the influx continues, with many migrants risking their lives in dangerous conditions.
To effectively address this issue, the UK government must focus on both controlling illegal migration and improving legal pathways for asylum seekers. Collaboration with neighboring countries and dismantling human trafficking networks will be crucial in preventing further loss of life and ensuring safer migration options.
Source: khaama.com
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Southeast Asia
DAP leaders slam Hadi on 'secularism bigger sin than defamation' remarks
Jan 2, 2025
Senior DAP leaders have lambasted PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang over his remarks that “secularism was a bigger sin than defamation and murder” in a commentary yesterday.
DAP central executive committee (CEC) member Lee Chin Chen accused Hadi of using "flawed arguments" to justify Kepala Batas MP SitiMastura Muhammad’s defamation of three DAP leaders after she lost a lawsuit against her.
Lee pointed out that Malaysia has been a secular nation since...
Source: malaysiakini.com
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'Manipulating religion': PAS plan to rally against Nga, Yeoh slammed
Jan 2, 2025
PKR Youth has slammed PAS for planning to hold a rally against two DAP ministers tomorrow, saying the Islamist party is trying to manipulate religion for its political interests.
“This rally is seen as raising a culture of fear and playing up religious sentiments in a way that can create disunity among the public,” said the wing’s Religious Bureau chief Ashraf Hadi in a statement...
Source: malaysiakini.com
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After Guan Eng criticises Najib solidarity gathering, Zahid says DAP leader’s time has gone
02 Jan 2025
By AnisZalani
PUTRAJAYA, Jan 2 — Umno president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today dismissed DAP chairman Lim Guan Eng’s criticism of a planned solidarity gathering for convicted ex-prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Zahid said he considered Lim’s remarks to be the latter’s personal view, and not representative of the “current leadership” of DAP.
“In my view, his (Lim’s) era has passed, and it would be better to place trust in DAP’s current leadership without stirring conflict with any allies,” Zahid said at the new year gathering at his Rural and Regional Development Ministry.
Zahid, who is also the deputy prime minister, said he consequently saw no need to address Lim’s claim that the solidarity gathering would undermine the national unity government.
On whether PAS would participate, Zahid said it was the opposition party’s prerogative and that he had no further information.
On Friday, Lim criticised Umno for collaborating with PAS to hold a solidarity gathering for Najib next week.
Lim, who is also Bagan MP said that this move would raise doubts about Umno’s sincerity as a partner in the unity government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
On a separate matter, Zahid said he has called for a review of the ministry’s policies and plans to ensure they remain aligned with the goal of developing rural communities.
He explained that these policies and plans need to be reassessed to ensure they are in line with the 13th Malaysia Plan (RMK-13)
He also added that in addition to internal evaluations, KKDW must collaborate with independent third-party research bodies to ensure that programme and initiative assessments are conducted objectively.
Zahid also instructed UniKL to conduct a comprehensive study on public satisfaction regarding the provision of basic needs, essential facilities, and socio-economic development efforts in rural areas.
Source: malaymail.com
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Shepherds or predators? Police say finding more sexual groomers among religious figures
By Malay Mail
02 Jan 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 — Faith figures including religious teachers and celebrity preachers are increasingly abusing their positions for sexual crimes, said the police.
According to Kompas, federal police statistics indicate a rising trend in offences committed by those in such positions, suggesting a growing readiness to exploit their standing in the community.
SAC SitiKamsiah Hassan, principal assistant director of the Sexual, Women, and Child Investigations Division (D11), said the perpetrators often manipulate their victims through a grooming process that exploits their position of influence.
“These offenders gain the trust of their victims by presenting themselves as kind and generous, often offering gifts or showing special attention.
“They then escalate their behaviour, requesting indecent acts such as massaging intimate areas, genitalia, or engaging in sexual acts," she was quoted as saying.
SitiKamsiah said such tactics were effective as the targets and victims typically idolised these sexual predators.
While most cases involve male perpetrators and female victims, there has been a notable increase in male victims coming forward, she added.
The police official also suggested that the true extent of the menace may be masked by the fact that many victims are hesitant to report the incidents, citing feelings of guilt, fear, or embarrassment.
SitiKamsiah cited an example of a teenage boy who hesitated to report abuse by a religious figure due to fear and financial dependency on the perpetrator. The case was only uncovered after others brought it to light.
Others also only came to light when the resulting pregnancies became too obvious to hide, she added.
The religious figures often exploit cultural norms and societal reverence for them, in order to maintain control over their victims. "
She added that the authorities were increasing efforts to raise public awareness about grooming tactics and provide a safer environment for survivors to seek justice.
Last year, Malaysia was shocked by the discovery of widespread sexual abuse and trafficking at GISB Holdings(GISBH), a quasi-religious group with links to the previously banned Al-Arqam cult.
The year also saw the high profile cases of celebrity preachers who were accused of various sexual offences, ranging from rape to sexual harassment.
Source: malaymail.com
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Mideast
Gaza population down by 6 percent since start of war — Palestinian statistics bureau
January 01, 2025
JERUSALEM: The population of Gaza has fallen 6 percent since the war with Israel began nearly 15 months ago as about 100,000 Palestinians left the enclave while more than 55,000 are presumed dead, according to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).
Around 45,500 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, have been killed since the war began but another 11,000 are missing, the bureau said, citing numbers from the Palestinian Health Ministry.
As such, the population of Gaza has declined by about 160,000 during the course of the war to 2.1 million, with more than a million or 47 percent of the total children under the age of 18, the PCBS said.
It added that Israel has “raged a brutal aggression against Gaza targeting all kinds of life there; humans, buildings and vital infrastructure... entire families were erased from the civil register. There are catastrophic human and material losses.”
Israel’s foreign ministry said the PCBS data was “fabricated, inflated, and manipulated in order to vilify Israel.”
Israel has faced accusations of genocide in Gaza because of the scale of death and destruction.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the United Nations’ highest legal body, ruled last January that Israel must prevent acts of genocide against Palestinians, while Pope Francis has suggested the global community should study whether Israel’s Gaza campaign constitutes genocide.
Israel has repeatedly rejected accusations of genocide, saying it abides by international law and has a right to defend itself after the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023 killed 1,200 Israelis and precipitated the current war.
The PCBS said some 22 percent of Gaza’s population currently faces catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity, according to the criteria of the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a global monitor.
Included in that 22 percent are some 3,500 children at risk of death due to malnutrition and lack of food, the bureau said.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel warns it will step up Gaza strikes if Hamas keeps up rocket fire
January 01, 2025
JERUSALEM: Defense Minister Israel Katz warned Wednesday that Israel will step up its strikes in Gaza if Hamas keeps up its rocket fire at Israel.
“I want to send a clear message from here to the heads of the terrorists in Gaza: If Hamas does not soon allow the release of the Israeli hostages from Gaza... and continues firing at Israeli communities, it will face blows of an intensity not seen in Gaza for a long time,” Katz said in a statement after visiting the Israeli town of Netivot, which was recently targeted by rocket fire from nearby Gaza.
At least 12 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed in Gaza by airstrikes, officials in the territory said on Wednesday.
More than 45,500 people have been killed during Israel's 15-month military campaign in Gaza.
Source: arabnews.com
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Awqaf inaugurates new mosque in Rasheeda area
01 Jan 2025
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (Awqaf), represented by the Department of Mosques, inaugurated a new mosque in Rasheeda area.
The mosque accommodates 300 worshipers on an expansive plot of land spanning 7,694 sq m, as part of the ministry's plan to increase and revamp the number of mosques statewide, in addition to keeping up with the accelerating urbanization and population growth, in alignment with the Qatar National Vision 2030.
Carrying the number (M.S 661), the new mosque embraces a key prayer hall for 300 worshipers, a capacious washing area, and multiple public parking lots, some of which are dedicated to persons with disabilities, with entrances and exits being meticulously designed, alongside a tall minaret.
The Ministry's Engineering Affairs Department is tasked with meeting the needs of all areas throughout the country, in terms of mosques and prayer rooms, along with temporary mosques and oversight of their preservation, in addition to setting the annual plan for maintaining mosques and Imams' residences, in coordination with the competent authorities.
In addition, the department oversees the implementation of construction and maintenance operations for mosques, in terms of designs, technical and engineering specifications and implementation, in addition to setting database on mosques, prayer rooms and their operators.
The Engineering Affairs Department rigorously observes the discrepancies in land spaces where mosques are constructed, along with the requirements of green and sustainable buildings and ensures the sustainability requirements with respect to water and electricity consumption.
Furthermore, it maintains the aesthetic legacy in designs, reflecting the authenticity of Qatari and Islamic heritage based on the highest standards, in addition to considering the population density, engineering and architectural specifications and heritage aspect in taking care of mosques.
The Ministry's official website features a search function for mosque sites geographically, based on the global navigation system with accurate, detailed maps that make it easy to find mosques in all cities across the country.
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com
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Hebron authority: Israeli diggings in Ibrahimi aimed to dominate Mosque
01 Jan 2025
The excavations carried out by Israel in the courtyards of the Ibrahimi Mosque are measures that come in the context of the occupier's ongoing attempts to threaten to strip the municipality of its powers in the area, and are part of a large-scale Israeli plan aimed at imposing control over the place and Judaizing it, the Hebron Municipality said on Tuesday.
These excavations and extensions represent a flagrant violation of the international law, as they are illegal and lack any objective or legal justification, the municipality added in a statement, noting that these actions pose a serious threat to the historical and religious structure of the Ibrahimi Mosque, as well as to its surroundings, which represent an integral part of the Palestinian cultural heritage.
It said these Israeli attacks come within a series of ongoing violations aimed to Judaize the Ibrahimi Mosque, and "these actions are to impose new facts on the ground and erase the Palestinian identity of the site."
The Hebron Municipality called on all local and international institutions to intervene immediately to stop these violations and protect the Ibrahimi Mosque, warning against the complications left by the continuation of these acts to the sacred site.
Source: .saba.ye
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Imam Reza shrine hosts US Shia pilgrims on Christian New Year
Jan 1, 2025
The manager of the Holy Shrine’s Office for Foreign Pilgrims’ Affairs, Mohammad Zolfaghari, told IRNA on Wednesday that Imam Reza Shrine hosts people from different religions on various occasions, including a special program for the new year.
He added that this ceremony was held on the first day of 2025 and was attended by a group of American Muslims.
Imam Reza shrine in Mashhad hosts people from different religions on various occasions, including a special program for the new year.
Source: irna.ir
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10 killed as Israeli airstrike targets shelter for displaced families in Gaza, medics say
January 02, 2025
CAIRO: An Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 Palestinians in a tent encampment sheltering displaced families in southern Gaza Strip early on Thursday, medics said.
The 10 people, including women and children, were killed in a tent in Al-Mawasi, designated as a humanitarian area in western Khan Younis, according to the medics.
Fifteen people were also wounded, the medics added. The Israeli military has not immediately commented.
Israel has killed more than 45,500 Palestinians in the war in Gaza, according to health officials in the Hamas-run enclave. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have been displaced and much of the tiny coastal strip is in ruins.
The war was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and another 251 taken hostage to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Source: arabnews.com
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11 years on, Syria protesters demand answers on abducted activists
January 02, 2025
DOUMA, Syria: A few dozen protesters gathered in the Syrian city of Douma on Wednesday demanding answers about the fate of four prominent activists abducted more than a decade ago.
Holding up photographs of the missing activists, the demonstrators called on Syria’s new rulers — the Islamist-led rebels who seized power last month — to investigate what happened to them.
“We are here because we want to know the whole truth about two women and two men who were disappeared from this place 11 years and 22 days ago,” said activist Yassin Al-Hajj Saleh, whose wife Samira Khalil was among those abducted.
In December 2013, Khalil, RazanZeitouneh, Wael Hamada and Nazem Al-Hammadi were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from the office of a human rights group they ran together in the then rebel-held city outside Damascus.
The four played an active role in the 2011 uprising against Bashar Assad’s rule and also documented violations, including by the Islamist rebel group Jaish Al-Islam that controlled the Douma area in the early stages of the ensuing civil war.
No group has claimed the four activists’ abduction and they have not been heard from since.
Many in Douma blame Jaish Al-Islam but the rebel group has denied involvement.
“We have enough evidence to incriminate Jaish Al-Islam, and we have the names of suspects we would like to see investigated,” Hajj Saleh said.
He said he wanted “the perpetrators to be tried by the Syrian courts.”
The fate of tens of thousands of people who disappeared under the Assads’ rule is a key question for Syria’s interim rulers after more than 13 years of devastating civil war that saw upwards of half a million people killed.
“We are here because we want the truth. The truth about their fate and justice for them, so that we may heal our wounds,” said Alaa Al-Merhi, 33, Khalil’s niece.
Khalil was a renowned activist hailing from the Assads’ Alawite minority who was jailed from 1987 to 1991 for opposing their iron-fisted rule.
Her husband is also a renowned human rights activist who was detained in 1980 and forced to live abroad for years.
“We as a family seek justice, to know their fate and to hold those resposible accountable for their actions,” she added.
Zeitouneh was among the 2011 winners of the European parliament’s human rights prize, A lawyer, she had received threats from both the government and the rebels before she went missing. Her husband Hamada was abducted with her.
Protesting was unthinkable just a month ago in Douma, a former rebel stronghold that paid a heavy price for rising up against the Assads.
Douma is located in Eastern Ghouta, an area controlled by rebel and jihadist factions for around six years until government forces retook it in 2018 after a long and bloody siege.
The siege of Eastern Ghouta culminated in a devastating offensive by the army that saw at least 1,700 civilians killed before a deal was struck that saw fighters and civilians evacuated to northern Syria.
Douma still bears the scars of the civil war, with many bombed out buildings.
During the conflict, all sides were accused of abducting and summarily executing opponents.
Source: arabnews.com
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Tens of thousands of people in Istanbul protest Gaza war
January 01, 2025
ISTANBUL/JERUSALEM: Tens of thousands of people gathered on Istanbul’s Galata Bridge on New Year’s Day on Wednesday to express solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Demonstrators waved Turkish and Palestinian flags and chanted “Free Palestine” in the protest, organized by the National Will Platform, a coalition of more than 300 pro-Palestinian and Islamic groups.
Bilal Erdoğan, the son of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, addressed the crowd, urging support for Gaza and condemning Israel’s actions there.
He referred to the recent ouster of Syrian President Bashar Assad by rebel forces.
“Muslims in Syria were determined, patient and they achieved victory. After Syria, Gaza will emerge victoriously from the siege,” he said.
Drone video showed thousands of people filling the bridge and the adjacent Eminönü and Sirkeci districts.
President Erdoğan has been a fierce critic of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israel’s military said two projectiles were fired from Gaza on Wednesday in the first minutes of the new year, one of which was intercepted while the other landed in an open area.
Alert sirens sounded around midnight (2200 GMT) in the western Negev, the Israeli military said, and “two projectiles were identified crossing from the central Gaza Strip into Israeli territory.”
“One projectile was successfully intercepted and the second projectile fell in an open area,” the army said on Telegram.
The military said it has intercepted several rockets fired from northern Gaza in recent days.
Since October, Israeli operations in Gaza have focused on the north, with officials saying their land and air offensive aims to prevent Hamas from regrouping.
The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed more than 45,500 people in Gaza.
Source: arabnews.com
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Israel’s former defense chief Gallant quits politics
January 01, 2025
JERUSALEM: Former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who had often taken an independent line against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right government allies, said on Wednesday he was resigning from parliament.
Gallant was fired from the government in November by Netanyahu, after months of disagreements over the conduct of the war against Hamas in Gaza, but kept his seat as an elected member of the Knesset.
“Just as it is on the battlefield, so it is in public service. There are moments in which one must stop, assess and choose a direction in order to achieve the goals,” Gallant said in a televised statement.
Gallant had often broken ranks with Netanyahu and his coalition allies of far-right and religious parties, including over exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jewish men from serving in the conscript military — a hot button issue.
In March 2023, Netanyahu fired Gallant after he urged a halt to a highly contested government plan to cut the Supreme Court’s powers. His dismissal triggered mass protests and Netanyahu backtracked.
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Gallant and Netanyahu, along with a Hamas leader, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict, which Israel has contested.
Source: arabnews.com
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Syrian civil war killed more than 528,500: monitor
January 01, 2025'
DAMASCUS: More than 528,500 people were killed in the Syrian civil war, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said on Wednesday.
The overall toll includes thousands killed since 2011 that were only confirmed dead recently, with access to detention centers and mass graves easier following the overthrow of Bashar Assad.
The Britain-based monitory said 6,777 people, more than half of them civilians, were killed in 2024 in fighting in Syria.
AFP was unable to independently verify these figures.
Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011 after the government brutally repressed pro-democracy protests triggering a devastating conflict that pushed millions to flee abroad and drew in foreign powers.
Last year, 3,598 civilians, including 240 women and 337 children were killed across Syria, according to the Observatory.
In addition, 3,179 combatants were killed, the monitor said, including soldiers from “the old regime,” but also “Islamist armed groups” and extremists.
In 2023, the Observatory reported 4,360 people killed, including nearly 1,900 civilians.
In December, militants overthrew Assad, seizing power in a rapid offensive that ended more than 50 years of the family’s iron-fisted rule.
Since 2011, the monitor with a network of sources inside Syria has recorded more than 64,000 deaths in Assad’s prisons “due to torture, medical negligence or poor conditions” in the jails.
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
New Initiative To Train Saudis In Generative Artificial Intelligence
January 01, 2025
RIYADH: A professional training program in generative artificial intelligence has been launched at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals in Dhahran.
The program is offered by the Gen AI Academy in collaboration with the Saudi Data and AI Authority and NVIDIA.
This initiative marks the first step in a plan to train 4,000 Saudi citizens, according to the Saudi Press Agency report.
The program will train and qualify Saudi citizens in generative AI. It aims to build the next generation’s capabilities in AI, enhance participants’ expertise to foster innovation, and underscore the Kingdom’s advanced position in the field.
It targets individuals with a solid foundation in computer science or related fields, as well as academic professionals and practitioners.
The training includes advanced, up-to-date materials provided by certified Saudi experts from NVIDIA.
Participants will engage in a blend of virtual self-learning modules and interactive in-person workshops.
On completion, participants will receive professional certifications accredited by NVIDIA, recognized globally as leading credentials in generative AI.
The program is part of the authority’s efforts to promote learning and build national AI capabilities, reinforcing the Kingdom’s position among data- and AI-driven economies.
Source: arabnews.com
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Security exhibition showcases Saudi Arabia’s tech advancements
January 01, 2025
RIYADH: The Ministry of Interior’s Security Oasis exhibition recently concluded at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Al-Sayahid, northeast of Riyadh.
Visitors were immersed in the Kingdom’s rich history of security and service, spanning from its founding to the present day, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The exhibition highlighted the ministry’s key development projects, investments in technology, AI applications and digital solutions aimed at enhancing public safety, environmental sustainability, traffic safety, and Hajj and Umrah services.
Visitors also learned about the ministry’s security services for individuals, businesses and government entities through platforms like Absher and the 911 call centers, the SPA reported.
The exhibition showcased anti-drug smuggling efforts, border security awareness, search and rescue operations, and land and sea monitoring.
A major highlight of the exhibition was the shooting range, where visitors enjoyed supervised shooting experiences under the guidance of professional trainers.
It also featured captivating military scenarios, performances by musical bands, camel and cavalry bands, and engaging folk performances from various regions of the Kingdom.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia condemns New Orleans attack
January 01, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia condemned and denounced on Wednesday a deadly car ramming in New Orleans, Louisiana, that struck a crowd celebrating New Year’s Eve.
A 42-year-old Texas man crashed a pickup truck into a crowd in the city’s French Quarter before opening fire with a gun, killing at least 10 people and injuring 35, in an early morning attack the FBI said was a potential act of terrorism.
The suspect was fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with police. Potential homemade bombs were found in the truck and around the French Quarter, the FBI said.
A Daesh flag was also located in the vehicle, the agency added.
A Saudi Foreign Ministry statement expressed the Kingdom’s complete rejection and denunciation of all forms of violence.
It also expressed the Saudi Arabia’s solidarity and sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the American people, and the US government. It also wished the injured a speedy recovery.
Source: arabnews.com
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Heart of hospitality: Saudi cultural host welcomes world with open arms
TAREQ AL-THAQAFI
January 01, 2025
MAKKAH: English teacher turned cultural host Fathima Alayan has opened her Riyadh home to tourists to showcase the Kingdom’s rich heritage and hospitality.
Her initiative aligns with the national vision to strengthen cultural identity and showcase it to the world.
With her fluency in English and passion for Saudi heritage, Alayan has created an experience for visitors that blends traditional hospitality with displays of artifacts and clothing and even cookery lessons.
Alayan is part of the Hihome program, which offers visitors the chance to get to know Saudi culture by visiting real homes and farms and eating and cooking with the families.
The program aims to present a positive image of Saudi culture, in line with the Vision 2030 goal of strengthening national identity and preserving heritage.
“I carry the responsibility of showcasing my country’s identity and the culture of the Saudi family to the world by hosting foreign tourists in my modest home, in alignment with the vision of my leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,” Alayan told Arab News.
Alayan stands as a role model for spreading the values and ethics of Saudi society and represents Saudi women as active contributors to national initiatives.
For visitors, the experience begins with authentic Saudi coffee and a selection of traditional dates and desserts, such as luqaimat, masabib and hanini. This is followed by a sumptuous lunch or dinner featuring dishes like kabsa, mandi, jareesh, marqouq, each prepared with love and precision.
“It’s not just about serving food; my family and I also share with them how each dish is prepared, giving them a true glimpse into our culture and way of life,” Alayan said.
The experience includes an introduction to traditional Saudi clothing, which visitors are invited to wear and have their photos taken to commemorate their visit.
“The tourists’ interaction with our traditional clothing and their love for the experience leave a significant impression on their hearts,” Alayan said.
“It confirms to me that my work has a positive impact in enhancing the image of Saudi society globally.”
Speaking about the guests she dreams of hosting in her home, she said: “I hope to have the honor of hosting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Minister of Tourism Ahmed Al-Khateeb, Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Farhan Al-Saud and Adviser Turki Al-Sheikh to support this pioneering national project.”
Alayan considers her participation in the Hihome program, via the hihome.sa app, a crucial step toward achieving her ambitions.
Hihome founder and CEO Nourah Al-Sadoun said: “We have nine categories of experiences. These include home and food tours, cooking experiences, heritage arts and crafts and camel rides. Each experience is designed to give visitors a true taste of Saudi life.”
Alayan is among the platform’s standout hosts who has been opening up her home to visitors for more than four years.
“Fathima is a lovely host who embodies the beauty of Saudi culture and traditions,” Al-Sadoun told Arab News.
“She has welcomed many guests into her home, where they have enjoyed not only her hospitality but also her passion for sharing Saudi heritage.”
As a passionate cook, Alayan offers hands-on cooking experiences and ensures that every visitor leaves with beautiful memories of Saudi culture and traditions.
“My message to the world is that Saudi Arabia is not just a country rich in resources but also rich in values, culture and people,” she said. “I invite everyone to visit my country and discover our culture up close.”
Source: arabnews.com
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Syrian high-level delegation arrives in Saudi Arabia
January 02, 2025
RIYADH: A high-level Syrian delegation headed by Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday night, the Saudi Press Agency said.
The delegation, which includes Defense Minister Marahf Abu Qasra and Intelligence Chief Anas Khattab, was received by Saudi Deputy FM Waleed Elkhereiji at Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.
Al-Shibani, said on X on Monday that he had accepted an invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan to visit the Kingdom, in what would be his first foreign trip since the ouster of former president Bashar Assad on Dec. 8.
It follows comments made by Syria’s new leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who said Saudi Arabia had a major role to play in his country’s future during an interview with Al Arabiya, which aired on Sunday.
“Saudi Arabia has a major role in Syria’s future, and I take pride in everything it has done for us,” he said, adding that he spent his early childhood in Riyadh and hoped to visit the city again.
Al-Sharaa also praised recent Saudi statements as “very positive” and commended Riyadh’s efforts toward stabilizing Syria.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia executes 6 Iranians for drug trafficking
January 01, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has executed six Iranians sentenced for drug trafficking, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.
The Iranian nationals were executed in the Eastern Province after being convicted of smuggling hashish into the Kingdom.
After being arrested by Saudi security authorities, the smugglers were referred to the competent court. A ruling was issued against them after their guilt was proven and they were sentenced to death. The ruling became final after it was appealed and then upheld by the Supreme Court, and a royal order was issued to enforce the punishment, the SPA said.
The Ministry of Interior said that the government is protecting the security of citizens and residents from the scourge of drugs, and imposing the most severe penalties stipulated by the system on smugglers and dealers.
Source: arabnews.com
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Heritage in hand: ‘Year of Handicrafts’ honors Saudi Arabia’s cultural legacy, artisans
January 01, 2025
RIYADH: Handicrafts have long held a special place in Saudi Arabia’s cultural fabric, representing a prosperous heritage passed down through generations.
Rooted in the creativity and skill of Saudi artisans of both sexes, these traditional crafts symbolize the nation’s ingenuity and resilience while highlighting its diverse cultural identity.
Throughout 2025, the Saudi Ministry of Culture will organize an array of events, exhibitions, educational programs and competitions under the banner of “Year of Handicrafts,” the Saudi Press Agency reported.
These activities aim to emphasize the cultural and historical significance of handicrafts while supporting their relevance in modern life.
Minister of Culture Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan said: “Saudi handicrafts reflect the creativity of Saudi society through weaving, handmade artifacts and artistic innovations passed down through generations.”
The initiative seeks to foster appreciation for traditional arts and encourage their continued practice and preservation. “Among these are pottery, traditional clothing, ceramic utensils, leatherwork, copperwork, tailoring, dyeing, blacksmithing, gold and jewelry crafting, and other handmade creations by Saudi artisans,” he said.
The Ministry of Culture aims to elevate Saudi handicrafts locally and internationally, empowering artisans and boosting their contribution to the economy. This will be achieved through events organized with partners to highlight the cultural, historical and economic importance of handicrafts.
Through partnerships across the public, private and non-profit sectors, the Year of Handicrafts will cultivate sustainable practices, foster innovation and contribute to cultural dialogue.
In Saudi Arabia’s Northern Borders region, women play a pivotal role in preserving these traditional arts.
Handicrafts are passed down through generations and traditionally inherited by women, and are intricately connected to the region’s natural environment, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency.
Most notable are Sadu, tent and textile making and embroidered handicrafts, some of which may take 10 continuous days to make.
With these handicrafts, women record a strong presence at national events and festivals, in the region and beyond, the report said.
The traditional market in Arar, which opened more than 10 years ago, supports many elderly craftswomen and their granddaughters, allocating them places to display their products and handicrafts.
The market, in addition to Al-Khozama Hall, has emerged as an important heritage destination that offers families specialized courses on buying and selling, saving money and e-marketing.
Several craftswomen said that they inherited their craft from their mothers and passed them on to their granddaughters, especially since marketing these products to many people in the region also created economic opportunities, SPA reported.
Meanwhile, the Royal Institute of Traditional Arts in Riyadh will launch the Wrth Community initiative on Saturday, marking the beginning of its year-long celebration of the “Year of Handicrafts.”
The initiative will feature a series of meetings and dialogues with leading figures in the field, as well as educational workshops. The initiative seeks to revitalize and modernize traditional handicrafts by incorporating contemporary design and technologies, fostering collaboration among institutions and the local community, and highlighting the crucial role of traditional arts in preserving cultural identity.
The initiative will also help individuals to use these arts in innovative ways through specialized training, the SPA reported.
It covers a diverse range of areas — education, handicrafts and entrepreneurship — and features dialogue sessions, providing a platform for skill development, experience exchange and the fostering of creativity and innovation.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Halal Tech: How Muslim-Friendly Websites And Apps Blossomed In 2024
1 January 2025
AmanyKillawi made a breakup playlist every time she was dumped, three in all. The playlists, which feature songs such as Gotye’s Somebody That I Used to Know and Apologize by OneRepublic, would make good soundtracks to romantic splits, but that’s not what they were. The playlists came together after Killawi was told by three different banks and payment processors they would no longer work with LaunchGood, the crowdfunding platform for the Muslim community she co-founded.
Stripe said it was restricting its work in the crowdfunding space after five years of working with LaunchGood. Stripe also told the company it didn’t want to do any more international humanitarian work – a prerequisite for a crowdfunding platform that caters to the Muslim community. Another bank told the company there were too many Muslim and Arabic names and figuring out if those names belonged to sanctioned individuals was difficult.
“People don’t realize Muhammad is the most sanctioned name,” Killawi, who was the chief operating officer at LaunchGood, said. With each dismissal, it felt like LaunchGood was on the brink of collapse. “If you can’t accept payments, you can’t exist as a company,” she said.
There were few existing options that gave Killawi and her co-founders the stability and reliability they sought. So they did what a growing number of Muslim founders have done since: create their own solution.
To mitigate the impact on the business if and when another bank decided to stop working with LaunchGood, Killawi and her co-founders Chris Blauvelt and Omar Hamid made the decision to establish a network of payment providers and banks to work with. Their hope was that there would no longer be one point of failure that could tank their business. When they were dumped by a bank, which continued to happen over the years, they had several backups.
Now, more than 10 years since its founding, LaunchGood has become a household name and has enabled its largely Muslim user base to raise nearly $700m. While the platform also hosts personal fundraisers, LaunchGood is better known for its emphasis on charitable giving and has enabled its users to set up an automated donation for every day of the holy month of Ramadan. It has become the primary gateway for many during Ramadan, during which many Muslims donate to charities on a daily basis.
The site’s rise and the challenges it has faced are not an anomaly. The “halal” consumer market, which includes halal food, financial services and other goods and services that cater to Muslims, has grown to an estimated $2tn globally, according to research and advisory firm Dinar Standard. Yet a 2022 study conducted by the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding (ISPU) found that Muslims were more likely than other faith groups to have their accounts at banks and other US financial institutions closed, investigated or otherwise challenged, with businesses effectively denying themselves access to Muslim customers.
That’s why Killawi has stepped away from her day-to-day responsibilities as chief operating officer of LaunchGood to start a sister company, a payments processor called PayGood in 2024. She hopes to provide for Muslim businesses and charities what LaunchGood’s team had to hack together for themselves: a reliable payment system that doesn’t discriminate.
“When [my co-founders and I] started out 11 years ago, we just wanted to build community,” Killawi said. “We never thought we’d have to become compliance experts. At some point it felt so existential. Can you even survive if you don’t have financial access in this world?”
While LaunchGood was among the early entrants into the largely untapped Muslim-friendly tech space, its sister company is part of a growing class of tech and software companies that aim to cater to Muslims in the US, Canada and the UK. But what it means to be a Muslim-friendly business has started to shift since the 7 October attack by Hamas. Targeting Muslim consumers has always meant, to some degree, aligning with the ethics and values of the Muslim community – whether that was providing a halal-friendly dating app, interest-free loans or modest clothes. Now, this new crop of players that provide Muslim-friendly technology are also either overtly or implicitly working to address a growing demand among its intended customers: make it easier to stop contributing to Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.
“What happened in Gaza this past year hit a very different nerve,” Killawi said. “Palestine is an evergreen issue for Muslims, but the level and scale of destruction of this past year was unlike any other. It accelerated this overall Islamic ecosystem and economy. There’s a new consciousness of people saying: ‘Let me really make sure I vote with my dollars.’”
Even PayGood, which is still in beta, has begun to emerge as an alternative to major payments processors such as Stripe and PayPal as Muslims navigate whether these existing platforms align with their values. PayPal stopped provided services to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza in 2021. Muslim and pro-Palestinian founders have begun to question the leadership at Stripe. In late November, Stripe CEO Patrick Collison posted a picture from Tel Aviv – a move many took as tacit approval of the Israeli government and its actions. In the weeks since then, Killawi said she has had at least 20 calls with founders looking for a simple payments solution and alternative.
“This is the most I’ve seen the Muslim community draw a line. They’re saying: ‘I want to put my money where my mouth is,’” Killawi said. “They feel ethically very conflicted. People just want to switch over to a product that aligns with their values.”
The official movement to end international support for Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and siege of Gaza, called Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), is nearly 20 years old. But in this past year, more Muslims took up the cause of spending their money in accordance with that movement. More companies are answering the community’s call for “BDS-safe” alternatives, and boycotting the major brands on the official BDS list is beginning to feel sustainable.
The growing appetite for considered consumption is in part what inspired Adil Abbuthalha to start Boycat. In its current form, the app allows people to scan or search for brands to determine whether they have any ties to or involvement in activities that “support Israeli occupation, apartheid or violate Palestinian rights”. Abbuthalha has also launched a website that suggests alternatives to those brands when possible. Ultimately, Abbuthalha hopes the app will become the primary “ethical alternatives marketplace”, not just for issues relating to Palestine but all human rights violations.
“To empower someone to make the right decision and vote with their wallet, we need to create a BDS-like tool that not only tells you what to avoid, it also tells you what to spend your money on instead,” Abbuthalha said. “We want to make ethical shopping effortless.”
Without alternatives, divesting from companies that profit from Israel’s occupation is difficult. Yet when NourinAbubaker and YaraOurfali started a home-swapping platform called Makani Homes less than a year ago, they didn’t set out to create a pro-Palestinian alternative to Airbnb. They wanted to give Muslims more options that accommodated the community’s often shared preferences such as alcohol- or pork-free homes or homes with bidets.
But the duo launched the platform at a time when many Muslims were looking to rely less on Airbnb after it reversed a ban on renting homes that were illegally built in the occupied West Bank. As of 2020, Airbnb had 200 listings in the West Bank, according to Amnesty International, which urged the company to “stop benefiting from illegal settlements built on stolen Palestinian land”.
As Makani has expanded its offerings, the founders have become more comfortable positioning the app as a means to spend less money on companies that operate in the West Bank. The site, which until now exclusively offered its users the ability to swap homes, just launched a home rental service much like Airbnb’s. The company also organizes Muslim-friendly experiences.
“Boycotting just got easier,” the subject line of a recent email introducing the company’s rental services read. The email goes on to talk about supporting a “community-driven business” instead of a “major travel corporation” that has listings in the occupied territories.
“Our whole purpose is to let people know that just because companies exist and they’re huge doesn’t mean that you always have to give your money to them,” Abubaker said.
Back in 2013, Killawi and her co-founders struggled to raise money to start LaunchGood. At the time, she says, few people were willing to take a bet on the Muslim community and even fewer on a Muslim-focused crowdfunding platform. In the years since then, investors have increasingly recognized the financial opportunity in backing Muslim-focused businesses. In 2017, a halal dating app, Muzz, became the first ever Muslim-centric app to be backed by Y Combinator. The halal investment platform Wahed has raised nearly $95m and was last valued at $300m.
These companies have in many ways paved the path for startups such as Boycat and Makani, enabling a much less hostile fundraising environment for a Muslim-run company. And in the last year, as more in tech have become more active around the cause of Palestine, an infrastructure for pro-Palestinian companies has also materialized. Paul Biggar, who was kicked off the board of a company he founded after writing a pro-Palestinian blogpost, started an incubator called Tech for Palestine that aims to provide support for companies that are advocating in some way for Palestinian freedom. As of November, the incubator was supporting 36 projects including Boycat. While Tech for Palestine differs from a traditional incubator in some ways – it doesn’t provide funding at the moment and not all the companies it supports are startups – those running it provide startup-like advice focused on how to advance the goal of supporting the pro-Palestinian movement, Biggar said.
“We’re trying to address the complicity of the tech industry in various different ways,” Biggar said. “The theme of everything we’re doing is supporting Palestine, either indirectly or directly.”
Being outwardly pro-Palestinian has still presented some challenges. Abbuthalha said the vast majority of venture capital firms won’t go near Boycat, though it boasts a good deal of momentum. The app surpassed a million users in less than a year and has partnered with the official BDS movement.
Despite the ongoing challenges Muslim-run and pro-Palestinian companies face, Killawi remains bullish about businesses that cater to the Muslim community.
“The time is now,” she said. “It’s a lot easier to get things started today than when we first started. Just start small, it’s worth taking a bet on this community.”
Source: yahoo.com
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Ahmadiyya Muslim community lead annual New Year street clean
By Lynn Rusk, PA
January 01, 2025
Members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community collected hundreds of bags of litter in towns and cities across the UK as part of an annual New Year clean-up.
More than 1,700 people took part in the event organised by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA), in major UK cities including London, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester.
The organisation hosts several community service projects throughout the year, including tree planting, fundraising, blood donations and street cleaning.
Imam Adeel Shah, who led the community litter pick in east Hampshire, said a number of non-Muslims also joined in.
“It’s not only limited to just members of the Ahmadiyya community,” Imam Shah told the PA news agency.
“If the general public, if the locals, want to join as well, they’re more than welcome to.”
Imam Shah, who is involved in leading worship at the largest mosque in western Europe – Baitul Futuh mosque in Morden, south London – is one of an estimated 30,000 Ahmadiyya Muslims based in the UK.
He said despite some of the difficulties his community faced during the riots in the summer of 2024, they remain committed to unity and service.
“Even after the riots earlier last year, we never lost hope, we never stopped giving back.
“We’re all going to stand together always.
“That’s the kind of sentiment and community cohesion that we are trying to replicate across the UK.”
“In recent times, some voices have wrongly suggested that Islam is incompatible with British values,” said Abdul Quddus Arif, AMYA UK’s national president.
“The New Year Street Clean-Up is just one example of the initiatives the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association has been organising for over a decade to serve the community and country we proudly call home.
“From street clean-ups to various charitable efforts, our youth are committed to giving back.
“Over the past two years alone, our volunteers have dedicated more than 57,000 hours to serving people across the nation.
“Additionally, we have raised over £84 million for British charities and donated more than 4.6 million meals to those in need—further demonstrating our commitment to the welfare of our fellow citizens.”
Source: belfasttelegraph.co.uk
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Muslim group tidy up 'dirty' Huddersfield town centre on New Year's Day
1 JAN 2025
Litter pickers were up bright and early to blitz Huddersfield town centre.
Members of Huddersfield's Ahmadiyya Muslim Association filled sacks full of rubbish, from drinks cans to takeaway wrappers, during their annual New Year's Day litter pick which began around 8am following prayers at the mosque.
Plastic litters grabbers, gloves and bin bags were provided by Kirklees Council as around 20 people braved cold weather to collect litter on New Street, Westgate and around Market Place. They filled several sacks over a period of around two hours.
The youngest litter picker was Mo, 10, from Huddersfield, who was passionate about protecting the environment.
While collecting litter, he wondered why it was there in the first place, saying: "I thought 'why is it so dirty - why are there chips on the floor?' People could help by doing litter picking, using bins and recycling things."
The eldest, Mohammed Tahir, 77, said 'cleanliness' was an important part of his faith and this extended from keeping the home tidy and the town in general. "It's our duty to keep it clean," he added.
Fatihul-haq, external affairs secretary of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association Huddersfield, said the town centre looked 'spotless' after the event. He added: "Our goal is to foster community spirit, instil positive values in our younger generation, and raise awareness about the importance of collective efforts in maintaining a healthy, clean, and harmonious environment.
"We firmly believe that through love, dialogue, and mutual respect, we can build a society that thrives on peace and understanding. This event is part of our wider commitment to serving humanity under our community’s motto: 'Love for All, Hatred for None.'
"During the Christmas period, we extended our support by visiting care homes and distributing food to those in need, and we hope to continue such goodwill in the New Year."
The New Year's Day litter pick has been an annual event for around 15 years.
Source: examinerlive.co.uk
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UN slams Ukraine’s crackdown on Orthodox church
2 Jan, 2025
Kiev has failed to justify its persecution of the Ukrainian Church (UOC), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has stated in its periodic report on Ukrainian abuses published on Wednesday.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky banned the UOC in September last year, accusing the church of having Russian ties.
“The dissolution of a religious organization is a severe restriction that affects the ability of individuals to practice their religion or belief together and threatens the viability of the community as a whole, which requires very serious reasons for justification,” the OHCHR wrote.
The OHCHR underscored the gravity of dissolving religious organizations, describing it as a “severe restriction that affects the ability of individuals to practice their religion or belief together.”
“The law introducing these provisions establishes disproportionate restrictions on the freedom to manifest one’s religion or belief,” the OHCHR noted. The report also suggested that these laws could erode fundamental freedoms protected under international human rights frameworks.
In 2023, the OHCHR raised similar concerns about religious discrimination in Ukraine, drawing a sharp retort from Kiev.
The persecution of the UOC intensified after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Several of its churches have been seized by force, and criminal cases have been opened against clerics.
Zelensky banned the UOC in September 2024, a few months after outlawing any activity by the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, accusing it of promoting the “Russian world ideology.” The two churches have historic links. Kiev officially supports the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, founded in 2018, which the Russian Patriarchate views as schismatic.
The Russian Orthodox Church stated that banning the largest denomination in Ukraine is a violation of civil rights and is absurd. “Everyone understands perfectly well that it is impossible to forbid people to pray,” Archpriest Igor Yakimchuk said in October last year.
Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin described Kiev’s ban on the UOC as a “blatant violation of human rights, the rights of believers.” He stressed that the Ukrainian leadership does “not care about anything that is dear to us and the overwhelming majority of the Ukrainian people.”
Source: .rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/russia/610327-un-ukraines-crackdown-christian-church/
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Africa
‘The Hope You Are Trying To Inspire Does Not Align With The Difficulties Your Policies Have Caused Nigerians’ – TUC President Fires Tinubu
2 January 2025
By OladipoAbiola
The President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Festus Osifo, has urged President Bola Tinubu to match his talks about making Nigeria better with actions.
Osifo submitted that it is on record that the economic policies of the Tinubu government have significantly added to the challenges facing the citizens.
Speaking on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television, the TUC President lamented that the attempts by President Tinubu to inspire hope is not in tandem with the economic realities caused by his policies.
Osifo made the declaration against the backdrop of the President’s New Year message in which, among other things, Tinubu promised to reduce inflation to 15%, stabilize the naira, and promote economic growth.
He vowed that in 2025, his government would boost local food production, increase the manufacturing of essential medicines, and improve credit access through the establishment of the National Credit Guarantee Company.
However, Osifo said while it is understandable that President Tinubu is only trying to market the country as any other leader would do, the reality of the situation in Nigeria doesn’t match the words.
He stated “The president of a country is the chief salesman of a country, his own primary responsibility is to lay out the message that he has laid out.
“To paint a very bright picture, to paint a picture of a lot of goodies that could come in 2025. So he has done what any president in the world could do. So generally, from listening to the statement and reading through it over and over again, we could see that a lot of things were painted with optimism.
“So in reality, what the president has said is trying to inspire hope, but that hope that he’s trying to inspire, is not really in tandem with what we have currently in our economy.”
No More Rhetorics
The TUC President identified some of the policies of the Tinubu government that have contributed significantly to the nation’s current challenges and economic difficulties, which many citizens are experiencing.
He urged President Tinubu to match his words with actions that justify the talks.
“Nigerians, Nigerians know clearly that a lot of these policies have brought about challenges, and have brought about difficulties that we are facing today.
“Today our exchange rate is about 1,600, depending on the parallel market or The Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Fixing, It is also these policies that have also brought about the inflation that we have today.
“We’ve been told, for example, that inflation is going to come down to 15% by 2025.
“We’ve been told, for example, that our crude oil production is going to rise to about 2.06 million barrels per day. We’ve also been told, as well, that the balance of payments, we’ve been told how much we are going to borrow to finance our budget. So all these that the president has said, we have taken the brighter ones.
‘When you now analyze them, what are the parameters that have been put in place? What are those details that have been put in place that we can see that truly it is not just talkism, that truly what the president is saying, there are actions to match them,” Osifo submitted.\
Source: naijanews.com
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https://www.naijanews.com/2025/01/02/the-hope-you-are-trying-to-inspire-does-not-align-with-the-difficulties-your-policies-have-caused-nigerians-tuc-president-fires-tinubu/
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Kenya: Ruto admits security abuses amid kidnapping outrage
1 January 2025
President William Ruto has for the first time publicly acknowledged the abuse of power by Kenya's security forces, following a wave of controversial kidnappings that have sparked widespread protests.
In a statement during his New Year’s address on Tuesday, Ruto admitted that there had been “instances of excessive and extrajudicial actions” by security personnel but did not provide specifics.
His comments come after youth-led demonstrations over alleged abductions by security forces, particularly after the violent repression of protests in June and July. These protests, aimed at addressing growing concerns over disappearances, were met with heavy force, including tear gas and mass detentions.
"That said, it is crucial to remember that every freedom has its limits, and public safety and order must always supersede the desire for unchecked liberty," Ruto stated.
Amid ongoing concerns, human rights activists have expressed alarm over what they perceive as the government's failure to investigate these disappearances thoroughly. A recent court ruling demanded that five men who had been reportedly abducted by security forces be freed immediately, or the police must provide an explanation under oath.
However, no one was brought to court on Tuesday, and the police inspector general sent a representative in his place. The families of the missing are growing increasingly desperate.
The latest disappearances predominantly involve young individuals critical of Ruto, including two who shared a controversial AI-generated image of the president lying in a coffin. In his address, Ruto linked these incidents to the rise in digital manipulation, including harmful social media activity. “These are clear signals that our moral fabric is at risk of decay,” Ruto remarked.
Human Rights Watch has pointed to a special security unit composed of several agencies, with the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights reporting seven abductions this month alone, six of which are still missing. Since June, 29 people out of 82 reported disappearances remain unaccounted for, intensifying calls for accountability from both government and security forces.
Source: africanews.com
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