Prophet (Pbuh) Ordered A 13-Year-Old Girl In A Dream To Slaughter Blasphemer, Claim Pakistan Women Madrasa Teachers Who Slit Colleague’s Throat
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 March 2022
(Representational Photo)
----
• Tontadarya Mutt Promotes Communal Harmony For
Decades: Pro-Hindu Organisations Begun Campaign To Ban Muslim Traders From The Mutt
Fair
• Taliban Faces Global Flak Over Sirajuddin Haqqani
Training Militia To Conceal Identity
• US Launches Satellite TV Channel For Afghanistan To
Counter Ban
• Perak Govt To Relook Minimum Age To Wed Amid Growing
Concern Over Rising Child Marriages
Pakistan
• Pakistan Religious Scholars And Ulema For Ban On
Anchor-Persons Not Well-Versed With Islamic Tenets
• Pakistan Clerics From Different Schools Of Thought
Advocate End To Afghanistan Ban On Girls’ Secondary Education
• PM Imran formally directs party MNAs to not vote on
no-trust motion against him in NA
• Four arrested for ‘planning’ terrorist activity in
Islamabad
• Hindutva-driven ideologies damage strategic
stability of region: naval chief
• French And American Girls Embrace Islam, Marry
Pakistani Man
--------
India
• Halal Meat Is "Economic Jihad": BJP
National General Secretary
• European Academic Who Studies Malabar Muslims For
The Past Thirty Years Deported From Airport
• Don’t Make Non-Muslims Outcast By Serving Halal
Meat, Says Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy Chairman Rahim Uchil
• Allahabad HC adjourns hearing of Kashi Vishwanath
Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque case
• "Chief Minister A Puppet": HD Kumaraswamy
On Curbs On Muslim Traders
--------
South
Asia
• Intl-Community Might Turn To Other Crisis Unless
Taliban Reconsider Decisions: UNDP
• World Bank freezes Afghan projects after Taliban
bans girls from high school
• Afghans’ future now rests on Taliban-China-Pakistan
triangle. And Beijing’s role is key
• Afghanistan: Schools, Universities lose 60 pc
students amid humanitarian crisis
• Uzbekistan begins railway construction to Pakistan
through Afghanistan
• UK pledges over $374 M of life-saving assistance for
Afghanistan
• Amid Taliban rule, Afghan students say their pleas
to go to India being ignored
--------
North
America
• US trial begins for Islamic State 'Beatles' member
El Shafee Elsheikh
• Blinken assures UAE leader of US defence help over
Houthi attacks, Iran
• Blinken in Morocco for security talks, meets with
Abu Dhabi crown prince
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Indonesian Islamists Told To Respect Non-Muslims At
Ramadan
• Iran's foreign minister in China to pursue
partnership deal
• Report: Tabung Haji agrees to allow court to freeze
assets of Muslim debtors who fail to pay alimony, child support
• Investment expected high on agenda as FMs of
Afghanistan’s neighbours meet in China
--------
Arab
World
• Arab Coalition Announces Halt To Military Operations
In Yemen As Peace Talks Begin
• Syria camp clashes with ISIS leave three dead:
Monitor
• Iraq’s Kurds face Iranian resistance to energy
development: PM
• Islamic Affairs Minister assigns 25 imams to lead
Tarawih prayers abroad
-------
Mideast
• King Abdullah Discusses 'Avoiding Escalation' With Abbas
As Israeli Settlers Seize More Land In Jerusalem
• Iran Welcomes Peaceful Initiatives by Yemen's
Supreme Political Council
• Iran, Armenia Vow to Develop Cooperation in Power
Sector
• Two killed in Israel shooting are Ukrainians: Police
• Gulf bloc hosts Yemen peace talks amid Houthi
absence
• 5 killed in shooting in central Israel, police say
--------
Africa
• Israeli President To Visit Jordan In Latest Sign Of
Closer Ties: Officials
• Police ban Ramadan moon procession in Bauchi
• Tunisian singer Ghalia Benali to put on two concerts
in Egypt during Ramadan
• 8 killed, 26 injured in terror attack on train in
Nigeria
• Tunisia’s Saied condemns parliament sessions as
‘illegal’
--------
Europe
• Mosque Calls For Further Scrutiny Of Manchester Bomber
Family's Links To MI5
• EU to lend Tunisia 450 million euros for budget
support, commissioner says
• Europe faced with 'great fire' amid Ukraine war:
Turkish parliament head
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/-slaughter-blasphemer-pakistan-women-madrasa/d/126691
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Prophet (Pbuh) Ordered A 13-Year-Old Girl In A Dream
To Slaughter Blasphemer, Claim Pakistan Women Madrasa Teachers Who Slit
Colleague’s Throat
(Representational Photo)
----
Our Correspondent
March 29, 2022
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: In an unprecedented incident, three
women Madrasa teachers in Dera Ismail Khan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa allegedly
murdered their colleague on the pretext that she committed blasphemy.
The teachers who are currently in police custody,
according to District Police Officer Najam Hasnain Liaquat, confessed to the
crime, disclosing: “One of their relatives, about a 13-year-old girl [who is
also in police custody], had seen a dream last night that Prophet (PBUH) had
directed them that the victim had committed blasphemy against the Prophet and
that the Prophet had ordered them to slaughter the victim.”
The incident took place on Dera-Multan Road in the
Anjumabad area, and the police have initiated a probe to ascertain the cause of
the murder.
The women, identified as Razia Hanfi, 21, and Ayesha
Nomani, 17, both daughters of Allah Noor, and Umra Aman, 24, daughter of Din
Badshah arrived at the Jamia Islamia Falahul Binaat, Multan Road within the
limits of Cantt Police Station at around 7am. All the three suspects belong to
the Mehsud tribe and are residents of Anjumabad.
The three girls killed the teacher identified as
Safoora Bibi aged 21 years, resident of Tiarza in the South Waziristan area
when she arrived there in a rickshaw from home.
As soon as the incident was reported, a heavy
contingent of police led by City Circle Deputy Superintendent of Police Saghir
Gilani rushed to the scene and shifted the body to Civil Hospital for a
post-mortem.
Confirming the arrests, DPO Liaquat said a knife and a
stick had been recovered from their possession.
He added that the police are also trying to gain
access to the mobile phones and other evidence related to the murder. Liaquat
stated that a controversy had been ongoing between two seminaries for women
situated in the area.
According to the uncle of the victim, he was present
at his home when the administration of the seminary informed him that his niece
had been attacked. "When we arrived there, we saw her body in the street
with her throat cut," he added.
There are also reports that the teacher had been
accused of blasphemy but there has been no official confirmation of the same.
According to a statement issued by the DPO, at 7:05am,
three females teachers all (teenagers) in a Madrasa of their own, slaughtered
one of their former colleague this morning in front of Madrasa Jamia Islamia
Falahul Binaat, on alleged difference of opinion on some religious issues
including an allegation that the victim was impressed by Maulana Tariq Jameel
and that she had committed blasphemy.
The DPO revealed that Umema, 13, daughter of Shah
Noor, saw a dream upon which the three teachers acted.
During initial search, a register containing details
of the dreams has been recovered.
“All the four girls have been arrested.”
A case has been registered while investigation is
underway.
Source: Tribune Pakistan
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2349940/Madrasa-teacher-allegedly-slaughtered-over-blasphemy-in-di-khan
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Tontadarya Mutt Promotes Communal Harmony For Decades:
Pro-Hindu Organisations Begun Campaign To Ban Muslim Traders From The Mutt Fair
Traders at Marikamba Jatra
festival put up saffron flags on their shops set up around the temple on Kote
Road and, for the first time, no traders from the Muslim community have been
allowed to put up
----
30th March 2022
GADAG: Members of pro-Hindu organisations have begun a
social media campaign, demanding that non-Hindu traders be kept away from doing
business at the upcoming Tontadarya Mutt fair. The mutt has been promoting
communal harmony for decades, but some members of the pro-Hindu organisations
said that they will mark a strong protest if people from other religious
backgrounds get to trade during the mutt’s fairs. However, the mutt authorities
and seer have not commented on the issue.
The annual fair of the Tontadarya Mutt is one of the
main events in Gadag, which sees thousands of devotees from the neighbouring
districts and across the state in attendance. It lends ample opportunities to
small traders, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. This time around
though, there is much demand for setting up of stalls, since many traders
suffered losses during the pandemic. However, the social media campaign on allowing
only Hindus to trade here has created confusion.
The campaign is receiving mixed responses, but
pro-Hindu organisation members are sharing videos which state that they will
not allow non-Hindu traders at the fair. “We will not permit people who do not
respect the law of our land. We have started a social media campaign, which is
getting good response,” they said.
A devotee said: “This mutt has always promoted
communal harmony and a ban for non-Hindu traders will not be suitable for this
institution. We wish the management looks at all the factors and takes an
appropriate decision.” The mutt management has, however, refused to comment on
the issue. “The fair will be held on April 15 and we hope the issue will be
sorted out sooner,” said one of its members.
Source: New Indian Express
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original story:
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Taliban Faces Global Flak Over Sirajuddin Haqqani Training
Militia To Conceal Identity
Sirajuddin Haqqani (Photo
Credit: Reuters)
-----
29 March, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], March 29 (ANI): Sirajuddin
Haqqani, the acting head of Taliban’s Interior Ministry, who is on the UN
sanctions list as well as FBI wanted terrorist, is training militia who cover
their faces to hide their identities.
“It’s a big concern because Former Afghan gov
officials said there are foreign militants in the Haqqani network,” tweeted
Abdulhaq Omeri, a journalist.
He informed that under the leadership of Sirajuddin
Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, those people who graduated from
military training covered their faces.
The Taliban is facing global flak over making Haqqani
the minister in its interim cabinet of the Islamic Emirate.
Sirajuddin Haqqani is wanted for questioning in
connection with the January 2008 attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, that
killed six people, including an American citizen.
He is believed to have coordinated and participated in
cross-border attacks against the United States and coalition forces in
Afghanistan. Haqqani also allegedly was involved in the planning of the
assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai in 2008, reported the
Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sirajuddin is strongly associated with the Taliban,
which provides him funding for his operations. He also receives funding from
various other groups and individuals, including drug lords. He is a key conduit
for terrorist operations in Afghanistan and supporting activities in the
Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan, as per the UN.
He is actively involved in the planning and execution
of attacks targeting International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF), Afghan
officials and civilians, mainly in the eastern and southern regions of
Afghanistan. He also regularly recruits and sends fighters into the Khost,
Paktia and Paktika Provinces in Afghanistan, as per the UN. (ANI)
Source: The Print
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original story:
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US Launches Satellite TV Channel For Afghanistan To
Counter Ban
VOA Afghan service
journalists (from L - R) Noshaba Ashna, Hafiz Assefi and Roya Zamani on the air
at VOA headquarters in Washington, DC. — Photo courtesy: Voice of America
Public Relations website
----
Anwar Iqbal
March 30, 2022
WASHINGTON: One day after the Taliban banned Voice of
America (VOA) broadcasts from terrestrial television, the US government-funded
news agency on Tuesday launched a 24/7 direct-to-home satellite-delivered
television channel for Afghanistan.
In an earlier statement, the US State Department urged
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers to allow journalists and human rights defenders to
operate freely and without fear.
The VOA announced that the new channel would carry
“uncensored news and information” in both the Pashto and Dari languages of the
country.
On March 27, the Taliban ordered VOA-affiliated Afghan
television stations to stop showing VOA programmes, as part of a broad ban on
content regarded as undermining Taliban policies, including prohibiting women
from anchoring newscasts with men.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and
Deutsche Welle also reported that their local broadcasting partners have been
prevented from airing their programming in Afghanistan due to new guidelines
from the Taliban.
Condemning the order, the State Department said: “It
is with alarm and deep concern we learned of the Taliban’s decision to stifle
the Afghan people’s access to independent, objective, international media
sources.”
The VOA said its new TV stream, identified as “VOA
Afghanistan,” is on the Yahsat Y-1A satellite (52.2 degrees East), Transponder
12 (downlink frequency 11.938 GHz), Channel 469. The Yahsat satellite is
Afghanistan’s most popular platform, ensuring the Afghan audience will have
access to VOA’s programming despite the Taliban censorship.
“Afghanistan is now one of the most repressive media
markets in the world,” said Acting VOA Director Yolanda López. “Despite the
Taliban’s attempt to end press freedom, VOA News stands by its Afghan audience
with credible and authoritative news and information.”
The new VOA Afghanistan satellite stream includes its
popular “TV Ashna” newscasts, its women’s show “Etesal,” viewer call-in
programming, and programming from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Azadi
radio. Additional programming is planned, including entertainment shows to fill
a void in Afghanistan, where local channels cannot air music programmes.
The VOA satellite channel has been in development
since August, before the fall of Afghanistan’s elected government. The channel
is also accessible on YouTube and on VOA’s Pashto and Dari language websites.
The State Department described the Taliban media
guidelines as “restrictive, and unpublished,” reminding Kabul’s new rulers that
Washington remained committed to supporting the right of freedom of expression
the world over.
The United States, the department said, was
particularly interested in ensuring that journalists and human rights defenders
were allowed to “operate freely without fear of violence against them.”
The State Department noted the Taliban had continued
to move Afghanistan in the wrong direction since they took Kabul and recently,
they failed to uphold commitments they had made to allow women and girls to
seek education. On March 23, the Taliban decided to prevent girls from
attending secondary school.
“Each of these actions alone is alarming, but
combined, they make clear the Taliban are not living up to the essential
commitments they made to the Afghan people and the international community,”
the department said.
Source: Dawn
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original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682506/us-launches-satellite-tv-channel-for-afghanistan-to-counter-ban
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Perak Govt To Relook Minimum Age To Wed Amid Growing
Concern Over Rising Child Marriages
Datuk Dr Wan Norashikin Wan
Noordin speaks during the Perak state assembly in Ipoh March 29, 2022. —
Bernama pic
------
30 Mar 2022
BY JOHN BUNYAN
IPOH, March 30 — The Perak government is considering
raising the minimum age for marriage in the state to curb a growing trend for
underage brides and grooms.
Datuk Dr Wan Norashikin Wan Noordin who heads the
state Women and Family Development, Social Welfare and NGO Committee told the
State Legislative Assembly here today that the state government via Wanita
Perak will hold a discussion and advocacy session with relevant agencies on the
matter.
She listed the Perak Islamic Religious Department,
Registration Department, Judiciary Department, Education Department, Health Department,
Women Development Department and the National Population and Family Development
Board as among the relevant agencies.
“This is because underage marriages not only need to
be addressed through legislative changes, but also through education, advocacy,
health, strengthening family institutions as well as community socio-economic
support,” she said during her winding-up speech.
Dr Wan also said that the authorities have identified
six factors that contribute to underage marriages, apart from the fact that the
existing laws that allow for teens to get married if certain conditions are
met.
“Among other factors were low income and poverty, lack
of sexual reproductive health education, lack or absence of parenting skills,
lack of access to education and stigma of society,” she said.
Dr Wan explained that the minimum age of marriage for
Muslims in Perak is set at 16 years for girls and 18 years for guys under the
Islamic Family Enactment (Perak), unless she said the marriage application
obtains permission from a Sharie judge in writing in certain cases and
circumstances.
She added that the laws regulating non-Muslim
marriages are subject to the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (Act
164).
“To register a marriage, a female applicant must be 16
years old; if less than 18 years old, must obtain approval under Section 21 (2)
by the Mentri Besar of Perak who has delegated the authority to the director of
the State National Registration Department.
“Male applicants, on the other hand, must be 18 years
old; if not yet 21 years old, they must obtain written consent from their
parents,” she said.
She called on everyone to be more concerned and
support the government's efforts in tackling underage marriages for the
children's future.
Source: Malay Mail
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original story:
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Pakistan
Pakistan Religious Scholars And Ulema For Ban On
Anchor-Persons Not Well-Versed With Islamic Tenets
Mar 30, 2022
ISLAMABAD – Religious scholars and Ulema on Tuesday
proposed to ban anchor-persons, not well-versed with Islamic tenets, during the
special transmission of Ramazan in a bid to avoid controversies. In a meeting
with Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Minister Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri,
they also expressed profound concerns about some unethical programmes telecast
in the holy month of Ramazan in the past, besides extending full support to the
minister’s letter written to Prime Minister Imran Khan on the matter. They said
due to their inadequate knowledge, they could create religious chaos in the
country. They were of the view that private television channels should stop
broadcasting such stuff in the wake of entertainment and recreational shows,
which were directly in contradiction with the Islamic injunctions. They should
produce such informative programmes which could create religious harmony and
remove differences among the people of all segments of the society, Ulema and
Mashaikh maintained. They also pointed out some advertisements being telecast
on private TV channels which were against social, cultural and religious norms.
It may be mentioned that Minister Noor Qadri had
written a letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan proposing that TV programmes
pertaining to the Ramazan transmission should be hosted by religious scholars
in order to avert controversies.
He said for the last few years, some anchors, who were
not well-versed with Islamic teachings, had been conducting programmes during
the holy month of Ramazan. Due to lack of Islamic knowledge, they had created
many religious controversies and social media hype having negative impacts on
the people, he added. Noor Qadri said there must be a dress code for the hosts
and participants of programmes to keep the sanctity of the holy month of
Ramazan. No controversial topics should be discussed in the programmes, while
keeping the respect of all sacred personalities in view, he added.
He said the TV channels should avoid airing
entertainment and recreational shows particularly at Sehr and Iftar timings.
Moreover, such stuff should also be avoided in the religious programmes.
Unethical stuff and advertisement should not be broadcast, he added. He said
the TV programmes should be based on such content which not only imparted true
Islamic knowledge, but also promote religious harmony across all sections of
the society.
The minister urged the prime minister to direct the
Information Ministry and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to
issue such guidelines for all the TV channels.
Source: Nation Pakistan
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Pakistan Clerics From Different Schools Of Thought
Advocate End To Afghanistan Ban On Girls’ Secondary Education
March 30, 2022
PESHAWAR: Religious scholars from different schools of
thought in a conference here on Tuesday called upon Afghanistan’s Taliban
leadership to re-visit its decision to bar girls from secondary education and
ensure the people’s access to education without discrimination.
Afghan clerics also participated in the event on
‘Girls Education: Importance in Islam and Role of Religious Leaders’, the
organisers said.
The conference was held by the Muttahida Shariat
Mahaz, a syndicate of the leaders of all sects, and attended by a delegation of
the Council of Islamic Ideology, and women lawmakers.
In a joint declaration carrying their signatures,
Islamic scholars and ulema highlighted the importance of the girls’ education
in light of the teachings of Holy Quran and Sunnah and sought the reopening of
secondary schools for girls in Afghanistan to ensure that all Afghan children
can continue getting education without discrimination.
Call for synergised efforts to promote female
population’s access to education
The Taliban government recently banned girls from
secondary education by ordering high schools to re-open for boys only. The ban
sparked outcry around the world.
Speakers in the conference emphasised the role of
motivated and committed religious and community leaders for the promotion of
girls’ education and transformation and said those leaders worked individually
and collectively to convert their commitments into meaningful actions.
They also demanded the Afghan Taliban government
allocate all required resources and facilities to support and promote the local
girls’ access to secondary education and ensure that girls have an access to
education without fear and intimidation and can play their role in social,
political and economic development of their country.
In the declaration, the participants said for the
girls’ education, the social transformation needed to tackle entrenched
stereotypical norms and structures, which resisted the change.
Addressing the conference, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief
khateeb Maulana Tayyab Qureshi said for the sustainable change towards girls’
education across Muslim countries, religious leaders should play their due role
at the community level.
He said the Afghan Taliban’s decision to bar girls
from education had created uncertainty.
“We must work in collaboration with civil society
actors for the implementation of innovative approaches and cultural
transformation on the girls’ and women’s education and empowerment, especially
to increase the rates of the completion of education by girls at all levels
across Muslim countries,” he said.
Former chief khateeb Qari Rohullah Madani, who had
also served as a religious affairs minister, said Islam had declared seeking
education mandatory for its followers more than 1400 years ago.
He said the world had accepted that as the women’s
right not long ago.
Mr Madani said women had never been barred from
getting education in the Islamic history. He said a controversy had been
generated over the girls’ education, which was regrettable. The former chief
khateeb, however, expressed reservations about co-education.
Senior researcher at the Council of Islamic Ideology
Ghulam Majid said Islam encouraged women to be educated and have an active
participation in public life. He said synergised efforts and actions by
governments, faith groups, traditional leaders, non-governmental organisations,
civil society groups, young people, practitioners, communities, international
organisations, media and the private sector must be strengthened to promote
girls’ access to education at all levels.
Allama Syed Hashim Musavi, a religious leader of
Hazara community from Madressah Baaqirul Uloom, Quetta, expressed concern about
the closure of secondary schools for women in Afghanistan and said the Afghan
government’s move had deprived girls of their basic right to education.
“We must facilitate women and girls to avail
themselves of opportunities for economic growth for which we call upon Muslim
governments to invest money for improving girls’ education so that they have
the knowledge, education, skills and self-confidence to participate in economic
spheres,” he said.
Source: Dawn
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PM Imran formally directs party MNAs to not vote on
no-trust motion against him in NA
Javed Hussain
March 29, 2022
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday formally directed
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) MNAs to abstain from voting on the no-confidence
motion filed against him in the National Assembly by the joint opposition.
In a letter addressed to his party's lawmakers, the
prime minister outlined his instructions for the day of voting.
In the letter, a copy of which is available with
Dawn.com, the premier warned that any violation of the instructions would be
"treated as express defection in terms of Article 63-A" of the
Constitution.
"I, Imran Khan, as head/leader of the
parliamentary party of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in the National Assembly, take
this opportunity to convey to you the following directions which are to be
followed strictly", with regards to the no-confidence vote, the letter
read.
It added that all members of the PTI in the NA shall
"abstain from voting/not attending the meeting of the National Assembly on
the date when the said resolution is set out on the agenda ... for voting".
"No member of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf shall
attend or make himself/ herself available at the time and day of voting on the
resolution of no-confidence."
The letter further stated that duly designated
parliamentary members would speak on behalf of the PTI during debate on the
motion.
"All members are required to adhere to these
directions in true letter and spirit and keep in mind the intent behind the
provision of Article 63-A of the Constitution," the letter said.
In the letter, the prime minister made it clear to all
members that they should not "violate any instruction or extend any
favour, relating to the vote of no-confidence, to any other parliamentary party
or group".
Any violation would be considered defection, he
warned.
The prime minister's directions have come a day after
the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif tabled the
resolution in the lower house of parliament.
Debate on the resolution will begin on Monday and
voting on the resolution must take place within seven days of it being moved,
according to rules and procedures of the house.
Meanwhile, the opposition — which needs at least 172
votes for the motion to succeed — and the government have stepped up efforts to
ensure that they have enough lawmakers on their side to beat the opponents.
Subsequently, multiple allies of the PTI-led coalition
government, notably the Balochistan National Party-Mengal and Balochistan Awami
Party, have joined the opposition's ranks.
Jamhoori Watan Party leader Shahzain Bugti, who was
special assistant to the prime minister on reconciliation and harmony in
Balochistan, also announced on Sunday his resignation from the federal cabinet.
But a key government ally, the PML-Q, which has five
seats in the NA, has thrown its weight behind the ruling party.
In a more recent development, Mohammad Aslam Bhootani,
an independent MNA elected from the Gwadar-Lasbela NA-272 constituency, decided
to quit the ruling coalition.
However, with the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, a
key government ally in the centre that has seven seats in the NA, yet to make a
decision, the success of either side remains uncertain.
Besides, over a dozen PTI dissident MNAs have already
come into the open with their criticism on the government policies, indicating
that they might support the opposition’s no-trust motion even at the cost of
being disqualified as NA members. However, some of the lawmakers have denied
defection after they were issued show-cause notices by the party, which sought
explanations from them as to why they may not be declared defectors.
Hence, the alliances of these dissident lawmakers
remain unclear.
Article 63-A
According to Article 63 (A) of the Constitution, a
parliamentarian can be disqualified on grounds of defection if he "votes
or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the
parliamentary party to which he belongs, in relation to election of the prime
minister or chief minister; or a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence;
or a money bill or a Constitution (amendment) bill".
The article says that the party head has to declare in
writing that the MNA concerned has defected but before making the declaration,
the party head will "provide such member with an opportunity to show cause
as to why such declaration may not be made against him".
After giving the member a chance to explain their
reasons, the party head will forward the declaration to the speaker, who will
forward it to the chief election commissioner (CEC). The CEC will then have 30
days to confirm the declaration. If confirmed by the CEC, the member
"shall cease to be a member of the House and his seat shall become
vacant".
Source: Dawn
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Four arrested for ‘planning’ terrorist activity in
Islamabad
Munawer Azeem
March 30, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Four suspects allegedly affiliated with
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were arrested for allegedly trying to target
political gatherings in the capital, police said on Tuesday.
However, they said, one of their accomplices managed
to escape.
Police said explosives, detonators, ball bearings and
iron nails were recovered from them, and a case was also registered against
them at a police station of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) under 7-
Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and sections 4 and 5 of the Explosive Act. The four
suspects were produced before a court from where they were transferred to
police custody on four-day physical remand, they added.
According to the first information report (FIR),
station house officer (SHO) of CTD police station got a tip about the presence
of some suspects with explosives in Shakarparian and that they were planning a
terrorist attack.
The SHO along with other policemen was on surveillance
duty at Srinagar Highway near Zero Point at that time and shortly reached the
area, the FIR said, adding that five suspects were spotted there.
Four of them were caught while one managed to escape,
the FIR said, adding that the four suspects were residents of different areas
of the capital.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1682434/four-arrested-for-planning-terrorist-activity-in-islamabad
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Hindutva-driven ideologies damage strategic stability
of region: naval chief
March 30, 2022
KARACHI: Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad
Amjad Khan Niazi has underscored the Hindutva-driven ideologies as Pakistan’s
arch rival, which continues to impinge upon strategic stability in the region.
He was speaking as chief guest at the closing session
of Pakistan Navy’s major maritime exercise Seaspark-2022 held at Karachi. It
was conducted in north Arabian Sea to validate operational plans designed under
realities of ever-evolving geo-strategic environment.
During the session, the deputy chief of naval staff
(operations) presented an overview of the exercise. Later the exercise was
discussed in detail to draw pertinent lessons. Towards the end, recommendations
were presented to refurbish war plans and strategies.
In his concluding remarks, the chief of the naval
staff highlighted the regional environment that continues to be infested with
massive competition of interest, political instabilities and simmering
conflict.
He stressed the evolving character of war under the
scenarios that possess complexity in understanding enemy’s behaviour and
determining response possibilities.
The chief asserted that Pakistan Navy was vigilant to
offset enemy’s quantitative leverages through superior professionalism,
innovative tactics, perseverance and above all faith in Allah. He reiterated
the resolve that Pakistan Navy stood fully prepared to ensure seaward defence
and safeguard national maritime interest at all costs.
Seaspark-22 was aimed at assessing the combat
readiness and operational preparedness of Pakistan Navy and to validate war
plans duly aligned with National Security Policy and military strategies while
synergising naval operations with land and air operations in conflict
situations.
Source: Dawn
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French And American Girls Embrace Islam, Marry Pakistani
Man
March 29, 2022
A French girl who became friends with a Pakistani guy
has arrived in the country and tied the knot with the love of her life.
Jaimin, now named Zoya after she embraced Islam, had
befriended Ali Raza, resident of Arif Wala in the Pakpattan district of Punjab,
Express News reported.
The girl travelled all the way to Pakistan with her
mother and wilfully embraced Islam, after which she was married to Raza.
In April last year, in yet another example of love
beyond borders, an American woman travelled from the United States to find her
love in Pakistan.
40-year-old Daniel, resident of Washington DC, reached
Rawalpindi and married Afshan Raj, 27-year-old TikToker, after embracing Islam.
Raj, a resident of Rehmantabad area, while talking to
The Express Tribune, said that a few months ago, the American woman liked and
commented on one of his videos which ignited a conversation in the comments
section.
Source: Tribune Pakistan
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2350157/watch-french-girl-embraces-islam-marries-pakistani-man
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India
Halal Meat Is "Economic Jihad": BJP National
General Secretary
March 29, 2022
Bengaluru: With some right wing groups now giving a
call to boycott 'Halal' meat, BJP national general secretary CT Ravi likened
Halal food with 'economic jehad'.
For the past few days, there was a flurry of messages
on social media appealing to Hindus to shun Halal meat, especially after Ugadi,
which is the Hindu New Year festival.
A day after Ugadi, a section of
"non-vegetarian" Hindus offer meat to God and celebrate the New Year.
Many offer such meat, which some right wing activists are asking people to
skip.
This call comes close on the heels of ban on Muslim
vendors around temples during the Hindu religious fairs in parts of Karnataka.
"Halal is an economic Jihad. It means that it is
used like a Jihad so that Muslims should not do business with others. It has
been imposed. When they think that Halal meat should be used, what is wrong in
saying that it should not be used?" Mr Ravi told reporters.
He said the Halal meat offered to 'their God' is dear
to them (Muslims) but for Hindus, it is somebody's leftover. He also said that
Halal has been designed in a planned way so that the products should be
purchased only from Muslims and not others.
"When Muslims refuse to buy meat from Hindus, why
should you insist on Hindus to buy from them? What right people have to even
ask this?" Mr Ravi sought to know.
To a query on boycotting the Halal meat, the BJP
leader said such trade practices are not a one-way traffic but two-way. If
Muslims agree to eat non-Halal meat, then these people (Hindus) will also use
Halal meat, he added.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and JDS leader HD
Kumaraswamy denounced such trends and asked Hindu youths not to
"spoil" the state, which is a "garden of racial peace and
faith" "I want to ask the government where you want to lead this
State to. With folded hands I ask Hindu youths not to spoil the State," Mr
Kumaraswamy said.
Reminding those inciting people that they would not be
in the world forever, he said they should not ruin the peace and harmony in
Karnataka.
He appealed to the youths to shun those who disturb
peace as there would be difficult days ahead.
The JD(S) second-in-command held the Congress
accountable for the rise in communal politics.
"Congress brought such a government in the State.
Now, the Congress calls the BJP government immoral. Who's responsible for it?
Neither the JD(S) nor HD Kumaraswamy is responsible for the current situation.
Because of the tortures of Congress, people of the State are suffering,"
Mr Kumaraswamy alleged.
Meanwhile, 61 progressive thinkers from the State,
including K Maralusiddappa, Prof SG Siddaramaiah, Bolwar Mahamad Kunhi and Dr
Vijaya, have written to the Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai with an appeal to
check religious hatred.
Source: ND TV
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European Academic Who Studies Malabar Muslims For The
Past Thirty Years Deported From Airport
Syed Ali Mujtaba
29th March 2022
Thiruvananthapuram:
A European academic who studies Malabar Muslims for the past thirty
years was stopped from attending a conference in Thiruvananthapuram and was
deported from the airport without any valid reasons by the authorities.
Renowned UK-based anthropologist Filippo Osella, who
has worked on the Muslims of Malabar, was deported after his arrival at
Thiruvananthapuram airport where he came for attending a conference on Kerala’s
coastal communities.
Professor Osella is an internationally-known
anthropologist and sociologist from the University of Sussex, UK. He holds a one-year
research visa for India that was to expire in mid-April but on his arrival at
Thiruvananthapuram airport he was denied entry without any valid explanation,
media reported.
According to reports, the airport authorities did not
reveal the reason for Osella’s deportation and simply said that the
anthropologist was denied entry because of “the orders from higher officials.”
Professor Osella who arrived at the Thiruvananthapuram
airport by an Emirates flight in the early morning on March 24 was escorted out
of the aircraft to people waiting for him outside. He was taken to the
immigration desks where he was told that he was not allowed to enter India.
The authorities did not give any reason but it appears
the decision was pre-planned because they had already made arrangements for his
deportation via a Dubai flight.
Prof Osella has a long association with Kerala that
began in the late 1980s. He has done several studies on Malabar Muslims.
However, his studies were neither politically sensitive nor controversial and
they focused only on the socio-anthropological angle.
This raises the question of why a renowned scholar on
South Asian communities was stopped to attend the conference that too given the
fact that Prof Osella, has not done any study on Kerala Muslims for the past
decade and he has stayed away from the controversial topic such as Muslim of
Kerala and political Islam.
One reason for his deportation is attributed to Prof
Osella having a couple of old visas in his passport to enter Pakistan. This is natural
for any South Asian scholar and his Pakistani visas earlier had never been a
source of an obstacle for entering India.
An academic who is known for Prof Osella’s works are
flummoxed as to why he was denied entry to attend the conference. The answer to this could well be in wraps
with the higher officials who think a European scholar could be a security
threat to India. Well, this is “Post- Truth India- The Brand New Republic.”
Source: Siasat Daily
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https://www.siasat.com/european-academic-on-malabar-muslims-deported-from-airport-2299064/
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Don’t make non-Muslims outcast by serving halal meat,
says Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy chairman Rahim Uchil
Mar 29, 2022
MANGALURU: Karnataka Beary Sahitya Academy chairman
Rahim Uchil said that serving halal meat to non-Muslims and thereby causing
them to become "dharma bhrashta" is not acceptable.
Uchil said that halal is a rule applicable only to
Muslims. "Halal is an inevitable practice of Islam that started about
1,400 years ago. Muslims across the world have to eat the meat that is cut
according to the halal practice only. At any cost, this practice is not
applicable to non-Muslims. It is not fair to make non-Muslims eat halal meat
and cause them to become outcast in their religion," Uchil said.
He suggested that non-Muslims, who disagree with halal
meat, should buy and consume the same from the shops of non-Muslims.
"Leaders of two religions should discuss and take
an amicable solution to the halal issue. No one should use the issue for their
political advantage," he added.
Source: Times Of India
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Allahabad HC adjourns hearing of Kashi Vishwanath
Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque case
MARCH 30, 2022
The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday adjourned the
hearing of Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanwapi Mosque complex case due
to paucity of time after expressing dissatisfaction over the absence of any
senior government counsel.
It has fixed the next date hearing on April 4.
Hearing a petition filed by Anjuman Intazamia Masjid
of Varanasi, Justice Prakash Padia observed, "Though the Central
government and the State government are the party but it is unfortunate that no
senior counsel is present on their behalf except Rajesh Kumar Mishra and Ved
Prakash Dwivedi, learned standing counsel for the State."
Earlier on March 24, the counsel representing the
temple argued that the religious character of the place of worship remained the
same as on the day of August 15, 1947, therefore, the provisions of the Place
of Worship Act, 1991 cannot be applied.
Section 4 of the the Places of Worship (Special
Provisions) Act, 1991, bars filing of suit or any other legal proceedings with
respect to conversion of religious character of any place of worship, existing
on August 15, 1947.
The civil judge (senior division), fast track court of
Varanasi, had directed the Archaeological Survey of India on April 8 last year
to conduct a survey of Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex to find
out whether a temple was demolished to build the mosque that stands there
adjacent to the temple.
Source: The Hindu
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"Chief Minister A Puppet": HD Kumaraswamy On
Curbs On Muslim Traders
March 29, 2022
Bengaluru: In a raging political fight over non-Hindu
traders being barred from temple premises in parts of Karnataka, Chief Minister
Basavaraj Bommai was today accused by opposition leader HD Kumarawamy of acting
like "a puppet of a particular organisation".
The BJP government has also faced criticism from its
own party leaders for justifying calls by right-wing groups to restrict Muslim
traders from participating in temple festivals - seen to be retaliation over
the hijab row.
"Our Chief Minister is a puppet of particular
organisation. Their (those organisations) direction is running the government.
To safeguard his seat, the Chief Minister is taking decisions on whatever they
are saying," said former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy.
"Whether it is the government or home minister,
it is their responsibility to protect all citizens, all communities. Why
protect one community," said the Janata Dal Secular leader.
At least two BJP lawmakers have termed the
restrictions on non-Hindu traders as "wrong and undemocratic".
Some temples in Udupi and Shivamogga have barred
Muslim traders after demands by right-wing groups like the Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP), Hindu Jagarana Vedike, Bajrang Dal and Sri Ram Sene.
The organisations cited a bandh call by a section of
Muslims against the Karnataka High Court verdict upholding the state
government's ban on the hijab in schools and colleges. Muslim students in
several districts are fighting to be allowed to wear the traditional headscarf
in class.
BJP leader H Vishwanath, a member of Karnataka's
legislative council, accused his own government of "religious
politics".
"We have Muslims living in other countries too.
These Muslims sell food and flowers. How does it matter?" he said.
"They're petty businessmen - what will they eat? Hindu, Muslim doesn't
matter. It is a question of empty stomachs," he added.
Mr Vishwanath, accusing his party government of
watching the clash between two communities as a mute spectator, said it
"must take a stand".
"This is BJP's government, not Bajrang Dal, RSS
(BJP's ideological mentor Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) or some factions,"
he asserted.
BJP legislator Anil Benake, also at odds with his
party line, said anyone can do business and it is for the people to decide what
to buy. He also said such restrictions violate the constitution.
"There is no question of imposing any
restrictions during the temple fair, we will not impose, but if people do, we
can't do anything. We will not allow it," Mr Benake was quoted as saying
by the Indian Express.
Source: ND TV
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South
Asia
Intl-Community might turn to other crisis unless
Taliban reconsider decisions: UNDP
29 Mar 2022
United Nations Development Program Administrator Achim
Steiner said that the International Community will turn to other crises in the
world and will choose other priorities unless the Taliban reconsider their
recent decision in particular about the schools’ ban.
Steiner said warned if that happens, it will have dire
consequences on the future generations of Afghanistan so that should not be
allowed to happen.
UNDP’s Administer who had come to Afghanistan on a
two-day visit held a consultative gathering with Afghan industrialists,
economists, journalists, and academia in Kabul on Tuesday, March 29, 2022.
Talking to journalists after the meeting, Steiner said
there was no justification for banning teenage girls from schools and he had
acknowledged Afghanistan’s leadership about resolving technical issues if there
were some in reopening schools.
The Administrator further added that they will deliver
the messages of Afghans to the international community and will ensure the
commitment of the world community not to turn back to the Afghan people.
“Though the Afghan people need urgent humanitarian
assistance from the international community, there should be investment
conducted so that the Afghans themselves work and make money for livelihood.
The central bank being inactive is the biggest problem along with the private
ones unable of giving cash to people.” Said Steiner.
Source: Khaama Press
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World Bank freezes Afghan projects after Taliban bans
girls from high school
30 March ,2022
The World Bank has put four projects in Afghanistan
worth $600 million on hold amid concerns over a decision by the country’s
ruling leaders to ban girls from returning to public high schools, the bank
said.
The projects, to be funded under the revamped
Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, were being readied for implementation by
United Nations agencies to support projects in agriculture, education, health,
and livelihoods.
But the bank’s guidance requires all ARTF-financed activities
to support access to - and equity of services for - women and girls in
Afghanistan, the bank said, citing its deep concerns over the Taliban’s ban on
girls attending high school.
As a result, the bank said, the four projects will be
presented to ARTF donors for approval only “when the World Bank and
international partners have a better understanding of the situation and
confidence that the goals of the projects can be met.” It was not immediately
clear when that could occur.
US officials last week cancelled planned meetings in
Doha with the Taliban over the decision to keep girls out of secondary school.
The executive board of the World Bank on March 1
approved a plan to use more than $1 billion from the ARTF fund to finance
urgently needed education, agriculture, health and family programs that would
bypass sanctioned Taliban authorities and disburse the money through UN
agencies and aid groups.
The ARTF was frozen in August when the Taliban took
power as US-led international troops departed after 20 years of war.
Foreign governments also ended financial aid
comprising over 70 percent of government expenditures, accelerating the
country’s economic collapse.
When it agreed to free up ARTF funds for new projects
to be implemented by UN agencies, the World Bank had stipulated that it
expected a “strong focus on ensuring that girls and women participate and
benefit from the support.”
The Taliban has unraveled gains in rights made by
women during the last two decades, including restricting them from working and
limiting their travel unless accompanied by a close male relative. Most girls
were also barred from going to school beyond seventh grade.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Afghans’ future now rests on Taliban-China-Pakistan
triangle. And Beijing’s role is key
DAVOOD MORADIAN
30 March, 2022
For protocol-obsessed Chinese foreign minister Wang
Yi, it was unusual to pay an unscheduled visit to Taliban’s acting interior
minister Sirajuddin Haqqani at the latter’s massive US-built ministry compound
in Kabul last week, after meeting Taliban’s acting foreign minister and deputy
prime minister. As a prominent face on UN and US terrorist lists, Haqqani leads
the Haqqani network, “a veritable arm of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence
agency,” according to former US military official, Admiral Michael Mullen.
The unscheduled visit was preceded by the report of
intelligence cooperation between China’s Ministry of State Security and the
Haqqani-led Taliban’s main intelligence directorate. Afghanistan’s descent from
Pax Americana to Pax Pakistan is fast gaining momentum. The
Taliban-China-Pakistan triangle represents an important dimension in the
emerging dynamics.
Also read: China needs a stable Afghanistan. But why
achieving that is easier said than done
Distant neighbours
Prior to this construct, Afghanistan and China’s
relations were endowed with mutual curiosity, respect and a healthy distance.
One of the fascinating features took place in the 14th century when there were
diplomatic exchanges between China’s Ming Dynasty and the Timurid Empire. Both
empires were keen to be treated as co-equal in accordance with royal protocol
in their imperial capitals, Beijing and Herat. Kamal ud-Din Behzad, the father
of Persian/Islamic miniature painting, had portrayed visiting Chinese princes
in one of his masterpieces.
Fast forward to the late 20th century when China
joined the Western-led coalition to bleed the Soviet Union in Afghanistan by
supporting the Mujahideen groups, including the Haqqani network. The post-9/11
US intervention presented China with conflicting priorities. On the one hand,
its early support to the militant groups in Afghanistan helped the rise of
China’s version of Al-Qaeda, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which
aims to separate China’s largest province, Xinjiang. On the other hand, China’s
growing economic ambition and its dual geo-strategic competition with the US
and India forced Beijing to pursue a hedging strategy towards Afghanistan.
The introduction of China’s Belt and Road Initiative
(BRI) and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) pushed the hedging strategy
towards the centrality of geopolitics in Beijing’s South Asia strategy, despite
reservations of a number of Chinese security officials and commentators.
For its part, the Afghan government provided a South
Korea-type cooperation with China: the US as Kabul’s key security partner and
China as its key economic and investment partner. Granting Afghanistan’s
largest mining contract to a Chinese company, the huge copper deposits at Mes
Aynak, concretised this vision.
The Afghan government was also forthcoming,
cooperative, and perhaps naive in helping China’s counter-terrorist efforts.
Despite the absence of any legal basis, a number of ETIM suspects were handed
over to Chinese authorities. Beijing, however, remained cautious in getting
involved closer with Afghanistan. It kept the engagement symbolic in gesture
and poetic in rhetoric. Beijing later joined others in the charm offensive race
of the Taliban by hosting their delegation and also offering material support.
The Doha Agreement between the Taliban and the US in
February 2020 and the ensuing inglorious departure of the US not only realised
Washington’s wish of ending its “endless” war, it also brought joy to the
region’s anti-American coalition that was desperate to see America’s
humiliation in Afghanistan.
Black security hole
However, the post-America honeymoon was short-lived.
In less than seven months, Afghanistan has become a humanitarian catastrophe
for its people, a deep scar on the West’s conscience and credibility, a black
security hole for the region, and the Taliban an outcast for the World.
The Taliban-China-Pakistan triangle lacks the
necessary means to address Afghanistan’s mounting challenges. More importantly,
there are serious and irreconcilable differences between China and the Taliban
and by extension Pakistan. Realising China’s geo-economic ambitions and
projects require a region free from terrorism and proxy warfare. China’s hope
that the Taliban would sever their ties with other terrorist groups,
particularly the ETIM, remains wishful thinking.
For the Taliban, maintaining their ideological
coherence and alliance with their Islamist associates is far more important
than believing in China’s pipe dream in the form of linking Afghanistan to an
already stalled CPEC. However, the Taliban are shrewd enough to maintain an
ambiguous stance as they did in the late 1990s when the US wanted Al-Qaeda’s
expulsion from the Taliban-controlled territory.
Per credible source, the Taliban have promised the
Chinese officials of their plan to relocate ETIM fighters and their families
from areas near the Chinese borders to other parts of the country, almost an
identical offering to the US in the 1990s.
Pakistan’s reliance on Islamist proxies is China’s
Achilles’ heel. Its massive terrorist production infrastructure is far more
entrenched and enduring than China’s built projects in/for Pakistan.
For the Islamist militants, China as a godless,
Islamophobic and occupying power is an important and legitimate target. And
Western intelligences’ decades of fraternity with Islamist militants and
Turkey’s neo-Ottoman ambition would provide additional bonus.
The way forward
There is hardly any credible voice who believes in the
capacity of Pax Pakistan to help stabilise Afghanistan, when the world’s most
powerful alliance Pax Americana failed to do so. The politics of alliance and
exclusion, both domestically and externally, have brought Afghanistan to its
current catastrophic state. An inclusive, participatory, developmental-oriented
political system supported by regional powers and guaranteed by global powers
is the way forward in Afghanistan.
Source: The Print
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Afghanistan: Schools, Universities lose 60 pc students
amid humanitarian crisis
Mar 28, 2022
KABUL: The owners of private schools and universities
in Afghanistan's capital Kabul have complained that they have lost 60 per cent
of their students amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country.
This comes as the new educational year has just begun
across Afghanistan, according to Khaama Press.
The owners said that the ongoing humanitarian crisis
and economic situation in the country have adversely affected the livelihood,
thus most of the families have changed their children to study in public
schools, Khaama Press reported.
Meanwhile, owners of private universities in
Afghanistan also complain about the number of students quitting studying.
Earlier, the Taliban regime issued a decree banning
female students above grade six from participating in their classes. The girls
were further told to stay home until the Islamic Emirate announces its next
decision.
Dozens of female students in Afghanistan's capital
city of Kabul took to the streets demanding the Taliban regime to withdraw its
decision to ban girls from attending school above the sixth grade.
Chanting the slogans of "education is our
absolute right," the protestors called for the reopening of schools for
girls in grades 7-12 across Afghanistan, Tolo News reported.
According to HRW, women and girls are blocked from
accessing health care as well. Reports suggest that women and girls facing
violence have no escape route.
Allowing girls into schools and other educational
institutes has been one of the main demands of the international community.
Source: Times Of India
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Uzbekistan begins railway construction to Pakistan
through Afghanistan
30 Mar 2022
The railway project that is worth $5 billion will
stretch from Termez of Uzbekistan to the northern Mazar-e-sharif city of
Afghanistan then the Afghan capital Kabul to reach Peshawar of Pakistan.
The trilateral project was agreed upon in Tashkent in
the past February.
Head of the investment board of the project Muhammad
Ihsan during a trilateral meeting in Termez said the project is the most
economical and shortest way that will connect Central Asia with Pakistan’s
Karachi and Gwadar ports.
It comes as the Afghan delegation comprised of
officials from the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation and Foreign Affairs
visited Uzbekistan and attended the trilateral meeting of Afghanistan,
Pakistan, and Uzbekistan.
Source: Khaama Press
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UK pledges over $374 M of life-saving assistance for
Afghanistan
30 Mar 2022
A day before the United Kingdom co-hosts a pledging
conference on Afghanistan, the country pledged over $374 million for
life-saving food and emergency health support.
Alongside providing life-saving assistance to the
Afghan people, the UK’s aid is aimed at supporting farmers to overcome the
impacts of drought and access to health services.
The aid is supposed to be channeled through UN aid
agencies and trusted NGOs as no Taliban member will directly benefit from the
assistance.
UK, Germany, and the United Nations to hold a
conference on Afghanistan to support the UN’s largest-ever appeal for a single
country, $4 billion.
The UN estimates that 10 million children in
Afghanistan urgently need humanitarian assistance to survive.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/uk-pledges-over-374-m-of-life-saving-assistance-for-afghanistan-545776/
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Amid Taliban rule, Afghan students say their pleas to
go to India being ignored
March 30, 2022
For Khatira Hossein, the Taliban's decision to bar
girl students from schools and universities is a signal that their future is
being played with. Khatira is one among thousands of Afghan students who have
taken admissions to Indian universities and found the country as a safe haven
amid the Taliban's rule in Afghanistan.
After the Taliban returned to the helm of government
in Afghanistan, the Ministry of External Affairs in India (MEA) cancelled all
existing Afghan visas, many of which were availed by students studying in
Indian universities, and initiated an e-visa programme.
"I and some other students applied for an E-visa
six months ago and every time we called the Indian Embassy, they gave us only
one answer that our application is under process. We have been receiving this
same statement but no progress has been made yet," said Shafiullah, a
resident of Kunduz in northern Afghanistan, who is studying Zoology at Ramjas
College. Shafi lost his father two years ago and has been living in poverty
which has made it more difficult for him to get a proper internet connection to
attend online lectures for longer periods of time.
Karimullah Karimi, a Master of Science student at
Savitribai Phule University in Pune, runs a social media group of more than 250
students. "I have everything from admission to scholarship letters but all
our emails to the concerned Indian authorities have gone in vain. We also made
them aware of the financial, security and infrastructural issues that stop us
from getting the full potential of online classes, so that they understand the
dire situation we are in," Karimullah added.
The constant struggle of not being able to attend
online classes while also facing financial and mental woes has left the
students in despair.
"Our University has stopped conducting online
classes as most students are now attending the lectures from campus. With only
two Afghan students being part of the batch, there's no chance that they will
arrange a digital mode of learning just for us. We are also not able to pay our
college fees due to transfer issues," said Noorulhuda Rahimzai, a student
from IK Gujral Punjab Technical University, who lives in Kabul but is currently
in Iran's capital city of Tehran where he was told to apply for e-Emergency
X-Misc Visa.
Samim Sahil, a student at Delhi University, who is
pursuing a Bachelor of Science (H) in Computer Science, lamented the situation
many like him are in and said that he feels "he will go crazy," if
the situation is not resolved soon. "I am mentally not doing well but
because of my fellow classmates and teachers who are supportive of me, I
sometimes receive a review of the lessons from them," said Samim, who pays
850 Afghani for 10 GB of 3G which is expensive for him.
The scholarships provided by Indian Council for
Cultural Relations (ICCR) have proven to be a boon for many Afghan students.
Under the Special Scholarship Scheme for Afghan Nationals, thousands of
scholarships have been provided to students who wish to pursue university-level
courses in India.
On the question of scholarships being provided to
Afghan students still being vali, despite many of them not being able to attend
lectures in person, Mr Kailash Chand, the Programme Director of Afghan
Scholarship Section in ICCR told the Free Press Journal that it's the
responsibility of the universities to see to it that Afghan students are able
to attend classes or not and added that many of them are able to avail online
classes. "ICCR only awards scholarships to the students who have been
selected by embassies in different countries. Our aim is to continue providing
scholarships to the students but it's uncertain how we will go about it in this
case. Since we are under MEA, we follow the guidelines that have been
mandated," said Mr Chand.
Source: Free Press Journal
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North
America
US trial begins for Islamic State 'Beatles' member El
Shafee Elsheikh
By Umar A Farooq
29 March 2022
The US criminal trial for a former British citizen
believed to be a member of an Islamic State (IS) cell nicknamed "The
Beatles", which beheaded hostages in Syria and Iraq began in Alexandria,
Virginia, on Tuesday.
El Shafee Elsheikh, 33, will stand trial on charges
including lethal hostage-taking and conspiracy to commit murder.
In addition to standing accused of the deaths of four
Americans who were reporting on or supporting victims of the Syrian war,
prosecutors say he is also implicated in the deaths of British, Japanese and
Norwegian captives.
Elsheikh is allegedly one of four IS militants
belonging to the execution squad nicknamed the "Beatles" due to their
British accents.
The cell garnered international attention after
releasing videos of the murders of US journalists James Foley and Steven
Sotloff and aid workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig, among others.
Jury selection began on Tuesday, and the court case is
expected to last four weeks.
Several former hostages of the "Beatles" are
expected to testify in the case, and some family members of the victims are
also planning to attend the trial in northern Virginia.
"This has been a long time coming," said
Diane Foley, whose son James, a freelance journalist, was abducted in Syria in
2012 and murdered two years later.
"Accountability is essential if we're ever going
to stop hostage-taking," Foley told AFP.
Also present at the trial will be Bethany Haines, 24,
whose father, David, a British aid worker, was also murdered by IS.
If Elsheikh is convicted, Haines and others would have
an opportunity to present victim impact statements before the judge hands down
his sentence.
Haines told the Sunday Times that she would plead with
Elsheikh "to do the right thing" and reveal where the remains of her
father and other hostages can be found.
"Don't do it for me," she said she will tell
him. "Do it for my son, so that he can finally say goodbye to his
grandad."
Fighting the charges
Elsheikh and the other IS members were allegedly
involved in the abductions of at least 27 people in Syria from 2012 to 2015.
Mohammed Emwazi, known as "Jihadi John," was
killed by a US drone in Syria in November 2015, while Aine Davis, is imprisoned
in Turkey.
Elsheikh and the fourth person, former British
national Alexanda Amon Kotey, 37, were captured by a Kurdish militia in Syria
in January 2018.
They were turned over to US forces in Iraq, stripped
of their British citizenship, and flown to Virginia in October 2020.
Kotey pleaded guilty and is facing life in prison
while Elsheikh chose to fight the charges.
Elsheikh has sought to minimise his own role in the
abductions and killings, having said that they were planned and carried out by
others, Emwazi in particular, at the behest of IS leadership.
In 2019, Elsheikh admitted that his behaviour toward
the hostages "was not always in line, or in tone with, what is incumbent
on me" as a Muslim.
He told the Washington Post that he lacked
"compassion" and saw the harsh treatment of westerners as "tit
for tat".
Source: Middle East Eye
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-trial-begins-islamic-state-beatles-member-el-shafee-elsheikh
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Blinken assures UAE leader of US defence help over
Houthi attacks, Iran
29 March ,2022
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to assure
Gulf monarchies on Tuesday that Washington is determined to help them fend off
attacks from the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Blinken met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh
Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, de facto ruler of the United Arab Emirates, in
Morocco as part of a trip to the Middle East and North Africa.
Washington’s Arab allies chafe at what they see as
declining US commitment to security in their region in the face of Iranian
involvement in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon which has nudged them into common
cause with former arch-foe Israel.
Unusually for a US secretary of state, Blinken’s trip
did not include any stops in Gulf monarchies or talks with Saudi officials.
“We have real challenges to confront together, in the
region and beyond,” Blinken said at the start of the meeting with Sheikh
Mohammed at the crown prince’s private residence in Rabat.
The first challenge Blinken cited was a series of
missile attacks by the Houthis against the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“We’re determined to do everything we can to help you
defend yourselves effectively against that,” Blinken said, adding that he would
also consult the Emirati leader on attempts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear
deal and strengthening collective security regarding Iran.
Sheikh Mohammed said the meeting was “a very important
opportunity” and “I’m sure we have a lot to talk about, especially our
bilateral relationship.”
Gulf states have for years been frustrated at what
they see as US inaction in confronting Iran’s role in the region, but their
concerns have grown since Joe Biden became president 14 months ago.
They are worried about the impact of a potential new
nuclear deal with Iran and annoyed that Washington has ended its support for
their war in Yemen, put new conditions on weapons sales to Gulf states and
criticized their human rights records.
Blinken attended a summit between Israel and some Arab
countries at the weekend, including the UAE and Morocco.
“The United States is a very important partner for all
of us and we are very proud of the relationship. I think what we need is
pragmatism. We need to look at the objective of the energy and what we’re
asking for is not to tell us ‘do this’ or ‘do that’,” said UAE Energy Minister
Suhail al-Mazrouei on Tuesday.
Ukraine assistance
Washington wants its Arab allies to take a stronger
stance against Russia over its assault on Ukraine by voting with the United
States in the United Nations, joining Western sanctions or even sending
security assistance to Ukraine.
The UAE abstained in a UN Security Council vote on
Ukraine last month and Morocco did not show up for a general assembly vote. The
UAE and Saudi Arabia both have increasingly important energy ties with Russia.
“Energy is coming back as a major component of many of
the Middle East and, indeed, world discussions. What people thought was the
death of fossil fuels is, I think, a little bit premature,” senior Emirati
official Anwar Gargash said on Tuesday.
Gulf states have for years been frustrated at what
they see as US inaction in confronting Iran’s role in the region, but their
concerns have grown since Joe Biden became president 14 months ago.
They are worried about the impact of a potential new
nuclear deal with Iran and annoyed that Washington has ended its support for
their war in Yemen, put new conditions on weapons sales to Gulf states and
criticized their human rights records.
Blinken was expected to reassure Sheikh Mohammed of
Washington’s commitment to stopping Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon amid a
series of missile attacks by the Tehran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
Source: Al Arabiya
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of the original story:
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Blinken in Morocco for security talks, meets with Abu
Dhabi crown prince
March 29, 2022
RABAT: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday
visited Morocco, where he discussed regional security and met the Crown Prince
of Abu Dhabi Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
His trip comes in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine, which along with sanctions against Moscow has sent wheat and fuel
prices soaring in a serious blow to import-dependent North African countries.
Speaking to journalists in Rabat, Blinken said the US
recognized the “disaster” the supply crunch had caused.
“We’re discussing concrete steps we can take ... to
help reduce the impact, particularly on the most vulnerable populations,” he
said.
Blinken also said he was “encouraging partners to
speak out against Russian aggression” and said he doubted Russia’s
“seriousness” in talks with Ukraine held in Turkey.
Washington’s top diplomat had flown into Rabat late
Monday from Israel where he met his counterparts from the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain
and Egypt, underlining a seismic shift in relations between Arab countries and
the Jewish state.
On Tuesday, he met Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser
Bourita for discussions including on the Western Sahara dispute and security
cooperation.
The same subjects will loom large in meetings the
following day with Morocco’s regional rival Algeria, after months of
deteriorating relations between Rabat and Algiers.
Blinken also met Tuesday evening with Sheikh Mohamed
bin Zayed at the Emirati leader’s Moroccan residence.
The US top diplomat emphasised that “the partnership
between our countries really matters.”
“At the same time, we have real challenges to confront
together in the region and beyond,” said Blinken, singling out the “terrorist
attacks against the UAE” and Saudi Arabia by Yemen’s Houthis.
Their meeting comes amid an escalation in cross-border
missile and drone attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis against infrastructure in
the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
“We’re determined to do everything we can to help you
defend yourselves effectively” against the Houthis, Blinken added.
Blinken said he and the crown prince would also
discuss the war in Ukraine and efforts to restore the landmark 2015 Iran
nuclear deal, which aimed to limit the Islamic republic’s nuclear development
in exchange for loosening sanctions.
Former US president Donald Trump unilaterally walked
out on that multilateral deal in 2018 and reimposed biting sanctions, provoking
Iran into rolling back on its nuclear commitments, but months of negotiations
in Vienna have sought to revive the pact.
Blinken also discussed with his Moroccan counterpart
the status of Western Sahara, a phosphate-rich former Spanish colony with a
vast Atlantic coastline home to rich fisheries.
Morocco controls 80 percent of it, including a key
highway toward West Africa, while the rest — a desert area bordering Mauritania
and Algeria — is run by the Polisario Front independence movement.
Trump in 2020 recognized the region as sovereign
Moroccan territory in a break with decades of US policy, after Rabat agreed to
re-establish relations with Israel.
President Joe Biden’s administration has been
tight-lipped on how it will follow up on the move, which came just weeks after
the Polisario declared a 1991 cease-fire null and void, sparking fears that the
long-frozen conflict could flare up again.
Bourita on Tuesday called on European states to follow
Spain in backing a Moroccan plan for autonomy there under Rabat’s sovereignty.
“We think it’s time for Europe ... to get out of this
comfort zone where people are just supporting a process that doesn’t mean
supporting a solution,” he said.
“There is a consensus that the solution should be
within Moroccan sovereignty and the Moroccan plan of autonomy.”
Blinken said Washington continues “to view Morocco’s
autonomy plan as serious, credible and realistic.”
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2052996/middle-east
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Southeast
Asia
Indonesian Islamists told to respect non-Muslims at
Ramadan
By Konradus Epa
March 29, 2022
Indonesia's top Muslim clerical body has urged Islamic
groups not to target restaurants and street food stalls serving meals to
non-Muslims in daylight hours during the holy month of Ramadan which begins
next week.
The Indonesia Ulema Council (MUI) said on March 28
that food outlets should not be forced to close to respect those who don't have
to fast, including Catholics.
The call followed an attempt by the council’s branch
in West Java province’s Bekasi district to ban restaurants, cafes and stalls
from opening during Ramadan
"Restaurants and street food stalls, however,
should self-regulate so that there’s no inconvenience to those who are fasting
and those who aren't," MUI general secretary Amirsyah Tambunan said.
He said vendors should be able to sell meals during
Ramadan to help their families who are suffering economically due to the
Covid-19 pandemic.
“The MUI doesn’t ban people from selling meals during
the holy month of Ramadan,” he said.
Muslims in Indonesia fast from 4.30am to 6pm during
Ramadan.
This year Ramadan begins on April 2 and ends with the
Eid al-Fitr festival on May 2-3.
Fasting during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic
calendar, is obligatory for all adult Muslims except those who are elderly,
sick or traveling.
Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara
Institute for Democracy and Peace, welcomed the MUI’s call.
“It is a good move that will help to strengthen
tolerance among different religions in Indonesia,” Naipospos told UCA News on
March 29.
Any attempt by hardliners to force food outlets to
close must be swiftly dealt with, he said.
Father Antonius Suyadi, chairman of Jakarta
Archdiocese's Ecumenical and Inter-religious Affairs Commission, also welcomed
the call.
Source: UCA News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/indonesian-islamists-told-to-respect-non-muslims-at-ramadan/96697
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Iran's foreign minister in China to pursue partnership
deal
March 29, 2022
Iran's top diplomat, Foreign Minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian, headed to the eastern Chinese city of Tunxi on March 29 to
join a summit of the foreign ministers of Afghanistan's neighbors.
Apart from China as the host, also in attendance are
Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Indonesia.
The participants are to discuss the latest in their cooperation amid the
shifted political, economic and security structure in Afghanistan, where a
lightning-quick Taliban takeover in August overthrew the Western-backed
government of former President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani.
But the Iranian foreign minister's agenda, according
to the hard-line Tasnim News Agency, is expected to largely focus on the
trajectory of the 25-year China-Iran Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Amir-Abdollahian has told Iran's state television that
he will meet with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, for a review of where the
two sides stand in the deal, which he said is already in fast-paced motion with
the "outcomes to be seen in the not-distant future."
The deal also played central to another Amir-Abdollahian
trip to Beijing earlier this year, where the start of its implementation was
hailed by Iran's China ambassador "as one of the key achievements" of
the visit.
The partnership deal was signed one year ago by the
moderate former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as part of the "look
East" foreign policy approach vigorously advanced and encouraged by
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
To Khamenei's staunchest loyalists and the
hardest-core sectors of the conservative camp, boosting relations with Beijing
and Moscow is a vital chance to be seized in what they see as a new world order
in the fallout of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Hossein Shariatmadari, who has been appointed by the
Iranian supreme leader as the editor of the hard-line paper Kayhan, told a
meeting in the city of Isfahan earlier in March that Western sanctions against
Iran, China and Russia could help the targeted triangle forge a powerful
alliance to counter Western influence.
Yet alarm has been relentlessly raised by the Iranian
public, pundits and members of parliament that the agreement remains shrouded
with a cloud of secrecy.
Unconfirmed details of a framework for a guaranteed
sale of Iran's lifeline oil to China, speculation about Chinese military
presence, and what is precisely meant by Chinese development projects in Iran's
energy-rich southern islands have been particularly called into question,
further fueling concerns and confusion.
"It is worse than the JCPOA," declared
hard-line former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in January, using the acronym
for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal between Tehran and the world powers.
Source: Al Monitor
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/03/irans-foreign-minister-china-pursue-partnership-deal
--------
Report: Tabung Haji agrees to allow court to freeze
assets of Muslim debtors who fail to pay alimony, child support
30 Mar 2022
BY SHAHRIN AIZAT NOORSHAHRIZAM
KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 — Lembaga Tabung Haji (LTH) has
agreed to amend the Tabung Haji Act 1995, also known as Act 535, to essentially
enable the accounts of debtors in the Muslim pilgrims’ fund to be accessed to
pay nafkah or alimony owed to their ex-wives and for child support.
Sharie Chief Judge Datuk Mohd Na’im Mokhtar told
Utusan Malaysia today that the amendment will also allow the Shariah courts to
get documents and information from debtors who failed to pay the payments after
the divorce.
“The amendment of the Act at the same time allows the
account of the depositor or the debtor to be blocked for the purpose of payment
of alimony arrears to the wife or child,” he was quoted as saying.
The decision was reportedly made during Mohd Na’im’s
meeting with LTH CEO Datuk Seri Amrin Awaluddin yesterday.
The Sharie chief judge also urged other corporate
bodies to similarly allow the Shariah courts to gain access to legal documents
belonging to Muslim debtors.
He told the Malay daily that government-linked
investment fund Permodalan Nasional Bhd is expected to follow in LTH’s
footsteps to investigate stocks owned by Muslims who fail to fulfil their
alimony and child support obligations.
Mohd Na’im first made the suggestion to freeze the
accounts of Tabung Haji depositors who failed to pay alimony and child support
to their ex-wives and children who follow their mother last week.
He said that the proposal was to ensure that all
Tabung Haji depositors who are prospective pilgrims to the Holy Land are
debt-free.
Source: Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Investment expected high on agenda as FMs of Afghanistan’s
neighbours meet in China
March 29, 2022
KABUL: Investment in Afghanistan is likely to be high
on the agenda during an upcoming meeting between foreign ministers of the
country’s neighbors, experts said on Tuesday, as the Taliban’s top envoy is scheduled
to attend the session in China.
The third meeting of the foreign ministers of
Afghanistan’s neighboring countries — Pakistan, Iran, Russia, Tajikistan,
Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — will take place in Tunxi, China’s eastern Anhui
province, on Wednesday and Thursday.
Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi’s attendance
was confirmed during his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi’s surprise trip to Kabul
last week — the highest-level visit by a Chinese official since the Taliban
took over Afghanistan in August.
The Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement after
Wang’s trip that he and Muttaqi spoke about expanding economic ties and
investment in Afghanistan.
China may become the first major power to take on
large-scale projects in Afghanistan, which has plunged into financial and
humanitarian crises since the exit of US-led foreign forces and the Taliban
takeover.
“The Taliban are eagerly looking for China’s
investment in mines, especially the Mes Aynak copper mine. They put a lot of
hope in China’s economic support to Afghanistan,” Hekmatullah Zaland, executive
director of the Kabul-based Center for Strategic and Regional Studies, told
Arab News.
Afghanistan’s mineral resources are estimated to be
worth $1 trillion and have not been unearthed amid decades of violence. Mes
Aynak, 40 km southeast of Kabul, contains the country’s largest copper deposit,
expected to be worth tens of billions of dollars.
While China, like other countries, has yet to
recognize the Taliban, Zaland added that hopes regarding the upcoming regional
forum are also pinned on Beijing’s political support.
“The Taliban are also looking for China’s political
support internationally, as a country that has influence over Afghanistan’s
neighbors in particular,” he said.
Political analyst Abdul Hai Qanit also said that
attracting investment is one of the key priorities of Afghan authorities.
“They will look forward to convincing China into more
investment in Afghanistan. China is aiming for this too,” he told Arab News.
He added that other regional countries are also
undertaking efforts to improve regional connectivity and security.
“Neighboring countries realize that a stable and
connected Afghanistan will enhance regional integration and economic
development,” he said.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said
earlier this week that by hosting the third meeting of the foreign ministers of
Afghanistan’s neighbors, “China looks forward to pooling more consensus on the
Afghan issue from neighboring countries” to jointly stabilize the country. He
also said that Beijing hopes to “work on the Afghan side to build an open and
inclusive political structure.”
As the Taliban government still lacks international
recognition, the upcoming meeting may not bring it from the Chinese side.
“From China’s standpoint, the time for recognition has
not come yet,” Torek Farhadi, a former adviser to the Afghan government, told
Arab News.
“China wants an inclusive government in Kabul and sees
long-term stability made possible this way.”
The Taliban returned to power in mid-August, two
decades after their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001.
While they had promised to form an inclusive
government, unlike during their first rule, they eventually installed an
all-male, Taliban-only administration, and curtailed the rights of women.
The third meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan
will come after renewed concerns over a lack of inclusivity under Taliban rule,
as last week they broke their promise to reopen schools to girls beyond the
sixth grade. The reopening of schools for girls was one of the conditions the
international community had set for a possible official engagement with the
Taliban government.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2053076/world
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Arab
World
Arab Coalition announces halt to military operations
in Yemen as peace talks begin
30 March ,2022
The Arab Coalition on Tuesday announced that it would
cease all military operations in Yemen during the month of Ramadan to help
create “propitious conditions” for peace talks to end the yearslong war in the
country.
The Coalition’s statement came hours after GCC
Secretary-General Dr. Nayef Al-Hajraf called for a cessation of military
operations coinciding with the Yemeni-Yemeni peace talks being held in Saudi
Arabia.
“With the view of creating propitious conditions
needed for successful consultations and a favorable environment for the Holy
Month of Ramadan to make peace, and achieve security and stability in Yemen,
the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition hereby announces cessation of
military operations in Yemen beginning at (0600) Wednesday, March 30, 2022, in
response to His Excellency’s request,” Coalition Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki
Al-Malki said in a statement.
He added: “This falls under the context of
international efforts and initiatives championed by the Special Envoy of the UN
Secretary-General for Yemen and the Saudi Initiative to reach a comprehensive
political resolution to end the Yemeni conflict.”
The Coalition also reaffirmed its “steadfast position”
in supporting the internationally recognized government of Yemen.
Saudi Arabia opened the first day of peace talks on
Tuesday as the UN and US work to reach a truce between the Yemeni government
and the Iran-backed Houthi militia.
The Houthis have refused to attend the talks and have
repeatedly rejected peace talks over recent years.
Separately, US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking
landed in the region to “continue leading US diplomatic efforts to advance a
durable, inclusive resolution to the conflict in Yemen and bring immediate
relief to the people of Yemen.”
The State Department said Lenderking would also
participate in the opening of the Yemeni-Yemeni dialogue and engage with Yemeni
participants.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Syria camp clashes with ISIS leave three dead: Monitor
29 March ,2022
Three people were killed in clashes between ISIS
fighters and Kurdish forces in a northeast Syria camp housing relatives of
extremists, a war monitor said Tuesday.
Around 56,000 people live in al-Hol, an overcrowded
Kurdish-run camp for displaced people that has been plagued by murders and
regular escape attempts, according to the United Nations.
The camp hosts about 10,000 foreigners, including the
wives and children of ISIS fighters who are detained in a high-security annex
guarded by Kurdish forces.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
“Violent clashes between security forces responsible
for the camp and ISIS cells” broke out on Monday night, said the Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights.
The clashes “resulted in the death of a woman and a
child… and the killing of one member of an ISIS cell,” the Observatory added.
Four women and six children were also injured in the
fighting, said the Britain-based monitor, which relies on a wide network of sources
inside Syria.
Kurdish Asayish security forces said that clashes
started after members of an armed “cell” attacked one of their patrols in
al-Hol.
The perpetrators used kalashnikovs, pistols and
rocket-propelled grenades during the attack, the Asayish said in a statement.
The Asayish did not identify the attackers but said
they were hiding among ISIS relatives held in the camp.
“Our forces managed to kill one of the cell members,”
the statement said.
Kurdish forces warned last week that a lack of international
support risked allowing for an extremist resurgence, as they marked three years
since the declared defeat of ISIS.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iraq’s Kurds face Iranian resistance to energy
development: PM
29 March ,2022
The development of oil and gas in Iraq’s northern
Kurdish region may not be in the interest of major regional energy producer
Iran, Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said on Tuesday.
Attacks on the region’s capital Erbil and the federal
government’s legal actions have demonstrated the resistance to development in
the energy-rich region.
Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
said early this month it struck Israeli “strategic centers” in Erbil in retaliation
for an Israeli air raid that killed two of its members in Syria.
But most of the 12 missiles fired into the Kurdish
capital hit the villa of a Kurdish businessman involved in the autonomous
region’s energy sector.
A Kurdish gas export plan could threaten Iran’s place
as a major supplier to Iraq and Turkey when its economy is reeling from
international sanctions, sources told Reuters.
The attack was shortly after Iraq’s federal court
deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan
unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude
supplies.
Speaking at an industry event in the United Arab
Emirates, Barzani said the court ruling was political and that Kurdistan is
negotiating with the Iraqi federal government to preserve what he called their
constitutional rights.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Islamic Affairs Minister assigns 25 imams to lead
Tarawih prayers abroad
March 29, 2022
RIYADH — Minister of Islamic Affairs, Call and
Guidance Sheikh Dr. Sheikh Abdullatif Al Al-Sheikh has accredited 25 imams to
lead Tarawih and Qiyam prayers in 12 countries.
The Imamah program abroad in the holy month of Ramadan
is one of the programs that the ministry implements every year in response to
applications from Islamic centers and associations across the world.
The program aims at spreading true Islam, raising
awareness among Muslims and reminding them of what is good for them, and their
religion and life. — SPA
Source: Saudi Gazette
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Mideast
King Abdullah discusses 'avoiding escalation' with
Abbas as Israeli settlers seize more land in Jerusalem
29 March, 2022
Israel should end "all unilateral measures in
Jerusalem," said Jordan's King Abdullah during his meeting with
Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Monday, the Jordanian
government said in a statement.
The statement noted that both leaders discussed
"enhancing stability, especially during the holy month of Ramadan",
and "avoiding any escalation that might undermine chances for peace."
The Jordanian king's visit to Ramallah came three
weeks after he hosted Israeli foreign minister Yair Lapid in Amman, where the
two discussed lowering tensions in Jerusalem ahead of the Muslim holy month.
King Abdullah is expected to meet Israeli president
Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. The king's meetings noticeably coincided with the
summit held in the Naqab desert between the US secretary of state, the Israeli
foreign minister and his counterparts of all Arab countries who have relations
with Israel, except Jordan.
Earlier in March, Israeli media reported that the
Israeli government has prepared special measures to avoid escalation with the
Palestinians during Ramadan, which coincides this year with the 74th
anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, the first anniversary of the Palestinian
'May uprising', which started over Jerusalem during Ramadan, and with the
Jewish holiday of Passover.
Israeli media also reported that the Jordanian
ambassador to Israel had requested from the Israeli government not to allow
Israeli settlers into the Al-Aqsa compound during the second half of the Muslim
holy month, in order to avoid escalations. It was later reported that the
Israeli government had rejected that request.
Tensions in Jerusalem have been simmering since the
beginning of this year, following a series of Israeli demolitions of
Palestinian property.
On Monday, Israeli settlers took over the "Petra
Hotel" building in Jerusalem's old city. Backed by the Israeli police, the
settlers then clashed with Palestinians in the area.
A Palestinian lawyer, Madhat Dibeh, who provides legal
advice to the Palestinian families affected by the seizure was also detained
for several hours by the Israeli police during the incident.
Dibeh told The New Arab that "Israeli settlers
with the help of the police expelled the Palestinian families who live in the
building with the excuse that they had a court order."
"The order did not mention the Qarresh family,
who have a 'protected tenant' status, and therefore the expulsion is
illegal," he said. "I was giving this legal advice to the family,
telling them to go to the court and object, but I was arrested for six hours
until the expulsion took place."
The "Petra Hotel" building was part of a
large property sold by the Greek-controlled Orthodox church to the Ateret
Cohanim Israeli settler organization in 2004. Palestinian families who have
been living in the building as renters since 1945 have been battling settlers
in Israeli courts for nearly 20 years.
Source: The New Arab
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https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/king-abdullah-rushes-defuse-tensions-ahead-ramadan
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Iran Welcomes Peaceful Initiatives by Yemen's Supreme
Political Council
2022-March-29
"The plan presented by Sanaa in good faith
conveys a strong message about the firm will to end the war, lifting the
oppressive siege and the political settlement of the Yemeni crisis,"
Khatibzadeh said.
The Iranian foreign ministry spokesman underlined that
in case of serious and positive interaction with the initiative, it can pave
the way for ending the current war.
"We hope that on the eve of the holy month of
Ramadan, we will see an end to the conflict and national reconciliation in
Yemen through prioritizing the humanitarian issues and prisoners swap," he
added.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran, Armenia Vow to Develop Cooperation in Power
Sector
2022-March-29
During the meeting in the Iranian capital on Tuesday,
Mehrabian and Toumanian in explored avenues for bolstering and reinvigorating
bilateral relations in different economic areas.
During the meeting, Mehrabian described the bilateral
ties between Tehran and Yerevan as " privileged" and said that those
ties need to further expand.
The Iranian energy minister also stressed the need to
prepare the condition for the meeting between the president of Iran and the
prime minister of Armenia.
He further pointed to
the vast capabilities of Iranian companies active in the field of
technical and engineering services and the scope of activities of these
companies around the world, as well as construction and repair of power plants,
construction of hydropower plants and other areas, and suggested bilateral
meetings to introduce capabilities and cooperation capacities of the two
countries with the participation of the economic agents from both sides.
Both sides in the meeting also stressed the need to
coordinate the holding of the 17th Iran-Armenia Cooperation Summit hosted by
the Armenian side on May 10 and 13, and described the summit as important for
the development of relations between the two countries in the area of energy.
The advisor to the prime minister of Armenia, for his
part, mentioned the important issues of bilateral cooperation, and discussed
constructive decisions for the development of trade and economic cooperation,
as well as cooperation in the field of energy with the Iranian chief of the
joint cooperation commission.
Toumanian also met Iranian Oil Minister Javad Owji at
Iran’s Oil Ministry compound on Monday.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Two killed in Israel shooting are Ukrainians: Police
30 March ,2022
Two of the five men killed by a Palestinian gunman in
the central Israeli city of Bnei Brak were Ukrainian nationals, Israeli police
said on Wednesday.
A police statement identified the victims of Tuesday’s
attack, noting that “a foreigner from Ukraine, aged 23” and “a foreigner from Ukraine,
aged 32” were among them.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Gulf bloc hosts Yemen peace talks amid Houthi absence
Mohammed Alragawi
30.03.2022
ISTANBUL
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is set to host
talks between Yemen’s different parties in the Saudi capital Riyadh on
Wednesday to discuss ways of restoring peace to the war-ravaged nation.
GCC Secretary-General Nayef al-Hajraf said the talks
will bring together about 500 Yemeni individuals to discuss means of “resolving
the crisis and opening humanitarian corridors and achieving stability.”
The discussions, which will continue until April 7,
aim to “unify the internal front of the internationally- recognized government”
and resume UN-backed political talks to end the conflict in Yemen, he added.
Shawki Alqadhi, a Yemeni lawmaker who is participating
in the talks, said there is no specific agenda for the discussions.
“It mainly focuses on ways of enhancing the
internationally-recognized government, and alleviating the suffering of Yemeni
people,” he told Anadolu Agency.
“We hope that these talks will be a step towards
unifying the supporters of the legitimate government,” he added.
“We hope that these consultations will be the
beginning of ending the coup and the war,” Alqadhi added.
Yemen has been engulfed by violence and instability
since 2014, when Iran-aligned Houthi rebels captured much of the country,
including the capital Sanaa.
The 8-year conflict has created one of the world's
worst man-made humanitarian crises, with nearly 80% of the country’s population
in need of humanitarian assistance and protection and more than 13 million in
danger of starvation, according to UN estimates.
Test
While the GCC-hosted talks were welcomed by the Yemeni
government, Houthi rebels said they will not attend the discussions and called
for the dialogue to be held in a “neutral country.”
A statement by the Houthi-run Foreign Ministry said
the talks must be held in a “neutral country” that is not involved in the war
in Yemen.
Saudi Arabia is leading a military coalition of Sunni
countries in fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.
Alqadhi opines that the GCC-hosted talks will be a
“test” to Houthi rebels to join efforts aimed at ending the conflict in Yemen.
“The Houthis will not sit for talks unless they are
militarily defeated,” he said. “It is normal for the Houthis to bomb Saudi
Arabia because this is what militias do.”
Last week, Houthi rebels launched a series of drone
and missile attacks on vital energy facilities in Saudi Arabia, in a new
escalation in the lingering conflict in Yemen.
The Yemeni lawmaker believes that there is “absolutely
no hope” for Houthi rebels to participate in any peace talks as long as they
have military power.
“Houthis may agree to join talks only when they free
themselves from their religious ideology, cut their ties with Iran and are
defeated militarily,” he said.
Opportunity
Riyadh Aldubai, a Yemeni political activist, is
downbeat about any positive results from the GCC-hosted Yemeni talks.
In 2011, the GCC sponsored negotiations between the
Yemeni government and the opposition, which resulted in the signing of the Gulf
Initiative in Riyadh. The Saudi capital also hosted similar talks between the
Yemeni parties in 2015.
“Unfortunately, not much of those talks and agreements
have been achieved,” Aldubai said. “But we hope that the mistakes of previous
talks will be avoided this time, and more gains will be made.”
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/gulf-bloc-hosts-yemen-peace-talks-amid-houthi-absence/2549841
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5 killed in shooting in central Israel, police say
Mücahit Aydemir
29.03.2022
JERUSALEM
Five people were killed in a shooting attack in
central Israel on Tuesday, Israeli police said.
"A terrorist opened fire on civilians in the
street with an automatic rifle, then crossed to another street and targeted
civilians there as well" in the Beni Barak city, a statement police
statement said.
It said the attacker was killed by security forces.
No further information on the identities of the
attackers or victims were given.
Following the shooting attack, a large number of
security personnel and medical teams were dispatched to the city of Bnei Brak.
Meanwhile, a statement by the Israeli Prime Minister’s
office said that the country’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will hold a
security consultation on tonight’s incident with defense and public security
ministers and other security officials.
On March 22, four Israelis were killed in a knife
attack in the southern city of Beersheba. The perpetrator was said to be a
Daesh/ISIS terror group sympathizer and had previously been imprisoned for
"security-related" crimes.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/5-killed-in-shooting-in-central-israel-police-say/2549599
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Africa
Israeli president to visit Jordan in latest sign of
closer ties: Officials
29 March ,2022
President Isaac Herzog will make the first official
visit by an Israeli head of state to Jordan on Wednesday, officials said, in
the latest thaw in ties between two countries formally at peace for nearly
three decades.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including Israel’s
nearly 55-year-old occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, has long
weighed on relations between Israel and Jordan, many of whose 10 million
citizens are of Palestinian origin.
The planned meeting between Herzog and King Abdullah
follows talks the Jordanian monarch held with Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas in the West Bank on Monday in an apparent attempt to lower tensions
before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
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channel online or via the app.
Last year, clashes erupted between Israeli police and
Palestinians around Jerusalem’s al-Aqsa mosque at the height of the Ramadan
fasting month, violence that helped ignite an 11-day war in May between Gaza
militants and Israel.
In a statement, a spokesman for Herzog said issues to
be raised at the royal palace include “deepening Israeli-Jordanian relations,
maintaining regional stability, with an emphasis on the upcoming holiday
period, [and] strengthening peace and normalization.”
King Hussein, Abdullah’s late father, signed a peace
treaty with Israel in 1994, after years of covert contacts.
Although his post is largely ceremonial, Herzog has
been a point man in efforts to mend long-strained relations between Israel and
Turkey, visiting Ankara earlier this month for talks with President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.
Earlier this year, he also visited the United Arab
Emirates, which along with Bahrain and Morocco normalized relations with Israel
in 2020 in a sign of shared concern over Iran.
Palestinians said such Arab engagement with Israel
betrayed their cause.
The foreign ministers of the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco and
Egypt, joined by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, held a summit in Israel
on Sunday and Monday. Jordan did not attend.
Israeli defense chief visits Amman
But in the latest flurry of talks in recent months by
top Israeli and Jordanian officials, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met
King Abdullah in Amman on Tuesday.
Gantz discussed “the measures that Israel is planning
to take in order to enable freedom of prayer” in Jerusalem and the West Bank,
an Israeli statement said, without elaborating.
Citing security concerns, Israel has imposed age
limits on Muslim worshippers at al-Aqsa during periods of tension and
restricted Palestinian travel to Jerusalem from the West Bank, territory that
it captured, along with the eastern part of the holy city, in a 1967 war.
Relations between Israel and Jordan had become more
frosty during right-winger Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year run as Israeli prime
minister, which ended last June.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Police ban Ramadan moon procession in Bauchi
By Rauf Oyewole, Bauchi
30 March 2022
Bauchi State Police Command has banned the proposed
procession to mark the sighting of the moon in the month of Ramadan in the
state.
The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), SP Ahmed
Wakili, said the command had been hinted on a purported plan by some miscreants
to disrupt the peace of the state during the procession.
He added that the Commissioner of Police, Umar Sanda,
had warned those hatching the motive to desist from such, as they would have
the police to contend with.
Wakili’s words: “He has directed all Area Commanders,
Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) and all Tactical Team Commanders/Operational
Departments of the command to put in place more effort to identify, disarm,
arrest and prosecute any person or group of persons involved in any attempt to
disrupt law and order in the state or who will come out to occupy the streets
under that guise.”
Source: Guardian Nigeria
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https://guardian.ng/news/police-ban-ramadan-moon-procession-in-bauchi/
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Tunisian singer Ghalia Benali to put on two concerts
in Egypt during Ramadan
29 Mar 2022
The first concert for Benali in Egypt will be at the
Alexandria Opera House on 16 April, while her second will be at the Cairo Opera
House on 18 April.
The concerts come within a larger tour that will
include two performances in Belgium and two in Tunisia, later in April.
Benali, who is a singer, composer, songwriter, actress
and graphic designer, started her music career at the age of 19, becoming a
prominent figure in the Arab music scene after her first solo album, the
self-produced Nada, was released in 2002.
Born in Belgium in 1968, Benali grew up in her
family’s Tunisian hometown of Zarzis.
She is known for fusing musical traditions from the
East and West, mixing classical Arabic styles with jazz and Indian music, which
reflects her multicultural background and fascination with Arab music legends.
Source: Ahram
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https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/463689.aspx
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8 killed, 26 injured in terror attack on train in
Nigeria
Olarewaju Kola
29.03.2022
ABUJA, Nigeria
Eight passengers have been killed and 26 injured in a
terror attack on a train in Nigeria’s northwest Kaduna State, officials said
Tuesday.
Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security Samuel
Aruwa said terrorists attacked the train with 362 passengers on board that was
coming from Abuja, the national capital late Monday.
He said the government received details of the attack
from the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC)
"The passenger manifest does not include NRC
staff and security officials who were on board," he said.
Aruwa advised victims’ relatives to contact the Kaduna
State Emergency Management Agency.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/8-killed-26-injured-in-terror-attack-on-train-in-nigeria/2549683
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Tunisia’s Saied condemns parliament sessions as
‘illegal’
March 30, 2022
TUNIS: President Kais Saied has condemned “illegal”
meetings of Tunisia’s parliament which he suspended last July, saying those
responsible for the planned virtual sessions were trying to sow chaos.
The North African country is in the throes of a deep
political and economic crisis which took a dramatic turn last July 25 when
Saied sacked the government and suspended the assembly, later moving to rule by
decree.
His opponents have labelled the moves a “coup” against
the fraught democracy that emerged after the 2011 revolution that overthrew
dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and sparked the Arab Spring revolutions.
Parliament speaker Rached Ghannouchi, head of the
Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, has called for a plenary session on Wednesday
to discuss Saied’s “exceptional measures” imposed since July.
In a video published by his office late Monday, the
president said that “the so-called ‘virtual meeting’ is illegal because the
assembly is frozen.”
Talking at a meeting of his National Security Council,
he accused his rivals of “coup attempts” and said the security apparatus would
deal with those attempting to create “domestic strife.”
Ghannouchi, whose party has dominated Tunisian
politics since the revolution and is seen as Saied’s main rival, made his call
during a virtual meeting bringing together heads of parliamentary blocs on
Monday.
The MPs also decided to hold another plenary on
Saturday to discuss Tunisia’s deteriorating economic situation and public
finances.
They did not specify how the plenary would be held,
but the parliament building has been closed by security forces since Saied’s
power grab last year.
Saied dismissed the moves as “wretched and worthless,”
mockingly saying that if they wanted to meet they could do so “in a spaceship.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2053276/middle-east
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Europe
Mosque calls for further scrutiny of Manchester bomber
family's links to MI5
By Simon Hooper
29 March 2022
A Manchester mosque has rejected accusations that it
"turned a blind eye" to extremism, made at a public inquiry into a
2017 bombing at a music venue in the city, and called for further scrutiny of
possible UK intelligence agency links to the bomber's family.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Manchester Islamic
Centre, which is commonly known as Didsbury Mosque, suggested that the bombing
was "fallout" from a British government policy of supporting Libyan
rebel groups fighting to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi during the North African
country's 2011 uprising.
"Didsbury Mosque cannot be held responsible for
the fallout of a decision of the British government, working with some Libyan
groups to remove the Gaddafi government, which encouraged some Manchester
Libyans to go and fight in Libya, creating a radicalising environment and
extremism among some in Manchester," the centre said.
Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds injured in
an attack by a British-Libyan man, Salman Abedi, on crowds leaving an Ariana
Grande concert at the Manchester Arena in May 2017. Abedi, 22, blew himself up
in the bombing which was subsequently claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.
Abedi's younger brother, Hashem Abedi, was last year
jailed for 55 years after being convicted of helping to plan the bombing. His
older brother, Ismail Abedi, left the UK last year after being summoned to give
evidence to the inquiry, and is the subject of an arrest warrant.
The inquiry into the attack has heard that Salman
Abedi likely fought in Libya alongside his two brothers, his father, and others
from Manchester's Libyan community who joined the anti-Gaddafi 17 February
Martyrs Brigade, including some who were subsequently convicted of terrorism
offences.
'Trained by Nato'
The inquiry heard that some anti-Gaddafi fighters were
"trained by Nato", the western military alliance that intervened in
the conflict to help topple the longtime leader.
It also heard that Abedi's father, Ramadan Abedi, had
links to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), an Islamist militant group
formerly proscribed in the UK, and al-Qaeda.
Members of the family continued to travel back and
forth to Libya as IS was gaining territory there, and in 2015 material
indicative of support for IS was found on a phone belonging to Ismail Abedi
during an airport stop.
The inquiry heard that MI5, the UK's domestic security
service, first received information about Salman Abedi in 2010 when he was 15.
MI5 made him a subject of interest in March 2014 but closed the inquiry shortly
after he travelled to Libya in July the same year.
It received further intelligence on him in 2015 and
2016, and has admitted at the inquiry that it dismissed two pieces of evidence
in the months before the bombing which it said in retrospect were "highly
relevant to the planned attack".
Much of MI5's evidence to the inquiry, which concluded
hearing new evidence earlier this month, was heard in weeks of closed sessions,
with only a vetted summary of the hearings released to the public.
In its statement, Didsbury Mosque called on the
inquiry to examine possible links between the Abedi family and British
intelligence services.
"We observe that MI5 and MI6 have not provided a
full account of any relationship they may have had with Ramadan Abedi. We will
ask the inquiry to investigate this further and consider if that in any way
could have contributed to the failure to adequately monitor Salman and Hashem
Abedi," it said.
Ramadan Abedi left the UK in April 2017 and is
believed to be currently in Libya. He is a suspect in the investigation into
the Manchester bombing but has never been questioned or charged over the
attack.
'Open door policy'
In 2017, Middle East Eye reported that the British
government had operated an "open door" policy that allowed Libyan
exiles and British-Libyans to travel to Libya to join the revolution against
Gaddafi, including some who were subject to counter-terrorism control orders
restricting their movement.
Didsbury Mosque has faced scrutiny at the inquiry
following reports after the bombing that members of the Abedi family worshipped
there, and that Ramadan Abedi had sometimes led the call to prayer.
In a closing statement to the inquiry, John Cooper, a
counsel representing the families of 12 of the victims of the bombing, said the
mosque had "buried its head in the sand" in failing to address the
"presence of extremist and violent sentiment among parts of the
congregation and the South Manchester Muslim community more generally".
But the mosque said such remarks were
"misleading" and "a diversion from focusing on the very real
failings of those agencies with a duty to protect the public and prevent such
attacks".
Sources close to the mosque told MEE that Salman Abedi
was only seen praying at the mosque on odd occasions as an adult, and also
prayed at other mosques in the area.
In its statement, the mosque also linked criticism to
government plans for a new Protect Duty, which would require public venues to
put in place measures to mitigate the threat of terrorism and which public
consultation documents suggest could be imposed on places of worship, including
mosques.
"We are further of the opinion that Didsbury
Mosque has been continuously demonised to make the case for government measures
that will securitise places of worship," it said.
It said it was "open-source knowledge that one of
the families represented by Mr Cooper has a relationship with the government,
collaborating with them on the expansion of the Protect Duty".
The family group represented by Cooper includes Figen
Murray, a prominent counter-extremism campaigner whose son, Martyn Hett, was
killed at the Manchester Arena and who subsequently launched the "Martyn's
Law" campaign to introduce legislation to improve venue security.
In January, Home Secretary Priti Patel acknowledged
the Home Office had "worked closely with Figen Murray, victims' groups and
partners" on developing the Protect Duty.
"We will be raising with the inquiry the possibility
of a conflict of interest and seeking reassurances that the inquiry will remain
independent of the government," the mosque said.
Close working relationship
The mosque also rejected criticism that it had not
condemned the attack strongly enough, or posted a statement of condemnation on
its website.
It said: "We made it clear that this barbaric act
had nothing to do with Didsbury Mosque, Islam or the Quran, immediately after
the attack. This was in front of the world's media which had a greater reach
than the few people who visit our website."
MEE has contacted John Cooper, Figen Murray and Slater
and Gordon, the families' legal firm, for comment.
A spokesperson for the Home Office told MEE that the
conduct and proceedings of the inquiry were a matter for the chair, John
Saunders.
"The inquiry operates independently of
government, and its independence is crucial to its effectiveness," the
spokesperson said.
"We are grateful to the chair for his extremely
thorough examination of the evidence as well as the campaigners for their
tireless efforts to effect change."
The mosque also criticised Dominic Scally, the head of
Counter Terrorism Policing North West, who told the inquiry that Didsbury
Mosque had been "less positive" than other mosques in the area when approached
by police to involve them in a messaging campaign aimed at stopping people from
travelling to Syria.
"We have had a close working relationship with
the police for a very long time and will now provide evidence of that
relationship to the inquiry," it said.
"The truth is that according to our knowledge at
no point has anyone from the police, CT [Counter Terrorism], or MI5 ever
contacted us with concerns about the Abedis."
MEE has contacted Greater Manchester Police for
comment.
Source: Middle East Eye
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https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/manchester-mosque-calls-further-scrutiny-bomber-family-links-mi5
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EU to lend Tunisia 450 million euros for budget
support, commissioner says
29 March ,2022
The European Union said on Tuesday it will lend
Tunisia 450 million euros ($500 million) to support its budget as the North
African country faces a looming crisis in public finances for which it is
seeking an international rescue package.
Speaking after a meeting with Tunisian government
officials in Tunis, the EU commissioner for enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, said
the money would be sent by April and included 300 million euros allocated last
year.
Credit rating agency Fitch this month downgraded
Tunisian sovereign debt to junk status and the investment bank Morgan Stanley
said it expected the government to default on loans.
The Ukraine war has aggravated the government’s
problems, causing price rises in fuel and grains, which are both subsidized in
Tunisia.
The impact of those price rises on Tunisia’s budget
will be slightly less than 5 billion dinars ($1.7 billion) this year, the
economy minister Samir Saied told Reuters.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Europe faced with 'great fire' amid Ukraine war:
Turkish parliament head
Mustafa Talha Öztürk
29.03.2022
BELGRADE, Serbia
With the war in Ukraine, Europe now faces "a
great fire," the Turkish parliament speaker said on Tuesday.
"What are we doing here, in Slovenia, at the
conference of speakers of EU parliaments, while there's a great fire and great
crisis in Ukraine, while a great humanitarian tragedy is being experienced, and
a great fire, a great migration wave has come to Europe's door?" Mustafa
Sentop asked at the meeting in the capital, Ljubljana.
On talks between Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul
on Tuesday, Sentop criticized EU member countries for failing to prevent the
war, adding that the bloc had fallen short in its strategic thinking,
prioritization, and predictions.
"We are faced with a European Union that ... is
held hostage to the simple whims of a few small countries, instead of robust
and comprehensive perspectives on the future, and has failed to include nations
that have vast geo-strategic significance and weight, like Turkiye and
Ukraine."
He slammed the declaration that the conference is
planning to release as an "unfair, cruel" jab at Turkiye.
Sentop underlined that the latest talks in Istanbul
indicated that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's intense diplomatic
efforts are paying off.
"Turkiye is fulfilling its mission of mediation
as a country that both Ukraine and Russia trust to be honest and fair," he
said, underlining that Ankara is "working hard to stop this great
fire."
Sentop described the declaration as an attempt to
slander Turkey with an unjust, ruthless, allegedly bossy approach.
Having arrived in the Slovenian capital on Sunday
night, Sentop is set to meet with the country's National Council President
Alojz Kovsca.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/-slaughter-blasphemer-pakistan-women-madrasa/d/126691