A North Karnataka Village, Hiremannur In Ron Taluk, Observes Muharram Every Year, And Not One Of Its 2,500 Residents Is a Muslim
New Age Islam News Bureau
31
August 2020
This
has been a centuries old syncretic tradition and 'Ale Habba" as Muharram
is know in the local parlance, is observed with the installation of 'Panjas'
and entering of the fire.
----
•
Sindhi Leader Accuses Pakistan for Rising Incidents of Enforced Disappearances
•
PAS Spiritual Leader Likens Minister Who Broke Self-Isolation to Quranic
‘Hero’, Blames Health, Foreign Ministries For Negligence
•
Jordanian Artist Held over Israel-UAE Deal Cartoon Freed Amid Pressure from
Rights Groups
•
Terrorist Preacher Abu Hamza Sues US over ‘Cruel’ Prison Conditions
•
Europe Warned of Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘Divisive,’ ‘Dangerous’ Influence
•
Peace Not Power-Sharing Deal: Ghani
India
•
•
Breaking Away From Tradition, Shia Muslims Donate Blood on Moharram
•
JCO killed in Pakistan firing along LoC in J&K
•
BJP wants a Hindu majority to emerge in J&K: Farooq Abdullah
--------
Pakistan
•
Sindhi Leader Accuses Pakistan for Rising Incidents of Enforced Disappearances
•
Imam Hussain’s charter unveils uncharted territories for Muslims in contemporary
era
•
Pakistan Strongly Condemns Desecration Of Quran In Sweden And Norway
•
Youm-i-Ashura observed nationwide amid tight security
•
Pakistan will continue to have good ties with Saudi Arabia: Qureshi
•
Panels formed to monitor rights situation in districts
•
200 Pakistani nationals stranded in India to return on September 3
--------
Southeast Asia
•
PAS Spiritual Leader Likens Minister Who Broke Self-Isolation to Quranic
‘Hero’, Blames Health, Foreign Ministries For Negligence
•
China’s FM Defends Uighur Muslim Detention Camps
•
LDP names Bumiputera Muslim candidate for Bongawan seat
•
Religious affairs minister steers clear of Zawawi controversy
•
DAP trio file sedition report against PAS man for Bible slur
--------
Africa
•
Jordanian Artist Held over Israel-UAE Deal Cartoon Freed Amid Pressure from
Rights Groups
•
Sudanese rebels agree to key peace deal with transitional government
•
Nigerian forces kill reporter, mourner in Kaduna’s Ashura procession
•
Ten militants, five civilians killed in east Congo violence
--------
North America
•
Terrorist Preacher Abu Hamza Sues US over ‘Cruel’ Prison Conditions
•
US-Israeli Delegation To Arrive In The UAE For Historic Meeting
•
US Pressuring Saudi Arabia To Join Israel-UAE Meeting In Abu Dhabi: Report
•
White House Adviser Jared Kushner Says ‘Stage Is Set’ For Mideast Progress
•
Kushner Hopes For More Arab, Muslim Partners For Israel Ahead Of UAE Visit
•
Biden issues historic commitment to Arab Americans
--------
Europe
•
Europe Warned of Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘Divisive,’ ‘Dangerous’ Influence
•
Organization of Islamic Cooperation: Burning Of Holy Quran Was Intended To Hurt
Feelings of Muslims
•
British Charity Whose Employee Had Connections To Al Qaeda Is Banned
•
UK: Counter-terrorism team detain 2 at Stansted Airport
•
Turkish top diplomat talks with EU foreign policy chief
•
Turkey Slams Islamophobic Act By 'Modern Barbarians'
•
Turkey's President Erdogan calls leaders of France and Greece 'greedy and
incompetent'
•
Protest outside Boris Johnson's residence against enforced disappearances in
Balochistan
--------
South Asia
•
Peace Not Power-Sharing Deal: Ghani
•
1400 Afghan Returnees Test Positive for Covid-19
•
Khaleda Zia's Family Seeks Extension On Her Suspended Prison Sentence
•
Shia Muslims in Bangladesh observe muted Ashura in pandemic
•
'Deep Reforms Must To End Vicious Myanmar Violence'
•
Afghan president names council to advise negotiators
--------
Arab world
•
Egypt Army Says Killed Over 70 Extremists In North Sinai
•
Lebanon’s President Aoun Calls For Proclamation Of ‘Secular State’
•
Hassan Nasrallah says Hezbollah is open to new political contract for Lebanon
•
Syria’s President al-Assad names new government headed by PM Arnous
•
Arab Coalition destroys drone launched by Houthis toward Saudi Arabia’s Abha
airport
•
UAE intelligence agents training YPG militants in northern, eastern Syria:
Report
--------
Mideast
•
Iranians Commemorate Imam Hossein (AS) Martyrdom Anniversary Watching Hygiene
Protocols
•
Israel hopes for Washington signing ceremony on UAE deal by mid-September
•
Iran Blasts US, EU for Sheltering Terrorists
•
Senior Legislator: Normalized Ties with UAE Not to Delay Israel's Collapse
•
Spokesman: Ashoura Role Model for Iranians in Resistance
•
Iranian FM: Imam Hossein's Sacrifice Keeps Spirit of Resistance Alive
•
Israeli tanks fire on Gaza after explosive balloons drift over border
•
Hamas vows to end all forms of Israeli siege on Gaza
•
Israel holding secret talks with 'many more Arab leaders': Netanyahu claims
•
We denounce all forms of normalization, relations with Israel: Yemen’s Houthi
leader
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/a-north-karnataka-village-hiremannur/d/122759
--------
A North Karnataka Village, Hiremannur In Ron Taluk, Observes Muharram Every Year, And Not One Of Its 2,500 Residents Is a Muslim
Aug
31, 2020
This
has been a centuries old syncretic tradition and 'Ale Habba" as Muharram
is know in the local parlance, is observed with the installation of 'Panjas'
and entering of the fire.
----
GADAG: A village in Gadag district in North Karnataka observes Muharram every year, and not one of its 2,500 residents of Hiremannur in Ron taluk is a Muslim.
This
has been a centuriesold syncretic tradition and ‘Ale Habba’ — as Muharram is
known in local parlance — is observed along with the installation of ‘Panjas’
and entering of the fire. “We observe Ale Habba with devotion,” said
AndappaJigalur, an elder member in the village.
ShivappaOlekar,
another resident of the village, said the Covid-19 and the lockdown had
resulted in the local economy suffering a huge setback. “As a result, only few
of the residents could contribute towards Muharram this year. Each year, we
collect funds from all households in the village. This year, despite the
problems they are facing, the villagers are contributing what they can. Many of
them are offering ‘DeerghaDandaNamaskara’ at the Panjas,” said Olekar .
Sources
said clerics from neighbouringHullur village are invited to perform Muharram
rituals each year. “Clerics from Arahunasi and Belavanaki villages help us by
informing us about when and how to observe Muharram. Moreover, all youngsters
in our village are trained in rendering Rivayat songs, which are an integral
part of Muharram,” the duo said.
Ramesh
Talwar and KasheppaJakkannavar, two other residents in the village, said there
was no organisation or association entrusted with the responsibility of
conducting events during Muharram.
“A
mosque was built in Hiremannur 50 years ago by our ancestors. But the mosque
collapsed a few years ago. When we approached the Wakf Board for funds to
rebuild it, we were told that having a registered organisation was mandatory.
So, we have decided to reconstruct the mosque with contributions from the
villagers,” Talwar and Jakkannavar said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hubballi/village-in-gadag-with-not-one-muslim-religiously-celebrates-muharram-each-year/articleshow/77840459.cms
--------
Sindhi
Leader Accuses Pakistan For Rising Incidents of Enforced Disappearances
Aug
30, 2020
Shafi
Burhat, the Chairman of Jeay Sindh Muttaheda Mahaz (ISMIM). Photo (ANI)
----
FRANKFURT:
It's a common practice for fascist Pakistan spy agencies to abduct a
16-year-old boy Aqib Chandio to 70 years old SainBachal Shah. Historic nations
in Pakistan are subject to worst subjugation, violence, and Holocaust while
political activists are enduring worst state torture and terrorism, said
ShafiBurfat, the chairman of Jeay Sindh MuttahidaMahaz (JSMM) on the
International Day of the Missing Persons.
"People
go missing because of various reasons but most prominent of them is the state
inflicted enforced disappearances. In various countries of the world, the
enforced disappearances are subject to different government policies but
particularly in China and Pakistan thousands of the people mainly political
activists belonging to the oppressed historic nations have been abducted and
enforced disappeared by the states' spy agencies on dissenting against the
oppressive policies of these governments and resisting the imperial occupation
of their lands and resources by these rogue imperialist states", said
Burfat, who is living in exile in Germany.
The
reasons for these disappearances are purely political, he added.
"The
terrorist Pakistani state has been using fascist torture and terror to crush the
political movements for the freedom of the historic Sindh and Balochistan
nations from the yoke of Pakistani imperialist occupation. The Pakistani
fascist army is committing the Holocaust of oppressed Sindhi and Baloch people
to suppress their voice for the emancipation of their nations from the worst
colonization of our national history", said the exiled Sindhi leader.
He
added, "Just like China is brutally subjecting Uyghurs to worst
psychological and physical torture in the concentration camps; Punjab
(Pakistan) is also repeating the same state terrorism, barbarism, and torture
against Sindhi and Baloch youth."
Thousands
of Sindhi and Baloch political activists have been abducted and enforced
disappeared by the Pakistan army and ISI so far, who are enduring worst
psychological and physical torture in their secret torture cells. Thousands of
mutilated bullet-riddled dead bodies of Sindhi and Baloch political activists
have been dumped by ISI in deserted areas of Sindh and Balochistan. The Sindhi and
Baloch nations have been coping with such circumstances for decades now.
Burfat
told ANI, "Pakistan is an unnatural terrorist and rogue state which has
forcibly occupied the historic Sindhi and Baloch nations through its military
might and deception of democracy and Islam".
It
has been committing heinous atrocities and gross human rights violations
against Sindhi and Baloch historic nations. To strengthen its grip over lands,
resources, and seas of Sindh and Balochistan, Pakistani fascist state has been
constructing illegal settlements in these lands to convert the native people in
minority and committing brutal genocide.
To
see the success of its multi-billion project i.e CPEC China has also become an
accomplice to Pakistan's crimes against humanity. The Pakistani army has
tripled its military presence and brutal genocidal operations in Sindh and
Balochistan. They abduct enforced disappear, inhumanly torture, extrajudicially
kill, mutilate dead bodies of these political activists and throw them on the
barren roadsides or the piles of trash in the streets in broad daylight.
These
shameless fascists even don't spare elderly women and children and have been
abducting and torturing them to pressurize the political activists resisting
the foreign occupation of their land by Chinese and Punjabi imperialist nexus.
Hundreds of cases of rape and pillage have also surfaced in the past decade.
"The
Pakistani army is playing the role of worst savage rogue terrorist mercenaries
in the Sindh and Balochistan the same as China is doing in the Uyghur and
Tibetan territories.
Pakistan
and China weigh equal on the scale of human rights violations and brutal
genocides of the historically oppressed nations.", said Burfat.
He
added, "The UNO and international community must take a serious note of
the Chinese and Pakistani crimes against humanity. This is a tragedy that
secular political Sindhi and Baloch national movements for freedom are
proscribed by Pakistani fascist state while extremist terrorist Islamist
organizations are being sponsored by the Pakistani state."
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/sindhi-leader-accuses-pakistan-for-rising-incidents-of-enforced-disappearances/articleshow/77837191.cms
--------
PAS Spiritual Leader Likens Minister Who Broke Self-Isolation To Quranic ‘Hero’, Blames Health, Foreign Ministries For Negligence
31
Aug 2020
BY
RADZI RAZAK
According
to PAS' spiritual leader Datuk Hashim Jasin (pic), Plantations and Commodities
Minister Datuk Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali who broke the 14-day quarantine
order for all returnees, was not in the wrong. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa
-----
KUALA
LUMPUR, Aug 31 — Plantations and Commodities Minister Datuk Mohd Khairuddin
Aman Razali should be treated like a “hero” who saved Malaysia with his Turkey
investment “good news” when the country is struggling economically, according
to PAS Musyidul Am Datuk Hashim Jasin.
Hashim
who is the highest spiritual leader in the Islamic party said PAS members are
obliged to defend Khairuddin, a fellow member, from “persecution” by political
enemies even as he affirmed the minister was in violation of the government’s
mandatory requirement for self-quarantine upon returning to the country after
his Turkey trip last month.
“PAS
people should not sit still, the hero who saved Malaysia, was persecuted. PAS
people should not just keep quiet and let him defend himself,” he said during
the Ipoh PAS annual general meeting last Saturday that has since been aired on
Facebook.
“We
should voice, give support, stand firmly behind the minister of commodities,”
he added.
According
to Hashim, Khairuddin who broke the 14-day quarantine order for all returnees,
was not in the wrong. Instead, he claimed the blame lay with the Health
Ministry and the Foreign Ministry for being “negligent”.
“The
Ministry of Health is negligent, there is nothing [wrong], [it’s] negligence,
as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that caused him to be attacked,”
Hashim said in the video.
He
noted that the Opposition rallied for Khairuddin’s resignation as minister.
In
the face of such “attacks”, Hashim called on PAS to rise and stand in
solidarity with Khairuddin whom he likened to the hud-hud or hoopoe bird in the
Quran.
He
related the story of the bird and Prophet Sulaiman in Surah Al-Naml from the
Quran.
In
his retelling, Hashim noted that the bird broke an order by the prophet, but
brought news that eventually benefitted Islam.
“Indeed,
he was in violation when [Sulaiman] called him. He did not come, but he brought
benefits to Islam. He became a hero,” Hashim said of the bird.
“Same
as the minister, he is a hero,” he added.
According
to Hashim, Khairuddin’s Turkey trip helped boost Malaysia’s palm oil exports by
adding another 300,000 tonnes from the current 700,000 tonnes a year, raising
the total to one million tonnes a year.
“The
person who deserves it, this hud-hud, Dr Khairuddin, is a beacon to Malaysians.
Palm oil rising in price is not for the Malays only. For all citizens, for the
national economy,” he said.
According
to Hashim further, Khairuddin who was supposed to be in quarantine was obliged
to attend Parliament when it was in session due to a critical vote taking place
then that was crucial to the Perikatan Nasional government.
“...he
has no restrictions, it is not his fault,” Hashim said in defence of
Khairuddin.
He
then urged the Perak Ulama Council to put in a motion to support and defend
Khairuddin at the party’s upcoming national annual general meeting later this
year.
Khairuddin
is under police investigation for flouting the 14-day quarantine meant to
prevent the spread of infectious diseases following 27 police complaints filed.
Health
director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said on August 25 that his
ministry had not known about Khairuddin’s travel plans and had only found out
about from media reports later.
In
a statement on August 22, the Health Ministry said it had issued a RM1,000
compound against the Kuala Nerus MP on August 7, for offences under the
Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases (Measures within the Infected
Local Areas) Regulations 2020 and Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases
Act 1988 (Act 342).
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/08/31/pas-spiritual-leader-likens-minister-who-broke-self-isolation-to-quranic-he/1898792
--------
Jordanian
artist held over Israel-UAE deal cartoon freed amid pressure from rights groups
30
August 2020
Jordanian
authorities have released prominent cartoonist Emad al-Hajjaj who was arrested
for publishing a cartoon satirizing the normalization agreement between the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel.
"The
decision to release Hajjaj came after the state security court prosecutor
decided to change the accusation against him to slander and libel, and his case
has been sent back to the Amman state prosecutor," an unnamed judicial
source told AFP.
On
August 26, Jordanian authorities arrested Hajjaj after he posted a cartoon to
his website and social media, which shows Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin
Zayed Al Nahyan holding a dove with the Israeli flag painted on it, spitting on
the face of the UAE de facto ruler, who is also known as MBZ.
The
cartoon referred to recent reports that Israel had urged the United States not
to sell F-35 stealth combat aircraft to the UAE despite the recent
normalization deal between the Tel Aviv regime and the Persian Gulf country.
The
53-year-old cartoonist was initially charged with “disturbing [Jordan’s]
relations with a foreign state” which carried a sentence of up to five years in
jail, if found guilty.
The
State Security Court, a military tribunal which deals with terrorism-related
cases, decided to keep Hajjaj in detention for 14 days pending an
investigation.
But
now he will face between six months and two years for "slander and
libel", if convicted.
The
head of Jordan’s journalists' union, RakanSaaydeh, confirmed Hajjaj’s release
and the new charges against him on Sunday.
"He
will now appear before the Amman prosecution," not the State Security
Court, Saaydeh said.
It
was not clear when Hajjaj’s trial would begin.
The
release came following pressure from international rights groups on Jordanian
authorities to free and drop abusive charges against the renowned
cartoonist.
Hajjaj's
arrest also sparked condemnation from social media users and activists online,
who criticized Jordan's cybercrime laws.
Human
Rights Watch has underlined that Jordanian authorities should work to remove
overly broad articles from the country’s Penal Code, Electronic Crimes Law, and
counterterrorism law that are frequently used to unduly restrict Jordanians’
right to freedom of expression.
Under
the agreement between Israel and the UAE, the Tel Aviv regime has purportedly
agreed to "temporarily" suspend applying its own rule to further
areas in the occupied West Bank and the strategic Jordan Valley that prime
minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pledged to annex.
While
the Emirati officials have described the Tel Aviv deal as a means to stave off
the planned annexation, Israeli leaders have lined up to reject MBZ’s bluff
that Netanyahu's annexation plans were off the table.
Netanyahu
has said that annexation is not off the table, but has simply been delayed.
A
senior Israeli source also said US President Donald Trump’s administration had requested
to temporarily suspend the announcement of annexations "to first implement
the historic peace agreement with the UAE.”
All
Palestinian factions have unanimously condemned the UAE-Israel deal, describing
it as a stab in the back of the oppressed nation.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632950/Jordan-cartoonist-release-Israel-UAE-deal
--------
Terrorist
preacher Abu Hamza sues US over ‘cruel’ prison conditions
Callum
Paton
August
30, 2020
Extremist
preacher Abu Hamza is taking legal action against the US over “cruel”
conditions in the maximum security prison where he is jailed.
The
Egypt-born cleric, who delivered hate-filled speeches at Finsbury Park mosque
in north London, has complained of inhuman treatment in solitary confinement in
the United States.
In
a civil lawsuit, Abu Hamza claims he has been reduced to tearing food packages
open with his rotten teeth after being deprived of his hooks or any other
prosthesis for his arms.
The
Al Qaeda imam has also said he has been deprived of sunlight in his isolated
cell and explained he’d launched a 10-day hunger strike over the treatment,
according to The Sunday Times.
In
the suit filed against US Attorney General William Barr, Abu Hamza said he was
suffering from stress and anxiety because of the “inhuman and degrading”
conditions inside ADX Florence, a supermax prison in Colorado.
He
has been incarcerated inside the Rocky Mountains prison after being extradited
to the United States on terrorist charges in 2012 and given a life sentence
without parole.
Abu
Hamza, whose real name is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa, was convicted in 2014 of
facilitating satellite communications between kidnappers during a 1998 attack
that killed four tourists in Yemen, of supporting plans to open an Al Qaeda
training camp in Bly, Oregon, and sending someone to an Afghanistan training
camp.
In
the 1990s, he led London's Finsbury Park Mosque, reportedly attended by
September 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and shoe bomber Richard Reid.
In
particular, Abu Hamza has said much of his discomfort in prison comes from a
lack of consideration for his disabilities. He has no forearms and is blind in
one eye.
Because
he does not have a lavatory adapted for his disability, the 62-year-old has
said he often soils his clothes. He has said his arm stumps also bleed when he
uses the prison’s washbasin taps.
“Plaintiff
lost three teeth just to the opening of pouches,” the court documents detail,
describing how the Abu Hamza opens food wrappers. “All front teeth are worn out
and painful. Some nerves can be seen.”
Inmates
like Abu Hamza in at the Colorado prison are kept in “cage-like” cells for up
to 23 hours per day, the lawsuit details. They are banned from contact with
other inmates and restricted from other activities.
Abu
Hamza has said he has not seen his family since he arrived in the United States
and has outlined a number of issues that he has said amount to “cruel and
unusual conditions in prolonged, continuous, dangerous solitary confinement
since 2012” in the lawsuit.
Once
cell where he was held, Abu Hamza described as having no natural light and
measuring 8ft by 16ft.
He
has also, because of his difficulties eating, been forced to forgo halal meals
for the prison’s Jewish, kosher option. He characterised this dietary switch as
“religiously stressful”.
The
defendants in the case, which include the head of the US prison service as well
as Mr Barr, have said the lawsuit is without merit and should be rejected by
the justice system.
They
have called the complaint “so ambiguous [the] defendants cannot reasonably
prepare a response”.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/the-americas/terrorist-preacher-abu-hamza-sues-us-over-cruel-prison-conditions-1.1070039
--------
Europe
Warned of Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘Divisive,’ ‘Dangerous’ Influence
FRANCESCO
BONGARRA
August
30, 2020
ROME:
European governments should not fall for the Muslim Brotherhood’s attempts to
be seen as the representative of Muslims, says Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, an expert on
Islamism in the West.
The
Brotherhood is “a problematic entity within the Muslim community” whose
influence as “dangerous,” he told Arab News in an exclusive interview.
Defining
the Brotherhood’s role in Europe is “very difficult” because “unlike in the
Middle East … there are no groups or individuals that openly identify
themselves as (linked to the) Brotherhood in any European countries,” said
Vidino, who is director of the Program on Extremism at George Washington
University and author of the recently published book “The Closed Circle:
Joining and Leaving the Muslim Brotherhood in the West.”
The
Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna and has
sought to establish a worldwide Islamic caliphate. It has influenced Islamist
movements around the world with its model of political activism combined with
charity work. By the late 1940s, the group is estimated to have had 500,000
members in Egypt, and its ideas had spread across the Arab world.
According
to Vidino, from the 1960s, individuals and organizations with links to the
Brotherhood in the Arab world moved to the West and “created networks
throughout Europe that are now fairly independent from the Middle East.”
They
“adopt the ideology of the Brotherhood” but are “for the most part free to
choose their tactics and strategies,” said Vidino, whose research has focused
on the mobilization dynamics of jihadist networks in the West, and the
activities of Brotherhood-inspired organizations.
“These
networks have been able to exert an influence that’s much greater than their
small numbers.”
They
are “highly problematic” because of the impact they have on social cohesion and
integration in Europe, said Vidino, who has held positions at Harvard
University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy
School of Government, the US Institute of Peace, RAND Corp. and the Center for
Security Studies in Zurich.
“The
message they send out, at least internally within the Muslim community, is a
very polarizing one. It creates a mindset of ‘us’ and ‘them,’ of constant
victimhood, which pushes the idea that the West is out to get Muslims and is
against Islam,” he told Arab News.
“This
obviously creates a very divisive society. It prevents the integration process.
It poisons relationships between communities.”
Opponents
of the Muslim Brotherhood argue that it has become a breeding ground for
terrorists. For instance, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, the leader of Al-Qaeda, joined the
Brotherhood in the 1960s, when he was 14. In comments to Arab News last year,
Dr. Hamdan Al-Shehri, a Saudi political analyst, said: “One must remember that
terror organizations like Al-Qaeda and Daesh drew inspiration from Muslim
Brotherhood ideologues.”
In
a 2015 paper entitled “The Muslim Brotherhood in the UK,” Dr. Vidino identified
three categories of individuals and organizations operating inside the UK who
could be regarded as Muslim Brotherhood: “In decreasing degrees of intensity,
these are the pure Brothers, Brotherhood affiliates and organisations
influenced by the Brotherhood.”
Dr.
Vidino added: “Significant attention has been devoted to the activities of
members of the Egyptian branch of the Brotherhood living in London. This small
cluster of a handful of senior leaders and young activists is engaged in media,
legal and lobbying efforts aimed at challenging the current Egyptian regime.”
The
Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group in
December 2013, after accusing it of carrying out a series of bomb attacks in
Cairo.
With
the group pushed underground in Egypt and a number of other Arab countries,
many of its members and top supporters found refuge in Turkey and Qatar.
A
book published last year by two French investigative reporters, Georges
Malbrunot and Christian Chesnot, claimed to reveal the details of lavish
payments made by Qatar to Muslim Brotherhood organizations across Europe.
Titled “Qatar Papers - How the State Finances Islam in France and Europe,” the
book is reportedly based on official documents and testimonies that shed light
on Doha’s extensive funding to promote the Brotherhood’s ideology on the
continent.
The
book published evidence of cheque and money transfers from Qatar that had been
used to underwrite Brotherhood-linked projects around Europe.
Vidino,
who has testified before the US Congress and other parliaments and has advised
law-enforcement officials worldwide, says the Muslim Brotherhood in the West is
“such a secretive organization. It even denies it actually exists.”
“This
is why I thought that one of the best ways to get information about it and its
structure, on what it thinks and wants, was to interview people who are part of
that organization in the West,” he told Arab News.
While
there are “different experiences” among those he interviewed for his book, “all
of them were recruited after a very long process. They became part of what they
described as a very sophisticated machinery in each country.”
Vidino
added: “All of them eventually left for different reasons that had something in
common: They all saw internal corruption within the organization and a lack of
internal democracy. They all came to see the Brotherhood as deceitful. They saw
a lot of hypocrisy, a lot of using religion to pursue purely political goals.”
People
who leave the group are “ostracized,” he said. “They lose a lot of their social
circles because being a member of the Brotherhood is a fully absorbing
experience.”
He
added: “It’s obviously difficult for anybody who has devoted 10, 20 years of
their life to say that they were wrong, and that the organization and the
ideology they devoted their lives to was incorrect. It takes a lot of
intellectual courage to do so.”
Some
apparently do summon up the requisite intellectual courage. For instance, a
recent report in the German news media was part of a cache of leaked
confidential documents that shed light on Qatar’s use of its wealth and
charities to fund and infiltrate mosques, activate Muslim Brotherhood networks
and buy influence across Germany.
The
documents reveal that Qatar Charity has used its deep pockets to fund at least
140 mosques and Islamic centers across Germany since it began its campaign —
costing an estimated €72 million ($84.69 million). In 2016 alone, the charity
spent roughly €5 million on various construction projects in major German
cities, including Berlin and Munich.
Not
far behind Qatar is Turkey, which has provided various forms of support to the
Muslim Brotherhood, including granting asylum to wanted Brotherhood members and
equipping them with satellite TV and radio stations. In a recent paper titled
“Erdogan’s influence in Europe: A Swedish case study” in The Washington
Institute’s Fikra Forum, Magnus Norell, adjunct scholar, wrote: “Turkey’s
political leadership appear deeply invested in a number of small European
parties that align with Erdogan’s own political vision he is enacting in
Turkey.”
Norell
said Erdogan explicitly outlined his policy on Albania TV in June 2017, when he
said that there was nothing wrong with supporting political parties in the
Balkans and other European countries that shared an ideology similar to that of
his Islamist AKP, and that “nobody should be bothered by this effort.”
Referring
to its presence in Europe, Vidino describes the Muslim Brotherhood as “a very
elite group.” “To them it’s not about big numbers. You don’t simply join.
They’re very selective in who they take,” he told Arab News.
“We’re
not talking about very big numbers. We’re talking about maybe a few hundred
people in a country like Italy, maybe 1,000 in countries like France or
Germany. Their power lies in their ability to mobilize other people, to
influence a Muslim community, to influence policymaking in the West … They have
a keen ability to adapt to the environment.”
Muslim
Brotherhood members, he said, want to be viewed by “Western establishments,
governments, media and so on as the representatives of Muslim communities and
basically to become those who shaped Islam in Italy, in Germany and Sweden, in
Belgium and so on.”
In
conclusion, Vidino said: “It’s up to the ability of European governments to
understand that that they’re not the representatives of the Muslim community,
and that they are, if anything, a problematic entity within the Muslim
community that influences how important and dangerous they’re going to be.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1727071/world
--------
Peace
Not Power-Sharing Deal: Ghani
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
31
Aug 2020
KABUL,
Afghanistan – President Ashraf Ghani said peace is not a power-sharing deal, as
he spoke at a ceremony held in western Kabul to commemorate the martyrdom of
Imam Hussain Ibn Ali on Sunday.
Speaking
to the public, Ghani said peace does not mean to share power upon a political
settlement; but complying with a long-lasting dream of Afghans for peaceful
society by ending the ongoing violence.
“Do
not be afraid of peace because peace does not mean a power sharing political
deal.” Ghani consoled as local media quoted.
He
said everyone wants the violence and security threats in the country to end,
adding “those who think they are achieving their goals with threats should
think again because the people support the republic.”
Meanwhile,
First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who also attended the ceremony, exclaimed
no efforts can set us Muslim brothers apart – regardless of the differences of
our sects.
“Despite
the effort made to separate Shiites and Sunnis, no one has been able to
succeed,” he said. “We are all Muslims and brothers.”
Addressing
the forthcoming peace talks, Salah expressed he has no concern on the process,
as all the achievements of the past 18 years will be preserved accountably.
“I
am not too worried about the current (peace) process because of what our people
have gained in recent years will not be lost,” he said as quoted by local
media.
Moreover,
Second Vice President Sarwar Danish urged the Taliban to be honest in the peace
process, exclaiming “a peace with dignity is one in which all values of the
republic are preserved.”
“We
call on the Taliban to be honest in the peace process and to be ready for
dialogue between Afghans,” he said.
https://www.khaama.com/peace-not-power-sharing-deal-ghani-235346/
--------
India
Breaking
away from tradition, Shia Muslims donate blood on Moharram
Swati
Sharma
August
30, 2020
Replacing
the ages-old tradition of injuring themselves by blades while mourning the
supreme sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain on Moharram, members of the Shia sect
of Islam in village Khirwa Jalalpur donated blood on Sunday.
In
view of the ban on the procession of Moharram due to the COVID 19 pandemic this
year, those who used to mourn the sacrifice of Hazrat Imam Hussain in Karbala
by shedding their blood with blades came up with a unique idea of donating
blood that could save human lives.
This,
however, was made possible by the suggestion of Indian Medical Association
(IMA) secretary Dr Anil Nausaran to one of the villagers of Khirwa Jalalpur,
Saiful Hassnain Zaidi, who was known to the doctor. The idea clicked him and he
shared it with other villagers.
Initially,
hardly five people in the village were ready for blood donation but gradually
the idea became a hit and the Shia Muslims of the village came out for this
cause to mark Moharram, informed Zaidi.
A
team of Indian Medical Association`s blood bank reached the village on Sunday
morning for conducting blood donation. Forty Shia Muslims, all clad in black
outfits which they wear as a mark of mourning during Muharram, came out for
blood donation.
IMA
secretary, who is also the in-charge of its blood bank in Meerut, Dr Anil
Nausaran said that 40 men in the age group of 18 to 59 years donated blood on
Sunday to mark Moharram and pledged that they would continue doing so in the
years to come.
Dr
Nausaran appreciated this exemplary move of the Shia Muslims of Village
KhirwaJalapur and said that this could be an inspiration to others as well.
Zaidi,
who was one of the donors himself, said, “By donating blood we wanted to
contribute in saving mankind as directed by Imam Hussain and it reminds us of
his teaching of ‘Jio aurJeene do’. ”
ZaffrulHassnain
Zaidi, another donor said that it was altogether a different feeling to have
donated blood that could be life-saving to someone. Initially, people in the
village were unhappy over the ban on Moharram procession but later after the
decision of blood donation, they seemed happy.
According
to the ages-old tradition, Shia Muslims while mourning the sacrifice of Hazrat
Imam Hussain and his family about 1400 years ago feel the pain by shedding
their blood with sharp blades on Moharram.
This
had been our tradition but this time instead we decided to donate the same
blood to save human lives, said Sayyed Ali Bin Haadi.
Khirwa
Jalalpur is a Muslim dominated village with a population of about 10,000. The
village is having around 200 Shia Muslim families who commemorated Muharram as
‘an act against terrorism this year’. “We are against terrorism and are there
to serve the country by good deeds and donating blood was one such deed,” said
Haadi.
Appreciating
the villagers, Dr Nausaran said that one unit blood donated by a person could
save two lives hence 40 units blood donated by them could save the lives of 80
persons. That is why it is rightly said that blood donation is a supreme
donation. He called upon people to come forward for such a cause.
https://www.thestatesman.com/india/breaking-away-tradition-shia-muslims-donate-blood-moharram-1502920989.html
--------
JCO
killed in Pakistan firing along LoC in J&K
Aug
30, 2020
JAMMU/AMRITSAR:
A junior commissioned officer (JCO) was killed on Sunday as Pakistan troops
violated ceasefire by initiating unprovoked firing along the Line of Control
(LoC) in J&K’s Rajouri district. He is the seventh soldier to have lost his
life in cross-border firing since June.
Naib
Subedar Rajwinder Singh (40) of Sikh Light Infantry Regiment was critically
injured after Pakistan breached the truce early on Sunday, resorting to small
arms firing at Kalsiyan, Khanger and Bhawani areas along the LoC in Nowshera
sector. He later succumbed.
Rajwinder
Singh belonged to the historic village of Goindwal Sahib in Tarn Taran district
and is survived by wife Manpreet Kaur (38) and three children aged 16, 15 and
10 years. He had joined the Army in 2008.
His
father Jagir Singh, who too was a soldier in the Indian Army, died about two
years ago. His brother, Sukhwinder Singh, too, had served in the Army but died
in a road accident in 2009.
According
to a family member, Rajwinder Singh last spoke to his wife around 4pm on
Saturday. He had spent a nearly one-month vacation with his family and left to
resume his duty in January.
“Naib
Subedar Rajwinder Singh was a brave, highly motivated and sincere soldier. The
nation will always remain indebted to him for his supreme sacrifice and
devotion to duty,” Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lt Col Devender Anand said.
The
JCO’s cremation is expected to be held on Monday at his native village Goindwal
Sahib. “The mortal remains of the martyr will be taken to his home tomorrow
morning,” the defence spokesperson said.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/jco-killed-in-pakistan-firing-along-loc-in-jk/articleshow/77839430.cms
--------
BJP
wants a Hindu majority to emerge in J&K: Farooq Abdullah
Aug
31, 2020
Former
chief minister Farooq Abdullah has said his National Conference (NC) opted out
of the Delimitation Commission in May as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was
allegedly seeking to create Hindu dominance in the Muslim majority region and
to divide the Union Territory on religious lines through the process.
The
Centre in March set up the commission to redraw parliamentary and assembly
constituencies based on the recent census in Jammu & Kashmir, Assam,
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, and Nagaland. NC opted out of it in May. “That is
because we told them on their face that we do not believe in your delimitation.
The BJP has a certain purpose. It wants that in J&K [Jammu & Kashmir],
a Hindu majority emerges, and the Muslim majority goes down,” he told HT in a
joint interview with his son and another former chief minister, Omar Abdullah.
“Can you beat what the government of India is trying to do here?”
Farooq
Abdullah said when he was the chief minister, the assembly of the erstwhile
state of Jammu & Kashmir decided to go for the delimitation exercise along
with the rest of the country in 2026. “Then, why has the Centre suddenly
brought it forward? They want to divide us on the Hindu-Muslim lines and create
Hindu dominance. That will never happen,” he said.
Farooq
Abdullah was among three NC Parliamentarians named as the members of the
commission.
Omar
Abdullah called the commission a product of the constitutional changes brought
in August last year to divest Jammu & Kashmir of its special status and to
divide it into two Union territories. “When we do not recognise those changes,
how can we recognise this panel? By participating in its proceedings, we will
essentially be lending credence to the J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019. When
we are fighting this Act, there is no question of participation.”
Omar
Abdullah said the commission’s membership does not grant one the veto power.
“Our three MPs [members of Parliament] may have been able to share their views,
but that would not have been binding on the commission. Our participation would
have been used as a rubber stamp.”
The
political environment in Jammu & Kashmir is in flux again a year after the
constitutional changes that prompted sweeping measures, including the
incarceration of hundreds of people, to prevent protests against them. Farooq
Abdullah, who was among the three former chief ministers also detained, has
emerged as the prime mover and pivot in the formation of a conglomerate of the
six regional parties – some of them sworn rivals – that has posed the first
challenge to the Centre by reaffirming commitment to the Gupkar Declaration
pegged to the demand for restoration of the special status.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi referred to delimitation exercise in his Independence
Day speech and said it is underway and assembly elections would follow in Jammu
& Kashmir.
When
asked if he would contest the elections, Farooq Abdullah said: “Any decision
[on contesting] will depend first on my party and we will take a call subject
to the situation. We will talk to other stakeholders in the Gupkar Declaration.
If we are united in this exercise, we will take them on board and decide.”
Farooq
Abdullah and Omar Abdullah were released in March while another former chief
minister, Mehbooba Mufti, continues to be under detention under draconian
Public Safety Act that allows incarceration for up to two years without trial.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bjp-wants-a-hindu-majority-to-emerge-in-j-k-farooq-abdullah/story-gev4j1qk4Pgbv7KWbpttsK.html
--------
Pakistan
Imam
Hussain’s charter unveils uncharted territories for Muslims in contemporary era
Waqas
Mahmood Ali
August
30, 2020
As
we remember the struggle of Imam Hussain (RA), the most important lesson
relevant in contemporary era is the idea of political system. The
transgressions of Bani Umayya in Syrian administration (chapter four titled
'Journey from Khilafat to Malookiyat,' Khilafat-o-mlaookiyat) resulted in
arrogant and ignorant political actions which undermined the 'Governance
mechanisms and political settlements' that had been set on basis of the
consensus on law which established those
'terms of references' functioning as rules of business for running governmental
affairs in Islamic Caliphate. Simply put, the reference is to the political
agreement between Hazrat Ali and Caliph Moawiyah regarding 'transfer of power.'
(The major part of events symbolised in this article have been taken from
research papers introduced by contemporary Islamic scholars).
Furthermore,
the opposition in Syrian court dominated by ex-Byzantine officials during
Mowaiya's tenure opposed the rise of Persian province, Iraq, as the region
harbouring the Government of Islamic Caliphate. The division in the House of
Islam hit the last nail of the coffin when Imam Hussain (RA) was martyred in
Karbala on the banks of River Euphrates in Iraq. In Islam, the level of
importance of the link between Politics and Governance can be understood from
the fact that Allah Almighty took this sacrifice from no one else but Imam
Hussain (RA).
In
essence, undue interference and illegal intervention in Political Governance by
certain force/s threatens to destroy the fabric that weaves together the organs
and institutions of State into One Unit. During Caliph Ali's rule, the fourth
Rashidun Caliph's tenure, the battles arising due to Kharijites and Hypocrites
(Reference to Hadith on opponents and killers of Ammar Bin Yasir being
hypocrites ; also another reference to Sahih Bukhari's UmdatulQari 7083 in Imam
Badruddin AinyHanfi's book) led to creation of State within State and also,
State above State which destroyed the foundation of political system created by
Islam (MiraqtulMafateh: Mishkat 5878, Mullah Ali Qari) . The event of martyrdom
of Imam Hussain (RA) is nothing less than lesson regarding importance of
preserving the Islamic idea of Governance and, the valuing of the sacrifice
also serves as remembrance regarding the manner of adopting adequate approach
to establishing and building Islamic political system which was then eroded and
destroyed by actions of those who challenged fourth Caliph of Islam on basis of
hypocritical stance (Umayyads; mentioned in Musnad Ahmad, 16957).
In
addition to this, Umhatul Momineen Aisha (RA) is excluded from any such blame.
In fact, she is the narrator of Hadith on Ahl al-Kisa (Hazrat Aisha was witness
when Holy Prophet put his cloak over Hazrat Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussain)
and Ghadeer Khum. Hazrat Aisha's brothers, Muhammad and Abdur Rehman, were
stern and staunch opponents of Moawiya. Infact, both of Aisha's brothers
supported Hazrat Ali (RA). She had sided with Talha and Zubair, for avenging
martyrdom of Usman (genuine demand to bring killers of Third Caliphate to
Justice), who established Madina as the seat of Government of Islamic
Caliphate. Hazrat Aisha also shielded Abdur Rahman Bin Bakr when Ummayyads came
to imprison him due to her brother's support for Hazrat Ali.
Coming
back to the point, the 'movement of truth' depicted in historical process
associated with the Days of Allah (AyaamIllah) enables us to establish
futuristic approach in order to cater for debates regarding eschatological
position on political events occurring
in contemporary era. For e.g. the event of Karbala indicates that the
‘form of Government’ and the ‘type of political system (including leadership)’
is central to functioning of Institution of Pledge of Allegiance in the Islamic
Caliphate. The moral struggle of Imam Hussain (RA) was nothing less than
political and religious struggle waged to restore the terms of agreement which
prohibited any Caliph from turning the 'idea of Consensus' into 'whims of
central authouritarian figure.' His (RA) struggle is in every way relevant to
political events witnessed today as the Middle East Peace Plan is being dubbed
as ‘deal of the century.’ What guidance do the Quran and Prophetic traditions
provide Muslims regarding eschatological position on utilisation of
evidence-based reasoning to institutionalise the observation (examining and
identifying) of trends, patterns and trajectories of political events in the
Middle East which also have connection to the ‘deal of the century.’
How
do Muslim countries protect Strategic interests and safeguard National
Interests as western bloc spearheads its ‘Middle East Peace Plan.’ The
‘Political Value of Symbolic Interpretationsim’ suggests that Institution of
Pledge of Allegiance based on Consensus is the way forward. Such endeavor also
unites Shi’ite and Sunni School of Thought related to connection between Imamat
(Divine Leadership) and Khilafat (Political Leadership). Prophetic traditions
enable us to determine the 'eschatological events' as link between ‘historical
and political events.’ Imam Hussain's
struggle is part of the historical process. If the initiator is Imam Hussain
then the one who completes the unfinished business in political sense is none
but Imam Al Mahdi (Sunni and Shi'ite schools of thought must come to terms on
participating in establishing of regional framework and building of its
respective infrastructure). Therefore, there is a need to understand the
concept of authourity and idea of power when it comes to Political events
associated with Islamic Caliphate. Where does the world of Islam stand with
respect to pursuit of Competent and Genuine Political Leadership? The answer
lies in pursuing central Islamic idea that foundations of concept of power must
be based on faith. It requires the 'mistake made in Ummayyad Syria' (Mustadrak
Al-Haakim, 8038) to be corrected by
contemporary Muslims by not compromising political governance for legitimising
credibility of forceful interferences in a political set-up but adopt consensus
based upon genuine and correct methodology. Today, once ‘Byzantinian’ Syria is
assuming similar status at expense of once ‘Persian’ Iraq. It seems that future
regional framework architecture and infrastructure will be based in Syria as
part of western and eastern bloc’s strategic interest. This brings us to the
implementation of Deal of the Century in the Middle East Peace Plan (Is Israel
stepping up its game by planning to wage secret war before 'series of wars'?)
In
contemporary era, the Western bloc and Eastern forces are trying to reach terms
of agreement for Peace and Security through political settlement as Israel is
already prepared to soon assume status as the Ruling State of the world. However, according to eschatological details
mentioned in the Prophetic traditions, it seems Syria is the country / place
where all regional and global forces (major and minor) will soon gather for
such Political agreements to guarantee Peace and Security (It is part of ‘deal
of the century’ and the Middle East Peace Plan) in Middle East. The political
events in Libya are precursor to new Syrian setup (Politics in MENA region: Is
Libya the 'next Syria?'). There is a need to ensure 'Political Governance'
drives the 'Syrian administration' and not the other way around. The tilt towards
Syria as new diplomatic center of Middle East can be confirmed through
evidence-based reasoning in terms of observation of trends, patterns and
trajectories of political events particularly in MENA region. Particularly,
Libya being dealt as ‘test case’ before venturing into new Syrian programme.
Syria’s new rising stature might possibly be due to Russia's diplomacy in Syria
being recognised by those who do not seek to come to terms with Israel and,
they prefer Syria as the option (The end game of Iraq Plan: winning against
fifth generation warfare). Secondly, western bloc prefers Russia in Syria
rather than China in Iran (read: Iraq). Therefore, Russia recognised as viable
option by the western bloc. The US and Russia are most active in military terms
in Northern Syria apart from Turkish Military. Russia can diplomatically and
militarily push for a planned 'balancing' approach as Western bloc also takes
control of Syria (ultimately allowing Syrian administration to bypass practice
of political governance). The political set-up in Syria might possibly be in
clutches of US, UK, EU and NATO while Russia and opposing side will not have
upper hand unless regional framework architecture and infrastructure is not
settled through equal representation of eastern bloc. This is where
aforementioned ‘eschatological link between Historical and Political events’ is
determined through evidence-based reasoning such that two opposing sides as
superpowers in history i.e. Byzantines and Persians (in first age) are now
represented by two new Superpowers (US and Russia in the Second or Last Age) as
explained in 'Role of religious eschatology in affairs of Ruling State, Nation
of Abraham & Kurds.'
Thinking
future strategy for regional framework architecture and infrastructure
As
stated in first paragraph, the Byzantine-Persian enmity crept into practices of
Islamic political-governmental setup after ex-Byzantine officials instigated
Syrian administration to rise up against the seat of Government in Kufa, the
capital of Islamic Caliphate being located in Persian province (Iraq), thereby
re-ignited and intensified the rivalry between ex-Byzantine and ex-Persian
officials. The genuine demands for avenging the killing of Hazrat Uthman was
manipulated by Syrian administration as an excuse for wresting control from
Hazrat Ali. Furthermore, this is classic
example of ‘State within State’ or ‘State above State.’ The divine truth behind
sacrifice of Imam Hussain is to highlight and preserve the importance of moral
and political struggle against falsehood and transgression of the bounds set by
Allah Almighty. The problem persists till today which needs attention and
efforts more than merely addressing needs of regional framework architecture
and infrastructure. Therefore, the struggle of Imam Al Mahdi is about also
preserving the political system of Islam based upon Consensus (criteria of
electing or selecting leadership based Sunni school of thought) and Institution
of Pledge of Allegiance (criteria based upon events leading to rise of divine leadership
based upon Shi’ite school of thought and, Sunni school of thought’s acceptance
to recognise genuine leadership), as the Joint-Government (comprised of western
bloc and eastern forces: including, the major and minor stakeholders as well as
regional and global powers) in Syria would have to be cleansed from dirt which
threatens ‘Political Governance practices upheld by Eastern bloc’ in order to
oppose any dictatorial stance of dictatorial stance working against strategic
interests of the east. Political Governance is ‘thinking future strategy with
regards to governmental set up in regional framework architecture and
infrastructure based upon mutual consensual understanding of eastern and
western bloc for practicing governance.’ This binds administration to political
set-up.
Eschatologically
speaking, the importance of areas of
Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt etc mentioned in Hadith can also be explained in
detail in accordance with the context laid out above. The Political system of
Islam is closely synced with Governance spectrum. The geopolitics associated
with these countries in the region depicts tug of war between eastern and
western bloc which must be replaced by Peace Treaties and Security Pacts for
ensuring effective Governance. Specifically, Muslims should ensure that the
conditions and terms set in these agreements are not against Islamic Principles
(Africa Pivot: The Strategy of Pakistan, Turkey & Israel for Security Pacts
and Peace Treaties. A dictatorship in Syria which is under western influence or
pressure will always favour Israeli policies in the region which also brings it
into direct collision course with surrounding Muslim countries. Therefore, the
answer for Muslim countries lies in convincing US, European countries and
Russia to establish such ‘Political Governance’ practice which does not provide
Israel an opportunity to trample upon rights of other countries with full
amnesty, rather, blocks Israel from bypassing and trampling upon the will of
surrounding Muslim countries. This also refers to preserving popular will or
Democracy. The eschatological figure of Sufyani represents dictatorial figure
as puppet of Western bloc. Though, the political agreement materialised as New
Syrian set up for supervising region serves as binding security pact and peace
treaty but the compromise on strategic interests of Eastern bloc at expense of
preserving Israel's security would be a possible reference to need for stronger
political force in the Eastern bloc.
The
restricting and contracting phase of Iran and Turkey has begun. Arabs / Gulf
countries are playing to the tunes of the Western powers. Though, Arab
countries in MENA region are adamant to pursue two-state solution and
establishing relations with Israel but Arabs must not abandon such instructions
of Quran, which upon ignorance, would result in more tightened, restricted and
constricted space for Arabs. Unlike Arab / Gulf countries, Iran and Turkey
might seek favourable political settlement in Syria. Russia will lead the
process from the side of eastern bloc. Russia’s favourable position with Israel
will enable it to bypass US, EU, UK and NATO’s concerns. The result will be a
political solution to Mideast problem based on Diplomacy. However, lesson must
be learned from Libyan episode where activities of Turkey, Russia, US, UK, EU
(Germany, Italy, France), Egypt, UAE, KSA, Syria, Israel, Iran, Pakistan,
Sudan, Algeria, Morocoo, Tunisia and China has brought Libya to forefront of
geopolitical affairs with ‘far-reaching implications’ as Libya becomes test
case as the ‘next Syria’ before peace treaty is upheld in new Syrian setup in
future (Global Strategic Governance 2020: Politics of US, UK, EU, Russia &
China in MENA region). Similarly, in Syria, the role and presence of Arabs will
be systematically reduced to non-existent level while role of Iran will be
‘restricted’ and presence of Turkey will be ‘constricted.’ Concerning Arabs,
prime example is that UAE and Israel have reached agreement to settle base near
Yemen but such practice of consultation does not extend to ‘other Arab
countries’; rather, they are targets of it. It seems Syria and Iraq would be
the next target after Libya in order to create conditions to successfully
coerce and force agreements favouring western bloc.
Prophetic
traditions categorically mention details regarding ‘political-historical events
in Syria,’ which must be taken into account for deducing ‘Political value of
Symbolic Interpretationsim’ in order to extract eschatological meaning on basis
of ‘evidence-based reasoning through observation (examining and identifying
trends, patterns and trajectories) of political events’ associated with MENA
region. Therefore, Strong Political System is central to preserving Muslim
identity to safeguard (eastern) strategic interests in order to administer
powerful representation in the upcoming regional framework architecture and
infrastructure in Syria. However, any breach or violation of such terms and
agreements as agreed between stakeholders which effects ‘strategic interests of
eastern bloc (with majority Islamic representation) pursued by consensual
leadership’ would definitely lead to realisation to further strengthen eastern
bloc’s majority representation’s reliance on Divine Leadership. A weak or
compromised political system will lead to more problems, issues, threats and
challenges whilst false excuses will be made for accepting credibility of
certain leadership to remove governance gap. Weak political system means that
Dictatorship would rule over Muslims and also prevent them from progress,
stability and peace on basis of their own strategic interests. It is a blockage
and gap which needs proper regional framework architecture and infrastructure
encompassing the strategic interests of eastern bloc to block dictatorial or
authouritarian set up in Syria. Imam Hussain’s charter for unchartered
territories in contemporary era is the timely moral and political struggle to
preserve the institutions producing such genuine leadership which pursues
divine truth to support movement of truth according to AyamIllah (Days of Allah
recognised on basis of ‘historical-political’ link identified on basis of
evidence-based reasoning). Therefore, western led process in Syria must have
effective Muslim and Arab representation for favourable Political Governance;
otherwise, it is a futile exercise as strategic interests will solely be
pursued according to priorities of western bloc. Resources as commodity are a
requirement for all. This purpose cannot be achieved without struggling to
preserve Political system of Islam which rests upon central idea that ‘Power is
based upon faith.’ It requires more scholarly work in order to pursue teachings
of Quran and Prophetic traditions as guidance for adopting methodology of
‘Political Value of Symbolic Interpretationism’ to derive understanding
regarding eschatological position on pursuing evidence-based reasoning of
political events based upon observation of trends, patterns and trajectories.
https://nation.com.pk/30-Aug-2020/imam-hussain-s-charter-unveils-uncharted-territories-for-muslims-in-contemporary-era
--------
Pakistan
Strongly Condemns Desecration Of Quran In Sweden And Norway
31
Aug 2020
The
Foreign Office on Sunday strongly condemned recent incidents in Sweden and
Norway in which copies of the Holy Quran were reportedly burnt, saying that
"freedom of speech can't justify religious hatred".
In
a statement issued on Twitter, FO spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri further
said:
"The
rise of such Islamophobic occurrences goes against the spirit of any religion."
"Ensuring
respect for religious beliefs of others is a collective responsibility and is
absolutely critical for global peace and prosperity," Chaudhri added.
A
day earlier, a riot broke out in the southern Swedish town of Malmo, where at
least 300 people had gathered to protest against anti-Islam activities, police
said.
Protesters
were throwing objects at police officers and car tyres had been set on fire, a
police spokesman said. Earlier in the day, a copy of the Quran had been burned
in Malmo by right-wing extremists.
The
demonstrations had escalated in the same place where the Quran had been burned,
the spokesman added.
Daily
Aftonbladet said several anti-Islam activities had taken place in Malmo on
Friday, including three men kicking a copy of the Quran between them in a
public square.
Meanwhile,
at an anti-Islam protest on Saturday in Oslo, Sweden — held by the far-right
group Stop the Islamisation of Norway (SION) — a protester tore out pages of
the Quran and spat on them, Anadolu Agency reported.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577175/pakistan-strongly-condemns-desecration-of-quran-in-sweden-and-norway
--------
Youm-i-Ashura
observed nationwide amid tight security
Qazi
Hassan | Imtiaz Ali | Sirajuddin | Ghalib Nihad
31
Aug 2020
Youm-i-Ashura
was observed nationwide on Sunday to pay homage to Imam Hussain and other
martyrs of Karbala amid strict security arrangements to protect mourners from
any untoward incident.
Processions
were carried out in various cities as thousands of security personnel protected
the mourners while cell phone services in areas across the country also
remained suspended.
Prime
Minister Imran Khan tweeted that there were three important messages to take
away from Imam Hussain and the martyrs of Karbala.
"One,
immortality is earned by those who give the supreme sacrifice of their lives to
stand against tyranny & injustice. It is not earned simply by being rich,
powerful or educated.
"Two,
throughout history many great Muslims have been inspired by Karbala &
sacrificed their lives to stand against oppression, colonial rule, injustice.
"Three,
today the struggle continues against oppression of occupation & injustice
in occupied Kashmir."
The
premier added that the Kashmiris, who were fighting against the worst form of
military oppression and tyranny, should be "inspired" by Karbala to
remain steadfast in their courage.
"Their
struggle against tyranny & injustice will succeed as the martyrs of Karbala
showed us."
Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi took to Twitter to share the lessons that could
be learnt from Iman Hussain's legacy.
"Let
us draw strength from the legacy of Imam Hussain Ibn e Ali (R.A), the
embodiment of bravery and determination in the face of oppression and tyranny.
May we learn to meet every challenge ahead with the same fortitude and
courage."
PML-N
President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif
said "mankind will remain indebted to Hazrat Imam Hussain (A.S.) for his
supreme sacrifice in the path of truth and justice."
"His
example of patience and trust in Allah in the face of extreme brutality &
oppression has been a source of inspiration to the oppressed people around the
world!" he added.
Karachi
The
main procession in the city was taken out from Nishtar Park after a Majlis,
which was led by AllamaShahenshah Hussain Naqvi, with five to six thousand
mourners, according to police officials.
The
procession reached Tibet Centre around 1pm where afternoon prayers were
offered, led by Maulana Ali Afzaal. After the prayers, the procession moved
through NumaishChowrangi, Sea Breeze, Empress Market, Regal Chowk and Bolton
Market, ending at ImambargahHussainian Iranian.
A
spokesperson for Karachi Police said 6,368 policemen and three companies of the
Rapid Response Unit were deployed for the security of the processions. A
further 90 snipers were also present along the route of the main procession.
A
total of 12,455 policemen were deputed for the security of 513 Majalis and 281
processions in the city, the spokesperson added.
The
spokesperson said 1,095 officials of the Traffic Police were deployed to ensure
smooth flow of traffic along the route.
Additionally,
Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon said police coordinated with Shia Scout
organisations for security arrangements.
Peshawar
A
total of 12 processions were taken out in Peshawar, according to police
officials. Strict security arrangements were made while cell phone services
were completely suspended in the city.
At
least 10,600 policemen and 1,400 Frontier Corps officials were deployed for
security while the situation was also being monitored from the police command
and control room. The areas through which the processions passed were sealed
and no unrelated person was allowed to enter, police said, adding that the
roads along the route were also washed in view of the pandemic.
Quetta
The
main procession in Balochistan's capital emerged from Shuhada Chowk on Alamdar
Road. It was led by Balochistan Shia Conference President Syed Dawood Agha. The
procession passed through its traditional routes and reached Meezan Chowk,
where afternoon prayers were offered.
At
least 10,000 security officials were deployed for protection of the mourners.
Mobile phone services in the city remained suspended until 12am, according to
police.
Additional
Inspector General of Police (IG) Abdul Razzaq Cheema said searching and
sweeping of processions' routes had been completed while security officials and
snipers remained posted.
He
further said three battalions of the Pakistan Army were on standby in case of
any untoward incident and that two helicopters were being used to keep an eye
on the situation from the air. Control rooms were established to monitor the
situation, he said.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577149/youm-i-ashura-observed-nationwide-amid-tight-security
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Pakistan
will continue to have good ties with Saudi Arabia: Qureshi
30
Aug 2020
MULTAN:
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has said Pakistan enjoys good relations
with Saudi Arabia and the leadership of both countries will continue visiting
each other.
Talking
to the media here on Saturday, Mr Qureshi said the relations with the kingdom
would remain friendly. He said political parties of India-held Kashmir had
turned against Delhi and the Indian policy on Kashmir had badly failed.
He
regretted that India, which claimed its people enjoyed religious freedom,
imposed a ban on taking out Muharram processions in occupied Kashmir.
“A
ban has been imposed on all types of Muharram gatherings in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Indian government has deprived the people of Kashmir of their rights,” he
said.
The
foreign minister said the Pakistan Army and the government were standing with
the Kashmiri people and supporting their right to self-determination.
“My
request to speakers at the Muharram gatherings is that they should also mention
the hardship the Kashmiri people are facing at the hands of Indian forces in
their speeches,” he said.
He
said India had failed to get Pakistan included in the black list of the the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF) despite making efforts.
He
claimed the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government had prepared the draft laws
related to FATF in consultation with the opposition. However, he regretted the
opposition voted in favour of the bills in the National Assembly, but opposed
the same in the Senate.
He
said the water level in the reservoirs of the country was increasing and there
were chances of flood.
“There
was a flood-like situation is Balochistan and the federal government will
provide all kinds of support to the province’s government in this regard,” he
said.
He
said the Sindh government was responsible for the urban flooding in Karachi.
Mr
Qureshi said Shahbaz Sharif was the guarantor of Nawaz Sharif, and he should
ensure return of the former prime minister from London as now his (Nawaz’s)
condition was better.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577075/pakistan-will-continue-to-have-good-ties-with-saudi-arabia-qureshi
--------
Panels
formed to monitor rights situation in districts
30
Aug 2020
PESHAWAR:
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has constituted special committees in all
districts to monitor human rights situation with the respective deputy
commissioners heading them.
A
notification issued by the law and human rights department said the chief
minister had formed the district human rights committees under Section 4 of the
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promotion, Protection and Enforcement of Human Rights Act,
2014.
The
committees will be headed by the respective deputy commissioners as their
chairpersons and will comprise superintendent of police (investigation),
superintendent of prisons, district officer (male/female) of the education
department, district health officer, district social welfare officer and two
representatives of civil society to be nominated by the chairperson.
The
district social welfare officer will also act as the committee’s secretary.
The
committees will monitor the overall human rights situation in the respective
districts, investigate the cases of human rights violations, visit jails for
monitoring human rights of inmates, go to hospitals for assessing provision of
facilities to visitors, visit places of detention (police stations) on
complaint of torture, inspect schools, colleges and universities for creating
rights awareness, visit orphanages and shelter homes, identify and recommend
cases for the relief of the human rights violation victims through the relevant
organisations, and mobilise local community and encourage their participation
for promotion and protection of human rights.
In
Oct 2019, the provincial government had made amendments to the KP Promotion,
Protection and Enforcement of Human Rights Act, 2014, and inserted new Section
4 in it that declared that the government may in each district establish a
regional office to be headed by the deputy commissioner of the district
concerned.
The
deputy commissioner of the relevant district is also empowered to delegate his
or her powers under the law to any officer subordinate to him.
Under
that law, the deputy commissioners will submit the annual reports of the
committees to the department, which will forward them to the director general
(human rights).
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577056/panels-formed-to-monitor-rights-situation-in-districts
--------
200
Pakistani nationals stranded in India to return on September 3
Aug
30, 2020
LAHORE:
Around 200 Pakistani nationals stranded in India due to coronavirus induced
travel restrictions will return to their country on September 3, according to
media reports.
They
will be travelling back home through Wagah-Attari border crossing which will be
specially opened for their return, reported ARY News.
As
per the report, the Pakistani nationals got stuck in Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi.
Pakistan's
High Commission in Delhi made efforts to ensure their repatriation to the
country after being approached.
According
to the latest data available on Dawn, the number of coronavirus cases in
Pakistan stand at 295,636 while the death toll stands at 6288.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/200-pakistani-nationals-stranded-in-india-to-return-on-september-3/articleshow/77837096.cms
--------
Southeast Asia
China’s
FM defends Uighur Muslim detention camps
30
August 2020
China’s
foreign minister defended Uighur Muslim detention camps in Xinjiang on Sunday,
brushing off human rights concerns by European countries and cautioning against
interference in Chinese affairs.
Foreign
Minister Wang Yi is on his first European tour since the virus pandemic
erupted, seeking to revive trade and relations strained by the resulting global
health and economic crisis.
Speaking
in Paris on Sunday, Wang repeated the claim that all those sent to re-education
centers in Xinjiang have been released and placed in employment -- even as
rights groups and families report on continuing detentions of the region’s Uighur
Muslims and the loss of contact with loved ones.
“The
rights of all trainees in the education and training program, though their
minds have been encroached by terrorism and extremism, have been fully
guaranteed,” he told a conference at the French Institute of International
Relations.
“Now
all of them have graduated, there is no one in the education and training
center now. They all have found jobs.”
The
Chinese government has detained an estimated 1 million or more members of
ethnic Turkic minorities in Xinjiang, holding them in internment camps and
prisons where they are subjected to ideological discipline, forced to denounce
their religion and language and physically abused.
China
has long suspected the Uighurs, who are mostly Muslim, of harboring separatist
tendencies because of their distinct culture, language and religion.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/08/30/China-s-FM-defends-Uighur-Muslim-detention-camps.html
--------
LDP
names Bumiputera Muslim candidate for Bongawan seat
Willie
Jude
August
30, 2020
KOTA
KINABALU: The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has named a young Bumiputera
Muslim candidate to contest the Bongawan seat at the coming state elections.
MohdAzree
Abd Ghani was named by honorary LDP president Chong KahKiat today as the
party’s candidate in Bongawan, a coastal town south of here.
Azree,
29, a Bongawan native, is one of several young candidates who will be featured
by LDP in its attempt to be a third force against Perikatan Nasional (PN) and
Warisan, which took power in 2018.
Chong
said the selection of the right candidate is important not only to ensure
victory but also to serve the people.
“We
want honest candidates, we want candidates with integrity to develop the
Bongawan area,” he said. “Because of that, I myself went down to the field to
choose the candidate to represent the party at the next elections.”
It
is understood that LDP has listed a number of candidates to represent the party
in areas with a major population of Bumiputera Muslim and Kadazandusun Murut
(KDM) voters.
Bongawan
has a Muslim Bumiputera majority but also contains many voters among the KDM.
The
LDP had previously announced that it wanted to contest more than 40 seats in
line with its ambition to be an alternative to PN and Warisan.
The
LDP was formerly a component party of Barisan Nasional and only contested in
areas with many Chinese voters. It has decided to expand into other
constituencies.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/08/30/ldp-names-bumiputera-muslim-candidate-for-bongawan-seat/
--------
Religious
affairs minister steers clear of Zawawi controversy
Nora
Mahpar
August
30, 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR: The minister for religious affairs, Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri, has
steered clear of controversial remarks by a PAS member of Parliament regarding
Christian scripture.
Zulkifli,
a former mufti for the Federal Territories, told reporters this evening: “I
think it is better to ask the mufti.” He said he did not want to make a comment
because people might later say he was talking about a fatwa (religious edict).
The
minister had been asked about a remark in the Dewan Rakyat by PasirPuteh MP Nik
Muhammad Zawawi Salleh, who alleged that biblical injunctions about drinking
alcohol had been “distorted or altered” and that the Bible had formerly
outlawed the consumption of alcohol.
His
remarks have brought protests from politicians in Sabah and Sarawak, and a
Sarawak archbishop who called for a retraction and an apology. A sedition
report was also filed against Zawawi in Kuching today.
Zulkifli
had been asked to comment while he was at a dakwah event for National Day.
He
said the government would announce the names of new members of a technical
committee in Jakim, the Malaysian Islamic Development Department, this week.
Some
previous committee members would be re-appointed based on need, he said.
The
main agenda of the new committee is to streamline several matters including
amendments to the Administration of Islamic Law (Federal Territories) Act 1993.
“We
are trying to refine the amendments in time for the next parliamentary
session,” he said.
Recently,
there was an issue of termination of service of members of the Islamic and
Civil Technical Committee effective August 14 even though their contract is
supposed to expire at the end of 2021.
Last
week, the service contracts of the chairman, Sheikh Ghazali Abdul Rahman, and
committee members were terminated on Aug. 14, well ahead of their expiry in
2021.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/08/30/religious-affairs-minister-steers-clear-of-zawawi-controversy/
--------
DAP
trio file sedition report against PAS man for Bible slur
August
30, 2020
PETALING
JAYA: Three Sarawak DAP members were reported to have called for PasirPuteh MP
Nik Muhammad Zawawi Salleh of PAS to be investigated under the Sedition Act for
his comments on Christian scripture last week.
Julian
Tan, Brolin Nicholson and Anthony Chin were reported to have filed the
complaint. They were accompanied by Bandar Kuching MP Kelvin Yii.
Yii
said it was better to lodge a police report rather than calling for Zawawi and
other PAS leaders to be banned from entering Sarawak, according to a Malay Mail
report.
He
said PAS was now able to influence all national policies through its alliance
with Umno and PPBM in Muafakat Nasional, which had created the country’s
biggest political bloc, able to affect all Malaysians.
Three
Sabah political leaders have also called for Zawawi to retract his remark that
the Bible had been “distorted” or altered.
Zawawi
had made the remark in response to Beruas MP Ngeh Koo Ham, who had said
Christians were allowed to drink alcohol but were enjoined against drunkenness.
Zawawi insisted that alcohol had been forbidden but the Bible had been
distorted or altered.
The
exchange came during a debate on proposed amendments to the Road Transport Act
to provide heavier penalties for drink driving offenders.
Zawawi
has since said he would not apologise, and that Christians had “no right to be
offended”.
Earlier
today, Kelvin Yii said he had written to the Dewan Rakyat speaker for a ruling
on Zawawi’s remarks, which he said, had crossed the line and could be deemed to
be insulting to the Christian faith.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/08/30/dap-trio-file-sedition-report-against-pas-man-for-bible-slur/
--------
Africa
Sudanese
rebels agree to key peace deal with transitional government
31
August 2020
Sudan’s
transitional government and main rebel alliance have reached a landmark peace
agreement aimed at ending a 17-year-old conflict in the Northeast African
state.
The
SUNA news agency said on Sunday that the Sudan Revolutionary Front (SRF), an
alliance of rebel groups from the western Darfur region and the southern states
of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, had inked a peace deal with the government.
A
formal signing ceremony is scheduled for Monday in Juba, the capital of South
Sudan, which helped broker the agreement, with Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla
Hamdok and a number of his cabinet members in attendance.
The
peace deal covers key issues including security, land ownership, power sharing,
and the return of refugees to their homes. The dismantling of rebel forces and
their integration into the country’s army is also included in the agreement.
Hamdok
said Sunday that due to the complexity of the issues, closing the final deal
had taken more time than he had expected following an initial agreement reached
during talks between the two sides in Juba last September.
“At
the Juba declaration in September [2019], everyone expected peace to be signed
within two or three months, but ...we realized that the questions were of one
great complexity,” Hamdok noted. ‘However, we were able to accomplish this
great work, and this is the start of peace-building.”
Two
other key rebel groups have, however, refused to take part in the deal — a
faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, led by Abdelwahid Nour, and a wing of
the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), headed by Abdelaziz
al-Hilu.
The
transitional government took power in Sudan in August 2019 following the ouster
of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir earlier in the year. The ruling council has
since been seeking to make peace with the rebel groups, a key condition for the
country’s removal from the United States’ so-called terror sponsor list.
The
rebel groups — mainly from Sudan’s non-Arab minority — have been fighting
Khartoum against what they see as economic and political injustice.
In
Darfur, about 300,000 people have lost their lives since the armed rebellion
broke out there in 2003, according to the United Nations.
The
conflict in South Kordofan and Blue Nile erupted in 2011 over unresolved issues
from Sudan’s 1983-2005 civil war.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/31/632975/Sudan-rebels-peace-deal-Juba
--------
Nigerian
forces kill reporter, mourner in Kaduna’s Ashura procession
30
August 2020
Nigerian
forces have killed a reporter and a mourner after attacking the Ashura
procession in the northern state of Kaduna, a report says.
The
deadly incident took place in the eponymous provincial capital on Sunday, when
Muslim mourners held a procession to commemorate Ashura, the martyrdom
anniversary of Imam Hussein, the third Shia Imam, 14 centuries ago.
The
Nigerian forces opened live fire against the mourners, killing a Kaduna press
reporter, identified as Bashir, and a teenage mourner, identified as Mohammed
Baqer, the UK-based Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said in a report.
It
added that an unidentified number of others sustained injuries during the raid
on the Ashura procession.
“The
use of live ammunition against peaceful protestors and this case mourners
taking part in a religious ceremony, are part of the Nigerian landscape under
[Nigerian President Muhammadu] Buhari,” MassoudShadjareh, head of IHRC, said.
He
called on the Nigerian authorities to stop their attacks against unarmed and
peaceful people, demanding the launch of “an immediate process of restitution.”
Nigerian
forces have for the past several years mounted a bloody crackdown on the Shia
Muslim minority in the African country.
Nigeria’s
top Shia cleric Sheikh Ibrahim al-Zakzaky, who is in his mid-60s, has been in
detention since December 2015 after his home in Zaria, also in Kaduna, was
brutally raided by the country’s security forces, during which he was beaten
and lost his left eye.
During
the violent crackdown, three of his sons lost their lives, his wife sustained
serious wounds and more than 300 of his followers were killed.
Sheikh
Zakzaky, who leads the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), was charged in April
2018 with murder, culpable homicide, unlawful assembly, disruption of public
peace and other accusations. He has pleaded not guilty, vehemently rejecting
all accusations brought up against him by his country's authorities.
In
2016, Nigeria’s federal high court ordered Zakzaky’s unconditional release from
jail following a trial, but the government has so far refused to set him free.
His
followers have held countless of peaceful protests, demanding his immediate
release, but have almost always faced brutal crackdown by the Nigerian
forces.
The
IMN members say the Nigerian government has turned a deaf ear to all protests
calling for the top cleric’s release.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632955/Nigeria-Kaduna-Ashura-procession-live-fire-police-Zakzaky
--------
Ten
militants, five civilians killed in east Congo violence
30
August 2020
Ten
militants were killed after they ambushed an army convoy in eastern Congo on
Friday, according to the military, while a community leader said five civilians
were killed by members of the same militant group soon after.
The
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan armed group operating in eastern
Democratic Republic of Congo for more than three decades, has killed more than
1,000 civilians since the start of 2019, according to United Nations figures.
The
latest violence saw six Congolese soldiers wounded in clashes with the
militants following the ambush near the town of Mbau, army spokesman Antony
Mwalushayi said on Sunday.
"Two
ADF fell on the spot. In the evening after we secured the area, we discovered
another eight," he said, referring to the militant casualties.
Not
long after the ambush, members of the same ADF group killed five civilians near
Mbau, including three women, and took a few hostages, according to Mathe
Esdras, head of the local youth council. Reuters could not independently verify
his report.
The
army launched a large offensive against the ADF late last year, sparking a
violent backlash against civilians.
The
insecurity has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes and complicated
Congo's response to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an Ebola epidemic that has
killed more than 2,200 people.
Several
attacks attributed to the ADF have also been claimed by Daesh, although
researchers and analysts say there is a lack of hard evidence linking the two
groups.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632933/-Congo-militants-army-convoy-ADF-clashes
--------
North America
US-Israeli
Delegation To Arrive In The UAE For Historic Meeting
August
31, 2020
DUBAI:
A US-Israeli delegation aboard the first Israeli commercial flight has taken
off for Abu Dhabi for a meeting with Emirati officials to put the final touches
in formalizing relations between Israel and the UAE.
The
delegation is headed by Jared Kushner, Senior Adviser to US President Donald
Trump, and includes US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien and Meir
Ben-Shabbat, National Security Adviser and head of the Israeli National
Security Council.
“While
this is a historic flight, we hope that it will start an even more historic
journey in the Middle East and beyond,” Kushner said, before boarding the El Al
aircraft to Abu Dhabi.
“The
future does not have to be predetermined by the past. This is a very hopeful
time, and I believe that so much peace and prosperity is possible in this
region and around the world.”
Flight
LY971 is expected to land in Abu Dhabi in a few hours. The return flight,
LY972, takes off on Tuesday morning. The flights numbers are a nod to the
countries’ respective calling codes: +971 for the UAE and +972 for Israel.
Israel
and the UAE announced on Aug. 13 that they would forge official ties under a
deal brokered by Washington. The diplomatic move reshapes the Middle East
order, from the Palestinian issue to relations with Iran.
Officials
have said that other Arab and Muslim countries will soon follow the UAE’s lead
and normalize relations with Israel. Among those publicly mentioned were Oman,
Bahrain and Sudan.
The
Trump administration has been trying to coax other Sunni Arab countries that
share Israel’s concerns about Iran to join in a regional peace push.
Kushner,
speaking earlier in Israel, has described the UAE deal as a “giant step
forward” in the direction.
The
visit comes as part of trilateral efforts to initiate normalized relations with
the aim of achieving peace, stability, and support for bilateral cooperation,
UAE state news agency WAM reported.
Israel’s
national carrier El Al released pictures of the Boeing 737-900 jet that will
take the delegates. The word “peace” in English, Hebrew and Arabic is inscribed
on the exterior above the cockpit windows for the occasion.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1727226/middle-east
--------
US
pressuring Saudi Arabia to join Israel-UAE meeting in Abu Dhabi: Report
30
August 2020
A
new report has revealed that the Americans are mounting pressure on Saudi
Arabia to join a trilateral summit of Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
and the US, which is due to be held in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Israeli
newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said on Sunday that Saudi envoys may arrive in Abu
Dhabi on Monday to join the trilateral summit, which will focus on the
normalization deal that Washington brokered between Israel and the UAE earlier
this month.
Earlier,
Reuters quoted an informed source as saying that an Israeli airliner will fly
to the UAE on Monday with aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
and US President Donald Trump aboard to put final touches on the normalization
pact.
The
Israeli report said Jared Kushner, an advisor to Trump, National Security
Adviser Robert O’Brien, US Middle East envoy Avi Berkowitz and other US
officials will travel to the UAE together with an Israeli delegation led by
Meir Ben-Shabbat, the regime’s security advisor.
Meanwhile,
Kushner is also trying to persuade Saudi Arabia to join the signing ceremony of
the normalization agreement in October.
“Ahead
of the planned event in Washington, Kushner and his aides have recently been
working with [Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed] bin Salman to approve the
dispatching of high-ranking Saudi envoys to Abu Dhabi as early as tomorrow, in
parallel with the arrival of the Israeli delegation,” Yedioth Ahronoth said.
The
Middle East Eye news portal had previously revealed that bin Salman had pulled
out of a planned visit to Washington DC to meet Netanyahu after he received
reports that news of his trip had been leaked.
Sources
told MEE that Trump and Kushner have been pushing for the meeting to happen to
relaunch bin Salman's image as a young Arab peacemaker and shore up regional
support for the deal between Israel and the UAE.
The
US-mediated agreement for the normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel
has already drawn stern reactions from the Muslim world, Palestinians in
particular, and has been described as an act of treason and betrayal of the
cause of Palestine by Palestinians and other Muslims nations.
Riyadh
has no formal relations with Tel Aviv, but the two regimes have long had
clandestine contacts. Under bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, the
kingdom has stepped up its overtures towards Israel.
Saudi
Arabia reacted cautiously to the Israel-UAE deal, saying it will stand by a
2002 Arab peace initiative on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, without
condemning the agreement that has angered supporters of the Palestinian cause.
In
a recent interview with CNBC, Kushner, however, said it was inevitable that the
Riyadh regime would follow suit in forging ties with Israel.
“I
do think that we have other countries that are very interested in moving forward,”
he added. “And then, as that progresses, I do think it is an inevitability that
Saudi Arabia and Israel will have fully normalized relations.”
In
highly controversial comments during an April 2018 visit to the US, bin Salman
told the Atlantic that he recognized Israel’s “right to exist,” distancing
himself from the kingdom’s longtime policy of opposing Israeli occupation of
Palestinian territories.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632951/UAE-Israel-US-Saudi-Arabia-normalization-Middle-East-Eye-Yedioth-Ahronoth
--------
White
House adviser Jared Kushner says ‘stage is set’ for Mideast progress
30
August 2020
White
House adviser Jared Kushner on Sunday said “the stage is set” for other Arab
states to follow suit in the wake of the recent agreement between Israel and
the United Arab Emirates, but he gave no indication that any new deals were
imminent.
Appearing
alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US National
Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, Kushner spoke a day before he is to join a
senior Israeli delegation on the first commercial flight from Israel to the
UAE.
The
Aug. 13 announcement makes the UAE just the third Arab country to establish
full diplomatic relations with Israel, and the first to do so in over 25 years.
“Today
obviously we celebrate a historic breakthrough for peace,” Kushner said, adding
that the deal will create “previously unthinkable” economic, security and
religious cooperation.
“While
this peace agreement was thought by many to be impossible, the stage is now set
for even more,” he said, claiming he has heard optimism throughout the region
since the deal was announced.
“We
must seize that optimism and we must continue to push to make this region
achieve the potential that it truly has,” said Kushner, President Donald
Trump’s son-in-law and chief Mideast adviser.
Israel
and the UAE have moved quickly to cement their ties over the past two weeks.
Almost immediately, they opened direct phone lines, and Cabinet ministers have
held friendly phone conversations.
On
Saturday, the UAE formally ended its commercial boycott of Israel.
Monday’s
flight of an El Al plane from Tel Aviv to Abu Dhabi will be the first known
flight of an Israeli commercial airliner from Israel to the Emirates. The two
Mideast countries are expected to sign a formal agreement at the White House in
the coming weeks.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/30/White-House-adviser-Jared-Kushner-says-stage-is-set-for-Mideast-progress.html
--------
Kushner
hopes for more Arab, Muslim partners for Israel ahead of UAE visit
August
30, 2020
JERUSALEM:
US President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said on Sunday more Arab
and Muslim countries were likely to follow the United Arab Emirates in
normalizing relations with Israel.
The
White House official, Robert O’Brien, and Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser
Jared Kushner met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on the eve of
talks in Abu Dhabi on Monday on finalizing formal Israel-UAE ties.
Israel
and the UAE announced on Aug. 13 that they would forge official ties under a
deal brokered by Washington. The diplomatic move reshapes the Middle East
order, from the Palestinian issue to relations with Iran.
“We
believe that other Arab and Muslim countries will soon follow the United Arab
Emirates’ lead and normalize relations with Israel,” O’Brien told reporters
after talks at Netanyahu’s residence.
He
did not name the states, but Israeli officials have publicly mentioned Oman,
Bahrain and Sudan.
Palestinians
have condemned the UAE’s move as abandonment of a policy of linking official
relations with Israel to achievement of Palestinian statehood in territory
captured by Israel in a 1967 war.
The
Trump administration has been trying to coax other Sunni Arab countries that
share Israel’s concerns about Iran to join in a regional peace push.
Kushner,
speaking alongside Netanyahu and O’Brien, said the UAE deal was a “giant step
forward” in the direction.
“To
have played a role in its creation, and I say this as the grandson of two
Holocaust survivors, it means more to me and to my family that I can ever
express,” Kushner said.
Kushner,
O’Brien and other US officials will join an Israeli delegation on Monday in the
first flight by an Israeli commercial airline — El Al — to the UAE.
Speaking
on Israel’s Kan public radio on Sunday, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister
OfirAkunis said Israel hopes to hold a signing ceremony in Washington for the
UAE deal by mid-September.
In
the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestine
Liberation Organization’s executive committee, said Kushner and his team were
“scrambling to convince as many Arab and Muslim leaders as possible” to attend
a White House signing event and give Trump a boost ahead of the Nov. 3 US
presidential election.
“They
will be a prop at the backdrop of a meaningless spectacle for a ridiculous
agreement that will not bring peace to the region,” Ashrawi said.
On
Saturday, the UAE announced it was scrapping its economic boycott against
Israel. Officials from the two countries have said they are looking at
cooperation in defense, medicine, agriculture, tourism and technology.
Netanyahu
told reporters that abolishing “the anachronistic boycott” opened the door for
“unbridled” trade, tourism and investment.
Statements
issued by the UAE and Israel on Sunday said the UAE minister of state and
Israel’s agriculture minister spoke by phone on Friday and “pledged to
collaborate on projects that address food and water security.”
The
UAE, a desert state, relies on imports for around 80 percent to 90 percent of
its food, and has heavily encouraged investments in recent years in
agricultural technology and farmland investments abroad.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1726991/middle-east
--------
Biden
issues historic commitment to Arab Americans
RAY
HANANIA
August
30, 2020
CHICAGO:
Democratic nominee Joe Biden has issued a comprehensive “Plan for Partnership”
with Arab Americans as part of his presidential campaign.
He
vowed to enforce the plan if he wins November’s election, but refused to back
down on his criticism of extremism, opposition to the BDS movement and support
for Israel.
Biden,
who issued a YouTube video in which he cites an Islamic Hadith last month and
appealed to Muslim US voters to “do the right thing” when they “see a wrong,”
is pursuing support from Arab and Muslim Americans who have been ostracized by
US President Donald Trump.
In
his historic statement, never before promised by any presidential candidate,
the former vice president called Arab Americans “essential to the fabric of our
nation,” adding that he will not only fight “anti-Arab bigotry,” but will
include Arab Americans in his administration, something Trump has failed to do
while in office.
“Anti-Arab
bigotry has been used in attempts to exclude, silence and marginalize an entire
community, and Biden believes it must be rejected whenever it surfaces,
including when it emanates from elected officials or those seeking public
office,” the partnership said.
“Biden
embraces the partnership of Arab Americans in his campaign and will include
Arab Americans across his administration. A Biden-Harris Administration will
restore our values as a nation of immigrants, defend the civil rights of all
Americans, provide equal opportunity for every American and champion democracy
and human rights globally.”
The
nine-page partnership statement has been welcomed by Arab American leaders and
activists who previously expressed concern about several of Biden’s remarks,
including a TV interview in August 2008 in which he declares himself a
“Zionist” and one of Israel’s strongest supporters.
Arab
Americans have also raised concerns about his running mate Kamala Harris’ close
ties with the Israeli right. Harris, elected to the US Senate representing
California in 2016, has addressed Israel’s AIPAC lobby twice and co-sponsored a
resolution rebuking fellow Democrat and former president Barack Obama for not
being tougher in defending Israeli settlements.
Arab
American politicians and community leaders across the board applauded Biden’s
statement.
Democrat
Ammar Campa-Najjar, in a heated battle against Republican Arab American Darrell
Issa for California’s 50th Congressional seat, welcomed Biden’s statement.
“I
feel seen. These past few years have been rough, being called a terrorist by
your own congressman was hard to live through. Regardless of party, and there
are many Republican Arab Americans, this is praiseworthy,” he tweeted.
The
partnership statement follows Biden’s disavowal of controversial activist Linda
Sarsour, a critic of Israeli policy who has condemned moderates and compromise
with Israel.
Biden’s
spokespeople said the candidate “rejects” Sarsour’s rhetoric.
As
part of his pledge to Arab Americans, Biden vowed to immediately rescind
Trump’s controversial “Muslim ban” upon being sworn-in as president, and to
support immigrants and refugees by reversing other policies.
“On
day one, Joe Biden will rescind the un-American Muslim travel and refugee bans
and will cease the immoral family separation policy,” the statement said.
“Biden
will reestablish the US as a welcoming destination for those seeking to pursue
the American dream, including immigrants from the Arab world. Prohibiting the
populations of entire countries from coming to the US is morally wrong, does
not make our nation more secure and is yet another abuse of power by the Trump
Administration.”
The
Biden pledge also promised to protect the free speech of all Americans. But the
statement added that he will not compromise on his support for Israel or his
rejection of the BDS movement.
“Joe
Biden will protect the constitutional right of our citizens to free speech. He
also does not support efforts by any democracy to criminalize free speech and
expression, which is why he spoke out against Israel’s decision to deny entry
to American lawmakers because they favor boycotting Israel.
“However,
Biden has been unequivocal in condemning calls in the US to boycott, divest
from and sanction Israel,” the statement said.
More
than 27 US states have approved laws that punish support for the BDS movement.
If
elected, Biden said he and Harris will also:
“End
the Trump Administration’s Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention Program.”
“Regularly
consult with leaders from historically targeted communities, including Arab
Americans, to ensure that civil rights are protected.”
“Support
Syria’s reconstruction.”
“Undertake
a review of ‘watchlist’ and ‘no-fly list’ processes to ensure that they do not
have an adverse impact on individuals or groups based on national origin, race,
religion or ethnicity, and improve the process to remove names, when justified,
from these lists.”
“Work
with civil society and the citizens of Lebanon to assist them as they develop
and implement an economic and political future for their country, free of
corruption and inclusive of all stakeholders.”
President
of the Arab American Institute Jim Zogby welcomed the partnership pledge.
“A
historic first. Biden’s agenda for Arab Americans rejects excluding or
silencing us, closes profiling loopholes, rejects racist policies and protects
our first amendment right to advocate for Palestine,” he said on Twitter.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1727011/world
--------
Europe
Organization
of Islamic Cooperation: Burning Of Holy Quran Was Intended To Hurt Feelings of
Muslims
31
August 2020
The
Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the burning of a copy
of Islam’s Holy Qur’an by far-right extremists in Sweden as a “provocative
offense” devised to anger Muslims.
In
a statement on Sunday, the OIC’s General Secretariat said the highly
sacrilegious assault was “counterproductive to the global effort to defeat
extremism and hatred on grounds of religion and faith.”
The
move, it added was a “provocative offense deliberately intended to outrage” the
Muslims.
During
an illegal gathering on Friday, supporters of right-wing Danish politician
Rasmus Paludan, who leads the anti-Islamic group Tight Direction (StramKurs),
burned a copy of Holy Qur’an in the southern Swedish city of Malmo.
A
riot broke out after Paludan was stopped at the Swedish border and denied
permission to attend the gathering. The rioters set car tires on fire and threw
objects at police officers, injuring several of them.
The
controversial Danish figure was subsequently banned by Swedish authorities from
entering the country for two years. At least 10 arrests were also made in
connection with the violence.
The
OIC Islamophobia Observatory, which documents Islamophobic incidents across the
world, welcomed the measures taken by the Swedish authorities against those who
burned the holy book.
It
also called on the Muslim community in Sweden “to exercise restraint and avoid
violence.”
The
Muslim body also said it would support global efforts to tackle such harmful
islamophobia moves through different channels, including UN Human Rights
Council Resolution 16/18, which provides a comprehensive plan for “combating
incitement to hatred, discrimination and violence based on religion and faith.”
Paludan
came to attention by provoking unrest through anti-Islam demonstrations and
publicly burning a copy of Holy Qur’an in Denmark.
In
an incident last year, the controversial figure had tossed in the air a book he
claimed was a copy of Qur’an and let it fall to the ground.
He
was also banned from commenting on Facebook last year over promoting hate
speech aimed at people of a particular religion or ethnicity.
In
June this year, Paludan, was sentenced to three months in jail after being
found guilty of racism.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/31/632980/Sweden-Qur-an-Koran-burning-OIC-protest-
--------
British
charity whose employee had connections to Al Qaeda is banned
Nicky
Harley
August
29, 2020
A
British aid group whose representative had links to Al Qaeda has been removed
from the UK charity register after it failed to account for £3 million
(Dh14.7m) worth of aid.
Aid
Convoy is the latest Muslim charity to be investigated by regulators over
governance and accounting issues.
Last
week, Islamic Relief Worldwide was forced to restructure after revelations that
its trustees had shown support for Hamas and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood on
social media.
On
Friday, the Charity Commission announced it had removed Aid Convoy from its
register.
The
charity, which launched in 2012, was involved in the organisation of aid
convoys to the border between Turkey and Syria.
One
of its workers, Tauqir Sharif, was deprived of his UK citizenship by the Home
Secretary in 2017 because it was assessed that he had travelled to Syria and
was working with Al Qaeda.
He
was the face of the charity's social media videos accounting for the aid sent
to Syria.
Despite
being told to review the charity’s relationship with him, the trustees told the
commission “this is not a decision we are willing to rush into”.
Also
in 2017, the charity shipped 48 containers purporting to contain £3m of aid
that was not accounted for.
The
watchdog found the charity guilty of misconduct and mismanagement and disqualified
two of its trustees, Muhammed Abdul Mumin and Asim Shafaq, from being trustees
or senior managers of any charity in England and Wales for eight years.
"The
action we have taken here, on behalf of the public, has protected the charity
sector from further harm and held the responsible individuals to account,"
said Tim Hopkins, Assistant Director of Inquiries and Investigations at the
Charity Commission.
"But
this case highlights the damaging effects of trustees failing to properly
safeguard or protect a charity from associations with terrorism. Ultimately,
the trustees did not honour the trust donors placed in them by giving
generously to help people affected by the crisis in Syria.
"Good
governance is not a bureaucratic detail – it underpins the delivery of a
charity’s purpose to the high standards required under charity law and which
the public rightly expect.
"The
trustees failed to live up to those standards, committing repeated acts of
mismanagement and misconduct, and aligning the charity to individuals whose
past conduct posed a threat to their charity."
The
regulator uncovered a series of examples of mismanagement over the course of
two inquiries.
These
included repeated non-compliance with reporting requirements, significant
under-reporting of its income, the provision of false or misleading information
to the regulator, and the use of trustees’ personal bank accounts when the
charity’s bank withdrew its services.
The
regulator found that in the 2017 financial year, trustees said the charity had
sent 48 containers of aid to Syria, valued at an average of £60,000 each, but
could not provide adequate records of what was in those containers.
"There
was a risk that because the trustees do not know what is included in each
container, they could not accurately account for the end use of the donated
goods," it said.
"The
trustees fail to keep accurate records of what goods are loaded into
containers, therefore are unable to assess whether all goods are accounted for
once the container reached Syria, and that they have not fallen into the hands
of terrorist organisations."
The
first inquiry was opened in 2013 following two cash seizures by the police at
UK ports.
As
a result of the police investigation and the inquiry, the charity suspended all
aid convoys.
The
regulator then found serious concerns about the charity’s financial management
and took action to freeze its bank account.
Further
probes found severe weaknesses in the charity’s processes for ensuring monies
and goods went to the people the charity was set up to help.
In
2016, the regulator issued an order directing the then trustees to take steps
to improve the charity’s governance and financial management.
A
second inquiry was opened in 2018 after the charity’s then trustees failed to
comply with it.
The
second inquiry found that the charity was handling donations of controlled
substances, including morphine, without the required licence.
"These
were collected in appeals for shipments to Syria but the trustees did not know
what was included in containers and so could not account for the end use of
donations or be sure that they did not fall into the hands of terrorist
organisations," it said.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/british-charity-whose-employee-had-connections-to-al-qaeda-is-banned-1.1069977
--------
UK:
Counter-terrorism team detain 2 at Stansted Airport
Ahmet
GürhanKartal
31.08.2020
LONDON
British
counter-terrorism officers have detained two men arriving in London’s Stansted
Airport Sunday evening, authorities confirmed.
A
34-year-old man from Kuwait and a 48-year-old man from Italy have been escorted
off a Ryanair plane, which was intercepted by two RAF Typhoon fighter jets
after reports of a security threat on board.
The
men had arrived on a flight from Vienna and were detained under Schedule 7 of
the Terrorism Act, according to a police statement.
Some
passenger tweeted after they were permitted to leave the plane following the
two men’s detention by armed police.
They
said police found suspicious material in the plane’s toilet.
A
Ryanair spokesman said the crew were “alerted of a potential security threat on
board.”
“In
line with procedures, the captain informed UK authorities and continued to
London Stansted, where the aircraft landed normally and taxied to a remote
stand where passengers disembarked safely,” he said.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/uk-counter-terrorism-team-detain-2-at-stansted-airport/1958441
--------
Turkish
top diplomat talks with EU foreign policy chief
Mehmet
Sah Yilmaz
30.08.2020
Turkey's
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu Sunday spoke to EU’s foreign policy chief
over the phone over latest developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Cavusoglu
and Josep Borrell discussed regional developments amid heightened tensions
between Greece and Turkey over energy exploration, according to diplomatic
sources.
Greece
has disputed Turkey's current energy exploration in the Eastern Mediterranean,
trying to box in Turkish maritime territory based on small islands near the
Turkish coast.
Turkey
-- the country with the longest coastline on the Mediterranean -- has sent out
drilling ships to explore for energy on its continental shelf, saying that both
Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) have rights in the
region.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkish-top-diplomat-talks-with-eu-foreign-policy-chief/1958073
--------
Turkey
slams Islamophobic act by 'modern barbarians'
MerveAydogan
30.08.2020
Those
who burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden are “modern barbarians” who have a
“primitive mindset,” Turkey’s presidential spokesman said on Sunday in a strong
message against the Islamophobic act.
“They
shamelessly burn the Qur’an, the sacred book of Islam, in the middle of Europe.
They then claim to be the paragons of reason, logic, freedom and justice,”
Ibrahim Kalin said in a tweet.
“They
label anyone not like them as anti-reason bigots and retros. Modern barbarians
know no limits in primitive mindset.”
The
incident took place in the Swedish city of Malmo on Friday evening, where
far-right activists of the anti-Muslim group StramKrus (Hard Line) burned a
copy of the Quran at a rally in the largely migrant neighborhood of Rosengard.
The
Turkish Foreign Ministry has also vehemently criticized the incident, saying
that such “provocative acts are a heavy blow to the culture of coexistence and
European values.”
“This
despicable act against our holy book is an exemplary act, as it reveals the
extent to which the threat Muslims face in Europe has come,” the ministry said
in a statement earlier on Saturday.
Protests
against the racist act broke out in Malmo soon after, with demonstrators
blocking roads and burning tires as they called for action against the
perpetrators.
Swedish
police later said that three people were arrested for burning the Muslim holy
book.
The
racist far-right group’s leader, anti-Muslim Danish politician Rasmus Paludan,
was banned from entering Sweden for two years.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/turkey-slams-islamophobic-act-by-modern-barbarians-/1957830
--------
Turkey's
President Erdogan calls leaders of France and Greece 'greedy and incompetent'
August
31, 2020
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at leaders of France and Greece,
calling them "greedy and incompetent" for challenging Turkish energy
exploration in the eastern Mediterranean.
Mr
Erdogan's charge came as the country celebrated on Sunday its victory in 1922
against Greek troops during Turkey's war of independence.
Ankara
and Athens now dispute major offshore gas fields and France's support for
Greece has drawn it into a serious crisis for the Nato military alliance.
Cyprus
is a third, albeit much smaller, nation vying for access to large energy
deposits that have been discovered in the region.
Mr
Erdogan asked newly commissioned officers in Ankara: "Do Greeks accept
what could happen to them because of their greedy and incompetent leaders?
"Do
the French know the price they will pay because of their greedy and incompetent
leaders?"
The
crisis between putative Nato allies began on August 10 when the Turkish
research vessel Oruc Reis entered Greek waters, after which both sides began to
stage naval exercises.
French
frigates and fighter jets joined the Greek side, and have shadowed Turkish
vessels while Paris warned Mr Erdogan not to overplay his hand.
On
Sunday, Paris denounced "escalating behaviour" on the part of Ankara.
Ships
from Cyprus, Italy and the US have also taken part in the Greek exercises,
while the US and Italy have held drills with Turkish units as well.
Mr
Erdogan has challenged Greece and France in particular, however, and said:
"When it come times to fight, we will not hesitate to make sacrifices.
"The
question is: when they stand against us in the Mediterranean, are they ready to
make the same sacrifices?
"To
our enemies, we say: Bring it on!"
Turkey
on Saturday announced fresh military manoeuvres in northern Cyprus.
Turkish
vice president FuatOktay also warned Greece not to expand its coastal zone into
the Ionian Sea by six nautical miles under international maritime law, saying
it would be a "casus belli" that could lead to armed conflict.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/europe/turkey-s-president-erdogan-calls-leaders-of-france-and-greece-greedy-and-incompetent-1.1070538
--------
Protest
outside Boris Johnson's residence against enforced disappearances in Balochistan
Aug
31, 2020
LONDON:
The Free Balochistan Movement on Sunday held a protest against Pakistan outside
the official residence of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson here on the occasion
of the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances.
Several
Baloch and other human rights activists joined the protest from different
cities of the UK and expressed their support for the families of those who have
been forcefully disappeared.
The
protestors were carrying banners and raised slogans against Pakistan military's
atrocities against Baloch people. They demanded the immediate release of
previously abducted Baloch people and stopping of more enforced disappearances.
They
also urged the international community, including the UK, to stop supporting Pakistan
as their support is allowing Pakistan to commit more crimes against
humanity.The activists stated that thousands of innocent Baloch people have
been arrested and later disappeared. Many of them have been killed in custody.
They also strongly condemned the recent murder of Hayat Baloch, who was shot
dead by Frontier Corps in front of his parents, in Turbat, Balochistan.
"On
International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, we are staging a
protest outside Boris Johnson's residence. Pakistani forces are committing
human rights abuses against Baloch people. We appeal to the international
community to take note of what is happening in Balochistan," said an
activist.
"We
saw how a woman named Malik Naz was killed in front of her four-year-old daughter
Bramsh by the Pakistani military. A 12-year-old girl was also killed by the
establishment. These things were not coming to light earlier due to blackout
(in Pakistan). But now, the news on atrocities committed by Pakistani military
is there on social media and people are coming to know about it," she
added.
The
activist appealed that there should be a fact-finding mission in this regard
and said the UK Prime Minister should take cognisance of the human rights
abuses in Balochistan.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/protest-outside-boris-johnsons-residence-against-enforced-disappearances-in-balochistan/articleshow/77843474.cms
--------
South Asia
1400
Afghan Returnees Test Positive for Covid-19
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
31
Aug 2020
KABUL,
Afghanistan – At least 1400 Afghan refugees, who returned home within the past
few months, have tested positive for the Novel Coronavirus 2019, according to
Herat Public Health officials.
Women
and Children are among those tested positive for the Virus.
According
to the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, more than 3000 Afghan refugees
have returned back to home in the past few months, as the Covid-19 first wave
hit Islamic Republic of Iran earlier this year.
Mohammad
Rafiq Sharzai, provincial speaker to the Public Health, said at least 1411
people are tested positive, who returned home from Iran in the past couple of
months.
In
every 24 hours, more than 1000 Afghan refugees are entering the country via
Islam Qala Border, connecting Afghanistan with Iran – of which 10 to 15 test
positive Covid-19.
It
came at a time, when some 3000 Afghan refugees flooded back to home country
within the past six months, either deported by Iranian officials or
volunteered.
https://www.khaama.com/1400-afghan-returnees-test-positive-for-covid-19-346346/
--------
Khaleda
Zia's family seeks extension on her suspended prison sentence
Aug
30, 2020
DHAKA:
The family of Bangladesh's main opposition leader Khaleda Zia has sought an
extension of six more months on her suspended prison sentence for the former
prime minister's treatment, according to a media report. The government in
March released the 74-year-old leader for six months on condition that she
would stay at home amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country, receive
treatment and not travel abroad.
Home
minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said that Zia was freed on humanitarian grounds
after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's approval.
The
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) chief is serving a 17-year prison term in
two graft cases since February 8, 2018.
Zia's
family filed a plea with the government for an extension of the suspended
prison sentence as the six months allotted to her in March will end on
September 24, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
A
M Ehsanur Rahman, one of Zia's counsels, said that an application, signed by
the BNP chief's younger brother Shamim Eskander, was sent to the home ministry
on August 25.
The
BNP chairperson did not receive proper treatment due to the ongoing Covid-19
pandemic, her family said. They also want another extension for her treatment,
the counsel was quoted as saying in the report.
Home
Minister Kamal confirmed that they have received an application which was sent
to the law ministry for its consideration and "further steps will be taken
after considering the legal basis of the application, the report said.
Zia
served thrice as the premier since 1991. Her party was routed in the 2018
election, bagging only six seats in 300-seat Parliament.
Her
conviction on "moral turpitude" charges barred her from contesting
the polls.
She
was sent to jail in February 2018 by a local court on charges of embezzling
foreign donations meant for an orphanage, named after her slain husband and
president Ziaur Rehman, during her premiership between 2001 and 2006.
Rehman,
a military ruler-turned-politician, was the founder of the BNP.
She
was convicted in another corruption case later the same year, though her party
claims both cases are politically motivated.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/south-asia/khaleda-zias-family-seeks-extension-on-her-suspended-prison-sentence/articleshow/77834506.cms
--------
Shia
Muslims in Bangladesh observe muted Ashura in pandemic
30
Aug 2020
Shia
Muslims in Dhaka have observed Ashura in a subdued manner, performing the
mourning rituals in remembrance of the martyrdom of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson
Imam Hussain under tight restrictions amid the pandemic.
Devotees
were not allowed to bring the main procession, known as Tazia or a replica of
the mausoleum of Imam Hussain, out onto the streets as a precaution against the
spread of the coronavirus.
People
in the procession walked barefooted around Old Dhaka's HussainiDalanImambara
area where they gathered on Sunday morning carrying red, black and green flags
amid traditional Ashura chants.
Every
year, the Tazia procession is taken out of Imambara to parade along different
streets of Dhaka before coming to a halt at the symbolic Karbala ground in
Dhanmondi.
Ashura
is observed on the 10th day of the lunar month Muharram in the Islamic
calendar. It marks the climax of the remembrance of Muharram when Shia Muslims
commemorate the slaying of Imam Hussein ibn Ali in 680 AD in the Battle of
Kerbala in modern-day Iraq.
The
day marks sacrifice and mourning in the Muslim community all over the world.
Muslims in Bangladesh, especially the Shia Muslims, observe the day with
religious rituals.
Small
groups of 10-20 pilgrims walked in circles and detailed the events that took
place at the Kerbala while others were seen praying in front of the graves
inside Imambara.
Dhaka
Metropolitan Police had placed prohibitions on public gatherings in open spaces
and asked people to follow health directives while observing the Ashura with
their families.
A
lot of pushing and shoving was noticeable as the pilgrims tried to show respect
to the symbolic horses of Imam Hassan and Imam Hussain.
Earlier,
the young men were seen carrying sharp weapons and flogging themselves with it
in passion plays re-enacting the martyrdom in the Tazia procession, which was
banned after a militant attack during the preparation of a Tazia procession in
2015.
Since
the attack, Dhaka Metropolitan Police have banned carrying and showing stunts
with sharp weapons, fire and sticks in the procession this year too. Creating
loud sounds with drums is barred as well.
People
had to go through two layers of security to enter the Imambara this year as
well.
Many
pilgrims said they had come to pray for an end to the coronavirus crisis.
“The
pandemic has affected Ashura. The mourning rituals have been scaled down this
year in line with the government's directives,” the caretaker of Imambara told
bdnews24.com.
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2020/08/30/shia-muslims-in-bangladesh-observe-muted-ashura-in-pandemic
--------
'Deep
reforms must to end vicious Myanmar violence'
MerveAydogan
30.08.2020
The
International Crisis Group (ICG) has called for dialogue and deep reform to
address issues of citizenship, improve the administrative structure, and rein
in the increasing violence in Myanmar.
Ethnicity
and conflict are inextricably linked in Myanmar, creating a vicious cycle of
violence that continues to escalate, the Brussels-based organization said in a
report published on Friday.
“The
state’s inability to address ethnic minority grievances or provide adequate
security to communities has created a literal arms race among minority groups,”
said the report released on the third anniversary of the 2017 crackdown that
marked the start of the genocide of Rohingya Muslims by the Myanmar army.
It
said Myanmar must initiate reforms in “citizenship, the country’s
administrative structure and the peace process with the aim of making ethnicity
less central to the political and legal domains.”
The
group urged Myanmar authorities and leaders to immediately pursue more
manageable changes “such as the language and narratives they use when
discussing ethnicity and conflict.”
The
report underlined that Myanmar, since its independence in 1948, has struggled
to forge a national identity reflecting its ethnic diversity.
The
country's leaders have perpetuated dangerous notions of ethnic identity that
divide rather than unify its national races, read the report titled Identity
Crisis: Ethnicity and Conflict in Myanmar.
“Ethnic
minority grievances toward the state have perpetuated some of the world’s
longest-running armed conflicts,” said the report.
Minorities’
grievances and the way forward
Highlighting
that the country’s Burman elite continue to control most levers of power, the
ICG report said Myanmar’s leaders have done little to address “minority
grievances or build a more inclusive national identity.”
It
said the government’s failure to protect minority communities has led “tens of
thousands of people to take up arms – both for and against the state, and both
allied with or acting against armed groups representing rival ethnicities.”
"Ethno-nationalism
is at the core of all these groups, a characteristic that often sets them
against their neighbors,” the report added.
On
the ongoing violence against minority groups in the state of Rakhine by the
Myanmar military, the report said “the vicious fighting … since 2018 underlines
the dangers of ethnicity’s growing social and political salience.”
“Non-Rakhine
minorities in Rakhine State have found themselves caught between two warring
groups, neither of which they can rely on for protection,” it said.
“The
insecurity that such conflicts generate only encourages the creation of ever
more armed groups, a phenomenon that has recurred over and over in Myanmar’s
modern history.”
Acknowledging
that “charting a more tolerant and inclusive future for the country will not be
easy,” the ICG said one of the first steps was that “communities must be free
to celebrate their ethnic heritage, culture and identity.”
However,
it said that citizenship and protection should not be based on membership in
particular ethnic categories.
“[…]
Ethnicity should be delinked from the territory, and politics and the peace
process must become venues for resolving grievances and charting a more
peaceful future, rather than cementing arbitrary ethnic categories and
encouraging zero-sum competition between different groups,” the report said.
Myanmar’s
most targeted community is the Rohingya, who have been described by the UN as
the world's most persecuted people.
According
to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women,
and children, fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces
launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017, pushing
the number of persecuted people in Bangladesh above 1.2 million.
Since
Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s
state forces, according to a report by the Ontario International Development
Agency (OIDA).
More
than 34,000 Rohingya were also thrown into fires, while over 114,000 others
were beaten, said the OIDA report, titled Forced Migration of Rohingya: The
Untold Experience.
As
many as 18,000 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar’s army and police
and over 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down, while 113,000 others were
vandalized, it added.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/deep-reforms-must-to-end-vicious-myanmar-violence/1957987
--------
Afghan
president names council to advise negotiators
SAYED
SALAHUDDIN
August
30, 2020
KABUL:
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani late on Saturday named 48 people who will decide
the negotiation strategy for a meeting with the Taliban aimed at ending the
country’s protracted conflict.
The
members of the High Council for National Reconciliation include former
President Hamid Karzai, ex-mujahideen leaders Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, Gulbuddin
Hekmatyar, Mohammad Karim Khalili, Mohammad Mohaqiq, Abdul Rashid Dostum,
Mohammad YunusQanooni, Salahuddin Rabbani, and members of other factions.
“The
council will draw the red line, strategy and agenda for the negotiators who
will engage in direct talks with the Taliban that are set to be held in Doha,”
Zarqa Yaftali, one of the eight women on the team, told Arab News. She added
that she was unaware if the council “would have the authority to take the final
decision on peace” with the armed group.
While
the council is seen as a government-appointed body, Karzai has said he “will
not be part of any government structure” but that he would continue his
endeavors for peace.
At
least one general from the ex-communist regime is on the list, as are those who
fought with the Taliban for nearly three decades.
Ghani
is keen to broaden the team that will advise the squad of negotiators ahead of
the crucial meeting, the date for which has yet to be finalized.
He
has asked religious scholars, parliament, the media and provincial councils to
put forward their picks for the council within a week, an indication that the talks
are not likely to start in early September.
The
setting up of the council has been beset by delays since the signing of an
historic peace agreement between the Taliban and Washington in Doha in February
this year.
Intra-Afghan
talks should have begun in early March following a prisoner exchange deal
between the Taliban and Kabul in line with the February agreement, which also
paves the way for a complete withdrawal of all foreign US-led troops from
Afghanistan by next spring.
According
to Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, who is leading the 48-member team, the talks are
scheduled to take place in the coming week.
But
the Taliban said the group had made “no such pledge” and that the talks would
take place only after Kabul freed “all of its remaining comrades from prison” —
a key condition of the February accord.
After
being sidelined from the US-Taliban talks, Ghani’s government initially refused
to release Taliban prisoners but began freeing them under pressure from
Washington.
However
Ghani has yet to free 320 Taliban inmates because of objections from France and
Australia, which say that some of those prisoners killed their nationals in
Afghanistan.
A
majority of the council members are men and include factional figures who have
been involved in Afghanistan’s more than 40 years of war, particularly since
the Taliban’s ouster in late 2001.
“The
newly established council is an aquarium of known politicians, with Ghani
keeping the water and food supply in his control to keep the fish happy,” Torek
Farhadi, who served as an adviser in Karzai’s government, told Arab News. “This
National Reconciliation Council was set up to keep Ghani’s potential rivals
under his thumb. They are all men.”
But
Yaftali appeared unperturbed by the list of council members, saying her focus was
on “pushing for just peace where women’s rights and all Afghans are protected.”
Two
weeks ago a female negotiator and prominent women’s rights activist,
FawziaKoofi, was wounded in an attack to the north of Kabul by people she
described as “peace spoilers.”
And
while Yaftali said she was put forward by activists to be on the list and had
been informed before the appointment, another member said that being selected
for the council had come as a surprise for her.
“I
was not consulted at all,” Mari Akrami, head of the Afghan’s Women Network,
told Arab News. “I feel worried because there is no security guarantee. It is a
huge responsibility both to accept the membership and to not do it.”
Akrami
was among the group of women who last year met the Taliban in Doha, where the
armed group has had a political office since 2013.
“They
were different from the warrior Taliban from any aspect, but am not sure they
were different ideologically,” she said.
Experts
have questioned the names in Ghani’s latest decree.
“Many
on the list are civil-era warlords, and those responsible for the destruction
of Kabul and elsewhere or the same corrupt political circle since the Taliban’s
fall,” analyst Shafiq Hapal told Arab News. “Those who have lost dear ones in
the war, or the victims’ sides, are not on the list, that is a great pity, but
let’s hope that these men who have fought each other can agree on something
that will lead to peace.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1726946/world
--------
Arab world
Egypt
Army Says Killed Over 70 Extremists In North Sinai
30
August 2020
Egypt’s
army announced Sunday that more than 70 alleged extremists have been killed in
recent military operations in North Sinai, the location of an insurrection
affiliated to ISIS terrorist group.
A
statement by the Egyptian army said that the operations had targeted alleged
“homes of terrorists” and “takfiri elements” leading to “the deaths of 73
takfiris in northern Sinai” between July 22 and August 30.
Four
other “takfiris” were killed, the statement added, without elaborating.
The
term “takfiri” is used by Egyptian security officials to refer to extremists.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
During
the clashes “three officers and four soldiers were killed or wounded,” the
statement said, without providing further details.
In
February 2018, security forces launched a nationwide operation against
militants, focused on North Sinai.
More
than 930 suspected militants have been killed in the region along with dozens
of security personnel, according to official figures.
No
independently verified death toll is available and the region is largely cut
off to journalists.
However,
the Egyptian government has organized occasional media visits, closely
supervised by the military.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/31/Egypt-army-says-killed-over-70-extremists-in-north-Sinai-.html
--------
Lebanon’s
President Aoun calls for proclamation of ‘secular state’
30
August 2020
President
Michel Aoun called Sunday for the proclamation of a “secular state” during a
televised address to mark the upcoming centenary of the Lebanese state.
“I
call for the proclamation of Lebanon as a secular state,” Aoun said during a
speech in which he acknowledged the need “to change the system,” after an
enormous explosion at Beirut’s port in early August and months of deepening
economic crisis.
Amid
the political deadlock gripping Lebanon, the country’s ambassador to Germany
Mustapha Adib is emerging as the frontrunner to be next prime minister.
Former
Prime Ministers NaiibMikati, Fouad Siniora, Saad Hariri and Tamam Salam,
announced in a statement on Sunday that they have agreed to nominate Ambassador
Mustapha Adib to head the next government, according to the National News Agency
NNA.
They
hoped in their statement that “Adib would be named with the highest number of
votes from the parliamentary blocs and representatives,” stressing the need for
a speedy government formation and drafting of its ministerial statement
“without delay.”
Meanwhile,
both Shia groups Hezbollah and Amal will also nominate Adib to be the next
prime minister, according to a senior Shia source, Reuters reported.
Adib
is Lebanon’s ambassador to Germany.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/30/Lebanon-s-President-Aoun-calls-for-proclamation-of-secular-state-.html
--------
Hassan
Nasrallah says Hezbollah is open to new political contract for Lebanon
Tommy
Hilton
30
August 2020
Hezbollah's
leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed on Sunday that the organization was open to a
new political contract for Lebanon, despite protesters criticizing Hezbollah's
role as part of the political elite that has mired the country in corruption
and economic ruin.
French
President Emmanuel Macron had called for a new political pact for Lebanon
following the Beirut blasts killed 190 people and devestated much of the
Lebanese capital in a country that had already been struggling from a
deteriorating economy.
"On
his latest visit to Lebanon, we heard a call from the French president for a
new political pact in Lebanon... today we are open to a constructive discussion
in this regard," Nasrallah said, adding "But we have one condition:
this discussion should be carried out ... with the will and consent of the various
Lebanese factions."
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Nasrallah
made the comments in a televized speech in which he also called on the Lebanese
Army to release the results of the technical investigation into the Beirut
blasts.
Since
the blasts, Hezbollah has come under renewed criticism along with Lebanon's
other main political parties for decades of mismanagement and corruption.
Threatens
Israel
Nasrallah
also reaffirmed Hezbollah's condemnation of the historic peace deal signed
between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. The Iranian-backed organization
rejects the state of Israel, which it has fought against on multiple occasions
including in the 2006 Lebanon War.
The
Hezbollah leader also used the speech to threaten Israel, saying Hezbollah
would kill an Israeli every time one of the Iranian-backed organization's own
fighters are killed.
However,
he added that Hezbollah would not engage in border clashes with Israel because
it would be in Israel's interests, following Israeli strikes on Hezbollah
targets this week.
Nasrallah's
speech came the day after he singled out Al Arabiya and Al Hadath for criticism
and told his supporters to boycott the channels.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/30/Hezbollah-s-Hassan-Nasrallah-condemns-Israel-UAE-peace-deal.html
--------
Syria’s
President al-Assad names new government headed by PM Arnous
30
August 2020
Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree Sunday appointing a new cabinet
without changing the heads of so-called “sovereign” portfolios, days after
confirming Hussein Arnous as the country’s premier.
The
decree, published on the presidency’s social media channels, keeps the heads of
the foreign affairs, defense, interior, economy and information ministries in
their posts but changes those in charge of 12 other cabinet portfolios,
including the ministries of finance, energy and public health.
The
29-minister government, which includes three female ministers, is the fifth to
be formed since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It
came as Syria grapples with a grinding economic crisis, a spiraling coronavirus
outbreak and continued violence in the country’s north.
The
government’s official mandate will expire next July when presidential elections
are due, after which it will continue to function in a caretaker capacity until
a presidential decree is issued naming a new cabinet, as per the constitution.
President
al-Assad had on Tuesday named Arnous as prime minister after he was appointed
interim premier in June ahead of last month’s parliamentary polls.
Arnous,
an engineer who was previously the water resources minister, replaced Imad
Khamis after he was sacked more than two months ago.
Khamis
headed the government for four years and the presidency did not give an
official reason for his removal, but it followed a wave of criticism against
the government for its handling of an economic crisis that had plunged
war-weary Syrians deeper into poverty.
A
new wave of US sanctions against Syria that came into effect in June has
sparked fears of deeper economic turmoil.
Like
al-Assad and Khamis, Arnous has been a target of US and European sanctions.
He
is now to head a government that must grapple with a coronavirus pandemic that
is sparking alarm among medics and aid groups.
The
Syrian government says it has recorded 2,628 cases of COVID-19, including 106
deaths in government-held areas, but doctors and residents in Damascus say the
real number is much higher.
Arnous,
67, hails from Maaret al-Numan in Idlib province, half of which is controlled
by extremists and allied fighters.
After
nine years of war, al-Assad controls some 70 percent of Syrian territory.
The
conflict since 2011 has killed at least 380,000 people and displaced half of
the country’s pre-war population.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/30/Syria-s-President-al-Assad-names-new-government-headed-by-PM-Arnous.html
--------
Arab
Coalition destroys drone launched by Houthis toward Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport
30
August 2020
The
Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni legitimate government said on Sunday that
it intercepted and destroyed an explosive-laden drone launched by Iranian-allied
Houthi militias toward Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport.
Col.
Turki al-Maliki, the spokesperson for the Arab Coalition said some shrapnel of
the destroyed drone fell near the airport without causing any injuries or
damages among civilians and employees at the airport.
“In
the face of these terrorist acts and immoral abuses of the terrorist Houthi
militia we will continue to implement strict measures to deter this terrorist
militia,” said al-Maliki according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press
Agency, SPA.
The
attack follows a series of other drone and missile attempted attacks on the
Kingdom from within Yemen.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/08/30/Arab-Coalition-destroys-drone-launched-by-Houthis-toward-Saudi-Arabia-s-Abha-airport.html
--------
UAE
intelligence agents training YPG militants in northern, eastern Syria: Report
30
August 2020
The
United Arab Emirates (UAE)’s spy agency has reportedly been training Kurdish
militants affiliated with the anti-Damascus People’s Protection Units (YPG) in
areas under their occupation in northern and eastern Syria over the past few
years.
Turkey’s
official Anadolu news agency, citing multiple sources, reported on Sunday that
Signals Intelligence Agency (SIA) officers held secret talks with the Kurdish
militants back in 2017, and were dispatched to YPG-held areas in Syria the
following year.
The
report added that SIA agents purportedly train YPG militants to carry out
espionage and counter-espionage operations, acts of sabotage as well as
assassinations. The Kurdish militants are also being taught how to conduct signal
intelligence, information security and cryptography on communication networks.
Such
training missions are said to be underway in the Kurdish-populated northeastern
Syrian city of Qamishli as well as major cities of Hasakah and Dayr al-Zawr.
Anadolu
further noted that Emirati intelligence officers have even established a secret
direct hotline with YPG militants.
The
UAE has long been accused of sponsoring the militant groups, which have been
operating across Syria since early 2011 to topple the Damascus government.
The
YPG — the backbone of the so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — has
America’s support in its anti-Damascus push. The Kurdish militants seized
swathes of land in the northern and eastern parts of Syria from the Takfiri
Daesh terror group in 2017, and are now refusing to hand their control back to
the central government.
Turkey
views the YPG as a terrorist organization tied to the homegrown Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been seeking an autonomous Kurdish region in
Turkey since 1984.
On
October 9, 2019, Turkish forces and Ankara-backed militants launched a
cross-border invasion of northeastern Syria in an attempt to push YPG militants
away from border areas.
Two
weeks after the invasion began, Turkey and Russia signed a memorandum of
understanding that asserted YPG militants had to withdraw from the
Turkish-controlled “safe zone” in northeastern Syria, after which Ankara and
Moscow would run joint patrols around the area.
Back
on June 14, an unnamed security source at the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG)
told the London-based al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper that the UAE had allegedly
provided financial aid to PKK militants in Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous
Kurdistan region.
The
source said KRG authorities had imposed limitations on money transfers coming
from the Persian Gulf state, and that the measure applied to all exchanges in
Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632928/UAE-spy-agency-YPG-Syria
--------
Mideast
Iranians
Commemorate Imam Hossein (AS) Martyrdom Anniversary Watching Hygiene Protocols
Aug
30, 2020
This
year's Moharram mourning ceremonies differ from previous years due to the
outbreak of the coronavirus global epidemic.
Every
year, Muslims across the globe, including in Iran, take to the streets in black
clads mourning over Imam Hossein (AS) martyrdom, reading prose and poetry and
beating their chests. But this year the National Coronavirus Combat and
Prevention Headquarters in Iran issued a long list of strict orders for all religious
bodies and Husseiniyahs (Imam Hossein Mourning Centers) across the country to
observe anti-coronavirus and social-distancing protocols.
Mourners
in Tehran dressed in black took to unroofed places considered by the health
authorities as safe hygienically, beating their chests with bare hands-rituals
and grieving the slaying of Imam Hossein (PBUH) while wearing masks and
respecting the social-distancing rules.
Songs
eulogizing Imam Hossein (PBUH) played over loudspeakers. Imam Hossein (PBUH)
and his companions were denied water by their enemies who controlled the nearby
Euphrates.
Similar
processions were staged in other cities across the nation of over 80 million
people.
Meantime,
a large number of people across Iran commemorated Ashoura by watching and
listening to grieving processions on TV and radio.
Ashoura
marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram, marking the martyrdom of
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)'s grandson, the revered Imam Hossein (PBUH) in the
Battle of Karbala, in modern-day Iraq nearly 1,400 years ago.
Imam
Hossein (PBUH) was martyred in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside
Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the Imam's holy shrine.
In
the battle, Imam Hossein (PBUH) was decapitated and his body mutilated by
Yazid's armies. All of Imam Hossein (AS)'s male family members, relatives,
friends, soldiers who all together formed a 72-member army were beheaded in an
unequal war with a 30,000-strong army of the enemy in the desert of Karbala.
The
occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson for the Shiites.
Imam
Hossein's martyrdom - recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song -
remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to Shiites, who make up a
majority of the Muslim population in Iran, Pakistan, Iraq and Bahrain.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990609000118
--------
Israel
hopes for Washington signing ceremony on UAE deal by mid-September
30
Aug 2020
Israel
hopes to hold a signing ceremony in Washington for its normalisation deal with
the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by mid-September, a member of Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet said on Sunday.
The
date for such an event could be decided by senior aides to Netanyahu and to US
President Donald Trump when those officials fly to Abu Dhabi on Monday for
talks, Israeli Regional Cooperation Minister OfirAkunis told public broadcaster
Kan.
Top
Trump adviser Jared Kushner and the other US delegates were due in Israel on
Sunday to prepare for the UAE mission.
“This
[normalisation] agreement is expected to be signed in the month of September in
the city of Washington,” Akunis said.
“That
is meant to be one of the outcomes of the talks in the next 24 hours in the
Emirates — setting a date for the signing.”
Akunis
added that the Netanyahu government hopes the ceremony will take place “before
our Rosh Hashanah” or Jewish new year, which is on September 18.
Israel
and the UAE announced on August 13 that they would normalise diplomatic
relations in a deal brokered by Trump. The agreement reshapes the Middle East
order, from the Palestinian issue to relations with Iran.
On
Saturday, the Gulf power announced it was scrapping its economic boycott
against Israel, allowing trade and financial agreements between the countries.
Officials
from the two countries have said they are looking at cooperation in defence,
medicine, agriculture, tourism and technology.
“We
are talking about commercial deals worth $500 million in the initial stages,
and this will keep rising all the time,” Akunis said.
Such
bilateral deals, he said, will give rise to “trilateral investments, in other
words, in additional projects with other countries in the region”. He did not
name these countries.
The
US and Israeli delegations are due to travel together to Abu Dhabi on an El Al
Israel Airlines Ltd plane, Israel's first direct flight between Tel Aviv and
the UAE capital.
El
Al released pictures of the Boeing 737-900 jet that will take the delegates.
The word “peace” in English, Hebrew and Arabic is inscribed on the exterior
above the cockpit windows for the occasion.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1577161/israel-hopes-for-washington-signing-ceremony-on-uae-deal-by-mid-september
--------
Iran
Blasts US, EU for Sheltering Terrorists
Aug
30, 2020
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry in a post on its official Twitter account on Saturday,
commemorated the national Day of Fight against Terrorism.
The
occasion is named after the 1981 assassination of then president Mohammad Ali
Rajaei and prime minister Mohammad JavadBahonar.
The
two and several other officials had convened at the Tehran office of the
Iranian prime minister in a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Defense Council when a
bomb explosion ripped through the building.
Survivors
said an aide, identified as Massoud Kashmiri, had brought a briefcase into the
conference room and then left.
Subsequent
investigations revealed that Kashmiri was an MKO operative, who had infiltrated
the then-prime minister’s office disguised as a state security official.
“Aug.
29, the national Day of Fight Against Terrorism, is the time to remember
President Rajaei and PM Bahonar who, 39yrs ago today, were martyred in a
bombing by the MEK terrorist group. Despite assassinating 1000s Iranians and
fighting alongside Saddam, MEK is sheltered by the US and EU,” the Foreign
Ministry wrote on its twitter page on Saturday.
The
MKO is listed as a terrorist organization by much of the international
community. Its members fled Iran in 1986 for Iraq, where they received support
from then dictator Saddam Hussein.
The
notorious outfit has carried out numerous attacks against Iranian civilians and
government officials for several decades.
In
2012, the US State Department removed the MKO from its list of designated
terrorist organizations under intense lobbying by groups associated to Saudi
Arabia and other regimes adversarial to Iran.
A
few years ago, MKO members were relocated from their Camp Ashraf in Iraq’s
Diyala Province to Camp Hurriyet (Camp Liberty), a former US military base in
Baghdad, and were later sent to Albania.
Those
members, who have managed to escape, have revealed MKO's scandalous means of
access to money, almost exclusively coming from Saudi Arabia.
The
MKO terrorist group specified the targets as martyred Lieutenant General Qassem
Soleimani, who commanded the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps
(IRGC), and Iranian Judiciary Chief Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi.
The
terrorist organization said it would “welcome” their assassination, adding that
it desired for the ranking officials to “join” AsadollahLajevardi, Tehran’s
former chief prosecutor, and Ali Sayyad-Shirazi, a former commander of the
Iranian Army’s Ground Forces during Iraq’s 1980-88 war against Iran.
Earlier
in June 2019, a leaked audio of a phone conversation between two members of
MKO, revealed Saudi Arabia has colluded with the MKO elements to frame Iran for
the recent tanker attacks in the Persian Gulf.
In
the audio, Shahram Fakhteh, an official member and the person in charge of
MKO’s cyber operations, is heard talking with a US-based MKO sympathizer named
Daei-ul-Eslam in Persian, IFP news reported.
In
this conversation, the two elements discuss the MKO’s efforts to introduce Iran
as the culprit behind the tanker attacks in the Persian Gulf, and how the
Saudis contacted them to pursue the issue.
“In
the past week we did our best to blame the [Iranian] regime for the (oil
tanker) blasts. Saudis have called Sister Maryam (Rajavi)’s office to follow up
on the results, [to get] a conclusion of what has been done, and the possible
consequences,” Fakhteh is heard saying.
“I
guess this can have different consequences. It can send the case to the UN
Security Council or even result in military intervention. It can have any
consequence,” Daei-ul-Eslam says.
Attacks
on two commercial oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on June 13, and an earlier
attack on four oil tankers off the UAE’s Fujairah port on May 12, 2019, have
escalated tensions in the Middle East and raised the prospect of a military
confrontation between Iran and the United States.
The
US, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE have rushed to blame Iran for the incidents, with
the US military releasing a grainy video it claimed shows Iranian forces in a
patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the side of a Japanese-owned
tanker which caught fire earlier this month.
It
later released some images of the purported Iranian operation after the video
was seriously challenged by experts and Washington’s own allies.
The
MKO which is said to be a cult which turns humans into obedient robots, turned
against Iran after the 1979 Revolution and has carried out several terrorist
attacks killing senior officials in Iran; yet the West which says cultism is
wrong and claims to be against terrorism, supports this terrorist group
officially.
After
the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the MKO began its enmity against Iran by
killings over 17,000 Iranians and terrorist activities. Several members of the
terrorist group and its leaders are living in France now, freely conducting
activities.
The
MKO terrorist group has martyred 17,161 Iranian citizens, including late
president Mohammad Ali Rajayee, former prime minister Mohammad JavadBahonar,
late Head of Supreme Judicial Council Ayatollah Mohammad Beheshti, late Deputy
Chief of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff Ali Sayyad Shirazi, and 27
legislators, as well as four nuclear scientists.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990609000153
--------
Senior
Legislator: Normalized Ties with UAE Not to Delay Israel's Collapse
Aug
30, 2020
"The
agreement on normalization of relations between the UAE and the Israeli regime
will not help to prevent the collapse and the process of demise of the Zionist
regime," Head of the International Diplomacy and National Interests
Faction of the Iranian parliament Hossein Noushabadi said.
He
condemned the agreement, calling it as against the interests of Islamic
countries and the regional people.
US
President Donald Trump on August 13 announced a deal brokered by his government
between Israel and the UAE which he said would lead to full normalization of
ties between the two.
Critics
see the deal as the latest attempt by Trump to save his presidential campaign
against the Democrat Joe Biden.
Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani decried the recent normalization deal between the UAE
and Israel, describing it as a gift to Trump before elections.
“These
days we have faced a neighboring country which has approached the enemy of the
Islamic world and the region and the murderer of the Palestinian nation in a
decision to get close to the Zionist regime,” Rouhani said, addressing a
meeting of the national coronavirus campaign headquarters in Tehran earlier
this month.
He
added that the UAE rulers are wrongly thinking that their security and economy
will improve through relations with Israel, noting that the measure is aimed at
helping Trump win the November elections.
“(The
UAE’s) measure is one hundred percent wrong and condemned,” Rouhani said.
He
warned the regional states not to pave the way for Israel to have a foothold in
the region.
In
a relevant statement on August 14, the Iranian foreign ministry strongly
condemned the UAE's decision to set up diplomatic relations with "the
Zionist regime of Israel" and termed it as a strategic act of idiocy by
Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv which will undoubtedly result in the further reinvigoration
of the axis of resistance in the region.
The
statement further stressed that "the oppressed nation of Palestine as well
as other freedom-seeking peoples worldwide will never forgive the sin of
normalization of the ties with the occupier and bloodthirsty regime of Israel
and also the act of those who approve and cooperate with its crimes".
Undoubtedly
the innocent bloods shed during the past seven decades of resistance to free
the sacred land of Palestine which is Muslims' first Qibla will sooner or later
take those that betrayed the Palestinian cause by the throat, it added.
The
statement also stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran considers as
dangerous Abu Dhabi's act of normalizing ties with the fabricated, illegitimate
and anti-human regime of Israel, and warns the Zionist regime against any kind
of meddling in the Persian Gulf region's equations.
The
UAE administration and all other governments which approve of this move should
be ready to take the responsibility of all the consequences of such a measure,
it further said.
The
Iranian foreign ministry's statement also noted that the history will
definitely demonstrate how this strategic mistake by the Zionist regime and the
dagger which stabbed both the Palestinian nation and the Muslim peoples in the
back will backfire and further strengthen the resistance axis by enhancing
unity and solidarity against the Zionist regime and the backward governments in
the region.
The
foreign ministry advised those rulers who, from inside their "glass castles",
hatch plots against the Palestinians and other regional oppressed nations,
including Yemen, to regain consciousness and stop erring in distinguishing
between friends and foes.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990609000305
--------
Spokesman:
Ashoura Role Model for Iranians in Resistance
Aug
30, 2020
"Ashura
is not just a day in history; it is a constant momentum between right and
wrong, dignity and humiliation, and liberty and coercion," Khatibzadeh
tweeted on Saturday.
"Iran's
consistency in resisting hegemony has roots in this culture. No power, no
matter how cruel, can take this away from a nation ready to sacrifice," he
added.
Ashoura
marks the climax of the Remembrance of Muharram, marking the martyrdom of
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)'s grandson, the revered Imam Hossein (PBUH) in the
Battle of Karbala, in modern-day Iraq 1,300 years ago.
Imam
Hossein (PBUH) was martyred in the 680 A.D. battle fought on the plains outside
Karbala, a city in modern Iraq that's home to the Imam's holy shrine.
In
the battle, Imam Hossein (PBUH) was decapitated and his body mutilated by
Yazid's armies. All of Imam Hossein's male family members, relatives, friends,
soldiers who
all
together formed a 72-member army were beheaded in an unequal war with a
30,000-strong army of the enemy in the desert of Karbala.
The
occasion is the source of an enduring moral lesson for the Shiites.
Imam
Hossein's martyrdom - recounted through a rich body of prose, poetry and song -
remains an inspirational example of sacrifice to Shiites, who make up a
majority of the Muslim population in Iran, Pakistan, Iraq and Bahrain.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990609000206
--------
Iranian
FM: Imam Hossein's Sacrifice Keeps Spirit of Resistance Alive
Aug
30, 2020
“Since
680 CE, millions of Muslims have commemorated the martyrdom of Imam Hussein,”
Zarif wrote on his twitter page on Saturday.
“Honoring
his great sacrifice has ingrained resistance to tyranny and injustice in hearts
and souls of his followers for centuries,” he added.
Zarif,
then, quoted a famous saying by the Infallible Imam that says, "I do not
see death but bliss, and life under tyranny but misery".
On
the 10th of the month of Moharram, in the 61st year of the Islamic Calendar
(680 ACE), in a barren land (which is now the city) of Karbala, some 100
kilometers Southwest of Baghdad, Imam Hossein (PBUH) - the grandson of the
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the third Imam of Shiite Islam - was savagely
slaughtered in battle and rose to martyrdom.
The
Battle of Karbala was the result of Imam Hossein (PBUH)'s attempt to liberate
the people of the region from the tyrannical rule of the second caliph of the
Ummayad Caliphate, Yazid I. Over the days preceding his martyrdom, Imam Hossein
(PBUH) and his small caravan of friends and family (between 72 and 124 men)
were surrounded by Yazid's army of thousands (over 30,000 armed men). They were
ultimately forbidden access to water for three days, and on the tenth day
(Ashoura), Yazid's army attacked in full force, killing all 72 of Imam Hossein
(PBUH)'s closest companions, including his six-month old son. The final and
most brutal casualty of Karbala was Imam Hossein (PBUH) himself, who sustained
countless unimaginable wounds from arrows, stones and swords before his throat
was cut off and he was decapitated while he was prostrating before the Lord in
prayer. Thus, on that day, Imam Hossein (PBUH) rose as a martyr and has
remained so for over a thousand years.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990609000141
--------
Israeli
tanks fire on Gaza after explosive balloons drift over border
30
August 2020
The
Israeli military said it struck militant targets in Gaza early on Sunday in
response to continued launches of explosives-laden balloons out of the
Hamas-run territory.
There
were no immediate reports of casualties on either side. But the violence comes
at a time when Gaza is struggling with a worsening economic crisis and a new
outbreak of the coronavirus.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app
Hamas-linked
groups have launched a wave of incendiary balloons into Israel in recent weeks,
torching wide swaths of farmland. Israel has responded with airstrikes and
other attacks. The army said Sunday's tank fire struck Hamas “military posts”
in southern Gaza, without elaborating.
Hamas
is pressing Israel to ease its blockade on Gaza and allow large-scale
development projects. Egypt and Qatar are trying to shore up an informal
cease-fire.
Those
efforts have grown more urgent in recent days as authorities in Gaza have
detected the first cases of local transmission of the coronavirus. Hamas has
imposed a lockdown in the coastal territory bordering Israel and Egypt, which
is home to 2 million Palestinians.
Israel
and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized power from rival
Palestinian forces in 2007. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep Hamas
from building up its arsenal, but critics view it as a form of collective
punishment. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and several smaller battles
since the closure was imposed.
The
restrictions have pushed the local economy to the brink of collapse, and years
of war and isolation have left the health care system ill-equipped to cope with
a major outbreak.
In
response to the recent attacks, Israel closed Gaza’s sole commercial crossing,
forcing its only power station to shut down for lack of fuel and leaving Gazans
with just a few hours of electricity a day. Israel has also closed the coastal
territory’s fishing zone.
The
UN's Mideast envoy, NickolayMladenov, last week warned the situation is
“rapidly deteriorating.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/08/30/Israeli-tanks-fire-on-Gaza-after-explosive-balloons-drift-over-border.html
--------
Hamas
vows to end all forms of Israeli siege on Gaza
30
August 2020
The
head of the political bureau of the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance movement
Hamas has called for an end to more than 12 years of Israeli all-out siege on
the coastal enclave, promising that it will spare no effort to achieve this
goal.
In
a statement released by his office on Sunday, Ismail Haniyeh said that Hamas
will continue to make efforts to end all forms of blockade on the Gaza Strip.
He
said “his movement and the people in Gaza are determined to confront the unjust
blockade until it is lifted entirely.”
“The
Hamas leadership is keenly following the current situation in the Gaza Strip as
well as the contacts and efforts being made by many parties to end the siege on
the Strip,” the statement read.
Elsewhere
in the statement, the Hamas leader expressed his confidence in the mediation
efforts being made by Egypt and Qatar to end the Israeli blockade on Gaza.
In
late July, Hamas said that the movement had turned down a $15-billion
development aid offer conditioned on disarming.
According
to Haniyeh, the hefty aid offer had been made in the context of US President
Donald Trump’s highly provocative ‘peace' plan, which would allocate billions
to Gaza for development if implemented.
Trump
had given Tel Aviv the green light to annex large parts of the West Bank and
Jordan Valley in his self-proclaimed “deal of the century,” which was unveiled
in January with the aim of legitimizing Israel’s occupation and re-drawing the
Middle East map.
The
scheme has drawn global condemnation. Still, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu says he is determined to carry on with it.
Trump’s
plan largely gives in to Israel’s demands while carving out a Palestinian state
with limited control over its own security and borders, enshrining the occupied
Jerusalem al-Quds as Israel’s “capital.”
Under
the US scheme, the future Palestinian state will consist of scattered lands
linked together via bridges and tunnels. The plan also denies Palestinian
refugees the right of return to their homeland, among other controversial
terms.
Hamas
has been defending the Palestinian cause against Israel for years.
The
Gaza Strip has been under an inhumane Israeli land, air and sea siege since
2007 and witnessed three wars since 2008. Israeli forces conduct regular air
raids on Palestinians in Gaza under the pretext of hitting Hamas targets.
The
Israeli siege has caused a decline in the standard of living as well as
unprecedented levels of unemployment and unrelenting poverty.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632952/Palestine-Gaza-Ismail-Haniyeh--Trump-Israel
--------
Israel
holding secret talks with 'many more Arab leaders': Netanyahu claims
30
August 2020
Israeli
prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Tel Aviv is currently engaged in “secret
talks” with many more Arab leaders for normalizing bilateral relations, days
after a much-condemned agreement on normalization between Israel and the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) was publicized.
“There
are many more unpublicized meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders to normalize
relations with Israel,” the Israeli premier claimed on Sunday, on the eve of
Israel's first commercial flight to the UAE.
The
Israel-UAE agreement “will pave the way for other countries to normalize their
ties with Israel,” Netanyahu added.
The
development came after Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv announced on August 13 that they
had reached an agreement that would lead to a full normalization of diplomatic
relations between the two sides.
The
highly controversial deal, which has since been widely condemned across the
occupied Palestinian territories and the Muslim world, was brokered by US
President Donald Trump, who has attempted to paint it as a big breakthrough.
The
UAE-Israel deal marks the third such normalization agreement the occupying
regime has struck with an Arab country after Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994).
The UAE, the first country in the Persian Gulf region to reach such a deal with
Tel Aviv, was already believed to have clandestine relations with Israel.
On
Saturday, the UAE announced it was scrapping its economic boycott against
Israel, allowing trade and financial accords between the two sides under the
recently-struck deal, which has been unanimously condemned by all Palestinian
factions, which describe it as a stab in the back of the oppressed nation.
Earlier
on Sunday, Israeli regional cooperation minister OfirAkunis said that Tal Aviv
expected to hold a signing ceremony for the agreement in Washington.
He
added that the precise date for the ceremony could be decided by senior aides
to Netanyahu and Trump when they fly to Abu Dhabi on Monday morning for talks.
The
American delegation is led by White House advisor Jared Kushner, who stood next
to Netanyahu during his remarks on Sunday.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632941/Palestine-Israel-Netanyahu-UAE-deal-normalization-US-flight
--------
We
denounce all forms of normalization, relations with Israel: Yemen’s Houthi
leader
30
August 2020
The
leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has condemned in the strongest
terms any attempt to normalize relations with Israel after the United Arab
Emirates (UAE) and the Tel Aviv regime reached an agreement to establish
diplomatic ties.
“We
denounce all forms of normalization and relations with Israel as it is religiously
forbidden. Our positions towards the issues of the Muslim world, particularly
the Palestinian issue, and solidarity with the peoples of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq,
Bahrain, the Islamic Republic of Iran besides oppressed Muslims in Myanmar,
India and Kashmir will remain unchanged,” Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said in a
televised speech broadcast live from Yemeni capital Sana’a on Sunday afternoon.
The
speech marked the occasion of Ashura, which falls on the 10th day of the lunar
calendar month of Muharram and commemorates the martyrdom of Imam Hussein
(PBUH) – Prophet Muhammad’s grandson and the third Shia Muslim Imam – in the
battle of Karbala in AD 680.
The
UAE and Israel announced the US-brokered agreement on August 13, sparking anger
among the Palestinians, who rejected the peace treaty as a stab in the back of
Palestine.
Emirati
officials have described the normalization deal with the Tel Aviv regime as a
successful means to stave off annexation and save the so-called two-state
solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but Israeli leaders have lined up
to reject the bluff and emphasized that the regime’s annexation plans were not
off the table.
Days
after the deal was announced, US Secretary of State toured a number of Arab
countries, which have long had unofficial ties with Israel, to push for more
normalization agreements with the occupying regime.
Elsewhere
in his remarks, Houthi highlighted that the ongoing battle nowadays is between
genuine Islam and the camp of hypocrisy and falsehood, between truth and
falsehood, and between vice and virtue.
“It
is a battle that does not accept neutrality. Our dear Yemeni Muslim nation has
made this choice and decided to adhere to Islam in its originality. The path
ensures freedom, independence and dignity, and rejects surrender to the brutal
tyranny of the United States and Israel in addition to compromise with the camp
of hypocrisy in the Muslim world spearhead by the Saudi and Emirati regimes,”
the Ansarullah chief pointed out.
He
added, “Confronting the brutal US, Saudi, Emirati and Zionist aggression
against our country is a principled position based on our faith and religious
obligations. It is a religious, humanitarian and patriotic duty, and whoever
neglects this obligation is indeed betraying his faith and identity.”
“Therefore,
we trust in God Almighty and will spare no effort to stand against such
aggression, whatever the scale of challenges might be and whatever the size of
the sacrifices required would be,” Houthi highlighted.
Saudi
Arabia and a number of its regional allies launched the campaign against Yemen
in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the government of former president Abd
Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power.
The
US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED), a nonprofit
conflict-research organization, estimates that the war has claimed more than
100,000 lives for more than the past five years.
The
Houthi movement, backed by the armed forces, has been defending Yemen against
the Saudi-led alliance, preventing the aggressors from fulfilling the objective
of their deadly campaign.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/08/30/632938/We-denounce-all-forms-of-normalization,-relations-with-Israel-Yemen-Houthi
--------
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