Ahmadis Flee Peshawar to Escape the Constant Threat to Their Lives and Their Place of Worship
New Age Islam News Bureau
03 December 2021
The Ahmadi community’s ‘Wall of martyrs’, showing
images of all Ahmadis that have been killed for their faith in Pakistan since
1947 [Al Jazeera]
-----
• Pakistan Negotiating A Deal with the
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan to Contain Surging Religious Extremism in the
Country
• Mosques in France Spray-Painted Wit Red Crosses of
Lorraine, Symbol of Gaullism and the Resistance to Spread Hatred and
Anti-Muslim Message
• Afghans Are Uncertain Taliban Supreme Leader
Hibatullah Akhundzada Is Alive or Dead
• US Is No More World Police, Cannot Impose Its Will
on Nations: Hamas Leader
• Court Re-Instates Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi to Libya’s
Presidential Race
Pakistan
• Pakistan Summons India Diplomat over ‘Mischievous
Spin’ To Gurdwara Shoot Gaffe
• Punjab Assembly seeks acceptance of Gwadar
protesters’ demands
--------
Europe
• Two dead after militant attack in northern Benin,
army says
• Pope to meet Cyprus' Orthodox leader to strengthen
ties
• Turkey urges Council of Europe against interfering
in its independent judiciary on Kavala case
• UN says Daesh committed war crimes at Iraqi prison
--------
South Asia
• Taliban need domestic legitimacy to be recognized:
Karzai
• Taliban: Several Iranian guards dead after Nimroz
border clashes
--------
Mideast
• Imam Khamenei: Besides defending geographical
borders, martyrs defend religious, spiritual, cultural borders
• Iran Dismisses S. Arabia's "Baseless"
Allegations of Military Presence in Yemen
• Iran gives drafts on sanctions removal, nuclear
commitments to European powers
• Israel calls on world powers to halt Iran nuclear
talks immediately
• Hamas outlines 3 priorities to support Palestinian
cause
--------
Africa
• 4 killed, many hurt in roadside blast in Somalia
terror attack
--------
India
• Samastha Kerala Jamaat ul Ulema Not in League with
Protest in Mosques Convened by the IUML
• Buddhist-Muslim tensions brewing in Ladakh’s Zanskar
region over interfaith marriage
• IS propaganda case: Maharashtra duo to plead guilty
• Omar Abdullah: BJP sees a Pakistani in every Muslim,
especially in J&K Muslims
• Mistaken for Muslim, man buried by cops exhumed
& cremated after week
--------
Southeast Asia
• Malaysia: Demand for Halal-Certified Products among
Non-Muslims on Rise
• Fewer non-Muslims say ‘I do’ as marriages decline by
10% in 2020
• Hamas lauds Malaysia for barring Israeli players
from squash event
• ‘Big brother’ attitude not helping MN talks, says
PAS veep
--------
Arab World
• Plight of Palestinians Still A Key Focus Of Saudi
Foreign Policy, Says Envoy
• Arab Coalition: 45 Houthi militia members killed in
Marib
• 7 Peshmerga, 3 civilians killed in Daesh/ISIS attack
in northern Iraq
• Oil workers killed in Islamic State attack in Syria
• Five suspects arrested in Kuwait over Hezbollah
financing charges
• Iraq's al-Sadr says ready to form 'national majority
government'
--------
North America
• US Senators Seek Sanctions on Iran Over Alleged Plot
To Kidnap Journalist
• Iran’s recent moves don’t give room for optimism on
new deal: Blinken
• ‘No cause for optimism’ on Iran nuclear deal: US
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ahmadi-peshawar-pakistan-worship/d/125890
--------
Ahmadis Flee Peshawar to Escape the Constant Threat to
Their Lives and Their Place of Worship
The Ahmadi community’s ‘Wall of martyrs’, showing
images of all Ahmadis that have been killed for their faith in Pakistan since
1947 [Al Jazeera]
-----
Dec 3, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The majority of Ahmadi families living in
Peshawar have sold their properties and fled to safer places to escape the constant
threat to their lives from the public in general in Pakistan’s northwest.
An estimated four million Ahmadis live in Pakistan, a
country of 220 million, and they face threats of death and intimidation. A
sustained hate campaign has been on against them for decades. Members of
Pakistan’s Ahmadi community do not reveal or speak about their faith in public.
They consider themselves Muslim but are constitutionally barred from declaring
and propagating their faith publicly, thus barring them from projecting
themselves, directly or indirectly, as Muslims.
While violent attacks against the community’s members
and their place of worship have been occurring in most parts of Pakistan, their
lives have been threatened by extremist elements in the Pashtun-dominated
northwestern belt of the country. A number of them were killed on allegations of
blasphemy. An old man, believed by his community to be insane, was gunned down
earlier inside a courtroom in Peshawar while proceedings were underway.
This part of Pakistan, adjacent to Afghanistan, has
been home to scores of radical madrasas representing their own interpretation
of Islam for decades.
Though Pakistan’s different Islamic sects and groups
have serious differences among them on a number of religious matters, they all
are one on the issue of the Ahmadi faith, considered heretical by many conservative
groups who want Ahmadis publicly punished. The resentment against them is so
intense that members of the community, accused of blasphemy, have been killed
before the dispensation of justice by courts.
The unending killing spree has forced most Ahmadis,
living in Peshawar and it’s nearby Achini area, to dispose of their properties
and shift to new places to hide their identities. "We no longer feel safe
here as people who know about our faith treat us as aliens. Our faith and
community are frequently condemned and denounced in religious sermons and
speeches in mosques and seminaries," said Asghar Ahmad, a community member
who has shifted his family from Peshawar to Punjab. He refused to reveal the
name of the city or town where he has shifted his family. "We don’t feel
safe even in our new homes but people, at least in new places, are unaware of
our identities," Ahmad added.
Most of the properties of Ahmadis in Achni locality
were bought by a local builder known locally as "Doctor". While many
locals could not afford to buy their lands, some affluent people were reluctant
to purchase them.
According to witnesses, the builder who bought the
properties much cheaper than the market price, had also bribed local clerics to
stay calm to ensure the safe shifting of families from their ancestral homes
for their new abodes.
The group, however, blames radical Islamic leaders for
often publicly denouncing Ahmadis and promising their killing earns the killer
a place in heaven. Human Rights Watch says that Pakistani authorities also
routinely arrest, jail and charge Ahmadis for blasphemy and other offences
because of their religious beliefs.
Source: Times of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Pakistan Negotiating A Deal with the Tehreek-i-Taliban
Pakistan to Contain Surging Religious Extremism in the Country
Supporters of Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan/ Photo
Diplomat
-----
By Umair Jamal
December 02, 2021
Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said
last month that the Pakistani state and government are not ready to tackle the
rising extremism in the country.
“Many people think that the remedial steps taken by us
[the government] are inadequate while the truth is that neither the government
nor the state is completely ready to fight extremism,” Fawad said, while
addressing a seminar organized by the Pakistan Institute of Peace Studies in
Islamabad.
Fawad’s admission that growing extremism in the
country poses a serious challenge to Pakistan’s stability comes after a series
of recent setbacks that forced the state into making deals with right-wing
Islamist groups of different sects.
Last month, the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a
Barelvi religious group, forced the government into allowing it to operate as a
political party even as the TLP’s workers had killed several law enforcement officials
in clashes. In recent years, the group has openly challenged Pakistan’s foreign
policy decisions and shown intent to take on the state without any hesitation.
Simultaneously, Pakistan has been negotiating a deal
with the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an organization of the Deobandi sect
that has killed thousands of Pakistanis over the last decade. Pakistan’s
decision to negotiate with the TTP comes years after the Pakistan military
carried out a massive military operation against the group in the country’s
tribal areas. The group has not only rebounded from that crippling military
offensive but has also managed to unite numerous factions under its leadership.
Some groups in Pakistan carry agendas with an intent
to spread their operations globally; others keep Afghanistan as a focus; some
are India-oriented while many consider the domestic landscape their target and
are sectarian. As a result, some of these groups wouldn’t shy away from
inciting violence against the state if their political interests are not
fulfilled by the ruling elite.
Some of these groups thrive as they receive support
from state institutions. For instance, one of the reasons that the TLP has
become a significant challenge for the Pakistani state is that the state itself
adheres to the narratives that are propagated by the radical group.
Unfortunately, what we see now is a race between different radical groups and
the government to prove who the bigger and better Muslim is and win over the
public’s support.
A few days ago, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan
asked universities to research the harmful effects of Western culture on
Pakistan’s family system. There is not a single speech of the prime minister
where he doesn’t link Pakistan’s economic troubles with citizens being lesser
Muslims.
The issue is further complicated by political parties.
They not only make electoral alliances with radical groups but also preach the
same sectarian hate when in need of public support against their political
foes.
Since the TLP’s restoration as a political party,
leaders from all major parties have visited the group’s headquarters.
Reportedly, the ruling party could even be considering making an alliance with
the TLP in the upcoming local body elections.
On the other hand, when opposition parties need to
weaken a government, their go-to weapon is bringing in religion to accuse the
ruling party of either working for the United States or Israel. They accuse the
government of attempting to make Pakistan a liberal country.
Unable to draw people to join its protest marches with
its raising of political and economic issues, the Pakistan Democratic Movement,
an opposition alliance, is now calling on the public to join a jihad against
the Imran Khan government, as religious rhetoric resonate with the masses. Its
main reason for appointing Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), as the president of the alliance is due to his
ability to mobilize and bring onto the streets thousands of students from his
massive madrassa network across Pakistan.
These moves by parties in government and the
opposition show that there is little will and intent in Pakistan’s political
class to tackle the issue of religious extremism as everyone has benefited from
radicalism one way or the other.
The country has become so radicalized that any attempt
by the state or the government to push back against the rising extremism could
very well backfire. Thus, for some, it’s too much risk and for others, it
doesn’t even constitute a problem.
The last major opportunity to challenge rising
extremism was when the country formed the National Action Plan (NAP) against
extremism in 2014. However, that plan has not moved beyond reports and
briefings.
For those in power, staying in power at any cost is
what matters, but Pakistan is suffering.
Umair Jamal is a correspondent for The Diplomat, based
in Lahore, Pakistan.
Source: The Diplomat
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://thediplomat.com/2021/12/pakistans-surging-religious-extremism/
--------
Mosques in France Spray-Painted Wit Red Crosses of
Lorraine, Symbol of Gaullism and the Resistance to Spread Hatred and
Anti-Muslim Message
In the first week of Oct 2021,an unknown letter of
threats and insults was received by “Eyup Sultan”, an under-construction mosque
in the French city of Strasbourg. The letter argued that Islam has no place in
France and that Muslims of France will have to make a choice between Islam and
Christianity.
-----
December 2, 2021
Recently two mosques in Besançon (Eastern France) were
spray-painted with six red crosses of Lorraine, symbol of Gaullism and the
Resistance.
According to the leaders of these places of worship,
these symbols were misused to spread hatred and deliver an anti-Muslim message.
In the first week of Oct 2021,an unknown letter of
threats and insults was received by “Eyup Sultan”, an under-construction mosque
in the French city of Strasbourg. The letter argued that Islam has no place in
France and that Muslims of France will have to make a choice between Islam and
Christianity.
Francehas the largest proportion of Muslims in the
Western world and thus Islamophobia making headlines in the country holds a
political significance.
There is a general perception that these acts
(attacking Islam) are a consequence of the presidential election campaign.
Amnesty Intl makes clear that ‘radicalization’ has
often been used as a euphemism for ‘devout Muslim’.
In this context, there is a need to highlight the
rising Islamophobia in France which is leading to human rights abuse in a
country which aggressively propels international watchdogs to put target
countries under sanctions or in black listing on the pretext of human rights.
Reportedly, French govt has already shut down
one-third of 89 mosques since Nov 2020 while action is in hand to close six
more mosques in Sarthe, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Cote-d’Or, Rhone and Gard regions.
Criticisms against Muslims over their religious
attire, eating habits and supposed inability to integrate gained a common place
in mainstream media, as well as in political discourse. However, it was not
restricted to words alone.
Senior officials including the mayor of Nice,
Christian Estrosi, and other politicians have labeled Muslims as 5th Column
(CinquièmeColonne).
Islamophobia became a legal form of discrimination in
2004. France banned headscarves in public and private schools in 2004 and Niqab
in 2011; Municipal bans on swimwear for Muslim women are in addition.
Below are two different incidents that are clear
manifestation of double standards of French government and their strange ways
of honoring free speech.
On the sidelines of the Parisian rally of “yellow
vests”, two people were arrested on 20 November 2021 because of an offensive
tag on a van featuring cartoon of Emmanuel Macron.
Caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are justified
because it falls under French legal right of freedom of expression but
caricature of President Macroon is an offense. Where is freedom of expression?
What a hypocrisy?
In November 2020, French Muslim students aged 8, 9 and
10 had been declared to the local prosecutor for refusing to rise to pay
respect to slain Samuel Patty (reference offensive caricatures of holy Prophet
of Islam (PBUH).
The school authorities took students’ refusal as
disrespect to French values and freedom of expression.
For France, which is home to roughly five million
(nearly 1/10th of population) Muslim inhabitants, it is not wise to
systematically refer to French Muslims by their racial or geographic origins.
Putting Muslims at the center of public debates has
meant that more crucial issues for French citizens have been ignored.
Reveal the gap between legal protections in theory
versus what is extended to the Muslim minority community in practical.
In theory, European countries including France have
enacted laws that protect the freedom of religion. In practice, however,
competing interests from time to time supersede these laws.
Source: ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://en.abna24.com/news//islamophobia-in-france-on-rise_1204345.html
--------
Afghans Are Uncertain Taliban Supreme Leader
Hibatullah Akhundzada Is Alive or Dead
Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada
-----
Dec 3, 2021
KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN: When the Taliban overran Kabul
in mid-August, seizing power for the second time, the years-old mystery over
the whereabouts of the movement's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada deepened
further.
Whether the elderly cleric is alive or dead is
something many Afghans are uncertain about, and even the most dedicated
analysts have doubts about who is really leading the group.
AFP went on the trail of the elusive leader, and the
findings are inconclusive.
On October 30 - two months after a Taliban spokesman
insisted Akhundzada was alive and well in Kandahar - rumours swirled in the
southern city that the "emir" had delivered a speech at a Koranic
school, or madrassa.
Taliban officials gave their stamp of authenticity to
his appearance at the Hakimia madrassa, releasing a crackling audio recording
lasting more than 10 minutes.
"May God reward the oppressed people of
Afghanistan who fought the infidels and the oppressors for 20 years,"
intones an aged and echoing voice, said to be that of Akhundzada.
His public profile had previously been largely limited
to annual written messages released for Islamic holidays.
In one of the poorest suburbs of Kandahar, between a
litter-strewn stream and a dirt track, two Taliban fighters stand guard in
front of the Hakimia madrassa's blue-and-white gate.
It has become something of a magnet since October 30,
attracting curious - albeit respectfully distant - crowds of Taliban
supporters.
When the supreme leader visited, he was
"armed" and accompanied by "three security guards", the
madrassa's head of security Massum Shakrullah told AFP.
"Even cellphones and sound recorders" were
not allowed into the venue, he added.
One of the students, Mohammed, 19, said "we all
were watching him and were just crying".
Asked if he could confirm that it was definitely
Akhundzada, Mohammed said he and his peers were so overjoyed that they
"forgot to watch... his face".
The need for Taliban leaders to keep vanishingly low
profiles became especially pronounced in the last decade of war, as deadly US
drone strikes multiplied.
Akhundzada rose to the top spot after one such strike
killed his predecessor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, in 2016.
He quickly secured the backing of al-Qaida chief Ayman
al-Zawahiri, who called him "the emir of the faithful".
This endorsement by Osama bin Laden's heir helped seal
his jihadist credentials with the Taliban's long-time allies.
The Taliban have released just one photograph of
Akhundzada - five years ago, when he took the group's reins.
And even that photo, depicting him with a grey beard,
white turban and a forceful gaze, was taken two decades prior, according to the
Taliban.
The supreme leader's appearance scotched "rumours
and propaganda" about his death, said Maulvi Said Ahmad, who heads the
madrassa where Akhundzada reportedly appeared.
He looked "exactly the same" as in the
famous photo, said Mohammad Musa, 13, who watched from afar.
Officials of the ousted Afghan regime and many Western
analysts are sceptical, believing that Akhundzada died years ago.
For them the madrassa visit was a carefully
choreographed deception.
There is a precedent - the Taliban pretended founder
Mullah Omar was alive for two years following his death in 2013.
Akhundzada himself "has long been dead and had no
role before the takeover of Kabul", one security official of the former
regime told AFP.
He was killed alongside his brother in a suicide
attack in Quetta, Pakistan, "about three years ago", the source
believes.
This theory, sometimes with slight variations, is seen
as credible by several foreign intelligence agencies.
A separate regional security source told AFP that
"nobody would confirm and nobody would deny" Akhundzada's purported
death.
The Pentagon and the CIA, meanwhile, did not respond
to AFP's request for comment on the rumours of Akhundzada's death.
In Panjwai, a district on a vast arid plateau near
Kandahar, everyone knows of the Akhundzadas, a line of respected theologians.
The emir was born in the village of Sperwan.
"At the time of the Soviet invasion (1979)
fighting broke out in the village and Hibatullah left for Pakistan,"
Niamatullah, a young fighter and former student of the supreme leader, told
AFP.
After this first move to Pakistan, Akhundzada became a
respected scholar and earned the title "Sheikh al-Hadith", a
distinction reserved for the most eminent scholars of the Prophet Mohammed's
sayings.
In the early 1990s, as the Islamist insurgency was
taking hold in the wake of the Soviet occupation, Akhundzada, then in his
thirties, returned to the village.
He would hold consultations with visitors from
"the city and from Pakistan", remembers Abdul Qayum, a 65-year-old
villager.
According to snippets from his official biography, his
rise was meteoric after the Taliban took power in Kabul in 1996.
After running the local madrassa, he became a judge at
Kandahar provincial court, then head of the military court in Nangarhar in
eastern Afghanistan until 2000.
By the time the Taliban were forced from power in late
2001, he was heading Kabul's military court.
Akhundzada then fled to Pakistan, finding sanctuary in
Quetta.
His mastery of Islamic law made him the head of the
Taliban's shadow justice system and the acclaimed trainer of a whole generation
of fighters who graduated through Quetta.
Akhundzada was "the centre of gravity for the
Taliban ... keeping the group intact", one Pakistan-based Taliban member
told AFP.
According to this source, who says he has met the
supreme leader three times -- the last time in 2020 -- Akhundzada does not use
modern technology.
He prefers to make phone calls on landlines and
communicates via letters to the Taliban officials who now make up the
government and with whom he retains a strong rapport.
He would have given the green light to the final
offensive against the old regime and kept track of operations from Kandahar,
where he had already been discreetly installed for several months, the
Pakistani source said.
The continued fear of elimination, even after the end of
the war with the Americans, explains Akhundzada's continued low profile,
several Taliban sources say.
And if he were already dead, a regional security
source said, concerns over the rival Sunni extremist group, the Islamic State's
local chapter (IS-K), would in part explain the Taliban concealing the news --
as any such announcement could prompt defections.
"If they announce Akhundzada is no more and we
are looking for a new emir, it will factionalise the Taliban and IS-K could
take advantage," he said.
Despite the speculation, the Taliban insist nothing is
untoward.
The emir is "leading in an orderly manner",
a spokesman told AFP, adding "it is not necessary" for him to appear
publicly.
Source: Times of India
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
US Is No More World Police, Cannot Impose Its Will On
Nations: Hamas Leader
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the political bureau of
Palestinian Hamas resistance movement (file photo)
------
02 December 2021
The leader of the political bureau of Palestinian
Hamas resistance movement says the recent withdrawal of American forces from
Afghanistan proved that the United States is no more the world police and
cannot impose its will on other nations.
Ismail Haniyeh made the remarks while addressing a
ceremony in Turkey in which he elaborated on the latest regional and
international developments.
Haniyeh said US forces’ retreat from Afghanistan will
be followed with similar troop pullouts from other parts of the world, as a
result of which Washington’s allies, especially the Zionist regime, will find
themselves in a weaker position.
“The US is no more the world police and cannot impose
its will on other nations,” the Hamas chief pointed out.
The US military withdrew its forces from Afghanistan
20 years after they invaded the country to topple the Taliban, in a war that
killed, according to one estimate, between 897,000 and 929,000 people.
Since the Taliban regained power in Afghanistan, the
US and its allies have imposed sanctions on the Central Asian country and
deprived Afghans of any aid and assistance on the pretext of pressuring the
Taliban.
However, human rights activists maintain that economic
sanctions generally do not punish the rulers, but rather, hurt the population,
lead to mass starvation, and fuel extremism in the targeted country.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Haniyeh underscored that
Arab and Muslim nations have three priorities, that is, boosting the status of
Israeli-occupied al-Quds and al-Aqsa Mosque, supporting the Palestinian
resistance front, and thwarting efforts made by some Arab countries to
normalize their relations with the Tel Aviv regime.
The Hamas leader went on to call resistance a
strategic and long-standing option.
He emphasized that cooperation among Muslim nations
against the occupying Israeli regime is a true partnership, and that Muslims
have never shirked their responsibility to defend al-Quds and Palestine.
“It is high time to wage the historic battle with the
Zionist enemy,” the Hamas leader said.
Haniyeh stressed that Muslim nations urgently need to
form a united front against Israel, and to draw up a complete plan to prevent
normalization of relations with the Zionist regime.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Court
Re-Instates Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi To Libya’s Presidential Race
Saif
Al-Islam Qaddafi, son of deposed dictator Muamar Qaddafi, has been allowed to
stand in Libya’s presidential elections planned for 24 December 2021 (Photo:
HNEC).
-----
By
Sami Zaptia
02
December 2021
The
Sebha Court of Appeal today reinstated Saif Al-Islam Qaddafi, son of the late
dictator Muamar Qaddafi, to Libya’s presidential elections planned for 24
December 2021.
The
court session had been delayed for a week after armed groups/militias/ soldiers
identified as being aligned to Khalifa Hafter had initially prevented the case
from going ahead.
International
pressure as well as reinforcements from the Tripoli government ensured that the
judges were able to sit today.
The
judges accepted Saif’s appeal against his disqualification by the High National
Elections Commission (HNEC).
The
court was surrounded by Saif’s supporters who celebrated the court decision.
It
will be recalled that HNEC had disqualified Saif on 24 November (along with
another 24 applicants) from standing in the presidential elections by virtue of
articles 10/7, for having a previous final conviction of a crime, and 17/5, for
failing to obtain a certificate for no previous judgements.
Source: Libya Herald
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Pakistan summons India diplomat over ‘mischievous spin’ to gurdwara shoot gaffe
December
2, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
A senior diplomat of the India diplomat mission was summoned to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Thursday to convey Pakistan’s “categorical rejection of
the mischievous spin given by India to an isolated incident” at Gurdwara Darbar
Sahib.
Last
week, a model, Sauleha Imtiaz, who describes herself as a digital creator on
her Instagram profile, had posted bareheaded photos and videos of herself at
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. The pictures were also shared by a clothing brand.
The
model came under scrutiny after the pictures went viral on social media
platforms, inviting criticism from Sikh circles.
The
gurdwara — built at the site where Guru Nanak Dev, the founder of Sikhism, is
believed to have died in 1539 — is one of the holiest shrines for Sikhs.
Realising
the gaffe, Imtiaz Tuesday issued an apology on her Instagram account. “It
wasn’t done to hurt anyone sentiments or anything for that matter. However, if
I have hurt anyone or they think that I don’t respect [their] culture. I am
sorry,” she wrote.
The
same day, the spokesperson of India’s foreign ministry, Arindam Bagchi, said
the “reprehensible incident” had deeply hurt the sentiments of the Sikh
community in India and across the world.
“Such
continued incidents of desecration and disrespect of places of religious
worship of the minority communities in Pakistan highlight the lack of respect
for the faith of these communities,” Bagchi added.
in
its statement today, the Foreign Office said: “It was conveyed to the Indian
diplomat that the incident was swiftly addressed and clarified.”
It
said the government accorded “highest primacy to the rights of the minorities”.
“Sanctity of religious places and revered sites of every community is ensured
in Pakistan.”
Source: Pakistan Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Punjab
Assembly seeks acceptance of Gwadar protesters’ demands
December
3, 2021
LAHORE:
A resolution in the Punjab Assembly has urged the federal government to accept
the demands of the people of Gwadar without any delay.
PML-N
MPA Samiullah Khan submitted the resolution in the PA on Thursday. It said this
House demanded from the federal government to listen to the grievances of the
people of Gwadar who had been protesting for the last many days and address
their problems on a priority basis.
The
resolution said it was a matter of concern that the protesters included a large
number of women and children and they had taken to the street for their just
demands. Gwadar played an important role in the progress of the country and
ignoring its residents would not be wise on the part of the government, it said
and demanded that the federal government must act immediately to improve the
law and order situation after redressing the grievances of the protesters.
A
large number of women along with their children had been taking to the street
of the port city since Monday last in solidarity with the movement launched for
the rights of the people of Gwadar and other areas of Makran. The demonstrators
including women who reached Gwadar city from Turbat, Ormara, Jewani, Pasni and
other areas of Gwadar district, staged a sit-in. The protesters say the people
of Gwadar have been deceived in the name of CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor) as they have not benefited from it.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1661639/punjab-assembly-seeks-acceptance-of-gwadar-protesters-demands
--------
Europe
Two
dead after militant attack in northern Benin, army says
02
December 2021
Two
people were killed and several wounded when Islamist militants attacked an army
position in northern Benin on Wednesday night, the army said.
The
attack in Porga region was the second in Benin this week, after militants
attacked an army patrol in the department of Alibori on Tuesday morning, said
army chief Colonel Fructueux Gbaguidi, in an internal statement seen by
Reuters.
One
jihadist was killed by troops in Tuesday's attack, he said, and one assailant
also died on Wednesday night.
Militant
attacks are uncommon in Benin, but groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State
are active in its northern neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger and have made increasing
incursions south.
Islamist
militant violence has ravaged much of West Africa's Sahel region, and states
such as Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast and Ghana have been on guard for the militants
to attempt to extend their reach towards the Gulf of Guinea.
"This
new test reminds us in blood and pain that the danger on the ground is
real," said Gbaguidi in his note to officers.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/two-dead-after-attack-northern-benin-army-says
--------
Pope
to meet Cyprus' Orthodox leader to strengthen ties
Dec
3, 2021
NICOSIA:
Cyprus, Pope Francis plans to meet with the leader of Cyprus' Greek Orthodox
Church on Friday with the aim of further mending an ideological and political
rift between the Catholic West and the Orthodox East that dates back nearly a
millennium.
Francis
and Archbishop Chrysostomos II are meeting on the second day of the pope's
three-day Cyprus trip. The two will join the Holy Synod, the highest
decision-making body of the Greek Orthodox Church. Francis is scheduled to
preside over an ecumenical prayer service with migrants later in the day.
Although
Cyprus comprises a tiny part of the Eastern Orthodox community with around
800,000 faithful, Cypriot church leaders point to the Mediterranean island's
role as the "gateway" to Christianity's westward expansion owing to
its proximity to the faith's birthplace.
Christianity
first spread to Cyprus in 45 AD, when the Apostle Paul converted the island's
Roman governor, Sergius Paulus, while on the first stop of his first mission to
spread the faith. The Cypriot Church was itself said to have been founded by
another apostle, Barnabas.
Francis
has made Cyprus' connection to the roots of Christianity a focal point of his
visit. Cypriot Church leaders are keen to strengthen ties with the Holy See
since minority Christian communities in nearby countries fear that their faith
is under attack amid armed conflicts.
Cyprus
itself carries the scars of war. The nation divided along ethnic lines in 1974
when Turkey invaded following a coup aimed at uniting the island with Greece.
After the ethnic split, 170,000 Christians fled the breakaway Turkish Cypriot
north, where churches, monasteries and other Christian monuments have been
destroyed.
Tens
of thousands of Muslim Turkish Cypriots fled northward following the end of
hostilities.
The
destruction of Christian places of worship is among the key issues that
Archbishop Chrysostomos is expected to raise with Francis in hopes that the
pontiff's political muscle will help reignite stalled talks to reunify Cyprus.
Upon
his arrival on Thursday, Francis urged Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to
resume the talks, saying threats and shows of force only prolong the
"terrible laceration" the island's people have endured for nearly a
half-century.
"Let
us nurture hope by the power of gestures, rather than by gestures of power,"
Francis told Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades and other government leaders
at the presidential palace, located in the internally recognized, Greek
Cypriot-led south.
Prospects
for unifying the island have rarely been as bleak as they are now. Turkish
Cypriots, under their newly elected leader Ersin Tatar, changed their
prerequisites for peace and demanded recognition of a separate state before any
deal can even be discussed.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey
urges Council of Europe against interfering in its independent judiciary on
Kavala case
Beyza
Binnur Dönmez
02.12.2021
Turkey
on Thursday urged the Council of Europe against interfering in the country's
independent judiciary on the case of Osman Kavala.
"In
line with the principle of respect for pending judicial proceedings, we call on
the Council of Europe to avoid taking further steps (on the Kavala case), which
would mean interference in the independent judiciary," said a statement by
the Foreign Ministry.
The
statement came after the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe said
it would refer to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) the question of
whether Turkey had executed a previous judgement by the court on Kavala.
"Everyone,
and above all the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe should
respect and trust in legal proceedings conducted by independent and impartial
courts," said the ministry.
It
underlined that, as a founding member of the Council of Europe, Turkey is
"aware of its responsibilities stemming from the European Convention on
Human Rights" and noted that the country had so far executed 3,674
judgments by the court, including 128 this year.
"The
Committee of Ministers, which supervises the execution of European Court of
Human Rights judgments, has currently a large number of cases on its agenda. We
view it as an inconsistent approach to regularly keep the Kavala judgment on
the agenda, while there are older judgments concerning variety of issues, which
are yet to be executed by other States," said the ministry.
It
also added that taking steps against certain countries "based on political
considerations rather than legal and equitable criteria" undermines the
reputation of Council of Europe.
"If
the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe wishes to maintain the
effectiveness of the human rights system, it should stop this biased and
selective approach and address the execution of ECtHR judgments in an impartial
way with respect to all member States," said the statement.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UN
says Daesh committed war crimes at Iraqi prison
December
03, 2021
UNITED
NATIONS: The head of a UN team investigating atrocities in Iraq said that Daesh
extremists committed crimes against humanity and war crimes at a prison in
Mosul in June 2014, where at least 1,000 predominantly Shiite Muslim prisoners
were systematically killed.
Christian
Ritscher told the UN Security Council on Thursday that evidence collected from
mass graves containing the remains of victims of executions carried out at
Badush Central Prison and from survivors shows detailed preparations of the
attack by senior Daesh members followed by an assault on the morning of June 10
that year.
“Prisoners
captured were led to sites close to the prison, separated based on their
religion and humiliated,” he said. “At least 1,000 predominantly Shiite
prisoners were then systematically killed.”
Ritscher
said the investigators’ analysis of digital, documentary, survivors and
forensic evidence, including Daesh documents, has identified a number of
members from the extremist group, also known as IS or ISIL, who were
responsible for the crimes.
As
a result of the investigations, he said the UN Investigative Team to Promote
Accountability for Crimes committed by the Daesh group in Iraq has concluded
that Daesh committed “crimes against humanity of murder, extermination,
torture, enforced disappearances, persecution and other inhumane acts” at
Badush prison as well as the “war crimes of willful killing, torture, inhumane
treatment, and outrage upon personal dignity.”
Daesh
fighters seized Iraqi cities and declared a self-styled caliphate in a large
swathe of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The group was formally declared
defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year bloody battle that left tens of
thousands dead and cities in ruins, but its sleeper cells continue to launch
attacks in different parts of Iraq.
In
May, Ritscher’s predecessor Karim Khan told the council that investigators had
found “clear and compelling evidence” that Daesh extremists committed genocide
against the Yazidi minority in 2014. He also said the militant group
successfully developed chemical weapons and used mustard gas.
Ritscher
hailed the “landmark moment” two days ago that saw the first-ever conviction of
a Daesh member for the crime of genocide at the regional court in Frankfurt,
Germany. The 29-year-old Iraqi was also convicted of crimes against humanity,
war crimes and bodily harm resulting in death over the death of a 5-year-old
Yazidi girl he had purchased as a slave with her mother and then chained up in
the hot sun to die.
“We
now have the chance, collectively, to make such prosecutions the norm, not a
celebrated exception,” Ritscher said. “In cooperation with Iraqi authorities
and those of the Kurdistan region, together with survivors and with the support
of this council, we are building the evidence that can deliver meaningful
justice for all those who suffered from ISIL crimes in Iraq.”
Ritscher
said evidence collected relating to the Badush prison attacks underlined the
detailed planning by Daesh in carrying out their atrocities.
The
extremist group’s approach “is seen even more clearly in two other key lines of
investigation that have accelerated in the last six months: the development and
use of chemical and biological weapons by ISIL, and the financial mechanisms
through which it sustained its campaign of violence,” he said.
The
team’s evidence also “shows that ISIL clearly identified and then seized
chemical production factories and other sources of precursor material, while
also overtaking the University of Mosul campus as a hub for research and
development,” Ritscher said.
The
extremist group’s program became more sophisticated and investigators have
identified more than 3.000 victims of Daesh chemical weapons attacks as well as
its use of rocket artillery projectiles containing a mustard sulfur agent, he
said.
In
his next briefing to the Security Council, Ritscher said he will present the
team’s findings on Daesh’s use of chemical weapons including the crimes it
committed.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1980006/middle-east
--------
South Asia
Taliban
need domestic legitimacy to be recognized: Karzai
02
Dec 2021
Afghanistan’s
former president Hamid Karzai in his recent interview said the Taliban’s
government must represent the entire Afghan population and gain domestic
legitimacy to be recognized by the International Community.
Hamid
Karzai said the Taliban need grand assembly-Loya Jirga- to gain legitimacy
inside the country.
The
former president asked for the recognition of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan but added that domestic legitimacy is vital and these two should
happen parallel.
“There
are some non-Taliban figures in Afghanistan’s government but the situation
should get better and the government be inclusive and include women in the
apparatus.” Said, Karzai.
Karzai
said that the Afghan people do not want inference in their internal issues and
that the world must engage with the Taliban to be supported.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-need-domestic-legitimacy-to-be-recognized-karzai-9676/
--------
Taliban:
Several Iranian guards dead after Nimroz border clashes
December
02, 2021
KABUL:
Taliban authorities said on Thursday that Iranian forces had suffered at least
nine casualties during clashes on the Afghanistan-Iran border after fuel
smuggling attempts from the Iranian side.
Fighting
between the two countries’ respective security forces broke out in Konjak,
Nimroz province in southwestern Afghanistan on Wednesday at around midday, and
continued until the late evening. Local authorities and witnesses said the
Taliban seized three Iranian check posts.
In
a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the clashes were
triggered by “a misunderstanding at the local level” and that “the situation is
now under control with the understanding of both sides.”
The
spokesperson for the governor of Nimroz, Salahudin Ayobi, told Arab News
tensions had been resolved and the “misunderstanding” had been over fuel smuggling.
“The
main issue of this misunderstanding was smuggling fuel to Afghanistan. During
this battle at least nine Iranian border forces were killed and injured,” he
said, adding that one Taliban fighter was wounded.
Iranian
authorities did not confirm the numbers.
Qiam
Mawlawi, a Taliban commander in the Konjak district of Nimroz, said the clash
was prompted by the Iranians.
“We
responded to their misbehavior,” he said. “Currently the situation has turned
back to normal, but we are on standby.”
While
Iranian media reported the fighting started following a dispute among residents
and denied the capture of border check posts, locals said Taliban forces had
crossed the border into Iran.
“The
Taliban were able to capture Borjak, Melak and Shah Balak check posts from
Iranian forces, and heavy (gun)fire (took place) between both sides,” Abdul
Satar, Konjak resident, told Arab News.
Sabrina
Zory, a civil activist in Nimroz, said the clashes started when Taliban forces
stopped a fuel tanker crossing through Borjak. “
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1979871/world
--------
Mideast
Imam
Khamenei: Besides defending geographical borders, martyrs defend religious,
spiritual, cultural borders
December
2, 2021
The
officials in charge of holding the Martyrs of Ilam Commemoration Ceremony met
with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyyah on
Sunday, November 21, 2021. Imam Khamenei's statements in this meeting were
broadcast on Thursday, December 2, at the site of the Martyrs of Ilam
Commemoration Ceremony.
The
following is the full text of the speech delivered on November 21, 2021, by
Imam Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution:
In
the Name of God, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Praise
God, the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master,
Muhammad, and upon his pure Household.
You
are very welcome here, dear brothers and sisters. I thank you very much for
organizing this Commemoration Ceremony and for making this very valuable move.
I saw the exhibition before coming into the Hussainiyyah, and the services
rendered are very good. Of course, these peripheral, promotional activities
should be carried out very much at such commemoration ceremonies, and I hope
God will help you to do so.
During
the Sacred Defense, Ilam was like a strong fortress. Although some cities of
the province were lost for a short period of time – some areas of the province
were occupied by the vicious Munafiqeen [MEK] – the province stood firm like a
mountain, similar to the Meimak Summit which I stood on and where I witnessed
the magnificent work done by our dear soldiers. The province of Ilam stood up
to the vicious enemy, Saddam and his collaborators, just like that summit.
First
of all, the province was attacked sooner than other provinces, as mentioned by
the gentlemen in this meeting. The enemy attacked Ilam before it officially
attacked Tehran and other parts of the country. And the first martyr – martyred
on a Saturday, as pointed out by one of the gentlemen – was actually martyred
before the outbreak of the war in Ilam. In other words, the entire population
of the province of Ilam were among those involved in the Sacred Defense.
Later
on too, some unique events took place in Ilam. Unfortunately, our own people
are not aware of these events, let alone other nations which are interested to
know about the incidents and events that have taken place in our country. Even
our own people are not aware of these events, much less those nations. One of
those events was the bombardment of a soccer match where children were playing
soccer in the year 1365 AH [1987 AD].
On
February 12, 1987, two young teams from Ilam played in a soccer match in
commemoration of the 7th victory of the Revolution. The people had gathered
there as well as spectators, but an Iraqi plane struck them from up close. In
other words, it knew what was happening there. It is not the case that it
dropped bombs by accident. It dropped them on purpose, and as a result, 10 of
those soccer players were martyred. The referee, a number of children and some
spectators were martyred as well. This is not a minor incident. This is a very
important event.
It
is necessary for these events to be made known to people on a global level.
They should be repeatedly mentioned here and there, because this is the message
of the innocence of our athletic martyrs whose only crime was that they had
organized a soccer match for the Islamic Republic. With the support of which
power did the malicious Saddam commit that appalling, brazen crime? Who was
behind him?
The
same people who used to support that bloodthirsty wolf on that day are claiming
to be advocates of human rights today! They describe themselves as the
guardians of human rights throughout the whole world. There is so much
brazenness and shamelessness in the actions of these powers. Who should reveal
their true colors? Who should reveal these truths? Our artists and our writers
have a heavy load on their shoulders. They have a heavy duty. These things
should be presented to the world using art as the medium. They should make
films about these events. In the case of the massacre at the soccer match, they
should write stories, make films and compose memoirs. These actions should be
taken.
One
of the unique characteristics of the province of Ilam is that there are
families with two, three, four, five, six or ten martyrs – as pointed out by
the gentlemen. There is one family with ten martyrs, another with nine, another
with eight and some with five or six martyrs. This is only easy in words, but
it is truly difficult to even think about it. Ilam is like this. There are such
families in Ilam. It was mentioned that some members of these families are
present in this Commemoration Ceremony. I hope that God will bestow His mercy
and grace on all of you.
Another
characteristic of Ilam was the wholehearted presence of people from all social
backgrounds, from scholars to the common people. For instance, the late Sheikh
Abdulrahman Heidari (may God’s mercy be upon him) was with me on the Meimak
Hills. He was with me at the top of that summit. He was with me everywhere I
went. I visited Ilam several times, both before and after my presidency. He was
always present in the field of battle as long as he was alive. He would take
his gun and was ready to fight at all times in the true sense of the word.
The
same is true of the common people and the numerous tribes in Ilam. Those who
could fight were present in the field and the masses of the people helped in
the resistance. One of the gentlemen in the meeting stated that the people did
not leave the city. I myself saw this with my own eyes in the city of Ilam. The
enemy planes would regularly strike the city repeatedly. In those times, no one
would remain on the streets and the people would go to one of the deserts or
forests around the city. After the bombardment had finished, they would go back
to the city. That is, this way of leaving and coming back to the city had
become a routine activity for the people. But they never completely left the
city or the province, and they stood firm.
It
was during the time of those bombardments and in that difficult situation that
a genius, namely Martyr Rezaei-Nejad, grew up. Martyr Rezaei-Nejad was a
nuclear scientist who was martyred. His scientific importance was so immense
that the enemy felt his existence would help the Islamic Republic progress, and
so they assassinated him. They martyred him in front of his wife and small
daughter. That young scientist had spent his youth witnessing those
bombardments and those difficult circumstances in Ilam. In other words, the
pressures brought by the enemy and the war could not stop the people of this
province from showing their talents. This is very important. People like this
dear martyr – Martyr Rezaei-Nejad – have a high spiritual status as well as a
scientific status. The reason for their high spiritual status is the fact that
they were martyred, because martyrdom is not achieved easily. Martyrdom and
obtaining this rank require the existence of certain prerequisites in the
nature and actions of individuals. Without these prerequisites, martyrdom is
not granted to anyone. That young scientist possessed that high spiritual
status, and that was why he was martyred. Otherwise, one will not become a
martyr without these qualities.
An
important point is that the province of Ilam has given over three thousand
martyrs. Other provinces too have each given many martyrs in proportion with
their population and their situation. We should understand the concept of
martyrdom correctly because martyrdom does not mean merely being a victim of
the war. Well, there are many people who participate in wars and who are killed
in their countries’ wars. Many of them are killed in defending the geographical
borders of their country and are remembered as patriots and heroes. Of course,
some are mercenaries, but the rest are remembered as I’ve said.
However,
our martyrs are not like this. Those of our soldiers who were martyred or
disabled were not just trying to defend the geographical borders of the
country. They were also struggling to defend the borders of belief, morality,
religion, culture and the spiritual borders. Of course, defending the borders
of the country is a valuable act in itself. This has value, but it is not as
important as both fighting for these important concepts and defending the
borders of the country. Our martyrs are like this.
If
we want to look at this at a higher level, our martyrs are in fact the
manifestation of this verse, “Indeed Allah has bought from the faithful their
souls and their possessions for paradise to be theirs.” [Holy Qur’an, 9:111] In
other words, they have dealt with their lives with God. This is how martyrs
are. There is another holy verse which says, “Among the faithful are men who
fulfill what they have pledged to Allah. Of them are some who have fulfilled
their pledge, and of them are some who still wait.” [Holy Qur’an, 33:23] They
were true to the pledge they had made with God, the Exalted. A martyr is like
this. Martyrdom is an act of making a pledge and dealing with God.
That
is why you see that the soldiers who are fighting in the way of God are
different from other common soldiers in the world. Those of you who have
witnessed the Sacred Defense and those of you have read books on this topic
surely know that the pious soldiers in the Sacred Defense, or the soldiers who
have defended in other areas such as defending the Holy Shrines and the like,
are purer during fighting and in the field of battle than at other times. They
also rely more on God, show more humility and observe the divine limits more
carefully.
It
is common in the world for a victorious army to loot, plunder and inflict great
cruelty in a city, but this is not the case for our soldiers. Even if those who
fight in the way of God win, not only does their piety not decrease and they do
not stop observing the divine limits, they are even more careful to observe
God’s limits because of their gratefulness for their victory. Our soldiers
would take some of the enemy captive. This was the same enemy who would torture
and harass our captives from the time they took them captive up until the time
they entered the camp where they were to be kept. And it is clear what they did
to them in those camps. But if our soldiers took those same people captive,
they would heal them if they were injured and they would give them water if
they were thirsty. They would treat them as if they were one of themselves. So,
these are very important points.
The
Islamic lifestyle seen in the behavior of our soldiers and our martyrs is too
important to be disregarded. There are so many inspirational points to be seen
in the lives of our martyrs that our artists should truly portray an artistic
picture of this for the whole world. They should introduce the Iranian soldiers
to the world. They should place our soldiers in front of the eyes of the people
throughout the world with their great artistic works.
Well,
the Commemoration Ceremony that you have organized should open our ears to the
message of the martyrs. They tell us, “[The martyrs are] rejoicing for those
who have not yet joined them from [those left] behind them that they will have
no fear, nor will they grieve.” [Holy Qur’an, 3:170] This path is one that is
free from any fear, worry and concern because it is the path of God.
We
should be steadfast on this path and move with strength. We should not falter
on this path with the temptations of the enemies. The Iranian nation should
increase its unity, solidarity, motivation and efforts when it hears the
martyrs’ message. This is the message of the martyrs to us. When hearing the
message of the martyrs, the officials of the Islamic Republic should feel more
responsible toward society and ensure security in the way the martyrs did.
Everyone should feel responsible. And all of us should pay attention to this
fact that no nation will get anywhere without diligence, struggling in the way
of God and enduring hardships. If there are any hardships, enduring those
hardships will help the Iranian nation reach the peak, God willing.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
Dismisses S. Arabia's "Baseless" Allegations of Military Presence in
Yemen
2021-December-2
Foreign
Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh made the remarks on Wednesday after the
Saudi-led coalition that has been invading Yemen since 2015 alleged it had
struck "legitimate military" targets in the Yemeni capital Sana'a,
including a "secret site" belonging to Iran's Islamic Revolution
Guards Corps (IRGC).
He
denied existence of any military ties between Iran and Yemen, asserting,
"The Islamic Republic has never maintained a military presence in Yemen
that could be targeted by the invaders".
He
called the allegations "baseless" claims that were meant to divert
the public opinion across the region and elsewhere in the world from "the
invading countries' atrocities".
Such
allegations, he added, do not serve to change the fact that the invading
countries have made a "strategic mistake" in taking on the Arab
world's already most impoverished nation.
The
raid is one of the several that the Saudi-led coalition has carried out against
the densely-populated Yemeni capital this month.
The
coalition launched the war in March 2015 to restore power in Yemen to Riyadh's
former favorite officials. It has stopped way short of the goal, while killing
tens of thousands of Yemenis and turning the entire country into the scene of
the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran
gives drafts on sanctions removal, nuclear commitments to European powers
02
December ,2021
Iran
has provided European powers involved in its tattered nuclear deal with drafts
on sanctions removal and nuclear commitments, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator
said on Thursday, as world powers and Tehran try to reinstate the pact.
The
announcement came on the fourth day of indirect talks between Iran and the
United States on bringing both fully back into the deal. The talks resumed
after a five-month hiatus prompted by the election in June of Iranian President
Ebrahim Raisi, an anti-Western hardliner.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“We
have delivered two proposed drafts to them...Of course they need to check the
texts that we have provided to them. If they are ready to continue the talks,
we are in Vienna to continue the talks,” Ali Bagheri Kani told reporters.
A
European diplomat in Vienna confirmed draft documents had been handed over.
Under
the pact, Tehran limited its uranium enrichment program, a potential pathway to
nuclear weapons though Iran says it seeks only civilian atomic energy, in
exchange for relief from US, European Union and UN economic sanctions.
But
in 2018, then-US President Donald Trump abandoned the deal, calling it too soft
on Iran, and reimposed harsh US sanctions, spurring Tehran to breach nuclear
limits in the pact.
Estimating
that 70-80 percent of a draft agreement was completed when Iran and world
powers last met in June, a senior European diplomat said on Tuesday that it
remained unclear if Tehran would resume talks where they left off.
While
Bagheri Kani had said everything negotiated during six rounds of talks between
April and June was open for discussion, a member of Iran’s delegation said “elements
in the previous unapproved draft that were in conflict with the nuclear deal
were revised and gaps were filled” in Iran’s submitted drafts.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israel
calls on world powers to halt Iran nuclear talks immediately
02
December ,2021
Israel
on Thursday called on world powers to halt nuclear negotiations with Iran
immediately, citing a UN watchdog’s announcement that Tehran has started
producing enriched uranium with more advanced centrifuges.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hamas
outlines 3 priorities to support Palestinian cause
Mohammad
Sheikh Yousef
02.12.2021
Ismail
Haniyeh, the head of the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, said Thursday
there are developments in the region that are in the interest of the
Palestinian cause that will curb normalization deals with Israel.
Haniyeh
made the comments at the opening session of the 12th conference on Jerusalem
entitled, "The Vanguards of Jerusalem hold its Sword," in Istanbul
that saw the participation of 400 officials, lawmakers and activists from 40
countries.
Haniyeh
started his talk with a vocal appreciation for Turkey's supportive role.
"From
the land of the beloved Turkey which is always etched in the conscience of our
[Muslim] ummah (community) ... we feel proud to participate in this
conference," said Haniyeh.
He
said there are "three important changes that surround us at the level of
the [Palestinian] cause, the region and the ummah, and I think they are present
in this conference and we read them positively as important developments for
our cause and our ummah."
The
first is the outcomes of the "Jerusalem Sword operation," he said, in
reference to fighting between Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza with Israel
in May. Gaza responded to calls to protect Jerusalem.
The
second is represented with the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August that
will weaken the US’ allies in the region regarding Israel.
The
third is the Istanbul conference because it confronts Israeli attempts to break
Arab and Islamic nations.
Haniyeh
said based on the three changes, there are three priorities for the Palestinian
cause: To raise the status of Jerusalem and keep it at the forefront of the
Palestinian cause. Second, to support Palestinian resistance as a strategic option
for the Palestinian cause.
The
third priority that Haniyeh outlined is to down efforts of normalization with
Israel.
He
called for "setting a complete plan to topple the normalization which took
the shape of military and security alliance with some Arab countries."
Israel
secured diplomatic ties with six Arab countries in 2020 after former US
President Donald Trump's administration brokered normalization deals between
Israel and the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco, in addition to
the existing ties with Egypt and Jordan.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Africa
4
killed, many hurt in roadside blast in Somalia terror attack
Mohammed
Dhaysane
02.12.2021
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
At
least four people were killed and several others wounded in a roadside bomb
attack targeting a water hauling vehicle meant for drought victims in Somalia's
Lower Juba region on Thursday, state media and police said.
The
IED was planted by the al-Shabaab terror group on the outskirts of Kismayo, a
port city in the region, according to the Somali National Television.
The
attack came hours after overnight gunfight and mortar shelling in central
Somalia resulted in the death of at least two children.
The
attackers targeted a military base of Djiboutian forces serving under the
African Union Mission to Somalia in the town of Beledweyne, the capital of the
Hiraan region, 344 kilometers (213 miles) from Mogadishu.
"After
midnight, al-Shabaab terrorists attacked our security forces base in
Beledweyne, but we were able to repulse the attack and inflicted heavy
casualties," a security official in Beledweyne told Anadolu Agency.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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India
Samastha
Kerala Jamaat ul Ulema Not in League with Protest in Mosques Convened by the
IUML
03rd
December 2021
KOZHIKODE:
Samastha Kerala Jamaat ul Ulema state president Syed Muhammad Jiffiri Muthukoya
Thangal has poured cold water over the IUML’s protest against the government’s
decision to entrust the Public Service Commission (PSC) with making
appointments to the Waqf Board. Thangal asserted that it is inappropriate to
stage protest against the government inside the mosques. The core committee of
the Muslim organisations convened by the IUML had declared that “awareness
programmes” will be held in all mosques in the state against the decision on
Waqf Board.
Inaugurating
the declaration of protest by the feeder organisations of the Samastha here on
Thursday, Thangal said nothing should be done that harms the sanctity of the
mosques. “We could have explained things through the speeches in the mosques,
but the situation now is not suited for such a move,” he said.
He
added that the Mujahid groups and Jamaat-e-Islami have clarified that they did
not call for protest in the mosques. “If any untoward thing happens, the entire
blame will be on the Samastha,” he said, adding that the agitation can be held
elsewhere. Thangal said he had a
telephonic conversation with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who had assured
him that everything would be sorted out. If the outcome of the discussion is
not positive, Samastha will intensify the agitation, he said.
Source:
New Indian Express
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Buddhist-Muslim
tensions brewing in Ladakh’s Zanskar region over interfaith marriage
Dec
3, 2021
SRINAGAR:
Tensions are mounting in Zanskar, a mountainous region of Ladakh with a
population of 20,000-vast majority of them Buddhists-over an interfaith
marriage.
The
woman’s family has lodged a missing person’s complaint at the local police
station after the girl eloped with a Muslim man and married him.
A
local imam performed nikah after the Buddhist woman Sonam Angmo converted to
Islam and took Summaya Kousar as her Muslim name to marry Abdul Qadir Wani, 31,
a Muslim man of Padum, the main town of Zanskar, on November 20.
However,
the woman’s family has alleged that she is a minor and that Wani has kidnapped
and forcibly married her. The local police has detained father Muhammad Shaffi
and brother Mudassir Shaffi of Wani and launched a manhunt for the couple.
However, SSP Kargil Anayat Chaudhary while speaking to this correspondent over
the phone said that he father-son duo was only being called to the police
station for questioning as the couple is “absconding”.
He
said that on the basis of the complaint lodged by the parents of the woman the
police has registered an FIR under relevant provisions of the law and took up
investigations. “We want the couple to record their statements at the police
station. But the family of the accused and their lawyer are not disclosing
their whereabouts nor do they themselves come forward. We’re being compelled to
act. We don’t want any tensions between communities here. We want to see the
issue resolved amicably and without it disturbing peace,” the police officer
said.
Local
Buddhist groups have threatened agitation unless the woman is recovered and
restored to her parents. On Wednesday, the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA)
submitted a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor, Radha Krishna Mathur, alleging
the Muslim man from Padum has ‘forcibly’ married the Buddhist girl. It demanded
that the girl should be recovered and handed back to the family and said that
if the authorities fail to do so it could cause communal disturbances in the
region. The LBA has also alleged that the sole motive of interfaith marriages
is forceful conversion.
The
minority Muslim community of Zanskar has been facing a “social boycott” from
the majority Buddhist community since October 2012 after four Buddhist
families, comprising of 22 members, converted to Islam.
But
the groom's family and attorney Muhammad Ismail have denied the charge of
kidnapping and forcible marriage or that the woman is minor. They said that Wani and Ms. Kousar (Sonam
Angmo) have married out of “their own free will and consent” and accused the
family and the relatives of the latter of harassment and threats in a petition
filed before the High Court in Srinagar. Mr. Ismail told this newspaper, “The
woman is 22 years old as is corroborated from her school records. She has
willingly accepted Islam to marry a man of her choice as per her free will”.
He
said that the High Court of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh on November 26 ordered
protection to the couple after they approached it following harassment by
interested parties. The couple, according to the court order, had entered into
the marriage out of their “own free will and consent”. It further reads, “The
statement has been recorded before the judicial register of this court in front
of their council.”
Source:
Deccan Chronicle
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IS
propaganda case: Maharashtra duo to plead guilty
Dec
3, 2021
MUMBAI:
Two men, who were accused of instigating youth from Malwani in Malad to join
the terror group IS in 2015, told the special National Investigation Agency
(NIA) court on Thursday they wanted to plead guilty.
The
court directed the duo to submit a written application on December 8. Rizwan
Ahmed (24) and Mohsin Sayyed (33) have been in jail since their arrest in 2016.
So far, they have not assigned any reason for their decision, their former
lawyers said.
Source:
Times of India
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Omar
Abdullah: BJP sees a Pakistani in every Muslim, especially in J&K Muslims
December
2, 2021
National
Conference vice president and former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar
Abdullah Thursday accused the BJP of ‘seeing a Pakistani in every Muslim’,
especially Muslims of J&K.
Addressing
a public rally at Ramban during his week-long tour of Chenab Valley, comprising
Kishtwar, Doda and Ramban districts, Abdullah said that “when we talk of
fighting a constitutional battle in Supreme Court, BJP leaders say we speak the
language of Pakistan.” “These days, it is very easy for the BJP leaders to say
this as they see a Pakistani in every Muslim, especially Muslims of Jammu and
Kashmir,’’ he added.
Saying
“he does not know what they will have to do” to prove they are not with
Pakistan, Abdullah said they established a relationship with India in 1947 and
since then have made “sacrifices with their own blood” to keep this
relationship. “What wrong are we saying if we ask for protecting the promises
given to Jammu and Kashmir and which were given a constitutional shape under
Article 370 so as to maintain that relationship?” he asked. “We do not ask for
anything expect that you do justice with us,’’ the NC leader said.
“Is
it not true that on August 5, 2019 two Union Territories were carved out of one
Jammu and Kashmir State – Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh? Tell me that why there are
two different laws for them in matters of land, jobs, scholarships and the
state subject. When we were told that the motive behind abrogating Article 370
was to have a uniform system in the entire country, then why two different
systems in one erstwhile state?” he asked.
Abdullah
said fingers “are raised even for demanding equitable treatment”.
Source:
Indian Express
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Mistaken
for Muslim, man buried by cops exhumed & cremated after week
Dec
3, 2021
Agra:
The body of a 55-year-old man -- buried by police in Aligarh last week after
assuming it to be of a Muslim as no one came forward to identify it -- was
exhumed and cremated according to Hindu rites on Wednesday after the family
identified him in a video circulated on social media. Police claimed the body
was mistakenly presumed to be that of a Muslim man as he was wearing a skull
cap and sporting a beard.
Brahmajeet
Singh worked with the agriculture department in Aligarh and was a resident of
Kawarsi nearby. He had left his house on November 22 but did not return. His
body was found in the basement of a local market on Ramghat road on November
23. The postmortem report revealed that the cause of death was chronic lung and
liver disease, said police.
When
no one came forward to claim the body within the mandated 72 hours, police
contacted an NGO, Manav Upkar, to bury the remains as per Muslim rituals
because the body appeared to be that of a man belonging to that faith.
Singh’s
son Guarav Kumar lodged a missing complaint at Kawarsi police station on
November 23 after the family failed to locate him. However, three days later,
the Kawarsi police contacted the NGO to bury the unclaimed body. President of
the NGO, Vishnu Kumar, said, “Police had given me in writing to bury the body.”
Singh’s
younger brother Ramesh Chand said they had received some videos of the
unidentified body on WhatsApp on November 28 and contacted the police, but by
that time the body had already been buried. Chand added that the administration
later exhumed the body and provided help to cremate it as per Hindu rituals.
Source:
Times of India
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia:
Demand for halal-certified products among non-Muslims on rise
December
2, 2021
AS
THE consumption of Muslims worldwide continues to rise, the demand for
halal-certified products in the non-Muslim market have also gradually
increased, according to the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and
Industry of Malaysia (ACCCIM).
ACCCIM
secretary general Datuk Tan Tian Meng said this was because non-Muslim
consumers realise the importance of halal certification for their products as
part of the trend of healthy eating and safe to consume compared to non-halal
products.
He
said the recent development and growth of the halal market has changed the
perception and acceptance of non-Muslim consumers towards halal consumption.
Supported
by growing demand, Tan said Malaysia’s halal sector is poised to be one of the
main drivers of the country’s economic growth moving forward.
He
noted that there are an estimated 1.9 billion Muslims in the world today,
making up roughly 26% of the global population.
“This
figure tells us that halal products have great potential in the global market.
“I
am certain that the halal sector can become a strong contributor and act as a
catalyst through its various value propositions in the global economic
recovery.
“This
is because the halal industry has now expanded beyond the food sector to
include beverages, pharmaceuticals, fashions, cosmetics, health products,
toiletries and medical devices, as well as service sector components such as
logistics, marketing, print and electronic media and many more,” he said during
a webinar session on “Halal Certification Prospects and Opportunities of Halal
World Market” organised by ACCCIM yesterday.
Additionally,
Tan said the halal sector is considered one of the most important industries in
Malaysia and the market for halal products is also rapidly growing.
Therefore,
he emphasised that the government should continue to strive to maintain its
position as a leading halal-related industry to encourage more foreign and
local investments into the country.
“Having
a halal certificate is a great marketing tool to help penetrate such a huge
consumer market, as well as providing an expansion path to enter the global
market.
“In
view of this, organising webinars and sharing sessions related to the halal
industry will enhance the knowledge of people on the recent trends in the
global halal market, as well as to secure the opportunity to learn the business
opportunities in the industry,” he noted.
According
to reports from the Economic Planning Unit in the Prime Minister’s Department,
the halal market is projected to contribute 8.1% of GDP by generating exports
of RM56 billion by 2025.
In
2020 alone, the halal industry contributed RM9.7 billion to the country’s GDP.
On
a global level, the halal market is expected to grow from US$3.1 trillion
(RM13.03 trillion) in 2018 to US$5 trillion by 2030, while the Malaysian halal
market was estimated at US$68.4 billion in 2018 and will continue to grow to a
size of US$113.2 billion by 2030.
Previously,
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the Department of Islamic
Development Malaysia (Jakim) is developing a RM3.4 million Halal Integrated
Information System to serve as a database for halal products, in order to
strengthen Malaysian halal certification.
Source:
ABNA24
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Fewer
non-Muslims say ‘I do’ as marriages decline by 10% in 2020
December
3, 2021
PETALING
JAYA: The number of marriages in the country declined substantially last year,
especially among non-Muslims, the statistics department revealed today.
According
to the Marriage and Divorce Statistics, Malaysia, 2021 Report, there was an
overall decline of almost 10% in marriages in 2020, compared with the year
before.
“The
number of marriages in 2020 was 184,589, compared with 203,661 in 2019. That is
a decline of 9.4%,” Chief Statistician Mohd Uzir Mahidin said in a statement.
“However,
the number of non-Muslim marriages declined at a higher rate of 29.4%.”
Uzir
said Johor showed the highest decline in non-Muslim marriages with a drop of
38.4%, followed by Sabah (-36.9%) and Pahang (-36.3%).
As
for Muslim marriages, he said, the overall decline was minimal with some states
seeing more Muslims getting married.
“There
was a 1.8% decline in the overall number of Muslim marriages, with three states
or federal territories recording the highest drop, namely Sabah (-19.3%),
Labuan (-14.3%) and Selangor (-5.9%).
“On
the other hand, there was a substantial increase in the rate of Muslim
marriages in Putrajaya, which was up by 14%, followed by Perlis (12.4%) and
Kedah (8.4%),” he said.
The
report attributed the drop in marriages to the movement control orders (MCOs)
and strict SOPs put in place because of the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020.
The
first MCO with a full lockdown was implemented from March 18 to May 3 and a
conditional MCO and recovery MCO followed until the end of the year.
“The
number of marriages dropped significantly by 88% in April, with only 1,694
taking place, compared with 14,056 in 2019,” he said.
According
to Uzir, the trend in fewer marriages in 2020 also showed up in terms of inter-ethnic
couples, with a drop of 35.6% compared with the year before.
The
report showed that the age demographic for couples getting married was
consistent with previous years, with the highest number of marriages involving
those aged 25 to 29 for both grooms and brides.
“We
also found that the oldest groom was 92 while the oldest bride tied the knot at
the age of 84 in 2020,” he said.
Uzir
said the trend in marrying late was more prevalent in urban areas.
“The
current scenario shows that the tendency for late marriages is among the
educated and working population. They tend to prefer strengthening their
financial positions, particularly those living in urban areas, prior to getting
married,” he said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Hamas
lauds Malaysia for barring Israeli players from squash event
02
December 2021
Hamas
has hailed Malaysia’s rejection of any normalization with Israel and its recent
refusal to allow Israeli squash players to enter the Southeast Asian country.
In
a statement, the resistance movement lauded Malaysia's historic position as it
denounced Israeli crimes across the occupied Palestinian lands.
“The
criminal Zionist entity, which attacks the Palestinian land and its people,
desecrates the holy sites, commits crimes against the Palestinian youths and
seeks to destroy the Palestinian sports sector, does not deserve to participate
in international events,” the statement read.
Hamas
also voiced support for Malaysia's right to host international sports events
without having to accept Israeli delegations on its territory. The movement
expressed its regret over a decision by a sports governing body to scrap the
tournament in Malaysia.
The
World Team Championship for men was due to take place in Kuala Lumpur from Dec
7-12, with 26 squads participating. The World Squash Federation (WSF) and
Malaysia's squash body said the event had been axed.
The
tournament had been moved to Malaysia from New Zealand earlier this year
because of coronavirus-related travel restrictions.
In
2019, Malaysia was stripped of the right to host the World Para Swimming
Championships for refusing to allow Israeli athletes.
And
in 2015, Israeli windsurfers had to pull out of a competition on the island of
Langkawi after being refused visas.
The
Palestinian cause enjoys widespread support in Muslim-majority Malaysia where
visits to the country with an Israeli passport is forbidden.
Former
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed normalization agreements with
Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Bahrain’s
Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani during an official ceremony
hosted by ex-US president Donald Trump at the White House on September 15 last
year.
In
January, Sudan's ruling military junta officially signed the Abraham Accords to
normalize ties with Israel.
Source:
Press TV
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‘Big
brother’ attitude not helping MN talks, says PAS veep
November
28, 2021
PETALING
JAYA: Negotiations between PAS and Umno under its Muafakat Nasional (MN) pact
will face challenges in the near future if some party leaders want to act like
a “big brother”, says PAS vice-president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar.
The
Terengganu menteri besar said such an attitude would hinder PAS’ efforts and
greater goal of establishing political cooperation among all Malay-Muslim
parties in the nation.
“If
there is a ‘big brother’, then it will be tough. PAS adopts an open attitude
because our bigger objective is to foster political cooperation among all
Malay-Muslim parties,” he said, according to Utusan Malaysia.
Nonetheless,
Samsuri said PAS would continue its efforts to bring together both Umno and
Bersatu under a form of political cooperation through negotiations.
He
said the party would not give up on this endeavour and would continue with its
agenda of uniting the ummah.
“I’m
optimistic that if we work on it, all parties will hold discussions to achieve
some form of cooperation.”
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Arab World
Plight
of Palestinians still a key focus of Saudi foreign policy, says envoy
December
02, 2021
NEW
YORK: The Palestinian issue will remain a major focus of Saudi Arabian foreign
policy until Palestinians regain their rights and succeed in establishing a
state of their own with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, the Kingdom’s
permanent representative to the UN said.
Abdallah
Al-Mouallimi also reiterated Riyadh’s rejection and denunciation of the
continuing confiscation of Palestinian homes and land by Israel, along with its
violation of the sanctity of the Temple Mount and attempts to obliterate its
Arab and Islamic identity.
“These
aggressive Israeli measures will undermine the chances of peace,” Al-Mouallimi
told the UN General Assembly in New York late on Wednesday, during a plenary
meeting to discuss the Palestinian question and the situation in the wider
Middle East.
“The
policy of settlement building and colonial expansion carried out by the
occupying Israeli authorities on Palestinian land is liable to destroy the
possibility of peaceful coexistence,” he said.
“Israel’s
unilateral measures will lead to a disruption of security and stability,
particularly in Palestine but also in the wider Middle East.”
The
plenary session took place days after the 74th anniversary of resolution 181,
which was passed by the General Assembly on Nov. 29, 1947. It called for the
partition of Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, with the city of Jerusalem
a separate entity to be governed by an international regime.
“More
than 75 years have passed since the establishment of the United Nations in
1945,” and for more than 70 years the issue of Palestine has been on its
agenda, Al-Mouallimi said. Saudi Arabia’s historical position of support for
“the inalienable and legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to
self-determination, including (their) right to establish their independent state,
with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, (in line with) the relevant Security
Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative” remains unchanged, he added.
The
Saudi envoy once again stressed the need for the international community to
live up to its responsibilities and call on Israel to end its occupation of
Arab land in Palestine, the Golan and Lebanon.
“It
is unfortunate that the Israeli occupation authorities continue to violate the
rights of the Palestinian people, and practice the most heinous forms of
crimes, (including the use of) excessive force against a defenseless people,”
Al-Mouallimi said.
He
described Israel’s settlement expansions as “a clear violation and disregard
for the international community” and called on that global community to protect
the Palestinian people.
Al-Mouallimi
thanked the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in
the Near East for its work, which he said is conducted “despite the dangers and
difficult conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as a result of the
stifling measures by the occupation authorities.”
Source:
Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/1979846/saudi-arabia
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Arab
Coalition: 45 Houthi militia members killed in Marib
02
December ,2021
The
Arab Coalition on Thursday said more than 45 Iran-backed Houthi militia members
died after the coalition conducted nine target operations in Yemen’s Marib in
24 hours.
The
coalition added that it had destroyed six military vehicles belonging to the
militia.
On
Tuesday, the Arab Coalition said it targeted a training camp belonging to the
Iran-backed Houthi militia south of Yemen’s Mahliya in Marib.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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7
Peshmerga, 3 civilians killed in Daesh/ISIS attack in northern Iraq
03.12.2021
Seven
Peshmerga soldiers of the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) and three civilians
were killed early Friday in an attack by Daesh/ISIS terrorists in northern
Iraq, according to security sources.
Members
of the terrorist group initially targeted a village near Mosul's Mahmur
district, killing three civilians.
Peshmerga
forces who were transferred to the region following the attack fell into an
ambush set by the terror group, Peshmerga Commander Nejat Hule told Erbil-based
broadcaster Rudaw.
Seven
soldiers were killed in the clashes, Hule said.
On
Sunday, five Peshmerga soldiers were killed in a separate suspected Daesh/ISIS
attack in Kolju district in the Garmian region of northern Iraq, a KRG officer
said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to brief the media.
He
said four other soldiers were wounded in the attack.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Oil
workers killed in Islamic State attack in Syria
December
3, 2021
Several
oil workers were killed by the Islamic State (IS) in eastern Syria today.
IS
fighters ambushed two buses carrying the workers back from work in the
al-Kharata oil field in the southwest of the Deir ez-Zor province. Ten were
killed and another was injured, Syria’s official news outlet SANA reported.
IS
lost its final territory in Syria in 2019, but continues to operate in the
country. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) also hold thousands of
IS fighters in detention centers in northeast Syria. The Islamic State is
particularly active in Deir ez-Zor, and killed two Iranian military advisers
there in June. The SDF controls eastern Deir ez-Zor, while the Syrian
government controls the west.
Source:
Al Monitor
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https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2021/12/oil-workers-killed-islamic-state-attack-syria
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Five
suspects arrested in Kuwait over Hezbollah financing charges
02
December ,2021
Five
suspects were arrested in Kuwait for financing Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah
group, a month after 18 individuals were arrested for the same charges, Kuwaiti
newspaper al-Qabas reported Thursday.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Al-Qabas
said the number of people accused in the Hezbollah financing case in Kuwait is
“increasing and new names may be involved.”
Citing
an informed source, the newspapers that five new individuals were arrested in
this case, bringing the total number to 23 accused, 12 of whom will continue to
be imprisoned until later this month.
“The
source said that investigations are underway with other defendants to infer
their relationship with those who had been accused, but the case has been
classified as a state security issue,” al-Qabas reported.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iraq's
al-Sadr says ready to form 'national majority government'
Ali
Jawad
03.12.2021
BAGHDAD,
Iraq
Prominent
Iraqi Shia politician Muqtada al-Sadr on Thursday voiced his intention to form
a national majority government without foreign interference.
"Neither
Eastern nor Western, a national majority government," al-Sadr posted on
Twitter following a meeting with political actors rejecting the outcome of
recent parliamentary polls that the Shia cleric's Sairoon Alliance dominated.
Al-Sadr's
party won the Oct. 10 elections with 73 seats in the 329-member parliament,
followed by the Taqaddum (progress) bloc of parliament speaker Mohamed
al-Halbousi with 37 seats.
On
Tuesday, the Coordination Committee of the Iraqi Resistance, an umbrella
organization of prominent Shia political parties excluding al-Sadr’s movement,
said in a statement that it categorically rejected the elections' final
results.
In
a separate statement on Thursday, the committee said the meeting with al-Sadr
"confirmed that foreign forces (in Iraq) will leave according to a (set)
timetable."
In
the elections, pro-Iranian factions, which also form part of the committee, saw
their seats decline from 47 in the 2018 elections to around 20.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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North America
US
senators seek sanctions on Iran over alleged plot to kidnap journalist
02
December ,2021
Democratic
and Republican US senators announced legislation on Thursday that would impose
sanctions over an alleged plot by Iranian intelligence agents to kidnap
Iranian-born US journalist Masih Alinejad.
Democrat
Ben Cardin and Republican Pat Toomey said their legislation would seek to hold
Iran accountable for the plot and prevent any further attempted kidnappings on
US soil by imposing mandatory sanctions on those involved and authorizing
secondary sanctions on banks doing business with them.
US
prosecutors charged four Iranian operatives in July with plotting to kidnap
Alinejad, a journalist who was critical of Tehran. Iran has called the
allegation “baseless.”
“If
you dare to attempt to come to our nation and kidnap an American citizen, there
will be dire consequences,” Cardin told a news conference with Toomey and
Alinejad, who said she came out of hiding for the event at the US Capitol.
The
US Treasury department said in September it had sanctioned the four Iranian
intelligence operatives behind the failed plot.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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Iran’s
recent moves don’t give room for optimism on new deal: Blinken
02
December ,2021
US
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday it will be known in “the
very near future” whether Iran intends to engage in good faith in talks to
return to the 2015 nuclear deal, but that recent rhetoric did not give cause
for optimism.
“I
have to tell you, recent moves, recent rhetoric, don’t give us a lot of cause
for optimism,” he said.
Speaking
to reporters in Sweden, where he attended meetings of the Organization for
Security and Co-operation in Europe, Blinken said he discussed Iran in meetings
with his counterparts from Russia and Israel on Thursday.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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‘No
cause for optimism’ on Iran nuclear deal: US
December
02, 2021
STOCKHOLM:
The United States appeared Thursday to play down the possibility of reviving a
nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, even as Tehran tabled draft proposals
following the resumption of talks in Vienna.
“We’re
going to know very, very quickly, I think in the next day or two, whether Iran
is serious or not,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters in
Stockholm on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Security and
Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
“In
the very near future, the next day or so, we will be in a position to judge
whether Iran actually intends now to engage in good faith.”
But
he cautioned: “I have to tell you, recent moves, recent rhetoric, don’t give us
a lot of cause for optimism.”
In
a phone call with Blinken on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
had called for the “immediate cessation” of talks, which resumed on Monday.
Blinken
declined to comment directly on the request.
“But
even though the hour is getting very late, it is not too late for Iran to
reverse course,” Blinken said.
“What
Iran can’t do is sustain the status quo of building their nuclear program while
dragging their feet on talks. That... will not happen.”
“That’s
also not our view alone. It’s very clearly the view of our European partners. I
have to say I had a good conversation as well” with Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov.
“I
think Russia shares our basic perspective on this.”
The
2015 agreement — known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA —
offered Iran a lifting of economic sanctions in return for strict curbs on its
nuclear activities.
The
goal was to make it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while
allowing it to pursue a civilian nuclear program.
But
the deal started to unravel in 2018 when then US president Donald Trump pulled
out and began imposing sanctions on the Islamic republic.
In
turn, Iran, which denies it wants to acquire a nuclear arsenal, has gradually
abandoned its commitments since 2019.
US
President Joe Biden has said he is willing to return to the deal as long as
Iran also resumes the original terms.
Iran
said on Thursday it had handed European powers two draft proposals to try to
revive the JCPOA.
Lead
negotiator Ali Bagheri told Iranian state television the proposals — submitted
on Wednesday, the third day of the talks in Vienna — concerned two main issues
facing the pact: the lifting of sanctions and Iran’s nuclear commitments
“The
first document sums up the Islamic republic’s point of view concerning the
lifting of sanctions, while the second is about Iran’s nuclear actions,”
Bagheri told IRIB TV.
“Now
the other side must examine these documents and prepare itself to hold negotiations
with Iran based on these documents,” said Bagheri.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1979721/world
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