New Age Islam News Bureau
20 November 2021
The verdict against Ahmed
Abdo Maher is final and cannot be appealed before a higher court. [Getty]
-----
• Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Urge Centre To Withdraw
Anti-People And Anti-Constitutional Law Citizenship Amendment Act, After Farm
Laws Repeal
• Creation Of Hatred In The Clothing Of Freedom Of
Speech Is Something The West Has To Look Upon: Pakistan President
• US Tells Taliban To ‘Earn’ The Release Of Frozen
Funds By ‘Earning’ Legitimacy First
• Salman Butt, Chief Editor Of The Islam21c Website
'Shocked' After UK Govt Labels Him An 'Extremist'
Arab World
• Iraq churches rebuilt after ISIS destruction
• Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr says he is dissolving
armed faction loyal to him
• Lebanon thwarts attempt to smuggle 82 people to
Europe
• Turkey re-arrest Syrian singer Souleyman hours after
his release
• Lebanese central bank governor Salameh hands audit
of his accounts to PM Mikati
--------
India
• Duo Arrested After Two Muslim Schoolgirls Allegedly
Attacked By Over 40 People From Pro-Hindu Organisations
• AIMIM delegation meets Hyderabad top cop, seeks
action against Waseem Rizvi over book on Prophet Mohammed
• Gurgaon: Namaz offered at businessman’s shop, not Gurdwaras;
protests at another prayer site
• Hyderabad police’s cordon searches affect Dalit,
Muslim women most: Report
--------
Pakistan
• Ruckus as Sindh Assembly resolution opposing
‘secret’ govt-TTP talks passed
• UK, Pakistan finalise accord to repatriate illegal
migrants
• Pakistan drops chemical castration as punishment for
serial rapists
• Pakistan again lifts ban, fourth so far, on China’s
TikTok
• Indian contempt move in Kulbhushan Jadhav case
averted: govt
--------
North America
• US sanctions senior Iran-backed Houthi militia
officer Saleh Mesfer Alshaer
• US Senators Move To Block Arms Sales To Saudi Arabia
• Top US defence official to make ‘very clear’
Washington’s commitment to Middle East
• Unspoken US aim at Iran nuclear talks may be winning
Chinese, Russian support
• US sanctions 6 Iran nationals, one entity for
interfering in 2020 elections
• US committed to deepening cooperation with Turkey:
Official
----
Europe
• Attempted arson attack on mosque in Germany
• Armenia and Azerbaijan agree to talks in Brussels to
overcome tensions: EU
• Greece: Turkey the ‘common denominator’ of region’s troubles
• Turkey summons Bulgarian ambassador over election
interference claims
--------
Mideast
• Hamas, Islamic Jihad Condemn London’s Decision To
Designate Resistance Groups As A "Terrorist Organizations"
• Iran-backed Houthis continue to detain US, UN
employees: State Department
• Iran calls for depoliticisation of UN nuclear
watchdog after France urges it to act
• Iran: Statement by US, EU Not Worth Even to Reply
• Spokesman: New US Sanctions Pursuing Trump's Failed
Economic Terrorism against Iran
• Vandals slash tires of Palestinian-owned vehicles in
tense Jerusalem neighbourhood
• Thousands of Iranians protest dried-up river in
Isfahan
• UN condemns seizure of US Embassy in Yemen by
Iran-backed Houthis
• Mossad espionage makes Erdogan choose between de-escalation
and own credibility
--------
South Asia
• Taliban Misconstrued Facts In Letter To Congress For
Assets Release, Claims US Envoy
• Key aid group says Afghanistan’s most pressing need
is cash
• Afghanistan’s assets must be unfrozen: Pakistan’s UN
envoy
• US may return some evacuated Afghan Refugees
--------
Southeast Asia
• MPs slam FT Minister Over ‘Liquor Ban Not Hurting
Non-Muslims’ Remark
• The Struggle Between Two Visions Of Malaysia: The
Malayisation Of Malaysia
• Islamic healer challenges TCM Act, claiming it
usurps state powers
--------
Africa
• 4 Villages In South-western Somalia Retaken From
Al-Shabaab: Army
• Saudi Arabia reopens embassy in Somalia: State News
Agency
• Libya's parliament speaker declares presidential bid
• Libya’s former interior minister registers for
presidential bid
• Terrorists who escaped from Kenya’s highly guarded
prison arrested
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/ahmed-abdo-maher-extremist-egyptian-uk/d/125807
--------
After UK Govt Labels Him An 'Extremist' Ahmed
Abdo Maher, Octogenarian Egyptian Thinker Jailed For Saying Islam Spread By
Conquest
The verdict against Ahmed
Abdo Maher is final and cannot be appealed before a higher court. [Getty]
-----
19
November 2021
Thaer
Mansour
An
Egyptian court sentenced an 80-year-old-intellectual earlier this week to five
years in prison over his remarks on the early Islamic conquests, according to
local news reports.
Ahmed
Abdo Maher, an Islamic thinker, writer and high-profile lawyer, was found
guilty by an emergency state security court of “contempt of Islam, stirring up
sectarian strife and posing a threat to the national unity,” the reports added.
Maher
claimed in many of his speeches, writings, and TV appearances, that the early
Islamic conquests were “military invasions”, and called on Egypt's top Islamic
institution - Al-Azhar - to apologise on behalf of the Prophet Muhammad’s
companions who led the raids.
According
to Maher, those “invasions aimed to enslave women rather than spread Islam”
around the world.
Maher
further disputed Islamic scholars' beliefs about the possibility of the dead
being tormented in their graves due to sins.
Earlier
in May 2020, lawyer Samir Sabry had filed a complaint against Maher before the
prosecutor general, accusing him of contempt of Islam among other related
accusations.
Maher
was interrogated several times and later referred to trial in October 2021.
This week’s verdict is final and cannot be appealed before a higher court.
Based
on article 98 of the Egyptian penal code, “whoever exploits religion in order
to promote extremist ideology by word of mouth, in writing or in any other manner,
with a view to stirring up sedition, or in contempt of any divine religion or
its adherents, or undermining national unity shall be punished with prison
terms of between six months and five years or a fine of at least 500 Egyptian
pounds [about $31]."
Several
other intellectuals, writers, and public figures have stood trial or received
verdicts over the past few decades for their views under the infamous
anti-blasphemy law.
Source:
The New Arab
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/egyptian-thinker-jailed-saying-islam-spread-conquest
--------
Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Urge Centre To Withdraw
Anti-People And Anti-Constitutional Law Citizenship Amendment Act, After Farm
Laws Repeal
After Farm Laws Repeal,
Muslim Leaders Urge Centre To Withdraw The Citizenship Amendment Act | PTI
-----
19 Nov 2021
The CAA since its passing has been opposed by the
people from the Muslim community, and some other sections of the society,
alleging that the Act is discriminatory in nature.
Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, President, Jamaat-e-Islami
Hind, said: "We now urge the government to also look at the other
anti-people and anti-Constitutional laws like CAA-NRC etc., and ensure that
they too are withdrawn at the earliest. We feel delighted that Prime Minister
Narendra Modi has finally acceded to the demands of the farmers. Had it been
done earlier, the losses could have been averted."
Welcoming the decision to repeal the three farm laws,
the chief of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, Arshad Madani, said in a statement: "The
CAA movement encouraged the farmers to protest against the farm laws. The
government should also withdraw the CAA now. We should congratulate our farmers
as they have made great sacrifices. Every effort was made to subdue the peasant
movement like all other movements in the country, and conspiracies were hatched
to divide the peasants. But they continued to make all kinds of sacrifices and
remained steadfast in their stand. "Once again the truth has come to light
that if a movement is run with honesty and patience for a legitimate cause, one
day success will be achieved."
Appreciating the efforts of the farmers, he said the
movement became a success as women and even the elderly people sat on the
streets day and night seeking justice. Urging the Centre to repel the CAA, he
said: "Our Prime Minister says that the structure of our country is
democratic, so now he should pay attention to the laws that have been brought
regarding Muslims. Like the agri laws, the CAA should also be withdrawn."
President of Majlis-eMushawarat, Navaid Hamid, said,
"All draconian laws, including CAA and UAPA, need to be withdrawn. The
minister whose son was involved in the killing of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri
must be immediately sacked and adequate compensation should be given to all the
farmers who died during the Kisan Andolan."
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
Source:
Outlook India
--------
Creation Of Hatred In The Clothing Of Freedom Of
Speech Is Something The West Has To Look Upon: Pakistan President
President Dr Arif Alvi
addressing the Green Presidency Initiative-ISO 50001 Energy Management
Certificate ceremony at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on October 15, 2021. PHOTO:
PID
-----
November 20, 2021
ISLAMABAD
- President Dr Arif Alvi on
Friday urged the West to be mindful about the sentiments of Muslims while
pursuing the notion of freedom of expression so as to promote interfaith
harmony.
“Creation of hatred in the clothing of freedom of
speech is something the West has to look upon to increase cooperation among
Islam, Christianity, and all other religions,” he said in his virtual address
at a conference titled ‘Promoting Interfaith Understanding’.
The conference was organized by Ambassador (retd)
Akbar S. Ahmed holding the Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American
University, in Washington DC to promote an understanding of Islam and the
Muslim world in the United States and encourage interfaith dialogue.
President Alvi said as in Europe, it was a crime to
talk about certain ethnic atrocities of the past. Similarly, the love of
Muslims for their Prophet was of utmost significance. He mentioned that the act
of making blasphemous caricatures in the name of freedom of expression was
painful for Muslims, which the West needed to be careful about.
President Alvi said throughout the history of
humankind, a conflict between religions translated into bias, which resulted
into policy-making on the basis of prejudices.
As the humanity faced dangers such as global warming
and pandemic, he said, it was important to encourage tolerance towards each
other. “[As mankind] We need to adjust our way of living, rewrite the history
which misguides us and also rewrite the future of cooperation and peace,” he said. The president said Pakistan was a
land with its roots embedded in the history of several multi-faith
civilizations, including Mohenjodara, Harappa, Mehrgadh and Buddhism.
He mentioned that as the State was established, the
founder of Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had declared full
religious freedom for people going to their places of worship, may it mosques,
temples, churches or synagogues.
He said Pakistan was committed to continue protecting
the rights of religious minorities in the country to promote interfaith
harmony. President Alvi, however, pointed out the dangerous precedent in India
of marginalizing minorities through legislation including discrimination
between Hindus and Muslims, thus leading to interfaith friction.
He regretted that the world over, hatred was being
encouraged to fulfil a particular political dialogue against other countries.
The biggest misconception happening in the world is fake news, which needs to
be countered, he added. Amid the flood of information at social media, he said,
the new generation must be able to differentiate between truth and fake news.
He condemned using religion as a tool of terrorism and extremism to target
other people.
He lauded the effort of Ibn Khaldun chair of Islamic
Studies at the American University, expressing confidence that it would
encourage positive discussions on various issues regarding interfaith understanding
and religious harmony.
Ambassador Akbar S. Ahmed, Dean School of
International Service, Christine Chin and Assistant Director Kate Arion, and
the faculty and students of American University joined the virtual session.
Source: The Nation
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
US
Tells Taliban To ‘Earn’ The Release Of Frozen Funds By ‘Earning’ Legitimacy
First
HOSHANG HASHIMI / AFP Taliban members guard as they
walk along a road in the Guzara district of Herat province, Afghanistan,
October 20, 2021.
-----
19
November ,2021
The
United States rebuffed Friday an appeal by the Taliban to release Afghan assets
frozen after their takeover, saying the new government in Kabul must “earn”
legitimacy first.
Thomas
West, the US Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in a tweeted
statement that Washington had long made clear that if the Taliban claimed power
by military force rather than negotiating with the previous US-backed
government, that critical non-humanitarian aid would be cut off.
“That
is what occurred,” West said.
“Legitimacy
& support must be earned by actions to address terrorism, establish an
inclusive government, & respect the rights of minorities, women & girls
-- including equal access to education & employment,” he said.
In
an open letter Wednesday the Taliban called on the US Congress to release
Afghan assets frozen after their takeover of the country in August.
Washington
seized nearly $9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan central bank, and
the aid-dependent economy has effectively collapsed -- with civil servants
unpaid for months and the treasury unable to pay for imports.
Taliban
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said in the letter that the biggest
challenge facing Afghanistan was financial insecurity, and warned that economic
turmoil at home could lead to trouble abroad.
West
said that Afghanistan was already in dire economic and humanitarian straits
before the Taliban takeover, due to years of war, drought and the Covid-19
pandemic.
“The
US will continue to support the Afghan people with humanitarian aid,” he said,
saying $474 million has already been provided this year.
Washington
is also “making every effort to help the UN & humanitarian actors scale up
to meet needs this winter,” he said.
“We
will continue clear-eyed, candid diplomacy with the Taliban,” he added.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Salman
Butt, Chief Editor Of The Islam21c Website 'Shocked' After UK Govt Labels Him
An 'Extremist'
NOV
19, 2021
After being referred to as an "extremist"
and targeted in a prime ministerial press release in England in 2015, Salman
Butt speaks to an Anadolu Agency correspondent about his experiences in this
process, Nov. 19, 2021. (AA Photo)
----
A
Muslim man accused of being an "extremist preacher" by the British
government only to get an official apology six years later says the overused
label of "extremism" is based on ignorance.
Speaking
to Anadolu Agency (AA) after the end of his six-year legal struggle, Salman
Butt, chief editor of the Islam21c website, said that labelling something as
extremist is a philosophy of ignorance and tribalism.
"The
problem with the word extremism is that it has no objectivity. And it's just a
meaningless term now, and this is what we've learned over the last six
years," Butt noted.
Recalling
the day when he first saw his name along with others labelled as extremists,
Butt said he first thought that his picture had been used by mistake. "I
just noticed that they were using my picture there first; I thought maybe it's
somebody else with the same name. And it just used my picture. But then, as I
read more into it, it was actually referring to me, and that was
surprising," he added.
After
that, he said he launched two legal challenges, a defamation case for the label
and false accusation, and a public law challenge.
He
explained that launching the public law challenge was meant to determine why
the government calls people extremists, what the definition is, exposing the
process of secretive government departments, monitoring individuals and
establishing definitions about who qualifies as "extremist."
'Word
'extremism' means nothing'
More
and more people are realizing that the word "extremism" doesn't
actually mean anything, he said, adding that the term is "very
subjective."
"This
is part of the reason why the government was trying to defend it, in my opinion,
and then they just gave up and had to apologize, because it doesn't have a
strong, robust operational definition," underlined Butt.
He
said that it is very dangerous for governments to start labeling these types of
ideas, thoughts and beliefs as extremist since it's only a matter of time
before that grows, and more and more people are included in it.
"So
this is the main kind of lesson for me in that this word 'extremism,' it
doesn't really mean anything, and it shouldn't be used in everyday speech,"
he added.
Islamophobic
organizations' effects
Butt
noted that Islamophobic organizations are among the source of information for
the government in this regard.
"It
transpired that they were actually taking information from proudly Islamophobic
organizations for which 'Muslim' is extreme and should not be allowed to speak
on university campuses ... And that's why my name came out and the name of
several others, just mainstream normal Muslim people were mentioned by the
government."
He
called on the British government to process information more carefully.
Regardless, he stated that he accepted the apology, despite the fact that six
years had passed.
"I
accept the apology ... as for clearing my own name, personally, I take that as
a welcome apology, even though it's six years late," Butt added.
He
noted that the Muslim community should decide what "normal" and
"extreme" Islamic opinions are, not anyone else.
The
apology
On
Monday, the British government apologized to Butt, who was falsely described as
an extremist hate preacher in 2015.
"The
government accepts that it was wholly false to allege that Butt is an extremist
hate preacher who legitimizes terrorism and therefore someone from whose
influence students should be protected," Aidan Eardley, legal counsel for
Home Secretary Priti Patel, said in a court.
"It
is sorry for the harm caused to him and in particular for the fact that the
allegation was made and maintained for so long," he added, reading a
statement.
Upon
Butt's legal challenge to the false accusation by the U.K. government, the Home
Office agreed to delete his name from the press release and pay Butt
compensation alongside legal costs.
Source:
Daily Sabah
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Arab World
Iraq churches rebuilt after ISIS destruction
20
November ,2021
Cymbals,
prayers and Chaldean Catholic liturgy resounded on Friday in Mosul’s Saint
George monastery, where Iraqi faithful marked the restoration of two churches
destroyed by ISIS in their former stronghold.
Dozens
gathered in one of the monastery’s churches that have been rebuilt in stone six
years after ISIS pulverized them, in a city home to one of the world’s oldest
Christian communities.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
It
is the latest sign of a slow return to normality in Iraq’s second city.
Mosul
was left in ruins after three years of ISIS occupation which ended in 2017 when
an Iraqi force backed by US-led coalition air strikes pushed them out.
“We
have old memories in this monastery,” said Maan Bassem Ajjaj, 53, a civil
servant who moved to Arbil, capital of the neighboring autonomous region of
Kurdistan, to escape the terrorists.
“My
son and daughter were baptized here,” he said. “Each Friday, Mosul’s Christian
families would come here.”
The
US Department of State funded the project, which also had support from a
Christian non-governmental group, L’Oeuvre d’Orient, according to Samer
Yohanna, a superior of the Antonian order of Chaldean monks.
He
told AFP that the terrorists destroyed 70 percent of the monastery the year
after they occupied Mosul in 2014 and declared the establishment of an Islamic
“caliphate.”
The
ISIS onslaught forced hundreds of thousands of Christians in Nineveh province
surrounding Mosul to flee.
Iraq’s
Christian population has shrunk to fewer than 400,000 from around 1.5 million
before the US-led invasion of 2003 that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
On
a visit to Iraq in March, Pope Francis prayed outside another ruined church,
one of at least 14 which ISIS destroyed in Nineveh.
Although
the churches have been repaired, other parts of the centuries-old monastery
still need restoration.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iraqi
cleric Moqtada al-Sadr says he is dissolving armed faction loyal to him
19
November ,2021
Populist
Iraqi Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Friday he was dissolving the Promised
Day Brigade, an armed faction loyal to him, and closing its headquarters,
according to a statement published on his Twitter page.
On
Thursday, al-Sadr urged paramilitary groups to purge what he called
undisciplined members, and said non-state armed groups should hand in their
weapons.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon
thwarts attempt to smuggle 82 people to Europe
19
November ,2021
Lebanese
security forces on Friday said they thwarted an attempt by more than 80 people
to illegally cross by sea into Europe from Lebanon.
In
a statement, the Internal Security Forces said they raided a “tourist resort”
in the Qalamoun area of north Lebanon on Thursday after being tipped off.
They
found “82 people, including men, women, and children, who were planning to head
to Europe via sea in an illegal manner for a fee of $5,000 per person,” the
statement said.
The
statement did not specify their nationality or intended destination.
But
the Republic of Cyprus, a European Union member just 160 kilometers (100 miles)
away, is a common destination for would-be migrants trying to flee Lebanon
which is mired in economic and political crisis.
The
ISF said it arrested a 31-year-old Lebanese national who it identified as one
of the smugglers behind the operation.
It
said further investigations are underway.
The
number of people attempting to make deadly sea crossings out of Lebanon has
surged since the country’s financial crisis began in 2019.
Most
of the would-be migrants are already refugees who fled the war in neighboring
Syria but an increasing number of Lebanese nationals are also attempting the
perilous journey.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Turkey
re-arrest Syrian singer Souleyman hours after his release
19
November ,2021
Celebrated
Syrian singer Omar Souleyman was brought back to a detention center on Friday
in southeast Turkey just hours after his official release earlier in the day,
his lawyer and manager told AFP.
The
lawyer and manager said local officials in Sanliurfa province ordered
Souleyman’s release on Friday morning but needed the approval of the interior
ministry.
“The
governorate decided to release him and told the family,” his lawyer Resit Tuna
told AFP, adding: “But they needed the approval of the interior ministry and it
didn’t come.”
Souleyman’s
return to a detention center in Harran district in Sanliurfa was confirmed by
his manager, who said he hoped the singer would be released on Saturday
morning.
Earlier
on Friday, his lawyer said the singer was released at “10am (0700 GMT)” and he
was due to return to Akcakale in Sanliurfa, where he lives.
Souleyman
was detained on Wednesday in the southern Turkish city of Sanliurfa, where he
has been running a bakery since escaping Syria’s civil war which began in 2011.
Police
questioned Souleyman over reported claims he had ties to the People’s
Protection Units, which Turkey says is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK).
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanese
central bank governor Salameh hands audit of his accounts to PM Mikati
19
November ,2021
Lebanese
central bank governor Riad Salameh has handed an audit of his personal accounts
to Prime Minister Najib Mikati, according to a series of tweets by the
cabinet's official Twitter account on Friday.
Salameh
said on Wednesday that he had ordered an audit of his investments, after
increased scrutiny in the media and several judicial probes.
The
cabinet's tweets quoted Salameh as saying there was no relation between this
move and a separate forensic audit of the central bank itself. International
management consultancy Alvarez & Marsal began the audit of the bank in
October, a condition for Lebanon to secure foreign aid amid its financial
meltdown.
"The
forensic audit is moving ahead. What I did was a personal initiative from me
... to refute all we hear and read, all the rumors," Salameh was quoted in
the tweets as saying, adding that he will hand over his report to judicial
authorities abroad as well.
Salameh,
governor for nearly three decades, has faced increased scrutiny of his tenure
since the financial system collapsed two years ago, plunging Lebanon into what
the World Bank has called one of world history's sharpest depressions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Duo
Arrested After Two Muslim Schoolgirls Allegedly Attacked By Over 40 People From
Pro-Hindu Organisations
19th
November 2021
By
Pragna GR
MADIKERI:
In another case of moral policing in Somwarpet taluk, two Muslim girls were
allegedly attacked and assaulted by over 40 people from pro-Hindu
organisations. The incident was reported on Thursday evening at KRC Circle in
Shanivarsanthe. Meanwhile, the accused have been booked under the POCSO Act and
two arrests have been made by the police.
At
around 4.15 pm on Thursday, the girls who are 1st PU students of Sacred Heart’s
School in Shanivarsanthe were ambushed by over 40 people. The father of one of
the girls said, “My daughter and her friend were physically assaulted by boys
from the Sangh Pariwar. On Thursday morning, my daughter attended the classes
in her college. They have to remove the burqa before entering the classes.
Meanwhile, my daughter’s friend lent her burqa to a Christian girl from the
same college in the morning. The Christian girl did not attend the college on
Thursday. Further, my daughter and her friend were waiting for this Christian
girl to return the burqa in the evening. However, while the burqa was being
returned, my daughter and her friend were attacked by over 40 goons.” He said
that the girls were locked up, beaten, abused and assaulted. The burqa of a
girl was torn and they suffered injuries on their back including scratch marks.
The girls were later admitted to Kodalipet Hospital.
Meanwhile,
the accused have released a video on social media 'policing' the girls for
handing over the burqa to a non-Muslim girl.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
AIMIM
delegation meets Hyderabad top cop, seeks action against Waseem Rizvi over book
on Prophet Mohammed
Nov
17, 2021
The
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Wednesday filed a police
complaint in Hyderabad against Waseem Rizvi, the former chief of the Uttar
Pradesh Shia Waqf Board, seeking action against him over a book which allegedly
depicts Prophet Mohammed in bad light. “Today, on behalf of the AIMIM, a
delegation of party leaders met the police chief. We represented to him that
Rizvi has written a book which is full of lies and bad words for the Prophet.
We urged that a case be filed him against under relevant sections of the IPC,”
AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who led the delegation, said.
The
Lok Sabha MP from Hyderabad further said that the officer assured him that the
force would register a criminal case against Rizvi. He added, “We hope that
once the criminal case is registered, the Telangana government will arrest him
as well. This man only wants to provoke Muslims, and is being used as a tool by
the anti-Muslim forces. We appeal to peace-loving people and Muslims across the
country to file a criminal case against him.”
Taking
to Twitter, the AIMIM said that Rizvi’s books and speeches were creating enmity
against the Muslims, which, the party, said, is likely to cause a breach in
peace. It has sought cases against the former UP Shia Waqf Board chief under
sections 153A, 153B, 295A, 504 and 505(1)(c) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Gurgaon:
Namaz offered at businessman’s shop, not Gurdwaras; protests at another prayer
site
by
Abhinaya Harigovind
November
20, 2021
For
the second week in a row, members of the Muslim community offered Friday namaz
at Akshay Yadav’s vacant shop at Sector 12. Although a committee overseeing
five gurdwaras in Gurgaon had offered their premises for prayers, namaz was not
offered at any gurdwara on Friday.
Around
2 pm, the shutters to the shop were opened. Yadav, a businessman, was out of
town. Mats had already been laid out.
Former
Rajya Sabha MP Mohammad Adeeb, who offered namaz at the shop, said, “When the
gurdwara offered their premises, radicals pressured them. Last night, we got to
know of this and realised the gurdwara was under pressure. They initially said
we could do namaz in a nearby school. But if there is mischief… the public will
be at the gurdwara. We told them we won’t inconvenience them. So, we went to
thank them after the namaz.”
In
a statement, Altaf Ahmad of the Gurgaon Muslim Council said, “Since yesterday,
members of right-wing groups were using condemnable tactics to mount pressure
on the Committee of the Gurdwara to stop Muslims from offering Jumma namaz…
Since today was a big festival of the Sikh community, a huge rush of devotees
was expected and we didn’t want to jeopardise security. Hence, the committee of
Gurdwara Sahib and Gurgaon Muslim Council took a decision this morning to not
offer namaz in the gurdwara this week.”
At
Sector 37, 15-20 people disrupted namaz being offered at a playground, said
police, adding that the protesters claimed they wanted to play cricket at the
site. Police at the spot took them to Sector 10 police station and discussed
the matter. The protesters are learnt to have told police that they would not
allow namaz at the site from next week. The site is on a list of places
previously agreed upon by the administration where namaz could be offered.
Police said while some people were able to offer namaz, others had to leave.
Asif
Khan, a shopkeeper in the automobile market at Sector 12, said most people
offering namaz at Yadav’s shop work in the market or in shops nearby: “We
prayed here last week as well. The week before that, we prayed outdoors, where
trouble was created.” Around 35-40 people offered prayers at Yadav’s shop.
“Christians
have also extended support. It’s a gracious gesture on the part of Akshay
Yadav, and Sikhs and Christians to open up their places. But we realise it is
not a long-term solution.
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/gurgaon-namaz-shop-prayer-site-protest-7631996/
--------
Hyderabad
police’s cordon searches affect Dalit, Muslim women most: Report
19th
November 2021
Hyderabad:
Vulnerable groups, especially women from lower caste and Muslim households,
were most affected due to the city police’s controversial cordon and search
operations, a fact finding committee which carried out extensive ground work
research on it has found.
A
team of civil activists (most of who are from Hyderabad) released a
fact-finding report on the perils of giving the city police a free hand with
regards cordon searches. Cordon and searches are a military tactic to
cordon-off an area and search the premises for weapons or insurgents. It is one
of the basic counter-insurgency operations.
Discussing
the slums located on the banks of Musi river and Golnaka bridge, the committee
brought up the “problematic ways” in which the police stations of Amberpet,
Malakpet and Saidabad were carrying out cordon searches. Those were also
conducted in the last two months at Yakutpura, Zeba bagh colony-Asif Nagar,
Mangalhat, Chikkadpally, Chaderghat, Singareni colony-saidabad, Aram
Ghar-Rajendra nagar, Asad Baba Nagar and Bahadurpura.
They
committee took into account 236 huts which house 1500 people and noted that
most of them migrated to Hyderabad for their livelihood around 40 years ago.
Further,
the report mentioning that majority of the families living in the mentioned
areas belong to the Madiga caste or hail from Scheduled tribes, Muslim or mala
families. They work as either daily wage workers, auto drivers or small scale
businessmen.
On
October 28, 70 police people, including female cops, from the aforementioned
police stations, arrived in some of those areas. They questioned the women on
whether they sold ganja, alcohol and gutka. It is important to note that the
men of the household were not around for the questioning and as such the women
were significantly uncomfortable.
The
police also checked the vehicle, Aadhar documents and asked them to show their
cell phones and carried out a thorough search of the same. A total of 82
vehicles were seized and three autos were reportedly found to have irregular
documents or challans. One shop owner was also asked for his trade license and
one child complained that the police used harsh language against him.
The
police have in the past argued that under the orders of the Telangana
government and Director General of Police, cordon and searches were conducted.
By their own admission however, the police have so far not found any contraband
material in their searches. They only managed to seize vehicles and gave
counseling to 11 rowdy sheeters.
As
per the fact finding report, it was discovered that most women were caught
unaware by the police and suffered as their privacy was snatched away from
them. It also led to defamation for the families and harassment as police
presented the area as criminal spaces.
The
general law for search and seizure of evidence is found in Sections 93, 94, 97,
100, 102 and
103
of CrPc of the Criminal procedure code (CrPC). Unless a strong urgency was
noticed, the police are not supposed to carry out sudden Cordon searches under
Section 165 of the CrPC and should secure a search warrant from the district
magistrate.
Source:
Daily Siasat
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Ruckus
as Sindh Assembly resolution opposing ‘secret’ govt-TTP talks passed
Tahir
Siddiqui
November
20, 2021
KARACHI:
The Sindh Assembly on Friday objected to “secretive” talks with the banned
Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and demanded that the federal government take
on board all stakeholders, parliament and political parties before negotiating
with the militant outfit.
The
resolution was moved by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party amidst a noisy
protest by opposition lawmakers belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf,
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Grand Democratic Alliance, who protested
against the chair for allowing the PPP MPA to move the resolution by suspending
the other agenda.
The
opposition members gathered in front of the speaker’s rostrum and chanted
slogans when the chair. However, Deputy Speaker Rehana Leghari put the
resolution to the house that adopted it with a majority vote.
The
resolution said: “This house objects to the unilateral negotiations with banned
TTP that are being carried out in the most secretive manner by the federal
government which indicates the complete bypass of the parliament as the supreme
institution in the country to decide upon such matters of national security.
TTP has claimed thousands of innocent lives in the country over the last two
decades including innocent civilians, brave soldiers of the armed forces,
police officers, religious scholars, non-political prominent people and lest we
forget, the APS massacre.”
Mover
calls for involving parliament in national security matters; opposition
protests over agenda suspension
It
added that to initiate talks with such a ruthless organisation indicated
federal government’s unwillingness to crush them by means of force. “The prime
minister cannot strike a deal with TTP on its own as this matter is of our
national interest and must be discussed in the parliament. The house demands
the federal government to take on board all relevant stakeholders, political
parties and institutions through the parliament and build unanimous consensus
over such a consequential move.”
Speaking
on the resolution, the mover, Qasim Soomro, expressed serious reservation on
the negotiations and said that the federal government had started talks with
the TTP before taking parliament and political leadership into confidence,
adding that entire nation suffered loss due to the ruthless organisation.
The
PPP lawmaker was of the view that talks with such organisations were held in
other parts of the world too but with consensus of all stakeholders. He
demanded that the matter be discussed in the parliament. “Let it be discussed
in the parliament and go (for talks) with consensus. Backdoor dialogues had
done the damage,” he added.
Gas
crisis
Earlier,
giving a policy statement on the acute shortage of gas in the province, Energy
Minister Imtiaz Shaikh asked the federal government to hand over the Sui
Southern Gas Company Limited to the provincial government if the federal
government was not capable of resolving the crisis.
He
said that Sindh produced 62 per cent of the country’s total gas yet it was
deprived of the basic necessity.
“The
people of Sindh are facing hardships due to incompetence of the federal
government. There is a shortage of 800 mmcfd gas in the country. If the Centre
cannot run the affairs of the SSGCL, hand it over to the provincial
government,” he added.
Question
Hour
Replying
to lawmakers’ verbal and written queries during Question Hour, Forest Minister
Taimur Talpur said that the lease of forest land had been cancelled in the
province on the orders of the Supreme Court.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
UK,
Pakistan finalise accord to repatriate illegal migrants
Jamal
Shahid
November
20, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
The federal government on Friday finalised negotiations on a bilateral
readmissions agreement with the UK under which former prime minister Nawaz
Sharif could also be repatriated for staying illegally in Britain.
Earlier
in August, Mr Sharif had filed an appeal with the British immigration tribunal
after the country’s Home Department refused to extend his stay in the UK on
medical grounds any further.
To
reach a new arrangement after Brexit, the permanent secretary of the UK’s Home
Office, Matthew Rycroft, paid a two-day visit to Pakistan that was capped off
on Thursday with finalisation of an agreement to tackle illegal migration.
Mr
Rycroft and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior and Accountability
Shahzad Akbar finalised the negotiations on UK-Pakistan Readmissions Agreement,
which would ensure the return of illegal migrants who had no lawful basis to
remain in the country.
Unlike
past practice, UK will now share data of people being repatriated
A
statement issued by the British High Commission in Islamabad said it had been
decided that the agreement would be presented to the Pakistani federal cabinet
in the coming weeks to be implemented by the end of the year, subject to the
cabinet’s approval.
The
agreement would enable the sharing of criminal records between the UK and
Pakistani authorities to support effective law enforcement cooperation between
the two countries.
The
high commission said the UK was committed to working with Pakistan to develop
an effective partnership on migration as part of a deep and mutually beneficial
relationship.
During
his visit, Mr Rycroft also spoke about the UK Home Office’s new immigration
system that would level the global playing field to those wishing to travel to
the UK. Pakistani students would benefit from new graduate routes providing
them an opportunity to enter into skilled roles in the UK job market, the high
commission said.
Shahzad
Akbar told Dawn that it took a year and a half of inter-ministerial meetings
between the two countries to finalise the agreement. Previously, the British
government did not share data and other records of people being repatriated to
Pakistan.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1659109/uk-pakistan-finalise-accord-to-repatriate-illegal-migrants
--------
Pakistan
drops chemical castration as punishment for serial rapists
Nov
19, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has removed a clause from a new criminal law that had allowed chemical
castration as a possible punishment for serial rapists, a government official
said on Friday.
"We
have amended the criminal law, and decided that the chemical castration clause
will be taken out," Maleeka Bukhari, parliamentary secretary on law, told
a news conference in Islamabad.
She
said the decision was taken after the Islamic Ideology Council, a state-run
body that interprets laws from an Islamic perspective, found chemical
castration un-Islamic.
The
government of Prime Minister Imran Khan hurriedly passed nearly three dozens
laws in a joint session of the parliament on Wednesday, including the anti-rape
criminal law.
Chemical
castration, which is carried out by the use of drugs and is reversible, can be
a punishment for some sex crimes in countries including Poland, South Korea,
the Czech Republic and some US states.
Source:
Times of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
again lifts ban, fourth so far, on China’s TikTok
November
20, 2021
Pakistan’s
media regulating authority on Friday again lifted a ban on TikTok, this time
after four months, following assurances from the popular Chinese video-sharing service
that it would control the spread of indecent content.
It
was the fourth time in the past 15 months that Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority imposed and lifted such a ban.
Pakistan
first blocked TikTok, which is very popular among Pakistani teens and young
adults, in October 2020 over what it described as widespread complaints about
allegedly “immoral, obscene and vulgar” content on the app.
The
regulatory agency said in a statement on Twitter that TikTok had assured
Pakistan it would also block users who upload “unlawful content.” The app,
owned by China’s ByteDance, has been downloaded almost 39 million times in
Pakistan.
Pakistan,
which has close relations with China, has been urging TikTok to develop an
effective mechanism to control unlawful content.
Source:
India TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Indian
contempt move in Kulbhushan Jadhav case averted: govt
Malik
Asad
November
20, 2021
ISLAMABAD:
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Dr Farogh Naseem has said that
the government has averted the Indian move to file a contempt petition before
the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for non-compliance with the
ICJ decision on Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Addressing
a press conference on Friday, he said the bill passed by the joint sitting of
parliament and related to Jadhav was not person-specific rather it was a
national security issue.
The
parliament had passed the International Court of Justice (Review and
Reconsideration) Bill, 2021 on Wednesday to provide for the right of review and
reconsideration in the Jadhav case in line with the judgement of the ICJ.
“This
was the red line for Pakistan. India would have gone to the ICJ and filed a
contempt case against us if we have not enacted this law,” the law minister
said.
Farogh
says ICJ bill passed recently is not person-specific
He
said that Pakistan had prevented India from filing a contempt case which was
called defiance in the ICJ, adding that India could have moved the United
Nations Security Council for imposing sanctions on Pakistan.
Mr
Naseem criticised the opposition parties for politicising the issue and said
they lacked vision to differentiate between right and wrong.
Anti-rape
law
Meanwhile,
parliamentary secretary for law and justice Maleeka Bukhari, who also spoke at
the presser, congratulated the nation on the adoption of the landmark anti-rape
legislation by the parliament.
However,
she said that the proposal of chemical castration of sex offenders had been
dropped in the criminal law amendments after the Council of Islamic Ideology
declared it against Islamic injunctions, adding that the constitution barred
any un-Islamic legislation.
She
lamented the lowest conviction rate of sex offenders saying that it was about
one or two per cent. Besides other issues, she explained, out of court
settlement in rape cases was a major reason for the lowest conviction and
higher acquittal rate. Ms Bukhari expressed hope that the new legislation would
discourage out of court settlement.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1659113/indian-contempt-move-in-kulbhushan-jadhav-case-averted-govt
--------
North America
US
sanctions senior Iran-backed Houthi militia officer Saleh Mesfer Alshaer
18
November ,2021
The
Biden administration has designated a senior Houthi militia officer for
overseeing the illegal seizure of property worth more than $100 million, the
Treasury Department announced on Thursday.
Saleh
Mesfer Alshaer, commander of the Houthi-controlled logistics support
organization, was sanctioned for what the US said was using “a variety of
unlawful tactics, including extortion.”
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“This
campaign of extortion, which was used to fund the Houthi [militia] effort, is
yet another example of Houthi actions fueling instability and increasing the
already extraordinary suffering of the Yemeni people,” a statement from the
Treasury Department read.
Last
week, the UN also sanctioned Alshaer along with two other Houthi officials.
“Saleh
Mesfer Alshaer is the principal Houthi [militia] officer responsible for
pilfering assets from Yemeni citizens and directing a campaign of seizures that
further prolongs the ongoing conflict in Yemen by obstructing its resolution,”
said Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Andrea Gacki.
Alshaer
is a close ally of Houthi leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi. Treasury said that he
has unlawfully forced banks, companies, and money exchange businesses to
withdraw and identify customer assets.
“Those
who have defied Alshaer have been detained and held indefinitely by the
Houthi-controlled ‘National Security Bureau’ and have been falsely labeled as
spies,” according to the statement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
senators move to block arms sales to Saudi Arabia
November
20, 2021
A
group of US senators are opposing the Biden administration’s first major arms
sale to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia over Riyadh’s involvement in the conflict in
Yemen, senators announced on Thursday.
Senators
Rand Paul and Bernie Sanders are working together to block an arms sale to
Saudi Arabia worth billions.
The
Kentucky Republican and the former Democratic presidential candidate introduced
a resolution of disapproval. Senator Paul says the sale includes 280 air-to-air
missiles, 596 missile launchers among other weapons with an estimated cost of
$650 billion.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://en.abna24.com/news//us-senators-move-to-block-arms-sales-to-saudi-arabia_1200242.html
--------
Top
US defence official to make ‘very clear’ Washington’s commitment to Middle East
19
November ,2021
The
top US defense official will make “very clear” that Washington remains
committed to the Middle East and its strategic partnership with countries in
the region, the Pentagon said.
Speaking
ahead of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s trip to Bahrain and the United Arab
Emirates, a senior defense official told reporters that ties with Middle East
countries were more than a US force presence.
“This
is a strategic partnership, and it is more than a US force presence… US
commitment is more than posture,” the official, speaking on condition of
anonymity, said.
Austin
will highlight that the US still has “tens of thousands” of forces on many
bases across the region, including Bahrain.
“More
broadly, he will talk about our efforts to keep US forces in Iraq and Syria
where ISIS no longer holds territory but is not defeated. Our resolve to
maintain forces there is part of our mission to help them fight ISIS,” the
official said.
The
US defense secretary is also planning to lay out the different threats that the
US and regional countries share in common.
Iran
This
includes the use of drones by Iran and Tehran’s malign activities at sea. “He
[Austin] will call for more cooperation, more sharing of defense, more engagement
on a multilateral level to challenge and address… the challenges of the 21st
century,” the official said.
There
will not be any new agreements on specific mechanisms to deal with Iran or
confront its malign activity, but confronting Iran is more than pushing back on
Iranian force, the official said.
“It
requires whole of government partnerships in the Middle East.”
Citing
multiple US officials currently in the region to consult on Iran, the senior
defense official said “there is an intense desire to discuss Iran and other
issues.”
Iraq
Washington
has no plans to leave Iraq, and its commitment to remain in the country was
based on an agreement that troops would advise and assist Iraqi troops.
The
combat troops would no longer be present in Iraq by the end of the year, and
“we are on track being faithful to that commitment and will adhere to it.”
However,
the official said, Iraqis still require support from the US and advice on how
to counter ISIS and no changes or requests have been made.
“Now,
I think there are certain spoilers and adversaries who are going to exploit
this and attempt to make it something different,” the official said about
Iran-backed militias.
“The
US forces are there to advise and assist the Iraqi security forces; they will
not be there for a combat role. It means that US forces are still going to be
there next year. This is an evolution in mission,” the official said.
Lebanon
The
official praised the Lebanese Armed Forces for continuing to carry out their
duties “despite the unbelievable pressure of the situation there.”
“They
are under extreme distress, unable to provide for families, yet still going to
work and providing humanity response,” the official said, adding that what the
LAF commander Gen. Joseph Aoun heard during his recent trip to Washington was
that the US would continue to support him and the LAF.
Asked
if the US was considering helping pay the salaries of Lebanese soldiers, the
official said: “I cannot answer that; he asked for support.”
UAE:
F-35s and Syria
Echoing
recent comments by another senior US official, the senior defense official said
there was no timeframe for the delivery of F-35 fighter jets to the UAE. “It’s
a mutual decision for the timeframe. That’s just how it works.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Unspoken
US aim at Iran nuclear talks may be winning Chinese, Russian support
19
November ,2021
The
stated US aim when indirect US-Iranian talks resume this month is to see if the
two can revive a 2015 nuclear deal, but Washington’s unspoken goal may be to
win support from China and Russia to pressure Iran if the talks fail, diplomats
said.
Western
diplomats have said time is running low to resurrect the pact, which then-US
President Donald Trump abandoned in 2018, earning Iran’s fury and the dismay of
the remaining major powers in the pact - Britain, China, France, Germany and
Russia.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Under
the agreement, Iran limited its nuclear program in exchange for relief from US,
EU and UN economic sanctions. Trump’s 2018 decision to reimpose harsh US
sanctions prompted Tehran to begin breaching the deal’s nuclear restrictions.
The
three European nations have worked hand in glove with the United States to try
to restore the deal and Russia has been supportive, notably at the Vienna-based
UN nuclear watchdog that monitors Iran’s eroding compliance.
China,
however, has undercut US leverage by buying Iranian oil, throwing Tehran an
economic lifeline in violation of US sanctions.
One
way to pressure Iran to rejoin the original pact or, if that is not possible,
to accept another arrangement would be to persuade Beijing and Moscow that Tehran,
not Washington, is the obstacle, diplomats said.
“They
need China and Russia,” said a Western diplomat on condition of anonymity.
Shifting
the onus
While
Washington initially got blamed for Trump’s withdrawal and reimposition of
sanctions on Iran, the onus may gradually be shifting to Tehran as US President
Joe Biden seeks to restore the pact.
US
and Iranian officials held six rounds of indirect talks in Vienna between April
and June. A new round begins on Nov. 29 after a five-month hiatus triggered by
the election of a new Iranian president, Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric who
said this month that Iran would not back down in nuclear talks.
US
and European diplomats are frustrated by what they view as Iran’s unrealistic
demands, including what one described as a recent insistence that all US and EU
sanctions imposed since 2017 be dropped, and their expectations for the talks
are low.
This
month’s talks will be a chance to gauge whether Iran wants to revive the 2015
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and, if not, for Washington to try
to garner greater support from China and, to a lesser degree, Russia to put
pressure on Tehran.
“(The)
Russians are a more helpful partner than China,” said a second Western diplomat
on condition of anonymity. The best way to get China’s support was via
diplomacy rather sanctioning Chinese companies that buy Iran’s oil, the envoy
added.
“We
have to talk to China and get them on side,” this diplomat said.
Biden
and Chinese President Xi Jinping discussed how to “align” their positions
before the Vienna talks during their virtual summit this week.
‘Good
old college try’
The
major powers believe the greater their cohesion, the better the chances of
bringing Iran back into the deal, said a third Western diplomat.
“It
becomes more important when we come to a crucial point in the discussions,” the
diplomat added, referring to the next round and Western hopes that China might
eventually trim its oil purchases.
Brookings
Institution analyst Robert Einhorn suggested Washington may wish to show it had
gone the extra mile to revive the agreement.
“(The
idea is to) make a good old college try ... but if that doesn’t work, make sure
that the world sees Iran as the reason for failure,” Einhorn said.
Shifting
the onus to Tehran could prove helpful even if Washington concludes the
original deal is dead but tries to fashion another agreement.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US sanctions 6 Iran nationals, one entity for interfering in 2020 elections
18
November ,2021
The
US sanctioned six Iran nationals and one Iranian entity for their efforts to
interfere in the 2020 presidential elections, the Treasury Department said on
Thursday.
“The
United States identified attempted cyber-enabled intrusions by state-sponsored
actors, including Iranian actors who sought to sow discord and undermine
voters’ faith in the US electoral process,” a statement from the Treasury
Department read. “The actors also disseminated disinformation on social media
and sent threatening emails as well as a fraudulent video.”
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Iranian cyber company Emennet Pasargad was the leader of the efforts, according
to the Treasury Department. Emennet was previously designated under its former
name, Net Peygard Samavat Company, in 2019 for assisting or providing support
to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Electronic Warfare and Cyber Defense
Organization (IRGC-EWCD).
“The
company rebranded itself to evade US sanctions and continue its disruptive
cyber operations against the United States,” the Treasury Department said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
committed to deepening cooperation with Turkey: Official
Nazli
Yuzbasioglu
19.11.2021
The
US is committed to deepening cooperation with Turkey, and the two countries
have so many common interests, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs said.
Speaking
exclusively to Anadolu Agency during her visit to Turkey, Karen Donfried said
she is relatively new in her position and visiting Turkey as early in her
tenure as she could is very important to her.
"And
that reflects the fact that Turkey is such a longstanding and valued NATO
partner. We share so many common interests, and there's so much we can do
together. So I was eager to get to Ankara and start those conversations in
person," she said.
Responding
to a question regarding the dialogue mechanisms between the two countries,
Donfried said the timing of her visit is "auspicious" because it came
after the in-person meeting between US President Joe Biden and Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Rome on the margins of the G20 Summit.
"That
conversation led both to agree that we should deepen our dialogue on the many
issues where we can work effectively together. So most of my conversations at
the Foreign Ministry focused on that topic of how it is that we can fill out
that conversation the two presidents had with a concrete proposal. I'm very
much looking forward to continuing that discussion," she said.
'Dialogue
continues on a very regular basis between the US and Turkey'
Regarding
whether there are any planned high-level visits from the US to Turkey after her
visit, Donfried said, "there certainly will be continued
opportunities."
Recalling
the recent high-level Defense Group meeting in Washington, she said: "So I
want to point out that this dialogue continues on a very regular basis between
the US and Turkey. And the next opportunity for that senior-level dialogue will
be at the NATO foreign ministerial, which will take place in late November,
early December. And certainly, our two foreign ministers will be working
together in that NATO context on the very important agenda that unites us
there."
Stating
that the next NATO summit that will take place in June 2022 in Madrid will
focus on a new strategic direction of the alliance for the next ten years,
Donfried said: "I think that provides a wonderful opportunity for the US
and Turkey, together with all of our NATO allies, to think strategically about
both the regional and global challenges that face us today."
'We
are committed to deepening our cooperation with Turkey'
Donfried
was also asked about the increase of the US military presence in Greece, which
caused discomfort in Turkey. A letter sent by the US Secretary of State Antony
Blinken to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after the signing of the
National Defense Cooperation Agreement includes the wording "firm
determination of the two countries against actions that threaten peace,"
which raises the issue of whether the United States is taking a position with
Greece against Turkey.
"I
am very sorry to hear that it caused concern in Turkey. That's because I think
to deeper the US engagement in any NATO ally is a good thing. And the US is
equally interested in deepening our cooperation here in Turkey. Certainly, the
purpose of my visit is to think together with our Turkish partners -- how is it
that the US and Turkey can work more closely. And I think the cooperation with
Greece should be seen absolutely in that light.
"You'll
remember that when President Biden came into office, he talked about America
being back and the United States wanting to deepen our engagement with our key
allies, reinvigorate our alliances and partnerships, and that is very much the
spirit of what the US is doing with its Greek ally. And we are as committed to
deepening our cooperation with Turkey," she added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/us-committed-to-deepening-cooperation-with-turkey-official/2425218
--------
Europe
Attempted
arson attack on mosque in Germany
Ayhan
Simsek
19.11.2021
BERLIN
An
unidentified arsonist tried to set fire to a mosque in the western city of
Cologne, police said on Friday.
Security
guards spotted the suspect in the early hours of the day outside the Cologne
Central Mosque while he was pouring a liquid, police said in a statement.
The
suspect fled on foot after being spotted, and left behind his bicycle with a
can of gasoline and several lighters.
The
police appealed for witnesses and said camera records will be reviewed to
identify the suspect.
Cologne’s
most prominent mosque, which is run by Turkish-Muslim umbrella organization
DITIB, received numerous threat letters in recent years from right-wing
extremists and neo-Nazi groups.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/attempted-arson-attack-on-mosque-in-germany/2425594
--------
Armenia
and Azerbaijan agree to talks in Brussels to overcome tensions: EU
20
November ,2021
The
leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in Brussels in mid-December to
discuss tensions that have led to border clashes with several troops, the
European Union said on Friday.
“Leaders
have agreed to meet in Brussels to discuss the regional situation and ways of
overcoming tensions for a prosperous and stable South Caucasus, which the EU
supports,” a spokesman for Charles Michel, the president of the European
Council representing EU member states, said in a statement.
The
meeting is to take place in the margins of the EU’s Eastern Partnership Summit
in Brussels on Dec. 15.
The
announcement came after talks between Michel and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham
Aliyev as well as Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday.
“During
the phone calls, the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders have also agreed to
establish a direct communication line, at the level of respective Ministers of
Defense, to serve as an incident prevention mechanism,” the EU said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Greece:
Turkey the ‘common denominator’ of region’s troubles
19
November ,2021
Greece’s
foreign minister Friday called neighbor Turkey “the common denominator” of
threats to stability in the region, including the use of migrants as a lever to
apply geopolitical pressure.
Nikos
Dendias accused Belarus of copying tactics used by Ankara last year when a
tense stand off at the Greek-Turkish land border was triggered by the arrival
of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers.
“Unfortunately,
the common denominator of many of the challenges that we face in this region
... is our neighbor Turkey,” Dendias said at a meeting in Athens with the
foreign ministers of France, Egypt and Cyprus, Jean-Yves Le Drian, Sameh
Shoukry and Nikos Christodoulides.
Greece
and Turkey resumed high-level diplomatic talks in January for first time in
nearly five years to try and ease tension over long standing boundary disputes
in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean. But they remain sharply at odds
and Greece has launched a multi-billion military modernization program with
large navy and air force orders from France and the United States.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Turkey
summons Bulgarian ambassador over election interference claims
Büşra
Nur Çakmak
19.11.2021
Turkey
summoned the Bulgarian ambassador to the Foreign Ministry late Thursday over
allegations that Turkey interfered in Bulgaria’s presidential and parliamentary
elections and internal affairs.
According
to diplomatic sources, Turkey’s Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakci, who is
in charge of EU affairs, summoned Hristov Tcholakov after the Bulgarian Foreign
Ministry summoned Turkish ambassador to Bulgaria Aylin Sekizkok.
Kaymakci
told Tcholakov that Turkey rejects all allegations that Bulgarian voters were
directed by Turkish authorities during the country’s Nov. 14 presidential and
parliamentary polls and that Turkey interfered in Bulgaria’s internal affairs.
Turkey
has shown great cooperation and provided the necessary conveniences for
Bulgarian voters to cast their votes in Turkey, he added.
Sources
said a diplomatic note was delivered to the ambassador and was told that Turkey
expects the voting in Turkey not to be abused in Bulgarian domestic politics.
Tcholakov
was also told that Turkey finds it strange that the Turkish ambassador to Bulgaria
was summoned to Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs with such groundless
accusations.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Mideast
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad condemn London’s decision to designate resistance groups as a
"terrorist organizations"
November
20, 2021
The
Palestinian resistance movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad denounced Britain’s
decision to designate Hamas as a “terrorist organization”, calling on London to
end its support for the Zionist regime’s crimes.
In
a statement on Friday, Hamas described the move as continuation of Britain’s
previous stupidities.
It
said that instead of apologizing to the Palestinian nation and correcting its
historical errors and injustices against the nation, Britain is supporting the
aggressors and occupiers against the oppressed.
Hamas
underlined that resistance against occupiers by all possible means, including
armed resistance, is a legitimate rights of nations according to international
laws.
Enumerating
the Israeli regime’s crimes against Palestinians, the statement said the
Palestinian nation will continue its path toward freedom and liberation of its
lands.
It
also called on all nations and supporters of Palestine to condemn the British
move against Hamas.
In
a separate statement, the Islamic Jihad movement regretted that instead of
making up for its past mistakes, Britain adopts hostile stances against
Palestine.
It
reiterated the legitimacy of the Palestinian nation’s resistance and strongly
condemned the blacklisting of Hamas.
Resistance
is the right of Palestinian people and support for occupiers by oppressive and
hypocritical governments will have no effect on the resolve of Palestinians to
counter occupation, the movement stated.
The
British government announced on Friday that it intended to label Hamas “a
terrorist organization”, joining the United States, Canada and the European
Union in fully banning the Gaza-based Palestinian resistance group, which plays
a significant role in defending Palestinian rights against frequent Israel
aggression.
London
has since 2001 banned the group’s military wing, known as the Izz ad-Din
al-Qassam Brigades, across the UK, but it is the first time that the British
government sets to ban Hamas’ political wing.
Earlier
on Friday, British Home Secretary Priti Patel tweeted that she had “acted to
proscribe Hamas in its entirety”, saying there is no difference between the
group’s military and political wings.
Source:
ABNA24
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Iran-backed
Houthis continue to detain US, UN employees: State Department
19
November ,2021
The
Iran-backed Houthis have yet to release the remaining Yemeni detainees employed
by the US government, a State Department official said Friday.
Meanwhile,
the United Nations has slammed the group for its detention of locally employed
staff and its breach of the US Embassy in Sanaa.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“The
members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the very
recent and ongoing seizure of and intrusion into the compound formerly used as
the US Embassy in Sana’a, Yemen, by the Houthis, during which dozens of local
employees were detained,” the Security Council said in a statement on Thursday.
Yemen’s
Houthi militia had detained US Embassy staff and seized property from the US
Embassy compound, a State Department official told Al Arabiya English last
week.
On
Friday, a State Department spokesperson said a majority of the detained had
been released, “but the Houthis continue to detain additional Yemeni employees
of the Embassy.”
“We
are concerned that Yemeni staff of the US Embassy in Sana’a continue to be
detained without explanation and we call for their immediate release,” the
official added.
Secretary
of State Antony Blinken later released a statement criticizing the Houthis’
detention and mistreatment of “dozens of Yemeni citizens and their family
members simply because they have worked for the United States.”
Several
of these employees are still being held, he said.
“These
actions are an affront to the entire international community. The Houthis must
immediately release unharmed all Yemeni employees of the United States, vacate
the Embassy compound, return seized property, and cease their threats,” Blinken
said.
Bloomberg
reported that at least 25 Yemenis were detained by the Houthis in recent weeks,
citing two people familiar with the matter.
Separately,
it was revealed on Wednesday that the Houthis have also detained UN staff
members, Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
Two
UN employees, both Yemenis, are still being held by the Houthis, despite being
told by Houthi officials that they would be freed.
The
US employees “are in addition to the UN employees who are detained,” the State
Department official told Al Arabiya English.
US
Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking is also in the region as part of his
shuttle diplomacy to help end the yearslong war between the Iran-backed Houthis
and the internationally recognized Yemeni government.
Washington’s
renewed diplomatic efforts came after the election of President Joe Biden;
however, one of his first foreign policy moves saw the Houthis removed from the
terror blacklist. Additionally, the Biden administration lifted senior Houthi
officials’ names off the Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) list.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Iran
calls for depoliticisation of UN nuclear watchdog after France urges it to act
19
November ,2021
Iran
called on Friday for the depoliticization of the UN nuclear watchdog, after
France had urged the organization to “send a strong message to Tehran” over
disputed nuclear activities and a lack of cooperation.
The
International Atomic Energy Agency’s 35-nation governing board is due to begin
meeting on Nov. 24 in Vienna, five days before talks are due to resume on reviving
Iran’s nuclear deal with global powers.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Complaints
from the UN body that Iran has not fully cooperated with monitors could make it
more difficult to revive the agreement, under which Iran accepted curbs on its
nuclear program in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
“As
a responsible member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has always
emphasized that the IAEA’s reputation as a technical and specialized body of
the United Nations must be free of any political conduct,” said an Iranian
Foreign Ministry statement in a twitter feed.
French
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre had said on Thursday that the
watchdog’s governing board should act, after agency reports highlighted issues
over Tehran’s nuclear program. Western nations say they fear it has military
aims while Tehran insists it is purely peaceful.
According
to IAEA reports on Wednesday, Iran had still not granted IAEA inspectors access
it promised two months ago to re-install monitoring cameras at a workshop that
was the site of apparent sabotage in June.
Legendre
said Iran “must return without delay to fulfilling all its commitments and
obligations to the IAEA, resume cooperation with the agency and return to full
implementation” of the 2015 nuclear deal.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Iran:
Statement by US, EU Not Worth Even to Reply
2021-November-19
"Such
a meeting and statement is a fake and illegitimate showoff that does not
deserve any reaction," Khatibzadeh said.
He
reiterated that the US administration that violated the UN Resolution 2231 and
withdrew the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is responsible for the current situation
with regard to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
"The
United States is the only country in the world that has a dark history of using
nuclear weapons and it is also the one that intervenes in other countries
internal affairs and now the US is trying to create a crisis and propagate
against Iran," Khatibzadeh added.
Referring
to certain Arab states in the region, he noted that these countries which are
responsible for the invasion of Yemen are not in a position to put forward
baseless accusations against other nations in order to get rid of the
responsibility of their crimes.
Robert
Malley, the US Special Representative for Iran, and representatives of three
European powers, as well as envoys from PGCC states, met in Riyadh, Saudi
Arabia, on Thursday to discuss the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14000828000060/Iran-Saemen-by-US-EU-N-Wrh-Even-Reply
--------
Spokesman:
New US Sanctions Pursuing Trump's Failed Economic Terrorism against Iran
2021-November-19
"The
Islamic Republic considers the US' new sanctioning efforts to be the
continuation of former US president Donald Trump's failed maximum pressure
policy," Khatibzadeh said on Friday.
"These
are efforts [that are taken] out of desperation," he said, condemning the
sanctions an "illegitimate" bid on the part of a country that,
itself, tows a longstanding record of interfering in various other nations'
internal affairs.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Vandals
slash tires of Palestinian-owned vehicles in tense Jerusalem neighbourhood
19
November ,2021
Vandals
slashed the tires on nearly a dozen Palestinian-owned vehicles overnight in a
tense Jerusalem neighborhood where Jewish settlers have been waging a
decades-long legal battle to evict Palestinians, residents said Friday.
CCTV
footage shows three hooded men entering a fenced-off area of Sheikh Jarrah
before stabbing the tires of parked cars. It was unclear who was responsible,
but recent weeks have seen an escalation in settler violence toward
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli
police say they are investigating the incident.
Two
weeks ago, four Palestinian families from Sheikh Jarrah rejected a settlement
floated by the Israeli Supreme Court that would delay their eviction for the
next 15 years. Protests and clashes over the threatened evictions helped spark
the 11-day Gaza war in May.
None
of the 11 cars whose tires were deflated were owned by the four Palestinian
families, according to residents.
Sheikh
Jarrah is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured along with the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel annexed east Jerusalem in a move
not recognized by most of the international community, and it considers the
entire city its capital. It has portrayed the legal battle in Sheikh Jarrah as
a local real-estate dispute.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Thousands
of Iranians protest dried-up river in Isfahan
19
November ,2021
Thousands
of protesters converged on Isfahan in central Iran on Friday to voice their
anger after the city’s lifeblood river dried up due to drought and diversion,
state television said.
The
protest that drew in farmers and other people from across Isfahan province was
the biggest since demonstrations over the water crisis started on November 9.
“Thousands
of people from Isfahan, farmers from the east and west of the province, have
gathered in the dry Zayandeh Rood riverbed with one key demand: let the river
run,” a state television journalist in Isfahan reported, broadcasting live
images of Friday’s rally.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“For
years, there has been no will to resolve the problems of this important river,”
the journalist said.
The
city of Isfahan is Iran’s third largest, with a population of around two
million.
It
is tourist magnet due to its heritage sites, including a historic bridge that
crosses the Zayandeh Rood river – which has been dry since the year 2000 apart
from brief periods.
Drought
is seen as one of the causes but farmers also blame the authorities’ diversion
of the river water to neighboring Yazd province.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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UN
condemns seizure of US Embassy in Yemen by Iran-backed Houthis
19
November ,2021
The
UN Security Council on Thursday condemned “in the strongest terms” the
intrusion and seizure of the now-closed US Embassy in Yemen’s capital and the
detention of dozens of local employees by the country’s Iran-backed Houthis.
A
statement approved by all 15 members of the UN’s most powerful body called for
“an immediate withdrawal of all Houthi elements from the premises” and “the
immediate and safe release of those still under detention.”
US
State Department Spokesman Ned Price told reporters last week that diplomatic
efforts had succeeded in securing the release of most of the detained
employees, but that some remain in custody. He said then that work was
continuing to free the others.
The
Security Council stressed that the Vienna convention prohibits any intrusion
into diplomatic property as well as the “inviolability” and “immunity” of the
premises from searches and requisition — and that property and archives of a
diplomatic mission that has been temporarily closed “must be respected and
protected.”
The
council’s statement followed Wednesday’s demand by the United Nations for the
release of two UN staffers detained earlier this month by the Yemen militants.
UN
spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that UN officials were given
assurances by senior Houthi officials last week that the two men, both Yemenis,
would be released. He told reporters Thursday that they still have not been
freed.
He
said the UN staffers work for the UN human rights office and UNESCO, and were
detained on Nov. 5 and Nov. 7.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Mossad
espionage makes Erdogan choose between de-escalation and own credibility
November
20, 2021
Two
weeks after the Turkish intelligence agency said it detected and dismantled an
Israeli spy cell, in recent days Ankara said it detained two Israeli citizens
on charges of spying for Tel Aviv, potentially returning the Turkish-Israeli
relations to tensions.
The
Turkish intelligence arrested the couple for taking photos of the presidential
palace in Istanbul. The couple claimed they did not know photography from the
palace of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was banned.
A
Turkish court on last Friday extended the couple's detention for 20 days, and
local authorities said that they were suspected of espionage. Israeli Channel
12 reported, citing Israeli officials, if the case is not settled in three
days, they will likely remain detained in Turkey.
The
Israeli government started its movement to free the two. According to Rai
Al-Yaum newspaper, a Mossad delegation sent to Ankara was treated with chill by
the Turkish authorities. The delegation admitted that there was a spying
operation but argued that it did not target Turkey but the Hamas officials and
activities in Turkey.
Finally
today, Turkey said it released the couple. Israeli media said they arrived
home.
Erdogan's
tough decision: de-escalation or self-credibility
The
revelation of the Israeli espionage operation in Turkey is dealing a blow to
the slowly moving de-escalation efforts between the two sides made since last
year. They do not have ambassadors in their capitals due to decade-long
tensions.
A
man of sudden U-turns in policy, Erdogan last year showed willingness for
normalization with the Israeli government. In July, Erdogan talked to the
Israeli president and highlighted the "Israeli-Turkish potentials"
for regional peace. However, a couple of months later, Tel Aviv launched a
11-day war on Gaza with new crimes, infuriating the Turkish public opinion with
the pro-rapprochement efforts by their government.
Turkey's
growing isolation due to tensions with most of neighboring countries, strained
relations with the US and Europe, normalization of relations between the
Israeli regime and the Arab states, reconciliation between its ally, Qatar, and
members of the (Persia) Gulf Cooperation Council, along with a combination of
economic benefits, energy, intelligence and politics led Ankara to regional
de-escalation attempts. The show of will to normalize with Tel Aviv is driven
by these developments.
On
the other hand, Erdogan hoped that warming relations with the Israelis could
help improve relations with Washington. It is noteworthy that Ankara has
traditionally seen Tel Aviv as a way to make its voice heard in Washington.
Erdogan's
show of interest in thaw makes the Israeli leaders feel they have the upper
hand in the diplomatic engagement with the Turks. While Erdogan remained silent
on the spies case, Israeli media said there were signs Ankara will not
escalate. Release of the couple proved them right.
Source:
ABNA24
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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South Asia
Taliban
misconstrued facts in letter to congress for assets release, claims US envoy
November
20, 2021
The
Taliban misconstrued facts in its recent letter to the US Congress warning of
humanitarian consequences if the United States fails to unfreeze more than USD
9 billion in Afghan assets, US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas
West said. Taking to Twitter, West said the Taliban misconstrued the facts
regarding Afghanistan's economic and humanitarian crisis.
"The
Taliban's letter to Congress earlier this week misconstrued the facts regarding
Afghanistan's economic and humanitarian crisis. Afghanistan was unfortunately
already suffering a terrible humanitarian crisis before mid-August, made worse
by war, years of drought, and the pandemic," West wrote on Twitter.
He
also emphasized that US officials made clear to the Taliban for years that if
they pursued a military takeover rather than a negotiated settlement with
fellow Afghans then critical non-humanitarian aid provided by the international
community - in an economy enormously dependent on aid, including for basic
services - would all but cease.
"That
is what occurred."
Although
Thomas asserted that the US will continue to support the Afghan people with
humanitarian aid.
"We
have provided USD 474 million this year, applaud the robust efforts of allies
and partners in this space, and are making every effort to help the UN and
humanitarian actors scale up to meet needs this winter," said Thomas.
Source:
India TV
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Key
aid group says Afghanistan’s most pressing need is cash
November
20, 2021
DUBAI:
Afghanistan is facing a looming humanitarian crisis as aid organisations
struggle with ways to pay doctors, nurses and others on the ground because
there is currently no way to transfer salaries to bank accounts there, the head
of the International Committee of the Red Cross said.
ICRC
President Peter Maurer’s comments echo those of the UN’s special representative
for Afghanistan, who warned this week that the country is on the brink of a
humanitarian catastrophe and that its collapsing economy is heightening the
risk of extremism. The country’s economy is estimated to have contracted by 40
per cent since the Taliban took control in August.
The
country is on brink of a humanitarian catastrophe
The
Geneva-based ICRC, which has operated in Afghanistan for over 30 years, is
temporarily carrying in bags of cash to the impoverished nation and converting
dollars into the local currency, the afghani, in order to pay some of its
staffers. The ICRC has been able to do this with regulatory approval by the US
Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The ICRC also has an
agreement with the Taliban-run Health Ministry that allows donor-funded
payments to pass through the ICRC and bypass the Taliban, who have yet to be
officially recognized by any nation.
“The
main problem in Afghanistan is not hunger. The main problem is the lack of cash
to pay salaries to deliver social services which have existed before,” Maurer
told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday during a visit to Dubai.
“Let’s
not forget that most of these medical doctors, nurses, operators of water
systems and electricity systems are still the same people. It is the leadership
which has changed, but not these people,” he added.
Afghanistan’s
aid-reliant economy was thrown into deep turmoil following the Taliban takeover
of the capital, Kabul, in August and the collapse of the US-backed Afghan
government just weeks before the US withdrew its last troops.
The
Taliban leadership, which recently banned all foreign currency transactions,
has urged the US Congress to ease sanctions and release Afghanistan’s overseas
assets in order for the government to be able to pay teachers, doctors and
other public sector employees. After the Taliban takeover, the US froze nearly
$9.5 billion in assets belonging to the Afghan Central Bank and stopped
shipments of cash.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1659123/key-aid-group-says-afghanistans-most-pressing-need-is-cash
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Afghanistan’s
assets must be unfrozen: Pakistan’s UN envoy
20
Nov 2021
Pakistan’s
permanent representative in the United Nations Munir Akram has said that
Afghanistan is going through a tough humanitarian situation so the country’s
assets must be released soon.
Speaking
at the UN on Thursday, November 18; Munir Akram expressed concern over the
deepening humanitarian situation in Afghanistan and added that freezing the
assets is rather unjustifiable.
“There
is an urgent need of cash in Afghanistan in order for the de-facto authorities
in Kabul to rehabilitate economy, pay salaries, rehabilitate banking system and
continue micro-financial activities.” Said Akram.
In
the meantime, the Pakistani envoy has warned of mass immigration, the potential
rise of ISIS and other terror groups, and other terrible outcomes if left the
humanitarian crisis unaddressed.
Source:
Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/afghanistans-assets-must-be-unfrozen-pakistans-un-envoy-8757865/
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US
may return some evacuated Afghan Refugees
20
Nov 2021
CNN
has quoted several US officials saying that Biden Administration may return
home some evacuated Afghan refugees from Kosovo who fail the security
screening.
The
officials have said that returning to Afghanistan is an option for the Afghan
refugees and acknowledged the US government is considering other potential
options.
Hundreds
of Afghans are stranded in a military base in Kosovo who was evacuated during
the chaotic evacuation of the US in August.
The
total number of Afghans evacuated to the US from August 15 until the end of
August amounted to 70,000.
Afghan
refugees who are still living in Kosovo are the people who have failed the
security screening and have not been settled in any country yet.
Though
no Afghan has so far been returned from any country, spokesman of the State
Department Ned Price said that the Afghan refugees in Kosovo are more likely to
be settled in the US or a third country.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/us-may-return-some-evacuated-afghan-refugees-9697/
--------
Southeast Asia
MPs
slam FT minister over ‘liquor ban not hurting non-Muslims’ remark
Dineskumar
Ragu
November
18, 2021
KUALA
LUMPUR: Federal territories minister Shahidan Kassim’s claim that the ban on
selling liquor at grocers, convenience stores, and Chinese medical halls by the
Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) does not hurt the sensitivities of non-Muslims
invited ridicule and anger from the opposition.
Pakatan
Harapan MPs, especially those from the federal territory of Kuala Lumpur, took
issue with his statement, as he also tried to deflect the blame to his
predecessor, Annuar Musa.
In
the winding-up speech for his ministry today, Shahidan spoke of how other
countries, including Singapore, imposed similar restrictions that were accepted
by non-Muslim religious organisations.
At
this juncture, he was interrupted by Tan Kok Wai (PH-Cheras) who reminded
Shahidan of a promise he made to PH MPs, of a “win-win solution” on the liquor
ban issue during a meeting last month.
“We
were promised a win-win solution, but what we got so far is similar to the one
given by the former minister (Annuar). You are being insincere in this issue. Is
the promise of a win-win solution an empty one?” asked Tan.
Teresa
Kok (PH-Seputeh) then interjected and questioned DBKL for discriminating
against grocers and convenience stores when restaurants, pubs, bars, malls and
supermarkets are still allowed to sell alcoholic beverages.
She
also accused the minister of contradicting his own rationale by saying that
consuming liquor is bad for society, when some businesses continue to sell
alcoholic beverages.
Lim
Lip Eng (PH-Kepong) then stood up and questioned Shahidan over the timing of
the ban, asking if it was politically motivated in light of the Melaka state
election.
In
response to these questions from the opposition MPs, Shahidan accused them of
seeking “cheap publicity” over the liquor ban issue.
“I
am merely continuing the policies implemented by my predecessor (Annuar).
Besides, grocers and convenience stores can still apply for a licence to sell
liquor in their stores, and DBKL will process their applications on a
case-by-case basis,” he said.
Khalid
Samad (PH-Shah Alam) then stood up to slam the minister for using the same
excuse and deflecting blame.
“Don’t
use your predecessor as an excuse,” the former federal territories minister
said, adding that the liquor ban was imposed without consulting the grocers and
convenience stores.
Annuar
imposed a temporary ban on new liquor licenses in Kuala Lumpur last year and
justified the ban by citing several road accidents and fatalities allegedly
involving drink driving during the conditional movement control order (CMCO)
period.
Meanwhile,
Ngeh Koo Ham (PH-Beruas) warned that the case-by-case processing of the licence
application to sell liquor by grocers and convenience stores would lead to
favouritism.
“You
will have those who have the right connections having their application
approved, while other businesses would not get the same treatment,” he said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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The
Struggle Between Two Visions Of Malaysia: The Malayisation Of Malaysia
By
Murray Hunter
November
19, 2021
Aggregate
election figures of votes cast on the peninsula from the last general election
show there is a deep polarization in Malaysia. It’s not about a Barisan
Nasional /Perikatan Nasional verses a Pakatan Harapan choice for government.
It’s much deeper than that. A struggle between a vision for a Malay-Malaysia
verses the vision for a diverse and inclusive Malaysia.
Malaya
was founded on the premise that power would be shared between the different
ethnic groups residing on the peninsula. The constitution recognized the
special position of the Malays, in a federation of Malay Sultanates forming the
new country. The structure of Westminster modelled governance took on many of
the traditional traits of Malay Daulat (sovereignty). These institutions, processes
of governance, and conventions were carried over to the formation of Malaysia,
which included Sabah, Sarawak, and Singapore for a short period in 1963.
The
framers of the constitution intended to establish a fully-fledged democracy,
where every citizen, whatever his or her ethnic identity was guaranteed equal
rights, notwithstanding the special position of the Malays provision. Article
11 of the constitution also guaranteed freedom of religion. These two
constitutional guarantees have been encroached upon, debasing the constitution.
This lies at the heart of the uneven struggle between the two visions of
Malaysia.
Malaya
and later Malaysia was a primarily rural backwater in the midst of Southeast
Asia with a mix of ethnic groups, cultures, and religions that coexisted
harmoniously together. The towns were service centres for the rural heartlands,
which dominated the economy with agriculture, commodity production, and mining.
Malaysia was a trading nation without much manufacturing at the time.
Malay
culture was based upon kampong community. One trait was accommodating and
respectful to authority, be it royal or administrative. Islam blended in with
centuries held believes and traditions. Malays had a generally contented
society where social problems were usually adjudicated by penghulus or village
heads. Malays had their land, pastimes, and a sense of serenity. Other ethnic
groups found it very easy to coexist with the Malays for generations, where
festivals were shared.
With
the May 13 race riots and coup against prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman by the
Malay-centric group within UMNO, the party evolved into a hardline
Malay-Nationalist ideology. The New Economic Policy (NEP) which was put into
place to assist Bumiputeras rise economically became the platform of
discriminatory economics for the next 50 years. Article 153 of the Malaysian
constitution became politically reinterpreted as Ketuanan Melayu or Malay
supremacy over the nation.
How
Malaysia changed
There
are a number of forces which have turned multi-cultural Malaysia into a more
Malay-centric society.
The
first are massive demographic changes. In 1970, the racial balance of Malaysia
was 53% Bumiputera, 35.5% Chinese, and 10.6% Indian. In 2019, this had chanced
to 62.5% Bumiputra, where 51% of the population are Malay, 20.6% Chinese, and
6.2% Indian.
Then
prime minister Mahathir Mohamed with his then deputy prime minister Anwar
Ibrahim set about Islamizing Malaysia’s public administration during the 1990s.
This led to the formation of the powerful and influential Department of Islamic
Affairs (JAKIM) within the prime minister’s department (PMO) in 1997. JAKIM
received an RM1.4 billion in the 2022 budget.
The
government has focused on expanding the size and influence of the civil
service, now employing nearly 2 million people. The composition of the civil
service doesn’t reflect the ethnic diversity of the nation. The civil service
has developed a ‘Malay agenda’ dictate over the years, where focus is primarily
on enhancing ethnic-Malay interests and little else. The ‘Malay-agenda’ created
two classes of Bumiputeras, where non-Malay Bumiputeras are not given the same
advancement opportunities as Malays within the civil service.
The
emphasis on Islamic education over the last three generations has shaped the
Malay psych. Consequently, Islam has become the central pillar of Malay life.
The education system has promoted a sense of obligation to conform. Religious
education in particular, has deeply altered Malay culture towards Arabism, at
the cost of a Malay cultural identity. Malays don’t sembahyang today, they
solat. Even the Malay language has been Arabized. Today’s value set is biased
in favour of an Islamic-centred society, rather than secularism.
The
abandonment of secularism has created a social divide and is an adverse force
against the concept of national unity. The various ethnic groups within
Malaysia are now more estranged from each other, in what can now be described
as a discriminatory society. The narratives of Ketuanan Melayu by the more
extreme Malay-centric politicians have caused tension, racism, and xenophobia
within society.
The
NEP, framed as an economic policy has really been a social engineering tool
that has created this now segregated society. There is a privileged class at
the top and then all others. Privilege is not just a mindset, but has become
deeply institutionalized. The bans on the free practice of other religions to
Islam, and now on traditional pursuits of non-Malay ethnic groups, as is being
seen by the recent actions of the Kedah state government, with 4D and alcohol
bans blatantly disregard the constitution.
The
complete disregard for the national creed of RUKUN NEGARA as a guiding ideology
has destroyed the very meaning of what being a Malaysian means.
Malaysia’s
history has been rewritten within the ideologies of race, religion, and
exclusion. Modern textbooks have been written to accommodate the ‘Ketuanan
Melayu’ arguments. History has been reinterpreted to justify Malay dominance,
as espoused by the narrative of ‘pendatangs’, inferring non-Malays are
squatters in the land they were born in. Most references to the colonial
British, Chinese, and Indian contributions to the nation have been officially
cancelled or marginalized.
The
changed Malaysian outcomes
Race
based politics has evolved in Malaysia, where policy gives way to loyalty to
one’s ethnic group. Race based narratives are a necessity to win government
within Malaysia’s Gerrymandered and malapportioned electoral system. The first
past the post method is a winner take all system, that encourages singularity
rather than pluralism.
The
product of race base politics has been an increase in poverty, a widening of
income inequality, where a small extremely wealthy elite Malay class dominates
business, political, and social decisions in the nation.
The
incidence of relative poverty has increased from 15.6% in 2016 to 17% in 2019,
and is continuing to increase. The B20, or bottom 20% of income earners, form
only 5.9% of the national income share, while the T10, or top 10% of income
earners, take up 30.7% of the national income share. The overall GINI
coefficient measuring income inequality has increased from 0.339 in 2016 to
0.409 in 2019. Income inequality is rapidly widening in Malaysia.
A
Malay Malaysia is not for all Malays
The
structure and fabric of Malaysian power are made up of a patriarchal elite
Malay hierarchy. At the top are the royal families, which yield a symbolic
cultural authority. Next are the long-established political families who have
been involved at the forefront of politics and government since independence.
Next is a network of political warlords spreading down to the village level.
These warlords operate under the patronage and in-turn provide support to the
leaders of the political families.
Alongside
these groups are lines of Islamic clerics, who create religious legitimacy.
Then comes a large sway of civil servants whose loyalty is to the Malay agenda
rather than the government of the day and who caused chaos for the multiracial
Pakatan Harapan government. Connected professionals and businesspeople complete
the make-up of the Malay gentry.
Since
independence, political control has been concentrated within a few elite Malay
families. Malaysia’s second prime minister Tun Abdul Razak’s son Najib Razak
was also a serving prime minister and remains extremely powerful within UMNO
today despite the 1MDB scandal. Onn Ja’afar’s son Hussein Onn became the third
Malaysian prime minister. Hussein Onn’s son Hishammuddin Hussein is still
powerful within UMNO and served as minister for defense, transport, home
affairs, and youth and culture respectively. Khairy Jamaluddin, the current
defense minister, is the son in law of former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi. Mahathir Mohamed’s son Mukhriz Mahathir was the Kedah chief minister
twice and former minister of international trade.
Anwar
Ibrahim was deputy prime minister, his wife Wan Azizah Wan Ismail was also a
deputy prime minister, while their daughter Nurul Izzah Anwar is a member of
parliament. In addition, members of these elite families are intermarried to
each other, royalty, diplomats, judges, and other senior Malays. These
dynasties also exist at regional political warlord level, as is the case with
former minister and parliamentary member for Arau, Shahidan Kassim, whose
brother Ismail Kassim is involved in local state politics. There is also a
mixture of mutual business interests, and opaque influence.
When
Pakatan Harapan defeated the Barisan Nasional in the May 2018 national
election, part of this elite grouping took power in a different configuration.
The administration of the current beleaguered Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin
is yet just a reconfiguration of the same people, as is the reconfiguration
into the Ismail Sabri administration. Malay politics is more about the dynamics
of these families than about policy and ideology. Malay politics has been
primarily about feuds and alliances rather than vision.
Ketuanan
Melayu has been turned into a source of power by the elite to control the
Rakyat. Race, religion and class continue to be used by today’s leaders to
divide and conquer, just as the British once did in colonial times. Ketuanan
Melayu is really Malay feudalism, a social construct borne out of historical
accident.
Not
a Malay Utopia
Ketuanan
Melayu inspired narratives enhance the sanctity of government authority which
is supported by an institutionalized system. Malays today live within a society
that urges compliance through the dual tools of peer forced conformity and
authoritative edicts to ensure Malay-centric political correctness. Those who
agree and conform become the cohort of Malay unity, while those who don’t
become misfits and outcasts from Malay society. One of the major fears of any
Malay is to be ostracized from their own group.
The
politicians are the cultural vandals who have destroyed Malay culture, as it
once was. Malays were painted as lazy and in need of protection, so cultural
change could be manipulated in the name of progress and Islam. The myth of
Malay unity was emotively manipulated by inventing external enemies to Malays
and Islam that only the leaders could protect them from.
So
many values and norms acceptable during the 1980s are taboo today. Watch any P
Ramlee film to understand this. The Malay mindset has been forced to narrow
views on Islam, multiculturalism, and a sense of national identity. Many now
seeing themselves as a Malay first before being a Malaysian. How a woman
dresses, the wearing of the tudung, the necessary public practice of religious
rituals, and toleration of other cultures and religions are all covered under a
black sheet of conformity, stretching across Malay society.
Institutionalization rather than the spiritual nature of Islam is the
motivation to behave in culturally sanctioned ways. This is authoritatively
reinforced by censorship over the Malay arts, film and television,
entertainment, and even giving any public talks on Islam.
For
many, Malaysia has become a psychic prison, where not just non-Malays are
emigrating from the country. Those who feel persecuted for their sexual
orientations, religious beliefs, being smothered within institutional cultures,
or seeking out better economic opportunities have left the country.
Ketuanan
Melayu, the alter ego of a Malay-Malaysia is a paradigm of control. This
recently manifested itself with the Timah Whiskey controversy, and the banning
of 4D lottery tickets and alcohol by the Kedah government.
Royal
myth and repressive twists to Islam perpetuated by the Malay elite are
suppressing clear perceptions of the reality of truly free Malaysia. The elite
owned mass media play a major role in shaping perceptions and attitudes, where
Malay journalists are forced to serve up what they are fed by Malay leaders.
This is going to be a battle of perception and cognition to create a
metamorphosis that may truly free the Malay psyche from the tyranny of emotive
manipulation.
Source:
Eurasia Review
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Islamic
healer challenges TCM Act, claiming it usurps state powers
November
19, 2021
PUTRAJAYA:
An Islamic healer is seeking a Federal Court declaration that the Traditional
and Complementary Medicine Act is unconstitutional because the subject matter
on Islam comes under the state list.
The
Act was passed by Parliament and came into force on Aug 1, 2016.
Ramli
Ghani, who filed the application early this month, must get leave of a single
judge of the apex court before the merits of the case can be heard.
His
lawyer Shahrudin Ali said case management has been fixed for Dec 20. Ramli, in
his motion, has named the health ministry and the government as respondents.
In
a statement issued through Messrs Shaharudinali Azfarazmi & Co, Ramli said
the federal legislature had no power to pass the Act because Schedule 9, State
List, Item No. 1 of the Federal Constitution provides that only the states have
the power and jurisdiction in matters of Islam and the Malay customs.
He
said Islamic healing strikes at the core of Islamic faith, the five pillars of
Islam, aqidah, and the recitation of Al-Quran.
Ramli
said the Act made it compulsory for every pawang, dukun and Islamic healer
(perawat Islam) to register with the ministry and the minister makes the rules
and regulations.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Africa
4
Villages In South-western Somalia Retaken From Al-Shabaab: Army
Mohammed
Dhaysane
17.11.2021
MOGADISHU,
Somalia
Somalia’s
military expelled al-Shabaab terrorists from four villages in the country’s
southwestern Bakol region, an army official said on Wednesday.
“Our
troops liberated Gomor, Aboore, Banjina and Doonful, near the town of Hudur,
from terrorists,” Abdi Ahmed Adan, a military official in Bakool, told Anadolu
Agency over the phone.
He
said the terrorists were driven out with little resistance and there were no
casualties in the operations.
Shiine
Moalim Nuurow, the governor of Bakol, was in the area and assured residents
that operations against al-Shabaab will continue until all terrorists are
driven out from the region, according to Adan.
Operations
against al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with the al-Qaeda terror group, have
been ramped up amid rising insecurity in Somalia.
The
latest terror attack in the country was in the capital Mogadishu less than a
week ago, where a suicide bomber targeted a convoy of the African Union Mission
in Somalia (AMISOM), killing three people and injuring several more.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia reopens embassy in Somalia: State News Agency
19
November ,2021
Saudi
Arabia has reopened its embassy in the Somali capital Mogadishu, state news
agency (SPA) quoted the Saudi Foreign Ministry as saying on Friday.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libya's
parliament speaker declares presidential bid
18
November ,2021
The
speaker of Libya's eastern-based House of Representatives said on Wednesday he
would run for president in a Dec. 24 election that is part of a United
Nations-backed bid to end a decade of conflict.
Aguila
Saleh's candidacy follows that of several other prominent Libyans including
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi and Khalifa Haftar, two highly divisive figures accused
of war crimes they both have denied.
“Public
voting is the only source of legitimacy for any authority,” Saleh said in
televised comments.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Disputes
persist over the election rules, including who should be eligible, the schedule
and the vote's legal basis, less than six weeks before it is due to take place,
raising doubts over whether it will happen.
The
only law issued for holding the election is one Saleh issued in September,
which critics said was done without a full vote or proper quorum.
The
critics said key provisions seem designed to let Saleh and his eastern ally
Haftar run without risk of losing their positions if they failed to win.
Defenders
of the law say it was properly passed through parliament and accuse its critics
of trying to delay or derail Libya's first election since 2014.
That
vote, which created the House of Representatives to oversee the transition to
an as-yet unwritten constitution, was quickly overshadowed by Libya's division
between eastern and western factions.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Libya’s
former interior minister registers for presidential bid
18
November ,2021
Libya’s
former Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha registered as a presidential candidate
on Thursday for a planned December election that remains in doubt amid disputes
over the rules.
Bashagha
was the influential interior minister in the internationally recognized
Government of National Accord (GNA) that ruled in western areas and was
replaced in March by a new unity government.
He
joins a field of prospective candidates that includes late ousted dictator
Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the eastern military commander
Khalifa Haftar, and the eastern-based parliament speaker Aguila Saleh.
A
UN-backed peace process calls for presidential and parliamentary elections on
Dec. 24, but there has been no widespread agreement on the legal basis for the
vote.
Disputes
between rival factions and political entities have focused on questions over
who should be allowed to run, the eventual role of the directly elected
president and the voting schedule.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Terrorists
who escaped from Kenya’s highly guarded prison arrested
Andrew
Wasike
18.11.2021
NAIROBI,
Kenya
Three
terrorists who escaped from a highly guarded prison in the capital Nairobi have
been arrested in eastern Kenya on their way to Somalia, police said Thursday.
Mohamed
Ali Abikar, Musharaf Abdalla Akhulunga, and Joseph Juma Odhiambo escaped from
Kamiti Maximum Prison on Sunday.
Abikar,
who was serving a 41-year sentence for involvement in the 2015 killing of 148
students in Kenya, and the two other terrorists were arrested in Kitui County,
Mwingi East area after locals reported their suspicious activities to the
police.
George
Kinoti, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, confirmed the
arrests and told reporters that the fugitives were being brought to Nairobi.
A
police officer who spoke to Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity said: “All
our officers were on a red alert. The escapees were arrested after locals told
police that the thirsty and exhausted suspects were asking for directions to
Boni forest in Lamu county.”
The
East African nation's Boni forest area, bordering Somalia, has been a safe
haven for Somali-based al-Shabaab terrorists who cross over from the porous
Kenya-Somali border to attack patrolling police officers.
Abdalla
took part in a failed 2012 terrorist attack on the parliament buildings in
Nairobi and Juma was arrested in 2019 while trying to enlist with the
al-Qaeda-affiliated terror group al-Shabaab.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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