AMU Minority Status: In 1920, Muslims Said They Were a Nation, Not Minority: Senior Advocate
New Age Islam News Bureau
31 January 2024
Aligarh Muslim University
----
·
AMU Minority Status: In 1920,
Muslims Said They Were a Nation, Not Minority: Senior Advocate
·
China Introduces Strict Rules
in Xinjiang on Islam, Christianity and Other Religions
·
Palestinian And Muslim Students
Accuse Harvard of Failing to Protect Them
·
Toshakhana Case: Former
Pakistan PM Imran Khan, Wife Bushra Sentenced To 14 Years In Jail
·
UK Labour Party Risks Losing
Muslim Voters Over Gaza War Stance
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India
·
Despite ASI Objection,
Right-Wing Group Holds Rituals at Kashmir’s 8th-Century Sun Temple
·
World's Largest Quran, Mega
Aquarium, Hospital & Veg Kitchen: Ayodhya Mosque Work Begins This April
·
Mosque Panel on ASI Report on
Gyanvapi: Will Submit Objections After Getting Historians’ Views
·
Krishna Janmabhoomi case:
Muslim side welcomes Supreme Court order to extend stay on survey of Shahi
Idgah mosque
·
NIA files charge-sheet against
3 in Rajasthan PFI conspiracy case
·
India backs two-state solution
to resolve Israel-Palestine conflict: Jaishankar
----
Southeast Asia
·
China’s president accepts
credentials for Afghanistan’s envoy to Beijing
·
Myanmar Conflict: 12 Rohingyas
killed in military’s shelling
·
Fahmi: Madani Community should
help improve people’s understanding of online security
·
Political neutrality of
Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation in question after members allegedly
told to support Prabowo
·
Sultan Ibrahim scheduled to
take oath as 17th King of Malaysia today
-----
North America
·
US federal employees to stage
‘day of fasting’ in solidarity with Gaza
·
Canada cannot find way to get
1,000 Palestinians out of Gaza
·
CAIR-SFBA Applauds Santa Clara
County Board of Education for Passing Gaza Ceasefire Resolution
·
CAIR Welcomes Congressional
Resolution Recognizing January as ‘Muslim-American Heritage Month’
·
Biden says has decided Jordan
strike response, doesn’t want wider war
----
Pakistan
·
9 Terrorists Killed, 4 Law
Enforcers Martyred in Balochistan
·
Siraj regrets conviction of
Imran, Qureshi
·
PHC disposes of writ for
disqualification of Imran Khan
·
Four die as bomb rips through
PTI rally in Sibi
·
Imran’s pre-exit ‘attack’ on
Pakistan: Nawaz
----
Europe
·
Sweden To Pause Funding for UN
Palestinians Agency
·
Russia Urges to Investigate
Israel's UNRWA Accusations Before Inflicting 'Collective Punishment'
·
UN’s top court to rule on
Ukraine case accusing Russia of backing terrorists
----
Mideast
·
Zionist Enemy Hands Over Bodies
Of 100 Palestinian Martyrs After Stealing Some Organs
·
Netanyahu: Israel won’t free
‘thousands of terrorists’ or withdraw IDF for hostage deal
·
Israeli commandos, dressed as
doctors, foil terror attack in Jenin hospital
·
Zionist Settlers Storm into
Holy Aqsa Mosque Yards
·
Palestine issue first issue of
Islamic world: Raeisi
·
Leader pays tribute to founder
of Islamic Revolution
·
Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah
suspends anti-US military operations
·
Saba correspondent in Gaza says
widespread Palestinian dissatisfaction with some Arab
·
Hamas leader condemns UNRWA
cuts as defiance of ICJ ruling
·
Islamic Jihad chief sets 4
conditions for release of Israeli captives
-----
Africa
·
Somalia’s Intelligence Agency
Says It Blocks WhatsApp Groups Used by Al-Qaeda-Linked Militants
·
Stop Restricting Use of Train
Station Mosque – MURIC Charges Management
·
Evict Occupants of Buildings
Converted to Bars, Mosques, Churches Within 30 Days, Lagos Tells Landlords
·
Millions urgently need food in
Ethiopia's Tigray region despite the resumption of aid deliveries
·
African nations maintain poor
performance in corruption fight: Report
-----
Arab World
·
Saudi Arabia: Children’s Prams
Banned at Grand Mosque’s Encircling Site
·
Architecture of Prophet's
Mosque Exhibition Receives Over 200,000 Visitors in 2023
·
Jeddah to host food,
hospitality expo on Monday
·
Saudi cabinet: Kingdom
committed to fostering peace in the region
·
US threats won't deter Yemen
from keeping up anti-Israel operations: Top official
·
Kuwait’s Sheikh Meshal arrives
in Saudi Arabia on first official visit as emir
----
South Asia
·
If Not Charged, Those Jailed in
Bangladesh for Political Opinion Should Be Released: UN
·
Taliban Défense Minister
assures Foreign Diplomats to ensure security for projects in Afghanistan
·
Inclusivity Not Discussed at
Kabul Conference: Mujahid
·
Actions Against Current Govt
Will Not Be Allowed: Deputy PM
·
Islamic Emirate Strives to
Provide Advanced Medical Facilities for Hospitals: Hanafi
·
Chief of IEA Political Office
Meets British Envoy in Doha
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/amu-minority-status/d/131626
------
AMU Minority Status: In 1920, Muslims
Said They Were A Nation, Not Minority: Senior Advocate
Aligarh Muslim University
----
Jan 31, 2024
NEW DELHI: Senior advocate Rakesh
Dwivedi on Tuesday cited a string of episodes from history to counter Supreme
Court's proposition that if Muslims were deemed to be the force behind Aligarh
Muslim University in 1920, it could qualify as a minority institution in the
post-Constitution era by arguing that Muslims, at that point of time, never
considered themselves as a minority but as a 'nation'.
Appearing for a petitioner who had
successfully challenged 50% reservation for Muslims in AMU in Allahabad HC,
Dwivedi said 'minority' as a concept did not exist during British rule, and it
would be presumptuous on the part of the seven-judge bench comprising CJI DY
Chandrachud and Justices Sanjiv Khanna, Surya Kant, JB Pardiwala, Dipankar
Datta, Manoj Misra and Satish C Sharma to describe AMU as a minority
institution when it was neither established nor administered by Muslims.
He said history showed that Muslims
neither considered themselves to be a minority when AMU Act was passed in 1920
nor did the British India government categorise them denominationally. Granting
AMU minority status after more than 100 years would endanger its eminence as an
institution of national importance, especially when AMU chose not to challenge
for more than 40 years the SC's Azeez Basha judgment of 1967, which had
adjudged it to be a non-minority institution, Dwivedi said.
"Sir Syed Ahmad Khan had
established Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental (MAO) College, whose foundation was laid
by Lord Lytton. Khan considered Muslims to be a separate and distinct nation
which had once ruled over India," he said.
"Khan did not consider Muslims to
be a minority merely because they were numerically less than Hindus. Khan is
considered the father of the two-nation theory, which was later seconded by
poet Allama Iqbal at the 1930 Muslim League session in Allahabad, and which was
made the basis of the 1940 Lahore Resolution by Mohammed Ali Jinnah. It is this
theory of two nations, which emphasised a claim of parity between Hindu India
and Muslim India, that led to partition and creation of Pakistan. The theory of
two nations does not accommodate the theory of safeguards for a minority,"
he said.
He said it is also an undeniable
historical established fact that from 1935 onwards, AMU teachers and students
actively supported the creation of Pakistan as conceived by Jinnah. “When
Congress offered safeguards of whatever nature the Muslim league desired,
Jinnah retorted that Muslims were a separate nation and not a minority and
their resolution for Pakistan was not meant for safeguards but for a separate
homeland for Muslims. The British rulers also supported the Theory of Two
Nations propounded by Khan and the same was followed by the Muslim League,” the
counsel said, and asked, "Given this pre-independence ground situation,
could Muslims be considered a minority? Only after the creation of Pakistan did
the framers of the Constitution think of giving certain safeguards to Muslims,
including Article 30 guaranteeing them the right to establish and administer
educational institutions.
Khan, who was a sub-judge in British
India government and later became member of the Imperial legislative council,
led the movement for establishment of AMU because of his close connection with
colonial rulers but despite that the British decided that government would
establish and administer AMU set up under a central legislation, he said.
Digging deep into AMU's history, Dwivedi
said the Bill for establishment of the university was introduced by Sir Mohd
Shafi, the education member in the Imperial legislative council. “He not only
introduced the Bill but also moved the motion for reference to a select
committee consisting of some British and some Muslim elites like Raja of
Mahmoodabad, Shah Nawaz Bhutto (father of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, former PM of
Pakistan) and Nawab Ali Choudhary, Mr. Mohd. Ali and Shafi. They all supported
Muslim League and Pakistan,” he said.
Dwivedi said the scheme of the AMU Act
denotes a complete departure from the rules and regulations of MAO College, and
it is not AMU's case that the scheme of the AMU Act was formulated by them in
its essential parts and, hence, it cannot claim that the Muslim Community
established AMU.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/in-1920-muslims-said-they-were-a-nation-not-minority-sr-advocate/articleshow/107275035.cms
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China Introduces Strict Rules in Xinjiang
on Islam, Christianity and Other Religions
A facility believed to be a detention
center in Xinjiang Province
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January 30, 2024
In a move set to tighten government
control over practicing religion in China's western Xinjiang Province, the
Muslim-majority region will introduce a set of regulations that -- among other
things -- will require all new places of worship to reflect "Chinese
characteristics and style."
The sweeping legislation will come into
force on February 1 as part of a broader multiyear campaign aimed at
controlling religion in Xinjiang, which is home to mainly Muslim ethnic groups
such as Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui (aka Dungans).
As part of the new set of
"regulations on religious affairs," all new mosques, churches, and
other religious buildings must reflect Chinese design elements and any
renovations to extant layouts will require approval from Xinjiang's regional
authorities. Additional measures include controls on "large-scale"
religious gatherings -- which will require approval from the local government
at least one month in advance -- and that religious content posted online must
be screened by the regional government.
The rules also say for the first time
that interpretations of religious doctrine must "meet the requirements of
contemporary China's development and China's outstanding traditional
culture," a move that experts warn could further cement an ongoing
crackdown against Uyghur and minority rights in the region.
"The move is significant, as it's
about cutting off China's religions from international networks and communities
and keeping them socially and politically isolated under the watch of the
Chinese Communist Party," Bradley Jardine, managing director of the Oxus
Society for Central Asian Affairs, told RFE/RL.
China has been accused of systemic human
rights violations in Xinjiang, including launching a dragnet that sent more
than 1 million Uyghurs, Kazakhs, and other Muslim minorities to detention camps
and prisons.
A growing body of evidence -- including
firsthand testimony and leaked official Chinese government documents -- support
the accusations, which range from forced labor to sexual abuse, forced
sterilization, and erasing Uyghur cultural and religious identity, including
the tearing down of mosques and other religious sites.
These actions have drawn accusations of
genocide from international rights groups and several Western governments. In
2022, a UN report found China was committing "serious human rights
violations" in Xinjiang that may amount to crimes against humanity.
China has denied any human rights abuses
in the region and says that its policies in Xinjiang are designed to counter
extremism and terrorism.
Against this backdrop, local activists
are worried about the lasting effects of these policies as the new rules come
into force.
"Religious rights have long been
restricted in Xinjiang," Bekzat Maksutkhan, the director of
NaghyzAtazhurt, an unregistered organization in Kazakhstan focused on ethnic
Kazakhs affected by the crackdown in Xinjiang, told RFE/RL. "But this law
is the legalization of all those previous actions."
What Does The New Law Mean?
Since the founding of the People's
Republic of China in 1949, the communist government's atheistic ideology has
led to consistent efforts to suppress and control religion inside the country.
But while previous legislation has
governed religious practices inside Xinjiang, experts say that the new
legislation marks a significant escalation, demanding not just control but a
specific reflection of "Chinese characteristics and style" in
religious buildings and customs.
According to the regulations set out for
Muslims, religion should not interfere in "clothing, weddings, funerals,
and other ethnic customs" and "religious activity sites that are
newly built or renovated, expanded, or rebuilt should reflect Chinese
characteristics and style in terms of architecture, sculptures, paintings, and
decorations."
Claims of Chinese authorities altering
or pulling down mosques in Xinjiang are not new, with a 2020 report from the
Australian Strategic Policy Institute documenting the destruction and
renovation of mosques in Xinjiang, finding two-thirds were changed, mostly
since 2017, when Beijing accelerated its crackdown and expanded its camp
system.
A 2023 report by the watchdog group
Human Rights Watch used public documents, satellite images, and witness
testimony to show that the Chinese government had expanded its campaign of
closing and altering mosques to regions other than Xinjiang, as part of an
official policy known as "consolidation."
As part of this, local authorities have
removed architectural features of mosques -- such as Arabic-style domes and
minarets -- replacing them with traditional Chinese designs to make them look
more "Chinese."
Authorities in Beijing have rarely
commented on this policy, but a June 2022 report by the Chinese state news
outlet CCTV praised the removal of such architectural features as
"protecting traditional heritage."
The new regulations look to formalize
and build on these policies.
Beyond the rules on mosques, the law
looks to expand the authority of the Islamic Association of China, the official
government supervisory organ for Islam. The state body will now be the only
organization that can organize activities related to the hajj, the Muslim
pilgrimage to Mecca, and only mosques and individuals that are members of the
association will be allowed to participate.
The law also calls on religious leaders
to transmit a "patriotic" spirit to followers and stipulates that
religious schools should instill Chinese characteristics, such as praising
socialism and using Mandarin Chinese, in their teachings.
"China is trying to justify its
crimes in Xinjiang to the world and the international community to make their
crimes appear legitimate," YerbolDauletbek, the head of
AtazhurtEriktileri, another organization in Kazakhstan that helps ethnic Kazakhs,
told RFE/RL. "This law is one of them."
Why China Targets Religion
The ruling Chinese Communist Party has
viewed religion as a form of foreign influence that could undermine its
authority and has looked to control and suppress all major religions in the
country.
China's overall policy has been called
"Sinicization," which requires religious groups to align their
doctrines, customs, and morality with Chinese culture. The government also has
strict rules for all religions, with provisions in its national law saying that
it is illegal for minors 18 years or younger to attend religious services or
celebrations or be taught about religion in any way.
Government pressure has been
particularly targeted toward religions that Beijing views as foreign, such as
Islam and Christianity -- both Protestantism and Catholicism.
Authorities have in the past removed
crosses from churches and had others demolished.
Christianity in China is also governed
by several sets of rules. Christians are allowed to worship in "official
churches" registered with supervisory government agencies, although
millions of Christians in China still worship in underground churches.
Since Xi Jinping became leader of the
Communist Party in 2012, Beijing has tightened control over Christian
activities outside of registered venues, shutting down churches that refuse to
register and arresting prominent church leaders.
Buddhism -- particularly Han Buddhism,
the most widespread branch practiced in China -- has been treated more
leniently by Chinese authorities, but the government has cracked down on
Buddhists in Tibet.
Beijing has tried to cement allegiances
there and discourage support for the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan Buddhist leader
living in exile in India. Chinese officials have also been accused of carrying
out "political reeducation" campaigns, separating children from their
families, and have torn down thousands of Tibetan Buddhist monasteries,
monuments, and statues.
A similar approach to that practiced on
Buddhism in Tibet has also been applied to Islam in Xinjiang.
When Xi last visited the region in
August, he called on officials there to conserve "hard-won social
stability" and to "more deeply promote the Sinicization of Islam and
effectively control illegal religious activities."
"When we say Sinicization, the
broad core is aimed at cutting [these] world religions off from the
world," Jardine said. "And [instead] keeping them locally grounded,
tied to the Communist Party, and politically neutralized."
Source: rferl.org
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the text of the original story
https://www.rferl.org/a/china-strict-rules-islam-xinjiang/32798502.html
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Palestinian And Muslim Students Accuse Harvard
of Failing to Protect Them
On Oct. 25,
Harvard students, faculty and community members rallied outside the Harvard
Divinity School in solidarity with Palestinians as the war between Israel and
Hamas continued to escalate. (John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
-----
Jan 30, 2024
More than a dozen students have filed a
federal complaint against Harvard University, accusing the Ivy League
institution of failing to protect them from harassment and threats “based
solely on them being Palestinian, Arab, Muslim and supporters of Palestinian
rights”.
The Muslim Legal Fund of America, which
filed the complaint on Monday, urged the US Department of Education to
investigate the university.
“For months, students at Harvard have
been targeted with rampant harassment and racist attacks including doxxing,
stalking and assault simply for being Palestinian, Muslim and supporters of
Palestinian rights,” the MLFA said.
It said Harvard had responded to
requests for help “with closed doors” and occasional threats to “limit or
retract the students' future academic opportunities”.
Palestinian American shot in Vermont
paralysed from the chest down
A sharp rise in Islamophobic attacks has
been reported in several countries, including the US, since the Israel-Gaza war
began on October 7.
Among those who filed the complaint were
Muslim students and others who say they have faced harassment for their support
of Palestine during on-campus protests.
Also mentioned were Palestinian students
with family members in Gaza.
The complaint comes weeks after the
resignation of former Harvard president Claudine Gay over plagiarism
allegations.
Dr Gay had previously faced pressure to
step down after appearing at a congressional hearing on anti-Semitism at US
universities, where she declined to give a “yes” or “no” answer when asked
whether calling for the genocide of Jewish people violated Harvard's code of
conduct on harassment.
During the hearing, Dr Gay said
universities have to defend free speech while also combating hate, and added
that anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian sentiments were all forms
of hate.
Source: thenationalnews.com
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the text of the original story
https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/us-news/2024/01/30/palestinian-and-muslim-students-accuse-harvard-of-failing-to-protect-them/
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Toshakhana Case: Former Pakistan PM
Imran Khan, Wife Bushra Sentenced To 14 Years In Jail
FILE PHOTO:
Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan
------
Jan 31, 2024
NEW DELHI: Pakistan's former prime
minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 14 years in jail
in Toshakhana case by an anti-graft court in Islamabad, the Geo News reported
on Wednesday.
The sentence comes a day after Khan was
sentenced to ten years in prison for disclosing state secrets in another case,
and only a week before national elections.
The case alleges that Khan “deliberately
concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana, a repository
where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept,
during his time as the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.
In August 2023, another court sentenced
Khan to three years in prison for selling presents worth more than 140 million
rupees ($501,000) in state possession and received during his 2018-2022
premiership.
The government's list of Toshakhana
gifts, made public in March last year, revealed an evident preference for wrist
watches among Pakistan's public office holders.
According to the report, Khan took away
seven wrist watches valued Rs 96.6 million during his stint as prime minister,
ranking second among all three parties in terms of evaluated value of watches
retained.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/toshakhana-case-former-pakistan-pm-imran-khan-wife-bushra-sentenced-to-14-years-in-jail/articleshow/107280924.cms
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UK Labour Party Risks Losing Muslim Voters
Over Gaza War Stance
Pro-Palestinian activists and
supporters wave flags and carry placards during a National March for Palestine
in central London. (File/AFP)
-----
January 31, 2024
LONDON: The Labour Party in the UK has
started surveying British Muslim voters amid growing concern among senior
officials about the damage done to one of its strongest bases of support by the
party’s stance on Gaza.
Labour sources told The Guardian
newspaper that the party had been conducting polls and organizing focus groups
across the UK, with the General Election thought to be only months away.
One senior Labour MP told the paper:
“Muslims are not only predominantly Labour supporters but they are also
geographically important. There are many of them in a range of key target seats
in both the south and the northwest, and we need to pay attention to that.”
A frontbencher said: “We know we’ve lost
the Muslim vote, and at the very least their trust.
“The Muslim community is no longer a
safe voter base for us because of how we initially responded to the war. So
we’re just focused on damage control; we all know it.”
MPs concerned about the issue have
formed new groups to influence Labour leader Keir Starmer. His office,
meanwhile, has begun to focus on how it communicates with party members who
feel ignored.
The crisis within the party escalated
following Starmer’s interview in October in which he said Israel had the right
to withhold power and water from Gaza, a stance he later drew back from.
His refusal to support a ceasefire led
to further unrest, with 56 Labour MPs breaking party ranks to vote for a
Scottish National Party ceasefire motion, resulting in the resignation of eight
shadow ministers.
Labour Friends of Palestine and the
Middle East has become a central organizing hub. Another is a WhatsApp group of
about 30 MPs who share not only policy thoughts but also security advice, given
the threats made to some Labour MPs, especially in areas with many Muslim
voters.
David Lammy, the shadow foreign
secretary, and Sue Gray, Starmer’s chief of staff, are in regular dialogue with
this group. Shabana Mahmood, the shadow justice secretary and a prominent
Muslim figure in the party, has taken a leading role in these discussions.
Internal tensions persist, especially
after Wayne David, the shadow Middle East and North Africa minister, said that
Labour would recognize Palestine only after negotiations between the Israelis
and Palestinians started. This stance has drawn criticism from some party
members, who argue it undermines Palestinian self-determination.
Recent polls by research organization UK
in a Changing Europe show that nearly half of Britain’s 2 million Muslim voters
supported Labour in the last election, underscoring the significance of this
voter base. Concerns are growing that a narrow margin in the polls could affect
outcomes in key constituencies with high Muslim populations.
The formation of The Muslim Vote, a
grassroots group aiming to increase Muslim electoral participation, further
highlights Labour’s challenges. This group intends to influence voting in
constituencies based on MPs’ positions on ceasefire motions.
Beyond the Muslim vote, Labour also
faces the risk of losing support in affluent, predominantly white regions like
Bournemouth, Bristol, and Brighton, where sympathy for the Palestinian cause is
strong.
“We’re expecting to see middle-class
Labour supporters sympathetic to the Gaza crisis back the Greens because of
their immediate ceasefire calls,” one Labour MP told The Guardian.
Another cautioned that the amount of
footage from Gaza on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok was
radicalizing younger voters in particular.
A party source told The Guardian: “The
discontent is much wider than the leadership realizes. If we don’t get on top
of this soon we are going to have trouble later this year.”
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2451136/world
----
India
Despite ASI objection, right-wing group holds rituals at Kashmir’s 8th-century Sun Temple
30th January 2024
Srinagar: Despite objections from the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), A Hindu right-wing group forcibly entered
the ASI-protected Martand Sun Temple in Rambirpora of South Kashmir’s Anantnag
district on the day of consecration of Ram temple in Ayodhaya, according to
various reports.
On January 22, members of a Hindu
right-wing group from Bharatpur, Rajasthan, trespassed into the ASI-protected
site to offer prayers, Kashmir Times reported.
After a forceful entry, the ASI staff
thwarted the group from occupying the interior of the ruins of the 8th-century
temple devoted to the Hindu God Surya, constructed by King Lalitaditya
Muktapida of the Karkota dynasty.
The group put up a saffron flag within
the temple complex, recited the Hanuman Chalisa, and conducted ‘Parikrama’
during their visit. This marked their third consecutive attempt since 2022, and
the group is identified as Rashtriya Anhad MahayogPeeth.
The Martand Sun Temple is safeguarded by
ASI guidelines that explicitly prohibit religious ceremonies inside such
historical sites unless they served as functional prayer sites when ASI assumed
control.
In April of the previous year, the same
group tried to conduct ‘puja’ at the temple but was barred from entering,
facing detainment at a Shiv temple in Mattan town near Martand.
Source: siasat.com
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the text of the original story
https://www.siasat.com/despite-asi-objection-right-wing-hold-rituals-at-kashmirs-8th-century-sun-temple-2967509/
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World's Largest Quran, Mega Aquarium,
Hospital & Veg Kitchen: Ayodhya Mosque Work Begins This April
JANUARY 31, 2024
Apoorva Misra
After the grand consecration ceremony of
Lord Ram’s idol and the inauguration of the much-awaited Ram Temple, Uttar
Pradesh’s temple town Ayodhya is set to witness the construction of the
Mohammed Bin Abdullah Mosque as well.
In an exclusive interview to News18,
Haji Arafat Sheikh, the chief of the mosque development committee and a member
of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), said the construction of the
mosque would start from April this year. Sharing the newly made blueprint of
the mosque, he said it would be India’s first mosque to have five minarets and
an aquarium bigger than that in Dubai.
IICF is the trust formed by the Uttar
Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board (UPSCWB) to oversee the construction of the
mosque on the five-acre land allocated in lieu of Babri mosque in Ayodhya’s
Dhannipur village.
Sheikh, whom UP’s Sunni Central Waqf
Board nominated to steer the development of the mosque in Dhannipur, is a BJP
leader and a former chairperson of Maharashtra State Commission for Minorities.
He is also a prominent social activist who has undertaken several social
initiatives.
It has been quite a long time since the
five-acre land was allocated on the orders of the Supreme Court in November
2019. Recently, the country witnessed the grand consecration of the idol of
Lord Ram and the inauguration of the Ayodhya temple. By when can we expect the
work of the mosque to begin?
It’s a massive project. I consider
myself fortunate that I have been chosen from among 25 crore Muslims for this
task of establishing a sacred mosque. This mosque would be a masterpiece of
Islamic structure. We are planning to develop it as one of the world’s most
beautiful mosques and such projects do take time. Inshallah, the work will
finally start after this Ramzan. Meanwhile, we are working on the
technicalities and other related formalities.
Initially, the structure was named
Dhannipur Mosque. Some also suggested the name Masjid-e-Aman and then it was
named after famous freedom fighter Maulvi Ahmadullah Shah Faizabadi. Now it was
finally been renamed as Mohammed Bin Abdullah Mosque. Is this name final or can
we expect more changes?
Mohammed Bin Abdullah is the final name
of the mosque. The sacred name holds profound significance as it encompasses
the name of the father of our beloved Prophet Mohammed. This blessed name also
carries the promise of safeguarding the nation from calamities and bestowing
spiritual blessings upon all its inhabitants. While everything in this world
may eventually fade away, this sacred sanctuary will stand as an everlasting
beacon of light, illuminating not only India but also reaching far beyond its
borders. Indeed, it’s going to be an unparalleled blessing and spiritual
significance.
You said that this mosque is going to be
a masterpiece. How different will it be compared to the other mosques across
the country?
The very first thing that will make this
mosque different is that it will be a mosque for Muslims and not particularly
for Sunnis, Shias, Tablighis and so on. At present, Muslims are divided into
sects and this mosque will bridge the sectarian divide.
As per the blueprint, another important
feature of the mosque is that it will be the country’s first mosque with five
minarets soaring to a height of 340 feet. The minarets will highlight the five
tenets of Islam — Shahada (declaration of faith), Salah (prayer or Namaz), Sawm
(fasting or Roza), Zakat (charity) and Hajj.
You said Mohammed Bin Abdullah mosque
would be one of the world’s most beautiful mosques. Can you elaborate?
It will be a mosque where Muslim
brethren would love to offer prayers. The entire mosque has been divided into
two parts — the basement area and the ground floor.
The basement area is a multipurpose hall
whereas the ground floor will have an expansive Namaz Hall with the capacity to
accommodate more than 9,000 Namazis at a time. There will be five entries to
the Namaaz Hall and it will be solely meant for offering prayers. There are
also special arrangements for women Namazis.
The towering minarets, with interior
staircases and a small window, will be an essential part of the new design of
the mosque. Domes, another essential feature of Islamic architecture, will be a
part of the proposed mosque as per the new design. The walls will bear Arabic
calligraphy scripts or verses from the Quran. We have also paid special
attention to designing the lock and key of the mosque. There will be stucco
work on the interiors and exteriors of the wall along with decorative woodwork
that would make the structure all the more beautiful. Some outdoor elements,
including garden and grand courtyards with fountains and water reservoirs, will
help Namazis carry out ablution practices before offering prayers.
You said the mosque would be a major
attraction among tourists too. How?
We have tried to incorporate several
features which one would find nowhere in the world. Other than Namazis, the
mosque would be a major attraction for tourists too.
The mosque will house the world’s
largest Quran measuring 21 feet by 36 feet. Similar to the Middle East, the
Quran will be recited once a year during Ramzan. There will be an automated
mechanism to turn the pages of the Quran.
A grand aquarium or underwater zoo will
be another unique feature. The aquarium will be bigger than Dubai’s famous
aquarium and will house more than 400 species of aquatic animals. The beautiful
design of the mosque, a grand library and other features will make Mohammed Bin
Abdullah mosque a major attraction. The minarets are being designed in such a
way that the Azaan would trigger a fountain from all five minarets.
What happens to the board’s plan of
running a massive community kitchen at the mosque?
That plan exists. It will be a pure
vegetarian kitchen, similar to what runs in Ajmer Sharif. Our purpose behind
running a vegetarian community kitchen is to make people aware of the teachings
of Islam that solely believes in spreading love and peace. We want to tell the
world that we are the believers of Khawaja Garib Nawaaz and not of Babar who
came all the way to rob India. Over 5,000 people can have freshly cooked
vegetarian meals at the kitchen that would be functional till eternity.
And the 500-bed multi-speciality
hospital in the mosque complex?
Yes, we are also ready with the hospital
plan. We are setting up a 500-bed hospital that will offer the best cancer
treatment to patients. We have entered into an agreement with Wockhardt
Hospitals to run the facility. I am sure that once the hospital is operational,
UP-ites would stop going to metro cities like Mumbai or Delhi for treatment. I
am anxiously waiting to hear the testimony of a Hindu patient sharing his or
her experience after treatment at Mohammed Bin Abdullah mosque hospital. Our
sole aim is to serve humanity and I am sure that the hospital would play a
pivotal role in meeting our goals. Other than establishing a grand hospital, we
would also be establishing a law college, engineering college, dental college,
architectural college and an international school in order to spread education
in society.
Will there be special prayers for those
who lost their lives in the Babri demolition and related unrest?
There are many Hindus and Muslim
brethren who lost their lives in the riots. At the Mohammed Bin Abdullah
mosque, there will be a special prayer session for all those who lost their
lives in the riots and to bring peace upon the nation.
Source: news18.com
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https://www.news18.com/india/worlds-largest-quran-mega-aquarium-hospital-veg-kitchen-ayodhya-mosque-work-begins-this-april-8760786.html
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Mosque panel on ASI report on Gyanvapi:
Will submit objections after getting historians’ views
Asad Rehman
January 31, 2024
Reacting sharply to the Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex, the Anjuman
Intezamia Masajid committee, which runs the mosque in Varanasi, has said they
are studying the report and would submit objections to it in court after
getting opinions from historians.
S M Yasin, joint secretary, Anjuman
Intezamia Masajid Committee, said on Tuesday, “We have sent copies of the ASI
report to five historians, including some non-Muslim ones. We will wait for
their opinion and we have started having conversations with Buddhists here in
Varanasi. They also claim that a lot of signs and objects found at the mosque
belong to their faith. We have also sent copies (of the report) to our lawyers
and after we have received opinion from the historians, we will sit with them
and draft our objections to the report.”
The ASI, tasked by the Varanasi district
court to ascertain whether the mosque was “constructed over a pre-existing
structure of a Hindu temple”, has concluded that a temple “appears to have been
destroyed in the 17th century, during the reign of Aurangzeb and part of it…
modified and reused in the existing structure”. The ASI report — which has four
volumes — was made public on Thursday after copies of it were handed over to
the Hindu and Muslim litigants by the court.
Asked about the ASI report concluding
that the mosque was built over a pre-existing temple, Yasin said, “They are
saying this. We say it is wrong and the remains found there are actually of the
mosque. Can they do a scientific evaluation from photographs? They didn’t
collect any samples and get them tested at a laboratory. How can they reach a
conclusion based on photographs?”
“We have got historical books which
state that the mosque was built in the 15th century before Humayun’s reign. The
document/book is in Persian, which states that Sheikh Suleimani Mohaddis had
got this (Gyanvapi) mosque built on an empty plot of land. It seems that there
may have been some Buddhist structure there. The whole of Varanasi was a major
centre for Buddhists till the Shankaracharya arrived in Varanasi. Sheikh
Suleimani Mohaddis, who hailed from Jaunpur and was a wealthy man, had built
two mosques – one in Varanasi and one in Jaunpur which is still there,” added
Yasin.
He claimed that it was Emperor Akbar,
who expanded the mosque under the philosophy of Din-e-ilahai, and then, in the
third phase, it was Aurangzeb who expanded the mosque. “We also have an issue
with the ASI report quoting from the book Maasir-i-Alamgiri. They (ASI) have
used a translation of the book, but where is the original. We want the original
book to be quoted and not a translation,” he said.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/lucknow/mosque-panel-on-asi-report-on-gyanvapi-will-submit-objections-after-getting-historians-views-9135716/
------
Krishna Janmabhoomi case: Muslim side
welcomes Supreme Court order to extend stay on survey of Shahi Idgah mosque
Jan 30, 2024
AGRA: The Intezamia Committee for Shahi
Idgah in Mathura on Monday welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court (SC) to
extend interim stay on the operation of the Allahabad High Court order for a
court-monitored survey of the mosque complex in Mathura.
Secretary and counsel for the committee,
Tanveer Ahmed, said, “What is the urgency for those seeking a survey at the
Shahi Idgah Mosque? It is a well-guarded structure and under the surveillance
of the CRPF which rules out any foul play. We'll take further action after
reading the court orders.”
The SC on Monday adjourned until the
first half of April a batch of pleas pertaining to the row and extended the
interim stay granted on a HC order appointing a commission to inspect the
premises of the mosque in Mathura.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and
Dipankar Datta was hearing the special leave petitions filed by the mosque
committee and the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board challenging a May 2023
order of the Allahabad HC transferring to itself a clutch of suits. Also listed
before the bench was another SLP filed by the mosque committee challenging the
order passed by the HC in December 2023 allowing the appointment of a court
commissioner to inspect the mosque.
In the SLP, the mosque committee argued
that the HC ought to have considered its plea for rejection of the plaint
before deciding on any other miscellaneous applications in the suit. The
committee has sought for rejection of the plaint on the ground that the suit is
barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act 1991. Merely because
the application for the appointment of a commission was filed eight days before
the application for the plaint's rejection was not a reason for deciding the
former first.
The Hindu side had made a prayer before
the HC that it should conduct the original trial like it had done in the Babri
Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute.
The apex court in Sept refused to
entertain a plea by Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Mukti Nirman Trust seeking a
scientific survey of mosque premises, leaving all questions relating to the
land dispute open to the Allahabad HC to decide.
Recently, the HC dismissed a PIL seeking
the recognition of the disputed site as Krishna Janmabhoomi and the removal of
the mosque after noting that several suits for declaration, injunction, and the
right to worship at the site as well as for removal of the structure were
already pending before it. A SLP challenging this order by the Allahabad HC was
dismissed by the SC earlier this month.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/krishna-janmabhoomi-case-muslim-side-welcomes-sc-order-to-extend-stay-on-survey-of-shahi-idgah-mosque/articleshow/107262256.cms
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NIA files charge-sheet against 3 in
Rajasthan PFI conspiracy case
Jan 30, 2024
New Delhi : The NIA has filed a
charge-sheet against three activists of the banned PFI in a case related to
radicalisation of Muslim youths, and giving them weapons training to fight and
establish Islamic rule in India by 2047.
Further cracking down on unlawful and
anti-national activities of the Popular Front of India (PFI), the charge-sheet
has been filed against Vajid Ali, Mubarik Ali and Shamsher Khan in the
Rajasthan PFI conspiracy case, the agency said in a statement.
Earlier, the National Investigation
Agency (NIA) had filed a charge-sheet against three other accused — Asif, Sadiq
Sarraf and Mohd Sohail — in the case.
The case is related to the banned
outfit’s conspiracy to radicalise Muslim youths, provide them weapons training
for fighting against those who don’t support the PFI’s version of Islam as well
as against the government of India.
Vajid Ali, Mubarik Ali and Shamsher Khan
conspired with the other co-accused to provide training in handling and use of
weapons to gullible Muslims to commit violent acts. The accused have been found
to be involved in organising arms training camps for the PFI to help achieve
the aim of establishing an Islamic rule in India by 2047, the NIA said. ( With
PTI inputs )
Source: muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/eng/nia-files-charge-sheet-against-3-in-rajasthan-pfi-conspiracy-case/
----
India backs two-state solution to
resolve Israel-Palestine conflict: Jaishankar
30th January 2024
Arsalan Nazir
Mumbai: India favours a two-state
solution to end the decades-long Israel-Palestine conflict, External Affairs
Minister S Jaishankar said on Tuesday, January 30, as the latest war in the
Gaza Strip, ignited by the Hamas’ brutal attacks inside the Jewish state in
early October, shows no sign of coming to an end.
He said the conflict in West Asia must
be viewed in totality and termed the Hamas’ deadly incursions inside Israel
nearly four months ago as a terrorist attack.
Replying to a question at an interaction
with students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Mumbai, Jaishankar,
“It is certainly the view of India, and a very large number of countries that
(the problem can be) only be done (resolved) through a two-state solution that
there has to be a Palestinian state side-by-side with the state of Israel.”
“So for us today, there are all the
aspects. We cannot take one aspect and say that’s the only aspect because if
you see the debate in the world in a way that is what people are doing,” he
said.
The diplomat-turned-politician
maintained that if there are six issues out there, and if anyone takes one or
two and if the rest four don’t matter then such an approach won’t work in
resolving the conflict.
“I think that is not helpful. I think we
have to look at the totality of all these issues and strike the right balance
and that is really in a way what we are trying,” he added.
Jaishankar said what happened on October
7, 2023, was a terrorist attack, referring to Hamas militants launching a
series of assaults inside Israel after storming across the border.
About 1,200 people, mostly civilians,
were killed in the attacks, while nearly 250 Israelis and other nationals were
taken hostage by Hamas.
“I don’t think there should be confusion
on that and as a country which has itself experienced so much terrorism, I
think it’s important that we recognise that and we expressed that solidarity
(with Israel) as another victim of terrorism,” noted the External Affairs
Minister.
On Israel’s strong response to the Hamas
attacks, which triggered a war in the Gaza Strip, he said when any country
responds, it is equally important to observe international laws, and called for
avoiding civilian casualties.
The nearly four-month-long war has
killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials,
destroyed vast swaths of the Gaza Strip, a tiny but densely populated
Palestinian enclave, and displaced nearly 85 per cent of the territory’s population.
Israel says its air and ground offensive
has killed more than 9,000 militants.
“Every effort should be made to ideally
avoid or limit civilian casualties,” Jaishankar insisted.
Where there is a situation in which
civilians are affected, which is the case today (in Israel-Hamas war) very
manifestly in Gaza, there has to be some kind of sustainable humanitarian
corridor which will deal with it, Jaishankar said.
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/india-backs-two-state-solution-to-resolve-israel-palestine-conflict-jaishankar-2967737/
----
Southeast Asia
China’s president accepts credentials
for Afghanistan’s envoy to Beijing
January 31, 2024
China’s President Xi Jinping on Tuesday
accepted credentials of Mawlawi Asadullah, who is known as Bilal Karimi, for
the position of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Beijing.
According to a foreign ministry
spokesman, Karimi’s credentials were accepted for the post of Ambassador
Extraordinaire and Plenipotentiary of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,
alongside envoys from 41 countries.
The event was held in the presence of Xi
in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during a special ceremony.
Accepting Karimi’s credentials, Xi
welcomed him as Afghanistan’s Ambassador to China and wished him success in his
tenure.
During the ceremony, Karimi also met
with the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
FM Wang Yi congratulated Karimi for
presenting his credentials to the President of China.
Karimi took charge of the IEA Embassy in
Beijing in December 2023.
Source: ariananews.af
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https://www.ariananews.af/chinas-president-accepts-credentials-for-afghanistans-envoy-to-beijing/
-----
Myanmar Conflict: 12 Rohingyas killed in
military’s shelling
Jan 31, 2024
At least 12 Rohingyas were killed and
dozens injured in the Myanmar military's recent shelling of Rohingya villages,
the UN Human Rights Office said in a statement yesterday, calling for the
protection of the population from acts of genocide.
The statement came as fighting in
various parts of the Southeast Asian country intensified and Arakan Army took
control of the majority of the Rakhine State.
Armed rebel groups also took control of
military camps and trade routes in the regions bordering China and India.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
Volker Türk said three years after the military coup, Myanmar's
ever-deteriorating human rights crisis is now in freefall, with insufficient
world attention paid to the misery and pain of its people.
Communications and internet services in
some 74 townships, including most of the 17 townships in Rakhine, are
experiencing partial, intermittent or total shutdowns.
Türk said the Rakhine State has been
particularly hard hit since the fighting restarted there in November last year.
On January 26, fighting between the
Arakan Army and the Myanmar military reportedly left at least 12 Rohingya
civilians dead and 30 others wounded in HponNyo Leik village.
The Arakan Army allegedly positioned its
troops in and around the Rohingya village anticipating the military's attacks.
The military repeatedly shelled the
village, destroying its infrastructure, the statement said.
Türk said the people of Myanmar have
been suffering for too long.
"Pitched battles between the
military and armed opposition groups have resulted in mass displacement and
civilian casualties."
Sources have verified that over 554
people have died since October.
In 2023, the overall number of civilians
reportedly killed by the military rose to over 1,600 -- an increase of some 300
from the previous year. Over the last three years, some 1,576 individuals have
died while being held by the military, the statement added.
The international community should
redouble efforts to hold the military accountable, Türk said, recalling the
International Court of Justice' provisional measures for Myanmar to protect the
members of the Rohingya community from the acts that may amount to genocide.
"This crisis will only be resolved
by insisting on accountability for the military's leadership, the release of
political prisoners and the restoration of civilian rule," Türk said.
He urged all member states to take
appropriate measures to address this crisis, including to consider imposing
further targeted sanctions on the military – limiting access to weapons, jet
fuel and foreign currency -- to constrain their ability to commit serious
violations and disregard international law.
"I commend the courage and
resilience of Myanmar's civil society and democratic movement, representing all
ethnic communities, and urge their inclusion in any political process to
restore democracy and respect for human rights in Myanmar."
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/asia/news/myanmar-conflict-12-rohingyas-killed-militarys-shelling-3532516
-----
Fahmi: Madani Community should help
improve people’s understanding of online security
30-01- 2024
KUALA LUMPUR: The Madani Community
throughout the country has been urged to play a role in enhancing the people’s
understanding of issues concerning online security.
In making the call, Communications
Minister Fahmi Fadzil said social media platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp
were open to abuse by irresponsible parties, including for spreading fake news.
“Regarding the issue of news, if
possible disseminate only authentic news. I know many here are on various
platforms. Sometimes people share information which we cannot verify.
“I call for discipline among our friends
in the Madani Community so that we can help our community to verify information
which reaches us,” he said at the Communications Minister’s Mandate and PEDi
Briefing with the Madani Community of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur
and Putrajaya here today.
He said due to various problems linked
to social media like the copyright issue and online gambling, the Cabinet
recently decided to establish a technical committee to study laws involving
online security.
“We find that several platforms (social
media) appear okay from the outside, no problems. But when we research and go
deeper into them, these platforms are quite problematic,” he said, and cited
the case of a local man selling videos of his performing sexual acts with more
than 20 women of various races on social media.
Fahmi also reminded media practitioners
to be more careful in writing news and not merely rely on information from
sources. –Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/local_news/fahmi-madani-community-should-help-improve-people-s-understanding-of-online-security-DH12044986
-----
Political neutrality of Indonesia's
largest Islamic organisation in question after members allegedly told to
support Prabowo
January 31, 2024
The political neutrality of the largest
Islamic organisation in Indonesia has come into question, following reports
that its leadership is rallying support for frontrunner Prabowo Subianto,
Jakarta Post and CNN Indonesia reported.
Prominent cleric and Muslim scholar
Nadirsyah Hosen, commonly known as Gus Nadir, claimed in a recent episode of
political podcast GASPOL that top Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) officials are trying to
sway its members to support Prabowo and his running mate, Gibran Rakabuming
Raka, with an eye towards avoiding a runoff election.
Unwritten instruction
With an estimated membership of anywhere
between 40 to 150 million, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) has played an important role in
shaping the outcome of presidential elections in the Muslim-majority country.
According to a recent opinion poll,
Prabowo and Gibran will only be able to secure 46 per cent of the vote on Feb.
14, less than the above 50 per cent required to secure a victory in a single
round, and avoid a runoff.
In the podcast, Gus Nadir claimed that
NU's top officials gathered its regional branch leaders across the country for
an informal meeting at a hotel in Surabaya, East Java, on Jan. 7.
In the meeting, NU's chairman Yahya
CholilStaquf supposedly gave an unwritten instruction, asking the leaders to
support Prabowo and Gibran in the upcoming election.
MiftachulAchyar, the current supreme
leader of NU, was reportedly present in the meeting and had told members to
obey the instructions.
Gus Nadir, who is the former head of
NU's religious council in the Australia and New Zealand branch, expressed his
disappointment in the podcast, saying that NU had shifted from its traditional
neutral stance in politics.
Unfounded speculation
However, Yahya rejected Gus Nadir's
claims, calling them "unfounded speculation".
"Anyone can make assumptions about
anything nowadays," Yahya said, as quoted by Jakarta Post.
Yahya assumed his leadership role in
Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation in 2021, after promising to make NU a
politically-neutral organisation again.
At that point, there was increasing
worry that the organisation and some of its top officials were becoming too
closely affiliated with political parties and President Joko "Jokowi"
Widodo's administration.
NU enjoyed a close relationship with
Jokowi throughout his presidency.
The organisation received numerous
grants, while many of its senior leaders were appointed as cabinet ministers,
ambassadors, and board members of different state-owned enterprises, Jakarta
Post said.
Pledged to stay neutral
Under Yahya's leadership, NU pledged to
stay neutral in the 2024 election and to distance itself from politics.
This includes banning its leaders from
running for elected office, including for president and vice president. Top
officials were also told to abstain from joining any presidential campaign
team.
Jokowi's vice president, Ma'ruf Amin,
was the supreme leader of NU before he stepped down to run in the 2019
presidential election.
"What can we do?"
Despite the chairman's pledge of
neutrality, Yahya said during an NU conference in September 2023 that "NU
will never be too far away from Jokowi".
He also reportedly affirmed NU's support
for Jokowi ahead of the 2024 election campaign season as many of the outgoing
leaders had worked closely with NU for a long time.
Responding to Gus Nadir's statement,
Yahya said that he couldn't do much if his followers in the organisation were
inclined to support one of the presidential candidates, CNN Indonesia reported.
"If others are moved by a statement
made by another party, and proceed to take an action (based on that statement),
then what can we do?" he asked.
Returning favour
While Jokowi has yet to publicly express
support for any presidential candidate, the fact that his son could become
Prabowo's vice president has led to speculation about his preferences.
For his part, Jokowi himself has said
that as a father, he cannot stop his son from pursuing his own political
career. Gibran, who was previously a member of the PDI-P party like his father,
is running as an independent.
Supporting Prabowo and Gibran in the
February election might be a way for NU to return Jokowi's favour, said Sukron
Kamil, Arabic cultural and political professor at the Syarif Hidayatullah State
Islamic University (UIN), speaking to the Jakarta Post.
Historically, NU has been dependent on
state resources and support to carry out its activities.
Source: mothership.sg
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https://mothership.sg/2024/01/nu-neutrality-stance-questioned/
-----
Sultan Ibrahim scheduled to take oath as
17th King of Malaysia today
31-01- 2024
KUALA LUMPUR: Sultan Ibrahim of Johor is
scheduled to take the oath of office as the 17th King of Malaysia today for a
five-year term.
The ceremony of taking the oath of
office and signing the instrument of office will be held at the 264th (Special)
Meeting of the Conference of Rulers at Balairung Seri (throne room), Istana
Negara.
At the ceremony, the Sultan of Perak,
Sultan Nazrin Shah, will be sworn in as Deputy Yang di-PertuanAgong for the
same period.
In the presence of the other Malay
Rulers, members of the Royal family and dignitaries, Sultan Ibrahim will sign
the instruments of proclamation of office, the content of which will be read
out by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Sultan Ibrahim is scheduled to depart
for the ceremony from Istana Bukit Serene, Johor at 7.45 am and board a special
aircraft at the Royal Hangar of Senai International Airport, Johor Bahru,
heading to the capital.
The ceremonial welcome of His Majesty
the King will begin at the Royal Malaysian Air Force Subang Air Base at about
9.45 am before Sultan Ibrahim heads to the Istana Negara for the oath-taking
and signing of instruments.
Queen of Malaysia, Raja Zarith Sofiah,
and Their Majesties’ children are also scheduled to grace the historic
ceremony.
Sultan Ibrahim was elected as the 17th
King of Malaysia at the 263rd (Special) Meeting of the Conference of Rulers in
October last year, which also saw Sultan Nazrin elected as Deputy Yang
di-PertuanAgong.
Sultan Ibrahim replaces Al-Sultan
Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, who completed his reign as the
16th Yang di-PertuanAgong yesterday.
Born on Nov 22, 1958, at the Sultanah
Aminah Hospital, Johor Bahru, Sultan Ibrahim was proclaimed the Sultan of Johor
on Jan 23, 2010, following the demise of Sultan Iskandar, with the official
coronation taking place on March 23, 2015.–Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/local_news/sultan-ibrahim-scheduled-to-take-oath-as-17th-king-of-malaysia-today-AH12046240
-----
North America
US federal employees to stage ‘day of
fasting’ in solidarity with Gaza
January 31, 2024
LONDON: Federal government employees in
the US are planning a “day of fasting for Gaza” on Thursday to protest at the
response of President Joe Biden and his administration to the humanitarian
crisis in Palestine, according to reports.
The fast is being organized by
Representatives for Feds United for Peace, which represents more than 20
government agencies including the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security and
State.
The move comes amid unrest among some
government employees over Biden’s stance on Israel, and its military offensive
inside Gaza, The Guardian reported.
One federal employee told the newspaper
the day of fasting would be used to highlight Israel’s use of “starvation as a
weapon of war by intentionally withholding food from entering Gaza.”
Those participating in Thursday’s
protest have been asked to go to work wearing black clothing or the traditional
Palestinian keffiyeh scarf.
The same group of federal employees also
held a “day of mourning” on Jan. 16 to mark 100 days of the war in Gaza.
A group called “Staffers for Ceasefire”
recently criticized Jeff Zients, the White House chief of staff, after news
emerged of a party being held for White House employees to “boost morale.”
The group said in a statement: “We are
disgusted by this display of complete apathy towards the lives that have been
taken in the region over the last three months.
“There is no justification for this
level of destruction, this level of terror. We unequivocally call on you to
demand a ceasefire. We call on you to end our complicity in this brutality.”
More than 25,000 Palestinians, 10,000 of
them children, have been killed in Israel’s retaliation to attacks by Hamas
militants on Oct. 7 last year, in which 1,200 people lost their lives, while
the UN estimates nearly 2 million people in Gaza are at risk of famine.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2451101/world
-----
Canada cannot find way to get 1,000
Palestinians out of Gaza
Barry Ellsworth
30.01.2024
Canada has 967 applications from
Palestinians who want to come to Canada to be reunited with family, but as of
Tuesday has been unable to get them out of Gaza.
The Palestinians have applied under a
temporary special immigration program, capped at 1,000.
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said
Canada is “looking at all the options” to get the applicants out of the
war-torn Gaza Strip that is being bombarded by Israel.
“We do have enough applications at this
stage where we can advocate for their extraction,” Miller told the Globe and
Mail newspaper.
One option is ongoing “conversations”
with Egypt to get the applicants extricated from Gaza, said Miller.
When the special immigration program was
announced earlier this month, critics complained that the 1,000 limit for
Palestinians with families in Canada was too low.
Miller said the cap is “flexible,” but
there was little use in raising it when the current applicants are trapped.
“So, it’s cynical to issue more visas to
people who won’t be able to get out,” he said. “The real proof is – are we able
to get them out – and we have not been able to at this point.”
Applicants must be sponsored by
relatives who are willing to support them while they are in Canada. Applicants’
names are vetted by Canada.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story0
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/canada-cannot-find-way-to-get-1-000-palestinians-out-of-gaza/3123291
----
CAIR-SFBA Applauds Santa Clara County
Board of Education for Passing Gaza Ceasefire Resolution
Ismail Allison
January 30, 2024
(SANTA CLARA, CA, 1/30/2024) – The San
Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
(CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy
organization, today applauded the Santa Clara County Board of Education (SCCBOE)
for its principled stand in passing a comprehensive Gaza ceasefire resolution.
The resolution, titled Resolution
Recognizing Sustained Peace and Safety for All Children and championed by Board
President Maimona Afzal Berta and Trustee RaeenaLari, “acknowledges the
suffering of peoples in the Middle East, including Palestinian and Israeli
children,” and emphasizes the SCCBOE’s dedication to creating a sense of
belonging for all students, staff, and families. It reaffirms the board’s
stance against anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and its commitment to respect and
hear all communities, including Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Israeli-American,
Arab-American, Palestinian-American, and other Middle Eastern groups.
On Jan. 29, in one of the largest public
turnouts at a SCCBOE meeting, over 175 community members signed up to address
the board as it considered the resolution. Ceasefire advocates of all ages and
faith backgrounds urged the board to consider the local impact of the global
crisis and to lead the way for the county’s children. Apparent pro-genocide
advocates booed, heckled and threatened community members and spoke against the
resolution.
The resolution is a response to the
severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where the ongoing Israeli assault has led
to extreme loss of life—over 30,000 people, the majority women and children;
widespread displacement—over 80 percent of Gaza residents; and immense
suffering, with famine and disease taking hold across the strip.
In a statement, CAIR-SFBA Executive
Director Zahra Billoo said:
“The passing of this resolution is an
important acknowledgment of the dire situation in Gaza, particularly as it
relates to children, and reflects the collective conscience of our
administrators, educators, and children at the SCCBOE. This resolution not only
addresses the immediate need for safety and security in Palestine but also sets
a powerful example for our students about the importance of advocating for
peaceful solutions to complex global issues.”
With the adoption of this resolution,
the SCCBOE joins Richmond, Oakland, Cudahy, Davis, Long Beach, New Haven
Unified School District, and others across California that have previously
passed ceasefire resolutions.
CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR,
America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission
is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice,
and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-sfba-applauds-santa-clara-county-board-of-education-for-passing-gaza-ceasefire-resolution/
-----
CAIR Welcomes Congressional Resolution
Recognizing January as ‘Muslim-American Heritage Month’
Ismail Allison
January 30, 2024
The Council on American-Islamic
Relations (CAIR) the largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization in
the nation, today welcomed introduction of a congressional resolution (S. Res.
534) recognizing January as “Muslim-American Heritage Month” and celebrating
the achievements of American Muslims.
CAIR has developed an easy to use
click-and-send action alert to urge your members of Congress to co-sponsor and
support the adoption of the Muslim-American Heritage Month resolution.
TAKE ACTION: Urge Congress to “Support
Muslim-American Heritage Month”
Introduced in the U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate by U.S. Representative André Carson (D-IN) and
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), the resolution highlights the historical
contributions American Muslims have made across multiple sectors of society—from
medical professionals to entrepreneurs to faith leaders, athletes, and public
servants—to help build a better nation. Similar resolutions and proclamations
have been adopted in Los Angeles, Orange County, Illinois, New Jersey, Utah,
Virginia, and Washington, where Muslim-American Heritage Month is celebrated.
The resolution is cosponsored by U.S.
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA),
Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla
(D-CA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Peter Welch (D-VT). Eleanor Holmes Norton
(D-DC), Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Nikema Williams
(D-GA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Katie Porter (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL),
and Ro Khanna (D-CA) have also given their support.
In a statement, CAIR Director of
Government Affairs Department Robert S. McCaw said:
“Muslim contributions to American
prosperity span the fields of science and medicine to education and business,
enriching our nation and exemplifying the strength found in diversity.
Recognizing and celebrating the positive impact of American Muslims helps
foster a more inclusive society for all United States citizens.”
“Muslim Heritage Month is also an
important opportunity for our nation to learn lessons from the American Muslims
who famously stood up against the injustices of the past, such as Muhammad
Ali’s stand against the Vietnam War, and apply those lessons to the present as
hundreds of thousands of Muslim Americans risking their reputations, careers
and safety to speak up against the Gaza genocide.”
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-congressional-resolution-recognizing-january-as-muslim-american-heritage-month/
----
Biden says has decided Jordan strike
response, doesn’t want wider war
2024-01-31
WASHINGTON: President Joe Biden said on
Tuesday he had decided on a response to a deadly drone strike on US forces in
Jordan but said he did not seek a wider war in the Middle East.
Facing growing pressure in an election
year, Biden said he held Iran responsible for supplying the weapons to the
people who carried out the attack that killed three US troops.
Biden, who was hitting the campaign
trail in Florida, has previously blamed Iran-backed militias for the first
fatal attack on US troops in the region since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in
October.
“Yes,” Biden told reporters at the White
House when asked if he had decided on his response, but he did not give further
details on what actions he would take.
“I don’t think we need a wider war in
the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for,” he added when asked about
fears that taking on Iran could inflame a broader conflict.
Republicans have urged the 81-year-old
Democrat to punish Iran for the drone strike on a US military facility near the
Jordanian-Syrian border Sunday, with some urging direct strikes on Iran itself.
But Biden’s administration believes
hitting Iranian territory could cause the region to erupt, with strikes on
Iranian-backed militias and possibly on Iranian Revolutionary Guard facilities
in other countries more likely, US media reported.
The White House on Monday promised a
“very consequential” response.
Source: brecorder.com
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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40286530/biden-says-has-decided-jordan-strike-response-doesnt-want-wider-war
-----
Pakistan
9 terrorists killed, 4 law enforcers
martyred in Balochistan
January 31, 2024
RAWALPINDI/ DERA MURAD JAMALI: Four law
enforcers and two citizens embraced martyrdom in terror attacks in Mach and
Kolpur areas in Balochistan, while nine terrorists were killed as law
enforcement agencies retaliated on the night between Monday and Tuesday.
Multiple terrorists, including suicide
bombers, attacked Mach and Kolpur complexes on the night between January 29 and
30, and the attack was effectively responded by law enforcement agencies, a
statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday.
It said security forces in the vicinity
were immediately mobilized, and nine terrorists, including three suicide
bombers, were killed and another three injured in the ensuing operation.
However, the ISPR said, during the
intense exchange of fire, four members of law enforcement agencies fought
gallantly and embraced martyrdom along with two innocent civilians. “The
effective response by the law enforcement agencies is a testament of their
unrelenting resolve in fight against terrorism.”
Pakistan’s security forces stand
shoulder to shoulder with other law enforcement agencies to ensure peace and
stability in the country, said the statement.
Meanwhile, the Balochistan Liberation
Army (BLA) -- an armed separatist group—claimed responsibility for the attack,
said an AFP report.
Dera Murad Jamali’s correspondent of
Daily Jang reported that terrorists also set fire to official installations and
a local hotel in Mach and Bolan areas. Four vehicles, including police and
Levies mobiles, were also torched on the Sindh-Balochistan national highway,
which remained blocked causing long queues of goods trucks and other vehicles
on both sides.
As rockets continue to rain in different
parts of Mach and Bolan, and heavy gunfire is heard intermittently, worried
residents have been confined to their homes, without electricity and internet
service.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1153138-9-terrorists-killed-4-law-enforcers-martyred-in-balochistan
-----
Siraj regrets conviction of Imran,
Qureshi
January 31, 2024
Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Central
Ameer Sirajul Haq has expressed his regrets over award of 10 years imprisonment
each to former chairman of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) and former vice
chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Cipher case.
Reacting to verdict of the court which
awarded punishment to two top PTI leaders, the JI leader said that hearing of
Cipher case should have been conducted keeping in view norms and values of
justice.
He demanded constitution of an
independent and impartial commission on Cipher case so that facts could be made
public.
Sirajul Haq pointed out that the United
States had been interfering in internal affairs of Pakistan for the last 76
years and it is for the first time it is being discussed in official circles.
He also observed that convicted PTI
leaders have the right to appeal against their conviction. Siraj maintained
that courts’ decision should be given as per Constitution and existing laws of
the land.
He also maintained that JI would
continue its struggle for supremacy of Constitution and law in the country.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1153194-siraj-regrets-conviction-of-imran-qureshi
-----
PHC disposes of writ for
disqualification of Imran Khan
January 31, 2024
Amjad Safi
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC)
on Tuesday disposed of a writ petition filed for the disqualification of
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.
A two-member bench of the PHC consisting
of Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim and Justice Waqar Ahmad heard the petition.
Qazi Jawad Ihsanullah Qureshi appeared
for the petitioner, Inamullah. Changes Khan, an associate of senior lawyer Qazi
Muhammad Anwar, represented former prime minister Imran Khan.
The court admitted a supplementary
petition in this regards and told the petitioner that he could file the
petition again in this type of case if he wanted so as Imran Khan was no longer
the member of national assembly from NA-35 in Bannu.
The petitioner had said he contested the
last general elections from Bannu as a candidate of the Justice and Democratic
Party headed by former chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry
and lost to Imran Khan.
He said Imran Khan had not mentioned his
alleged daughter and assets of his wife in the nomination papers and thus
submitted a false affidavit. The petitioner said Imran Khan was not truthful
and trustworthy as per article 62 and 62 of the Constitution. He had said the
PTI founder could not contest the elections.
He said he had raised the objections at
the returning officer office but these were rejected and the nomination papers
of Imran Khan were accepted. Qazi Jawad Ihsanullah Qureshi submitted to the
court had dismissed the petition on the last hearing for being infructuous
He said a supplementary petition was
filed as it was feared that the petitioners would face problems in future
because of the court verdict.
The counsel said it had been requested
to the court to use the word disposed of instead of dismissed and that the
petitioner may be allowed to file the petition in future if desired so. The
lawyer for Imran Khan said he had no objection to the acceptance of the
supplementary petition. The court disposed of the writ for being infructuous
and accepted the supplementary petition. It may be mentioned there that earlier
Imran Khan had requested the court to dismiss the writ by declaring it not
maintainable as he was not a member of the assembly from the constituency.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1153193-phc-disposes-of-writ-for-disqualification-of-imran-khan
----
Four die as bomb rips through PTI rally
in Sibi
January 30, 2024
Syed Ali Shah
QUETTA:A bomb blast tore through an
election rally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in Sibi town of
Balochistan on Tuesday evening, leaving at least four people dead and five
others injured, according to police and witnesses.
Saddam Tareen, the PTI candidate for the
National Assembly constituency of NA-253, who was leading the rally on Jinnah
Road, escaped unharmed. The injured were transported to the Sibi district
headquarters (DHQ) hospital for urgent medical attention.
Dr. Babar, the medical superintendent of
the DHQ hospital, confirmed the deaths of four individuals in the blast.
"We have received four bodies from the blast site," Dr. Babar stated,
noting that five others were admitted to the hospital for treatment of their
injuries.
The deceased were identified as Hamad
Khan, son of Sarwar Khan; Abd al-Waas, son of Abd al-Basit; and Muhammad Rafiq,
son of Hussain Bakhsh. The identity of one deceased individual could not be
immediately ascertained.
The five injured were identified as
Sohrab Khan, son of Akbar Khan; Ronq Kumar, son of Naresh Kumar; Nader Hussain,
son of Muhammad Waris; Mir Muhammad, son of Noor Muhammad, and Abdul Haseeb,
son of Muhammad Khan.
Also read: Six terrorists neutralized as
forces thwart Mach terror attacks
Police reported that initial
investigations indicate an improvised explosive device (IED) was planted on a
motorcycle parked by the roadside. The IED detonated with significant force as
the PTI rally passed through the area, they added.
In the aftermath of the blast, all shops
and markets along the main Jinnah Road were shuttered. Law enforcement
personnel cordoned off the area and initiated investigations. Security measures
were intensified in and around Sibi following the incident.
Abdullah Khan, the provincial health
secretary, declared a state of emergency in all hospitals in the area, as well
as in Quetta, in response to the blast. Hospitals were on high alert, and
medical personnel were working tirelessly to provide immediate care to the
injured.
Balochistan Chief Minister Ali Mardan
Domki took notice of the incident and directed the police to arrest the
culprits behind the attack. In a statement, Domki vowed that the perpetrators
of the blast would be brought to justice.
Following the bomb blast, the Election
Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued a statement, expressing concern over the
explosion during a political rally in Sibi. The ECP sought a report from the
provincial chief secretary and Inspector General (IG) police about the
circumstances surrounding the attack.
Several PTI leaders slammed the attack
on the party rally. “Not only Tehreek-e-Insaf, but entire Pakistan strongly
condemns this terrorism,” the PTI Balochistan posted on the microblogging
website X. “Saddam Tareen is safe in the attack,” it added.
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2454919/four-die-as-bomb-rips-through-pti-rally-in-sibi
-----
Imran’s pre-exit ‘attack’ on Pakistan:
Nawaz
January 30, 2024
HAROONABAD:PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on
Tuesday lashed out at his arch-rival, PTI founder Imran Khan, accusing him of
unleashing an “attack” on the nation's integrity and security after the writing
on the political wall spelt out his inevitable ouster.
The former premier said he too had to
weather his share of injustices but he maintained grace under fire and never
let Pakistan suffer. However, when Imran felt the heat of losing power, he
assaulted Pakistan.
Nawaz’s renewed attack on his successor
came as Imran, already serving time for a three-year stint in a corruption
case, was slapped with a 10-year jail term for allegedly leaking a cypher that
he alleges played a role in his downfall.
Addressing a convention of PML-N workers
in Haroonabad, Bahawalnagar district, the PML-N supremo criticised Imran’s
economic policies, accusing him of leading the country towards economic
turmoil.
"I have personally endured
injustice, but despite that, I did not allow any harm to come to Pakistan. I
did not compromise on national security, nor did I disclose national secrets.
However, after sensing that he was about to lose power, Imran Khan attacked
Pakistan,” he added.
Nawaz accused Imran of orchestrating a
“shameful conspiracy” against the country and putting national security at
risk.
Nawaz said that despite facing
disqualification, he stands before the public today with his head high. He
said, "Hearing your slogans, my blood boils with passion. Ask the farmers
how much a tractor cost during Nawaz Sharif's era and inquire about its price
today. I ended load-shedding and brought cheap electricity. Tell me, does Nawaz
Sharif come to your mind now?"
Drawing attention to the rising fuel
prices, Nawaz compared the cost of petrol during his tenure to the present,
saying, "During Nawaz Sharif's time, petrol was 60 rupees per litre for
motorcycles, cars, buses, and trucks. Today, it stands at 250 rupees per litre.
Transparency International's report has just been released, stating that
corruption in the country had ended during Nawaz Sharif's era.”
Referring to Imran Khan, he questioned
former chief justice Saqib Nisar about why he granted the “certificate” of
Sadiq and Ameen to a person the world calls the most corrupt.
Accusing Imran Khan of seeking foreign
aid and compromising the country's sovereignty, Nawaz said, "We bid
farewell to the IMF, and the country stood on its own feet during our tenure.
Then, Imran Khan came and went with a begging bowl to other countries. We were
the ones conducting nuclear tests but these people torched the statues of the
martyrs and disrespected them.”
Questioning his own imprisonment, Sharif
said, "Why was I put in jail? The judges who sent me to jail are resigning
today, well aware of their wrongdoings. They know their actions were unjust.”
Addressing the gathering, PML-N Chief
Organiser Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that the same treatment should be given to
Imran Khan as is done with terrorists."Does any political party train its
workers in terrorism?
Does it provide training to attack
national security and security institutions?" Maryam Nawaz questioned.
She said that despite a four-year gap,
the love for Nawaz Sharif among the people has not diminished but has, in fact,
grown stronger.
"Someone showed me a picture where
when Nawaz Sharif was punished in the Panama case, Imran Khan was distributing
sweets. Today, Imran Khan has received a ten-year sentence, but neither has
Nawaz Sharif celebrated nor distributed sweets."
The PML-N leader mocked the reason
behind Nawaz Sharif's conviction in the Panama case, stating, "Nawaz
Sharif was sentenced because he did not take a salary from his son. The whole
world witnessed this joke, and people will continue to mock decisions like the
Panama case.
"Maryam further commented on Imran
Khan's alleged crime, contrasting it with Nawaz Sharif's conduct. She said,
"Imran Khan's crime was not taking a salary from his son, but it was no
joke. When he saw that power was slipping away, while being the prime minister,
he made false claims, saying there was a conspiracy against him, playing with
national security. You tell me, has Imran Khan's sentence been fair or
unfair?"
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2454918/imrans-pre-exit-attack-on-pakistan-nawaz
----
Europe
Sweden to pause funding for UN
Palestinians agency
January 30, 2024
STOCKHOLM: Sweden will pause funding for
the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (UNRWA) as several other countries have
done over allegations some of its staff were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas
attack on Israel, Swedish news agency TT said on Tuesday.
“The money ... will go instead to other
humanitarian organizations,” TT quoted Johan
Forssell, Minister for International
Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, as saying.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2450906/world
----
Russia urges to investigate Israel's
UNRWA accusations before inflicting 'collective punishment'
Elena Teslova, BurçEruygur
30.01.2024
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
urged to investigate Israel's accusations that some staffers of the UN relief
agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) collaborated with Hamas in the Oct. 7
attacks before suspending funds for the humanitarian organization.
Speaking at a news conference in Moscow
following a meeting with his Gambian counterpart Mamadou Tangara, Lavrov said
what is happening in Gaza, where Israeli attacks have killed more than 26,000
people, is a "collective punishment prohibited by the international
humanitarian law."
"If there are such accusations, we
have to clear them out. From the very beginning, we condemned the terrorist
attack on Oct. 7 and clearly said that it is necessary to fight terrorism in
any of its manifestations with means that do not violate international
humanitarian law. What has happened and is happening (in Gaza) is collective
punishment, it is prohibited under international humanitarian law," he
stressed.
Lavrov said if an investigation is
conducted the facts will be known about whether Israel's allegations have any
grounds.
"But if the investigation is being
cancelled, and instead there will be a collective punishment of the UNRWA and
those, to whom it provided assistance, than I believe that this is a wrong
decision. I hope, that the UN management will raise these questions in contacts
with Israeli representatives," he emphasized.
Several countries including the US, UK,
Germany, France, Austria and Japan have suspended funds for the agency
established in 1949 to cater to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank,
Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
It is involved in primary and vocational
education, primary healthcare, relief and social services, infrastructure and
camp improvement, and emergency response.
The UN agency says it has opened an
investigation into the allegations, and has severed ties with those staff
members.
Resolution of problems in ECOWAS through
‘equal, mutually respectful’ dialogue
Lavrov said Moscow expects that problems
within the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will be resolved
through “equal and mutually respectful” dialogue.
His comments come as Burkina Faso, Mali
and Niger jointly announced their immediate withdrawal from ECOWAS, saying the
regional bloc is subservient to “foreign powers” and accusing it of
"deviating from its founding ideals."
The Russian foreign minister said he and
his Gambian counterpart reviewed the current situation in the Sahara-Sahel
region, focusing particularly on the situation in hot spots, including the
situation in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad.
“We expressed concern about the growing
terrorist threat from jihadist organizations affiliated with the so-called
Islamic State and Al-Qaeda,” Lavrov said, adding that the activity of these
groups extends to other countries in West Africa.
For his part, Tangara said that the
issues resulting in the countries' withdrawal from ECOWAS must be resolved
through dialogue.
“Political dialogue is the most powerful
tool of diplomacy,” he said, adding that Gambia calls on ECOWAS to engage in
“serious dialogue with countries that have expressed their intention to leave
the community.”
US plans to deploy nuclear weapons to UK
Lakenheath airbase
Asked about media reports claiming the
US plans to deploy nuclear weapons at the Lakenheath airbase in the UK, Lavrov
said: "Of course, we have heard about these reports. We are studying the
source of this information and its reliability."
He emphasized that since NATO declared
Russia "the main threat," "the enemy," Moscow has been
considering all nuclear weapons of the three alliance's member countries --
France, the UK, US, as a single nuclear arsenal, which has Russia as its
target.
"You know that the US also deployed
its nuclear weapons in five European countries and trains citizens of these
countries in the use of tactical nuclear weapons," he said.
Lavrov argued that "the
configuration of the deployment of this arsenal may change," but the
essence why it is stationed in Europe does not change.
"I assure you, this is fully taken
into account in our planning," he said.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/russia-urges-to-investigate-israels-unrwa-accusations-before-inflicting-collective-punishment/3123208
------
UN’s top court to rule on Ukraine case
accusing Russia of backing terrorists
January 31, 2024
THE HAGUE: The United Nations’ top court
is ruling Wednesday in a case in which Ukraine accuses Russia of bankrolling
rebels in 2014 and discriminating against Crimea’s multiethnic community since
its annexation of the region.
It is the first of two decisions by the
International Court of Justice linked to the decadelong conflict between Russia
and Ukraine that exploded into a full-blown war nearly two years ago.
Wednesday’s legally binding final ruling
comes in a case filed in 2017, accusing Moscow of breaching conventions against
discrimination and the financing of terrorism. Kyiv wants the court to order
Moscow to pay reparations for attacks and crimes in eastern Ukraine, including
the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, which was shot down by
Russia-backed rebels on July 17, 2014, killing all 298 passengers and crew.
At hearings last year, a lawyer for
Ukraine, David Zionts, said that pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine “attacked
civilians as part of a campaign of intimidation and terror. Russian money and
weapons fueled this campaign.”
Among the attacks was the downing of
MH17. A Dutch domestic court convicted two Russians and a pro-Moscow Ukrainian
in November 2022 for their roles in attack and sentenced them in their absence
to life imprisonment. Also, the Netherlands and Ukraine are suing Moscow at the
European Court of Human Rights over MH17. Russia denies involvement.
Another lawyer for Ukraine, Harold Koh,
said that in Crimea, Russia “sought to replace the multiethnic community that
had characterized Crimea before Russia’s intervention with discriminatory
Russian nationalism.”
Lawyers for Russia urged the world court
to throw out the case, saying that the actions of pro-Moscow rebels in eastern
Ukraine do not amount to terrorism.
On Friday, the court is ruling on
Russia’s objections to its jurisdiction in a case filed by Ukraine shortly
after the invasion, alleging that Moscow launched its attack based on
trumped-up genocide allegations. The court already issued an interim order for
Russia to halt its invasion which Moscow has flouted.
The International Court of Justice in
recent weeks has heard a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of
committing genocide in Gaza. Judges issued provisional measures last week
calling on Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts
of genocide in the conflict.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2451321/world
----
Mideast
Zionist enemy hands over bodies of 100
Palestinian martyrs after stealing some organs
[31/January/2024]
GAZA January 30. 2024 (Saba) - The
Zionist enemy has handed over the bodies of 100 Palestinian martyrs after
stealing organs from some of them were stolen from hospitals and cemeteries in
the Gaza Strip.
The Palestinian News Agency (Wafa)
reported that burying the bodies of 100 martyrs in a mass grave in Rafah, the
Zionist enemy had kidnapped them from various areas of the Gaza Strip and
delivered them Tuesday monring through Kerem Shalom crossing.
Medical sources reported that inspection
of the bodies showed that the enemy had stolen organs from some of them.
In December, the Zionist enemy handed
over 80 mutilated bodies of martyrs, which it had previously stolen during its
war on the Gaza Strip, without specifying the names of the martyrs or the
places from which it stole the bodies.
At the time, the government media office
in Gaza stated, commenting on the incident, that “after examining it, it became
clear that the features of the martyrs had changed greatly, in a clear
indication that the enemy had stolen vital organs from the bodies of these
martyrs.”
The government media office in Gaza also
monitored, on January 6, that members of the Zionist enemy army exhumed
approximately 1,100 graves in the Al-Tuffahneighborhood cemetery, east of Gaza
City.
The office confirmed that after exhuming
the graves and bulldozing the cemetery, the Zionist enemy stole approximately
150 bodies of the newly buried martyrs, took them out of the graves and
deported them to an unknown destination, “which again raises suspicions about
another crime, which is the crime of stealing the organs of the martyrs.”
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3300749.htm
-----
Netanyahu: Israel won’t free ‘thousands
of terrorists’ or withdraw IDF for hostage deal
30 January 2024
LAZAR BERMAN
As reports emerged about a potential
hostage framework deal with Hamas that includes an extended pause in the
fighting and the freeing of a large number of Palestinian security prisoners,
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday told students at a pre-military
academy in the West Bank that Israel would not release “thousands of
terrorists.”
“We will not remove the IDF from the
Gaza Strip and we will not release thousands of terrorists,” he pledged,
speaking at the Bnei David academy in Eli. “None of this will happen. What will
happen? Absolute victory!”
Multiple media reports indicated Israel
agreed during a meeting in Paris on Sunday with the US, Qatar, and Egypt to a
framework that would see all Israeli hostages released, starting with women,
children, the elderly and the sick. There would be “phased pauses” in Israel’s
war against Hamas while the process played out, the reports said.
Israel would also allow more aid into
Gaza and would release very large numbers of Palestinian prisoners.
The framework reportedly does not
provide for a permanent ceasefire, but also does not rule one out.
The Prime Minister’s Office on Monday
issued a statement that did not deny that Israel had agreed to a framework for
a hostage release, but did say that “the reports about a deal are incorrect and
include [ostensible] conditions that are not acceptable to Israel.”
According to Channel 12 news, the offer
centers around a 45-day pause in the fighting in exchange for 35-40 hostages in
the first stage. Some 100-250 Palestinian prisoners would be released for each
hostage.
Addressing the reports on Tuesday,
Netanyahu pledged to the students that Israel “will not end this war with less
than the achievement of all its goals. This means the elimination of Hamas, the
return of all our hostages, and the promise that Gaza will no longer pose a
threat to Israel.”
“This is not another round, not another
exchange of strikes, not another operation – [but rather] a complete victory,”
he continued. “Nothing less than that. I am committed to it, our fighters are
committed to it, and the absolute majority of the people are committed to it.
We will not settle for less than total victory.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Opposition Leader
Yair Lapid announced that his Yesh Atid party would give its backing to “any
deal that brings the hostages home.”
The promise to “give the government a
safety net” comes as right-wing politicians have strongly criticized many of
the reported details of the framework.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben
Gvir on Tuesday threatened to bring down the government if a “reckless” deal is
reached with Hamas.
Lapid said bringing the abductees home
is “our duty to them and their families,” or else “something fundamental will
erode in our bond with one another, the bond between the nation and its land,
and certainly the basic trust between citizens and the government.”
Hamas review
Also Tuesday, Hamas politburo leader
Ismail Haniyeh said the terror group had received the ceasefire proposal put
forward after the talks in Paris and will study it, adding that he will visit
Cairo for discussions on the plan.
Haniyeh said Hamas’s priority is to end
Israel’s military offensive and ensure a full pullout of Israeli forces from
Gaza.
On Monday evening, Hamas appeared to
reject the new framework for similar reasons.
The terror group issued a statement
alongside a smaller armed group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, insisting Israel must halt its “aggression” and pull out of Gaza
before any exchange deal takes place.
A senior Hamas official added that the
terror group wants a “complete and comprehensive ceasefire” in Gaza.
Palestinian terror group Islamic Jihad,
which is closely allied with Hamas, said Tuesday that it will not engage in any
understandings regarding Israeli hostages without ensuring a comprehensive
ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials told The Times of
Israel on Monday that they are being cautious. “There is still a long road
ahead,” one official said.
At a press briefing, US Secretary of
State Antony Blinken said he believed “the proposal is a strong one and a
compelling one… but Hamas will have to make its own decisions.”
“We are in a much better place than we
were a few weeks ago,” Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani
said at the Atlantic Council in Washington, DC.
“Yesterday, good progress was made to
get things back in shape and at least to lay a foundation for the way forward,”
Al Thani added, saying the proposal would be relayed to Hamas.
He said that an agreement might lead to
a permanent ceasefire “in the future.”
It is believed that 132 hostages
abducted by Hamas on October 7 are still being held in Gaza. Among other terms,
Hamas has demanded an end to the war and the withdrawal of all IDF forces as a
condition for their release — demands Israel has rejected.
The war erupted on October 7 when
Hamas-led terrorists from the Gaza Strip carried out a massive attack on Israel
that killed some 1,200 people in the south of the country, most of them
civilians. Marauding terrorists massacred people, gang-raped women and tortured
and mutilated their victims in border communities and at an outdoor music
festival. Hamas and other terrorists also abducted 253 people of all ages,
mostly civilians, into Gaza.
Israel responded with a military
campaign to destroy Hamas, remove it from power in Gaza and release the
hostages. Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to continue the offensive until
complete victory over Hamas is achieved.
Netanyahu has faced increasing pressure
from the families of many hostages, who are demanding a deal to win their loved
one’s release. Weekly rallies in Tel Aviv have called for a deal, including one
held on Saturday night.
One hundred and five hostages were freed
under a weeklong ceasefire deal in November in exchange for the release of
Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel. That deal was mediated by Egypt
and Qatar.
The IDF has confirmed the deaths of 28
of those still held by Hamas, citing intelligence and findings obtained by
troops operating in Gaza.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-israel-wont-free-thousands-of-terrorists-or-withdraw-idf-for-hostage-deal/
-----
Israeli commandos, dressed as doctors,
foil terror attack in Jenin hospital
JANUARY 30, 2024
Israeli counterterrorism forces foiled
an October 7-inspired terror attack overnight on Tuesday, targeting a cell
hiding and planning the attack from the Ibn Sina hospital in Jenin, the West
Bank.
According to a joint statement by the
IDF, Israel Police's YAMAM counterterrorism forces, and the Shin Bet, Hamas
terrorist Mohammad Jalamna was killed during the operation, along with two
fellow terrorists who hid alongside him at the hospital.
27-year-old Jalamna, a resident of the
Jenin refugee camp, held direct communications with Hamas leadership abroad.
According to the statement, he was responsible for transferring weaponry and
ammunition to Hamas terrorists across the West Bank for shooting attacks
targeting Israelis.
The Israeli commando forces entered the
hospital dressed as doctors and nurses, as seen in CCTV footage shared on
social media.
'Planned to carry out October 7-inspired
attack'
Furthermore, Jalamna used the Jenin
hospital as a secret base of operations as he was planning an infiltration
attack akin to and inspired by the October 7 massacre, it added.
Along with Jalamneh, Mohammed and Basel
Ghazawi, brothers and Palestinian terrorists, were also killed by Israeli
forces. Mohammed was a terrorist operative of the Jenin battalions who was
involved in numerous attacks including firing at IDF soldiers in the area in
recent weeks, the IDF said.
Basel was a Palestinian Islamic Jihad
operative involved in terror activities in the area.
Hamas's use of hospitals as bases of
terror
The security forces stated that for a
long time, a large number of wanted persons had been hiding in hospitals and
were using them as a base for planning terror attacks and carrying them out,
and that they believed that the hospitals would serve as protection against
Israeli security forces.
The statement said that the operation
was made possible due to accurate intelligence received before the operation,
and an operation of this nature was unprecedented.
One senior official stated, "There
are no cities of refuge in the West Bank and there will not be - every
terrorist should know this. The hand of the IDF and the security establishment
will reach everyone."
Source: jpost.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-784268
----
Zionist settlers storm into Holy Aqsa
Mosque yards
[30/January/2024]
OCCUPIED AL-QUDS January 30. 2024 (Saba)
-Zionist settlers on Tuesday broke again into the Holy Aqsa Mosque's yards,
intensely guarded by Zionist police.
Tens of settlers stormed into the
Mosque's al-Maghariba Gate, practiced Talmud services and took provocative
walks across its yards, WAFA news agency reported.
In the meantime, enemy forces escalated
military measures in the nearby of the Mosque and the Old Town, denying
visitors access to the Mosque.
Israeli settlers carry out provocative
raids into the Mosque daily, except for Fridays and Saturdays, in a bid to take
control of the holy place.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3300677.htm
-----
Palestine issue first issue of Islamic
world: Raeisi
Jan 31, 2024
TEHRAN, Jan. 31 (MNA) – Iranian
President Ebrahim Raeisi says that the issue of Palestine and the liberation of
the al-Quds is the first issue of the Islamic world.
The Iranian president made the remarks
while delivering a speech at the mausoleum of the Founder of the Islamic
Revolution in Iran, the late Imam Khomeini (RA) on Wednesday.
Imam Khomeini had said that the usurping
and fake regime of Israel would be destroyed, he said, adding that the world is
getting closer to the realization of this saying day by day.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/211526/Palestine-issue-first-issue-of-Islamic-world-Raeisi
----
Leader pays tribute to founder of
Islamic Revolution
Jan 31, 2024
TEHRAN, Jan. 31 (MNA) – Leader of the
Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei honored the memory of the
founder of the Islamic Revolution of Iran by attending the mausoleum of Imam
Khomeini (r.a).
Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei on Monday attended a service in commemoration of
the late founder of the Islamic Revolution, Imam Khomeini, ahead of the ten-day
celebrations marking the anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
Ayatollah Khamenei visited the shrine of
Imam Khomeini and the Martyrs’ Graveyard in Behesht Zahra cemetery on Wednesday
morning, with the beginning of the Ten-Day Dawn Celebrations and on the eve of
the 45th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution.
The Leader honored the memory of the
dear departed Imam by reciting verses from the Holy Quran and performing
prayers.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/211523/Leader-pays-tribute-to-founder-of-Islamic-Revolution
-----
Iraq's Kataib Hezbollah suspends anti-US
military operations
Jan 31, 2024
TEHRAN, Jan. 31 (MNA) – Iraqi Resistance
group Kata'ib Hezbollah announced that it has suspended all operations against
the United States.
The Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah have
suspended their operations against the US occupation forces in Syria and Iraq,
Secretary-General Abu Hussein al-Hamidawi said on Tuesday.
The Islamic Resistance "has taken
the decision to support the people of Gaza without any intervention from
foreign parties," al-Hamidawi said, according to Al Mayadeen.
He added that the Iraqi Resistance
faction would continue defending Gaza through means other than military
operations.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/211511/Iraq-s-Kataib-Hezbollah-suspends-anti-US-military-operations
----
Saba correspondent in Gaza says
widespread Palestinian dissatisfaction with some Arab positions in support of
Zionist enemy
[31/January/2024]
GAZA January 31. 2024 (Saba) - Correspondent
of the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) in the Gaza Strip Nidal Abu Mustafa confirmed
that the Palestinian circles praise and thank the authentic Yemeni people for
their steadfast and supportive positions for the Palestinian people and they
feel great disappointment and widespread dissatisfaction with the positions of
some Arab countries that support the Zionist enemy entity.
Abu Mustafa said in an exclusive
interview it is clear and noticeable in recent days that there is great
disappointment and widespread dissatisfaction in Palestinian circles and among
the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, with some Arab positions
towards what is happening in the Palestinian arena and in the Zionist enemy.
He added especially what was revealed by
the Zionist newspaper “Yedioth Ahronoth” in what it described as “ Riyadh and
Amman support” to keep goods available in the Zionist enemy entity and in the
Zionist markets, in light of the Yemeni blockade imposed by Ansarullah on ships
heading to the Zionist enemy entity through the Red Sea.
Abu Mustafa said also what was mentioned
by the so-called Zionist Minister of Transportation Miri Regev, who said Goods
and food commodities have been arriving to the Zionist enemy entity recently
via Abu Dhabi, and her emphasis on the necessity of there being a plan to link
India and the countries of the East to the Zionist enemy entity through the
Gulf states.
Abu Mustafa stressed that these
positions taken by Saudi Arabia and Jordan in helping the Zionist enemy entity
and delivering goods to it are met by Palestinian circles with extreme
dissatisfaction and great disappointment.
He explained that the Palestinians have
begun to make comparisons between these positions taken by the Arab countries
and the position of the Yemeni people.
While the Palestinians thank the
authentic Yemeni people for their steadfast and supportive positions for the
Palestinian people and their support to the greatest extent, in return they
feel extreme dissatisfaction with the positions expressed by actions. The
latter for Riyadh, Oman, and also Abu Dhabi, which is trying to break the trade
blockade imposed by the Zionist enemy entity.
He pointed out that the Palestinian
masses consider these positions that support the Zionist enemy entity to be
participation in the genocide waged by the Zionist enemy. They are the primary
supporter of this entity, and hold them responsible for this continued support
for the Zionist enemy entity.
At the conclusion of his speech, the
correspondent of the Yemeni News Agency (Saba) confirmed that the Palestinian
masses call on the Arab and Islamic peoples to prevent their rulers, who
maintain excellent or good relations with the Zionist enemy entity, from
continuing this path, block their path, and force and pressure them to convert
this support and this aid to Gaza instead of the Zionist enemy entity.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3300744.htm
----
Hamas leader condemns UNRWA cuts as
defiance of ICJ ruling
30 January 2024
The leader of the Hamas resistance
movement has strongly denounced a Western pause in funding the United Nations
agency for Palestinian refugees, which assists the displaced people across the
Israeli-bombarded Gaza.
Speaking on Tuesday, Hamas political
bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh said the decision to cut aid to besieged and
displaced Palestinians at a time when they needed it most due to Israel’s war
on Gaza goes against the interim ruling by the International Court of Justice
(ICJ) last week to increase humanitarian assistance significantly.
“This indicates the existence of a
systematic policy by these countries to support the occupation through
starvation and siege of our people instead of responding to the court’s
historic decision,” Haniyeh said.
The Hamas politburo chief added that
Israel is going after the UN agency because the ICJ ruling was largely based on
damning figures and testimonies provided by UNRWA.
Several Western countries, not least the
United States and Britain, have suspended funding the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees (UNRWA) following unproven allegations by the Israeli regime that some
of the agency’s staff were involved in Operation al-Aqsa Storm of October 7,
2023.
Britain’s former Ambassador to
Uzbekistan Graig Murray told Press TV on Monday that the defunding is a
reaction to the ICJ’s ruling against Israel.
Michael Fakhri, UN special rapporteur on
the right to food, over the weekend that the besieged Gaza Strip was to face
“inevitable famine” due to a Western pause in funding
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad
Shtayyeh has accused Israel of a “premeditated political attack” on UNRWA and
called for the restoration of aid funds.
Francesca Albanese, the UN special
rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, recently denounced the
countries that have paused the funding. She says the decision defies the order
by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to allow humanitarian assistance to
reach Gaza.
The official also said the governments
cutting funds to UNRWA are most likely violating their obligations under the
Genocide Convention.
Albanese highlighted the timing of the
defunding, which came a day after the ICJ’s conclusion that Israel is plausibly
committing genocide in Gaza.
UNRWA has said it would be unable to
continue operations in Gaza and across the region beyond the end of February if
funding were not resumed.
Aid agencies ‘outraged’ by ‘reckless’
decision to cut UNRWA funding
Separately, international aid agencies,
including Oxfam and Save the Children, noted in a statement that the Gaza
population had already been facing famine due to Israeli siege and bombardment.
“We are shocked by the reckless decision
to cut a lifeline for an entire population by some of the very countries that
had called for aid in Gaza to be stepped up and for humanitarians to be
protected while doing their job,” the coalition of 21 agencies said.
The aid agencies noted that 2 million
civilians, over half of them children, rely on UNRWA aid in Gaza. “The
population faces starvation, looming famine and an outbreak of disease under
Israel’s continued indiscriminate bombardment and deliberate deprivation of aid
in Gaza,” they said.
“If the funding suspensions are not
reversed we may see a complete collapse of the already restricted humanitarian
response in Gaza,” they added, pointing out that the aid cuts came directly
after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Israel to provide
immediate humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
The US-Israeli genocidal war on Gaza is
now in its 116th day. The Israeli regime has struck residential buildings
across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 200 people in 24 hours.
The overall death toll now stands at
more than 26,700.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/30/719174/Palestine-Haniyeh--UNRWA-ICJ-Israel-
-----
Islamic Jihad chief sets 4 conditions
for release of Israeli captives
30 January 2024
A senior Palestinian resistance leader
has announced four conditions for the release of Israeli captives being held in
the territory amid efforts by the US and allies to secure their release.
Secretary General of the Palestinian
Islamic Jihad movement Ziyad al-Nakhaleh said on Tuesday that the group, a
major resistance movement in Gaza, would not engage in any deal that ignores
the four main conditions set by the group for a truce with the Israeli regime.
Nakhaleh said the four conditions are a
comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza, the withdrawal of the occupation forces from
the territory, a guarantee for reconstruction and a clear political solution
that ensures the rights of the Palestinian people.
His statement came in response to media
reports about initiatives undertaken by the US government to secure the release
of Israeli captives as part of indirect ceasefire negotiations between the
Gazans and the Israeli regime.
Israel faces growing international
pressure to end the aggression on Gaza that has killed nearly 27,000 people
over the past four months.
Israel started the war on Gaza in early
October after a brief but decisive operation against Israeli settlers and
military forces by Hamas, the largest resistance group in the territory.
The regime secured the release of some
of the captives in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners during a
weeklong truce that came to an end on December 1.
However, tens of captives are still held
by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad while an unknown number have been killed in
Israeli attacks on Gaza in recent weeks.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/30/719171/Gaza-Islamic-Jihad-Nakhaleh-truce-Israeli-captives
-----
Africa
Somalia’s Intelligence Agency Says It
Blocks WhatsApp Groups Used by Al-Qaeda-Linked Militants
January 30, 2024
MOGADISHU, Somalia: Somalia’s National
Intelligence and Security Agency said Tuesday it has for the first time managed
to shut down 20 WhatsApp groups allegedly operated by the extremist group
Al-Shabab for extortion and intimidation.
NISA in a statement said its cyber
division had identified what it described as the virtual hubs for illicit
activities by East Africa’s Al-Qaeda affiliate.
The agency said it also disabled data
services for approximately 2,500 phone numbers associated with them.
Somalia is seeking to disrupt
Al-Shabab’s communication channels and financial transactions as part of a
“total war” declared against the group that for years has controlled parts of
the country and carried out attacks in the capital, Mogadishu.
African Union peacekeeping troops have
been drawing down their presence in the Horn of Africa nation with the goal of
handing over security responsibilities to Somali forces that have been waging
the offensive declared by the president in 2022.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2451081/world
-----
Stop Restricting Use of Train Station
Mosque – MURIC Charges Management
JANUARY 30, 2024
An Islamic human rights advocacy group,
the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has appealed to the authorities of the
Obafemi Awolowo Railway Station, Moniya, Ibadan, to stop restricting the use of
the station mosque.
The group also accused the authorities
of the Obafemi Awolowo Railway Station, Moniya, Ibadan, of disallowing
travellers from accessing the station’s mosque for Salat (obligatory prayer).
The Executive Director of the group,
Professor Ishaq Akintola, in a statement said the move was religiously
motivated. It therefore called on the authorities to stop further restriction
of worshippers in the mosque.
“The authorities of the Obafemi Awolowo
Railway Station, Moniya, Ibadan, have been disallowing travellers from
accessing the station’s mosque for Salat (obligatory prayer) for the past three
months.
“Reports reaching us from Muslim
travellers who passed through Moniya train station indicate that only staff of
the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) are being allowed to pray there while
travellers for whom the station was built are not allowed to pray there since
the past three months, particularly the Friday Jumu’ah prayer.
“The station manager allegedly gave
orders that no traveller should be allowed to observe prayer there since an
incident involving a Muslim female traveller who returned to the mosque to pick
her forgotten rosary during boarding period.
“This is not good enough. It appears
religiously motivated. Someone somewhere is allergic to seeing Muslims around
in large numbers worshipping their Lord and Creator. He wants to stop them. He
wants to isolate the Muslim staff of the station from the rest of their
Nigerian brothers and sisters. We will not allow that to happen.
“MURIC appeals to the authorities of the
Obafemi Awolowo Railway Station, Moniya, Ibadan, to stop restricting the use of
the station mosque. The incident involving the Muslim lady who forgot her
rosary is an isolated case. It is a flimsy excuse. It should not be used to
deprive other Muslim travellers of their Allah-given fundamental human right to
worship their Creator at the appointed time of Salat.
“Apart from the Friday Jumu’ah prayer
which is observed once weekly, Muslims must pray five times daily (Subh, Zuhr,
‘Asr, Maghrib and ‘Ishai) and those five times are fixed and well known. The
Glorious Qur’an says, ‘Verily indeed, the times for Salat are well fixed’
(Qur’an 4:103).
“Incidentally two of those five times
(Zuhr and ‘Asr) fall within the working period in Nigeria (approximately around
2 and 4 pm). This is why Muslims must have mosques around them every time. It
explains why Muslims demand the provision of prayer facilities in their
workplaces. It is not for spiritual flamboyance. Rather, it is a religious
necessity.
“Man is body, soul and spirit. We can
use our bodies to serve our employers, whether government or private. But we
must be allowed to use our souls to serve our Almighty Creator, Allah. That is
one thing nobody should seek to control.
“Any attempt to do this is an
infringement on our right to worship and a violation of Section 38 of the 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended 2011). Disallowing
Muslim travellers from accessing the station mosque at any point in time
constitutes a violation of the above provision. This is where the station
authorities erred. They should not have prevented Muslim travellers from using
the mosque.
“A Muslim is not complete if after
satisfying matter (body), his or her soul is left unattended to. Muslims prefer
to be soul-satisfied, even if they remain matter-dissatisfied. For matter will
perish, no matter how long. The soul lives forever, for it is from Allah and
unto Allah it will return for accountability. This is why Muslims do not joke
with times of obligatory prayer (salat).
“We, therefore, implore the authorities
of the Obafemi Awolowo Railway Station, Moniya, Ibadan, to lift all forms of
restrictions in and around the station’s mosque to allow Muslim worshipers to
pray,” MURIC said.
Source: independent.ng
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original story
https://independent.ng/stop-restricting-use-of-train-station-mosque-muric-charges-management/
-----
Evict occupants of buildings converted
to bars, mosques, churches within 30 days, Lagos tells landlords
OLUMAYOWA SAMUEL
JANUARY 31, 2024
The Lagos State Government has given a
final notice to owners of residential buildings illegally converted to
churches, mosques, clubs, lounges, and bars across the state to evict their
occupiers within the next 30 days.
Disclosing this in a statement on his
official X handle on Tuesday, the Commissioner for Environment and Water
Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, warned them to revert the buildings to the original
use approved by the state government before the deadline or risk pulling down
of their structures.
According to him, the move became
imperative following complaints by residents that club owners blatantly
disregard safety and security guidelines issued to them and also constitute a
nuisance to the environment which is against regulatory provisions of the law.
The statement read, “Lagos State
Government has given 30-day final notice to owners/occupiers of residential
buildings illegally converted to churches, mosques, clubhouses, lounges, and
bars across the state without approval for change of use, to revert to the
original use of the structure.
“The notice is a sequel to the
distortion of the master plan of Lagos State, especially residential areas, by
some people who in gross disregard to the regulatory provisions of the law
turned residential areas into clubhouses and worship centres thereby constituting
a nuisance to the environment.
“The removal notice became imperative
following security concerns of citizens and repeated complaints of
non-adherence to safety and security guidelines issued to the club owners.
“Any owner of buildings in residential
areas that have been converted to churches, mosques, clubs, bars or lounges
without the requisite approvals should evict such occupants before the
expiration of the 30 days’ final notice as the state will not give further
notice of sealing but outright removal of such non-conforming buildings at the
cost of the owners.’’
Source: gazettengr.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://gazettengr.com/evict-occupants-of-buildings-converted-to-bars-mosques-churches-within-30-days-lagos-tells-landlords/
-----
Millions urgently need food in
Ethiopia's Tigray region despite the resumption of aid deliveries
JANUARY 31, 2024
Only a small fraction of needy people in
Ethiopia's northern Tigray region are receiving food aid, according to an aid
memo seen by The Associated Press, more than one month after aid agencies
resumed deliveries of grain following a lengthy pause over theft.
Just 14% of 3.2 million people targeted
for food aid by humanitarian agencies in the region this month had received it
by Jan. 21, according to the memo by the Tigray Food Cluster, a group of aid
agencies co-chaired by the U.N.'s World Food Program and Ethiopian officials.
The memo urges humanitarian groups to
"immediately scale up" their operations, warning that "failure
to take swift action now will result in severe food insecurity and malnutrition
during the lean season, with possible loss of the most vulnerable children and
women in the region."
The U.N. and the U.S. paused food aid to
Tigray in mid-March last year after discovering a "large-scale"
scheme to steal humanitarian grain. The suspension was rolled out to the rest
of Ethiopia in June. U.S. officials believe the theft may be the biggest
diversion of grain ever. Humanitarian donors have blamed Ethiopian government
officials and the country's military for the fraud.
The U.N. and the U.S. lifted the pause
in December after introducing reforms to curb theft, but Tigray authorities say
food is not reaching those who need it.
Two aid workers told the AP that the new
system — which includes fitting GPS trackers to food trucks and ration cards
with QR codes — has been hampered by technical issues, causing delays. Aid
agencies are also struggling with a lack of funds.
A third aid worker said the food aid
pause and the slow resumption meant some people in Tigray have not received
food aid for over a year. "They went through multiple rounds of
registration and verification, but no actual distributions yet," the aid
worker said.
The aid workers spoke to the AP on the
condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the press.
Around 20.1 million people across
Ethiopia need humanitarian food due to drought, conflict and a tanking economy.
The aid pause pushed up hunger levels even further.
The U.S.-funded Famine Early Warning
System has warned that crisis levels of hunger or worse "are expected in
northern, southern and southeastern Ethiopia throughout at least early
2024." A former head of the WFP has described these hunger levels as
"marching towards starvation."
In the Amhara region neighbouring
Tigray, a rebellion that erupted in August is impeding humanitarians' movements
and making distributions difficult, while several regions of Ethiopia have been
devastated by a multi-year drought.
Malnutrition rates among children in
parts of Ethiopia's Afar, Amhara and Oromia regions range between 15.9% and
47%, according to a presentation by the Ethiopia Nutrition Cluster and reviewed
by the AP. Among displaced children in Tigray, the rate is 26.5%. The Ethiopia
Nutrition Cluster is co-chaired by the U.N. Children's Fund and the federal
government.
Tigray, home to 5.5 million people, was
the center of a devastating two-year civil war that killed hundreds of
thousands and spilled into the neighbouring regions. A U.N. panel accused
Ethiopia's government of using "starvation as a method of warfare" by
restricting food aid to Tigray during the conflict, which ended in November
2022 with a peace deal.
Persistent insecurity meant only 49% of
Tigray's farmland was planted during the main planting season last year,
according to an assessment by U.N. agencies, NGOs and the regional authorities,
and seen by the AP.
Crop production in these areas was only
37% of the expected total because of drought. In some areas, the proportion was
as low as 2%.
The poor harvest prompted Tigray's
authorities to warn of an "unfolding famine" that could match the
disaster of 1984-5, which killed hundreds of thousands of people across
northern Ethiopia unless the aid response is immediately scaled up.
However, Ethiopia's federal government
denies there is a large hunger crisis. When Tigray's leader, Getachew Reda,
raised the alarm over looming mass starvation deaths last month, a federal
government spokesperson dismissed the reports as "inaccurate" and
accused him of "politicizing the crisis."
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2024/01/30/millions-urgently-need-food-in-ethiopias-tigray-region-despite-the-resumption-of-aid-deliv/
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African nations maintain poor
performance in corruption fight: Report
James Tasamba
30.01.2024
Somalia and South Sudan are ranked among
the world’s most corrupt countries, where weak justice systems undermine
accountability for public officials, global corruption watchdog Transparency
International said in its latest report Tuesday.
Somalia and South Sudan, which are
affected by protracted crises, mostly armed conflicts, scored 11 and 13,
respectively, out of 100, with no sign of improvement, according to the
Corruption Perception Index 2023.
Equatorial Guinea scored 17 and Libya 18
on the index.
Transparency International measures
perceptions of public sector corruption in 180 countries, scoring on a scale of
0, or highly corrupt, to very clean with a score of 100.
It said most African countries showed
stagnation, which indicated the region’s consistent poor performance, with an
unchanged regional average score of 33.
About 90% of countries in sub-Saharan
Africa scored below 50.
Transparency International urged
governments in sub-Saharan Africa to give justice systems the independence,
resources and transparency required to effectively punish corruption offences.
Samuel Kaninda, Africa regional advisor
of Transparency International, noted that in the face of a resurgence of coups
and conflicts in several countries on the continent, addressing the underlying
governance deficits becomes an urgent imperative.
“Strengthening the judiciary and having
functioning accountability mechanisms are key to ending the continued
backsliding of the region in its fight against corruption,” he said.
The Seychelles was ranked the least
corrupt in the sub-Saharan Africa region with a score of 71, followed by Cap
Verde at 64, Botswana at 59 and Rwanda 53.
The watchdog cited the Ivory Coast as
one of the countries that showed consistent improvement on the index in the
last decade after President Alassane Ouattara’s administration successfully
implemented several reforms to strengthen accountability mechanisms.
The 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index
showed corruption is thriving across the world.
The global average is stuck at 43, while
the vast majority of countries have made no progress or declined in the last
decade.
“Corruption worsens social injustice and
disproportionately affects the most vulnerable. In many countries, obstacles to
justice for victims of corruption persist,” said CEO of Transparency
International Daniel Eriksson.
“It is time to break the barriers and
ensure people can access justice effectively. Everyone deserves fair and
inclusive legal systems where victims’ voices are heard at every stage.
Anything else is an affront to justice,” he said.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/african-nations-maintain-poor-performance-in-corruption-fight-report/3123268
------
Arab World
Saudi Arabia: Children’s prams banned at
Grand Mosque’s encircling site
January 30, 2024
Cairo: Children’s strollers are denied
access to a courtyard in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s most sacred site in Mecca,
where Muslims perform ritual circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba.
The General Authority for Care of the
Two Holy Mosques, a Saudi state agency, has designated areas where the
children’s prams are allowed or banned, Saudi newspaper Okaz reported.
The prams are not allowed to enter the
circumambulation area known as mataf, while they are allowed into the upper
floors of the mataf as well as into the ma’sa area where the ritual running
between Safa and Marwa inside the mosque is performed.
Still, the strollers are not allowed
into the upper floors of the mataf and the ma’sa area in case of congestion.
The Grand Mosque in Mecca is home to the
Holy Kaaba, drawing millions of Muslims annually from around the world to offer
prayers and perform Umrah or minor pilgrimage.
Umrah, which can be undertaken round the
year at the Grand Mosque, comprises two key rituals: Tawaf or the
circumambulation of the Holy Kaaba; and Sa’i, which is walking seven times back
and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwa.
The numbers of Umrah pilgrims reached
record 13.5 million last year, Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al
Rabiah said earlier this month.
Saudi Arabia, Islam’s birthplace, has in
recent months introduced a host of facilities for Muslims wishing to come to
the country for Umrah. Saudi authorities have extended the Umrah visa from 30
days to 90 and allowed holders to enter the kingdom via all land, air and sea
outlets and leave from any airport.
Furthermore, Saudi Arabia has allowed
its citizens to apply for inviting their friends abroad to visit the kingdom
and undertake Umrah. Women pilgrims are no longer required to be escorted by
male guardians.
The kingdom has also said that
expatriates residing in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries are eligible to
apply for a tourist visa, regardless of their profession, and be able to
perform Umrah.
Early preparations are already underway
in Saudi Arabia for annual Hajj pilgrimage due this year in June in and around
Mecca.
Source: gulfnews.com
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https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-childrens-prams-banned-at-grand-mosques-encircling-site-1.100741995
----
Architecture of Prophet's Mosque
Exhibition Receives Over 200,000 Visitors in 2023
31 Jan, 2024
The Architecture of the Prophet's Mosque
exhibition welcomed over 200,000 visitors in 2023. The exhibition aims to
educate visitors about the architecture of the Prophet's Mosque by highlighting
its features, such as the pulpit, mihrab, domes, canopies, doors, Adhan,
muezzins, minarets, and squares. It also incorporates modern technologies and
interactive screens to provide visitors with information about the mosque and
its history.
The exhibition includes a cinema
screening hall, TV films, and a special hall for valuables containing rare
possessions and ancient artifacts from the Two Holy Mosques. Its purpose is to
enhance visitors' experience of the Prophet's Mosque and its services.
The exhibition is open daily, from 6 am
to 10 pm, and welcomes visitors throughout the week.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/173eb7bc32984374a6f8a2fe36f17f88
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Jeddah to host food, hospitality expo on
Monday
January 30, 2024
RIYADH: The Kingdom’s Culinary Arts
Commission is participating in the annual Saudi Horeca exhibition from Feb. 5-7
in Jeddah, aiming to promote businesses in the hospitality and food industries
while providing a platform for local producers.
The exhibition showcases live shows for
visitors to stay updated on developments in the food, beverage and hospitality
sectors.
It includes a live cooking competition
led by renowned chefs, allowing attendees to sample tasty dishes and compete
for awards such as best barista in the Kingdom and best mocktail.
The event draws diverse companies and
entrepreneurs from various sectors, including food and beverages, pastries,
sweets, coffee, tea, dairy, poultry, spices, flavoring, water, food-tasting
equipment, maintenance, hygiene, commercial cooking equipment, vending
machines, baking and ice cream machines, coffee machines, hospitality services,
franchising, hotels, restaurants, packaging and more — directly or indirectly
linked to the food and hospitality sector.
The Culinary Arts Commission
participates in this exhibition to support institutions in the relevant
sectors, ensuring that citizens and visitors enjoy world-class local food
experiences.
This comes as part of its “Community
Engagement and Local Food Festivals Program,” which supports food festivals
nationwide. The program aligns with the commission’s objectives of emphasizing
authentic Saudi dishes.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2450976/saudi-arabia
----
Saudi cabinet: Kingdom committed to
fostering peace in the region
January 30, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s cabinet, chaired
by King Salman, reiterated on Tuesday the Kingdom’s call for a complete
ceasefire in Gaza and the protection of Palestinians.
The council emphasized the need for the
international community to take action and hold Israel accountable for its
violations of international law.
The cabinet also discussed Saudi
Arabia's commitment to bring security and peace to the region.
The cabinet also discussed local
affairs, focusing on the development of vital sectors aligned with Vision 2030
goals. This included the launch of a national strategy for biotechnology to
improve health, enhance quality of life, protect the environment, ensure food
and water security, and promote economic opportunities.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2450776/saudi-arabia
----
US threats won't deter Yemen from
keeping up anti-Israel operations: Top official
31 January 2024
A ranking Yemeni official says the US's
threats against the country will not deter it from continuing its operations in
support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who have come under a genocidal
Washington-backed war by the Israeli regime.
Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, who is a member
of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, made the remarks in a post on X on
Tuesday.
He said the United States had threatened
via Omani backchannels to mobilize "fronts" against Yemen.
The official said that any American
"endeavors or folly" against Yemen would end in failure, adding that
the Yemeni people "will not be deterred" from "their mission [of
supporting] Gaza."
Yemen's Armed Forces have been staging
many strikes against Israeli vessels or those bound for the occupied
Palestinian territories' ports.
The operations have been described as a
response to an October 7, 2023-present war and siege that the Israeli regime
has been waging against Gaza following an operation carried out by the
Palestinian territory's resistance movements.
Yemen says it is capable of
"sinking" enemy ships at any point across the Red, Arabian, and
Mediterranean Seas.
More than 26,700 Palestinians, some 70
percent of whom are women, children, and adolescents, have been killed in the
brutal onslaught so far.
The United States has been providing
Israel with unbridled military and political support in its onslaught against
Gaza, arming Tel Aviv with more than 10,000 tons of military hardware. The US
has also torpedoed the prospect of cessation of the Israeli aggression by
stonewalling ratification of all United Nations Security Council resolutions
that have been calling for a permanent ceasefire in the Israeli aggression.
The Yemeni forces have vowed to keep up
their operations as long as the Israeli regime presses on with the military
campaign.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/01/31/719189/Yemen-United-States-threats-Oman-Israel-war-Gaza
-----
Kuwait’s Sheikh Meshal arrives in Saudi
Arabia on first official visit as emir
January 30, 2024
RIYADH: Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal
Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah arrived in Riyadh on a state visit to the Kingdom on
Tuesday.
He was received by Saudi Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman and an official reception ceremony was held at the Saudi
Royal Court in the capital.
The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs
posted a message on social media platform X welcoming the emir to the Kingdom,
referring to it as his “second home.”
Later, the emir was received by King
Salman at the Erqa Royal Palace and the two leaders reviewed the close
relations between their countries. The emir was also awarded the Order of King
Abdulaziz.
The Kingdom’s crown prince also held a
discussion session with the emir during which bilateral relations were
reviewed, and opportunities to develop them in various fields were discussed.
Views on the latest regional and international developments were also
exchanged.
Sheikh Meshal became emir in December
after the death of his predecessor Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bid the
emir farewell as he left Riyadh on Tuesday evening.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2450681/saudi-arabia
-----
South Asia
If Not Charged, Those JailedIn
BangladeshFor Political Opinion Should Be Released: UN
Jan 30, 2024
The UN said yesterday that people should
never be jailed for expressing their political opinion.
"As a matter of principle, we
believe that people should never be jailed for expressing their political
opinion and they should be released, especially if not charged," said
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
at a regular briefing.
He made the comment when asked if the UN
secretary-general aligns with the UN Human Rights Commission's call for the
immediate and unconditional release of all political activists in Bangladesh
detained without charge or on charge in line with international human rights
law.
BNP leaders have alleged that some
25,000 activists of the party were arrested ahead of the national polls on
January 7.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/if-not-charged-those-jailed-political-opinion-should-be-released-un-3531996
-----
Taliban Défense Minister assures Foreign
Diplomats to ensure security for projects in Afghanistan
Fidel Rahmati
January 30, 2024
The Taliban Défense Minister has told
Iranian, Pakistani, and Chinese diplomats that the Taliban is ready to ensure
security and cooperation for the implementation of development projects in
these countries in Afghanistan.
Mullah Yaqub Mujahid raised this issue
after the “Regional Initiative for Afghanistan” meeting in Kabul.
The Taliban’s Defense Ministry stated in
a press release on Tuesday that Mr. Mujahid had separately met with
representatives from China, Iran, and Pakistan.
According to the press release, during
these meetings, Mr. Mujahid discussed mutual relations, economic, and security
cooperation with the representatives of these countries.
The press release added that before
these meetings, representatives from India, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan,
Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan had attended a reception
hosted by the Defense Minister of the Taliban.
The Taliban’s Defense Minister held this
reception and meetings with foreign diplomats one day after the Kabul meeting.
Since the Taliban took control of
Afghanistan, no countries have officially recognized their regime. This lack of
recognition is primarily due to their disregard for women’s rights, their ban
on girls attending schools and universities, restrictions on employment and
free movement, and their failure to honour their international commitments.
The international community has been
united in withholding recognition from the Taliban-led government in
Afghanistan. Their actions regarding women’s rights, the education of girls,
employment, and international obligations have raised significant concerns and
have led to a lack of formal recognition by any nation.
Source: khaama.com
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----
Inclusivity Not Discussed at Kabul
Conference: Mujahid
January 30, 2024
The Islamic Emirate said that the issue
of an inclusive government was not talked about in Monday’s Afghanistan’s
Regional Cooperation Initiative Conference in Kabul.
The conference, which was attended by
representatives of eleven regional countries including Russia, Pakistan, Iran,
India, China, and Indonesia finished on Monday evening behind closed doors.
The spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate
told TOLOnews that the outcome of the conference will strengthen regional
solidarity and will help addressing joint regional security menaces.
“This was one of the important
conferences in Afghanistan, which will lead to regional solidarity. In the
conference, joint security threats were also discussed that require the
contribution of all countries’ to address the threats,” said Zabiullah Mujahid,
the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate.
Prior to the convention, Zamir Kabulov,
Russia’s special representative for Afghanistan, said that the inclusivity of
the Afghan government will be part of the agenda in the conference, but
Zabiullah Mujahid denied the issue.
Mujahid said that the Islamic Emirate’s
stance over the nature of government in Afghanistan is clear and that this
issue should not be provoked by other countries.
“Inclusive government was not part of
the agenda of the meeting. We have clarified our stance which is that
inclusivity is an Afghan issue not the issue of other countries. Other
countries should talk over issues which belong to them,” told Zabiullah Mujahid,
the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate.
“Russia reiterated its requests from
Taliban which is establishment of an inclusive government, a government where
all people and political movements are given parts,” said Wais Naseri, a
political analyst.
“There is a regional and international
consensus about resolving the issues of Afghanistan which is need for
intra-Afghan talks and a special representative for the talks,” said Wahid
Faqeri, another political analyst.
Talking about the UN’s next month
meeting about Afghanistan, the acting foreign minister of the Islamic Emirate,
Amir Khan Muttaqi said that special representatives for Afghanistan should
present a realistic picture of the country at the meeting.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-187198
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Actions Against Current Govt Will Not Be
Allowed: Deputy PM
January 30, 2024
The deputy Prime Minister for political
affairs, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, said that the Islamic Emirate will not allow
anyone to rebel against the “current government and Deen [religion].”
Speaking at a gathering in Khost,
Mawlawi Kabir said that the current government has been established as a result
of sacrifices of the Islamic Emirate and “all tribes” of the country.
“We are protecting our religion
together. Religion does not only belong to the Mullah or Taliban. It is the
religion of Islam. So, we will protect the religion together. No one will be
allowed to take action against the Islamic government,” he said.
He once again called on the people to
support the Islamic Emirate.
“We consider the people who contributed
to our Jihad,” Mawlawi Kabir said.
Mawlawi Kabir, Anas Haqqani, a senior
member of the Islamic Emirate and Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, acting Minister of
Vice and Virtue are on a visit to the southeastern provinces of the country.
Earlier, speaking at a gathering in
Sheikh Zayed university of Khost, Mawlawi Kabir pledged that Afghan soil will
not be used against anyone.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-187202
----
Islamic Emirate Strives to Provide
Advanced Medical Facilities for Hospitals: Hanafi
2024-01-30
KABUL (BNA): Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi,
the Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs, has announced a
commitment to enhance medical facilities and recruit specialist doctors across
the nation’s hospitals.
In a meeting with representatives from
Ariana Medical Complex, Amiri Medical Complex, Cure Hospital, and French
Hospitals for Children, Hanafi discussed the current state of private hospitals
and their future plans.
Dr. Abdul Wahid Sadiqi, the head of
Ariana Private Hospital, highlighted the services provided by specialist
doctors in these hospitals.
Dr. Sadiqi pointed out the lack of
advanced medical equipment and facilities, which hinders the treatment of
certain diseases. He emphasized that providing these facilities domestically
would not only enable the treatment of such diseases but also save resources by
reducing the need for patients to travel abroad.
The Islamic Emirates authorities were
urged to focus on the health sector, particularly in educating specialist
doctors, supplying standard medical equipment, and developing health centers
across the country.
Mawlavi Abdul Salam Hanafi views health
services as a fundamental commitment of the Islamic Emirates and an essential
need for the people.
He affirmed the Islamic Emirates’
dedication to delivering healthcare services that meet international standards
to the Afghan people. This includes efforts to equip hospitals with advanced
medical facilities and hire qualified doctors.
He further stated that Afghanistan’s
workforce across various sectors is a valuable asset to the nation. He says
that through coordination and collaboration, the country can progress, and the
people can overcome challenges.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/islamic-emirate-strives-to-provide-advanced-medical-facilities-for-hospitals-hanafi/
----
Chief of IEA Political Office Meets
British Envoy in Doha
2024-01-30
KABUL (BNA): Mohammad Sohail Shaheen,
the chief of the political office of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in
Qatar, met with the British envoy for Afghanistan, Robert Chatterton Dickson,
in Doha.
The meeting encompassed discussions on
various topics, especially bilateral relations between the two parties.
Shahin highlighted that the upcoming
special representatives’ meeting for Afghanistan, scheduled for February 18-19
in Doha, was also a key point of discussion.
The meeting aims to foster a cohesive
and coordinated international approach to increase participation in
Afghanistan, as announced earlier by UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson,
Stéphane Dujarric.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/chief-of-iea-political-office-meets-british-envoy-in-doha/
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/amu-minority-status/d/131626