Bihar CM slashes Hindu holidays and increases same for Muslims; 'anti-Hindu act for votes'
New Age Islam News Bureau
28 November 2023
Bihar CM
Nitish Kumar
----------
· Bihar CM slashes Hindu holidays and increases same for Muslims; 'anti-Hindu act for votes'
· CAIR in NC, Triangle Area Imams to Call on Members of Congress to Demand an End to Killing and Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza, West Bank
· Symposium on fatwas to be held at Prophet’s Mosque
· There will be no peace for Israel without a Palestinian state: EU foreign policy chief
· MWL Gathers International News Agencies to Express Solidarity with Palestinian Issue, Combat Discourses of Hatred and Violence
· Iran warns US, Israel of ‘harsh consequences’ if war crimes continue in Gaza
-----
India
· World Cup row: Jammu and Kashmir police arrest seven Kashmiri students
· Nitish draws BJP's ire for 2024 school holiday calendar: ‘Islamic Republic of Bihar’
· Top industrialists offered to build Ayodhya Ram temple: VHP
· Temple ‘purified’ with Gangajal after Muslim MLA’s visit in UP
· Will Court Get Survey Report onGyanvapi Mosque? Deadline Ends Today
· Indian envoy to US heckled by Khalistani supporters in New York gurudwara
· ASI seeks 3-week time to submit report on Gyanvapi Mosque survey, Varanasi court to hear plea today
-----
North America
· CAIR-Minnesota to Announce Actions Against Edina Schools for Silencing Pro-Palestine Muslim Students
· Blinken to visit Israel, West Bank, UAE this week
· Man arrested over shooting of three Palestinian students in US
· Biden ditched staff advice to dismiss fake news on ‘Hamas beheading babies’
-----
Arab World
· Islamic ministerial committee reiterates global responsibility in addressing Gaza crisis
· Saudi crown prince, Ukrainian president discuss Ukraine-Russia conflict
· Saudi Arabia sends 21st Gaza aid plane
· Cheap cars, supersonic jets: How Saudi Arabia plans to ‘hook’ poor countries on oil
------
Europe
· Sweden’s prime minister condemns far-right call to tear down mosques
· Mohammed Amin: Muslims and Jews don’t have to import the Israel and Palestine conflict into Britain
· German Muslim leader deplores 'climate of fear' in wake of Gaza war
· COP28: inside the United Arab Emirates, the oil giant hosting 2023 climate change summit
· Islamophobe Greet Wilders, the new Dutch PM
· Arab states, EU agree on need for two-state solution
· Berlin welcomes release of Gaza hostages, including two Germans: minister
------
South Asia
· Pakistan warns Afghan refugees involvement in Electoral activities
· Afghan refugees forced to return to Afghanistan at worst possible time: WFP
· Iran and India discuss formation of regional contact group for Afghanistan
· Pakistan's Mass Expulsion Turns Past Good Will Into 'Hostility': Haqqani
· Afghans in India Complain of Challenges as Embassy Remains Shut
· Turkey Strengthens Cultural Ties with Afghanistan Through Museum Construction in Herat
------
Mideast
· More Israeli hostages expected to be freed after Gaza truce extended
· Qatar claims deal to extend Gaza truce by two days
· Israel to fight across all of Gaza after humanitarian pause: Defense minister
· Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus president condemns claims of use of UK base in Greek Cyprus to support Israel
· Israeli premier's office receives list of hostages to be freed on Tuesday
· Hamas chief in Gaza meets with some Israeli hostages: Israeli media
· Gaza Health Ministry manages to reopen dialysis department at Al-Shifa Hospital
· 4th batch of hostages released by Hamas arrives in Israel
· Iranian president Raisi in Turkiye to forge joint response to Gaza war
· Rare survey details how Gazans wary of Hamas before Israel attack
· Iraq sees risk of regional conflict if Gaza war resumes
· Hamas once again scores major victory in cognitive war against Tel Aviv: Israeli think tank
------
Africa
· ICC halts investigation into deadly post-election violence in Kenya
· Israel's 'arrogant logic' failed in face of Palestinian people’s determination: Tunisia
· 163 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast in past week
· Islamic body offers scholarship to 857 indigent students in Nasarawa
· Church donates ICU to Alimosho General Hospital
· Preserving Kenyan Muslim family wealth using Waqf endowments
· Ghana Cardinal Peter Turkson: It's time to understand homosexuality
· Sierra Leone's capital returns to normalcy as manhunt for attackers continues
· Most leaders of the attacks on Sierra Leone's military barracks and prisons arrested as curfew eases
· Malawi slammed for sending workers to Israel amid Gaza conflict
· Christians in Sudan may face Sharia law as oppression overtakes Sahel
-----
Pakistan
· Special court to conduct cipher trial in Adiala jail citing security concerns
· £190m NCA case: NAB plea for Imran’s physical remand rejected
· Afghan migrants can’t back any candidate in polls
· Private Hajj operators granted equal quotas
· Imran not brought to court due to security issues, jail authorities say
-----
Southeast Asia
· Thai Muslim group says direct Hamas talks helped secure release of Thai hostages
· Malaysia’s economic growth to be affected if Palestine-Israel conflict escalates
· Kelantan fines organiser up to RM10,000 after Muslims attend Buddhist-only Loy Krathong Concert deemed lewd
· PM Anwar: Permanent disaster relief centres to be set up immediately in nine states
· MACC ready to justify freezing of Aman Palestine accounts in court
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
-------------
Bihar CM
slashes Hindu holidays and increases same for Muslims; 'anti-Hindu act for
votes'
28 NOV 2023
Bihar CM
Nitish Kumar
----------
In what is being perceived as a minority
appeasement strategy ahead of the Assembly and the Lok Sabha polls, the
Mahagathbandhan government of Bihar has reduced the holidays on Hindu festivals
while increasing the same for Muslim festivals.
On
Monday evening, the education department issued a leave notification in this
regard. Besides, it has also increased the summer vacation by 10 more days.
As per
the fresh notification for year 2024, the education department has made
mandatory 220 days of studying for the students.
However,
the holidays for Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Juha and Muharram were enhanced from 2
days to three.
Even the
summer vacation has also increased from 20 days to 30 days for the year 2024.
Holidays
for HartalikaTeej, Janmastami, Mahashivratri, Ram Navami, Saraswati Puja,
Rakhi, Teej and Jitiya stand cancelled.
Interestingly,
the central government announced a holiday on Janmastami, Mahashivratri,
Ramnavami, with all central government offices and banks closed every year.
Union
minister Giriraj Singh reacted sharply to the development saying Nitish Kumar
is working under the agendas of Quran and Sharia law to make Bihar a Muslim
state.
"The
way this government has sliced the leave of Mahashivratri and Janmastami and
enhanced the leave of Eid and Muharram, its appears that Nitish Kumar and Lalu
Prasad who have become Mohammad Nitish Kumar and Mohammad Lalu Prasad Yadav are
working on line of Muslim religion," he jibed.
Due to
the policies of this government, the population of Muslims in Araria, Purnea,
Katihar, Kishanganj and other districts of Seemanchal region has increased now.
The
Kumar government has also announced Friday leave in Muslim dominant areas which
is also a violation in this secular country," Singh said.
"The
Bihar government has taken a Tughlaq decision late on Monday night and sliced
the leave of Hindu festivals and enhanced the leave of Muslim festivals. This
is an 'anti-Hindu' mindset that Nitish Kumar government has adopted to please
the Muslim vote bank. Kumar is thinking that he would get Hindu votes by
dividing into castes and lure Muslims by increasing the leave. I want to tell the
CM that this mindset would not work in the state. BJP strongly condemns this
move and demands an immediate roll back.
Source: odishatv.in
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-------
CAIR in
NC, Triangle Area Imams to Call on Members of Congress to Demand an End to
Killing and Ethnic Cleansing in Gaza, West Bank
Ismail
Allison
November
27, 2023
(DURHAM,
NC – November 27, 2023) – On Tuesday, Nov. 28 (6:30 p.m.), the North Carolina
office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR in NC) and the
Triangle Imams Council (TIC) – a coalition of Islamic leaders representing
diverse communities in the Triangle region – will hold a press conference to
call on members of Congress from the Triangle Region of North Carolina to
demand an end to killing and ethnic cleansing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza
and the West Bank, as well as to work to address growing anti-Muslim,
anti-Palestinian, and anti-Arab bigotry.
The
groups will express concerns over the stance adopted by several members of
North Carolina’s congressional delegation and call for measures aimed at
bringing a lasting end to the violence that has resulted in 14,800 Palestinians
being killed, according to Reuters.
In a
statement, CAIR Regional Community Engagement Manager in NC Al Rieder
said:
“This is
an urgent call from the Muslim community of North Carolina on local
Congressional representatives in the Triangle to take stronger action on the
Gaza crisis, as well as to address the surging anti-Muslim bigotry,
anti-Palestinian racism, and anti-Arab racism in our community. With this, there
is potential for large impact on policies from local representatives. The surge
in incidents of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab hatred holds profound implications
for the well-being of the local community.”
Muslims,
Arabs, and Palestinians across the country report a surge in anti-Muslim and
anti-Arab hate since the escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel last
month. Recently, CAIR released new data indicating a 216 percent surge in
complaints, including reported incidents of bias, reported to its offices since
the start of the crisis on October 7th.
SEE:
CAIR Received 1,283 Complaints Over Past Month, an ‘Unprecedented’ Increase in
Complaints of Islamophobia, Anti-Arab Bias
[NOTE:
More than 100,000 Americans have used CAIR’s action alert to contact their
members of Congress and call for an end to the violence and the renewal of
U.S.-led efforts to end the occupation. SEE: Urge Your Members of Congress to
Address Root Cause of Mideast Violence]
CAIR’s
mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote
justice, and empower American Muslims.
La
misión de CAIR es proteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del
Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanesen los Estados Unidos.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-in-nc-triangle-area-imams-to-call-on-members-of-congress-to-demand-an-end-to-killing-and-ethnic-cleansing-in-gaza-west-bank/
-------
Symposium
on fatwas to be held at Prophet’s Mosque
November
28, 2023
The head
of religious affairs at the two holy mosques Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais
announced that royal approval had been issued to hold a symposium on fatwas at
the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. (Supplied)
-----------
RIYADH:
The head of religious affairs at the two holy mosques Sheikh Abdul Rahman
Al-Sudais announced that royal approval had been issued to hold a symposium on
fatwas at the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.
A fatwa
is a legal ruling on a point of Islamic law, and the symposium will focus on
rulings at the two holy mosques and their impacts on facilitating visitors to
the religious sites.
Al-Sudais
said the symposium is an extension of the efforts of the Saudi government to
serve the two holy mosques and conveying their message to the world in
accordance with the Kingdom’s moderate approach based on the Qur’an and the
traditions of the Prophet Muhammad.
He
explained that the approval to hold this symposium supports the shift in
methods of issuing fatwas and their digitalization in a way that suits and
meets the religious needs of the visitors of the mosques, while helping them
perform their rituals.
Al-Sudais
added that the approval of King Salman to hold the symposium reflected the
Kingdom’s concern for fatwas, given their direct impact on the pilgrims to the
Two Holy Mosques.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2416451/saudi-arabia
------
There
will be no peace for Israel without a Palestinian state: EU foreign policy
chief
Nov 27,
2023
Josep
Borell
----------
OVIEDO,
Spain / LONDON : EU foreign policy chief JosepBorell said on Monday that
without a Palestinian state, there will be “no peace or security for Israel.”
Borrell
is in Barcelona for the eighth ministerial forum of the Union for the
Mediterranean (UfM), which began on Monday, and is being attended by representatives
from around 40 nations to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and lay the
groundwork for future peace.
Speaking
at the forum, Borrell said: “In the history of the most serious conflicts,
there is always a moment when the darkness of the situation can only lead to a
horizon of peace. I am convinced that beyond the shocks and emotions, that both
peoples are committed to peace.”
Spain’s
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares laid out a framework that he hoped all of
the member states attending could agree upon. It includes ending the bloodshed
and ensuring that the Gaza Strip is handed back to the Palestinian Authority
when the hostilities end.
“Hamas
is more than just an organization… it is an idea, an ideology. And you cannot
kill an idea unless you can prove that you have a better one. To defeat the
ideology of Hamas, Palestinians need a credible political prospect for
statehood,” said Borrell.
In the
opening remarks, the EU, Saudi and Jordanian foreign ministers all argued the
need for a two-state solution.
“We must
endeavor to overcome the current crisis and move towards a credible and serious
plan for peace. There is no sustainable alternative to reviving the two-state
solution,” said Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud,
speaking on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab
League.
Albares
said he hopes definitive peace talks can be held “as soon as possible so the
international community can back the agenda.”
“Because
both have equal and legitimate rights to the land, they will have to share (the
land). We need to help them agree on that. Alone, they will not be able to,”
said Borrell.
The EU
foreign policy chief also said that he was “appalled” to learn that the Israeli
government plans to commit new funds to build new illegal settlements. He
termed illegal settlements as “Israel’s greatest security liability” and a
grave breach of international law.
Jordanian
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, for his part, said: “By opting for peace we are
not taking sides. The peace we seek must fulfill Palestinians’ right to freedom
and statehood, and must address Israel’s legitimate concerns.”
The
Union for the Mediterranean was founded 15 years ago in the wake of the Oslo
Accords in the spirit of shared peace and prosperity for the Mediterranean
region.
“Today
the reality is clear — achieving real and effective regional integration and
cooperation can only come through a just and lasting peace for Palestine,
Israel and the whole region, based on the two-state solution,” said Nasser
Kamel, secretary general of the Union for the Mediterranean.
Israel,
one of the founding members, did not send representation to Monday’s meeting. —
AA
Source: muslimmirror.com
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the full text of the original
https://muslimmirror.com/eng/there-will-be-no-peace-for-israel-without-a-palestinian-state-eu-foreign-policy-chief/
-------
MWL
Gathers International News Agencies to Express Solidarity with Palestinian
Issue, Combat Discourses of Hatred and Violence
2023-11-27
KABUL
(BNA) The Muslim World League gathered the Union of OIC News Agencies,
comprising 57 countries, and the most significant international news agencies
from Asia, Europe, and the Americas in the International Forum: “The Role of
Media in Inciting Hatred and Violence,” which kicked off today, Sunday, in
Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The
event is held under the auspices of His Excellency the Secretary-General of the
MWL and the Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, His Excellency
Sheikh Dr Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, and with the participation of His
Excellency the General Supervisor of Official Media in the State of Palestine,
Minister Ahmed Assaf.
The
forum includes the participation of several ministers, Islamic and
international media leaders, ambassadors, religious, intellectual, and human
rights figures, and leaders of international organizations.
The
forum was held within the close partnership between the Union of OIC News
Agencies and the MWL Assistant Secretariate for Corporate Communication.
At the
beginning of the forum’s opening session, His Excellency the MWL
Secretary-General, H.E. Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, welcomed
the attendees. He pointed out that the forum is held under the auspices of two
international organizations: the MWL, represented by its Assistant Secretariate
for Corporate Communication, and the Union of OIC News Agencies.
Al-Issa
emphasized that the forum theme, “The Role of Media in Inciting Hatred and
Violence,” resonates with the concerns of living consciences.
“The
global issue discussed in the forum is prevalent in many international issues,
and its broad title encapsulates multiple dimensions. With their lengthy
debates, these dimensions are of great interest to the MWL and international
organizations, both governmental and non-governmental.”
He added
that despite recognizing the problem in its dimensions and seeing its
consequences firsthand, the world has affirmed that material scientific
progress does not necessarily go hand in hand with ethical and moral
development, indicating that ethical and moral development is only achieved
when the dignity of values accompanies the grandeur of knowledge.
Al-Issa
pointed out that despite the international interest in confronting the
phenomenon of hatred, this malady, which has become an epidemic, persists due
to the gap between abstract legislation and stagnant implementation. It remains
insurmountable except through a collective, active and sincere will.
Sheikh
Al-Issa warned that this situation has led to a regrettable state of chaos and
intellectual decay, resulting in a setback for the civilized world.
He added
that a believer in his Lord, regardless of his place, time, religion, or sect,
knows that his lineage traces back to Adam and his spouse. In Islam, Allah
Almighty says, “O children of Adam,” so everyone is Adam’s children, and
children are siblings even if they differ in religion, thought, race, colour,
and land.
Al-Issa
stated that despite this fact, animosity appeared, followed by hatred,
hostility, confrontation, and conflict, pointing out that this conflict happens
when the difference, which represents satisfaction and an ideological or
intellectual desire related to personal, group, or national conviction, turns
into confrontation and clash in a reality that can only be described as mental
decay.
He
explained that for this reason, Islam transcends by saying, “There shall be no
compulsion in the religion,” meaning that no one should be forced to leave a
religion they were formed in, nor should they be coerced into another religion,
neither by force nor harassment.
Al-Issa
emphasized that the media has a significant role in effectively steering our
world away from sinking in its perils. It plays a crucial role in countering
the alarming escalation of hate speech and incitement towards dangerous
matters, foremost of which are discrimination and exclusion, leading to
conflict, confrontation, and violence.
“Nothing
is more dangerous than allowing the expression of hatred without restraint.
This slide forms a dangerous culture where hate prevails nationally and
internationally. Therefore, everyone must realize that countering hate speech
is among the primary reasons for preserving the peace and security of societies
and enhancing friendship between nations and peoples.”
According
to Al-Issa, friendship is essential, and people can only coexist peacefully
within this context. When we examine history, we find that hatred that gave
rise to animosities due to its backwardness and ignorance sparked intense wars.
As soon as hatred unveils its ugly face, it brings common evil to a society or
a nation, causing hostility.”
He
continued, “Nevertheless, some minds in the era of ‘material enlightenment’ and
‘civilizational progress with common concepts’ remain in a state of moral
backwardness. The tendency of hatred has entrenched itself in many minds and
policies, and in many cases, this hatred has appeared in its ugliest and worst
forms, with the phenomenon of double standards.
Sheikh
Al-Issa pointed out that what we are witnessing today in Gaza, with a criminal
assault on innocent children, women, and others, is a stain on the forehead of
all humanity. He stated that this humanitarian catastrophe is etched in the
core of every living conscience, and logic of justice and human rights from the
overall active and sincere international diversity has rallied to support it.
“In
addition to being an Arab and Islamic issue for us, the Palestinian issue has
become a just international issue governed by pending international
resolutions. These resolutions were violated, causing bloodshed and painful
repercussions,” Al-Issa added.
Al-Issa
expressed, on behalf of the scholars and thinkers of the Islamic Ummah within
the framework of the Muslim World League, deep appreciation for the significant
efforts in supporting the Palestinian cause and standing firmly against the
crimes in Gaza. This includes the efforts the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia led to
hold historic summits.
He
prayed to Allah to reward the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
bin Abdulaziz Al Saud for their efforts.
Following
that, His Excellency, the General Supervisor of the Official Media in the State
of Palestine, Minister Ahmad Al-Assaf, pointed out that the forum is being held
“at this critical time when our people in Palestine, especially in Gaza, are
going through this massacre and atrocities.”
He added
that if we take the Palestinian issue as a case study for the role of media in
combating misinformation and bias, “we find it to be the most accurate and
clearest model because it summarizes the battle between right and wrong, truth
and falsehood, deception and slander.”
He
emphasized that since the beginning of this aggression against the Palestinian
people and their land, there has been an attempt to erase the Palestinian
narrative.
“The
Palestinian narrative suffered from bias and distortion by major media outlets
worldwide that did not want to see the truth, seeking to obscure, erase, and
eliminate it”, Assaf added.
He
explained that when these biased international media outlets look at the
Palestinian issue, they turn a blind eye to the crimes, oppression, killing,
and destruction taking place on Palestinian land.
He
pointed out that the reality of the battle with the Zionist occupation began
when they tried to build their state on the basis that Palestine was a land
without a people for a people without a land, thus seeking to erase the
Palestinian narrative.
Al-Assaf
described the reality of the Zionist occupation as an attempt to erase history,
present and future.
“They
built their narrative on the basis that the elders will die and the young will
forget, and indeed, the elders died, but the young have increased their
attachment and adherence to this land and this cause.”
He
highlighted that the ultimate goal of the media is to spread a culture of
tolerance, justice, and love among people, to defuse crises and avoid stirring
up discord, hatred, and the fragmentation of societies.
He added
that when some biased media obscures these facts, what do you expect the
reaction of the Palestinian people or the Arab and Islamic peoples to be? Can
we accept these lies and, the neglect of the truth and denial of the tragic
reality and the daily massacres in Gaza and Jerusalem? Certainly not, and
undoubtedly, this bias will generate more anti-policies stands.
On his
part, DaudAweis, the Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism in the
Federal Republic of Somalia, affirmed that the current events in Palestinian
territories have revealed the bias of many international media outlets and
their disregard for objectivity and truth.
He
emphasized the need for Islamic countries to strengthen their media
institutions and build their capacities according to international standards to
fill this gap.
Aweis
pointed out that the media plays a crucial role in Somalia’s fight against
terrorist movements and extremism and in promoting religious moderation.
In turn,
the Acting Director-General of the Union of OIC News Agencies, Mohammed Abd
Rabbo Al-Yami, affirmed that the media plays a central role, whether negatively
or positively, in building cultural concepts, shaping general perceptions among
people, and forming public opinion on international events and issues.
He added
that this vital role if left without guidance and direction, could be exploited
by extremists and advocates of hatred to insult sacred values, stir up conflicts,
and create crises. Hence, the importance of our meeting in this forum to
discuss the best ways to activate the role of media in combating hate speech
and violence and to develop general principles and guidelines in this regard.
Al-Yami
noted that the forum coincides with tragic and widespread humanitarian
conditions experienced by the Palestinian people in Gaza due to the recent
Israeli escalation.
“This
necessitates us to consider the responsibility placed on our international
media outlets to enhance the role of our institutions in supporting efforts to
achieve peace, stability, and the protection of civilians on both sides. It is
crucial to ensure the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including
the establishment of their independent state”.
Al-Yami
sincerely thanked and appreciated the Muslim World League, led by its
Secretary-General Sheikh Dr. Muhammad bin Abdul Karim Issa, for its keenness to
strengthen its relations with international media institutions.
This
role reflects the MWL’s recognition of the centrality of media in any sincere
and serious effort to bridge gaps between peoples and achieve the principles of
coexistence and fraternity among different cultures and religions.
The
opening session featured live interventions from several journalists from
Palestinian territories, discussing the reality of journalism in the face of
Israeli aggression and the challenges journalists face in fulfilling their
professional duties.
The
session also included a short film presentation on the role of media in shaping
public opinion and societal awareness, whether negatively or positively.
Following
that, the forum continued with panel discussions, with the first session
focusing on “the role of religious institutions and leaderships in combating hate
speech and violence on media platforms.” The second panel discussion reviewed
“bias and distortion in international media, the Palestinian as a case study.”
The third panel discussion addressed “ethical responsibility in international
media,” while the fourth panel discussion covered “international religious and
media alliances to confront hate speech and extremism.”
On the
forum’s sidelines, a memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Assistant
Secretariate for Corporate Communication of the Muslim World League and the
Union of OIC News Agencies. The Director-General of the Union, Mohammed bin
Abdulrab Al-Yami, signed on behalf of the Union, and the Assistant
Secretary-General for Corporate Communication, Mr. Abdulwahab Al-Shehri, signed
on behalf of the Muslim World League.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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-----
Iran
warns US, Israel of ‘harsh consequences’ if war crimes continue in Gaza
28
November 2023
Iran's
Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) is seen during an interview with
Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network. The full text of the interview was
published on November 28, 2023. (Photo by the Iranian Foreign Ministry)
------------
Iran’s
foreign minister has warned the United States and Israel that they will face
“harsh consequences” if they fail to permanently stop war crimes in the Gaza
Strip committed during the genocidal war on the besieged Palestinian territory.
Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in an interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera
television network published on Tuesday, as a temporary truce is holding
between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas resistance group in Gaza.
“It is
important that the [Israeli] aggression and crimes must halt and that the
temporary ceasefire must become a permanent one. Otherwise, the region will
face new conditions,” he said.
“The
Zionist regime and the Americans should accept the harsh consequences of a
failure to stop the war crimes.”
The
four-day ceasefire in Gaza, which expired on Monday, was extended for two more
days. It led to a cessation of Israel’s devastating war on Gaza as well as a
swap of Palestinians incarcerated in Israeli jails and captives held by Hamas.
The
temporary ceasefire has given Palestinians in the besieged territory a brief
respite from Israel’s 7-week brutal war.
Amir-Abdollahian
said that Israel welcomes the continuation and expansion of the war in the case
the US fully supports the Gaza genocide.
Tehran, he
added, was informed through intermediaries that the White House has recently
found out that their continued support for Israel does not benefit them.
The top
Iranian diplomat also noted that the US has today “the will” to stop Israeli
atrocities through a stable ceasefire, send humanitarian aid to Gaza, and
prevent the forced displacement of the Palestinian people.
“The
Israeli regime failed to destroy Hamas in the past six weeks despite the
all-out presence of support of the US and its allied countries,” he said.
“Hamas
is a reality that is rooted inside Palestine. Hamas is part of the Palestinian
resistance. We believe that the future of Gaza will be decided by the
Palestinian people and resistance.”
Amir-Abdollahian
further said that the expansion of the scope of the war in the past weeks was
part of a “natural reaction” of regional resistance forces to the US’s military
support for the Israeli massacre of Palestinian women and children.
Iran has
no proxy groups in the region, he emphasized, adding that resistance movements
are operating to protect the interests of their own countries, preserve
regional security, and defend the Arab-Muslim Ummah.
Israel
waged the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas conducted Operation Al-Aqsa
Storm against the occupying entity in retaliation for its intensified
atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Since
the start of the aggression, the Tel Aviv regime has killed over 15,000
Palestinians, mostly women and children, and left vast swathes of the coastal
enclave in ruins. An additional 7,000 Palestinians are missing and believed to
be under the rubble.
Israel
has also imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel,
electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living
there.
The Iranian
foreign minister also described Lebanon’s Hezbollah as one of the most powerful
resistance groups in the region.
The US
and some Western countries sent 28 messages to Hezbollah in the six past weeks,
urging the resistance movement to exercise restraint and prevent the expansion
of the Gaza war, he said.
He
further said occupation is an ominous phenomenon, which will never be
recognized under international law, stressing that the Palestinian land belongs
to the Palestinian people.
“We
believe that helping the Palestinian people in the face of the occupation and
providing the occupied Palestinian land with political support has a legal,
humanitarian, Islamic, and religious basis,” Amir-Abdollahian asserted.
He said
Iran’s political solution to the Palestine issue involves a referendum among
the original residents of Palestine, including Jews, Christians, and Muslims,
under the supervision of the United Nations with the financial contribution of
other governments.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/28/715419/Iran-US-Israel-consequences-Gaza-war
------
India
World
Cup row: Jammu and Kashmir police arrest seven Kashmiri students
28.11.23
Muzaffar
Raina
Jammu
and Kashmir police have arrested seven Kashmiri students of an agricultural
university after a non-local student alleged harassment for supporting the
Indian team during the cricket World Cup final on November 19.
A
students’ body said the students have been booked under the stringent Unlawful
Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and have petitioned the government to drop
“sedition charges” against them to save their future.
The
arrests took place on November 20 but had been kept under wraps to prevent a
flare-up.
A copy
of the FIR shows the students have been booked under Section 13 of the UAPA and
Sections 505 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code related to public mischief and
criminal intimidation.
“They
were arrested last week, the same day (when the complaint was lodged on
November 20),” Ganderbal superintendent of police Nikhil Borkar told The
Telegraph.
Borkar
said the students were still under custody but did not divulge the charges
under which they were booked.
“The
case is under investigation,” he said.
The
arrested seven are the students of a veterinary college in Ganderbal, which is
part of Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agriculture and Sciences.
The FIR
says the complaint was lodged against them by a fellow student from Punjab.
In his
complaint, the non-local student named the seven students who allegedly abused
him, raised pro-Pakistan slogans and threatened to shoot him for supporting
India during the match.
A
university official said there was no violence on the campus and said the
complainant had submitted a video to the police in which some students were
raising slogans in the dark.
He said
they were fourth-year students who were on the verge of completing their
degrees.
Kashmiris
have traditionally supported Pakistan in matches against India but the government
has displayed zero tolerance for such actions following the 2019 scrapping of
the special status.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/world-cup-row-jammu-and-kashmir-police-arrest-seven-kashmiri-students-of-agricultural-university/cid/1983018
----
Nitish
draws BJP's ire for 2024 school holiday calendar: ‘Islamic Republic of Bihar’
Nov 28,
2023
BJP
leaders accused the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government of reducing holidays for
Hindu festivals and increasing holidays for Muslim festivals.
The
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday launched another offensive against the
Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government for allegedly axing the number of holidays
for the state’s schools during Hindu festivals and increasing it for Muslim
festivals. Calling Nitish Kumar the “chief of appeasement”, Union minister
Ashwini Choubey claimed that the “anti-Hindu face” of the grand alliance has
come to the fore again, alleging that the Bihar government “hates Sanatan for
vote bank.”
“Once
again the anti-Hindu face of the uncle-nephew government came to the fore. On
one hand, holidays for Muslim festivals are being extended in schools, while
holidays for Hindu festivals are being abolished,” Choubey said in a social
media post on X.
“Shame
on the government that hates Sanatan for vote bank.”
The
Bihar education department on Monday issued the holiday calendar for 2024 and
said the chart has been created to ensure at least 220 teaching days under the
Right to Education. According to HT's sister publication Live Hindustan, the
holiday calendar for the year 2024 has seen wholesale change, with the number
of summer vacation days increased from 20 to 30.
While
the holidays for HartalikaTeej and Jitiya have been done away with, the
education department has increased the holidays for Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha
(Bakrid) to three days each, LH reported.
Firebrand
BJP leader and Union minister Giriraj Singh took a swipe at Nitish Kumar-led
government, calling the state “Islamic Republic of Bihar”.
“Nitish
and Lalu government increased holidays for Muslim festivals in schools, ended
holidays for Hindu festivals,” he wrote on X in Hindi.
A
similar controversy erupted earlier this year when the government, in an order
dated August 29, curtailed the number of holidays for the state’s schools from
22 to 8 over the next five months. The order was, however, withdrawn after
massive opposition.
In a
notificatio, the director (secondary education) said: “The August 29 order
comprising holiday list in government primary, middle and secondary schools is
cancelled with immediate effect.”
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/patna-news/nitish-draws-bjps-ire-for-2024-school-holiday-calendar-islamic-republic-of-bihar-101701130979654.html
-----
Top
industrialists offered to build Ayodhya Ram temple: VHP
Nov 28,
2023
LUCKNOW:
Some of the country's top industrialists and business houses had approached the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) with offers to construct the Ram Temple in Ayodhya
single-handedly after the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Ram Janambhoomi
in November 2019, a senior functionary of the right wing organisation said on
Monday.
"The
organisation, however, refused the offer and did not even forward it to the
Shri Ram JanmbhoomiTeerthKshetra -- the nodal body entrusted with the
responsibility of constructing the temple. The VHP, instead, went ahead with
its Ram Mandir Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan, a mega campaign envisaging reaching out
to over 13 crore families to raise funds for the temple," VHP national
spokesperson Vinod Bansal told TOI.
He,
however, refused to divulge the names of the industrialists who made the offer.
Bansal said the idea was to connect people’s sentiments with the Ram temple
movement which was carried out by seers and scores of RamBhakts for over 500
years.
Bansal
said the VHP cadres subsequently fanned across the length and breadth of the
country to raise funds for the temple. “It was from here that the concept of
Ram temple being a ‘Rashtra Mandir’ took shape,” he said, adding that the
parishad would once again reach the doorsteps of devotees in the run-up to the
inauguration of the temple by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22.
The VHP
spokesperson said: “It was time to ensure that the upcoming Ram temple was not
relegated like ‘just any other temple’ but manifests itself as a symbol of
Indian culture which was once crushed by the Mughals and then in the
post-Independence era by successive governments, which were primarily driven by
communal appeasement.”
“The
objective of the Mughals was not to loot the country but to destroy the Hindu
culture and its symbols situated in places like Ayodhya, Kashi (Varanasi) and
Mathura,” Bansal added. He said the VHP will carry out a dedicated campaign to
spread the idea of ‘Ramatva’ and how it seeks to bind the country into one
common thread of 'Hindutva'.
“The
campaign will be carried out alongside the drive to invite prominent people
with Akshat rice – the specially worshipped rice from Ayodhya – to the Ram
temple inauguration event,” he said. The VHP spokesperson said the parishad
would also approach people to follow the rituals performed during the
consecration ceremony of Ram Lalla’s idol in Ayodhya. “This can be done at
local temples or at one’s house,” he said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/top-industrialists-offered-to-build-ram-temple-vhp/articleshow/105544969.cms
-----
Temple
‘purified’ with Gangajal after Muslim MLA’s visit in UP
Nov 28,
2023
Members
of Hindu outfits and local civic officials sprinkled Gangajal (water from the
Ganga) on a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Siddharthnagar district on Monday in an
effort to “purify” it, a day after a Muslim lawmaker visited the shrine, police
said.
Samajwadi
Party (SP) legislator from Domariaganj, Saiyada Khatoon, said she was invited
by the administration of the Samya Mata temple in Balwa village of
Siddharthnagar district to attend an event on Sunday.
But
after the Ram Katha event, the chairman of the local panchayat and members of
some other Hindu organisations visited the temple on Monday, sprinkled
Gangajal, recited the Hanuman Chalisa, and shouted slogans against Khatoon,
police said.
“Samya
Mata Mandir is a centre of faith for devotees. People throng the temple with
dedication that was disrespected by the local MLA. She is non-vegetarian and
her visit affected the sanctity of the place,” said Dharmaraj Verma, chairman,
BarhniChafanagar panchayat.
He was
accompanied by members of different Hindu Organisations, including Santosh
Paswan, Mithlesh Pandey, VijaiMadhesia and Promod Gautam. The chairman,
Dharamaraj Verma, said that he sprinkled Gangajal on the temple to “purify” it.
Taking
note of the matter, Domariaganj circle officer Sujit Kumar Rai said a police
team was patrolling the area to avert the possibility of any confrontation and
added that they have not received any complaint in connection with the incident
yet.
“We will
take appropriate action if a complaint is filed in this regard,” he added.
Rai also
informed that local villagers had constituted an organising committee for the
Ram Katha, headed by Shrikant Shukla, secretary of organising committee and
Pujari Prasad, head priest of the temple, and had invited the SP leader.
“We are
inquiring into the incident and keeping a close eye on the development,” said
superintendent of police, Siddharthnagar, Abhishek Kumar Agarwal.
Khatoon
said some elements were misleading a group of people.
“I
respect all religions. Moreover, I am a public representative. Be it a temple
or a mosque, I will surely go there if I am invited,” she said.
Renovation
of various temples was funded by her MLA local area development fund, she
added.
This
isn’t the first time that such an incident has happened at a temple in Uttar
Pradesh. In 2018, a temple in Hamirpur district was purified with Gangajal
after a Dalit woman lawmaker, from the Bharatiya Janata Party, entered the
temple.
A
controversy also broke out in neighbouring Bihar last year after a Muslim
minister entered the Vishnupad temple along with chief minister Nitish Kumar,
prompting the temple staff to “purify” the premises.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/temple-purified-with-gangajal-after-muslim-mla-s-visit-in-up-101701134830196.html
-------
Will
Court Get Survey Report OnGyanvapi Mosque? Deadline Ends Today
November
28, 2023
New
Delhi: The deadline for the scientific survey report of Gyanvapi mosque
premises ends on Tuesday and the Archaeological Survey of India is now expected
to submit the report at the Varanasi district court. The survey has been held
for 100 days, during which the ASI has asked for several extensions.
The
survey had concluded almost a month ago and the ASI had sought extra time to
file its report. The last extension was on November 18, when the ASI asked for
another 15 days. The court had allowed it 10 days.
The ASI
had been conducting the survey since August 4 on the mosque premises. It leaves
out the Wuzukhana area, which has been sealed by the orders of the Supreme
Court.
On
November 2, the ASI told the court it had "completed" the survey but
would need some more time to compile the report, along with the details of the
equipment used in the survey. The court had granted additional time till
November 17 for submitting the document.
Listen
to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com
The
survey was ordered by a Varanasi court on July 21, following a petition by four
women who sought permission to pray at the Shringar Gauri Shrine which is
behind the western wall of the temple. In April last year, the court ordered a
video survey of the complex based on that petition. The survey conducted in May
revealed a structure in the Wuzukhana that the petitioners claimed was a
'shivling'.
Right-wing
activists claim that a temple existed earlier at the site and was demolished in
the 17th century on the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The mosque is
located next to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
Source: ndtv.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/will-court-get-survey-report-on-gyanvapi-mosque-deadline-ends-today-4611891
------
Indian
envoy to US heckled by Khalistani supporters in New York gurudwara
27th
November 2023
NEW
DELHI: Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu was heckled at the
Guru Nanak Darbar Gurdwara in Long Island in New York by Khalistani supporters.
However, these Khalistani supporters were overpowered and moved out of the
gurudwara by other Sikh community members who were present there.
The
Khalistani supporters were seen and heard shouting slogans alleging that the
Ambassador belonged to a country that was responsible for the death of slain
Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and were now threatening to kill
founder of Sikhs for Justice (banned in India) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The
hecklers were sidelined and the Ambassador moved inside the premises of the
gurudwara with the support of others.
There
was no official response to the incident by India and the Ambassador also chose
to refrain from referring to it.
"Privileged
to join the local sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of
Long Island in celebrating Gurupurab. Listened to kirtan, spoke about Guru
Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity and equality. I partook
langar and sought blessings for all," said Ambassador Sandhu.
Today
was Gurupurab, the 554th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak.
There
has been a spurt in instances involving Khalistani supporters in the US,
Canada, UK and Australia in the past one year.
It may
be recalled that the Consulate General of India in San Francisco was attacked
on March 19 and an attempt was made to set it on fire. Again on July 2, another
bid was made to set the consulate building on fire.
Meanwhile,
the National Investigation Agency (NIA) last week conducted simultaneous raids
at multiple locations across Punjab and Haryana in connection with the probe
into the attacks made on the Consulate General of India in San Francisco.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/nov/27/indian-envoy-to-us-heckled-by-khalistani-supporters-in-new-york-gurudwara-2636670.html
------
ASI
seeks 3-week time to submit report on Gyanvapi Mosque survey, Varanasi court to
hear plea today
Nov 28,
2023
The last
extension was granted on November 18, when ASI requested an additional 15 days
to finalize the report. The court approved a 10-day extension.
The
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has filed an application in the Varanasi
district court today, seeking an additional three weeks to submit the report of
the scientific survey conducted on the premises of the Gyanvapi Mosque.
Amit
Srivastava, standing government counsel representing ASI, submitted the
application to the court requesting more time to compile and finalize the
comprehensive report. The court is scheduled to hear ASI's plea at around 2 pm.
The
extensive survey, spanning a duration of 100 days, concluded nearly a month
ago. However, ASI has sought several extensions during this period, citing the
complexity and thoroughness required in preparing the report.
The
latest extension request comes after the Varanasi District Judge had earlier
granted ASI 10 more days on November 18 to file its report on the Gyanvapi
Mosque Survey. The extended deadline for the submission of the scientific
survey report was set to expire today.
The
survey was ordered by a Varanasi court on July 21, following a petition by four
women who sought permission to pray at the Shringar Gauri Shrine which is
behind the western wall of the temple. The Wuzukhana area, which has been
sealed by the orders of the Supreme Court, has been left out of the survey.
In
compliance with that order, the ASI conducted the survey for over
four-and-a-half hours on July 24 after which the Supreme Court on the same day
halted the exercise till 5pm on July 26 and granted liberty to the
AnjumanIntezamiaMasajid Committee (AIMC) to approach the Allahabad high court.
When the
mosque committee moved the high court on July 25, it extended the stay on the
survey. The high court gave its ruling on August 3 and allowed the exercise to
go ahead. The AIMC moved the Supreme Court against the high court order, but
the top court refused to stay the survey on August 4.
The
Gyanvapi mosque’s scientific survey resumed amid tight security on August 4
after the Allahabad high court on August 3 vacated a stay and gave the go-ahead
for the exercise. The Varanasi court had initially ordered the survey on July
21 and asked for submission of the report by August 4.
Hearing
an ASI application on October 5, the court granted four more weeks to complete
the survey and submit the report.
On
November 2, the court granted 15 days’ time to the ASI, directing it to submit
the report by November 17.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/asi-seeks-3-week-time-to-submit-report-on-gyanvapi-mosque-survey-varanasi-court-to-hear-plea-today-101701156190495.html
------
North America
CAIR-Minnesota
to Announce Actions Against Edina Schools for Silencing Pro-Palestine Muslim
Students
Ibrahim
Hooper
November
27, 2023
(MINNEAPOLIS,
MN, 11/27/23) – Later today (Monday, Nov. 27, 1 p.m.), the Minnesota chapter of
the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Minnesota) and the legal team
of De León & Nestor, LLC will hold a press conference to announce
administrative legal actions taken against an Edina school for silencing Muslim
students who expressed support for Palestine.
The
press conference will feature the legal team representing the students, who
were reportedly suspended for participating in protests and speaking up for
Palestine. CAIR-Minnesota will also present reports highlighting similar cases
in schools across the state, shedding light on what appears to be a troubling
pattern of suppressing student voices.
About
CAIR-Minnesota: CAIR-Minnesota is a chapter of America’s largest Muslim civil
liberties and advocacy organization. The mission of CAIR is to enhance the
understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower
American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-minnesota-to-announce-actions-against-edina-schools-for-silencing-pro-palestine-muslim-students/
----
Blinken
to visit Israel, West Bank, UAE this week
28th
November 2023
Sakina
Fatima
Washington:
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel, the West Bank, Belgium,
North Macedonia and UAE this week. It is Blinken’s third visit to Israel since
Hamas launched an attack on southern Israel on October 7.
During
his visit to Israel and the West Bank, Blinken will discuss Israel’s right to
defend itself in accordance with international humanitarian law, continued
efforts to secure the release of remaining hostages and protecting civilian
life during Israel’s counter-offensive against Hamas in Gaza. He will also discuss
the principles he outlined in Tokyo on November 8, the US Department of State
announced in a statement.
According
to a statement released by the US Department of State, Blinken stated, “In
Israel and the West Bank, Secretary Blinken will discuss Israel’s right to
defend itself consistent with international humanitarian law, as well as
continued efforts to secure the release of remaining hostages, protect civilian
life during Israel’s operations in Gaza, and accelerate humanitarian assistance
to civilians in Gaza.
“The
Secretary will also discuss the principles he outlined in Tokyo on November 8,
tangible steps to further the creation of a future Palestinian state, and the
need to prevent the conflict from widening,” it added.
On
Monday, Blinken expressed happiness over the release of hostages from Gaza,
including a young American girl. He stated that US will continue to make
efforts until all hostages are released.
Taking
to X, he stated, “Good to see more hostages released today — including a young
American girl who turned four just days ago. Our efforts will continue until
all hostages are set free.”
Meanwhile,
US President Joe Biden on Monday welcomed the additional two-day truce between
Israel and Hamas. He thanked Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Egyptian President
Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani for their
commitment to this process and in reaching the agreement
In a
statement, Biden stated, “I have remained deeply engaged over the last few days
to ensure that this deal–brokered and sustained through extensive US mediation
and diplomacy–can continue to deliver results. Thus far, more than 50 hostages
have now been released and returned to their families.”
He said,
“The humanitarian pause has also enabled a significant surge in additional
humanitarian assistance to the innocent civilians who are suffering across the
Gaza strip.”
He noted
that the humanitarian pause has enabled a significant surge in additional
humanitarian assistance to civilians who are suffering across the Gaza strip.
“The
United States has led the humanitarian response into Gaza–building on years of
work as the largest funder of humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian
people. We are taking full advantage of the pause in fighting to increase the
amount of humanitarian aid moving into Gaza, and we will continue our efforts
to build a future of peace and dignity for the Palestinian people,” he added.
Apart
from visiting the West Bank and Israel, Blinken will travel to Belgium to
attend the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting, including the first foreign
ministers meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council, according to a US Department of
State statement.
He will
highlight NATO’s steadfast commitment to Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s
aggression, emphasise US support for democracy and regional stability in the
Western Balkans, and discuss priorities for the Washington Summit in July 2024.
During
his visit to North Macedonia, Antony Blinken will engage with OSCE
counterparts, reaffirming the US’ steadfast commitment to the OSCE and its core
mission of promoting security, stability, and cooperation among states, with a
particular emphasis on human rights and peaceful resolution of disputes. He
will also highlight the pivotal role played by the OSCE in advancing
comprehensive security across the region.
Blinken
will also travel to Dubai to attend the UN Climate Conference, COP28, where he
will engage leaders on the need to continue global action to address the
climate crisis. He will also meet with counterparts and discuss regional
issues, including the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Source: siasat.com
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https://www.siasat.com/blinken-to-visit-israel-west-bank-uae-this-week-2921346/
------
Man
arrested over shooting of three Palestinian students in US
November
28, 2023
NEW
YORK: Police said on Monday a man has been arrested in connection with the
Burlington, Vermont shooting of three university students of Palestinian
descent, as authorities investigated what they believe was a “hate-motivated
crime.”
Burlington
Police Chief Jon Murad said the suspect, 48-year-old Jason Eaton, was arrested
on Sunday and was expected to appear before a judge on Monday.
Evidence
collected during a search of Eaton’s apartment, outside of which the shooting
took place on Saturday, as well as additional data collected “gave
investigators and prosecutors probable cause to believe that Mr Eaton
perpetrated the shooting,” Murad said in a statement.
Police
had earlier described the shooter as “a white man with a handgun.” “Without
speaking,” police said, “he discharged at least four rounds from the pistol and
is believed to have fled on foot.” The incident occurred amid high tensions,
and occasional violence, on college campuses and elsewhere in the United States
over the unrest in the Middle East.
A police
statement said two of the victims were in stable condition, and the third
suffered “much more serious injuries.” It said two are US citizens and one a
legal resident.
While
there has been no conclusion of the shooter’s motive, the police confirmed that
two of the young men were wearing keffiyehs, the traditional black and white
Palestinian scarf.
“In this
charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may
have been a hate-motivated crime,” Murad said in a statement.
The
families identified the victims as Hisham Awartani, a student at Brown
University in Rhode Island; Kinnan Abdel Hamid, a student at Haverford College
in Pennsylvania; and Tahseen Ahmed, who attends Trinity College in Connecticut.
The
White House said Monday that “The president and the first lady were horrified,”
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. “These students were taking
part in a uniquely American tradition, gathering with family and loved ones to
celebrate Thanksgiving. They should be back in school with their classmates,
not in a hospital room.”
All
three victims were graduates of the Ramallah Friends School, a private Quaker
school in the West Bank, and are now attending different universities in the
northeastern United States, according to a statement from a spokesman for the
victims’ families.
“As
parents,” it read, “we are devastated by the horrific news that our children
were targeted and shot…. We call on law enforcement to conduct a thorough
investigation. We will not be comfortable until the shooter is brought to
justice.”
The Arab
American Anti-Discrimination Committee said, “We have reason to believe this
shooting occurred because the victims are Arab.” It called on Vermont
authorities to investigate the shooting as a hate crime.
Bernie
Sanders, the independent US senator from Vermont and a past presidential
candidate, called the attack “shocking and deeply upsetting,” adding, “Hate has
no place here, or anywhere.”
The
shooting came as civil rights groups have warned of a rise in hate crimes
against Arab and Muslim Americans — as well as growing anti-Semitism.
Last
month, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was stabbed to death in Illinois
and his mother was wounded. A 71-year-old suspect has pleaded not guilty.
Source: dawn.com
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the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1793181/man-arrested-over-shooting-of-three-palestinian-students-in-us
------
Biden
ditched staff advice to dismiss fake news on ‘Hamas beheading babies’
27
November 2023
President
Joe Biden of the United States has reportedly ignored his staff’s advice to
“cut a line about Hamas beheading babies because those reports were unverified.”
Shortly
after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas began Operation Al-Aqsa Storm
on October 7, Biden made a controversial comment that the White House later
walked back — that he had seen “confirmed pictures of terrorists beheading
children.”
In response
to that operation, Israel launched an air and ground offensive in the Gaza
Strip. The regime has killed over 15,000 people in Gaza ever since.
Citing
White House officials, The Washington Post reported Sunday that as Biden
prepared his pro-Israel October 10 address, Vice President Kamala Harris
suggested he should add a line to the speech denouncing Islamophobia.
“Harris
cited the way Islamophobia had dogged the Muslim and Arab communities for years
after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Biden took the suggestion,” the
newspaper quoted officials as saying.
“But he
rejected others, for instance dismissing the recommendation of some staffers
that he cut a line about Hamas beheading babies because those reports were
unverified.”
Biden
was echoing a statement made that same day by a spokesperson for Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — that babies and toddlers were found with their
“heads decapitated” in Kfar Aza, a kibbutz.
The
source behind the claim that Hamas beheaded babies during its operation against
the Israeli regime is an extremist settler who called for Palestinians to be
“wiped out” earlier this year, according to a report.
The next
day, Israel said it could not confirm the report by Netanyahu’s office. The US
president, however, repeated the remarks.
“I never
really thought that I would see, have confirmed pictures of terrorists
beheading children,” Biden said on October 18.
Israel’s
military spokesman Doron Spielman told NBC News at the time, “That specific
report and that number I can’t confirm.”
And in
mid-November, Biden said at a news conference, “Children slaughtered. Babies
slaughtered. Entire families massacred. Rape, beheadings, bodies burned alive.”
The US
president’s remarks, featured on the front pages of Western newspapers, were
increasingly blamed for a sharp rise of hate crimes and Islamophobia across the
US. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said at the time that
“anti-Palestinian rhetoric… has contributed to this unprecedented surge in
bigotry.”
CAIR
made the statement in response to the gruesome murder of a six-year-old Muslim
boy in Chicago, at the hands of the 71-year-old landlord, who stabbed the child
26 times, as he was yelling, “You Muslims must die!”
“This
young boy has paid the price for the bigotry and hatred that others have
spread,” CAIR said.
Biden
sparked controversy again, when he voiced skepticism on October 25 about the
Gaza death toll provided by the health ministry there. The following day, the
president met with five prominent Muslim Americans who protested his
insensitivity to the civilian deaths.
Source: presstv.ir
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Arab World
Islamic
ministerial committee reiterates global responsibility in addressing Gaza
crisis
November
27, 2023
BARCELONA
— The Ministerial Committee, appointed by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary
Summit, met in Barcelona on Monday. Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign
Minister, led the discussions convened with the support of Spain's Minister of
Foreign Affairs Jose Manuel Albares Bueno,
The
distinguished members of the committee, including Deputy Prime Minister and
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Jordan, Ayman Al-Safadi;
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry; Minister of Foreign
Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine, RiadMalki; Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Turkey, HakanFidan; and the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,
Ahmed AboulGheit, participated in the insightful discussions.
The
agenda encompassed a comprehensive review of the current situation in the Gaza
Strip and its environs. Deliberations highlighted the positive outcomes of the
humanitarian truce, resulting in the release and reunification of certain
prisoners with their families.
The
committee also delved into ongoing efforts to establish a sustainable
ceasefire, with a focus on ending violence, resolving long-standing conflicts,
and facilitating the opening of secure corridors for the prompt delivery of aid
and urgent relief to the Gaza Strip.
The
committee earnestly addressed global initiatives aimed at halting the war and
mitigating the humanitarian crisis it has engendered. The commitment to
safeguarding civilians and upholding the principles of international law and
humanitarian law was a focal point of the meeting.
Reaffirming
the importance of the international community's role, the Ministerial Committee
underscored the necessity for effective measures to enforce international
resolutions regarding the Palestinian issue. Holding the Israeli occupation
accountable for persistent violations of international law and humanitarian
standards was a shared concern.
The
committee members reiterated their call for the international community to act
responsibly, rejecting selectivity in the application of legal and moral
standards. They urged concerted efforts to shield the Palestinian people from
atrocities committed by occupation forces and settler militias in the Gaza
Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
The
overarching goal remains a return to the path of just, lasting, and
comprehensive peace, guided by the implementation of international resolutions
advocating the two-state solution.
The
committee emphasized the imperative of enabling the Palestinian people to
attain their legitimate rights in establishing an independent and sovereign
Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, following the lines of
June 4, 1967.
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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-----
Saudi
crown prince, Ukrainian president discuss Ukraine-Russia conflict
November
28, 2023
RIYADH:
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman received a phone call on Monday from the
president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Saudi Press Agency reported.
During
the call, the crown prince affirmed the Kingdom's commitment and support for
all international efforts aimed at resolving the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.
President
Zelensky, in turn, acknowledged the efforts undertaken by the Kingdom in this
regard.
The
conversation also included a review of the bilateral relations between the two
countries, as well as a discussion on various issues of mutual interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2416446/saudi-arabia
-------
Saudi
Arabia sends 21st Gaza aid plane
November
27, 2023
RIYADH:
A 21st Saudi plane carrying aid for Gaza on Monday took off from King Khalid
International Airport in Riyadh.
The Gaza
relief operation is being coordinated by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, with
Al-Arish International Airport in Egypt acting as the transit point.
The
latest plane was loaded with a range of essential supplies, including 39 tons
of food and shelter materials.
The
first aid ship for Gaza, carrying 1,050 tons of food, shelter, and medical
supplies, reached Port Said in Egypt, on Nov.24.
The Gaza
relief operation is being coordinated by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, with
Egypt acting as the transit point.
The aid
is being delivered into Gaza through the Rafah crossing.
Rafah,
overseen by Egypt, is the only crossing into Gaza not controlled by Israel.
KSrelief
has finalized four cooperation agreements with international organizations to
provide relief worth $40 million for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Abdullah
bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and KSrelief
supervisor-general, concluded the agreements with the UN agency for Palestinian
refugees UNRWA, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of
the Red Cross, and the World Food Programme.
The
Saudi aid campaign for the Palestinian people was launched following a directive
from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Source: arabnews.com
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-------
Cheap
cars, supersonic jets: How Saudi Arabia plans to ‘hook’ poor countries on oil
Nov 28,
2023
Saudi
Arabia is spearheading a substantial global investment initiative to boost
demand for its oil and gas in developing countries, as revealed by an
undercover investigation by the Centre for Climate Reporting. The Saudi
Arabia's initiative is designed to make countries "hooked on its harmful
products."
The oil
demand sustainability programme (ODSP), until now largely unknown, aims to
increase the use of fossil fuel-powered vehicles and aircraft in Africa and
other regions, especially as wealthier nations shift towards clean energy.
The
ODSP, directed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, involves major Saudi
organizations like the $700bn Public Investment Fund, Aramco, Sabic, and key
government ministries. While publicly, the programme is framed as enhancing
energy and transport accessibility in poorer countries and promoting
sustainability, such as by providing gas cooking stoves, all the projects
disclosed in the investigation involve escalating oil and gas usage.
Investigation
findingsThe undercover investigation, conducted by a journalist who infiltrated
key meetings and spoke with insiders, paints a concerning picture. Saudi Arabia
is not only resisting the global shift away from fossil fuels but is actively
working to undermine climate action initiatives. This approach is highlighted
by a statement from a high-ranking Saudi official, who was quoted saying,
"We see no reason to transition away from oil. It has been the lifeblood
of our economy and will continue to be so." This stance is indicative of
the kingdom's broader strategy to maintain its oil-dependent economy.
Tactics
employed
The
report details various tactics employed by Saudi Arabia to sustain its oil
industry. These include:
A
complex scheme to distribute fleets of gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles
throughout Asia and Africa, aimed at capitalizing on the growing demand for
these fuels in Saudi Arabia.
Initiatives
to partner with an unnamed major automobile manufacturer to create and market
an affordable car for emerging economies, with the goal of boosting oil
consumption for Saudi Arabia.
Efforts
to expedite the development of commercial supersonic aviation, specifically due
to its tripled jet fuel consumption compared to standard aircraft.
A
strategy to oppose government incentives for electric vehicles in various
countries globally.
Proposals
to promote the use of hazardous heavy fuel oil for power generation in regions
of Africa and South Asia.
Lobbying
against climate policies: Saudi Arabia is reportedly using its influence to
lobby against international climate policies that would limit oil usage,
thereby protecting its economic interests.
Saudi
Arabia has professed its commitment to the Paris agreement's climate goals,
which necessitate a rapid decline in fossil fuel emissions and keeping most oil
and gas reserves unexploited. However, climate policies supporting electric
vehicles pose a significant threat to the oil-rich nation's revenue.
UN’s
Cop28 climate summit
The
upcoming UN’s Cop28 climate summit will address the critical issue of whether
countries can fulfill their commitment to reduce or eliminate fossil fuels.
This year, the climate crisis has led to record-breaking temperatures and
extreme weather events, causing loss of life and livelihoods globally.
Mohamed
Adow, director of Power Shift Africa, criticized the Saudi government's
actions, comparing them to a drug dealer trying to get Africa addicted to
harmful products. He argued that Africa should not follow the polluting path of
other nations but should capitalize on its vast renewable energy potential for
a true energy transition. UN Secretary-General António Guterres also called for
international support to enable developing countries to transition to clean,
sustainable energy pathways.
(With
inputs from agencies)
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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----
Europe
Sweden’s
prime minister condemns far-right call to tear down mosques
November
27, 2023
Swedish
Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson denounced the leader of the far-right party
propping up his government on Monday after he called for some mosques to be
torn down.
Sweden
Democrats (SD) leader Jimmie Akesson called for some mosques to be seized and
levelled during a speech at his annual party conference on Saturday.
“We need
to start confiscating and tearing down mosques where anti-democratic,
anti-Swedish, homophobic, anti-Semitic propaganda or general disinformation is
being spread,” Akesson said.
Kristersson,
whose coalition government does not include SD but relies on its support,
condemned the statements as “disrespectful”.
“I think
it is a disrespectful way of expressing oneself, a polarising way of expressing
oneself,” Kristersson told broadcaster SVT.
“This
misrepresents what Sweden stands for internationally,” he added.
Akesson’s
speech sparked anger both in Sweden and abroad and forced Kristersson to issue
a statement on X, formerly Twitter, reiterating Sweden’s “constitutional right
to freedom of religion”.
“In
Sweden, we do not demolish places of worship. As a society, we must fight back
against violent extremism whatever its grounds — but we will do so within the
framework of a democratic state and the rule of law,” he said.
Former
Social Democrat prime minister Magdalena Andersson called for Kristersson to
remove all SD officials working at the cabinet offices in Stockholm.
“It
worsens the image of Sweden, does not facilitate our Nato application and
further increases polarisation in our country. This is not putting Sweden and
the Swedish people’s safety and security first,” Andersson said on X.
Sweden,
whose Nato application still needs ratification from Hungary and
Muslim-majority Turkey, has seen a slew of incidents spark tensions with
countries around the Middle East.
A series
of incidents in which the Holy Quran was desecrated earlier this year led to
protests and widespread condemnations of Sweden, with several Middle Eastern
countries summoning Swedish envoys.
Iraqi
protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad twice in July, starting fires
within the compound during the second incident.
Last
year, Sweden was the target of a vast disinformation campaign claiming its
social services were “kidnapping Muslim children” and placing them in Christian
homes, forcing the authorities to publicly deny the allegations.
Source: dawn.com
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-----
Mohammed
Amin: Muslims and Jews don’t have to import the Israel and Palestine conflict
into Britain
November
28, 2023
Mohammed
Amin MBE was a Conservative Party member for over 36 years, but is now a
Liberal Democrat. While he is Co-Chair of the Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater
Manchester, he is writing in a personal capacity.
British
Muslims and Jews have a number of common interests which are pursued more
effectively by acting together. To list just three examples:
the
retention of male circumcision,
the
retention of religious humane methods of animal slaughter for food,
the
rapid provision of death certificates for quick burial.
That is
why in 2005 the late Henry Guterman (past president of the Jewish
Representative Council for Greater Manchester and Region) and Afzal Khan (then
Deputy Lord Mayor of Manchester) promoted the creation of the Muslim Jewish
Forum of Greater Manchester. I helped by co-writing the constitution alongside
a Jewish barrister, David Berkley.
All of
the founders understood that British Muslims and Jews have widely divergent
views on Israel and Palestine. That is why many people were bemused whenever we
mentioned what we were doing, asking “Don’t Muslims and Jews always fight?”
Accordingly,
the purpose clause (current version reproduced below) was drafted very
carefully.
“The
objects for which the Forum is established are to develop the cultural and
social ties between the Muslim and Jewish Communities of Greater Manchester; to
educate members of the Muslim and Jewish Communities in relation to their
shared values and common Abrahamic tradition, heritage, history and culture;
maximising their potential and improving their health and well-being as
residents of Greater Manchester; and to promote better understanding within the
wider community of the interests and values that are common to the Muslim and
Jewish Communities.”
It
limits the Forum’s geographical coverage very tightly. Israel and Palestine are
not in Greater Manchester and therefore out of scope!
Did that
work?
“No and
yes” is the short answer.
The
Forum began with significantly more Jewish attendance than Muslim attendance,
even though there are about ten times as many Muslims in Greater Manchester
than Jews. However, from the beginning it had reasonable Muslim attendance.
Unfortunately,
a year after the Forum got going there was the 2006 second Lebanon War. Muslim
attendance plummeted, almost to zero. Once the fighting was over, Muslim
attendance built back up again. Then in late 2008 there was conflict in Gaza
with Operation Cast Lead. Muslim attendance plummeted again, but as time passed
after the conflict, it built back up again.
The
history since then has been very different. Despite significant conflict in
Gaza in 2012, 2014, and 2021, there was no impact on Muslim attendance at Forum
events. While the Forum never says anything about the Israel/Palestine conflict
itself, from time to time it finds the need to say something about the local
implications. For example, in 2014 its “statement on attitudes to the conflict
in Gaza” and statement about “Boycotts and protests directed at the Kedem store
in Manchester.”
The
current Gaza conflict
The
Hamas attack into Israel on 7 October was of a scale different to anything else
during the life of the Forum. Hamas killed more Jews than have died on any
single day since the Holocaust. Within days, large numbers of Palestinians had
been killed during the Israeli response.
As the
Forum considers it vital to keep the conflict out of Greater Manchester, it
issued a statement the following Wednesday: “The conflict in Gaza should not be
allowed to harm community relations in Greater Manchester.”
This
struck a chord. The following day, I appeared on the BBC 1 North West regional
news (interview recorded from my hotel balcony in Spain), and on the Friday the
Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester issued their own statement which
mentioned the Forum’s statement and quoted a sentence from it. The Forum’s
leaders also made other media appearances.
Given
the collapse of Muslim attendance in 2006 and 2008, I did not know whether that
would repeat now, or whether attendance would hold up as occurred in later
conflicts.
Last
Sunday, the Forum had a panel event with two Jewish and two Muslim lawyers
discussing “Does English matrimonial law betray Muslim and Jewish women?”
Gratifyingly, there was excellent attendance by Muslims and Jews, as well as
people of other faiths and none.
My view
is that this demonstrates an increase in maturity between 2006 and now. People
do understand that conflict “over there” is not a reason for division and
conflict “over here.” I believe it shows that over the last 18 years, the Forum
has helped to build much better links between the Muslim and Jewish communities
of Greater Manchester.
Source: conservativehome.com
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-----
German
Muslim leader deplores 'climate of fear' in wake of Gaza war
Oliver
Towfigh Nia
28.11.2023
A Muslim
leader in Germany lamented what he termed "a climate of fear" in the
country since the start of the Oct. 7 war between Israel and Hamas.
“We have
had so many attacks on mosque communities within weeks than ever before. We
have attacks on Muslims and also those who are perceived to be Muslims at a
rate like never before,” AimanMazyek, the chairman of the Central Council of
Muslims in Germany, told media representatives in Berlin on Monday.
It makes
me “very, very worried” when it comes to the sense of security of the Muslim
community, he added.
Mazyek
warned that Muslims could be the targets of assassination bids like the one in
the US state of Vermont, where three Palestinians were recently wounded in a
shooting attack for simply wearing the Palestinian scarf, or keffiyeh, and
speaking in Arabic.
On Nov.
6, the German government also expressed concern over growing anti-Muslim
attacks as a result of the Gaza war.
Any
attacks on Muslims in Germany, for religious or other reasons, are “absolutely
unacceptable,” government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said at a news
conference in Berlin.
“The
nearly 5 million Muslims in Germany have every right to be protected,” he
added.
Source: aa.com.tr
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-----
COP28:
inside the United Arab Emirates, the oil giant hosting 2023 climate change
summit
Nov 28,
2023
UK: The
United Arab Emirates (UAE), the world's seventh largest oil producer, will host
the 28th UN climate change summit (COP28) in Dubai from November 30 to December
12. Presiding over the conference will be the chief executive of the UAE
state-owned oil company Adnoc, Sultan al-Jaber.
Given
fossil fuels account for nearly 90% of the carbon dioxide emissions driving
climate change, many have argued that there is a clear conflict of interest in
having oil and gas producers at the helm of climate talks. The UAE is alleged
to flare more gas than it reports and plans to increase oil production from 3.7
million barrels a day to 5 million by 2027.
Some
contend that the oil and gas industry could throw the brake on greenhouse gas
emissions by investing its vast revenues into plugging gas flares and injecting
captured carbon underground. But independent assessments maintain that the
industry will need to leave at least some of its commercially recoverable
reserves permanently underground to limit global warming. No oil-exporting
country but Colombia has yet indicated it will do this.
Dubai
appears determined to undermine even this small victory. An investigation has
released documents showing the UAE hosts planned to advise a Colombian minister
that Adnoc "stands ready" to help the South American country develop
its oil and gas reserves.
The UK
invited ridicule by expanding its North Sea oil fields less than two years
after urging the world to raise its climate ambitions as summit host. The UAE
seems destined for a similar fate - before its talks have even begun.
Oil
consumption & dependence
The
UAE's fast-growing population of 9.9 million (only 1 million are Emirati
citizens) has the sixth highest CO₂ emissions per head globally.
Citizens
are used to driving gas-guzzling cars with fuel priced well below international
market rates and using air conditioning for much of the year thanks to utility
subsidies. Visiting tourists and conference-goers have come to expect chilled
shopping malls, swimming pools and lush golf greens that depend entirely on
energy-hungry desalinated water.
Despite
decades of policies aimed at diversifying the country's economy away from oil,
the UAE's hydrocarbon sector makes up a quarter of GDP, half of the country's
exports and 80% of government revenues. Oil rent helps buy socioeconomic
stability, for instance, by providing local people with public-sector
sinecures.
This
state of affairs is a central tenet of the Arabian Gulf social contract, in
which citizens of the six gulf states mostly occupy bureaucratic public sector
positions administering an oil-based economy with expatriate labour dominating
the non-oil private sector.
Tech-fixes,
targets and the future
How does
the UAE plan to cut its own emissions?
Adnoc
and other international oil companies are banking on select technologies (to
sceptics, "green cover" for further climate damage) to preserve their
core business model: extracting oil.
Adnoc,
along with the wider oil and gas industry, has invested in carbon sequestration
and making hydrogen fuel from the byproducts of oil extraction. According to
the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), such measures, even if
fully implemented, will only have a small impact on greenhouse gas emissions.
The UAE
was the first in the Middle East to ratify the Paris climate agreement and to
commit to net zero emissions by 2050. With near limitless sunshine and
substantial sovereign wealth, the UAE ranks 18th globally per capita and first
among Opec countries for solar power capacity. Solar now meets around 4.5% of
the UAE's electricity demand and projects in the pipeline will see output rise
from 23 gigawatts (GW) today to 50GW by 2031.
The
Barakah nuclear power plant (the Arab world's first) started generating
electricity in 2020. While only meeting 1% of the country's electricity demand,
when fully operational in 2030, this may rise to 25%.
The oil
sector is inherently capital-intensive, not labour-intensive, and so it cannot
provide sufficient jobs for Emiratis. The UAE will need to transition to a
knowledge-based economy with productive employment in sectors not linked to
resource extraction.
In the
UAE, sovereign wealth fund Mubadala is tasked with enabling this transition. It
has invested in a variety of high-tech sectors, spanning commercial satellites
to research and development in renewable energy.
But even
if the UAE was to achieve net zero by some measure domestically, continuing to
export oil internationally means it will be burned somewhere, and so the
climate crisis will continue to grow.
Self-interest
Is
disappointment a foregone conclusion in Dubai?
Already one
of the hottest places in the world, parts of the Middle East may be too hot to
live within the next 50 years according to some predictions.
Rising
temperatures risk the UAE's tourism and conference-hosting sectors, which have
grown meteorically since the 1990s (third-degree burns and heatstrokes won't
attract international visitors). A show-stopping announcement to further its
global leadership ambitions is not out of the question.
At some
point, one of the major oil-exporting countries must announce plans to leave
some of its commercially recoverable oil permanently untapped. COP28 provides
an ideal platform. A participating country may make such a commitment with the
caveat that it first needs to build infrastructure powered by renewable energy
and overhaul its national oil company's business model to one that supplies
renewable energy, not fossil fuel, globally.
The UAE
has the private capital and sovereign wealth required to build a post-oil
economy. But will it risk being the first mover?
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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----
Islamophobe
Greet Wilders, the new Dutch PM
Asad
Mirza
Nov 28,
2023
Last
week, veteran Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders vowed to be Prime
Minister of the Netherlands eventually, following an election in which his
party won the most seats.
Wilders
vowed on X: “I will be prime minister.”
In a
long post on X, he expressed frustration at other parties for their apparent
unwillingness to cooperate with his Freedom Party (PVV), Wilders said he would
“continue to moderate”; his positions if necessary to gain power.
Although
Wilders’ party finished well ahead of rivals in the November 22 vote on an
anti-immigration platform, his party won only 37 seats in the Dutch parliament.
That means he will have to cooperate with at least two more moderate parties in
order to form a government.
Earlier,
the conservative VVD Party, of caretaker Prime Minister Mark Rutte, which
shares many of Wilders’s views on immigration, said it would not participate in
a cabinet with him.
However
the VVD’s new leader, Dilan Yesilgoz, did not rule out offering outside support
to a Wilders-led government.
Pieter
Omtzigt, who leads the centrist reform NSC Party and is also seen as a likely
partner in a Wilders’ government, has said cooperation will be difficult due to
extreme positions Wilders has voiced that appear to violate Dutch
constitutional protections on freedom of religion.
Wilders’
stand on Islam Geert Wilders is known for his radical anti-immigration and
Islamophobic politics and his staunch Euro-scepticism.
In 2007,
Wilders sent a letter to the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant calling the Quran a
“fascist book” just like Mein Kampf. The newspaper put the letter on the front
page but in an editorial suggested that the PVV leader had gone too far with
the comparison, which was deeply hurtful and offensive to many.
This
letter and other comments led to Wilders being prosecuted for inciting hatred
and discrimination.
He
denied any wrongdoing. In 2011, he was acquitted and his comments ruled
acceptable within the context of public debate.
In a
2008 interview with the Observer, Wilders said that Islam is not a religion;
it’s an ideology, the ideology of a retarded culture. The interview coincided
with him creating a short film entitled Fitna, an Arabic word meaning “strife”.
In the
film he again criticises the Holy Quran as a “fascist book” and intersperses
images of the September 11 attacks with quotations from the Islamic holy book.
It was
screened on the internet and sparked violent protests in the Muslim world. In
February 2009, Wilders was refused entry to Britain to screen the film on the
grounds of it being a threat to public order. Wilders, who denied any
wrongdoing, appealed, and a court later said the decision was wrong.
The
Dutch public prosecutor stated that statements made in it were “hurtful and
offensive to a large number of Muslims” but not punishable by law. The episode
subsequently became part of the 2011 case.
Wilders
coined the word “Head Rag” to describe the headscarves worn by Muslim women.
In the
Netherlands’ annual political debates in September 2009, Wilders suggested an
annual tax of 1,000 euros on headscarves, provoking a scandalised reaction. His
position on headscarves, and talks on Turkish accession to Europe, had led him
to break with the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and set up the
PVV, or “Party for Freedom”, in 2005.
On
immigration, Wilders stands for decreasing and clubs it with Moroccans, whom he
describes as “scum” migrating to Netherlands and delivered a speech at The
Hague in 2014 condemning migration. In a lengthy prosecution, which he claimed
was politically motivated; this speech was eventually ruled as unlawful
discrimination in terms of insulting a group. It resulted in a criminal record
for Wilders but he was acquitted of inciting discrimination and given no other
penalty.
From
calling Moroccans “scum”, to holding competitions for cartoons of the Prophet
Mohammed, Wilders has built a career based on his self-appointed mission to
stop an “Islamic invasion” of the West.
Wilders
also condemns the Dutch democracy and has stated that there is an enormous gap
between this fake Dutch parliament and common people at large.
Talking
in the 2015 budget debates, Wilders argued for a closure of the borders and
questioned Dutch democracy because MPs did not agree with him. He also wants
The Netherlands to leave the EU, just like the UK.
Moreover,
Wilders pledges to close the Dutch representation in Ramallah, home to the
“corrupt Palestinian Authority”. He also describes Israel as the only true
democracy in the Middle East and has stated that once in power he’ll ensure
Dutch relations with Israel are strengthened and will move the Dutch embassy to
Jerusalem.
Dutch
politics
The
Netherlands is known for low corruption, press freedom and moderation, but for
the past two decades it has witnessed a rising support for far-right parties.
Prof Tom
Louwerse of Leiden University’s Institute of Political Science, told the
Guardian that the Dutch far right has polled on average 15 per cent to 20 per
cent votes in the past decade.
Matthijs
Rooduijn of Amsterdam University told a Dutch news website localnews.com that
he sees the election as a “breeding ground for right-wing populism”.
Although
Wilders is extremely right wing on immigration, he has populist policies on
healthcare, pensions, the minimum wage and social housing.
“The
electorate of the PVV in general consists of people who experience more
difficulties,” said Rooduijn. “They feel they are being neglected. They have
tough lives, economically but also culturally. And that is one of the reasons
they vote for a party that promises radical change.”
But will
this radical change happen? Wilders has won the most seats and been invited to
try to form a coalition. But the Dutch representative democracy and the process
of electing a coalition Prime Minister is very complicated. And it could take
months for him to be chosen the Prime Minister.
Overall,
the Dutch elections may serve as an indication of the increasing right-wing
sentiments in Western Europe. The far right has grown throughout much of Europe
in the past decade.
GiorgiaMeloni
of Brothers of Italy rode to power last year, the National Rally led by Marine
Le Pen came second in the 2022 French presidential election, and the
Alternative for Germany party is currently polling second.
Source: muslimmirror.com
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------
Arab
states, EU agree on need for two-state solution
November
28, 2023
BARCELONA:
Arab states and the European Union agreed at a meeting in Spain on Monday that
a two-state solution was the answer to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with
EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell saying the Palestinian Authority should
rule Gaza.
Borrell
said all EU members attending the meeting of Mediterranean nations in Barcelona
and almost all attendees had agreed on the need for a two-state solution.
The
Palestinian Authority (PA) must hold elections as soon as possible to gain
further legitimacy and improve its functioning, as the only “viable solution”
to the future leadership of Gaza, currently run by Hamas, he said.
“I
believe it is the only viable solution, but it will be viable if the
international community backs it. Otherwise, we will see a power vacuum that
will be fertile ground for all sorts of violent organisations,” Borrell said at
a press conference.
An
initial four-day truce has been extended by two days, mediator Qatar said, in
the first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since the Hamas raid on Oct 7.
Some
14,800 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombing of Gaza and hundreds of
thousands displaced.
Jordanian
Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said any talk of administration of Gaza after the
conflict should focus on the West Bank and Gaza as one entity and that the
Palestinian people should decide who rules them.
A
two-state solution envisages a state for the Palestinians in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip alongside Israel.
Palestinian
Foreign Minister Riyad al Maliki said the PA, which lost control of Gaza Strip
in a 2007 power struggle with Hamas, had no need to return to Gaza, adding: “We
have been there all the time, we have 60,000 public workers there.”
They
were speaking at the conclusion of a meeting of the Forum for the Union of the
Mediterranean in Barcelona, a 43-member grouping of European, North African and
Middle Eastern countries. Israel did not attend the summit.
Saudi
Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan spoke as a representative of a group
of ministers from the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
“We
delivered our message, it’s important that we have a ceasefire immediately,
that we build on the current truce that is in place,” he told reporters after
the conference.
German
Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock said the absence of Israel due to apparent
concern over “one-sided hostility” underscored “deep rifts”.
“That is
precisely why I am here today, even though these meetings were not previously
given a high profile by Germany. Precisely because the rifts are getting
deeper, we have to sit together, we have to talk and hear each other out,” she
said.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1793178/arab-states-eu-agree-on-need-for-two-state-solution
-------
Berlin
welcomes release of Gaza hostages, including two Germans: minister
November
28, 2023
BERLIN:
German Foreign Minister AnnalenaBaerbock welcomed Monday the release of 11 Gaza
hostages, including “two German teenagers” as part of the truce agreement
between Israel and Hamas.
“After
52 days of suffering and despair, their mother can hold them in her arms again.
“My
thoughts are with the families who are still waiting in fear. We are doing
everything we can so that they too can hold them in their arms,” Baerbock
posted on X, formerly Twitter.
The
release of the two hostages on Monday brings the total number of German
passport-holders released by Hamas to 10 — four were released on Friday and
four more on Saturday.
Baerbock
also welcomed the announcement by Hamas of a truce extension, which she said
would allow “precious time for our aid to reach the people of Gaza.”
“And
it’s a glimmer of hope so we don’t lose sight of what could happen: concrete
steps toward a secure future for all the people in the region.”
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2416461/world
------
South Asia
Pakistan
warns Afghan refugees involvement in Electoral activities
Fidel
Rahmati
November
28, 2023
Pakistan’s
Interior Ministry has issued a strict directive, stating that both illegal and
legal Afghan residents in Pakistan are prohibited from financially supporting
any political or electoral activities, including funding candidates in upcoming
elections.
Those
who are found to be in violation of this government directive will face the
prospect of being forcibly expelled, as warned by the ministry in a statement
reported by Geo News on Monday.
The
ministry’s statement unequivocally states that any Afghan citizen, regardless
of their legal status in Pakistan, engaged in such activities will be subject
to deportation.
“Any
Afghan citizen involved in such activities will be deported regardless of his
or her legal status in Pakistan,” the statement said.
In
addition to this, the ministry has urged Pakistani citizens to refrain from
employing illegal aliens or assisting them in securing employment within the
country.
Pakistani
citizens have also been encouraged to report any instances of illegal aliens or
individuals employing them.
Pakistan
is gearing up for its general elections, scheduled to take place on February 8,
2024, making these directives particularly significant in the lead-up to the
polls.
In
recent weeks, Pakistan’s interim government initiated a crackdown on illegal
migrants, resulting in the departure of approximately 400,000 Afghan nationals
from the country.
These
measures underscore the government’s determination to ensure that foreign
nationals, whether legal or illegal residents, do not influence or interfere in
Pakistan’s electoral processes.
As the
election date approaches, the enforcement of these directives will likely remain
a significant focus, with potential consequences for both Afghan residents and
those who employ them in Pakistan.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-warns-afghan-refugees-involvement-in-electoral-activities/
------
Afghan
refguees forced to retun to Afghanistan at worst possible time: WFP
Fidel
Rahmati
November
28, 2023
The
director of the World Food Program (WFP) in Afghanistan, Hsiao-Wei Lee, has
expressed deep concern regarding the forced deportation of refugees from
Pakistan ahead of the harsh winter.
Lee
highlighted that more than one million people are expected to leave Pakistan,
with over 370,000 already arriving in Afghanistan.
These
refugees are being compelled to return to Afghanistan during what is considered
the most challenging time of the year.
Lee
emphasized the grim prospects for these families, stating that they are
uncertain about their survival in the upcoming freezing winter.
Afghanistan
faces an unforgiving winter, making it extremely challenging for the returnees.
Unfortunately,
there are no welcoming arms awaiting these families in their home country.
The
returnees have voiced their dissatisfaction with the behavior of Pakistani
forces and are requesting that the deportations be halted or that they be
allowed to take their belongings with them.
Despite
calls from the UN and human rights groups to stop the deportations, Pakistani
authorities plan to complete the process by January, further intensifying the
dire situation.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/afghan-refguees-forced-to-retun-to-afghanistan-at-worst-possible-time-wfp/
-----
Iran and
India discuss formation of regional contact group for Afghanistan
Fidel
Rahmati
November
27, 2023
Iran’s
special representative for Afghanistan, Hassan KazemiQomi, recently held a
meeting with J.P. Singh, the joint secretary of India’s foreign ministry, to
explore the creation of a regional contact group for Afghanistan.
During
their discussion, Qomi emphasized the group’s objective, which is to address
political and economic issues with the ultimate goal of fostering stability in
Afghanistan.
Meanwhile,
Iran’s Charge d’Affaires in Kabul and its Special Representative for
Afghanistan had previously emphasized that the formation of a contact group by
Afghanistan’s neighbors was one of the topics discussed during the Moscow
Format meeting.
One of
the key topics of conversation was the significant role that Chabahar Port can
play in enhancing economic ties between Iran, India, and Afghanistan.
In a
parallel development, India’s Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra, during his visit
to Tehran, engaged in talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Hossein
Abdullahian and his political and economic deputies.
The
discussions between Kwatra and the Iranian delegation covered various aspects,
including bilateral relations, connectivity projects, and, notably, the
Chabahar Port.
Chabahar
Port’s strategic significance lies in providing Afghanistan access to diverse
markets, such as Europe, the Middle East, India, and China, thereby bolstering
Afghanistan’s global trade relationships.
These
diplomatic efforts highlight the shared interest of Iran and India in
supporting Afghanistan’s stability and economic development, with Chabahar Port
serving as a pivotal component of this collaboration.
The
formation of a regional contact group and discussions surrounding Chabahar Port
underscore the importance of regional cooperation in shaping Afghanistan’s
future and strengthening its ties with neighboring countries.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/iran-and-india-discuss-formation-of-regional-contact-group-for-afghanistan/
------
Pakistan's
Mass Expulsion Turns Past Good Will Into 'Hostility': Haqqani
Naveed
Samadi
November
27, 2023
The
acting Minister of Interior, Sirajuddin Haqqani, said that Pakistan—as one of
the hosting countries of Afghan refugees—has turned all its good actions
regarding the Afghan refugees over the past decades, into hostility.
Speaking
at a gathering in Ghazni where he was on a visit, Haqqani said that the
deportation of the Afghan refugees is against all national and international
laws.
“The
current decision is unfair because there was a long time of goodness but this
[decision] changed the goodness into hostility. It was not only against norms
of the Afghans but the whole world,” he said.
Addressing
the same gathering, provincial governor Mohammad Amin Omari called on the
citizens to help with the deportees.
“I call
on the whole nation. There will be sessions in all districts and a committee
will be hired for the refugees,” he said.
Meanwhile,
some of the provincial elders urged the Islamic Emirate’s officials to not
downplay Ghazni and pay attention to the province.
“May we
be having each other together as we had in the past and I hope it will be the
same in the future,” said Sayed Gul, a tribal elder.
Haqqani
earlier visited many Afghan refugees at Torkham, the main crossing between
Afghanistan and Pakistan, located in the eastern province of Nangarhar.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186229
------
Afghans
in India Complain of Challenges as Embassy Remains Shut
November
27, 2023
Afghan
nationals in India, including students, complained about the existing
challenges as the embassy has remained closed following the announcement of a
“permanent” closure of the Afghan embassy in New Delhi, effective on November
23.
The
Afghans based in India called on the Indian government and interim Afghan
government to not politicize the issue of refugees.
They
said that lack of access to facilities such as the issuance of visas, renewal
of passports and educational documents, are their main challenges.
“We
request the Indian government and officials in Afghanistan to find a solution
for this problem based on the interests of the people of Afghanistan regardless
of their [Afghan-Indian government’s] political relations and issues. So that
the Afghan nationals will not be deprived of the support of the embassies and
consulates,” said Sibghatullah, a student.
“The
refugees and us students have faced vast problems such as lack of renewal of
our visas, lack of processing of our educational documents and lack of renewal
of our passports,” said IshaqSarwari, a student.
However,
the Islamic Emirate has not yet commented on the issue, but some former
diplomats believe that India applied pressure in order to help the embassy come
under the Islamic Emirate’s control.
According
to them, India is doing so to improve its relations with the current rulers in Afghanistan.
“It
created some pressure on the embassy to retake the embassy from the previous
government until the ground is paved to invite and accept the Islamic Emirate’s
diplomat, so that the relations between India and Taliban are ensured,” said
Aziz Maarij, a former diplomat.
“The
Islamic Emirate and the Indian government should pay diplomatic efforts to
reopen the Afghanistan embassy in India,” said Ahmad Khan Andar, international
relations analyst.
Earlier,
the Embassy of Afghanistan in New Delhi announced in a statement the permanent
closing of its diplomatic mission in New Delhi, effective from Nov 23, owing to
"persistent challenges from the Indian government."
According
to the statement, the diplomats of the “Afghan Republic have handed over the mission
solely to the Indian government.”
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186232
------
Turkey
Strengthens Cultural Ties with Afghanistan Through Museum Construction in Herat
2023-11-27
KABUL
(BNA): In a testament to the enduring friendship between Turkey and
Afghanistan, Turkish Ambassador Cenk Ünal has announced the construction of a
unique museum in Herat province.
This
initiative was discussed during a meeting with MawlaviAhmadullahMuttaqi, the
director of information and culture for Herat province.
Ambassador
Ünal highlighted the deep-rooted historical, religious, and cultural ties
between the two nations.
The
museum is part of Ankara’s broader plan to fortify these connections through
various cultural and construction projects in Herat province.
Turkey’s
commitment to cultural preservation in Herat is evident in its ongoing
projects, which include the construction of an ablution room for the Herat
Jamia Mosque, the Maulana Symposium, the Dar al-Funun Exhibition, the Behzad
Gallery, and the Ali Sher Navayee Library.
Looking
ahead to 2024, plans are in place to implement further initiatives such as the
construction of the underground mosque, Shahzada Takht, handicraft factories to
promote art, the printing of Nastaliq books, and the reconstruction of the
library.
MawlaviAhmadullahMuttaqi
expressed gratitude for the efforts of the Tika Turkish office in Herat,
particularly in the restoration of historical sites.
He noted
that Herat is home to over 850 historical lakes, some dating back thousands of
years.
In light
of the recent earthquake damage to some of Herat’s historical buildings,
Muttaqi has requested Turkey’s assistance in their restoration.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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-----
Mideast
More
Israeli hostages expected to be freed after Gaza truce extended
Nov 28,
2023
CAIRO:
An Israel-Hamas truce in the Gaza Strip stretched into a fifth day on Tuesday
as the two sides completed the release of Israeli hostages and detained
Palestinians and looked poised to free more as the pause in fighting was
extended by two days.
Hamas
took about 240 hostages during an Oct. 7 incursion into southern Israel that
killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli figures, prompting Israel to
retaliate by bombing the coastal enclave and launching a ground offensive in
its north.
Israel
said 11 Israelis had returned to the country from the Gaza Strip on Monday,
bringing to 69 the total of Israeli and foreign hostages the Islamist
Palestinian group has freed since Friday under the truce.
The
White House and Qatari negotiators said on Monday the original four day pause
in fighting, due to expire at 0500 GMT on Tuesday, had been extended for two
more days.
Israel
has not commented on any agreement to extend the truce but, in what may be an
implicit confirmation, the Israeli prime minister's office said the government
approved the addition of 50 female prisoners to its list of Palestinians for
potential release if additional Israeli hostages are freed.
Israel
previously said it would extend the truce by one day for every 10 more hostages
released, providing some respite from the war.
Israel's
government has received a list of hostages who are expected to be released on
Tuesday, Israel's Army Radio reported, citing the Israeli prime minister's
office.
The Axios
news website reported the list contained 10 hostages. There was no immediate
comment from the prime minister's office.
Clashes
outside prison
The
Israel Prison Service said 33 Palestinian prisoners were released on Monday
from Israel's Ofer prison in the occupied West Bank and from a detention centre
in Jerusalem, bringing the total number of Palestinians it has freed since
Friday to 150.
Israeli
forces clashed with some of the dozens of Palestinians who gathered outside
Ofer prison to await the prisoner release, the Palestinian health ministry
said.
Some of
the protesters waved the flags of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian
militant group.
The
ministry said a Palestinian was killed in the area, and that it was unclear if
he had participated in the clashes. Palestinian media reported he was shot
dead. Israel had no immediate comment on the incident.
In
response to the Oct. 7 attack, Israel has bombarded the Gaza Strip and mounted
a ground offensive in the north. More than 15,000 Palestinians have been
killed, Gaza's Hamas-run government says, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Each day
since the truce began on Friday, Hamas has released some hostages while Israel
has freed some Palestinians it holds. Of the 69 hostages freed by Hamas were 51
Israelis and 18 foreigners.
Ido Dan,
a relative of Israelis Sahar Calderon, 16, and Erez Calderon, 12, spoke of the
joy at their release on Monday mixed with anxiety about their father, Ofer, who
is still being held.
"It
is difficult to go from a state of endless anxiety about their fate to a state
of relief and joy," Dan said. "This is an exciting and heart-filling
moment but ... it is the beginning of a difficult rehabilitation process for
Sahar and Erez, who are still young and have been through an unbearable
experience."
The US
State Department said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken would visit Israel,
the West Bank and the United Arab Emirates this week to discuss sustaining aid
flows to Gaza and freeing all hostages as well as US principles for the future
of Gaza and the need for an independent Palestinian state.
The
original truce agreement allowed more aid trucks into Gaza, where the civilian
population faces shortages of food, fuel, drinking water and medicine. An
estimated 1.8 million of the territory's 2.3 million population are internally
displaced, according to the United Nations.
While
describing the extension as "a glimpse of hope and humanity," UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said two more days was not enough time to
meet Gaza's aid needs.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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------
Qatar
claims deal to extend Gaza truce by two days
November
28, 2023
CAIRO:
Mediator Qatar said on Monday that a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza had
been extended by two days, while Palestinian authorities have demanded the
Israeli military release information about who have been detained from Gaza
during its assault on the territory.
“An
agreement has been reached to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional
two days in the Gaza Strip,” a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said in a
post on social media platform X.
There
was no immediate comment from Israel, but the White House welcomed the
extension of the humanitarian pause in Gaza.
Hamas
also said it had agreed to a two-day extension to the truce with Qatar and
Egypt, which have been facilitating indirect negotiations between the two
sides.
“An
agreement has been reached with the brothers in Qatar and Egypt to extend the
temporary humanitarian truce by two more days, with the same conditions as in
the previous truce,” an official said in a phone call with Reuters.
None of
the announcements specified how many prisoners would be released, but
earlier the head of Egypt’s State Information Service, DiaaRashwan, had said the
deal being negotiated would include the release of 20 Israeli prisoners. In
exchange 60 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails would be freed, he
said.
The
initial four-day truce was due to end on Monday night.
With the
release of 11 Israeli prisoners expected on Monday, negotiations remain ongoing
for the release of 33 Palestinians, Rashwan added.
It’s a
“glimpse of hope and humanity” in the middle of the darkness and I strongly
hope that these will enable us to increase even “more the humanitarian aid to
the people in Gaza that is suffering so much,” UN Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres said.
“As the
Islamic Republic of Iran, we want and expect... that the crimes of the Zionist
regime against the Palestinian people will be stopped completely,” said Nasser
Kanani, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman.
The
Qatari announcement came after US President Joe Biden, top EU envoy Josep
Borrell and Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg all joined a global chorus
urging the parties to extend their temporary break in Israeli bombardment.
Borrell
called for the pause to be prolonged “to make it sustainable and long lasting
while working for a political solution.” Borrell made the comments during a
news conference held in Barcelona during the Union for the Mediterranean
summit.
In a
same event, Palestinian Foreign Minister al-Maliki said if truce was not
extended, the death toll would double because Gaza’s population was now
concentrated in the south of the strip.
Jordan’s
foreign minister said that “Some among us are still refusing to call for a
ceasefire... We demand it be implemented immediately.” “I call for an
extension of the pause. This would allow for much needed relief to the people
of Gaza”, Stoltenberg said.
Detainees
The head
of the Palestinian Authority’s commission for prisoners, Qaddura Fares, said on
Sunday that Israeli officials had told him at one point their side had made 105
arrests.
But he
said Israel had not announced the number publicly and there was “no detail
about what has become of these people”. “We fear they may have been killed
after being detained and interrogated,” he told AFP.
They demanded
the Israel to release information about more than 100 people thought to have
been detained.
The UN
humanitarian affairs office OCHA said in a report that Israeli forces had
detained people walking to southern Gaza from the north on the Salah al-Din
road during the Israeli operations and a truce that came into force on November
24.
Red
Cross medical worker Ramadan Hossu said in a video released by his organisation
that Israeli forces strip-searched and handcuffed him after detaining him on
the road.
One
displaced Gaza resident, Sahar Awwad, told AFP that Israeli soldiers detained
her son Mohammed as he tried to leave southern Gaza on November 12.
“He was freed after nine days” after “undergoing torture,” Awwad said. ‘
Source: dawn.com
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-------
Israel
to fight across all of Gaza after humanitarian pause: Defense minister
Ahmed
Asmar
28.11.2023
Israeli Defense
Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday that once the humanitarian pause ends in
Gaza, the army will resume its military operation throughout the entire Gaza
Strip with greater strength.
"You
now have a few days. We will return to fighting. We will use the same amount of
power and more," Gallant said while meeting with Israeli troops, according
to the Times of Israel news website
"We
will fight in the entire Strip," he added.
“Remember
that while you are organizing and resting and investigating, the enemy is also
doing the same,” he said, referring to the Palestinian group Hamas.
Qatar
announced an agreement late Monday on extending a four-day humanitarian pause
between Israel and Hamas in Gaza for an additional two days, under which
further prisoner exchanges will be carried out.
Israel
launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border
attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has
since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more
than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The
official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israel-to-fight-across-all-of-gaza-after-humanitarian-pause-defense-minister/3066541
-------
Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus president condemns claims of use of UK base in
Greek Cyprus to support Israel
Nuri
Aydin and Mehmet Sah Yilmaz
28.11.2023
The
President of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) commented on the
allegations that the UK used its bases in Greek Cyprus to support Israel's
attacks on Gaza, emphasizing that such actions would never receive approval
from the Turkish people.
President
Ersin Tatar told Anadolu it was unpleasant for the UK, as a respected state, to
support such a massacre. He said, "If the intervention is made from
Cyprus, it is even worse because Cyprus is our homeland where we were born and
raised. The Turkish Cypriot people condemned such an incident and never
approved of it. Being a part of such brutality, such oppression from
here."
After
Oct. 7, it is alleged that the UK used its bases in Southern Cyprus to support
Israel's attacks on Gaza.
Haaretz
newspaper claimed that more than 40 US cargo planes, 20 British cargo planes,
and seven cargo helicopters transported weapons, equipment, and personnel to
the Akrotiri base on the island of Cyprus.
Greek
Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides argued that the UK bases on the island
were not used by the US for transporting weapons and ammunition to Israel but
were prepared for possible evacuations in the region by the British and
Americans.
Cyprus
Mail reported on Nov. 21 that the UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces,
James Heappey, announced an increase in the number of troops on the island and
in the Eastern Mediterranean from 3,500 to 4,500 after Oct. 7.
The UK
Ministry of Defense informed Parliament on Nov. 13 that the Royal Air Force
provided surveillance support to Israel with the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol
aircraft and other military vehicles after Oct.7.
On Oct.
13, the UK Prime Minister's Office announced that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
had instructed the deployment of two warships, three military helicopters, and
some aircraft to the bases on the Greek side of the island for support to
Israel, strengthening regional stability, and increasing deterrence in the
area.
Condemning
Israel's attacks on Gaza, Tatar stated, "As the Turkish Cypriot people, we
express our discomfort at the highest level. We condemn this violence, this
brutality, which can lead to the death of thousands of people, including
innocent civilians, children, and the elderly, against disproportionate force."
Highlighting
that Türkiye is the only country fulfilling its role among the guarantors with
the 1974 Cyprus Peace Operation, Tatar reminded that the UK remained
indifferent during the 1963 events. He said, "However, they interfere in
another country's affairs by using these bases. Because of the bases they
acquired in the past, the UK can conduct military operations in these regions
as it pleases."
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/turkish-republic-of-northern-cyprus-president-condemns-claims-of-use-of-uk-base-in-greek-cyprus-to-support-israel/3066629
-----
Israeli
premier's office receives list of hostages to be freed on Tuesday
Ahmed
Gouda
28.11.2023
The
office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that they have
received a list of the fifth batch of hostages who are expected to be released
as part of a hostage swap deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.
“Israel
has received the list of hostages expected to be released later on Tuesday, and
their families have been informed,” it said in a statement.
Israel’s
Haaretz daily reported that “Israel has received a list of the names of the 10
hostages who will be released on Tuesday. The families have been notified.”
“The
Prime Minister's office has received the list of the hostages who will be
released on Tuesday. The list is currently under review, and messages are now
being delivered to the families of hostages,” the Maariv daily reported.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-premiers-office-receives-list-of-hostages-to-be-freed-on-tuesday/3066524
-----
Hamas
chief in Gaza meets with some Israeli hostages: Israeli media
Ahmed
Asmar
28.11.2023
The
leader of the Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, met with some
Israeli hostages being held in tunnels in the Gaza Strip, Israeli media
reported Monday.
At least
one of the released hostages said Sinwar spoke with them in Hebrew, according
to the Haaretz daily.
He told
them they are safe with Hamas and do not need to fear.
Israeli
Channel 12 reported that the story has been confirmed by the Israeli security
establishment.
Sinwar
is one of Israel's most wanted men, as it considers him to be behind Hamas’
Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israeli locations surrounding Gaza, which was
followed by a devastating Israeli onslaught against the enclave.
A
Qatari-mediated four-day humanitarian pause took effect on Friday which
temporarily halted Israel’s attacks on Gaza and included the freeing by Hamas
of 50 Israelis in exchange for the release by Israel of 150 Palestinian women
and children from Israeli jails.
Israel
launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following the
cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has
since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more
than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The
official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
Source: aa.com.tr
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Gaza
Health Ministry manages to reopen dialysis department at Al-Shifa Hospital
Mohammad
Majid
28.11.2023
The
Health Ministry in Gaza said Monday that it managed to reopen the dialysis
department at Al-Shifa Hospital despite the large-scale damage caused by the
Israeli army.
"Despite
the huge amount of damage caused by the (Israeli) occupation to the
(hospital’s) infrastructure...the Health Ministry managed to reopen the
dialysis department with exceptional efforts," the ministry said in a
statement.
It urged
dialysis patients in Gaza City and the northern areas of Gaza to head to
Al-Shifa Hospital to receive medical treatment.
On Nov.
24, the Israeli army withdrew from Al-Shifa Hospital after taking control of it
for 10 days, during which it destroyed much of the hospital, according to local
sources.
The
Israeli army carried out search operations throughout the hospital, claiming
that the Palestinian group Hamas used it as a command center, an accusation
that could not be convincingly proven by the army and was categorically
rejected by Hamas.
On
Monday evening, Qatar announced the extension of a four-day humanitarian pause
in Gaza between Israel and Hamas for an additional two days.
Israel
launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border
attack by Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has
since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more
than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The
official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/gaza-health-ministry-manages-to-reopen-dialysis-department-at-al-shifa-hospital/3066520
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4th
batch of hostages released by Hamas arrives in Israel
Zein
Khalil
28.11.2023
The
Israeli army announced late Monday that 11 Israeli hostages held by Hamas in
the Gaza Strip had arrived in Israel as part of a hostage swap deal with the
Palestinian group reached through Qatari, Egyptian and American mediation.
“An
elite unit of the Israeli army and a force from the Shabak (General Security
Service) are currently accompanying the kidnapped individuals, the 11 who have
returned to Israel,” the army said in a brief statement.
“After
conducting an initial assessment of their health, our forces will accompany the
returnees until they reach their families in hospitals,” it said.
"We
will continue collaborating with security agencies for the return of all
kidnapped individuals. The spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces urges
the public to exercise patience and respect the privacy of the returnees and
their families,” it added.
The
official Israeli Broadcasting Authority said that among the released detainees
were nine children and two women.
It also
reported that Hamas released six detainees from Thailand who were in its
custody.
The
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that Thai Foreign Minister
ParnpreeBahiddha-Nukara would arrive in Israel on Tuesday and meet with the
released Thais.
Qatar’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that 33 Palestinians -- 30 children and three
women -- would be released tonight in exchange for the freeing of the 11
Israeli hostages.
Ministry
spokesperson Majid Al-Ansari said on X that the released Israelis include three
with French nationality, two with German nationality and six with Argentine
nationality.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/4th-batch-of-hostages-released-by-hamas-arrives-in-israel/3066492
------
Iranian
president Raisi in Turkiye to forge joint response to Gaza war
November
28, 2023
ANKARA:
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi makes his first official visit to Turkiye on
Tuesday, hoping to paper over past differences and forge a forceful joint
response to Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has emerged as one of the Muslim world’s most
vocal critics of Israel’s onslaught on Gaza in response to Hamas militants’
October 7 attack.
He has
branded Israel a “terrorist state” and called Iran-backed Hamas “a liberation
group.”
Erdogan
has also suggested trying Israeli politicians and military commanders in the
International Criminal Court in the Hague.
But past
meetings between Muslim and Arab leaders — including talks this month in Riyadh
— have failed to find common ground over what immediate economic and political
steps to take.
Analysts
believe that Raisi will pressure Turkiye to move past the rhetoric and cut its
blossoming trade and energy relations with Israel.
“Iran
expects Turkiye to end its direct and indirect trade with Israel,” Istanbul’s
Center for Iranian Studies director Hakki Uygur said.
“Turkiye,
on the other hand, has taken an attitude that cares about separating political
and commercial issues.”
According
to Gaza’s Hamas-led government, nearly 15,000 people — mostly civilians and
including thousands of children — have died since Israel began to retaliate for
Hamas’s unprecedented cross-border attacks in which Israel says 1,200 people,
mostly civilians, died.
Raisi’s
visit comes with efforts focused on extending a truce that has seen dozens of
Israeli hostages freed in return for the release of more than 100 Palestinian
prisoners.
Iran and
Turkiye share a 535-kilometer border and a complex history of close economic
relations and opposing views on regional disputes.
Turkiye
backed rebel efforts to topple Iranian and Russian-backed President Bashar
Assad during Syria’s civil war.
Ankara’s
support for Azerbaijan’s two victorious wars over Armenian separatists in
Nagorno-Karabakh also created deep unease in Iran.
Tehran
fears that Baku’s resurgence in the Caucasus region could feed the separatist
ambitions of Iran’s large ethnic Azerbaijani minority.
Iran is
also anxious about a proposed trade route running along its northern border
between Azerbaijan and Turkiye that could potentially complicate its access to
Armenia.
“The
most important conflict between Turkiye and Iran was over the Caucasus and
Karabakh,” Ankara-based Iran expert ArifKeskin said.
“With
the Gaza conflict, this issue was pushed to the back burner, but it still
remains there as an important issue,” Keskin said.
The
Turkish presidency said Erdogan discussed finding “a common stance against
Israel’s brutality” by phone with Raisi on Sunday.
Analysts
believe that Iran is trying to calibrate the extent to which it uses groups
such as Hamas and Hezbollah in Lebanon to pressure Israel and the United
States.
“Iran
has been wary of intervening in the ongoing Middle East crisis and is likely to
avoid any action that might escalate the conflict,” the Eurasia Group said in a
report.
“As Iran
does not have total control over its allies, there is a risk that unintended
actions bring US retaliation and escalate the conflict,” it said.
Erdogan
has also voiced repeated worries about the spread of war.
“Iran
and Turkiye will continue to work in unity to make the temporary ceasefire
permanent and achieve permanent peace,” Erdogan’as office said after his call
with Raisi.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2416551/middle-east
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Rare
survey details how Gazans wary of Hamas before Israel attack
November
28, 2023
PRINCETON,
United States: Many Gazans were hostile to Hamas ahead of the group’s brutal
October 7 attack on Israel, with some describing its rule as a second
occupation, according to rare polling data analyzed by a US-Palestinian
researcher.
The
findings are striking against a backdrop of protests and counter-protests
triggered by the attack, with the relationship between Hamas and ordinary
Gazans often the subject of heated debate.
“We find
in our surveys that 67 percent of Palestinians in Gaza had little or no trust
in Hamas in that period right before the attacks,” said Amaney Jamal, dean of
Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs.
“This is
especially important because of the (erroneous) argument that all of Gaza
supports Hamas, and therefore all of Gaza should be held accountable for the
actions, atrocious actions of Hamas.”
Jamal is
one of the driving forces behind the Arab Barometer which conducts surveys and
polling in the region, including in Gaza where fieldwork concluded on the eve
of the attacks on Israel.
She said
that Hamas, which won elections in the Palestinian territories in 2006 and is
designated a “terrorist” organization by Washington and the EU, was seen as
“corrupt” and “authoritarian” by many respondents.
“Seventy-five
percent said in the previous 30 days, they could not afford to feed their
households. So again, this is an impoverished society, a society that is
basically saying the Hamas-led government has some levels of corruption,” said
Jamal.
“When we
ask people, who do you blame?... we thought that the number-one culprit was
going to be Israel because of the blockade. But most people cited Hamas
corruption, more so than they cited the Israel blockade.”
Jamal,
52 and born in California and brought up in her family’s native Ramallah, said
there was also a perception that “the Palestinian Authority or the Hamas-led
government across time have become more dictatorial — and more authoritarian.”
“For the
average Palestinian in the West Bank or in Gaza (they say) ‘we have this (Israeli)
occupation and then we have these Palestinian governments that are also
authoritarian’. So a common phrase is we used to be occupied by one power, now
we’re occupied by two.”
The
latest Arab Barometer was undertaken in Gaza, where 399 people were surveyed,
and the West Bank, where 790 were polled, from the end of September to October
6. Its findings were published in the journal Foreign Affairs.
“About
60 percent said that they believed they could not express their opinions freely
and openly at the eve of the attacks (and) about 72 percent said that they
could not protest peacefully against the Hamas-led government,” Jamal said.
“There was fear of retaliation or retribution from the government.”
The
Palestinian Authority of president Mahmud Abbas, which runs Palestinian areas
in the West Bank, fared poorly in Jamal’s survey, with only 9 percent of
responses favorable.
Despite
the majority negative view of Hamas uncovered by Jamal’s research, the report
cautions that following the Hamas attack on Israel, perceptions may have
changed.
“Israel
cut off water, food, fuel, and electricity supplies to Gaza following the
October 7 attacks, plunging the territory into a deep humanitarian crisis...
the suffering the Palestinians have experienced has likely hardened their
attitude,” it said.
Ahead of
the attacks on Israel, more than half of respondents favored a two-state
solution — a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
The
remainder opted either for a Palestinian-Israeli confederation or a one-state
solution. But one-in-five supported armed resistance before the events of
October 7, and the massive Israeli military response that followed.
“(Gazans
were) open to a peaceful reconciliation with Israel based on 1967 borders,”
Jamal said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2416476/middle-east
------
Iraq
sees risk of regional conflict if Gaza war resumes
November
27, 2023
BAGHDAD:
Iraq sees a risk of regional conflict if the current truce in Gaza is not
turned into a permanent cease-fire, the Iraqi prime minister’s foreign affairs
adviser said, as mediators sought an extension of the temporary four-day
Israel-Hamas truce.
Israel’s
devastating bombardment of Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel
has drawn in Iran-aligned armed groups in the region including Lebanese
Hezbollah and several Iraqi factions, who have mounted near-daily attacks on
Israeli and US forces.
But
there have been no reports of attacks on US forces in Iraq or Syria since
Israel and Hamas began a four-day truce last week that was set to expire on
Monday, compared to over 70 in the weeks prior.
Some of
the main Iraqi armed factions behind the recent attacks, including Kataib
Sayyid Al-Shuhada and Kataeb Hezbollah, have announced they will abide by the
Gaza cease-fire but indicated they would resume attacks if it ends.
They
have also said in statements that they still seek the eventual ouster of US
forces in Iraq. There are around 2,500 US troops on a mission the US says is to
advise and assist Iraqi forces battling remnants of Islamic State.
“The
entire region is on the verge of a devastating conflict that may include
everyone, and the extent of its expansion or how to control and stop it is not
known,” said FarhadAlaadin, foreign affairs adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister
Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
“For
this reason, we see any cease-fire in the conflict as beneficial and important
at this stage for the people of Palestine and Gaza first and for all countries
in the region, including Iraq,” he told Reuters.
European
Union Ambassador to Iraq Thomas Seiler said in a social media post that he
hopes Iraqi factions “continue with their cessation of attacks.”
Two sets
of US strikes in Iraq last week killed 10 members of Kataeb Hezbollah,
according to posts by the group on social media, a move condemned by the Iraqi
government as escalatory and a violation of sovereignty.
Kataeb
Hezbollah is part of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a group of
mostly Shiite Muslim armed groups formed to fight Islamic State in 2014 that
became an official security agency under the command of the prime minister.
While
technically part of the state, some of the PMF’s most powerful Iran-backed
factions often act outside the chain of command. Sudani has said attacks by
armed groups on foreign forces in Iraq were unlawful and went against the
country’s national interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2416391/middle-east
------
Hamas
once again scores major victory in cognitive war against Tel Aviv: Israeli
think tank
28
November 2023
An
Israeli independent think-tank says the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas
has scored more victories against Israel during the war on Gaza.
“Hamas
has once again succeeded in mocking Israel, racking its nerves, and reaping
gains in the cognitive realm,” the so-called Institute for National Security
Studies said on Monday.
The
research institute said Hamas’ “superiority in the cognitive war” allows it to
“consolidate its expanding support” among the Palestinian people, referring to
celebrations held in the occupied West Bank and east al-Quds following the
release of Palestinian hostages from Israeli prisons as part of the underway
temporary ceasefire agreement reached between the resistance movement and Tel
Aviv.
“Their
release was interpreted as yet another Hamas victory and achievement. Their
release deepens Hamas's grip on the West Bank and public support for the organization.”
“At the
end of the day, Hamas won another battle in the ongoing cognitive campaign. The
move sends an important signal to its people and supporters regarding its
steadfastness and adherence to the continuation of the struggle,” the report
reads.
Amid the
death and destruction caused by weeks of Israeli bombing campaign in the
besieged Gaza Strip, Palestinian prisoners freed under the truce deal have
mixed emotions.
Noting
that Israel was forced to reach a deal with Hamas to free Israeli captives held
in Gaza, the research institute said “It is unfathomable that Hamas sets the
terms, decide when they have been violated, and act as if in a position of
power.”
Hamas
“has succeeded, from the depths of its plight, in manipulating an entire
country,” the group said in reference to the Israeli entity.
Israel
launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement
Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity
in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and
devastation against Palestinians.
Tel Aviv
also blocked water, food, and electricity to Gaza, plunging the coastal strip
into a humanitarian crisis.
More
than 15,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in
the Israeli strikes.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/28/715421/Hamas-scores-victories-against-Israel
------
Africa
ICC
halts investigation into deadly post-election violence in Kenya
Andrew
Wasike
28.11.2023
The
International Criminal Court (ICC) announced Monday that it is halting an
investigation into violence that broke out after Kenya’s 2007 presidential
elections which led to charges against six suspects accused of crimes against
humanity.
The
2007-2008 post-election violence inflicted a devastating toll, claiming over
1,200 lives as the nation grappled with political and ethnic unrest.
The ICC
announced the conclusion of the investigation, noting the decision was reached
after a careful consideration of the specific facts and circumstances
surrounding the case.
It noted
that it will not pursue additional cases of alleged criminal responsibility.
"After
assessing all the information available to me at this time, I have decided to
conclude the investigation phase in the situation in Kenya. I have reached this
decision after considering the specific facts and circumstances of this
situation," said ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan.
"Accordingly,
the office will not pursue additional cases into the alleged criminal
responsibility of other persons."
The
investigation in Kenya began in 2010 following allegations of widespread crimes
against humanity committed in the context of post-election violence in 2007 and
2008.
It led
to charges against six suspects in two separate cases. Notable figures included
William Ruto, Kenya’s current president, who was accused of orchestrating
violence, and Joshua Arap Sang, a radio executive, who was charged with
inciting violence through the media.
Uhuru
Kenyatta, who served as Kenya's president until last year, was also implicated
in the ICC proceedings for crimes against humanity.
However,
the charges against Ruto, Sang and Kenyatta were later dropped due to insufficient
evidence and witness interference.
Others
who were accused of crimes against humanity include former journalist Walter
Barasa, lawyer Paul Gicheru, and laywer Philip Kipkoech Bett.
Following
the death of Gicheru, the Trial Chamber terminated the proceedings against him.
However,
the ICC maintained its capacity to act on information related to retaliation
against witnesses.
Notably,
cases against Barasa and Bett for offenses against the administration of
justice remain before the Court.
"Our
work in the situation in Kenya will continue in relation to the two pending
cases," Khan said.
"We
will continue to monitor the situation closely and will take action if
appropriate," he added, noting that the relevant authorities in Kenya have
been informed of the decision. Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/icc-halts-investigation-into-deadly-post-election-violence-in-kenya/3066523
------
Israel's
'arrogant logic' failed in face of Palestinian people’s determination: Tunisia
Adel
Thabeti
28.11.2023
Israel’s
"logic of arrogance and power" failed in the face of the Palestinian
people's determination, Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar said Monday.
"It
is not possible anymore for the world to dismiss the root cause of the
conflict, which has always been the (Israeli) occupation," Ammar said in
his speech at the 8th Regional Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean in the
Spanish city of Barcelona.
"We
confirm that the logic of arrogance and power as well as the excessive violence
by the occupation entity to diminish the determination of the Palestinian
people have failed," he said.
Ammar
added that empowering the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights are a
basic condition for the Union for the Mediterranean to realize its goals.
The
Union for the Mediterranean, an intergovernmental organization of 43 member
states, was founded 15 years ago in the wake of the Oslo Accords in the spirit
of shared peace and prosperity for the Mediterranean region.
Israel,
one of the group’s founding members, did not send a representative to Monday's
meeting.
Israel
launched a massive military campaign in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border
attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.
It has
since killed at least 14,854 Palestinians, including 6,150 children and more
than 4,000 women, according to health authorities in the enclave.
The
official Israeli death toll stands at 1,200.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israels-arrogant-logic-failed-in-face-of-palestinian-people-s-determination-tunisia/3066519
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163
illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast in past week
Nov 28,
2023
TEHRAN,
Nov. 27 (MNA) – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday
said 163 illegal migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya in the past week.
"From
Nov. 19 to Nov. 25, 163 migrants were intercepted and returned to Libya,"
IOM said in a statement, Xinhua reports.
The
rescued migrants included 20 women and 12 children, IOM said, adding that one
dead body of an illegal migrant was retrieved.
So far
this year, a total of 15,057 illegal migrants were rescued and returned to Libya,
while 947 died and 1,256 went missing on the central Mediterranean route off
the Libyan coast, according to IOM.
In 2022,
the number of rescued stood at 24,684, while the dead and the missing reached
529 and 848, respectively.
As Libya
descended into chaos after the fall of late leader Muammar Gaddafi's regime in
2011, many migrants, mostly Africans, chose the country as a departure point to
cross the Mediterranean to reach European shores
Source: mehrnews.com
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the full text of the original
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/208914/163-illegal-migrants-rescued-off-Libyan-coast-in-past-week
------
Islamic
body offers scholarship to 857 indigent students in Nasarawa
November
28, 2023
The
Islamic Society of Eggonland (ISE) a Nasarawa-based charity organisation, has
awarded scholarship to 857 indigent students pursuing higher education in
various academic fields in the country.
Alhaji
Umar Galle, the General Secretary of the organisation said this at a news
conference in Nasarawa Eggon.
Galle
said the organisation provided scholarship to indigent students from low
-income backgrounds, regardless of their
faith and ethnicity, who were pursuing higher education in various academic
fields.
He said
that the amount given to each beneficiary depended on students’ course of
study.
”For
example, medicine students did not take the same amount with social science
students among other fields. Out of the 857 scholarship recipients, a total of
526 are new beneficiaries and 331 are existing or old beneficiaries. Out of the
857 scholarship recipients, 649 are Muslims and 208 are Christians,” he said.
Galle
said the organisation received 758 applications in 2023, adding that it
shortlisted 526 and rejected 232 based on its eligibility criteria.
“Out of
the 758 new applications, 546 were from Muslim students and 208 were from
Christian students.
” We
shortlisted 406 and 120 respectively and rejected 140 and 88 respectively,” he
said.
Abdullahi
Galle said that out of the 857 recipients, 517 were males while 340 were
females.
“Out of
the 857 scholarship recipients, 9 are pursuing Ph.D, 26 are pursuing M.Sc is
pursuing law part 11, one is pursuing PGD and 481 are pursuing B.Sc.
“36 are
pursuing HND, 87 are pursuing NCE, 78 are pursuing ND polytechnic, 27 are
pursuing ND Nursing and midwifery and 111 are pursuing ND school and college of
health,” he said.
He said
that the scholarship was diverse and inclusive covering students from different
religious backgrounds, genders and academic fields.
“We
believe that education is the key to empowerment and development and we are
committed to supporting students who have the potential and the passion to
achieve their dreams,” he said.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
Please click the following URL to read the
full text of the original
https://thenationonlineng.net/islamic-body-offers-scholarship-to-857-indigent-students-in-nasarawa/
------
Church
donates ICU to Alimosho General Hospital
November
28, 2023
The
Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) Region 36, Egbeda, Lagos State, has
donated an intensive care unit (ICU) to the Alimosho General Hospital, Igando.
The ICU is named after General Overseer of the RCCG and his wife, Pastor Enoch
and Mrs. FoluAdeboye.
Mrs.
Adeboye, while opening the ICU at the weekend, described it as an attestation
of God’s love being expressed through his children. She stressed the need for
human beings to ‘think of others and what will benefit them’.
The
cleric, popularly called ‘Mummy G.O, also urged the people to be intentional about
living healthy. “Health is more important than prosperity. We must desire good
health and work towards a healthy living. We must also nurture our children in
health so we don’t waste resources.
“And to
the donors of this centre, Daddy and I are proud of you and your efforts. We
are joyful that our children are walking in the light. May heaven reward you
abundantly,” she added.
Pastor
in charge of Region 36, Dele Jayeoba, said the church decided on the project
because it has a culture of excellence in ensuring that its Corporate Social
Responsibility projects (CSR) has great positive impacts on the society.
“This is
another win for Region 36. I want to believe this project will be used
judiciously and more will come by the grace of God. “What we met was a shell of
a building. Part of the roof and windows were off, so we did a complete
renovation of the structure and equipped it with modern medical equipments
needed in a standard ICU. We can only pray that patients brought in there would
survive by the grace of God,” he said.
Chief
Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. Ayodapo Soyinka, thanked the Church for
the grand gesture and promised that the facility will be maintained to the
utmost standard. He also promised it will be expanded beyond its current status.
According
to Soyinka, the structure was a triage centre in the heat of COVID-19 which
however became redundant after the phase passed.
He said:
“So we got permission from the Ministry of Health to repurpose the building and
this is what became the ICU today. We decided on the ICU because none of the
government health facilities in this axis has a functional ICU, and many times
we have had to refer patients to LASUTH or LUTH.
“The
church signified its interest in reinventing the place for us. They bought into
our vision to transform the place to an ICU and here we are today. The church
did the full renovation and brought in medical supplies needed for its full
operation. So by first week in December, the ICU will become fully operational.
“The ICU
will also be run on a PPP arrangement. We have signed an agreement with a team
of professionals who will be running the place, with a lot of volunteer work
from our own staff, particularly from our anesthesia department. So I’m sure we
will have enough personnel to run the place. And because it’s going to be
semi-private run, I’m certain a high standard wil be maintained.”
Soyinka
listed equipment provided by the church to include electric and manual beds, ventilators, six
multiparameter monitors, infusion pumps, special mattresses for ICU, suction
machines, oxygen concentrators, AED machine to rescue a patient experiencing
cardiac arrest, and other consumables. He added that the oxygen is piped so
there will be no need to move the cylinder around.
The
event was also attended by Chairman of the Lagos State Health Service
Commission Dr. AtinukeOnayiga, and Chairman of the Economic and Financial
Crimes Commission (EFCC) Ola Olukoyede, who is also a pastor in the RCCG. He
led the project team.
Comply with
procurement law, NGO urges Ekiti officials
From
Rasaq Ibrahim, Ado-Ekiti
Anon-governmental
organisation, Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC), has urged
ministries, departments and agencies of the Ekiti State government to ensure
strict compliance with provisions of the procurement law.
The Senior Programme Advisor, Ife
Olatunji-David, spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, during a five-day
sub-national public procurement bootcamp organised by the centre in partnership
with MacArthur Foundation.
At the event were stakeholders in the
procurement process, including the officials of the Ekiti State Bureau of
Public Procurement, heads of MDA’s, civil society organisations and media
executives.
Olatunji-David said procurement officers in
the MDAs have a responsibility to ensure compliance with regulatory procurement
frameworks towards ensuring delivery of quality project.
She lamented that several civil servants are
not fully conversant with laid down processes in the award and execution of
public contracts, hence, the urgent need for MDAs to understand the procurement
laws.
The Senior Programme Advisor advocated
transparency and accountability in the implementation of projects, saying such
will enhance the trust and confidence of citizens in government.
The group Senior Communication officer,
NnennaEze said that the bootcamp was organised to sensitise the public on the
procurement laws, transparency and accountability practices, monitoring and
evaluation of public projects.
She explained that the programme would give
participants a better understanding and synergy in the procurement process and
promote transparency and openness in public expenditure at the sub-national
level.
She called on citizens to take advantage of
the Freedom of Information Act to get access information to public records and
information especially on procurement and projects implementation.
This, she, said will promote transparency and
accountability, build public trust and improve public service because when
governments realise that their activities are subject toscrutiny they become
more circumspect.
In her
submission, a Director in the Ekiti State Bureau of Public Procurement, Mrs
Bolanle Oladele stated that procurement processes have become more open and
transparent since the state joined the Open Government Partnership.
She noted that the state government has been
running an open governance with the development of an institutionalised portal
where all procurement processes were accessible to build public trust and confidence.
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/church-donates-icu-to-alimosho-general-hospital-2/
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Preserving
Kenyan Muslim family wealth using Waqf endowments
NOVEMBER
28 2023
Recent
research conducted by Asoko has revealed that Kenya boasts close to 500
family-owned businesses that generate revenues surpassing the $10 million mark.
This diverse spectrum of businesses spans across various industries, sectors and
specialisms. Furthermore, among these businesses, close to 15 percent achieve
annual earnings exceeding $50 million, a quarter of which exceed the $100
million threshold.
Despite
their positive impact on Kenya's economy, family-owned businesses face several
structural challenges, including a lack of robust succession planning and good
governance strategies, poor management, as well as challenges with the
integration of the next family generation (‘the NexGen’) – all of which, if not
correctly addressed in a timely and inclusive way, could potentially limit
their growth and reduce their lifespan.
Local,
regional and international press are littered with examples of families that
have experienced dire consequences and potential bankruptcy, in addition to the
breakdown of family ties and destruction of the family legacy, as a result of
failing to address succession and governance adequately and early.
Jersey
Finance recently hosted an exclusive invitation-only roundtable discussion with
financial services professionals and business owners in Mombasa that brought
together family enterprises, including family businesses and family offices,
and their advisers.
During
the roundtable dialogue, our discussions delved into several critical subjects
which are paramount to successful family business management, operation and
preservation.
Topics
encompassed the dynamics of succession and governance within family
enterprises, strategies for overcoming cultural barriers among generations, the
pivotal role of family governance in facilitating seamless transitions within
the company, legal considerations in the context of succession planning, and
the incorporation of Shari’a-compliant principles about succession and
governance.
What
especially caught my attention during the discussion, was an experience shared
by a NextGen qualified engineer who currently leads her family's enterprise.
For the sake of reference, we'll refer to her as Mary; who is based in Mombasa.
The
complexities
Mary's
thought-provoking question centred on the notable observation that groups of
family-owned businesses were only just coming to grips with the complexities,
both operational and legal, when it comes to succession planning.
She
shared her own experience of being thrust into leading their family business as
a second-generation member as a result of the death of the founder of the
business, her father.
Although
relatively transparent and good-intentioned, the transition plans were perhaps
in the mind of the late founder and the sudden death of the founder catapulted
the NextGen into a role that was new to them.
As a
highly educated and close-knit family, the family were able to address the
challenges head-on, with Mary having to make some life-changing decisions about
her career projection.
She decided,
in agreement with her entire family, to take the helm of their business. Today
the family business flourishes, with family bonds intact.
Perhaps
the most important observation she shared was that as the third generation now
gets involved in the business, the approach they have decided to take as a
family is very much a proactive, long-term path, surrounding themselves with
able and experienced advisers to guide them along the ‘journey of succession’.
Not all
families can survive through such a drastic and fundamental change.
Nevertheless, Mary and her family’s valuable experience set the scene for a
lively exchange of similar experiences among roundtable attendees.
Mary’s
question on the complexities of succession planning, while seemingly straightforward,
transcends racial boundaries.
It
emphasises the importance of equity and integrity in treating all family
members impartially, for this is how longevity is assured within the family
enterprise and the family legacy is protected.
Those
you bring with you along the decision-making process will stand tall to protect
the plan and family legacy.
Another
example that was very interesting and well received by the attendees was the
increasingly popular route of structuring endowments - whether they are private
or public, fixed or perpetual - and including Shari’a-compliant endowments or
Waqf.
For the
Kenyan coastal community which has a large Muslim demographic, this is seen as
an attractive tool available for succession planning.
To
provide further commentary and to understand Awqaaf (plural of Waqf), one must
delve into the ethical framework underpinning the relationships between people
in the commercial context, including between family members, guided by the
principles of the Shari’a, which dictate the conduct of every Muslim is
expected to uphold in all facets of life, including when earning, preserving or
spending their wealth.
How Waqf
works
The
institution of the family Waqf is widely used by Muslim families as an
instrument for the succession planning process and to enable a patriarch or
matriarch to provide for the future prosperity of his or her children and close
relatives.
To put
it simply, in a Family Waqf, the founder will declare his wealth as Waqf for
the benefit of his children and thereby, provide for their future welfare.
The
beneficiaries of a Waqf will be entitled to the revenue and benefit from the
Waqf property but, will not ordinarily own the Waqf property itself, which will
be vested with the Waqf. Family Waqf is one of the tools that Muslims use for
wealth preservation and succession planning, within their religious beliefs.
The
Family Waqf provides great flexibility and can accommodate very diverse wishes
and intentions for distribution. It is a tool that can be used not only to
protect the family wealth from fragmentation but also to provide beneficiaries
with a sustainable source of revenue.
Additionally,
a Family Waqf may also benefit other public charitable entities, once the
defined benefit for the family comes to an end. For instance, the founder could
create a family Waqf for the benefit of his children and their successors and
when there are no living family members, the Waqf could be structured to
thereafter provide a wider defined purpose, for the benefit of, for example,
the poor and the needy, in perpetuity.
Similarly,
it is also possible that the founder stipulates that a certain percentage of
the revenue of the family Waqf go to defined charities or charitable purposes.
For
Muslims, a Family Waqf provides a structuring tool which can help protect and
preserve the family's wealth, while adhering to their religious beliefs and
protecting the family’s long-term objectives and family legacy. The Waqf can
also be extended to provide socio-economic benefits to the wider community and
society at large.
Most
importantly, a Family Waqf allows the founder flexibility to prescribe the key
governance protections to ensure the aims and objectives of the Waqf are
fulfilled transparently and with adequate supervision for the duration of the Waqf.
Source: businessdailyafrica.com
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https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/lifestyle/personal-finance/preserving-kenyan-muslim-family-wealth-using-waqf-endowments--4446984
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Ghana
Cardinal Peter Turkson: It's time to understand homosexuality
NOVEMBER
28 2023
A
prominent Ghanaian priest, cardinal Peter Turkson of the Roman Catholic church
has spoken against criminalizing homosexuality, challenging the proposed bill
in Ghana's parliament that seeks severe penalties for the LGBTQ+ community.
This
statement contradicts the position of other Roman Catholic bishops in Ghana who
have labelled homosexuality a crime.
The
backdrop of this discussion involves ongoing parliamentary debates on a bill
that could lead to three-year prison sentences for identifying as LGBT, with up
to 10 years for those advocating for LGBTQ+ rights.
Cardinal
Turkson's perspective diverges from the traditional stance of the Church,
aligning more closely with Pope Francis, who recently indicated openness to
blessing same-sex couples.
However,
the Pope clarified that the Church still considers same-sex relationships as
"objectively sinful" and does not endorse same-sex marriage.
In a
recent interview with the BBC, Cardinal Turkson emphasized the need for
education to foster understanding of homosexuality, asserting that LGBT
individuals should not be criminalized since they have committed no crime.
Despite
acknowledging cultural nuances, Cardinal Turkson criticized the influence of
foreign donations on African countries' anti-LGBT measures, cautioning against
imposing positions on cultures not ready to accept them.
This
commentary comes amid similar legislative developments in other African
nations, such as Uganda, where a law proposing life imprisonment and even death
penalties for homosexuality has raised international concerns.
Cardinal
Turkson, the first-ever Ghanaian cardinal appointed in 2003, holds a prominent
position as the chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/27/ghana-cardinal-peter-turkson-its-time-to-understand-homosexuality/
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Sierra
Leone's capital returns to normalcy as manhunt for attackers continues
Nov 27,
2023
Sierra
Leone's capital remained tense on Monday (Nov. 27) even as a 24-hour curfew was
relaxed to a dusk-to-dawn lockdown.
This
came after president JuuliusMadda Bio said most of the leaders of weekend
attacks on the nation’s main military barracks and prisons had been arrested.
Many
business owners in Free Town ran at a loss on Sunday (Nov. 26).
Residents
in the capital were awoken by sounds of heavy gunfire as gunmen tried to break
into the key armory in the country's largest military barracks, located near
the presidential villa.
The
gunmen exchanged fire for several hours with security forces. They also
targeted major detention centers – including the central prison – and freed or
abducted an unconfirmed number of people, authorities said.
Not much
is known publicly about the identities or intentions of the attackers. There
have been no claims of responsibility. The army spokesperson said Monday 13
soldiers were killed during the incident. AFP cited Col. Issa Bangura saying
that retired and active military personel were among those wanted.
Sierra
Leone has been on edge since mid-August last year. At the time, massive
protests in parts of Freetown and other areas in the Northern part of the
country shook the nation.
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/27/sierra-leones-capital-returns-to-normalcy-as-manhunt-for-attackers-continues/
-----
Most
leaders of the attacks on Sierra Leone's military barracks and prisons arrested
as curfew eases
Nov 27,
2023
Sierra
Leone's president said most leaders of attacks on the nation's main military
barracks and prisons had been arrested and normalcy had returned across the
country after a 24-hour curfew was relaxed to a dusk-to-dawn lockdown.
The
attacks early Sunday morning surprised residents and security forces in the
West African nation and raised fears of a possible coup in a troubled region.
But
"most of the leaders" of the attacks now have been arrested and
"calm has been restored," President Julius Maada Bio said in a Sunday
night address.
Residents
in the capital city of Freetown were awoken by sounds of heavy gunfire as
gunmen tried to break into the key armory in the country's largest military
barracks, located near the presidential villa.
They
engaged in sustained gunfire with security forces and targeted major detention
centers – including the central prison holding more than 2,000 inmates – and
freed or abducted an unconfirmed number of people, authorities said.
Videos
on social media appeared to show dozens of inmates pouring into the streets to
hurriedly escape around the same time that security forces were engaged in a
shootout with the attackers on the outskirts of the city.
The
attacks deepened political tension in West and Central Africa where coups have
surged, with eight military takeovers since 2020, including in Niger and Gabon
this year. West Africa's regional economic bloc ECOWAS — of which Sierra Leone
is a member — described the attacks as a plot "to acquire arms and disturb
the peace and constitutional order" in the country.
The
attacks were "an attempt to undermine the peace and stability we have
worked so hard to achieve," said Bio, whose reelection in a disputed vote
in June has raised political tensions in the country still healing from a
11-year civil war that ended more than two decades ago.
"Security
operations and investigations are ongoing (and) we will ensure that those
responsible are held accountable through due process," Bio said.
The 9 p.m.
to 6 a.m. curfew will remain in effect until further notice, Information
Minister Chernor Bah said.
"While
we encourage citizens to return to their normal activities…, we continue to
urge everyone to remain calm but vigilant, and to report any suspicious or
unusual activity to the nearest police station," Bah said.
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/27/most-leaders-of-the-attacks-on-sierra-leones-military-barracks-and-prisons-arrested-as-cur/
------
Malawi
slammed for sending workers to Israel amid Gaza conflict
Nov 27,
2023
Opposition
parties and human rights organizations in Malawi have voiced strong criticism
against President Lazarus Chakwera and his administration for dispatching 221
young Malawians to engage in agricultural work in Israel.
This
decision, implemented on Saturday, comes in the wake of Israel's recent aid
contribution of $60 million (£47 million) aimed at supporting Malawi's economic
recovery.
The
labour export deal has been criticised amid concerns over the secrecy with
which it was done and the potential risks to citizens at a time Israel is in a
conflict with the Palestinian Hamas group.
“Sending
people to a war-torn country like Israel, where some countries are withdrawing
their labour is something unheard of,” Malawian opposition leader
KondwaniNankhumwa told the BBC.
He also
questioned why the government had kept the deal secret, only informing
parliament about a plan to send workers to an unnamed country on 22 November.
The
government has defended the deal, saying that it will export Malawians to
Israel and other countries to “fulfil this administration’s commitment to job
creation and youth empowerment”.
The
government also assured of the safety and security of the Malawians, saying
that they will work in locations which are “classified as fit and safe” and
will be provided with medical insurance and repatriation protections.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/27/malawi-slammed-for-sending-workers-to-israel-amid-gaza-conflict/
------
Christians
in Sudan may face Sharia law as oppression overtakes Sahel
November
27, 2023
Diana Chandler
KHARTOUM,
Sudan (BP) – A return to Sharia Law might be in store for Sudan as civil war
nears its 10th month there, the U.S. Commission on International Religious
Freedom (USCIRF) said in its latest Fact Sheet on the Sahel Region of Africa.
The
Sudanese Armed Forces under the country’s transitional leadership of General
Abdel Fattah al-Burhan has recruited thousands who worked as intelligence
operatives of former pro-Islamic President Omar al-Bashir, USCIRF said, raising
concerns among Christians that al-Burhan has hopes of establishing Sharia Law.
Christian
persecution eased when al-Bashir was overthrown in 2019, but a transitional
government aimed at establishing democracy has been in jeopardy since civil war
began in April between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces
paramilitary group under the leadership of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.
“After
the fall of the Bashir government, the transitional government granted Muslim
and Christian groups some important freedoms, earning praise and support from
the U.S. government,” USCIRF said. “However, the outbreak of new conflict in
April 2023 within the state security apparatus has severely diminished any possibility
of safe, open religious practice in Sudan.”
Sudan’s
deterioration is part of a recent political trend across the Sahel, including
Mali, and Niger, where armed forces attacked an already weak national
government and established a military coup. The new under-resourced state is
supported by external forces, including the Russian-backed Wagner Group, to
confront “extremist elements.” While cracking down on violent extremists, the
new government uses accusations of extremism as a pretext for suppressing religious
minorities, the fact sheet says.
“The
state then begins to perpetrate religious freedom violations in the campaign
against violent extremist groups,” USCIRF said. “At the same time, competing
ethnic and religious groups which historically distrusted one another may take
sides for or against the new government, change alliances, or form armed
auxiliary units to survive. This posturing may result in further effects on
individuals’ freedom of religion or belief.”
Eric
Patterson, president of the Religious Freedom Institute, said the trend shows
the connection between international religious freedom and U.S. international
governmental relations.
“For
those who say that issues of religious freedom and human rights are somehow
tertiary, or fourth- or fifth- or sixth-tier things,” Patterson said, “what we
see in this region (is) how closely intertwined (are) issues of religious
identity, issues of religious political systems, and how closely these are tied
to national security imperatives, both for the people on the ground and for our
United States allies.”
Patterson
was a panelist in a conversation USCIRF hosted Nov. 9 on religious freedom in
the Sahel.
Across
the Sahel, “the presence of insurgent groups, ethnic and religious conflict,
and the continual intervention of military actors in politics have a direct
impact on religious communities,” USCIRF said.
During
al-Bashir’s regime which spanned 20 years, USCIRF considered Sudan a Country of
Particular Concern for religious freedom violations, denoting “systemic,
ongoing and egregious” violations. USCIRF downgraded Sudan to its Special Watch
List of countries to be monitored in 2019, and removed the country altogether
from its list of religious freedom violators in 2020. But the overthrow of the
transitional government in April represents “grave threats to religious
freedom” there, USCIRF Vice Chairman Frederick A. Davie said in a Nov. 9th
conversation.
Sudan
suffered decades of civil wars that began in the mid-20th Century before the
country split in 2011, establishing Sudan as a majority Muslim north and a
majority (60.5 percent) Christian South Sudan. Christians comprise about 5.4
percent of Sudan’s 48 million people.
Source: baptistpress.com
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https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/christians-in-sudan-may-face-sharia-law-as-oppression-overtakes-sahel/
-----
Pakistan
Special
court to conduct cipher trial in Adiala jail citing security concerns
November
28, 2023
ArfaFerozZake
ISLAMABAD:
A special court, established under the Official Secrets Act 2023, on Tuesday
announced, in a verdict, that it would hold cipher case hearings of Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood
Qureshi in the Adiala jail.
Last
week, the court ordered authorities to present the former prime minister and
Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi at Islamabad's Federal Judicial Complex
(FJC) today.
However,
today the Adiala jail authorities failed to produce the former prime minister
before the court citing "security risks" in their report.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1133290-special-court-to-conduct-cipher-trial-in-adiala-jail-citing-security-concerns
------
£190m
NCA case: NAB plea for Imran’s physical remand rejected
November
28, 2023
Khalid
Iqbal
ISLAMABAD.
The accountability court-I rejected a request of the National Accountability
Bureau (NAB) for extending former premier Imran Khan’s physical remand in £190
million National Crime Agency (UK) case, and sent him on 14-day judicial
remand, on Monday.
Judge
Muhammad Bashir presided over the hearing of the corruption case, with the
primary accused Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi present in the court, held
at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. Imran’s sisters, Aleema Khanum and Noreen Khanum
were also present.
In the
previous hearing, the judge had instructed NAB to conclude its investigation
and present a report. On Sunday, a team from NAB interrogated the former
premier at the Adiala jail for 13 hours. Strict security measures were taken
inside and around the jail premises for the hearing on Monday.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1133252-190m-nca-case-nab-plea-for-imran-s-physical-remand-rejected
------
Afghan
migrants can’t back any candidate in polls
November
28, 2023
ISLAMABAD:
The Ministry of Interior on Monday cautioned the illegal and legal Afghan
migrants to avoid supporting or providing funding to any candidate for
political and electoral activities in Pakistan whereas violations would lead to
deportation despite the latter’s legal status.
According
to the Ministry of Interior statement, Afghan nationals residing in Pakistan
were cautioned that it was illegal to support or provide funding to any
candidate for political and electoral activities in Pakistan.
“Any
Afghan citizen involved in such activities will be deported regardless of his
or her legal status in Pakistan.”
It said
that Pakistani masses were cautioned not to provide employment to illegal
aliens or assist such individuals in obtaining employment. “Information about
any such illegal alien or the person providing employment to him should be
provided to the Ministry of Interior for legal action on the helpline available
on the website of the Ministry (UAN 051 111-367-226, HOTLINE 051-9211685,” the
Ministry statement added.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1133247-afghan-migrants-can-t-back-any-candidate-in-polls
-----
Private
Hajj operators granted equal quotas
November
28, 2023
Rizwan
Ghilzai
ISLAMABAD:Saudi
Arabia has approved Pakistan’s appeal to grant all private Hajj tour operators
an equal quota for the upcoming Hajj pilgrimage, anticipated to occur between
June 26 and July 1, 2024.
This
year, Saudi Arabia has restored Pakistan’s pre-coronavirus Hajj quota of
179,210 pilgrims and lifted the previous age limit of 65 years for pilgrimage.
About
90,000 Pakistani pilgrims are expected to partake in Hajj under the government
scheme, while an equal number will engage private tour operators for performing
the religious duty.
Previously,
the Saudi government had reduced the number of Pakistani private Hajj tour
operators from 905 to 46, much to the dismay of those involved in the industry.
Following
discussions at the governmental level, Pakistan appealed to the Saudi
government to allocate a dedicated quota to all 904 operators, ensuring
protection for numerous individuals associated with the industry. Saudi Arabian
authorities agreed to this proposal, a move applauded by private tour group
operators.
Under
the new scheme for private Hajj operators, there will be a total of 180 groups
of pilgrims, each comprising 500 people. Every private Hajj operator will now
be permitted to facilitate 100 pilgrims, resulting in each group being
comprised of pilgrims utilizing services from five different operators.
Caretaker
Minister for Religious Affairs Aneeq Ahmed, on November 16, unveiled Pakistan’s
Hajj Policy 2024, announcing a reduction of Rs100,000 in the cost of the Hajj
package under the government’s scheme for this year.
Hajj is
an annual pilgrimage obligatory for every Muslim adult physically and
financially capable of undertaking it. It remains one of the largest religious
gatherings globally, where Muslims converge to offer prayers and perform
rituals in the holy city of Makkah.
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2448238/private-hajj-operators-granted-equal-quotas
-----
Imran
not brought to court due to security issues, jail authorities say
November
28, 2023
Adiala
Jail authorities told the court on Tuesday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)
Chairman Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi cannot be
brought to court due to security concerns.
On
November 2, the special court had directed that both Imran and Qureshi be
brought to the court on November 28 (today) for the cipher case hearing.
Judge
Abul HasnaatZulqarnain presided over the hearing today at the Islamabad’s
Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) in G-11 instead of Adiala Jail.
The
hearing took place at the FJC after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) nullified
the August 29 notification to hold Imran’s trial in the cipher case in jail.
Imran is
currently in Adiala Jail after he was indicted by special court Judge
Zulqarnain in the cipher case.
During
the hearing today, the jail authorities submitted their report to the court.
The report said that the jail officials cannot present the former PM and
Qureshi before the court.
The
report stated that as per intelligence agencies and the police, the PTI
chairman faces threats to life. The report said that the jail authorities had
written a letter to the Islamabad police, requesting additional security.
Cipher
case background
A case
was registered against Imran and PTI Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi under
Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923. It is related to the
“misuse” of alleged contents of a diplomatic cipher, cited by ex-premier Imran
as proof of the attempt to remove his government.
Source: brecorder.com
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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40275555/imran-not-brought-to-court-due-to-security-issues-jail-authorities-say
------
Southeast Asia
Thai
Muslim group says direct Hamas talks helped secure release of Thai hostages
NOVEMBER
28, 2023
BANGKOK
— A Thai Muslim group that spoke directly with Hamas said its efforts were key
to ensuring that Thai hostages were among the first to be released in Gaza
during a temporary truce with Israeli forces.
"We
were the sole party that spoke to Hamas since the beginning of the war to ask
for the release of Thais," Thai-Iran Alumni Association President, Lerpong
Syed told Reuters on Monday (Nov 27).
Three
more Thais held by Hamas militants were released from Gaza on Sunday, taking to
17 the number of Thai nationals freed since the four-day truce began on Friday.
Lerpong
is part of a group of Thai Muslims convened by the country's parliamentary
speaker Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, which travelled to Tehran in October and
directly spoke with a Hamas representative. While not official negotiations,
the parallel talks were not condemned by Thailand's government.
"If
Thailand only relied on the foreign ministry or asked other countries for help
— the chances of getting released with the first group would be very low,"
Lerpong said, adding that other countries with hostages such as the United
States, Germany and France have more influence.
Thailand's
foreign ministry could not immediately be reached for comment on Lerpong's
claim of credit, but Foreign Minister ParnpreeBahiddha-Nukara separately
thanked all involved for the releases so far in a post on social media platform
X.
"Congratulations
to all and our deep gratitude for all the efforts in securing their release. We
continue to call for the release of the remaining Thais still held
hostage," the foreign minister's post said.
Lerpong
said the Thai-Iran group conveyed to Hamas during a three-hour meeting last
month that Thais were not party to the conflict and should be freed, after which
the Palestinian militant group gave their assurances that Thais would be
released first and unconditionally once there was a ceasefire.
The
temporary truce is first halt in fighting in the seven weeks since Hamas killed
1,200 people and took about 240 hostages back into Gaza.
Before
the war, around 30,000 Thai labourers worked in Israel's agriculture sector,
making up one of the largest migrant worker groups in the country.
"Our
team hit the right spot from the beginning by going to Iran and talking
directly to Hamas," said another member of the Thai group, veteran
politician AreepenUttarasin.
However,
a source briefed on the talks said the hostage agreement was mediated by Qatar
and Egypt in a negotiation track that was opened when Thailand's foreign
minister visited Qatar on Oct 31.
Iran has
also said it facilitated the release, while Hamas has said the release was due
to the efforts of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan.
Asked
about Iran's claim, a Thai foreign ministry spokesperson said on Saturday that:
"we have provided lists since the beginning to everyone," including
Qatar, Egypt, Israel and Iran," adding "Different actors would have
different influence on Hamas."
Thailand's
population of 70 million are predominantly Buddhist and have largely co-existed
peacefully with its Muslim minority, although a long-running separatist
insurgency in the south periodically flares into violence.
Source: asiaone.com
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https://www.asiaone.com/world/thai-muslim-group-says-direct-hamas-talks-helped-secure-release-thai-hostages
------
Malaysia’s
economic growth to be affected if Palestine-Israel conflict escalates
28-11-
2023
KUALA
LUMPUR: Malaysia’s economic growth will be affected should the Palestine-Israel
conflict escalate further into a conflict involving Arab countries in the
region, the Economy Ministry said.
If the
scale of the conflict widened, it would have a significant impact, especially
in terms of rising oil prices and trade supply chain disruption, the ministry
said.
“This
would have a knock-on effect on global inflation and economic growth in
general, and Malaysia’s economic growth in particular,” it said in an answer to
Senator NooritaSual’s oral question in the Dewan Negara, which was posted on
the Parliament website yesterday.
Noorita
wanted to know the economic implications or effects following Malaysia’s
unwavering stance on the Palestine issue.
The
Economy Ministry said that if the conflict were contained to Palestine and
Israel, there would not be any direct economic impact on the world in general
as the two are not among the world’s top trading nations.
Citing
figures from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad),
it said Israel’s Gross Domestic Product was US$394.2 billion, which was
equivalent to 0.44 per cent of the global GDP, while Palestine’s GDP stood at
US$15.7 billion (0.02 per cent).
Israel’s
total trade amounted to US$180.9 billion, equivalent to 0.4 per cent of world
trade, while Palestine’s stood at US$9.5 billion (0.02 per cent).
The
Economy Ministry said Palestine was Malaysia’s 187th largest trade partner with
total trade amounting to RM13.7 million in 2022.
Malaysia’s
main exports to Palestine are palm oil and palm oil-based agriculture products,
palm oil-based manufactured products and rubber products, while imports include
dates, olive oil, and electrical and electronic products.
Meanwhile,
the Economy Ministry said that as a show of humanitarian support for Palestine,
there are Malaysian individuals who have chosen to boycott companies said to be
linked to Israel.
“The
boycott does not have a significant effect on the national economy in view that
the food and beverage (F&B) subsector’s overall contribution to our GDP is
small at 2.4 per cent.
“Nonetheless,
the government is aware that the boycott is affecting workers involved in the
sector,” it said.
The
ministry said an estimated 50,000 workers are employed by companies linked to
the F&B sector boycott.–Bernama
Source: thesun.my
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Kelantan
fines organiser up to RM10,000 after Muslims attend Buddhist-only Loy Krathong
Concert deemed lewd
28 Nov 2023
KOTA
BARU, Nov 28 ― The organiser of the Loy Krathong Festival concert in Bachok
last Friday is facing a fine of not more than RM10,000 for breaching the
conditions for the organising of the concert.
Chairman
of Kelantan Local Government, Housing, Health and Environment Committee Hilmi
Abdullah said the organiser of the Loy Krathong Festival concert had a permit,
so it did not breach the Kelantan Entertainment Control Enactment as claimed by
certain parties.
“The
organiser applied for the permit for the event on June 25 and the permit was
granted on September 20 after we explained the conditions and rules to be
followed, including for it to be a closed-door event and to be attended only by
Buddhist devotees.
“However,
the organiser failed to comply with rules, which include featuring singers from
Thailand who did not comply with the dress code, and allowing Muslims to the
concert,” he told a press conference at Kota Darulnaim Complex here today.
Hilmi
said this in response to Kelantan Wanita PKR chief Nor AzmizaMamat's demand for
the state government to investigate the event after a 30-second video featuring
singers in scantily-clad attire at the concert went viral.
Hilmi
said that following the viral video, his office had conducted an investigation
and a hearing process yesterday which was attended by several parties including
representatives of the Bachok Islamic Tourism City District Council, the
police, religious officials and organisers.
“The
organisers in Bachok admitted that a Rela member hired at the concert failed to
stop Muslim visitors from attending the event.
“The
poster of the event was made in Thai language and the religious concert that is
held annually is only for Buddhists,” he said. ― Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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PM
Anwar: Permanent disaster relief centres to be set up immediately in nine
states
28 Nov
2023
KUALA
LUMPUR, Nov 28 ― Permanent Disaster Relief Centres (PPKB) will be established
immediately, with the pilot project to begin in nine states, said Prime
Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Anwar,
who is also finance minister, said the PPKB involves a ceiling cost of RM5
million for each centre and is set to provide better protection for flood
victims than temporary relief centres (PPS).
“We are
faced with floods every year, it's unreasonable to only have PPS, that's why
the government decided to set up the PPKB.
“So, the
PPKB can perhaps also be a community activity centre (outside the flood season)
but is reserved with one preparation (to deal with floods) so that it is
better,” he said during the Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was
replying to a supplementary question from Datuk ShamshulkaharMohd Deli
(BN-Jempol) as to whether the government has plans and actions to improve basic
PPS facilities nationwide.
In reply
to Shamshulkahar's original question about the government’s preparedness to
manage flood disasters and the Northeast Monsoon season, Anwar said an early
allocation of RM241 million had been channelled for use in 164 districts in the
spirit of Madani Malaysia.
He said
pre-flood preparations have also been stepped up through community-based
disaster risk management and that even the Department of Irrigation and
Drainage (DID) has identified 5,648 flood hotspots.
“Maintenance
works have been carried out, in addition to activating the operations control
rooms, forecast centres and flood warnings which will operate 24 hours. We have
also placed 73 mobile pumps at all flood hotspots nationwide as well as
upgraded the flood warning siren system and web camera stations,” he said.
According
to him, 66,169 officers and personnel from various branches of government
agencies at all levels are on standby, comprising the Malaysian Armed Forces,
police, fire and rescue department, Civil Defence Force and the People’s
Volunteer Corps, with the support of 25,440 units of various assets.
Anwar
said the Social Welfare Department (JKM) is also ready to activate 8,481
temporary relief centres which can accommodate 1,620,855 evacuees nationwide.
Anwar
said what is more important in dealing with floods is ensuring all flood
mitigation projects nationwide are immediately implemented.
“...
regarding flood mitigation, there are now six projects on schedule, (and)
dozens of other projects are in the final lap to begin operational in one or
two months throughout the Peninsula and also Sabah and Sarawak,” he said.
In reply
to a supplementary question from Datuk Siti ZailahMohdYusoff (PN-Rantau
Panjang) about the special allocation for parliamentary areas that are
frequently hit by floods, Anwar said Kelantan has been given priority since the
state's flood situation is more severe.
“This
includes Phase Two of the Sungai Kelantan Integrated River Basin Development
Project and Kota Baru flood mitigation plan, which may begin in a month. The
meeting with Thai Prime Minister SretthaThavisin yesterday also agreed to speed
up the construction and maintenance of the bridge at Sungai Golok-Rantau
Panjang in a bid to ease flood concerns,” he said.
Anwar
yesterday held a working visit to Sadao, Songkhla Province, Thailand to discuss
bilateral cooperation with his Thai counterpart.
On the
question of assistance for flood-hit farmers and breeders, Anwar said there is
already a provision for this group, but the government would ensure the state,
district and Federal machinery had reasonable compensation for the flood victims.
On
Malaysia's preparedness to adapt to the use of technology in tackling floods,
as raised by Datuk Mohd Shahar Abdullah (BN-PayaBesar), Anwar said the country
had already reached an agreement with the Netherlands to cooperate in that
aspect.
“However,
the Netherlands held an election recently, (and) the prime minister who
previously agreed has resigned after the extreme right group won and it is not
very encouraging for us. I will contact the new prime minister to find out
about their commitment regarding the cooperation,” he said. ― Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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MACC
ready to justify freezing of Aman Palestin accounts in court
28 Nov
2023
FARIK
ZOLKEPLI
KUALA
LUMPUR: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is ready to reveal to
the courts its justifications for freezing the accounts of Aman PalestinBerhad,
says Tan Sri Azam Baki (pic).
The MACC
chief commissioner was responding to the NGO's demand for the release of its
accounts within three days, failing which it will take legal action.
"The
commission conducts investigations professionally and fairly, without any ill
intention towards any party.
"It
is up to (anyone) to take legal action should they feel there is a need to do
so.
"However,
we are ready to justify our actions in freezing the assets, " he said when
contacted on Tuesday (Nov 28).
Azam
said the asset freeze to assist an ongoing investigation was based on Section
44(1) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of
Unlawful Activities Act ( AMLATFPUAA) 2001.
"The
law gives jurisdiction to an enforcement agency to issue an order to freeze the
assets of any individual.
"It
is a normal action taken in any investigation if there is a need," he
added.
Azam
also stressed that the MACC is entrusted to investigate sternly and fairly any
issue of misappropriation or abuse of power, especially cases of public
interest involving leakages of funds.
On
Monday (Nov 27), Aman Palestin lawyer Muhammad Rafique Rashid Ali had said it
delivered the letter to the MACC requesting the release of its accounts.
Rafique
added that not all the accounts frozen by the MACC under AMLATFPUAA belonged to
Aman Palestin.
“Some
belonged to strategic partners, (members of) the board of directors, and staff
of Aman Palestin," he said.
On
Thursday (Nov 23), the MACC said over RM25mil in 42 bank accounts under Aman
Palestin had been frozen following its investigation of allegations that Aman
Palestin misused public donations.
Source: thestar.com.my
Please click the following URL to read
the full text of the original
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/11/28/macc-ready-to-justify-freezing-of-aman-palestin-accounts-in-court
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/bihar-cm-hindu-muslims-votes/d/131206