China’s Tech Giant Alibaba ‘Eliminates’ Ethnic Tag That Identifies Uighur Muslims
New
Age Islam News Bureau
18
December 2020
Alibaba is the leader in China's huge e-commerce
sector. (File)
-----
•
Triple Talaq Law Can’t Curb Right to Pre-Arrest Bail: SC
•
US Muslims Press Organization of Islamic Cooperation on China
•
Pakistan Returns $1 Billion of Saudi Arabia's Soft Loan, Officials Say
•
Murder Case against Activists of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Over The Death Of
Islamist Group’s Supreme Leader Shah Ahmad Shafi
•
International Rights Groups Voice Concern over Deteriorating Health of
Imprisoned UAE Dissident, Ahmed Mansoor
•
More Than 300 Families Wait To Be Reunited With Freed Nigerian Schoolboys
•
French Court Jails More Than A Dozen People Accomplices of Islamist Gunmen Who
Attacked Charlie Hebdo
Southeast
Asia
•
China’s Tech Giant Alibaba ‘Eliminates’ Ethnic Tag That Identifies Uighur
Muslims
•
Maybank Islamic expects to issue 45,000 Islamic corporate cards
•
Indonesia begins merger of 3 state-owned Islamic banks
--------
India
•
Triple Talaq Law Can’t Curb Right to Pre-Arrest Bail: SC
•
Zafar Sareshwala, Considered Close To Prime Minister, To Train Muslim Youths To
Enhance Biz Skill To Win The Confidence Of Muslim Community
•
Abducted Girl in 'Love Jihad' Case Traced, Accused Nabbed In Odisha's Cuttack
•
Gujarat: Govt Invokes ‘Love Jihad’ To Oppose Rape-Accused’s Bail
•
Special NIA court jails BTech graduate for pledging allegiance to Islamic
State; youth was caught enroute Libya in 2015
•
Terrorists hurl grenade ahead of BJP rally in Anantnag, CRPF jawan injured
•
Ahead of PM Modi’s address, AMU faculty calls for unity
--------
North
America
•
US Muslims Press Organization of Islamic Cooperation on China
•
Pompeo urges Turkey to re-commit itself to its NATO obligations
•
Top US General Milley meets with Taliban, Afghan leader in bid to reduce
violence
•
Biden will slowly reverse Trump-inflamed US-Iran tensions
•
Boogaloo Bois member pleads guilty to trying to sell weapons to Hamas
--------
Pakistan
•
Pakistan Returns $1 Billion of Saudi Arabia's Soft Loan, Officials Say
•
PM Modi Offers Condolences to Nawaz Sharif on His Mother's Death
•
Opposition staging ‘drama’ to get NRO: Murad
•
UNGA Adopts Pakistan-Sponsored Resolution On Self-Determination
•
FM Qureshi meets UAE counterpart, apprises him of difficulties faced by
Pakistani community
•
MQM assures Imran of support for Senate polls
--------
South
Asia
•
Murder Case against Activists of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Over The Death Of
Islamist Group’s Supreme Leader Shah Ahmad Shafi
•
Fresh Graduates to ‘Defend Afghanistan’ in Helmand Frontline
•
‘Sticky Bombs’ Sow Terror and Chaos in a City on Edge
•
Lyons Urges Int’l Allies to ‘Pressure’ Warring Sides on Violence Reduction in
Afghanistan
•
Culprits of Ghor Terrorist Attacks Nabbed
•
Parliament Slams Saleh for Ongoing Security Threats
--------
Arab
World
•
International Rights Groups Voice Concern over Deteriorating Health of
Imprisoned UAE Dissident, Ahmed Mansoor
•
Lebanese Pop Singer Fadel Shaker Gets 22-Year Jail Sentence Over Providing
Support To Terrorist Group
•
Lebanon’s PM-designate Hariri to Macron: Your initiative will not be abandoned
•
Turkey's Erdogan Urges Iraq Not To Let Its Soil Be Launchpad for Kurdish Militant
Attacks
•
Damascus: Security Council tool in hands of Western states to promote their
political agendas
-------
Africa
•
More Than 300 Families Wait To Be Reunited With Freed Nigerian Schoolboys
•
Sudan says army officers ambushed by Ethiopian forces, militia
•
Suspected Al-Shabab Operative Brought to US to Face Terror Charges
•
Militant attacks force 570,000 to flee homes in northern Mozambique, president
says
--------
Europe
•
French Court Jails More Than A Dozen People Accomplices of Islamist Gunmen Who
Attacked Charlie Hebdo
•
Russia has sent 100,000 tonnes of wheat to Syria since start of 2020: Lavrov
•
Newcastle and London terror convicts' sentences challenged
•
Counter terrorism police will board London buses in new effort to prevent
attack
•
Austria set to ban 'religious extremism'
--------
Mideast
•
Turkish Human Rights Defender Accused Of Espionage on Trial for Alleged Ties to
Coup
•
Official: Iran, Afghanistan Set New Coexistence Model
•
Spokesman Raps Sponsors of Anti-Iran Resolution for Instrumental Use of UN
•
Iran says no new agreement needed after Biden takes office, refutes IAEA chief
•
Iran begins construction at underground nuclear facility amid US tensions
•
Iran-backed Houthi militia launches missile that lands in Yemen’s Sana’a
•
UN condemns Israel killing of Palestinian child as ‘grave violation of
international law
•
Palestinian construction worker beaten to death while working in Israeli
settlement
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/chinas-tech-giant-alibaba-eliminates/d/123804
--------
China’s
Tech Giant Alibaba ‘Eliminates’ Ethnic Tag That Identifies Uighur Muslims
Dec
18, 2020
by Mallika Soni
Alibaba is the leader in China's huge e-commerce
sector. (File)
-----
Chinese tech giant Alibaba has sought to distance itself from a face-recognition software feature devised by its cloud computing unit that could help users to identify members of the country’s Muslim Uighur minority.
A
report this week revealing the software feature made Alibaba, one of the
world’s most valuable companies, the latest Chinese corporate entity embroiled
in the controversy over China’s treatment of Uighurs.
In
a statement posted online late Thursday, Alibaba said it was “dismayed to
learn” that Alibaba Cloud developed the feature.
The
technology was used only in for capability-testing and not deployed by any
customer, Alibaba said, adding that it had “eliminated any ethnic tag” in its
products.
“We
do not and will not permit our technology to be used to target or identify
specific ethnic groups,” it said.
The
Uighur issue looms as a worrying threat for Chinese companies as global
criticism grows over Beijing’s policies in the northwest region of Xinjiang.
Rights
groups say as many as one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities
have been held in internment camps there.
Beijing
initially denied the camps’ existence but now calls them vocational training
centres aimed at offering alternatives to religious extremism.
China’s
Uighurs, a Muslim people of Turkic origin, have for decades chafed at Chinese
control, anger that has periodically exploded into deadly violence.
Surveillance
spending in Xinjiang has risen sharply in recent years, with facial recognition
and other technologies deployed across the province.
Washington
last year blacklisted eight Chinese tech firms for alleged links to the
surveillance effort.
Last
week, US-based surveillance research firm IPVM said Chinese telecoms company
Huawei had been involved in testing facial-recognition software that could send
alerts to police when Uighur faces were recognised.
Huawei
denied the claim.
But
the controversy caused Barcelona’s World Cup-winning French football star
Antoine Griezmann to sever an endorsement deal with Huawei.
Alibaba
is the leader in China’s huge e-commerce sector, projecting a sunny image to
the world epitomised by globe-trotting founder and billionaire former chairman
Jack Ma.
It
has also moved into cloud computing, bricks-and-mortar retail and delivery
services, as well as an overseas expansion.
The
Trump administration has imposed an escalating series of US sanctions against
Huawei over alleged digital collusion with Chinese state security and has
hinted at applying pressure on other companies, possibly including Alibaba.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/china-s-alibaba-eliminates-ethnic-tag-that-identifies-uighur-muslims/story-KBewIknY2GyrYSMEKXSr5I.html
--------
Triple
Talaq Law Can’t Curb Right To Pre-Arrest Bail: SC
Dec
18, 2020
NEW
DELHI: In a significant decision, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the
Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, declaring triple talaq
mode of divorce among Muslims illegal, did not take away a person’s right to
seek anticipatory bail from a competent court.
A
bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee gave this
ruling in a case where a man was booked under Section 4 of the Act after his
estranged wife accused him of giving triple talaq and marrying a second time.
She
also accused the husband and his mother of harassing her for dowry. The man
said he and his first wife had been estranged for the last three years. He said
six months earlier, she had complained to the Masjid Committee but had not
complained of any matrimonial ill treatment. It was only after he contracted a
second marriage, which was permitted under Muslim personal law, that the first
wife made the complaint under the triple talaq abolition law as well as Section
498A of IPC. He said he had not given divorce through triple talaq. He also
said his mother was falsely roped in the case by his first wife.
The
Justice Chandrachud-led bench pointed to differences in provisions in the law
making triple talaq an offence and that of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled
Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and said the latter expressly provided
that no court should exercise its discretionary powers under Section 438 of
CrPC to grant pre-arrest bail.
The
bench discussed Section 7(c) of the Act, which provides that “no person accused
of an offence ...shall be released on bail unless the magistrate...is satisfied
that there are reasonable grounds for granting bail to such person”. The
mandatory provision of hearing the aggrieved woman before grant of bail would
mean that the accused person would have to first suffer incarceration and then
apply for bail. The bench said the Act, as evident, did not expressly exclude
the court’s jurisdiction to grant bail, which would include grant of pre-arrest
bail.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/triple-talaq-law-cant-curb-right-to-pre-arrest-bail-sc/articleshow/79787850.cms
--------
US
Muslims press Organization of Islamic Cooperation on China
17/12/2020
Muslims in Mumbai hold a placard of Chinese
President Xi Jinping during a November 2020 protest against Beijing's treatment
of the Uighur minority Punit PARANJPE AFP/File
-----
US
Muslim groups pleaded Thursday for the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to
speak out on China's mass incarceration of Uighurs, accusing the global body of
abetting what some described as genocide.
The
OIC consists of 57 Muslim-majority nations and frequently takes up cases in
which it believes Muslims are mistreated, criticizing Israel and, at Pakistan's
behest, India.
But
the group headquartered in Saudi Arabia has not voiced alarm over China's
western region of Xinjiang, where rights groups say that more than one million
Uighurs and other Turkic-speaking Muslims are being held in camps as part of an
effort to stamp out Islamic customs and forcibly integrate the community.
In
a March 2019 resolution, the OIC said it "commends the efforts of the
People's Republic of China in providing care to its Muslim citizens" after
a delegation visited.
A
coalition of US Muslim organizations including the Council on American-Islamic
Relations accused member-states of being cowed by China's power.
"It's
very clear that China has an economic chokehold on the Muslim world and has
been able to isolate every Muslim country into fear of even paying lip service
to the Uighur cause," Omar Sulieman, a Muslim American scholar and rights
activist, told a virtual news conference.
"Whereas
some Muslim countries will pay lip service to causes like the Palestinian
cause," he said, on the Uighur issue they will "continue to aid in
the oppression," especially by turning back asylum seekers.
Uighur
Americana campaigner Rushan Abbas warned that nations could see the export of
policies targeting Muslims as China pursues its massive Belt and Road
infrastructure-building initiative.
"China
has a track record of buying and bullying. The genocide of the Uighurs is not
China's internal issue but is a humanity issue," said Abbas, who said that
her activism led China to detain her sister.
The
United States, which has a rising rivalry with China, has likened the treatment
of the Uighurs to actions of Nazi Germany and voiced disappointment that the
OIC has not spoken up.
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a rare leader from the Islamic world to have
criticized China, while Malaysia has said it will not extradite Uighurs.
China
describes the camps as vocational training centers and says that, like Western
nations, it is working to reduce the allure of Islamic extremism.
https://www.rfi.fr/en/us-muslims-press-organization-of-islamic-cooperation-on-china
--------
Pakistan
returns $1 billion of Saudi Arabia's soft loan, officials say
Dec
17, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan has returned $1 billion to Saudi Arabia as a second instalment of a $3
billion soft loan, as Islamabad reaches out to Beijing for a commercial loan to
help it offset pressure to repay another $1 billion to Riyadh next month,
officials said on Wednesday.
Analysts
say it is unusual for Riyadh to press for the return of money. But relations
have been strained lately between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, historically close
friends.
With
the $1 billion flowing out, Pakistan - which has $13.3 billion in central bank
foreign reserves - could face a balance of payments issue after clearing the
next Saudi instalment.
"China
has come to our rescue," a foreign ministry official told Reuters.
A
finance ministry official said Pakistan's central bank was already in talks
with Chinese commercial banks, including the debt swap option.
"We've
sent $1 billion to Saudi Arabia," he said. Another $1 billion will be
repaid to Riyadh next month, he said. Islamabad had returned $1 billion in
July.
A
finance ministry spokesman declined comment, saying these are "bilateral
confidential issues". The central bank also refused to comment, and the
foreign office didn't respond.
The
People's Bank of China did not respond to a Reuters request for comment, and
Riyadh didn't issue any details after a meeting between Pakistani army chief
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, and the Saudi ambassador in Islamabad on Tuesday.
Although
a $1.2 billion surplus in its current account balance and a record $11.77
billion in remittances in the past five months have helped support the
Pakistani economy, having to return the Saudi money is still a setback.
Saudi
Arabia gave Pakistan a $3 billion loan and a $3.2 billion oil credit facility
in late 2018. After Islamabad sought Riyadh's support over alleged human rights
violations by India in the disputed territory of Kashmir, Saudi Arabia has
pushed Pakistan to repay the loan.
Washington
has expressed concerns about Pakistan and other developing countries getting
stuck in a Chinese debt trap. It has criticised Beijing's China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor plans, involving more than $60 billion in pledged support for
infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-returns-1-billion-of-saudi-arabias-soft-loan-officials-say/articleshow/79778389.cms
--------
Murder
Case against Activists of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Over The Death Of Islamist
Group’s Supreme Leader Shah Ahmad Shafi
Anwar
Hussain
December
17th, 2020
Court
orders Police Bureau Investigation (PBI) to investigate the case
A
case has been filed with a Chittagong court against 36 leaders and activists of
Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, including its Joint Secretary General Mamunul
Haque, over the death of Islamist group’s supreme leader Shah Ahmad Shafi.
Md
Moyeenuddin, brother-in-law of Shafi lodged the case with the court of
Chittagong Judicial Magistrate Shiplu Kumar Dey on Thursday.
The
accused are Hefazat’s incumbent Joint Secretaries General Mamunul Haque, Nasir
Uddin Munir, Organizing Secretary Azizul Haque Islamabadi, Assistant Organizing
Secretary Meer Idris, Assistant Secretary General Habib Ullah, Assistant
Finance Secretary Ahsan Ullah, Publicity Secretary Zakaria Noman Foyezi,
Personal Secretary to Junayed Babunagari In’amul Hasan Faruqi and others.
Mainuddin
Ruhi, former joint secretary general of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh, also
confirmed the matter to Dhaka Tribune.
The
plaintiff in the case alleged that Shafi was murdered premeditatedly.
Taking
it into cognizance, the court ordered Police Bureau Investigation (PBI) to
investigate the case.
According
to the case document, Shafi, despite his illness, was confined to Hathazari
Madrasa and the accused vandalized his room. The ambulance carrying Shafi was
obstructed and In’amul Hasan Faruqi played a key role in it.
Shafi
was mentally tortured and his oxygen mask was removed during the unrest at
Hathazari Madrasa, the plaintiff alleged.
Shafi
died while undergoing treatment at Asgar Ali Hospital in the capital on
September 18. Shafi was the director general of Al-Jamiatul Ahlia Darul Ulum
Moinul Islam, also known as the Hathazari Madrasa.
Hefazat
was formed in 2010 and came to prominence by mobilizing opposition to the
Shahbagh Movement in early 2013.
It
was then that its leaders issued their now infamous 13-point charter, which
included demands for death penalty for atheists and certain restrictions on
social gathering between men and women.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2020/12/17/mamunul-35-others-sued-over-hefazat-chief-shafi-s-death
--------
International
Rights Groups Voice Concern Over Deteriorating Health Of Imprisoned UAE
Dissident, Ahmed Mansoor
18
December 2020
I
have expressed serious concern over the health condition of prominent Emirati
pro-democracy campaigner and rights activist Ahmed Mansoor, warning that his
life is at grave risk as he has been detained in solitary confinement for more
than three years without basic necessities.
Human
Rights Watch (HRW) and the Persian Gulf Center for Human Rights (GCHR) said in
a joint statement that Emirati authorities denied the 51-year-old activist
adequate warm clothing and access to hot water between December 2017 and March
2018.
Mansoor
was diagnosed with hypertension later in 2018 and has not been provided
appropriate medication ever since, putting him at increased risk for heart
disease and stroke.
The
two organizations, citing sources with direct knowledge of the pro-democracy
campaigner’s detention conditions, highlighted that the Emirati officials have
forced him to sleep on the floor without a bed or mattress in a small isolation
cell.
“Mansoor
is suffering through his fourth winter in a small, dirty isolation cell because
he dared to speak up for human rights in a country hell-bent on silencing
anyone that doesn’t toe the official line,” Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East
director at Human Rights Watch, said.
He
added, “The years-long isolation and dire conditions have no doubt taken a toll
on his mental and physical health.”
The
Emirati authorities should release Mansoor immediately and unconditionally, and
barring that, end his solitary confinement and provide him with the needed
medication, warm clothing and blankets, and a mattress and bed, Human Rights
Watch and GCHR said.
“Authorities
in the UAE should celebrate the hard work of Ahmed Mansoor to defend the civil
and human rights of his fellow citizens in the UAE instead of putting him in
prison,” Khalid Ibrahim, executive director of GCHR, said.
“His
ill-treatment or torture will never make him give up his rights. We have known
him for many years as a courageous defender. The more he is targeted, the more
he has shown his determination to achieve his desired goal – which is basic
human rights for all,” Ibrahim added.
On
December 31, 2018, the UAE Federal Supreme Court upheld a 10-year prison sentence
against the activist, and ordered him to pay a fine of 1 million dirhams (US
$270,000).
Mansoor,
an electrical engineer and poet, was arrested at his home in the Emirate of
Ajman in March 2017. He was later charged with “publishing false information
and rumors, promoting a sectarian and hate-inciting agenda, and using social
media to harm national unity and social harmony and damage the country's
reputation.”
In
2011, the Emirati activist was convicted of “insulting officials” and sentenced
to three years in jail. He was released after serving eight months but was
stripped of his passport and not allowed to leave the country.
Mansoor
has campaigned for freedom of expression, civil and political rights in the UAE
since 2006.
Rights
groups, including Amnesty International and HRW, have frequently called on the
Emirati government in the past to release Mansoor, arguing that his detention
goes against freedom of expression and opinion.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/18/640979/Rights-groups-voice-concern-over-deteriorated-health-of-imprisoned-UAE-dissident
--------
More
than 300 families wait to be reunited with freed Nigerian schoolboys
18
December 2020
Nearly
350 kidnapped Nigerian schoolboys are expected to be reunited with their
families on Friday after security forces rescued them from a vast forest in the
north of the country.
Last
Friday night, gunmen raided the Government Science Secondary School in Kankara
town, Katsina state, on motorbikes and marched the boys into the sprawling Rugu
forest, one of the country's largest woodland areas.
It
was one of the biggest mass abductions in recent years.
Katsina
Governor Aminu Bello Masari said late on Thursday that 344 boys had been freed
from the forest in neighboring Zamfara state. There was still some uncertainty
as to whether all of those abducted had been rescued.
Photographs
released by Katsina state government showed smiling boys looking out from the
back of trucks.
“I
couldn't believe what I heard until neighbors came to inform me that it's true,”
Hafsat Funtua, mother of 16-year-old Hamza Naziru, said in a phone interview.
Describing
the moment she heard the news, she said she ran out of her house with joy “not
knowing where to go” before returning home to pray.
Another
parent, Husseini Ahmed, whose 14-year-old Mohammed Husseini was also among
those abducted, expressed happiness and relief that he would soon be reunited
with his son.
“We
are happy and anxiously expecting their return,” he said.
A
Katsina state government spokesman on Friday said the boys would undergo a
medical examination before being reunited with their parents. He also said they
would meet President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday.
Hours
before the rescue of the boys was announced, a video started circulating online
purportedly showing Islamist militants from Boko Haram with some of the boys.
Reuters was unable to immediately verify the authenticity of the footage, the
boys, or who released it.
In
an interview with state TV channel NTA, in which he announced the release of
the captives, Masari said “most” of the boys had been rescued.
But
an aide told Reuters early on Friday said they were all free. “No student is
still with the abductors,” Katsina state government spokesman Abdu Labaran said
via telephone.
The
president posted a tweet on Friday of a video in which he said he had spoken to
the governor and the military to congratulate them.
“The
military is well trained. I am very impressed with the governor,” said Buhari.
Authorities
released few details about the rescue operation.
Katsina
state's governor said security forces had cordoned off the area around the
boys, and that not a single shot was fired.
Labaran,
his spokesman, said questions about the captors and whether they had been
arrested should be directed to the military.
Armed
forces spokesman John Enenche and army spokesman Sagir Musa did not immediately
respond to text messages and phone calls seeking comment on the military
operation.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/18/More-than-300-families-wait-to-be-reunited-with-freed-Nigerian-schoolboys
--------
French
Court Jails More Than A Dozen People Accomplices of Islamist Gunmen Who
Attacked Charlie Hebdo
December
17, 2020
PARIS:
A Paris court on Wednesday handed jail terms ranging from four years to life to
more than a dozen people convicted of helping Islamist gunmen who attacked
satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and customers at a Jewish supermarket in January
2015.
Survivors
and family members of the dead sat in silence as the verdicts were read out,
which they hailed afterwards as a victory for justice and freedom of speech
after a sometimes traumatic trial that revived the horror of the killings.
The
editor of Charlie Hebdo Laurent “Riss” Sourisseau, who lives under
round-the-clock police protection, was also in court to hear the sentencing by
a five-member team of magistrates who had listened to evidence against the
accused over three months.
“It’s
been painful, searing. It’s been a stage in our mourning process, necessary and
unavoidable,” said a lawyer for Charlie Hebdo, Richard Malka. “I hope it’s the
start of something else, of an awareness, a wake-up call.”
In
the absence of the attackers themselves — all three were killed by security
forces in the days after their rampage — French investigators instead focused
on accomplices to the men, including their weapon suppliers.
The
main accused, Ali Riza Polat, was judged to have known about his friend Amedy
Coulibaly’s plans to take part in the attacks, and was given a 30-year sentence
for complicity, which he immediately said he would appeal.
Another
10 accused were present in court, all men ranging from 29 to 68 years old with
prior criminal records but no terror convictions. They were all found guilty on
a range of charges.
In
all, 13 sentences were handed down, including to two accused who were tried in
absentia: Hayat Boumeddiene, the partner of gunman Coulibaly, received a
30-year sentence, while Mohamed Belhoucine, a known Islamic extremist, was
handed a life term.
Both
of them are presumed to be in Syria and may be dead.
A
fourteenth suspect was not sentenced because he was convicted in a separate
terror trial earlier this year and is thought to dead.
‘Freedom
has last word’
During
the attacks in January 2015, seventeen people were killed over three days,
beginning with the massacre of 12 people at Charlie Hebdo magazine by brothers
Said and Cherif Kouachi.
They
said they were acting on behalf of Al-Qaeda to avenge Charlie Hebdo’s decision
to publish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, while Coulibaly had sworn loyalty
to the Islamic State group.
Coulibaly
was responsible for the murder of a French policewoman and a hostage-taking at
a Hyper Cacher market in which four Jewish men were killed.
Those
shot dead in the Charlie Hebdo office included some of France’s most celebrated
cartoonists such as Jean Cabut, known as Cabu, 76, Georges Wolinski, 80, and
Stephane “Charb” Charbonnier, 47.
To
mark the start of the trial on Sept 2, the fiercely anti-religion magazine
defiantly republished the prophet cartoons, leading to fresh violence and
protests against France in many Muslim countries.
Three
weeks later, a Pakistani man wounded two people outside the magazine’s former
offices, hacking at them with a cleaver.
On
Oct 16, a young Chechen refugee beheaded teacher Samuel Paty who had showed
some of the caricatures to his pupils.
And
on Oct 29, three people were killed when a young Tunisian recently arrived in
Europe went on a stabbing spree in a church in the Mediterranean city of Nice.
President
Emmanuel Macron’s government has introduced legislation to tackle radical
Islamist activity in France, a bill that has stirred anger in some Muslim
countries.
On
the cover of its new issue published before the verdicts, Charlie Hebdo in
typically provocative style published a picture of God being led away in a
police van with the title “God put in his place”.
“The
cycle of violence, which had began in the offices of Charlie Hebdo, will
finally be closed,” editor Riss, who was badly injured in the attacks, wrote in
an editorial.
“At
least from the perspective of criminal law, because from a human one, the
consequences will never be erased,” he added.
‘Thanks
to justice’
The
Charlie Hebdo killings triggered a global outpouring of solidarity with France
under the “I am Charlie” slogan and signalled the start of a wave of Islamist
attacks around Europe.
Later
that year, in November 2015, Paris was again besieged when Islamist gunmen went
on the rampage at the Bataclan concert hall, the national stadium and at a host
of bars and restaurants.
A
trial of the only surviving gunman and suspected accomplices is expected to
start in September next year.
Christophe
Deloire, the head of press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF), said
he welcomed the verdict in court on Wednesday.
“It
is proof that violent extremists don’t have the last word. Thanks to justice,
it is freedom that has the last word,” he wrote on Twitter.
Patrick
Klugman, lawyer for the victims at Hyper Cacher, said: “For most of the victims
… I believe that they have a feeling of having been heard.”
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2020/12/17/french-court-jails-accomplices-over-charlie-hebdo-attack/
--------
Southeast
Asia
Maybank
Islamic expects to issue 45,000 Islamic corporate cards
18
Dec 2020
KUALA
LUMPUR: Maybank Islamic Bhd expects to issue about 45,000 of its new Maybank
Islamic corporate cards, which has a charity element, within the next five
years
In
a statement issued on Friday following the launch of the card, Maybank said
this card is the first in the market that channels a percentage of customer
spending to charity.
Maybank
Group said the bank will contribute 0.1% of all customer spending on overseas
merchants such as eBay US, Amazon US and Apple Store US, to selected charity
bodies.
“Based
on Shariah principles, the Maybank Islamic corporate card also provides a
digital Shariah-compliant payment platform to assist businesses in the
management and planning of their operations, ” it said.
Card
members will receive cashback for retail and online purchases - 0.3% cashback
for local spend and 0.7% cashback on overseas spend.
It
is also the first Islamic corporate card in Malaysia to be offered in both Visa
and Mastercard.
Maybank
Islamic CEO Datuk Mohamed Rafique Merican said: “Embodying the Islamic finance
values of equitability and social well-being, this new Maybank Islamic
corporate card is aimed at meeting the increasing demand by Shariah compliant
and halal conscious businesses.”
He
said the current Covid-19 pandemic has made it more important than ever for
banks to play a role in addressing the challenges within the communities they
serve.
“Maybank
Islamic is committed to provide Shariah-compliant financial solutions that meet
the needs of our customers and create a positive impact to the community, ” he
said.
Datuk
Hamirullah Boorhan, head, community financial services Malaysia of Maybank,
said as the market leader in cards, the banking group is constantly looking for
new value-adding offerings for its customers.
“The
new Maybank Islamic Corporate Card caters to an increasingly conscious
corporate customer segment by providing an alternative which they feel is
better suited to their beliefs and values.
“With
this new addition which complements our conventional commercial cards range, we
now offer a holistic suite of cards for our corporate, as well as individual
customers. Having Visa and Mastercard, two of the world’s biggest payment
network providers as our partners, our customers can be assured that their card
experience will be a smooth and safe one, locally or overseas.”
Ng
Kong Boon, Visa country manager for Malaysia said: “We are pleased to partner
Maybank Islamic to launch the first fully Shariah-compliant corporate card in
Malaysia that has a charity element.
“The
corporate card business is an important segment for us, given that large
corporations and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) make up more than one
third of Malaysia’s GDP, ” he said.
Ng
said by using business payment cards, corporations will be able to better manage
their expenses.
He
said Visa had created a halal lifestyle eCommerce platform “Myhalalstop.com” in
collaboration with its global network of halal and Muslim-friendly merchant
partners.
Perry
Ong, country manager for Malaysia and Brunei, Mastercard said by leveraging
Maybank Islamic’s strong customer base in Islamic financing and Mastercard's
payments technology, the new offering supports the rising demands of corporates
and SMEs while ensuring payment transactions are easy, safe and secure.
“Most
importantly, it allows businesses to expand their social responsibility by
giving back to the community," he said.
https://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2020/12/18/maybank-islamic-expects-to-issue-45000-islamic-corporate-cards
--------
Indonesia
begins merger of 3 state-owned Islamic banks
Iqbal
Musyaffa
17.12.2020
The
merger of three state-owned Islamic banks in Indonesia has started with the
signing of the Conditional Merger Agreement earlier this week.
As
of Feb. 1, BNI Syariah and Bank Syariah Mandiri will officially merge with BRI
Syariah (BRIS) to form Bank Syariah Indonesia, the country’s largest Islamic
bank.
The
merger was approved at an extraordinary general meeting of BRIS – the surviving
entity in the merger – shareholders, Hery Gunardi, chief executive officer
(CEO) of Bank Syariah Indonesia, said in an online news conference on
Wednesday.
Gunardi,
who is vice president director of Indonesian financial giant Bank Mandiri, was
appointed CEO of Bank Syariah Indonesia by the Ministry of State-Owned
Enterprises.
The
ministry has also approved the structure of the new bank’s board of directors.
It
will include a CEO, two deputy CEOs, and directors of wholesale and transaction
banking, retail banking, sales and distribution, information technology and
operations, risk management, compliance and human capital, and finance and
strategy.
“We
have been working on this merger plan since March and we will continue our
preparations so that all processes can, hopefully, be completed on schedule,”
said Gunardi.
“We
have finalized articles of association, the name, logo, and the organizational
structure. All of these have been approved by shareholders.”
The
next step of the process, he added, is the legal merger of bank branches,
products, IT technology for digital banking, and human resources.
He
said it is estimated that the total assets of the merged entity will reach
214.6 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($15.2 billion), with total equity of 20.4
trillion Indonesian rupiah ($1.4 billion).
It
will rank among Indonesia’s top 10 banks in terms of assets and the top 10
Islamic banks in the world in terms of market capitalization.
Kartiko
Wiroatmodjo, deputy minister for state-owned enterprises, said Bank Syariah
Indonesia is expected to be a catalyst for growth in the country’s Islamic
finance economy.
“It
will be an adviser for global sukuk [financial products compliant with Islamic
law] issuance for prospective Indonesian companies,” he said.
According
to the minister, the merger has been undertaken so that Indonesia, the country
with the world’s largest Muslim population, can optimize its economic and
Islamic finance potential.
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/indonesia-begins-merger-of-3-state-owned-islamic-banks/2079910
--------
India
Zafar
Sareshwala, Considered Close To Prime Minister, To Train Muslim Youths To
Enhance Biz Skill To Win The Confidence Of Muslim Community
Dec
18, 2020
Lucknow:
In an outreach programme to win the confidence of Muslim community, prominent
businessman and educationist Zafar Sareshwala, considered close to Prime
Minister Narendra Modi, will hold a workshop for counselling youths for jobs in
the financial sector and enhance their entrepreneurship.
Governor
Anandiben Patel would be the chief guest at workshop “Atmnirbhar Ayodhya Ki Or”
to be held in Ayodhya on December 24 , where youths of the adjoining districts
have also been invited.
Sareshwala
is organising one-day programme under his banner of “Taleem-O-Tarbiyat”.
Additional chief secretary, information and the MSME, Navneet Sehgal, who will
also give a special lecture on this occasion, told TOI that he has requested
Sareshwala to organise such programmes in all 75 districts in the state for
promoting ODOP programme of the chief minister and also traditional art and
handicraft.
Sareshwala
has been organising such conferences and programmes in different parts of the
country to increase education and employment among the vulnerable sections of
the society, mainly Muslims.
Sareshwala
explained to TOI that his organisation’s agenda was to spread positivity
through education and employment among the vulnerable sections. In small cities
like Ayodhya, the younger minds, mainly from the humble background, are not
exposed to the financial sector and his organisation would be bringing the
financial experts to counsel them on how to grow into an entrepreneur and also
avail welfare schemes of the state and Central governments.
Sareshwala
said he did not want to get involved in contentious issues like 'love jihad'
and UP's ordinance in this regard. "Why shall I worry for a few, when
there are crores to be counselled and addressed,” he remarked. He also said
that he would also meet the ACS MSME in this regard to explore the
possibilities of the holding simultaneous exercise with the ODOP programme.
“UP
has immense potential and it has the largest number of youth in the country, so
my organisation’s priority would obviously be this state for imparting skill
training to make them employable and be self-reliant," Sareshwala said.
Sareshwala
has been working among Muslims, mainly to shape up the career of the youth of
the community by counselling them to not to indulge in contentious and
sensitive matters. "Instead they should focus on their career and
education," he added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/lucknow/sareshwala-to-train-muslim-youths-to-enhance-biz-skill/articleshow/79787246.cms
--------
Abducted
girl in 'Love Jihad' case traced, accused nabbed in Odisha's Cuttack
18th
December 2020
JAJPUR:
Police rescued the 21-year-old girl, who was allegedly abducted by a Muslim
youth, on Thursday night. The girl was allegedly kept in captivity in Jagatpur
area of Cuttack district. Police also nabbed the accused youth, identified as
Shaikh Abdul Sehmat Khan alias Bobby of Choramuhan village. Sub-divisional
police officer of Jajpur Road Chinmaya Kumar Nayak said both the accused and
victim were being brought to Dharmasala police station.
On
Wednesday, the girl’s father had lodged a complaint against Bobby for
kidnapping his daughter and alleged it to be a case of ‘Love Jihad’. Earlier on the day, police had arrested
Bobby’s father Shaikh Abdul Hamid Khan for his alleged involvement in the
abduction and threatening the girl’s parents of dire consequences. He was
produced in the local court which remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.
Besides,
an audio clip of the girl claiming torture by her abductor had gone viral on
the day. In a recorded telephonic conversation with her mother, the victim from
Chahata in Jajpur district was heard alleging that she has been confined by her
kidnapper in a hotel room near Puri sea beach for the last two days. She
informed that the abductor is planning to take her to a mosque in Cuttack for
marriage.
“My
abductor is shifting me from one place to another. Now we are in a hotel near
the beach in Puri. I am confined to the room for the last two days. He is
torturing me and my life is in danger,” the girl was heard telling her mother
in the audio.
The
victim further said she will be taken to a mosque at Sutahat in Cuttack for
marriage. “They would change my religion in the mosque before marriage,” the
girl said and prayed her family members to rescue her from the kidnapper’s
clutches immediately.
In
his complaint to the Jajpur SP on Wednesday, the girl’s father had stated that
his daughter had gone to collect her migration certificate from Vyasa Nagar
Autonomous College at Jajpur Road on December 5. However, she did not return
home in the evening and her mobile phone was switched off. He alleged that
Bobby had earlier made several attempts to kidnap and marry his daughter by
changing her religion.
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2020/dec/18/abducted-girl-in-love-jihad-case-traced-accused-nabbed-in-odishas-cuttack-2237854.html
--------
Gujarat:
Govt invokes ‘love jihad’ to oppose rape-accused’s bail
Dec
18, 2020
SURAT:
A 28-year-old man arrested for abducting and raping a minor girl in February
this year was denied bail by a local court here even as the prosecution invoked
‘love jihad’ to oppose his release as he and the survivor belong to different
faiths.
The
court special Pocso court rejected the bail application of accused Nadeem, who
was arrested by the Amroli police for allegedly luring the 16-year-old girl by
offering to marry her. He, however, reneged on his promise after indulging in
sexual intercourse with the girl at different places.
Additional
public prosecutor KV Revaliya argued that it was a case of ‘love jihad’ as the
accused and victim belong to different religions.
“The
victim was minor at the time of incident. Accused has committed a serious
offence of kidnapping and rape. It appears from the police papers that he had a
role in inducement of marriage and taking away the victim and committing sexual
intercourse. The girl was rescued from his custody. She is a Hindu and the
accused a Muslim and this is a case of love jihad,” Revaliya argued.
A
FIR was lodged on February 2, 2020 in Amroli Police station by the girl’s
father under various sections of IPC including 376 (2), 366 and sections of
Protection of Children from Sexual offences Act, 2012 against unknown persons.
In the FIR, her father stated that on January 31, 2020, his minor daughter did
not return from her work place.
Investigation
revealed Nadim’s name and that had taken the girl at various places with an
inducement of marriage.
Nadim
was later arrested and sent to judicial custody. Earlier, the court had
rejected his regular bail plea and a chargesheet was filed against him.
Appearing
for the Nadim, lawyer Sanjay Vaniya argued that he was falsely implicated in
the case and the matter had been amicably settled with the girl and her family.
He
had even submitted an affidavit giving details about the settlement with the
girl wherein her family stated that even they had no objection if he was
released on bail.
“Nowadays,
cases of kidnapping and abduction are on the high and young girls are being
lured by young boys and are subjected to sexual abuse. As such, considering
social aspects of the offence, I am of the opinion that the accused is actively
involved in the alleged offence,” the court observed while rejecting the bail
plea.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/surat/govt-invokes-love-jihad-to-oppose-rape-accuseds-bail/articleshow/79783728.cms
--------
Special
NIA court jails BTech graduate for pledging allegiance to Islamic State; youth
was caught enroute Libya in 2015
December
17, 2020
New
Delhi: A special NIA court in New Delhi has convicted a BTech graduate from
Chennai who pledged his allegiance to the Islamic State terror group in a bid
to fight along with it in Syria, an official said on Thursday. The NIA Speical
Court at Patiala House, New Delhi, pronounced the judgement against Mohammad
Naser on Wednesday.
The
case, registered by the NIA in December 2015 under sections of the IPC and
UAPA, pertains to the criminal conspiracy hatched by the Islamic State to
establish its base in India by recruiting Muslim youths for Islamic State, a
proscribed terrorist organisation, through different social media platforms.
"As
a result, a few known and other unknown Indian youths expressed their
solidarity, allegiance and support to the Islamic State in different forms and
left India or their place of residence for abroad and joined Islamic State
under the influence of persistent indoctrination by their handlers," an
NIA spokesperson said.
After
completion of investigation, the NIA filed chargesheets against 16 accused
including Naser on 3 June this year. In this case, 15 accused were earlier
sentenced to up to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment by the NIA Special Court
on 16 October this year for the conspiracy hatched by Islamic State handlers
based in Syria and subsequent formation of a group namely
Junood-ul-Khilafa-fil-Hind owing its allegiance to Islamic State.
Naser,
a BTech (IT) and certified ethical hacker from Chennai, was working as a web
developer and graphic designer in Dubai in 2014, the NIA official said.
He
got radicalised and motivated to join Islamic State through the lectures
delivered on YouTube by Islamic scholars namely Anjem Choudary and Abu Barra,
the official said.
Naser
was fully convinced that Islamic State was following the true edicts of Islam
and struggling to create a Caliphate, which will be governed on the basis of
Sharia, the NIA official said. Hence, he made frantic efforts to find persons
who could facilitate his travel to Syria/Libya for joining Islamic State, the
official said.
On
persistent efforts, he came across some online handlers and left Dubai to join
Islamic State for Libya via Sudan, but, he was interdicted by the Sudanese
authorities and deported to India in December 2015, according to the NIA
official.
After
completion of investigation and subsequent trial, the NIA Special Court
convicted Naser for the various offences committed by him and sentenced him to
rigorous imprisonment for seven years and slapped a fine of Rs 40,000 on
Wednesday, the official said.
Trial
continues against chargesheeted accused Imran Khan.
https://www.firstpost.com/india/special-nia-court-jails-btech-graduate-for-pledging-allegiance-to-islamic-state-youth-was-caught-enroute-libya-in-2015-9121521.html
--------
Terrorists
hurl grenade ahead of BJP rally in Anantnag, CRPF jawan injured
Dec
18, 2020
SRINAGAR:
Minutes before the beginning of a BJP rally at Bijbehara in Anantnag district
of south Kashmir, terrorists lobbed a hand grenade on a CRPF party on Thursday,
leaving one jawan injured.
The
injured jawan, identified as Patil Parmakar of 40 BN, was shifted to the
sub-district hospital where his condition is stated to be stable, a police
officer said.
The
area has been cordoned off and a massive search operation launched to track
down the attackers.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/terrorists-hurl-grenade-ahead-of-bjp-rally-in-anantnag-crpf-jawan-injured/articleshow/79788577.cms
--------
Ahead
of PM Modi’s address, AMU faculty calls for unity
Hemendra
Chaturvedi
Dec
18, 2020
The
Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) administration bolstered security and senior
faculty members called for unity on Thursday after some campus student groups
opposed Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the chief guest of the institution’s
centenary celebrations on December 22. On Wednesday, AMU vice chancellor
Professor Tariq Mansoor announced that Modi will attend the online function
with Union education minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank via video conference on
December 22. Extending gratitude to the Prime Minister, Mansoor said that the
outreach will help in the growth and development of the institution.
Modi
will be the first PM to address an AMU event since Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964.
He will be speaking to the university and its members for the first time. The
PM is also expected to release a commemorative stamp on AMU’s centenary year
during the interaction. But some groups on campus opposed the announcement,
prompting the administration to step up vigilance and senior professors to
appeal for calm. “We need to work together in the interest of the university.
We appeal to everyone to celebrate the centenary programme above politics…centenary
celebrations are to be kept above differences,” read a statement signed by 12
of the senior most faculty members. The university has also taken steps to
ensure that the programme is not disrupted, and avert any disturbance on
campus. “It would be an online programme with links issued through NIC
(National Information Center) and participants from AMU would be at registrar
office,” stated Shafey Kidwai, the public relation officer for AMU. The faculty
members requested protesting students to come on board.
“We
must not lose sight of the fact that the centenary is a great landmark
achievement in the history of any university. Our unity on the occasion will
bring greater confidence among various university units and alumni
associations, who are engaged in organising programmes with illustrious people
as the guests,” they wrote.
This
came after former AMU Students’ Union (AMUSU) vice-president Nadeem Ansari, now
a Samajwadi Party leader, opposed invitation to PM Modi. “Vice Chancellor Tariq
Mansoor’s vested interest will be served through PM Modi’s participation. If
anything goes wrong, the V-C will be responsible,” said Ansari. Other student
groups also pointed out that the Centre opposed the university’s minority
status appeal in the Supreme Court.
The
university and its students hit the headlines in recent years for opposing
several government moves, including the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s
special status and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
Last
year, on December 15, the university turned into a war zone as protesting
students clashed with security forces, resulting in several injuries
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ahead-of-modi-s-address-amu-faculty-calls-for-unity/story-qXdKSW9FZ3ufNFYWZacbHK.html
--------
North
America
Pompeo
urges Turkey to re-commit itself to its NATO obligations
Rawad
Taha
18
December 2020
US
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut
Cavusoglu to discuss the December 14 imposition of sanctions by the US on its
NATO Ally Turkey for its procurement of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense
system, as required under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through
Sanctions Act (CAATSA).
Secretary
Pompeo made clear to Foreign Minister Cavusoglu that Turkey’s purchase of the
S-400 system endangers the security of US personnel and military technology and
allows Russian access to the Turkish armed forces and defense industry.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
Secretary stressed that the goal of the sanctions is to prevent Russia from
receiving substantial revenue, access, and influence, and they are not intended
to undermine the military capabilities or combat readiness of Turkey or any
other US Ally or partner.
Secretary
Pompeo also urged Turkey to resolve the S-400 issue in a manner consistent with
our decades-long history of defense-sector cooperation and to re-commit itself
to its NATO obligations to purchase NATO-interoperable weaponry.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/18/Pompeo-urges-Turkey-to-re-commit-itself-to-its-NATO-obligations
--------
Top
US General Milley meets with Taliban, Afghan leader in bid to reduce violence
17
December 2020
The
top US military officer met separately this week with the Taliban and
Afghanistan’s president to push for a negotiated solution as the United States
pulls out, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
Meeting
the Taliban in Qatar, General Mark Milley “discussed the need for an immediate
reduction of violence and (to) accelerate progress towards a negotiated
political solution which contributes to regional stability and safeguards US
national interests,” spokeswoman Commander Sarah Flaherty said.
Army
Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met for about two
hours with Taliban negotiators in Doha, Qatar, on Tuesday and flew Wednesday to
Kabul to discuss the peace process with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani.
Milley’s
meetings came amid a new drawdown of US troops, although under current US
policy a complete pullout hinges on the Taliban reducing attacks nationwide.
“The
most important part of the discussions that I had with both the Taliban and the
government of Afghanistan was the need for an immediate reduction in violence,”
Milley told three reporters, including one from The Associated Press, who
accompanied him to Qatar and Afghanistan. "Everything else hinges on
that.”
Under
ground rules set by Milley for security reasons, the journalists traveling with
him agreed not to report on either set of talks until he had departed the
region. It was Milley’s second unannounced meeting with the Taliban's
negotiating team; the first, in June, also in Doha, had not been reported until
now.
Although
Milley reported no breakthrough, his Taliban meetings represent a remarkable
milestone -- America’s top general coming face-to-face with representatives of
the group that ruled Afghanistan until it was ousted 19 years ago this month in
the early stages of what became America’s longest war. Milley served three tours
of duty in Afghanistan, the first in 2003 and the last in 2013-14.
Army
Gen. Scott Miller, the top commander of US and coalition forces in Afghanistan,
said in an interview at his military headquarters in Kabul on Wednesday that
the Taliban have stepped up attacks on Afghan forces, particularly in the
southern provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, and against roadways and other
infrastructure.
“My
assessment is, it puts the peace process at risk -- the higher the violence,
the higher the risk,” Miller said. Miller meets at least once a month with
Taliban negotiators as part of Washington's effort to advance a peace process.
Speaking
in the same interview, Ross Wilson, the ranking American diplomat in Kabul,
said he also sees growing risk from Taliban violence. He said it has created
“an unbearable burden” on the Afghan armed forces and the society as a whole.
In
the so-called Doha agreement signed last February by the United States and the
Taliban, the administration of President Donald Trump agreed to a phased
withdrawal of US troops, going down to zero troops by May 2021 if the
agreement’s conditions are upheld. One condition is a reduction in violence by
the Taliban, leading to a nationwide ceasefire. The Taliban also agreed to
begin peace negotiations with the Afghan government, which are in an early
stage.
The
Taliban have demanded a halt to US airstrikes, which have been conducted since
February only in support of Afghan forces under Taliban attack.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/17/Top-US-General-Milley-meets-with-Taliban-Afghan-leader-in-bid-to-reducing-violence-
--------
Biden
will slowly reverse Trump-inflamed US-Iran tensions
17
December 2020
By
Walt Peretto
Iranian
President Rouhani stated today that US President-elect Joe Biden will abandon
Trump's policy of sanctions against the Islamic Republic, stressing national
unity as a key factor. Biden has also mentioned the possibility of the US
returning to the JCPOA which Trump had abandoned in 2018.
For
four years, Israel has been putting pressure on Trump to provoke a war with
Iran before taking matters in their own hands by assassinating Iran's top
nuclear scientist. I think the strategy of the Democrats is to pacify Iran
until Syria is pressured into regime change and is firmly under
globalist/Zionist control.
Iran
and Syria have a mutual defense pact and there has been talk about Biden
ramping up the conflict in Syria. When Biden was vice-president, his Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton was openly belligerent towards Syria and during that
time the actions of the Western-backed Daesh caused ghastly misery and forced
thousands of refugees to flee to Europe and beyond. This strategy was designed
to destabilize Syria to provoke regime change. It also feeds the globalists’
desire to break down European culture to soften their eventual transition to a
one-world culture and government. Biden's foreign policy will likely return to
these strategies.
It
probably won't be long after Biden is sworn in as president that we'll see
escalating tensions in Syria. The Western mainstream media will likely portray
the situation as a resurrection of ISIS and the US political right-wing will
likely blame Biden for being soft on terrorism when it will be the US and its
allies behind the violence. Of course this is speculation for the time being,
but based on recurring patterns of behavior it seems like the Democrats hold a
securing Syria first policy before concentrating on any conflict with Iran.
Donald Trump is very close to Israeli leadership and I believe the Israelis
felt they could convince Trump to go to war with Iran. It's likely that US
military leaders advised against it until Syria is securely in the hands of the
West.
So
I see Biden slowly reversing tensions between the US and Iran which Trump has
inflamed, while giving the go ahead for mercenaries to wreak havoc in Syria. On
the home front, Biden will be facilitating conditions to 'convince' reluctant
Americans to take the Covid-19 vaccines using monetary incentives and threats
of disabling people's ability to travel, work, go to school, shop etc without
proof of vaccine compliance. This will likely define his domestic policy while
his foreign policy will concentrate on the Middle East and Western Asia.
The
American people will have their hands full sorting out the major changes in
society to the extent that foreign policy will be given little thought---even
if a full-scale conflict commences abroad.
In
the meantime, on the surface at least, I see US/Iranian relations warming in
the first two years or so of Biden's presidency while tensions increase in and
around Syria. If the globalist's plans are exposed and people begin to
understand the pathologies and motivations behind it all, which is the
establishment of a one world government, then people can formulate
counter-strategies and reverse this downward spiral. Void of broad-based
knowledge of this global reality, the future does not look good for the average
person.
Walt
Peretto is a writer and researcher in Washington, DC. He recorded this article
for Press TV website. He recorded this article for Press TV website.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640965/%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8BBiden-will-slowly-reverse-Trump-inflamed-US-Iran-tensions
--------
Boogaloo
Bois member pleads guilty to trying to sell weapons to Hamas
By
Andy Mannix
DECEMBER
16, 2020
A
member of the anti-government Boogaloo Bois pleaded guilty Wednesday to
attempting to provide weapons to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization, in
the days and weeks following protests over the death of George Floyd in
Minneapolis.
Benjamin
Ryan Teeter, 22, could face up to 20 years in prison for the federal felony.
His sentencing has not been scheduled.
Appearing
via video and wearing orange jail garb, Teeter told U.S. District Judge Michael
Davis that he came to Minneapolis from North Carolina after Floyd's death. He
and Michael Robert Solomon, 30, another Boogaloo Bois member who's charged with
the same crimes, met several times with two men they believed represented
Hamas, but who were actually working covertly for the federal government.
Teeter and Solomon negotiated selling gun suppressors and a "drop in auto
sear" — a device that converts semi-automatic weapons into illegal machine
guns, according to charges.
Teeter
acknowledged in court he believed the materials would be used by the militant
wing of Hamas. "I mean, why would someone buy suppressors if they weren't
going to deliver them to a militant wing?" he said.
Teeter
said they hoped Hamas would help them "to exit the country and open a
training facility" for Boogaloo Bois, a loose-knit, far-right group bent
on starting the next American civil war. He and Solomon also planned to bomb a
courthouse in northern Minnesota, and then changed their target to an
unspecified courthouse in the Twin Cities, he said in court Wednesday.
"This
case highlights the real threat posed by domestic violent extremists who
self-radicalize and threaten to violently attack others opposed to their views,
with little or no warning," said Michael Paul, special agent in charge of
the FBI's Minneapolis field office, which led the investigation.
According
to court documents, Teeter, of North Carolina, is part of a group called
"Boojahideen," a subgroup of the Boogaloo Bois. Around the time of
the riots, he and Solomon "discussed committing acts of violence against
police officers and other targets in furtherance of the Boojahideen's stated
goal of overthrowing the government and replacing its police forces," a
witness told the FBI. They talked about destroying government monuments,
raiding the headquarters of a white supremacist organization in North Carolina
and targeting politicians and members of the media, according to court
documents.
In
recorded conversations, Teeter and Solomon told undercover government sources
they wanted to become mercenaries for Hamas to generate cash for the Boogaloo
movement, and that they shared anti-U.S. government views, according to court
documents. They met several times with undercover employees for the FBI, and in
July they purchased a large drill press to make the suppressors. Teeter and
Solomon delivered five suppressors to undercover sources on July 30 and agreed
to make more, which they believed "would be used against Israeli and
United States military personnel overseas," according to court documents.
"The
defendant was a self-described member of the Boogaloo Bois whose extremist
ideologies had moved into the realm of violent action," said Minnesota
U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. "I am grateful for the quick and effective
action by law enforcement to keep our community safe."
In
addition to Teeter and Solomon, another Boogaloo member, Ivan Hunter, is also
facing federal charges related to the Floyd riots. Hunter allegedly shot a
rifle 13 times into the burning Minneapolis Third Precinct, while people were
inside, in an attempt to achieve the Boogaloo Bois' goal of ramping up violence
and starting a civil war.
https://www.startribune.com/boogaloo-bois-member-pleads-guilty-to-trying-to-sell-weapons-to-hamas-after-minneapolis-riots/573410351/?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1828969_
--------
Pakistan
PM
Modi Offers Condolences To Nawaz Sharif On His Mother's Death
18
December 2020
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi wrote a personal letter to PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif
last month, extending heartfelt condolences to Pakistan’s former premier over
his mother's death, recalling that her simplicity and warmth were "indeed
very touching".
In
the letter dated November 27, which was released by the Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi conveyed his
"heartfelt condolences" to Sharif over his mother's death on November
22.
The
letter was forwarded to Sharif’s daughter and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz
by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad last week with a request to be
conveyed to her father, who has been residing in London since last year, the
Dawn newspaper reported on Thursday.
"Dear
Mian Sahib, I am deeply saddened to learn about the demise of your mother Begum
Shamim Akhtar on November 22 in London. My heartfelt condolences are with you
in this hour of intense grief," Modi wrote.
Prime
Minister Modi recalled his interaction with Sharif’s mother during his brief
surprise visit to Lahore in 2015, saying: "Her simplicity and warmth was
indeed very touching."
"In
this moment of profound grief, I pray to the Almighty to bestow strength upon
you and your family to bear this irreparable loss," he added.
In
a separate letter sent to Maryam on December 11 at her Lahore residence, Indian
Charge d'Affaires Gaurav Ahluwalia requested her to convey the condolence
message to Nawaz in London, the paper said.
Sharif,
three-time former prime minister who is entangled in a number of corruption
cases, has been in London since November last year after the Lahore High Court
granted him permission to go abroad for four weeks for treating the heart
disease and an immune system disorder.
Sharif’s
mother Begum Shamim Akhtar died in Britain on November 22. Her body was later
flown to Pakistan and she was buried at the family's Jati Umra estate in
Lahore.
In
December 2015, Modi had paid a brief surprise visit to Lahore on his way back
to India from Afghanistan. He was received by Sharif and both leaders had flown
to Raiwind from Lahore airport in a helicopter.
Modi
then briefly attended Sharif’s grand daughter's wedding ceremony at his
residence and held a brief meeting with his Pakistani counterpart at the time
before departing for New Delhi.
This
was the first time an Indian premier visited Pakistan in more than a decade.
Ties
between India and Pakistan nosedived after a terror attack on the Pathankot Air
Force base in 2016 by terror groups based in the neighbouring country.
Subsequent attacks, including one on Indian Army camp in Uri, further
deteriorated the relationship.
The
relations between the two countries further deteriorated after India scrapped
Jammu and Kashmir's special status on August 5, 2019 and bifurcated it into two
union territories.
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/world-news-pm-modi-offers-condolences-to-nawaz-sharif-on-his-mothers-death/367601
--------
Opposition
staging ‘drama’ to get NRO: Murad
Haseeb
Hanif
December
18, 2020
ISLAMABAD:
Communications
Minister Murad Saeed criticised the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement
(PDM) on Thursday, terming its anti-government campaign a “drama” to get relief
for its leaders from the corruption cases.
Addressing
a press conference, the minister said the opposition leaders were on the roads
after they failed to get an NRO, a reference to former president Pervez
Musharraf-era political amnesty through the now-defunct National Reconciliation
Ordinance in 2007.
“The
opposition parties in the name of the PDM, are staging a drama in the country.
They are on the roads after failing to get an NRO, which they had sought from
the government in writing,” the minister told reporters.
He
said that the opposition had sought NRO during the legislation related to the
Financial Action Task Force (FATF). He added the opposition had demanded the
inclusion of amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws in the
Senate session agenda to get relief from the corruption cases.
On
the one hand, they were making noise of rigging and on the other they want an
NRO to escape accountability for their corruption,” he said. “Even some
opposition members are astonished as to why they should campaign for an NRO for
Nawaz Sharif, a proclaimed offender sitting in London,” he added.
He
added that issues important for the opposition were not important for the
people, therefore, they had rejected the PDM’s drama. “The credit goes to the
nation, which has defeated such people in the general election,” he added.
EU
DisinfoLab expose
At
the press conference, the minister also said that the recent EU DisinfoLab
report was a bombshell expose about India’s involvement in carrying out fake
propaganda campaigns to destabilise Pakistan for the last 15 years.
The
Brussels-based non-government organisation, in its report, uncovered fake
network of some 10 NGOs present in 116 countries, using fake identities, which
were involved in malicious and disinformation campaigns against Pakistan.
“Indian
media outlets and social media were used for propaganda against Pakistan.
Anti-Pakistan demonstrations were organised by those organisations, which were
attended by foreign nationals instead of Pakistanis as evident from their
facial features,” the minister said.
He
said India had made all-out efforts to put Pakistan into the FATF blacklist but
failed in its nefarious designs. The Pakistanis, he added, might have different
political views and ideologies, but they were united to defend Pakistan’s
ideology irrespective of political affiliations.
The
minister said Indian occupation forces were committing gross human right
violations in the Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. However, when
the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was in power, its leader Nawaz Sharif
covered up Indian abuses to save his own business interests in India.
The
minister mentioned that in the past India was spreading terrorism in the world
but Pakistan was blamed. “With the arrival of Prime Minister Imran Khan,
Pakistan has become known as for terrorism but for tourism, he said, adding:
“Imran Khan has become ambassador of the Kashmiris.”
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2276378/opposition-staging-drama-to-get-nro-murad
--------
UNGA
adopts Pakistan-sponsored resolution on self-determination
Anwar
Iqbal
18
Dec 2020
UNITED
NATIONS: The United Nations General Assembly has approved a Pakistan-sponsored
resolution that reaffirms the right to self-determination for peoples subjected
to colonial, foreign and alien occupation.
The
193-member body adopted the resolution by consensus on Wednesday afternoon when
it also considered other human rights issues.
The
resolution — “Universal realisation of the right of peoples to
self-determination” — clearly stating that self-determination is a fundamental
right of all peoples — including those under colonial, foreign and alien
domination.
The
resolution, which was co-sponsored by 71 countries, observed that
“self-determination is a fundamental condition for the guarantee and observance
of human rights”.
Akram
says the world body reaffirmed Islamabad’s legal, political and moral case in
support of Kashmiris
Declaring
its firm opposition to foreign military intervention, aggression and
occupation, the Assembly called on “those States responsible to cease
immediately their military intervention in and occupation of foreign countries
and territories”.
The
world body also “deplored the plight of millions of refugees and displaced
persons who have been uprooted as a result of such acts and reaffirmed their
right to return”.
Pakistan’s
UN Ambassador Munir Akram said that by adopting Pakistan’s resolution, the
General Assembly had “reaffirmed our legal, political and moral case in support
of all peoples, including the Kashmiri people, to struggle for
self-determination against foreign occupation by all means available to them”.
The
text of the resolution was recommended last month by the General Assembly’s
Third Committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural issues.
While taking up a report on “Social development”, the assembly also “stressed
the importance of removing obstacles to realizing the right to
self-determination”.
By
a recorded vote of 168 in favour to five against with 10 abstentions, the
Assembly then adopted draft resolution II — “The right of the Palestinian
people to self-determination.” The resolution reaffirms the right of the
Palestinian people to self-determination, including to their independent State
of Palestine.
It
urged all states and specialised UN agencies to continue to assist Palestinians
in the early realisation of this right.
The
United States, Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and
Nauru voted against the resolution.
Ambassador
Akram said the resolution on self-determination had empowered legitimate
freedom movements and had also renewed international commitment to help those
living under occupation and subjugation. Pakistan, he said, would continue to
speak up for all peoples who were suffering under foreign occupation. “This has
been a cornerstone of our foreign policy and we are proud to be a voice of the
voiceless,” he added.
The
General Assembly also proclaimed Aug 31 as the International Day for People of
African Descent to “promote greater recognition and respect for the diverse
heritage, culture and contribution of people of African descent to the
development of societies”.
The
Assembly deferred action on two draft resolutions: “Situation of human rights
of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar”, and “a global call for
concrete action for the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia
and related intolerance”. The resolutions would be reviewed after budgetary
considerations.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1596375/unga-adopts-pakistan-sponsored-resolution-on-self-determination
--------
FM
Qureshi meets UAE counterpart, apprises him of difficulties faced by Pakistani
community
18
Dec 2020
Foreign
Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi met with his United Arab Emirates (UAE)
counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, late on Thursday in Abu
Dhabi.
The
foreign minister is currently on a two-day visit to the UAE. The visit is
taking place weeks after the UAE included Pakistan among the 12 countries for
whose nationals it had suspended visit visas.
Qureshi
apprised his counterpart of the difficulties being faced by the Pakistani
community in the UAE and stressed the need for their early resolution, Radio
Pakistan reported.
According
to Radio Pakistan, Pakistan and the UAE have agreed to develop an institutional
mechanism to strengthen bilateral relations.
During
the meeting, the two ministers exchanged views on bilateral relations and
promotion of cooperation in various fields and regional issues, the report
said.
Qureshi
said Pakistan and the UAE have deep, historic and fraternal ties, adding that
the country has always supported Pakistan in its hour of need.
He
stated that around 1.6 million Pakistanis living in the UAE have been
contributing to the country's development for the last several decades. He said
the Pakistani community in the UAE has a pivotal role in promoting contacts at
a public level between the two countries, the report added.
They
also discussed the positive progress made with regard to the establishment of
peace in Afghanistan. Qureshi said Pakistan is committed towards continuing its
sincere efforts for peace and stability in the region, including the Afghan
peace process.
The
foreign minister also apprised his counterpart about the deteriorating security
situation in occupied Kashmir.
According
to a statement released by the Foreign Office (FO), Qureshi also expressed his
sincere appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and
his delegation during the visit.
He
extended an invitation to Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit Pakistan
on mutually convenient dates in the near future which he graciously accepted,
the statement added.
In
a tweet, Qureshi said it was "always a pleasure" to meet his UAE
counterpart, adding that "avenues for deepening Pakistan and UAE
relations" were discussed during the meeting.
"The
welfare of our 1.6 million strong diaspora in the UAE was discussed, with the
strengthening of our people to people ties a cornerstone of our bilateral
relationship," he said.
He
added that the two also spoke about the "situation in South Asia,
conditions in occupied Kashmir and discussed peace in Afghanistan".
"Pakistan appreciates the UAE's cooperation during the Covid-19
pandemic," he added.
Shortly
after his arrival is Dubai on Thursday, Qureshi had discussed issues pertaining
to welfare of Pakistani diaspora in the United Arab Emirates with the ruler of
Dubai.
The
foreign minister had urged Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum to encourage
UAE’s business community to avail investment opportunities in Pakistan.
According
to the FO, Qureshi had reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening
and augmenting existing strong bilateral relations with the UAE. Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid had warmly reciprocated the sentiments.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1596442/fm-qureshi-meets-uae-counterpart-apprises-him-of-difficulties-faced-by-pakistani-community
--------
MQM
assures Imran of support for Senate polls
Syed
Irfan Raza
18
Dec 2020
ISLAMABAD:
In a ‘give-and-take’ move, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday assured the
Muttahida Qaumi Movement of a ‘prominent role’ in the recently formed Gilgit-Baltistan
government, while the MQM gave him complete assurance to support the ruling
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in the forthcoming Senate elections.
During
a meeting between the prime minister’s team and an MQM delegation on the lawns
of Prime Minister House, it was decided that the PTI, MQM and Grand Democratic
Alliance (GDA), a cluster of seven different local parties in Sindh, would
jointly contest the Senate polls.
It
was officially informed by the PM Office that the prime minister and the MQM
delegation led by its chief Khalid Maqbool Siddqui discussed the upcoming
Senate polls. Federal Minister for Information Technology Syed Aminul Haq also
attended the meeting. The MQM is a prominent ally of the government at Centre.
Later
talking to Dawn, Aminul Haq said the meeting was held in a cordial atmosphere
and Prime Minister Khan had assured that the MQM would have an adviser in the
PTI-led GB government.
PM
promises Muttahida will have an adviser in GB government
“In
fact PTI leader Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari (commonly known as Zulfi Bukhari) and me
inked an agreement under which MQM withdrew its candidate in support of PTI a
day before GB polls held on Nov 15, while PTI assured MQM’s participation in GB
government,” he said.
The
MQM leader said his party had a good track record in GB where it got the second
highest number of votes in the 2009 elections and that one or two of its
members (MLAs) always remained in the GB Legislative Assembly. “Since MQM has
now no MLA in the GB assembly, the prime minister assured that the party will
have at least one adviser [in GB government],” he added.
Mr
Haq said the MQM had assured the prime minister of its support in the Senate
elections and both sides agreed that the PTI, MQM and GDA would jointly contest
the Senate polls from Sindh.
Regarding
the MQM’s other demands, the prime minister assured that politically motivated
cases against its leaders and workers would be withdrawn and the issue of
missing MQM workers would be addressed.
“We
are also meeting newly appointed Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on
Friday (today) in which the minister will be apprised of our problems and
demands,” Aminul Haq said.
Talking
about the Rs1.1 trillion Karachi Transformation Plan, the prime minister
assured the MQM that it would be taken onboard on all decisions regarding
development of the metropolis.
Meeting
on SMEs
Presiding
over a meeting of the National Coordination Committee on small and medium
enterprises, the prime minister directed the authorities concerned to accomplish
the targets set for SMEs’ uplift. He said the country’s all economic indicators
were on a positive trajectory and promotion of SMEs was a must to bring further
improvement.
The
Sindh chief secretary, secretaries of industries of Gilgit-Baltistan, Punjab,
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir and CEO of the Trade
Development Authority participated in the meeting via video link.
The
prime minister said SMEs were a key component of the economy and their
empowerment would help strengthen the economic outlook and create employment
opportunities.
The
meeting was told that the government was in consultation with all stakeholders
to extend financial support to SMEs for which a special fund would also be
created. It was also told that targets had been set to address legal,
administrative and regulatory issues for betterment of the SME sector.
Moreover, restructuring of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development
Authority was also being done to facilitate the business sector.
The
meeting was informed that working groups had been created in the provinces and
SMEs’ database was being updated on priority for their timely facilitation.
Ravi,
Bundle Island projects
During
a separate meeting on the much ambitious Ravi Urban Development project in Lahore
and Bundle Island project in Karachi, the prime minister was informed that a
design and construction consultant had been appointed for the Ravi project,
while scrutiny for technical consultancy was under way for the island project.
Punjab
Chief Secretary Jawwad Rafiq Malik informed the meeting, via video link, that
the provincial government had given approval in principal for allocation of
funds for the Ravi project and an investment plan was being devised for
investors.
Officials
of the Pakistan Island Development Authority apprised the meeting that a
memorandum of understanding had been signed between International Mangroves
Alliance and LEAD Pakistan for protection of mangroves in Karachi’s coastal
belt.
Prime
Minister Khan said both the projects would fetch billions of rupees of foreign
investment and provide jobs to the locals. “A comprehensive strategy should be
devised to get maximum benefits of the two projects,” he added.
UNDP
delegation
Prime
Minister Khan reiterated the importance of digital solutions for improved
governance and said Pakistan was committed to using digital technologies for
achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
“It
would help the vulnerable sections of society, in particular, to get maximum
benefit from the social welfare and social protection policies of the
government at grassroots level,” the prime minister said while talking to a
delegation of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), dealing with
digital governance, which briefed him on digital transformation.
The
UNDP delegation comprised Resident Representative for Pakistan Aliona Niculita
and Chief Technical Adviser on Digital Governance Tariq Malik.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1596392/mqm-assures-imran-of-support-for-senate-polls
--------
South
Asia
Fresh
Graduates to ‘Defend Afghanistan’ in Helmand Frontline
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
18
Dec 2020
HELMAND,
Afghanistan – At least 89 commando forces have received certificate of
accomplishment after finishing their training under the Afghan National Army
Commando Corps in Helmand province, said the Ministry of Defense in a statement
Friday.
“85
commando forces graduated from commando school in Helmand province, today,”
said the MoD in a tweet. “They have received advanced military training and are
now fully ready to fight terrorists and defend Afghanistan.
1260
Enrollees to Server alongside ANA after Completing Military Training
360
ANA Pledge to Fight Terrorists till ‘Last Breath’
Last
month, some 1260 soldiers in Kabul had joined the school for Afghan National
Army Commando Corps to serve Afghanistan in the frontline against terrorism
after graduation.
https://www.khaama.com/fresh-graduates-to-defend-afghanistan-in-helmand-frontline-4534/
--------
‘Sticky
Bombs’ Sow Terror and Chaos in a City on Edge
By
David Zucchino and Fahim Abed
Dec.
16, 2020
KABUL,
Afghanistan — As he has done most workdays, Mahbubullah Mohibi left his home on
Tuesday morning in a white armored S.U.V. with government plates, bound for his
office job as deputy governor for Kabul Province.
His
driver was wheeling through the narrow streets of Kabul’s Macroyan neighborhood
when the S.U.V. was rocked by an explosion. Mr. Mohibi, 42, and his secretary
were killed and two bodyguards were wounded, a spokesman for the Interior
Ministry said.
Someone
had attached a homemade magnetic bomb to Mr. Mohibi’s vehicle, an increasingly
common and lethal tactic targeting government officials and other prominent
Afghans in the capital.
The
dull, crumpling echo of a magnetic bomb detonation has lately provided the daily
soundtrack to Kabul’s busy morning commute. A so-called “sticky bomb” exploded
nearly every day somewhere in Afghanistan this fall — with dozens such attacks
in Kabul alone the past six months, according to New York Times tallies.
A
few hours after the attack on Mr. Mohibi, a magnetic bomb killed Abdul Rahman
Atshan, the provincial council deputy chief of central Afghanistan’s Ghor
Province, and seriously injured a council member riding with him, a provincial
police spokesman said.
And
on Wednesday morning, a police officer and a government intelligence officer
were killed in separate blasts in Kabul caused by magnetic bombs attached to
their vehicles, a police official said.
Magnetic
bombs are part of a Taliban strategy to sow terror and chaos among Afghans,
particularly in the capital, local security officials say. Coupled with
assassinations of government employees, security forces and civil leaders by
roving gunmen, the attacks have underscored the government’s inability to
protect its own people — and are adding fuel to the public’s growing discontent
and distrust of Afghanistan’s leaders in the midst of their efforts to
negotiate peace terms with the Taliban.
“It’s
a great outcome for the Taliban — each one is like a news bomb in the media,”
Mohammad Arif Rahmani, a member of the Afghan Parliament’s security committee,
said of the magnetic explosives. “These bombs are spreading big fears through
society.”
As
part of a deal signed with the United States in February that laid out the
timeline for a final American withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Taliban pledged
to curtail mass-casualty attacks, like truck-bombings, in cities.But the group
has instead expanded its use of magnetic bombs to demonstrate the extent of its
reach into the capital, as well as the government’s vulnerability, as it seeks
leverage at the next round of peace talks that are scheduled to reconvene in
Qatar in January.
Magnetic
bombs have been used in Afghanistan since the early years of the insurgency
around 2005, as well as in Iraq. But the intensified pace of such attacks this
year has shifted the security equation in Kabul, forcing anyone connected to
the government to reassess how and when they use their vehicles.
Kabul’s
chaotic traffic works to bombers’ advantage. Vehicles are often pinned in
traffic jams, where attackers on motorbikes or passing pedestrians can ease
past and furtively attach a magnetic bomb.
The
capital now feels like a city under siege, with something as prosaic as a
commute to work a source of dread, and every car on the street a potential
deathtrap.
“The
situation is so unpredictable — you don’t know what will happen tomorrow when
you get into your car,” said Aiman Mayar, 22, whose father, a Ministry of
Education official, was killed by a magnetic bomb in Kabul three months ago.
The
official, Dr. Abdul Baqi Amin, was riding in a ministry vehicle that had been
parked in a ministry parking lot the night before, his son said. Like the loved
ones of so many other bombing victims, Mr. Mayar was left wondering why his father
was targeted — and how someone managed to attach an explosive device to his
vehicle despite government bodyguards and security precautions.
“I
want to know how it’s possible that a car with a governmental number plate gets
blown up with a magnetic bomb and the government doesn’t even know who did it
or how,” Mr. Mayar said. “It’s been three months since they promised an
investigation, but there’s been nothing.”
The
Taliban has claimed responsibility for some magnetic bomb blasts, but others go
unclaimed, such as the attacks on Mr. Mayar’s father and Mr. Mohibi,
exacerbating public fears that anyone could be targeted at any time for reasons
that will never be explained.
The
brazen attacks leave an enduring impression that the militants can operate in the
government’s capital with near impunity, said Atiqullah Amarkhel, a retired
Afghan general who watched an insurgency slowly strangle Kabul in the early
1990s until Afghanistan’s Russian-backed government collapsed.
“Kabul
is an open city — these Taliban live here and make their bombs here,” Mr.
Amarkhel said. “After each one of the magnetic bomb explosions, the government
gets more discredited.”
The
magnetic bombs are typically assembled using plastic high explosives and
powerful magnets, a government intelligence official said, speaking on
condition of anonymity. The official said insurgents smuggle explosives into
Kabul using an underground courier system known as belti.
Attackers
try to attach the bombs as close as possible to a car’s fuel tank to ensure
that the vehicle is engulfed in flames. The devices can be detonated remotely
with radio signals or with a time-delay fuse.
At
the same time, the Taliban have stepped up widespread attacks against
government forces in rural provinces and remote district centers. Afghan
civilians are frequently killed in the crossfire. At least 212 civilians were
killed in October, the deadliest month for civilians since September 2019,
according to data compiled by The New York Times.
Even
low-level functionaries affiliated with the government have been targeted by
magnetic bombs. In October, Yousaf Jan, an Afghan contractor hired to deliver
fuel for police vehicles, was killed by a bomb attached to his delivery vehicle
in Khost Province in eastern Afghanistan.
Gul
Nawaz, the contractor’s cousin, said he had no idea who had attacked Mr. Jan or
why.
“I
just know that nobody has investigated his case and nobody has helped his
family,” Mr. Nawaz said.
The
magnetic bomb attacks are likely to persist. The device is a brutally effective
weapon — cheap, precise and lethal.
“It
doesn’t cost much and requires little in the way of facilities,” said Mr.
Rahmani, the Parliament security member. “But it has a very high impact.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/16/world/asia/afghanistan-magnetic-bombs.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1828969_
--------
Lyons
Urges Int’l Allies to ‘Pressure’ Warring Sides on Violence Reduction in
Afghanistan
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
18
Dec 2020
KABUL,
Afghanistan – The UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan
Deborah Lyons in a live webcast Thursday said ongoing violence should be the
first topic discussed during peace negotiations, urging international allies to
“pressure” warring sides on violence reduction in the country.
The
UN Security Council session on the Secretary-General’s latest Report on
Afghanistan was webcasted live on Thursday at 10:00 New York local time (19:30
Kabul local).
Achieving
sustainable peace in Afghanistan will only be possible “if security anxieties
are addressed and the process is inclusive from the outset, with meaningful
participation by women, youth, minorities, victims of conflict and religious
leaders,” Lyons said.
“In
the coming months, I anticipate that this larger security transition will
become a central topic in the dialogue amongst Afghan officials, regional
countries, and the larger international community,” she said, as TOLOnews
quoted.
“I
ask all countries to continue to pressure the parties to the conflict to bring
about a sustained reduction in violence and expect that this will be a top
priority in the negotiations.”
Leaked
Document Exposes Agenda on Afghan Peace
Doha:
Peace Talks Delayed Until January 5
The
remarks came at a time peace negotiators of Afghanistan and the Taliban
representatives took a 20-day beak to discuss the “agenda item” with their
respective board and leaders. The negotiation is expected to resume on January
5, 2021.
https://www.khaama.com/lyons-urges-intl-allies-to-pressure-warring-sides-on-violence-reduction-in-afghanistan-2342/
--------
Culprits
of Ghor Terrorist Attacks Nabbed
By
Mohammad Arif Sheva
18
Dec 2020
GHOR,
Afghanistan – At least two Taliban – involved in a number of terrorism in
central province of Ghor, are arrested, said the Ministry of Defense in a
statement Friday morning.
According
to the statement, the arrest came after the Afghan National Army (ANA) carried
a search operation in Firoz Koh area of the province on Thursday.
“2
#Taliban who had been involved in terrorist activities and targeted killing in
Ghor province, were arrested by ANA in Firoz Koh provincial center, yesterday,”
said the MoD in a tweet.
In
the brief statement, officials did not specify identities of the culprits or
which exact terrorist attack have they carried in the province.
Meanwhile,
pictures posted by the Ministry show an amount of arm and ammunition, including
an AK-47 assault rifle, allegedly seized by officials.
Taliban
did not immediately comment on the incident.
https://www.khaama.com/culprits-of-ghor-terrorist-attacks-nabbed-3454/
--------
Parliament
Slams Saleh for Ongoing Security Threats
By
Mohammad Haroon Alim
17
Dec 2020
Mir
Rahman Rahmani, speaker of the House of Representatives, criticized First Vice
President Amrullah Saleh on his 6:30 a.m. meetings, saying these gatherings
have so far yielded no results and have failed, Sources confirmed.
Rahmani
said on Thursday that the government should strengthen the country’s security
and intelligence forces instead of holding such meetings.
Previously,
Rahmani has criticized the actions of Amrullah Saleh in response to an alleged
insult to the House of Representatives. He said that the post was ceremonial
and that he should not insult the House by relying on it.
Speaker
of the House of Representatives had previously called Saleh to be summoned to
parliament in connection with the insecurity in Kabul.
https://www.khaama.com/parliament-criticized-saleh-over-insecurity-879799/
--------
Arab
World
Lebanese
pop singer Fadel Shaker gets 22-year jail sentence over providing support to
terrorist group
17
December 2020
The
Lebanese Military Tribunal has sentenced prominent pop singer-turned fugitive
Fadel Shaker in absentia to 22 years in prison with hard labor for providing
support to a terrorist group.
The
court, presided by Brigadier General Mounir Shehadeh, issued the verdict on two
counts.
The
first sentence includes 15 years in prison for “involvement in terrorist acts
committed by terrorists, with his knowledge of the matter by providing
logistical services to them.”
And
another seven years was added for financing the terrorist group of hardcore
Lebanese Takfiri preacher Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir, which was responsible for
killing 18 Lebanese soldiers in the southern city of Sidon during clashes in
2013 following the spillover of violence from the conflict in neighboring
Syria.
The
court also ordered him to pay a fine of 5 million Lebanese pounds ($3,293) on
charges of sponsoring terrorism.
Shaker
started his career in mid-1990s, and was catapulted to fame in 1999.
In
2012, he quit his music career and became a follower of Assir. He announced his
comeback to the music arena six years later.
Assir
was sentenced to death in September 2017 for his role in fueling sectarian
violence in Lebanon and organizing attacks against members of the army.
The
radical Lebanese cleric was apprehended at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International
Airport in August 2015 as he was trying to flee the Arab country using a forged
passport. He had even undergone plastic surgery to change his appearance.
The
extremist used to encourage sectarian strife in Lebanon by issuing audio
statements while in hiding, calling on people to join the ranks of Takfiri
terrorists in Syria.
The
violence in Syria has sporadically spilled over into Lebanese territory, where
Takfiri terrorists have every now and then conducted operations against the
army.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640941/Lebanese-pop-singer-Fadel-Shaker-charged-with-terrorism,-gets-22-year-jail-sentence
--------
Lebanon’s
PM-designate Hariri to Macron: Your initiative will not be abandoned
Rawad
Taha
17
December 2020
Lebanon's
Prime Minister-Designate Saad Hariri addressed Macron on Thursday evening
following the French President infection with COVID-19 saying that his
political initiative for Lebanon will not be abandoned.
"I
sincerely wish the friend of Lebanon, President Macron, for a recovery and
health. The most sincere wishes for a friend of Lebanon, President Macron, for
a good health. Your initiative is a trust that we will not give up on, many
challenges," Hariri added in a tweet.
French
President Emmanuel Macron will cancel all his forthcoming trips, including a
scheduled visit to Lebanon, after being diagnosed with COVID-19, a French
presidency spokeswoman told Reuters on Thursday.
Macron’s
Elysee office had earlier added in a statement that Macron would self-isolate
but would continue to work and carry out duties remotely.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/17/Lebanon-s-PM-designate-Hariri-to-Macron-Your-initiative-will-not-be-abandoned
--------
Turkey's
Erdogan urges Iraq not to let its soil be launchpad for Kurdish militant
attacks
17
December 2020
Turkey’s
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asks Iraq to prevent its soil from being used by
militants of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) as a launchpad for attacks
against the Turkish soil.
Erdogan
made the request following talks with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa
al-Kadhimi in Istanbul on Thursday.
He
said the two sides viewed as their “common enemies,” the PKK that has been
holing up in Iraq’s hard of approach Qandil mountains and reportedly striking
the Turkish territory from there.
Tens
of thousands have reportedly died throughout almost five decades of PKK’s
efforts to forcibly win an independent state in southeastern Turkey.
The
Turkish Air Force has been laying into the group’s hideouts across the border
for years, something that has not gone down so well with Baghdad.
Erdogan
told a joint televised news conference with Kadhimi that the two sides
"agreed to continue our fight against our common enemies" including
Daesh and PKK.
The
Daesh Takfiri terrorist group has been eradicated in Iraq, but keeps staging
sporadic attacks throughout the Arab country and elsewhere.
"Our
region will not reach peace unless the head of terror is crushed," Erdogan
said. "There is no place for terror in the future of Iraq, Turkey, and
Syria,” the Turkish head of state added.
Despite
declaring opposition to violence in Syria, Turkey has reportedly been providing
safe passage to terrorists into and out of Syria and promoting militant outfits
there.
Kadhimi,
for his part, said his country would not allow any terror group to use Iraq’s
soil for attacks inside Turkey, and that it was cooperating with Ankara to
confront terrorist groups.
“Iraq
has a clear stance in condemning any action threatening Turkey or using the
Iraqi territory to threaten Turkey’s national security,” he said.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640960/Turkey-Iraq-PKK-militants
--------
Damascus:
Security Council tool in hands of Western states to promote their political
agendas
17
December 2020
Syria’s
deputy foreign minister has strongly criticized certain Western countries for
turning the UN Security Council into a tool to serve their political agendas,
saying those countries have been seeking to foment the crisis in his country.
Bashar
al-Jaafari said in a statement during a Security Council session on the
situation in Syria via a video link that some Western states have sought to
repeat in Syria their catastrophic scenarios, which had been applied in other
countries under fake titles and terms.
“Syria
has long lived with the failure of the Security Council to deal with issues
that pose threat to ... peace and security in our region and the world, on top,
those related to the Israeli occupation of Arab lands,” Jaafari said, according
to Syria’s official news agency SANA.
He
added that the Western countries that have intensified the crisis in Syria and
obstructed settlement efforts still continue to undermine the task of the UN
Security Council.
Al-Jaafari:
western countries turned security council into a tool to serve their political
agendas, inflamed crisis in Syria https://t.co/Ym2xaG8iF9 via @SanaAjel
—
SANAEnglishOfficial (@SANAEnOfficial) December 16, 2020
The
Syrian diplomat said certain countries have denied for years the existence of
cross-border terrorism in Syria, while many others have even denied the
presence of the Daesh terrorist group in the Arab country.
They
have named foreign terrorists as “moderate armed Syrian opposition,” Jaafari
lamented.
He
said after ten years of Security Council intervention, the US is currently
occupying territories in Syria’s northeastern areas, and is supporting
terrorists.
“What
have the Western states done to enable the Council assume an active role in the
fight against terrorism represented by Daesh and Jabhat al-Nusra, and the
terrorist entities and groups affiliated to them?” al-Jaafari asked.
Since
the beginning of the conflict in Syria in March 2011, millions of people have
been displaced and traumatized while hundreds of thousands have been killed.
The Syrian government blames Western and regional powers for backing terrorist
groups that have been wreaking havoc in the Arab country.
On
the other hand, the Western countries have condemned the Syrian government for
alleged chemical attacks in the country. Damascus, which surrendered its entire
chemical stockpile in 2013, has denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it
is not in possession of such weapons and remains committed to cooperating with
the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
In
remarks last week, al-Jaafari, however, regretted that the OPCW has turned into
a tool in the hands of the US and its allies.
“Syria
condemns the use of chemical warfare and all weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
at any time, place and under any circumstances. I reiterate that the OPCW has
lost its identity as a technical organization tasked with safeguarding the
Chemical Weapons Convention, and has instead turned into a tool in the hands of
the US and its allies,” Jaafari said at a United Nations session on the
situation in Syria via a video link on December 11.
He
emphasized that his country has never used chemical weapons and is closely
cooperating with the OPCW to settle all lingering issues surrounding the issue.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640934/UNSC-become-tool-hands-of-Western-states
-------
Africa
Sudan
says army officers ambushed by Ethiopian forces, militia
17
December 2020
Sudan’s
military says several of its officers have been ambushed by Ethiopian “forces
and militias” during a security patrol of the border region.
“During
the return of our forces from combing the area around Jabal Abutiour inside our
territory, they were ambushed by Ethiopian forces and militias inside Sudanese
territory, as a result of which lives and equipment were lost,” the Sudanese
army said in a statement on Wednesday, adding the attack had occurred a day
earlier.
However,
it did not reveal the precise number of the officers killed in the ambush.
According
to locals, reinforcements were being sent to the area, which is part of
al-Fashaqa, a locality that stretches over about 600 square kilometers of
highly fertile agricultural land and where some Ethiopian refugees have crossed
into after fleeing hostilities at home.
Fierce
fighting broke out between Ethiopia’s government and the then-governing party
in Tigray region — the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) — on November 4,
when Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the launch of military operations
against the regional government there.
The
prime minister has accused rebel forces loyal to the TPLF of launching deadly
attacks on a pair of federal military camps in the region. He has also accused
the party of defying his government and seeking to undermine it.
The
clashes are believed to have killed thousands of people and displaced 950,000,
some 50,000 of them into Sudan, according to United Nations (UN) estimates.
On
Sunday, Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok visited Ethiopia briefly and
expressed his concerns about threats to Sudan’s security along its border with
the flashpoint Tigray region. His visit came two weeks after the Ethiopian
leader declared victory in the fight against the TPLF.
Sudan,
one of the world’s poorest countries, is now faced with the massive influx. UN
agencies have been mobilizing resources and trying to assist the refugees, who
have been arriving in growing numbers with few possessions or provisions.
Regional
experts have suggested that Sudan could use its control over key border
crossings as leverage to press the warring sides in Ethiopia to talk. But so
far there are no public signs it is doing so.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640906/Sudan-says-army-officers-ambushed-by-Ethiopian-forces,-militia
--------
Suspected
Al-Shabab Operative Brought to US to Face Terror Charges
By
Masood Farivar
December
16, 2020
WASHINGTON
- An al-Shabab terror group operative accused of conspiring to carry out a 9/11-style
attack in the United States has been brought to New York to face terrorism
charges, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday.
Kenyan
national Cholo Abdi Abdullah was transferred on Tuesday from the Philippines
where he had been in local custody since his arrest in July 2019. The
Philippines handed him over to U.S. authorities on Tuesday.
Abdullah
is accused of conspiring to hijack a commercial airliner and crash it into a
building in the United States. As part of the plot directed by senior al-Shabab
leaders, Abdullah allegedly obtained pilot training in the Philippines.
He
was charged in a six-count indictment unsealed on Wednesday and expected to be
presented to a federal magistrate judge in New York. The charges against him
include providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization,
conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens and conspiracy to hijack and destroy an
aircraft
“This
case, which involved a plot to use an aircraft to kill innocent victims,
reminds us of the deadly threat that radical Islamic terrorists continue to
pose to our nation,” assistant attorney general John Demers said in a
statement. “No matter where terrorists
who plan to target Americans may be located, we will seek to identify them and
bring them to justice.”
Prosecutors
said the alleged plot was part of a larger campaign by Somalia-based al-Shabab,
al-Qaida’s principal affiliate in east Africa, to target Americans following
the U.S. decision in 2018 to move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
In
January 2019, the group launched a suicide attack at a hotel in Nairobi, Kenya,
killing about 21 people, including one American.
More
recently, it has claimed responsibility for attacks on U.S. military facilities
in both Kenya and Somalia.
According
to the indictment, Abdullah traveled to the Philippines for pilot training at
the direction of the al-Shabab commander responsible for the Nairobi hotel
attack.
While
attending an unidentified flight school, Abdullah conducted research on “the
means and methods to hijack a commercial airline to conduct an attack,”
according to the indictment. He
allegedly researched online information about the tallest building in a major
U.S. city, aircraft hijackings, and how to obtain a U.S. visa, the indictment
said.
https://www.voanews.com/usa/suspected-al-shabab-operative-brought-us-face-terror-charges?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1828969_
--------
Militant
attacks force 570,000 to flee homes in northern Mozambique, president says
DECEMBER
16, 2020
MAPUTO
(Reuters) - Militants have forced 570,000 people to flee their homes in
Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, President Filipe Nyusi said on
Wednesday, vowing to defeat insurgents who stepped up attacks since pledging
loyalty to Islamic State last year.
Fighters
have been taking on the army and seizing entire towns in recent months in the
province, home to gas developments worth some $60 billion.
Earlier
this week, the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said at least 424,000 people had fled
to neighbouring Niassa, Nampula and Pempa provinces, and warned that the crisis
could spread beyond Mozambique’s borders.
“Those
who are terrorists must be aware that it will be the people who will win this
war,” Nyusi said in a televised address to the nation.
“We
will keep mobilizing humanitarian aid to the victims of terrorists. These acts
have forced 570,000 to flee who are now crying to get back to their destroyed
homes.”
Nyusi
said Mozambique had received offers “from all corners of the world” to help it
fight terrorism. The government “will keep training and equip our military to
fight”, he added.
The
insurgent group, Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama, staged its first attack in 2017. Known at
first mainly for crude beheadings, the fighters declared allegiance to Islamic
State in June 2019 and since then have massively increased attacks in scale and
frequency.
Nathan
Sales, the Coordinator for Counterterrorism at the U.S. State Department, said
last week the insurgents in northern Mozambique belonged to a “committed”
affiliate of Islamic State and should be seen as a global terrorism threat.
Violence
spilled across the border into Tanzania in October, prompting the two countries
to launch joint military operations.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/mozambique-insurgency/militant-attacks-force-570000-to-flee-homes-in-northern-mozambique-president-says-idUKKBN28Q16A?il=0&utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1828969_
--------
Europe
Russia
has sent 100,000 tonnes of wheat to Syria since start of 2020: Lavrov
17
December 2020
Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia has sent 100,000 tonnes of wheat in
humanitarian aid to Syria since the beginning of this year and plans to ship
more wheat to the war-stricken country.
Lavrov
said during a briefing on Thursday that Moscow plans to ship more in coming
weeks and months.
Russia,
one of the world's largest exporters of wheat, has been supporting Syria in its
efforts to ease the food shortage in the Arab country.
In
October, Syria’s economy minister said his country needed to import between 180,000
tonnes and 200,000 tonnes of wheat a month. He blamed the shortfall on
Western-backed militant groups preventing farmers from selling their wheat to
the state.
Lavrov
also said concrete actions were being currently discussed to rebuild the Syrian
economy.
"In
terms of goals of rebuilding the Syrian economy, we have already had very
significant decisions taken in recent weeks that will significantly enhance
Syria's ability to organize (this) work in a systematic manner," Interfax
quoted the top Russian diplomat as
saying.
Since
1979, the war-torn Arab country has been under rounds of unilateral and
crippling economic sanctions by the United States. Syria has also been battling
a foreign-backed militancy over the past years.
In
April, Syria’s Ambassador to the United Nations Bashar al-Ja’afari sent a
letter to the world body, reiterating a call by Damascus for the immediate and
unconditional lifting of all US economic sanctions.
Russian
Ambassador to Damascus Aleksandr Yefimov, for his part, also called for the
lifting of sanctions against Syria, stressing that the restrictive measures
obstruct the Arab country’s battle against the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The
coercive measures have blocked imports of essential goods, impacting the Syrian
people’s access to medical equipment, food, heating, gas, and electricity.
The
US and its allies invaded Syria in 2014 under the pretext of dislodging Daesh.
The coalition sustains its presence, although Damascus and its allies defeated
the Takfiri terrorist outfit in late 2017.
Syria
has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian
government says the Israeli regime and its Western and regional allies are
aiding Takfiri terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in the country.
The
government forces have already managed to undo militant gains across the
country and bring back almost all Syrian soil under the government control.
The
government gains in Syria have enraged the US, which has long been
collaborating with anti-Damascus militants and stealing Syria’s crude
resources.
In
recent months, Syria's economy has further been strained by a financial crisis
in neighboring Lebanon.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640940/Russia-Lavrov-Syria-US-Israel-Daesh--
--------
Newcastle
and London terror convicts' sentences challenged
Dec
18, 2020
A
man who incited a German terror cell to commit mass murder has had his jail
term challenged by the attorney general.
Lawyers
for Suella Braverman told the Court of Appeal the nine-year minimum term for
Fatah Abdullah, from Newcastle, was too lenient.
They
also challenged the 14-year minimum term given to Safiyya Shaikh, from West
London, for plotting a terror attack at St Paul's Cathedral.
The
ruling will be given later.
Abdullah,
35, was sentenced to life imprisonment in June after pleading guilty to
inciting terrorism overseas and engaging in conduct in preparation to assist
others to commit terrorist acts.
Between
9 April and 11 December 2018, the Iranian national had encouraged Omar Babek
and Ahmed Hussein to plan terror attacks in Germany, including driving a car
into a crowd, attacking people with a meat cleaver and causing an explosion.
Shaikh,
37, admitted preparation of terrorist acts and dissemination of terrorist
publications on the internet.
Representing
Ms Braverman, Alison Morgan QC told the court that Abdullah, who lived in
Arthur's Hill, should have been given a 12-year minimum term and Shaikh, from
Hayes, a minimum term of 18-and-a-half years.
Lawyers
representing Abdullah and Shaikh disagreed and argued for Ms Braverman's
challenge to be dismissed.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-55341407?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1828969_
--------
Counter
terrorism police will board London buses in new effort to prevent attack
Dec
18, 2020
Counter
terrorism police will board London buses and check other vehicles in a new
effort to prevent an attack in the capital.
Officers
will also patrol at bus stops, bus stations and transport interchanges to make
it harder for would-be terrorists to move around the city.
Sniffer
dogs and automatic number plate recognition technology will be deployed in a
further measure to detect threats, while police will monitor movements at key
locations from CCTV control rooms. Armed officers will be available to give
support when necessary.
The
new drive to strengthen public protection follows a warning by the country’s
most senior counter terrorism officer, Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu,
that the number of investigations being carried out by his teams has reached a
record high within the past two weeks.
The
official threat level has also been raised to “severe” - meaning an attack is
judged to be highly likely - following the recent attacks in France and
Vienna.
The
new transport patrols, which will supplement those already carried out at
railway and Tube stations and on busy shopping streets, will be carried out by
a new “Project Servator” team set up by the Met’s Roads and Transport Policing
Command.
Announcing
the move, Met Inspector James Beattie said: “The introduction of
specially-trained Project Servator officers will make life even more difficult
for potential terrorists and criminals to operate across London’s roads and
transport network.
“Don’t
be surprised if you see us. It is nothing to worry about and we will be talking
to members of the public and urging them to help us. Defeating terrorism
requires a collective community effort where police, security staff, retail
workers and the public come together to minimise the chance of attacks. The
cooperation between the public and the police is a powerful defence against
terrorism.”
Officers
in involved in the new patrols will also encourage members of the public and
business owners to be alert and report anything that they believe is
suspicious.
Project
Servator is a long-running counter terrorism policing operation to detect and
disrupt terrorism and other criminal activity and involves officers trained to
spot the signs of terrorists carrying out reconnaissance or behaving in other
ways which indicate intent to attack.
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/counter-terrorism-police-london-buses-attack-b334940.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1828969_
--------
Austria
set to ban 'religious extremism'
16
December 2020
A
ban on extremist religious activities is to be added to Austria's criminal
code, according to an anti-terrorism policy package presented by the
government.
The
package was drawn up in reaction to the Islamist attack in Vienna that left four
people dead and more than 20 wounded in early November.
The
government coalition between conservatives and Greens foresees prison sentences
of up to two years for people who "continually try to replace key elements
of the republic's democratic rule of law with an exclusively religious social
and political order," according to the draft bill.
Social
Integration Minister Susanne Raab made clear that the paragraph is meant to
fight "political Islam".
The
Austrian Islamic Faith Community on Wednesday criticised the government for not
seeking its input when it drafted the policies and said the proposed
legislation was sweepingly vague.
"The
fight against terrorism and extremism can only be won together," said Umit
Vural, the head of the Muslim umbrella organisation.
The
goals of the government in Austria are similar to those of the French
government, which is working on a law to combat radical Islam and to prevent
radicalisation.
Austria's
anti-terrorism package includes a register for former terrorism convicts as
well as a register for Muslim preachers.
Chancellor
Sebastian Kurz also seeks legal changes that would allow courts to impose
indefinite imprisonment for terrorism convicts who continue to pose a threat.
However,
a bill on this issue has been postponed until next year.
https://au.news.yahoo.com/austria-set-ban-religious-extremism-171425626--spt.html?utm_source=iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=1828969_
--------
Mideast
Turkish
human rights defender accused of espionage on trial for alleged ties to coup
18
December 2020
A
Turkish philanthropist businessman and human rights defender is again standing
trial in Turkey on Friday, accused of espionage and attempting to overthrow the
government in connection to a failed coup four years ago.
Human
rights groups have denounced the case against Osman Kavala as unjust and
politically-motivated.
Kavala,
63, was acquitted of terrorism-related charges earlier this year for allegedly
organizing and financing mass anti-government protests that erupted in 2013. But
as his supporters awaited his release from prison, authorities issued a warrant
for his re-arrest, this time accusing him of links to a 2016 failed coup
attempt.
For
all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
businessman faces a life term in prison if found guilty of the new charges of
attempting to overthrow the constitutional order and a further 20 years for
alleged “military and political espionage” to conspire against Turkey. Kavala
denies the charges.
Academic
Henri Barkey, who lives in the United States and was also charged in the case,
is being tried in absentia.
A
64-page indictment alleges Kavala and Barkey collaborated over the coup, which
Turkey’s government says was orchestrated by a network headed by US-based
Turkish Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. It cites as evidence mobile phone
signals suggesting that Kavala and Barkey met in Turkey around the time of the
coup attempt. Human rights groups have described the indictment as “absurd.”
Kavala
has been in prison since he was detained in October 2017, despite a European
Court of Human Rights ruling for his release. Turkey’s Constitutional Court is
reviewing his complaint challenging his lengthy pre-trial detention.
Several
human rights groups have called for his immediate release and for all charges
against him to be dropped, insisting that there is no evidence to support the
accusations.
“Osman
Kavala is facing more baseless, politically motivated charges in a prosecution
which is part of a wider attempt by Turkish authorities to silence independent
civil society,” said Amnesty International’s Europe Director, Nils Muizniek.
“Osman Kavala should not have spent a single minute behind bars, let alone more
than three years in pre-trial detention.”
Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had criticized Kavala’s acquittal in February of
the terror charges and had called for respect for the decision to re-arrest
him. An investigation was launched into a panel of judges that acquitted him,
casting a further shadow on the independence of the Turkish courts.
Kavala
is known for his support of the arts and his funding of projects promoting
cultural diversity and minority rights.
Erdogan,
however, has accused Kavala of being the “Turkish leg” of billionaire US
philanthropist George Soros, who the Turkish leader alleged has been behind
insurrections in many countries.
Earlier
this year, Kavala was the recipient of a Turkish human rights prize, and wrote
a speech that was read on his behalf at the ceremony.
“The
most burning issue for many of our citizens like myself is the erosion of the
rule of law, one of the main pillars of the (Turkish) republic” Kavala wrote.
“The judiciary does not act in accordance with the legal norms, but rather in
line with the political priorities and instructions of the government.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/12/18/Turkish-human-rights-defender-accused-of-espionage-on-trial-for-alleged-ties-to-coup
--------
Official:
Iran, Afghanistan Set New Coexistence Model
2020-December-18
Baqeri
Kani said on Thursday that the amicable coexistence of Afghan immigrants with
Iranians has introduced a novel kind of coexistence, emphasizing that the two
neighboring nations enjoy religious, cultural, and civilizational
commonalities.
He
made it clear that the similarities are so great that a magnifying glass should
be used to find differences between the two nations.
“Iran
is trying not to lose the slightest right of Afghan nationals residing in Iran.
Thus, any views of immigrants are welcome,” the official added.
“If
Westerners had sold tractors to the Afghan people instead of sending tanks to
the country, after 20 years, we would have witnessed a safe and economically
developing state and Afghanistan's security and economic problems had been resolved,”
Baqeri Kani stated.
He
underlined that the illegitimate interests of Westerners in Afghanistan are
based on the existence of terrorism and insecurity, as well as economic
backwardness.
In
relevant remarks, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
expressed pleasure with inauguration of the Khaf-Herat railway, stressing that
relations between Tehran and Kabul are an excellent instance of good
neighborliness in the region.
“We
are proud to stand by the people and government of Afghanistan on the path of
stability and development of the country,” Khatibzadeh wrote on his twitter
page on Thursday December 10.
He
pointed to the inauguration of the Khaf-Herat Railway between Iran and
Afghanistan, and said, “Amicable relations between Iran and Afghanistan are
increasingly an excellent example of good neighborliness in this region.”
“Today’s
big step: Khaf-Herat Railway. We proudly stand by the people, friendly and
brotherly government of Afghanistan on the path of stability and development of
this country,” he added.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990928000095/Official-Iran-Afghanisan-Se-New-Cexisence-Mdel
--------
Spokesman
Raps Sponsors of Anti-Iran Resolution for Instrumental Use of UN
2020-December-17
Khatibzadeh
made the remarks in reaction to the adoption of the anti-Iranian resolution at
the UN General Assembly proposed by Canada and with the support of European
countries and the Zionist regime.
The
spokesman said on Thursday that the resolution lacks legal credibility,
deploring the stances adopted by the initiators of the resolution on the
instrumental use of international organizations to impose pressure on Iran.
He
stated that many chief initiators of the resolution have a dark record of
brazen and systematic violation of human rights, particularly through military
interventions in other countries and arms sales to dictatorial and despotic
regimes, noting, "The resolution that was adopted at the United Nations
General Assembly yesterday with the votes of less than half of the UN Member
States and non-participation of more than 110 countries is in fact the same
text that was recently ratified by the General Assembly Third Committee with
the same votes and was passed at the General Assembly according to modus
operandi of the United Nations."
Khatibzadeh
expressed abhorrence of the deep-rooted hypocrisy of initiators of the
resolution, and said that they have turned a blind eye to the US economic
terrorism against the Iranian nation under the influence of the US bullying and
have practically sunk to the level of the US regime’s accomplices instead of
condemning the illegal and anti-human sanctions imposed by the US.
He
urged Canada and the other main supporters of the resolution to stop
interventionist and immoral behavior towards independent nations.
“Such
unconstructive measures would not only not help the promotion of human rights
at the global level, but only aggravate negative clichés and political labeling
against the independent states,” the Iranian diplomat highlighted.
“We
condemn the move by the Canadian government and other initiators of the
resolution, which is a blatant example of abuse of the transcendent concepts
and values of human rights for the advancement of short-sighted political
intentions, and find it to be lacking in any legal credibility and effect,” he
said.
The
spokesman also said that like the previous voting at the Third Committee, 114
countries out of around 190 UN Member States have refused to support the
resolution, adding that the move by Canada and the chief initiators of the
resolution was in line with their policy of pinning the blame on others in the
field of human rights.
He
emphasized that the repetition of fake and false reports from that group of
countries against the Iranian people would only further discredit their human
rights claims.
An
anti-Iranian resolution initiated by Canada, which had been put forward at the
UN in New York several years ago within the framework of a certain work plan
among a series of Western states, was adopted by the UN General Assembly
yesterday.
The
resolution had already received initial approval from the Third Committee of
the General Assembly.
Fewer
than 80 countries and regimes voted in favor of the resolution, including the
Zionist regime, the US, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates,
Albania, the UK, Canada, France, and Germany. However, the majority of the UN
Member States -some 115 countries- refused to support the resolution, a clear
sign that the bulk of countries are dissatisfied with the arrogant and
selective approach of the initiators of the resolution.
The
Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson had already mentioned a list of the
governments initiating and sponsoring resolutions against Iran and had
denounced Canada’s shameful move to rally “a group of notorious governments in
the human rights sphere”, including the US regime, the Zionist regime, and
Bahrain, for training Iranian people in human rights.
Khatibzadeh
had also called on the Canadian officials to focus their attention on
correcting their anti-human performance inside and outside Canada, stop the
Canadian regime’s systematic policy of genocide of native Canadian people, and
be held accountable for aiding and abetting the anti-human crimes committed by
the Saudi and Israeli regimes against people of Yemen and Palestine.
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/13990927000567/Spkesman-Raps-Spnsrs-f-Ani-Iran-Reslin-fr-Insrmenal-Use-f-UN
--------
Iran
says no new agreement needed after Biden takes office, refutes IAEA chief
18
December 2020
Iran’s
ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency on Friday rejected the UN
atomic watchdog chief’s suggestion that reviving Iran’s nuclear deal after a
new US administration comes to power would require striking a new agreement.
In
an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Rafael Grossi, who heads the IAEA that
polices Iran’s compliance to the 2015 nuclear deal, said there had been too
many breaches by Iran for the agreement to simply snap back into place when US
President-elect Joe Biden takes office next month.
Biden
has said the United States will rejoin the deal “if Iran resumes strict
compliance.”
After
President Donald Trump quit the deal in 2018 and reimposed US sanctions, Iran
responded by breaching many of the deal’s restrictions.
“Presenting
any assessment on how the commitments are implemented is absolutely beyond the
mandate of the agency and should be avoided,” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s
ambassador to IAEA in Vienna, tweeted. “@iaeaorg played its part during
negotiations on the JCPoA.”
Iranian
President Hassan Rouhani, architect of the 2015 nuclear deal with six powers,
has repeatedly said Tehran’s nuclear steps were reversible if the United States
lifted sanctions and fully respected the pact.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/18/Iran-says-no-new-agreement-needed-after-Biden-takes-office-refuting-IAEA-chief
--------
Iran
begins construction at underground nuclear facility amid US tensions
18
December 2020
Iran
has begun construction on a site at its underground nuclear facility at Fordo
amid tensions with the US over its atomic program, satellite photos obtained
Friday by The Associated Press show.
Iran
has not publicly acknowledged any new construction at Fordo, whose discovery by
the West in 2009 came in an earlier round of brinkmanship before world powers
struck the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran.
While
the purpose of the building remains unclear, any work at Fordo likely will
trigger new concern in the waning days of the Trump administration before the
inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden. Already, Iran is building at its
Natanz nuclear facility after a mysterious explosion in July there that Tehran
described as a sabotage attack.
“Any
changes at this site will be carefully watched as a sign of where Iran’s
nuclear program is headed,” said Jeffrey Lewis, an expert at the James Martin
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of
International Studies who studies Iran.
For
all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Iran’s
mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for
comment. The International Atomic Energy Agency, whose inspectors are in Iran
as part of the nuclear deal, also did not immediately respond to a request for
comment.
Construction
on the Fordo site began in late September. Satellite images obtained from Maxar
Technologies by the AP show the construction taking place at a northwest corner
of the site, near the holy Shiite city of Qom some 90 kilometers (55 miles)
southwest of Tehran.
A
December 11 satellite photo shows what appears to be a dug foundation for a
building with dozens of pillars. Such pillars can be used in construction to
support buildings in earthquake zones.
The
construction site sits northwest of Fordo’s underground facility, built deep
inside a mountain to protect it from potential airstrikes. The site is near
other support and research-and-development buildings at Fordo.
Among
those buildings is Iran’s National Vacuum Technology Center. Vacuum technology
is a crucial component of Iran’s uranium-gas centrifuges, which enrich uranium.
A
Twitter account called Observer IL earlier this week published an image of
Fordo showing the construction, citing it as coming from South Korea’s Korea
Aerospace Research Institute.
The
AP later reached the Twitter user, who identified himself as a retired Israeli
Defense Forces soldier with a civil engineering background. He asked that his
name not be published over previous threats he received online. The Korea
Aerospace Research Institute acknowledged taking the satellite photo.
Trump
in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the US from Iran’s nuclear deal, in which Tehran
had agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of
economic sanctions. Trump cited Iran’s ballistic missile program, its regional
policies and other issues in withdrawing from the accord, though the deal
focused entirely on Tehran’s atomic program.
When
the US ramped up sanctions, Iran gradually and publicly abandoned the deal’s
limits as a series of escalating incidents pushed the two countries to the
brink of war at the beginning of the year. Tensions still remain high.
Under
the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran agreed to stop enriching uranium at Fordo and
instead make it “a nuclear, physics and technology center.”
“This
location was a major sticking point in negotiations leading to the Iran nuclear
deal,” Lewis said. “The US insisted Iran close it while Iran’s supreme leader
said keeping it was a red line.”
Since
the deal’s collapse, Iran has resumed enrichment there.
Shielded
by the mountains, the facility also is ringed by anti-aircraft guns and other
fortifications. It is about the size of a football field, large enough to house
3,000 centrifuges, but small and hardened enough to lead US officials to suspect
it had a military purpose when they exposed the site publicly in 2009.
As
of now, Iran is enriching uranium up to 4.5 percent, in violation of the
accord’s limit of 3.67 percent. Iran’s parliament has passed a bill that
requires Tehran to enrich up to 20 percent, a short technical step away from
weapons-grade levels of 90 percent. The bill also would throw out IAEA
inspectors.
Experts
say Iran now has enough low-enriched uranium stockpiled for at least two
nuclear weapons, if it chose to pursue them. Iran long has maintained its
nuclear program is peaceful.
While
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani opposed the bill, the country’s Guardian
Council later tweaked and approved it. The bill seeks to pressure European
nations to provide relief from crippling US sanctions.
Meanwhile,
an Iranian scientist who created its military nuclear program two decades ago
recently was killed in a shooting outside of Tehran. Iran has blamed Israel,
which has long been suspected of killing Iranian nuclear scientists over the
last decade, for the attack. Israel has not comment.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/18/Iran-begins-construction-at-underground-nuclear-facility-amid-US-tensions
--------
Iran-backed
Houthi militia launches missile that lands in Yemen’s Sana’a
17
December 2020
The
Iran-backed Houthi Militia launched a missile on Thursday morning that landed
in Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, said the spokesperson for the Arab Coalition
in Yemen General Turki Al-Maliki.
Al-Maliki
also stated that the Houthi militia has repeatedly violated international
humanitarian law by launching the missile and causing it to land on civilians
and population centers, threatening the lives of hundreds of civilians, local
UAE media Al Ittihad reported.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/12/17/Houthi-militia-launches-missile-in-Sada-a
--------
UN
condemns Israel killing of Palestinian child as ‘grave violation of
international law
17
December 2020
Human
rights experts of the United Nations have lambasted as a “grave violation of
international law” the killing of the sixth Palestinian child by Israeli
soldiers in 2020 in the occupied territories, calling for Tel Aviv’s
accountability.
Michael
Lynk, the UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the
Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, and Agnès Callamard, UN special
rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, made the comments
in a joint statement on Thursday.
They
called for an impartial and independent investigation into the killing of the
15-year-old Palestinian boy at a protest rally held in the occupied West Bank
earlier this month.
“The
killing of Ali Ayman Abu Aliya" by the Israeli military "– in
circumstances where there was no threat of death or serious injury to the
Israeli Security Forces – is a grave violation of international law,” said the
experts.
“Intentional
lethal force is justified only when the security personnel are facing an
immediate threat of deadly force or serious harm,” the pair added.
According
to the Palestinian health ministry on December 4, the teenage boy “succumbed to
his wounds after he was shot with live rounds in the stomach” during clashes
during a demonstration in the village of Mughayir north of Ramallah earlier in
the day.
The
UN experts said Abu Aliya had been the sixth Palestinian child living in the
West Bank to be killed in 2020 by Israeli security forces using live
ammunition.
The
joint statement added that 1,048 Palestinian children have been wounded by
Israeli security forces across the Occupied Palestinian Territory between
November 1, 2019, and October 31, 2020.
“Children
enjoy special protected rights under international law,” they stressed, adding,
“Each of these killings raises deep concerns about Israel’s adherence to its solemn
human rights and humanitarian law obligations as the occupying power.”
Last
month, the Palestinian ministry of information said in a statement that Israeli
troops deliberately targeted Palestinian children, revealing that at least
3,097 Palestinian minors had lost their lives at the hands of Israeli forces
since the Second Intifada (uprising) began in September 2000.
Despite
global condemnation of child-killing by Israeli soldiers, the Tel Aviv regime
continues with the crime of claiming the lives of Palestinian minors,
particularly with live rounds.
The
UN experts also called on the Israeli regime “to either conduct an independent,
impartial, prompt and transparent civilian investigation according to
international standards into this deeply troubling human rights record, or to
allow an international impartial and independent human rights review to be
conducted.”
The
Israeli forces have announced that they would conduct an investigation into Abu
Aliya’s killing. The human rights experts noted, however, that investigations
by the Israeli forces of fatal shootings of Palestinians by its soldiers rarely
result in appropriate accountability.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640959/Palestine-Israel-UN-Lynk-Callamard-children-Abu-Aliya-West-Bank
--------
Palestinian
construction worker beaten to death while working in Israeli settlement
17
December 2020
A
Palestinian man has died after being severely beaten by a group of extremist
Jewish settlers at a settlement in the central part of the occupied West Bank,
amid acts of vandalism and violence against Palestinians as well as Muslim holy
sites.
Palestinian
news outlets reported that the man, identified as 37-year-old Abdel-Fattah
Obeyyat, was found dead at Har Gilo settlement, located two kilometers (1.24
miles) west of Bethlehem, on Wednesday night.
Fathi
Obeyyat, the Palestinian man’s brother, said the victim was working in the
field of construction along with their another brother and their second cousin
in an apartment inside the settlement.
“My
brother was alone after Abdel-Fattah finished his work and waved goodbye. They
later tried to contact him, but he did not answer his phone. After several
attempts, they finally informed the Israeli police who did not know anything
about him.
“We,
therefore, had no option but to return to the settlement and his workplace. We
were shocked to find Abdel-Fattah tied and bludgeoned to death with a noose
around his neck,” Fathi said.
The
Palestinian man added that Israeli police forces and ambulances then showed up,
and interrogated family members at the scene.
“My
brother's body was taken away, and it is still being held. The Israeli police
are refusing to clarify the circumstances surrounding the death and those
responsible for the criminal act, especially as a number of security cameras
are installed in the area,” he noted.
More
than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 settlements built since the 1967 Israeli
occupation of the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem
al-Quds.
All
Israeli settlements are illegal under international law.
According
to human rights groups, incidents of sabotage and violence by extremist
settlers against Palestinians and their property are a daily occurrence
throughout the West Bank.
Over
100 Israeli settlers storm Aqsa Mosque under police protection
Moreover,
scores of Israeli settlers have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the
occupied Old City of East Jerusalem al-Quds under the strict protection of the
regime’s security forces.
The
Department of Islamic Endowments in Jerusalem al-Quds said in a statement that
107 Israeli settlers had stormed the compound from the Moroccan Gate (Bab
al-Magharib) on Thursday morning.
The
settlers began their provocative tour of the compound under the full protection
of Israeli soldiers. They converged on the eastern flank of the mosque and
performed Talmudic rituals.
Hard-line
Israeli legislators and extremist settlers regularly violate the al-Aqsa Mosque
compound in occupied Jerusalem al-Quds – a provocative move that infuriates Palestinians.
The
al-Aqsa Mosque compound sits just above the Western Wall plaza and houses both
the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.
According
to an agreement signed between the Israeli regime and the Jordanian government
after Israel’s occupation of East Jerusalem al-Quds in 1967, non-Muslim worship
at the compound is prohibited.
Palestinians
want the occupied West Bank as part of their future independent state with East
Jerusalem al-Quds as the capital of their future sovereign state.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/12/17/640932/Palestinian-man-beaten-to-death-while-working-in-Israeli-settlement
--------
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/chinas-tech-giant-alibaba-eliminates/d/123804
New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism