An Elderly Maulana Called ‘Pakistani’ And Brutally Assaulted On Train While Collecting Donations For A Madrasa in Gujarat
New Age Islam News Bureau
7 March 2025
An elderly Maulana called Pakistani, brutally assaulted on a train over allegations of molestation.
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· An Elderly Maulana Called ‘Pakistani’ And Brutally Assaulted On Train While Collecting Donations For A Madrasa in Gujarat
· AIMJ President Maulana Razvi Bareilvi Slams Indian Cricketer Shami For Not Observing Roza, Calls Him ‘A Criminal’ In the Eyes of Shariat
· ‘If You Don’t Like Holi, Stay Home’, Says Sambhal DSP. Holi Falls on Friday during Ramzan
· UK Researches Explore Islamic Views On The Major Existential Risks Facing Humanity
· Pakistan Army Claims ‘Bannu’ Attack Was Planned In Afghanistan
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India
· Muslims In Gujarat’s Ahmedabad Allege Continuous Harassment, Stone Pelting While Returning From Taraweeh
· Hindutva Outfits Celebrate After Cops Parade And Thrash Muslim Youths Accused Of Cow Slaughter in MP’s Ujjain
· Criminalising Dissent, Sabotaging Muslim Reservation: How Jamia Milia Islamia Is Being Disciplined
· Nine People Including Imam Of Mosque Detained Over Iftar Announcement On Loudspeaker In Rampur, UP
· RSS Likely To Bring NRC Back On Agenda, Discuss How It Should Be Implemented So No ‘Indian Citizen’ Feels Threatened
· Kerala’s minority politics is entering a new realm, says CPI (M) at state conference
· Modi’s praise for Sufism has made both his critics and supporters uneasy
· Hell would’ve broken loose had a CM called for ‘Islam eradication’: Maharashtra in SC
· Branded ‘love jihad’, locked-up by police: Ankita and Hasnain’s five-month ordeal to get married
· VHP Slams Rajasthan’s BJP Govt Over ‘Love, Land Jihad’: Not Much Different To Last Govt
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Europe
· Midlands 'Nazis plotted terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues', jury told
· UNHCR Report Reveals Zakat Supported Over 474,000 Refugees
· UN Experts Condemn Israeli Move To Reopen ‘Gates Of Hell’ And Unilaterally Alter Ceasefire Terms
· Terror-Accused Discussed Torturing Imams - Trial
· Two words from a teenager finally exposed the daily reality for Australian Muslims
· Ombudsman: Interior Ministry aimed to prevent Muslim refugees coming to Finland
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Pakistan
· Bannu Attack: COAS Says Fight Against TTP, Facilitators To Continue Until Logical Conclusion
· Junaid Akbar admits PTI in 'direct, indirect' contact with establishment
· Bajwa must explain resettling militants in Pakistan: Asif
· PTI awaits Fazl’s return to launch another drive
· 62pc of deaths from terror attacks in Balochistan
· Civil society group complains of Afghans’ detention
· Pakistan awaits official word on possible US travel ban
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Mideast
· Hamas Armed Wing Says Still Committed To Truce With Israel
· At Least 48 Killed In ‘Most Violent’ Syria Unrest Since Assad Ouster: Monitor
· Switzerland cancels Geneva Conventions meeting on Palestinian areas
· Led by extremist Yehuda Glick.. Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
· Charity kitchen brings hope to displaced Palestinians
· US discussions with Hamas were recent, Trump envoy says
· Kuwaiti tech authorities partner with Microsoft in digital transformation drive
· Muslims, non-Muslims enjoying Ramadan festivities in Lebanon
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Arab World
· GCC Chief Urges International Community To Take Responsibility For Halting Israeli Violations Against Palestinian People
· Crackdown On Environmental Offenders In Saudi Arabia
· How Saudi Arabia’s Mission To Become A Global AI Hub Sparked A Race For Tech Talent
· Trump aide Witkoff says he is arranging talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia
· 26th Islamic Arts Festival To Kick Off In November In Sharjah
· Saudi Arabia condemns attacks by ‘outlaw groups’ in Syria
· Saudi-Moroccan foreign ministers co-chair 14th session of joint committee in Makkah
· KSrelief distributes 500 food baskets in Conakry, Guinea
· Saudi Arabian Scouts Association volunteers assist visitors at the Two Holy Mosques
· Saudi Arabia participates at London Book Fair
· Saudi Arabia to host fourth International Conference on Lexicography in October
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North America
· CAIR Warns Immigrants from Pakistan, Other Potential Muslim Ban Countries Not to Travel Overseas This Month
· California Governor Says Trans Athletes In Female Sports 'Deeply Unfair'
· SpaceX rocket explodes, raining debris from sky for second time in a row
· Trump calls for ‘getting rid’ of nuclear weapons
· Тrump wants to sideline EU – Politico
· Why Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors during Ramadan
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Africa
· Uzodimma: We’ll continue to support Christians, Muslims on Holy Pilgrimage
· UN report reveals brutal attacks targeting Muslims, refugees in CAR
· Torture, rape, death: UN report highlights widespread violations by both sides in Sudan conflict
· Ganduje enjoins Muslims to remember vulnerable
· Ramadan: Sharia council backs school closures
· Police Vow Crackdown As Militants Threaten Oil Installations In Rivers
· Why Sit-at-Home Order Persists In Southeast Despite Military Efforts – DHQ
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Southeast Asia
· 'Let Us Be Ambassadors Of Peace': Shanmugam On Importance To Continue Muslim Groups' Tradition Of Helping, Connecting With Community
· Malaysia Hindu Sangam accepts ERA FM hosts’ apology
· Dzulkefly, Najib in talks to seek amicable resolution in cronyism defamation case
· Marine police bust illegal e-waste operation in Klang, seize over RM33m in materials, worker held
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South Asia
· Mullah Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat Meets Japanese Officials to Discuss Health Sector Cooperation
· President urges embracing Islamic principles and respecting Maldivian values on National Identity Revival Day
· 3 Hizb ut-Tahrir members arrested from Uttara
· Action if Hizb ut-Tahrir holds programmes
· Ministry of Industry and Commerce Strengthens Entrepreneurship with New Agreements
· WHO reports sharp increase in respiratory deaths in Afghanistan
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/elderly-maulana-pakistani-madrasa-gujarat/d/134807
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An Elderly Maulana Called ‘Pakistani’ And Brutally Assaulted On Train While Collecting Donations For A Madrasa in Gujarat
March 7, 2025
An elderly Maulana called Pakistani, brutally assaulted on a train over allegations of molestation.
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In a horrifying incident, an elderly Maulana was brutally assaulted on a train over allegations of molestation while he was trying to collect donations for a madrasa in Gangapur city, Rajasthan.
The attackers accused him of molesting; however, the railway authorities haven’t confirmed the allegations yet.
According to the family of the victim, he was on his seat, reciting the holy Quran.
The family alleged, “Some men boarded the train when Maulana was boarding. They passed derogatory remarks on Muslims while sitting around him making sure that he heard the remarks.
Then a woman pointed at the Maulana and called him a Pakistani. When the matter escalated, the TT asked him to come near the door when the two men and the woman started to beat him mercilessly.”
Maulana is a director at a madrasa in Gangapur city and had gone to Ankaleshwar to collect funds for the madrasa.
In the video of the brutal assault, two men and a woman can be seen misbehaving with the elderly man.
During the altercation, the two men immediately start to beat him. He can be seen repeatedly being slapped and hit.
The video of the assault was published by Jitendra Pratap Singh, a supporter of Narendra Modi Reacting to the video, Wasim Akram Tyagi wrote on X, “Any hateful extremist travelling in a train considers his right to attack a Muslim after seeing him.
A woman made false allegations against an old man and then a mob attacked him.”
Source:muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://muslimmirror.com/gujarat-maulana-called-pakistani-and-brutally-assaulted-on-train/
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AIMJ President Maulana Razvi Bareilvi Slams Indian Cricketer Shami For Not Observing Roza, Calls Him ‘A Criminal’ In the Eyes of Shariat
Mar 06, 2025
Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami (L) and Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi (R).
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Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami has been called “a criminal” by All India Muslim Jamaat president Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi for not keeping ‘Roza’ during Ramzan, sparking controversy.
“By not keeping ‘Roza’ he (Mohammed Shami) has committed a crime. He should not do this. In the eyes of Shariat, he is a criminal. He will have to answer God,” Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi told ANI.
He said that keeping ‘Roza’ is a compulsory duty, and anyone who does not follow it is a criminal.
“One of the compulsory duties is 'Roza' (fasting)...If any healthy man or woman doesn't observe 'Roza', they will be a big criminal. A famous cricket personality of India, Mohammed Shami had water or some other beverage during a match,” Maulana Shahabuddin said.
“People were watching him. If he is playing, it means he is healthy. In such a condition, he did not observe 'Roza' and even had water...This sends a wrong message among people,” the Maulana added.
Maulana Bareilvi's remark came after India's four-wicket win against Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy semifinal in Dubai. Shami, who played a key role in the victory with figures of 3/48 in 10 overs, is now the tournament’s joint-highest wicket-taker alongside New Zealand’s Matt Henry, both with eight wickets.
The Maulana’s remark has drawn criticism, with NCP SP leader Rohit Pawar defending Shami and saying religion should not be brought into sports.
“While representing the country, if Mohammad Shami feels that his performance might get even slightly affected due to fasting and what if something happens, then he will never be able to sleep. He is a hardcore Indian who has made the team win many times. Religion should not be brought up in sports,” said Rohit Pawar.
Shia cleric Maulana Yasoob Abbas also slammed the comment, calling it a publicity stunt and stressing that fasting is a personal choice, not a compulsion.
Source:hindustantimes.com
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/a-criminal-muslim-cleric-slams-indian-cricketer-shami-for-not-observing-roza-101741252292345.html
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‘If You Don’t Like Holi, Stay Home’, Says Sambhal DSP. Holi Falls on Friday during Ramzan
March 6, 2025
Anuj Chaudhary, DSP officer of Uttar Pradesh
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A police officer, Anuj Chaudhary in Sambhal recently sparked controversy with his remarks ahead of the Holi festival, which coincides with Friday prayers during the holy month of Ramzan. Sambhal Circle Officer (CO) Anuj Chaudhary, in a peace committee meeting on Thursday, suggested that those uncomfortable with the colours of Holi should stay indoors, since the festival only comes once a year, while Friday prayers are held 52 times a year.
His statement, urging people to have a “broad mindset” and celebrate together, quickly drew criticism from opposition parties, who accused him of showing bias and making inappropriate comments.
Chaudhary’s remarks were made during a peace committee meeting at the Sambhal Kotwali police station, held to ensure smooth celebrations during the dual events. He emphasized the importance of communal harmony and the need for strict vigilance to maintain law and order.
He also appealed to both communities to respect each other’s sentiments, urging people not to forcibly apply colours on those who do not wish to participate. The officer drew a comparison between the celebrations of Holi and Eid, stating that just as Muslims eagerly await Eid, Hindus look forward to Holi, with both festivals emphasizing togetherness and mutual respect.
However, opposition leaders quickly condemned Chaudhary’s statement. Samajwadi Party spokesperson Sharvendra Bikram Singh criticized the officer, accusing him of acting like a BJP supporter and urged action against him for showing bias. He claimed that officers were trying to align themselves with the ruling party to stay in the good books of the chief minister.
Similarly, Uttar Pradesh Congress Media Committee Vice Chairman Manish Hindvi called the statement political, arguing that officers should remain neutral and secular. He emphasized that the officer’s remarks could incite division and called for action in line with the officers’ code of conduct.
Hindvi also pointed out that it was the officer’s duty to ensure peace and security for all, regardless of religion. He suggested that proper arrangements be made to allow both Holi and Namaz to be observed peacefully. The criticism highlights concerns over communal harmony and the potential for such remarks to exacerbate tensions.
This incident follows the violence that occurred in Sambhal last November, when protests erupted over a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque, resulting in fatalities and injuries. The current remarks by the police officer have once again ignited debates about the role of law enforcement in maintaining neutrality and ensuring peace during sensitive times. — With Agencies Inputs
Source:muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://muslimmirror.com/if-you-dont-like-holi-stay-home-says-up-dsp-anuj-chaudhary-sparks-row/
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UK Researches Explore Islamic Views On The Major Existential Risks Facing Humanity
March 07, 2025
By Andrew Cunningham
Research Team (L to R) Professor Caroline Tee, Dr Lili Di Puppo, Dr Gregory VanDamme, Dr Maan Al Dabbagh (Image: Supplied)
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A team of UK researchers, led by a professor at the University of Chester, has begun a three-year project focusing on Islamic perspectives on the major existential risks facing humanity.
The project aims to examine whether incorporating values-based cultural perspectives, including those from Islam, could play a role in addressing global challenges
Risks they are researching include pandemic diseases, climate change, nuclear conflict, and threats from potentially malevolent developments in artificial intelligence.
Led by Professor Caroline Tee at the University of Chester and funded by a £1.2 million grant from Templeton Religion Trust, the international project called 'Muslims, the Secular and Existential Risk' (MUSER) seeks to bridge the gap between the secularised field of existential risk studies and the lives of ordinary people.
The project is using both anthropological and theological research methods, employing a multi-disciplinary research team who are bringing different research tools to bear on the project’s core questions.
At the core of the project is how integrating Islamic perspectives on knowledge, particularly the concept of ilm (knowledge) with respect to risk, may offer new insights and potential responses to global challenges.
Researchers are examining these ideas within British and French communities, considering cultural and political contexts.
As part of the study, two anthropologists are spending 18 months within these communities to investigate whether approaches to risk differ and how Muslim communities' perspectives compare with those found in secular Western frameworks.
After this phase of the work is finished, two Islamic theologians, one from the Anglophone tradition and the other from the Francophone tradition, will bring their theological expertise to the team's collaborative analysis of the fieldwork data.
Professor Caroline Tee said: "The project will create a new approach to thinking about existential risk by marshalling the wisdom of the Islamic tradition on the subject.
"It will also stimulate the serious and constructive integration of other religious perspectives into conversations about risk, which are currently almost exclusively dominated by secular values and epistemologies.
"The project will therefore make lasting impact by instigating a paradigm shift with respect to how we think about, and potentially mitigate, existential risk."
Source:chesterstandard.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.chesterstandard.co.uk/news/24988119.uk-researches-explore-islamic-views-global-risks/
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Pakistan Army claims ‘Bannu’ attack was planned in Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
March 6, 2025
The Pakistani military has reported that civilian casualties from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attack have reached 18, with the attack having been planned in Afghanistan. According to a report by Dawn newspaper on Thursday, March 6, the attack in Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has claimed the lives of 18 civilians.
The military further confirmed the physical presence of Afghans in the attack, claiming that the planning of the attack took place in Afghanistan. The Pakistani Army’s statement emphasized that the Afghan Taliban is expected to fully uphold its responsibilities in such matters.
The Dawn report also revealed that four women and six children were among those killed in the attack on Tuesday in the Bannu region. Additionally, five Pakistani soldiers lost their lives during the attack.
Furthermore, the report added that the Pakistani military claimed that 10 terrorists, including four suicide bombers, were killed in the attack. The responsibility for the attack was claimed by a subgroup of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Similarly, Balochistan faces escalating violence, with insurgent groups, like the BLA, targeting military and civilian installations. A recent bomb attack on a security convoy killed several soldiers, underscoring the region’s ongoing instability and security concerns.
The escalating violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa highlights ongoing cross-border security challenges and the role of Afghan-based groups in destabilizing the region.
The situation remains critical, with concerns over further destabilization if these attacks continue unchecked. The Pakistani government’s call for the Taliban to fulfill its responsibilities is an important step in addressing these issues, but the effectiveness of such measures remains uncertain.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/pakistan-army-claims-bannu-attack-was-planned-in-afghanistan/
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India
Muslims In Gujarat’s Ahmedabad Allege Continuous Harassment, Stone Pelting While Returning From Taraweeh
March 6, 2025
Muslims in Vatva, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, have raised concerns after they were allegedly attacked by extremists while heading home from Taraweeh prayers on Monday, March 3rd. The attackers, according to eyewitnesses, pelted stones at the group, specifically targeting individuals wearing skull caps, a common identifier of Muslim men, and including children.
In addition to the stone-throwing, some residents claim the attackers, some of whom were reportedly masked, also pelted stones at houses and forcibly demanded that Muslims chant “Jai Shri Ram” at knifepoint.
This incident has added to a growing sense of unease in the local Muslim community, who claim that similar attacks have been occurring every Ramadan, yet no meaningful action has been taken against the perpetrators.
The community members have lodged a formal complaint at the local police station, naming two of the attackers as Amit and Sunil.
Despite providing this information, the residents allege that the police were initially reluctant to take immediate action, and only responded after they waited at the station for an hour. Furthermore, the police reportedly recorded the attackers as “unknown individuals,” even after the victims identified them by name.
The situation has left many members of the Muslim community feeling frustrated and unsafe. Syed Mehdi, a local resident, expressed his concerns, questioning, “If anything happens to us, who will take responsibility?” He highlighted that the authorities often console the community by promising that everything will improve, but no real changes are made, and the perpetrators are released without facing any consequences. “The perpetrators are never punished, and the police always release them after 24 hours,” Mehdi added, expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of accountability.
In a video shared by the residents, Mehdi called for peace and urged that the atmosphere during the holy month of Ramadan should remain peaceful and undisturbed.
He stressed the importance of creating a safe environment where everyone, including women, can live without fear of harassment or violence. The community’s appeal for justice continues as they seek both protection and accountability from the authorities, hoping that such incidents will no longer be ignored. — With Agencies Inputs
Source:muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://muslimmirror.com/muslims-in-gujarats-vatva-allege-continuous-harassment-stone-pelting-while-returning-from-taraweeh/
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Hindutva outfits celebrate after cops parade and thrash Muslim youths accused of cow slaughter in MP’s Ujjain
March 7, 2025
Members of right wing groups like Bajrang dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Thursday celebrated officers for flogging Muslim youths accused of cow slaughter by garlanding and offering them sweets in Madhya Pradesh city of Ujjain.
The horrifying visuals of the parade show two Muslim youth being forced by the police officers to chant, “Gau hamari mata hai, police hamara baap hai ( Cow is our mother and police are our father)
After the videos of police’s brutal assault on Salim Mewati and Aqib Mewati, the right wing groups praised the Gahtiya police station inspector DL Dasoriya a day later.
Ujjain Additional Superintendent der of police Nitesh Bhargav stated that a tip off was received on 16th February that cow slaughter was taking place in the Ghatiya area. He said that as soon as the police got the information, the police investigated and seized the youth’s vehicles and meat. Two were arrested while the police are tracking a third suspect.
After the videos went viral the police received a backlash with many accusing the police of taking law in their hands.
Reacting to the incident, journalist Kashif Kakvi said, “In Ujjain Bajrang Dal and VHP felicitated police inspector DL Dasoriya for arresting two Muslims accused of attempting cow slaughter and publicly punishing them. The police had conducted the raid based on information provided by Bajrang Dal, so these right wing workers honoured him for this noble act.”
Source:muslimmirror.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://muslimmirror.com/hindutva-outfits-celebrate-after-cops-parade-and-thrash-muslim-youths-accused-of-cow-slaughter-in-mps-ujjain/
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Criminalising dissent, sabotaging Muslim reservation: How Jamia Milia Islamia is being disciplined
Fayisa C A
06 Mar 2025,
Jamia Milia Islamia, one of the top ranking universities in the country which witnessed an unprecedented crackdown by the Delhi Police during the anti-CAA protests, is still reeling under a continuous chokehold on dissent and alleged attempts to weaken its status as a minority institution.
Five years after the historic anti-CAA protests, another student resistance movement has flared up in the university, as a reaction to months of suppressed anger and suffocation.
The recent incidents were triggered by disciplinary action taken by the administration against four students for organising an event commemorating Delhi Police's brutal crackdown of the university in 2019.
Jamia was one of the spaces where protests erupted initially against the discriminatory Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).
On December 15, 2019, during a public protest near the university, Delhi Police entered the campus without any provocation. What followed was indiscriminate attacks against the students which left at least a hundred injured, including a student who lost vision in his left eye.
The attack left a lasting impact on the students as the university slowly personified the violence. Since the reopening of the campus after the Covid pandemic induced lockdown following the protests and subsequent police action, Jamia fell into an eerie and deafening silence, students say.
Everything from reading circles to freshers' parties, let alone peaceful protests, were either prohibited or disrupted by the authorities, making any attempt at collective engagement or political thought threatening and tiresome for students.
Conveying a clear message, the administration issued several circulars banning students from raising slogans against the ruling BJP government and its leaders, including the prime minister. Graffiti and other illustrations were also banned on the campus.
On December 15, 2024, some students took out a solidarity march in Jamia in remembrance of the anti-CAA protests and the subsequent police violence. According to the organisers, the authorities were approached for permission, which was not granted. The administration instead responded by declaring that the campus would be closed on the day for maintenance, effectively blocking the march.
Following the event, show cause notices were issued against four students. When students submitted their replies, two of them were deemed "unsatisfactory" by the authorities and handed over to the disciplinary committee.
The series of disciplinary actions against political engagements of students triggered a sit-in protest inside the campus on February 10, 2025.
"This has been going on for a while. Any mild sign of dissent and you get served show cause notices, you will be blackmailed and forced to sign undertakings promising not to raise your voice again. When we conduct study circles or reading circles, the guards would come and disperse us. The authorities repeatedly cited office memorandums as a reason for this," says Asheeq Marjan, one of the organisers of the sit-in protests.
The protesters demanded revocation of disciplinary proceedings, show cause notices issued against dissenting students and the office memorandums prohibiting acts of dissent inside the campus.
However, the protest was met with violence and coersion from the part of the administration. During the night, the authorities allegedly switched off all the lights inside the campus, locked all the washrooms, making it extremely difficult, especially for the female students.
On the early morning of February 13, the third day of the protest, around 12 students, including women, were forcibly removed from the protest site and taken to various police stations where they were held until the evening, without their whereabouts being known to friends or family.
"We were all sleeping when the guards came. They started beating me up, I tried to run but they kept beating. I was bleeding from my ears as they carried me to the police van. At least four people were beating me," said Jiyad Muhammed, who was among the detainees.
In a press release, protesting students of Jamia alleged that the guards humiliated and assaulted female students, specifically targeting them.
"One female student, who was menstruating at the time, pleaded for dignity and respect but was forcibly detained and handed over to the police, highlighting the inhumane and insensitive treatment inflicted by the authorities," the students said.
Recounting the incident, Asheeq said there were more than hundred guards present at the protest site to disperse just 15 students.
"We have no idea where they came from, because there are only 50-60 guards in the campus. Some of them had their faces covered. They were the ones who manhandled us. They indiscriminately beat us up, kicked on our faces and dragged us. They even confiscated our phones and ID cards. They then carried us to police buses which were parked inside the campus premises," Asheeq said.
The students alleged that the men who were present with their faces covered were Delhi Police personnel.
"Once we crossed the campus gates, the Delhi Police started beating us mercilessly. We were then split and taken to different police stations in the city. As we reached the police station, many students were bleeding from their faces due to the beatings. But the police refused to take them to the hospital and only continued the assault," Asheeq added.
The detained students received a backdated suspension letter from the administration after they were let go later that day. The next day, the personal details of seventeen students who were issued suspensions for participating in the protests, surfaced on several corners of the campus.
The details, including college ID numbers, photographs used in college IDs and contact details were published in the letter head of the university's proctorial department with a description that read: “List of active students who organised a protest without any permission on 10/02/2025 at 5:00 PM at the central canteen hall.”
Calling the action an "open call for targeting and lynching," the student community of Jamia slammed the administration.
"Given Jamia’s history— where students were shot at during the Anti-CAA movement—this move is nothing short of an open call for targeting and lynching. The inclusion of young women in these lists makes it even more dangerous, exposing them to severe risks of gendered harassment and violence. By handing over personal details to the public, the administration has deliberately endangered its own students, making itself complicit in any harm that may follow," the students said in a statement.
A day after the details were published, the university administration issued a statement absolving itself of the responsibility and claiming to have opened an investigation into the matter.
However, students said it is impossible and a more grave issue if it was not done by the administration.
"College student ID numbers and photos used in the college IDs are among the details that was published. How can such strictly confidential data be accessed by a third party? Moreover, the details were published in the letter head of the proctor. How does the administration explain that?" one of the students who did not want to be named asked.
"The publishing of the personal details is an attempt to threaten the other students. Most of the students in Jamia are Muslims and are first-generation learners. Such measures will pull them back from raising their voice out of fear. That is what the administration and the government wants," said Lubaib Basheer, a PhD scholar at Jamia and National General Secretary of Fraternity Movement.
Lubaib said the attempts to intimidation was also considering the potential of Jamia as a space of resistance.
"The anti-CAA movement was an instance when everyone recognised the potential of Jamia as a space of resistance against the imposition of draconian laws. They are trying to bring in repressive measures in the campus, keeping this in mind," he said.
The Delhi HC on March 5, while ordering a temporary stay on the suspension of the students, expressed concerns "about the way in which the protests being undertaken by the students are handled by the university."
"Students, when they go to university, certainly make an endeavour to raise their voice within the framework of the law. Rather, participation in such peaceful protests is part of training to inculcate the basic principles and norms of civil society,” the court remarked.
Jeopardising minority reservation
Beyond the uncompromising crackdown on dissent, Jamia administration is also trying to close its gates at Muslim students by allegedly sabotaging the reservations.
As a minority institution, Jamia's reservation policy mandates 50% reservation for Muslims in PhD admissions. Out of the 50%, 30% is reserved for Muslim category, while 10% for Muslim women, and 10% for Muslim OBCs and STs.
In the first ordinance since his appointment in October 2024, Vice-Chancellor Mazhar Asif made a seemingly trivial but significant alteration to Jamia's reservation policy for Muslims.
The ordinance issued on 12 November 2024, made minor changes to a phrase regarding the reservation policy, replacing "shall pay due attention" with "may pay due attention."
"While granting the admission to Ph.D. programme, the Faculty/Department/Centre may pay due attention to JMI reservation policy adopted for the admissions," the amendment read.
The seemingly minor change was ignored until the subsequent PhD admissions revealed a clear pattern where the university's minority reservation policy was jeopardised.
Several departments including the well-known AJK Mass Communication & Research Centre failed to meet the mandatory reservation for Muslim students.
At AJK, only one out of four total seats was allocated to Muslim students while at the Centre for Culture, Media & Governance, only one out of seven total seats were allocated to Muslim students.
The Department of History and Culture assigned two out of 12 seats to Muslim students while the Department of Psychology granted just two out of 10 seats to Muslim students.
Emphasizing the importance of Muslim reservation in institutions like Jamia, a former PhD student at the university said, "The educational backwardness of Muslims in India has been documented in various government reports, including the Sachar Committee Report. Jamia Millia Islamia is one of the few Muslim minority universities that provide a crucial space for the educational advancement of the community."
"As per legal provisions, Jamia is expected to uphold its minority status by ensuring at least 50% representation for Muslim candidates, with specific considerations for Muslim women, Muslim Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Muslim Other Backward Classes (OBCs). However, the recently published PhD admission results in several departments and centers, which do not appear to fulfill these requirements, are a concerning development. The university administration must demonstrate greater sensitivity and commitment to ensuring adequate minority representation," he said.
Student organisations and leaders see this as an attempt to weaken the autonomy of Jamia as a minority institution.
"The admission process for 2025 exposes a deliberate disregard for affirmative action, with multiple departments failing to implement the mandated quotas. These actions are not isolated but part of a larger agenda to strip JMI of its autonomy," Fraternity Movement, one of the first organisations to shed light on the issue, said in a statement.
"As a central university with a unique historical role, any interference with its policies amounts to a direct attack on its identity. This erosion of autonomy is unacceptable. JMI has been a pillar of inclusive education and a stronghold for historically marginalized communities. The ongoing attacks on its principles of justice and equity are a betrayal of this legacy," the organisation added.
According to Lubaib, through amendments in the reservation policy, the administration is trying to "change the demography of the institution."
"Following 2019, there have been systematic attempts to recruit students who adhere to the Hindutva ideology in several central universities across the country. Mazhar Asif is trying to implement the same in Jamia," Lubaib alleged.
In a statement, the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) stated that the administration's move "undermines the institution’s minority status and the rightful provisions for Muslim students."
Callling it a "direct assault on the rights of marginalised communities and the principles of equitable education," SFI Jamia said the administration's refusal to adhere to its own ordinances sets a dangerous precedent of exclusion and injustice.
"JMI has long stood as a pillar of inclusive education and a stronghold for historically marginalised communities. Any attack on its reservation policies and institutional autonomy is an attack on its very essence and purpose,” the organisation said.
However, in the face of ever-increasing challenges, students believe it is impossible to kill the spirit of Jamia, which has a history of standing up to power since its creation.
TNIE has reached out to the Jamia administration for their comments. This story will be updated if and when they respond.
Source:newindianexpress.com
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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2025/Mar/06/criminalising-dissent-sabotaging-muslim-reservation-how-jamia-milia-islamia-is-being-disciplined
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Nine People Including Imam Of Mosque Detained Over Iftar Announcement On Loudspeaker In Rampur, UP
March 6, 2025
A controversy erupted in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, following an announcement for Iftar (the breaking of the fast) made through a loudspeaker at a mosque. The incident, which took place in Manakpur Bajaria village under the Syed Nagar Chowki area of Tanda police station, led to protests from members of a Hindutva outfit, resulting in police intervention and the arrest of nine individuals, including the mosque’s imam.
The police removed the loudspeaker from the mosque, calling the announcement through the speaker a “new tradition.”
The mosque in question, which has been serving about 20 Muslim families in the village for 15 to 20 years, became the center of the controversy on Sunday when the imam used the loudspeaker to announce the Iftar.
This act sparked objections from some members of the local Hindu community, who filed a complaint with the police. In response, police personnel from the 112 emergency service arrived at the scene and attempted to mediate between the two groups. However, the situation remained tense, with the protesting group opposing the practice of using the loudspeaker for the Iftar announcement.
The police acted swiftly, arresting nine individuals, including the imam, and registering a case against them. The authorities also removed the loudspeaker from the mosque, citing concerns over public order and potential disturbances. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Atul Kumar Shrivastava commented on the matter, stating, “A dispute arose between two groups after the announcement was made through a loudspeaker at the mosque.
Immediate action was taken, and nine individuals were arrested to maintain law and order.”
The arrests have sparked frustration within the local Muslim community, who point out that announcements for religious events, including Iftar, have been made in many other places without incident.
A local community member, who wished to remain anonymous, questioned why an Iftar announcement was being treated as a “new tradition” when other religious calls, such as the Azaan, are routinely made through loudspeakers.
Maulana Rashid Ahmed, a local cleric, expressed his dismay, claiming, “This is a clear case of targeting one community. Announcements from places of worship have always been part of religious practice, so why single out this one?”
Legal expert and social activist Advocate Shariq Anwar also condemned the police’s actions. He stated, “The arrests and removal of the loudspeaker set a dangerous precedent. This selective enforcement raises serious concerns about religious freedom and equal treatment under the law.”
In the wake of the arrests, local authorities have called for peace and urged residents to avoid actions that could escalate the situation. The incident has drawn widespread reactions from both religious and social organizations, with some demanding the immediate release of the arrested individuals and questioning the fairness of the police’s response. — With Agencies Inputs
Source:muslimmirror.com
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https://muslimmirror.com/nine-people-including-imam-of-mosque-detained-over-iftar-announcement-on-loudspeaker/
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RSS likely to bring NRC back on agenda, discuss how it should be implemented so no ‘Indian citizen’ feels threatened
by Deeptiman Tiwary
March 7, 2025
Over five years ago, amid nationwide protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the proposed National Register of Citizens, or NRC, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a public meeting in Delhi on December 22, 2019, that his government had not discussed NRC since returning to power earlier that year. Since then, the government has reiterated this stand on several occasions.
However, the issue appears to be making a return to the national political discourse, with NRC likely to be among the key agenda for the annual meeting of the RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), which is its highest decision-making body. The meeting this year will be held in Bengaluru from March 21 to 23. Sources said the ABPS was likely to discuss the implementation of NRC across India and deliberate on how it should be carried out in certain states.
“The demography of several states in the country has changed because of illegal immigration. In Jharkhand, even the Christian population is declining when compared to Muslims. The demography of even strategically sensitive states, such as Arunachal Pradesh, is fast changing because of the influx from Bangladesh. We all know what has happened in Assam and West Bengal. It is the Union government’s duty to identify illegal immigrants and deport them,” said an RSS office-bearer.
According to the Sangh functionary, the ABPS will likely discuss how NRC should be implemented so that no “Indian citizen” feels threatened. Sources said the ABPS might also discuss if NRC should be conducted in specific states.
The ABPS is also expected to pass a resolution on at least “two issues of national importance” during the meeting. It is not yet clear, however, whether there will be a resolution on NRC.
“Whether a resolution should be passed on an issue is decided during the meeting and not beforehand. It will depend on what the senior leaders decide on how the issue should be taken up further,” said another RSS leader.
Why the RSS meeting is important
The ABPS summit is the most important meeting of the RSS where all its top leaders, including its sarsanghchalak or chief Mohan Bhagwat and second-in-command Dattatreya Hosabale, will be in attendance. The BJP president and other senior leaders of the party may attend the meeting.
The issues discussed and the decisions taken not only give direction to the Sangh for the following year but also send a signal to the government on what it wants implemented at policy level.
Since the 2019 protests, the government has not made any move or significant statement on NRC, with the issue perceived to have been relegated to the backburner. Even the BJP, which had the issue in its manifesto for 2019 elections, dropped it from the 2024 poll manifesto.
BJP leaders, however, have, off and on, made noises on the issue. Ahead of the Jharkhand Assembly elections last year, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the government would ensure the implementation of NRC in the state. “NRC will be implemented in Jharkhand and illegal immigrants will be identified and removed from the state,” Chouhan, who was the BJP’s election in-charge for the state, said in Ranchi in October. Recently, Jharkhand MP Nishikant Dubey also made comments on NRC.
The RSS position on NRC
The Sangh has always maintained there should be a nationwide NRC. In October 2019, then RSS general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said after the Sangh’s Karyakari Mandal baithak in Bhubaneshwar, “It is the job of every government to prepare an NRC. Many types of infiltration have happened. Hence, it is important to prepare an NRC once and identify all those who are not Indian citizens, and then draft a policy to decide what should be done about them.”
In July 2021, Bhagwat tried to allay concerns, claiming at an event in Assam that a certain section of people had lent a communal colour to the issue to derive political mileage. “It has become a Hindu-Muslim issue when it’s not even one,” he said.
Bhagwat said NRC was a way to determine genuine citizens residing in India. “Such exercises are followed in many countries across the world. What to do with them (those who are left out) is another matter, but at least let us first find out who the citizens in the country are,” he said.
Bhagwat has also repeatedly said that “demographic imbalance” in India was not just due to the higher birth rate of a particular community but also due to undocumented migration.
Despite the government not making its stand clear on the issue for over five years, NRC remains on the horizon. It could be a logical follow-up to the Census, which is expected to take place latest by next year.
Under the law, it is the logical step following the update of the National Population Register (NPR), which will be conducted with the houselisting phase of the Census. The houselisting phase is likely to be conducted next year if the government decides to go ahead with the Census.
It is enshrined in the Citizenship Rules of 2003 under the Citizenship Act of 1955 that NRC shall be carried out based on the NPR. A reading of the rules shows that NPR is part of the rules framed for NRC.
Source:indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/rss-annual-meeting-nrc-agenda-9873137/
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Kerala’s minority politics is entering a new realm, says CPI (M) at state conference
by Shaju Philip
March 7, 2025
Taking note of the “anti-Muslim sentiments” among Kerala’s Christian population, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said Thursday that the state’s minority politics “is entering to a new realm”.
Speaking to the media during the CPI(M) state conference, which began in Kollam Thursday, CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan said an organisational report had been presented. In it, the party appreciated the second Pinarayi Vijayan regime, saying that it gave shelter to people at the time of crisis, implemented the promises and protected the state’s secular culture, he said.
“The media unleashed a campaign that the government is facing anti-incumbency. But the recent by-election at Chelakkara (where the CPI(M) retained its seat in the November polls) showed that there is no anti-incumbency sentiment against the second LDF regime,” he said. “In the 2021 elections LDF got 99 out of 140 seats. Next elections, the LDF is looking at a better result. CPI(M) will watchfully take ahead the organisational machinery imbibing this political situation…Wrong tendencies will be eliminated.” Govindan also referred to the state of minority politics in Kerala. “In the past, the IUML (Indian Union Muslim League) had tried to join hands with religious organisations. Now, they are getting into alliance with advocates of religious nationalists. IUML has joined hands with organisations such as SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami. Congress is the beneficiary of this extreme Muslim politics,” he said.
On the other hand, he claimed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had “shaped” the Christian Alliance for Social Action (CASA) – an outfit that “stressed on anti-Muslim sentiment”.
“CASA has announced the plan to have a political party. By spreading anti-Muslim sentiments, CASA is trying to create hatred of Muslims among Christians. It’s part of a move to create a situation that’s favourable for RSS. As part of encouraging identity politics in Kerala, the BJP (the Bharatiya Janata Party) is dividing the people by caste and then bringing them together communally,” he said.
Apart from the organisational report, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presented a draft called ‘New Ways for New Kerala’, which was a continuation of a draft presented in the previous state conference in 2022. That draft highlighted the merits of private investment in higher education.
According to Govindan, the latest draft highlighted two methods of job creation — promoting entrepreneurship and strengthening the industrial network.
“The party’s stand is to allow capital investment for projects. The political decision of the CPI(M) stems from the realization that there is a vote for development,” he said.
Source:indianexpress.com
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Modi’s praise for Sufism has made both his critics and supporters uneasy
AMANA BEGAM
07 March, 2025
This week, while scrolling through my social media feed, between the usual flood of outrage and deafening debates, I came across a video that felt like a breath of fresh air. It was a celebration of pluralistic Sufism, unfolding in all its grace and depth.
For a moment, the usual social media anger and division faded, replaced by the soothing feeling of poetry, music, and a heritage that refuses to be erased. It was comforting, almost grounding, to see an acknowledgment of India’s pluralistic Muslim cultural legacy, a reminder of something larger than mere headlines.
And what made it even more special was the presence of the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, who addressed the 25th edition of Jahan-e-Khusrau in New Delhi. It was an image both significant and complex in the country’s current socio-political scenario.
India’s cultural consciousness
The festival drew Sufi musicians who gathered in tribute to 13th-century poet and mystic Hazrat Amir Khusrau—a figure whose legacy continues to shape the cultural fabric of the subcontinent. Many scholars regard Khusrau, much like Kabir Das, as a father figure of North India’s Ganga-Jamuni syncretic tradition, a living testament to the interwoven threads of faith, language, and artistic expression.
Scholars say it was his deep, unwavering love for his homeland that earned him the prestigious title of Tuti-yi-Hind—the Parrot of India. His voice spoke of devotion, longing, and belonging in a way few others could. And his influence was far more than just sentiment. Khusrau was a literary innovator, blending Persian and Indian traditions to create a distinct Indo-Persian genre, leaving lasting imprints on the subcontinent’s memory. The mystic’s brilliance secured his place not only among the greatest poets of his time but also among those rare figures who transcend history, leaving behind a legacy that still breathes through India’s cultural consciousness today.
Interestingly, PM Modi described the annual music festival honouring Amir Khusrau as carrying the “fragrance of the soil of Hindustan.” He also recalled how Khusrau once compared Hindustan to heaven. The invocation of Khusrau was significant, but so was the context in which these words were spoken.
In a political landscape where Modi’s image has been repeatedly painted as anti-Muslim, every instance where he acknowledges, participates in, or speaks positively about India’s Muslim historical figure sparks both attention and scepticism. There are always some underlying questions: What is the reason behind it? Is it a genuine outreach, a strategic gesture, or something else altogether?
Contested narratives
From his speech, it seems that Modi’s message is to position Sufism as a bridge between communities, with Amir Khusrau as its flag bearer—a poet whose legacy embodies the pluralistic essence of the tradition. Remembering Khusrau in this way comes across as symbolic, as it subtly promotes the idea that Sufism is a version of Islam that is more inclusive, rooted in Indian soil, and aligned with the subcontinent’s larger cultural ethos.
By emphasising that Sufi traditions have not only bridged spiritual distances but also fostered connections across nations, Modi seemed to be drawing a parallel between Indic culture and Sufism. He presented Sufism as something inherently belonging to India rather than an imported or foreign construct. Whether strategic or sincere, such a narrative aligns with the idea that Sufism, unlike certain other interpretations of Islam, is more adaptable to India’s civilisational framework and society in general, making it an instrumental tool of interfaith dialogue.
In a time when religious identity is a contested space in India, this messaging carries layers of meaning. It can be seen as an attempt to emphasise common ground over divisions. Yet it also raises questions: Can Sufism really be all that? Can it truly serve as the bridge between communities, the embodiment of pluralism, and the acceptable face of faith within a national framework? The celebration of Sufism, then, is not just about culture and history, but also about shaping contemporary narratives of belonging and identity.
However, the irony remains that both extremes—Modi’s staunchest critics and his most unwavering supporters—find themselves uneasy with such moments. For one side, it presents a contradiction too glaring to reconcile, as nothing about Indian Muslims could be positive. For the other, it is an embrace that does not sit comfortably with their expectations. And so, even a celebration of Khusrau becomes another site of contested narratives, where history, politics, and identity collide in ways that are both predictable and revealing.
Amana Begam Ansari is a columnist. She runs a weekly YouTube show called ‘India This Week by Amana and Khalid’. She tweets @Amana_Ansari. Views are personal.
Source:theprint.in
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Hell would’ve broken loose had a CM called for ‘Islam eradication’: Maharashtra in SC
Mar 7, 2025
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Thursday exempted Tamil Nadu deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin from personal appearance in any court relating to criminal cases filed on his controversial 'eradicate Sanatan' remarks and barred lodging of new FIRs for the comments made in Chennai on Sept 2, 2023.
An intense hearing saw SG Tushar Mehta saying the DMK neta could not afford to make similar provocative remarks about any other religion. "Does it behove a deputy CM to call for eradication of 'Sanatan Dharma' like mosquitoes, dengue and malaria? Hell would have broken loose had a CM of any other state called for eradication of any other religion, say Islam," said Mehta, appearing for Maharashtra govt.
Appearing for Stalin, senior advocates A M Singhvi and P Wilson told a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar that the FIRs could be clubbed at one place to avoid multiple criminal proceedings arising from the comment.
"The statement of Nupur Sharma was far more offensive. Yet, she got relief from the court," Singhvi said. Mehta countered by saying that Stalin made bold to give an anti-Sanatan call because he was secure in the knowledge that the majority community would not retaliate with violence. "Merely because a community which is sought to be eradicated does not react violently or threaten violence, should it be continuously targeted?" the SG asked.
Wilson countered him and said he would take the SG to Tamil Nadu as he does not understand the situation there.
CJI Khanna said SC is not going into merits of the alleged words spoken by Stalin as any opinion expressed by it could impact the trial. "We are only on the issue of whether the cases could be transferred to one place for consolidated proceedings," he said. SC posted the matter for hearing on April 28.
Source:indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/hell-wouldve-broken-loose-had-a-cm-called-for-islam-eradication-maharashtra-in-sc/articleshow/118773532.cms
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Branded ‘love jihad’, locked-up by police: Ankita and Hasnain’s five-month ordeal to get married
Vineet Bhalla
Mar 7, 2025
“I had read about ‘love jihad’ and Hindutva organisations,” Hasnain Ansari said. “But I never expected all this to happen to us and that it would be this bad.”
In January, Ankita Rathore’s and Hasnain Ansari’s application under the Special Marriage Act was rejected by a marriage registrar in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. This was after a vicious smear campaign by the Hindi media, which branded their relationship as a case of “love jihad”, violent threats from Rathore’s family and intimidation by Hindutva groups.
Love jihad refers to the Hindutva conspiracy theory that Muslim men are conspiring to marry Hindu women merely so that they can force them to convert to Islam.
Rather than uphold the right of two adults to get married, the justice system has also ended up victimising the couple. Their decision to get married was broadcast to the world by the public notice provision of the Special Marriage Act. And then, ostensibly as part of the “police protection” to keep them safe from angry relatives and Hindutva groups, Rathore was confined to a children’s shelter home. Ansari, in turn, was kept in a police barrack. They were denied access to their phones and confined to a room.
“We felt like we were in police custody, not police protection,” Ansari said.
Rathore and Ansari’s five-months legal struggle to get married in the face of these hostilities is a cautionary tale of how the entire state apparatus is now bent on preventing interfaith couples – especially those where the man in Muslim and the woman Hindu – from getting married.
Despite this, Ankita and Hasnain have refused to back down.
Falling in love
Rathore and Ansari met in Indore in 2020, when they were both working for the tech giant, Amazon. They soon began dating. Rathore has an MBA degree and was working in the company’s fraud research team. Ansari, who has a bachelor’s degree in engineering, was with the company’s HR team.
They moved to Bhopal and began living together in April 2023. At the time, Rathore was 26 and Ansari 28.
Both were clear that they wanted to marry. Ansari said that it took him nearly a year to persuade his family to make peace with his decision. “I was clear from the beginning with them that Ankita would not change her religion and that no one in my family would give her any trouble over her religion,” he told Scroll over the phone.
Rathore was afraid of the disapproval and resistance she would face from her parents. But nothing could have prepared her for their reaction, when she finally told them about her decision to marry Ansari in October 2023. “They immediately took me out to a dark and desolate street and threatened that if I don’t stop seeing Hasnain, they would frame Hasnain for rape and love jihad,” Rathore recalled. “They said that they would slit my throat and force me to give testimony against him.”
Her parents then called up Ansari and abused and threatened him, she said.
Rathore’s parents had known Ansari as her friend and met him several times at their house in Indore. “They would invite him whenever they would know Husnain is in Indore,” Ankita Rathore said. “He even spent Diwali with us once.”
Rathore said that her parents would even joke that if Ansari were Hindu, he would make the perfect groom for her.
Legal struggle
In spite of this, Rathore and Ansari decided to go ahead with the registration of their marriage.
In September, both moved from Bhopal to Jabalpur and filed a writ petition in the Madhya Pradesh High Court for police protection. On October 4, the High Court asked for the Jabalpur police to keep them safe and protect them from any false first information reports against them.
They then applied for marriage under the Special Marriage Act on October 7. The act allows persons from any religion to marry without either of them having to give up their faith.
However, the Special Marriage Act requires a couple to give a 30-day notice before their marriage. This notice is put up in the office of the marriage registrar for public viewing, to invite objections, if any, to the marriage. This contains personal details of the couple: their names, addresses, age, occupation and photos.
This feature of the Special Marriage Act was the start of their nightmare.
On October 15, Rathore’s family received a letter informing them of the marriage application. They again called Rathore and threatened to kill Ansari and harm her.
After that, both Rathore and Ansari claim, their photos began going viral on social media. Hindutva organisations began spreading misinformation that Ansari had kidnapped Rathore and that this was a case of so-called love jihad. This, in turn, was taken up by Hindi news outlets, which spread misinformation that Rathore and Ansari’s relationship was a case of so-called love jihad.
“Love jihad” is a Hindutva conspiracy theory that accuses Muslim men of wooing Hindu women in order to convert them to Islam.
Soon after, Rathore alleged, her family reported to the police that she had gone missing.
Ansari said that local BJP leaders and Hindutva organisation members gheraoed his family’s house in Sihora, a town in Jabalpur district. They called up and threatened his father and his uncle. His family had to flee their home.
“There was a bandh declared in Sihora for two days by local BJP leaders,” he alleged. “They chanted against me and burnt my effigies.”
The issue went national. On October 21, T Raja, BJP MLA from Telangana, requested the Madhya Pradesh chief minister to intervene in the matter and stop their marriage. He also called upon Hindutva organisations in Jabalpur to stop the registration of their marriage.
Rathore and Ansari were told by their lawyer, Amanulla Usmani, to come to the High Court on October 22 to sign an affidavit that Rathore had not been kidnapped by Ansari and that she was willingly marrying him. When they reached court, they found Rathore’s family and members of several Hindutva organisations waiting.
After this, Usmani told the court that he could not proceed with the case due to threats to his life.
In a hearing that day, Justice Vishal Dhagat of the High Court ordered that both Rathore and Ansari be kept under police protection at separate locations. During this time, Ansari or his family members were not to contact Rathore. “During such time, she is free to think about her decision to marry [Ansari],” the order said.
He directed that Rathore would be presented before a marriage registrar on November 12 to ascertain that she was entering into this marriage of her own free will.
In spite of the protection order, Rathore said that her family members abused and harassed her in front of the police in court premises for 30 minutes. “My mother even tried to force feed me something,” she said. She alleged that her mother was attempting to drug her in order to falsely implicate Ansari.
The police took away their cell phones and formatted them, Rathore and Ansari alleged, in spite of there being no such direction by the court.
The protection order said that “[w]hen circumstances are conducive, [Ansari] will be taken to his home and left in company of family members and relatives.” Ansari told Scroll, “In court, the police initially said that they would keep me in jail but Justice Dhagat refused, saying that I am not a criminal.”
However, the court’s protection order turned out to be a pretext for the police to de facto imprison the couple. Over the next few months, Rathore and Ansari were treated virtually like criminals. Ansari alleged that he was kept by the police at a police barrack till February 24. Rathore is still confined to the shelter home.
‘Muslims are bad’
The next few months under so-called police protection were extremely difficult for both Rathore and Ansari. With their movement and communication cut off, they had no way to speak with each other or anyone outside.
Meanwhile, Rathore’s father lodged an appeal against the protection order in the High Court. On November 9, the court stayed, for two weeks, the order that required Rathore to be taken to the marriage registrar on November 12. Rathore said that she came to know of this only from the newspapers the next day.
Meanwhile, the police kept feeding them false information to crush their spirit, they alleged. Ansari said that the police would tell him that Rathore had turned against him and would be giving testimony against him. He could not speak to Rathore to confirm these allegations given the high court’s bar on communicating with her. “It was extremely traumatising,” he said. “I would begin crying and even contemplate suicide.”
Rathore said she would be told by police officers about so-called love jihad cases, about how “Muslims are bad”. She was also emotionally tortured with claims that her mother was ill and that she should think about her rather than her partner.
“I felt so much stress, anxiety and tension,” she said. “I could not eat anything. I would vomit frequently.”
In Sihora, Ansari’s family was finding it difficult to hire a new lawyer for them. “No one was ready to take our case because of threats from Hindutva organisations,” Ansari alleged.
Finally, advocate Jwalant Singh Chouhan, a 35-year old Indore-based lawyer, took up their case.
‘Darkness enveloped everything’
On December 18, a two-judge bench of the High Court led by Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait directed state authorities to “facilitate” the appearance of the couple before the marriage registrar for registering their marriage. It also ordered the continuance of their police protection for at least one more month and for it to continue “till threat perception continues”.
They were summoned to the marriage registrar’s office on January 27. However, both of them were brought by the police to the registrar’s office only at 5 pm. Meanwhile, Ansari alleged, the registrar, Nathuram Gaur, had already rejected their application and left his office.
The rejection was ostensibly due to non-fulfillment of the residency requirement under the Special Marriage Act. Under the law, the applicant must have resided at their address for the preceding 30 days. The order claimed that Ansari had not resided at his claimed address in Sihora for the last ten years.
Ironically, this non-fulfillment was due to the police: Ansari had been forced to stay at a police barrack in Jabalpur since October 22, even though the High Court had directed that he stay at the location till “circumstances are conducive”. Ansari also claimed that the assertion in the order that he had not lived in Sihora at all in the previous ten years was false. “The patwari who had come to my home to inquire forced my father to sign some papers claiming that I had not lived at my family house in the last ten years,” he said.
After months of imprisonment, threats and intimidation, the rejection was a body blow. “That day, it felt like darkness had enveloped everything,” Rathore said. “The thing that we had been fighting for and looking forward to for so long, we were cheated out of it. We were back to square one.”
Hope endures
In spite of this setback, Rathore and Ansari decided to continue their legal struggle.
Chouhan filed another writ petition on their behalf in the High Court requesting for their marriage to be registered, considering that they had been residing in Jabalpur under police protection since October 22. This meant that they fulfilled the residency requirement under the Special Marriage Act.
On Monday, the High Court issued notice in the petition and listed the matter to be heard next week.
Chouhan is confident of his clients being able to register their marriage application this time. He pointed out that in a hearing of the petition on Monday, Justice Vivek Agarwal had criticised the marriage registrar’s order, asking, “Is he a politician?” In his order, Agarwal said that marriage registrar’s order “appears to be a public statement rather than a decision on merits”. However, he refused to allow Rathore to reside with Ansari in the interim.
‘Joke with the Constitution’
Their cell phones were restored to them on February 24, after more than four months. While Ansari is not in the police barrack anymore, Rathore is still at the shelter home. But now they can at least communicate with each other: between October 22 and February 24, their communication was restricted to two brief encounters: at the High Court in December and at the marriage registrar’s office in January.
Despite the emotional and financial toll of their ordeal, neither of them considered giving up on their relationship. “We have been imprisoned and punished without any crime,” she said. “But the rest of our life together will be happy.”
“This has been an extremely hard time,” Ansari said. “It was as if everyone wanted us to give up and stop our marriage.”
He said that in the High Court, the judges had spoken nicely to him. “They had warned me that things will not go easily now that extremists were involved,” he said. “But we didn’t expect this to turn into what we have faced the last few months. No one should be treated so poorly.”
Ansari said that once they get married, they will move out of Madhya Pradesh. “After all that we have gone through, we don’t want to stay here,” he said.
“They have played a joke with the Constitution,” he said. “If they are not willing to listen to judges of a High Court, who will they listen to?”
Source:scroll.in
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VHP slams Rajasthan’s BJP govt over ‘love, land jihad’: Not much different to last govt
by Hamza Khan
March 6, 2025
The Vishva Hindu Parishad has questioned the Rajasthan government’s handling of alleged love jihad and land jihad cases, saying that it doesn’t see much difference between the previous Congress government and the current BJP one led by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Addressing a press conference in Jaipur on Wednesday, VHP’s kshetriya mantri, or regional minister, Suresh Upadhyay, cited a 2024 case from Jahazpur in Bhilwara where stones were allegedly pelted at a Bevan religious procession while it was passing through a Muslim locality, leading to communal tension in the area.
Questioning the government’s handling of the case, Upadhyay said, “Mujhe is prakaran ko dekhne ke baad koi bahut zyada antar sarkar badalne ka dikhayi nahi deta hai. Adhikari wahi ke wahi hain (After looking at this episode, I don’t see much difference after the change of government. The officers are the same). And they act in the way that suits them,” he said.
“Hindu hit wali sarkar isko kehte hain. Kehna alag baat hai, karna alag baat hai (This has been called a government in the interest of Hindus. But saying is one thing and doing is another). We would expect that for both love jihad and land jihad, a strict law should be brought so that both these issues can be stopped,” Upadhyay said.
He, however, made it clear that his dissatisfaction with the current government is limited to the two issues of “love jihad” and “land jihad”, not the overall working of the government. He said he could not give a “certificate” on the working of the government.
On “love jihad”, he said, “It is a country-wide problem. Not a day passes by without a love jihad case coming to my notice.” He claimed that it involved a “big racket from Kashmir to Kanyakumari”.
He alleged that officers of the administration, “who have come from Macaulay’s education system”, handle it as a regular love affair and don’t consider it “love jihad”.
Whether “love jihad” or “land jihad”, administrative officers’ priority is to “maintain peace”, he said. He also criticised officials for presenting a weak case in the courts in such matters.
“The law that is in place right now (for love jihad) is not going to work,” he said, calling for the implementation of a stricter law so that neither those engaging in “love jihad” nor lax administrative officials can escape.
In the ongoing Budget session of the state Assembly, the Rajasthan government has tabled the Rajasthan Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Bill with the aim of checking “love jihad” among other issues.
Recently, the state was rocked by a case of alleged rape and blackmail in Beawar district that had led to communal tensions.
Source:indianexpress.com
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https://indianexpress.com/article/india/vhp-slams-rajasthan-bjp-govt-love-land-jihad-9871713/
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Europe
Midlands 'Nazis plotted terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues', jury told
Annabal Bagdi
06 Mar 2025
Three self-proclaimed 'Nazis' plotted terrorist attacks on mosques and synagogues as they 'prepared for race war', jurors have heard.
'Right-wing extremists' Christopher Ringrose, Marco Pitzettu and Brogan Stewart were preparing to use firearms, explosives and bladed weapons in their attacks, the prosecution say.
Security services believed an attack could be imminent after undercover officers infiltrated their group and arrested the trio, the court heard.
Opening the case at Sheffield Crown Court, prosecutor Jonathan Sandiford KC said the defendants - including two from the Midlands - had acquired or were trying to get hold of a 'wide variety of weapons'.
This included swords, knives, axes, spears and crossbows, he alleged.
The trio were also said to have been gathering information on explosives and firearms, the court was told.
Preparations being made included 'taking steps to complete the manufacture' of a 3D printed semi-automatic firearm, Mr Sandiford alleged.
The prosecutor told the court: "The prosecution say that these three defendants were right-wing extremists who regarded themselves as National Socialists, or Nazis, and they supported the National Socialist movement in the UK, such as it is or indeed was."
Ringrose, of Cannock, Pitzettu, of Mickleover, Derbyshire, and Stewart, of Tingley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire, deny preparing acts of terrorism.
They also deny charges of collecting information likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism.
Source:birminghammail.co.uk
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https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/midlands-nazis-plotted-terrorist-attacks-31140457
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UNHCR report reveals Zakat supported over 474,000 refugees
6th March
By Calum Banister
A new report has revealed that Zakat contributions directly supported more than 474,000 refugees in 2024.
The annual Islamic Philanthropy Report, released by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, highlighted the growing role of Zakat and Sadaqah in aiding refugees and displaced families.
Since its inception in 2017, UNHCR’s Refugee Zakat Fund has provided life-saving assistance to over 8.9 million people in 31 countries.
The fund is now endorsed by 17 Islamic institutions worldwide.
In response to global aid funding uncertainty, UK for UNHCR has launched an urgent appeal to raise funds for the Refugee Zakat Fund in 2025.
The campaign, named Born Connected, aims to strengthen ties between UK Muslims and displaced families worldwide while raising essential funds for refugees.
It features a portrait series of UK-based Muslims who share their reasons for donating Zakat to help refugees.
Leyla from London, one of the portrait subjects, said: "I give my Zakat because my parents came to the UK as asylum seekers, and I want to give back to protect refugees."
Sarah from Bradford said: "I give my Zakat because to help refugees through trauma will eventually lead to them helping themselves."
The Refugee Zakat Fund provides support in countries including Yemen, Somalia, Lebanon, Bangladesh, and Iraq, ensuring displaced families have access to food, shelter, healthcare, and education.
Refugees and internally displaced families in Syria and Sudan remain among the 'most vulnerable', and the Refugee Zakat Fund will continue to expand its efforts to meet their growing needs.
Zakat donations through UNHCR have grown 'significantly', demonstrating a shift in how faith-based giving is shaping humanitarian aid.
Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, said: "We are deeply grateful to all those who have placed their trust in the Refugee Zakat Fund, including our valued donors and partners.
"Their generosity and collaboration have enabled us to expand the impact of our efforts, providing life-saving support to millions of displaced families.
"Muslim communities across the UK have been a shining example of compassion and solidarity.
"Through your Zakat and donation, we send a powerful message to refugees and displaced families: no matter the distance, they are not alone."
Emma Cherniavsky, chief executive officer at UK for UNHCR, said: "For refugees who have lost everything, Zakat is a lifeline and an essential contributor to global humanitarian relief efforts.
"We are hugely grateful to the many supporters across the UK who choose to stand with refugees in this way and ensure they are not forgotten."
Source:asianimage.co.uk
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https://www.asianimage.co.uk/news/24984087.unhcr-report-reveals-zakat-supported-474-000-refugees/
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UN experts condemn Israeli move to reopen ‘gates of hell’ and unilaterally alter ceasefire terms
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
March 06, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: More than 20 UN independent human rights experts have denounced the decision by the Israeli government to block all humanitarian aid to Gaza and resume a total siege of the territory.
They warned that this breaks the terms of the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, breaks international law and puts the prospects for peace in jeopardy.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the experts condemned Israel’s decision on Sunday to suspend deliveries of all goods to Gaza, including critical, life-saving aid. It follows an announcement by the Israeli war Cabinet that it was prepared to withdraw from the ceasefire agreement, with some ministers openly calling for reopening the “gates of hell” in the war-battered enclave.
“This action constitutes a gross violation of international law,” the experts said. “As an occupying power, Israel is legally obligated to ensure the provision of sufficient food, medical supplies, and other forms of aid.
“By blocking such essential services, including those vital to sexual and reproductive health and disability support, Israel is weaponizing humanitarian assistance.”
Such actions represent “serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law,” they added, and might amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.
The independent experts who put their names to the statement included Francesca Albanese, the special rapporteur on human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, and Michael Fakhri, the special rapporteur on the right to food. Special rapporteurs are part of what is known as the special procedures of the UN Human Rights Council. They are independent experts who work on a voluntary basis, are not members of UN staff and are not paid for their work.
They also criticized Israel’s general approach to the ceasefire agreement, which initially was hailed as a pathway to peace. Instead of fostering a cessation of hostilities, however, the agreement has been marked by continued violence and destruction.
At least 100 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since it took effect on Jan. 19. The total death toll in the territory since the war began in October 2023 now stands at 48,400, as Israeli forces persist with airstrikes and ground assaults.
“The harsh conditions of the ceasefire, marked by limited aid and scarce resources, have only exacerbated the suffering of Gaza’s population,” the experts wrote.
“The decision to reimpose a total siege on Gaza — where 80 percent of farmland and civilian infrastructure has already been destroyed — will undoubtedly worsen the humanitarian crisis.”
While some states and regional organizations have attempted to justify Israel’s actions as a response to alleged ceasefire violations by Hamas, the experts noted that repeated violations of the agreement by Israel have largely gone unreported.
They called for the mediators of the ceasefire deal, Egypt, Qatar and the US, to intervene to help preserve the agreement in accordance with international obligations. They also stressed that Israel’s actions should be viewed within the context of the ongoing illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, a situation the International Court of Justice has demanded came an end.
The experts concluded by issuing a strong call for global action: “Nations must recall their obligations under international law and act to halt this brutal assault on the Palestinian people. The international community cannot allow lawlessness and injustice to prevail.”
As the world watches the devastating effects of the latest Israeli decision, the experts warned that fragile hopes for peace in the region continue to fade, and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza is far from over.
The initial phase of the ceasefire expired on Sunday without Israel and Hamas reaching an agreement on an extension or a way forward for the deal.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2592702/middle-east
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Terror-accused discussed torturing imams - trial
March 07, 2025
One of three men accused of planning terrorist attacks discussed torturing a Muslim leader using an "information extraction kit", a court has heard.
Brogan Stewart spoke of his thinking with an undercover police officer on a social media app, Sheffield Crown Court was told on Thursday.
The jury had earlier heard Mr Stewart, 25, from West Yorkshire, Christopher Ringrose, 34, from Staffordshire, and Marco Pitzettu, 25, from Derbyshire, were "right-wing extremists" preparing to use firearms, explosives and blades in attacks.
All three deny a charge of preparing acts of terrorism and charges of collecting information likely to be useful to a person preparing or committing an act of terrorism.
Mr Ringrose also denies manufacturing a prohibited weapon.
'Syringe with bleach'
Jonathan Sandiford KC, prosecuting, told the court that Mr Stewart said to the undercover officer, who he called "Blackheart", that they needed to establish a "new einsatzgruppe" - a reference to Adolf Hitler's SS death squad.
On the Telegram social media app, the defendant explained to the officer how he had what he called an "information extraction kit", which included a blowtorch, pliers, gaffer tape, a screwdriver, bleach and a syringe.
Mr Stewart had detailed torturing victims such as "local imams" and added nothing "loosened up" people "like seeing a syringe filled with bleach", Mr Sandiford said.
The prosecutor also explained how Mr Stewart had set up a group called Einsatz 14, with him as "Fuhrer" and Blackheart as the "Obergruppenfuhrer", which the other two defendants also joined.
'Extort rivals'
Mr Sandiford said that when Blackheart asked him about the group's ideology, Mr Stewart replied: "Personally, I've taken inspiration from the SS."
He said Mr Stewart, from Tingley, near Leeds, added: "I also hope we can extort political rivals and potentially plan operations to meet migrants landing on our beaches and deal with them."
The court heard that Mr Stewart sent the undercover officer a list of "standard uniform" for the group, which included a Black SS helmet, "mask, balaclava, skull face mask or anything to hide identity", as well as a swastika armband.
Jurors were told by Mr Sandiford that the three men were arrested after security services believed an attack could be imminent.
Mr Ringrose had begun to build a 3D-printed semi-automatic firearm and was trying to acquire the remaining parts, the prosecutor said.
Source:bbc.com
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cnvz721y9v0o
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Two words from a teenager finally exposed the daily reality for Australian Muslims
March 7, 2025
Why this one? Was it the language? Does reading that someone told a western Sydney mosque he wanted to “christ church 2.0 this joint [sic]” focus the mind in some unique way? Is it the fact, referenced by NSW Premier Chris Minns, that the threat was made in Ramadan, when mosques are full, that captured the imagination? Whatever it was, here we are: a 16-year-old West Australian kid arrested, government and police declaring they are “taking this very seriously”, the prime minister issuing a statement, Peter Dutton posting on X, and Strike Force Pearl – which hitherto seemed only to focus on antisemitic hate crimes – ramped up patrols in response. Welcome, sure. But I’ll admit to being caught by surprise because amid the torrent of attacks on Muslims in the past 18 months, this didn’t even strike me as especially stark. Online threats happen all the time. I’d guess every day. Even as I write this, a new story is developing about an online bomb threat against a school in a Muslim area of Sydney. They aren’t nic to receive – I know because I’ve received some quite graphic ones that have occasioned 24-hour security – but they are so often the empty bravado of someone very young, very lonely, very disturbed, or all three. None of that is to say this stuff shouldn’t be taken seriously. It’s more to wonder why so little has been done before. There have been plenty of opportunities. Arson? There’s the person who yelled “f--- Muslims” and “torch them all” before proceeding to torch a Palestinian man’s truck, which bore a Palestinian flag. Graffiti? Take the toilet stall at a children’s playground on which was scrawled “HANG ALL MUSLIM SCUM!” and “KILL A MUSLIM” followed by a checklist: “PEDOS✓ UGLY✓ STUPID✓ LAZY✓ FILTH✓”. Assault? Two hijab-wearing women were hospitalised after allegedly being variously punched and choked while minding their own business about three weeks ago. Assault with cars? A man yelled “f--- off you terrorist dogs” to a group of Muslim men praying outdoors, then drove his car back at speed and tried to run them over. A woman allegedly tried to run over an imam. All this is merely a fraction of what has been reported to the Islamophobia Register Australia in the past three months. It’s easily discoverable to any journalist or politician who wanted to give them a call. Had they done so, they’d also have discovered that this sort of thing has been regularly occurring since late 2023. It is punctuated by particular events – for instance, the register is now reporting a surge in verbal abuse of Muslim doctors and nurses in the wake of theBankstown nurses story – but the underlying condition is constant. There simply isn’t the space here to detail the parade of stories of graffiti, of hijabs being ripped off, of physical assaults, of spitting attacks, of death threats. Even non-Muslim and non-Palestinian victims get sucked into this vortex. Like Rita Manessis, whose car and home sport “Free Palestine” stickers, and who discovered graffitied swastikas on her driveway alongside “Death to Palestine” and “Get out Muslim c---“. Or Theo – last name not published for security reasons – who displayed a Palestinian flag on his house before he discovered a home-made bomb on his car, with an attached note warning: “Enough! Take down flag! One chance!!!!” The perpetrator, David Maurice Wise, was ultimately sentenced to 12 months’ prison. Amid all this, here’s Liberal senator Dave Sharma in December: “Any time any senior minister mentioned antisemitism in the last 12 months, they also mentioned a fictitious Islamophobia which was not going on.” Lest that be dismissed as an isolated stance, here’s his colleague, Sarah Henderson: “Frankly, there is no issue with Islamophobia”, before adding later, “I really reject any argument that there is some sort of equivalence between antisemitism and any other form of racism, including Islamophobia, at the moment on Australian university campuses because that is simply not the case.” This as Muslim and Palestinian students were reporting instances of verbal and physical assault to the Register. Or here’s Nationals senator Bridget McKenzie: “[The government] seem[s] to think there’s a moral equivalence between Islamophobia and antisemitism [but] there absolutely isn’t. And it needs to be called out.” No moral equivalence? Let me think well of McKenzie: perhaps she misspoke. We should have no qualm with the intense focus antisemitism has received of late. The scourge is real, the outrage justified, and the recent escalation terrifying. The possible involvement of organised crime and overseas actors raises the stakes considerably. Rather, the trouble is when this morphs into a discourse, pushed by powerful actors, that seeks to make antisemitism and Islamophobia opposites, caught in some zero-sum relationship. In that world, to acknowledge Islamophobia is to deny antisemitism. But also, to emphasise antisemitism is to deny Islamophobia, it turns out, explicitly. In the process, what should be a problem in common becomes tawdry competition. The results are profound. A January survey published in this masthead found only 9 per cent of Australians believe Islamophobia has increased. And, frankly, why would they? Until now, most of the stories I’ve referenced have received comparatively little media coverage or none. They’ve attracted little passionate political comment from the major parties, Labor’s Julian Hill – an assistant minister – a notable, oft-overlooked, exception. The alternative government has denied it and attacked those who raise it. Islamophobia has an envoy most voters wouldn’t have noticed, but no dedicated task forces, no parliamentary inquiries, no attached sense of crisis. The consequence is the conviction, now deeply entrenched in Muslim Australia, that the country simply doesn’t care about anything that happens to them. That Australia recognises them only as perpetrators, but never as victims. Perhaps that’s why the reference to Christchurch 2.0 struck a chord. Perhaps the reminder of 51 Muslims gunned to death in their mosques by an Australian revived the possibility of Muslims being victims in the public imagination. Perhaps it’s the fact this moment comes so soon after the hospitalisation of those two women (slowly) filtered into the news, and therefore into the non-
Source:smh.com.au
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https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/two-words-from-a-teenager-finally-exposed-the-daily-reality-for-australian-muslims-20250306-p5lhe6.html?js-chunk-not-found-refresh=true
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Ombudsman: Interior Ministry aimed to prevent Muslim refugees coming to Finland
6 Mar 2025
Finland's Interior Ministry acted in a discriminatory manner as it prepared the country's quota refugee plan for 2025, according to a report by the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman's office.
The office found that the ministry favoured asylum seekers from Christian-majority countries when it provided instructions to officials working on quota refugee policy.
"The discriminatory instructions were meant to prevent refugees from Muslim-majority countries from coming to Finland," the ombudsman's report noted.
"It can be said that this instruction was intended to prevent Muslim refugees from Afghanistan and Syria from coming to Finland," Non-Discrimination Ombudsman Kristina Stenman told Yle.
According to the ombudsman, the ministry's guidelines discriminated against refugees based on their religion and national origin.
"The government has seriously undermined the rights of asylum seekers and immigrants through several legislative changes. The legislative changes are far-reaching and their consequences apply to the same groups of people. The human cost of the government's migration policy is unreasonably high," said the ombudsman's office press release, which was published in Finnish and Swedish.
Ministry to review report
In a post on X on Thursday, the Interior Ministry said that it plans to review the ombudsman's report and that it is waiting for an assessment on the matter from the Chancellor of Justice. The ministry concluded its post by saying it would not comment further about the matter at this stage.
In a message sent to Yle, Minister of the Interior Mari Rantanen (Finns) said that she would not comment on Thursday about the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman's report.
The ombudsman's office already issued a warning about the ministry's quota refugee plans in November.
That same month, Yle requested the interior ministry provide the email exchanges between a ministry official and a special assistant as the quota refugee plan was being prepared.
Justice chancellor's assessment coming
The released emails revealed that in early October the foreign ministry found it necessary to intervene in the political leadership of the interior ministry's handling of the quota allocations.
Based on the information that became public, the Non-Discrimination Ombudsman started looking into the matter, and this led to the report published on Thursday.
The ombudsman said its findings were based on extensive materials from the interior ministry regarding the quota refugee plans.
The ministry started new preparations on quota refugee allocations at the prime minister's request.
In late November, the interior ministry announced that Finland would take in 500 quota refugees in 2025 as part of the UNHCR's resettlement programme, effectively reversing the government's previous plan.
According to the ombudsman, the new policy preparations were necessary and important.
The ombudsman also said that the responsibility of carrying out a more detailed assessment of the quota refugee preparation process lies with the justice chancellor.
The outgoing Chancellor of Justice, Tuomas Pöysti, declined to comment about the matter on Thursday.
The justice chancellor's office noted that it was assessing "necessary further measures" in the matter.
Source:yle.fi
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://yle.fi/a/74-20147884
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Pakistan
Bannu attack: COAS says fight against TTP, facilitators to continue until logical conclusion
By Zarmeen Zehra
March 06, 2025
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has vowed to continue fight against the TTP militants and pledged to bring the planners and facilitators of the deadly Bannu Cantonment attack to justice, military’s media wing said on Thursday.
The statement comes two days after security forces successfully thwarted a cowardly terrorist attack on Bannu Cantonment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing all 16 militants who attempted to intrude into the facility, according to the ISPR.
However, in the exchange of fire, five soldiers were also martyred while putting up a heroic resistance, the military's media wing said.
At least thirteen civilians were martyred, and 32 others were injured as a result of destruction caused by suicide blasts during the clash.
In a statement today, the military’s media wing said Army Chief General Munir visited Bannu following the foiled terrorist attack on the cantonment by TTP militants on Tuesday.
During the visit, the COAS was briefed on ongoing operations and the overall security situation of the area. He also visited the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) Bannu to inquire about the health and well-being of the injured soldiers, acknowledging their resilience and unwavering dedication.
The COAS commended the high morale and steadfast resolve of the troops, reaffirming that the Pakistan Army would continue to serve as a bulwark against terrorism to ensure the security and stability of the state.
The COAS expressed profound condolences to the families of innocent civilians who lost their lives in this heinous and cowardly terrorist incident.
He also assured that while the perpetrators of the incident were neutralised instantly by the valiant soldiers, the planners and facilitators of the dastardly attack would also be brought to justice soon, wherever they may be.
He underscored that the barbaric targeting of civilians, including children, women and the elderly exposed the true intentions of TTP terrorists as enemies of Islam.
Emphasising the pivotal role of the local community, the army chief reiterated that national unity is imperative in the fight against terrorism and assured that the armed forces would spare no effort in ensuring the safety and security of the people of Pakistan.
While addressing the troops, Gen Munir lauded their heroic actions, recognising their swift and decisive response in neutralising the attackers and thwarting their nefarious designs.
He further stated that the fight against TTP and their facilitators, acting on the behest of hostile elements, would continue until its logical conclusion.
The COAS highlighted that terrorist groups, including TTP, continued to operate from Afghan soil against Pakistan.
He underscored that the use of foreign weapons and equipment in recent terrorist attacks was clear evidence that Afghanistan remained a safe haven for such elements.
He reaffirmed that no entity would be allowed to disrupt Pakistan’s peace and stability.
Earlier upon his arrival, the COAS was received by the corps commander Peshawar.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1289315-bannu-attack-coas-says-fight-against-ttp-facilitators-to-continue-until-logical-conclusion
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Junaid Akbar admits PTI in 'direct, indirect' contact with establishment
By Web Desk
March 06, 2025
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chapter President Junaid Akbar said on Thursday that they were not ashamed of maintaining contacts with the establishment as "they are our institutions".
"We are not in conflict with any institution," said Akbar while addressing the media outside Rawalpindi's Adiala jail, where PTI founder Imran Khan has been jailed since August 2023. "All of them should stay within their constitutional limits."
He urged that the gap between the people and the institutions should not widen.
The politician stated that the former ruling party was not being permitted to conduct political activities, and their workers were being arrested and booked in multiple FIRs.
He maintained that his party would not be intimidated by such tactics.
To a question, Akbar said that he would not exclude the KP government from responsibility for deteriorating law and order in the province.
However, the situation was precarious due to the country's foreign policy, especially its Afghanistan policy, he claimed.
Both Gandapur and Gohar have previously engaged in backchannel discussions and are now reportedly making renewed efforts to establish communication with the powers that be, sources told The News.
However, within the PTI, there is growing recognition that this dual approach of seeking dialogue while attacking the establishment cannot work.
Attempts have been made to persuade Khan to soften the party's tone against the establishment on social media, but he has not done so. Many senior PTI leaders disagree with this confrontational strategy but feel powerless to change it.
"We cannot expect any relief while continuously attacking those from whom we seek it," a senior PTI leader admitted on condition of anonymity.
The military, for its part, has maintained that it will not engage in political discussions and insists that political parties should resolve their issues through dialogue among themselves. The army chief recently dismissed reports of receiving a letter from Khan, stating that even if such a letter arrived, he would forward it to the prime minister rather than read it.
His remarks came after Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 on multiple charges ranging from corruption to terrorism, wrote his third open letter to the COAS.
The former ruling party is also formulating a strategy to organise peaceful protests and public rallies in the country and expedited efforts to form a grand opposition alliance ahead of a powerful anti-government movement.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1289323-junaid-akbar-admits-pti-in-direct-indirect-contact-with-establishment
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Bajwa must explain resettling militants in Pakistan: Asif
By Web Desk
March 06, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has called for former Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa to be questioned over the resettlement of militants in Pakistan, saying that former ISI chief Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed is already under arrest.
Asif, speaking to reporters at Parliament House on Thursday, said that terrorism is a global issue that must be tackled collectively, adding that an inquiry should first be conducted into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's (KP) failure to control terrorism.
The defence minister held the KP government accountable for the rising terrorism incidents, saying that it was focused on fighting the deposed PTI chief’s political battle instead of countering militants.
He accused the provincial government of not taking any measures to curb terrorism.
Asif asserted that Bajwa, Faiz, and PTI founder Imran Khan were responsible for bringing back terrorists to Pakistan.
"Faiz Hamid is already under arrest, but Bajwa must be questioned about why he resettled these militants."
The scourge of terrorism continues to plague Pakistan making it the world's second-most terrorism-affected country in 2024, as per a Global Terrorism Index 2025 report.
Pakistan — placed at the second spot from its previously fourth position — witnessed an alarming 45% increase in terrorism-related deaths with the total rising from 748 in 2023 to 1,081 in 2024 — one of the steepest surges globally.
Commenting on Khan’s reported letter to former US President Donald Trump, Asif remarked that Pakistan’s internal letter-writing politics has now gone international. He predicted that this letter, like previous ones, would meet the same fate.
Regarding political reconciliation, he said that dialogue is only possible when the opposing side is not hostile.
He clarified that he was not speaking on behalf of the establishment, but insisted that if reconciliation was not an option, then political resistance should be pursued.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1289283-bajwa-must-explain-resettling-militants-in-pakistan-asif
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PTI awaits Fazl’s return to launch another drive
Ikram Junaidi
March 7, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The PTI leaders on Thursday appeared confident about a mass opposition movement expected after Eid, with former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser saying that negotiations with Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, would commence after his return from abroad.
Speaking to media persons outside Adiala jail after they were not allowed to meet incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, the PTI leader said talks between the JUI-F and the PTI were ongoing and soon a national agenda would be announced. “Maulana is out of the country and as soon as he returns, negotiations will be announced over a one-point agenda,” he added.
A week ago, the PTI organised a conference of the opposition parties in Islamabad and also accused the government of making attempts to scuttle the moot. Before October last year, the PTI had made efforts to woo the Maulana but the deal did not come through, forcing the party to rely on its strength to launch its anti-government agitation. Now, the PTI has stepped up efforts again to take the JUI-F on board for a multi-party alliance.
Speaking to reporters alongside Mr Qaiser, PTI KP President Junaid Akbar said his party was not against state institutions and believed that a strong institution (a euphemism for the military) was necessary for the stability of Pakistan.
“The institution will become weak if it is not backed by the masses. In case of another (anti-terror) operation, people will not support the institution… We may have grievances with an individual but we support the institution. We believe that the strengthened institution strengthens the country,” he claimed.
Mr Akbar said that while the security situation was deteriorating in Balochistan and KP, the masses would not support any other military operation. He said that some elements, who brought the incumbent government, were giving the message that one institution was above all.
“I want to say that you cannot succeed in your agenda. You could not eliminate Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was the leader of one generation. So how will you eliminate Imran Khan, who is the leader of three generations?” he asled, warning the “anger” against the institution had been increasing.
The situation of KP is deteriorating just like Balochistan, he said, adding that the residents of KP residing in the capital were being targeted and implicated in FIRs.
Not embarrassed by contacts
In response to a question about backdoor dialogue with the establishment, the PTI leader admitted that the PTI has direct and indirect contacts with the powers that be. He, however, said it was nothing to be ashamed of.
“I am not embarrassed about meeting with my institutions and talking to them to make them understand that the gulf between the masses and the institution was widening and that they should review their policies,” he said, adding that the state institutions should stay within the ambit of law.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser claimed that the security situation was deteriorating in the erstwhile Fata because of the Afghan policy. “I would suggest that the Afghan policy should be discussed in parliament. The business of people residing along the border is linked with Afghanistan and Iran,” he said. “They cannot control and address the issues of the country. A fresh election should be held so that a government having the mandate of the people would get power,” Mr Qaiser said.
He said that the government got excited over the word ‘thank you’ from the US. “They are saying that they have got the endorsement of the US without caring about the sovereignty of the country. I would say that the sovereignty of the country should not be compromised,” he added.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1896275/pti-awaits-fazls-return-to-launch-another-drive
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62pc of deaths from terror attacks in Balochistan
March 7, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Terrorism-related deaths in the country surged by 73 per cent in February, compared to the previous month, with nearly 62 per cent of the total fatalities occurring in Balochistan, highlighting the growing insurgency in the province.
A total of 121 people were killed and 103 others injured in 54 terrorist attacks recorded across the country during the month.
The Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), an Islamabad-based think-tank, released these statistics on Thursday in its Pakistan Monthly Security Report for February 2025.
The frequency of high-impact and high-intensity attacks by banned Baloch insurgent groups has been increasing in Balochistan, as reflected in the rising terrorism-related casualties in the province, the report says.
Out of the total 121 casualties recorded during February, as many as 75 occurred in Balochistan. One example is the martyrdom of 18 Pakistan army soldiers in a single assault in Kalat.
The total reported fatalities comprised 56 security and law-enforcement personnel, 37 civilians, and 28 militants. Significant casualties resulted from three attacks targeting non-Baloch workers and travelers in Balochistan, with 21 people dead and seven others injured.
As many as 30 terrorist attacks took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last month. These attacks claimed 45 lives and injured 58 others. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, Lashkar-i-Islam, the militant Islamic State-Khorasan group and some unknown terrorists perpetrated these attacks in the province. About half of the reported attacks were concentrated in southern KP districts of Bannu, Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, and North and South Waziristan.
Fatalities in terrorist incidents in Balochistan saw a significant increase during the month. As many as 75 people were killed in 23 attacks reported from the province and another 45 people were injured. Baloch insurgent groups, including the Balochistan Liberation Army, Balochistan Liberation Front and Baloch Republican Guards, perpetrated a combined total of 22 attacks, causing 74 deaths and inflicting injuries on 45 others. One attack was orchestrated by the TTP in Balochistan, which killed one person.
No terrorist attack took place in Punjab during the month. One terrorist incident occurred in Karachi. Out of the total 54 attacks reported during February, as many as 32 were carried out by religiously inspired militant groups, mainly the outlawed TTP and its affiliates (30 in KP and one attack each in Sindh and Balochistan), which killed 47 people and injured 58 others.
The data shows that over 68 per cent (37 attacks) of all recorded terrorist attacks in the country specifically targeted security and law-enforcement personnel. During the month, security forces conducted 20 operational strikes targeting militants, including 19 strikes in various districts of KP and one in Balochistan’s Harnai district.
These kinetic operations resulted in the death of 131 militants while six soldiers were martyred.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1896269/62pc-of-deaths-from-terror-attacks-in-balochistan
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Civil society group complains of Afghans’ detention
Zaki Abbas
March 7, 2025
ISLAMABAD: At least 190 Afghan refugees have been rounded up by the authorities in the federal capital as a part of an ongoing crackdown, a civil society group said on Thursday.
In a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter), the Joint Action Committee for Refugees claimed that a ‘massive crackdown’ was underway in the twin cities and scores of Afghans had been detained by the police, regardless of whether they possessed Proof of Registration (PoR), Afghan citizen cards (ACC), or a valid visa.
“JAC has learned that many police stations have arrested Afghan refugees and detained them without due process. Around 190 Afghans are being kept in Haji Camp Islamabad,” it said, calling the action a violation of the recent Islamabad High Court order.
In an order issued earlier this week, IHC Justice Inam Minhas has restrained authorities from harassing refugees and asked them to act in accordance with the law.
“Through instant writ petition, the petitioners being users of Pakistan Origin Card, seeks direction to the respondents restraining them from harassing or forcibly evicting the petitioners from houses (in Pakistan) in any manner until the expiry of the extended period, as specified in the notification dated 22.07.2024, which grants the petitioners the right to reside in Pakistan until 30.06.2025,” read the ruling.
The move follows directions issued after a series of meetings chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which called on authorities to move registered Afghan refugees out of Islamabad and Rawalpindi and gradually repatriate them.
A police official, requesting anonymity, claimed that they had nothing to do with the ongoing crackdown, rather, they only “stand guard” outside the Haji Camp detention centre.
The official said that the immigrants rounded up by the district administration are brought to the facility, from where they are transported to the border for deportation.
Dawn reached out to the Islamabad deputy commissioner for comment, but no response was received until going to press.
A female refugee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity fearing repercussions, said police had been rounding Afghan refugees on a daily basis from the twin cities and taking them to the Haji Camp, on the outskirts of the federal capital.
The refugee, who moved to Pakistan in July 2022, claimed she was also detained by authorities at Haji Camp for one day, but was allowed to leave after she submitted documentation proving that she had a legal right to remain in Pakistan.
According to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which tracks the repatriation of Afghans, said that over 18,000 returned to their country from the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad in January this year, with repatriations in the second fortnight of the month slightly higher than the first fortnight.
In 2024, around 315,100 returned to Afghanistan. Among these, undocumented Afghans represent the largest category of returnees (257,447), followed by PoR holders (42,929) and Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders (5,770).
Source:dawn.com
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Pakistan awaits official word on possible US travel ban
March 7, 2025
• Washington circles expect final list of countries by next week; Afghanistan also set to face curbs
• Move harkens back to curbs imposed on travellers from Muslim-majority countries during Trump’s previous term
• Rubio announces visa restrictions on those facilitating illegal immigration
WASHINGTON: Following on from a crackdown on illegal immigration launched soon after he took office, the Trump administration looks set to re-introduce curbs on travellers from a number of countries — including Pakistan and Afghanistan.
According to a Reuters report, the ban would bar people from the listed countries from entering the US, and could come into force as early as next week.
However, Pakistani officials say they have yet to receive anything via official channels, and are waiting for official intimation of the policy before making any comments.
The move harkens back to the Republican president’s first term ban on travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries, a policy that went through several iterations before it was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.
Former president Joe Biden had repealed that move in 2021, calling it “a stain on our national conscience”.
Reuters quoted multiple sources as saying that Afghanistan would be on the list, while Pakistan may also be recommended for inclusion. However, they were not aware of the full list.
President Trump had issued an executive order on Jan 20, requiring intensified security vetting of any foreigners seeking admission to the US to detect national security threats.
That order had also directed several cabinet members to submit by March 12 a list of countries from which travel should be partly or fully suspended because their “vetting and screening information is so deficient.”
Waiting for word
The issue was raised twice during Thursday’s press briefing at the Foreign Office, but spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan sidestepped the questions, saying he had not seen the report in question.
Diplomatic sources in Washington said the Trump administration is currently briefing Congress on the proposed move, which may officially be announced by next week. When approached for comment, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Saeed Shaikh said they had not heard anything officially. “We have seen news reports, but nothing received from official channel[s] as yet. Would want to wait for that before commenting,” he said, in response to a query from Dawn.
However, the Council on American-Islamic Relations — a leading Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation — has warned lawful permanent residents, students, workers and other immigrants legally in the United States to avoid leaving the country over the next 30 days.
The CAIR’s advisory says potential countries targeted by the new ban “could include Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Palestine/Gaza, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan,Syria, Yemen or any other country”.
It said that the Trump administration has set Mar 21, 2025, as the deadline for federal agencies to submit a report to the White House identifying countries with “deficient” visa vetting practices whose citizens should be banned from travel to the US.
Bad news for Afghans
The new restrictions could affect tens of thousands of Afghans who have been cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees, or on Special Immigrant Visas, because they are at risk of Taliban retribution for working for the US during a 20-year war in their home country.
One source pointed out that Afghans cleared for resettlement in the US as refugees or on the special visas first undergo intense screening that makes them “more highly vetted than any population” in the world.
The State Department office that oversees their resettlement is seeking an exemption for Special Immigrant Visa holders from the travel ban “but it’s not assumed likely to be granted,” the source said.
That office, the Coordinator for Afghan Relocation Efforts, has been told to develop a plan by April for its closure, Reuters reported last month.
Illegal migration curbs
A day earlier, the State Department had announced a visa restriction policy targeting foreign officials and others facilitating illegal migration into the United States.
In a statement, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said countries along the migratory route to the US “must do their part to prevent and deter the transit of aliens seeking to illegally enter the United States”.
He said the new visa restrictions will apply to “foreign government officials, including immigration and customs officials, airport and port authority officials, and others believed to be responsible for knowingly facilitating illegal immigration to the United States”.
“This new policy will complement our existing 3C policy, expanded in 2024, pertaining to private sector actors who knowingly provide transportation and travel services designed primarily for illegal aliens traveling to the United States.” According to the State Department handout, this policy may also cover certain family members of those targeted by the travel ban.
Source:dawn.com
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Mideast
Hamas armed wing says still committed to truce with Israel
March 06, 2025
GAZA CITY: The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said Thursday it remained committed to its fragile ceasefire with Israel, even after the first phase drew to a close at the weekend.
“Despite all the enemy’s attempts at evasion, lies and deception... we preferred and still prefer to adhere to the agreement in order to spare the blood of our people,” Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said in a video statement.
The first phase of the fragile truce, which largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza, drew to a close at the weekend after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted that the second phase go ahead as planned.
Israel has ramped up its rhetoric and halted the flow of goods and supplies into Gaza.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump warned the people of Gaza that they would be “DEAD” unless all the remaining hostages were released.
Hamas has said Trump’s comments will encourage Israel to ignore the terms of the ceasefire.
Abu Obaida warned against any escalation.
“We warn the families of the (hostages) that until today we have proof of life for those who remain alive among the prisoners,” the spokesman said.
“Any escalation of aggression against our people will likely lead to the death of some enemy prisoners, as has happened in many cases in the past.”
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israeli towns and military bases, 58 remain in captivity, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, while Israel’s retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,446 people, also mostly civilians, according to figures from the two sides.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2592697/middle-east
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At least 48 killed in ‘most violent’ Syria unrest since Assad ouster: monitor
March 06, 2025
DAMASCUS: Fierce fighting between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to deposed ruler Bashar Assad killed 48 people on Thursday, a war monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes in the coastal town of Jableh and adjacent villages were “the most violent attacks against the new authorities since Assad was toppled” in December.
Pro-Assad fighters killed 16 security personnel while 28 fighters “loyal” to ousted President Bashar Assad and four civilians were also killed, it said.
The fighting struck in the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia, the heartland of the ousted president’s Alawite minority who were considered bastions of support during his rule.
Mustafa Kneifati, a security official in Latakia, said that in “a well-planned and premeditated attack, several groups of Assad militia remnants attacked our positions and checkpoints, targeting many of our patrols in the Jableh area.”
He added that the attacks resulted in “numerous martyrs and injured among our forces” but did not give a figure.
Kneifati said security forces would “work to eliminate their presence.” “We will restore stability to the region and protect the property of our people,” he declared.
The UK-based observatory said most of the security personnel killed were from the former rebel bastion of Idlib in the northwest.
During the operation, security forces captured and arrested a former head of air force intelligence, one of the Assad family’s most trusted security agencies, state news agency SANA reported.
“Our forces in the city of Jableh managed to arrest the criminal General Ibrahim Huweija,” SANA said.
“He is accused of hundreds of assassinations during the era of the criminal Hafez Assad,” Bashar Assad’s father and predecessor.
Huweija, who headed air force intelligence from 1987 to 2002, has long been a suspect in the 1977 murder of Lebanese Druze leader Kamal Bek Jumblatt.
His son and successor Walid Jumblatt retweeted the news of his arrest with the comment: “Allahu Akbar (God is Greatest).”
The provincial security director said security forces clashed with gunmen loyal to an Assad-era special forces commander in another village in Latakia, after authorities reportedly launched helicopter strikes.
“The armed groups that our security forces were clashing with in the Latakia countryside were affiliated with the war criminal Suhail Al-Hassan,” the security director told SANA.
Nicknamed “The Tiger,” Hassan led the country’s special forces and was frequently described as Assad’s “favorite soldier.” He was responsible for key military advances by the Assad government in 2015.
Alawite leaders call for peaceful protests
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had earlier reported “strikes launched by Syrian helicopters on armed men in the village of Beit Ana and the surrounding forests, coinciding with artillery strikes on a neighboring village.”
SANA reported that militias loyal to the ousted president had opened fire on “members and equipment of the defense ministry” near the village, killing one security force member and wounding two.
Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera reported that its photographer Riad Al-Hussein was wounded in the clashes but that he was doing well.
A defense ministry source later told SANA that large military reinforcements were being deployed to the Jableh area.
Alawite leaders later called in a statement on Facebook for “peaceful protests” in response to the helicopter strikes, which they said had targeted “the homes of civilians.”
The security forces imposed overnight curfews on Alawite-populated areas, including Latakia, the port city of Tartus and third city Homs, SANA reported.
In other cities around the country, crowds gathered “in support of the security forces,” it added.
Tensions erupted after residents of Beit Ana, the birthplace of Suhail Al-Hassan, prevented security forces from arresting a person wanted for trading arms, the Observatory said.
Security forces subsequently launched a campaign in the area, resulting in clashes with gunmen, it added.
Tensions erupted after at least four civilians were killed during a security operation in Latakia, the monitor said on Wednesday.
Security forces launched the campaign in the Daatour neighborhood of the city on Tuesday after an ambush by “members of the remnants of Assad militias” killed two security personnel, state media reported.
Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham launched a lightning offensive that toppled Assad on December 8.
The country’s new security forces have since carried out extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions.
Residents and organizations have reported violations during those campaigns, including the seizing of homes, field executions and kidnappings.
Syria’s new authorities have described the violations as “isolated incidents” and vowed to pursue those responsible.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2592714/middle-east
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Switzerland cancels Geneva Conventions meeting on Palestinian areas
March 06, 2025
GENEVA: Switzerland has canceled a conference on the application of the Geneva Conventions to the occupied Palestinian territories for want of participants, its Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed on Thursday, after some countries expressed dissatisfaction.
The country had invited 196 parties to the conventions to participate in the March 7 conference in Geneva on the situation of civilians living in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, but then told them the gathering had been canceled, four diplomatic sources told Reuters earlier.
“In the absence of a consensus between the High Contracting Parties, (Switzerland), as depositary State, decided not to convene the meeting,” Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nicolas Bideau said on X.
The conference was set to address the Fourth Geneva Convention, part of a series of international treaties agreed in 1949 after World War Two, which defines humanitarian protections for civilians living in areas of armed conflict or occupation.
The cancelation amounted to a diplomatic blow for neutral Switzerland, which prides itself on conflict mediation and frequently hosts summits and peace talks.
The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, Ibrahim Khraishi, told Reuters earlier that his delegation did not plan to attend the event, criticizing a draft declaration circulated among participants.
“We want the international community to take concrete measures and this fell short of expectations,” he told Reuters, saying such measures could include economic or diplomatic steps against Israel. “What we want is for the Geneva Conventions to be implemented.”
A member of The Organization of Islamic Cooperation said that the group had also planned to miss the event, saying the document “did not reflect the gravity of the situation.”
Israel, whose war with Palestinian militant group Hamas has devastated Gaza, and which has been expanding settlements in the West Bank, stirring fears of annexation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
It also criticized the Swiss conference, calling it “part of the legal warfare against Israel.”
Britain felt that, along with many other states, it could not fully support a proposed declaration as a precondition for attending the conference, according to a statement from its diplomatic mission.
Diplomats from other Western states that back Israel also privately expressed concerns about the meeting, although at least some European countries were planning to attend.
Source:arabnews.com
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Led by extremist Yehuda Glick.. Settlers storm Al-Aqsa Mosque
06 Mar 2025
Extremist Yehuda Glick led a storming of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque at the head of a group of settlers, today, Thursday, under heavy guard from the Zionist enemy police.
The Quds Governorate reported in a statement that dozens of settlers led by extremist Glick stormed Al-Aqsa in the form of scattered groups, carried out provocative tours in its courtyards, and performed Talmudic rituals.
Al-Aqsa Mosque is subjected daily, except for Friday and Saturday, to a series of incursions and violations of its sanctity during the holy month, in an attempt to impose new Judaization facts in it.
Source:saba.ye
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Charity kitchen brings hope to displaced Palestinians
March 07, 2025
TULKARM: At a makeshift kitchen inside a city office building, volunteers rub paprika, oil and salt on slabs of chicken before arraying them on trays and slipping them into an oven.
Once the meat is done, it is divided into portions and tucked into plastic foam containers along with piles of yellow rice scooped from large steel pots.
The unpaid chefs at the Yasser Arafat Charity Kitchen in Tulkarm hope their labors will bring joy to displaced Palestinians trying to mark Ramadan.
An Israeli military raid launched in the West Bank weeks ago has uprooted more than 40,000 people.
Israel says it was meant to stamp out militancy in the occupied region, which has experienced a surge of violence since the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
The raid has been deadly and destructive, emptying several urban refugee camps that house descendants of Palestinians who fled wars with Israel decades ago.
The refugees have been told they will not be allowed to return for a year.
In the meantime, many of them have no access to kitchens, are separated from their communities, and are struggling to mark the end of the daily Ramadan fast with what are typically lavish meals.
“The situation is difficult,” said Abdullah Kamil, governor of the Tulkarm area.
He said some are drawing hope from the charity kitchen, which has expanded its usual operations to provide daily meals for up to 700 refugees, an effort to “meet the needs of the people, especially during the month of Ramadan.”
For Mansour Awfa, 60, the meals are a bright spot in a dark time.
He fled from the Tulkarm refugee camp in early February and does not know when he can return. “This is the house where I was raised, where I lived, and where I spent my life,” he said of the camp. “I’m not allowed to go there.”
Awfa, his wife, and four children live in a relative’s city apartment, where they sleep on thin mattresses on the floor.
“Where do we go? Where is there to go?” he asked. “But thanks to God, we await meals and aid from some warmhearted people.”
Source:arabnews.com
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US discussions with Hamas were recent, Trump envoy says
March 06, 2025
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said that direct US discussions with Hamas militants were in recent days and the message to the Palestinian militant group was that the United States wants to get hostages home.
Witkoff also said the US does not believe Hamas has been forthright. He spoke a day after reports surfaced that the top US hostage negotiator, Adam Boehler, had met in Doha with Hamas representatives to try to obtain the release of hostages held in Gaza.
Witkoff told reporters at the White House that gaining the release of Edan Alexander, the 21-year-old man from New Jersey believed to be the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza, is a “top priority for us.”
Witkoff said he will travel to the Middle East next week with stops planned in four countries.
Source:arabnews.com
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Kuwaiti tech authorities partner with Microsoft in digital transformation drive
March 06, 2025
LONDON: Kuwaiti technology and communications authorities signed a strategic partnership agreement with Microsoft on Wednesday to accelerate the country’s digital transformation.
The Central Agency for Information Technology and the Communications and Information Technology Regulatory Authority will collaborate with Microsoft to strengthen Kuwait’s position as a hub for artificial intelligence in alignment with the country’s Vision 2035.
Omar Al-Omar, minister of state for communications affairs, said that the partnership with Microsoft represents a significant milestone in leveraging AI technologies to support economic diversification plans.
The scheme seeks to enhance innovation and entrepreneurship in Kuwait while preparing the workforce for leadership roles in emerging technologies, Kuwait News Agency reported.
It will also create a security platform that uses Microsoft solutions to protect Kuwait’s national digital infrastructure from cyber threats. Microsoft will launch a program to enhance digital skills in Kuwait’s workforce, focusing on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and emerging technologies, KUNA added.
Samer Abu-Ltaif, president of Microsoft for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, said that the partnership would enhance Kuwait’s digital infrastructure and contribute to economic sustainability.
He added that Microsoft would collaborate with Kuwaiti technology authorities to enhance cloud infrastructure and cybersecurity in the public sector.
Al-Omar said that the government will implement Copilot for Microsoft 365 solutions for its employees, improving efficiency and productivity in government agencies.
He said that the government is preparing to launch the Copilot Solutions Center of Excellence along with new data centers to meet growing demand from the Kuwaiti private sector for high-performance computing solutions and access to Microsoft services.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2592687/middle-east
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Muslims, non-Muslims enjoying Ramadan festivities in Lebanon
Mar 6, 2025
Muslims from around the world observe Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, in their unique ways. Every community welcomes the holy month with its distinctive traditions and practices.
Ramadan begins with the rising of the crescent moon and is a time for spiritual discipline, charity, generosity, and prayer.
During the day, you’ll find Muslims around the world fasting from dawn until dusk, abstaining from eating and drinking any liquids (including water), and refraining from habits like smoking, gossiping, and arguing. However, the nights are the real days during Ramadan.
Across the Arab world, the festivities start after the Iftar (breaking the fast) at dusk, as neighborhoods come to life after a quiet, slow day of food hibernation.
Ramadan in Lebanon is different but more beautiful and interesting. Since 40% of the population are Christians, Lebanon is actually one of the few Arabs countries where you can enjoy the festive spirit of Ramadan! But still, be able to get a decent meal during the daylight without the judgy eye stares.
With the holy month comes to its mid, we take a look at some interesting Ramadan vibes in Lebanon, a country in West Asia.
Musaharati (dawn awakener)
During the dawn hours in Ramadan, the Musaharati is a common sight in many parts of the Arab world, especially in Lebanon. A Musaharati is a drummer, also referred to as a dawn awakener, who beats his drum just before dawn to wake Muslims for Suhoor.
Thanks to the Musaharati, people are able to sleep peacefully knowing that they will not miss their Suhoor meals.
He has a remarkable voice that fills the air at dawn, calling people to get up, have Suhoor, prepare for the Fajr prayer(dawn prayer), and start a new day of Ramadan.
The history of the Musaharati in the Hijaz dates back many centuries. It seems that his function was part of the social life in the Islamic eras, particularly during the Mameluk and Ottoman times.
Non-Muslims enjoy Ramadan as well !!!
In Lebanon, Ramadan, like Christmas is regarded as a national occasion as well. In this country, Ramadan festivities are enjoyed by all communities and they are not restricted to Muslims only.
An annual Iftar dinner is held at the presidential palace in which all community leaders and religious figures participate.
At Iftar dinners, you have Muslims and non-Muslims, those who fast and those who don’t, sitting next to each other. There is compromise from both sides, in the sense that the peculiarities of those who fast are being respected, and at the same time there is tolerance for those who don’t.
Charities, civic organizations, and businesses host iftar dinners for fundraising purposes to which guests from various religious communities and denominations are invited.
Tripoli in Lebanon comes alive at night during Ramadan
Ramadan in Tripoli is really beautiful. Tripoli takes on a new lease of life during the holy month as people come from across the country to enjoy its celebrated sweets, handmade crafts, and jubilant atmosphere.
At sunset, Muslim families will enjoy Iftar with Christian neighbors and stay late in cafes to listen to Hakawati or storytellers or visit a park to watch Sufi dervishes perform their dreamlike whirl.
“After Iftar there’s this energy that keeps people going all night,” says Fatima Tadmoury, 29, who relishes the nocturnal spirit the Lebanese city adopts during Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr.
It’s 2.15am and a Musaharati is beating a drum to wake up people living in Tripoli’s old town before suhoor. There’s a brief sleepy silence, but then the streets begin to stir. The smell of cooking drifts into medieval alleyways as a communal chink lets passersby know that households are sharing the meal.
Special Lebanese desserts for Iftar
As an essential part of Ramadan, Suhoor and Iftar meals are at the center of gatherings around the world, giving people another reason to reconnect with friends and family.
In the Arab world, especially Lebanon, there are special dishes, sweets that are served during the holy month of Ramadan.
The following sweets and desserts are some special Ramadan recipes that Lebanese people usually prepare for the Iftar meal during Ramadan.
Kellaj
Kellaj is one of the most popular desserts during the Ramadan season. It’s a light-dough filled with Ashta cream, deep-fried, and soaked at once in syrup for a moment. A pure delight!
Mafroukeh
Mafroukeh is made from a dough combining semolina flour, butter, and sugar syrup. The dough is covered with a layer of Ashta and roasted nuts. Mafroukeh can be served on a plate or molded in several shapes.
Chaaybiyet
A tasteful dessert commonly prepared during Ramadan, Chaaybiyet is made of crunchy layers of pastry filled with Ashta. Chaaybiyet is generally shaped in the form of a triangle and decorated with crushed pistachio and candied orange blossom and is definitely covered with sweet syrup! They can be either served cold or hot.
Daoukiyeh
Daoukiyeh is one of Beirut’s most famous desserts. It was first created in the 80’s by Al-Daouk sweets, a small pastry shop in Beirut, and was named after the family’s last name.
Daoukiyeh consists of a layer of Ashta and a layer of cashew nuts between two layers of pistachio paste.
The color of the pistachios gives the Daoukiyeh its special green color. Today, Daoukiyeh is prepared in many pastry shops around the country and is served in different shapes.
Qatayef
Qatayef are very commonly served during Ramadan. This Arabic pancake–like dough can be prepared with different fillings such as walnuts and sugar mixture or sweetened Akkawi cheese or even Ashta (a clotted cream with Rose Water).
Source:mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/229309/Muslims-non-Muslims-enjoying-Ramadan-festivities-in-Lebanon
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Arab World
GCC chief urges international community to take responsibility for halting Israeli violations against Palestinian people
March 07, 2025
RIYADH: The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council on Thursday urged the international community to take responsibility for halting ongoing Israeli violations against the Palestinian people.
Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said at a joint ministerial meeting between the GCC and Egypt held in Makkah: “The alarming escalation and ongoing violations faced by the Palestinian people represent a blatant threat to their identity and rights, which we categorically reject.
“We urge the international community to take responsibility for halting these practices that undermine security and stability.”
Albudaiwi thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for hosting the Extraordinary Arab Summit on Palestine that took place in Cairo on Tuesday.
Arab leaders adopted an Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave, in contrast to US President Donald Trump’s “Middle East Riviera” vision that received global condemnation.
Albudaiwi affirmed his support for the summit’s outcomes and urged the international community to participate in the initiative to accelerate the rehabilitation and reconstruction of Gaza after the destruction caused by Israeli aggression, emphasizing that the future of Gaza should be within the framework of a unified Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution.
He reiterated his rejection of placing any burden on Egypt due to “inhumane and unjust calls for the displacement of the Palestinian people.”
He also announced that the “Trade and Investment Forum between the GCC and the Arab Republic of Egypt” would be held this year in Egypt.
The forum will aim to enhance economic and trade relations between the GCC and Egypt, providing a platform for investors to explore promising investment opportunities across various economic sectors in Egypt, as well as addressing the challenges facing GCC investors in the country.
Source:arabnews.com
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Crackdown on environmental offenders in Saudi Arabia
March 07, 2025
RIYADH: The Special Forces for Environmental Security in Saudi Arabia took action in three separate incidents of environmental law infringement, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The forces apprehended two citizens for environmental offences after they cut protective fencing and entered the Imam Turki bin Abdullah Royal Reserve without proper permits. The authorities have implemented statutory procedures against the offenders and referred them to the authorities.
In a separate incident, authorities arrested a Sudanese resident for environmental offences in the Makkah region, where he was caught burning waste illegally, causing soil pollution and environmental damage. Legal measures were taken against him before referring his case to the authorities.
Authorities also intercepted a Saudi citizen transporting one cubic meter of locally harvested firewood in the Riyadh region. Standard legal procedures were applied, and the confiscated materials were handed over to the relevant authorities.
According to official statements, penalties for cutting or damaging fences in protected areas can reach SR100,000 ($26,665), with offenders required to repair damages and pay compensation.
Source:arabnews.com
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How Saudi Arabia’s mission to become a global AI hub sparked a race for tech talent
GHADI JOUDAH
March 06, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s multibillion-dollar investment in artificial intelligence, which is central to its Vision 2030 economic transformation, faces a significant hurdle: a shortage of skilled professionals to drive the nation’s high-tech ambitions.
From cognitive cities such as NEOM to AI-driven healthcare innovations, the Kingdom’s future depends on bridging this skills gap through the implementation of three key strategies: government-led policies, private-sector innovation, and expanded academic opportunities.
A report titled “The State of AI in Saudi Arabia,” published ahead of the 2024 GAIN Summit in Riyadh, highlighted the surging demand for expertise in the field, with AI-related job postings increasing by nearly 54 percent annually between 2018 and 2022.
In 2019, the government established the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority to oversee the National Strategy for Data and AI, with the aim of training 20,000 specialists to ensure that Saudis can fill highly skilled AI roles by 2030.
The Kingdom is already leading the region in AI strategy development, ranking first in the Arab world and 14th globally, according to a 2024 report by UNESCO.
This confidence has translated into considerable investments. Saudi Arabia secured $1.79 billion in AI-focused funding at the 2025 LEAP tech conference last month, for example, reinforcing the country’s status as a growing hub for innovation.
The 2024 GAIN Summit report also revealed a 42 percent increase in the number of graduates in AI-related subjects between 2022 and 2023, reflecting the Kingdom’s focus on the development of homegrown tech talent.
At the academic level, 86 percent of Saudi universities now offer AI-focused undergraduate degrees, 56 percent have master’s programs, and 9 percent provide opportunities to study for a doctorate.
Central to the Kingdom’s strategy is a reimagining of educational systems to cultivate AI technicians, blending technical rigor with real-world problem-solving to support the digital economy.
Omar Alolayan, co-founder of Almutanabi FinTech, believes AI professionals must strengthen their skills in terms of business acumen, machine-learning operations, cross-functional collaboration, and data engineering.
“Training should focus on industry-specific AI, hands-on deployment, and cross-disciplinary learning to bridge these gaps,” he told Arab News, adding that scalable, accessible AI education is key to closing the talent divide.
“Strategies like online-learning platforms, AI hubs in rural areas, scholarships and mentorship programs can expand access. No-code AI tools also democratize learning for diverse groups, and inclusivity will be critical to sustaining the Kingdom’s AI momentum.”
Efforts to align education with workforce needs are already in motion.
“Schools like King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals have introduced flexible AI and data-science master’s tracks, while government entities like SDAIA are funding nationwide boot camps for all skill levels,” Alolayan said.
He stressed that collaboration is essential and added: “Schools must update curricula, governments should incentivize training, and companies need to offer mentorship and reskilling opportunities.”
The GAIN Summit report also noted that between 2019 and 2023, more than 38,000 students graduated with AI-related degrees, including computer science and engineering, 6,500 of whom studied abroad.
Sultan Albarakati, executive director of the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology Academy, told Arab News: “KAUST is progressively taking a more proactive role in workforce development in the Kingdom.
“It leverages massive open online courses and cloud resources to deliver practical, hands-on AI training at scale across the Kingdom.”
KAUST partners with the public and private sectors to create tailored upskilling programs for Saudi professionals, he added.
“These training programs aim to democratize AI education and are run in partnership with national entities like NTDP (the National Technology Development Program),” Albarakati said.
KAUST also helps connects top graduates with employers through annual showcases, and supports student-led startups through incubators.
Bernard Ghanem, a professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of KAUST’s Center of Excellence on Generative AI, described how the institution translates its cutting-edge research into tools that benefit key sectors in Saudi Arabia.
“Much of KAUST’s AI research is open source, with tools and models made available to the public,” he told Arab News.
“Leveraging the world-class AI research at KAUST, the center aims to develop an easy-to-use, no-code platform for non-experts to use our open-source models.”
Private enterprises are also accelerating the Kingdom’s AI capabilities, through strategic investments and infrastructure projects. Alibaba Cloud, for example, has partnered with Tuwaiq Academy and STC to launch AI-training labs at Saudi universities. Databricks has pledged $300 million over the next five years to support AI and data adoption in the country.
In 2023, SDAIA partnered with Google Cloud to launch the Elevate Program, a five-year initiative designed to train 1,000 women from 28 countries in machine learning, with plans to upskill more than 25,000 by 2028.
Fadi Kanafani, general manager for the Middle East region at SoftServe, emphasized the important role such partnerships play in striking a balance between the retention of local talent and the utilization of international expertise.
“Retaining top AI talent while attracting global expertise requires a multifaceted approach that combines research incentives, industry collaboration and career-development opportunities,” he told Arab News.
He also noted that initiatives such as grants and fellowships for AI research could incentivize Saudi professionals to lead groundbreaking projects while attracting international experts.
“Establishing AI hubs within giga-projects like NEOM can foster collaboration between local and global talent, creating an ecosystem where innovation thrives,” Kanafani said.
Career-acceleration programs, developed with partners such as Aramco and the Ministry of Investment, are also vital for efforts to provide Saudis with world-class domestic opportunities, he added.
Source:arabnews.com
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Trump aide Witkoff says he is arranging talks with Ukraine in Saudi Arabia
March 06, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said on Thursday he is in discussions with Ukraine for a peace agreement framework to end hostilities with Russia and that a meeting is planned next week with the Ukrainians in Saudi Arabia.
“We’re now in discussions to coordinate a meeting with the Ukrainians,” Witkoff told reporters at the White House. He said it would likely be in Riyadh or Jeddah.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will visit Saudi Arabia next Monday, a day before the planned talks there between senior Ukrainian and US officials.
“After that, my team will stay in Saudi Arabia to work with our American partners. Ukraine is most interested in peace,” he said in a post on X.
Trump also said on Thursday that he will visit Saudi Arabia, stating that the visit is likely to take place during the next month and a half.
Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky had acrimonious talks at the White House on February 28 but since then the two sides have resumed work on a revenue-sharing minerals deal.
At his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, Trump said he had received a letter from Zelensky in which the Ukrainian leader said he was “ready to come to the negotiating table as soon as possible.”
Referring to the Saudi Arabia meeting, Witkoff said, “I think the idea is to get down a framework for a peace agreement and an initial ceasefire as well.”
Source:arabnews.com
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26th Islamic Arts Festival To Kick Off In November In Sharjah
06 Mar 2025
Sharjah, Mar. 6 (BNA): The Supreme Committee of the Islamic Arts Festival has approved "Siraj" (lamp) as the slogan for the 26th edition to be held in November, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. This slogan reflects His Highness's vision of the importance of arts as a creative aspect and a global language of civilization.
This came during a meeting chaired by Mohammed Ibrahim Al Qasir, Director of the Cultural Affairs Department at Sharjah Department of Culture (SDC), Director of the Festival, along with members of the committee.
Al Qasir said that the global presence enjoyed by the Islamic Arts Festival comes thanks to the patronage of HH the Ruler of Sharjah for all arts, as it is a bridge that extends the language of civilizational dialogue between the peoples of the world, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
He added that this artistic event is proceeding in a new edition, confirming His Highness's cultural and artistic visions, to shed light on an authentic historical art, the Islamic art, which has always been an inspiration to many artists around the world.
He pointed out that the festival's slogan focuses on the connotations of "Siraj" and its broad artistic symbolism. He pointed out that "Siraj" refers to light, calls for ideas, and just as it summons images without limits, stressing that "Siraj" in this context is not only a material, but also an essence, as it does not stop at the function of lighting, but rather, goes beyond it to become an entrance to the depths of the human soul.
While the Higher Committee will begin extending invitations to artists from all countries of the world during the coming period, participants will have to come up with new ideas that are in line with the theme of the edition "Siraj". Works will be selected based on their compatibility with the idea of the slogan at a later time.
The Islamic Arts Festival was launched in 1998 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi and has since reproduced a new artistic vision for Islamic arts, and preserved the esthetics of its presence and historical connotations.
Source:bna.bh
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Saudi Arabia condemns attacks by ‘outlaw groups’ in Syria
March 07, 2025
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has condemned the targeting of security forces and crimes by “outlaw groups” in Syria, a foreign ministry said early Friday.
“The Kingdom affirms its support for the Syrian government in its efforts to maintain security and stability and preserve civil peace,” the statement concluded.
Syrian forces were clashing with gunmen loyal to an Assad-era special forces commander in Latakia on Thursday, the province’s security director said, after authorities reportedly launched helicopter strikes.
The fighting killed 48 people on Thursday, a war monitor said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes in the coastal town of Jableh and adjacent villages were “the most violent attacks against the new authorities since Assad was toppled” in December.
Pro-Assad fighters killed 16 security personnel while 28 fighters “loyal” to ousted President Bashar Assad and four civilians were also killed, it said.
The fighting struck in the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia, the heartland of the ousted president’s Alawite minority who were considered bastions of support during his rule.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi-Moroccan foreign ministers co-chair 14th session of joint committee in Makkah
March 07, 2025
MAKKAH: Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita co-chaired in Makkah the 14th session of the Saudi-Moroccan Joint Committee.
The event was attended by senior officials from ministries, government agencies and private-sector institutions from both sides.
The convening of the meeting reaffirms the strong ties between the two countries and aims to boost cooperation in all areas of common interest.
Both sides appreciated the efforts of the entities involved in the committee’s work to meet the aspirations of both leaderships. They also emphasized their commitment to strengthening cooperation across various fields to further elevate their strong relations.
Source:arabnews.com
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KSrelief distributes 500 food baskets in Conakry, Guinea
March 07, 2025
CONAKRY: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center recently distributed 500 food baskets in the city of Conakry, Guinea, benefiting 500 families, totaling 3,513 individuals.
This comes within the framework of the Kingdom’s humanitarian and relief efforts to help needy and affected populations worldwide with various forms of relief.
The center also distributed 150 food baskets in Bijelo Polje, Montenegro, benefiting 750 individuals from the most vulnerable groups, widows and orphans. These initiatives come as part of the Etaam food basket distribution project.
Meanwhile, 1,440 food parcels were delivered to displaced families in Sudan’s Sennar and Khartoum states.
In Mauritania, 574 food bags were distributed in the Tiaret district, while in Kosovo, the center distributed 1,150 food baskets across Klina, Peja, Decan, and Gjakova. In Ghana, KSrelief distributed 825 food baskets in Old Tafo, while 300 food baskets were provided in Syria’s Rif Dimashq.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabian Scouts Association volunteers assist visitors at the Two Holy Mosques
March 07, 2025
MAKKAH: Since the beginning of Ramadan, 665 young men from the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association have volunteered to serve pilgrims, worshippers, fasters and visitors at the Two Holy Mosques.
The initiative is being run in cooperation with the General Administration of Education in Makkah, and the General Administration of Education in Madinah, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Abdulrahman Al-Mudayris, secretary-general of the association, affirmed that the scouts members eagerly and passionately seek each year to participate in providing services to the visitors and pilgrims at the Two Holy Mosques, offering all kinds of assistance to ensure their comfort and peace of mind.
Al-Mudayris said the 2025 public service camps project in Makkah and Madinah, which continues until the end of the month, seeks to achieve several goals.
These include serving worshippers and pilgrims at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque in cooperation with the relevant bodies, in so doing strengthening participants’ volunteer work values, developing an appreciation of the value of national belonging, and showing the nation’s generosity toward pilgrims.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia participates at London Book Fair
March 07, 2025
RIYADH: The Literature, Publishing and Translation Commission is preparing to lead Saudi Arabia’s participation at the London Book Fair 2025, which will take place from March 11-13 at the Olympia Exhibition Center in the UK capital.
The participation aims to strengthen cultural relations and knowledge exchange between Saudi Arabia and the UK, as well as to enrich cooperation in literature, publishing and translation. It also seeks to enhance the presence of Saudi publishing houses and literary agencies in major cultural events both regionally and globally.
By leading Saudi Arabia’s participation in international book fairs, the commission aims to provide a platform for Saudi publishers and literary agents to connect with global publishing houses. This contributes to fostering knowledge exchange and exposing publishers and literary agents to international publishing experiences, driven by a belief in the importance of communication between the local and global publishing sectors and its impact on developing the cultural sector and enriching Arabic content.
Source:arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia to host fourth International Conference on Lexicography in October
March 06, 2025
RIYADH: The King Salman International Academy for the Arabic Language announced on Thursday that its fourth annual international conference will take place in the first half of October 2025 in Riyadh, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The two-day event, held with the support of Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, minister of culture, will be themed “The Global Lexicography Industry: Experiences, Efforts, and Prospects.”
Abdullah bin Saleh Al-Washmi, secretary-general of the academy, said that the conference would aim to foster collaboration between the academy and linguistic institutions worldwide.
It will serve as a platform for experts to share insights, review successful initiatives in lexicography, and explore ways to modernize dictionary development through emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, he added.
“The conference reflects our commitment to advancing the lexicographic industry by exchanging expertise, implementing technical solutions and addressing key challenges,” Al-Washmi said.
“Our goal is to enhance the development of dictionaries, strengthen their global impact, and reinforce Saudi Arabia’s leadership in promoting the Arabic language.”
The conference will examine the latest developments in the lexicography industry and highlight major Arabic and international projects, and facilitate knowledge exchange among linguists, language academies and technology experts while exploring Artificial Intelligence-driven advances in dictionary compilation.
Representatives from more than 20 countries are expected to attend.
The event aligns with the academy’s broader mission, which focuses on four key areas: Language planning and policy, linguistic computing, educational programs, and cultural initiatives. Through these efforts, the academy seeks to expand global engagement in Arabic language development and preservation.
Source:arabnews.com
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North America
CAIR Warns Immigrants from Pakistan, Other Potential Muslim Ban Countries Not to Travel Overseas This Month
March 6, 2025
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today issued an updated travel advisory warning lawful permanent residents, students, workers and other immigrants legally present in the United States to avoid leaving the country over the next 30 days if they are citizens of countries that may be listed in President Trump’s expected new travel ban.
Potential countries targeted by the new ban could include Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Palestine/Gaza, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan,Syria, Yemen or any other country.
The Trump administration has set March 21, 2025, as the deadline for federal agencies to submit a report to the White House identifying countries with “deficient” visa vetting practices whose citizens should be banned from travel to the United States. Mandated by Executive Order 14161, “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” this report is expected to pave the way for a renewed travel ban, potentially affecting nationals from multiple Muslim-majority countries.
In a webinar on Feb. 27, CAIR warned immigrants who are citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Palestine/Gaza, Somalia, Sudan,Syria, and Yemen not to travel from the United States until the administration announces the new travel ban. In response to media reports that Pakistan may be included in a new travel ban, CAIR is now extending its warning to immigrants who are nationals of Pakistan.
CAIR’s warning applies to students, workers, tourists and medical patients here on visas, as well as lawful permanent residents. Although lawful permanent residents have extensive legal protections that should protect their right to enter and exit the country, the first Trump administration attempted to ban lawful permanent residents in its original 2017 Muslim Ban, which was blocked by courts. It is unclear whether the administration will attempt to do so again.
Washington, D.C., based CAIR encouraged community members to watch or rewatch its Feb. 27th webinar detailing the impact of a potential new Muslim travel ban and increased immigration security on American Muslims and other travelers. The webinar offers community members, immigrants and potential travelers guidance about how to protect their legal rights.
In a statement, CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert S. McCaw said:
“Due to the risk that the Trump administration will announce a new Muslim travel ban this month, we advise any lawful permanent residents and foreign students, workers, medical patients, refugees, and tourists who are citizens of countries that may be targeted not to leave the United States over the next 30 days unless it is necessary to do so.
“Although we do not know for sure whether the administration will issue a new ban or which countries would be targeted, we encourage immigrants in the United States who are citizens of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Palestine/Gaza, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen to avoid international travel until the administration’s deadline for a new ban passes. This can help ensure that you are not trapped overseas and banned from the United States if a ban comes into effect before your return trip.
“We encourage the Trump administration to reconsider any plans to impose any new total travel bans on Muslim-majority countries under the guise of protecting national security, including bans that target those who have already attained legal status in the United States. Our nation already subjects immigrants from global hot spots to extreme scrutiny and it makes no sense to impose a total ban on any and all immigrants simply because of their country of birth.”
CAIR’s Preemptive Recommendations
Given these developments, and the risk that an executive order could attempt to target lawful permanent residents in ways similar to the very first travel ban signed in 2017 and blocked by courts, CAIR advises potentially impacted people inside the United States to take the following steps:
Consult an Immigration Attorney – if you are a citizen of a country at high risk of being included in a future travel ban, seek legal counsel to review your immigration status and discuss your rights.
Avoid International Travel – If you are a citizen of a potentially listed country, do not leave the United States unless absolutely necessary over the next 30 days, as re-entry may be denied if a new ban is enacted on March 21st.
Keep Copies of Your Documents – Maintain physical and electronic copies of all important travel and immigration documents in a secure and accessible location to ensure you have evidence of your status readily available.
Stay Informed and Know Your Rights – Familiarize yourself with your legal rights in case of encounters with immigration authorities. CAIR has released a new ‘Know Your Rights’ guide specifically addressing interactions with ICE agents, which provides essential information on how to protect yourself during such encounters.
President Trump’s first wave of executive orders also directed the federal law enforcement to investigate immigrants already legally present in the United States based on their activism and ideological views. This directive raises serious concerns about potential political targeting, surveillance, and visa revocations for those engaged in activism or political dissent.
According to the executive order, the DOJ is authorized to take “relevant actions or activities” against individuals from identified countries, a broad and vague directive that could:
Lead to increased surveillance of lawful residents, visa holders, and students.
Result in denials of visa renewals, residency applications, and naturalization requests.
Enable deportation proceedings against immigrants accused of holding “hostile attitudes” or engaging in “anti-American” speech.
This provision raises significant concerns about potential abuse—particularly for individuals involved in human rights activism, advocacy for Palestinian rights, or criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
CAIR is committed to protecting civil rights, challenging discriminatory immigration policies, and opposing efforts to suppress free speech. We urge individuals, organizations, and allies to stand against this administration’s attempts to revive a Muslim Ban and weaponize immigration laws against political dissent.
For further information or to report an incident, contact CAIR’s Civil Rights Department by filling out this form: Report an incident.
Source:cair.com
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California governor says trans athletes in female sports 'deeply unfair'
7 Mar 2025
California Governor Gavin Newsom has broken with many elected Democrats by saying he thinks it is "deeply unfair" to allow transgender women and girls to compete in female sports.
Newsom, a potential 2028 presidential contender who leads one of the most liberal states in the US and has long been a trailblazer on LGBT rights, made the comments on his new podcast.
"I think it's an issue of fairness. I completely agree with you on that," Newsom told conservative figure Charlie Kirk. "It is an issue of fairness, it's deeply unfair. We've got to own that. We've got to acknowledge it."
Newsom's change of tone comes amid a debate within his party over the extent to which cultural factors played a role in their resounding defeat in November, when Republicans won the White House and both chambers of Congress.
A number of Democrats quickly denounced the governor's comments.
"We woke up profoundly sickened and frustrated by these remarks," a statement from California's LGBT legislative caucus read.
On the debut episode of the governor's podcast, This is Gavin Newsom, his first guest was a pro-Trump activist whose Turning Point USA organisation advocates for conservative ideas on liberal-leaning college campuses.
The two discussed why Democratic nominee Kamala Harris lost to President Donald Trump, and Newsom said his party was being politically "crushed" on transgender issues.
The governor referred to a viral Trump campaign ad that had the tagline: "Kamala is for they/them. President Trump is for you."
"It was devastating," Newsom said. "And she didn't even react to it, which was even more devastating."
Kirk argued that Democrats were out of touch with everyday Americans because of broad support within the party for transgender athletes competing in sports, which he said was unfair.
"I revere sports," said Newsom. "So, the issue of fairness is completely legit."
The governor added: "The way that people talk down to vulnerable communities is an issue that I have a hard time with, as well."
Former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot called Newsom's remarks about trans athletes "disgusting".
Pramila Jayapal, a left-wing Democrat representing a district in the north-western state of Washington, told Politico that her party should not "take the bait and give into their anti-trans people rhetoric".
But one moderate Democratic lawmaker agreed.
Seth Moulton, of Massachusetts, told Politico that Newsom was correct and polling shows it.
"More and more are willing to say what they've probably always thought - and that's a good thing," he said.
According to an opinion survey in January by the New York Times/Ipsos, almost all Republicans and nearly seven in 10 Democrats oppose allowing transgender female athletes to participate in women's sports.
Throughout his career, Newsom has positioned himself to the left of his party on LGBT rights.
He made headlines in 2004 as San Francisco mayor when he ordered the city clerk to issue same-sex marriage licences, which at the time wasn't allowed under state or federal law.
Newsom made the state the first sanctuary for transgender youth and protected school curriculums that included LGBT history.
Last year he signed legislation that made California the first state to bar school districts from requiring staff to notify parents if their child changed gender identity.
Source:bbc.com
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SpaceX rocket explodes, raining debris from sky for second time in a row
7 Mar 2025
A SpaceX rocket exploded shortly after it was launched from Texas on Thursday, grounding flights and triggering warnings about falling spaceship debris.
SpaceX confirmed the un-crewed ship had suffered "a rapid unscheduled disassembly" during its ascent into space, and lost contact with the ground.
The massive SpaceX Starship, the largest rocket ever created, spun out of control shortly after its launch. No injuries or damage have been reported but images from those in Caribbean Sea island nations show fiery debris raining from the sky.
This was the eighth mission to test the rocket, and its second consecutive failure.
The 123m (403ft) spaceship was meant to re-enter Earth's orbit over the Indian Ocean after a one-hour flight.
Its Super Heavy booster, which helps it leave the ground, did manage successfully to return to the launchpad.
SpaceX, which is owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said teams immediately started co-ordinating with safety officials for "pre-planned contingency responses".
The statement added that SpaceX would review data "to better understand [the] root cause" of the misfire and noted the explosion happened after the loss of "several" engines.
"As always, success comes from what we learn, and today's flight will offer additional lessons to improve Starship's reliability."
The statement says debris should have fallen within a pre-planned area and the rocket did not contain any toxic materials. The company also included an email and phone number for those who believe they've found any remnants of the craft.
Musk has yet to comment on Thursday's explosion.
The accident briefly halted flights at several Florida airports, including in Miami and Orlando, over concerns about flaming debris.
A statement from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the flights in and out of airports were delayed due to a "space launch incident".
The incident follows a test in January, which saw a Starship rocket fail minutes after launching from SpaceX's Texas facility.
The FAA also briefly closed airports two months ago, due to the same concerns about falling debris.
After January's incident, the FAA grounded Starship launches and noted the incident had led to property damage in the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean.
"Unfortunately this happened last time too, so we have some practice at this now," SpaceX flight commentator Dan Huot told reporters at the launch site on Thursday.
This latest Starship launch was conducted before the FAA finished investigating January's explosion, according to US media reports.
A statement issued from the government of the Turks and Caicos said they were in contact with US authorities and SpaceX and would "continue to keep the public apprised as we work to ensure the safety and security of our Islands".
Footage posted on X purported to show flaming rocket debris falling over the Caribbean Sea. In the Bahamas, people posted that they were seeking shelter in order to take cover from debris.
Starship is the biggest, most powerful rocket ever built, and is key to Musk's ambitions for colonising Mars.
SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket - collectively referred to as Starship - is intended to be fully reusable, the company says.
Nasa hopes to use a modified version of the spaceship as a human lunar lander for its Artemis missions to return to the Moon.
In the more distant future, Musk wants Starship to make long-haul trips to Mars and back - about a nine-month trip each way.
Source:bbc.com
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Trump calls for ‘getting rid’ of nuclear weapons
7 Mar, 2025
US President Donald Trump has said all countries should abandon nuclear weapons instead of engaging in an arms race.
“It’d be great if everybody would get rid of their nuclear weapons,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, according to Anadolu.
“Russia and us have by far the most. China will have an equal amount within four or five years, and it would be great if we could all denuclearize, because the power of nuclear weapons is crazy. It’s crazy.”
“I would very much like to start those talks,” Trump added. “Denuclearization would be incredible.”
Last month, Trump argued that a nuclear arms race would be wasteful and that the US has “no reason” to build new weapons. “We’re all spending a lot of money that we could be spending on other things that are actually, hopefully, much more productive.”
The comments come amid tensions between Russia and NATO, as well as Trump’s trade war with China.
In a speech earlier this week, French President Emmanuel Macron labeled Russia “a threat to France and Europe” and suggested that France could extend its nuclear umbrella to protect other EU member states. The Kremlin has condemned his words as “highly confrontational.”
During Trump’s first term in office, the US withdrew from the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed in 1987 by Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. Russia has condemned the withdrawal and denied Washington’s accusations that it was secretly violating the accord.
In 2023, Russia announced the deployment of its nuclear weapons in Belarus, citing tensions with NATO. A year later, President Vladimir Putin revised Russia’s official nuclear doctrine, lowering the threshold for using nuclear weapons. Moscow also warned that it could resume nuclear tests if the US does it first.
In January, the US announced the deployment of upgraded nuclear bombs in its bases in Europe. According to media reports, the Pentagon also plans to station nuclear weapons in the UK.
Russia has urged all nuclear powers to act responsibly. “We have never started discussions on what to do with nuclear weapons or whether they can be used,” Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in December. “There can be no winners in a nuclear war, which is why it should never happen.”
Source:rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/613844-trump-getting-rid-nukes/
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Тrump wants to sideline EU – Politico
6 Mar, 2025
US President Donald Trump wants to sideline and destroy the European Union, an entity that he has long disliked, Politico has claimed in an article published on Thursday. The outlet argued that Trump is taking advantage of the cracks within the bloc caused by the Ukraine conflict.
The administration in Washington has recently launched negotiations with Russia to broker peace in the Ukraine conflict and has excluded the EU from the process, which has elicited condemnation from Brussels. Trump has also halted American military aid to Ukraine, leaving the bloc jostling for funds to support Kiev.
Washington’s anti-EU push “is triggering a crisis in Brussels institutions. The EU as a bloc is scrambling to prove its relevance,” Politico wrote.
The Ukraine conflict has exposed differences among EU members in defense priorities, economic interests, and diplomatic approaches. While countries such as Poland and the Baltic states have advocated for stronger military backing of Kiev, others, particularly Hungary and Slovakia, have pushed back, calling for a negotiated settlement with Russia. The financial burden of military aid and energy security concerns have also fueled tensions. Right-wing movements in several EU nations have questioned the bloc’s commitment to Kiev.
“Trump will sideline the EU and play divide-and-rule with national leaders,” the publication wrote.
While European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with US Vice President J.D. Vance in Munich last month, neither she nor European Council President Antonio Costa has had a face-to-face meeting with Trump, it noted.
The European Council, the body made up of the heads of state or government of all EU member states, “is being agonizingly exposed as too divided and insufficiently nimble to respond to the scale of the storm that Trump is whipping up over Ukraine,” Politico added.
With Washington halting over $1 billion in arms shipments, Kiev faces potential shortages of ammunition and equipment. The EU is exploring alternatives to continue backing Ukraine militarily, despite the peace process initiated by the US and Russia. Von der Leyen on Tuesday unveiled a €800 billion plan aimed at bolstering the EU’s defense.
In recent weeks, Trump has also targeted the bloc’s trade practices, describing them as “an atrocity” and announcing plans to impose a 25% tariff on EU goods. He also claimed that the bloc was “formed to screw the United States.”
Source:rt.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.rt.com/news/613836-trump-wants-to-destroy-eu/
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Why Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors during Ramadan
March 6, 2025
As Muslims fast from dawn to dusk during Ramadan, an important aspect of their faith is their role as stewards of God on Earth. One way Muslims do this is through the practice of Zakat, an obligatory kind of charity that’s one of the five pillars of Islam.
Zakat requires Muslims to give 2.5% of their wealth to eight prescribed categories: the poor; the needy; Zakat administrators; those whose hearts can be reconciled; to free the enslaved; to help those in debt; for travelers; and for the sake of God.
Muslims, however, worry that they are responsible to God to ensure that their Zakat is used by institutions in ways that would do good, while adhering to the theological requirements of this religious practice. Yet, my research shows that Muslim American nonprofits are taking steps to build trust with donors.
Zakat as a communal practice
Muslims see themselves as custodians of whatever they possess as gifts from God.
During their lifetime, they must use wealth responsibly and for good; upon their death, the Quran prescribes who can inherit their wealth.
One important aspect of how Muslims are supposed to use their wealth is through charity. Zakat is an obligatory charitable practice in which donations are traditionally channeled through institutions.
According to research my team conducted, nearly 70% of Muslims in the United States report giving Zakat during Ramadan. Ramadan is thus a critical time for nonprofits to solicit Zakat funds.
Historically, Zakat was given through central Zakat collection agencies, or “bait-ul-maals.” For example, at the time of the Prophet Muhammad and early Islamic rulers, Zakat collection and distribution was carried out by the government.
Today, Zakat collection and distribution varies from place to place. In six of the 47 Muslim-majority countries – Libya, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen – Zakat is obligatory and collected by the state. In Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Bangladesh, Zakat is regulated by the state, but contributions are voluntary.
Most countries do not have a formal Zakat collection agency and rely upon local nonprofits or individuals for the collection and distribution of Zakat.
Over time, due to distrust in Zakat collecting institutions and perceived corruption, the practice of Zakat has become more individual and less communal. The vast majority of Zakat across the globe is collected and distributed individually rather than through institutions. Scholars have argued that many fear that Zakat collecting institutions may not be using the funds ethically, impactfully and in accordance with Islamic requirements.
For example, according to the Hanafi school of thought, a Zakat collection agency can spend up to 12.5% of donation money on administrative costs; other schools of thought argue that Zakat should be administered at no cost.
Building trust through transparency
Nonprofits are taking steps to build trust. For example, Muslim American charities were among the first to embrace Charity Navigator as a way to evaluate their impact.
Charity Navigator is a U.S.-based nonprofit that rates nonprofits. Many Muslim-led charities in the United States proudly display their “Four Star” Charity Navigator status.
My team has found that Muslim Americans are more likely to donate to nonprofits that the Internal Revenue Service has granted 501(c)(3) status. This is true even if they don’t claim the charitable deduction on their taxes and therefore cannot get tax breaks for their donations.
More recently, in my conversations with leading Muslim-led nonprofits, I learned that they are seeking to respond to Muslim concerns about how these nonprofits use Zakat funds. It is important for them that funds are used in compliance with Islamic religious requirements.
For example, they are looking at how nonprofits interpret what it means to be “needy,” “the poor,” “the enslaved” or “for the sake of God” in the contemporary context.
Many nonprofits are adopting Zakat policies that explain how they define these terms and how much of their budget covers their administrative costs. These include international organizations that are not led by Muslims, like the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, Save the Children, and the anti-poverty group Oxfam.
A case study
The Muslim Philanthropy Initiative at Indiana University, which I lead, convened a group of scholars in November 2024 to discuss challenges of collecting and distributing Zakat in the U.S. This discussion resulted in a report that sums up these conversations and examines the Zakat policy of the largest U.S. Muslim-led nonprofit: Islamic Relief USA.
Islamic Relief USA’s Zakat policy limits its administrative costs to 12%; it permits funding for both immediate and long-term projects and allows Zakat to be distributed not just as cash payments but also as goods and services. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion.
While not all scholars at the convening agreed with every aspect of the Islamic Relief USA Zakat policy, they accepted that diversity in Islamic thought permitted various approaches to Zakat. They also concurred that Islamic Relief USA’s process was likely the best framework for how nonprofits should approach the development of Zakat policies.
Ultimately, there was consensus that nonprofits seeking Zakat should have Zakat policies; should make them available on their websites; should state the process through which it was developed; and name the scholars and other experts who took part in the process.
Since a majority of American Muslims prefer to donate their Zakat during Ramadan, perhaps this might be the time when nonprofits can build trust through adopting more transparent Zakat policies.
Source:theconversation.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://theconversation.com/why-muslim-american-nonprofits-are-taking-steps-to-build-trust-with-donors-during-ramadan-251319
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Africa
Uzodimma: We’ll continue to support Christians, Muslims on Holy Pilgrimage
March 6, 2025
The Imo State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has sued for understanding and tolerance among people of diverse cultures and creeds in order to ensure peaceful co-existence in the State and the Nation at large.
The Governor brought this to bear when he received the Chairman and Commissioners of the National Hajj Commission in his office on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.
He related that his administration places a premium on promoting religious harmony in the State, pointing out that the tenet of every religion revolves around love for God and mankind and as such, “must be the guiding principles for Muslim and Christian faithful alike.”
The Governor pointed out that the visit of the National Hajj Commission was significant, as Muslims and Christians, especially Catholics all over the world, are observing their holy period.
“It is today you chose to visit the Governor of Imo State. It is a thing of joy because as a Governor, part of my interest is to encourage religious harmony where Christians and Muslims live as brothers and sisters and to put the interest of our country first irrespective of religious or political affiliations. It is a wonderful coincidence created by God. Today is Ash Wednesday; Christians (Catholics) all over the world resumed their fasting; Muslims all over the world are also fasting,” he observed.
He promised that both Christians and Muslims will break their fast in Government House to showcase and encourage religious harmony.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the National Hajj Commission, Prof. Abdullahi Saleh Usman, said that they were in Imo State to brief the Governor on the preparation for the 2025 Amir Hajj.
He related that the Hajj Affairs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has concluded preparations to receive over 700,000 participants for the 2025 Hajj in Mecca.
Prof. Usman commended Governor Uzodimma for the sustained peace among religious groups and tribes resident in Imo as well as the humongous infrastructural development in the State.
Subsequently, Governor Uzodimma inaugurated the Chairman and members of the Imo State Muslim Hajj Board and the 2025 Amir Hajj and members at the Sam Mbakwe Exco Chambers Government House.
During the inauguration, he enjoined them to be honest in the discharge of their duties and hold the positions entrusted to them with the fear of God.
His words: “If you are a religious leader, lead by example whether Christian or Muslim. Don’t be fraudulent in your activities. Ensure that the sponsored Hajj slots get to those deserving them, especially the less privileged.”
Uzodimma recalled that since his assumption of office in 2020, the uppermost in his agenda has been to promote harmonious coexistence in Imo State where everybody will see himself/herself as brothers and sisters irrespective of religious, tribal or political affiliations.
He noted that despite the initial challenges, the State has been able to record huge success in enthroning peace and harmony among residents.
Responding on behalf of the Board/2025 Amir Hajj, the Chairman of the 2025 Hajj, HRH Alhaji Auwal Suleiman, expressed appreciation to Governor Uzodimma for the honour done them and for carrying the Muslim community along in the scheme of things of his administration.
He noted that the Governor, since the inception of his administration, has sponsored Muslims to participate in Hajj exercises and, in 2025 approved 200 slots to put smiles on the faces of faithful Muslims who could not afford the holy pilgrimage.
He assured that the Board members will ensure fairness in allocating the slots to those it is meant for.
Deputy Governor of Imo State, Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, Speaker, Rt. Hon. Chike Olemgbe, Secretary to the Imo State Government, Chief Cosmas Iwu, the Chief of Staff, Barr Nnamdi Anyaehie, members of the Imo State expanded executive Council, among others witnessed both events.
Source:thenewsnigeria.com.ng
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https://thenewsnigeria.com.ng/2025/03/06/uzodimma-well-continue-to-support-christians-muslims-on-holy-pilgrimage/#google_vignette
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UN report reveals brutal attacks targeting Muslims, refugees in CAR
06 March 2025
A UN report released on Wednesday has uncovered a pattern of grave human rights violations committed by armed groups in southeast Central African Republic (CAR), targeting Muslim communities and Sudanese refugees.
Investigations by the UN human rights office (OHCHR) and the UN peacekeeping mission in the country, MINUSCA, found evidence of summary executions, sexual violence and torture.
Other violations included cruel and degrading treatment, forced labour, and looting of homes and shops.
CAR has been plagued by decades of instability and communal violence along religious and ethnic lines. UN assessments suggest that one in five people are displaced internally or outside the country’s borders due to the conflict.
The fighting has also taken a terrible toll on vital infrastructure, including schools and hospitals.
The civil war in Sudan and tensions in southern Chad, have led to an influx of refugees, asylum seekers and returnees to already overwhelmed areas of CAR.
The report detailed two waves of attacks in the Mbomou and Haut-Mbomou prefectures, in October 2024 and January 2025, in which at least 24 people were killed, including victims who had been summarily executed.
The attacks were directed and coordinated by elements of Wagner Ti Azandé (WTA), an armed group with ties to the national army. WTA originally belonged to another armed group called Azandé Ani Kpi Gbé (Azanikpigbe), whose members were also involved in the attacks.
In early October, both groups attacked the towns of Dembia and Rafaï, in the Mbomou prefecture, mainly targeting the Fulani pastoral community and other Muslims, as well as a camp for Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers.
In Dembia, WTA and Azanikpigbe fighters publicly executed a 36-year-old Fulani man, “creating a climate of terror among the population”, according to the report, while seven other Fulani men were tied up and thrown alive into the Ouara River.
Attackers also carried out widespread sexual violence, with at least 24 victims, including 14 women and seven girls who were raped.
On January 21, a separate attack on a Fulani camp near Mboki, in Haut-Mbomou, left at least 12 dead.
Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, underscored the need to bring perpetrators to justice.
“These horrible crimes must not go unpunished. Accountability is fundamental to ensuring such violations never happen again,” he said.
He, however, called for the ties between the WTA group and the national army to be clarified and for full transparency regarding the group’s actions and its lawfulness.
“If this is not possible, the group should be disarmed.”
According to the report, at least 14 WTA members were arrested in Mboki and Bangui after the attack on the Fulani camp near Mboki.
The report also highlighted the limited presence of State security forces in parts of the prefectures of Mbomou and Haut-Mbomou, fuelling the climate of impunity.
Valentine Rugwabiza, the head of MINUSCA, warned that despite continued efforts by the Government – with support from the Mission – the situation in the two regions remains deeply concerning.
“Failure to adequately respond to these crimes would undermine the hard-earned security gains and further erode social cohesion in areas where efforts have been made with communities to defuse tensions and promote peaceful coexistence,” she said
In response to the violence, MINUSCA has intensified efforts to protect civilians and support the restoration of State authority in the affected regions.
Since October 2024, the Mission has deployed forces to Dembia, setting up a temporary operational base. In January, it also advocated for more Central African armed forces (FACA) troops to reinforce security.
In addition, it facilitated a visit by the regional governor to Dembia in November, helping promote dialogue and reconciliation among the region’s communities.
The Central African Government has also taken steps to address the violence, including arresting some WTA members.
It has also announced plans to establish a Tribunal of Grande Instance in Zémio for affected communities to access justice and combat impunity.
Source:guardian.ng
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://guardian.ng/news/world/africa/un-report-reveals-brutal-attacks-targeting-muslims-refugees-in-car/
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Torture, rape, death: UN report highlights widespread violations by both sides in Sudan conflict
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
March 06, 2025
NEW YORK CITY: A UN report on the civil war in Sudan, published on Thursday, revealed disturbing evidence of arbitrary detentions, torture and other ill-treatment of detainees in Khartoum State by both sides.
The findings underscore a broader pattern of abuses by the Sudanese Armed Forces and rival paramilitary faction the Rapid Support Forces in conflict zones throughout the country.
Since the fighting began almost two years ago, tens of thousands of people, including women and children, have been detained without charge. Many face severe restrictions on communication with their families, and are held in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions that violate international human rights standards.
The report, covering the period from the start of the war in April 2023 until June 2024, is based on testimonies from 34 former detainees, their family members, and witnesses. The accounts reveal widespread torture, including frequent beatings, and deplorable conditions including overcrowding, inadequate provision of food and water, and lack of medical care. Many detainees reportedly died in custody as a result of neglect.
“These practices — arbitrary detention, torture, ill-treatment and inhumane conditions — are deeply disturbing,” said the UN’s high commissioner for human rights, Volker Turk.
“No individual should be deprived of their liberty without due process, nor subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.”
The report also highlighted the plight of child detainees, with some as young as 13 detained alongside adults in certain facilities, raising concern about the exploitation of minors in the conflict. Children as young as 14 reportedly serve as guards in RSF-controlled facilities.
In addition, sexual violence against women was documented at two RSF-run detention centers.
Ethnic discrimination is another troubling issue highlighted by the report. It states that detainees from the Darfur and Kordofan regions, particularly those from African tribes, were disproportionately subjected to torture and mistreatment.
The RSF and SAF have also reportedly targeted individuals based on perceived affiliation with the opposing side in the conflict, with ethnic profiling prevalent in detention facilities run by both forces.
Furthermore, the report raises concerns about enforced disappearances, citing cases in which families are unable to obtain information about the whereabouts or well-being of detained relatives. In one instance, a family was repeatedly warned by RSF intelligence personnel not to inquire about a detained relative, only to later discover he had died.
Though the report focused on Khartoum State, it noted that similar human rights abuses have been documented in other conflict-affected regions, including Darfur and Al-Jazirah State.
The UN has also received reports of detainees being transferred from facilities in Khartoum to other locations, particularly in South Darfur, raising fears that such moves could exacerbate human rights violations.
“These practices undermine the rule of law and due process, and increase the risks of further human rights violations,” Turk said, as he called for immediate action by all those involved in the conflict to improve the situation.
The UN report called for an end to arbitrary detentions, torture and other ill-treatment, improvements to conditions in detention facilities, and greater access to justice.
It also encouraged the international community to engage with Sudanese authorities and armed groups to address the abuses and work toward an end to the ongoing crisis in the country.
The release of the report comes with the war in Sudan showing little sign of abating, and amid continuing calls from the international community for an urgent resolution to the humanitarian and human rights crisis in the country.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2592691/middle-east
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Ganduje enjoins Muslims to remember vulnerable
March 7, 2025
by Jide Orintunsin, Abuja
The National Chairman of the governing All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has urrged Muslim ummah to remember the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized as they observe the holy month of Ramadan
Ganduje in a felicitation statement by Edwin Olofu, his Chief Press Secretary yesterday in Abuja, said “Ramadan is a time for spiritual rejuvenation, introspection, and renewal, and we pray that Allah (SWT) grants us the strength and wisdom to observe the fast with devotion and sincerity.”
The APC Chairman said: “As we embark on this 29/30-day journey, we urge all Muslims to remain steadfast in their faith and to continue being shining examples of the values of compassion, generosity, and kindness that are hallmarks of our great religion.”
Assuring Nigerians that the party remains committed to promoting the welfare and well-being of all Nigerians, regardless of their faith or background, Ganduje said, “We will continue to work tirelessly to address the challenges facing our nation, from economic uncertainty to social inequality.
“As we observe the fast, let us not forget the less fortunate among us – the poor, the vulnerable, and the marginalized. Let us reach out to them with kindness, compassion, and generosity, and let us work together to build a more inclusive and equitable society.”
He urged Muslims to offer prayers for President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, seeking divine guidance, strength, and wisdom to successfully implement his Renewed Hope Agenda, which promises to bring about positive transformation to the lives of all Nigerians.
Source:thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/ganduje-enjoins-muslims-to-remember-vulnerable/
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Ramadan: Sharia council backs school closures
March 6, 2025
The Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria (SCSN) says the decision by some northern governors to close primary and secondary schools during Ramadan is appropriate.
A statement by its Secretary-General, Nafiu Baba-Ahmad, in Kaduna on Thursday, said the closure prioritises students’ well-being amid extreme heat conditions during the fasting period.
Baba-Ahmad criticised organisations, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), for opposing the move, stating that state governments have full authority over school schedules.
“Threats of legal or industrial action over the closures are unnecessary. CAN opposed a structured 25-day adjustment but remained silent during prolonged ASUU strikes,” Baba-Ahmad said.
According to him, the closure is temporary and will not disrupt academic activities, as lost time can be recovered by adjusting the long vacation.
“The decision was thoroughly reviewed by the Ministries of Education and widely accepted by parents,” Baba-Ahmad added.
Citing the Education Law of Jan. 1, 1964, Baba-Ahmad reaffirmed that governors have the exclusive right to set school holidays, except in Kogi.
He said that state governments were not obliged to seek approval from external groups when making educational policy decisions.
Baba-Ahmad commended the affected states for prioritising students’ welfare and urged other northern states to adopt similar policies.
He appealed to organisations to respect state governments’ authority and refrain from interfering in educational matters affecting students.
Source:vanguardngr.com
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https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/03/ramadan-sharia-council-backs-school-closures/
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Police Vow Crackdown As Militants Threaten Oil Installations In Rivers
7 March 2025
By Enioluwa Adeniyi
Tensions have escalated in Rivers State as the militant group, Niger Delta Rescue Movement, has threatened to attack oil installations over the ongoing political crisis and the alleged withholding of the state’s federal allocation.
Naija News reports that the group also issued a stern warning to non-indigenes, urging them to leave the state for their safety, claiming that hostilities were imminent.
Police Command: No Group Has Monopoly On Violence
In response, the Rivers State Police Command has vowed to crack down on any threats to national security, warning that no group will be allowed to destabilize the state.
The Commissioner of Police (CP), Olugbenga Adepoju, assured residents that security forces were fully prepared to contain any disruptions and would not tolerate attempts to heat up the polity.
Adepoju said, “You see, we are taking this thing one step at a time. There is nobody that has a monopoly on violence. If fire is coming from heaven, it will not consume only one person—definitely, everybody will be consumed.”
“So, nobody can threaten anybody. We are handling the situation the way we should, and we are ready for anything that is going to come.”
He downplayed the threats, maintaining that Rivers was not in crisis and that the state government was managing the situation responsibly.
The CP said, “All eyes are on Rivers State now. I don’t think there is any problem here really, but we will not allow anybody to heat the polity.”
He further emphasized that law enforcement remains fully equipped to neutralize any security threats.
“You cannot fight the government, and the governor himself has been handling the situation very maturely and well. So, nothing will happen. The man on the ground (governor) is peaceful, and God is on the throne. We are equal to the task,” he added.\
Source:naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/03/07/police-vow-crackdown-as-militants-threaten-oil-installations-in-rivers/
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Why Sit-at-Home Order Persists In Southeast Despite Military Efforts – DHQ
6 March 2025
By Ikenna Ngere
The Defence Headquarters has stated that the continued observance of the sit-at-home order in the Southeast is driven by fear rather than the actual strength of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its armed wing, the Eastern Security Network (ESN).
Speaking on the issue, Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Markus Kangye, emphasized that despite military efforts to restore normalcy through Operation Udo Ka, many residents remain indoors on Mondays due to fear of attacks.
He reaffirmed the military’s commitment to ensuring the region is free from IPOB/ESN influence and urged citizens to resume their daily activities without fear.
Kangye explained: “Who gave the order? IPOB /ESN criminals and because of what is happening in the South East, Operation Udo Ka was set up just like Hadin Kai in the North East.
“And I want to tell you that for the past three leadership of the commanders we have in the Southeast, they have been doing very well. And if they give them sit-at-home order, they will tell them more about your normal business but the locals in some areas, for fear of being attacked, fear of being killed, they will stay at home.
“Our commanders under that operation are doing their best. They are doing so well to ensure that Southeast has a free from IPOB/ESN.”
The Defence Headquarters also challenged the credibility of the 2025 Global Terrorism Index (GTI) report, asserting that assessments from the Nigerian military provide a more accurate reflection of counter-terrorism efforts than external analyses.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, made this statement while addressing questions regarding the GTI report, which ranked Nigeria as the sixth most terrorism-affected country globally.
He insisted that only the Nigerian military can present the true picture of the nation’s counter-terrorism progress.
Using a family analogy, Kangye illustrated his point, stating: “Something is happening in my house. I’m the head of the house. I have children, I have wife someone else is reporting what is happening in my house to me. Which one would be more correct or believable? The one that I will tell you as the head of the house, or the one that someone is reporting from outside? The one I think that will give you the correct information is that of the head of the house.
“So you, as a member of the media, that has been attending this meeting every week, you should be able to stand and correct what they are giving Nigerians.”
While Kangye clarified that he was not directly disputing the GTI report, he urged the media to present an accurate version of counter-terrorism efforts in Nigeria.
He said: “I’m not countering what they put out there, but as observers, I think you should be the better person that will give the correct version of what is happening in Nigeria.”
Source:naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2025/03/06/why-sit-at-home-order-persists-in-southeast-despite-military-efforts-dhq/
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Southeast Asia
'Let us be ambassadors of peace': Shanmugam on importance to continue Muslim groups' tradition of helping, connecting with community
MARCH 07, 2025
ByZAIHAN MOHAMED YUSOF
Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said local Muslim community groups, also known as qaryah, can help in interfaith and interracial understanding amid a challenging security landscape.
He was speaking to qaryah group leaders and volunteers at Khalid Mosque in Joo Chiat on March 6 during a Qaryah Appreciation Iftar (breaking fast), which brought qaryah leaders together to recognise their contributions.
“Really, you can see the ‘kampung spirit’ and I think it is extremely important that we continue with this tradition of qaryah,” said Mr Shanmugam.
“It is a real ground-up initiative, and we will give it every support.”
The 150 attendees at the event included Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, MPs such as Dr Wan Rizal of Jalan Besar GRC, and senior executives of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or Muis.
Mr Shanmugam focused on three areas: radicalisation, maintaining social cohesion, and the role qaryah plays in strengthening harmony between faiths.
He acknowledged that qaryah members connect with the community beyond the mosques, helping those in need in projects that promote volunteerism, and providing home repairs, painting and plumbing services to needy families, regardless of race or religion.
“Now, in the context of the security challenges I spoke about, it’s all the more important that we reach out across races and build meaningful connections,” added Mr Shanmugam.
“So let us be ambassadors of peace, spreading the message of love and understanding.”
Khalid Mosque chairman Ariffin Kawaja said he welcomed all guests at the Qaryah Appreciation Iftar.
“Tonight we gather not only to break our fast together but also to honour and celebrate the remarkable dedication and service of our qaryah members – the unsung heroes of our community, the unsung heroes of Ramadan,” said Dr Ariffin.
He also acknowledged his predecessor, the late Khalid Mosque chairman Alla’udin Mohamed, who started the first Qaryah Appreciation Iftar in 2023.
Known as a man with a “big heart”, Mr Alla’udin was generous and welcomed anyone regardless of their background, said Dr Ariffin.
But more work needs to be done, especially in evolving security landscapes.
Mr Shanmugam reminded attendees that a year ago, seven Singaporeans, aged between 14 and 56, were detained under the Internal Security Act.
They were radicalised by extremist ideologies and wanted to be involved in terrorism-related activities. Fortunately, all were arrested before they could carry out their terror plans.
Added Mr Shanmugam: “So, we have to continue to remain vigilant, educate our young, and (it is) important that we engage our young people, give them the proper guidance and really create safe spaces for dialogue and understanding, so that they do not get into this.”
One of the attendees from the qaryah’s west cluster, Mr Abdul Hamid Wagiman, said the event is a time for everyone to meet members from other qaryah clusters.
“It is a way for us to stay in touch and keep up with what others are doing in the community,” added Mr Hamid, 61, who is an adviser at Al-Khair Mosque.
Source:asiaone.com
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https://www.asiaone.com/singapore/let-us-be-ambassadors-peace-shanmugam-importance-continue-muslim-groups-tradition-helping
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Malaysia Hindu Sangam accepts ERA FM hosts’ apology
BERNAMA
07-03- 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS) accepts the apology issued by three Era FM radio presenters over a video mocking the Thaipusam kavadi ritual.
MHS president T. Ganesan emphasised the importance of media personalities and content creators exercising greater awareness and sensitivity when addressing religious and cultural matters, reinforcing the need for responsible and respectful communication in the public sphere.
“... incidents of this nature should not be taken lightly, as they threaten the harmony and mutual respect that form the foundation of Malaysia’s diverse society.
“This incident should serve as a lesson for all Malaysians on the importance of respecting all religions and cultures,” he said in a statement here today.
Ganesan added that an apology alone does not absolve individuals from the consequences of their actions, adding that in any situation where harm has been caused, responsibility must be upheld.
Ganesan said the video was deeply offensive to the Hindu community and has drawn widespread criticism and led to multiple police reports.
“While the presenters have apologised, MHS notes that investigations are ongoing, with authorities handling the matter under relevant legal provisions. MHS urges the authorities to take appropriate action to ensure such incidents do not recur,” he said.
The three radio presenters later came forward to apologise for their actions deemed to have offended racial sensitivities in the country. They also apologised at the Batu Caves temple complex over their video.
On March 4, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) was directed by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil to conduct a detailed investigation into the viral video of three ERA radio presenters, who were seen making fun of a religious ceremony.
Meanwhile, MCMC yesterday issued a notice of intent to suspend the licence of Era FM’s operator, which has been given 30 days to submit a response before any final decision is made.
Astro Audio also has issued a public apology and suspended the three radio hosts as well as two other staff members.
Source:thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/malaysia-news/malaysia-hindu-sangam-accepts-era-fm-hosts-apology-CC13772099
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Dzulkefly, Najib in talks to seek amicable resolution in cronyism defamation case
07 Mar 2025
KUALA LUMPUR, March 7 — Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad and Datuk Seri Najib Razak are in talks to resolve the suit filed by the health minister against the former prime minister over a post on cronyism on his Facebook account.
Lawyer Muhammad Farhan Muhammad Shafee, who represents Najib, told reporters after the case proceedings in the chambers of High Court Judicial Commissioner Arziah Mohamed Apandi.
“The parties are moving towards an amicable solution. We have been discussing the matter and case management is fixed on April 7,” said the lawyer.
Meanwhile, Dzulkefly when met by reporters said “We are discussing”.
Previously, the court had set the trial of the suit to begin today.
In January 2022, Dzulkefly filed the suit in a personal capacity, claiming that Najib uploaded a defamatory post on his Facebook on August 24, 2020 regarding the issue of cronyism, along with an attachment of a screenshot of a Sinar Harian article dated January 28, 2019 with a picture of the plaintiff’s face.
He claimed that the statement, among other things, meant that the plaintiff (Dzulkefly) practised cronyism by offering positions or appointments to relatives, without going through any objective assessment and ability for a position in government or private companies.
The plaintiff claimed that Najib as the defendant published the defamatory post with the intention of attacking his personality, degrading and humiliating him, as well as being politically motivated with the express intention of defaming and damaging his reputation.
Najib in his defence statement filed on March 29, 2022 claimed that the post on the issue of cronyism on his Facebook account had nothing to do with Dzulkefly but referred to the Pakatan Harapan (PH) party coalition. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/03/07/dzulkefly-najib-in-talks-to-seek-amicable-resolution-in-cronyism-defamation-case/168869
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Marine police bust illegal e-waste operation in Klang, seize over RM33m in materials, worker held
07 Mar 2025
KLANG, March 7 — The Marine Police Region 1 seized 1.23 million kilogrammes (kg) of electronic waste (e-waste) worth RM33.18 million during a raid on a scrap processing factory in Taman Perindustrian Meru here yesterday.
Its commander Assistant Commissioner Rusley Chi Ari said the raid, conducted under Op Bersepadu in collaboration with the Selangor Department of Environment (DOE) at around 11am, led to the arrest of a 30-year-old local man.
He said initial investigations found that the factory had a valid licence, but only to operate as a scrap processing facility, not for e-waste processing.
An inspection of the premises uncovered waste materials classified as Scheduled Waste under the First Schedule of the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005.
“A local man, aged 30 and working at the factory, was detained, while efforts are ongoing to locate the premises owner, believed to be a local citizen,” he told reporters at the Marine Police Region 1 headquarters in Pulau Indah her today.
Rusley said the seized items included 16,100kg of copper, processed aluminium (207,900kg), unprocessed aluminium (112,000kg), mixed aluminium (7,000kg), unprocessed mixed e-waste (23,100kg), mixed e-waste residue (787,500kg) and compressed aluminium (81,000kg).
Also confiscated were three forklifts, two weighing machines, a Daihatsu Delta lorry, an e-waste machine, a dewatering machine, and three conveyor machines.
He said all seized items had been handed over to the Selangor DOE for further investigation.
“Investigations suggest the processed e-waste was sourced from abroad, with the factory operating under the guise of a scrap processing business,” he added. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2025/03/07/marine-police-bust-illegal-e-waste-operation-in-klang-seize-over-rm33m-in-materials-worker-held/168865
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South Asia
Mullah Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat Meets Japanese Officials to Discuss Health Sector Cooperation
2025-03-06
KABUL(BNA): Mullah Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat, the Deputy Minister of Finance and Administration of the Ministry of Public Health, held a productive meeting with Mikio Izawa, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Japanese Embassy in Afghanistan, to discuss the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in the health sector.
During the meeting, which took place in Sharafat’s office, the Deputy Minister expressed his gratitude for Japan’s ongoing support in enhancing Afghanistan’s healthcare system. He emphasized the importance of continued collaboration and the expansion of bilateral relations to further strengthen the health sector in the country.
Izawa echoed the sentiments expressed by Sharafat, highlighting the positive trajectory of bilateral relations between Japan and Afghanistan in the healthcare domain. He assured that Japan remains committed to providing further assistance and cooperation to bolster the health services in Afghanistan.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/mullah-bakht-ur-rahman-sharafat-meets-japanese-officials-to-discuss-health-sector-cooperation/
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President urges embracing Islamic principles and respecting Maldivian values on National Identity Revival Day
06 March 2025
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has urged the public to embrace Islamic principles and respect Maldivian values, adding this would provide spiritual fulfilment and prosperity. He made the remarks during his special address on the National Identity Revival Day.
The President emphasised the importance of reviving the concept of national identity among Maldivians through the integration of intellectual and modern principles, as well as the incorporation of modern technology. In this regard, President Dr Muizzu affirmed commitment to preserving national identity guided by the principles of Islam and the teachings of the Holy Quran to deter harmful influences while promoting positive values within the society.
Adding that a nation’s cultural framework is based on their worldview, the President stated that societal cultures and customs in the Maldives are governed by the moral teachings of Islam. As such, he emphasised that embracing and upholding Islam has been the defining factor of Maldivian national identity.
The President noted the significance of National Identity Revival Day coinciding with Ramadan this year, emphasising the role of Islam in shaping nationhood in the Maldives. He credited the teachings of Islam in upholding human dignity, detering from wrongdoing, fostering respect for leadership, contribution to religious infrastructure, and values such as honesty and offering regular prayers within society. Additionally, the President drew example of Maldivian brotherhood from the scriptures of foreign travelers who described the shared compassion, empathy, and peace amongst Maldivians in their writings. He also referenced instances in Maldivian history when the nation collectively rallied against foreign attackers, liberating themselves through unwavering faith in defending Islam.
President Dr Muizzu described national identity as one that is deeply rooted in the conscience of Maldivians for the millenia that Maldives has been inhabited. In this regard, he stated that our national identity accumulated through shared experiences, cultures, population growth, and shared beliefs that have led to the continuity of our existence.
The National Identity Revival Day, the President stated, holds great significance for the Maldives as it remains the foundation for nationhood.
The President concluded his special address urging collective commitment to upholding the principles of Islam and the Maldivian values. He also prayed for Maldives to continue remain a prosperous nation enriched with spiritual and emotional well-being.
Source:presidency.gov.mv
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https://presidency.gov.mv/Press/Article/33254
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3 Hizb ut-Tahrir members arrested from Uttara
Mar 7, 2025
Police arrested three members of banned outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir from Dhaka's Uttara early today.
The arrestees are Monirul Islam, 40, Mohtasim Billah, 40, and Mahmudul Hasan, 21.
A team of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police arrested them from Uttara sector 11 and 12, said Talebur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media) of the DMP.
In preliminary interrogation, the arrestees admitted being involved with the banned group, he said.
Yesterday, the DMP said any activities with the banner of Hizb ut-Tahrir are punishable under anti-terrorism laws.
The warning came after the banned outfit's activities were widely reported in the city.
Hizb ut-Tahrir was banned by the Bangladesh government on October 22, 2009, considering it a threat to public security, said a DMP statement.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009, any form of gathering, procession, distribution of posters and leaflets, or promotional activities by banned outfits is a criminal offense.
Source:thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/3-hizb-ut-tahrir-members-arrested-uttara-3841666
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Action if Hizb ut-Tahrir holds programmes
Mar 7, 2025
Dhaka Metropolitan Police yesterday said any activities with the banner of banned outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir are punishable under the anti-terrorism laws.
Hizb ut-Tahrir was banned by the Bangladesh government on October 22, 2009, considering it a threat to public security, said a DMP statement.
Under the Anti-Terrorism Act-2009, any form of gathering, procession, distribution of posters and leaflets, or promotional activities by banned outfits is a criminal offense.
If any banned outfit, including Hizb ut-Tahrir, attempts to hold meetings, rallies, or engage in any form of publicity, necessary legal action will be taken. The statement was issued by Muhammad Talebur Rahman PPM, deputy commissioner (media) of DMP.
Source:thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/action-if-hizb-ut-tahrir-holds-programmes-3841026
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Ministry of Industry and Commerce Strengthens Entrepreneurship with New Agreements
2025-03-06
KABUL(BNA): The Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce, Alhaj Nooruddin Azizi, has signed cooperation agreements with 15 national and international institutions aimed at bolstering Afghanistan’s entrepreneurship sector.
The agreements, which focus on enhancing skills and development within the industry, are set to facilitate projects valued at $12.5 million.
During the signing ceremony, Minister Azizi emphasized the importance of pursuing a halal livelihood and maintaining integrity in work. He urged stakeholders to ensure that project implementations respect the rights of all rightful owners involved.
The initiatives outlined in the agreements will cover a wide range of areas, including: Development of entrepreneurial and basic skills. Growth of the carpet industry, jewelry, and handicrafts.Market identification and assessment for small and medium enterprises. Training for impoverished families in home dairy production and vegetable processing, alongside providing necessary equipment.Technical training in pistachio packaging and branding.Support for the installation of solar energy solutions for small and medium enterprises across 16 provinces.
These projects are expected to create significant benefits, including increased domestic production and the establishment of small economies. Approximately 18,000 individuals are projected to directly benefit from these initiatives in various provinces, including Kabul, Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Balkh, Kandahar, Logar, Kunduz, Baghlan, Badakhshan, Badghis, Faryab, Jawzjan, Takhar, and Bamyan.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/ministry-of-industry-and-commerce-strengthens-entrepreneurship-with-new-agreements/
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WHO reports sharp increase in respiratory deaths in Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati
March 7, 2025
The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported an increase in respiratory-related deaths in Afghanistan, stating that 506 people died from respiratory diseases in January 2025.
On Tuesday, March 4th, the WHO released a report revealing that the number of respiratory disease cases in Afghanistan in January 2025 increased by 54% compared to December 2024.
According to WHO data, over 206,000 people in Afghanistan were affected by respiratory diseases, especially pneumonia, in January, with 506 of them passing away.
The WHO also noted a 71.4% increase in measles-related deaths compared to December, with 42 deaths out of 7,307 suspected cases of measles.
The organization has emphasized the need to increase healthcare services for patients across Afghanistan, particularly in areas experiencing the highest rates of disease transmission.
The report highlighted that in January 2025, WHO made significant progress in healthcare in Afghanistan by supporting 131 primary healthcare centers in 20 provinces and improving nine hospitals in seven provinces, including those focused on infectious diseases, emergency care, and mental health.
Previously, the WHO had warned about increasing health challenges, particularly respiratory diseases, and the lack of access to healthcare services in Afghanistan.
The rising number of respiratory disease cases and related deaths in Afghanistan underscores the urgent need for improved healthcare infrastructure and access to medical services in the country. The WHO’s efforts to enhance healthcare facilities and support primary care centers are crucial in addressing this growing crisis.
With the continued spread of diseases like pneumonia and measles, along with the challenges of limited healthcare access, the international community must increase support to Afghanistan. Effective response and intervention are vital to prevent further loss of life and to improve overall health outcomes in the country.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/who-reports-sharp-increase-in-respiratory-deaths-in-afghanistan/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/elderly-maulana-pakistani-madrasa-gujarat/d/134807