Norway Police Query Bow-And-Arrow Killer's Muslim Faith, Danish Citizen Espen Andersen Brathen Did Not Take The Conversion Seriously
New
Age Islam News Bureau
17
October 2021
Espen Andersen
Brathen, a Danish citizen
-----
• Norway Police Query Bow-And-Arrow Killer's Muslim
Faith, Danish Citizen Espen Andersen Brathen Did Not Take The Conversion
Seriously
• Taliban Pledge To Enhance Security At Shia Mosques
After The Second Daesh Attack
• Confronting Crimes Against Humanity Is Route To
Justice, Saudi Official Asserts At UN Committee Meeting
• Iran Warns Of Divisive Plots By Islamic Ummah’s
Enemies In Afghanistan
• Cross-LoC Infiltration And Drone Pistol Deliveries
Scale Up Violence In Valley
Europe
• Norwegian police now doubt Islamist motive for
Kongsberg attacks
• Kongsberg attack: Norwegian police cast doubt on
Islamist motive
• Maajid Nawaz: Muslims in Southend-on-Sea know and
love Sir David Amess
• Southend’s Muslim community condemns killing of Sir
David Amess
---------
South Asia
• Muslims, Hindus protest amid communal violence in
Bangladesh
• Afghanistan: Mass funeral for victims of Kandahar
mosque attack
• Thailand to hold virtual contest on occasion of
birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad and Unity Week
• Taliban Discovers The Limits Of Islamic Airline
Economics
---------
Arab world
• Saudi Removes Social Distancing Stickers In Grand
Mosque
• 'Art And Architecture Series' Showcases Distinct
Features Of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
• Saudi scouts share their experiences with global
peers
---------
Mideast
• Iran Calls for Shia-Sunni Unity to Thwart Divisive
Plots by Muslims' Foes
• Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has key role in
state-backed hack surge, Google warns
• Ex-Major Says Iran Planned Honey Trap To Abduct Him
In Turkey
• China supports resumption of Iran nuclear
negotiations: Foreign minister
• Mosque preachers in Yemen call for active
participation in commemoration of Prophet’s birthday
----------
India
• Narcotic Drug Menace Is The Enemy, Not The Rheas Or
Aryans!
• Moghul Masjid, Earlier Known As The Iranian Masjid,
A Testimony To Bombay’s Iranian Connect
• AIMPLB Plans Public Meet Next Week On ‘Exploring
Solutions To Contemporary Problems In The Light Of Seerah In Hyderabad
---------
Southeast Asia
• Entersarawak Application Required For All
Non-Sarawakians, SDMC Clarifies
• You’re endangering others, PM Ismail Sabri tells
unvaccinated teachers
• Guan Eng says willing to testify in court against
govt’s ‘unconstitutional’ decision requiring 51pc Bumiputera equity in logistics companies
• Malaysian nabbed as Australian police seize record
A$104m heroin shipment
• Anwar asked to assist in MACC’s probe into Pandora
Papers
----------
Pakistan
• PM Urges Nation To Celebrate Eid-e-Milad In
Unprecedented Way
• SC moved against those named in Pandora Papers
• 1.2m Patients Survived Covid Since Outbreak In Pakistan
• Fazl asks PDM members to take to streets
• ISI chief to be appointed before 22nd, says Sheikh
Rashid
• Accused in Noor murder case charged with 15 grave
crimes
--------
North America
• ‘The Community Is Our Priority’: Hundreds Attend Muslim
Sisters Of Staten Island’s Inaugural Day Of Dignity
• Theatre lights on for Mecca Productions
---------
Africa
• Central African Republic Leader Offers Cease-fire To
Rebels
• Up to 17 US missionaries and family kidnapped in
Haiti
• Boko Haram and migration crisis in Nigeria
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/espen-andersen-brathen-conversion-faith/d/125592
--------
Norway Police Query Bow-And-Arrow Killer's Muslim
Faith, Danish Citizen Espen Andersen Brathen Did Not Take The Conversion Seriously
The New Arab Staff
16 October 2021
Police at the scene of the
Extra store involved in the bow-and-arrow attack, in Kongsberg, Norway, October
15, 2021. (Terje Bendiksby / AP)
-----
Norwegian police on Saturday cast doubt on the narrative that the perpetrator of a bow-and-arrow attack that left five people dead was a serious convert to Islam.
Police inspector Per Thomas Omholt told reporters the
ongoing investigations had reinforced the idea that the suspect, Danish citizen
Espen Andersen Brathen who has admitted the killings, had mental health issues.
However "the thinking is that he did not take
(the conversion) very seriously. By this we mean that he did not follow or
practise the traditions that are common in this culture and religion," the
inspector said.
Website Nettavisen has published a video Brathen
allegedly posted to social media in 2017, in which he issued a
"warning" and declared his Muslim faith.
"All the indications are that he chose his
victims at random" and acted alone, Omholt said, describing Brathen as
"not very social".
The police also named the dead: Andrea Meyer, 52,
Hanne Merethe Englund, 56, Liv Berit Borge, 75, Gunnar Erling Sauve, 75 and Gun
Marith Madsen, 78.
The three people injured, who have not been
identified, have all been released from hospital.
Source: English.Alaraby
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original story:
https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/norway-police-query-bow-and-arrow-killers-muslim-faith
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Taliban Pledge To Enhance Security At Shia Mosques
After The Second Daesh Attack
By News desk
October 17, 2021
(Javed Tanver/AFP via Getty
Images)
----
Taliban authorities pledged to step up security at
Shia mosques after the second Daesh attack in a week on worshippers killed more
than 40 people in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Friday.
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack on the
Fatima mosque in Kandahar which saw a group of suicide bombers shoot their way
into the mosque before blowing themselves up among the worshippers.
The head of Kandahar police said units would be
assigned to protect the Shia mosques which have so far been guarded by local
volunteer forces with special permission to carry weapons.
“Unfortunately they could not protect this area and in
future we will assign special security guards for the protection of mosques and
Madrasas,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter by a Taliban spokesman.
Meanwhile, the militant Islamic State group on
Saturday claimed responsibility for a suicide bomb attack on a Shia mosque in
the southern Afghan city of Kandahar that killed at least 41 people and injured
scores more.
In a statement released on its Telegram channels, the
group said two Islamic State suicide bombers carried out separate attacks on
different parts of the mosque in Kandahar.
The group, a bitter rival of the Taliban, which swept
back to power in Afghanistan in August as the United States and its allies
withdrew, regards Shia Muslims as heretics.
Source: Pak Observer
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original story:
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Confronting Crimes Against Humanity Is Route To
Justice, Saudi Official Asserts At UN Committee Meeting
SPA
October 17, 2021
NEW YORK: Saudi Arabia has reiterated that confronting
crimes against humanity and combating impunity from punishment is a noble
objective to achieve justice and the rule of law because such crimes are among
the most dangerous crimes for the international community.
This came during a speech delivered by Nidaa Abu Ali,
head of the legal committee in the Kingdom’s permanent delegation at the UN, at
the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.
Abu Ali stressed the need to implement the principle
of accountability and put an end to the impunity from punishment of the
perpetrators of these crimes. She stressed the Kingdom’s support for justice
following the international agreements signed within the framework of the UN
Charter and international law.
Regarding draft articles related to crimes against
humanity, she said the Kingdom stresses the need to avoid developing new
definitions that might cause confusion in interpreting these terms.
In addition, she stressed the importance of unifying
the definitions stated in the relevant draft convention such as slavery,
torture and forced disappearance of persons, following the relevant
international conventions.
Reem Al-Omair, chairperson of the Economic and
Financial Committee at the Kingdom’s permanent delegation at the UN, affirmed
Saudi Arabia’s commitment to international cooperation to combat illicit
financial flows and promote good practices regarding the recovery of financial
assets.
Speaking in a general discussion of macroeconomic
policies, she said that the programs and initiatives of the Saudi Vision 2030
contributed to enhancing transparency, developing policies and procedures and
filling gaps to contain corruption.
Al-Omair said the Kingdom is keen to harness its
potential and resources in the service of humanitarian issues in cooperation
with the UN, its agencies and organizations and the international community.
Saudi Arabia has reiterated that confronting crimes
against humanity and combating impunity from punishment is a noble objective to
achieve justice and the rule of law because such crimes are among the most
dangerous crimes for the international community.
This came during a speech delivered by Nidaa Abu Ali,
head of the legal committee in the Kingdom’s permanent delegation at the UN, at
the 76th session of the UN General Assembly. Abu Ali stressed the need to
implement the principle of accountability and put an end to the impunity from
punishment of the perpetrators of these crimes. She stressed the Kingdom’s
support for justice following the international agreements signed within the
framework of the UN Charter and international law.
Regarding draft articles related to crimes against
humanity, she said the Kingdom stresses the need to avoid developing new
definitions that might cause confusion in interpreting these terms.
In addition, she stressed the importance of unifying
the definitions stated in the relevant draft convention such as slavery,
torture and forced disappearance of persons, following the relevant
international conventions.
Reem Al-Omair, chairperson of the Economic and
Financial Committee at the Kingdom’s permanent delegation at the UN, affirmed
Saudi Arabia’s commitment to international cooperation to combat illicit
financial flows and promote good practices regarding the recovery of financial
assets.
Speaking in a general discussion of macroeconomic
policies, she said that the programs and initiatives of the Saudi Vision 2030
contributed to enhancing transparency, developing policies and procedures and
filling gaps to contain corruption.
Al-Omair said the Kingdom is keen to harness its
potential and resources in the service of humanitarian issues in cooperation
with the UN, its agencies and organizations and the international community.
Source:
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original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1949281/saudi-arabia
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Iran warns of divisive plots by Islamic ummah’s
enemies in Afghanistan
16 October 2021
Journalist : 71477
Tehran (ISNA) – Iranian Foreign Ministry in a
statement condemned terrorist attack at the Fatemieh Mosque in Kandahar.
Once again the enemies of Islam pulled the strings of
the criminal Takfiri terrorists and spilled the blood of a number of the oppressed
people of Afghanistan during Friday prayers.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the
terrorist attack by the Takfiris at the Fatemieh Mosque in Kandahar which
martyred and wounded a large number of worshippers.
The Foreign Ministry offers condolences to the
honorable families of the martyrs and the dear people of Afghanistan and it
prays for patience and divine reward for the bereaved families and fast
recovery for those injured in this inhumane crime.
The Foreign Ministry also warns of plots by the
Islamic ummah’s enemies to cause divisions and stresses the need for unity and
solidarity among Shias and Sunnis and for rejection of violence and extremism
in the name of Islam. This heart-wrenching incident and the past tragic events
including the terrorist attack in Konduz highlight more than ever before the
need for beefing up security and boosting protection of Shia and Sunni
worshiping places and other gatherings in Afghanistan. The Islamic Republic of
Iran is confident that our Muslim brothers and sisters in Afghanistan will foil
the divisive schemes of their enemies through solidarity، co-thinking
and joint efforts.
Source: En.Isna.Ir
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Cross-LoC infiltration and drone pistol deliveries
scale up violence in Valley
By Shishir Gupta
Oct 17, 2021
Targeting of two non-Kashmiris, including a Muslim, by
Takfiri terrorists in the Kashmir Valley on Saturday is part of Pakistani plan
to raise the violence levels so that normalcy is disturbed, and the tourist
economy is hit in the Union territory. Takfiri is a term used for those Islamic
terrorist groups, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed in this context, who
have no qualms targeting their Muslim brothers for political objectives. They
are termed apostates.
According to national security planners and security
officials, the recent spate of violence against non-Kashmiris is a result of
infiltration from across the Line of Control (LoC) of LeT terrorists in the
Poonch-Rajouri sector. The second reason is increased drone delivery of Chinese
Star pistols to overground workers (OGW) of LeT in the Valley because of which
targeted killing is taking place in Srinagar.
In the UT of Jammu and Kashmir, the scene of terror
action is in the Krishnaghati sector, where the Indian Army has lost seven
personnel while engaging already infiltrated LeT terrorists in the forests on
Rajouri-Poonch district borders. This infiltration is said to have taken place
towards the end of August 2021. The second theatre is the Valley where the OGWs
with recently acquired pistols are targeting non-Kashmiris to spread terror in
the region and hit the booming tourist sector economy. According to J-K police
officials, many pistol consignments have reached the Valley due to drone
flights from across the border with the Indian security forces hampered due to
lack of functioning anti-drone systems.
Despite Indian security forces deployed in large
numbers both on the LoC and the hinterland with sensors and fencing, there is
still no foolproof mechanism to prevent Pakistan based terrorist groups from
infiltrating the Valley. The weapon and ammunition supplies through drones have
added to the concern of security forces as there is no human cost to the
terrorist groups based in Pakistan.
While the J-K police have neutralised 11 terrorists in
the past week after the first round of targeting earlier this month, Union home
minister Amit Shah spoke to top security officials on Saturday night from Port
Blair with implicit instructions of bringing the guilty to book. The state DGP
Dilbagh Singh also held discussions with security agencies for actionable
intelligence against the perpetrators of attacks on innocent non-Kashmiris.
Sourse: Hindustan Times
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Europe
Norwegian police now doubt Islamist motive for
Kongsberg attacks
Sigrid Harms
Oct 16, 2021
Oslo (dpa) - Following the violent attack in the
Norwegian town of Kongsberg that left five dead on Wednesday, investigators say
they are increasingly doubtful that the act was motivated by Islamist ideology.
It now appears likely that the suspect did not
actually convert to Islam as originally believed, police inspector Thomas
Omholt said at a Saturday press conference. Instead, mental illness is
increasingly thought to have led to the killing spree.
The 37-year-old Dane has admitted he killed five
people in central Kongsberg on Wednesday night. The man shot at numerous people
with a bow and arrow.
The PST security police had already received tips in
2015 about the Danish national, who has been remanded in custody for four
weeks, Arne Christian Haugstoyl, head of counter-terrorism at PST, told the
Verdens Gang newspaper.
It has now been revealed that the man had been known
to the local authorities for years. In 2017 he posted a video on social media
in which he called himself a Muslim and a messenger and announced he had a
mission.
Source: DPA-International
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Kongsberg attack: Norwegian police cast doubt on
Islamist motive
16.10.2021
Norwegian police investigating Wednesday's deadly
attack in the southeastern town of Kongsberg said on Saturday that they were
moving away from initial suspicions that Islamist motives were behind the
bow-and-arrow shootings.
Speaking at a press conference, police inspector Per
Thomas Omholt said there was reason to believe that the suspect, who is in
custody, was not a convinced convert to Islam as was initially thought.
"The thinking is that he did not take (the
conversion) very seriously. By this we mean that he did not follow or practice
the traditions that are common in this culture and religion," the
inspector said.
Omholt said the killing spree, in which five people
died and three were injured, was more likely to have been a result of mental
illness.
The suspect, a 37-year-old Dane, had allegedly posted
a video on social media in 2017 in which he claimed to be a Muslim and a
messenger, and to have a "mission."
Source: www.dw.com
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of the original story:
https://www.dw.com/en/kongsberg-attack-norwegian-police-cast-doubt-on-islamist-motive/a-59529233
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Maajid Nawaz: Muslims in Southend-on-Sea know and love
Sir David Amess
By Tim Dodd
16 October 2021
It comes as the Met is treating the fatal stabbing of
Sir David Amess during his constituency meeting yesterday as a terror incident,
and said its early inquiries suggested a possible link to Islamist extremism.
Maajid said: "Another reaction that Sir David
would not be happy with, is to allow this incident to pit us against each
other.
Source: www.lbc.co
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Southend’s Muslim community condemns killing of Sir
David Amess
Sabrina Johnson
16 Oct 2021
The killing of MP Sir David Amess has been condemned
as an ‘indefensible atrocity’ by Southend’s Muslim community.
The joint statement from all of the town’s mosques
came as police said the attack on the 69-year-old MP may be linked to Islamist
extremism.
Faith leaders said that the father-of-five was an
‘upstanding friend to our Muslim community’ who attended key events, including
weddings, mosque openings and the launch of the town’s first Muslim Scout
group.
In a statement published on the Essex Jamme Masjid
website, on behalf of ‘all Southend mosques’, they said their thoughts and
prayers were with Sir David’s family, friends and colleagues.
The statement added: ‘Sir David’s murder was an
indefensible atrocity, committed on the grounds of a place of worship and we
condemn it in the strongest possible terms.
Ruhul Shamsuddin, joint secretary of Essex Jamme
Masjid, described the MP as a ‘tremendous force for good and pillar of support
for our community’.
Iftikhar Ul Haq, Imam, UKIM Southend Mosque and Dr
Arshad Ghori, president, UKIM Southend Mosque, said Sir David was ‘always
reachable, he showed great compassion for communities and always was there to
offer support’.
Source: Metro
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South Asia
Muslims, Hindus protest amid communal violence in
Bangladesh
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
16 October 2021
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - Protests erupted for a second
day in Bangladesh's capital on Saturday, amid a wave of violence against local
Hindus following a viral social media image perceived as insulting to the
country's Muslim majority.
Some 10,000 protesters - many of them carrying banners
of Islamist political parties - took to the streets outside the main mosque of
the capital, Dhaka, a day after demonstrations on the same site ended in
clashes with police.
Photos showing a copy of the Quran -Islam´s holy
book-at the feet of a statue in a Hindu temple in the eastern district of
Cumilla triggered the protests and incidents of vandalism at Hindu temples
across Bangladesh.
Source: Daily Mail
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Afghanistan: Mass funeral for victims of Kandahar
mosque attack
17 Oct 2021
A mass funeral ceremony has been held for the victims
killed in Friday’s suicide bomb attack on a Shia mosque in Afghanistan’s
southern city of Kandahar.
Government officials say 47 people died in the attack
but a community elder Haji Farhad said the death toll is 63 but can change as
still many victims are in serious condition in the hospital.
Source: AlJazeera
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Thailand to hold virtual contest on occasion of birth
anniversary of Prophet Muhammad and Unity Week
October 17, 2021
News Code : 1189341
A special contest is set to be held in Thailand on the
occasion of the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and the Unity
Week.
Titled “the model of good ethics of Hazrat Muhammad
(PBUH)”, the competition has been organized by the cultural section of the
Iranian embassy to Thailand and is comprised of three sections: poems,
painting, and video clips.
The event will be hosted by Al-Zahra school, and
students from elementary to high school levels can take part in the contest. A
special section for the families has also been devised.
Source: En.Abna24
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Taliban Discovers The Limits Of Islamic Airline
Economics
by Gary Leff
October 16, 2021
My basic takeaway from Timur Kuran’s 2011 The Long
Divergence is that Mideast countries that have interpreted Islamic economic
stricture the most broadly have performed the best economically, while strict
adherence to things like bans on interest hold back prosperity.
The Taliban is getting a harsh lesson in the limits to
Islamic economics as it deals with international air service from Kabul, now
that they’ve returned from the role of rebel force to that of managing
institutions of governance. Price controls lead to scarcity.
Pakistan International Airlines has been the only
international carrier offering regular air service from Kabul since the Taliban
takeover
Source: View From Thewing
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https://viewfromthewing.com/taliban-discovers-the-limits-of-islamic-airline-economics/
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Arab world
Saudi removes social distancing stickers in Grand
Mosque
17-10-2021
Saudi Arabia has begun removing social distancing
stickers from corridors, squares and facilities of the Grand Mosque to ease
precautionary measures and the resumption of receiving Umrah performers in the
Two Holy Mosques at full capacity.
Source: Tradearabia
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http://www.tradearabia.com/news/MISC_388345.html
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'Art and Architecture Series' showcases distinct
features of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
Hatem Mohamed
16-10-2021
Abu Dhabi, 16th October, 2021 (WAM) -- Sheikh Zayed
Grand Mosque Centre periodically publishes its cultural series, "Art and
Architecture", on the Centre’s Instagram page @szgmc_ae. The publication
is part of a larger national effort to keep alive the country’s unique culture
and traditions that are rooted in Islam.
The Centre's cultural tour guides educate followers on
social media platforms, and those interested from different cultures of the
world, about the Mosque’s Islamic distinct features, which convey messages of
tolerance, coexistence, and cultural rapprochement, through the harmony and
diversity of its details.
Source: wam.ae
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http://wam.ae/en/details/1395302981545
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Saudi scouts share their experiences with global peers
SPA
October 17, 2021
RIYADH: The Saudi Arabian Scout Association is
participating in the International Jamboree on the Air and the International
Jamboree on the Internet, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Source: ARAB NEWS
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/1949286/saudi-arabia
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Mideast
Iran Calls for Shia-Sunni Unity to Thwart Divisive
Plots by Muslims' Foes
2021-October-16
TEHRAN (FNA)- The Iranian foreign ministry in a statement
condemned the terrorist attack at a Shia mosque in Afghanistan’s Southern city
of Kandahar, and underlined the need for unity among Shia and Sunni Muslims to
repel the divisive plots of the enemies.
Iran’s foreign ministry warned against enemy schemes
for the Muslim world and called for reinforcing unity and integrity among
Muslims and avoiding violence and extremism in the name of Islam.
More than 60 people were killed in three back-to-back
explosions that hit the Bibi Fatima mosque during Friday prayers, one of the
biggest blasts in Kandahar city.
Source: En.Isna.Ir
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Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has key role in
state-backed hack surge, Google warns
By TOI STAFF
16 October 2021
Google warned on Friday of a surge in state-backed
hackers, with a report focusing on the “notable campaigns” of a group linked to
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.
The search engine giant was the second tech firm in
less than a week to issue a warning about Iranian hackers, with the report
coming days after Microsoft said a group targeted Israeli and American defense
technology, and also warned that Iran had increased its hacks on Israel
fourfold in the past year.
Google said in a blogpost on Friday that an Iranian
hacking group known as APT35, or “Charming Kitten,” was carrying out malware
and phishing attacks in which the target was tricked into installing software
or giving out personal information.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps was created after the
1979 Islamic Revolution and has an extensive intelligence apparatus as well as
forces.
“This is the one of the groups we disrupted during the
2020 US election cycle for its targeting of campaign staffers,” wrote Ajax
Bash, a member of the threat analysis team at Google. “For years this group has
hijacked accounts, deployed malware, and used novel techniques to conduct
espionage aligned with the interests of the Iranian government.”
The post warned that APT35 was targeting accounts in
government, academia, journalism, NGOs, foreign policy and national security,
and had been active since 2017.
The company said that APT35 used the compromised
website of an unnamed British university to carry out a phishing attack by
asking for individuals to confirm their credentials and security information.
“Attackers used the Munich Security and the Think-20
(T20) Italy conferences as lures in non-malicious first contact email messages
to get users to respond. When they did, attackers sent them phishing links in
follow-on correspondence,” the search engine giant said.
Google said the hackers have also started to utilize
the Telegram API sendMessage function of the encrypted app to gather details of
unwitting visitors to their phishing sites.
and Iran have been engaged in a years-long shadow war,
with Israel allegedly directing most of its efforts — including multiple
suspected cyberattacks — at sabotaging the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.
Source: Times of Israel
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Ex-Major Says Iran Planned Honey Trap To Abduct Him In
Turkey
Author: Maryam Sinaee
17-10-2021
An ex-Iranian military officer has told Iran
International TV that Iranian intelligence used a ‘honey trap’ in a plot to
render him from Turkey in September.
The former officer was named as Mehrdad Abdarbashi, a
major and air-force helicopter pilot who had been living as an asylum-seeker in
Van, eastern Turkey.
Speaking to Iran International via video-link
Saturday, Abdarbashi said a woman working for Iranian intelligence contacted
him pretending she wanted to learn about foreign currency exchange.
Abdarbashi said he always alerted Turkish intelligence
when anyone contacted him and they had bugged the woman’s cell phone and
discovered her contact with the Iranian security forces. He said he did not
know which intelligence body, the intelligence ministry or the Revolutionary
Guards intelligence organization, had sent the "swallow,” as Iranians
usually refer to women used to entrap men.
"Her plan was to lure me to the city's outskirts
under some pretext so that they could capture me and take me back to Iran, but
I did not consent to go,” Abdarbashi told Iran International.“The Turkish
intelligence was well aware of everything. They told me to accept her
invitation to dinner [on the night of the operation] and promised to protect me
so I accepted.”
Turkish intelligence knew, said Abdarbashi, that
Iranian agents had given drugs to the woman to lace his dinner so they could
remove him from her home when he fell unconscious, pretending they were taking
him to a hospital.
Ankara on Thursday revealed that its National
Intelligence Organization (MIT) and police had arrested an Iranian − whom they
said was an intelligence operative − and seven Turks September 24 over a plot
to abduct an ex-Iranian military officer in Van and render him to Iran but did
not give the full name of the alleged victim.
Speaking to Turkey's Türkiye newspaper Saturday,
Abdarbashi said he had fled Iran and sought asylum after refusing a mission to
Syria.
"I am in a safe place now but obviously my life
is still in danger after that foiled [abduction] attempt,” he told Iran
International, appealing for help from human rights and international
organizations.
In 2019 a honey-trap was allegedly used to Ruhollah
Zam, who ran a social-media channel on Telegram, to Iraq where he was abducted
by Iranian agents. Zam was executed in December 2020 after confessions aired on
state television.
Source: Iranin TL
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https://www.iranintl.com/en/20211016267239
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China supports resumption of Iran nuclear
negotiations: Foreign minister
Oct 16, 2021
Bloomberg
China supports the revival of negotiations on an Iran
nuclear accord, Foreign minister Wang Yi told his Iranian counterpart in a
phone call on Friday.
Source: Hindustan Times
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Mosque preachers in Yemen call for active
participation in commemoration of Prophet’s birthday
October 16, 2021
Mosque preachers called on the Yemeni people to
participate in the honorable events that will be held in the capital, Sana’a,
and the governorates next Monday, in celebration of the anniversary of the
Prophet’s birthday.
Source : Ansarollah
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India
Narcotic drug menace is the enemy, not the Rheas or
Aryans!
October 16, 2021
Satya Muley
Following the recent arrest of Aryan Khan, Narcotics
Control Bureau (NCB) has been granted the custody of superstar Shahrukh Khan’s
son for a significant number of days for gathering circumstantial evidence as
his statements hold no evidentiary value in the court of law under the
Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, since the October
2020 ruling by the Supreme Court.
This ruling (October 29, 2020) answered a critical
question: Whether the statement of an accused recorded by an authorised officer
under the NDPS Act is admissible as evidence in the court of Law?
While the October 2020 ruling had a favourable impact
on the Rhea Chakraborty case, giving her immunity against any statement she
made before the NCB, it resulted in the investigation process becoming more
cumbersome. Post this ruling, the investigating agency will now be required to
work even harder to gather circumstantial evidence to be able to corroborate
the case of the prosecution.
However, what’s important to understand here is the
impact of such prolonged custody that will have on the mind, career and life of
an accused, in this case, Aryan Khan. Will the basic principle of Indian law
that the accused is to be considered ‘innocent till proven guilty’ be
compromised in the enforcement of the NDPS Act? No doubt the thought process
behind enacting the NDPS Act and its subsequent amendments needs a serious
re-look.
The NDPS Act (bill) was introduced in Lok Sabha on
23rd August 1985, passed hastily within four days after introduction in the
Parliament and in less than a month it received the then president’s assent in
September 1985.
However, even after 35 years of its enactment, the
October 2020 ruling by the Supreme Court reveals that the NDPS Act has serious
flaws. Additionally, the Act is devoid of provisions required to achieve the
objective behind the enactment of the NDPS Act itself, thus rendering the NDPS
Act a half-baked product.
Currently, the identity of all accused under the NDPS
Act are revealed and widely published in the media. The NDPS Act lacks on such
crucial aspects and therefore needs a big overhaul of its provisions.
Now, let’s understand the punishment for possession of
drugs in India. The punishment can range from 1 year to 20 years of rigorous
imprisonment to up to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment for repeat offenders.
There is a provision of death penalty as well.
Classification of offences ranges from cultivation,
production, possession, sale, purchase, trade, import, export, use and
consumption of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances.
Interestingly, the catch here is that when an accused
is caught under the NDPS Act, the scale and fine varies depending on the
substance and quantity found with the accused.
Sourse: Times Of India
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Moghul Masjid, Earlier Known As The Iranian Masjid, A
Testimony To Bombay’s Iranian Connect
by Zeeshan Shaikh
October 16, 2021
The recent decision of the Adani Ports and Special
Economic Zone (APSEZ), that it will not handle any container cargo originating
from Iran, may have put the relationship between India and Iran under further
strain but the nature of the relationship between the two countries was very
different in the past.
In the present times, their shared history, economic
linkages, bilateral trade and cultural ties dating back to centuries is
underwritten in the form of Mumbai’s Moghul Masjid — the oldest Shia Iranian
mosque in the city.
A vibrant mixture of art and craftsmanship, the Moghul
Masjid with its intricate geometric designs, blue mosaic tiles, dazzling
stained glasses and thick Persian rugs is one of the few remaining vestiges of
the 19th Century Shia Iranian influence on Mumbai city.
The masjid, when it was constructed in 1858, was known
as the Iranian Masjid. The dominance of the Persians in the Mughal court and
Mughal bureaucracy made the Persians synonymous with the Mughals in popular
perception. It was due to this association that the mosque slowly gained an
identity as Mughal masjid.
While Bombay historically had linkages with Iran given
the presence of a substantial Zorastrian and Bahai population, there was a
fresh round of influx of mostly Iranian Muslims in the early 19th Century. Most
of these new migrants hailed from the inland cities of Shiraz and Isfahan and
came to Mumbai in search of greener pastures in view of the economic recession
suffered by inland Iran.
Sourse: Indian Express
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AIMPLB Plans Public Meet Next Week On ‘Exploring
Solutions To Contemporary Problems In The Light Of Seerah In Hyderabad
Oct 17, 2021, 04.53 AM IST
Hyderabad: Leaders of All India Muslim Personal Law
Board will address a public meeting in the city next week.
Sourse: Times Of India
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Southeast Asia
EnterSarawak application required for all
non-Sarawakians, SDMC clarifies
17 Oct 2021
KUCHING, Oct 17 — Sarawak Disaster Management
Committee (SDMC) has clarified that only fully-vaccinated Sarawakians are
exempted from applying through EnterSarawak when travelling back to the state.
In a clarification issued late last night, SDMC said
all foreigners and Malaysians who are non-Sarawakians still need to apply via
EnterSarawak before being allowed to come in.
In the clarification, SDMC said exemptions from
applying through EnterSarawak are also given to non-Sarawakians who are married
to Sarawakians, and Sarawakian children born outside Sarawak
For non-Sarawakians who are married to Sarawakians,
they must produce a valid marriage certificate before being allowed to board a
flight or a vessel or pass through an Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and
Security Complex (ICQS) to enter the state.
Sarawakian children born outside Sarawak, on the other
hand, must show documented proof such as a birth certificate before being
allowed to board a flight or a vessel, or pass through an ICQS into the state.
Source: Malay Mail
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You’re endangering others, PM Ismail Sabri tells
unvaccinated teachers
17 Oct 2021
BERA, Oct 17 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri
Yaakob advised teachers who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19 to get
the vaccine immediately to protect themselves and their students.
Although the vaccination is not compulsory for
teachers, he said, they are at risk of increasing the infection as they will
face their students when the face-to-face teaching and learning sessions (PdP)
begin.
“For example, primary school teachers who have not
been vaccinated, they are putting their students at risk, and also that of
their fellow teachers (of being infected). That is why the Education Ministry
is firm.
Source: Malay Mail
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Guan Eng says willing to testify in court against
govt’s ‘unconstitutional’ decision requiring 51pc Bumiputera equity in
logistics companies
BY EMMANUEL SANTA MARIA CHIN
17 Oct 2021
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — DAP’s Lim Guan Eng has again questioned
the government’s requirement for local freight forwarding companies to have 51
per cent Bumiputera equity, claiming such policies were contradictory to their
promises of being inclusive.
The former finance minister said applying an already
repealed requirement retrospectively against existing logistics companies would
not only hurt local stakeholders but was also unconstitutional.
Lim explained the current ruling went against a
circular issued by the Royal Customs Department back in 2018, which nullified
the 51 per cent equity rule for local logistics companies established before
1990.
He then said how a reversal of that circular, which he
claimed was unlawful, was even affirmed by current Finance Minister Datuk Seri
Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz in Parliament when the latter said the decision
requiring the 51 per cent Bumiputera equity was made recently by the current
government.
Source: Malay Mail
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Malaysian nabbed as Australian police seize record
A$104m heroin shipment
17 Oct 2021
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Australian police said on
Saturday they seized the largest heroin shipment ever detected in the country,
worth an estimated A$140 million (RM431.8 million), and arrested a Malaysian
national over the importation of the illicit drug.
The 450kg shipment — as heavy as a grand piano — was
detected in a sea freight container of ceramic tiles sent from Malaysia and
addressed to a Melbourne business, the police said in a statement.
Source: Malay Mail
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Anwar asked to assist in MACC’s probe into Pandora
Papers
17 Oct 2021
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption
Commission (MACC) has asked Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to
assist in providing information regarding the ‘Pandora Papers’ exposé.
MACC said in a statement today that they would work
with Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and other relevant agencies to conduct
investigations into the matter.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director
Datuk Seri Abd Jalil Hassan said today that they had received four police
reports regarding the matter.
Source: Malay Mail
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Pakistan
PM urges nation to celebrate Eid-i-Milad in
unprecedented way
October 17, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday urged
the nation to celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be
Upon Him) in a befitting and unprecedented manner.
In a special message in connection with Eid Miladun
Nabi, he said: “As you all know that this is a special month when our Prophet
Muhammad (PBUH) came into this world. This is a month of blessings.”
He said Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a great leader in
the history of the world. “The great quality of a leader is that he brings
together humans and does not spread hate,” he added.
Sourse: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1652489/pm-urges-nation-to-celebrate-eid-i-milad-in-unprecedented-way
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SC moved against those named in Pandora Papers
Nasir Iqbal
October 17, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has been moved to order
the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to launch an inquiry and determine if those
named in the Pandora Papers and the Panama Papers had committed or indulged in
any wrongdoing while transferring funds to offshore companies.
A petition filed before the apex court sought a
direction for the citizens named in the Panama Papers and the Pandora Papers to
clear themselves by assuring the FBR that the investment made in the offshore
companies was neither derived nor sent through illegal means. The petition
urged the court to order the FBR to direct such individuals to furnish an
explanation with supporting documentary evidence.
The foreign assets of those Pakistani citizens who
could not justify such transactions should be frozen by the FBR within three
months in addition to initiation of legal proceedings to recover these assets
under the Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative as suggested in the UN Convention
Against Corruption (UNCAC), which was ratified by Pakistan in August 2007,
according to the petition.
Sourse: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1652479/sc-moved-against-those-named-in-pandora-papers
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1.2m patients survived Covid since outbreak in
Pakistan
Ikram Junaidi
October 17, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The National Command and Operation Centre
(NCOC) on Saturday announced that 1.2 million people had so far recovered from
Covid-19 since the outbreak of the virus in the country in February last year.
According to data shared by the NCOC, the number of
critical patients, which was around 6,000 in August, had fallen to around
2,000.
It said since February 2020, as many as 1,263,664
confirmed patients were detected, out of whom 1,208,438 have fully recovered
and 28,252 lost their battle against the virus.
Meanwhile, the latest figures showed that 24 patients
died of Covid-19 and 893 more tested positive in the last 24 hours while the
national positivity ratio, which was in double figures in August, stood at
1.69pc.
Sourse: Dawn
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Fazl asks PDM members to take to streets
Saleem Mubarak
October 17, 2021
FAISALABAD: President of the Pakistan Democratic
Movement (PDM) and chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana
Fazlur Rehman, has requested all partners in the opposition alliance to take to
the streets instead of holding meetings.
“We should not disappoint the masses otherwise it will
lead to anarchy,” the maulana said while addressing a rally organised under the
PDM banner at the Dhobi Ghat ground here on Saturday evening.
“Prime Minister Imran Khan fooled the youth by
promising them 10 million jobs, but today his government has deprived three
million people of employment,” he claimed. He said Punjab being the `elder
brother’ should rise to lift the country out of the current situation.
He said a state could not survive if its economy
deteriorated. “Now a war on the economic front has begun across the globe and
the situation is changing,” he added.
The maulana further said every institution must
perform within its constitutional limits, adding that parliament represented
the masses, but it had been made a rubber stamp. About the country’s foreign
relations, the PDM leader said Islamabad had angered China and the US also did
not extend any help while Iran stood with India that had snatched Kashmir from
Pakistan.
It was earlier claimed by the PML-N leadership that
party supremo Nawaz Sharif would address the event via video link. However,
that did not happen.
She accused Mr Khan of making a mockery of the army in
front of the world. “People are aware that you made a mockery of this
appointment only to prolong your rule.”
At the same time, Maryam Nawaz said she admitted the
appointment (of the ISI chief) was the premier’s discretion, but added that
it’s the masses who elected their PM who then decided on their behalf.
Sourse: Dawn
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ISI chief to be appointed before 22nd, says Sheikh
Rashid
Iftikhar A. Khan
October 17, 2021
ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on
Saturday claimed that the issue of the appointment of the Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI) director general had been amicably settled between the civil
and military leadership.
Rejecting reports of a rift between the government and
the military establishment, he said the prevailing environment in the country
was fine, and regretted that “some elements were trying to make highly
sensitive institutions controversial”.
Sourse: Dawn
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1652476/isi-chief-to-be-appointed-before-22nd-says-sheikh-rashid
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Accused in Noor murder case charged with 15 grave
crimes
Malik Asad
October 16, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The trial court has charged 12 accused
persons in the Noor Mukadam murder case with 15 grave crimes.
The accused, including the principal accused Zahir
Jaffer, pleaded not guilty and intended to face the trial.
Sourse: Dawn
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North America
‘The community is our priority’: Hundreds attend
Muslim Sisters of Staten Island’s inaugural Day of Dignity
Oct. 16, 2021
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Muslim Sisters of Staten
Island’s (MSSI) inaugural Day of Dignity was a one-stop shop with free
groceries, haircuts, COVID testing and vaccines, baby essentials, school
supplies, family-friendly activities, and more on Saturday.
Through the afternoon, nearly 300 people stopped by
the event in St. George, which MSSI hosted in partnership with Islamic Relief
of USA.
The Muslim Sisters of Staten Island hosted their
inaugural Day of Dignity in St. George providing various services and resources
to the local community including free school supplies, clothing, groceries,
baby essentials, hair cuts, health insurance information, and more on October
16, 2021 (Staten Island Advance/Giavanni Alves)
Safiyyah Abdul-Qawiyy, founder and CEO of MSSI, told
the Advance/SILive.com that Day of Dignity embodies the organization’s motto:
“The community is our priority.”
Source: Silive
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Theatre lights on for Mecca Productions
By Chelsea Kemp
Oct. 16, 2021
Excitement is building for Mecca performers who are
set to return to the Western Manitoba Centennial Auditorium for the first time
in more than 18 months this coming November.
Life without the ability to perform and unite during
COVID-19 has been a challenging and isolating time for the Mecca team, said performer
and stagehand Tiana Vasconcelos. The group’s latest production, All Together
Now, marks a welcomed return for the cohort of performers and friends.
Prior to COVID-19, Mecca members were always busy
rehearsing for their next stage performance. It was exhilarating getting ready
for the many shows hosted over the year. This includes a community musical in
the fall, a community musical and kids show in the spring, and a drama or
another small show along with Christmas and spring concerts.
The year before the pandemic Mecca boasted a roster of
roughly 115 performers enrolled in classes honing their craft Tuesday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights along with Saturday mornings.
“Before COVID my calendar was very full, with lots of
evenings and weekends for classes and performances,” said performer and music
director Katherine MacFarlane. “During COVID my calendar became quite empty.”
Source: The Star
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Africa
Central African Republic Leader Offers Cease-fire To
Rebels
By Associated Press
16th October, 2021
BANGUI, Central African Republic (AP) — President
Faustin Archange Touadera declared a unilateral cease-fire Friday with the
armed rebel groups that have threatened to overthrow him once already this year
in Central African Republic, though it was not known whether militants would
hold their fire.
The surprise move by the president came without any
immediate reaction from rebel spokesmen, and it was not known why Touadera had
decided to make such a conciliatory gesture after long opposing dialogue with
armed groups.
Source: Republic World
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Up to 17 US missionaries and family kidnapped in Haiti
BY GESSIKA THOMAS
17 October 2021
As many as 17 American Christian missionaries and
their families, including children, were kidnapped on Saturday by gang members
in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, US media reported.
The kidnapping happened after the missionaries left an
orphanage in the crisis-engulfed Caribbean nation, the New York Times and CNN
said.
The Washington Post reported that an audio from the
Ohio-based Christian Aid Ministries said “men, women and children” associated
with the group were being held by an armed gang.
Source: Times Live
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Boko Haram and migration crisis in Nigeria
By Osamamen Oba Eduviere
17 October 2021
On April 15, 2014, I sat in my living room in Lagos
State, Nigeria, at about 10pm, and watched with rapt attention the breaking
news about the kidnap of schoolgirls (ranging from the ages of 16 to 18) from a
boarding school in Chibok, Borno State by the Boko Haram sect. Whilst I was
startled with the news, I went on to Twitter to see the views of people on the
kidnap, and to my surprise Twitter was literally on fire. It was said that
before the kidnap, the school had been shut down for four weeks as a result of
the worsening security conditions in the state, but the students had to return
to school to take their final exam in physics.
This opinion is a wake-up call to the Nigerian
government — ensure safety of its citizens, especially the schoolgirls from
attacks, re-integrate displaced people into their original communities and
provide good living conditions for them. As a Nigerian mother with children of
my own, the safety of the Nigerian schoolgirl worries me.
In present day Northern Nigeria, the schoolgirl seems
to face the risk of either being afraid of school or getting kidnapped and used
as a bait for ransom whenever she goes to school. This has to stop! I believe
in the saying that ‘when you educate a girl, you have educated a nation.’
Before I go on to respond to issues surrounding the
news, I would love to explain Boko Haram as a movement. Boko Haram means
‘Western education is forbidden’. It is a terrorist group based in the
Northeastern part of Nigeria, Chad, Niger Republic and Northern Cameroon. In
February 2018, a part of the Boko Haram called the Islamic State, West Africa
Province (ISWAP) kidnapped more than 100 students in Dapchi, Yobe State – Leah
Sharibu is the only girl still held hostage because of failure to renounce her
religion, Christianity.
Source: Guardian
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https://guardian.ng/opinion/boko-haram-and-migration-crisis-in-nigeria/
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/espen-andersen-brathen-conversion-faith/d/125592