Extradite 26/11 Mastermind LeT Chief Hafiz Saeed: India To Pak
New Age Islam News Bureau
29 December 2023
26/11 Mastermind LeT Chief Hafiz
Saeed
-----
·
Extradite
26/11 Mastermind LeT Chief Hafiz Saeed: India To Pak
·
Penalizing
Satirical Magazine Charlie Hebdo For Defamation Is 'Historic': Muslim
Association
·
Hamas:
Al-Aqsa Storm Put Israel On Path Of Extinction
·
US Will
Have To Pay For Its ‘Double Standard’: PM Sheikh Hasina
·
Pakistan
Caretaker PM Bans New Year Celebration To Express Solidarity With Palestinians
-----
India
·
NIA Files
Chargesheet Against Six Men For Alleged Links With Islamic Statein Maharashtra
·
Congress
Connecting With Muslims During Ongoing ‘UP Jodo Yatra’
·
Ashish
Gupta To Mohammad Yusuf: Case Of UP Official's Alleged Conversion
·
India
sends 2nd tranche of USD 5 mil for Palestinian refugee welfare
·
Sentences
of eight ex-navy men on death row in Qatar reduced: MEA
·
Blast near
Israel embassy: Delhi Police record statements of 'witnesses', await forensic
report
·
PM Modi to
roll out projects worth Rs 11,100cr in Ayodhya on Dec 30
------
Europe
·
‘Bloodshed
After Bloodshed’: Israel Fails To Bring Safety To Jewish People, Says Rabbi
·
"Humanity
Is In Pain" UN Chief Says In New Year Message
·
Man
charged with breaking into churches, temples, and mosques
·
Spain PM
says supports Iraq’s ‘sovereignty and stability’
·
2 out of 5
Maltese do not want their child to date Muslim or transgender person
·
New Kerry
mosque and community centre beginning to take shape in Tralee
·
Rome
objects to settler as Tel Aviv’s new envoy
-----
Mideast
·
Majority
of Iranians say Al-Aqsa Storm fully Palestinian op.
·
Israel
troops ignored pleas for 'help' before hostage killings
·
Israeli
General, Glora Eiland: I Respect Resilience Of Hamas
·
Israel
continues to attack Gaza hospitals, targets displaced Palestinians
·
IDF
Uncovers Hamas Special Forces' Terror Tunnels, Rocket Launcher In Mosque
·
Iran
executes four people for alleged links with Israel’s Mossad
·
Israel’s
indiscriminate strikes kill dozens more Palestinian
·
Number of
children killed in West Bank has reached unprecedented levels: UN agency
·
Syria’s
air defense units repel Israeli aggression near Damascus
·
Hamas
condemns ‘cowardly’ Israeli assassination of Iranian advisor
-----
South Asia
·
Thousands
Of Afghan Refugees Expelled Empty-Handed From Pakistan, WFP Reports
·
Afghanistan
Has Trade Ties with 60 Countries: Azizi
·
One third
of Afghan children engaged in hard labour, reports IRC
·
Altaf,
Hafiz and 6 other BNP men jailed for 2011 political violence
·
Resolution
About Afghanistan on UNSC Table: Andisha
·
IDB Grants
$24.6 Million for Health and Education in Afghanistan
·
Japan to
Provide Health Aid and Ambulances to Afghanistan
------
Pakistan
·
TTP
militants activity in Afghanistan poses major security threat to Pakistan: Army
·
Pakistan Civil
Society Condemns Continuous Violations Of Human Rights
·
Pakistan
condemns banning of Muslim League Jammu Kashmir
·
Church
attacked in Islamabad: priest
·
Court
sends Qureshi on 14-day judicial remand
-----
Southeast Asia
·
Appointing
Non-Muslim Experts In The Shariah Committee Will Spark Controversy, Says Umno's
Secretary-General
·
DAP: We've
no intention of meddling in Islamic legal affairs
·
Anthony
Loke: DAP not trying to interfere with Malaysia’s Islamic affairs, Ngeh erred
in statement
·
After
sodomy incident, Melaka to tighten regulations, procedures at temporary
shelters for Muslim converts, says exco
·
Indonesia
navy drives away boat carrying Rohingya -military
----
North America
·
Some
Muslim American Advocates Express Hesitancy To Work With The White House On
Strategy To Counter Islamophobia
·
NYC Protesters
For Gaza Ceasefire Hold Mock Funeral
·
US defence
chief underscores importance of protecting Gaza's civilians
·
US imposes
sanctions on Yemen after military threat falls flat
·
shifts
major crimes prosecutions to independent lawyers
·
US Tries
to Persuade Shippers to Sail Red Sea Despite Houthi Attacks
----
Arab World
·
Saudi
Environmental Centre Warns Against Logging
·
Islamic
Affairs Ministry Provides 679 Volunteer Opportunities in Tabuk in 2023
·
Saudi
border guards foil drug smugglers near Yemen
·
Riyadh
Season welcomes children from Sanad Cancer Support Association
·
Ansrullah:
Intl. waterways secure except for ships bound for occupied territories
------
Africa
·
Mali:
Supporters Of Influential Imam Dicko Denounce A “Cabal”
·
Kidnappers
storm Ogun mosque, abduct cleric, businessman
·
Benin
removes suspension of transiting goods to Niger
·
Ondo:
Group seeks Muslim Deputy for Gov Aiyedatiwa
·
Soldier
kills truck driver for resisting extortion in Borno
·
Gunmen
kill two policemen, kidnap Christmas returnees in Anambra
·
Muslim
Would-Be Umrah Pilgrims Left Stranded By Travel Agent At Airport
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/extradite-mastermind-let-saeed-india-pak/d/131415
-----
Extradite 26/11 Mastermind LeT Chief Hafiz
Saeed: India To Pak
26/11 Mastermind LeT Chief Hafiz
Saeed
-----
Dec 29, 2023
NEW DELHI: The Indian government
recently again asked Pakistan in a formal communication to extradite
Lashkar-e-Taiba chief and Mumbai attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed to India.
India doesn’t have an extradition treaty
with Pakistan and Islamabad has done little to bring Saeed to justice. However,
India has in the past too sent a letter rogatory to Pakistan for assistance in
the investigation in Mumbai terror attacks, including against Saeed and his
associates. Pakistan has never responded.
According to sources, by officially
seeking Saeed’s extradition, the government is also complying with an Indian
court’s order earlier calling for the LeT chief to be either prosecuted in
Pakistan or to be sent to India to face justice.
Shortly after the Mumbai attacks, in
December 2008, Saeed was listed at the UN 1267/1989 al-Qaida Sanctions
Committee as an individual associated with the al-Qaida terrorist organisation
and, thus, subject to international sanctions. The US announced a reward of $10
million for information about Saeed.
Asked about India’s request for Saeed’s
extradition, the Pakistani foreign ministry chose not to comment, only saying
the question was based on “speculative reporting’’.
India has repeatedly called upon
Pakistan for a successful conclusion of the trial against Mumbai attack accused
like Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi in Pakistan. “It has been conveyed that
the conspiracy for the Mumbai terror attack took place in Pakistan and,
therefore, it is the responsibility of Pakistan to present all necessary
evidences to the trial court,’’ the government had told Parliament earlier.
A Pakistani court had ordered a jail
term of 31 years for Saeed last year on charges of terror financing. The
court’s order came amid efforts by the then Pakistan government to avoid
blacklisting by the global terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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Penalizing Satirical Magazine Charlie
Hebdo For Defamation Is 'Historic': Muslim Association
Charlie Hebdo
----
Feiza Ben Mohamed
28.12.2023
Penalizing the French satirical magazine
Charlie Hebdo for defamation is a "historical decision," a Muslim
association said.
The controversial magazine was fined on
Dec. 22 for defaming the Muslim school "Valeurs et Reussite" in
France's southeastern town of Valence.
The school was allegedly linked to the
Muslim Brotherhood, according to a Charlie Hebdo article published in July
2022.
Mourad Jabri, president of the Muslim
association that runs the school, told Anadolu that this penalization was
"historical."
He explained his will to follow the
proceedings to "show that there is justice in France," although the
case is very "political" and "Charlie Hebdo was considered as a
symbol of the freedom of expression."
The verdict "cleared the tarnished honour
of the association," Jabri said and added that its managers received
numerous hate messages during that period.
It also resulted in the cancellation of
an estate purchase by the association, the president further said.
In a recorded conversation in September
2022 with Jabri, Valence mayor Nicolas Daragon admitted that he was under
pressure that led him to not sell the land to the association.
A Valence court fined the magazine's
editor-in-chief and a journalist €3,000 ($3,330) each.
Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational
Sunni organization and political movement founded in Egypt in 1928. Except for
a few countries in the Middle East and the Gulf, it is not designated as a
terrorist organization by the majority of the world, including in Western countries.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/penalizing-satirical-magazine-charlie-hebdo-for-defamation-is-historic-muslim-association/3094936
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Hamas: Al-Aqsa Storm Put Israel On Path
Of Extinction
Photo: Fars News
------
29 December 2023
Hamas has said the Gaza Strip-based
Palestinian resistance movements' Operation al-Aqsa Storm against Israel put
the occupying regime "on the path of extinction."
Abu Ubaida, spokesman for al-Qassam Brigades,
Hamas' military wing, made the remarks on Thursday concerning the October 7
operation, during which the resistance groups took hundreds captive.
"On October 7, we dealt the blow of
the century to the Zionists," he said.
"What October 7 planted in the
conscience of our people will remain [as] an image of the defeat of this
criminal enemy and our people will emerge proud and proud in their
victory."
The spokesman went on to recount the
losses that had been afflicted by the resistance groups on the regime, during a
war that the latter has been waging against the coastal sliver since the
implementation of the operation.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian says Hamas has informed the Islamic Republic that it has
sufficient capabilities to continue the confrontation with Israel in Gaza for
months.
Since the beginning of the invasion of
Gaza, the resistance has targeted more than 825 Israeli military vehicles, Abu
Ubaida noted.
He also said the fighters had targeted
three enemy helicopters over the past 24 hours.
GloraEiland has said there is “no signs
of a collapse of Hamas’ military capability or their political power to
continue to lead Gaza.”
"Our priority is to stop the
violence against the people [of Gaza] and to end the genocide against
them."
The regime has killed at least 21,320
people throughout the military campaign.
The spokesman also reiterated the
resistance's stance that there would be no more prisoner exchanges with the
regime until Tel Aviv "completely" stops the aggression against the
Palestinian territory.
During a Qatari- and Egyptian-mediated
temporary ceasefire that took effect earlier during the war, Israel released
240 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for 105 people, who were released by
Hamas.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/29/717219/Palestine-Israel-extinction-Hamas-Operation-al-Aqsa-Storm-Gaza-war
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US Will Have To Pay For Its ‘Double
Standard’: PM Sheikh Hasina
Bangladesh
PM P M Sheikh Hasina
-----
Dec 29, 2023
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said
that the US will someday have to pay for what she said was its double standard.
"They keep talking about one thing
or another. People were burnt in our country. They talked a lot about elections
and terrorism. When they were asked about the train set ablaze by the BNP, they
were mum. They did not say a word.
"They have always been picking on
me but that does not matter. The strength of the people is the greatest,"
she said in response to a question during an episode of the show "Let's
Talk" organised by the Centre for Research and Information (CRI), the
ruling Awami League's research wing.
Taped on December 22, the show was aired
by Ekattor TV, News24 TV, and Somoy TV last night.
Claiming that she was not allowed to
assume power as she had refused to sell gas to the US, Hasina said, "Our
only resource is gas. When I came to power in 1996, many companies came here
via international tenders, including some American companies, to extract gas.
Then a proposal to sell the gas came, I objected [to that] and I had to pay for
that as I was not allowed [to assume power] in the 2001 elections.
"… They always want to interfere.
Today they raise questions about human rights, they talk about workers' rights.
Unfortunately, they don't look at their own country," she added.
Hasina, also the AL president, said she
raised the issue of Palestine when she delivered a speech at the UN.
"When I went to the EU, I raised
this question very strongly there too. The children and women of Palestine are
being killed in such a way…why is everyone silent now?" she said.
Hasina said the most unfortunate thing
was that America vetoed the proposal to stop the war twice in the UN Security
Council.
"America looks for human rights in
our country. In the USA, they shoot students in schools and restaurants. Their
people do not even have the security of their lives.
"But they lord over elsewhere. I
don't know who allowed them to do so. And I was the first in the world to raise
the issue and protest in the international arena," she added.
Stating that the US pokes its nose in
the matter of other countries, Hasina said, "They talk about our labour
rights, they criticise us whenever something happens in our country, but they
don't look at themselves. In their country, if a worker strikes once, they
throw every worker out of work, they don't care about it."
She quoted the Shah of Iran as saying,
"A friend of America does not require an enemy."
The prime minister said "hundreds
of thousands of young people gave their lives" in Ukraine, many people
have become refugees and have been displaced. The children are not getting
education or food.
"But now they [US] are saying that
they don't have money, they can't provide anything, can't do anything. Then why
did they start the war? Why did they instigate it?" the premier said.
"Yes, Russia attacked and we never
supported this attack. We step very carefully at the UN or at the international
level because our foreign policy is friendship with everyone and enmity with
none. We follow that.
"They [US] are taking one kind of
stance in Ukraine but in Palestine, they will not stop bombing hospitals and
killing women, children and people. They are giving money to Israel to buy
weapons and are selling their weapons. I still do not understand what is the
definition of their human rights. The world also seems to have not understood.
This is the reality."
Hasina thanked people across the world
for realising this.
She said the US lecturing us while people
in America are being killed and Palestine is being attacked can never be
tolerated.
"Yes, I know the trouble they
caused for not getting gas in 2001, however, they can't do it anymore. People
were not so aware then but now people are very aware."
Source: thedailystar.net
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Pakistan Caretaker PM Bans New Year Celebration
To Express Solidarity With Palestinians
Pakistan’s
caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar. | Photo Credit: PTI
-----
29.12.23
Pakistan caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul
Haq Kakar on Thursday announced a ban on the New Year celebration in the
country to express solidarity with the People in Gaza.
In a brief address to the nation, Kakar
urged to show solidarity with the Palestinians and exhibit sobriety and
humility at the New Year.
“Keeping in mind the seriously
concerning situation in Palestine and to show solidarity with our Palestinian
brothers and sisters, there will be a strict ban by the government on holding
any kind of event for New Year,” he said.
He said that over 21,000 Palestinians
were killed so far by the Israeli forces that “crossed all limits of violence
and injustice” with around 9,000 children dead since the Israeli bombardment
began on October 7.
“The whole Pakistani nation and the
Muslim world are in a sheer state of anguish over the massacre of innocent
children and genocide of unarmed Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.” He
said Pakistan had dispatched two aid packages to Palestine while a third
package was being prepared.
He said Pakistan was engaged in talks
with Jordan and Egypt to provide timely aid to Palestine and to evacuate the
injured present in Gaza.
Kakar said Pakistan tried to highlight
the plight of the Palestinian people on various global forums and would
continue to do so in the future as well to stop the Israeli bloodshed.
Pakistan’s New Year celebrations are
traditionally not huge due to the influence of Islamic groups who try to stop
the festivities through various methods, including the use of force.
Except for the headline, this story has
not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a
syndicated feed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/pakistan-caretaker-prime-minister-anwaarul-haq-kakar-bans-new-year-celebration-to-express-solidarity-with-palestinians/cid/1990096
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India
NIA Files Chargesheet Against Six Men
For Alleged Links With Islamic Statein Maharashtra
Dec 29, 2023
The National Investigation Agency on
Thursday filed a chargesheet against six men suspected of recruiting and
raising funds for the terrorist organisation Islamic State in Maharashtra.
The accused have been chargesheeted
before the National Investigation Agency Special Court in Mumbai under various
sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Indian Penal Code.
The six have been identified as: Tabish
Nasser Siddiqui from Mumbai, Zulfikar Ali Barodawala, Sharjeel Shaikh and Aakif
Ateeque Nachan from Borivali-Padgha, and Zubair Noor Mohammad Shaikh and Dr
Adnanali Sarkar from Pune.
Two of the accused, Barodawala and
Nachan, had also been earlier chargesheeted in the Pune Islamic State module
case for allegedly fabricating improvised explosive devices for triggering
blasts, the counter-terrorism law enforcement agency said.
“They are all members of the proscribed
ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] outfit and had hatched a conspiracy to
further the terrorist activities of the organisation, with the intention to
strike fear and terror among people and threaten the security of India, its
secular ethos and culture and the democratic system of governance,” the agency
said in a statement.
The six men were arrested in July when
the central agency conducted several raids in Maharashtra. The investigation
exposed a “complex network of individuals committed to propagating the
extremist and violent” ideology of Islamic State in India, the National
Investigation Agency said.
The agency said that it found the
accused in possession of incriminating material related to migration to Syria,
propaganda magazines such as Voice of Hind and Voice of Khurasan, published by
the terror organisation.
This comes after the National
Investigation Agency had earlier this month arrested 15 suspected operatives of
Islamic State during a crackdown across Maharashtra and Karnataka. The 15
persons have been accused of promoting terror and terror-related acts and
activities of the proscribed organisation.
Source: scroll.in
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Congress connecting with Muslims during
ongoing ‘UP Jodo Yatra’
Dec 29, 2023
Ahead of 2024 LS polls, party leaders
are holding dialogues with clerics and religious leaders in Muslim-dominated
areas of Rohilkhand region
With a view to winning back the support
of the Muslim community ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress leaders are
connecting clerics, religious leaders, heads of various religious sects and
influential members of the community in a meticulous manner during the ongoing
‘UP Jodo Yatra’.
The party leaders are holding dialogues
with clerics and religious leaders during the yatra that is traversing through
Muslim-dominated areas of the Rohilkhand region.
The 20-day yatra in which the Muslim
connect effort has been named ‘TehrikBidari Millat’ (awakening of the
community) started from Saharanpur on December 20. It will cover 11 districts
and 16 Lok Sabha constituencies that have a large consolidation of Muslim
population.
The Lok Sabha constituencies in Rohilkhand
region, including Saharanpur, Bijnor, Nagina, Moradabad, Sambhal, Amroha,
Rampur, Bareilly and Budaun, have 35% to 40% Muslim voters. The Congress’s
strategy to make inroads into the Muslim community is led by Imran Masood, a
Congress leader who has influence over the Muslim community in western Uttar
Pradesh.
“We are reaching out to spiritual
leaders of the community from Deobandi, Sufi and Barelvi sects as well as Shia
community. We are urging the religious leaders to convince the community to
support the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sabha election,” Imran Masood said.
We called upon the religious leaders
that Muslims should stop fearing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and rally
behind the Congress. In the earlier Lok Sabha and assembly elections, the
Muslim community supported the rival political parties. Now, they should give a
chance to the Congress, he added.
We held talks with religious heads of
Kaliyar Sharif dargah, Dargah Alia, Shah Alam Quddusi, Muqqal Shah Dargah and
Dargah-e-Aala Hazrat. The Sjjadanashin (one who sits at the prayer mat) of
various dargahs extended support to the Congress Muslim outreach initiative,
Masood said.
“The Congress leaders and workers are
also holding meetings with traditional craftsmen, including wood craftsmen of
Saharanpur, brass workers of Moradabad, ‘zarizardozi’ workers and bamboo
craftsmen of Bareilly and metal craftsmen of Rampur,” he added.
“Rather than holding talks on the
political alliance. the focus is on regaining the ground in west UP. The Muslim
constitutes around 20% of Uttar Pradesh’s population. If they support the
Congress, other communities including Dalits, OBC and upper castes will also
shift to us,” Masood said.
Congress state general secretary
(organisation) Anil Yaadav said, “Along with the Muslim community, the Congress
is also reaching out to sugarcane farmers, caste groups ‘Gujjars’ and ‘Tyagis’,
youths, women and traders. The party organised a general knowledge competition
among the students in Moradabad. The winners were felicitated . We distributed
books among children on former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira
Gandhi.”
Political observer SK Srivastava said,
“With the successful holding of ‘UP Jodo Yatra’, the Congress plans to send a
message to the INDIA alliance partners—the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya
Lok Dal— regarding the tilt of Muslims towards the grand old party.”
During the seat sharing talks, the
alliance partners will not be able to ignore the Congress’s claims on seats
despite its dismal show in the 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha election, he said.
Source: hindustantimes.com
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Ashish Gupta To Mohammad Yusuf: Case Of
UP Official's Alleged Conversion
December 29, 2023
Samiran Mishra
New Delhi: The wife of a revenue
official has filed a police complaint alleging that her husband, Ashish Gupta,
converted to Islam, changed his name to Mohammad Yusuf, and married a Muslim
woman in the southern Uttar Pradesh town of Maudaha.
The saga began on September 2 when
Ashish Gupta assumed his role as Naib Tehsildar in Maudaha. For days, an
unfamiliar figure was seen at the town's Kachariya Baba Masjid, ardently
participating in Namaz. The town's curiosity piqued, an inquiry ensued,
revealing the man's identity as Mohammad Yusuf, a self-proclaimed resident of
Kanpur.
However, further probe by the people
revealed that Mr Yusuf was none other than the Naib Tehsildar Ashish Gupta
himself. Anticipating potential fallouts of the bizarre situation, the mosque's
cleric alerted the police.
A fresh twist emerged with the entry of
Mr Gupta's wife - Aarti Yagyasaini - who filed a case of forced religious
conversion and 'immoral' marriage of her husband to a woman named Rukshaar. The
complaint implicated individuals with unknown identities, adding a new layer of
mystery to the story.
s Yagyasaini's police complaint claims
Rukhsaar's father, identified as Munna, along with a cleric from the mosque and
several others, orchestrated the conversion on December 24, before the alleged
forced wedding.
It remains unclear whether Mr Gupta was
forcibly converted to Islam or if he did it on his own accord to legitimise an
affair with Rukshaar. All angles are being probed, the police said.
Source: ndtv.com
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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/up-official-forced-to-convert-to-islam-and-marry-again-claims-wife-4761887
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India sends 2nd tranche of USD 5 mil for
Palestinian refugee welfare
28th December 2023
Marziya Sharif
Jerusalem: Amid the ongoing war in Gaza,
India on Thursday released the second tranche of 2.5 million US dollars to the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA),
fulfilling its annual commitment of 5 million US dollars for the year 2023-24.
UNRWA, functional since 1950, carries
out direct relief and works programmes for registered Palestinian refugees.
It is funded almost entirely by
voluntary contributions from UN member states.
The Government of India had released the
first tranche of its annual commitment in November, about a month ago.
The UN agency is struggling to keep up
its functioning in the middle of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and had
appreciated and welcomed India’s “generous contribution” last month coming at a
difficult time, particularly in Gaza.
Palestinians in Gaza are bearing the
brunt of the terrible conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has been ruling
the Gaza Strip since 2007 since the October 7 attack by the militant
organisation on Israel, prompting it to pound the territory to its southwest
with continued air and ground strikes.
“UNRWA received a very generous
contribution from India which is most welcome during these difficult times and
in the face of huge needs across the region, particularly in Gaza,” a
spokesperson for UNRWA, Tamara Alrifai, had told PTI last month in a text
message from Amman.
India’s support is meant to help the
agency’s core programmes and services, including education, healthcare, relief
and social services provided to Palestinian refugees.
The second tranche of the contribution
was handed over to UNRWA by Charge deAffaires Elizabeth Rodrigues, a press
statement from the Representative Office of India in Palestine said.
New Delhi has underlined its continued
support for the agency’s activities in the region and the services it provides
to the Palestinian Refugees.
Earlier on November 19, India had
delivered 32 tonnes of “humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine” via
the El-Arish Airport in Egypt.
Since 2018, India has given USD 30
million to UNRWA.
During an Extraordinary Virtual
Ministerial Pledging Conference for UNRWA held on June 23, 2020, India’s
Minister of State for External Affairs, V. Muraleedharan, announced that India
will contribute USD 10 million to UNRWA over the next two years.
Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on
Israel and the retaliatory action by Israel, more than two-thirds of the Gaza
population of approximately 2.3 million has fled their homes to move
southwards.
The UNRWA has been struggling to provide
basic services to hundreds of thousands of people in shelters.
Before the war in Gaza, UNRWA was
already facing an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the
number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and
their deepening poverty. The agency is mandated to provide assistance and
protection to some 5.6 million Palestine refugees registered with it across its
five fields of operation.
Its mission is to help Palestine
refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the
Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and
lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA services encompass education,
health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement,
protection, and microfinance among Palestinian refugees.
During the first-ever Indian Prime
Minister’s visit to Palestine in February 2018, India increased its annual
financial contribution four-fold to the UNRWA core budget, from USD 1.25
million to USD 5 million.
India has also made a strong appeal to
other traditional donors of UNRWA to consider enhancing their contributions as
well as to non-donor member states to consider contributing to the agency in
solidarity with the Palestine refugees.
Source: siasat.com
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Sentences of eight ex-navymen on death
row in Qatar reduced: MEA
29.12.23
An appellate court in Qatar has
"reduced" the sentence of the eight Indian Navy veterans on death
row, the external affairs ministry announced on Thursday.
The ministry announcement, which said
the detailed judgment was awaited, did not spell out how the "sentences
have been reduced".
Since all eight had been sentenced to
death by the Court of First Instance of Qatar on October 26, a sentence
reduction would mean they have been spared the death penalty.
"We are in close touch with the
legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps," the
ministry said.
From all indications, the case is far
from over and the reduction in the death sentence is not the end of the ordeal
for the eight veterans.
"We will continue to extend all
consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with
the Qatari authorities,’’ the ministry added.
Stating that the Indian ambassador to
Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal on Thursday with
the family members when the verdict was pronounced, the government said: “We
have stood by them since the beginning of the matter.”
Neither India nor Qatar has revealed the
specific charges against the seven retired naval officers and one sailor. There
have been reports in the media that they were arrested on charges of spying for
the Israelis on a submarine project in Qatar.
The ministry said: “Due to the
confidential and sensitive nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be
appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture.’’
The appeal against the Court of First
Instance was filed on November 9 and there have been at least three hearings
since. India has also been working the diplomatic channels to secure the
release of the eight veterans.
Their families had been hoping for
clemency from the Amir of Qatar since there is a provision that allows the head
of state to pardon convicts on the country’s National Day, which falls on
December 18.
A brief meeting between Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and the Amir of Qatar, Tamin bin Hammad Al Thani, in the UAE on
December 1 on the sidelines of the Climate Change Conference had raised hopes
of the eight being pardoned by him on December 18. But that did not happen.
Had the clemency route been adopted,
India would have hoped to invoke the agreement signed with Qatar in 2015 for
the transfer of sentenced prisoners, which would have allowed the naval
veterans to serve the rest of their jail term in India.
The eight veterans are Captain Navtej
Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander
Purenendu Tiwari, Commander SugunakarPakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander
Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh. They were working for Al Dahra Global
Technologies and Consultancy Services, a defence services provider. The company
provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security
agencies.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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Blast near Israel embassy: Delhi Police
record statements of 'witnesses', await forensic report
29.12.23
Delhi Police on Thursday recorded the
statements of some people who claimed to have heard the explosion near the
Israeli embassy, an official said.
Police have also prepared a list of
people who were seen near the spot just before the low-intensity blast occurred
on Tuesday with the help of footage taken from CCTV cameras, he said.
The statements of at least 10 people,
including security guards and passersby who claimed to have heard the explosion
and also saw some smoke, have been recorded, the official said.
With the help of dump data from mobile
phones active near the spot and CCTV camera footage, a few people have been identified
and some of them were questioned on Thursday, the officer added.
According to another officer, the
components of the explosive will be ascertained once the forensic reports come.
The samples from the leaves and soil
from the spot were collected by forensic experts from the National Security
Group (NSG) and Delhi Police on Wednesday.
"Their reports are still
awaited," said the officer.
The blast occurred in the area between
the boundary walls of the house on plot number 4 -- Nanda's House -- and the
Central Hindi Training Institute on plot number 2A on Prithviraj Road.
While no one was injured, an
"abusive" letter addressed to the Israeli ambassador was found near
the site, officials said.
Though the case is yet to be registered,
the officials of the Special Cell and the National Investigation Agency (NIA)
were also looking into the matter, another official said.
Except for the headline, this story has
not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a
syndicated feed.
Source: telegraphindia.com
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PM Modi to roll out projects worth Rs
11,100cr in Ayodhya on Dec 30
28th December 2023
Marziya Sharif
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi
will visit Ayodhya on Saturday (December 30) where he will dedicate to the
nation and lay the foundation of multiple development projects worth more than
Rs 15,700 crore in Uttar Pradesh, the PMO said on Thursday.
These include projects worth about Rs
11,100 crore for the development of Ayodhya and its surrounding areas and
projects valued at about Rs 4,600 crore across Uttar Pradesh.
The Prime Minister’s vision is to
develop modern world class infrastructure in Ayodhya, improve connectivity and
revamp its civic facilities while also conforming to the rich history and
heritage of the city.
In realisation of this vision, a new
airport, new re-developed railway station, widened and beautified roads and
other civic infrastructure is being inaugurated in the city, the statement
said.
Further, foundations of a number of new
projects will be laid that will contribute to beautification and revamp of
civic facilities in and around Ayodhya.
Phase 1 of the state-of-the-art airport
in Ayodhya is being developed at a cost of more than Rs 1,450 crore.
The airport’s terminal building will
have an area of 6,500 sq metre, equipped to serve about 10 lakh passengers
annually.
Phase one of the redeveloped Ayodhya
Railway Station — known as Ayodhya Dham Junction Railway Station — is developed
at a cost of more than Rs 240 crore.
The three-storey modern railway station
building is equipped with all modern features like lifts, escalators, food
plazas, shops for puja needs, cloak rooms, child care rooms and waiting halls.
The programme at Ayodhya Dham Junction
Railway Station will witness the Prime Minister flagging off a new category of
two superfast Amrit Bharat Express trains.
He will also flag off six new Vande
Bharat trains.
These include Shri Mata Vaishno Devi
Katra-New Delhi Vande Bharat Express; Amritsar-Delhi Vande Bharat Express;
Coimbatore-Bangalore Cantt Vande Bharat Express; Mangalore-MadgaonVande Bharat
Express; Jalna-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express and Ayodhya-Anand Vihar Terminal
Vande Bharat Express.
PM Modi will also dedicate to the nation
three railway projects worth Rs 2,300 crore to strengthen rail infrastructure
in the region.
Besides, to enhance accessibility to the
upcoming Shri Ram Mandir, Prime Minister will inaugurate four newly
redeveloped, widened and beautified roads in Ayodhya – Rampath, Bhaktipath,
Dharampath, and Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate
and dedicate to the nation a number of projects that will strengthen the civic
infrastructure and beautify the public places in and around Ayodhya.
He will also lay the foundation stone of
a greenfield township in Ayodhya being developed at a cost of more than Rs
2,180 crore and VashishthaKunj Residential Scheme to be developed at a cost of
about Rs 300 crore.
Source: siasat.com
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------
Europe
‘Bloodshed after bloodshed’: Israel
fails to bring safety to Jewish people, says rabbi
BurakBir
28.12.2023
Israel has long claimed to be a safe
haven for the Jewish people, an assertion that has been widely affirmed by
Israeli officials for decades, as well as by key legislation and policy
allowing Jews all over the world to settle within its borders.
But according to one of Britain’s
well-known Jewish figures, far from providing the safety and security it
claims, Israel since its inception has brought little more than “bloodshed
after bloodshed” for the Jewish people.
“Today, where is the most dangerous
place for Jewish people?” asked Elhanan Beck, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi,
speaking to Anadolu in an interview.
“Go all around the world, all the world.
You will come to one point, the middle of the world, the state of Israel. That
is the most dangerous place for Jewish people,” said the Rabbi, who has lived
for decades in the UK, which he suggested was much safer for Jews than Israel.
“I’ve lived in England for 36 years. I
don't know how an English soldier looks like. I never saw them. I don't know
the uniform, how it looks like … This means a safe country,” he said, adding:
“Jews have a good life today in England, in the USA.”
Orthodox Jews have long been one of the
strongest non-Muslim voices against Israel’s occupation of Palestinian
territories as they have repeatedly expressed their wishes for the “peaceful
dismantlement of the state of Israel.”
Members of the community rose to
prominence once again since Israel launched its latest campaign against the
Gaza Strip, ongoing for more than two-and-a-half months. Members of the
anti-Zionist Neturei Karta (Guardians of the City) movement have been vocal
participants of massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations in London.
Beck, a leading Rabbi from that movement
and community, spoke to Anadolu at the group's main building on Stamford Hill
in north London, home to thousands of Orthodox Jews.
During the interview, he asserted that
Zionism was in "total opposition" with the Jewish faith, saying that
Orthodox Jews were against the foundation of Israel from the very emergence of
the idea of Zionism.
Elaborating, Beck said Zionism was not
only non-religious but also a "rebellion against God," as it sought
to create a land for Jewish people despite Jews’ belief that they are “in
exile” by God.
Israel will come to an end ‘sooner or
later'
“Zionism is basically built upon
mistrusting God, don't believe in God, don't trust God. From the other side,
Judaism is built upon trust in God,” Beck explained.
“The state of Israel is a rebellion
against God and will not succeed. They will come to an end sooner or later, but
they will come to an end,” said Beck, adding that in its 75 years of existence,
Israel has failed to achieve peace.
“How many countries have been
established in these 75 years? Fifty? Sixty? Many counties. Everybody has
peace. The only place where there is no peace for a single day, that is the
state of Israel,” he said.
According to Beck, most Orthodox Jews
“are strongly opposing the state of Israel,” and are “waiting for the
dismantlement of the state of Israel.”
“Of course, we’re looking for a peaceful
dismantlement. Nobody looks for bloodshed, but they’re looking for the end of
this state of Israel.”
Muslims give us golden place to live
Underlining that Jewish people live in
peace outside of Israel, Beck said this was true for Muslim countries as well,
contrary to “completely false” claims he said Zionists have made to justify the
occupation of Palestine.
“Zionists try to claim (this) every time
… It’s: 'The Muslims want to kill all the Jews. The Muslims want to throw all
the Jews into the sea. So, even if you are against us, you have to side with
us. If not, you will be killed.’
“It's completely false. Everybody who
knows a bit of history, they know we have a golden life in the Muslim
countries. We were persecuted in many places in the world. And the Muslims
saved us. They gave us a golden place to live, there,” he said.
Rejecting accusations of antisemitism
against Muslims, he highlighted that even after 75 years of Israel occupying
Palestinian lands, Jewish people continue to live peacefully across the Muslim
world.
"Seventy-five years of killing.
Still, Jews live in the Muslim world peacefully. Take the example, in Morocco,
in Tunisia, in Algeria, in Iran, in Türkiye, in Yemen. Everywhere there are
large Jewish communities and they have a beautiful life there,” he emphasized.
How can I count him as Jew?
Criticizing Israel’s Prime Minister for
his role in the “genocide” Israel is committing in Gaza, Beck said he did not
see Benjamin Netanyahu as a Jew.
“A person who can justify genocide, a
person who can commit genocide, I can't count him as a Jew. People (who)
justify genocide, they are more Nazis than Jews.”
Beck added that he referred to Netanyahu
as the “prime minister of rebellion people, people who are rebelling against
God, he is the head of them.”
He also asserted that Netanyahu himself
sought to demonstrate his secularity, acting in ways that violate day-to-day
requirements of the Jewish faith, including dietary rules.
The rabbi pointed out that Netanyahu,
during his most recent visit to the UK, ate at a non-kosher restaurant, which
serves food or beverage that Jews are not permitted to eat according to their
traditional religious dietary law due to the way they are sold, cooked, or
eaten.
Netanyahu did this to show his secular
stance, Beck said, adding: “So, how we can count him as a Jew? I don't count
him as a Jew at all.”
Corbyn a ‘good friend of Jewish people’
Beck also took issue with Israel’s claim
to be working to “save Jewish people from antisemitism,” saying that antisemitism
had declined as a threat since the Holocaust.
On antisemitism in politics, he said
that any politician who utters a statement that even appears to be “against
Jews,” are “wiped off the map.”
“Look what they're doing to Jeremy
Corbyn,” he said, referring to a former leader of the UK’s Labour Party who
grappled with accusations of antisemitism throughout his tenure in 2015-2020.
“I know Jeremy Corbyn personally. He’s a
good friend of Jewish people. He’s doing many favors for Jewish people,” said
Beck, adding that Corbyn had no problem with Jews and only opposed Israel’s
occupation of Palestine.
“It’s not an issue of antisemitism at
all. Zionists labeled him as antisemitism, wiped him off the map.”
Beck said that today, Zionism was a
major contributor to antisemitism, reiterating that it only brought bloodshed.
Calling Israel’s attacks on Gaza the
“real means of genocide,” Beck said it was “very painful” to see what was
happening in the besieged enclave, where over 21,000 Palestinians have been
killed and more than 2 million displaced since Oct. 7.
It did not start on Oct. 7
On his thoughts about the cross-border
attacks by the Gaza-based group Hamas on Oct. 7, Beck said the conflict did not
originate on that day.
“Oct. 7 didn't start on Oct. 7. It
started in 1948 on the May 15. It was started by the Nakba for the
Palestinians. This happened and they want to cover up their killings, the
genocide, with more genocide, with more killings,” he said.
Beck underlined that what happened on
Oct. 7 was “the outcome” of Israeli policy, urging world leaders to “open their
eyes” to understand that “helping Israel is not in favor for the Jewish
people.”
“We understand they want to help Israel
because they want to help Jewish people … they feel guilty of what’s happened
in the Second World War. Six million Jews have been killed and they want to
help Jews. However, the things they’re doing is completely mistaken.”
Calling on leaders to do the “right
thing,” the rabbi said killing and occupation could not justify more of the
same and “another genocide.”
From the river to the sea, Palestine
should be free
Reiterating that, according to Orthodox
Jewish belief, Jews are not permitted to rule “even one inch of land,” he said
they did not support a two-state solution.
“When we are speaking about the end of
the state of Israel, (this) means from the river to the sea, Palestine should
be free, should go back to the Palestinians,” Beck said.
He added that this did not mean that
Jews must be killed or expelled, but that they could continue to live their
lives as Jews do in other Muslim countries.
Noting that he had previously visited
Palestine, including the Gaza Strip, and met with Palestinian leaders, Beck
said they conveyed “directly” that they had no problem with Jews for being
Jewish, but that their problem was with the “occupiers.”
Source: aa.com.tr
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"Humanity is in pain" UN chief
says in New Year message
Dec 29, 2023
TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) – "2023 has
been a year of enormous suffering, violence, and climate chaos. Humanity is in
pain. Our planet is in peril. 2023 is the hottest year on record," Antonio
Guterres said in a video message for the new year.
People are getting crushed by growing
poverty and hunger, said Guterres, adding wars are growing in number and
ferocity, and trust is in short supply, Anadolu Agency reported.
"But pointing fingers and pointing
guns lead nowhere. Humanity is strongest when we stand together. 2024 must be a
year for rebuilding trust and restoring hope. We must come together across
divides for shared solutions. For climate action. For economic opportunity and
a fairer global financial system that delivers for all," he said.
The world must stand against
discrimination and hatred that are poisoning relations between countries and
communities, said the UN chief, adding new technologies such as artificial
intelligence should be used for good.
"The United Nations will keep
rallying the world for peace, sustainable development, and human rights. Let’s
resolve to make 2024 a year of building trust and hope in all that we can
accomplish together.
"I wish you a happy and peaceful
New Year," he added.
Source: mehrnews.com
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-----
Man charged with breaking into churches,
temples, and mosques
Dec 29, 2023
Emily Bennett
A 44-year-old man has been charged with
84 offences in relation to a series of break and enter offences at churches,
temples, and mosques throughout south-east Queensland.
The offences were allegedly committed at
23 places of worship between July and December this year.
It will be alleged the man targeted cash
donations from the community congregations.
A 44-year-old man has been charged with
84 offences in relation to a series of break and enter offences at churches,
temples, and mosques.
He was arrested just after midday on
December 28, after allegedly evading a fare at a public transport station in
Goodna.
A 44-year-old man from Moggill has been
charged with 84 offences including 24 counts of entering a premise and
committing an indictable offence, eight counts of entering a dwelling, one
count of wilful damage, four counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle and 28
counts of fraud.
He was denied bail and he is expected to
appear via video-link before Brisbane Magistrates Court today.
Investigations into the incidents remain
ongoing.
Source: 9news.com.au
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Spain PM says supports Iraq’s
‘sovereignty and stability’
29 Dec 2023
BAGHDAD, Dec 29 — Spain’s Prime Minister
Pedro Sanchez said yesterday he supported Iraq’s “sovereignty and stability”,
during a visit to Baghdad where he also met with Spanish troops.
“My country, always at the request of
the Iraqi authorities, will support the unity, sovereignty and stability of
Iraq,” said Sanchez during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed
Shia al-Sudani.
Spain has deployed more than 300
soldiers as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition and Nato’s mission
in Iraq, commanded since May by Spanish General Jose Antonio Aguero Martinez.
Yesterday, Sudani lauded the
“coalition’s support for Iraqi efforts in its fight against terrorism”.
However, Sudani also said Baghdad was
“reassessing” its relations with the coalition and, reiterating previous
comments, that it “is heading towards the end of the presence of the
international coalition” stationed in Iraq since 2014.
The coalition, deployed to fight the
Islamic State group, has faced increasing attacks since the start of the
Israel-Hamas war on October 7, most of which were claimed by Iran-aligned
groups opposing Israel.
Sanchez visited the Spanish troops at a
military base in Baghdad’s high security Green Zone, where he thanked them on
Spain’s behalf for their “efforts and sacrifices in favour of international
security and stability”.
“In Iraq, Spain has demonstrated for
many years now our solid commitment to something that seems to have been
questioned in recent years: multilateralism,” he said.
Iraq is experiencing comparative
political stability after decades of conflict, but corruption and nepotism
remain major obstacles in the oil-rich country.
Dominated by parties close to Iran, an
ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas, tensions have escalated in Iraq since
the group’s unprecedented attack on Israel and the subsequent air and ground
offensive in the Gaza Strip.
Since mid-October, Washington has
documented more than 100 drone and rocket attacks against US and other
coalition troops deployed to Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
The majority of the attacks in Iraq have
been claimed by Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes US support for Israel
in its war against Hamas.
Sanchez, who was accompanied to Baghdad
by a delegation of business leaders, said he is dedicated to the development of
trade between Spain and Iraq, which derives more than 90 per cent of its income
from oil and gas.
Sudani said Iraq would take
“preferential measures in favour of Spanish firms” that wanted to establish
operations in his country, according to Iraq’s official news agency INA. — AFP
Source: malaymail.com
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2 out of 5 Maltese do not want their
child to date Muslim or transgender person
December 29, 2023
While most Maltese believe
discrimination based on skin colour is widespread, more than two out of five
said they would not be comfortable with their child dating a Muslim or
transgender person, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey.
When asked how prevalent discrimination
based on skin colour was, 70% said it was widespread in the country, the sixth
highest in the EU.
This was 11 percentage points higher
than the last time the survey was carried out in 2019 and, alongside Cyprus,
was the second-highest rise in the bloc.
The countries where people believe
discrimination based on skin colour to be the most widespread were France and
the Netherlands (both 78%), while respondents in Latvia (22%) and Lithuania
(25%) said it was the least widespread.
Meanwhile, more than two out of five
Maltese said they wouldn’t be comfortable with their child being in a romantic
relationship with a Muslim or transgender person (43 and 44 per cent
respectively). These were both above the EU average by 19 and 12 percentage
points respectively.
And while three out of four people in
Malta said they believed a transgender person should be able to change their
official documents to match their identified gender, this was less than in 2019
by nine percentage points, the biggest drop in support seen across the EU.
More people in Malta also said they had
been victims of discrimination in the last 12 months compared to 2019.
With 22% saying they had suffered
discrimination, this reflected an increase of 14 percentage points from 2019
but was only one percentage point ahead of the EU average.
Overall picture
According to the survey, discrimination
across the EU is far from being eradicated.
“The majority of respondents say there
is widespread discrimination, on the basis of being Roma, skin colour, ethnic
origin, gender identity (being transgender) and sexual orientation,” the survey
said.
“More than six in 10 say discrimination
on the basis of skin colour is widespread in their country (61%), while six in
10 say discrimination on the basis of ethnic origin is widespread (60%).”
Public spaces and the workplace are also
the main places where discrimination or harassment takes place, the survey said.
And while respondents in Malta said
there was widespread discrimination, only one in three believed that efforts to
combat it were effective.
Meanwhile, the proportion of those who
said efforts were “not effective” had risen by a staggering 20 percentage
points to reach 37%.
However, only 2% admitted to having
discriminated against someone, whether deliberately or unconsciously.
Job interviews
Malta was the only country where
‘disability’ was identified as the leading factor that could affect whether
someone gets a job.
Respondents were asked which criteria
could put a candidate at a disadvantage when a company has a choice between two
people with equal skills and qualifications.
With 65% saying disability could put a
candidate at a disadvantage when applying for a job, this reflected a rise of
38 percentage points since 2019 – the biggest increase across the EU – and was
50% more than the European average.
Malta also saw the second-highest share
of people who said that skin colour could negatively affect whether someone got
a job (57%) and the third-highest share of those who said that ethnicity could
impact on someone’s chance of being hired (50%).
Skin colour, ethnicity, gender, sexual
orientation and someone’s home address were all mentioned more frequently by
respondents compared to 2019, with most of them seeing the biggest rises across
the EU.
The Eurobarometer survey is a
comprehensive public opinion study designed to gather information about
attitudes to social and political issues across the union. The survey is
conducted twice per year, from April to May and October to November.
For this survey, a total of 514 Maltese
participants were consulted in face-to-face and remote interviews this spring.
In total, 26,399 participants were
interviewed across the EU.
Source: timesofmalta.com
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New Kerry mosque and community centre beginning
to take shape in Tralee
Dec 28, 2023
A two-storey high mosque (Masjid)
located at the Killerisk business park in Tralee is well underway and is
expected to be fully completed by early 2025.
Located on a 2.25 acre site, the
foundations were poured in February 2023 to cater for a mosque with a 23-metre
high minaret, and 18-metre high dome.
The house of prayer will be adjacent to
a community centre with 10 bedrooms adjoining a balcony area. Provision is also
made for 80 car park spaces. The entire site is to be enclosed by trees.
When completed, it will provide for the
religious, cultural and social needs of Muslims in Tralee and countywide.
The mosque will no doubt be welcomed by
Tralee’s growing Muslim community as most recent Central Statistics Office
(CSO) figures for 2022 show that 2,151 people in Kerry stated their religion as
Islam.
A planning application was submitted to
Kerry County Council on behalf of the Kerry Islamic Cultural Centre in 2015
that was subsequently granted permission subject to certain conditions.
To help with construction costs, a
GoFundMe page was set up that has so far raised over €30,000.
In June 2023, the Islamic Cultural
Centre of Ireland (ICCI), in collaboration with Kerry Islamic Cultural Centre,
held a fundraising dinner that was attended by UK Imam Ajmal Masroor as guest
speaker. It raised €128,000 through a combination of donations and pledges.
It’s thought the idea for a mosque was
first raised in 1988 when University Hospital Kerry (UHK) provided a prayer
space for Muslim employees.
In 2000, local Muslims rented a premises
for prayers that eventually led to a smaller mosque at Killerisk in 2007.
In 2016, a site was purchased close to
the existing premises where proposals were set in train for the larger mosque
and community centre currently under construction.
Source: independent.ie
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Rome objects to settler as Tel Aviv’s
new envoy
December 29, 2023
ROME: Italy has objected to Israel’s
intention to nominate the mayor of one of the main West Bank settlements as
ambassador to Rome, a diplomatic source said on Thursday.
In July, Israel’s foreign ministry put
forward the name of Benny Kashriel, mayor of Ma’aleAdumim, near Jerusalem, to
succeed Alon Bar, a career diplomat due to retire next year.
Although Italy’s right-wing coalition
government supports Israel, it considers that the settlements established in
the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel since 1967 — and deemed illegal
by the United Nations — are an obstacle to peace.
Kashriel, 72, has been mayor of the
urban settlement of nearly 40,000 inhabitants since 1992, and heads a local
branch of the right-wing Likud party of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Between 1999 and 2001, he also chaired
the Yesha Council, an organisation representing settlements in the Palestinian
territories.
In announcing his name, Israeli Foreign
Minister Eli Cohen said Kashriel’s experience on issues of “security and
regional stability”, as well as economic and energy issues, would be an asset.
Israel has not yet submitted an official
request to Rome for accreditation.
But a diplomatic source said Italian
authorities had sent a number of messages indicating that they considered the
appointment inappropriate.
Israel’s foreign ministry declined to
comment.
Rome defends a two-state solution to the
Israel-Palestinian conflict, a position reiterated by Italian Foreign Minister
Antonio Tajani after the Oct 7 raids.
This solution “must conform to the
parameters set by international law” and by the resolutions of the United
Nations Security Council, said Tajani.
Italy has also embarked on a vast
diplomatic effort in Arab countries to diversify its supplies of energy and raw
materials following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Rome has repeatedly called on its ally
Israel to “do everything possible to preserve civilian life” in the Gaza Strip.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1801512/rome-objects-to-settler-as-tel-avivs-new-envoy
-----
Mideast
Majority of Iranians say Al-Aqsa Storm
fully Palestinian op.
Dec 28, 2023
TEHRAN, Dec. 28 (MNA) – Only 5% of
Iranians think that the Islamic Republic of Iran was behind the Palestinian
Resistance's October 7 Al-Aqsa Storm operation.
A survey conducted by a research center
in Iran called "Iranian Cultural Monitoring" on the Iranians'
perspective on the ongoing developments in Palestine revealed that 75% of the
Iranian citizens above the age of 18 think that supporting Palestinians is a
religious duty that has to be shouldered by the Muslims around the world.
Meanwhile, the majority of the Iranians
think that the Hamas-launched Al-Aqsa Storm was fully planned and conducted by
Palestinian Resistance groups themselves.
Less than 5% of Iranians above the age
of 18 believe that the Islamic Republic of Iran was the main perpetrator behind
the recent war in Gaza.
The survey, which was conducted in the
last week of December nationwide, showed that the Iranians blamed Israel and
America as the main perpetrators behind the ongoing war in Gaza.
Only 6% of respondents said that Iran
played a role in the design of Al-Aqsa Storm Operation, while more than 50%
argued that the Islamic Republic of Iran supports Palestine and lays various
political, diplomatic, media and military training support behind Palestinians.
The polls also showed that about 70% of
the people consider Iran to be the main supporter of Palestine in the world.
Meanwhile, only 1.5% of the participants
in the survey wished for Israel to win the war, indicating that an absolute
majority of the Iranians detest the usurping regime.
All in all, the survey concluded that
the majority of the Iranians agree with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei that the Zionist regime and its actions are to
blame for the Al-Aqsa Storm operation. They argue that the successful
Palestinian Resistance operation was fully designed and conducted by the
Palestinians themselves.
Source: mehrnews.com
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/210049/Majority-of-Iranians-say-Al-Aqsa-Storm-fully-Palestinian-op
-----
Israel troops ignored pleas for 'help'
before hostage killings
Dec 29, 2023
JERUSALEM: Israeli soldiers ignored
cries for "help" when they stormed a Gaza building holding three
hostages just days before killing them by mistake, said a military
investigation published on Thursday.
The soldiers also heard
"hostages" shouted in Hebrew on December 10, but interpreted that as
a "terrorist deception attempt" by Hamas militants to lure them into
the building in the Gaza City district of Shejaiya, the probe said.
Believing the building was rigged with
explosives, the soldiers exited and killed five Hamas militants trying to
escape, it added.
The hostages then probably fled the
building also, and on December 15 Israeli soldiers shot them after mistakenly
identifying them as a threat, the investigation said.
Two were killed instantly. The third
hostage fled and soldiers were ordered to hold fire in order to identify him,
the probe said.
Hearing cries of "help!" and
"they're shooting at me", Israeli commanders asked the surviving
hostage to advance towards the soldiers.
But two soldiers "who did not hear
the order" because of "noise" from a nearby tank shot him dead.
The three hostages were all shirtless
and one had been carrying a white flag.
On December 14, an army drone had
identified signs of "SOS" and "help, three hostages" on a
building close to where the three hostages were shot.
The army "failed in its mission to
rescue the hostages in this event," army chief HerziHalevi said in a
statement published along with the report of the investigation.
The three fatalities "could have
been prevented", he added.
Soon after the killings of the hostages
were announced, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it "broke my
heart" and "broke the whole nation's heart".
Israel has been mourning the deaths of
the hostages identified as Yotam Haim, AlonShamriz and Samer El-Talalqa.
The killings of the three men, all in
their twenties, have sparked protests in Tel Aviv, where demonstrators demanded
that the authorities come up with a new plan to bring home the remaining 129
hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
About 250 people were taken hostage
during Hamas's October 7 attacks in Israel, which resulted in the deaths of
around 1,140 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on
Israeli figures.
Vowing to destroy Hamas and bring back
the hostages, Israel launched a massive military offensive against the
Palestinian Islamist movement that has left much of Gaza in ruins.
The territory's Hamas government says
the war has killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women and children.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/israel-troops-ignored-pleas-for-help-before-hostage-killings/articleshow/106365122.cms
----
Retired Israeli General, GloraEiland: I
Respect Resilience Of Hamas
28 December 2023
A retired Israeli major general has
praised the Palestinian resistance for “demonstrating its ability” to replace
its killed commanders with men equally capable and devoted.
In an article published by the New York
Times, GloraEiland stated, “From a professional standpoint, I have to respect
their resilience. I see no signs of a collapse of Hamas’ military capability or
their political power to continue to lead Gaza.”
The newspaper also quoted Michael
Milshtein, a former senior Israeli intelligence officer who criticized
statements by several officials of the regime who had described Hamas as being
at its breaking point. He warned that high-ranking Israeli officials may be
creating wrong expectations about the length of the campaign in the Gaza Strip.
“They have been saying for a long time
that Hamas is collapsing, but that's not true. Every day, we face difficult
battles,” Milshtein said.
The New York Times also quoted US
military analysts as saying that the best outcome for Israel might be to weaken
the military capabilities of Hamas, but even this limited goal is considered an
extraordinarily difficult undertaking.
In November, General Charles Q. Brown of
the United States said knocking out Hamas would be “a pretty large order.”
And on December 26, Dan Halutz, a former
Israeli military chief, said the regime has lost the battle with the
Palestinian resistance in Gaza.
In an interview, Halutz said the only
victory to be achieved is the overthrow of the prime minister. “For me, the
picture of victory will be when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu steps down.”
“There will be no image of victory
because the image reflects the loss of 1,300 lives and 240 prisoners, despite
their return, and approximately 200,000 refugees who failed to return to their
homes,” Halutz stated.
Halutz also expressed concern over the
future of the Israeli entity.
Source: presstv.ir
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----
Israel continues to attack Gaza hospitals,
targets displaced Palestinians
December 29, 2023
GAZA:Israeli shelling near a southern
Gaza hospital has killed 41 people over the past two days, the Palestinian Red
Crescent said, after Israel stepped up its attacks in the centre and south of
the besieged territory.
Israel's relentless aerial bombardment
and ground invasion in Gaza have killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women
and children, according to the Gaza health ministry.
The UN humanitarian office said Thursday
that an estimated 100,000 more displaced people had arrived in the
already-teeming southern border city of Rafah in recent days following the
intensification of fighting around Deir al-Balah and Khan Yunis.
The extra displacements came as Egyptian
officials prepared to receive a high-level Hamas delegation in Cairo on Friday
for talks on a new proposal aimed at putting an end to nearly three months of
conflict that has devastated Gaza.
The Palestinian Red Crescent on Thursday
condemned what it said was Israeli shelling near the Al-Amal hospital in Khan
Yunis that "led to the martyrdom of ten people and the injury of at least
21 others", adding the attack followed one in front of the hospital the
day before that killed 31.
"Among the casualties are
individuals present in front of the hospital and displaced persons seeking
shelter at the PRCS (Red Crescent) premises," the group said in a
statement.
Later in the day, Gaza's health ministry
said Israeli shelling had killed 20 people, most of them women and children, at
the Shaboura camp in Rafah, on the southern border with Egypt.
AFP footage from the city showed
bloodied people being rushed through the streets to the nearby Kuwaiti
hospital, where medical staff raced to treat a flood of wounded patients,
including children.
The Israeli army says 167 of its
soldiers have been killed inside Gaza in its fight against Hamas, however, the
real number is much higher. Israel also does not release names of any
casualties suffered on the country's northern border with Lebanon.
The Israeli army recently said it had
deployed an additional brigade to Khan Yunis, hometown of Hamas's Gaza leader
Yahya Sinwar, where AFP correspondents reported sustained air and artillery
strikes. The Israeli army has failed to make any significant headway over the
last two weeks as resistance fighters continue to offer a stiff fight to the
invading forces.
"The missions that our forces are
carrying out in Khan Yunis are unprecedented -- our forces reach areas that we
have never been before, taking over control rooms and eliminating
terrorists," Israeli Minister of DefenseYoav Gallant told soldiers on
Thursday.
Israel has repeatedly said that one of
the chief goals of the war is the return of the captives but many have already
been killed in Israeli strikes.
On Thursday a kibbutz announced that a
70-year-old US-Israeli national thought to be the oldest woman held captive had
died in the October 7 attacks.
US President Joe Biden said he was
"devastated" by the news that Judith Weinstein Haggai was dead, and
pledged that Washington would "not stop working" with its ally Israel
to bring the remaining hostages home.
More than 80 percent of Gaza's 2.4
million people have been driven from their homes, the UN says, and many now
live in cramped shelters or makeshift tents in the far south around Rafah.
An Israeli army self-propelled artillery
howitzer fires rounds from a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in
southern Israel. PHOTO: AFP
An Israeli army self-propelled artillery
howitzer fires rounds from a position near the border with the Gaza Strip in
southern Israel. PHOTO: AFP
Residents there combed through rubble
for survivors on Thursday after an air strike that one witness said left
"several casualties".
"We were sitting [at home]
peacefully and all of a sudden we heard a loud explosion and debris started
falling on us. The apartment was completely destroyed and my daughters were
screaming," said Tayseer Abu Al-Eish.
An Israeli siege imposed after October 7,
following years of crippling blockade, has deprived Gazans of food, water, fuel
and medicine.
The severe shortages have been only
sporadically eased by humanitarian aid convoys entering primarily via Egypt.
Israel said Thursday it had given preliminary approval to the Mediterranean
island nation of Cyprus for a "maritime lifeline" to ship aid to
Gaza.
A Hamas delegation was due in Cairo on
Friday to give its "observations" about an Egyptian plan for a
ceasefire recently put to officials from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which is also
battling Israeli forces in Gaza.
Sources close to Hamas say Cairo's
three-stage plan provides for renewable ceasefires, a staggered release of
captives held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and
ultimately a ceasefire to end the war.
It also provides for a Palestinian
government of technocrats after talks involving "all Palestinian
factions", which would be responsible for governing and rebuilding in
post-war Gaza.
A Hamas official, speaking on condition
of anonymity, told AFP on Thursday that the delegation would "give the
response of the Palestinian factions, including several observations"
regarding details of the exchanges and "guarantees for a complete Israeli
military withdrawal".
DiaaRashwan, who heads Egypt's State
Information Services, said the plan was "intended to bring together the
views of all parties concerned, with the aim of ending the shedding of
Palestinian blood".
Source: tribune.com.pk
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2451514/israeli-continues-to-attack-gaza-hospitals-targets-displaced-palestinians
-----
IDF uncovers Hamas special forces'
terror tunnels, rocket launcher in mosque
DECEMBER 28, 2023
The IDF's 55th Paratroopers Reserve
Brigade uncovered on Thursday an underground route that was connected to a war
room belonging to Nukhba commandos of the Hamas terror organization in Khan
Yunis in southern Gaza.
The soldiers in the brigade had
"eliminated terrorists and located several tunnel shafts and terrorist
infrastructure that were subsequently destroyed by combat engineering
soldiers," the IDF said, and "located a tunnel shaft and a rocket
launcher inside a mosque, which was next to a school."
Israeli forces found inside the mosque a
staging area that included observation and combat posts that endangered the
soldiers.
Tunner, war room used by Hamas for
combat practice and weapons transfer
The tunnel and the war room were used by
Nukhba operatives as a place of combat and transfer of weapons. Israel forces
had since dismantled the tunnel route and the war room.
The IDF had been focusing on destroying
Hamas’ terrorist infrastructure and underground tunnels in the municipality of
Bani Suheila.
Source: jpost.com
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https://www.jpost.com/israel-hamas-war/article-779876
-----
Iran executes four people for alleged
links with Israel’s Mossad
December 29, 2023
TEHRAN: Iran executed on Friday four
people and sentenced several others to prison for having alleged links with
Israel’s Mossad security service, local media reported.
Mizan, the news website affiliated with
the country’s judiciary, said three men and one woman were executed Friday
morning. It identified the men as VafaHanareh, Aram Omari, Rahman Parhazo and
the woman as Nasim Namazi. The report didn’t say how the deaths were carried
out, but Iran usually applies hanging.
The four were charged with kidnapping
several Iranian security forces to extract intelligence information, Mizan
reported. They were also accused of setting fire to cars and apartments of some
of Iran’s intelligence agents.
The report also said several others —
working with the same group — were each sentenced to 10 years in jail, without
giving further details.
This came less than a week after an
alleged Israeli airstrike killed a high-ranking Iranian general in Syria.
Iran and Israel have long accused each
other of spying and waging a shadow war for years.
In November, United Nations chief
Antonio Guterres said Iran was carrying out executions “at an alarming rate,”
putting to death at least 419 people in the first seven months of the year.
Iran said it executed an Israeli Mossad
spy earlier this month, charged with releasing classified information. In
January, former Iranian-British defense ministry Ali Reza Akbari was hanged for
alleged cooperation with Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service.
In 2020, Iran executed a man convicted
of leaking information to the US and Israel about a prominent Islamic
Revolutionary Guard general who was later killed by a US drone strike in Iraq.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433521/middle-east
------
Israel’s indiscriminate strikes kill
dozens more Palestinian
Dec 29, 2023
TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (MNA) – Israel’s
indiscriminate strikes have killed dozens more civilians across Gaza, with
refugee camps being the main targets of the regime’s genocidal war.
Israel’s indiscriminate strikes have
killed dozens more civilians across Gaza, with refugee camps being the main
targets of the regime’s genocidal war.
More than 20 people were killed on
Thursday after an air attack hit a residential building in the city of Rafah in
the Gaza Strip.
People and paramedics pulled out a
toddler alive from the rubble.
Israeli air attacks also hit other
residential areas across the Palestinian territory.
At least ten people were killed in the
bombing of a house in Khan Yunis. Eight others lost their lives in an attack on
the Maghazi refugee camp.
Health officials in Gaza said Israeli
strikes have killed 210 Palestinians on Thursday.
At least 21,320 people, mostly women and
children, have been killed during the war, which the Israeli regime launched on
October 7 following an operation staged by Gaza's resistance groups.
Meanwhile, the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA, has warned that 40 percent of
Gaza's population is at risk of famine amid Israel’s curbs on entry of
much-needed aid trucks to the territory.
In addition, the UN Human Rights office
expressed alarm at the rising rate of violence by Israeli settlers towards
Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
The head of the UN office in the
occupied Palestinian territories said comments by Israeli officials emboldened
settlers and the regime’s forces to intensify violence against the
Palestinians.
AjithSunghay added that the lack of
accountability and impunity has also led to a spike in violence there.
He made the comments after the UN
released a report calling on Israel to end unlawful killings and settler
violence in the occupied West Bank.
In a report released earlier on
Thursday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights detailed the
quickly worsening human rights situation in the West Bank, including East
al-Quds, since October 7, when the regime’s military began bombing Gaza.
The office strongly urged Tel Aviv to
end its unlawful killings and settler violence against the Palestinian population
in the occupied territory.
The report confirmed the deaths of 300
Palestinians from October 7 to December 27, including 79 children, in the
occupied West Bank, including East al-Quds, adding that of these, at least 291
Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces, eight were killed by
Israeli settlers, and one Palestinian was killed either by Israeli security
forces or settlers.
Source: mehrnews.com
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-----
Number of children killed in West Bank
has reached unprecedented levels: UN agency
Rania Abu Shamala
29.12.2023
The United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) said Thursday that the number of children killed in the West Bank has
reached unprecedented levels and their suffering must not fade into the
background of the current conflict.
“This year has been the deadliest year
on record for children in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with
conflict-related violence reaching unprecedented levels,” said UNICEF Regional
Director for the Middle East and North Africa Adele Khodr.
She noted that “83 children have been
killed in the past twelve weeks – more than double the number of children
killed in all of 2022, amid increased military and law enforcement operations.”
Khodr also said that “more than 576
(children) have been injured and others have reportedly been detained.
Furthermore, the West Bank has been heavily affected by movement and access
restrictions.”
“As the world watches on in horror at
the situation in the Gaza Strip, children in the West Bank are experiencing a
nightmare of their own. Living with a near-constant feeling of fear and grief
is, sadly, all too common for the children affected,” she said.
“The suffering of children in the West
Bank, including East Jerusalem, must not fade into the background of the
current conflict – it is part of it,” she added.
Source: aa.com.tr
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----
Syria’s air defense units repel Israeli
aggression near Damascus
29 December 2023
Syrian air defenses have intercepted
most Israeli missiles near the country’s capital city of Damascus, amid an
upsurge in the regime’s acts of aggression against the Arab nation following
the bloody onslaught against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip.
“At around 11:55 p.m. local time (2055
GMT) on Thursday, the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial attack from the
direction of the occupied Golan Heights, and targeted a number of sites in the
southern flank of Damascus,” the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) quoted
an unnamed military source as saying.
The source added that Syrian air
defenses shot down most of the missiles.
The report noted that there were no
injuries in the strike, but there were material losses.
The strike comes a day after Damascus
International Airport reopened following repeated Israeli strikes.
Syrian air defenses respond to another
Israeli aggression targeting the countryside of the country’s capital Damascus.
Israel waged the bloody war on Gaza on
October 7 after the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement launched Operation
al-Aqsa Storm in the occupied territories in retaliation for the Tel Aviv
regime’s incessant crimes against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Since the start of the aggression, the
Tel Aviv regime has killed 21,320 Palestinians, most of them women and
children, and injured more than 55,600 others.
It has also imposed a “complete siege”
on the coastal sliver, cutting off fuel, electricity, food and water to the
more than two million Palestinians living there.
Israel frequently targets military
positions inside Syria, especially those of the Lebanese resistance movement
Hezbollah which has played a key role in helping the Syrian army in its fight
against foreign-backed terrorists.
The Tel Aviv regime rarely comments on its
attacks on Syrian territories, which many see as a knee-jerk reaction to the
Syrian government’s success in confronting and decimating terrorism.
Israel has been one of the main
supporters of terrorist groups that oppose the democratically-elected government
of President Bashar al-Assad since the foreign-backed militancy erupted in
Syria.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/29/717226/Syria%E2%80%99s-air-defense-units-repel-Israeli-aggression,-shoot-down-most-of-missiles-near-Damascus
------
Hamas condemns ‘cowardly’ Israeli
assassination of Iranian advisor
28 December 2023
Hamas has strongly condemned Israel’s
assassination of a senior Iranian military advisor in the vicinity of the
SayyidaZeinab area in the countryside of Damascus.
“The assassination of General Razi
Mousavi by the Zionist enemy in Syria is a cowardly crime and aggression, as
well as a violation of the sovereignty of an Arab country,” it said in a
statement on Thursday.
“We offer our condolences to the Islamic
Revolution Guards Corps and emphasize that the enemy's crimes inside and
outside Palestine will not succeed in breaking the will of our people and
nation and suppressing our resistance,” it added.
The IRGC said in a statement on Monday
that Gen. Mousavi was assassinated in an Israeli “missile attack.” Iranian
President Ebrahim Raeisi issued a message the same day, warning that Israel
“will certainly pay for this crime.”
Another Gaza-based resistance group,
Islamic Jihad, has pledged that Israel should await a decisive response to its
“cowardly” assassination of Gen. Mousavi.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad said the
general had played a pivotal role in supporting regional resistance forces as
well as the Palestinian nation, resistance, and cause.
“The occupying regime’s dirty
assassination operation proves once again that this criminal regime
contaminates the entire region and its only job is to shed blood and spread
murder and crimes,” it added.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine (PFLP) has said Mousavi’s assassination had been carried out with
“direct coordination and participation of the US and the West”.
“This crime will have no result other
than escalating attacks by the resistance against the Zionist regime and its
mercenaries in the region,” it said in a statement.
“We will never allow the occupying,
criminal and cowardly enemy to feel safe and stable in the region. It must
always live in terror and panic and await the next response,” it added.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/28/717212/Hamas-condemns-
%E2%80%98cowardly%E2%80%99-Israeli-assassination-of-Iranian-advisor--
----
South Asia
Thousands of Afghan refugees expelled
empty-handed from Pakistan, WFP reports
Fidel Rahmati
December 28, 2023
Daily concerns are escalating over the
situation of Afghan refugees, as thousands have been deported from Pakistan to
Afghanistan empty-handed, according to the World Food Program (WFP).
A video released by WFP features an
Afghan immigrant who was deported after 14 years in Pakistan. The unnamed
individual lamented leaving with barely any possessions, expressing uncertainty
about the future.
In November, Pakistan’s interim
government initiated the deportation of over 1.7 million undocumented Afghan
immigrants, marking a significant move in regional immigration policies.
The United Nations and the International
Rescue Committee report that in the last two months alone, nearly half a
million Afghans have been forcibly returned to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
Deputy Prime Minister of Afghanistan
Abdul Salam Hanafi highlighted during a commemoration ceremony that 800,000
Afghan refugees have been deported by Pakistan and Iran, now under the
processing of the Taliban administration.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Acting Minister
of Interior of the Taliban, urged for international standard treatment of
Afghan immigrants, emphasizing the difficulties faced by returnees during the
harsh winter months.
Amidst these deportations, Afghanistan
continues to grapple with a severe humanitarian crisis, with the United Nations
estimating over 29 million Afghans in need of aid.
Despite calls from human rights
defenders for Pakistan to halt the forced deportations, the Pakistani
government has continued its policy, disregarding these appeals.
In response to the crisis, organizations
like the World Food Program and Afghanistan’s respective administrations
announced aid initiatives for returning refugees, aiming to mitigate their
challenges.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/thousands-of-afghan-refugees-expelled-empty-handed-from-pakistan-wfp-reports/
------
Afghanistan Has Trade Ties with 60
Countries: Azizi
Bibi Amina Hakimi
December 28, 2023
In a TOLOnews debate, the acting
Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MoIC), Nooruddin Azizi, said that
Afghanistan has trade relations with 60 of the world's countries and that most
of the trade takes place with India, China, and Pakistan as well as Central
Asia.
Economists Sayed Masoud and
AzerakshHafizi as well as members of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and
Investment were part of the panel of TOLOnews’ debate.
“We had exports to approximately more
than 60 countries. It is a fact that we have our major export to India,
Pakistan and China. We are trying to target Central Asia and Russia from now
on,” he said.
He said that Afghanistan is going
towards self-sufficiency within the next
three-years and that the Afghans will not rely on humanitarian assistance.
“We will go towards self-sufficiency
within the next three years. We will improve our trade rate as well. I am not
going to promise more than this,” Azizi said.
The acting Minister of Industry and
Mines said that the plans are underway to improve the country’s economic and
trade sector; all budgets are funded through national revenue.
Despite the challenges in issuance of
visas for the traders, Azizi said that exports have increased twice compared to
before.
“We need to fund our budget from
national revenue. We should not need foreign assistance. So far, the budget we
spent is through our national revenue,” he said.
Economist Masoud said that the lower
rate of expenses inside the country caused exports to increase.
“Reduction in the level of expenses is
causing an increase in exports. It means that when the expenses reduce in the
country, [goods] are heading towards export. This is a theory which we are
implementing practically in Kabul,” he said.
The acting Minister of Industry and
Mines said that all infrastructures were destroyed and that all assets of the
Central Bank were transferred to other countries while the US troops were
withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Source: tolonews.com
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https://tolonews.com/business-186708
------
One third of Afghan children engaged in
hard labor, reports IRC
December 29, 2023
The International Rescue Committee (IRC)
has reported that the needs of 40% of children in Afghanistan are unmet, and
that one-third of children in the country are engaged in hard labor.
The agency reported on Wednesday, that
many children have been forced into hard labor by their families due to
increased poverty.
The report also examined the situation
of children in Palestine and Sudan and states that the condition of children in
the Gaza Strip and Sudan is “disastrous.”
The IRC stressed that aid agencies in
Afghanistan have failed to meet even the minimum needs of 40% of children.
The United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF) said recently that children in Afghanistan are forced to undertake
hard and dangerous work in order to eat.
According to a report in 2022, in the
northern areas of Afghanistan, 131,400 children, some as young as five years
old, have been separated from their families and are exposed to violence and
abuse.
The United Nations also reported that
children’s access to basic services has been disrupted due to prolonged
conflicts, displacement, severe poverty, food insecurity, lack of livelihood
opportunities, and lack of investment, and there has been an increase in
recruitment, abuse, and sexual violence against them in Afghanistan.
The Islamic Emirate rejected this UN
report and said children’s rights are being met in the country.
Source: ariananews.af
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https://www.ariananews.af/one-third-of-afghan-children-engaged-in-hard-labor-reports-irc/
-----
Altaf, Hafiz and 6 other BNP men jailed
for 2011 political violence
Dec 28, 2023
Eight BNP leaders and activists,
including its vice chairmen Air Vice Marshal (retd) Altaf Hossain Chowdhury and
Major (retd) Md Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, were jailed on different terms in a case
filed over political violence in Dhaka's Gulshan area in 2011.
Of them, former home minister Altaf
Hossain, Hafiz and Major (retd) Md Hanif were sentenced to 21 months'
imprisonment while five others were jailed for 42 months for illegally
gathering and torching vehicles.
Among the convict, only Altaf joined the
trial proceedings virtually from the jail when Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rajesh
Chowdhury delivered the verdict.
The magistrate also acquitted 11 other
accused as the charges against them were not proven.
During the trial, seven prosecution
witnesses testified before the court.
According to the case documents, a group
of leaders and activists of BNP and its front organisations illegally gathered
on the street in front of Mohakhali Wireless Gate Panir Tank area in Gulshan
and obstructed police from conducting their duties. They also attacked the law
enforcers and vandalised and torched vehicles.
Police filed a case with Gulshan Police
Station in connection with the incident.
Source: thedailystar.net
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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/altaf-hafiz-and-6-other-bnp-men-jailed-2011-political-violence-3505076
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Resolution About Afghanistan on UNSC
Table: Andisha
Najibullah Lalzoy
December 29, 2023
Nasir Ahmad Andisha, the permanent
representative of Afghanistan to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, said
that there is a resolution on the table of the United Nations Security Council
about Afghanistan.
Speaking on X Space of TOLOnews, Andisha
said that Afghanistan has become a focal point of discussions in the UNSC.
“There is a resolution on the table of
UNSC about Afghanistan, considering the big crises like Ukraine and Gaza, there
are serious discussions in UNSC about Afghanistan,” said Nasir Ahmad Andisha,
the permanent representative of Afghanistan to the UN Human Rights Council in
Geneva
Nasir Ahmad Andisha said the UN chief
António Guterres will convene a second meeting on Afghanistan in February 2024
in which the representatives of the Islamic Emirate and resistance forces will
also be invited.
“The UNSG will hold another meeting on
Afghanistan in February 2024 in which the special representatives of different
countries for Afghanistan, representatives of Islamic Emirate and resistance
forces (on the condition of agreement) will also participate,” said Nasir Ahmad
Andisha, the permanent representative of Afghanistan to the UN Human Rights
Council in Geneva
Andisha added that the Islamic Emirate
will be able to disagree on issues in the meeting but will not have the right
to veto.
According to the permanent
representative, to end the stalemate of Afghanistan’s issue, the UN plans to
establish contact groups on regional and global levels and appoint a UN
representative for Afghanistan in peace and political affairs.
The Islamic Emirate has already opposed
the appointment of another UN envoy for Afghanistan and had criticized UN
meetings on Afghanistan accusing them of not presenting the realities of the
country.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the following URL to read the
full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186714
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IDB Grants $24.6 Million for Health and
Education in Afghanistan
2023-12-28
KABUL (BNA): The Islamic Development
Bank (IDB) has declared a new package of its assistance to Afghanistan,
focusing on health and education sectors.
The bank will fund several projects in
collaboration with aid organizations, using $24.6 million from the Afghanistan
Humanitarian Fund under its management.
The projects aim to improve food
security, healthcare support, and education in different parts of Afghanistan,
benefiting hundreds of thousands of people.
The bank has partnered with UNHCR,
UNICEF, WHO, and the Norwegian Refugee Council to implement these projects.
The bank has also allocated funds for clean
water access and livelihood in Afghan villages.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/idb-grants-24-6-million-for-health-and-education-in-afghanistan/
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Japan to Provide Health Aid and
Ambulances to Afghanistan
2023-12-28
KABUL (BNA): The Japanese envoy to
Kabul, Takayoshi Kuromiya, met with Dr. Qalandar Ebad, the Acting Minister of
Public Health, on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing collaborations in the health
sector.
Dr. Ebad thanked Japan for its support
in setting up infectious disease treatment centers and expressed his hope to
receive more assistance from Japan in the future.
Kuromiya praised the joint efforts and
cooperation in the health field and announced that Japan will soon deliver
equipped ambulances and health aid to Afghanistan.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/japan-to-provide-health-aid-and-ambulances-to-afghanistan/
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Pakistan
TTP militants activity in Afghanistan
poses major security threat to Pakistan: Army
Fidel Rahmati
December 28, 2023
The army’s declaration stated that they
consider the freedom of action of TTP militants in Afghanistan and their access
to the latest weapons a serious concern for Pakistan’s security.
The Pakistan Army’s public relations
announced that the 261st meeting of the army commanders of the country was held
under the leadership of Syed Asim Munir, the Chief of Army Staff, in the city
at the army’s headquarters, and they discussed the security challenges in the
country.
A section of the Pakistan Army’s
declaration mentioned, “The sanctuaries and freedom of action of
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants and other similar groups in a neighboring
country and the availability of the latest weapons to the terrorists were cited
as serious points of concern for Pakistan’s security.”
The Pakistan Army has declared that it
will deal with all insurgent groups, facilitators, and their supporters with
full force.
The Pakistan Army had requested the
Afghan Taliban to take serious action against the members of Tehreek-e-Taliban
Pakistan, but this request was met with indifference by the Afghan Taliban.
The Pakistan Army reports ongoing
attacks by Afghan militants linked to Tehreek-e-Taliban on their forces, with
further assaults planned. Concurrently, the Taliban’s invitation to Maulana
Fazlur Rehman to Afghanistan aims to strengthen ties and trust between the
countries, especially post-election.
Source: khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/ttp-militants-activity-in-afghanistan-poses-major-security-threat-to-pakistan-army/
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Pakistan Civil Society Condemns
Continuous Violations Of Human Rights
December 29, 2023
Sumair Abdullah
KARACHI: Leaders of various major civil
society organisations have demanded withdrawal of “fake” cases against
political, labour and human rights activists and also an immediate halt to
enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.
Speaking at a press conference in the
Karachi Press Club on Thursday, leaders of the National Trade Union Federation
(NTUF), Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), Home-Based Women Workers
Federation (HBWWF) and other civil society organisations called for release of
the activists arrested during the recent sit-in in Islamabad and acceptance of
their demands.
They warned the government that use of
blind state force against civil liberties could lead to serious consequences.
They voiced their concern over violation
of constitutional rights of citizens during recent protests against
extrajudicial killings of Baloch youths in Turbat, torture of protesters by
police and arrest of marchers in Islamabad, as well as an attack on their camp
by unknown assailants.
HRCP, NTUF, other organisations demand
end to custodial killings, ‘enforced disappearances’ and false cases against
protesters
Police have booked four rights activists
— Saeed Baloch, Nasir Mansoor, Abdul Wahab Baloch and Illahi Bakhsh Bikak —
along with around 240-260 people in an ‘abetting mutiny’ case after they held a
rally outside KPC over the weekend to express solidarity with the Baloch
people, who were holding a protest in Islamabad against cases of ‘enforced
disappearances’ in Balochistan.
“For us, the press club is like London’s
Hyde Park, but when our colleagues raised their voice against excesses by the
Islamabad police, cases were registered against them and the authorities tried
to suppress their voices,” said HRCP chairman Asad Iqbal Butt.
“The state is not willing to give
fundamental rights to citizens as enshrined in the Constitution … those who are
violating fundamental rights of citizens are leading the country towards
anarchy,” he added.
Anees Haroon, chairperson of the
National Commission on the Status of Women, told journalists that peaceful
participants of the Islamabad march were beaten up and water cannons were used
to disperse them as if they were an enemy force, adding that their only demand
was that they should be informed as to why their loved-ones had been killed in
police custody.
Karachi Bar Association (KBA) president
Aamir Waraich said: “Even today, we are living in slavery,” adding that the
state must listen to the voices of the oppressed people. He also said that the
KBA stood with rights activists who were booked in the case of abetting mutiny.
He said the KBA was ready to provide legal assistance to them.
“The culture of silence is prevailing
even at the press club. Today, the purpose of speaking here is to raise our
voice against this illegal act,” Dr Asghar Dashti, chairman of Federal Urdu
University’s IR department, said.
Speaking about missing persons, Muhib
Azad, general secretary of the Sindh Sujhag Forum, revealed that when he had
submitted a petition for [the recovery of] a missing person, he himself was
made a “missing person” for a few days.
The others who spoke at the press
conference included Zehra Khan, Dr Riaz Shaikh, Dr Tauseef Ahmed, Abdul Khaliq
Zardan, Gul Rehman and Shafiq Sheikh.
They condemned harassment of political
and social activists as well as journalists through various institutions. They
expressed their concern over continuous violation of the Constitution and basic
norms of democracy in the incidents of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial
killings, mass arrests and implication of protesters in fake cases, especially
Baloch people.
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1801498/civil-society-condemns-continuous-violations-of-human-rights
-----
Pakistan condemns banning of Muslim
League Jammu Kashmir
December 28, 2023
Pakistan has condemned the decision of
Indian occupation authorities to declare the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir as an
“unlawful association” for a period of five years.
The Foreign Office, in a statement
today, said the party is led by the prominent Kashmiri leader Masarrat Alam
Bhatt, who remains imprisoned for a period exceeding 20 years.
The Muslim League Jammu Kashmir-Masarrat
Alam is the fifth Kashmiri party banned under the Unlawful Activities
(Prevention) Act.
The Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front,
Jamaat-e-Islami Jammu and Kashmir, Dukhtaraan-e-Millat, and Jammu and Kashmir
Democratic Freedom Party have already been outlawed.
The Foreign Office said their leadership
is being relentlessly persecuted through prolonged detention and confiscation
of properties. The Office of All Parties Hurriyat Conference in Srinagar was
also sealed earlier this year.
Banning the political parties and
persecuting their leadership manifests a desire to stifle dissent in sheer
disregard of democratic norms and international human rights and humanitarian
law.
The people of Jammu and Kashmir have
consistently rejected India’s harsh tactics aimed at consolidating its
occupation. These actions blatantly violate the foundational principles of the
United Nations Charter, which affirm the fundamental rights of the people of
Jammu and Kashmir, including the right to self-determination.
The Foreign Office further said that
India should immediately lift curbs on the banned political parties in Indian
Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, release all the political prisoners and
dissenters, and implement the UN Security Council's resolutions on Jammu and
Kashmir.
Source: radio.gov.pk
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https://www.radio.gov.pk/28-12-2023/pakistan-condemns-indias-ban-on-muslim-league-jammu-kashmir
-----
Church attacked in Islamabad: priest
December 29, 2023
Shakeel Anjum
ISLAMABAD: The priest of Saint John’s
Church at H-9 claimed that a gang equipped with sophisticated weapons stormed
the worship place at about 8:30 on Thursday.
Priest Imran Masih informed the
Industrial Area police about it in his written complaint the same night. The
complainant said that three among the six attackers had been identified as
Sohail, Asif Chattha and Mithu, adding that they were equipped with SMGs and
pistols.
He said the attackers also took away the
sound system. The police have started an investigation.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1142817-church-attacked-in-islamabad-priest
----
Court sends Qureshi on 14-day judicial
remand
QaiserSherazi
December 28, 2023
RAWALPINDI:A local court in Rawalpindi
on Thursday sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood
Qureshi on a 14-day judicial remand in a case pertaining to the May 9 riots.
The court, presided by Duty Additional District and Sessions Judge Syed
Jahangir Ali, had earlier reserved its decision on a police request seeking
physical remand of the former foreign minister.
During the hearing earlier today,
Qureshi informed the court that he was "tortured" by the authorities
in prison last night.
Qureshi was briefly released and then
re-arrested by police from Adiala jail on Wednesday. Footage of the incident,
widely circulated on social media, depicts policemen forcefully ushering the
PTI leader towards an armoured vehicle.
On Thursday, he was brought to court
under a heavy police escort, with a video shared by PTI on its social media
page showing the former minister handcuffed while walking towards the
courtroom. However, when he reached the courtroom, the judge asked the police
to remove his handcuffs.
As the hearing commenced today, Qureshi
requested the court to record his statement first. He said that the apex court
had granted him bail but before he could obtain his release order, it emerged
that he was to be detained under 3 MPO. He questioned how could he be a threat
to the public if he was incarcerated for many months.
The former minister said he had been
detained from Adiala jail illegally and police officials had kicked and
ridiculed him. He added that despite repeated requests that he be taken to a
doctor, he was not provided medical assistance. Qureshi further said that he
was approached by a team to record his statement about the riots that occurred
on May 9. "I was in Karachi on May 9," he said adding that his wife
was undergoing surgery on the day.
Narrating the treatment allegedly meted
out to him, Qureshi said he was kept in a cold cell overnight, with only a
candle for illumination and was not allowed to sleep. "I was tortured
physically and mentally." The prosecutor requested the court for a
three-day physical remand of the former foreign minister and argued that remand
in cases with terrorism provisions allow a remand for even 90 days.
He added that he also had reports from
the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Pemra. The prosecution claimed that
they had found evidence against Qureshi and the same was also collected from
social media. Referring to the PTI leader's speech on May 9, the prosecutor
alleged that although Qureshi was not among those who attacked the GHQ, but his
speech led to the attack.
He further stated that during Qureshi's
physical remand, the police would further investigate Qureshi's role and sought
the PTI leader's custody till January 2 However, Qureshi's counsel Ali Bukhari
argued that his client should be discharged from the case. "The prosecution
just has a single tweet against my client," he maintained. Bukhari
maintained that Qureshi was kept in "unlawful custody for 24 hours".
The counsel said that the purpose of the
physical remand was to "torture" his client and maintained that
punishments could not be given in supplementary cases, adding that Qureshi's
name was not written on the charge sheet by the police. On Dec 22, a
three-member Supreme Court bench granted bail to Qureshi and PTI founder Imran
Khan in a case concerning the alleged misuse of a diplomatic cypher during the
latter part of the PTI’s rule.
Qureshi had previously served as the
foreign minister in former prime minister Imran’s cabinet. Rawalpindi Deputy
Commissioner Hassan Waqar Cheema, on December 25, issued an executive order
under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance to detain
Qureshi for 15 days. Curiously, the deputy commissioner rescinded that order on
Wednesday morning, leading to the PTI leader's release from prison by jail
authorities.
However, a substantial police and Elite
Force presence was already assembled outside the prison when the former foreign
minister was set free. Moments before his re-arrest, Qureshi addressed the
media, asserting that although the Supreme Court granted him bail, he was being
unlawfully detained once more. "This is an injustice against me; I am
being targeted for political vengeance," he stated.
Source: tribune.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
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https://tribune.com.pk/story/2451428/court-sends-qureshi-on-14-day-judicial-remand
-----
Southeast Asia
Appointing non-Muslim experts in the
Shariah committee will spark controversy, says Umno's secretary-general
29 Dec 2023
ARFA YUNUS
PETALING JAYA: Allowing the appointments
of non-Muslim experts in the Shariah committee will only spark unnecessary
controversy in Malaysia's multi-religious society, says Umno's
secretary-general.
Datuk Dr AsyrafWajdiDusuki was
responding to a suggestion made by DAP Beruas Member of Parliament Datuk Ngeh
Koo Ham that non-Muslim constitutional experts should be appointed to the
committee to review the jurisdiction of the Shariah Court.
"Umno categorically rejects the
proposal by Ngeh on the appointment of non-Muslim experts in the committee to
study the powers of the Shariah Court with respect to the Federal Constitution.
"The proposal is unnecessary and
out of touch with reality.
"It would only spark unnecessary
controversy and instigate polemic within the peace-loving multi-religious and
multi-racial society," Asyraf said in a statement on Friday (Dec 29).
He said that since independence, it has
been acknowledged and clearly stipulated in the Federal Constitution that the
Shariah Court is specifically for Muslims.
Asyraf said all quarters should put
their trust and confidence in the committee as they are appointed by the
Selangor Sultan, who is also the Islamic Affairs National Council chairman.
"The process of improving and
elevating the Shariah Court, since Umno led the previous government, has always
been implemented gradually, considering the scope of powers allowed by the
Federal Constitution.
"Moreover, throughout the process
of upgrading the Shariah Court, which includes aspects of administration,
competence, emoluments and salaries of judges and officials, as well as the
form and level of punishment stipulated under the court's jurisdiction, it has
never infringed upon or violated the rights of non-Muslim citizens.
"I believe whatever the outcome of
the study will never infringe the rights of non-Muslims and go beyond the
jurisdictions provided by the Federal Constitutions," he added.
ALSO READ: Beruas MP has gone overboard
with his statement, says Bersatu
In a statement on Thursday (Dec 28),
Ngeh said it is important to appoint non-Muslim constitutional experts to the
committee so that non-Muslim views with regard to the provisions in the Federal
Constitution could be taken into account before proposals for changes in the
law are made.
In November, Prime Minister Datuk Seri
Anwar Ibrahim said the government would form the special committee sanctioned
by the Conference of Rulers while the formation of the committee was announced
on Dec 5.
He said the rulers have consented to the
committee studying ways to enhance the powers of the Shariah Court over Muslims
while ensuring that it would not affect non-Muslims.
According to reports, the committee
would also review the competency of state legislatures in formulating Shariah
laws.
The 11-member committee is headed by
former chief justice TunZaki Azmi while other members include former federal
court judge Datuk Seri MohdZawawiSalleh, Selangor Islamic council member Datuk
SalehuddinSaidin, Melaka Chief Shariah judge Datuk Nadzri Abdul Rahman.
Additionally, those part of the
committee are Attorney-General's Chambers Shariah and law harmonisation
division head Datuk Anas Ahmad Zakie, civil division deputy head Shamsul
Bolhassan and constitutional research unit chief Azirul Liza Abdullah.
Others include the International Islamic
University of Malaysia legal dean Prof Dr Farid Sufian Shuaib and Prof Datuk Dr
Wan Ahmad Fauzi Hashim, Malaysian Shariah Lawyers Association president Musa
Awang and Shariah lawyer Dr ZulqarnainLukman.
Source: thestar.com.my
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https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/12/29/appointing-non-muslim-experts-in-the-Shariah-committee-will-spark-controversy-says-umno039s-secretary-general
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DAP: We've no intention of meddling in
Islamic legal affairs
December 29, 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: DAP today stressed that it
has no intention of meddling in Islamic affairs, especially in the enactment of
Shariah laws.
DAP secretary-general Anthony Loke said
its Beruas member of parliament, Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham, was mistaken when he had
proposed that non-Muslims be included in the special committee to study the
powers of the Shariah Court.
Loke said the committee was established
by the National Council for Islamic Religious Affairs (MKI), chaired by Sultan
of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, with the aim of advising the council
on ideas to empower the Shariah courts' scope of powers.
He said any suggestion by the committee
on any legal amendments will have to be brought to the cabinet to undergo the
usual process of legal enactments.
"It has to be stressed that the
establishment of this special committee was not decided by the cabinet but by
MKI, and it reports directly to the MKI.
"I understand how Ngeh's statement
could create a polemic on how DAP is allegedly trying to meddle in Islamic
affairs.
"This is absolutely untrue. DAP
respects the wisdom of the Sultan of Selangor in making any decision regarding
MKI," he said in a statement.
`Ngeh's statement had elicited anger
from Umno, whose secretary-general, Datuk Dr AsyrafWajdiDusukilabeled the idea
as being "out of touch with reality."
Johor Umno secretary Senator Datuk Abdul
Halim Suleiman, had also said
Muslims did not need non-Muslim legal
experts to advise or help the committee in enacting Shariah laws, as there were
many Muslims who were knowledgeable in the area.
Meanwhile, Loke said the non-Muslim
community need not worry over this matter as any legislative amendments to laws
pertaining to the rights of non-Muslims would have to be studied and decided
upon by the cabinet.
He said such amendments would also
undergo the usual process and implemented in Parliament.
"DAP is committed to the principles
of mutual respect. Religious and racial harmony is a shared responsibility.
"Let us end 2023 on a harmonious
note and contribute to a prosperous Malaysia in 2024," he said.
Source: nst.com.my
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https://www.nst.com.my/news/politics/2023/12/995286/dap-weve-no-intention-meddling-islamic-legal-affairs
----
Anthony Loke: DAP not trying to
interfere with Malaysia’s Islamic affairs, Ngeh erred in statement
29 Dec 2023
Ben Tan
KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 29 — DAP is not trying
to interfere with Malaysia’s Islamic affairs, following a party lawmaker’s call
to include non-Muslim constitutional experts in a committee studying the
conflicts between Shariah laws and the Federal Constitution, said Anthony Loke.
The DAP secretary-general said that he
was well aware that Beruas MP Datuk Ngeh Koo Ham’s statement yesterday would
cause a polemic that the party is trying to interfere with Islamic affairs in
the country.
“This is not true at all. DAP respects
the wisdom of DYMM Tuanku Sultan Selangor (Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah) in
making any decision regarding the National Council for Islamic Religious
Affairs (MKI).
“The non-Muslim community also need not
be concerned about this matter because if there is any amendment to the law
involving their rights, it needs to be decided by the Council of Ministers
before the usual process is carried out in Parliament.
“DAP is committed to the principle of
mutual respect and harmony between religions and races, which is our shared
responsibility,” said Loke in a statement today.
He was responding to Ngeh’s statement
yesterday in which he suggested appointing non-Muslim constitutional experts to
the committee so that non-Muslim views about proposed adjustments to the
Constitution would also be taken into account before a proposal for any change
in the law was made.
Loke had earlier clarified that Ngeh had
made a mistake regarding the appointment of a non-Muslim constitutional expert
to be a member of the Special Committee to Review the Duties of the Shariah
Court.
He said the committee was established by
MKI, which is chaired by the Sultan of Selangor and aims to advise the Council
with recommendations to strengthen the responsibilities of the Shariah Court.
“Any proposal by the said committee that
involves any amendment of the law needs to be brought to the Cabinet for the
process of drafting the Bill as usual.
“It should be emphasised that the
establishment of this special committee is not determined by the Cabinet, but
by MKI,” said Loke, who is also a Cabinet minister.
The Seremban MP said DAP wanted to end
the year on a harmonious note and contribute to a prosperous Malaysia for the
coming year.
Yesterday, Ngeh said in his statement
that he noticed that all members of the committee, which were announced on
November 21, were Muslim.
Aside from his proposal to appoint
non-Muslim constitutional experts to the committee, he also said it was
imperative to have a representative from the Malaysian Bar on the committee as
it is a statutory body established to ensure that proposed laws are fair and
just.
Following that, the Perak DAP leader’s
statement has since invited criticisms from both sides of the political divide.
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/12/29/anthony-loke-dap-not-trying-to-interfere-with-malaysias-islamic-affairs-ngeh-erred-in-statement/109735
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After sodomy incident, Melaka to tighten
regulations, procedures at temporary shelters for Muslim converts, says exco
28 Dec 2023
MELAKA, Dec 28 — The Melaka government
will tighten the regulations and procedures for entry and supervision at two
temporary shelters for new Muslim converts or reverts in the state to prevent
any criminal incidents or immoral activities.
State Executive Councillor for
Education, Higher Education and Religious Affairs Datuk RahmadMariman said this
includes stricter screening, especially involving the backgrounds of potential
residents, and wardens, to ensure the safety and comfort of all occupants in
the two free shelters.
“The shelters are provided for new
Muslim converts in Melaka, with the aim of offering temporary protection,
especially for those who are homeless or estranged from their families due to a
change in religion.
“The occupants also receive daily food
allowances from the Melaka Islamic Religious Council (MAIM).
“However, due to the diverse backgrounds
of the occupants, there have been cases that should not have occurred,” he told
reporters here today in response to the sodomy incident involving an occupant
of the temporary shelter for new converts in Taman Kesidang, after being
featured in Melaka FM’s “ApaKhabau YB?” programme here today.
Rahmad said occupants at the two
temporary shelters have also been reminded to cooperate with the management
team and not to conceal any immoral or unhealthy activities occurring at the
shelters.
“Sometimes unexpected incidents occur
because other residents are afraid due to threats and so on. However, the state
government, through MAIM, will closely monitor the operations of both temporary
protection homes, including the wardens placed there.”
Two days ago, media reported that a
12-year-old boy, who is the son of a Muslim convert woman at the temporary
shelter in Taman Kesidang, was allegedly repeatedly sodomised by his
20-year-old roommate since April.
Melaka Police Chief Datuk ZainolSamah
reportedly said that the unemployed suspect, who hails from Kepala Batas,
Penang, has been remanded for six days to facilitate investigations. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/12/28/after-sodomy-incident-melaka-to-tighten-regulations-procedures-at-temporary-shelters-for-muslim-converts-says-exco/109613
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Indonesia navy drives away boat carrying
Rohingya -military
29 Dec 2023
JAKARTA (Reuters) - An Indonesian navy
vessel in Aceh drove away a boat carrying Rohingya from Myanmar, a military
spokesperson said, as growing numbers of would-be refugees from the strife-torn
country face hostility from locals.
The wooden boat was encountered in
waters near Weh Island, off Sumatra, military spokesperson NugrahaGumilar said.
The Indonesian military vessel
"shadowed" the vessel, which it believed to be carrying the Rohingya,
a persecuted Myanmar Muslim-minority, until it was outside Indonesian waters
and "would not return".
There are no estimates of how many
Rohingya were on the boat, Nugraha said.
Indonesia's foreign ministry referred
inquiries to the coordinating ministry for political, legal, and security
affairs, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Over 1,500 Rohingya have landed in
Indonesia since November, according to data from the United Nations' refugee
agency (UNCHR), facing increasing hostility and rejection as locals grow
frustrated at the numbers of boats arriving.
On Wednesday, a large crowd of
Indonesian students stormed a convention centre housing hundreds of Rohingya in
the Aceh capital, calling for their deportation.
The UNHCR said it was "deeply
disturbed to see a mob attack on a site sheltering vulnerable refugee
families."
For years, Rohingya have left Myanmar,
where they are generally regarded as foreign interlopers from South Asia,
denied citizenship and subjected to abuse. They usually leave mostly to Indonesia
or neighbouring Malaysia from November to April, when the seas are calmer.
Indonesia, the world's largest
Muslim-majority country, is not a signatory to the 1951 United Nations
Convention on Refugees but has a history of taking in refugees if they arrive.
Indonesia has urged Myanmar authorities
to halt violence against Rohingya Muslims and says it will crack down on
suspected human traffickers involved in the latest wave of arrivals.
Source: thestar.com.my
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------
North America
Some Muslim American advocates express
hesitancy to work with the White House on strategy to counter Islamophobia
WILLIE JAMES INMAN
DECEMBER 28, 2023
The White House's push to create a
strategy to counter Islamophobia is facing reluctance amid a spike in
hate-fueled incidents against Arab and Muslim Americans since Hamas' Oct. 7
attack on Israel.
CBS News spoke with several Muslim and
Arab American advocates who voiced frustration with the Biden administration's
response to the situation in Gaza, citing the increasing number of civilians
that have been killed and President Biden stopping short of calling for a
cease-fire.
Muslim American advocate Salam
Al-Marayati has worked with the Biden White House in the past. But despite the
Biden administration's efforts to craft a strategy to counter Islamophobia in
the U.S., he's skeptical about working with them in the future.
"At this moment in time, it is
very hard to even imagine how a national
strategy to counter Islamophobia will work, Al-Marayati, the president of the
Muslim Public Affairs Council, which is also a member of the American Muslim
Community Coalition, told CBS News. "American Muslims here in the United
States feel unsafe and unsupported as they witness the horrific attacks on
Palestinians in Gaza. Muslim families, students, and employees are afraid to
speak out for fear of retribution as many who have spoken out have faced
retaliatory action including loss of employment, suspension, censorship,
trolling, bullying, and targeted violence."
The White House announced on Nov. 1
plans to develop a national strategy to
counter Islamophobia, led by the Domestic Policy and National Security
Councils. The proposal follows an announcement in May marking the federal
government's first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.
Conversations and meetings on the development of the Islamophobia strategy date
back a year, according to a senior administration official who said engagement
with stakeholders in the community is ongoing with additional meetings
scheduled for early next year. The
effort is part of a White House interagency policy committee created in Dec.
2022 that focuses on countering antisemitism, Islamophobia and related types of
discrimination.
"[The development of the strategy]
should be really welcome news. I think the challenge is given what's going on
and especially with the death toll and destruction rising and rising, people
are understandably very hurt, angry, shocked [and] frustrated at America's
involvement in this," said another source close to the discussions
surrounding the development of the strategy. "And so the timing of these
two different things overlapping even though they are totally separate is
really challenging. And unfortunately I
don't know what will happen with the islamophobia strategy as a result."
While some have expressed doubts, others
say it is important to continue work on ways to counter hate and solve systemic
discrimination problems that have targeted the Arab and Muslim communities for
decades.
"We recognize, as do most other
communities, that engaging on one issue doesn't mean that you are endorsing or
accepting the White House's policies on that issue or any other issue,"
said Arsalan Suleman, who is board chair and co-founder of America Indivisible,
a nonprofit dedicated to combating Islamophobia. "So while I and many
other community members have very strong criticisms of the current policy on
Gaza, we certainly want to engage with the White House on the Islamophobia
strategy, given its importance," Suleman added.
Advocates say a plan to counter
Islamophobia in the U.S. is necessary after a spike in anti-Muslim sentiment
following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack in Israel. But some question how effective the
strategy could be and hesitate to take
part in its development. A White House official told CBS News that administration
officials are "listening" to the community and that the Biden
administration remains committed to the development of a strategy.
"We've had engagements where
community members have engaged on the strategy and have also been able to make
their points clear about their positions on what's happening overseas in the
course of those engagements while they've been focused primarily on the
strategy," a senior administration official said. CBS News spoke to the staffer on background to talk candidly about the ongoing development of the
strategy. "We want to make sure that we are listening [and] so as a part
of their communication with us, when they raise those issues, of course, we're
listening to them. And many have made the point that what's happening overseas
has an impact on what's happening in the United States in terms of
Islamophobia," the official said.
The official insisted that support
within the Arab and Muslim American community is strong, citing a letter from
the American Muslim Community Coalition applauding the early November announcement.
"We commit to participating
actively in the process of supporting the development of the strategy, and look
forward to a comprehensive approach that addresses the various drivers of
Islamophobia, including deep-rooted institutional manifestations that have
plagued our communities for decades," the letter reads.
The White House hopes to complete its
work on the strategy in late winter or spring.
The senior administration official also
responded to criticism about the timing of the announcement explaining that the White House had planned to announce
the development of the strategy well before the Hamas attack in October. Months of conversations and meetings with dozens
of Muslim and Arab American groups pre-dated the attack, the official said. An
increase in hate-fueled anti-Muslim incidents in the United States — including
the deadly stabbing of a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy in the Chicago
area — created a need to move forward with announcing the strategy, the
official added.
Source: cbsnews.com
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-----
NYC protesters for Gaza ceasefire hold
mock funeral
December 29, 2023
NEW YORK: Hundreds of pro-Palestinian
protesters took to the streets of New York on Thursday, staging a mock funeral
in a demonstration against Israel’s continued heavy bombardement of the
besieged Gaza strip.
Holding banners demanding an immediate
cease-fire, the activists gathered in Manhattan’s Bryant Park while some
briefly stood in the middle of the busy Sixth Avenue in the heart of New York’s
Midtown district.
Several women shrouded in black held
baby dolls swaddled in white cloths to represent the toll the fighting has
taken on children in the coastal territory.
The mock funeral procession headed to
New York’s iconic Times Square where the protest continued with giant
electronic advertisements as a backdrop.
“Today’s action is to draw attention to
the fact that, as of now, almost 10,000 children, just children alone, not
counting everybody, not counting all Palestinians, have been killed... in
Gaza,” said archivist Grace Lile, 64.
The war, which started with Hamas’s
October 7 attack on Israel, has devastated much of northern Gaza, and the
bombardment and fighting has intensified especially in the southern city of
Khan Yunis.
Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas in
retaliation for the October 7 attack, which left about 1,140 people dead,
mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Israel’s relentless aerial bombardment
and ground invasion have killed at least 21,320 people, mostly women and
children, according to Hamas-run Gaza’s health ministry.
New York City has seen dozens of
protests since the October 7 attack and Israel’s military response, with both
pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel demonstrators taking to the streets.
Source: arabnews.com
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------
US defense chief underscores importance
of protecting Gaza's civilians
DiyarGüldoğan
28.12.2023
US defense chief Lloyd Austin
underscored the importance of protecting Gaza's civilians during a telephone
call Thursday with his Israeli counterpart.
Austin and Yoav Gallant discussed
Israel's military campaign in Gaza, and accelerating humanitarian assistance,
according to a statement by the Pentagon.
"Secretary Austin and Minister
Gallant also discussed threats to regional security, including Hizballah's
destabilizing activities in southern Lebanon, Iran-aligned militia attacks
against U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, and Houthi assaults against
international commerce in the Red Sea," it said.
The US recently said Israel should do
more to reduce civilian casualties while fighting the Palestinian resistance
group, Hamas.
Israel has pounded the Gaza Strip since
a cross-border attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, leaving it in ruins, with half of the
coastal territory's housing damaged or destroyed and nearly 2 million residents
displaced within the densely populated enclave amid acute shortages of food and
clean water.
At least 21,320 Palestinians have since
been killed and 55,603 injured, according to health authorities, while nearly 1,200
Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.
Source: aa.com.tr
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-----
US imposes sanctions on Yemen after
military threat falls flat
28 December 2023
The US has targeted a number of
individuals and entities for allegedly helping the flow of financial assistance
to Yemen after failing to build a coalition against the country and deter it
with military threats.
Yemen has lately come on the US radar
for hostile measures after seeing the country's armed forces intercept or
target Israeli ships or vessels bound for Israeli ports in the Red Sea in a bid
to deter Tel Aviv from its ongoing genocide in Gaza.
According to a US Treasury statement
released on Thursday, the head of the Currency Exchangers Association in Sana’a
and three exchange houses in Yemen and Turkey are designated for sanctions.
Those targeted were responsible for
"facilitating the flow of financial
assistance" to Yemen's National Salvation Government and the country's
Ansarullah movement, it said.
The sanctions freeze any US assets
belonging to the targeted entities and generally prohibit Americans from doing
business with them.
Under Secretary of the Treasury for
Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson accused Ansarullah of
conducting dangerous attacks on international shipping and destabilizing the
region.
“The United States, along with our
allies and partners, will continue to target the key facilitation networks that
enable the destabilizing activities" of Ansarullah, it added.
In recent weeks, a series of seaborne
strikes attributed to the Yemeni forces have been conducted in solidarity with
the Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. Yemen has already warned it will
prevent the passage of all ships in the Red Sea bound to the occupied
territories.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a crucial
waterway between Yemen and northeast Africa leading to the Red Sea, up to the
Suez Canal and the Israeli port of Eilat. An estimated $1 trillion in goods
pass through the strait annually.
The European Union earlier agreed to
contribute to a US-led coalition against Yemeni armed forces. But in a major
setback, France, Spain, and Italy later officially withdrew their participation
from the controversial alliance.
The three nations have explicitly stated
their commitment to operating exclusively under the command of international
bodies such as the United Nations, NATO, or the European Union, choosing not to
align with the United States.
The formation of a US-led alliance in
the Red Sea against Yemen following a string of attacks on Israel-linked
vessels in the strategic waterway is a maneuver doomed to fail.
The leader of Ansarullah recently said
Yemen's armed forces will not hesitate to target US military warships in the
Red Sea if Washington and its allies carry out military strikes against Yemen.
Yemenis have declared their open support
for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since Tel Aviv launched
a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after Palestinian resistance movements
carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas
has said Yemeni strikes against ships heading to Israel send a message to the
West that they should stop the ongoing carnage or expect the crisis to expand
across the region.
Source: presstv.ir
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----
Pentagon shifts major crimes
prosecutions to independent lawyers
Michael Gabriel Hernandez
28.12.2023
The Defense Department said Thursday
that it shifted responsibility for the prosecution of all major military crimes
to independent attorneys in a move intended to strengthen accountability.
The new Offices of Special Trial Counsel
will handle prosecutions of 13 major crimes to include allegations of sexual
assault, murder, manslaughter, kidnapping and domestic violence. Sexual
harassment will be a covered offense beginning in 2025, according to the
Pentagon.
Allegations were previously handled
under the military's chain of command, and commanders ultimately had the final
say as to which allegations would warrant prosecution.
The counsel's offices will be
established in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. They will report
directly to the heads of each service branch.
"This landmark change to the U.S.
military justice system will significantly strengthen the independent
prosecution of sexual assault and other serious criminal offenses in the
Department of Defense," defense chief Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
"It is the most important reform to
our military justice system since the creation of the Uniform Code of Military
Justice in 1950. This reform aims to help strengthen accountability and
increase all of our service members’ trust in the fairness and integrity of the
military justice system," added Austin.
Congress directed the Pentagon in 2022
to overhaul its prosecution of major crimes with a particular emphasis on how
it handles sexual assault allegations. That year's National Defense
Authorization Act gave the Defense Department until Dec. 27, 2023, to create
the special trial counsel.
The Pentagon earlier this year reported
a slight increase in the number of sexual assault reports. It reported in April
a 1% increase from the previous fiscal year for a total of 8,942 reported cases
of sexual assault.
That stood in stark contrast to the 13%
spike seen in 2021.
Source: aa.com.tr
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-----
US Tries to Persuade Shippers to Sail
Red Sea Despite Houthi Attacks
December 29, 2023
The US military is trying to reassure
shipping companies that a multinational force is making it safe to sail through
the Red Sea and Suez Canal even though attacks from Yemen-based Houthi rebels
show no sign of stopping.
The Pentagon is "engaged with
industry on a near-daily basis to gauge needs and provide reassurance that the
international community is there to help with safe passage," Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel Bryon McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson for the
Middle East and Africa, said Thursday in an emailed response to questions.
So far, that's not proving enough for
most shipping lines to gamble that a drone or missile aimed at their vessels
won't be one that gets past the defenses.
"It will take a little while for
shippers to get a sense about the security situation," said Mark Cancian,
a retired Marine officer and senior adviser with the Center for Strategic and
International Studies in Washington. "If it turns out that the US and the
coalition can maintain safe passage, then I think they'll come back. But right
now they really can't be sure."
Cancian said in an interview that some
shippers will remain "more risk-averse than others. Ones that have
connections with Israel might be more reticent."
The Houthis, who are backed by Iran,
have said they're targeting ships linked to Israel to show support for
Palestinians, though ships without direct links to Israel also have been
singled out.
Half of the container-ship fleet that
regularly transits the Red Sea and Suez Canal is avoiding the route now because
of the threat of attacks, according to new industry data. Many tankers and
container ships are resorting to the longer - and costlier - route around the
southern tip of Africa, which may lead to higher prices for oil and a variety
of consumer goods.
A.P. Moller-Maersk A/S, the world's No.
2 container line, said it's preparing to resume Red Sea passages "as soon
as operationally possible." But even Maersk has cautioned that "the
overall risk is not eliminated in the area," and the company said it would
"not hesitate" to re-evaluate the safety situation for its vessels
and employees.
Gene Moran, a defense analyst and
retired Navy captain, once commanded the USS Laboon, the destroyer that shot
down four drones in the Red Sea Saturday. From his perspective, the shipping
companies are still looking for the American-led coalition to do more.
"This method doesn't appear to
address the cause of the threat," Moran said in an interview. "The
Houthis are able to operate from the uncontrolled portions of Yemen. Something
will need to be done about that. We seem to be moving very gingerly when the
conditions seem to call for a more forceful response."
But the Biden administration has been
reluctant to take action that could turn Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza
Strip - which began after that group's Oct. 7 assault on Israel - into a
broader regional conflict. Shipping companies may share that concern.
"If the United States were to start
shooting at Houthi camps, that would arguably increase the risk, not decrease
it," Cancian said. "So I don't think the shippers are particularly
anxious to start that."
Less Traffic Through the Suez Canal |
The daily number of tanker and cargo ship crossings has slipped this month
The Pentagon has said the Red Sea
security initiative it's leading - named Operation Prosperity Guardian - brings
together forces from the UK, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands,
Norway, the Seychelles, Spain, Australia and Greece as well as some other
nations that don't want to be named. Yet the military hasn't spelled out details
of how it will operate.
Major General Pat Ryder, the Pentagon
press secretary, said earlier this month that the coalition will function as a
"highway patrol" in the sea.
Moran said that the mixed nature of the
threat, which includes potential attacks from drones, missiles and small boats,
makes it more challenging to respond because not all the ships participating in
the force will have the same capabilities as the US ships.
For now, the operation will continue
indefinitely.
"We are not putting a timeline on
this operation," said McGarry, the Pentagon spokesperson. "We'll
stand firm with our partners in the region for as long as it takes until the
threat to international shipping in these waterways has ceased."
Source: ndtv.com
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-----
Arab World
Saudi environmental center warns against
logging
December 28, 2023
RIYADH: The National Center for
Vegetation Cover Development and Combating Desertification warned against
logging as it harms the environment and biodiversity.
Logging violations include transporting,
selling, or storing firewood or local charcoal and collecting local firewood.
The center noted that the fine for these
violations starts at SR5,000 ($1,333) for every cubic meter of firewood or
local charcoal for the first violation. The amount doubles to SR10,000 for the
second violation and reaches SR16,000 for the third violation.
The center’s protection teams monitor
vegetation regions across the Kingdom by relying on the latest technologies and
artificial intelligence to prevent violations and preserve green spaces.
The center seeks to develop and protect
vegetation regions and rehabilitate degraded ones. This includes managing and
investing in grazing lands, forests and national parks, along with fighting
practices that harm the environment, including logging, and preserving natural
resources and biodiversity.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433336/saudi-arabia
-----
Islamic Affairs Ministry Provides 679
Volunteer Opportunities in Tabuk in 2023
29 Dec, 2023
The National Volunteer Portal has
presented 679 volunteer opportunities provided by the Ministry of Islamic
Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance in Tabuk region in 2023.
A
total of 5,793 volunteers participated in the projects made available for them;
their economic value amounted to SAR4,363,403,41.
The volunteer opportunities included assisting
and welcoming pilgrims at the Halat Ammar border crossing, participating in
organizing scientific programs, as well as taking care of various mosques.
Providing volunteer opportunities is part of
the ministry's continuous efforts to promote a culture of volunteerism and
community participation, in line with the Kingdom's Vision 2030.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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-----
Saudi border guards foil drug smugglers
near Yemen
December 28, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s border guards in
Najran have arrested several people in connection with an attempt to smuggle
1,693 kg of hashish into the Kingdom.
The suspects include several Yemenis and
two citizens, said the spokesperson for the General Directorate of Border
Guards, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.
Saudi Arabia’s government has urged
anyone with information on smuggling operations or customs violations to call
the confidential hotline 1910, the international number 00 966 114208417, or
email 1910@zatca.gov.sa.
The government is offering financial
rewards for successful prosecutions.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2433116/saudi-arabia
----
Riyadh Season welcomes children from
Sanad Cancer Support Association
December 28, 2023
RIYADH: Riyadh Season, which is in its
fourth edition, has welcomed youngsters from the Sanad Children’s Cancer
Support Association. They visited Riyadh Zoo — one of the entertainment zones —
and got to know numerous pets and rare animals.
The children had a fun time touring the
zoo and interacting with a large variety of birds and animals.
The youngsters watched shows featuring
animals, and learned all about their different characteristics. They also took
part in a number of different challenges, enjoying some unique educational
experiences.
Source: arabnews.com
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-----
Ansrullah: Intl. waterways secure except
for ships bound for occupied territories
28 December 2023
Yemen's Ansarullah popular resistance
movement insists that the international waterways are secure for all passing
vessels, except for Israeli ones or those heading towards the occupied
territories.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, Ansarullah's
spokesman, made the remarks to Euronews on Thursday.
"Sana'a explicitly stated that only
Israeli ships, those heading to Israel, or affiliated vessels are targeted,
while all other ships worldwide are not targeted," he noted.
The movement and Yemen's Armed Forces
have been staging missile and drone attacks against vessels heading towards
Israeli ports in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has come
under an unrelenting genocidal Israeli war.
At least 21,110 people, mostly women and
children, have been killed during the war, which the Israeli regime launched on
October 7 following an operation staged by Gaza's resistance groups.
The Yemeni forces have vowed to keep up
their strikes until the regime stops the war and lifts a concomitant siege that
it has been enforcing on Gaza.
Yemen issues the Israeli regime a
strong-worded warning, cautioning Tel Aviv against continuing the genocidal war
against the Gaza Strip.
Abdul-Salam, meanwhile, commented on a
naval coalition, which the United States recently announced forming with the
aim of heading off the Yemeni attacks.
"The American coalition in the Red
Sea is solely aimed at protecting Israel, failing to persuade the world of any
risks in the Red Sea or the Arabian Sea," he said.
The formation of a US-led alliance in
the Red Sea against Yemen following a string of attacks on Israel-linked
vessels in the strategic waterway is a maneuver doomed to fail.
Washington, he added, had started
exerting pressure on some shipping companies to stop transiting their vessels
through the Red Sea as means of coercing some nations into joining the
coalition.
Yemen's blockade against the Zionist
enemy is founded on religious, ethical, humanitarian, national, and patriotic
principles," Abdul-Salam, meanwhile, remarked.
He said Sana'a "understands the
consequences of this decision," adding, "Yet the gravest
repercussions would result from abandoning the Palestinian cause" of
liberation from Israeli occupation and aggression.
Source: presstv.ir
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/28/717215/Yemen-Ansarullah-Israel-war-Gaza-United-States
----
Africa
Mali: supporters of influential imam
Dicko denounce a “cabal”
December 28, 2023
Supporters of a prominent Malian
religious and political figure, Imam Mahmoud Dicko, denounced on Wednesday an
"orchestrated cabal" against him, under fire for more than a week for
a trip to Algeria.
The Coordination of Movements,
Associations and Sympathizers of Imam Mahmoud Dicko (CMAS) "has noted for
some time on social networks a cabal orchestrated against its godfather, Imam
Mahmoud Dicko, in connection with his trip to Algeria".
Imam Dicko was the tutelary figure of a
protest movement that preceded the fall of civilian president Ibrahim
BoubacarKeïta, overthrown by a military coup in 2020.
This religious leader is one of the few
to dare to openly express his disagreements with the junta, to push for the
return of civilians to power, and to be able to mobilize in a context of restriction
of freedoms under military rule.
A diplomatic skirmish broke out between
Mali and Algeria just after its reception by President AbdelmadjidTebboune in
Algiers.
The Algerian ambassador was summoned by
the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs "to raise a strong protest"
from Mali "following the recent unfriendly acts committed by the Algerian
authorities".
Bamako notably denounced "recurring
meetings, at the highest levels in Algeria, and without the slightest
information or involvement of the Malian authorities (...) with people known
for their hostility to the Malian government".
The Malian ambassador to Algeria was
then recalled on Friday for consultation in Bamako by the "principle of
reciprocity", according to the Malian government.
Imam Dicko gave explanations about his
trip to Algeria in a video broadcast on social networks. He said in Bambara
that politicians in Bamako initially intended to go to Algeria, but changed
their minds when they knew the imam was going there, to "set a trap"
for him.
Individuals "who speak on behalf of
the authorities" then called him a "traitor" and accused him of
"conspiring with the rebels against Mali" to compromise his
"credibility against Malians", he assures.
CMAS specifies that Imam Dicko's
political positions cannot be equated with hostility against his own country.
She “invites its activists,
sympathizers, and partners to remain mobilized in defense of the ideal and
values advocated by Imam Mahmoud Dicko, a convinced and determined patriot of
his country” and “invites the people to be ready for (him ) give a memorable
welcome.
Source: africanews.com
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------
Kidnappers storm Ogun mosque, abduct
cleric, businessman
AzeezOlorunlomeru, Abeokuta
29 December 2023
An eight-man kidnapping gang has invaded
a mosque and abducted one MurithadorSadullahiAkanhoOlamide, the Imam of
Muhadul-iftai-wa-sadah Institute of Arabic and Islamic studies.
Also abducted was a businessman,
OlayemiArasi, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Hollarams Technical
Services Ltd.
The incident happened in the Lufuape
area, along Sagamu Interchange, Ogun State.
The Guardian learnt that the hoodlums
targeted the mosque during Friday night prayers and forcibly took the cleric
and the businessman to an undisclosed location.
The victims were, however, released
after spending three days in captivity, following the payment of a ransom by
their families.
A family source said the kidnappers,
suspected to be foreigners, had targeted the cleric but seized the opportunity
to abduct the businessman. There are also indications that they had connived
with some locals.
The source, who was involved in payment
of the ransom, revealed that a substantial amount was paid to secure the
release of both men.
Kidnappings have reportedly become
frequent in the area, which is home to several industries.
The source called on the government to
take decisive steps to prevent further abductions, saying the development could
scare off investors.
Spokesperson for the Ogun State Police
Command, OmololaOdutola, who confirmed the incident, however, expressed
ignorance about ransom details.
She assured the public of ongoing
efforts to track down the kidnappers.
Odutola emphasised the commitment of
police towards addressing criminal activities and urged collaboration to ensure
the safety of citizens.
Asked whether the command was taking
action to apprehend the perpetrators, she said: “Yes, the command is aware, and
no Commissioner of Police would tolerate such incidents. We are always prepared
to track down kidnappers, and we have been consistently doing so.
“When discussing individuals from Niger
and (of) Fulani (extraction), the police do not make discriminatory statements.
Our primary concern is apprehending those responsible for criminal acts.”
Source: guardian.ng
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https://guardian.ng/news/kidnappers-storm-ogun-mosque-abduct-cleric-businessman/
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Benin removes suspension of transiting
goods to Niger
December 28, 2023
Benin has lifted its suspension of
imported goods transiting to Niger through the port of Cotonou, the port's
director general said Wednesday, following five months of sanctions on the
coup-hit country.
The West African regional bloc ECOWAS
imposed sanctions on Niger following a coup on July 26 which saw the military
oust elected leader Mohamed Bazoum.
The measures have led to the closure of
the border with Benin, which has seen a fall in revenues after the transport of
goods to Niger via its ports was halted.
"The measure relating to the
suspension of imported goods destined for Niger at the port of Cotonou has been
lifted," said the port's director general Bart Jozef Johan Van Eenoo.
The measure was taken "in view of
the substantial improvement in the operational conditions for handling goods at
the port of Cotonou, in particular the reduction in the rate of
congestion," he added.
The move comes almost a week after Benin
President Patrice Talon called for relations to be swiftly re-established
between his country and neighbouring Niger.
Both countries are also concerned about
a giant oil pipeline that will allow Niger -- one of the world's poorest
countries -- to sell its crude on the international market for the first time,
via the Benin port of Seme.
Source: africanews.com
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https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/28/benin-removes-suspension-of-transiting-goods-to-niger/
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Ondo: Group seeks Muslim Deputy for
GovAiyedatiwa
December 28, 2023
The Muslim Media Watch Group of Nigeria,
MMWG, has called for the appointment of a Muslim as the new deputy governor of
Ondo state as Lucky Aiyedatiwa took over as the substantive governor
Specifically, the group, in a statement
jointly signed by its National Coordinator, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi and the
Ondo State Coordinator, Alhaji Ali Abdul-Yekeen, advised Aiyedatiwa to appoint
the Muslim deputy governor from Ondo North Senatorial District, especially Owo,
the hometown of the late RotimiAkeredolu, in the spirit of inclusivity in
governance, equality, justice and fairness.
It recalled that past administrations in
the state, including the military, appointed Muslim deputies, stating that
repeating such action now, would enhance religious tolerance, peace, stability
and progress in the state.
The group called for mutual
understanding among political leaders and cited Ekiti State as example where
both the governor and deputy are Christians, but a Muslim was made Secretary to
the State Government, SSG, warning that “for a single religious group to hold
10 topmost political offices in a state is not only unfair and disproportion,
but absolute injustice.”
It, therefore, urged those in governance
to always remember that balancing appointments religiously is a way of
promoting peace, citing Lagos, Osun, Ogun and Oyo States as example that
Governor Aiyedatiwa should copy for promoting mutual understanding.
Source: dailypost.ng
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https://dailypost.ng/2023/12/28/ondo-group-seeks-muslim-deputy-for-gov-aiyedatiwa/
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Soldier kills truck driver for resisting
extortion in Borno
29th December 2023
Uthman Abubakar
The killing of a truck driver by a
soldier at a military checkpoint at Dikwa along the Maiduguri – Gamboru -Chad
Republic road in Borno State over extortion on Tuesday is brewing a serious
crisis between the military on one hand and the state government and the
Nigeria Union of Road Transport Workers on the other.
The truck driver, Mohammed Bello, of
Bulsbulin ward, Maiduguri metropolis, was reportedly conveying humanitarian
goods from Maiduguri to N’jammena, the capital of Chad, when he met his death
at the military checkpoint.
“The driver was carrying humanitarian
goods to N’jammena, Chad, not even anywhere in Nigeria,” the Borno State NURTW
Secretary, Ahmadu Miss, disclosed at a news conference in Maiduguri, Thursday,
saying, “The goods had been cleared by the Theatre Commander of Operation Hadin
Kai, and he was carrying the clearance papers.”
Musa narrated further: “The soldiers at
the checkpoint asked for the papers; he promptly presented them; but in
receiving the papers, a soldier asked: ‘Are we going to chop papers? Take your
paper and bring out money’. The driver said nobody gave me any money to give
you.”
He went further: “The soldier then
started beating him and his assistants even when they were right inside the
truck. When he alighted, the soldier continued beating him until he breathed
his last.”
Addressing newsmen over the matter, the
Secretary to Borno State Government, BukarTijjani, said: “The Borno State
Government sees this as a heinous incident, and a brutal one for that matter.
It is an incident which the government of Borno State and its people cannot
condone.”
He continued: “We also condemn such an
incident and hope that it does not happen again. It is condemnable in strongest
terms and we hope it does not recur” stressing that, “Anything that will
prevent the free movement of our people doing their lawful business must be
avoided.
“Let me assure the NURTW leaders that
the Borno State Government will take all actions to ensure that anyone found
culpable will be brought to book under the laws of Borno State and Nigeria.”
Tijjani said already, the 7 Division of
the Nigerian Army headquarters and the state government were deepening
discussions to ensure that the NURTW members and other travellers plying the
Borno routes were not extorted of their lawful earnings and also to ensure that
the free movement of motorists, traders, farmers, herders and other travellers
was not hindered by any security agent over any extortion.
Speaking on behalf of the NURTW, its
Secretary, Ahmadu Musa, complained that, “The extortion of our members on this
road (Maiduguri-Gamboru-Chad road) is just damn too much.”
In a swift response, the 7 Division
confirmed in a statement issued to newsmen, on Thursday, that “The alleged
incident occurred on December 26, 2023, along Dikwa-Gamboru Road at a
checkpoint where soldiers are deployed for their routine duties.”
The statement, signed by Lt. Col.
AjemusuJingina, the Division’s Deputy Director, Public Relations, said: “On
receiving a complaint of the unfortunate incident, the Division swiftly swung
into action and commenced investigation.
“Furthermore, engagement has been
established with the NURTW towards a peaceful resolution to the incident. The
Division has assured both the family of the deceased and the NURTW of its
commitment towards ensuring that justice is served to the family and no stone
would be left unturned in this regard.
“In the Division’s effort towards
ensuring that the family of the victim gets justice, the soldier in question
has been arrested, and an investigation has commenced.
“It’s also worthy to mention that the
Division does not tolerate any form of unprofessional conduct from any
personnel as we operate within the ambit of the law.
“The Division wishes to once again
reassure the members of the general public that we will remain resolute and
professional in the joint effort to
tackle insecurity in Borno State.”
Investigations by PUNCH Metro reveal
that there are no fewer than 33 roadblocks/checkpoints along the about
200-kilometer Maiduguri – Gamboru road; and a out 20 along the 180-kilometre
Maiduguri-Gubio-Damasak (Niger Republic border) road.
Source: punchng.com
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https://punchng.com/soldier-kills-truck-driver-for-resisting-extortion-in-borno/
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Gunmen kill two policemen, kidnap
Christmas returnees in Anambra
NwanosikeOnu, Awka
December 29, 2023
No fewer than two policemen were
allegedly killed and many were kidnapped on Thursday, December 29, as gunmen
returned to Anambra state to cause mayhem.
A resident of the Uga community in the
Aguata local government area had raised the alarm, calling on security agencies
and the state governor, Prof. ChukwumaSoludo to save their lives.
The hoodlums, The Nation gathered
brandished AK-47 guns and shot sporadically at the Uga junction unchallenged.
The junction leads to the home of the
All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, Andy Uba and his Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) leader, Chris Uba.
The source described what happened in
the community as bloody.
An eyewitness said: “The security men we
have these days are the ones who make money their number priority. They are
only interested in collecting tolls at each junction
“At the gate of Aguata local government
headquarters, they’re there (both police and military, including vigilante)
escorting innocent citizens of their hard-earned money at these hard times with
intimidation.
“Is that how we’re going to better the
society when our people are being killed and kidnapped on a daily basis while
security agents who are to protect lives and property being paid with our money
are busy robbing motorists on our roads.”
The hoodlums in their scores were said
to be kidnapping people freely while in operation for hours without any form of
resistance.
Another eyewitness said: “It was a rain
of bullets at UGA Roundabout, Aguata LGA this evening( Thursday) around 5:50 pm
as UGM came in their terrific numbers from Umuchu – Umunze road, all carrying
AK47 Assault Rifles and kidnapping people at random in flashy cars.
“They were not in a hurry to go and remained
for long unchallenged. When they sighted a group of policemen coming up from
the Ezinifite axis, they opened fire and gunned down two of them.
“Very sad. People were seen screaming,
running, and scampering away for their dear lives as the gunshots were
deafening and frightening.
“Bullets from their AK 47 shattered the
windows of CAPAD Filling Station but apart from the killing of the policemen,
there were no injuries recorded therein.
“Anambra State remains a target zone for
hoodlums coming from neighbouring states and elsewhere.
“We call on all to be cautious and
security conscious while we pray for those officers on duty who regrettably
lost their lives in this needless carnage at the time of our yearly Christmas
festivities.”
Anambra state police public relations officer,
TochukwuIkenga, confirmed the incident
However, he said the information
available to the command about the incident was sketchy.
He said: “The information is still
sketchy, as soon as we get the details an official statement shall be released
by the command, please.”
Source: thenationonlineng.net
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https://thenationonlineng.net/gunmen-kill-two-policemen-kidnap-christmas-returnees-in-anambra/
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Muslim Would-Be Umrah Pilgrims Left Stranded
By Travel Agent At Airport
December 29, 2023
ShakirahThebus
Cape Town - Many first-time Muslim Umrah
pilgrims, young and old, were left stranded at Cape Town International Airport
on Wednesday.
Some had spent years saving for the holy
“minor” pilgrimage to Medina and Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
Thirty-six would-be pilgrims turned up
at the airport with no official confirmation of their flight details on an Air
Ethiopia plane via Addis Ababa to Medina in Saudi Arabia.
All of the would-be pilgrims paid over
R40 000 for flights and accommodation to New Age SA Travel, implicating its
head ShahiedDavids.
Davids said: “I can confirm that no
flights were cancelled by me. (The) number of passengers affected is 34. This
I’m discussing with our flight agent and will revert to you soonest.”
Six of the victims have reportedly
lodged criminal complaints against the agency.
Bonteheuwel resident Abubakr Baker said
his father-in-law and his wife were supposed to depart on Wednesday morning.
Only his wife got on the plane to Saudi Arabia.
“Over the weekend, Shahied basically
started lying to them, saying that their flight might be delayed, cancelled,
all those kinds of things. And the night before as well when the visas were not
ready, he said “it’s going to be ready, don’t worry about it.”
The group were scheduled to depart at
about 2.35pm.
Baker’s in-laws were about to leave
their home when they were told about a flight cancellation. There was another
flight but they had to pay R2 500 extra per person for visiting visas, which
was done.
“When that flight was so-called
cancelled by him, the next flight that he said we had to be at the airport at
11pm. They got nothing (no flight confirmation), there wasn’t even a
representative from the agency that was there,” Baker said.
When checking in, none but two names
were on the system, Baker said.
“People were crying. It was very emotional.
We greeted our families, standing here with wrapped suitcases. What do we do?
My father-in-law started crying and then we all started crying. It was
basically his first time and he sat the whole year studying what to do in
Madinah, what to do in Makkah,” Baker said.
One elderly woman said she had spent
four years selling koeksisters to raise money to go on Umrah. Umrah is the
non-compulsory pilgrimage that can be undertaken at any time outside of the
obligatory Hajj for Muslims.
“I feel that it’s wrong because it’s our
elderly. It doesn’t make it right if it’s a youngster as well. There was also a
newly-wed couple. I’m sure they’re in their early twenties and they were even
in tears, they were like why us, our first time. So emotions were all over the
place in that group and families that came to see their loved ones off.”
Talk show host and activist Faizal Sayed
said he had been working on Hajj and Umrah “crookery” for the last eight years.
“When I started doing that … we saw lots
of irregularities and complaints going back.
“The initial note that we got from
people was that things started already in 2006. Then we’ve got claims which are
here in front of us from 2010, 2011.”
Wednesday’s cancellations were
reportedly over money owed by the travel agent.
In August 2022, a number of people had
reached out, appealing for help in dealing with Davids, Sayed said.
On Wednesday, Davids could be seen in a
live video – a fellow pilgrim confronted him over the stranded individuals – in
Medina.
Source: iol.co.za
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https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/news/muslim-would-be-umrah-pilgrims-left-stranded-by-travel-agent-at-airport-3b076996-43f2-482f-ae6d-f90b0645c3cc
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/extradite-mastermind-let-saeed-india-pak/d/131415