Fatwas Based on Genuine Islamic Principles Reconfirm Islam’s Flexibility, Scholars Tell Grand Hajj Symposium
New Age Islam News Bureau
05 July 2022
Islam-based fatwas played a significant role in
facilitating religious matters and raising awareness about the Hajj. (Supplied)
-----
• Judge Puts Pressure on Biden over Saudi Crown
Prince's Immunity in Lawsuit Filed by the Fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi
• West, Turkey Transferring Daesh, Hay'at Tahrir
Al-Sham Takfiri Terrorists from Syria to Ukraine: Syrian Envoy
• Muslim Eatery Owner Arrested In UP For Packing Meat
Dishes in Newspaper with Images of Hindu Deities, On a Complaint by Hindu
Jagran Manch President
• After Pakistan Army Chief, ISI Head Issues Strict
Orders to His Commanders to Stay Away From Politics
Arab World
• Head of Sadr Political Bloc Invites Iraqi Sunni,
Shia Muslims to Attend Joint Congregational Friday Prayer
• Saudi forces arrest activists, critics in
Shia-populated Eastern Province: Report
• Hajj pilgrimage set to begin with one million
vaccinated Muslims from around world
• Saudi Arabia arrests 300 pilgrims without permits
• Chlorine gas leak in Iraq’s south injures at least
300
• Lebanon plans to repatriate 15,000 refugees monthly
to Syria
• American troops kill two civilians during airdrop
operation in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr
--------
North America
• US Says Shireen Abu Akleh Likely Shot from Israeli
Side but Not Intentionally
• US forensic experts examine bullet that killed Al
Jazeera journalist in Jerusalem
--------
Europe
• Israel, Poland agree to restore ties after Holocaust
row
• British Council workers stranded in Afghanistan at
‘high risk’
• France repatriates 51 women, children with family
links to extremists from Syria camp
--------
India
• Saharanpur Violence: 8 Muslims, Tortured By UP Cops,
Acquitted
• Jamiat Ulema of India's Assam Urges Muslims Not To
Sacrifice Cow on 'Eid Al-Adha' Festival
• Lucknow Administration Urges People Not To Post
‘Qurbani’ Images on Social Media
• Karnataka: Bajrang Dal protests Udaipur murder,
demolish Muslim shop
• Gyanvapi mosque case: Next hearing on July 12
• RSS Plans Major Outreach among UP’s ‘Pasmanda’
Muslims
• NIA chief briefs Shah on Udaipur, Amravati probes
• Nupur Sharma Hearing Judge Slams Social Media
Opinions, Says Parliament Should Regulate
--------
Pakistan
• State Bank of Pakistan Adopts More Sharia-Compliant
Standards for Islamic Banking
• Imran Khan Aides Say Bushra Bibi ‘Treason’ Clip A
Storm In Teacup
• Pakistan Army Chief undertook a ‘low profile’ visit
to Paris: Report
• MQM leader Babar Ghauri arrested at Karachi airport
• Suspect linked to KU bombing held, Sindh IGP tells
Chinese delegation
--------
South
Asia
• Taliban Grand Meeting Did Not Lead to Breakthrough:
Human Rights Watch
• Attack on a Convoy Carrying Taliban Forces in
Western Afghanistan Wounds 20 People
• 4,559 Afghan refugees expelled from Iran, Pakistan:
Taliban
• Will request India to speed up return of Af
students: Taliban
• Afghanistan, Pakistan narrate conflicting accounts
of same story
--------
Mideast
• Israeli Arab Muslim Party Aspires To Be Part of the
Next New Coalition
• Iran: Saddam's Chemical Bombing of Sardasht Highest
Degree of Insolence
• Israeli PM Lapid to press France’s Macron and warn
Hezbollah ‘playing with fire’
• Palestine rejects 'manipulation' of investigations
into journalists’ death
--------
Africa
• 2023: Islamic Cleric Warns Against Same-Faith
Presidential Ticket
• 34 killed in two jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso
• Sudan’s army won’t take part in political talks,
leader says
• UN appeals for urgent funding to provide
humanitarian aid to people in South Sudan
• Egyptian, Libyan leaders say elections ‘only
way-out’ of Libya’s crisis
• Over 15,000 Nigerian Muslim pilgrims ‘stranded’ as
Saudi Arabia extends airlifting
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Selangor Ruler Concerned Over Malay Disunity, Tells
Politicians To Unite
• Indonesia School Helps Students Recite Quran in Sign
Language
• First Malaysian death recorded in Mecca, says
religious minister
• I agreed to testify against Syed Saddiq to avoid
prosecution, says witness
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/fatwas-islamic-principles-hajj/d/127410
--------
Fatwas Based on Genuine Islamic Principles Reconfirm
Islam’s Flexibility, Scholars Tell Grand Hajj Symposium
Islam-based fatwas played a significant role in
facilitating religious matters and raising awareness about the Hajj. (Supplied)
-----
Mohammed Al-Kinani
July 04, 2022
JEDDAH: Fatwas based on genuine Islamic principles
reconfirm the religion’s flexibility, scholars told delegates on the second day
of the 46th Grand Hajj Symposium.
The event was inaugurated on Sunday by Hajj and Umrah
Minister Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah and features ministers and eminent Muslim
scholars from different countries.
Participants underscored the role of the religious
fatwa in achieving the Islamic objectives of the Hajj when it came to
contemporary issues. They also praised the Kingdom’s efforts in facilitating
the Hajj.
During a session titled “Islamic Jurisprudence System
and Contemporary Calamities,” the speakers said that Islam-based fatwas played
a significant role in facilitating religious matters and raising awareness
about the Hajj.
Egypt’s Grand Mufti Shawki Allam touched on the
importance of the Islamic jurisprudence system in adapting legal fatwas in
facilitating Hajj rituals for Muslims, saying that flexibility in such
situations confirmed that Islam was valid for every time and place.
Dr. Saad bin Nasser Al-Shithri, an adviser at the
Royal Court and a member of the Saudi Council of Senior Scholars, said the
Islamic jurisprudence system was capable of dealing with emerging challenges.
The secretary-general of the International Islamic
Fiqh Academy, Dr. Koutoub Sano, referred to the factual nature of Islamic
Sharia and its ability to deal with new problems to help people understand it.
He highlighted the role of institutes and academies
devoted to fatwas in qualifying specialists and investing in Sharia studies to
extract rulings from the appropriate texts. He also praised Saudi efforts to
deploy all its capabilities to provide security and safety for pilgrims.
In Monday’s second session, “Caring for the Pilgrim’s
Journey,” Malaysia’s Minister of Religious Affairs Dr. Datuk Idris Ahmad
reviewed his country’s efforts in providing services and promoting awareness
among pilgrims, including medicines, vaccines, and personal health follow-up
programs.
Ahmed said the services provided in cooperation with
the Ministry of Health were meant to ensure their pilgrims were free from
infectious diseases. He also praised the care and attention paid by the Saudi
government to pilgrims over the decades and the remarkable development achieved
by the Hajj and Umrah system.
Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah
Mashat highlighted the Saudi ministries’ digital initiatives that contributed
to the issue of more than 2 million e-visas through a portal that included all
relevant authorities.
He also spoke about a luggage transport service that
allowed pilgrims to focus on the duties of their rituals. He said pilgrims had
received multilingual Hajj awareness guidelines before and after their arrival
in the Kingdom.
Mashat added that the success of the Hajj and Umrah
system was linked to a clear strategy derived from the Guests of God Service
Program, one of the Saudi Vision 2030 programs, to enrich pilgrims’ Hajj
experience and facilitate their spiritual journey.
“A pilgrim can electronically book all appointments
and services, limiting negative practices such as stampeding. It can also
ensure the flow of movement, smooth traffic, and easy grouping of pilgrims from
one place to another.”
Dr. Ali Arbash, head of Turkish religious affairs,
expressed his thanks to the Saudi government for its efforts in providing the
appropriate pilgrimage environment in terms of hygiene and health to protect
people.
Arbash also reviewed his country’s participation in
the Green Hajj Initiative to raise awareness among pilgrims about reducing
waste at the holy sites.
Saudi Assistant Minister of Health Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd
Al-Aly underscored the efforts to provide the best health services to pilgrims.
He said these services, provided through the latest
technology, were closely followed up by the Saudi leadership.
These services included 23 hospitals, 147 health
centers, and 16 emergency centers on Jamarat Bridge. He added that more than
25,000 medical personnel were ready to provide all health services.
Dr. Hanan Balkhi, assistant director-general at the
World Health Organization, described Saudi Arabia as an important strategic
partner for the organization.
She praised the “bold decisions” taken by the Kingdom
during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect pilgrims and limit the spread of
coronavirus.
She said Saudi Arabia stood head and shoulders above
all other countries due to its cumulative experience in crowd management.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2116531/saudi-arabia
--------
Judge Puts Pressure on Biden over Saudi Crown Prince's
Immunity in Lawsuit Filed by the Fiancee of Jamal Khashoggi
Mohammed bin Salman at an
official ceremony in Ankara, Turkey, in June. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images
----
04 July 2022
A US judge has ordered the Biden administration to
decide whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman should be granted
immunity in a civil lawsuit filed against him in the United States by Hatice
Cengiz, the fiancee of slain dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
US District Judge John Bates has given the
administration of President Joe Biden until August 1 to declare whether bin
Salman, whom US intelligence has held responsible for Khashoggi’s murder,
should be immune from the civil case or give the court notice that it has no
view on the matter.
The lawsuit was filed in 2020 by Cengiz and Democracy
for the Arab World Now (DAWN), a human rights organization Khashoggi founded
before his death, in the federal district court of Washington DC.
It alleges that Khashoggi, a US resident and
Washington Post columnist, was tortured, murdered and dismembered on the orders
of bin Salman, known for his initials MBS.
The crown prince and two of the co-defendants have
filed motions to dismiss Cengiz’s lawsuit, contending that the court lacks
jurisdiction in the case.
Bin Salman’s lawyers have argued that he enjoys
sovereign immunity in civil claims in the United States. “[MBS] has immunity
not only from his immediate familial relationship to the King, but also from
his own ‘high-ranking office,’” they said in their motion to dismiss the
lawsuit.
The federal judge’s order comes just before President
Biden is scheduled to make his first trip to Riyadh as president later this
month, where he is expected to meet the crown prince. Biden is facing criticism
for abandoning a campaign promise to turn Saudi Arabia into a “pariah” state
over Khashoggi’s murder.
After two years of inaction by Donald Trump, who was
president when Khashoggi was murdered, the Biden administration released an
unclassified US intelligence report last year that concluded the order to kill
Khashoggi likely came directly from the crown prince himself.
"We assess that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince
Mohammed bin Salman approved an operation in Istanbul, Turkey to capture or
kill Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the report said.
"We base this assessment on the crown prince's
control of decision-making in the kingdom since 2017, the direct involvement of
a key adviser and members of Mohammed bin Salman's protective detail in the operation,
and the crown prince's support for using violent measures to silence dissidents
abroad, including Khashoggi," it added.
The US intelligence assessment pointed out that bin
Salman’s aides could not have murdered Khashoggi without the crown prince's
blessings.
The CIA concluded in 2018 that MBS had ordered the
killing of Khashoggi, contradicting Saudi Arabia’s insistence that the crown
prince had no prior knowledge of the plot.
Saudi officials have blamed “rogue agents” for the
journalist’s death.
Khashoggi was lured into the Saudi consulate in
Istanbul in October 2018 to obtain documents he needed to marry Cengiz. He was
killed and dismembered in the consulate and his remains were never found.
In the months before his death, Khashoggi had turned
into a vocal critic of MBS, the de-facto leader of Saudi Arabia who has
overseen a harsh crackdown on rivals and dissidents.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/07/04/685024/Biden-bin-Salman-immunity-in-US-lawsuit-
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West, Turkey Transferring Daesh, Hay'at Tahrir Al-Sham
Takfiri Terrorists from Syria to Ukraine: Syrian Envoy
Syrian Ambassador to
Russia Riad Haddad (Photo by SANA)
-----
04 July 2022
Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad says Western
countries and Turkey are transferring remnants of Daesh and Hay'at Tahrir
al-Sham (HTS) Takfiri terrorist groups from Syria’s northern province of Idlib
to Ukraine to fight against Russian military forces.
"It is no surprise that the United States,
Western countries and Turkey have transferred members of Daesh and HTS
terrorist groups from Idlib to Ukraine,” Haddad told Russia’s TASS news agency
in an exclusive interview published on Monday.
He added that such Takfiri groups, irrespective of
their different names, are being exploited by the West to ruthlessly suppress
peaceful peoples.
The Syrian ambassador further noted that Damascus fully
supports Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
“I would like to stress that Syria completely supports
Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, which is aimed at protecting its
national security, sovereignty and territorial integrity against mercenaries
and neo-Nazis, who have been pouring into the Eastern European country from all
corners of the world,” Haddad pointed out.
The Syrian diplomat added that Moscow is facing a slew
of threats emanating from the West.
“One of those challenges is the deceptive and
misleading media campaign, which seeks to falsify the truth and tarnish the
country’s image,” he said.
“Secondly, there are mercenaries, who are fighting
against Russia with the support of the United States and Western countries.
These are the same mercenaries, who fought in Syria with the aim of demolishing
its infrastructure and state institutions, and are now pushing other countries
and their nations to capitulate to Western hegemony,” the Syrian ambassador
said.
Haddad went on to point to the economic blockade and
unjust sanctions, which Western countries have unilaterally slapped against
Syria.
“Today, we see that Western countries have imposed the
very same sanctions against Russia and its nation. Syria and Russia have joined
forces to stand up against such insolence and the Western hegemony, led by the
United States,” the Syrian ambassador said.
Russia launched its “special military operation” in
Ukraine on February 24, with the aim to “de-militarize” and to “de-Nazify” the
neighboring country. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has been exacerbated as the
United States and its European allies have been sending a flood of advanced
weapons to Kiev.
By obtaining more advanced weapons from the West, the
Ukrainian government aims to overpower
the Russians and regain the Donbas. Donbas is composed of the two breakaway
regions, Donetsk and Luhansk, where pro-Russian forces declared independence.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Muslim
Eatery Owner Arrested In UP For Packing Meat Dishes in Newspaper with Images Of
Hindu Deities, On A Complaint By Hindu Jagran Manch President
Eatery
owner Mohammad Talib. | Dr Vishal Chauhan/ Twitter
-----
July
5, 2022
A
Muslim eatery owner was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal on Sunday for
selling meat dishes wrapped in newspaper that had images of Hindu deities
printed on them.
Mohammad
Talib was arrested on a complaint by Hindutva group Hindu Jagran Manch district
president Kailash Gupta, reported The Times of India. A first information
report alleged that Talib also tried to attack police officers with a knife
when they came to arrest him, reported PTI.
He
has been booked under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups
on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence), 295A (deliberate act
intended to outrage religious feelings of any community) and 307 (attempt to
murder) of the Indian Penal Code.
A
family member of Talib told The Times of India that newspapers have been used
to pack food items at eateries for years.
“Does
anyone look at the headlines of a newspaper or the photos carefully before
using it as a wrapper?” he asked. “Can anyone be sent to jail for this? He has
never hurt anyone’s sentiments.”
A
worker at Mehak Restaurant, the eatery owned by Talib, said that his employer
had bought newspapers from a scrap shop and was using them to pack food items
for customers just as other establishments do.
“It
is a normal practice, but we did not realise that the newspapers had pictures
of Hindu gods,” he told The Times of India. “We didn’t want to hurt anyone’s
feelings.”
A
police officer said that a newspaper with pictures of Hindu deities published
during the festival of Navratri was found at the eatery.
“After
receiving a complaint on Sunday evening, police rushed to the hotel and seized
the offensive material,” said Circle Officer Jitendra Kumar. “Since the matter
is sensitive, we immediately registered an FIR and arrested the eatery owner
for hurting the religious sentiments of a particular community.”
Source: Scroll
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
After
Pakistan Army Chief, ISI Head Issues Strict Orders To His Commanders To Stay
Away From Politics
Lieutenant
General Nadeem Anjum, Director General (DG) of Pakistan’s Inter-Services
Intelligence. Photo: Creative Commons
-----
Jul
5, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The chief of Pakistan's spy agency ISI has issued strict orders to all
commanders to stay away from politics following directives from army chief Gen
Qamar Javed Bajwa to offset a smear campaign against the military by ousted
prime minister Imran Khan's party, according to a media report on Tuesday.
Lieutenant
General Nadeem Anjum, director general (DG) of Pakistan's Inter-Services
Intelligence (ISI), personally issued the instructions to his subordinates, The
Express Tribune newspaper reported.
“They
have been told in the strictest terms to stay away from politics and avoid any
such activity,” the report quoted a source as saying.
The
spymaster further said that there would be zero-tolerance for violations and
any intelligence official found violating the directives would have no place in
the premier agency.
The
development came a day after army chief Bajwa directed his top commanders and
key officers – including those from the Inter-Services Intelligence – to stay
away from politics after leaders of ousted prime minister Khan-led party
alleged that some officials of the country's intelligence agency were trying to
"manipulate" the upcoming by-elections in Punjab.
Pakistan
army, which has ruled the coup-prone country for more than half of its 73-plus
years of existence, has hitherto wielded considerable power in the matters of
security and foreign policy.
Khan's
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has been leading a vicious campaign
against the security establishment since the toppling of its government in
April this year through a no-confidence motion, according to the paper.
Khan,
the 69-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, claims his ouster was a conspiracy
orchestrated and bankrolled by the US with the help of local players over his
pursuance of an independent foreign policy.
Khan
is the only Pakistani prime minister to be ousted in a no-confidence motion in
Parliament. He was replaced by Shehbaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N)
Khan
and his party blamed the military and have mounted a vociferous campaign –
especially on social media – to directly point the finger at some senior
officials.
The
party has now started peddling the narrative that the security establishment
has been engaged in “political engineering” to manipulate the upcoming
by-elections in favour of the PML-N and its coalition partners, the report
said.
The
bypolls on the 20 vacant seats of the Punjab assembly will be held on July 17.
Senior
PTI leader Yasmin Rashid alleged at a recent press conference, without
providing any evidence, that the ISI sector commander, Lahore, Brigadier Rashid
was involved in political manipulation against the PTI. Former foreign minister
and Deputy Chairman of PTI Shah Mehmood Qureshi also alleged that he was
defeated in Punjab Assembly elections through a conspiracy.
The
upcoming by-elections in Punjab are crucial because whichever party wins more
seats will form the government in the province.
The
Supreme Court has already ordered that the provincial assembly elect a new
chief minister on July 22 after the bypolls because the PTI claims the
incumbent chief minister Hamza Shehbaz doesn't command the majority, according
to The Express Tribune.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Head
Of Sadr Political Bloc Invites Iraqi Sunni, Shia Muslims To Attend Joint
Congregational Friday Prayer
July
5, 2022
Sayed
Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of Sadr political bloc, invited Iraqis to take part
in a joint congregational Friday prayer this week.
Sayed
al-Sadr said the prayer will be held in Sadr City east of Baghdad with the aim
of strengthening unity among Shia and Sunni Muslims of the country, Mawazin
News reported.
It
will mark the anniversary of the first such joint congregation prayer of Shias
and Sunnis led by his father Ayatollah Sayed Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr, he noted
in a statement.
Do
not worry about hot weather and other difficulties and attend the Friday prayer
and know that God will protect you, al-Sadr stated.
Last
October, thousands of Iraqis attended a joint congregational prayer in the city
of Miqdadiya in Diyala Governorate to boost Islamic unity and denounce
sectarian violence.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Saudi
forces arrest activists, critics in Shia-populated Eastern Province: Report
July
5, 2022
Saudi
forces have reportedly arrested a number of people in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich
and Shia-populated Eastern Province, as the kingdom intensifies a heavy-handed
crackdown against critics of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his policies.
Opposition
sources said Saudi forces have lately launched a frantic campaign in Qatif,
al-Ahsa, and Dammam regions, detaining local residents without a warrant and
prior notice, Lebanon’s al-Ahed news website reported on Monday.
The
sources, who asked not to be named, added that Saudi forces have arrested Sareh
al-Ali, a resident of Dammam, in al-Ahsa, after having detained religious
scholar Sheikh Abdul Majeed bin Haji al-Ahmad, two young Shia men identified as
Hussein Rajab and Hussein al-Mutawa, and social media activist Musa Ali al-Khunaizi.
According
to the opposition sources, the common criterion in the arrests is that those
detained used to publish posts critical of bin Salman’s policies and those of
the House of Saud on social media platforms.
The
sources noted that the detainees are being held incommunicado and are deprived
of communication with their families.
Ever
since bin Salman became Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader in 2017, the kingdom has
ramped up arrests of activists, bloggers, intellectuals, and others perceived
as political opponents, showing almost zero tolerance for dissent even in the
face of international condemnations.
Muslim
scholars have been executed and women’s rights campaigners have been put behind
bars and tortured as freedoms of expression, association, and belief continue
to be denied.
The
kingdom’s crackdown on peaceful dissent has particularly targeted writers and
human rights campaigners in Eastern Province.
The
province has been the scene of peaceful demonstrations since February 2011.
Protesters have been demanding reforms, freedom of expression, the release of
political prisoners, and an end to economic and religious discrimination
against the region.
Over
the past years, Riyadh has also redefined its anti-terrorism laws to target
activism.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Hajj
pilgrimage set to begin with one million vaccinated Muslims from around world
04
July, 2022
The
annual Hajj pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, will start on
Wednesday with one million vaccinated Muslims from around the world allowed to
take part this year.
In
2019, some 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world participated.
But
then the COVID-19 outbreak forced Saudi authorities to dramatically downsize
the Hajj, and just 60,000 fully vaccinated citizens and residents of the
Kingdom took part in 2021 up from a few thousands in 2020.
All
Muslims are expected to complete the Hajj to Mecca at least once in their lives
if they have the means to do so.
Believers
converge on the holy city for several days of rituals in which they retrace the
Prophet Mohammed’s last pilgrimage.
Here
is a rundown of the ceremonies at what would usually be one of the largest
religious gatherings in the world.
White
garments
Pilgrims
must first enter a state of purity, called Ihram, which requires special dress
and behavior.
Men
wear a seamless white garment that emphasises unity, regardless of social
status or nationality.
Women
must wear loose dresses, also white, exposing only their faces and hands.
Pilgrims
are not allowed to argue or bicker and are prohibited from wearing perfume,
cutting their nails, or trimming their hair or beards.
Rituals
begin
The
first ritual requires walking seven times around the Kaaba, the large black
cubic structure at the center of Mecca’s Grand Mosque.
Made
from granite and draped in a heavily-embroidered cloth featuring verses of the
Quran, the Kaaba stands nearly 15 meters (50 feet) tall.
Muslims
turn towards the Kaaba to pray, no matter where they are in the world.
Pilgrims
next walk seven times between two stone spots in the mosque.
They
then move on to Mina, around five kilometers (three miles) away, ahead of the
main rite of the pilgrimage at Mount Arafat.
Mount
Arafat
The
climax of the Hajj is the gathering on Mount Arafat, about 10 kilometers (six
miles) from Mina, where it is believed that the Prophet Mohammed delivered his
final sermon.
Pilgrims
assemble on the 70-meter-high (230-foot) hill and its surrounding plain for
hours of prayers and Quran recitals, staying there until the evening.
After
sunset they head to Muzdalifah, halfway between Arafat and Mina, where they
gather several dozen pebbles so they can perform the symbolic “stoning of the
devil.”
‘Stoning
the devil’
The
last major ritual of the Hajj is back at Mina, where pilgrims throw seven
stones at each of three huge concrete walls representing Satan.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Saudi
Arabia arrests 300 pilgrims without permits
July
5, 2022
MAKKAH:
Saudi authorities have arrested and fined nearly 300 people caught trying to
perform Haj without permits, an official said on Monday, as the kingdom
prepares to receive one million people for the annual pilgrimage.
Some
288 “citizens and residents were arrested for violating Haj regulations,”
Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Basami, head of Haj security, told a press
conference broadcast on state-run media, adding that they were each fined
10,000 Saudi riyals (around $2,600).
Officials
have also imposed a security cordon around Makkah, Islam’s holiest city where
the Grand Mosque is located, and barred nearly 100,000 people in more than
69,000 vehicles from entering, Basami said.
One
million people, including 850,000 from abroad, are allowed to participate in
this year’s Haj after two years of drastically curtailed numbers due to the
coronavirus pandemic. That is below the 2.5m people who performed Haj in 2019,
before the pandemic hit, but significantly higher than the 60,000 people, all
of them fully vaccinated Saudi citizens, who took part last year.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1698207/saudi-arabia-arrests-300-pilgrims-without-permits
--------
Chlorine
gas leak in Iraq’s south injures at least 300
05
July, 2022
A
chlorine gas leak at a water purification plant in southern Iraq injured at
least 300 people, officials said Monday.
The
incident happened Sunday night when the potentially fatal gas leaked from a
container in the plant in the district of Qal’at Sukkar north of the southern
city of Nasiriyah.
Hundreds
of people suffering severe respiratory distress from exposure to the chlorine
were taken to a nearby hospital, said Abbas Jaber, Dhi Qar province’s deputy
governor.
He
said a committee was formed by the governor Monday to investigate the
circumstances surrounding the leak. “The negligent (officials) will be held
accountable,” he said.
Dhi
Qar is among Iraq’s poorest and and historically most underdeveloped provinces.
Residents complain of a lack of electricity and access to drinking water. It
has been a hotbed of anti-government protest and many youths from the province
participated in the mass 2019 protest movement, the largest in Iraq’s modern
history.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lebanon
plans to repatriate 15,000 refugees monthly to Syria
Wassim
Samih Seifeddine
04.07.2022
BEIRUT,
Lebanon
Lebanon
plans to return 15,000 Syrian refugees every month to Syria, Minister of the
Displaced Issam Sharafeddine said on Monday.
“It’s
unacceptable that Syrian refugees don’t return to their country after the end
of the war there,” Sharafeddine told a press conference following his meeting
with President Michel Aoun in the capital Beirut.
"The
Syrian state extends its hand for cooperation on this file,” he added.
The
minister said he made proposals to the regional director of the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Ayaki Ito, on the return of refugees,
including the formation of a three-way committee with Syria and UNHCR.
He
also spoke of a four-way plan with Türkiye, Iraq, and Jordan on the return of
the Syrian refugees, without giving further details.
The
number of Syrian refugees residing in Lebanon is approximately 1.5 million,
about 900,000 of whom are registered at the United Nations High Commissioner
for Refugees.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
American
troops kill two civilians during airdrop operation in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr
04
July 2022
At
least two people have been killed when American occupation forces, in
coordination with Kurdish-led militants from the so-called Syrian Democratic
Forces (SDF), carried out a surprise attack in Syria’s eastern province of Dayr
al-Zawr.
Syria’s
official news agency SANA, citing local sources who asked not to be named,
reported that the civilians lost their lives during an airdrop operation
conducted jointly by American attack helicopters and SDF members in the village
of al-Zar early on Monday.
The
assault was accompanied by intense and indiscriminate shooting.
According
to the sources, the surprise attack falls within the framework of US military
forces’ arbitrary and repressive measures in the occupied Jazira Region of
northeastern Syria.
US
military keeps smuggling crude oil from Syria’s Hasakah into Iraq: Report
Meanwhile,
the US military has used dozens of tanker trucks to smuggle crude oil from
Syria’s northeastern province of Hasakah into the semi-autonomous Kurdistan
region in northern Iraq.
Local
sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told SANA on Monday that a convoy
of 55 US military trucks loaded with stolen Syrian crude oil left Syria through
al-Mahmoudiya border crossing in the town of al-Ya'rubiyah and headed toward
the Iraqi territory.
The
US military has stationed forces and equipment in northeastern Syria, with the
Pentagon claiming that the deployment is aimed at preventing the oilfields in
the area from falling into the hands of Daesh terrorists.
Damascus,
however, maintains the deployment is meant to plunder the country's rich
mineral resources.
Former
US President Donald Trump admitted on more than one occasion that American
forces were in the Arab country for its oil.
After
failing to oust the Syrian government through militant proxies and direct
involvement in the conflict, the US government has stepped up its economic war
on the Arab country.
In
June 2020, the US enacted the so-called Caesar Act that imposed the toughest
sanctions ever on Syria intending to choke off revenue sources for the
government.
Source:
Press TV
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
North
America
US
says Shireen Abu Akleh likely shot from Israeli side but not intentionally
04
July, 2022
The
United States said on Monday that the Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh
was likely killed by gunfire from Israeli positions but that there was no
reason to believe her death was intentional.
The
State Department also said that the United States could not make a “definitive
conclusion” on the origin of the bullet that killed her on May 11, which was
handed over by the Palestinian Authority.
But
Israeli experts, not American ones, conducted a ballistic examination of the
bullet that killed Shireen Abu Akleh, the Israeli army said, after Washington
released findings of its probe into her death.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
US
forensic experts examine bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist in Jerusalem
Mahmut
Geldi
04.07.2022
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
US
forensic experts returned the bullet that killed Al Jazeera journalist Shireen
Abu Akleh to Palestinian authorities after examining it, the Palestinian
justice minister said Sunday.
Upon
Washington's request, the bullet that killed the journalist in the occupied
West Bank in May was handed over to the experts for investigation, Mohammed
al-Shalaldeh told Anadolu Agency.
"After
the bullet was returned, it was also examined by us,” he said, adding no new
conclusions were reached over it.
Noting
that there was no information regarding the allegations that Israelis also
participated in the investigations, he said they adhered to official procedures
with the US and delivered the bullet based on ethical and legal grounds.
“The
important thing is to catch and bring to account the person who committed this
murder,” he said, adding the US is expected not only to care about the
investigation but also to pursue whoever committed the killing as Abu Akleh was
a US citizen.
Noting
that the results of the US investigation did not reach them, he said they were
determined about the investigation.
An
Israeli military spokesman told Army Radio earlier Sunday that Israeli experts
would examine the bullet with the Americans.
On
Saturday, the Palestinian Authority said it had handed the bullet that killed
Abu Akleh to US officials to conduct a forensic examination.
On
May 11, Abu Akleh, 51, was covering an Israeli military raid near the Jenin
refugee camp in the occupied West Bank when she was shot dead.
While
Palestinian officials and her employer Al Jazeera accused Israel of killing the
reporter, Tel Aviv denied any responsibility.
Palestinian
officials have rejected an Israeli request for conducting a joint investigation
into the journalist’s death.
On
May 26, Palestinian Attorney-General Akram al-Khatib announced that an
examination of Abu Akleh’s body confirmed that she was killed by an
armor-piercing projectile fired directly at her head by an Israeli sniper.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
Europe
Israel,
Poland agree to restore ties after Holocaust row
Burak
Dağ
04.07.2022
Israel
and Poland agreed on Monday to restore their relations that had strained
following a Polish law making it difficult for Jews to claim World War II
properties.
Israeli
President Isaac Herzog and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda had a phone call
during which they discussed ways of improving bilateral ties that had
deteriorated by last year’s legislation that limited the ability of Jews,
including Holocaust survivors, to regain property seized during World War II.
"Both
presidents expressed their hope that any future issues between Poland and
Israel will be solved through sincere and open dialogue and in a spirit of
mutual respect," Herzog’s office said in a statement.
The
two sides also agreed to restore ambassadors to both countries.
"President
Herzog, in a joint initiative with the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign
Affairs of the State of Israel, requested the return of the ambassador of
Poland," the statement said.
According
to the statement, the Israeli ambassador-designate to Poland will present his
credentials within days.
Duda,
for his part, said the Polish ambassador, recalled during the row, should
return to Israel soon, it added.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/israel-poland-agree-to-restore-ties-after-holocaust-row/2630039
--------
British
Council workers stranded in Afghanistan at ‘high risk’
July
04, 2022
LONDON:
Over 180 teachers at the British Council risk being stranded in Afghanistan
after being given permission by the UK government to apply to come to Britain
but still lacking a clear route for traveling to the country, The Guardian
reported.
Former
colleagues and MPs campaigned for the recovery of the contractors, horrified
that they had been left behind as full-time British Council staff were
extracted amid fears that they would face punishment from the Taliban for teaching
values that do not align with the new Kabul administration.
Of
the teachers stuck in Afghanistan, 85 have been classified as being at “very
high risk,” while another 90 workers have been listed at “high risk.” Many have
reportedly gone into hiding fearing the Taliban’s crackdown.
Joe
Seaton, a former British Council employee who worked alongside many of the
teachers in Afghanistan, told the Guardian that no evacuation plan has been
drawn up for the contractors despite 11 months passing since the fall of the
city to the Taliban.
Having
originally not been afforded the right to be recovered to Britain, the UK
government suddenly announced last month that British Council contractors will
now be allowed to apply to come to the UK with their families. A decision was
expected in August.
Seaton
said: “We are finally making some progress, but there does not yet seem to be
any clear arrangements on how to get them out. This is a key question. How long
will it take to get them out? Every day is another day in grave danger, and so
far, all government efforts at processing former British Council staff have
been very slow and clunky. The government needs to massively speed up on
processing the individual cases.”
He
added that the British Council did not have a full list of contractors who
worked with them, which he had provided to the organization: “I have given the
British Council lists of the contractors on several occasions as they did not
have the information.”
Seaton,
who speaks to the contractors stuck in Afghanistan on a near-daily basis via
WhatsApp, told The Guardian that, following the government’s decision, they
were “optimistic, but worried this might be another false dawn.”
The
Home Office decision in June ruled that British Council contractors, staff at
GardaWorld and former Chevening Scholars could come to Britain with their
families so long as the total number of refugees applying in this category to
the Foreign Office did not exceed 1,500. Problems with housing have mired the
government’s attempts to process Afghan refugees, with the average Afghan
family significantly larger than the space afforded by a typical British house.
They
have been told to make applications online, but the Home Office Minister for
Afghan Resettlement conceded that this would be difficult in many parts of the
country.
The
British Council said: “We have a full and comprehensive list of our former
colleagues and have shared that list with relevant government departments.
We
know our former colleagues are living in increasingly desperate circumstances,
as the situation in the country continues to deteriorate.
Source:
Arab News
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2116376/world
--------
France
repatriates 51 women, children with family links to extremists from Syria camp
05
July, 2022
France
has repatriated 35 children and 16 mothers from camps in Syria holding family
members of suspected extremists since the ISIS group was ousted in 2019, the
foreign ministry said.
“France
has today undertaken the return to the country of 35 French minors who were in
camps in northeast Syria. This operation also includes the return of 16 mothers
from these same camps,” a statement from the foreign ministry said.
It
added that the minors were handed over to child protection services while the
mothers would face judicial proceedings.
Rights
groups have long urged the French government to bring home some 200 children in
detention who were either brought to ISIS territory by their parents or born
there during the years of fighting.
They
are being held in Kurdish-run camps in northeast Syria where malnutrition and
disease is rife.
One
of the biggest and most overcrowded is Al-Hol where two children die every week
on average, according to a report by the Save the Children campaign group last
September.
France
has argued that its security concerns are paramount, having suffered a series
of attacks from ISIS extremists, including the November 2015 assaults on the
Bataclan concert hall and other targets around Paris that left 130 people dead.
Source: Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
India
Saharanpur
violence: 8 Muslims, tortured by UP cops, acquitted
4th
July 2022
Eight
Muslim men who were allegedly abused by police in the violence on June 10 in
Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh, following Friday prayers, last month have been
acquitted of all charges.
Only
seven out of these eight have been released as of yet. The eighth accused’s
name was mistakenly recorded as Maharaj on the application for his release,
hence the release was unable to take place.
They
were released from jail on Sunday after the police declared that there was no
evidence against them and the local court cleared them. Their names are no
longer listed in the original FIR that was filed against 85 individuals
accusing them of a violent demonstration.
The
demonstration was held in response to statements made by suspended BJP
spokeswoman Nupur Sharma, against the Prophet Muhammad and Islam.
The
accused Ali, Asif, Mohammi, Gulfam, Mehraj, Furqan, Subhan, and Abdus Samad
have been ordered by the court to be freed on a bond of Rs 50,000 and to appear
before the court as and when necessary, BBC reported.
According
to Superintendent of Police, Rajesh Kumar, the investigation is still ongoing.
Chief minister Yogi Aditynath’s BJP administration has faced harsh criticism
for its “extra-judicial” actions against demonstrators.
Source:
Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/saharanpur-violence-8-muslims-tortured-by-up-cops-acquitted-2363379/
--------
Jamiat
Ulema of India's Assam urges Muslims not to sacrifice cow on 'Eid al-Adha'
festival
July
4, 2022
The
Assam unit of Jamiat Ulema, a key Islamic organisation, has appealed to the
Muslims not to sacrifice cows on the occasion of Id-uz-Zuha or 'Bakrid'
festival so that the religious feelings of the Hindus are not hurt.
As
'Qurbani' is an important part of the festival, animals other than cows can be
sacrificed, said Badruddin Ajmal, the organisation's state unit chief.
"Sanatan
dharma of Hindu religion reveres the cow as their mother and worships them. We
should not hurt their religious feelings," Ajmal, also the president of
political party AIUDF, said in a statement.
According
to him, the Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband had issued a public appeal in
2008 not to sacrifice the cow as a part of the 'Qurbani' (sacrifice) on the
occasion of the festival and it was pointed out that there is no mention or compulsion
that a cow has to be sacrificed.
"I
am reiterating the same appeal again and urging my fellow believers to
sacrifice an alternative animal and not the cow so that the religious sentiment
of the majority population in the country is not hurt," the Dhubri MP
said.
During
the Id-uz-Zuha, animals such as camels, goats, cows, buffalo, sheep and other
animals can be sacrificed, Ajmal said.
Source:
ABNA24
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Lucknow
Administration Urges People Not To Post ‘Qurbani’ Images on Social Media
Jul
04, 2022
LUCKNOW
District administration and Police Commissionerate officials here on Monday
urged people to refrain from taking pictures or videos of ‘qurbani’ and posting
them on social media. The appeal was made during a meeting to review security
and other arrangements in view of Bakrid on Sunday.
Maulana
Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali and other clerics were present in the meeting
held at Islamic Centre, Eidgah.
“We
appeal to people not to post any images of ‘qurbani’ on social media and
refrain from indulging in any controversy,” said Suryapal Gangwar, district
magistrate, Lucknow. The DM assured complete cleanliness in the areas,
especially in and around mosques and also directed LMC to make all possible
arrangements to ensure that the area remains garbage free during Eid-ul-Zuha.
The
Islamic Centre of India, Aishbagh, too issued an advisory to Muslims, defining
the dos and don’ts on the occasion of Bakrid. “Muslim brethren should observe
the occasion in a way that they do not hurt others’ religious sentiments. They
should also not pay any heed towards any controversies and rumours,” urged
Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali, chairman of the Islamic Centre of India.
Source:
Hindustan Times
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Karnataka:
Bajrang Dal protests Udaipur murder, demolish Muslim shop
4th
July 2022
By
Syed Mueen
Shivamogga:
A Muslim textile shop in Bhadravthi Taluk of Shivamogga district was destroyed
by Bajrang Dal members on Sunday, July 3 while protesting against Kanhaiya
Lal’s murder in Udaipur.
Bajrang
dal members were protesting in the Rangappa circle expressing their anger
towards the murder of Kanhaiya Lal burning the effigy of Tabrez in a circle.
Some protestors barged into the Muslim textile shop and broke glasses and threw
clothes out.
Speaking
to Siasat.com, the owner of the shop said, “I went to my house during lunch
hours and my 2 labourers were in the shop. One was cleaning the mat outside.
Suddenly some of the Bajrang Dal goons barged into our shop and pushed my
fellow helper inside and assaulted him”.
“They
broke our shop glass and created a ruckus. The police did nothing. Moreover,
they dragged my fellow workers and beat them up,” Saddam Shafi owner of Swag
Men’s Fashion store told to Siasat.com.
He
further alleged that when he complained to the police station they just booked
the accused under Section 257 A rather than booking them for Section 307
(murder) on Bajrang dal goons. “I have all CCTV footage in which Bajrang Dal
goons demolished my shop purposely when they got to know it was a Muslim shop,”
Saddam said.
“We
are maintaining peace, Don’t test our patience in Bhadravati, this is an open
warning to SDPI & PFI that you have to pay a huge price in future,” a
Bajrangdal leader had said during a protest related to Udaipur incident.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/karnataka-bajrang-dal-protests-udaipur-murder-demolish-muslim-shop-2363518/
--------
Gyanvapi
mosque case: Next hearing on July 12
04th
July 2022
By
Namita Bajpai
LUCKNOW:
After hearing the Anjuman Intezamiya Masajid (AIM), the Gyanvapi management
committee, which concluded its arguments on each of 51 points of the petition
filed by a bunch of five Hindu women seeking daily darshan and worship of
Shringar Gauri and other deities on Gyanvapi mosque premises, the Varanasi
district court, on Monday, posted the matter for next hearing on July 12.
The
AIM had challenged the maintainability of the petition filed by the Hindu
women. The AIM advocates will appear before the court of district Judge Dr Ajay
Krishna Vishwesha for legal submission on challenging the maintainability of
this case on July 12.
AIM
advocate Abhay Nath Yadav said that he had completed the arguments on behalf of
AIM under Order VII rule 11 of the Civil Procedure Code. “On the next hearing,
we will appear before the court for legal submissions to challenge the
maintainability of the petition seeking daily worship of Hindu deities on
mosque premises. On July 12, we will table law and rulings to prove how this
case is not maintainable,” Yadav said.
Two
local plaintiffs including Laxmi Devi and Sita Sahu with their veteran advocate
Harishankar Jain, Vishwa Vedic Sanatan Sangh chief Jitendra Singh Visen, who is
looking after the case on behalf of Delhi-based plaintiff Rakhi Singh, and a
team of his lawyers remained present in the court during the hearing.
The
district court had commenced the hearing in the case on May 24 in compliance with
the Supreme Court order of May 20. The apex court had ordered to decide the
maintainability of the petition filed by the Hindu side first. The apex court
had issued the order while transferring the case from the court of civil judge
(senior division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar to the district judge court of Varanasi.
Source:
New Indian Express
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
RSS
Plans Major Outreach among UP’s ‘Pasmanda’ Muslims
Jul
4, 2022
LUCKNOW:
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is learnt to have taken feedback from the UP
BJP unit about the contribution of ‘Pasmanda’ community (backward classes among
Muslims) in the saffron party’s electoral performance since the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections when BJP formed the government at the Centre under the leadership of
PM Narendra Modi.
Pasmanda,
which means, “left behind” in Farsi, account for around 75% of the total Muslim
population in UP. During the recently concluded national executive in
Telangana, PM Modi had asked the UP BJP cadre to ramp up the outreach among the
Pasmanda community for their social uplift. Modi’s observation had come in the
aftermath of BJP’s recent Lok Sabha bypoll win in SP bastions Azamgarh and
Rampur.
Sources
said that a top RSS functionary recently summoned a senior UP BJP office-bearer
and asked him as to what extent Muslims, who got benefited by various
government schemes, aligned with the party. Sources said that the UP BJP leader
told the RSS leader that only 1% of the total 4 crore Muslim beneficiaries of
various government schemes, have shown signs of allegiance towards the BJP.
“Most of the beneficiaries are essentially from the Pasmanda Samaj. But
ironically, they have shown little support for the BJP,” said the leader.
President
of UP BJP minority wing, Basit Ali, said that the party plans to expedite its
outreach among the Pasmanda community in the run-up to 2024 LS elections. “All
we can do is to provide them the benefits of the government schemes and
convince them about BJP’s ideology. We expect the best to happen,” he told TOI.
The
BJP has been appointing Pasmanda Muslims on key government and organisational
positions. For instance, Jamal Siddiqui, who hails from the backward Manihar
community, is the national president of BJP’s minority wing. Likewise, Danish
Azad Ansari is a minister in Yogi Adityanath cabinet, while Iftikar Javed
Ansari is the chairman of UP Board of Madrassa Education. Similarly, Choudhary Kaif-ul-Wara,
from the weaver (bunkar) community, is the chairman of Uttar Pradesh Urdu
Akademi.
The
Sangh, sources said, has reportedly also stressed on consolidation of Jat,
Gujjar and Rajput sections among the Muslims. Basit Ali, himself, happens to be
from the Rajput community. The Jats and Gujjars are essentially concentrated in
the politically significant west UP. Experts said that these three communities
account for 15% of the state’s total Muslim population. Experts said that the
BJP’s focus on Jat and Gujjar Muslim could presumably nudge the opposition,
particularly the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal, which have been
relying heavily on consolidation of Muslims, especially in the west UP.
Source:
Times Of India
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
NIA
chief briefs Shah on Udaipur, Amravati probes
Jul
5, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The chief of the anti-terror probe agency NIA on Monday met Union home
minister Amit Shah and is understood to have briefed him about the progress in
the ongoing investigations in the killings of two persons in Rajasthan's
Udaipur and Maharashtra's Amravati, officials said.
Both
the cases were handed over to the NIA by the home ministry.
Director
general of the National Investigation Agency Dinkar Gupta had a 40-minute
meeting with the home minister Amit Shah at his North Block office, where the
former is said to have apprised him about the probe into the two cases.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Nupur
Sharma Hearing Judge Slams Social Media Opinions, Says Parliament Should
Regulate
By
Ananthakrishnan G
July
4, 2022
Amid
criticism on social media of the Supreme Court’s oral remarks in the case of
suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma this week, one of the judges who was
part of the Bench has expressed concern over the use of digital and social
media for “expressing personalised opinions” against judges, and called for
mandatory regulation of such media to “preserve the rule of law” in the
country.
“Social
and digital media is nowadays primarily resorted to expressing personalised
opinions more against the judges per se rather than a constructive critical
appraisal of their judgments.
This
is what is harming the judicial institution and lowering its dignity,” Justice
J B Pardiwala said on Saturday.
“Constitutional
courts have always graciously accepted informed dissents and constructive
criticisms”, Justice Pardiwala said, “but their thresholds have always debarred
the personalised, agenda-driven attacks on the judges”.
“This
is where digital and social media needs to be mandatorily regulated in the
country to preserve the rule of law under our Constitution,” he said.
The
vacation Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Pardiwala had lashed out
against Sharma on Friday for her remarks on the Prophet, saying she had a
“loose tongue”, and was “single-handedly responsible for what is happening in
the country”, including in Udaipur.
Justice
Pardiwala was speaking on the topic ‘Vox Populi vs Rule of Law: Supreme Court
of India’ at the second Justice H R Khanna Memorial National Symposium
organised by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia National Law University, Lucknow, and
National Law University, Odisha, along with the Confederation of Alumni for
National Law Universities (CAN Foundation).
“A
trial is essentially a process to be carried out by the courts,” Justice
Pardiwala said. “However, in the modern day context, trials by digital media
are an undue interference in the process of justice dispensation, crossing that
Lakshman Rekha many a times.”
This
was “especially worrisome when that section of people starts scrutinising the
judicial process, it presents only the half truth”, he said. “Those for whom
the concepts of judicial discipline, binding precedents and inherent
limitations of judicial discretion are elusive, this section of people, the
half-truth knowledgeable, are a real challenge to the dispensation of justice
through the rule of law.”
The
“attacks attempted at judges for their judgments lead to a dangerous scenario
wherein judges will have to pay greater attention to what the media thinks
rather than what the law actually mandates,” Justice Pardiwala said. “This puts
the rule of law on the burner ignoring the sanctity of the respect for the
courts”.
He
said that “a judicial verdict, right or wrong, is always by a court vested with
powers under the Constitution of India as a court of record…”, and “the remedy
of any judicial order or a judgment is clearly not available on digital or
social media but before the superior court of law in the judicial hierarchy”.
The
judge said that “in India, which still cannot be classified as a completely
mature and informed democracy, social and digital media is employed frequently
to politicise purely legal and constitutional issues”.
The
Ayodhya dispute is a case in point, Justice Pardiwala said. It was “essentially
a land and a title dispute, bordering upon the title of a deity. However by the
time the final verdict came to be delivered, the issue attained political
overtones”, he said.
“All
those imputing intentions and motives to the Supreme Court for the Ayodhya
verdict conveniently forgot that some day or the other, some judge had to
decide the contentious civil dispute which was undisputedly one of the oldest
litigations pending in the court of the country running into more that
38,000-odd pages. This is where the heart of any judicial proceedings before
the constitutional court may disappear and the judges deciding the dispute may
get a bit shaken which is antithetical to the rule of law. This is not healthy
for the rule of law,” he said.
Another
issue that has “always been a hot cake for the social and digital media is the
punishments in cases of serious offences”, Justice Pardiwala said.
“The
immense power of these platforms is persistently resorted to for precipitating
a perception of guilt or innocence of the accused even before the trial is
over. This also sacrileges the rule, especially in high-profile matters where
either the incident is hyped or the accused is a big man. Even before the trial
is over, the society starts believing that the outcome of judicial proceedings
ought to be nothing but conviction with extreme penalty for the accused.”
Justice
Pardiwala called upon Parliament to consider making laws to regulate social and
digital media.
“…Regulation
of digital and social media especially in the context of sensitive trials,
which are sub judice, must be dwelled upon by the Parliament by introducing
appropriate legislative and regulatory provisions in this regard,” he said.
He
pointed out that “a number of legislations, namely amendments to the
Information Technology Act 2000, Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, are in place to
tackle the problems of interference with the judicial processes, especially in
sensitive sub-judice matters”.
There
are also studies, reports, recommendations, both nationally and
internationally, “suggesting ways and measures for handling the perpetual
problem of media trial, especially through the social and digital media”, he
said.
On
the rule of law, the judge said the “judiciary cannot exist independent of the
society and the interaction is inevitable but the rule of law is
insurmountable”.
“Balancing
the intent of the majority populace on one hand and meeting the demands of
affirming the rule of law on the other is an arduous exercise”. It “requires
extreme judicial craftsmanship to walk the tightrope between the two”, he said.
“What
would people say, ‘log kya kahenge, kya sochenge’ (What will people say, what
will people think) is an enigma which haunts each and every judge, every
moment, whenever he is to pen down a judgment having social ramifications”.
However,
“it is where the conviction, awareness of the constitutional values and
conceptual understanding of rule of law of the concerned judge comes to the
fore”, he said.
“Judicial
verdicts”, Justice Pardiwala said, “cannot be the reflection of influence of
public opinion”. He recalled that during the Constituent Assembly debates,
Professor K T Shah “was of the view that the sentiments of the people must be
given respect when it comes to judicial decision making”.
However,
there is another school of thought, he said. “I belong to this school of
thought”, and “it emphasises the need to disassociate oneself from the belief
of the majority and go by the rule of law.”
Source:
Indian Express
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
State Bank of Pakistan Adopts More Sharia-Compliant Standards for Islamic
Banking
Shahid
Iqbal
July
5, 2022
KARACHI:
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Monday it had adopted more Sharia
standards to promote Islamic banking.
However,
the SBP has recently approached the Supreme Court of Pakistan to find a
solution for the implementation of riba-free banking. The Federal Shariat Court
(FSC) came up with a final verdict on interest-free banking and gave a timeline
to implement the decision.
The
FSC on April 28 announced a verdict in a long-pending case on riba, declaring
the prevailing interest-based banking system as against Sharia and directed the
government to facilitate all loans under an interest-free system. The court
ruled that the federal government and provincial governments must amend
relevant laws and issue directives that the country’s banking system should be
free of interest by December 2027.
On
June 26, commercial banks and their regulator – the SBP – filed an appeal
before the SC challenging the FSC direction to the government for a complete
transformation of the banking system into Sharia-compliant banking by December
2027 and seeking guidance from the appellate bench on the matter.
The
SBP’s decision to approach the SC was shocking for many in the financial sector
since the central bank is playing a key role in the promotion of Islamic
banking.
The
SBP on Monday said it had been adopting Sharia standards of the Accounting and
Auditing Organisation for Islamic Financial Institutions (AAOIFI).
“The
standardisation and harmonisation in Sharia practices and procedures are
helping in elevating the local Islamic banking industry at par with the
international best practices,” said the SBP.
The
SBP said it adopts more AAOIFI Sharia Standards for the Islamic Banking
Industry Strengthening Sharia compliance of the Islamic banking industry in
line with best international practices is one of the key pillars of SBP’s 3rd
Strategic Plan for the Islamic Banking Industry 2021-25.
“After
a comprehensive process of evaluation and deliberations with the internal and
external stakeholders, keeping in view our local environment, today the State
Bank has adopted four more AAOIFI Sharia standards on Salam and Parallel Salam;
Istisna and Parallel Istisna; and Combination of Contracts and Irrigation
Partnership (Musaqat), with certain clarifications and amendments,” said the
SBP.
Salam
is a mode of financing frequently used in agriculture, while Istisna’a is a
mode generally used by Islamic banking institutions to provide financing where
manufacturing, assembling, and processing are involved.
The
irrigation partnership (Musaqat) standard can be used in the agriculture
sector, especially for orchard financing, while the standard on the combination
of contracts provides guidance to Islamic banking institutions when making use
of multiple contracts in their various arrangements to meet the needs of the
customers.
“The
SBP has already issued detailed general guidelines on Islamic financing for the
agriculture sector.”
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1698238/sbp-adopts-more-sharia-compliant-standards-for-islamic-banking
--------
Imran
Khan Aides Say Bushra Bibi ‘Treason’ Clip A Storm In Teacup
Dishha
Bagchi
4
July, 2022
New
Delhi: Imran Khan is out of power but not out of Pakistan’s news cycle. And
this time, it’s his wife Bushra Bibi and a leaked audio tape that has put the
former prime minister in the dock, giving his detractors and the political
opposition another opportunity to attack.
In
the alleged audio clip that was leaked on social media, the former first lady
can be heard asking Dr Arsalan Khalid, Focal Person to PTI Chairman on Digital
Media, to spread a “narrative of treason”. The two-minute-long audio clip shows
Bushra expressing her disappointment at Khalid for the PTI’s inactivity on
social media. She then asks him to run the hashtag ‘traitor’ on social media
and link people criticising her and the former PM to ‘treason’.
Now,
the Federal Minister for Defence Affairs of Pakistan, Khawaja Asif has proposed
that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) can file a petition in the court and
send the audio clip for forensic testing to verify its legitimacy.
Bushra
can be heard saying, “Aleem Khan (PTI) and co. will be speaking as per their
plan. You should link them with treason. You have to raise [threat] letter
[issue] on social media and say that we know the letter is authentic.”
She
can also be heard instructing Khalid to create a narrative surrounding all PTI
dissidents, saying that they joined foreign conspirators.
The
PTI chairman on Digital Media has rejected the audio clip, calling it
“fictitious” and saying that the public did not care for such “fabricated
videos”. “Recording thousands of calls, editing voices to turn them into custom
phone calls and then disseminating them through lifafas — a term used by PTI
for journalists critical of its policies — is this the only thing left [to do]
now?” Dr Khalid added.
Defence
minister Khawaja Asif has accused Imran Khan of attacking the country’s
institutions as he has been deprived of power. Speaking on the Geo News
programme Naya Pakistan, he said Khan should be ashamed of blaming the
institutions. He also said the former PM is fulfilling India’s agenda to weaken
Pakistan’s nuclear programme. “He [Khan] can neither be loyal to the soil nor
anybody else as he isn’t loyal to his own blood,” Asif said to The Daily Times.
Action
should be taken against Imran Khan under Article 6 if the requirements are met,
said Khawaja Asif.
Several
of Imran Khan’s supporters have come out in support of the couple.
Shahbaz
Gill, Imran Khan’s Chief of Staff, called the audio fake and ensured that it
would be exposed during a press conference in Islamabad on Sunday. He alleged
that an “organised campaign” was being run against the former premier and his
wife. The PTI leader also warned members of the ruling Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz (PML-N) that if their video and audio clips were made public, they
would not be able to “show their faces” and criticised the party for its
“derogatory remarks” against Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in the past.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Pakistan
Army Chief undertook a ‘low profile’ visit to Paris: Report
30
June, 2022
Islamabad
[Pakistan], June 30 (ANI): Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa attended a
security exhibition this month in Paris while deliberately keeping a low
profile to avoid any possible public backlash, owing to the diplomatic rift
between the two countries.
For
this particular trip, there was no mention in the Pakistani media and no press
release was issued by the military media wing. According to South Asian Press,
Bajwa kept a very low profile and did not even attend official dinners by the
French organizers of the exhibition.
Moreover,
Pakistan’s mission, which lacks an ambassador due to poor Pak-French relations,
was apparently not even involved in the visit.
“General
Bajwa probably kept a low profile in France so as not to upset the Islamist
extremist groups back home, which consider France a blasphemous country,” South
Asain Press reported citing a reporter working in Paris for Pakistani media.
At
the forefront of such anti-French Islamist extremist groups that General Bajwa
does not want to upset is TLP.
TTP,
known to have close links to the Pakistani military, is now a political party,
in recent years has gained popularity in Pakistan after failed efforts by
Pakistan’s civilian leadership to ban the party on terror charges.
TLP
emerged as an Islamist pressure group opposing the 2016 hanging of Mumtaz Qadri
for murdering former Punjab governor Salman Taseer who had criticized
Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. Blasphemy is a legal offence in the country.
Following
Qadri’s execution, the TLP and affiliated groups organized nationwide protests,
often resorting to destruction of property and street intimidation, an approach
it has persisted with.
In
November 2017, the TLP held the capital hostage for weeks after amendments in
the Electoral Reforms Bill, which had overlooked the mandatory anti-Ahmadi
clause requiring the members of the constitutionally excommunicated community
to declare themselves non-Muslims to participate in any election process.
A
month after the incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government came to power in
September 2018, the TLP launched protests against an anti-Islam cartoon
competition organized by far-right Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders in the
Netherlands.
In
October 2018, the TLP protested against the Supreme Court releasing Christian
woman Asia Bibi establishing that she was falsely accused of blasphemy against
Islam.
Again,
the TLP’s pushback came in September 2020 after “Charlie Hebdo” decided to
republish caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, coinciding with the trial of
abettors of the 2015 jihadist attack on the publication.
That
same year, French President Emmanuel Macron came to the defence of free speech
on religion after a schoolteacher, Samuel Paty, was decapitated by a radical
Islamist for showing the French satirical publication’s cartoons in class also
irked the group.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-army-chief-undertook-a-low-profile-visit-to-paris-report/1019338/
--------
MQM
leader Babar Ghauri arrested at Karachi airport
Imran
Ayub
July
5, 2022
KARACHI:
Former federal minister and leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Babar
Khan Ghauri was arrested by police on Monday night minutes after he landed at
Karachi airport while returning from the United States ending his seven-year
self-exile, officials said.
It
was only last month when the Sindh High Court granted him a two-week protective
bail in a corruption reference and a money laundering and terror financing
case. After the SHC orders, the former minister announced his return without
giving details of his future plans in the country.
A
senior official, while confirming the arrest, however, didn’t share the reason
behind the move of law enforcement agency, stating that the “situation would be
clear by tomorrow [Tuesday]”, when the former key man of the MQM would be
produced before the court.
The
former ports and shipping minister, who returned to Pakistan after almost seven
years, had through his attorney moved the SHC last month and submitted that he
was presently abroad and willing to come back and surrender before trial
courts.
Mr
Ghauri, along with the MQM founder and other party leaders, had been booked by
the Federal Investigation Agency in 2017 in a money laundering and terror
financing case.
The
National Accountability Bureau had also filed a reference in an accountability
court in 2018 against him and others for alleged illegal regularisation of 940
employees of the Karachi Port Trust, causing a loss of Rs2.8 billion to the
national exchequer.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1698208/mqm-leader-babar-ghauri-arrested-at-karachi-airport
--------
Suspect
linked to KU bombing held, Sindh IGP tells Chinese delegation
Imtiaz
Ali
July
5, 2022
KARACHI:
While sharing the details of investigations into the Karachi University suicide
bombing with a visiting Chinese delegation, the Sindh police chief on Monday
disclosed that an “important suspect” had been taken into custody.
In
April, a suicide bomber blew herself up outside KU’s Confucius Institute
killing three Chinese teachers and their local driver.
On
Monday, a 13-member Chinese delegation, led by a Chinese counterterrorism
official, called on Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and discussed with
him security measures for Chinese nationals working in Sindh and the progress
on the probe into the KU attack.
The
Chinese delegation members included Consul General of China in Karachi Li
Bijian, police counsellor in Chinese Embassy Li Qingchun, cyber security
technical expert Ma Jingchao, Shanghai police authority expert Pei Lianxi and
others.
Briefing
on the progress of the case, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi
Memon said that technical and ground sources had been utilised for an in-depth
investigation into the case.
He
added that with the efforts of the intelligence team of the Counter-Terrorism
Department (CTD), an “important accused” had been arrested.
The
delegation informed the CM that they were technically strengthening the CTD and
Special Branch of the Sindh police.
The
CM said that the data collected by the police showed that 3,637 Chinese
nationals were working on eight projects relating to the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh.
He
added that 3,361 personnel, including 1,500 policemen, 517 army personnel, 173
Rangers, 28 FC personnel and 1,143 private security guards had been deployed on
their security.
According
to the CM, there are 21 government sponsored non-CPEC projects, including in
NED University and KU, and 194 private sponsored projects, where 2,879 Chinese
were working.
Mr
Shah said that his government was also providing them security.
The
meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Home Secretary Saeed
Mangnijo, CTD head Imran Yaqoob Minhas and Special Secretary to CM Rahim
Shaikh.
Security
enhanced at cattle market
IGP-Sindh
Memon on Monday chaired a meeting and directed his subordinates to enhance
security on main routes and adjoining roads of Sohrab Goth cattle market off
Superhighway.
He
said that the Eidul Azha contingency plan should be implemented strictly.
He
said the code of conduct for collection of hides of sacrificial animals should
be implemented in letter and spirit.
The
IGP said registered welfare institutions and other stakeholders should be taken
into confidence about the code of conduct.
He said
security of passengers on all highways should be ensured, and checking on
exit-entry routes of the province should be made extraordinary, while video
recording should be ensured with coordination of the motorway/highways police.
He
said police picketing should be established on roads, adjoining roads and other
selected spots, while patrolling should be increased through mutual
collaboration.
Meanwhile,
sources said that the police received reports that terrorists were planning a
high-profile action in Karachi against foreigners or important installations.
Source:
Dawn
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Taliban
Grand Meeting Did Not Lead to Breakthrough: Human Rights Watch
By
Arif Ahmadi
04
Jul 2022
KABUL,
Afghanistan – The Human Rights Watch (HRW), including a number of students and
teachers, said their expectations from the recent national assembly of Afghan
clerics were not met, according to sources, as there was no specific mention of
girls’ education and their rights in the country.
High
schools for girls remain closed for over nine months now, even after the cleric
gathering where they issued a resolution on several hot topics in the country –
except women’s right and their right to schooling.
Recent
gathering of clerics was expected to determine the reopening of the girl’s
schools but the resolution did not refer to the topic, leaving majority of the
women in disappointment.
“Our
wish from the Loya Jirga was to reopen the school but this didn’t happen,” said
a local teacher Shogofa, as TOLOnews quoted. “We wanted them to talk about the
schools.”
“For
how long will we be deprived of our education,” she questioned in
disappointment? Will they respond to our questions about whether we have the
right to study or not? We have been in an uncertain fate for a long time.”
Expressing
frustration and an uncertain future for girls in Afghanistan, another Kabul
teacher Momina said “Afghan girls become hopeless as the fate of their schools
was not discussed and this is bad news for Afghan girls.”
Meanwhile,
the Human Rights Watch said it is not surprising the gathering did not bear any
fruit, concerning girls’ education in Afghanistan, which in fact was to be the
“real thing” during the grand national assembly.
This
is not “surprising that the Taliban’s grand meeting didn’t lead to any kind of
breakthrough on a real thing — girls’ secondary school,” said Heather Barr,
Associate director of the Women’s Rights Division at Human Rights Watch, as
local media reported.
But
the Islamic Emirate officials in their defend said based on the final
resolution, the decision was made about religious and modern educational system
for girls in the country.
“The
Islamic Emirate respects the wishes and views of the Islamic clerics. The
Islamic Emirate will take serious steps in this regard,” said Bilal Karimi,
deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
According
to sources, only two participant reflected on reopening of girls’ school, which
apparently was not loud enough to bear fruit during the national grand
assembly.
At
least 3,000 people across Afghanistan were reportedly invited to the gathering
of Islamic clerics, which was held at the Loya Jirga Hall on Thursday through
the weekend in Kabul.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/taliban-grand-meeting-did-not-lead-to-breakthrough-hrw/
--------
Attack
on a Convoy Carrying Taliban Forces in Western Afghanistan Wounds 20 People
By
Saqalain Eqbal
04
Jul 2022
According
to local sources, a convoy transporting the Taliban 207 Al-Farooq Corps forces
was attacked on Monday morning in Herat, a province in the west of Afghanistan.
Mohammad
Shah Rasool, the Taliban’s spokesperson for the Heart police chief, confirmed
that the attack targeted Taliban forces in the 4th district of Herat province,
when unidentified gunmen assaulted a vehicle carrying Taliban forces.
In
contrast to claims from eyewitnesses who claim that two Taliban security
personnel were killed and more than 20 soldiers and civilians were injured in
the armed attack, the spokesperson said that the armed attack did not result in
casualties to the Taliban.
He
further added that one of the attackers was killed during the attack on the
Taliban security personnel.
According
to the local sources, the wounded were taken to the Herat Central Hospital to
receive treatment.
No
organization or group, so far, has claimed responsibility for the attack on 207
Al-Farooq Corps forces.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
4,559
Afghan refugees expelled from Iran, Pakistan: Taliban
Jul
05 2022
Kabul,
Jul 5 (IANS): The Taliban-led government in Kabul has claimed that 4,559 Afghan
refugees were expelled from Iran and Pakistan in the last three days.
In
a statement on Monday, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation (MoRR) said on
Monday that majority of the expelled refugees returned from Iran after a census
conducted by the Tehran government, reports TOLO News.
The
Iranian government urged Afghan authorities to stop illegal travel.
"With
the start of the census process of Afghans, the deporting of Afghans without
legal documents has increased. The government of Iran counts people who do not
take part in the census as illegal refugees," said Asefa Stanekzai, a
representative for Afghan refugees in Iran.
The
development comes as the UN and Amnesty International have urged the host
countries to stop eviction and migration of Afghan refugees and as well as
violating of their rights.
According
to the UNHCR, Afghan refugees are the third-largest displaced population in the
world, followed by Syrian refugees and displaced Venezuelans.
There
are 2.6 million registered Afghan refugees in the world, of whom 2.2 million
are registered in Iran and Pakistan alone.
Source:
Daiji World
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=975793
--------
Will
request India to speed up return of Af students: Taliban
Jul
5, 2022
NEW
DELHI: The Taliban have said they will ask the Indian government to expedite return
to India of Afghan students who want to resume their studies here.
This
followed a meeting that the students had on Monday with Afghanistan foreign
minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in which they sought early return to India and
resumption of their classes. The classes were suspended because of the
pandemic.
"Calling
Afghan students the country's assets, Muttaqi assured them that he would exert
utmost efforts for return of Afghan students to complete their studies,"
tweeted an Afghanistan foreign ministry spokesperson. Muttaqi also assured the
students that the issue will be taken up with the Indian embassy in Kabul.
Source:
Times Of India
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Afghanistan,
Pakistan narrate conflicting accounts of same story
4
July, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], July 4 (ANI): Afghanistan and Pakistan are quibbling again but
this time over the identity of an elderly man who was seen in a video throwing
himself under a car after being allegedly denied permission to cross the
border.
A
man who was barred from crossing the Torkham border by Pakistani authorities on
July 2 was an Afghan national, the Taliban administration’s embassy in Pakistan
has said.
On
the other hand, the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul had stated that the man in
question was a Pakistani national who also happened to be the father of
Pakistani journalist.
“An
Afghan, who was standing among hundreds of other Afghans and wanted to show his
ID card, out of necessity and despair, threw himself under a car and was
martyred,” Sardar Ahmad Khan Shekib, charge d’affaires of the Taliban
administration’s embassy in Islamabad said, as per Khaama Press.
Torkham
border connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
In
March, Pakistan had allowed Afghan nationals to cross the Torkham border to
return to Afghanistan on the basis of their national identity cards.
The
Taliban embassy shared Sardar Ahmed Shakib’s statements on its Twitter page, in
which the embassy condemned the situation of Afghans in the Torkham border and
urged Pakistani authorities to address the situation.
On
the other hand, the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul had stated that the man in question
was a Pakistani national who also happened to be the father of Pakistani
journalist.
Reports
and videos from earlier that day that were widely circulated showed a man
hurling himself under a car, Khaama Press reported.
Citing
reports the media outlet said that the Pakistani police had demanded payment in
cash in order to let him passage; however, the individual was reportedly unable
to pay and killed himself as a result.
Source:
The Print
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
https://theprint.in/world/afghanistan-pakistan-narrate-conflicting-accounts-of-same-story/1024026/
--------
Mideast
Israeli
Arab Muslim party aspires to be part of the next new coalition
Afif
Abu Much
July
4, 2022
The
June 30 decision by the Knesset to dissolve itself forces all parties anew to
take sides ahead of the Nov. 1 elections. This is particularly true for the
Arab Muslim Ra’am party, which is currently part of the coalition.
As
a reminder, two years ago when then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was with
his back against the wall, he started establishing ties with Ra’am and its
leader, Mansour Abbas. Paradoxically, these new ties opened the way for Ra’am
to enter the Bennett-Lapid coalition. Still, the way things look now, the
political willingness of opposition leader Netanyahu to re-engage with Ra’am is
long gone.
In
fact, Netanyahu used his June 29 Knesset speech to announce that “unlike [Prime
Minister] Yair Lapid, we will not form a government that relies on the Muslim
Brotherhood and supporters of terrorism.” The response from Ra’am to that
speech was quick in coming. Abbas shouted out, “You negotiated with us last
time!” This resulted in a raucous barrage of calls from the Likud benches: “Sit
down, you liar!”
But
that was not the end of the heated discussion prior to the decision to dissolve
Israel’s parliament. An angry clash broke out between Abbas and Knesset member
Ahmad Tibi of the Arab Joint List. Tibi accused his rival from Ra’am of fawning
over Netanyahu and the Likud, and he did it using very “unparliamentary”
language. Tibi shouted, “You kissed [Netanyahu’s] ass to be in a coalition with
him, and you’re willing to kiss his feet too.” Abbas responded, “Oh, the shame.
I sent [Netanyahu] home. You are bringing him back!”
At
some point, Arab Joint List leader Ayman Odeh also entered the fray, telling
Netanyahu that the Arab members of the Knesset who had cooperated with him have
“no values.” As he said this, he pointed at Abbas. Later on, Odeh denounced
Tibi’s remarks in an interview with Arabic-language Nas Radio. “It would have
been if he said it differently. There’s no need to use that kind of language.”
Still, he did not walk back the spirit of the accusation.
Clearly,
these verbal clashes at the Knesset were just the opening salvo of the election
campaigns of both Ra’am and the Joint List. The animosity between Abbas and his
former colleagues in the Joint List is expected to resonate within Arab society
throughout the upcoming months and all the way to Nov. 1. That is because the
original reason for the divide between Ra’am and the Joint List has increased
and been reinforced during the current government. Both parties espouse
different views on cooperating with a coalition. Ra’am advocates for a strategy
of joining the coalition in every future Knesset, as written here in an earlier
article. The Joint List is against cooperating with any coalition that does not
advance negotiations with the Palestinians.
All
this raises important questions concerning Ra’am’s strategy. Will the party
endorse Lapid as prime minister in its upcoming election campaign? Or will it
repeat the strategy of its previous campaign and play the field, with the
intention of joining whatever coalition is formed? Should the party stick with Lapid now in
order to give him a boost and ensure that he remains prime minister?
Evidently,
it would be easier for Ra’am to continue cooperating with most members of the
current coalition led by Lapid and Yesh Atid. Alternately, the party could
announce that it refuses to commit to either side so that they could take
advantage of the situation in which Netanyahu needs their votes in the future
to form a new coalition. That’s almost exactly what would have happened last
year if the leader of the Religious Zionist party, Bezalel Smotrich, hadn’t
prevented it and attacked the Likud for even negotiating openly and behind the
scenes with Ra’am.
Some
indication of the approach that Ra’am is planning to take can be seen in
remarks by a senior member of Ra’am and its Shura religious council, who asked
not to be named. He told Al-Monitor, “We are continuing along the same path,
which highlights a commitment to Arab society first and foremost. Obviously, we
would prefer that the current coalition last into the next Knesset so that we
can continue to advance the programs we began to benefit the Arab public.”
The
Ra’am senior continued, “If, however, that turns out to be impossible after the
election, we do not reject anyone who does not reject us. We are prepared and
ready for any political partner in a coalition that would benefit Arab
society.”
Based
on what he said, it looks like Ra’am would prefer the current coalition headed
by Lapid, but at the same time they are in no hurry to slam the door on any
other future political partnership. In other words, they will continue with
their strategy of playing the entire field rather than be limited to a partner
with Lapid and the center left. Abbas himself said last May that a coalition
with the Likud would be considered a genuine success for the new approach he
took.
Source:
Al Monitor
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Iran:
Saddam's Chemical Bombing of Sardasht Highest Degree of Insolence
2022-July-4
"The
Sardasht chemical bombing (June of 1987) showed the highest degree of Saddam
regime's insolence in the war imposed against Iran," Amir Abdollahian said
in a tweet on Monday.
He
pointed out that the great nation of Iran will never forget the silence and
complicity of human rights claimants in the brutal crime and contrary to
international law.
The
Iranian foreign minister commemorated the National Day of Combating Chemical
and Biological Weapons.
The
Iranian city of Sardasht in West Azerbaijan Province is the third city after
Japan's Hiroshima and Nagasaki which became the target of Weapons of Mass
Destruction in the world.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
--------
Israeli
PM Lapid to press France’s Macron and warn Hezbollah ‘playing with fire’
05 July,
2022
Israeli
Prime Minister Yair Lapid will press French President Emmanuel Macron on
Tuesday for a tougher and time-limited tack on the Iranian nuclear
negotiations, and warn that the Tehran-backed Hezbollah group is “playing with
fire,” an official said.
Lapid’s
visit to France, his first abroad since becoming caretaker premier last week,
is also a chance to flex diplomatic muscles as Israelis gear up for a snap
election in November.
France
is among world powers trying to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran that the
previous US administration quit and which Israel opposed, deeming its caps
insufficient.
As
Lebanon’s former colonial administrator, France has additional clout in Beirut
- whose economic crisis-hit leaders were jarred on Saturday when Israel shot
down three Hezbollah drones launched toward one of its Mediterranean gas rigs.
“The
French are very, very active on the Iranian issue,” a senior Israeli official
told reporters.
“It
is important for us to make our case ... Israel opposes a return to the JCPOA
(2015 nuclear deal). In the same breath, we do not oppose a deal. We seek a
very strong deal.”
Israel
is not a party to the nuclear negotiations. But Western capitals have been
attentive to its worries about its arch-enemy and worried it might take
preemptive military action if it deems diplomacy a dead end.
Since
the US walkout, Iran has itself been in breach of the deal, ramping up projects
with bomb-making potential - though it denies having such designs. Its
technical advancements have set a ticking clock on the so-far fruitless
negotiations.
“We
want an end to the unending talks,” said the senior Israeli official, calling
for “coordinated pressure” on Iran and offering help on “drafting an
appropriate framework” for that.
Israel
has de facto front with Iran in Lebanon, home to Hezbollah. The senior Israeli
official, alluding to Saturday’s shoot-downs, accused the group of “playing
with fire.”
The
official declined to elaborate on that warning, but said Lapid would share with
Macron “new material explaining how Hezbollah is endangering Lebanon.”
Hezbollah
and Israel fought a war across Lebanon’s border in 2006 but have been in a
largely stable standoff since.
Source: Al Arabiya
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original story:
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Palestine
rejects 'manipulation' of investigations into journalists’ death
Awad
Rajoub
04.07.2022
RAMALLAH,
Palestine
The
Palestinian Authority (PA) on Monday rejected “manipulation” of investigations
into the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.
Abu
Akleh, 51, was shot dead on May 11 while covering an Israeli military raid near
the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.
While
Palestinian officials and her employer Al Jazeera accused Israel of killing the
reporter, Tel Aviv denied any responsibility.
On
Saturday, the PA said it had handed the bullet that killed Abu Akleh to a US
team to conduct a forensic examination.
The
US, however, said Monday that there was no "definitive conclusion" on
the origin of the bullet. It, however, concluded that the gunfire from the
Israeli position was "likely responsible" for the reporter’s death.
“We
will not accept under any circumstances the manipulation of the outcomes of
Palestinian investigations, and will continue the procedures on her assassination
in international courts, particularly the International Criminal Court, since
Israel is responsible for her killing and must bear the consequences,” PA
spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said statements cited by the state news agency
Wafa.
Abu
Rudeineh “deeply regretted” the Israeli government’s disavowal of its
responsibilities for the journalist’s death, calling on the US administration
to maintain its credibility and hold Israel fully responsible for Abu Akleh’s
murder.
On
May 26, Palestinian Attorney-General Akram al-Khatib announced that an
examination of Abu Akleh’s body confirmed that she was killed by an
armor-piercing projectile fired directly at her head by an Israeli sniper.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Africa
2023:
Islamic cleric warns against same-faith presidential ticket
July
4, 2022
By
Amos Tauna
A
former Special Adviser on Islamic Matters to late governor Patrick Ibrahim
Yakowa of Kaduna State, Sheikh Haliru Abdullahi Maraya, has opined that those
promoting the idea of a Muslim-Muslim or Christian-Christian presidential
ticket, in today’s Nigeria, do not wish the country well now that it is divided
along religious fault lines.
Speaking
on “Islamic view on same-faith presidential ticket in today’s Nigeria”, the
former Special Adviser stated, “Those promoting the idea of a Muslim-Muslim or
Christian-Christian presidential ticket, in today’s Nigeria, do not wish the
country well especially now that it is divided along religious fault lines.”
He
explained that it’s wrong for a Muslim to support a Muslim-Muslim presidential
ticket as it is at variance with the spirit of justice which the religion of
Islam promotes and defends at all times.
“I
don’t think there is a Muslim who will support a Christian-Christian
presidential ticket. Undoubtedly, the Muslims would cry out for the
perpetration of injustice against them,” he said.
Sheikh
Maraya further explained, “The combination of a Muslim and non-Muslim, in a
presidential ticket, in Nigeria of today, also gives vent to the spirit of
justice, fairness and equity as enshrined in the religion of Islam. Remember,
the country is for the Muslims and non-Muslims alike. The religion of Islam
orders the sincere administration of justice, on all, regardless of any
distinction, be it religious, ethnic, geographical, tribal, inter alia.
“The
religion enjoins its adherents to always stand for justice as a matter of
principle, whether for Muslims or non-Muslims, even if justice should side
against them. The Quran says: “and do not let the hatred of a people prevent
you from being just” (Q5:8). As a Muslim, one is enjoined by the religion to
only love for mankind, regardless of any social difference, what they love for
themselves.”
He
said that Nigeria is a multi-religious country of more than 200million people
who are Muslims and non-Muslims, saying that the country is owned by more than
200million citizens who are of diverse religious background.
Sheikh
further Maraya advised, “In order to be just to all the citizens of the
country, and also to balance the apparent religious sentiments prevalent in the
country, Nigeria’s politicians and its major political parties have avoided
fielding same-faith presidential candidates since the present political
dispensation from 1999.
“In
any event, the combination of people of different religious background, on a
presidential ticket, appears to give vent to the constitutional requirement
that the composition of the federal government and its agencies should reflect
the federal character of the country, and the need to promote national unity,
thereby ensuring that there is no predominance of sectional groups in the
government, as enshrined in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria
as amended.”
He
stated that he wondered what the country would be should the various agitations
in the land assume a religious dimension, stressing that no religion has the
monopoly of qualified people who have the capacity to serve as running mates to
presidential candidates if merit should be the parameter for the nomination of
running mates.
“Undoubtedly,
both Muslims and non-Muslims, in Nigeria of today, are endowed with capable and
qualified persons for the offices of the President and Vice-President alike. Consequently,
justice, fairness and equity, as enjoined by the religion of Islam, demand that
a Muslim presidential candidate should nominate a non-Muslim as their running
mate, and a non-Muslim presidential candidate should nominate a Muslim as their
running mate, in Nigeria of today, for the sake of the promotion of national
unity and cohesion,” he stressed.
To
balance the geographical and ethnic sentiments in the country, he opined that
the politicians and major political parties have never contemplated fielding
candidates of the same geographical and ethnic leanings, saying that they have
never fielded a north-north or a south-south presidential ticket.
He
added that it is common sense and the appreciation of Nigeria’s religious
diversity to abhor and discourage a same-faith presidential ticket, stressing,
“The unity of our beloved country, Nigeria, should be the priority of all
Nigerians, not winning elections at all costs. It is a very disheartening
commentary on our politics that some of our politicians are thinking of
strategy and strategy to win elections, even if they lose the country in the
end.”
He
opined that there should be no desperation to use sophistry to win an election
and lose the only country Nigerians have, observing that presently, the level
of distrust and suspicion between the Muslims and non-Muslims, in Nigeria, has
become very high as to make it implausible, unrealistic and unwise for any
political party and presidential candidate to field a same-faith presidential
joint ticket.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
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https://dailypost.ng/2022/07/04/2023-islamic-cleric-warns-against-same-faith-presidential-ticket/
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34
killed in two jihadist attacks in Burkina Faso
Jul
5, 2022
OUAGADOUGOU:
Suspected jihadists killed at least 34 people in attacks on villages in
northern Burkina Faso at the weekend, officials and sources said Monday.
In
the northwest of the country, 22 people, reportedly including children, were
killed late Sunday at Bourasso in Kossi province, said Boucle du Mouhoun
regional governor Babo Pierre Bassinga.
"Armed
men moved around the village at around 5:00 pm, firing in the air. They came
back at night and blindly opened fire on people," a security source said.
In
northern Burkina Faso, 12 people died on Saturday in an attack at Namissiguima
in Yatenga province, another security source said, also speaking on condition
of anonymity.
Three
of the dead were members of a civilian militia, the Volunteers for the Defence
of the Fatherland (VDP) -- an auxiliary force set up in December 2019 to
support the army.
Burkina
Faso, one of the poorest countries in the world, has been grappling with a
jihadist insurgency that swept in from neighbouring Mali in 2015.
The
campaign, led mainly by groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group,
has claimed thousands of lives and forced some 1.9 million people to flee their
homes.
More
than 40 percent of the country lies outside the control of the government,
according to official figures.
Burkina
Faso underwent a coup in January, when disgruntled colonels ousted elected
president Roch Marc Christian Kabore.
Source:
Times Of India
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Sudan’s
army won’t take part in political talks, leader says
05
July, 2022
Sudan’s
military leader General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said on Monday the army would
not participate in internationally led dialog efforts to break its stalemate
with the civilian opposition, and urged political and revolutionary groups to
start talks to form a transitional government.
Last
October, Sudan’s military staged a coup, dissolving a transitional government
formed after President Omar al-Bashir was toppled in a 2019 popular uprising.
The
military takeover triggered frequent mass rallies demanding the army quit
politics. The United Nations and the African Union have led mediation efforts
to break the deadlock as the economic crisis has worsened, but there has been
little sign of progress.
Burhan
spoke on television as protesters in the capital Khartoum increased pressure on
military rulers by holding days of sit-ins against the death of nine civilians
on Thursday during anti-military rallies.
About
2,000 people were participating in one sit-in near the city center on Monday
afternoon, a Reuters witness said.
On
Monday, Burhan said the army’s decision not to participate in talks was to
allow political and revolutionary groups to form a government. Since the coup,
most civilian groups have refused to negotiate with the military, which has led
to the current stalemate.
He
called on civilian groups to start a serious dialog to bring the country back
to a democratic transition. The military will be committed to implementing the
outcomes of the dialog, he said.
Burhan
said the ruling sovereign council that he leads, and which includes military
and civilian members, would be dissolved after a new government forms.
A
new Supreme Council of the Armed Forces would then be created and be
responsible for security and defense tasks as well as related responsibilities
in agreement with the government, Burhan said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
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UN
appeals for urgent funding to provide humanitarian aid to people in South Sudan
Benjamin
Takpiny
05.07.2022
JUBA,
South Sudan
The
UN’s humanitarian coordinator for South Sudan appealed Monday for urgent
funding to meet the needs of the South Sudanese people, who are suffering from
multiple interconnected shocks.
According
to a statement released by Sara Beysolow Nyanti, current estimates indicate
that $400 million is urgently required to provide minimum humanitarian
services.
Nyanti
said that if these funding gaps are not addressed, it will leave millions of
the most vulnerable people at risk of losing access to vital humanitarian
assistance and protection.
“The
humanitarian context in South Sudan is daunting and is the worst that it has
ever been. Everything including protection of women and girls, food, nutrition
and shelter is needed,” she said.
Nyanti
noted that there are over 2 million people displaced in South Sudan, and the
absence of funding means those in camps risk being left in critical need of
water, sanitation and hygiene and health services, and the lack of safety and
security will further deepen these risks.
“The
resources have dwindled, but lives should not,” she added.
For
over a decade, the people of South Sudan have faced multiple crises. People’s
lives have been shattered by years of conflict, social and political
instability, unprecedented climate shocks, ongoing violence, frequent
displacements, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, food insecurity and
multiple disease outbreaks.
In
South Sudan, some 8.9 million people -- more than two-thirds of the population
-- are estimated to need significant humanitarian assistance and protection in
2022.
The
Humanitarian Response Plan requests $1.7 billion to target 6.8 million people
with life-saving assistance and protection services. Currently, the plan is
funded only at 27%, almost 14% of which was funded by the OCHA-managed Pooled
Funds Central Emergency Response Fund and South Sudan Humanitarian Fund. OCHA
refers to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs.
“With
such funding gaps, the vulnerable suffer more and humanitarian partners are
forced to prioritize, making heart-wrenching choices between severe needs. We
cannot give up because the cost of inaction is too high, and people in need
cannot afford to pay this price. We need urgent funds and are appealing to the
world to remember the most vulnerable in South Sudan,” Nyanti added.
An
estimated 1.9 million people will not have access to clean water, sanitation
and hygiene services without more funds.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Egyptian,
Libyan leaders say elections ‘only way-out’ of Libya’s crisis
Ibrahim
al-Khazen
05.07.2022
Egyptian
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and head of Libya’s Presidency Council, Mohamed
al-Menfi, said elections are the only way-out of the Libyan crisis.
This
came in a phone call al-Sisi received Monday evening from al-Menfi during which
they discussed developments in the crisis-hit country.
Al-Sisi
said that Egypt will not spare any effort to achieve national reconciliation in
Libya, his office said in a statement.
The
two sides also underlined the importance of the departure of all foreign troops
and mercenaries from Libya.
Al-Menfi’s
office, meanwhile, said the Egyptian leader underlined his country’s keenness
to maintain Libya’s unity and encourage dialogue between all Libyan rivals.
Last
week, protesters stormed the premises of the Tobruk-based House of
Representatives (parliament) and set it on fire amid protests in several Libyan
cities calling for the abolition of legislative and executive bodies and
holding elections as soon as possible.
Libya
has been plagued by turmoil and divisions since the 2011 ouster of late ruler
Muammar Gaddafi.
UN-sponsored
talks between Libyan rivals to agree on a constitutional framework for holding
the long-awaited elections have been deadlocked.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
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Over
15,000 Nigerian Muslim pilgrims ‘stranded’ as Saudi Arabia extends airlifting
05
July 2022
There
was anxiety yesterday, as over 15,000 intending Nigerian pilgrims wait to be
airlifted to Saudi Arabia.
Of
the 43,008 worshippers billed for the trip, 27,359, inclusive of 527 staff, as
well as committee and board members, had been conveyed.
In
Kano, Executive Secretary of the state’s Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji
Mohammad Abba Danbatta, accused Azman Air of “lacking the capacity to manage
the conveyance of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.”
Addressing
reporters, Danbatta said the state had lodged a formal complaint with NAHCON.
He
said: “Despite the formal request to allow Kano to operate Max Air, National
Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON)-assigned Azman Air to airlift Kano pilgrims
which are over 2000, and since the operation started, this airline can only
airlift 900 pilgrims.
“
Just yesterday, Azman directed us to call our pilgrims for airlift to Saudi
Arabia. We summoned over 400 pilgrims for screening at the camp, and they were
left stranded for over 24 hours. We intimated NAHCON about the development,
only (for them) to inform us that Azman would no longer airlift Kano
passengers. This is so unfortunate. Now we are told that Saudi air, FlyNas, has
been assigned to Kano.”
“NAHCON
said Henceforth two air carriers from Saudi Arabia would arrive Aminu Kano
international anytime from now. They said the remaining pilgrims would be
airlifted before the closing date.”
Reacting
to the development, Assistant General Manager, Azman Air, Nuruddeen Aliyu, told
journalists that for reasons beyond their control, NAHCON directed the airline
to rather concentrate on the airlifting Kaduna Pilgrims.
Meanwhile,
in a statement released on Monday, NAHCON disclosed the General Authority for
Civil Aviation, GACA, of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has granted an extension
of landing permit to intending pilgrims from Nigeria to enable them to perform
the 2022 hajj exercise.
The
permission, sequel to the request tendered by NAHCON, ceded waiver to carriers’
continued operations.
Besides
GACA has approved the extension of landing permits for Nigerian pilgrims under
the aegis of NAHCON.
Source:
Guardian Nigeria
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Southeast
Asia
Selangor
ruler concerned over Malay disunity, tells politicians to unite
July
4, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: Selangor’s Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has expressed concern over the
disunity among the Malay community and urged Malay politicians, in particular,
to unite for the sake of national development.
Sultan
Sharafuddin said this disunity was detrimental to national unity, multiracial
harmony and political stability.
In
a statement posted on the Selangor royal office’s Facebook page, he said Malay
politicians needed to be aware of the fact that Malaysia’s development and
progress depended on having stable leadership.
“Should
the Malay leaders fail to show good and responsible leadership, the other races
would lose respect for these Malay leaders and will not support the Malay-led
government,” he said.
Sultan
Sharafuddin also advised Malay politicians to work with non-Malay political
leaders to ensure that the nation’s development received the highest priority.
He
said prioritising national development would help ensure that Malaysians,
regardless of race, would be able to live comfortably.
While
he maintained that he had no intention to interfere in national politics, he
said he felt compelled to give his advice and opinion to call for an end to
Malay disunity.
“This
is to ensure that the interest of the Malay community can be preserved without
neglecting the rights and interests of non-Malays in this country,” he said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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Indonesia
school helps students recite Quran in sign language
By
Budi Satriawan
July
5, 2022
YOGYAKARTA,
Indonesia, July 5 (Reuters) - Concerned about how Indonesian students with
hearing impairments often miss out on religious education, cleric Abdul Kahfi
founded an Islamic boarding school to help them study and recite scripture from
the Quran using sign language.
Opened
in 2019 in the city of Yogyakarta in central Java, the Darul A'shom school now
has 12 staff and teaches 115 students aged between seven and 28 years from
across the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.
Abdul
hopes the school will make it easier for future generations to learn about
Islam.
"Nowadays
hearing-impaired adults barely know religion in depth because from school age
they have never learned about it," said the cleric, noting how interest in
his school had spread quickly.
In
Indonesia, the curriculum in public schools provides limited religious teaching
to children with special needs, starting at the age of eight or nine rather
than at kindergarten as is the case for many other students.
Only
three out of 10 children with disabilities in Indonesia are able to go to
school, according to a survey by the United Nations children's agency (UNICEF).
Hearing-impaired
students typically take about five years to learn to recite and memorise the
Quran at the school.
"Now
I am able to read and memorise 30 juz (parts) of the Quran," said Muhammad
Farhad, a 10-year-old student, who said he wanted to become a cleric one day so
he can pass on his knowledge to others.
Source:
Reuters
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First
Malaysian death recorded in Mecca, says religious minister
04
Jul 2022
MECCA,
July 4 — A 62-year-old man from Kuala Nerang, Kedah, became the first Malaysian
pilgrim who died in the holy city during this year’s Haj season.
The
matter was announced by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious
Affairs) Datuk Idris Ahmad.
He
said the man had suffered serious bacterial infections and breathed his last at
the King Faisal Hospital on June 25.
As
of last Saturday (July 2), Idris said 13 Malaysian pilgrims were receiving
treatment at the Tabung Haji (TH) treatment centres in Makkah, while three
others were in Saudi hospitals.
“Tabung
Haji is always concerned with the welfare of every pilgrim, hence trying its
best in providing them with the best medical services,” he told a press
conference here.
In
another development, the minister reminded all pilgrims to always comply with
the rules and regulations set by the Saudi government and to adhere to all
instructions given by TH staff.
“I
also hoped that all Malaysian pilgrims will avoid getting involved in unlawful
activities.
“The
Government of Malaysia and TH are closely monitoring all issues relating to
their safety and security in the Holy Land,” he said.
Source:
Mala Ymail
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I agreed to testify against Syed Saddiq to avoid prosecution, says witness
Faisal
Asyraf and 'Ainin Wan Salleh
July
4, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: A prosecution witness in Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman’s corruption
trial has admitted to the High Court that he was testifying against the Muar MP
to avoid being “charged for other cases”.
Abdul
Hannaan Khairy was asked by Syed Saddiq’s defence lawyer, Gobind Singh Deo, if
he agreed to testify against Syed Saddiq in court for fear of being charged by
the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) with other cases.
Hannaan
first responded by asking judge Azhar Abdul Hamid for permission to use the
restroom, but answered affirmatively when he was told to respond to the
question first.
The
prosecution witness also admitted to being called in by MACC many times, but
could not recall the exact number.
He
admitted to feeling “scared” whenever he was called in by MACC to provide
statements regarding Syed Saddiq’s case as he would also be questioned about
other cases, as he feared he would also be charged.
Hannann
used to be a member of Bersatu Youth and contested for the Kayang state seat in
Perlis in the 14th general election under Pakatan Harapan.
He
was sacked by the party in August 2020.
Syed
Saddiq, a former youth and sports minister who used to lead Bersatu Youth, is
on trial on four charges of criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of funds
and money laundering of more than RM1 million belonging to the youth wing.
Earlier,
Hannaan said Syed Saddiq had told him to ask Bersatu Youth’s apparel and
merchandise supplier, Muhammad Naqib Ab Rahman, to prepare a backdated
quotation and receipt amounting to RM50,000 and RM200,000, respectively.
Regarding
his other cases, he admitted that MACC had grilled him over possession of a car
in 2020 and said he was worried that action would be taken against him.
He
also said he was upset with the way MACC officers had intimidated his wife when
she was questioned, claiming that she was even asked to take off her clothes at
one point.
During
cross-examination, Gobind read excerpts from the police report that Hannaan’s
wife, identified as Siti Nurul Hidayah, had lodged on June 5, 2020.
In
the report, she claimed that she was brought to a room for questioning and was
surrounded by six male officers, who “hurled explicit words” at her.
Gobind:
(The report stated that) one of them threatened to slap her and that his hand
was an inch away from her cheek. The officer also kicked her chair, and then
they asked her to stand on the chair while lifting up one leg and both hands
for half an hour. How do you feel about this?
Hannaan:
I’m sad and disappointed
Gobind:
Are you afraid to give your statement today?
Hannaan:
Yes.
Gobind:
Are you afraid of the MACC officers escorting you?
Hannaan:
Can I not answer that?
Gobind:
Okay, let’s leave it at that.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/fatwas-islamic-principles-hajj/d/127410