Gaza war raises risk of Islamist extremism in Europe

New Age Islam News Bureau

25 November 2023

Police patrol the Champs Elysees in Paris last month amid security concerns following a deadly knife attack in northern France. | REUTERS

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·         Gaza war raises risk of Islamist extremism in Europe

·         BJP delivered on Ram mandir & triple talaq abolition: Amit Shah in Hyderabad

·         Malays, Islam not under threat, says PM

·         Afghanistan Embassy in India “Permanently” Closed: Statement

·         War in Gaza expected to result in a 1.4% reduction in Israel's economic growth in 2023

·         Pakistan receives global condemnation over $830 'exit fee' for Afghan refugees

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Europe

·         EU envoy says US sanctions in Cuba worsening human rights situation

·         EU says violence by settlers against Palestinians in West Bank must stop

·         France detains Nice footballer Atal over post on Israel-Hamas war

·         Jewish, Islamic groups back up Catholic school in lawsuit challenging new Michigan law

·         When Islam’s Ka’ba And Solomon’s Temple Unite – OpEd

·         Spain denounces ‘indiscriminate’ Gaza deaths, angering Israel

·         UK doubles humanitarian aid to Gaza

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India

·         UP: Meat shops to remain shut as Yogi govt declares ‘No Non-Veg Day’

·         Gujarat: Dalit man assaulted and forced to apologize with footwear in his mouth for

·         demanding salary in Morbi

·         Allahabad HC: UP curbs only on transporting cattle, not on carrying beef

·         Why people are pretending to be Muslim in India

·         In the shadow of Partition, state-sanctioned atrocities aimed to wipe out Meo Muslims in Mewat

·         "4% Muslim Reservation Based On...": Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao

·         Days after demolition drive, Nizamuddin slum dwellers trade house remains

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Southeast Asia

·         Anwar: I told the truth about massacre in Gaza as it was the right thing to do

·         Thailand PM SretthaThavisin says 12 Thai hostages released by Hamas

·         Johor ruler: TunkuLaksamana Johor mosque to be built at Jalan Kolam Air

·         MOTAC to review eligibility of travel agencies managing umrah pilgrimage

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South Asia

·         Wardak and Ibrahimkhil assume leadership at Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi

·         CSTO Heads Discuss Regional Issues in Council Session

·         Islamic Emirate Leader Orders Cabinet to Address Needs of Refugees

·         42 Bangladeshis return after 3 yrs in Indian prison

·         Kabul to accept migrant deportations after verification by consulate general

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Mideast

·         Gaza ceasefire enters second day with more hostages to be exchanged and critical supplies delivered

·         Israel only targets civilians, children in Gaza: Survivor

·         Israel reviews list of hostages set to be freed by Hamas on Saturday

·         Hamas releases 24 hostages, including Thai farm workers

·         Families of hostages not slated for release from Gaza during current truce face enduring nightmare

·         Arab states condemn Geert Wilders’ Palestine comments

·         Without US support, Israel couldn't have continued Gaza war: Iran

·         Yoni Ashner, whose family was freed from Hamas, won't celebrate till all hostages return

·         Israeli-owned ship targeted in suspected Iranian attack in Indian Ocean

·         Pro-Palestine rallies continue as truce takes hold in Gaza 

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Pakistan

·         PTI reacts to ‘Laadla’ comment on Imran

·         WFP urgently needs $27m for families returning to Afghanistan

·         Pakistani-Afghan couple’s son gets bail in illegal stay case

·         Court dismisses plea against Imran’s nikah

·         Imran moves SC against IHC’s rejection of pre-arrest bail

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Africa

·         Islamic scholar urges Nigerians to demand good leadership

·         Zamfara politics: Prominent Islamic cleric resigns

·         Abdulrazaq, Sultan, Saraki, others for launch of Ansarul Islam’s varsity

·         Death toll from floods in Kenya rises again

·         UN-Supported Cultural Festival Unites South Sudanese Communities

·         Morocco: normalization with Israel hampered by the war in Gaza

·         African leaders give renewed push for permanent seats on UN Security Council

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North America

·         Biden suggests he was the reason for Hamas attack

·         Biden says Gaza hostages release ‘only a start’

·         Putting conditions on military aid to Israel 'worthwhile thought', says US President Biden

·         Biden hopeful about Israel-Hamas truce extension, US hostages release

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Arab World

·         Minister of Hajj suggests best timing for performing Umrah

·         First ship carrying aid for Gaza arrives in Egypt in KSrelief-coordinated operation

·         3rd Saudi Green Initiative Forum program unveiled

·         KSrelief Distributes Winter Clothing Vouchers to 416 Refugee Families in Jordan

·         18th Saudi Relief Plane for Palestinian People in Gaza Arrives in Egypt

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/gaza-war-islamist-extremism-europe/d/131182

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Gaza war raises risk of Islamist extremism in Europe

Nov 25, 2023

Police patrol the Champs Elysees in Paris last month amid security concerns following a deadly knife attack in northern France. | REUTERS

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LONDON/BERLIN – European security officials are seeing a growing risk of attacks by Islamists radicalized by the Israel-Hamas war, with the biggest threat likely to come from "lone wolf" assailants who are hard to track.

More than 10 intelligence and police officials in five European countries including Britain, Germany and France said they are increasing surveillance of Islamist militants.

This will put a further burden on resources already stretched by dealing with perceived threats from Russia, China and Iran, in what London police Chief Mark Rowley calls "one of the most challenging convergence of threats I have ever seen."

A British security official said the war in Gaza was likely to become the biggest recruiter for Islamist militants since the start of the Iraq War in 2003, and that calls for attacks on Jewish and Western targets had risen in Europe.

A German source briefed by intelligence services said the threat to civilians was the highest in Germany's recent history, with dangers coming from Islamist militants, far-right groups and Russia.

Two Islamist militant attacks in France and Belgium last month killed three people, and these two countries, Austria, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have raised their terrorism threat alert levels. Italy has reimposed border controls with Slovenia, citing the risk of militants entering the country.

"There is going to be a blowback that is going to be felt for years," the British official said.

Deaths from Islamist assaults in Europe surged between 2004 and 2006, when attacks were fueled by al-Qaida, and peaked again in 2015 to 2018, when they were inspired by the Islamic State group.

The threat to Europe now is likely to look very different.

The Islamic State group and al-Qaida recruited thousands of foreign fighters and had the capability to plan orchestrated, synchronized assaults in Europe from the relative safety of enclaves in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria.

Islamic State group and al-Qaida are now in retreat, and Hamas' main target is Israel.

Lone wolves

Security officials say the main danger for Europe is probably from attacks by "lone wolves" — assailants who are radicalized, often online, but have no formal links to more established groups.

The severity of the security threat could depend on how long Israel continues its offensive against Hamas in Gaza, launched in response to the deadly Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, and the extent of the damage to the Gaza Strip.

Although a truce has come into effect in Gaza, both sides have said the war is far from over.

Jochen Kopelke, a police officer who heads Germany's largest police union, said officers were warning suspected militants they were under surveillance and carrying out raids, but the main threat was people who are "self-radicalized."

"It's only a question of time until these people carry out crimes," he said. "It's not always about them having a bomb. They can drive with a car into a gathering or attack with a knife."

Kopelke said Christmas markets that will soon be opening were potential targets. An attack on a Berlin Christmas market in 2016 killed 12 people.

Many Muslims have been angered by the ferocity of the Israeli offensive, and some say European governments should have done more to restrain Israel.

Peter Knoope, former deputy director of policy at the Dutch National Coordinator for Counter-Terrorism, said European counterterrorism officials found after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that the best way to stop attacks was a combination of military power with prevention work based on understanding motives and grievances.

He said visits by the British, French and German leaders to Israel last month had angered some Muslims, as had some of the language used by European leaders.

"The result is that it will create an 'us-and-them' feeling with the Muslim community. It is like we have learnt nothing," Knoope said. "I am very worried when I see the polarization and I see the language being used."

Online disinformation

Muslim leaders in Europe say there has been an increase in attacks on Muslims and mosques since the Oct. 7 Hamas raid, and describe a climate of fear as disinformation spreads online.

"I have never seen our society so polarized," said Iman Atta, director of British Muslim group Tell Mama (Measuring anti-Muslim Attacks).

Germany's Kopelke said a network of Salafists — ultraconservative Islamists — had resurfaced, and a new group of pro-Hamas influencers had emerged on Instagram and TikTok.

One Salafist preacher has 55,000 followers after creating an account on video app TikTok after the Hamas attack, and has shown videos questioning Israel's right to exist.

A host of militant groups such as Islamic State group and al-Qaida have called for attacks in the West and violence against Jews, although intelligence officials say the overall threat from the two groups has receded.

Only two of 16 completed "terrorist attacks" in the EU last year were "jihadist," according to Europol. Thirteen were attributed to left-wing and anarchist groups, and one to a right-wing group.

"What you have now is a threat that is more diffuse and more diverse," said Thomas Renard, director of the International Centre for Counter-Terorrism think tank, who said there is more radicalization occurring online than in places such as mosques.

Source: japantimes.co.jp

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https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/11/25/world/terrorism-threat-europe/

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BJP delivered on Ram mandir & triple talaq abolition: Amit Shah in Hyderabad

 25th November 2023

Hyderabad: Targetting the BRS government in Telangana over its alleged failures, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said in the last 10 years, the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao-led dispensation, barring engaging in corruption, has done nothing concrete for the people.

Addressing a press conference, he said the people of Telangana are ready to see off the BRS government in the November 30 assembly polls.

“Today youth, farmers, dalits and backward are totally disappointed. Telangana people believe that BRS did nothing else, but corruption,” he claimed and said the state which was revenue surplus is now reeling under debt of lakhs of crores of rupees.

Appealing to voters to vote for the BJP, Shah said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has fulfilled all the promises it made, ranging from the construction of the Ram Temple, abrogation of Article 370, or abolishing triple talaq.

“Your (people of Telangana) vote will not just decide the fate of an MLA or a government, but the future of Telangana and the country. I appeal to you to vote only after analysing the performance of each and every party. I am confident that you will vote for PM Modi-led BJP once you do an analysis of all parties,” he added.

The senior BJP leader assured that after the BJP comes to power in Telangana, corruption deeds will be investigated and those responsible will be sent to jail.

Source: siasat.com

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https://www.siasat.com/bjp-delivered-on-ram-mandir-triple-talaq-abolition-amit-shah-in-hyderabad-2919295/

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Malays, Islam not under threat, says PM

November 25, 2023

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the five-day carnival held at Anjung Floria. -NSTP/SAIFULLIZAN TAMADI

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PUTRAJAYA: Malays and Islam in the country are not under pressure or being challenged, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today.

Anwar said those were baseless political rhetorics played up by certain quarters.

He said it was proven that the 80 per cent of activities conducted by the Rural and Development Ministry have directly benefited the Malays and the Bumiputera, including those in Sabah and Sarawak.

"This year, the programmes held under the unity government are far way better. The allocations set aside by the Finance Ministry for states such as Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu are higher than previous years.

"But what is being spread and slandered is that these states are sidelined. Islam is being challenged, but by who? What programmes have we conducted that have tainted Islam?

"I asked the ministry if KarnivalUsahawanDesa breached Islam? But this is the endless political narrative.

"That is why I stress that we must answer firmly, we must not be derailed and boost efforts to develop everyone, regardless of race and religion and ensure the wellbeing and justice of all in the country," he said in his speech at the five-day carnival held at AnjungFloria, today.

He also asked the people to focus on the economy and the nation's growth.

Separately, Anwar said the government will not change its subsidy policy stance, even if there are potential price increases in items such as chicken.

He said instead, those in need will be given direct fund injections like SumbanganTunaiRahmah.

"2024 is the time for us to conduct a few programmes that had been delayed for decades, including targeted subsidies.

"This issue will be played up for sure. It was like when we lifted the subsidies for chicken, there was an outburst, saying that the price will rise, but it turned out that the price was more controlled than before.

"But if one says that they have losses of RM30 or RM50 monthly to buy chicken, we will take the approach to provide direct fund injections so that the price does not escalate," he added.

Source: nst.com.my

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https://www.nst.com.my/search?keywords=Malay

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Afghanistan Embassy in India “Permanently” Closed: Statement

November 24, 2023

The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi announced in a statement the permanent closing of its diplomatic mission in New Delhi, effective from Nov 23, owing to "persistent challenges from the Indian government."

“The decision follows the embassy’s earlier cessation of operations on 30 Sep, 2023, a move made in the hope of the Indian government stance,” the statement reads.

According to the statement, the diplomats of the “Afghan Republic have handed over the mission solely to the Indian government.”

"India has had good relations with various governments in Afghanistan. It does not want to be involved in political and security issues of Afghanistan. But as an industrial country, it cannot get away from the region. When it sent its technical team to Kabul, the Taliban also created pressure to accept their [Taliban’s] diplomats and hand over the charges of the embassy," said Aziz Maarij, a former diplomat.

The Afghan students in India called the closure of the embassy concerning.

“In India, many students, traders and Afghan refugees are living, and their first step was to the embassy, where their problems were addressed,” said Nazar Gul, a student.

The Islamic Emirate has yet to comment on it but some former Afghan diplomats said the two sides should negotiate to reach a solution as the issue will affect the Afghans based in India.

“The Islamic Emirate and Indian government should take steps to reopen the embassy as soon as possible,” said Ahmad Raghi, a former diplomat.

Earlier, the Afghan embassy in New Delhi said that the embassy's activities would be stopped from October 1 of this year due to the lack of support from the Indian government, the failure to meet expectations in providing Afghanistan's interests, and the reduction of employees and resources.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186182

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War in Gaza expected to result in a 1.4% reduction in Israel's economic growth in 2023

25.11.2023

Anadolu staff 

Israel's GDP growth could decline by 1.4%, settling at 2% in 2023 due to the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, chief economist at the Israeli Ministry of Finance, Shmuel Abramson, said in a statement.

In reference to the next year, the statement noted that “given the high uncertainty regarding the combat in the Gaza Strip, several scenarios have been prepared.”

In the basic scenario on which the forecasts are based, the Israeli economy is projected to grow 1.6% in 2024. The scenario assumes the war will persist until the first quarter of 2024.

But in the "fast recovery scenario," the overall growth next year will be 2.2%, while in the "slow recovery scenario," it will be 0.2%, it said.

“In the 'fast recovery scenario,' the overall growth for the next year will be 2.2%, whereas in the 'slow recovery scenario,' it is expected to be 0.2%,” it said.

In the 2023 forecasts, Abramson said that ''the damage to financial security and the decline in consumer morale are causing a reduction in private consumption, which is further impacted by a decrease in household income.”

Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group, Hamas, on Oct. 7.

The Palestinian death toll from Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip has soared to 14,854, the government’s media office in the blockaded enclave said Thursday.

The victims include 6,150 children and over 4,000 women, while more than 36,000 people have been injured, it said.

Source: aa.com.tr

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Pakistan receives global condemnation over $830 'exit fee' for Afghan refugees

 Nov 25, 2023

Image credit: ANI

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ISLAMABAD: Several Western diplomats and the United Nations have strongly criticised Pakistan over its decision to impose hundreds of dollars in exit fees for every Afghan refugee who fled the persecution by the Taliban condemning the decision as "shocking and frustrating", The Guardian reported.

The "unprecedented" move targets refugees who are waiting to leave Pakistan for Western countries under resettlement schemes, and charges about $830 for each person

This comes after Pakistan announced a crackdown on undocumented foreigners and set November 1 as the deadline for about 2 million unregistered Afghans to leave the country. It further started mass deportations of undocumented Afghans as the deadline passed.

Thousands of Afghans without the correct documents or with expired visas have been in Pakistan since the fall of Kabul in August 2021 waiting to restart their lives in countries in the west. Most of them worked with western governments and organisations and are eligible to be resettled on humanitarian grounds, according to The Guardian.

The US government plans to resettle almost 25,000 Afghans in the country. The UK has said it will resettle 20,000 people.

Five senior western diplomats in Pakistan told the Guardian the exit permit fee in Pakistan was unprecedented internationally and had come as a shock.

"I know it is very tough economically for Pakistan but really, to try to make money off refugees is really unattractive," The Guardian quoted a diplomat as saying.

"The issue has also been raised by the two UN agencies in the lead on this mess, the [UN refugee agency] UNHCR and [International Organization of Migration] IOM," the diplomat added. "It has also been raised in capitals and headquarters. I suspect everyone has also passed the message to their [Pakistcontacts]."

Another diplomat said that western officials had been told of the move at a briefing by the interior and foreign ministries. When concerns were raised about the fee, officials were told the initial decision was to charge $10,000 for each person but that had been lowered to $830.

"It is very bizarre and I personally find it very frustrating. If Pakistan wants to facilitate the process of the settlement of refugees in the west then they should not make it more complicated with such absurd conditions," the diplomat said. "What is the justification for this exit permit fee? To make a lot of money?"

The exit permit must be paid via credit card, which many Afghan refugees have no access to.

"This makes it worse as it should be paid by refugees and most of them don't have credit cards. I think we need a cooperative approach of working together to help the refugees and we expect Pakistan would help," another diplomat said.

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for Pakistan's foreign ministry, said there was no plan to change the policy.

"These individuals have been here for the last two years and they are not refugees but immigrants with overstay in their visas and lack of documents. But we expect the concerned countries would expedite the visa and approval process so that they can leave for their destination as early as possible," The Guardian quoted her as saying.

Baloch said more information was needed to process the refugees' resettlement because some western countries had been giving them names without further details. But a western diplomat said: "We are trying to provide information the Pakistani government is asking for, but we have legal restrictions as to how much information we can provide as well."

Babar Baloch, a spokesperson for the UNHCR, said, "The UNHCR is working with the government of Pakistan to resolve the issue of exit fines and overstay visa fees for refugees in the resettlement programme. The UNHCR advocates with the authorities for the exemption of refugees from these requirements."

He said the UN understood that the situation could cause anxiety among those who had fled to Pakistan but were eager to leave the country and restart their lives.

"Resettlement is part of a global solidarity and lifesaving mechanism for some of the most vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers," The Guardian quoted him as saying.

Experts as well as international aid organisations have raised concerns about the lack of transparency highlighting the risk of foreigners entering Afghanistan under the guise of nationals and raised alarm over the harsh conditions faced by Afghan returnees in the country, especially during the severe winter, according to Khaama Press.

There has been a significant influx of Afghan migrants with over 320,000 individuals entering the country through the Spinboldak and Turkham border crossings since November 1, Khaama Press reported.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Europe

EU envoy says US sanctions in Cuba worsening human rights situation

 Nov 25, 2023

HAVANA: A special European Union envoy said on Friday that US sanctions are worsening the human rights situation in Cuba while reiterating the EU's call on the communist-run government to release prisoners detained during mass protests in July of 2021.

EU human rights envoy Eamon Gilmore said bilateral talks with top officials in Havana over two days had broached social and economic rights, but also, civil and political rights such as freedom of expression and the right to assembly, or protest.

Gilmore told reporters the US sanctions on Cuba, which sharply curtail financial transactions, tourism and trade, had clear impacts on Cuba's economy and society.

"It's hurting the human rights situation because it hurts people on the ground. The people who are impacted are ordinary Cuban citizens who have difficulty accessing food, medicines," Gilmore told reporters before departing Havana late on Friday following a packed agenda of meetings.

"That's why the European Union, when we do impose sanctions, we target the sanctions at individuals and entities that abuse human rights, rather than at general populations."

The US says sanctions are necessary to hold the Cuban government accountable for rights violations and that it makes exceptions for humanitarian purposes and programs to support the Cuban people and private sector.

Gilmore said Cuba had made some progress on women's rights and gender equality, but doubled down on the bloc's previous criticisms of Cuba's handling of protests in 2021, the largest since former leader Fidel Castro's 1959 Revolution.

The United States and the European Union have both critiqued Cuba's response to those protests as repressive and heavy-handed. Rights groups say around 1,000 Cubans were jailed for their political beliefs following the demonstrations and several subsequent protests.

Gilmore, who said he met Cubans ranging from President Miguel Diaz-Canel to relatives of jailed protesters, declined to comment on whether he had discussed a potential prisoner amnesty with Cuban officials.

"I don't want to get into the detail of what we talked about in terms of the prisoners, other than to say the European Union has a long-standing call for the release of prisoners," he told reporters.

Cuba denies it holds political prisoners and says those detained are guilty of assault, vandalism and sedition, among other crimes.

Tensions around the issue flared just days before Gilmore's arrival after a prisoner died this week in Cuba, prompting a rebuke from the US embassy, which said it was "outraged" by the detainee's death.

Gilmore said Cuban officials had provided some details to the EU delegation about the case, adding that there is "an investigation underway and we will know the results in due course."

Gilmore's visit to Cuba, which concluded with a formal dialogue on Friday with top Cuban officials on human rights, is a stipulation of a 2016 political and cooperation agreement between the bloc and the Caribbean island nation.

Gilmore described the European Union's relationship with Cuba as "constructive but critical."

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/eu-envoy-says-us-sanctions-in-cuba-worsening-human-rights-situation/articleshow/105487830.cms

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EU says violence by settlers against Palestinians in West Bank must stop

November 25, 2023

BRUSSELS: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday that rising violence by extremists in the Israeli-occupied West Bank had to stop.

Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has increased since the Oct 7 Hamas raid on Israel.

“We must prevent violence from spreading, and therefore a peaceful co-existence is only possible with the two-state solution,” Von der Leyen told a news conference in Canada alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and European Council President Charles Michel.

“The Palestinian people and the Arab neighbours need the reassurance that there will be no forced displacement but a viable perspective, with an independent Palestinian state Gaza and West Bank reunited and governed by a reformed Palestinian authority. And to this end, unacceptable violence by extremists in the West Bank has to stop,” she added.

Earlier this week, US President Joe Biden also said that the United States is prepared to issue visa bans against “extremists” attacking civilians in the West Bank.

Britain’s Foreign Secretary David Cameron also urged Israel to crack down on what he called “completely unacceptable” violence by West Bank settlers.

“People are actually targeting and on occasion killing Palestinian civilians, it’s completely unacceptable and those people responsible for that, it’s not good enough just to arrest them, they need to be arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned. These are crimes,” he told the BBC.

Earlier, French foreign ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre said, “Concerning the West Bank, I’d like to express the strongest condemnation by France of the violence carried out by the settlers against the Palestinians”.

“Violence which has the clear objective of forced displacement of the Palestinians and a policy of terror.” She said the Israeli authorities needed to take the necessary measures to protect the Palestinian population and warned that the settlement policy harmed the two-state solution.

In 235 attacks by settlers against Palestinians recorded by OCHA, more than a third involved “using firearms to threaten Palestinians, including by opening fire”.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1792335/eu-says-violence-by-settlers-against-palestinians-in-west-bank-must-stop

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France detains Nice footballer Atal over post on Israel-Hamas war

November 25, 2023

NICE: French police on Friday detained Algerian international Youcef Atal, who plays for Ligue 1 football side Nice, in a probe into suspected “justification of terrorism” after he published a social media post on the Israel-Hamas war, prosecutors said.

Last month the 27-year-old defender was banned for seven matches over the post, which he quickly deleted and for which he subsequently issued an apology.

The public prosecutor in Nice opened a probe following a request from the local prefect and mayor of Nice.

The arrest means Atal can now be questioned by police in detention and could be charged, or released with no further immediate action taken, once the detention period expires.

Atal had already been suspended by his club “until further notice”.

Despite the player’s apology, OGC Nice said that it decided to “take immediate” action, “prior” to any sanctions that might be taken by sporting or judicial bodies, “given the nature of the publication shared and its seriousness”.

In mid-October, the Nice public prosecutor announced the opening of an investigation into “justification of terrorism.”

Atal has been criticised for sharing a video from a Palestinian preacher on Instagram,

purportedly calling for violence against Jewish people.France, which has large Jewish and Muslim populations, ramped up security after Hamas launched massive attacks on Israel on October 7.

Israeli officials say the attacks killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and about 240 people were taken hostage.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas and its retaliatory air and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 15,000 people, thousands of them children, according to the Hamas government of the Palestinian territory.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1792285/france-detains-nice-footballer-atal-over-post-on-israel-hamas-war

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Jewish, Islamic groups back up Catholic school in lawsuit challenging new Michigan law

 November 25, 2023

A Catholic school in Michigan that is challenging a new state law in federal court on religious freedom grounds is finding support from organizations of other religious faiths.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish of Grand Rapids, and its school, Sacred Heart Academy, filed a lawsuit against last year against the state of Michigan after the enactment of new civil rights legislation that left out religious exemptions to its sexual orientation and gender identity policies.

According to the lawsuit, without a religious exemption, the school would be forced to hire faculty and staff who lead lives that don’t line up with Catholic teachings.

Since the case was appealed to the Sixth Circuit, Sacred Heart earned support from the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty and the Religious Freedom Institute’s Islam and Religious Freedom Action Team. The groups say that the new state law would have "an especially deleterious effect" on minority faiths.

"Though the facts underlying this appeal do not involve Islamic or Jewish expression or beliefs, the issue of religious entities’ right to hire coreligionists is of great concern to all faith groups and to minority faiths especially," the brief filed in support of Sacred Heart states.

"In particular, amici fear that the misapplication or retrenchment of the coreligionist exemption would have an especially deleterious effect on adherents of minority religious faiths who often organize collectively to learn, teach, act, and serve as an expression and exercise of their faith," the brief says.

Polish immigrants founded Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish over a century ago. The parish-run academy says that it exists to support parents by providing their children with a classical Catholic education and serves nearly 400 children from pre-K through 12th grade.

The Michigan Legislature last year amended the Michigan Civil Rights Act to cover sexual orientation and gender identity but "provided no protection for religious organizations that believe marriage between one man and one woman and the immutability of sex support human flourishing," according to Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), the civil rights firm representing parents of Sacred Heart students in the lawsuit.

"The missing protections mean that the change to the law requires Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish and its school, Sacred Heart Academy, to hire faculty and staff who lead lives in direct opposition to the Catholic faith, speak messages that violate Church doctrine, and decline to articulate Catholic beliefs in teaching students and when advertising the school to prospective students or job applicants," ADF said.

The Jewish Coalition and Islam Religious Freedom Action amicus brief argues that a "coreligionist" exemption "serves significant constitutional interests by deferring to religious organizations’ own determination of which roles and responsibilities are so tied to the group’s religious mission that they may be filled only by fellow believers."

Properly applied, the exemption preserves the autonomy of religious groups; recognizes and respects their unique knowledge of and expertise in their religious beliefs, missions, motivations, and practices; preserves the free exercise rights of religious groups; and prevents state entanglement with religious groups and doctrines," the groups state in the court document.

Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel is fighting the parents' lawsuit in court. The groups said in their amicus brief the "alternative" being a "discretionary exemption scheme that starts with a burdensome application process and ends by hoping that a bureaucrat will deign to dole out an exemption" proffered by Nessel doesn’t alleviate their concerns.

Source: foxnews.com

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https://www.foxnews.com/us/jewish-islamic-groups-back-up-catholic-school-lawsuit-challenging-new-michigan-law

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When Islam’s Ka’ba And Solomon’s Temple Unite – OpEd

November 25, 2023

Rabbi Allen S. Maller

Prophet Jesus told his disciples not to be alarmed: “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” (Matthew 24:6-8)

The Scrolls of Abraham (Arabic: صحف إبراهيم, Ṣuḥuf Ibrāhīm are referred to by the Qur’an as the oldest of the monotheistic revelations still available: “This is in the Books of the earliest (Revelations) The Books of Abraham and Moses. (Qur’an 87:19) and “Nay, is he not acquainted with what is in the Books of Moses and of Abraham who fulfilled his (duties  of) engagements?” (Qur’an 53:36)

The Book of Moses clearly refers to the Torah, and the Book of Abraham might logically refer to the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis 1:1-11:9. If the reference in Qur’an 53:36 to ‘Abraham, who fulfilled his (duties of) engagements,’ refers to the famous double test of Prophet Abraham and his two sons, then The Scrolls of Abraham would logically be Genesis 1:1-22:19.

Miriam, the Prophetess (Exodus 15:20), the older sister of Prophet Moses, who helped save his life in Egypt, must have told Prophet Moses to include in his Torah, the Ṣuḥuf Ibrāhīm that are referred to by the Qur’an as the oldest of the monotheistic revelations. The Qur’an also refers to Prophet Abraham as a community or a nation: “Abraham was a nation/community [Ummah]; dutiful to God, a monotheist [hanif], not one of the polytheists.” (16:120)

But shamefully, politicalized religious leaders on both sides have turned sacred sites and texts into battlegrounds for their brand of religious exclusivity. Yet an ancient Jewish and Muslim legend predicts that when the Messiah comes and resurrection day occurs; the Kaab’a in holy Mecca, will go to join the Temple Mount’s Foundation Stone in holy Jerusalem, bringing with it the inhabitants of Mecca, and they shall be joined together. When the Foundation Stone sees the Kaab’a approaching, it shall cry out, “Peace be to the great guest”. ( ZevVilnay, Legends of Jerusalem)

There is another wonderful legend in both Arabic and Hebrew that explains what made these two sacred sites holy to the descendants of the two sons of Prophet Abraham. The fable transmitted orally in both Arabic and Hebrew for many centuries; and finally written down in the mid 19th century, in both languages and in several different versions; reveals a truth about the religious importance of true brotherly love.

Two brothers who inherited a valley to hilltop farm from their father, divided the land in half so each one could farm his own section. Over time, the older brother married and had four children, while the younger brother was still not married.

One year there was very little rain, and the crop was very meager. The younger brother lay awake one  night praying and thought. “My brother has a wife and four children to feed and I have no children. He needs more grain than I do; especially now when grain is scarce.”


So that night the younger brother went to his barn, gathered a large sack of wheat, and left his wheat in his brother’s barn. Then he returned home, feeling pleased with himself.

Earlier that very same night, the older brother was also lying awake praying for rain when he thought: “In my old age my wife and I will have our grown children to take care of us, as well as grandchildren  to enjoy, while my brother may have no children. He should at least sell more grain from his fields now, so he can provide for himself in his old age.”



So that night, the older brother also gathered a large sack of wheat, and left it in his brother’s barn, and returned home, feeling pleased with himself.

The next morning, the younger brother, surprised to see the amount of grain in his barn seemed unchanged said “

I did not take as much wheat as I thought. Tonight I’ll take more.” That same morning, the older brother standing in his barn, was thinking the same thoughts.

After night fell, each brother gathered a greater amount of wheat from his barn and in the dark, secretly delivered it to his brother’s barn. 

The next morning, the brothers were again puzzled and perplexed. “How can I be mistaken?” each one thought. “There’s the same amount of grain here as there was before. This is impossible! Tonight I’ll make no mistake – I’ll take two large sacks.”

The third night, more determined than ever, each brother gathered two large sacks of wheat from his barn, loaded them onto a cart, and slowly pulled his cart toward his brother’s barn.

In the moonlight, each brother noticed a figure in the distance. When the two brothers got closer, each recognized the form of the other and the load he was pulling, and they both realized what had happened.

Without a word, they dropped the ropes of their carts, ran to each other and embraced.

God looked down at the two brothers and said: “Their love and concern for each other sets a holy example;  so I will make these two places into a holy sanctuary. Someday their descendants will each build and rebuild a holy House in this valley and on this hill.

When all those, both near and far, who revere this place as a standard, share it in love with everyone else who reveres it, then I will do as Abraham requested, and “Make this a land of Peace, and provide its people with the produce of the land”. (Qur’an 2:126). Then will all the children of Adam and Abraham live in Holiness, Peace and Prosperity.

This narration, transmitted orally in both Arabic and Hebrew for many centuries, was finally written down in several versions in the 19th century. Jews believe the hill is Jerusalem. Muslims believe the valley is Mecca.  I believe, God willing, someday we all will see both beliefs as correct.                 

The Qur’an refers to Prophet Abraham as a community or a nation: “Abraham was a nation/community [Ummah]; dutiful to God, a monotheist [hanif], not one of the polytheists.” (16:120) If Prophet Abraham is an Ummah then fighting between the descendants of Prophets Ishmael and Isaac is a civil war and should always be avoided.

Christians and Jews say the hilltop is Jerusalem. Muslims say the valley is Makka. I say that both views are correct.

God gave humans one heart to love God as individuals, and a pair of lungs to enable religious  communities to continually recycle the holy spirit of God within human beings, among human communities, and between all humans and God.

When all those, both near and far, who revere these two sacred places as a standard, share it in love with everyone else who reveres it, then Abraham’s request for Allah to “make this a land of peace, and provide its people with the produce of the land” (Qur’an 2:126) will be extended throughout the world; and all the children of Adam, Noah and Abraham will live in Holiness, Peace and Prosperity.

But the real lesson from all this is that humans should not look forward to a Judgement Day when all our enemies, and all evil, will suddenly disappear in a cataclysmic purge. Instead, we should have faith and trust in the ability of religiously inspired human stewardship to expand and transform our world into a Messianic Age of political and ecological justice and peace. As Prophet Jacob says: “O my sons! go you and enquire about Joseph and his brother, and never give up hope of Allah’s Mercy: truly no one despairs of Allah’s Mercy, except those who have no faith.” (Qur’an 12:87)

In the words of a 15 year old Jewish girl who was soon to die: “It’s really a wonder that I haven’t dropped all my ideals, because they seem so absurd and impossible to carry out. Yet I keep them, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death.

“I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again. In the meantime, I must uphold my ideals, for perhaps the day will come when I shall be able to carry them out.” From the Diary of Anne Frank” whose words have been read by tens of millions of people throughout the world.

If all Arabs and Jews can live up to the ideal that ‘the descendants of Abraham’s sons should never make war against each other’ is the will of God; we will help fulfill the 2700 year old vision of Prophet Isaiah: “In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria. The Assyrians will go to Egypt, and the Egyptians to Assyria. The Egyptians and Assyrians will worship together. On that day Israel  will join a three-party alliance with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing upon the heart. The LORD of Hosts will bless them saying, “Blessed be Egypt My people, Assyria My handiwork, and Israel My inheritance.”…(Isaiah 19:23-5)

Source: eurasiareview.com

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https://www.eurasiareview.com/25112023-when-islams-kaba-and-solomons-temple-unite-oped/

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Spain denounces ‘indiscriminate’ Gaza deaths, angering Israel

Nov 25, 2023

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday denounced what he called the indiscriminate killing of Palestinians in Gaza, drawing an angry response from Israel which said the remarks gave terrorism a boost.

Speaking on a visit to Gaza’s Rafah border with his Belgian counterpart Alexander De Croo, Sanchez also called for a lasting humanitarian ceasefire “to reverse the catastrophic situation that the people of the (Gaza) Strip are going through.”

“The indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians, including thousands of boys and girls, are completely unacceptable,” he said.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen later issued a statement accusing Sanchez and De Croo of “false claims” that “give terrorism a boost” and said he had summoned the Spanish and Belgian ambassadors to explain the comments.

UK says Gaza’s Rafah crossing likely to open for foreign nationals

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also weighed in, saying the two European leaders had failed to spotlight what he called Hamas’ crimes against humanity.

“Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu strongly condemns the remarks made by the Belgian and Spanish prime ministers for not placing the full responsibility of the crimes against humanity committed by Hamas, who massacred our citizens and who use the Palestinians as human shields,” a statement by Netanyahu’s office said.

The incident unfolded shortly before Hamas on Friday freed 24 hostages during the first day of the Gaza war’s first truce, including Israeli women and children and Thai farm workers. The truce was the first halt to fighting in seven weeks of combat.

A day earlier, Sanchez visited Israel and met Netanyahu, Israeli President Isaac Herzog as well as Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, and floated the idea of an international peace conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to forge a viable Palestinian state.

Prospects for reviving peace talks have been frozen since the last U.S.-brokered round collapsed in 2014.

Source: brecorder.com

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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40275039/spain-denounces-indiscriminate-gaza-deaths-angering-israel

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UK doubles humanitarian aid to Gaza

November 25, 2023

LONDON: The UK will double its humanitarian aid to Gaza with a further £30 million ($37.8 million) for Palestinian civilians affected by the conflict between Israel and Hamas, foreign minister David Cameron said Friday.

Cameron met Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Thursday and planned discussions with Palestinian officials on Friday, for talks on how UK efforts can help alleviate the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, his office said.

“I can announce new £30 million of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions,” Cameron said in a statement.

“It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes.”

London has already released two tranches of aid: £10 million and £20 million last month.

Cameron will also discuss supporting the Palestinian Authority, “including through training and capacity building” and look toward a long-term political solution to the crisis.

His meetings come after the start of a four-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war, with hostages set to be released in exchange for prisoners in the first major reprieve in seven weeks of war that have claimed thousands of lives.

The two sides had agreed to silence guns and stop bombings from 7:00 am (0500 GMT) in a conflict that erupted after Hamas’s murderous raids into Israel on October 7, which Israel says killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took around 240 people hostage.

Israel’s retaliatory air, artillery and naval strikes alongside a ground offensive have killed about 15,000 people, according to the Hamas government in Gaza.

As part of the truce agreement, 13 women and children held hostage in Gaza are due to be freed at 4:00 p.m. (1400 GMT), followed by a number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, according to Qatari mediators.

Over the four days, at least 50 hostages are expected to be released, and in exchange, 150 Palestinians prisoners are expected to be released.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2414731/world

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India

 

UP: Meat shops to remain shut as Yogi govt declares ‘No Non-Veg Day’

25th November 2023

Lucknow: On the birth anniversary of Sadhu ThanwardasLilaram Vaswani, the Uttar Pradesh government has declared a ‘no non-veg day’ on Saturday.

The Uttar Pradesh government ordered all slaughterhouses and meat shops to remain closed on Saturday, on the birth anniversary of Sadhu ThanwardasLilaram Vaswani, who advocated for a vegetarian lifestyle.

A circular issued by the Uttar Pradesh government mentioned, “Instructions have been issued from time to time to keep the slaughterhouses and meat shops located in all the local bodies of the state closed on the great festivals of Jayanti, Gandhi Jayanti, Sadhu TL Vaswani, and Shivratri. Likewise, the decision to declare November 25, 2023, the birthday of Sadhu T.L. Vaswani, as a meat-free day and to keep the slaughterhouses and meat shops located in all the urban local bodies of the state closed, has been taken”.

“Please ensure strict compliance of the orders in all the urban local bodies,” the circular added.

The recent announcement comes amid the controversy over “banning halal”. Recently, the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government took a decisive step against the illegal issuance of ‘Halal Certificates’, and issued an order that forbade the production, storage, distribution, and sale of food products with the halal certification.

The BJP was caught in a controversy, with opposition leaders criticising the move.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party for banning Halal products and accused them of creating a rift between communities.

Akhilesh Yadav said, “The BJP is always doing such activities of spreading hate and creating differences. The basic questions are unemployment and price rises. They are discussing another topic. This is their strategy to create a rift between communities. The people understand that all of this is happening under a conspiracy.”

Meanwhile, BJP leader Giriraj Singh thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the investigation on ‘Halal Products’.

Source: siasat.com

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https://www.siasat.com/up-meat-shops-to-remain-shut-as-yogi-govt-declares-no-non-veg-day-2919287/

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Gujarat: Dalit man assaulted and forced to apologize with footwear in his mouth for demanding salary in Morbi

November 24, 2023

In Morbi city, Gujarat, a 21-year-old Dalit man, Nilesh Dalsaniya, was allegedly assaulted and humiliated by a businesswoman and at least six others for seeking his due salary. The incident occurred on Wednesday, and a case has been registered against the accused, including the businesswoman, identified as Vibhuti Patel aka Raniba, her brother Om Patel, and manager Parikshit, among others.

According to PratipalsinhZala, Deputy Superintendent of Police (SC/ST Cell), Dalsaniya had worked for Patel’s company, Raniba Industries Pvt Ltd, for a fortnight before being abruptly dismissed on October 18. Despite working for 16 days, when Dalsaniya requested his salary of Rs 12,000, Patel avoided providing a clear answer and subsequently stopped responding to his calls.

“When Dalsaniya, his brother Mehul, and neighbour Bhavesh went to Patel’s office on Wednesday evening, the businesswoman’s brother Om Patel reached the place with his accomplices and started assaulting the trio,” explained Zala.

The FIR outlines that Vibhuti Patel, along with her brother and other accomplices, physically assaulted Dalsaniya, dragging him to the terrace of the commercial complex. The victim was reportedly beaten with belts, kicked, and punched by the accused.

Dalsaniya further alleged that Vibhuti Patel forced him to apologize by putting her footwear in his mouth, threatening harm if he was seen in the area again. The perpetrators recorded a video in which the victim was coerced into falsely claiming he had come to extort money from Patel.

After the incident, Dalsaniya was taken to Morbi civil hospital, where he is currently undergoing treatment. The accused, including Vibhuti Patel, her brother Om Patel, and others, have been booked on charges of assault, criminal intimidation, rioting, and under relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Zala stated, “Investigation into the case is underway,” emphasizing that no arrests have been made as of now.

Source: muslimmirror.com

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https://muslimmirror.com/eng/dalit-man-assaulted-and-forced-to-apologize-with-footwear-in-his-mouth-for-demanding-salary/

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Allahabad HC: UP curbs only on transporting cattle, not on carrying beef

Nov 25, 2023

PRAYAGRAJ: Allahabad HC has said that there is no restriction on transportation of beef from any place outside Uttar Pradesh to any location within the state as per the UP Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1955. The court said in a judgment earlier this week that the restriction under the Act is only in respect of transportation of cows, bulls and bullocks.

Allowing a criminal revision petition filed by one Vaseem Ahmad who had challenged Fatehpur district magistrate’s order confiscating his motorcycle following allegation that it was used for transportation of beef, Justice Pankaj Bhatia observed on Monday, “The restriction on transportation in terms of the Act and rules framed under it are applicable in respect of transportation of cow, bull or bullock, that too in any place in Uttar Pradesh from any place outside the state. In the entire Act or rules, there exists no provision barring transportation of beef.”

Ahmad was booked in the case in 2021 under section 8/5/3 of the Act. Hearing the petition, the court observed that transportation of beef in the state is neither prohibited nor regulated. “Thus, the foundation for confiscation on charge of transportation in violation of the provision of this Act is prima facie not established,” Justice Bhatia said.

Ordering the DM to release the seized mobile, the HC said that the confiscation was made “on a misreading of section 5A(7) of the Cow Slaughter Act”.

The court was hearing a plea challenging the order of a district magistrate confiscating a motorcycle over allegations that it was used for beef transportation.

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/allahabad-hc-up-curbs-only-on-transporting-cattle-not-on-carrying-beef/articleshow/105485016.cms

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Why people are pretending to be Muslim in India

Abhik Deb

Nov 25, 2023

Between October 27 and October 31, Reliance Industries Chairperson Mukesh Ambani received three death threats, all sent via email to his office from the address shadabkhan@mailfence.com. However, the investigation by the Mumbai Police soon found that a 21-year-old student, RajveerKhant, had sent the emails.

Khant used a virtual private network, or VPN, to send the threat mails to show off to his friends, the police said. He told the police that he got the idea to use the name Shadab Khan while watching a cricket match featuring a Pakistani player by the same name.

Khant is not the only one to adopt a false Muslim identity while committing a crime. From men angry at being turned down by women to content creators seeking to make their inflammatory videos go viral, this modus operandi of pretending to be Muslim has found increased use over the last couple of years.

Experts say that in a communally polarised environment, the identity of an accused or suspect in such cases gets more amplified than the crime itself, thus intensifying Islamophobia in India.

Feeding into the bias against Muslims

Journalist Alishan Jafri, who covers hate crimes against Muslims in India, told Scroll that the Muslim identity of a suspect or accused is deliberately emphasised with the intention of increasing the animosity against the community.

“Even in cases where an accused person is actually a Muslim, you would see news outlets mentioning the name of the criminal in headlines or social media posts, as opposed to other cases, where the culprits are only identified by their sex or age,” Jafri said.

Fact-checkers and media watchdogs have also highlighted Jafri’s observation.

This trend takes a step further in cases when a person falsely identifies as a Muslim, said Jafri. He cited the example of Vikas Kumar, a resident of Uttar Pradesh, who identified himself as Rashid Khan in a YouTube video, while making objectionable remarks about the murder of Shraddha Walkar by her live-in partner, a Muslim man. In the video that went viral on social media in November last year, Kumar, while posing as Khan, said that it was normal to murder someone and chop their body up if the killer was in a fit of rage.

After he was arrested for his comments, Kumar told journalists that while shooting the video, he had initially identified himself by his original name. But those making the video had mocked him, saying that he was lying and must be a Muslim.

After Kumar’s arrest, social media users pointed out that the YouTube channel in question was run by a person named Ankur Arya, who regularly posts videos with inflammatory content.

“If you look at YouTube channels like Arya’s, you will find several vox pop videos, where a Muslim has been asked to comment on sensitive matters because such content gets popular on social media,” Jafri said. “Many of these videos are even shared by leaders and official handles of the Bharatiya Janata Party.”

In an article that Jafri co-authored for The Caravan, he had explained how such videos by YouTube channels spread hate and “feed into the biases that many Hindus might hold against Muslims”.

In another instance, a video that went viral in October showed a person identifying himself as Javed Hussain making objectionable remarks about Hinduism. After the man was arrested in Haridwar, the police found out that his real name was DilipBaghel and that a YouTuber had paid him to make the remarks.

Academician Ram Puniyani, who writes on communal politics in India, likened such instances to deliberately placing prohibited meat in religious places with the intention of sparking communal unrest.

“This also highlights the plight of the poor in this country who are ready to do such things for money,” Puniyani told Scroll. “If you recall Govind Nihalani’s movie Tamas, there a Dalit man gets framed for placing the carcass of a pig in a mosque.”

Puniyani said that such incidents of impersonation confirm and intensify hatred against Muslims.

“When a Muslim name comes up in connection to a crime, there is already a fertile ground to believe that the person must have done something wrong,” he said. “In some cases, even the police could be communally biased, so there is a possibility that the investigation gets adversely impacted.”

For instance, in October, the male partner of a tuition teacher killed a 17-year-old boy in Kanpur suspecting that the teenager was in a relationship with the teacher. In an attempt to make the boy’s disappearance look like a case of kidnapping, the accused, a man named Prabhat Shukla, sent a ransom letter with “Allah hu Akbar” written on it. The police said that the religious slogan was to divert the course of the investigation.

In another case in September, an Indian Army soldier was arrested in Kerala after he gave a false statement to the police saying that he had been attacked by a group of six people who painted the letters “PFI” on his back.

The Popular Front of India is a Muslim organisation that was banned for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the Centre in September 2022 for allegedly being involved in “violent terrorist activities”.

Lack of regulation on impersonation on social media

The spreading of misinformation on social media by impersonation extends beyond communal hatred. On November 22, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar’s daughter Sara Tendulkar issued a statement saying that a parody account on X, formerly Twitter, was using morphed photos of her.

Kritika Goel, the India head of fact-checking website Logically Facts, told Scroll that the change in X’s policy to provide a blue tick to any user willing to pay a subscription fee has made impersonation easier on the micro-blogging platform.

“Not everyone is aware that the blue tick is no longer a marker of a verified account,” Goel said. “Moreover, the problem with impersonation is that by the time fact checks are carried out, a lot of people might already have shared a piece of misinformation, so the damage is already done.”

Goel cited the example of an X user, falsely claiming to be an Al Jazeera journalist, who posted a tweet saying that the militant group Hamas was responsible for an airstrike at the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in the Gaza strip that killed thousands. The post was shared by thousands of users.

After Al Jazeera clarified that the owner of the now-deleted X account @_Faridakhan was not affiliated with the news organisation, it came to light that the user was an Indian and had earlier posted tweets in support of the BJP.

Goel also said that she had noticed incidents of social media abusers impersonating Muslims in India. She recalled an incident from two years ago when a Twitter user had issued issued rape threats to the nine-month-old daughter of cricketer Virat Kohli. “Several people claimed that the handle was a bot account operated from Pakistan,” said Goel. “But the police found out that the culprit was a software engineer from Hyderabad.”

Claims about the account being a Pakistani bot gained traction as the profile name of the account was “Amena” – a Muslim name. But the accused turned out to be a 23-year-old Hindu man called RamnageshAlibathini.

Another such example is of DivinDevaiah, a resident of Kodagu in Karnataka, who was arrested in July 2022 after he posted defamatory comments about a local deity on social media under a Muslim name.

Goel told Scroll that hate, in general, is played up a lot on social media. “There already exists a society that is polarised against the minorities,” said Goel. “Hateful posts from a user with a Muslim name makes it easier for people to further alienate them.”

Source: scroll.in

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https://scroll.in/article/1059500/why-people-are-pretending-to-be-muslim-in-india

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In the shadow of Partition, state-sanctioned atrocities aimed to wipe out Meo Muslims in Mewat

Nov 25, 2023

Sajjad Hassan

The violence of Partition in 1947 has been estimated to have left between one million and two million people dead. While most of the violence took place outside the approximately 600 princely states that had yet to join either India or Pakistan, recent scholarship has drawn attention to large-scale killings in Jammu and Kashmir, Alwar and Bharatpur in present-day Rajasthan, Patiala and Faridkot in east Punjab and Bahawalpur in west Punjab.

In all these cases, scholars have drawn attention to the complicity of state forces in the violence.

The first part of this series focussed on massacres in Jammu, which changed the demographic balance of the region. But records show that the extent and the intensity of the atrocities in Alwar and Bharatpur states, were equal, if not worse, to those in Jammu.

The most authoritative account of the anti-Muslim violence in the two princely states has been written by ShailMayaram, a historian and political anthropologist who has studied the Meo Muslim community. Meos live in Mewat – which was part of the erstwhile states of Alwar and Bharatpur, in present-day northern Rajasthan and southern part of current Haryana, all adjoining Delhi.

Mayaram’s 1997 monograph, Resisting Regimes: Myth, Memory and the Shaping of Muslim Identity, is based on archival research and interviews with survivors and some perpetrators of the violence.

The targeting of Meos began first in Bharatpur, in May 1947, spilling over to adjoining Alwar in June, as refugees from Bharatpur poured into that state. The violence reached a peak in August, before ending by the end of the month.

Mayaram cites an inspection report by the British Chief Commissioner based in Ajmer, who said that Bharatpur state had run completely amok. He noted, “They have got rid of all the Muslims, and consider all those in traffic as legitimate prey.” He added, “I saw corpses all around. Thirty thousand were killed. A thousand converted and the rest driven out. The property of Muslims was taken by the state and auctioned, the sale proceeds being credited to the state treasury. The Maharaja is reported to have expressed delight that no Muslim was left in the state.”

The prime minister of Alwar state, Narayan Bhaskar Khare, confirmed to the government-instituted inquiry commission that as many as “15,000 Muslims may have been slaughtered just in Alwar”. According to records, he played a determining role in the violence.

The picture that emerges from the records cited by Mayaram and other historians is of intense and systematic violence in the Mewat region, sanctioned by state administrations, often carried out by state force acting under military direction. Mostly, it was carried out by private formations of vigilantes sanctioned and supplied by senior state officials, including Hindu militias in Alwar and Bharatpur, which were 10,000-20,000 strong.

Mayaram’s interview testimonies provide chilling details of the killings.

A former military assistant to the Alwar ruler, who Mayaram interviewed in Alwar in 1993, admitted that “it had been decided to clear the state of Muslims. All the Meos from Firozpur Jhirka down, were to be cleared and sent to Pakistan, their lands taken away.” He went on to detail the “clearing up” and “cleaning up” operations (the officer called it “safaaya” or cleansing).

“Alwar was divided into four sectors under different army officers, to clear the state of Muslims.” he said.

In Tijara, a Muslim-concentrated tehsil, the Alwar army located itself on a hill, with the Meos down below in the valley. “We killed every man,” the military assistant told Mayaram. “All of them. The next four days we had to do the clearing up operation. My men and the villagers dug men’s graves, threw their bodies in.”

The culmination of the operation was the massacre at Kalapahar, north of Alwar. A second Alwar army veteran recounted to Mayaram, “Naugaowa was a large Meo stronghold. We butchered them. That was the last battle of Mewat.” The Meos had fled to Kalapahar to try to protect themselves.

“To finish them off”, the veteran noted, “we made a three-pronged attack from all sides, using the police and army. It took us more than two months, July and August during the rains to clear the whole bloody area.”

He added: “Not a single Muslim was left in Alawar. In Tej Singh Singh’s rule not a single mosque remained. Alwar was the first state to clear all the Muslims. Bharatpur followed”. According to the veteran, “the two rulers used to consult each other”.

The account of the clearing and cleaning up operations was echoed by several military officers who Mayaram interviewed.

Killings were accompanied by forced conversions, and the abduction of women and girls. According to an officer Mayaram interviewed in Kaman, armed columns, on reaching Meo villages, would announce “either be killed or show a white flag and convert, become Hindus”. The ShuddhiSangathans (literally, cleansing squads) of the Arya Samaj would shave the men’s heads, leaving a top knot and making them eat a piece of pork. They were made to recite the Hindu gayatri mantra and take an oath on sacred water drawn from the Ganga. “The Quran had to be put into the flames,” he said.

Alwar’s Prime Minister Khare claimed that shuddisanghathans, converted about 10,000 to 12,000 Muslims to Hinduism.

After the “cleaning up” operations, entire Meo villages were auctioned and the land allotted to Hindu and Sikh refugees coming in from West Pakistan. Those Meos who did not go to Pakistan or who returned were unable to regain the land that they had lost. The Indian government decided that Meos hailing from areas in Alwar identified for the resettlement of refugees should not be restored to their original holdings but allotted land in the adjoining Tijara tehsil.

Before the massacres, the 1941 census showed that Muslims had made up 26% of the population in Alwar and 19% in Bharatpur 1941. After the killings, conversions and flight, the 1951 census showed that this dropped to 6% in both states.

Method in the madness

Ian Copland, an authority on South Asia and the colonial transfer of power, has studied princely states closely. He estimates that the toll in Partition-related violence was in the vicinity of 50,000 in Alwar and Bharatpur, and 80,000 in Jammu.

Opportunistic violence accounted for only a fraction of the Muslims killings, Copland argues in his State, Community and Neighbourhood in Princely North India, c. 1900-1950. Instead, most of it was done “with icy premeditation and ruthless calculation by large, well organised, military style formations”. A large part of the motivation for the violence, it would appear, was ideological. The Hindu Mahasabha and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, which had significant influence in the princely states, viewed Muslims as enemies and as foreigners, fit to be driven out. Capturing land was a factor too.

For the rest, it was reactive – rumours, often fanned by Hindu nationalist networks, amplified by a communal press, fed fears that Hindus themselves were the target.

By the spring of 1947, leaders of the Hindu Mahasabha and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh had formed the view that Muslims had to be driven out of India by force, Copland writes. Not having the wherewithal to do so themselves, they turned to friendly Hindu princes and to their extensive network of supporters in the northern states, to operationalise the plan.

Only “a handful of the northern [princely] states embraced the ethnic cleansing plans of the Mahasabha”, he says, with “a watertight case of complicity” available with respect to Alwar, Bharatpur and Jammu & Kashmir, and possibly Patiala and Faridpur.

The rulers of Alwar and Bharatpur were members of the Hindu Mahasabha and patronised Hindu organisations, such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Arya Samaj. Rajputs and members of the upper castes provided the mainstay of the support. Support also came from educated classes who had sympathisers in the police and military.

According to Copland, the smoking gun, as it were, pointing to the ethnic cleansing plan in the two states, was a circular sent out on July 8, 1947, by Prime Minister Narayan Bhaskar Khare, under Alwar ruler Tej Singh’s name, to Hindu leaders and rulers and officials of other princely Hindu states. It related to a convention in Delhi, the purpose of which was to “restore Hindu Rashtra” after the transfer of power.

Khare, formerly the Congress premier of Central Provinces, had, after his expulsion from the party, joined the Hindu Mahasabha. In April 1947 he took over as Alwar state’s prime minister, also as advisor to Bharatpur state. He would write later in his autobiography, My Political Memoirs, “Today there is not a single Muslim in the whole of the Alwar state…In this way the Meo problem in the state, which was troubling the state for several centuries has been solved…”

Historians also point to systematic preparations. Bharatpur state secretly set up factories for weapons and munitions, much of which would end up in the hands of rogue militias linked to the Mahasabha and the Sangh. Most of the national press turned a blind eye to these developments. An exception was People’s Age, a left-leaning newspaper, that reported the discovery of an armaments factory at the Bharatpur Police headquarter and the fort. An arsenal with rifles, sten, tommy and bren guns, hand grenades and cases of revolvers was intended for further deployment to the Jats of Alwar, Bharatpur, Mathura and Gurgaon, organised by senior officers of the state and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Dramatis Personae

Most vigilante groups were able to carry out the attacks due to the protection and support of the princely states. Hari Singh of Kashmir was allegedly seen with truck loads of arms and fired the first shot at the Jammu refugee camp. Copland says that Brijendra Singh of Bharatpur was observed witnessing massacres of Meos at Kumbar and Deeg.

Following Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in January 1948 and reports that Alwar state was involved in it, the government of India dissolved the Alwar cabinet and instituted an inquiry against its ruler. The inquiry cleared Tej Singh of complicity with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the assassination of Gandhi. Instead, it put the blame on the Meos for playing “an aggressive and militant role”. The inquiry report concluded that Meos “fomented serious communal disturbances in the latter part of 1946 and 47. Retaliation followed, and the conflict took on the form of a communal feud.”

In this cover up, the princes seem to have had strong backers. Copland says that in the Alwar state inquiry, Deputy Prime Minister Vallabhbhai Patel, who held the states portfolio, persuaded the national cabinet to pass over the issue of genocide of Muslims in the state and “to focus on the maharaja’s RSS connection, leaving the issue of their complicity in the murder of Muslims to emerge incidentally”.

Patel characterised the Meos as “communalistic Muslim Leaguers who had forfeited the government’s consideration by engaging in a rebellion against lawful authority”. The Alwar state army officer that Mayaram interviewed, claimed that the orders for clearing Meos came from Patel, who “spoke to HH [His Highness] on the hot line. The killings of Hindus in Noakhali and Punjab had to be avenged.”

In March 1948, the national government in Delhi prevailed on the rulers of Alwar and Bharatpur, along with neighbouringJat states of Dholpur and Karauli, to form the Matsya Union. In May 1949, after the rulers had acceded to Indian Union, they, along with other princely states in Rajputana, and Ajmer province, were gathered into the state of Rajasthan. As with the rest of the princely states, the deposed rulers were allowed to continue to use their royal titles and awarded generous lifelong, tax-free pension, for themselves and their successors. These privileges would only be abolished in 1971, after much contestation.

In independent India, none of the actors faced any consequences. Brijendra Singh, ruler of Bharatpur, and his brother, Giriraj Singh – commander of the state’s army and police, often recorded himself leading militia attacks against Meos – successfully contested parliamentary elections, as did their children later on. The Alwar ruling family too followed suit, reinventing themselves as politicians, to continue to retain their ancestral interests.

Khare, the prime minister of Alwar, also went on to be elected to the Parliament in 1952, before becoming president of the Hindu Mahasabha. In Jammu and Kashmir, rather than being investigated, Hari Singh continued to remain the titular ruler of the state until 1952. Today he has acquired the status of an icon among Hindus in Jammu.

Truth, justice, reconciliation?

In the meantime, the world forgot about the massacres.

But forgetting does not remove the problem. There is anti-minority mobilisation in constant play in areas surrounding Mewat today, in Haryana and Rajasthan, resulting often in spectacular violence, including public lynchings, deaths by burning, and other incidents of mass violence episodes.

These point to the strength in the region of “institutionalised riot systems”, in Paul Brass’s words, of Hindu nationalist organisations and actors and a repertoire for the production of violence on a regular basis. Long-lasting impunity nourishes and sustains them.

As with the Partition violence more broadly – where many communities were victims as they were perpetrators – suppressing an honest reckoning with questions of truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-recurrence has condemned us to repeat the cycles of violence.

Horrors were repeated soon enough in Hyderabad in 1949, during the Police Action. They have become the norm since. In the meantime, the silence has been filled by the manufactured narratives of victimhood by the very actors that have been complicit in so much of the violence.

Source: scroll.in

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"4% Muslim Reservation Based On...": Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao

November 25, 2023

Hyderabad: Telangana Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLA KT Rama Rao has said the 4 per cent Muslim reservation in the state is not on the basis of religion but on the basis of socio-economic status in the community.

Rao said this while reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's "promise" that the BJP government would end Muslim reservations in the state after coming into power in Telangana.

"4% Muslim reservation is not on the basis of religion. That is on the basis of socio-economic status. Amit Shah should think before speaking. Secondly, we know what the BJP does and what it is attempting to do. It is trying to polarise...But they will fail this time," Mr Rao told ANI while reacting to Shah's statement on Friday.

Earlier, while participating in the BJP's roadshow along with the party's candidate Thokala Srinivas Reddy in Rajendra Nagar Assembly Constituency in Telangana, Mr Shah said," We have made a lot of promises. One of them is that the CM will be made from the backward class. We will end the Muslim reservation & give reservations to SC, ST & OBC. We have also promised vertical reservation to the Madiga community."

When asked about Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's remark on the per capita income of the state, KTR said, "He should read the socio-economic survey. If we look at Telangana today, there are 33 districts. All of these districts have per capita more than the national average. So, he should read it once again."

Telangana is set to undergo assembly elections on November 30, and the ruling BRS, Congress and BJP are the main contestants in the state. The counting of votes will take place on December 3.

In the previous Assembly election in the state in 2018, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), previously known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), won 88 of the 119 seats, hogging 47.4 per cent of the total vote share. The Congress came in a distant second with just 19 seats.

Source: ndtv.com

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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/4-muslim-reservation-based-on-telangana-minister-kt-rama-rao-4604290

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Days after demolition drive, Nizamuddin slum dwellers trade house remains

November 24, 2023

New Delhi : Two days after it was demolished, the slum near Hazrat Nizamuddin area was a scene of chaos with grief-stricken families trying to dispose of whatever they could salvage from the wreck to scrap dealers.

The slum cluster between the Sundar Nursery and the Delhi Public School inhabited by about 1,000 to 1,500 people, most of whom engaged as rag pickers, street hawkers, maids, labourers and small scale traders, was demolished in a drive following a court’s order on Tuesday.

“They should have allotted us some place to stay before bulldozing our homes. We are now homeless and we don’t know where to go. My little sister’s exams are going and her books, school dress are below the debris that we are standing on,” said Kanchan Chautala, 28, a resident of the demolished settlement.

The place looked like a huge junkyard of household articles, furniture, and everything else that made the razed shanties home.

“They didn’t even give us time to get our things out, all night our children have been sitting without blankets. The only source of warmth left was a flickering fire that too was removed by the authorities. Even a dog is allowed to sleep on the roads, but we are not,” said 37-year-old Geeta.

Irfan Ahmad, 35, said he had only heard stories of people losing their homes, and now, he is one of them.

“The streets here looked cheerful two days ago. Where children used to laugh, there’s only cries left,” he said.

An 11-year-old Mohammad Rishad, told PTI that he would sell anything which could help him get his first bread of the day.

“My father is disabled, my mother works as a housemaid in nearby houses. They have gone to sell the scrap materials that we collected,” said Rishad, as he tried to remove the metal from a broken wooden door.

Jameela, a rag-picker, said that it took them 15 years to build a house, which was razed within minutes on Tuesday.

“We are all alone in this and no one is coming to save us. We are left with nothing. So, we are staying on the roads,” she said. ( With PTI inputs )

Source: muslimmirror.com

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Southeast Asia

 

Anwar: I told the truth about massacre in Gaza as it was the right thing to do

 25 Nov 2023

 ARFA YUNUS

PUTRAJAYA: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said he found the courage to speak out about Palestinians massacred by Israel in front of US President Joe Biden recently because it is the right thing to do.

Calling the massacre a “great disaster”, Anwar said he also found the courage to do so because the Palestinian issue was close to the hearts of all Malaysians.

“Aside from discussing economic matters, I went to the Apec conference in San Francisco to explain the stand of Malaysians regarding the great disaster befalling the people of Palestine, especially those in Gaza.

“Some people asked where did I find the courage to say all that in front of Biden and I said, I must tell the truth. I must tell the facts.

“They (Palestinians) are murdered, their properties seized, their lands seized. Meaning that their entire lives are being dispossessed, including their dignity, all because of the crimes committed by the Zionist Israel,” he said when launching the 2023 KarnivalUsahawanDesa @Putrajaya at AnjungFloria, here on Saturday (Nov 25).

Anwar said it was important for all to understand that the atrocities being committed by Israel is not only affecting the Muslims but also Christian Palestinians who have lost their lives, aside from their churches being bombed.

He said due to Malaysia’s strategic diplomatic relations with countries near Palestine such as Egypt, Putrajaya was able to expedite humanitarian aid to those affected.

“The Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi fulfilled his promise to prioritise humanitarian aid from Malaysia such as food and medicine. This is the result of our diplomatic relations.

“What’s happening to the Muslim and Christian Palestinians is a great disaster and we must sympathise with all of the victims because all of them there are experiencing the same calamity,” Anwar added.

During the Apec Economic Leaders’ Informal Dialogue and Working Lunch in the presence of US President Joe Biden and the rest of the leaders from member economies, Anwar voiced out about the bloodbath that is happening in the Gaza Strip amid Israel’s relentless air and ground attack.

Anwar said what’s happening in Gaza was a clear abandonment of moral responsibility which allowed massive destruction to happen and resulted in climate calamity.

He said the humanitarian crisis in Palestine is not only affecting Palestine or the broader Middle East, but it will also leave an imprint on global relations for many years to come. Source: thestar.com.my

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https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2023/11/25/anwar-i-told-the-truth-about-massacre-in-gaza-as-it-was-the-right-thing-to-do

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Thailand PM SretthaThavisin says 12 Thai hostages released by Hamas

24th November 2023

BANGKOK: Thai Prime Minister SretthaThavisin said 12 Thai hostages kidnapped by Palestinian militants during Hamas's October 7 raids into Israel were released on Friday, hours after a truce in the Israel-Hamas war began.

"It has been confirmed by the security side and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that 12 Thai hostages are already released," he posted on X.

"Embassy officials are on their way to pick them up in another hour. Their names and details should be known. Please stay tuned."

A total of 25 Thai nationals were among the estimated 240 people taken hostage by gunmen during last month's wave of cross-border raids into Israel.

In the worst attack in Israel's history, 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed, according to Israeli authorities.

Israel has retaliated with a massive campaign of air, artillery and naval strikes alongside a ground offensive into Gaza, which is ruled by Hamas.

The Hamas government says the war has killed around 15,000 people, thousands of them children.

On Friday, a truce began following weeks of negotiations brokered by Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Under the agreement, a four-day pause in the fighting should see at least 50 hostages released from Gaza in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Two Hamas sources told AFP on Friday that some of the hostages seized in the raids were on Friday handed over to the Red Cross for return to Israel, via Egypt.

Shortly after the Thai prime minister posted on X, a source close to Hamas confirmed to AFP that some Thai hostages had been freed, in addition to hostages released under the deal with Israel.

"Hamas made a gesture to also release some Thai foreigners," the source close to the Islamist movement said.

Last week, a member of Thailand's hostage release negotiation team said his government had been given assurances by Hamas that the kingdom's nationals held hostage by the armed group were "safe".

Earlier this month, the Thai foreign minister travelled to Qatar to hold talks with his Iranian counterpart over the Thai nationals' release.

About 30,000 Thais were working in Israel, mostly in the agriculture sector, at the time of the October 7 attacks, according to the kingdom's labour ministry.

Thirty-nine citizens have been killed and 19 wounded in the war, with the kingdom evacuating more than 8,500 of its people, according to the Thai foreign ministry.

Source: newindianexpress.com

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https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2023/nov/24/thailand-pmsrettha-thavisin-says-12-thai-hostages-released-by-hamas-2635884.html

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Johor ruler: TunkuLaksamana Johor mosque to be built at Jalan Kolam Air

24 Nov 2023

JOHOR BARU, Nov 24 — A new mosque named Masjid TunkuLaksamana Johor is set to be constructed at Jalan Kolam Air, near Istana Bukit Serene, Johor Bahru.

According to a post uploaded on the official Facebook account of Johor Ruler, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, the costs of building the mosque are from the inheritance left by his late son, the TunkuLaksamana of Johor, Tunku Abdul Jalil.

Sultan Ibrahim said the mosque would be able to accommodate about 1,000 worshippers when completed.

“Raja Zarith (Johor Permaisuri) and I, as the rightful beneficiaries according to faraid, want nothing from our late son’s estate. Instead, our family members have collectively decided to donate his inheritance to the state government for the construction of this mosque,” Sultan Ibrahim said in the post.

Earlier, TunkuMahkota of Johor, Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim, represented his father at the groundbreaking ceremony for Masjid TunkuLaksamana Johor here.

Also present were Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, Johor Royal Court Council President Datuk Abdul Rahim Ramli, State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Azmi Rohani, and Johor Mufti Datuk Yahya Ahmad. — Bernama

Source: malaymail.com

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MOTAC to review eligibility of travel agencies managing umrah pilgrimage

25-11- 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) will review the eligibility of travel agencies involved in organising umrah travels.

Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing this is due to complaints lodged by umrah pilgrims who have been duped by travel agencies despite the implementation of strict action against these errant companies such as revoking their licence.

According to him, his deputy, Khairul Firdaus Akbar Khan will lead the review committee and present the complete report within a month.

“This includes identifying companies that conduct their business well and those who do not in addition to detailed reports of the records of these companies in handling umrah pilgrims.

“This is to ensure travel companies to be more responsible in conducting business and not neglect their clients,” he said in a statement yesterday (Nov 24).

Tiong said the ministry would also resolve other issues about prices and application procedures, which could be done through MOTAC, before handing the matter over to the relevant travel agencies as part of the efforts to reduce costs.

“Travel agencies, old and new, must report every activity involving their clients throughout their umrah journey to MOTAC for close monitoring and to ensure that they fulfil the promises they have made to the clients,” he said.

MOTAC will pay a courtesy visit to Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Malaysia and its Minister of Haj and Umrah to discuss the quota.

“If MOTAC is given this responsibility, a committee will be set up, led by the deputy minister to manage this matter (umrah quota) rather than giving it directly to travel companies to ensure that our country’s umrah pilgrimage process can run more smoothly, transparently and responsibly,” he said, adding that this is also to prevent incidents of fraud from recurring.

He reminded umrah travel agencies to give the best service to their clients and warned them against marketing and offering services that they cannot provide. – Bernama’

Source: thesun.my

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https://thesun.my/local/motac-to-review-eligibility-of-travel-agencies-managing-umrah-pilgrimage-HO11791143

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South Asia

 

Wardak and Ibrahimkhil assume leadership at Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi

Fidel Rahmati

November 24, 2023

Following the closure of the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi, the Consul General of Afghanistan in Mumbai issued a press statement on her social media platform X. Ms. ZakiaWardak and Mr. Sayed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil have assumed leadership roles at the Embassy of Afghanistan, New Delhi.

On Thursday, the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi formally announced its permanent closure, signifying the evolving diplomatic landscape amidst Afghanistan’s recent challenges.

In response to the closure of the Afghanistan Embassy in New Delhi, Consul General Ms. Zakia Wardak and Acting Consul General Mr. Sayed Mohammad IbrahimKhil issued the following statement:

Urging everyone to disregard unprofessional messages from former Afghan diplomats abroad regarding the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. Their baseless statements create panic and don’t represent all Afghans. Please refrain from confusing.

“Urge everyone to kindly ignore and disregard the unprofessional and irresponsible communications issued by the former Afghan diplomats who are based abroad and, therefore, from now onwards, have no locus standi in the internal affairs of the Afghan Embassy in New Delhi. Such random, fraudulent, baseless and factual incorrect communications are creating panic, distrust and negativity in the overall functioning of the Embassy, as well as amongst the Afghan nationals. The statement said that such communications do not represent the wishes of all Afghans.

“Request everyone, including the former Afghan diplomats/officials, to kindly abstain from any act/statement/ propaganda, which may create panic among Afghan nationals in India and can create confusion amongst media, diplomatic circles and political analysts,” it added.

Meanwhile, the statement emphasized that given the historical and civilizational ties and friendly relations between India and Afghanistan, we again reiterate that we have decided to ensure the continued functioning of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in New Delhi, which is the symbol of aspirations and hopes of Afghan people.

Assure Afghan nationals based in India that the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, New Delhi, continues to function as usual and that there will be no disruption in providing consular services.

The statement also reiterated that we kindly request former Afghan ambassadors and diplomats to refrain from using the Embassy of Afghanistan’s social media for unwarranted statements. Amidst staff shortages due to asylum grants, we’re contacting the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to address this challenging situation.

It also assured that “As mentioned above, the Consul Generals of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Mumbai, MsZakia Wardak and acting Consul General of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Hyderabad, Mr Sayed Mohammad Ibrahimkhil, have assumed the leadership of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, New Delhi.”

Source: khaama.com

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CSTO Heads Discuss Regional Issues in Council Session

FatemaAdeeb

November 24, 2023

Heads of states at a session of the member states of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), discussed a range of regional issues, including narcotics and counterterrorism.

The situation of Afghanistan was also highlighted during the meeting.

Speaking at the session, the president of Kazakhstan, Kassym-JomartTokayev, said that the continuation of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan is important.

He also said that his country has provided emergency assistance to the victims of recent earthquakes in western Afghanistan.

The President of Kyrgyzstan, SadyrJaparov, told the session that his country is interested in peace and stability in Afghanistan.

He also stressed the need for inclusive negotiations to solve the current issues in Afghanistan and said that his country supports the continuation of humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

The CSTO’s members also in a joint statement expressed their concerns over trafficking of narcotics from Afghanistan.

“Expressing concern about the challenges posed by trafficking in opiates and methamphetamine from Afghanistan, as well as cocaine, cannabis, synthetic drugs…,” the statement reads.

"The interim government of Afghanistan should take practical steps regarding its commitment towards the international community and neighbors regarding the cultivation of narcotics and production of narcotics," said Naijb Rahman Shamal, political analyst.

However, the Islamic Emirate’s officials have not commented about the statement but earlier said that narcotics production has dropped to zero.

The meeting was attended by the President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic SadyrJaparov, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, as well as the CSTO Secretary General ImangaliTasmagambetov, according to the office of the president of Kazakhstan.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186184

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Islamic Emirate Leader Orders Cabinet to Address Needs of Refugees

November 24, 2023

Najibullah Haqqani, the acting Minister of Communication and Information Technology, said that the leader of the Islamic Emirate in a cabinet meeting ordered all the ministries to deal with the challenges faced by the immigrants.

Officials of the Islamic Emirate in Spin Boldak district of Kandahar said that from the October 23, more than 100,000 Afghans who were forcibly deported from Pakistan have returned to the country through the Spin Boldak crossing.

"All of us have patience and are working to solve these problems together. Amir al-Momineen also advised all officials to provide ease for your brothers as much as you can," Haqqani told TOLOnews.

"In the past month, that is, from October 23, 17,700 families have returned to the country, totaling around 104,000 people," said Abdul Latif Hakimi, head of  refugee registration and information in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar.

A number of expelled Afghans also said the inappropriate behavior of the Pakistani military is against all human principles and said that they have returned to the country empty-handed.

They asked the government to help them.

"I was working in a hotel in Karachi, they detained me, I spent three to four nights in detention and then they deported me," said Ahmad Jan, an expelled refugee from Pakistan.

"They used to come to our houses at night, they informed us a month ago. They were bothering us a lot and finally we got tired and moved," said Said Jan, an expelled refugee.

From November 1, 2023 onwards, the process of forced deportation of Afghan immigrants from Pakistan has neen ongoing, and so far, thousands of families have returned to the country.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-186188

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42 Bangladeshis return after 3 yrs in Indian prison

Nov 25, 2023

Forty-two Bangladeshi women and children returned home yesterday after serving three years in an Indian prison.

Indian police handed over them to the immigration police of Bangladesh through the Benapole check-post.

Benapole's Immigration Officer-in-Charge Md Kamruzzaman said the returnees went to West Bengal three and a half years ago, but they were arrested by Kolkata police while working at various houses, shops, and restaurants.

They were produced before a local court and sentenced to three years in prison, and later they landed in Kolkata Central Jail.

After all immigration formalities, they were handed over to Benapole Port Police Station with the intervention of the Ministry of Home Affairs of the two countries.

Benapole Port Police Station OC Kamal Hossain Bhuian said the returnees were trafficked through brokers to West Bengal.

Source: thedailystar.net

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https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/42-bangladeshis-return-after-3-yrs-indian-prison-3477986

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Kabul to accept migrant deportations after verification by consulate general

November 25, 2023

Umer Farooq

PESHAWAR: For the first time since the start of the repatriation of undocumented Afghans early this month, not a single “illegal alien” was sent home via Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday as Afghan authorities linked the acceptance of deportations with the verification of their status by the Afghan consulate-general here.

Official sources in the Afghan consulate general told Dawn that the deportation condition was introduced for multiple reasons, especially the arrival of Pakistani nationals in Afghanistan as “Afghan deportees.”

“Multiple cases of Pakistanis being sent to Afghanistan as illegal migrants have been reported,” an official source in the Afghan Consulate told Dawn.

He added that whenever Afghan authorities took such Pakistanis to the border, Pakistani officials refused to receive them.

No illegal alien was sent home via KP on Friday

The source also insisted that hundreds of Afghan nationals were arrested in Pakistan before being repatriated without their belongings.

Official sources revealed the detention of documented Afghan migrants along with those voluntarily returning to their home.

“Many illegal aliens are leaving Pakistan voluntarily but they’re stopped and taken into custody on their way before their repartition. They’re not given time to carry their belongings,” an official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

He added that though authorities had promised not to bother returning Afghans, harassment was reported by such undocumented migrants.

Officials also said that there were also multiple complaints about members of Afghan families being separated from each other.

They said in “many” cases, men from undocumented families were deported leaving behind their female members.

Pakistani officials told Dawn that Afghan authorities had never informed them about the deportation condition.

They insisted that not even a single person could leave the country without being documented by the National Database and Registration Authority.

The officials rejected the claim of Pakistanis being repatriated to Afghanistan as “baseless” and insisted that the pictures and fingerprints of all deportees were kept by the Nadra for “future use.”

They said the verification condition by Afghan authorities would further delay the deportation of illegal migrants as those involved in the process had to wait for the verification letter from the Afghan consulate-general forcing such foreigners to spend more days in detention.

“Only deportation is linked with the verification letter. The voluntary repatriation is still continuing without any hurdle,” an official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, around 119 illegal migrants were deported from Punjab to Afghanistan via the Torkham border crossing on Thursday, according to officials.

They said 52 undocumented Afghans were sent home from Attock, 12 from Rawalpindi, 47 from Chakwal, two from Pakpattan, one from Hafizabad and five from Gujrat.

The officials said 16 illegal aliens were deported from Islamabad, 188 from Peshawar and 22 from Khyber tribal district.

They said over 238,519 illegal migrants, including 66,294 men, 52,199 women and 116,209 children, had left for Afghanistan via Torkham border point in Khyber district and via Kharlachi border point in Parachinar district since Sept 17.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1792256/kabul-to-accept-migrant-deportations-after-verification-by-consulate-general

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Mideast

 

Gaza ceasefire enters second day with more hostages to be exchanged and critical supplies delivered

November 25, 2023

KHAN YOUNIS: Hamas was expected to swap more of its hostages Saturday for prisoners held by Israel on the second day of a ceasefire that has allowed critical humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and given civilians their first respite after seven weeks of war.

On the first day of the four-day ceasefire, Hamas released 24 of the about 240 hostages taken during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison. Those freed from captivity in Gaza were 13 Israelis, 10 Thai nationals and citizen of the Philippines.

During the four days, Hamas is to release at least 50 Israeli hostages, and Israel 150 Palestinian prisoners.

Israel has said the truce can be extended an extra day for every additional 10 hostages freed — something United States President Joe Biden said he hoped would come to pass.

The start of the truce Friday morning brought the first quiet for 2.3 million Palestinians reeling and desperate from relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed thousands, driven three-quarters of the population from their homes and leveled residential areas. Rocketfire from Gaza militants into Israel went silent as well.

The United Nations said the pause enabled it to scale up the delivery of food, water, and medicine to the largest volume since the resumption of humanitarian aid convoys on Oct. 21. It was also able to deliver 129,000 liters (34,078 gallons) of fuel — just over 10 percent of the daily pre-war volume — as well as cooking gas, a first time since the war began.

In the southern city of Khan Yunis on Saturday, a long line of people with gas cans and other containers waited outside a filling station hoping to get some of the newly delivered fuel.

For the first time in over a month, aid reached northern Gaza, the focus of Israel’s ground offensive. A UN convoy delivered flour to two facilities sheltering people displaced by fighting.

The UN said it and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society were also able to evacuate 40 patients and family members from a hospital in Gaza City, where much of the fighting has taken place, to a hospital in Khan Yunis.

The relief brought by the ceasefire has been tempered, however, for both sides — among Israelis by the fact that not all hostages will be freed and among Palestinians by the brevity of the pause. The short truce leaves Gaza mired in humanitarian crisis and under the threat that fighting could soon resume.

Israel has vowed to resume its massive offensive once the truce ends. That has clouded hopes that the deal could eventually help wind down the conflict, which has fueled a surge of violence in the occupied West Bank and stirred fears of a wider conflagration across the Middle East.

First hostages freed

After nightfall Friday, a line of ambulances emerged from Gaza through the Rafah Crossing into Egypt carrying the freed hostages. The freed Israelis included nine women and four children 9 and under.

The released hostages were taken to three Israeli hospitals for observation. The Schneider Children’s Medical Center said it was treating eight Israelis — four children and four women — and that all appeared to be in good physical condition. The center said they were also receiving psychological treatment, adding that “these are sensitive moments” for the families.

At a plaza dubbed “Hostages Square” in Tel Aviv, a crowd of Israelis celebrated at the news.

Yael Adar spotted her mother, 85-year-old Yaffa Adar, in a TV newscast of the release and was cheered to see her walking. “That was a huge concern, what would happen to her health during these almost two months,” she told Israel’s Channel 12.

But Yael’s 38-year-old son, Tamir Adar, remained in captivity. Both were kidnapped on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz. “Everyone needs to come back. It’s happiness locked up in grief.”

The hostages included multiple generations. Nine-year-old OhadMunder-Zichri was freed along with his mother, Keren Munder, and grandmother, RutiMunder. The fourth-grader was abducted during a holiday visit to his grandparents at the kibbutz where about 80 people — nearly a quarter of all residents of the small community — are believed to have been taken from.

The plight of the hostages has raised anger among some families that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not doing enough to bring them home.

Hours later, 24 Palestinian women and 15 teenage boys held in Israeli prisons in the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem were freed. In the West Bank town of Beitunia, hundreds of Palestinians poured out of their homes to celebrate, honking horns and setting off fireworks that lit up the night sky.

The teenagers had been jailed for minor offenses like throwing stones. The women included several convicted of trying to stab Israeli soldiers, and others who had been arrested at checkpoints in the West Bank.

“As a Palestinian, my heart is broken for my brothers in Gaza, so I can’t really celebrate,” said Abdulqader Khatib, a UN worker whose 17-year-old son, Iyas, was freed. “But I am a father. And deep inside, I am very happy.”

Iyas had been taken into “administrative detention” in 2022 without charges or trial and based on secret evidence. Israel often holds detainees for months without charges. Most of those who are tried are put before military courts that almost never acquit defendants and often don’t follow due process, human rights groups say.

According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club, an advocacy group, Israel is currently holding 7,200 Palestinians, including about 2,000 arrested since the start of the war.

A longer peace?

The war erupted when several thousand Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking scores of hostages, including babies, women and older adults, as well as soldiers.

Majed Al-Ansari, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry of Qatar, said the hope is that momentum from the deal will lead to an end to the violence. Qatar served as a mediator along with the US and Egypt.

But hours before it came into effect, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told troops that their respite would be short and that the war would resume with intensity for at least two more months.

Netanyahu has also vowed to continue the war to destroy Hamas’ military capabilities, end its 16-year rule in Gaza and return all the hostages.

The Israeli offensive has killed more than 13,300 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza government. Women and minors have consistently made up around two-thirds of the dead, though the latest number was not broken down. The figure does not include updated numbers from hospitals in the north, where communications have broken down.

The ministry says some 6,000 people have been reported missing, feared buried under rubble. The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and militants in its death tolls.

Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas fighters, without presenting evidence for its count.

Source: arabnews.com

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Israel only targets civilians, children in Gaza: Survivor

November 24, 2023

ZENICA, Bosnia Herzegovina : Nowhere in Gaza is safe and Israel only targets civilians and children, said a 55-year-old Palestinian man who was recently evacuated from the enclave.

Nabil El-Tanany is a dual citizen of Palestine and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He arrived in Bosnia during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war and started a family.

After 23 years of building a family with his Bosnian wife, he decided to visit his family in Gaza on Sept. 15.

”I planned to stay for one month, but the attacks started just before I returned back to Bosnia,” said El-Tanany.

He recounted what he witnessed in Gaza since Israel launched relentless air and ground attacks in the Gaza Strip following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

”Nowhere in Gaza is safe. Every night, only the sound of bombs gets louder. Children cry because of the sound of bombs. There is not a single peaceful moment,” he said.

El-Tanany said that people in Gaza live in constant fear of death and try to survive without water, electricity and food.

“I was in the north of Gaza, in our family home. There were bombardment sounds every day. We saw the planes passing over us. There were so many bombs being dropped that…we couldn’t breathe easily.”

El-Tanany’s father, two brothers and two sisters and their families live in Gaza.

“When we went out, we saw that many places around our house had been destroyed. We ventured further out to understand what had happened. There was dust and smoke everywhere. Suddenly, we started to see pieces of people. One hundred and twelve people lost their lives in the massacre that took place there that day. Among them were my acquaintances and friends,” he said.

El-Tanany said Israel targets only civilians and children.

“Everywhere was in ruins. They told us to go to Jabalia. However, they attacked there too. My relatives’ house was also bombed. They were all destroyed.”

El-Tanany said he felt very bad when leaving Gaza and his family.

“I constantly think about what will happen to those I left behind. My father is 92 years old. I try to be in constant communication with my family, but it is very difficult. When we hear their voices, even a single second is enough.”

El-Tanany arrived home on Monday and was welcomed back by his wife Fata and two daughters with tears on their faces.

He constantly worries for the people of Gaza and his family. — AA

Source: muslimmirror.com

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Israel reviews list of hostages set to be freed by Hamas on Saturday

November 25, 2023

GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israel has received a list of hostages to be freed from Gaza on Saturday by Hamas, officials said, following the release of 24 hostages the previous day, the first of a planned four-day truce.

Israeli security officials were reviewing the list, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, after his government’s vow to work for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas in an attack on Israel on Oct. 7.

The pause in the fighting was the first such break, with both sides saying hostilities would resume as soon as the truce ends. U.S. President Joe Biden expressed hope the pause could be extended, however.

The released hostages, including Israeli women and children and Thai farm workers, were transferred from Gaza and handed to Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing, along with eight staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross in a four-car convoy, the organisation said.

They were then taken to Israel for medical checks and re-unions with relatives.

Qatar, which acted as mediator for the truce deal, said 13 Israelis had been released, some with dual nationality, as well as 10 Thais and a Philippine national - farm workers employed in southern Israel when they were seized.

Thirty-nine Palestinian women and children detainees were released from Israeli jails. The freed Israeli hostages included four children accompanied by four family members, and five elderly women.

Biden said there was a real chance of extending the truce, adding that the pause was a critical opportunity to get humanitarian aid into Gaza.

He declined to speculate how long the Israel-Hamas war would last. Asked at a press conference what his expectations were, he said Israel’s goal of eliminating Hamas was legitimate but difficult.

The Palestine Red Crescent Society said 196 trucks of humanitarian aid carried food, water and medical supplies through the Rafah crossing on Friday, the biggest such convoy into Gaza since Hamas’ assault on Israel and Israel’s subsequent bombardment of the territory.

About 1,759 trucks have entered the narrow enclave since Oct. 21, it added.

Mixed emotions in Israel

The families of the hostages expressed mixed emotions, fearing for those left behind.

“I’m excited for the families who today are going to hug their loved ones,” Shelly Shem Tov, the mother of Omer Shem Tov, 21, said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, although he was not among those released on Friday.

“I am jealous. And I am sad. Mostly sad that Omer is still not coming home.”

Israeli tallies show Hamas killed 1,200 people in the October attack and took about 240 hostages. Since then, Israel has rained bombs on the Gaza enclave, killing about 14,000 Gazans, roughly 40% of them children, Palestinian health authorities say.

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, including most of those in its northern half.

After initial medical checks, the released hostages were taken to be re-united with their families. Medical authorities said they appeared to be in good physical condition and were facing more evaluations.

Roni Haviv, a relative of OhadMunder, said she was looking forward to giving the nine-year-old his favourite toy.

“I’m waiting to see Ohad and can’t wait to give him his Rubik’s Cube, which I know he really loved and he probably missed it so much, and that’s the first thing he takes everywhere he goes,” she said.

Those released on Friday were exchanged for 24 jailed Palestinian women and 15 teenagers. In at least three cases, before the prisoners were released, Israeli police raided their families’ homes in Jerusalem, witnesses said.

Police declined to comment.

“There is no real joy, even this little joy we feel as we wait,” said Sawsan Bkeer, the mother of 24-year-old Palestinian prisoner Marah Bkeer, jailed for eight years on knife and assault charges in 2015.

Israeli police were seen raiding her Jerusalem home before her daughter was released.

“We are still afraid to feel happy and at the same time, we do not have it in us to be happy due to what is happening in Gaza,” she added.

A source briefed on the talks said the release of the Thai workers was unrelated to the truce talks and followed a separate track mediated by Egypt and Qatar. Thailand’s government said 20 of its nationals remained captive.

Source: brecorder.com

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Hamas releases 24 hostages, including Thai farm workers

November 25, 2023

GAZA STRIP: Hamas said a group of hostages seized in the deadliest attack in Israel’s history were handed over on Friday as a temporary truce took hold in Gaza following weeks of fighting.

“Half an hour ago, the prisoners were handed to the Red Cross who will take them to the Egyptians” at the Rafah crossing, a source close to Hamas told AFP.

A source in the military of Hamas confirmed the handover, adding: “This is the first group under the agreement.”

A first tranche of 13 women and child hostages were expected to go back to Israel on Friday under a deal that followed weeks of talks involving Israel, Palestinian groups, Qatar, Egypt and the United States.

Israel is set to release three times as many Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails — women and teenage boys.

A dozen Thai hostages kidnapped during Hamas’s October 7 raids into Israel were also released on Friday, Thailand’s Prime Minister SretthaThavisin announced.

Pictures released by the Israeli army showed bright pink and blue headphones sitting on the seats of a helicopter ready for the released hostages to use, along with toys and teddy bears waiting at a reception centre where they were being taken to.

During a four-day truce, at least 50 hostages are expected to be freed, leaving an estimated 190 in the hands of Palestinian.

In exchange, 150 Palestinians prisoners are expected to be released.

Hamas broke through Gaza’s militarised border with Israel on October 7 to kill, according to Israeli officials, about 1,200 people and seize around 240 Israeli and foreign hostages.

The pause in fighting triggered a mass movement of thousands of Gazans who had sought refuge in schools and hospitals from relentless Israeli bombardment begun after the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

“I’m going home,” Omar Jibrin, 16, told AFP after he emerged from a hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip where he and eight family members had sought refuge.

In Khan Yunis, in southern Gaza where many Palestinians fled, a cacophony of car horns and ambulance sirens has replaced the sound of war.

For Khaled al-Halabi, the truce is “a chance to breathe” after nearly seven weeks of war.

Halabi had taken refuge in Rafah but is from Gaza City in the north, much of which has been reduced to rubble.

Israel’s retaliatory air, artillery and naval strikes alongside a ground offensive have killed about 15,000 people, the Hamas government in Gaza said.

Gazans have struggled to survive with shortages of water and other essentials. Trucks carrying more aid, including fuel, gas, and food, began moving into Gaza from the Rafah crossing with Egypt shortly after the truce began at 7:00 am.

Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations humanitarian agency, OCHA, expressed hope in Geneva that the pause “leads to a longer-term humanitarian ceasefire for the benefit of the people of Gaza, Israel and beyond.”

He repeated the need for access across Gaza, especially in the north “where the damage and the humanitarian needs are the greatest”.

According to the UN, 1.7 million of Gaza’s 2.4 million people are estimated to have been displaced by the fighting.

Now, thousands of them are trying to get home.

In Khan Yunis, they loaded belongings onto carts, strapped them to car roofs, or slung bags over their shoulders, crowding streets to return to their homes from temporary shelters.

Israeli warplanes dropped leaflets warning people that the war is not over and it is “very dangerous” to return north, the focus of Israel’s military campaign.

The truce was also a chance for some Palestinians to return to Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

In the morning, a few apparent gunshots could be heard and dark plumes of smoke rose periodically over northern Gaza, an AFPTV livecam showed, but the truce appeared to be holding in the afternoon.

Further north, on the Lebanon-Israel border, calm also returned after regular deadly exchanges of fire, primarily between the Israeli army and Hezbollah. The Lebanese movement, like Hamas, is backed by Iran.

ZivAgmon, legal adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, told reporters that the hostages would be received individually or in groups by the International Committee of the Red Cross, taken across the border and handed to the Israeli army.

From El-Arish, in the Sinai, they would be flown to Israel, an Egyptian security source said.

The Israeli soldiers had been carefully prepared to receive potentially deeply traumatised women and children.

After medical examinations, the former captives will be able to telephone family members before reunions later at Israeli medical facilities, Agmon added. AFP has confirmed the identities of 210 of the roughly 240 hostages.

At least 35 of those seized were children, with 18 of them aged 10 or under at the time.

Hamas earlier released four women and Israeli forces rescued another. Two other captives, including a woman soldier, were found dead by Israeli troops in Gaza.

Netanyahu’s office said it had received “a first list of names” of those due to be released and been in contact with the families.

Maayan Zin, whose eight- and 15-year-old daughters Ela and Dafna are among the hostages, posted on social media platform X that she had been informed their names were not included.

“This is incredibly difficult for me; I long for their return,” she wrote.

Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails will also be freed on Friday, Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said.

The Palestinian Authority’s prisoner commission published a list of named Palestinian inmates — 24 women and 15 children — who could be released in exchange for the initial hostages. Palestinian prisoners will be freed from three jails in Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, then taken to the Ofer military camp on buses, an Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Source: brecorder.com

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Families of hostages not slated for release from Gaza during current truce face enduring nightmare

 Nov 25, 2023

TEL AVIV: OfriBibas Levy has been haunted by nightmares since Oct. 7, when her brother, sister-in-law and their two young children were snatched by Hamas militants from their homes and dragged into the Gaza Strip.

In those dreams she sees her captive relatives, all except for her brother Yarden. That subconscious omission may reflect her ordeal: Out of the Israeli hostages, only women and children are expected to be among the 50 people released during a four-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that started Friday.

All of the Israeli men, and many women, will remain captive in Gaza for now. It was not clear if all children were expected to be freed. Hamas freed 24 people Friday, including 13 Israeli women and children, 10 people from Thailand and one Filipino.

"It's a deal that puts the families in a situation that is inhuman. Who will come out and who won't?" Bibas Levy asked. "The children come out, but my brother and many other people stay?" Her relatives were not among those freed in the first release.

The deal will bring relief to dozens whose relatives are captive - as well as to Palestinians in Gaza who have endured weeks of bombardment and dire conditions.

But with some 240 hostages in militant hands, only a fraction of families will be reunited under the current arrangement. There is some hope that the agreement could be expanded: Israel has said it will extend the truce one day for every 10 hostages freed.

Many families are expected to be left to endure the torment of not knowing the fate of their loved ones.

The plight of the hostages - who range from babies to older adults - has gripped Israelis. The captives' families have embarked on a campaign to free their loved ones that has tugged at the heartstrings of many and ratcheted up pressure on the Israeli government to make concessions and secure deals for their release.

That pressure and the families' widespread public support could force the government into extending the cease-fire even though it has pledged to keep fighting once the current truce expires.

Securing the freedom of all hostages, especially the soldiers among them, could prove difficult. Militants in Gaza see the captives as a critical bargaining chip in their war with Israel.

The leader of Islamic Jihad, a militant group allied with Hamas, said Friday that Israeli soldiers who were taken wouldn't be freed until all Palestinian prisoners held by Israel are released.

Bibas Levy has put her life on pause to devote herself to fighting for her family's release - her nephews age 10 months and 4 years were some of the youngest taken captive. The occupational therapist who moved out of a targeted southern Israeli community two months before Hamas' attack, said she will keep battling until all her relatives return.

Dani Miran - whose son Omri was taken hostage - has been distraught over his son's well-being. With the unbearable uncertainty and without a sign of life for seven weeks, he is plagued by difficult thoughts.

"My son is not on the list. He's 46 years old. and I hope that he is in a health condition where he can cope with all the hardship that there is there, that they didn't wound him, didn't torture him and didn't do things that are inhuman," Miran said.

For many families, the news of a deal has sparked a mix of emotions - grief in cases where they don't expect their loved ones to be freed and hope that it may lead to further releases.

"I wish that all of them would come back, and I believe that all of them will come back. But we must have patience, and just be strong," said Yaakov Argamani, whose daughter Noa, 26, was taken captive, along with dozens of other young adults from a music festival that came under attack.

Many families have said they cannot endure listening to the news because all the twists and turns of the negotiations are incapacitating. The current deal, brought about after weeks of fitful negotiations, appeared definite until a last-minute snag prompted a one-day delay.

"It's like a rollercoaster," said Eyal Nouri, whose aunt Adina Moshe, 72, was among those released Friday. Earlier, Nouri had said that he did not expect her to be among those freed. Moshe's husband, Said, was killed on Oct. 7.

The nightmare for many won't end even if their relatives are released, Nouri said.

After the joy of the reunion, those freed will need to reckon with the trauma of their captivity, their dead loved ones, their destroyed communities and their country at war.

"She has nothing. No clothes, no house, no husband, no town. Nothing," said Nouri. Once she's released "she'll need to build her life from scratch, at 72 years old. Our lives are completely different."

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Arab states condemn Geert Wilders’ Palestine comments

November 25, 2023

DUBAI: Several Arab states condemned a statement by Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders calling for the displacement of the Palestinian people to Jordan.

The UAE, Bahrain and Yemen issued a condemnation, as well as the Arab League.

In a statement, the UAE Embassy in the Netherlands said: “The UAE stands in full solidarity with brotherly Jordan, and stresses the importance of respecting its sovereignty. It also rejects any denial of the rights of the brotherly Palestinian people and their right to an independent state.”

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry called for combating such ideas, expressing its full solidarity with Jordan.

The statement by Geert Wilders, the far-right Party for Freedom leader, came after he won a major victory in the Dutch elections.

Source: arabnews.com

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Without US support, Israel couldn't have continued Gaza war: Iran

24 November 2023

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says Israel would not have been able to continue its war on the besieged Gaza Strip if it were not for the United States’ support.

In an interview with Qatar-based Al Jazeera television network, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran has received messages from the US that Washington is not looking to expand the scope of the war.

“Our response to the Americans was that by supporting Israel and supplying it with weapons, they are widening the scope of the war.”

Israel ignited its bloody war machine after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Storm inside the occupied territories on October 7. The regime has killed at least 14,854 people, including more than 6,150 children and 4,000 women, in Gaza.

In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas announced a four-day truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip that will see the cessation of hostilities in Gaza.

Hamas said the deal, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, will allow the entry of hundreds of trucks with humanitarian aid, medicine and fuel to Gaza.

Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ziyad Nakhalah has said that Israel failed to achieve its stated goals in the Gaza war as a four-day truce took effect in the besieged territory after seven weeks of massacres.

After seven weeks of massacre, the truce took effect at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) on Friday following a night of intense Israeli bombardment. It stipulates the release of Israelis held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

In his interview, Amir-Abdollahian said Iran hopes the truce in Gaza would be the beginning of an end to the crimes of Israel.

The Iranian foreign minister said the US believes it can decide who will assume power in Gaza without the return of the Palestinians to their homeland. However, the minister underscored, Washington is wrong. The future of Gaza is determined only by the Palestinian people, he said.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi proposed an initiative with the leaders of Muslim and member states of the BRICS group of emerging economies to put an end to Israeli war crimes in Gaza, the minister said.

Addressing an emergency virtual meeting of the BRICS leaders on Tuesday, Raeisi said the members should unite their efforts to break the Israeli siege.

Raeisi tells BRICS members that they should move to designate the Israeli regime as a terrorist entity.

On Thursday, Amir-Abdollahian met with Head of Hamas political bureau Ismail Haniyeh in the Qatari capital of Doha.

The senior Hamas chief appreciated Iran for its strong support for the Palestinian people and resistance, commending the latest ceasefire as a “political and military” victory for the resistance front.

Source: presstv.ir

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Yoni Ashner, whose family was freed from Hamas, won't celebrate till all hostages return

Nov 25, 2023

TEL AVIV: Yoni Ashner, an Israeli national whose wife and two daughters returned to him after being held hostage by Hamas for 49 days, has said that he won't be celebrating the release unless all the hostages under captivity return to their loved ones, Times of Israel reported.

Asher's wife, Doron, and their two young daughters Raz (5) and Aviv (2) were taken on October 7 from the sealed room in Kibbutz Nir Oz, near Gaza.

Doron's mother, Efrat Katz, was killed in the October 7 assault, when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and rampaged through communities and an outdoor music festival for hours, killing over 1400 people, Times of Israel reported.Ashner thanked the Israeli government and IDF and those working to get the hostages back. But, he emphasised that there are still many whose hearts are broken and he won't celebrate until the "last of the hostages" return.

"My family Doron Raz and Aviv returned home to me...I am determined to help my family recover from the terrible trauma and loss we went through, for the future of the girls and Doron," he said.

"Complex days are still ahead of me. I must express thanks and appreciation to our brave sons risking their lives protecting the nation, to the IDF, the Israeli government, and the war cabinet and all those who are engaged in the work. Thanks to the wonderful people of Israel, for the thousands of messages and reinforcements. A big thank you to the families of the hostages who are working to get everyone back," he added.

Asher also gave a special thanks to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, made up of "private people who left everything -- families, careers -- and gave all their time, energy, blood, and soul for the goal of rescuing my family."

"I am happy that I got my family back...But I don't celebrate, I won't celebrate until the last of the hostages returns. I want to emphasize -- our children, our fathers, our mothers, our sisters -- are at this time in captivity, there are people whose hearts are broken at this time and I want to make sure that every last hostage person will return home," he added.

Asher became a prominent figure in the organization that represents the families of the hostages.

His family was released on Friday afternoon as part of part of the hostage deal between Israel and Hamas that includes the release of at least 50 Israeli hostages overall.

The first group of 13 hostages included the mother and daughters, as well as two other mothers and their young children, and elderly women. A separate deal between Thailand and Iran also saw the release of 11 Thai nationals and one Philippines national, Times of Israel reported.

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Israeli-owned ship targeted in suspected Iranian attack in Indian Ocean

November 25, 2023

DUBAI: A container ship owned by an Israeli billionaire came under attack by a suspected Iranian drone in the Indian Ocean as Israel wages war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip, an American defense official said Saturday.

The attack Friday on the CMA CGM Symi comes as global shipping increasingly finds itself targeted in the weekslong war that threatens to become a wider regional conflict — even as a truce has halted fighting and Hamas exchanges hostages for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The defense official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence matters, said the Malta-flagged vessel was suspected to have been targeted by a triangle-shaped, bomb-carrying Shahed-136 drone while in international waters. The drone exploded, causing damage to the ship but not injuring any of its crew.

“We continue to monitor the situation closely,” the official said. The official declined to explain why the US military believed Iran was behind the attack.

Al-Mayadeen, a pan-Arab satellite channel that is politically allied with the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, reported that an Israeli ship had been targeted in the Indian Ocean. The channel cited anonymous sources for the report, which Iranian media later cited.

CMA CGM, a major shipper based in Marseille, France, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the vessel’s crew had been behaving as though they believed the ship faced a threat.

The ship had its Automatic Identification System tracker switched off since Tuesday when it left Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, according to data from MarineTraffic.com analyzed by the AP. Ships are supposed to keep their AIS active for safety reasons, but crews will turn them off if it appears they might be targeted. It had done the same earlier when traveling through the Red Sea past Yemen, home to the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels.

“The attack is likely to have been targeted, due to the vessel’s Israeli affiliation through Eastern Pacific Shipping,” the private intelligence firm Ambrey told the AP. “The vessel’s AIS transmissions were off days prior to the event, indicating this alone does not prevent an attack.”

The Symi is owned by Singapore-based Eastern Pacific Shipping, which is a company ultimately controlled by Israeli billionaire IdanOfer. A phone number for Eastern Pacific Shipping in Singapore rang unanswered Saturday, while no one responded to a request for comment sent by email. The Israeli military also did not respond to a request for comment.

In November 2022, the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon, also associated with Eastern Pacific, sustained damage in a suspected Iranian attack off Oman.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment. However, Tehran and Israel have been engaged in a yearslong shadow war in the wider Middle East, with some drone attacks targeting Israeli-associated vessels traveling around the region.

In this Israel-Hamas war, which began with the militants’ Oct. 7 attack, the Houthis seized a vehicle transport ship in the Red Sea off Yemen. Iranian-backed militias in Iraq also have launched attacks on American troops in both Iraq and Syria during the war, though Iran itself has yet to be linked directly to an attack.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2414896/middle-east

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Pro-Palestine rallies continue as truce takes hold in Gaza 

 25 November 2023

Hundreds of Australian students skipped class in Sydney on Friday to protest for the freedom of Palestinians.

Students of all ages, from primary school to university students, gathered outside Sydney's Town Hall with banners and Palestinian flags before marching through the city chanting.

The protest came a day after thousands of school students in Melbourne gathered for a "Free Palestine" protest. Australian state and federal leaders have urged students to stay in school and not attend the protests.

Elsewhere in New York, Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Washington Square to protest against what they consider the illegal occupation of Palestinian territory.

Groups like the Palestinian Youth Movement, al-Awda NY, and Peoples Forum participated in the demonstration.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/11/25/715223/Pro-Palestine-rally-Sydney-New-York-Gaza-truce-

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Pakistan

 

PTI reacts to ‘Laadla’ comment on Imran

November 25, 2023

LAHORE: PTI central Punjab senior vice president Akmal Khan Bari on Friday strongly reacted to interior minister Sarfaraz Ahmed Bugti’s statement, calling PTI Chairman Imran Khan as the ‘Laadla’ of the judiciary while the caretaker government had instituted around 300 fake cases against him.

In a video message, Mr Bari said the caretaker governments in the centre, Punjab and Khyber were only supposed to hold free and fair elections but they were busy in crackdown on PTI leaders and workers.

Stating that the caretakers wanted to impose the most corrupt person on Pakistan while relaxing all laws, Mr Bari said the caretakers should formally join politics and give their manifestos to people instead of meddling with the political affairs of the country.

Referring to PML-N chief organiser Maryam Nawaz’ statements that she had got videos, Mr Bari said this was the reason that different people, including KhawarManeka, had given statements against Imran. After a book by Reham Khan, he said, another woman’s book had been relaunched.

“Don’t hit below the belt but contest in the political arena with your manifesto and let people decide,” he told the caretakers. He regretted that the caretaker government also instituted a case against PTI secretary general Omar Ayub Khan for attending his father Gohar Ayub Khan’s funeral.

Akmal Bari said the caretaker governments were also instituting cases against the PTI leaders and workers if they protest in favour of Palestine. He said the police were also out to harass people.

“The caretakers should perform their original duty of making arrangements and holding free and fair elections and let people decide who was their Laadla,” Mr Bari asserted.

Source: dawn.com

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 https://www.dawn.com/news/1792273/pti-reacts-to-laadla-comment-on-imran

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WFP urgently needs $27m for families returning to Afghanistan

November 25, 2023

Amin Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: As winter sets in, the World Food Programme (WFP) in Afghanistan has warned that it is critically underfunded and won’t be able to continue its support for families arriving from Pak­istan with nothing but a few basic morsels.

WFP Afghanistan Country Director Hsiao-Wei Lee said in a statement that WFP was forced to cut 10 million people from its emergency food assistance and can now only support one in five of those in need of support to survive.

“The situation is particularly dire as the harsh winter is only weeks away and the country is still reeling from devastating earthquakes, a battered economy and a worsening climate crisis,” Lee said.

Most families crossing the border are arriving hungry, desperate and in need of immediate support. The WFP continues to supply all arriving families with fortified biscuits and cash to buy food or other basic necessities, adding that it has assisted 250,000 people in November.

“We urgently need $27.5 million to support one million retu­rnees from Pakistan arriving in Afghanistan and help them get through the winter.”

“These families arrive at the worst of times and face a bleak future in a country where one third of the people do not know where their next meal will come from,” he said.

The UN agency says 1.3 million undocumented Af­­g­­hans live in Pakistan. Around 720,000 undocumented ind­­ividuals and 50,000 opting for voluntary repatriation are expected to require support at border points till July 2024. The surge in return in recent weeks, the WFP says, is putting pressure on its strained resources.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1792325/wfp-urgently-needs-27m-for-families-returning-to-afghanistan

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Pakistani-Afghan couple’s son gets bail in illegal stay case

 November 25, 2023

PESHAWAR: A local court on Friday granted bail to the teenage son of a Pakistani woman and an Afghan man over his recent arrest due to “illegal stay” in the country during a crackdown on undocumented migrants.

Judicial magistrate Hassan Ali Khan accepted the bail petition of Kamran on condition of furnishing two surety bonds of Rs100,000 each.

The petitioner’s name was mentioned along with five other people in an FIR registered at Shahpur police station on Nov 15.

The police claimed that those people were Afghan nationals and didn’t have any legal documents to stayin Pakistan.

Peshawar court asks him to furnish two surety bonds of Rs100,000 each

Advocate Nauman MuhibKakakhel appeared for the petitioner and said the teenage boy was arrested as a ’witch hunt“ was launched against illegal Afghan migrants during which even legally staying Afghans had also been arrested.

He saidthat he was charged under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act, 1946.

The counsel argued that the petitioner was born to a Pakistani woman and an Afghan man, so he was a Pakistani citizen by descent under Section 5 of the Citizenship Act, 1951.

He argued that the petitioner’s mother was a Pakistan national, who had also moved the Peshawar High Court to seek orders for the grant of the Pakistan Origin Card to her husband and citizenship to her children.

MrKakakhel said that though the law was clear on the matter, authorities were refusing to register those people or issue identity documents to them to enable them to have a livelihood in Pakistan.

He argued that the teenager was not covered under the definition of a foreigner as mentioned in the Foreigners Act, 1946.

The counsel argued that though the Foreigners Act, 1946, didn’t allow the grant of bail, the petitioner was entitled to it as a Pakistani citizen and that he couldn’t be charged with violating the Foreigners Act.

He claimed that Pakistanis were also being harassed and arrested on the excuse that they’re Afghan nationals but the Nadra didn’t help protect them.

CONTEMPT PLEA: A Pakistani national has filed a contempt petition in Peshawar High Court against the federal government for not issuing citizenship certificate to his Afghan wife in accordance with an earlier order of the court.

Petitioner Tariq Shah, a resident of Peshawar, has requested the court to initiate contempt proceedings against the respondents, including the interior minister, the National Database and Registration Authority chairman and its director-general in Islamabad and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The petition was filed through advocates Irfan Ali Yousafzai and Abdul Rehman.

The petitioner said that he earlier filed a petition in the high court but that was disposed of on Dec 20, 2022, by a bench headed by then chief justice Qaiser Rashid Khan.

He said that the bench had directed the government to grant citizenship certificates to the petitioner’s wife after he applied to the ministry of interior through the prescribed Form “F” along with necessary documents.

He added that the court had directed that the said documents would be processed and after due clearance from the security agencies and fulfilling all the codal formalities, the citizenship certificate would be issued in favour of his wife in accordance with law and thereafter, she would be eligible for the grant of the computerised national identity cards.

The petitioner contended that he had fulfilled all the codal formalities and had approached the respondents with certified copies of the required documents, but in vain.

He claimed that he had time and again approached respondents for the implementation of the court’s verdict but they had willfully been committing contempt of the court by not following its orders.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1792252/pakistani-afghan-couples-son-gets-bail-in-illegal-stay-case

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Court dismisses plea against Imran’s nikah

November 25, 2023

ISLAMABAD: The Civil Judge, Islamabad Qudrat Ullah dismissed a petition challenging the nikah between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi on Friday after it was withdrawn by the petitioner.

The court disposed of a petition filed against former Prime Minister Imran Khan over alleged un-Islamic Nikkah with Bushra Bibi during her “Iddat” days. The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, said he wanted to withdraw the case due to some technical reasons. The judge approved the plea and disposed of the case. Hanif had moved the court seeking legal action against the 71-year-old PTI chief for marrying Bushra during her ‘Iddat’ period. The three-month Iddat period is mandatory for a Muslim woman following the death of her husband or the dissolution of the marriage.

In his application to the court, the petitioner said, “For the time being, the applicant wants to withdraw the complaint due to technical reasons.” “If permission to withdraw the complaint is not accorded, the applicant shall suffer irreparable loss,” the report said, citing the application. Judicial Magistrate (East) Qudrat Ullah granted permission for the complaint’s withdrawal and wrapped up the case.

Hanif had claimed that Bushra Bibi was divorced by her former husband in November 2017 and she married Khan on January 1, 2018, even though her Iddat period had not ended, “which is against Sharia and Muslim norms,” the report said. He had submitted the statements of Mufti Saeed, the cleric who solemnized the couple’s marriage in 2018.

Bushra, 49, hails from a family of landowners in Punjab. Her first marriage, which lasted about 30 years, was to Khawar Farid Maneka, who belongs to a politically influential Punjab family. Khan has been incarcerated in the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since September 26 in several cases since he was ousted from power in April last year.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1132333-court-dismisses-plea-against-imran-s-nikah

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Imran moves SC against IHC’s rejection of pre-arrest bail

November 25, 2023

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan, has appealed to the Supreme Court to set aside the Islamabad High Court’s order rejecting his pre-arrest bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The PTI chairman has filed a request in the apex court for leave to appeal under Article 185(3) against the IHC’s order dated November 14, 2023.

Submitted through Advocate Sardar Latif Khosa, the petition names the state through the chairman and DG of the National Accountability Bureau as respondents.

Imran Khan has urged the Supreme Court to grant leave to appeal regarding the Division Bench’s order of November 14, 2023, in Crl.Rev.148/2023. He seeks to set aside the order dated August 10, 2023, of Accountability Court No. I, Islamabad, and be released on bail in the interest of justice.

He further requests the suspension/stay of the operation of the impugned order dated November 14, 2023, passed by the Islamabad High Court in Crl. Rev. No.148/2023. He also seeks to restrain the respondents from initiating any proceedings or taking any action detrimental to his legitimate rights in the interest of justice.

Imran Khan, in his submission, expressed dissatisfaction with the decision of the Accountability Court on August 10, 2023, dismissing his pre-arrest bail petition, which led to the filing of Crl.Rev.148/2023 before the Islamabad High Court. He argues that the subsequent dismissal on November 14, 2023, contradicts the order allowing Crl.Rev. No.149/2023 on the same date, inter se the same parties.

He highlights that both petitions were ongoing simultaneously, with the NAB consistently asserting that he had not been arrested based on a fake document. The division bench ultimately sought the opinion of the Law Ministry, and on November 14, 2023, it was confirmed that there was no statutory limitation on filing a revision application.

Imran Khan contends that, on November 13, 2023, a day before the clarification from the Law Ministry, he was placed under arrest to overreach the division bench’s adjudication. He criticises the Islamabad High Court for disposing of the revision petition as infructuous, giving preference to the NAB’s misstatement.

He explains that his arrest was part of political victimisation and persecution by state authorities at the behest of his political rivals. Despite being granted interim bail during the pendency of a bail application, he was arrested in another case, leading to the dismissal of his bail application on August 10, 2023.

Imran Khan recalls the incident of his arrest on May 9, 2023, from the biometric room of the Islamabad High Court premises in the Al-Qadir Trust Case. Despite the strong reaction from the chief justice to the illegal intrusion, he was released on May 11, 2023. However, he points out that the NAB had deceived the division bench during the proceedings on November 14, 2023, leading to the dismissal of Crl.Rev.148/2023. Imran Khan argues against allowing the NAB to benefit from its own fraud and emphasises that he has been twice subjected to injustice by the Islamabad High Court in the same case. He concludes that a grave miscarriage of justice has occurred, as access to justice has been repeatedly denied, despite the categorical judgment of the Supreme Court.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1132331-imran-moves-sc-against-ihc-s-rejection-of-pre-arrest-bail

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Africa

 

Islamic scholar urges Nigerians to demand good leadership

25th November 2023

Stephen Angbulu

Islamic scholar, Mufti Menk, on Friday, said Nigeria could further excel in its current status as the giant of Africa if its citizens would support and demand good leadership at all levels.

He said this shortly after emerging with his delegation from a closed-door meeting held with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.

Menkemphasised the need for Nigerians to be united, respect and appreciate their leaders in order to propel the nation to great success.

“If you look at the countries that have failed, it’s because they don’t respect their leadership. But if we are going to rally behind the leadership and ensure that every one of us contributes positively, Nigeria can be the best nation in Africa.

“We need to be a united people. We need to respect each other, and the leadership that we have, we should appreciate it; we should acknowledge it.

“We should understand that if we are going to respect our leadership, we will be able to achieve much as a nation,” he said.

Drawing on lessons from other nations, Menk pointed out a critical factor for national success, saying, “If you look at the countries that have failed, it’s because they don’t respect their leadership.”

He urged Nigerians to support their leaders, be upright and honest in their service to the nation stressing that such an attitude can make Nigeria the best African nation and a shining example for the rest of Africa.

Speaking on the purpose of his visit to Nigeria, Menk said, “I am here for the peace and unity convention that is going to be taking place in Abuja this weekend.”

Concluding his briefing with a call to action and a prayer for the nation, Menk said, “I believe it is the right time to be upright and honest and to serve the nation and, in this way, we will be able to be a shining example for the rest of Africa.

“I always pray that we can be upright citizens and that we will achieve more than we’ve actually dreamt of.”

Kindly share this story:

Source: punchng.com

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https://punchng.com/islamic-scholar-urges-nigerians-to-demand-good-leadership/

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Zamfara politics: Prominent Islamic cleric resigns

November 25, 2023

Sheikh Sani Mohammed Jangebe, a renowned Islamic cleric, has resigned from his position as the Chief Imam.

He stated this in a letter sent to the mosque’s management committee and made available to newsmen in Gusau, the state capital, on Friday.

He also assured his support and contribution to the development and success of the mosque and Islamic religion in the state and the country at large.

In an interview with newsmen, Jangebe disclosed that his resignation was connected to a video clip in which he was seen praying for the Minister of State for Defence and immediate past governor of Zamfara State, Bello Matawalle.

He said he did similar prayers to the incumbent Governor Dauda Lawal when he was campaigning for the position.

He said the video clip had gone viral on social media and generated mixed reactions among political elites and religious communities in the state.

Recall that Jangebe served as the Commissioner for Religious Affairs for three terms in Zamfara State.

Source: dailypost.ng

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https://dailypost.ng/2023/11/25/zamfara-politics-prominent-islamic-cleric-resigns/

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Abdulrazaq, Sultan, Saraki, others for launch of Ansarul Islam’s varsity

Adekunle Jimoh, Ilorin

November 25, 2023

Kwara state Governor AbdulRamanAbdulrazaq, Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar, former Senate President Bukola Saraki will today grace the launch of Muhammad Kamalu-deen University (MKU), Ilorin.

Other personalities expected at the event include Emirs of Kano and Ilorin Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero and Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria is the proprietor of the about-to-debut-university

Saraki is the Baba Adini of the society.

AlhajaSinatuOjikutu, who is also.t heIyaAdini of society is billed to attend.

Muhammad Kamalud-deen University received accreditation from the National University Commision (NUC) on 9th June, 2023.

The pro-chancellor of MKU, Prof Shuaib AbdulRaheem told reporters in Ilorin ahead of the preparations for the official commissioning of the institution.

He described the institution as a university with a difference as it will combine spirituality with sociality so that its products could benefit from this World and in the hereafter.

Extolling the virtues of the founder of Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria, the late Sheikh Muhammed Kamalud- deen Al- Adabiyy, the pro- chancellor said: “As a visionary leader, Muhammad Kamalud-deen spearheaded the integration of Western education into his Arabic and Islamic schools, thus modernizing and standardizing  Arabic education in Nigeria.

“Despite opposition, he championed the teaching of English and introduced innovative tools like blackboards, tables and chairs. His steadfast pursuit of his social reforms, spiced by combining Arabic and Western education, has had a lasting impact,producing highly educated Muslims  significant social standing.”

AbdulRaheem, who was flanked by the vice chancellor of MK recalled that seven decades after the establishment of Ansarul Islam Society of Nigeria, and four decades following the establishment of Al-Azhar Institute, Sheikh Kamalud-deen envisioned the need for a university. In honour of his legacy, his disciples and Ansarul Islam members decided to establish Muhammad Kamalud-deen University.

“This endeavour marks the culmination of the Sheikh’s contributions to over 200 primary schools across West Africa, approximately 70 government- aided secondary schools, and numerous traditional Islamic schools. In support of the Al- university, Al- Azhar authorities in Cairo have pledged to send qualified lecturers to the Faculty of of Arts, Social Sciences, and Education, specifically, to the Arabic and Islamic Studies’ department.”

Source: thenationonlineng.net

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https://thenationonlineng.net/abdulrazaq-sultan-saraki-others-for-launch-of-ansarul-islams-varsity/

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Death toll from floods in Kenya rises again

25th November 2023

The death toll from devastating floods continues to rise in Kenya reaching at least 20.

Late on Thursday (Nov. 23), at least eight people were reported to have drowned in southern Kenya as they tried to cross the flooded Muuoni river in Makueni county.

Parts of essential infrastructures have been washed away and villages are swamped by flood waters.

The Coast, Northern and Central Kenya regions are the worst hit by the El Nino phenomenon.

The Kenyan government has set aside 2.4 billion Kenyan Shillings (some 19 million $) to support those affected, news outlet Nation reported.

Nation cited PeninahMalonza, the cabinet secretary for East African Community, the Arid and Semi Arid Lands (ASALs) & Regional Development.

Since October 1, flooding has killed over 100 people in the Horn of Africa and displaced more than 700,000, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

It added that the floods had displaced more than 700,000 in the region.

Source: africanews.com

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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/25/death-toll-from-floods-in-kenya-rises-again/

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UN-Supported Cultural Festival Unites South Sudanese Communities

November 24, 2023

A multicultural gathering in Yambio, South Sudan, brought together several hundreds of local communities featuring representatives from nine ethic groups residing in the area. Demonstrating that culture can be trusted to be the cradle for peace and unity in diversity, was very much the objective when UNMISS and local partners, including the state’s Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, decided to organize the festival.

According to Mama Hellen Mading, one of the dancers, this is a symbol of unity and peace.

“[Whenever there is conflict] we are the one suffering as mothers and children. We really need peace. Let us dwell in peace with ourselves daily. We want our children to grow in good environment so that they can get education and take over from us as our future leaders.”

For James Amabele, resident, this is an event that young people had been eagerly waiting for.

“Such events will bring peace among communities and [in] South Sudan at large. This is what we had been eager for – we must be united, and if all goes well, then peace will prevail. This is peace by itself. We had been crying for peace and here we are in unity and peace; all tribes are united.”

For UNMISS, this is one step towards building durable and sustainable peace among communities who have experienced one crisis after the other.

According to Emmanuel Dukundane, Civil Affairs Officer, UNMISS:

“This function is to show our differences, our variety, our diversity in terms of culture, and the purpose is to be happy. And through that happiness we can promote social cohesion; we can know each other more, we can appreciate each other more, and forget about the past challenges.”

Whistles, vuvuzelas, drums, and xylophones were just some of the items used to create a mixed soundtrack of robust and dance-inducing rhythms that brought revelers together as one.

Source: africanews.com

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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/24/un-supported-cultural-festival-unites-south-sudanese-communities/

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Morocco: normalization with Israel hampered by the war in Gaza

November 24, 2023

Trade between Morocco and Israel flourished thanks to the normalization of their relations three years ago, but the war in Gaza and the support of the Moroccan population for the Palestinian cause have cut this momentum, analysts believe.

Defense, agriculture, new technologies, tourism: bilateral cooperation accelerated in the wake of the normalization agreement , signed in December 2020 and in return for which Morocco received American and then Israeli recognition of its sovereignty over the disputed territory. of Western Sahara .

But since October 7 and the bloody attack by Hamas on Israeli soil, a prelude to a new war in the Gaza Strip controlled by the Islamist movement, air links between Israel and Morocco have been suspended, Israeli tourists have vanished like investors.

"From one day to the next, there was no one there. The Israelis who were there ran away, they were very afraid" , relates Michel Cohen, Franco-Israeli investor, owner of a kosher restaurant in Marrakech which closed, like 11 others out of the 14 which opened in the wake of normalization.

At the same time, pro-Palestinian demonstrations, which had always been a vector of mobilization but had run out of steam over the last three years, have regained momentum, giving rise to calls for a break in relations between Morocco and Israel.

Faced with images of Gaza being relentlessly bombed, "(Moroccan) civil society expresses its discontent and Rabat had to take this popular demand into account" , notes Zakaria Abouddahab, professor of international relations at Mohammed V University.

Since October 7, Rabat's tone has evolved: first expressing its "deep concern" and condemning any attack against civilians, the kingdom ended up denouncing, on November 11 during an Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, "Israel's persistence in its blatant aggression against unarmed civilians". Without ever condemning the Hamas attack itself.

In Gaza, more than 14,500 people were killed in Israeli strikes in retaliation for the Hamas attack, the deadliest in Israel since the creation of the state in 1948, leaving 1,200 dead, according to the local authorities.

"Morocco today is in a very delicate situation" , with on the one hand "a deep desire to maintain a win-win relationship" and "pressure from the street" on the other, analyzes MrAbouddahab.

In October, the evacuation of the Israeli liaison office in Rabat for security reasons, reported by Moroccan media, recalled the breakdown in relations in 2000, against the backdrop of the second Intifada (Palestinian uprising ).

Rabat then denounced “Israeli violence”, causing the closure of the Israeli office. However, according to analysts, this scenario is unlikely today. “We will maintain the relationship but slow down the pace of meetings and visits,” said Mr. Abouddahab to AFP.

It is difficult in this context to imagine the kingdom welcoming high-level Israeli officials and even less so Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself, whose visit was anticipated by the end of the year.

According to Jamal Amiar, author of "Morocco, Israel and Moroccan Jews" , the military, security and economic ties established since 2020 are too strong to be broken even if support for normalization - which was already than 31% last year according to a survey by the Arab Barometer network - has fallen further.

A break would also create "diplomatic disorder", particularly with the American administration, he said, recalling that support on the question of Western Sahara was in the eyes of Rabat a "huge counterpart" to normalization.

Mr. Amiar recommends that the kingdom make its delicate position "an asset" to "play a more dynamic role" in mediation efforts, banking on its links with Israel, Arab countries but also the large Jewish community in Morocco, which makes it a unique country in the Arab world.

Estimated at 3,000 people, Moroccan Jews remain the main Jewish community in North Africa, while some 700,000 Israelis are of Moroccan ancestry and have maintained strong ties to their country of origin.

“The fundamentals of the Moroccan-Israeli relationship are strong, they have roots,” Mr. Amiar told AFP.

In Morocco, there is a "real" coexistence between Muslims and Jews, assures Jacky Kadoch, representative of the Jewish community of Marrakech, who wants to believe in a return to normal, because despite the repetitive crises, " the umbilical cord does not heal. "is never cut between the two countries".

Source: africanews.com

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https://www.africanews.com/2023/11/24/morocco-normalization-with-israel-hampered-by-the-war-in-gaza/

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African leaders give renewed push for permanent seats on UN Security Council

James Tasamba

25.11.2023

African countries must sustain a common position in their demand for permanent seats on the UN Security Council, the president of Equatorial Guinea said Friday.

Obiang Nguema Mbasogo said the continent has been pushing for the position since 2005 without significant progress toward achieving its legitimate aspirations.

There is a need for a “renewed and revitalized action on the part of the African continent, in its demand to correct the historical injustice it has been suffering, as it is the only continent that does not have representation in the UN Security Council,” Nguema said while addressing a summit of the African Union Committee of Ten (C-10) in Equatorial Guinea.

The meeting in La Paz brought together heads of state and government as well as representatives of the UN and African Union agencies, seeking to cement a common position on UN Security Council reforms.

“It is essential that all African states remain vigilant, speaking with one voice so as not to let other countries and regions take advantage of Africa by forming alliances to achieve their own interests in becoming permanent members of the United Nations Security Council,” said Nguema.

He emphasized the need to accelerate reforms of the Security Council to ensure “equitable representation of Africa through expanded membership.”

The African Union C-10 was set up in 2005, with the core mandate of presenting, advocating and canvassing support for the common African position on reform of the Security Council.

The UN General Assembly began Intergovernmental Negotiations on reforms of the Security Council during the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly in 2009.

The Security Council has five permanent members: the US, UK, France, China and Russia.

It also has non-permanent member positions, which are held on a rotational basis.

Currently, Africa is represented by Mozambique, Gabon and Ghana.

Nguema encouraged his counterparts to sustain a push until the continent's aspirations in the Security Council are achieved.

"I want to stress once again the importance of adopting at this summit a new strategy that will allow us to move forward with this process, to achieve Africa's goal of obtaining equitable representation in both permanent and non-permanent seats,” he said.

The summit was expected to come up with the African common position in the quest for two permanent seats on the Security Council, with the right of veto and two additional seats in the non-permanent category.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/african-leaders-give-renewed-push-for-permanent-seats-on-un-security-council/3064285

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North America

 

Biden suggests he was the reason for Hamas attack

24 Nov, 2023

US President Joe Biden has offered a theory on what might have triggered the surprise Hamas attacks that ignited the Palestinian militant group’s latest war with Israel: himself.

Speaking to reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts on Friday, Biden speculated that Hamas was motivated to launch its October 7 assault on villages in southern Israel by US progress in negotiating a peace agreement between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The president claimed that the talks were heating up after a massive railway project, including a link between Riyadh and Israel, was announced at the G20 summit in September – a deal for which he took credit.

“I cannot prove what I’m about to say,” Biden said. “But I believe one of the reasons why Hamas struck when they did was they knew that I was working very closely with the Saudis and others in the region to bring peace to the region by having recognition of Israel and Israel’s right to exist.”

Biden made his comments after a four-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict began on Friday morning. He credited “extensive US diplomacy,” including telephone calls that he placed from the Oval Office, with bringing about the temporary halt to fighting in Gaza. Hamas agreed to release 50 hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian civilians held in Israeli jails.

“Today has been a product of a lot of hard work and weeks of personal engagement,” Biden said. “From the moment Hamas kidnapped these people, I along with my team have worked around the clock to secure their release.”

The October 7 raids killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel, and the Islamist militants took around 240 hostages back to Gaza. The attacks triggered a war that has left more than 14,000 people dead in the Palestinian enclave, according to local health officials.

Saudi Arabia, which was reportedly nearing an agreement to normalize relations with Israel, put the deal on ice after the latest conflict in Gaza began.

Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump had brokered the Abraham Accords, under which Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates established diplomatic ties with Israel. Sudan and Morocco later signed the accords.

Source: rt.com

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Biden says Gaza hostages release ‘only a start’

November 25, 2023

NANTUCKET, United States: US President Joe Biden said Friday’s release of a first group of hostages taken by Hamas was just a “start” and that there were “real” chances to extend a temporary truce in Gaza.

Speaking to reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his family, Biden also said it was time to “renew” work on creating a two-state solution to achieve peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

A total of 24 hostages — 13 Israelis, 10 Thais and a Filipino — were turned over Friday to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza by Hamas, while Israel freed 39 women and minors held in its prisons, the Qatari foreign ministry said.

Biden, who led US efforts to secure the pause in the brutal fighting between Israel and Hamas militants controlling Gaza, said “I think the chances are real” for extending the truce.

He welcomed the way the start of the process had gone as the four-day truce to facilitate the hostage and prisoner releases held.

“This morning I’ve been engaged with my team as we began the first couple days of implementing this deal. It’s only a start, but so far it’s gone well,” he said.

Asked about the American women and children hostages who could be released as part of the deal, Biden said he did not know when they would be set free but “we expect it to occur.”

He also urged a broader effort to emerge from the crisis toward creating a viable Palestinian state to exist alongside Israel, citing the “need to renew our resolve to pursue this two-state solution.”

Protesters across the United States have called for Biden to push for a permanent cease-fire, with a demonstration on Thursday even interrupting the country’s largest Thanksgiving Day parade in New York.

As the president attended the Nantucket Christmas tree lighting ceremony on Friday, a group of about 10 protesters chanted “Biden, Biden you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” while holding a banner that read “Free Palestine.”

Earlier in the day, as the president walked about, a handful of people shouted “free Palestine” and “cease-fire now.”

Hamas’s October 7 attack sparked an air and ground offensive by Israel, which has vowed to destroy the Palestinian militants.

In Gaza, nearly 15,000 people, 6,150 of them children, have been killed in the war, officials in the Hamas-run territory said.

About 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel during the October 7 attack and around 240 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials.

Source: arabnews.com

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Putting conditions on military aid to Israel 'worthwhile thought', says US President Biden

25.11.23

President Joe Biden said Friday that he believes putting conditions on military aid to Israel is a "worthwhile thought", and he hopes the Gaza ceasefire will last longer than four days.

Speaking to reporters from Nantucket, Massachusetts, Biden said he was encouraged by the release of some of the hostages and hopes for more.

"We expect more hostages to be released tomorrow, and more the day after, and more the day after that," he said.

The freed hostages included 13 Israelis, 10 people from Thailand and one from the Philippines, according to Qatar, which was instrumental in brokering the deal to stop fighting. In return, Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison.

Biden said that conditioning military aid to Israel was a "worthwhile thought, but I don't think if I started off with that we would have ever gotten where we are today".

He didn't give any examples of possible conditions.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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https://www.telegraphindia.com/world/putting-conditions-on-military-aid-to-israel-worthwhile-thought-says-us-president-biden/cid/1982450

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Biden hopeful about Israel-Hamas truce extension, US hostages release

25 Nov 2023

NANTUCKET, Nov 25 ― US President Joe Biden said yesterday that the chances were “real” of a truce between Israel and Hamas being extended and he expressed hope that US citizens taken hostage by the Palestinian group would be freed soon.

Biden also praised US diplomacy behind the truce and yesterday's release of 24 hostages who were taken by Hamas to Gaza in its October 7 attack on Israel, saying it was the start of what he expected would be further releases in coming days.

“Beginning this morning, under a deal reached by extensive US diplomacy, including numerous calls I've made from the Oval Office to leaders across the region, fighting in Gaza will halt for four days,” Biden told a press conference.

Asked whether the truce could be extended, Biden said: “I think the chances are real.”

Biden declined to speculate about how long the Israel-Hamas war would last. Asked by a reporter what his expectations were, Biden said Israel's goal of eliminating Hamas was a legitimate but difficult mission.

“I don't know how long it will take,” Biden told reporters.

“My expectation and hope is that as we move forward, the rest of the Arab world and the region is also putting pressure on all sides to slow this down, to bring this to an end as quickly as we can.”

Under the terms of the truce, 50 women and children hostages are to be released over four days, in return for 150 Palestinian women and children among thousands of detainees in Israeli jails. Israel says the truce could be extended if more hostages are released at a rate of 10 per day.

Both sides have promised a return to fighting.

Abu Ubaida, spokesperson for Hamas' armed wing, said in a video message that this was a “temporary truce” and called for an “escalation of the confrontation ... on all resistance fronts”, including the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant spoke similarly, calling the pause “short” and saying that at its conclusion “the war (and) fighting will continue with great might.”

Israel has retaliated against Hamas for the October 7 attack in which the government says Hamas gunmen killed 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized about 240 hostages.

The Israeli military has bombarded the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, killing about 14,000 Gazans, around 40 per cent of them children, according to Palestinian health authorities.

The civilian death toll has generated international outcry and protests even in the United States, a staunch ally of Israel.

Biden spoke to reporters yesterday while vacationing with his family on the Massachusetts island of Nantucket.

As Biden and his wife, Jill, walked around Nantucket after his remarks, some in the gathered crowd loudly shouted: “Free Palestine!”

Biden said earlier that he had raised civilian casualties with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“I've encouraged the prime minister to focus on trying to reduce the number of casualties while he is attempting to eliminate Hamas, which is a legitimate objective,” Biden told reporters. ― Reuters

Source: malaymail.com

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Arab World

 

Minister of Hajj suggests best timing for performing Umrah

November 24, 2023

MAKKAH — Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah advised Umrah pilgrims that the best timing to perform Umrah in the morning is from 7:30 until 10:30 and in the evening from 11:00 pm until 2:00 am.

The minister said in a statement on his X account that the least crowded weekly days for the performance of the Umrah ritual is Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday. The minister’s advisory came at a time when the Grand Mosque in Makkah is witnessing a huge influx of Umrah performers coming from all over the world.

Dr. Al-Rabiah said that Makkah has been witnessing very pleasant weather these days and this enables the pilgrims to perform their rituals in ease and comfort in an air of spirituality.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

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https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/638065/SAUDI-ARABIA/Minister-of-Hajj-suggests-best-timing-for-performing-Umrah

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First ship carrying aid for Gaza arrives in Egypt in KSrelief-coordinated operation

November 24, 2023

RIYADH: The first aid ship for Gaza, carrying 1,050 tons of food, shelter, and medical supplies, reached Port Said in Egypt, reported SPA.

The Gaza relief operation is being coordinated by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, with Egypt acting as the transit point.

The aid is being delivered into Gaza through the Rafah crossing.

Rafah, overseen by Egypt, is the only crossing into Gaza not controlled by Israel.

KSrelief on Thursday finalized four cooperation agreements with international organizations to provide relief worth $40 million for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and KSrelief supervisor-general, concluded the agreements with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, the World Health Organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and the World Food Programme.

The Saudi aid campaign for the Palestinian people was launched following a directive from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2414486/saudi-arabia#:~:text=RIYADH%3A%20The%20first%20aid%20ship,acting%20as%20the%20transit%20point.

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3rd Saudi Green Initiative Forum program unveiled

November 24, 2023

RIYADH — The third edition of the Saudi Green Initiative (SGI) Forum will present a unique opportunity for diverse stakeholders to engage in dialogue, share insights, and showcase innovative approaches to addressing climate challenges, and supporting global action.

The forum, under the theme “From ambition to action” will be held on the sidelines of the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC (COP28) at Expo City, Dubai on Dec. 4.

The forum is set to accelerate global efforts to address climate challenges. The event will convene an elite lineup of influential figures, climate experts, senior government officials, and CEOs to share their insights and discuss what more can be done to address climate challenges.

Speakers who are confirmed to take part include CEO of Standard Chartered William Thomas Winters, Secretary General and CEO of World Energy Council Dr. Angela Wilkinson, CEO of Schlumberger Olivier Le Peuch, and CEO of Air Liquide François Jackow, and a number of Saudi government officials.

The forum’s program will focus on multiple key themes, including innovating and scaling up clean energy solutions, the Red Sea’s ecosystem, financing climate action, and protecting terrestrial and marine areas in the Kingdom.

The forum will feature a series of panel discussions that will explore the key themes under four event pillars: "Industrial Plays," "The Financial Architecture of Tomorrow,” "Innovative Transitions," and "Coherence for Impact.”

The sessions will examine critical topics, including clean energy scaling, desertification mitigation, climate technology innovation, safeguarding the Red Sea, sustainable urban planning, CCUS and hydrogen technology, and ESG investments. In the year of the global stocktake, the SGI Forum 2023 will be an important platform to accelerate global efforts to address climate challenges.

In addition to the forum, the Saudi Green Initiative Gallery will be open daily from 10:00 am to 9:00 pm throughout the COP28 conference, except for the day of the SGI Forum on Dec.4. The Gallery will showcase Saudi Arabia’s range of initiatives and projects working to deliver a greener, more sustainable future, underscoring the Kingdom’s enduring commitment to climate action.

This year, the Saudi Green Initiative is premiering an interactive speaker series called SGI Talks, to offer a wider audience access to different aspects of the climate action conversation and encourage dialogue. The series will engage with the major sustainability trends of the future, complementing the wider COP28 agenda. Talks will include a range of topics, including new technologies transforming energy efficiency.

The SGI Gallery will display the breadth and depth of climate action initiatives taking place across Saudi Arabia and the range of entities, projects and individuals behind these efforts. Visitors to the SGI Gallery will discover how the Kingdom is progressing towards its targets and learn more about the multitude of sustainable initiatives already delivering impact across the country.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

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https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/638066/SAUDI-ARABIA/3rd-Saudi-Green-Initiative-Forum-program-unveiled

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KSrelief Distributes Winter Clothing Vouchers to 416 Refugee Families in Jordan

24 Nov, 2023

The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief) distributed on Wednesday vouchers to 2,742 individuals, enabling them to purchase winter clothing from authorized stores.

 The vouchers support 416 Syrian refugee families and the neediest in the host community in the governorates of Zarqa and Mafraq in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.

 This assistance is part of the second phase of the winter clothing distribution project (Kanaf) in Jordan, in cooperation with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO).

 This initiative is consistent with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's relief and humanitarian efforts provided through its humanitarian body, the KSrelief, to help the needy and affected people around the world.

Source: alriyadhdaily.com

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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/ebfa45191df7481e943ce1d2eed91e0d

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18th Saudi Relief Plane for Palestinian People in Gaza Arrives in Egypt

The 18th Saudi relief plane, operated by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSrelief) in coordination with the Ministry of Defense, arrived at El-Arish International Airport in Egypt today. The plane carried two out of 20 scheduled ambulances, which will be transported successively to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

 This aid is part of Saudi Arabia's long-standing commitment to supporting the Palestinian people in various crises.

Source: alriyadhdaily.com

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