Will Fight till Last Breath: Gyanvapi Mosque Committee on Allahabad HC Order on the Maintainability of A 1991 Suit

New Age Islam News Bureau

20 December 2023

 

The Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. (File photo | PTI)

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·         Will Fight till Last Breath: Gyanvapi Mosque Committee on Allahabad HC Orderon the Maintainability of A 1991 Suit

·         Islamic Jihad Movement: Annihilating Resistance an Illusion, America Seeks to Maintain “Israeli Deterrence”

·         Christmas 'Of Pain and Mourning' For Israelis, Palestinians: Pope Francis

·         Resistance strikes down US plot to secure Israel’s control over region: Islamic Jihad

·         Inter-Religious Dialogue: United Nations General Assembly Adopts Pak-Philippines Sponsored Resolution

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India

·         HC Orders Speedy Trial Of 32-Year-Old Gyanvapi Case, Sets 6-Month Deadline

·         Chhattisgarh Resident Bhanu Patel Detained for Recording Video Near Ayodhya Ram Mandir

·         J&K police launches major crackdown on Rohingya sympathisers in Jammu

·         Israel-Hamas conflict: PM Modi holds ‘productive’ talks with Netanyahu

·         Some Muslims around major India temple fearful ahead of opening

·         Haryana To Recruit 10,000 Workers for Israel, Opposition Trains Guns On BJP

·         Kerala Assembly Speaker condemns Muslim clerics' 'silence' over doctor's suicide

·         Kashmiri fraudster arrest in Odisha: Central IB in Bhubaneswar, STF seeks ‘Love Jihad’ info

·         from Lucknow Police

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Arab World

·         Who are Yemen’s Houthis and why are they attacking Red Sea ships?

·         Qatar, Israel hostage talks ‘positive’ but deal not imminent: source

·         Saudi aid agency chief meets foreign envoys

·         King Salman chairs cabinet session discussing Saudi-Qatari relations

·         Makkah revamps path to Hira Cave for safety, accessibility

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Europe

·         German court convicts man inspired by Islamic State group of two knife attacks

·         UK warns of deteriorating security in Red Sea after Houthi attacks

·         UK foreign minister Cameron to visit Jordan, Egypt this week

·         UN condemns Ukraine’s crackdown on its largest Christian church

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Mideast

·         President Erdogan Reminds US Of Historical Responsibility to Stop Israeli Attacks on Gaza

·         Haniyeh says resistance stands 'strong, resolute' as Israel says ready for ceasefire

·         Islamic Jihad releases video of two Israeli hostages pleading for their release

·         Israeli airstrikes kill dozens across central and southern Gaza

·         A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with brother in Israeli strike

·         Israel delivers deadly airstrikes in south Gaza and raids a hospital in the north

·         Israel committing ethnic cleansing in Gaza: Iran’s deputy FM

·         Hamas chief to visit Egypt Wednesday for Gaza ceasefire talks: Hamas source

·         Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah takes oath as 17th Emir of Kuwait

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Pakistan

·         Minister Of Religious Affairs Emphasizes Need for Understanding Among Religious Beliefs

·         Imran challenges cipher indictment before IHC

·         Terrorists behind Dera Ismail Khan, Tank attacks traced: KP police chief

·         Imran moves IHC against indictment, proceedings in cipher case

·         LHC hears plea for PM’s removal today

·         PTI team seeks ECP permission to meet Imran in jail

·         Pakistan boosts security, acts on Kabul’s advice against illegal aliens: PM Kakar

·         Pakistan can no longer compromise security by accommodating undocumented immigrants: Kakar

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South Asia

·         Islamic Emirate Considers Withholding of UN Seat 'Illegal'

·         US warns citizens against traveling to Afghanistan

·         Hundreds of Afghan migrants returned home from Pakistan

·         FM Muttaqi Opposes Appointment of UN Peace Envoy for Kabul

·         UNSC to Discuss Afghan Situation at Wednesday Meeting

·         Relations with China Improved Since the Return of Islamic Emirate to Power: Mujahid

·         Haqqani calls advice of visiting Turkish scholars in Kabul ‘valuable’

·         Not 21,000, rather 11,000 BNP men in jail: Quader

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Southeast Asia

·         Thailand's LGBTQ+ Community Hopeful As Marriage Equality Bill Is Set To Be Discussed In Parliament

·         China asks US to stop solely blocking UN res. on Gaza truce

·         Middle East Investors Eyeing Indonesia's Sharia Bank BSI, Says Erick Thohir

·         Ministry provides Rp811 bln aid for 5,693 Islamic schools

·         Covid-19: Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council encourages wearing of face masks in mosques, surau

·         PM Anwar: Israel-based shipping company prohibited from docking at Malaysian ports

·         Singapore’s Catholic Church: ‘Blessings’ for same-sex couples not a change in stance but to guide priests in pastoral care

·         Johor Encourages Mosque Imam, Bilal, Congregation to Get Booster Shot

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Africa

·         Authorities Accuse Jihadist Groups of Massacres of Civilians In Burkina Faso

·         Islamic Clericsfrom Three Major Sects Converge In Kano To Pray For APC Victory Over NNPP At Supreme Court

·         ‘Christians, Muslims responsible for corruption in Nigeria’ – EFCC chairman

·         South African president condemns Gaza crisis as genocidal, calls for ceasefire

·         Why Fed Govt is eyeing Islamic finance, by Edun

·         Reps probe Kaduna error bombings, seek competition for victims

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·         North America

·         White House Says It’s A ‘Farce’ That the US Left a Bunch of Weapons in Afghanistan

·         US, Allies Mull Striking Yemen; UAE, Saudis Divided Over Support

·         Jewish Groups Line Up in Support of Biden’s Muslim Court Pick Assailed By GOP

·         US Congressmen Announce Creation Of Hindu Caucus

·         Complaint Alleges Ann Arbor School Counselor Referred to Muslim Student as Terrorist

·         CAIR Welcomes Hate Crime Probe into Arson Targeting Cemetery at Black Church in Maryland

·         CAIR Condemns Israeli Killing of Family in Front of Grandfather, Troops’ Vandalism of West Bank Homes, New Massacres, Deaths and Torture of Detainees in Israeli Custody

·         COAS engages in diplomatic, community outreach in US

·         Biden gets low marks on his support for Israel's war on Gaza: Poll

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:    https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/gyanvapi-mosque-allahabad-hc-1991/d/131347

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Will Fight till Last Breath: Gyanvapi Mosque Committee on Allahabad HC Orderon the Maintainability of A 1991 Suit

 

The Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi. (File photo | PTI)

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 19.12.23

The Gyanvapi mosque management committee on Tuesday indicated that it will challenge the Allahabad High Court's decision on the maintainability of a 1991 suit, saying it will fight for justice till the last breath.

The high court dismissed pleas challenging the maintainability of a 1991 suit seeking the “restoration” of a temple where the Gyanvapi mosque now exists in Varanasi, observing that the “religious character” of a disputed place can only be decided by the court.

"The order has come to us and we will study it and decide in the committee meeting on what we have to do next. We will reach a decision by Wednesday evening," Joint Secretary of Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, Syed Muhammad Yasin, told PTI on the possibility of challenging the high court's decision in the Supreme Court.

"We realise that a decision has been given, but justice has not been done," he said. "We will fight the legal battle till our last breath." The high court on Tuesday dismissed five connected petitions filed over the years by the mosque management committee and the Uttar Pradesh Central Sunni Waqf Board.

It held that the suit filed before the district court is not barred by the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 that mandated that the religious character of a place cannot be changed from what existed on 15 August, 1947.

In an important observation, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal said the Act did not define the term 'religious character' and this can only be determined through evidence in court presented by the opposing parties.

Either the Gyanvapi compound has a Hindu religious character or a Muslim religious character. It can't have dual character at the same time, Justice Agarwal said.

He ordered that the trial in the case which is of "vital national importance" should be concluded as soon as possible, preferably within six months.

The high court took note of the ASI survey conducted at the Gyanvapi complex, following directions by the trial court which is hearing the petition of a group of women seeking regular access to Hindu deities depicted on the mosque's rear wall.

If required, the lower court may direct ASI for a further survey, the judge added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/will-fight-till-last-breath-gyanvapi-mosque-committee-on-allahabad-hc-order/cid/1988024

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Islamic Jihad Movement: Annihilating Resistance an Illusion, America Seeks to Maintain “Israeli Deterrence”

 

Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement Mohammed al-Hindi

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[20/December/2023]

DOHA December 20. 2023 (Saba) - Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement Mohammed al-Hindi has confirmed that “the war on Gaza is being led by Washington and the West to maintain what he described as ‘Israeli deterrence’.

He stressed at the same time that ‘talk about annihilating the resistance is an illusion as the entire Palestinian people are resistance.’”

Al-Hindi said in an interview with al-Jazeera satellite channel Tuesday evening as saying “What happened on October 7 was a thunderbolt in the region, and struck all arrangements for the occupation’s rule over the region.”

He pointed out that "the Zionist enemy's massacres aim to restore Israeli deterrence in the region, and that the enemy is escaping from its field failure through horrific massacres that the world is watching."

At the same time, he pointed out that the Zionist enemy is seeking to raise its morale after its successive losses in the field, and that the enemy after this round will not be the same as it was before.

Over the two-state solution is being resurfaced today, al-Hindi stressed that it is “a deception to calm the Palestinians, and that talk about stages in the war is false, as there is not an inch left in Gaza that has not been targeted.”

For the 74th day in a row, with American and European support, the brutal Zionist enemy continues its aggression against the Gaza Strip, and its planes bomb the vicinity of hospitals, buildings, towers, and the homes of Palestinian civilians, destroying them above the heads of their residents, and preventing the entry of water, food, medicine, and fuel, which led to the death toll rising to more than 19,453 martyrs and 52, 286 injured.

Source: saba.ye

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https://www.saba.ye/en/news3289607.htm

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Christmas 'Of Pain and Mourning' For Israelis, Palestinians: Pope Francis

 

Pope Francis (AP)

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Dec 20, 2023

Pope Francis has called several times for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas.

Israelis and Palestinians face "pain and mourning" over the Christmas period as the war in the Gaza Strip rages on, Pope Francis said on Tuesday, calling for prayers and "tangible aid" for the devastated enclave.

"For the inhabitants of the Holy Land, a #Christmas of pain and mourning looms. We do not want to leave them alone. May we stand by them in prayer and tangible aid..." Francis wrote on social media platform X.

Israel's campaign to eradicate Hamas militants behind an Oct. 7 incursion and massacre of 1,200 people has left Gaza in ruins, brought widespread hunger and homelessness, and killed nearly 20,000 Gazans, the enclave's health ministry says.

Francis has called several times for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and for the release of all hostages taken by Hamas.

On Sunday, he suggested Israel was using "terrorism" tactics in the Palestinian enclave, deploring the reported killing by the Israeli military of two Christian women who had taken refuge in a Catholic church complex.

Source: hindustantimes.com

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https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/christmas-of-pain-and-mourning-for-israelis-palestinians-pope-francis-101703015476443.html

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Resistance Strikes Down US Plot To Secure Israel’s Control Over Region: Islamic Jihad

 

Fighters from the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, parade in Gaza on Oct. 4 to mark the 36th anniversary of the movement's founding. (Via EPA-EFE)

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 20 December 2023

A senior official of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement says the United States is leading Israel's brutal war on the besieged Gaza Strip in an attempt to “uproot” the resistance which has struck down Washington’s plans to secure the occupying regime’s control over the region.

Mohammad al-Hindi, deputy secretary general of the movement, made the remarks in a statement on Wednesday, noting that the Operation al-Aqsa Storm was a “lightning bolt” that struck all US arrangements aimed at ending the Palestine cause and establishing Israel’s dominance over the region.

Hindi went on to say that the US and Western countries seek to “eradicate” the resistance because Israel protects their interests in the region.

However, he said, the resistance “is neither a building nor a government to be overthrown,” adding that after 74 days of constant attacks by the Israeli regime, the resistance still has the upper hand in Gaza.

The head of Hamas’ political bureau says the Palestinian resistance has stood “firm on the battlefield” despite two and a half months of Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

Islamic Jihad leader further denounced as “worthless talk” the US talk about a two-state solution, adding that the future of Palestine will be decided by the outcome of the current war.

He also reiterated that the resistance defends the Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, noting that opinion polls confirm that 80 percent of the Palestinians are calling on the Palestinian Authority to leave.

Hindi concluded by saying that the Arab and Islamic countries “have shown great helplessness during the current war,” adding that they can do many things to stop the war, “instead of trying to clarify the picture for the Western countries that are essentially running the war.”

A senior Hamas official says Operation Al-Aqsa Storm was meant to show the world that ignoring the rights of the Palestinian people will affect international stability.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long violence against Palestinians.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed over 19,400 Palestinians and injured more than 52,000 others.

The Tel Aviv regime has imposed a “complete siege” on the territory, cutting off fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians living there.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/20/716686/Palestine-Israel-Gaza-war-US-plans-resistance-Islamic-Jihad-Operation-al-Aqsa-Storm

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Inter-Religious Dialogue: United Nations General Assembly Adopts Pak-Philippines Sponsored Resolution

 

Photo: Business Recorder

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2023-12-20

ISLAMABAD: The United Nations General Assembly has adopted by consensus a resolution presented by Pakistan and the Philippines on the “Promotion of inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace”.

Initiated in 2004, the Pakistan-Philippines sponsored resolution seeks to foster inter-religious and intercultural dialogue in promoting, understanding and cultivating a culture of peace, said a statement of the Foreign Office.

The resolution stresses that the exercise of the right to freedom of expression carries with it, special responsibilities.

The resolution also underlines the significance and respect for “religious symbols”; reaffirms that violence is never a justifiable or acceptable response to acts of intolerance; and that “violence should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group”.

“The unanimous adoption of the resolution by the General Assembly is particularly significant in view of the alarming rise in religious intolerance and racism, particularly Islamophobia, across the globe,” it added. It also sends a message of international solidarity and cooperation.

“Pakistan will continue to lead efforts to promote inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, understanding and cooperation for peace and the values of peaceful co-existence and inter-faith and cultural harmony,” the Foreign Office further stated.

Source: brecorder.com

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https://www.brecorder.com/news/40279587/inter-religious-dialogue-unga-adopts-pak-philippines-sponsored-resolution

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 India

 HC orders speedy trial of 32-year-old Gyanvapi case, sets 6-month deadline

20th December 2023

LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ordered speedy trial of the 32-year-old case seeking the restoration of a temple on the disputed site in Varanasi, where the Gyanvapi mosque now stands as it dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the maintainability of the 1991 suits filed by Hindu plaintiffs.

The bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agarwal dismissed five petitions related to the maintainability of the suit and also against a survey of the mosque premises, filed over the years by the mosque management committee and the Uttar Pradesh Central Sunni Waqf Board. The bench held that the suits filed by the Hindu side are maintainable and not barred by the Places of Worship Act 1991.

In the order, Justice Agarwal said that the Gyanvapi mosque premises could have either a Muslim character or a Hindu character and the same cannot be decided at the stage of framing issues. Calling for speedy trial, the HC said: “As the suit affects two major communities, we direct the trail court to decide the suit expeditiously in six months. No unnecessary adjournment shall be granted to any of the parties.”

The HC had on December 8, 2023 reserved its order on all petitions of the Muslim side challenging the maintainability of the batch of title suits pending before a Varanasi court seeking restoration of the temple at the site where the Gyanvapi mosque exists.

Source: newindianexpress.com

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https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/dec/20/hc-orders-speedy-trial-of-32-year-old-gyanvapi-case-sets-6-month-deadline-2643158.html

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Chhattisgarh Resident Bhanu Patel Detained for Recording Video Near Ayodhya Ram Mandir

 19th December 2023

Ayodhya: A man was caught recording a video near the gate number 10 of Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya Tuesday evening, police said.

The person was riding a bike with a camera attached to his helmet, police said.

The man has been identified as Chhattisgarh resident Bhanu Patel and has been taken into custody, police said, without revealing what the person was suspected of doing with his act.

Intelligence agencies are interrogating the person at the Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station, police added.

Source: siasat.com

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https://www.siasat.com/up-man-detained-for-recording-video-near-ayodhya-ram-mandir-2937729/

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J&K police launches major crackdown on Rohingya sympathisers in Jammu

20.12.23

Muzaffar Raina

Jammu and Kashmir police have launched a major crackdown in various Jammu districts against people allegedly providing shelter to Rohingya refugees or helping them get government documents, lodging multiple FIRs and arresting people.

Jammu inspector-general of police Anand Jain on Tuesday said around 40 people have been picked up for questioning in the drive launched in five districts of Jammu. Some of them have been formally arrested.

Police sources said those arrested include Rohingya men or women married to locals.

“We have been receiving lots of inputs that a lot of people have been aiding and abetting the illegal settlements that have come up in the Jammu zone, providing shelter, arranging Aadhaar and SIM cards and other documents that allow the citizens to receive basic services,” he said.

“We have lodged seven cases in Jammu district and searched more than 30 places in which aiders and abettors have been picked up for questioning. Cases have also been registered in Doda, Kishtwar, Poonch and Rajouri districts against those who have been aiding and abetting foreigners and arrests have been made,” he said.

Rohingya activists claim the crackdown is aimed at making Rohingyas feel more unsafe in Jammu and forcing them out of the region.

Thousands of Rohingya refugees have been living in Jammu for years to avoid persecution by authorities in their homeland in Myanmar. Many in Jammu have been calling for their ouster.

Around 269 Rohingyas were detained in Jammu in April 2021 following a campaign by locals, including BJP leaders. They have got no respite from the courts.

Sabber Kyaw, the director of Rohingya Human Rights Initiative, suspected the crackdown was aimed at forcing Rohingyas out of Jammu. “They are poor people, living in jhuggis (slums). Some people could have either rented their land to them or given it on humanitarian grounds. The action against them means they should no longer do that,” Kyaw told The Telegraph.

“We welcome any effort to verify and investigate but they should not be unnecessarily harassed,” he added.

Kyaw said the Rohingyas are singled out for harassment for political reasons. “You have Afghan refugees or Ho Chin people, who like us are also from Myanmar, live here but we are singled out for harassment,” he said.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir-police-launches-major-crackdown-on-rohingya-sympathisers-in-jammu/cid/1988051

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Israel-Hamas conflict: PM Modi holds ‘productive’ talks with Netanyahu

 19th December 2023

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held a “productive” conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on the Israel-Hamas conflict including “shared concerns” over the safety of maritime traffic in the region.

In the phone talks, Modi also highlighted India’s consistent stand in favour of early restoration of peace and stability in the region with continued humanitarian assistance for the affected people.

“Had a productive exchange of views with PM @netanyahu on the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, including shared concerns on the safety of maritime traffic,” Modi posted on ‘X’.

“Highlighted India’s consistent stand in favour of early restoration of peace & stability in the region with continued humanitarian assistance for the affected,” he said.

There have been concerns over the safety of maritime traffic in the region.

A missile reportedly fired by Yemen’s Houthi militants hit a commercial tanker in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen last week triggering concerns.

Source: siasat.com

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https://www.siasat.com/israel-hamas-conflict-pm-modi-holds-productive-talks-with-netanyahu-2937731/

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Some Muslims around major India temple fearful ahead of opening

20th December 2023

AYODHYA, India - Like many other Muslims, Indian tailor Safi Mohammad plans to send his wife and two sons away before thousands of pilgrims arrive at his hometown of Ayodhya next month for the inauguration of one of Hinduism's most sacred temples.

The temple, built on a site Hindus believe to be the birthplace of Lord Ram and where a Mughal-era mosque once stood, stirs bitter memories for Mohammad. The 38-year-old said he remembers when a Hindu mob destroyed the Babri mosque in December 1992, sparking religious riots across the country that killed nearly 2,000 people, most of them Muslims. The dead included his uncle.

"My family has gone through a lot already," he said as he worked at his sewing machine in his home, located a few metres away from the temple. "Anything can happen anytime."

Ayodhya, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, is home to some 3 million people, including 500,000 Muslims.

Officials say at least one-tenth of these Muslims live in the immediate vicinity of the newly built Ram Temple, and some of these residents said they are still fearful of Hindus, especially visitors, because any incident could potentially escalate into a major event.

At least a dozen Muslim men said they too planned to send their families to relatives outside the city ahead of the temple's opening ceremony which is due to take place on Jan. 22.

"We cannot say what will happen around the opening - people in the community are a bit fearful," said Parvez Ahmad Qasmi, who runs an Islamic school in Ayodhya and lost his father-in-law to the riots that occurred more than three decades ago.

Even as some of the residents around the temple expressed apprehension, several Ayodhya Muslims said there had not been any major violence under the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which also rules Uttar Pradesh, adding that the boost to the local economy from the pilgrims would help them too.

The Ram temple is expected to boost the chances of the Hindu nationalist BJP at next year's general elections, as it fulfills one of its main campaign promises. Modi himself will inaugurate the temple more than four years after the Supreme Court ended a dispute over the site and awarded it to Hindu groups.

MASS PILGRIMAGE

Sharad Sharma, a Hindu, said everyone in Ayodhya would benefit from the temple and the pilgrims who visit.

"Ayodhya is now a new city which will be an example of communal harmony," Sharma said. "There has not been any violence or unease in the last decade."

Officials expect Ayodhya to receive 4.5 million Hindu pilgrims a month. Some Muslims said the sheer number of visitors makes them worry about their safety.

"It's up to the government what kind of security will be provided to the Muslims with so many people from outside visiting," said resident Haji Acchan Khan, 62.

Ayodhya police chief Raj Karan Nayyar said the authorities would bring in reinforcements, which would be "sufficient to ensure the security of every person, not just one community".

The court order that allowed for the construction of the Ram temple also said authorities must set aside land for a mosque, and construction on that site, about 15 miles (24 km) from the Ram temple, is expected to start next year.

A recent boom in property prices in Ayodhya ahead of the pilgrimage has, however, driven some people to try and illegally grab land allocated to other mosques and even Muslim cemeteries, Mohd Azam Qadri, a leader of the Muslim Sunni Central Waqf Board, said in a letter to local authorities this month.

Ayodhya District Magistrate Nitish Kumar, however, said he had not received complaints about land grabs but said: "in case they come to us ... we will look into the matter and take action accordingly". REUTERS

Source: straitstimes.com

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Haryana To Recruit 10,000 Workers For Israel, Opposition Trains Guns On BJP

December 20, 2023

Mohammed Ghazali

Chandigarh: Struggling with a high unemployment rate, the Haryana government has released an advertisement recruiting 10,000 construction workers who will be sent to Israel, a country that has been locked in a war with Hamas for over two months and faces an acute shortage of labourers.

The advertisement has been criticised both by some workers and the opposition, who have slammed the state for considering sending Indians to a "warzone". It was posted just a day after the Ministry of External Affairs informed Parliament that no discussions have been held with Israel regarding a possible replacement of Palestinian construction workers with Indians.

The Haryana government has, however, defended the move, saying that the aim was to ensure that travel agents cannot fleece people by offering them jobs in other countries and that there is no compulsion for labourers to go to Israel if they are not comfortable doing so.

According to the health ministry in Gaza, at least 19,600 people - most of them women and children - have been killed in Israeli attacks on the strip of land since October 7, when Hamas launched a multi-pronged attack on the Jewish country, killing around 1,200 civilians. Around 240 people had also been taken hostage.

Employment Dilemma

The advertisement, which appeared in some newspapers on December 15, was issued by the Haryana Kaushal Rojgar Nigam, a state public sector company. It comes at a time when Haryana has the highest unemployment rate in the country, according to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), and Israel is facing a massive shortage of construction workers because of the cancellation of work permits of around 90,000 Palestinians.

The unemployment rate in Haryana was 2.9 per cent in 2013-14 (when the Congress was in power), which increased to 9 per cent in 2021-22.  As of July 31, 2023, 5.44 lakh unemployed youth have been registered with employment exchanges in the state

Data from the CMIE, released in January this year, showed that, at 37.4 per cent Haryana had the highest unemployment rate in India, compared to the national unemployment rate of 8.3 per cent. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar of the BJP has dismissed the CMIE data and pointed to recruitments in the Staff Selection Commission and Haryana Public Service Commission, among others, to buttress his claims of providing employment.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court order last month, which struck down a 2020 law providing 75% reservation in private jobs to residents of Haryana, has also opened up the Khattar government to criticism over youth not getting employment.

'Give Us Jobs Here'

A worker from Kurukshetra said the government should give them jobs in India. "Israel is involved in a war, why is the government sending us there? The government keeps saying that our country is becoming wealthy," said Chandan, a construction worker.

The opposition has also trained its guns on the BJP-led government in Haryana.  "Everyone knows Israel is a warzone. The state government should give our youth jobs in Haryana itself," said Congress MLA Neeraj Sharma.

Government's Take

The Haryana government has pointed out that its aim was to prevent cheating and people don't have to go to Israel if they don't want to.

"This is a unique initiative by the government, which will ensure that travel agents can't fleece people. We receive complaints about that every day. There is no compulsion to go to Israel, it's only for people who want to go," said Haryana Education Minister Kanwar Pal Gujjar.

Post a comment

In response to a query by Congress MP KC Venugopal, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan had told the Rajya Sabha on December 14 that the Centre has not held any discussions with Israel regarding a possible replacement of Palestinian labourers with Indian workers.

Source: ndtv.com

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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/israel-hamas-war-haryana-recruitment-war-with-hamas-rages-on-haryana-looks-to-send-10-000-labourers-to-israel-4705712

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Kerala Assembly Speaker condemns Muslim clerics' 'silence' over doctor's suicide

Dec 19, 2023

Kerala Legislative Assembly Speaker AN Shamseer has criticised Muslim clerics for their "silence" over the suicide of a young doctor due to dowry demands.

Speaking at the National Minority Day celebration organised by the State Minority Commission at the Kannur District Panchayat Hall, the Speaker denounced the lack of response from religious scholars, labelling it a "crime."

Shamseer asserted that, according to Muslim religious law, accepting dowry is a crime. He pointed out that when the parents of the young man demanded dowry, the religious scholars remained silent, emphasising that this silence played a role in the suicide of Dr Shahana.

"I have often been persecuted for telling the truth," said Shamseer during the event.

The 26-year-old doctor, a postgraduate student in the surgery department of Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, ended her life on December 5. The alleged reason was her boyfriend calling off their wedding due to her family's inability to meet dowry demands. She was found dead in her rented apartment.

Eventually, on December 8, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) suspended Dr Ruwise EA, who is accused of abetting the suicide of a 26-year-old doctor in Thiruvananthapuram.

Source: indiatoday.in

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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/kerala/story/kerala-assembly-speaker-an-shamseer-condemns-muslim-clerics-silence-young-doctor-shahanas-suicide-2477947-2023-12-19

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Kashmiri fraudster arrest in Odisha: Central IB in Bhubaneswar, STF seeks ‘Love Jihad’ info from Lucknow Police

19 DECEMBER 2023

VIKASH SHARMA

Amassive probe is currently underway by the Special Task Force (STF) of the Odisha Crime Branch to dig deeper into the case pertaining to Kashmiri fraudster Sayed Ishaan Bukhari who was recently arrested from Jajpur district. With Bukhari’s suspected terror links under the scanner, a team of Intelligence Bureau (IB) arrived in Bhubaneswar today for inquiry into the case.

Sources said that the IB team may interrogate Bukhari who has been brought on a five-day remand by the Odisha STF today for further investigation in this regard. Apart from this, the STF seems to have found some evidence regarding Bukhari’s motive behind marrying multiple girls in different parts of the country as part of the ‘Love Jihad’ conspiracy.

Earlier, it was said that Bukhari had married at least six to seven girls by identifying himself as an Army Doctor, an officer in PMO, and a close associate of some high-ranking NIA officials. It has been learnt that Bukhari had married one girl in Lucknow as part of Love Jihad.

The STF has reportedly sought more information from Lucknow Police in this connection, sources said. The STF had arrested Bukhari from Jajpur district last week.

The accused, Sayed Ishaan Bukhari has married at least 6-7 girls from various parts of India including Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odisha. He was also active on various websites/ Apps and was in romantic relationships with many girls impersonating a doctor with international degrees. Besides, Bukhari is also accused of having links with some suspicious anti-national elements.

Source: odishatv.in

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Arab World

 

Who are Yemen’s Houthis and why are they attacking Red Sea ships?

December 20, 2023

The Iran-aligned Houthis of Yemen are playing an escalating role in the Middle East, attacking shipping in the Red Sea and firing drones and missiles at Israel in a campaign they say aims to support Palestinians in the Gaza war, Reuters reported.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Tuesday announced the creation of a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea in response to the Houthi attacks.

The Houthis’ role has added to the conflict’s regional risks, threatening sea lanes through which much of the world’s oil is shipped, and worrying states on the Red Sea as Houthi rockets and drones fly towards Israel.

Who are the Houthis?

History

In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in far north Yemen set up a religious revival movement for the Zaydi sect of Shi’ite Islam, which had once ruled Yemen but whose northern heartland had became impoverished and marginalised, Reuters reported.

As friction with the government grew, they fought a series of guerrilla wars with the national army and a brief border conflict with Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Growing Power

Their power grew during the Yemen war which began in late 2014, when they seized Sanaa. Worried by the growing influence of Shi’ite Iran along its border, Saudi Arabia intervened at the head of a Western-backed coalition in 2015 in support of the Yemeni government, Reuters reported.

The Houthis established control over much of the north and other big population centres, while the internationally recognised government based itself in Aden.

Yemen has enjoyed more than a year of relative calm amid a U.N.-led peace push. Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with the Houthis in a bid to exit the war.

Role in Middle East war

The Houthis waded into the latest conflict as it spread around the Middle East, announcing on Oct. 31 they had fired drones and missiles at Israel and vowing they would continue to mount attacks “until the Israeli aggression stops”.

Their actions have echoed the role of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, which has been attacking Israeli positions at the Lebanese frontier, and Iraqi militias which have been firing at U.S. interests in Iraq and Syria.

Stepping up their threats, the Houthis said on Dec. 9 they would target all ships heading to Israel, regardless of nationality, and warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports, Reuters reported.

“If Gaza does not receive the food and medicine it needs, all ships in the Red Sea bound for Israeli ports, regardless of their nationality, will become a target for our armed forces,” the Houthi spokesperson said in a Dec. 9 statement.

The Houthis’ slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.

Iran links

The United States believes that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is helping to plan and carry out the Houthi missile and drone attacks, Reuters reported.

“Iran’s support for Houthi attacks on commercial vessels must stop,” U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Dec. 18.

Iran denies involvement.

The Saudi-led coalition has long accused Iran of arming, training and funding the Houthis. The Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy and say they develop their own weapons.

Arsenal

The Houthis demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during the Yemen war in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, targeting oil installations and vital infrastructure.

The arsenal includes ballistic missiles and armed drones capable of hitting Israel more than 1,000 miles from their seat of power in Sanaa.

Its Tofan, Borkan, and Quds missiles are modeled on Iranian weapons and can hit targets up to 2,000 km away, experts say.

The Houthis fired these missiles at Saudi Arabia dozens of times during the Yemen war. In September, the Houthis displayed anti-aircraft Barq-2 missiles, naval missiles, a Mig-29 fighter jet and helicopters for the first time.

The Houthis have also used fast boats armed with machine guns in their operations against shipping.

Source: ariananews.af

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Qatar, Israel hostage talks ‘positive’ but deal not imminent: source

[20/December/2023]

DUBAI: A meeting of Qatar’s premier and the heads of the Israeli Mossad spy agency and U.S. Central Intelligence Agency on Monday on steps to free further hostages held by Hamas was positive but no deal is imminent, a source briefed on the diplomatic efforts said.

The three met in Poland’s capital Warsaw to discuss a potential new deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a potential release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons and a “humanitarian pause” in Gaza’s war.

“The talks were positive with negotiators exploring and discussing different proposals in an attempt to progress on negotiations,” the source told Reuters. “An agreement is not expected imminently however.”

Israel-Qatar meet, raising prospects of Gaza hostage talks

In a statement on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had “sent the head of the Mossad to Europe twice to promote a process for the release of our hostages”, without giving details of what was discussed.

“I will spare no effort on the subject and the demand is to bring everyone (home),” Netanyahu said.

The CIA declined to comment.

The talks between Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who also serves as the Gulf state’s foreign minister, Mossad Director David Barnea and CIA Director Bill Burns followed a meeting of the three in Europe last week.

Qatar has said it is working to repair a humanitarian truce deal that collapsed after a week on Dec. 1, and pushing for a comprehensive end to the more than two-month-old Israel-Hamas war that has caused a humanitarian disaster in Gaza.

Qatar and Egypt were mediators between Israel and Hamas in the late November truce during which Hamas released 110 women, children and foreigners it was holding in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers freed from Israeli jails.

Source: brecorder.com

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Saudi aid agency chief meets foreign envoys

December 19, 2023

RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the supervisor general of Saudi aid agency KSrelief, on Tuesday met with the Malaysian ambassador to the Kingdom, Datuk Wan Zaidi Wan Abdullah, in Riyadh.

During the meeting, they discussed relief projects and humanitarian work in the Southeast Asian country.

The envoy praised Saudi efforts through KSrelief to help needy people around the world and described the Riyadh-based center as a key player in international humanitarian work.

Al-Rabeeah also held talks with the Mauritian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Shaukat Ali Soudhan, which focused on recent projects implemented in the East African nation and humanitarian aid issues of mutual concern.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday sent a 33rd planeload of aid for the people of Gaza. The KSrelief-operated aircraft, carrying 18 tons of medical supplies, flew from King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh to Al-Arish International Airport in Egypt.

In Yemen, KSrelief recently launched a program for pediatric hematology and oncology in the city of Mukalla in the Hadramout governorate. The seven volunteer medical specialists assigned to the project, which runs until Dec. 22, had to date examined 24 children with cancerous tumors.

The initiative is part of an ongoing series of volunteer medical schemes being carried out by KSrelief to provide specialized treatment for low-income patients around the world.

In Chad, the agency handed out 2,000 cartons of dates to 12,000 people in Moundou city in the Central African country’s western Logone Occidental region. Overall, the center aims to distribute 300 tons of dates throughout nine Chadian states.

And in Pakistan, KSrelief distributed 350 food baskets to 2,450 people affected by floods in the Broghil Valley of the Upper Chitral District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province as part of phase two of a project to support food security in Pakistan.

Source: arabnews.com

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King Salman chairs cabinet session discussing Saudi-Qatari relations

December 19, 2023

King Salman chaired on Tuesday over a council of ministers session in Riyadh that discussed Saudi-Qatari relations, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The session discussed the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's official visit to Qatar, and the talks held with Sheikh Tamim ibn Hamad Al-Thani. 

The council commended the achievements of the seventh Saudi-Qatari Coordination Council meeting, highlighting the signing of various agreements and memorandums of understanding between the two nations.

Expressions of condolences were conveyed by the council regarding the passing of the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Additionally, the council extended congratulations to Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on assuming leadership in Kuwait.

The council also addressed the Kingdom's active involvement in political and humanitarian initiatives to halt Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Their efforts aim to protect civilians and provide ongoing relief aid to those affected.

Source: arabnews.com

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Makkah revamps path to Hira Cave for safety, accessibility

December 19, 2023

MAKKAH: The first phase of the Hira Cave pathway revamp has been unveiled in Makkah, which includes improved access for pedestrians and vehicles.

Representatives from the Hira Cultural District in Makkah announced the initial phase of the transformative project recently.

The Cave of Hira is a religious site where the first verses of the Qur’an were revealed, and is of considerable importance for Muslims.

The project aligns with the broader vision of Saudi Vision 2030, focusing on providing a profound and educational experience for Umrah and Haj pilgrims, and visitors.

The paved ascent to the cave, starting in the foothills of Mount Hira, offers a departure from the traditional arduous path because it ensures a gradual and visually engaging experience.

Fawaz Al-Mehrij, CEO of Samaya Investment Co., the developer and operator of the Hira Cultural District, said that further development would follow.

Al-Mehrij said the new, enhanced features include illuminated pathways, surveillance cameras and a guidance center, all without disrupting access to the old path.

For safety, barriers have been positioned along the shoulder of the road. The new path consists of a section for vehicles transporting visitors to a designated point. Another section allows walking access to the Cave of Hira in 15 minutes. There is another longer, paved path for walkers, which takes 40 minutes.

Al-Mehrij underlined the safety shortcomings of the old path with its wearisome stairs. The ongoing project enhances accessibility and includes service kiosks catering to diverse visitor needs during their ascent, he added.

Though the road is not yet complete, its progress aligns with the planned schedule. Subsequent stages in the coming months are expected to bring the entire project to fruition, he said.

Al-Mehrij said trial runs have indicated the new path would provide safety and comfort for visitors. And that there were also emergency vehicles stationed along the way to help people who require healthcare.

The Hira Cultural District features museums and exhibitions in multiple languages. It is supervised by the Royal Commission for the Holy City of Makkah and the Holy Sites.

Source: arabnews.com

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Europe

 

German court convicts man inspired by Islamic State group of two knife attacks

19 DEC, 2023

A Syrian man described as “radicalised” has been convicted of murder, attempted murder and bodily harm over two knife attacks in Germany this year, including an assault on visitors to a gym.

The defendant, 27, identified only as Maan D in line with German privacy rules, was sentenced to life in prison.

The Duesseldorf state court determined that he bears particularly severe guilt, meaning that he will not be eligible for release after 15 years as is usually the case in Germany.

The defendant has set out his terrorist attitude with an openness that the court is unused to. He thinks he has seen the true religion in the militant ideology of jihadism

He was convicted of stabbing a 35-year-old man to death with a kitchen knife in the western city of Duisburg in April, and attacking four people at a gym in the city with the same knife nine days later. The victims in that stabbing survived, though some sustained life-threatening injuries.

The court found that the man, who was arrested a few days after the gym attack and has been in custody since then, “is still determined to kill people who are ‘infidels’ from his point of view” and that he is a danger to the public.

The defendant arrived in Germany as a refugee in 2015 and, starting in 2020, became radicalised online by the ideology of the Islamic State group, the court said.

It added that, “without a direct link to IS or other terror organisations” he was determined to kill arbitrarily chosen male residents of Germany.

The man showed no reaction as the verdict was announced on Tuesday, German news agency dpa reported.

“The defendant has set out his terrorist attitude with an openness that the court is unused to,” presiding judge Jan van Lessen said. “He thinks he has seen the true religion in the militant ideology of jihadism.”

Source: irishexaminer.com

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UK warns of deteriorating security in Red Sea after Houthi attacks

Dec 19, 2023

The Houthis have stepped up attacks in response to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, forcing oil major BP and freight firms to avoid the area.

Britain warned that the security situation in the Red Sea was deteriorating and ballistic missile and drone attacks were an increased threat, as it agreed for a Royal Navy Destroyer to join a U.S.-led operation to safeguard commerce in the region.

The United States said earlier on Tuesday it was setting up a task force of ships to protect shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, key trading routes, to protect shipping from the rising number of attacks launched by Houthis in Yemen.

The Houthis have stepped up attacks in response to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip, forcing oil major BP and freight firms including Maersk to avoid the area.

Britain's Ministry of Defence (MoD)said on Tuesday that HMS Diamond, which shot down a suspected drone in the Red Sea on Saturday, would join the U.S.-led international taskforce, as it warned of the rising threat levels.

"These illegal attacks are an unacceptable threat to the global economy, undermining regional security and are threatening to drive up fuel prices," Britain's defence minister Grant Shapps said in the statement.

"This is an international problem that requires an international solution."

Britain said that alongside HMS Diamond the task force currently includes three U.S. destroyers, and a French warship is in the region. They are operating in the Southern Red Sea, focusing on protecting freedom of navigation, international trade and human life by countering illicit non-state actors in international waters.

Source: hindustantimes.com

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UK foreign minister Cameron to visit Jordan, Egypt this week

Dec 20, 2023

British foreign minister David Cameron will travel to Jordan and Egypt this week to push for a sustainable ceasefire and further humanitarian pauses in Gaza, the foreign office said on Wednesday.

Cameron, on his second visit to the region, will travel with Britain’s Minister of State for the Middle East Tariq Ahmad and “progress efforts to secure the release of all hostages, step up aid to Gaza and end Hamas rocket attacks and threats against Israel.”

In Jordan, Cameron will meet his counterpart Ayman Safadi and in Egypt, he will travel to Al Arish, near the Egypt-Gaza border, to see the impact of UK aid being sent to Gaza.

France, UK to support Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’: Cameron

On Sunday, Britain, the European Union and more than a dozen partner countries including Australia and Canada, called on Israel to take immediate and concrete steps to tackle settler violence in the occupied West Bank.

Last week, Cameron announced that those responsible for settler violence against Palestinians would be banned from entering Britain, following a similar plan by the EU.

Source: brecorder.com

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UN condemns Ukraine’s crackdown on its largest Christian church

19 Dec, 2023

Kiev’s push to outlaw the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) would violate freedom of religion, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned on Tuesday.

Turk spoke at the meeting of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland. He addressed the persecution of the UOC in the context of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

“I note also my concerns regarding freedom of religion and belief in Ukraine, given continuing action by the authorities against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church,” Turk said during the meeting. He pointed to a proposed law that would allow Kiev to ban any religious organization suspected of having ties to Russia.

“These proposed restrictions to the right of freedom of religion do not appear to comply with international human rights law,” Turk said.

Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, advanced the bill in October. It is still being amended in committee, however, and is expected to be adopted early next year, according to speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.

President Vladimir Zelensky’s government has accused the UOC of having ties with the Russian Orthodox Church. He also claimed that dozens of its clergy are acting as “spies” for Russia, even though the UOC officially severed ties with Moscow in March 2022.

Earlier this year, Zelensky ordered the UOC’s clergy to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, a monastery almost 1,000 years old. The monks were told they could stay if they switched their allegiance to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a rival organization created by the Ukrainian government in 2018. Since then, half a dozen regions of Ukraine have outlawed the UOC, seizing its properties and turning them over to the OCU.

When the UN Human Rights Council criticized these actions as discriminatory, Kiev criticized the body for making “unbalanced political assessments” and claimed its crackdown was justified on national security grounds.

On Tuesday, Turk also urged Kiev to build a society where all communities would be included and the rights of all minorities protected, “including the right to use every language spoken in Ukraine.”

A proposed ban on the Russian language by the government in Kiev following the February 2014 US-backed coup was among the events that triggered Crimea’s decision to rejoin Russia and the regions of Donetsk and Lugansk to declare themselves independent people’s republics.

Source: rt.com

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Mideast

 

President Erdogan reminds US of historical responsibility to stop Israeli attacks on Gaza

19th December 2023

ISTANBUL : Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday that he reminded the US of its historical responsibility to stop Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

“During a meeting with (US President Joe) Biden, I reminded the US of its historical responsibility. How can the world shout louder about the need to stop Israel,” Erdogan told journalists on Tuesday aboard his plane returning from Hungary.

“There is no situation where Al-Fatah and Hamas cannot meet. They are in talks, and it is possible for these talks to progress further,” Erdogan added.

The president also said that there is much Türkiye has done and can do regarding Hamas and Al-Fatah meeting, adding that it is crucial for Fatah and Hamas to “coexist peacefully.” — AA

Source: muslimmirror.com

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Haniyeh says resistance stands 'strong, resolute' as Israel says ready for ceasefire

20 December 2023

The head of Hamas’ political bureau says the Palestinian resistance stands “firm on the battlefield” despite two and a half months of Israeli war crimes in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a meeting with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in the Qatari capital Doha on Wednesday, Ismail Haniyeh said the volume of the Israeli military’s aerial, naval, and ground attacks on the besieged Gaza has been unprecedented.

“The Zionist regime and its allies thought that they could eliminate the resistance this way and force it to raise the white flag,” he noted.

“The resistance, however, has still stood firm and steadfast on the battlefield and inflicted heavy damage on the Zionist regime after 75 days of Israeli crimes and mass murders as part of its scorched-earth policy.”

Haniyeh also hailed the Palestinian nation for showing unique resilience and standing by the resistance while paying a heavy price for their position.

The Palestinian nation still continues the path of resistance in spite of the fact that Israel has killed and injured tens of thousands of people in Gaza, destroyed hundreds of houses, attacked hospitals and blocked the entry of humanitarian aid into the blockaded territory, he emphasized.

The Hamas chief further thanked Amir-Abdollahian for following up on the developments in Gaza, saying the top Iranian diplomat has made four visits to Qatar since the beginning of the war.

New Gaza truce efforts

The meeting comes as a source close to Hamas told AFP that Haniyeh was due in Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a fresh Gaza ceasefire.

Additionally, Israeli media reported that the regime is looking for another deal with Hamas to release 30 to 40 captives of the 128 still held in Gaza by the resistance group.

Israel is prepared to negotiate the number of days it will hold its fire as well as the number and type of Palestinian abductees it would release in exchange for the captives, according to the reports. It is also prepared to discuss the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

A senior Israeli official told Channel 12 that the agreement “will be difficult and will demand heavy prices.”

Meanwhile, Israeli president Issac Herzog told a group of foreign ambassadors that the regime was “ready for another humanitarian pause and additional humanitarian aid in order to enable the release” of the captives.

A humanitarian ceasefire took effect in Gaza from 24 to 30 November. It saw an exchange of between 240 Palestinian abductees held by Israel and 105 war prisoners, including 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners, held by Hamas in Gaza.

Israel waged the brutal war on Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the usurping entity in retaliation for its intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.

Since the start of the offensive, the Tel Aviv regime has killed at least 19,667 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured 52,586 others.

Thousands more are also missing and presumed dead under the rubble in Gaza, which is under “complete siege” by Israel.

Source: presstv.ir

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Islamic Jihad releases video of two Israeli hostages pleading for their release

December 20, 2023

GAZA: The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, released a video of two male Israeli hostages in Gaza pleading for their release on its Telegram account on Tuesday.

The two men identified themselves as Gadi Moses and Elad Katzir and appeared in a short video asking for efforts to be intensified so they can reunite with their families.

“We are dying every moment. We are in an unbearable situation,” said Moses, looking at the camera against a plain background. The two men were both unshaven and appeared to have lost weight.

Moses is a farmer aged about 79 who was captured from a kibbutz on Oct. 7 when the Hamas militant group carried out its rampage in southern Israel. Katzir, 47, was also taken from a kibbutz along with his mother, who was later released. His father was killed, according to media reports.

On Monday, Hamas released a short video showing three other elderly Israeli hostages whom the Islamist group seized during its rampage, when it took around 240 people hostage. Israel denounced it as a “criminal, terrorist video.”

Israel and Hamas agreed to a week-long cease-fire at the end of November, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, that included the release of more than 100 of the hostages from Gaza in exchange for 240 Palestinian women and teenagers from Israeli jails.

Some of the hostages who remained in Gaza have been declared dead in absentia by Israeli authorities.

Source: arabnews.com

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Israeli airstrikes kill dozens across central and southern Gaza

December 20, 2023

RAFAH, Gaza Strip: The Israeli army has raided and detained staff at two of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza’s north, where the defense minister said Tuesday that troops were working to completely clear out Hamas militants.

Israel bombarded towns across southern Gaza Tuesday with airstrikes, killing at least 45 Palestinians and pressing ahead with its offensive with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm. The Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, warned the campaign in Gaza’s south will persist for months.

In a hospital in the southern town of Rafah, Mohammed Zoghroub bid farewell to his two children — a 2-year-old boy, and a girl born two weeks ago — killed in a predawn strike on their home.

Wounded in the strike, he winced as he peeled back the shrouds to look at their faces as his wife and mother stood by his bed.

“Just two weeks old. Her name hadn’t even been registered,” said the children’s grandmother, Suzan Zoghroub. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she cried, “Does he think that by killing these children he will achieve something? Have they succeeded now? Has he achieved what he wants?”

Defense Minister Gallant said Israeli forces were entering Hamas’ tunnel network in northern Gaza as part of a “final clearing” of militants from the region. The densely built urban north, including Gaza City, has seen ferocious fighting between troops and militants, with Palestinian health officials reporting dozens of people killed in bombardment in recent days.

Israeli troops have raided a series of hospitals and shelters in the north, detaining men in a search for militants and expelling others taking refuge there.

Gallant said that in southern Gaza, operations will take “months,” including the military’s assault on Khan Younis, the territory’s second largest city. “We will not stop until we reach our goals,” he said.

After meeting with Israeli officials Monday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Israel to protect civilians but reiterated America’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas, saying he was “not here to dictate timelines or terms.”

Austin’s remarks signaled that the US would continue shielding Israel from growing international calls for a cease-fire as the United Nations Security Council was set to hold another vote Tuesday — — and would keep providing aid for one of the 21st century’s deadliest military campaigns.

STRIKES ACROSS GAZA

Suzan Zoghroub said her family was asleep when their home was hit before dawn.

“We found the whole house had collapsed over us.” Twenty-seven people were killed in the strike, along with at least three others in a separate strike in Rafah, according to Associated Press journalists who saw the bodies arrive at two local hospitals early Tuesday.

Rafah, which is in the southern part of Gaza and where Israel has told Palestinians to seek shelter, has been repeatedly bombarded, often killing large numbers of civilians. Israel said Tuesday it had killed a prominent Hamas financier in an airstrike on Rafah, without specifying when it occurred.

In central Gaza, at least 15 people were killed in strikes overnight, according to hospital records. Among the dead were a mother and her four children, who were killed as they sat around a fire, according to an AP reporter who filmed the aftermath.

Fierce battles also raged in northern Gaza, which has been reduced to a wasteland seven weeks after Israeli tanks and troops stormed in. The military said Tuesday its forces took “operational control” of the urban refugee camp of Jabaliya. Israel has killed hundreds of Hamas militants there and detained another 500 suspected militants, according to a statement from division commander Brig. Gen. Itsik Cohen.

The claims could not be independently confirmed.

Footage online showed a scene of devastation after a strike that hit a local charity in Jabaliya, with several torn bodies near a donkey cart on a street filled with rubble and twisted metal. At least 27 people were killed in that strike and others in the district Tuesday, according to Munir Al-Bursh, a senior Health Ministry official.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Tuesday the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Hamas has continued to put up stiff resistance and lob rockets at Israel. The militants said they fired a barrage toward Tel Aviv on Tuesday, and air raid sirens went off in central Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The war began after Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducted 240 others.

Israel’s military says 131 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. Israel says it has killed some 7,000 militants, without providing evidence, and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

HOSPITAL RAID

Israeli forces raided the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City overnight, according to the church that operates it, destroying a wall at its front entrance and detaining most of its staff.

The facility was the scene of an explosion early in the war that killed dozens of Palestinians, and which an Associated Press investigation later determined was likely caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

Don Binder, a pastor at St. George’s Anglican Cathedral, which runs the hospital, said the raid left just two doctors, four nurses and two janitors to tend to over 100 seriously wounded patients, with no running water or electricity.

Binder said an Israeli tank was parked on the rubble at the hospital’s entrance, blocking anyone from entering or leaving.

Israeli troops seized northern Gaza’s Al Awda hospital on Sunday after besieging it for 12 days, the international aid group Doctors Without Borders said Tuesday. The troops stripped, bound and interrogated all males over 16, including six of the group’s staff, it said. Most were sent back into the hospital, which the troops still hold, with dozens of patients inside but no essential supplies, it said.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military about the hospital raids.

Forces have raided other hospitals across northern Gaza, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations and accused Israel of endangering critically ill and wounded civilians.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON NEW TRUCE PROPOSAL

The UN Security Council delayed to Tuesday a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid. Diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the US to abstain or vote “yes” on the resolution after it vetoed an earlier case-fire call.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany — some of Israel’s closest allies — joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend. In Israel, protesters have called for negotiations with Hamas to facilitate the release of scores of hostages still held by the group.

CIA Director William Burns met in Warsaw with the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and the prime minister of Qatar on Monday, the first known meeting of the three since the cease-fire and the release of some 100 hostages in a deal they helped broker.

But US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the talks were not “at a point where another deal is imminent.”

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it ends Hamas rule in Gaza, crushes its military capabilities and frees all the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack.

Source: arabnews.com

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A Palestinian baby girl, born 17 days ago during Gaza war, is killed with brother in Israeli strike

 Dec 20, 2023

RAFAH (GAZA): She was born amid war, in a hospital with no electricity in a southern Gaza city that has been bombarded daily. Her family named her al-Amira Aisha — “Princess Aisha”.

She didn't complete her third week before she died, killed in an Israeli airstrike that crushed her family home Tuesday.

Her extended family was asleep when the strike levelled their apartment building in Rafah before dawn, said Suzan Zoarab, the infant's grandmother and survivor of the blast. Hospital officials said 27 people were killed, among them Amira and her 2-year old brother, Ahmed.

“Just 2 weeks old. Her name hadn't even been registered,” Suzan said, her voice quivering as she spoke from the side of her son's hospital bed, who was also injured in the blast.

The family tragedy comes as the Palestinian death toll in Gaza nears 20,000, according to the health ministry. The vast majority have been killed in Israeli airstrikes which have relentlessly pounded the besieged Gaza enclave for two and a half months, often destroying homes with families inside.

The war was triggered when militants from Hamas, which rules Gaza, and other groups broke into southern Israel on October 7, killing some 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians, and abducting 240 others.

The Zoarab family were among the few Palestinians in Gaza who remained in their own homes. Israel's onslaught, one of the most destructive of the 21st century, has displaced some 1.9 million people — more than 80 per cent of the territory's population — sending them in search of shelter in UN schools, hospitals, tent camps or on the street.

But the Zoarabs stayed in their three-story apartment building. Two of Suzan's sons had apartments on higher floors, but the extended family had been crowding together on the ground floor, believing it would be safer. When the strike hit, it killed at least 13 members of the Zoarab family, including a journalist, Adel, as well as displaced people sheltering nearby.

“We found the whole house had collapsed over us,” Suzan said. Rescue workers pulled them and other victims, living and dead, from the wreckage.

Israel says it is striking Hamas targets across Gaza and blames the militants for civilian deaths because they operate in residential areas. But it rarely explains its targeting behind specific strikes.

Princess Aisha was only 17 days old. She was born on December 2 at the Emirati Red Crescent Hospital in Rafah while there was no power at the facility, Suzan said — less than 48 hours after bombardment of the town and the rest of Gaza resumed following the collapse of a week-long cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.

“She was born in a very difficult situation,” Suzan said.

As of Monday, 28 of Gaza's 36 hospitals across the Gaza Strip were reported as out of service, the UN said, while eight remaining health facilities were only partially operational. Amid the devastation, some 50,000 Palestinian women are pregnant, the WHO said.

Princess Aisha and Ahmed's parents survived — their mother, Malak, with burns and bruises on her face, their father, Mahmoud, with a fractured pelvis. As Mahmoud lay in his bed at Rafah's Kuwati Hospital, Suzan brought him the two children for a final goodbye before they were buried.

Mahmoud grimaced with pain as he pulled himself up to cradle Ahmed, wrapped in a white burial shroud, before falling back and weeping. His wife held Princess Aisha, also bundled in white cloth, up to him.

Dozens of mourners held a funeral prayer Tuesday morning outside the hospital in Rafah, before taking Princess Aisha, Ahmed and the others killed in the strike for burial in a nearby cemetery

“I couldn't protect my grandchildren" Suzan said. "I lost them in the blink of an eye".

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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days-ago-during-gaza-war-is-killed-with-brother-in-israeli-strike/articleshow/106141283.cms

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Israel delivers deadly airstrikes in south Gaza and raids a hospital in the north

19th December 2023

RAFAH: Israeli forces raided one of the last functioning hospitals in Gaza's north and bombarded the south with airstrikes that killed at least 28 Palestinians, pressing ahead with their offensive Tuesday with renewed backing from the United States, despite rising international alarm.

In a hospital in the southern Gaza town of Rafah, Mohammed Zaghroub bid farewell to his two children — a 2-year-old boy, and a girl born two weeks ago — killed in a predawn strike on their home. Wounded in the strike, he winced as he peeled back the shrouds to look at their faces as his wife and mother stood by his bed.

Just two weeks old. Her name hadn't even been registered," said the children's grandmother, Suzan Zoughroub. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, she cried, "Does he think that by killing these children he will achieve something? Have they succeeded now? Has he achieved what he wants?"

The air and ground war, launched in response to Hamas' Oct. 7 attack into Israel, has killed nearly 20,000 Palestinians, displaced some 1.9 million, demolished much of northern Gaza and sparked attacks on U.S. and Israeli targets across the region.

Assaults on ships in the Red Sea by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have led major shipping companies — as well as the oil and gas giant BP — to suspend trade through the vital waterway, prompting the U.S. and its allies to launch a new mission to counter the threat.

After meeting with Israeli officials Monday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said protecting Palestinian civilians was "both a moral duty and a strategic imperative" for Israel. He also reiterated America's support for Israel in its war against Hamas, and said he was "not here to dictate timelines or terms."

Austin's remarks signaled that the U.S. would continue shielding Israel from growing international calls for a cease-fire as the United Nations Security Council was set to hold another vote Tuesday —- and would keep providing aid for one of the 21st century's deadliest military campaigns.

STRIKES ACROSS GAZA

Suzan Zoughroub said her family was asleep when their home was hit before dawn.

"We found the whole house had collapsed over us." At least 25 people were killed in the strike, along with at least three others in a separate strike in Rafah, according to Associated Press journalists who saw the bodies arrive at two local hospitals early Tuesday.

Rafah, which is in the southern part of Gaza where Israel has told Palestinians to seek shelter, has been repeatedly bombarded, often killing large numbers of civilians.

Israel says it is striking militant targets across the territory. The military said Tuesday it had killed a prominent Hamas financier in an airstrike on Rafah, without specifying when it occurred.

Fierce battles also raged in northern Gaza, which has been reduced to a wasteland seven weeks after Israeli tanks and troops stormed in.

Footage online showed a scene of devastation after a strike that hit a local charity in the urban Jabaliya refugee camp, with several torn bodies near a donkey cart on a street filled with rubble and twisted metal. At least 27 people were killed in that strike and others in Jabaliya on Tuesday, according to Munir al-Bursh, a senior Health Ministry official.

The U.N. humanitarian agency OCHA said at least 62 people were reported killed in strikes Sunday and Monday that hit inside Gaza City's Shifa Hospital. Details on the deaths could not be independently confirmed because communications with the north have become increasingly difficult.

In central Gaza, at least 15 people were killed in strikes overnight, according to hospital records. Among the dead were a mother and her four children, who were killed as they sat around a fire, according to an AP reporter who filmed the aftermath.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said the death toll since the start of the war had risen to more than 19,600. It does not distinguish between civilian and combatant deaths.

Hamas has continued to put up stiff resistance and lob rockets at Israel. The militants said they fired a barrage toward Tel Aviv on Tuesday, and air raid sirens went off in central Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The war began after Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians, and abducted 240 others.

Israel's military says 131 of its soldiers have been killed in the Gaza ground offensive. Israel says it has killed thousands of militants, without providing evidence, and blames civilian deaths on Hamas, saying it uses them as human shields when it fights in residential areas.

HOSPITAL RAID

Israeli forces raided the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City overnight, according to the church that operates it, destroying a wall at its front entrance and detaining most of its staff.

The facility was the scene of an explosion early in the war that killed dozens of Palestinians, and which an Associated Press investigation later determined was likely caused by a misfired Palestinian rocket.

Don Binder, a pastor at St. George's Anglican Cathedral, which runs the hospital, said the raid left just two doctors, four nurses and two janitors to tend to over 100 seriously wounded patients, with no running water or electricity.

"It has been a great mercy for the many wounded in Gaza City that we were able to keep our Ahli Anglican Hospital open for so long," Binder wrote in a Facebook post late Monday. "That ended today."

He said an Israeli tank was parked on the rubble at the hospital's entrance, blocking anyone from entering or leaving.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. Forces have raided other hospitals across Gaza, accusing Hamas of using them for military purposes. Hospital staff have denied the allegations and accused Israel of endangering critically ill and wounded civilians.

The military said Tuesday that troops found an explosive device inside a clinic in Shijaiyah, a Gaza City neighborhood that has seen heavy fighting in recent days. It did not say whether the clinic was operational, and in footage released by the military it appeared to have been abandoned.

SECURITY COUNCIL TO VOTE ON NEW TRUCE PROPOSAL

The U.N. Security Council delayed to Tuesday a vote on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities to allow unhindered access to humanitarian aid. Diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the U.S. to abstain or vote "yes" on the resolution after it vetoed an earlier call for a cease-fire.

France, the United Kingdom and Germany — some of Israel's closest allies — joined global calls for a cease-fire over the weekend. In Israel, protesters have called for negotiations with Hamas to facilitate the release of scores of hostages still held by the group.

CIA Director William Burns met in Warsaw with the head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and the prime minister of Qatar on Monday, the first known meeting of the three since the cease-fire and the release of some 100 hostages in a deal they helped broker.

But U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the talks were not "at a point where another deal is imminent."

Hamas and other militants are still holding an estimated 129 captives.

Netanyahu has insisted that Israel will keep fighting until it ends Hamas rule in Gaza, crushes its military capabilities and frees all the hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attack.

Source: newindianexpress.com

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Israel committing ethnic cleansing in Gaza: Iran’s deputy FM

Dec 19, 2023

TEHRAN, Dec. 19 (MNA) – Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Ali Bagheri Kani has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, saying that the forced displacement of Gazans is a clear instance of ethnic cleansing.

In a meeting with Japan's Foreign Minister Yōko Kamikawa in Tokyo on Monday, Bagheri Kani condemned the war crimes and genocide perpetrated by the Zionist regime in Gaza.

He emphasized that displacing the people of Gaza within and beyond its borders is a clear example of ethnic cleansing and must be immediately stopped.

“The international community, including Japan, is expected to take further actions in this regard and to, provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza,” the deputing foreign minister added.

Bagheri Kani is in Tokyo for a consultative committee of deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Japan.

Kamikawa, for her part, stressed the importance of meetings between deputy foreign ministers to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.

Source: mehrnews.com

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Hamas chief to visit Egypt Wednesday for Gaza ceasefire talks: Hamas source

20 December 2023

GAZA STRIP: Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh is set to visit Egypt on Wednesday for talks on a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange with Israel, a source close to the Palestinian group said.

Haniyeh, based in Qatar, will head a “high-level” Hamas delegation to Egypt, where he is due to hold talks with Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and others, the source told AFP on Tuesday.

The discussions will be “on stopping the aggression and the war to prepare an agreement for the release of prisoners (and) the end of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip,” the source said on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to talk about the visit.

Under a week-long truce deal last month that Qatar helped negotiate, backed by Egypt and the United States, 80 Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli jails.

Israel faces Gaza ceasefire calls, but US vows more arms

According to the Hamas source, the talks in Egypt will focus on “the delivery of humanitarian aid, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip and the return of displaced persons to their towns and villages in the north”.

Haniyeh’s visit will be his second to Egypt since the start of the war on October 7, following a trip in early November.

US news site Axios reported Monday that David Barnea, head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, met with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and CIA director Bill Burns in Europe to discuss a potential new deal to free hostages.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had “just sent the head of Mossad to Europe twice to promote a process to free our hostages”.

“I will spare no effort on the subject, and our duty is to bring them all back,” he said in a statement.

Meeting with hostage families on Tuesday, Netanyahu said that “saving them is a supreme task”.

Hostage video

Late Tuesday, the Palestinian group released video footage that it claimed showed two hostages alive in its custody in Gaza after being taken to the territory during the October 7 attacks by Hamas on Israel.

Israel strikes Gaza as pressure grows for ceasefire

In the video, two men appear one after the other asking for increased pressure on the Israeli authorities to ensure their release.

On Monday, Hamas’s military wing had released footage it claimed showed three Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The video from the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, titled “Don’t let us grow old here”, showed three bearded men sitting on chairs at an undisclosed location and asking to be released.

Anger, fear and calls for a ceasefire from hostages’ families have intensified after Israeli forces in Gaza mistakenly shot and killed three captives who had escaped their captors.

The deadliest-ever war in the narrow territory began after Hamas poured across the border on October 7 and killed about 1,140 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on the latest official Israeli figures.

During their attack, abducted around 250 people, with 129 still in captivity, according to latest Israeli figures.

In Israel’s retaliatory bombardment and ground offensive against Hamas, at least 19,667 people, mostly women and children, have been killed in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Palestinian territory.

Source: brecorder.com

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Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah takes oath as 17th Emir of Kuwait

December 20, 2023

KUWAIT:  Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was sworn in before parliament as the 17th Emir of Kuwait.

In his first speech after being sworn in as the new head of state, the emir said ‘it was necessary to review Kuwait’s current reality, especially in terms of security, economy and living conditions.’

“We did not see a change or correction of course,” he said.

At a special session of the National Assembly, the new ruler earlier read: “I swear by Almighty Allah to respect the Constitution and the laws of the State, to defend the liberties, interests and properties of the people and to safeguard the independence and territorial integrity of the country,” as stated in article 60 of the Kuwaiti constitution.

Sheikh Nawaf Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah passed away on Saturday at the age of 86, the Amiri Diwan said in a broadcasted statement earlier, and then-Crown Prince Sheikh Mishal was declared the new Emir.
Source: arabnews.com

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Pakistan

 

Minister Of Religious AffairsEmphasizes Need for Understanding Among Religious Beliefs

December 20, 2023

Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Aneeq Ahmed has emphasized the need for understanding among different religious beliefs.

Talking to French Ambassador Nicolas Gale, in Islamabad the minister strongly condemned targeting of civilians, including children, in Palestine.

He said these uncivilized acts require immediate global attention and intervention.

This meeting emphasized the collective responsibility to curb extremism while nurturing an environment of understanding and tolerance among diverse religious communities globally.

Source: radio.gov.pk

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Imran challenges cipher indictment before IHC

December 20, 2023

Syed Irfan Raza | Malik Asad

ISLAMABAD: Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb will take up former prime minister Imran Khan’s plea challenging in-camera proceedings of the cipher trial at Adiala jail today (Wednesday).

Mr Khan in his petition also challenged his de-novo trial in jail and subsequent developments, including the framing of charges and a gag order on the media.

On the other hand, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued a detailed judgement explaining reasons for scrapping the earlier round of proceedings of the Special Court (Official Secrets Act) due to a lack of transparency and openness. The court links the open court proceedings with the independence of the judicial system.

The bench noted that the Islama­bad administration, upon the trial court judge’s request, initiated the process to hold the proceedings in jail as it informed the interior ministry about a police report expressing certain apprehensions related to law and order if the trial were to be conducted in the courtroom. Based on this information, the law ministry issued a notification for conducting Mr Khan’s trial in jail.

NAB files fresh reference against ex-PM, his wife over retaining Saudi-gifted jewellery set

The detailed order stated that on Nov 8, 2023, the chief commissioner re-initiated the process of conducting the proceedings in jail. The interior ministry referred the letter to the law ministry, which forwarded a summary to the federal cabinet, seeking its approval.

It noted that before the issuance of the notification for conducting the trial in jail, the Special Court judge had not passed any judicial order for holding the proceedings or trial in jail, against which a revision could be preferred. It noted the judge conducted the proceeding in-camera and he “ought to have realised that an open trial is the minimum requisite of a fair trial, and that the manner in which he conducted the proceedings was destructive of the principles of fair trial”.

Toshakhana reference

In a related development, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday filed a fresh reference against PTI founder Mr Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in an accountability court for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince Mohammad bin Salman against undervalued assessment.

According to a copy of the reference available with Dawn, the anti-graft watchdog has accused that during his term as prime minis-

terMr Khan and his wife had received a total of 108 gifts from different heads of states and foreign dignitaries.

Of these gifts, they allegedly retained 58 gifts against an undervalued amount over Rs142 million.

It said the NAB chairman delegated the powers to authorise an inquiry on the subject matter to the director general of NAB, Rawalpindi on Aug 1, 2022.

The DG authorised an inquiry on Aug 5, 2022.

Subsequently, the inquiry was upgraded to an investigation on July 14, 2023.

According to Toshakhana procedures, all gifts received by go-vernment/public functionaries, irrespective of their prices, must be reported and deposited immediately in Toshakhana of the cabinet division.

Source: dawn.com

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Terrorists behind Dera Ismail Khan, Tank attacks traced: KP police chief

December 20, 2023

CHARSADDA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police chief Akhtar Hayat Khan on Tuesday claimed that the terrorists behind the recent Dera Ismail Khan and Tank attacks against security personnel had been traced and their identity would be disclosed “very soon.”

After inaugurating the “command and control room” at the City Police Station here, Mr Khan said the events in Afghanistan affected peace in Pakistan.

He said the police were “fully” prepared to counter terrorism.

“Thousands of our personnel have sacrificed their lives for peace in the province and are continuing to do so,” he said.

Inaugurates command and control room at Charsadda police station

The police chief said intelligence agencies and police were working together to restore peace in southern districts.

He said intelligence-based reports led to the foiling of 99 per cent terror bids.

Mr Khan said the CTD was being “organised” across the province with its role extended to tribal districts.

“We, in order to prevent terrorist attacks in southern districts, are increasing our capacity,” he said.

He said security forces were trying to protect the country’s border with Afghanistan.

The police chief said some tribal districts were considered to be strongholds of militants in the past but peace had been completely restored there.

He said in the current modern times, technology was imperative for policing.

The command and control room oversees the operation of more than 700 CCTV cameras installed in small markets and intersections of the district to monitor criminals, according to officials.

DIG Sulaiman Khan and DPO Nazir Khan were also present on the occasion.

KILLED: Four people were killed in separate incidents here, police said.

They said Amirzada shot his daughter-in-law and Sudher of Sanam Gahri area dead in the limits of Charsadda police station over an extramarital affair.

The police said the killer later surrendered to the police.

He is being investigated for murders after the registration of a murder case, according to police.

In another incident, Amirabad Pul residents Fawad and Asif killed tailor Barkat Shah of Yousafabad Umarzai area over an old enmity.

The deceased’s brother nominated both in the FIR.

Also, armed men attacked a resident here over a dispute leaving him injured.

Intikhab Ahmad told police that Shaukat Ali of Zaim Munawwar Khan village along with his aides fired at him when he was returning from the Judicial Complex after attending a hearing.

He later succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.

The police registered an FIR and started an investigation. No arrest was made until night. Source: dawn.com

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Imran moves IHC against indictment, proceedings in cipher case

December 20, 2023

Awais Yousafzai

ISLAMABAD: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Tuesday challenged his indictment in the cipher case and the entire proceedings by the special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

On December 12, the special court indicted the former prime minister, who was removed from power through a no-confidence vote last year in the diplomatic cable case.

In his fresh petition, the PTI supremo said: “The learned trial court, while deciding the matter discussed in the petition, did not look into the true perspective of the facts and law which makes the impugned order and proceedings since 23/11/23 illegitimate/not-maintainable in the eye of law and liable to be set aside for the proper dispensation of justice.”

He pleaded with the court to declare the December 12 order of the special court null and void. “It is graciously prayed that the petition in hand may very kindly be accepted while setting aside/declaring illegal, the order dated 12.12.23 by the learned trial court illegally/unauthorisedly while disobeying the law and legislature and preferred the wishes and whims of prosecution respectively in the interest of justice.”

The deposed premier further prayed that the operation of the impugned December 12 order and proceedings before the trial court be suspended in the “interest of justice” till the decision of the fresh petition. “Any other relief, which this honourable court deems fit and proper, may also be granted,” read the petition. Terming his trial “illegal and unlawful”, Khan urged the high court to discharge him from the case. Meanwhile, the high court set December 20 as the date to hear the petition. IHC’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb will take up the plea tomorrow (Wednesday).

Source: thenews.com.pk

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LHC hears plea for PM’s removal today

December 20, 2023

LAHORE: A two-member bench consisting of Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh and Justice Faisal Zaman Khan of the Lahore High Court will hear an appeal for the removal of Caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar today.

In the constitutional petition, senior lawyer Muqsit Salim took the position that the 90-day period of the caretaker prime minister has been completed on November 15 and either the caretaker prime minister should be removed or the court should extend the office, as has happened in Nepal and Bangladesh. He said the PM should be stopped from taking decisions on policy matters and the Election Commission be ordered to take action to form a new legal setup.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1140055-lhc-hears-plea-for-pm-s-removal-today

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PTI team seeks ECP permission to meet Imran in jail

December 20, 2023

ISLAMABAD: PTI spokesman Shoaib Shaheen has sought the Election Commission of Pakistan’s permission to meet party leader Imran Khan in jail.

In his application, he said, “Our founding chairman Imran Khan is in jail. We want to consult with him for party tickets. Our party chairman and senior lawyers will meet him.”

The commission member asked how the request was relevant to the them. Shoaib Shaheen said that it was ECP’s responsibility to conduct free fair elections. The chief election commissioner said, “Give us a day and we will take a proper decision.”

Source: thenews.com.pk

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Pakistan boosts security, acts on Kabul’s advice against illegal aliens: PM Kakar

Fidel Rahmati

 December 19, 2023

Pakistan’s interim Prime Minister, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, has highlighted the security issues faced by Pakistan, citing advice from the Taliban administration of Afghanistan to “look inwards.” In response, Pakistan has begun deporting illegal refugees.

Kakar, in an article for The Telegraph, mentioned that since August 2021, 16 Afghan nationals have executed suicide attacks in Pakistan, and 65 terrorists killed in security encounters were identified as Afghans, mostly from the border region.

Emphasizing the gravity of the situation, Kakar stated that the interim Afghan government’s suggestion to address internal issues led to Pakistan’s decision to organize its domestic affairs, particularly regarding refugee management.

“No responsible government can ignore such concerns. Whenever we raised this with the interim Afghan government, they advised us to ‘look inwards’. We have finally decided to heed to their advice to put our house in order,” Kakar said.

Over the last three to four decades, Pakistan has seen an influx of four to five million migrants, a population size comparable to Ireland’s. Kakar pointed out that many of these migrants do not have legal rights to stay in the country.

Despite not being a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, Pakistan has hosted the largest group of refugees. Kakar stressed Pakistan’s commitment to hospitality and fulfilling its legal, moral, and humanitarian obligations.

Kakar mentioned that despite efforts to register undocumented migrants and opportunities for voluntary repatriation, a significant number have chosen to remain unregistered, preferring to stay hidden.

He acknowledged the benefits brought by hard-working, law-abiding migrants but also noted the substantial socio-economic and security challenges resulting from the mass influx of refugees.

Meanwhile, Kakar stressed that Pakistan, at a historical crossroads, must prioritize national security and can no longer accommodate large numbers of undocumented individuals.

This move is aimed at ensuring a safer, more peaceful, and prosperous future for Pakistan, the region, and the world.

However, the Taliban administration has previously stated that it is not responsible for the security of Pakistan and has denied the involvement of refugees in attacks within the country.

Source: khaama.com

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Pakistan can no longer compromise security by accommodating undocumented immigrants: Kakar

 19th December 2023

ISLAMABAD: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has said that Pakistan could no longer continue to compromise its national security by accommodating a huge number of undocumented immigrants, referring to the Afghan refugees in the country.

"Our ultimate aim is to build a safer, more peaceful and prosperous Pakistan" with associated benefits for our own people, for the region, and the wider world," the prime minister wrote in an article published in the UK-based The Telegraph on Sunday, according to the Express Tribune newspaper.

He said that governments across the world were adapting to a new era of mass migration linked to conflict, climate change, and economic opportunism.

He said the UK government's plan to deport illegal immigrants to Rwanda was a sign of that pressure, adding that the heated debate surrounding the proposal and the many efforts to derail the scheme illustrated the huge challenges for policymakers as they sought to balance human rights with hard realities.

Similarly, he said, France was also struggling, while Italy had expressed fears that it might become Europe's refugee camp.

The situation in the United States was no easier, he added.

"Pakistan's problem is of a different magnitude altogether. Over the last three to four decades, between four and five million migrants (roughly the population of Ireland) have arrived. Many have no right to remain. Despite being a non-signatory to the 1951 Convention on Refugees (and its 1967 Protocol), we have generously accommodated the single largest caseload of refugees," the premier wrote.

"We have worked very hard, over a very long period of time, to accommodate as many as we can while giving those with no right to remain ample opportunity to leave voluntarily," he said.

Unfortunately, despite frequent opportunities to repatriate voluntarily, and multiple government attempts to register those who remained undocumented, a significant number had persistently refused to formalise their status, choosing instead to stay in the shadows, Kakar said.

He said that while Pakistan had benefited from many hardworking and law-abiding migrants, the overall socio-economic and security cost of the huge influx had been staggering.

"Many work on the black market, paying no tax, depressing wages for legitimate workers. They are also susceptible to exploitation by the criminal underworld, with all its disturbing links to terrorist organisations operating in the region," he said.

He said that since August 2021, at least 16 Afghan nationals had carried out suicide attacks inside Pakistan, while 65 terrorists killed in encounters with security forces, mainly in the bordering region, were identified as Afghans.

"No responsible government can ignore such concerns. Whenever we raised this with the interim Afghan government, they advised us to 'look inwards'. We have finally decided to heed to their advice to put our house in order," he commented.

He said that Pakistan's painstaking repatriation programme had attracted predictable criticism from those who did not understand the complex history of the problem or the extraordinary efforts that had been made to avoid forcible deportations.

He said that in order to ensure the welfare of those being repatriated, the government had strictly directed all the officials involved in the programme to treat deportees with due respect and care.

"None of the 1.46 million Afghans who applied for proof of registration cards have been returned; nor have 800,000 or so individuals who hold Afghan citizen cards," he said.

Source: newindianexpress.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2023/dec/19/pakistan-can-no-longer-

compromise-security-by-accommodating-undocumented-immigrants-kakar-2643040.html

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South Asia

 

Islamic Emirate Considers Witholding of UN Seat 'Illegal'

Hadia Ziaei

December 19, 2023

The Islamic Emirate considers the UN members' decision to not hand over the Afghanistan seat at the United Nations to its ambassador “illegal."

This comes as the UN Credentials Committee has deferred its decision on assigning Afghanistan’s seat in the organization to the Islamic Emirate for the third consecutive time.

The committee reviewed two conflicting communications regarding Afghanistan’s representation at the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly, both from the Foreign Ministry of the Islamic Emirate and Naseer Ahmad Faiq, who is the current Chargé d'Affaires of Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the United Nations.

“Afghanistan should take its seat as soon as possible; but we should be happy about it, that the seat has not been suspended for now because if so, that would be another major challenge. If the situation becomes better in the country, the possibility of regaining the seat is high,” said Toreq Farhadi, a political analyst.

But the Islamic Emirate, in reaction to the decision of the UN regarding the fate of Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations, said not handing it over to the Islamic Emirate’s ambassador is “illegal and unfair."

“As the UN has not given this seat to the Islamic Emirate, we consider this action illegal, unfair, a discriminatory action which damages the reputation and credibility of the [United Nations],” said Suhail Shaheen, the Islamic Emirate's designated permanent representative to the UN.

“To attract international support, it is first of all important to focus on the issue of recognition of Afghanistan which is linked to bringing reforms within the current government in Afghanistan,” said Najib Rahman Shamal, a political analyst.

“The UN seat was important for Afghanistan. It was a bridge between us and the world. Unfortunately we have been out of the international community for the past two and a half years,” said Kamran Aman, a political analyst.

Source: tolonews.com/

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

The UN was established in 1945 and Afghanistan became its member in 1946.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186561

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US warns citizens against traveling to Afghanistan

Fidel Rahmati

December 19, 2023

The US State Department of State has warned all its citizens against travelling to Afghanistan.

The warning emphasizes the risk of U.S. citizens being arrested in Afghanistan.

On Monday,  the Department issued a statement noting the active presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

The statement claims that foreign activities in Afghanistan are viewed with suspicion and humanitarian aid workers have faced harassment and arrest by the Taliban administration.

The U.S. State Department added that there is a high risk of arrest even for those registered for business purposes.

The department warns that arrests can be prolonged, and during detention, U.S. citizens may have limited access to health care or face physical harassment.

According to the U.S. State Department, since 2021, its operations have been suspended, and the U.S. government cannot provide urgent services to its citizens in Afghanistan.

The statement also mentions that they are unable to contact U.S. citizens who are imprisoned.

Previously, countries like Australia, the United Kingdom, and Germany had also advised their citizens not to travel to Afghanistan due to security concerns.

Although the Taliban administration has consistently denied claims about security threats in Afghanistan, it has not reacted to this move by the United States.

The situation highlights the ongoing security challenges in the region.

The alert serves as a stark reminder of the complex geopolitical dynamics affecting Afghanistan.

Source: khaama.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.khaama.com/us-warns-citizens-against-traveling-to-afghanistan/

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Hundreds of Afghan migrants returned home from Pakistan

 Fidel Rahmati

 December 19, 2023

Following the ongoing process of deporting Afghan migrants from Pakistan, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation of the caretaker government announced the return of hundreds of migrants from Pakistan to Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, the department announced on its webpage that 813 Afghan migrants had returned to their home country on Monday, December 18.

The Ministry of Refugee Affairs added that the aforementioned migrants returned to the country through the Spin Boldak border after being expelled by Pakistan.

The Spin Boldak border authority in Kandahar province stated that 60 families, including 310 individuals, returned to the country through the mentioned border.

Officials in this province have emphasized that 50 of the newly released prisoners were also part of the forced returnees.

This is while Pakistan has repeatedly cited the main reason for the deportation of migrants, especially those from Afghanistan, as being the lack of legal documents.

Although international organizations have repeatedly asked the Pakistani government to revoke this decision, the Pakistani government has in response to the requests of international organizations repeatedly emphasized that no country in the world accepts migrants without legal documents.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/hundreds-of-afghan-migrants-returned-home-from-pakistan/

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FM Muttaqi Opposes Appointment of UN Peace Envoy for Kabul

December 19, 2023

The acting minister of foreign affairs, Amir Khan Muttaqi, said he opposes the appointment of a representative of the UN for peace and reconciliation negotiations in Afghanistan.

The new potential envoy was suggested by UN special coordinator for Afghanistan  FeridunSinirlioğlu in his report to the UNSC in November 2023.

In a meeting with UK Chargé d’Affaires for Afghanistan Robert Chatterton Dickson, Muttaqi said the report of the UN’s special coordinator on Afghanistan is “balanced," according to Zia Ahmad Takal, the deputy spokesperson of the ministry.

The acting minister also said that Afghanistan’s doors for engagement were open for all.

“Amir Khan Muttaqi considered most parts of the report of the UN special coordinator for Afghanistan as positive but opposed the appointment of a UN peace representative for Afghanistan taking into account the current situation of the country. He added that Afghanistan has had developments in many sectors and has positive engagement with countries,” said Zia Ahmad Takal, deputy spokesperson for the ministry of foreign affairs.

Takal said that the acting foreign minister also met with the Chinese special envoy for Afghanistan, Yue Xiaoyong.

In the meeting, Amir Khan Muttaqi said better bilateral relations between the two countries are “important” and he emphasized the start of work on MesAynak copper mine.

Political and economic analysts are of the view that strengthening economic and political relations between Afghanistan and its neighbors would benefit Kabul.

“The investment of foreigners in Afghanistan’s natural resources can strategically ensure the economic growth of the country,” said Muhammad Bashir Shabiri, an economic analyst.

“The world has a consensus in strategic engagement with Afghanistan. Countries will individually engage with Afghanistan considering their respective interests,” said Fazal Rahman Oriya, a political analyst.

Source: tolonews.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

Earlier, the Islamic Emirate urged its desire for positive engagement with the world.

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186564

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UNSC to Discuss Afghan Situation at Wednesday Meeting

December 19, 2023

The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting about Afghanistan on Wednesday.

The meeting is scheduled to take place at 19:30 (Kabul local time) and UNAMA head Roza Otunbayeva will also brief the Council on the situation in Afghanistan.

The issues of Afghan women and the status of human rights will be the focal points of the convention.

“In December, the Security Council will convene for its quarterly open briefing on Afghanistan. Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Roza Otunbayeva; Ambassador José de la Gasca, the Chair of the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee; and a representative of civil society are expected to brief. Closed consultations are expected to follow the briefing," reads the statement of the UNSC.

“There will also be discussions about human and womens’ rights and the UN seat of Afghanistan. There will also be a resolution released in this regard,” said Suraya Paikan, a women’s right activist.

The council is expected to renew the mandate of the monitoring team assisting the 1988 Afghanistan Sanctions Committee, and the UNSC will also receive a briefing on the delivery of humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan.

In its recent reports, UNAMA has criticized the violation of human rights, in particular the rights of girls and women in Afghanistan.

“In my view, this meeting will be positive and in favor of Afghanistan, because the inclusion of Afghanistan in such meetings means that the country has not been forgotten about,” said Wahid Faqiri, an international relations expert.

Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate asked Roza Otunbayeva to speak about the realities of Afghanistan in her speech.

“The discussions and decision-making about Afghanistan should be realistic. We have many developments in the country. Security has been assured, economy has flourished and there are also other developments,” said Zabiullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate.

Earlier, Mawlawi Abdul Kabir, political deputy of the Prime Minister of the Islamic Emirate
said he considered the presence of the Islamic Emirate envoy in such meetings as important.

Source: tolonews.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186560

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Relations with China Improved Since the Return of Islamic Emirate to Power: Mujahid

2023-12-20\

KABUL (BNA): Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Acting Minister of National Defense, stated in a meeting with China’s special envoy that with the return of the Islamic Emirate, bilateral relations with China are strengthening with each passing day.

According to a Ministry statement, Mawlavi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Acting Minister of National Defense, met and discussed today in his office with China’s Special Envoy, Yue Xiaoyong for Afghanistan.

During the discussion, the Acting Minister of National Defense emphasized the positive relations and cooperation with China, which grows stronger with each passing day, particularly with the return of the Islamic Emirate.

Mr. Xiaoyong expressed optimism about the establishment of complete security and stability in Afghanistan and emphasized China’s continued assistance and cooperation with the people of Afghanistan in economic and commercial fields.

In conclusion, both sides emphasized the continuation of positive relations between the two neighboring nations.

Source: bakhtarnews.af

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https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/relations-with-china-improved-since-the-return-of-islamic-emirate-to-power-mujahid/

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Haqqani calls advice of visiting Turkish scholars in Kabul ‘valuable’

December 20, 2023

Acting Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani met with a delegation of Turkish religious scholars in Kabul on Tuesday and considered their advice valuable for strengthening the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA).

According to a statement released by the Ministry of Interior, Haqqani expressed his gratitude to Turkey, especially the Islamic scholars, for the construction of mosques, madrassas and schools in Afghanistan, as well as for helping Afghans in times of need.

Haqqani added that although it was difficult to perform the Islamic instructions and worship in some cases in the past, but at that time the scholars kept the candles of religion and invitation lit and gave the call to prayer.

He said that Afghanistan and Turkey are connected according to the Sharia, with the ropes of Islam and brotherhood.

Based on the statement, Sheikh Ibrahim Sardar, head of the Islamic delegation of Turkey, said that Turkey has long historical relations with Afghanistan and many common values. He appreciated the sacrifices of Afghans in the struggle for freedom and praised the achievements of the Islamic Emirate.

According to the members of the delegation, the creation of facilities after the hardships that the forces of the Islamic Emirate endured is a divine test and serving the country and the nation is a major responsibility during the governance period.

Source: ariananews.af

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.ariananews.af/haqqani-calls-advice-of-visiting-turkish-scholars-in-kabul-valuable/

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Not 21,000, rather 11,000 BNP men in jail: Quader

Dec 20, 2023

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader yesterday said 11,000 BNP activists are in jail, instead of the 21,000 claimed by the opposition.

"They [BNP] say that 21,000 of their activists are in jail. I am challenging you, I have learned that there are 11,000 [BNP activists] in jail. Of them, 2,000 have been released on bail today. The number 21,000 is 'fake'. They have lied about it," said Quader while speaking at a victory procession of AL.

Quader also claimed that 70 percent people of the country are ready to vote for "boat".

"The final will be played on January 7. On that day, 1,896 people (total number of candidates) will play. BNP left the game on the 28th (October 28) after receiving a red card," he said.

"Twenty seven political parties are contesting, so the polls will be competitive. Those who say the election will not be competitive, are liars," he added.

The "victory procession" was held with hundreds of leaders and activists of AL and its associate bodies.

Even though the programme was scheduled to start at 2:30pm at the Institute of Engineers Bangladesh in the capital, the Awami League leaders and activists began to throng the venue around 1:30pm.

Streets in front of IEB, Matsya Bhaban, and the one leading to Shahbagh intersection were brimming with them, which caused vehicular movements on those roads to come to a halt, with commuters having to wait long hours stuck in their vehicles.

As the procession advanced through Mirpur Road towards Dhanmondi-32's Bangabandhu Bhaban, traffic congestion extended to adjacent roads.

The procession started from Suhrawardy Udyan around 3:45pm and ended at Dhanmondi 32 at 5:30pm.

Before the procession, a brief rally was held at the IEB premises, where several AL candidates of Dhaka constituencies spoke.

Source: thedailystar.net

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/politics/news/not-21000-rather-11000-bnp-men-jail-quader-3498861

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Southeast Asia

 

Thailand's LGBTQ+ community hopeful as marriage equality bill is set to be discussed in Parliament

Dec 20, 2023

BANGKOK: NaphatKrutthai and RasithayaJindasri have been in a committed relationship for eight years, but only now can they consider getting married.

In a clothing shop in Siam Square, a commercial hub in Thailand's capital, the happy couple excitedly eyed multi-colored garments as they discussed their potential wedding. Naphat, a transgender man, and Rasithaya, a woman, want to formalize their union, as Parliament is set to debate Thursday a final C abinet-endorsed draft bill to pass landmark legislation allowing members of the LGBTQ + community to get married.

The bill seeks to amend the Civil and Commercial Code, changing the words "men and women" and "husband and wife" to "individuals" and "marriage partners."

Prime Minister SretthaThavisin told reporters Tuesday after the Cabinet meeting that it will grant LGBTQ+ couples the "exact same equal rights" as heterosexual couples. This would make Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to pass such a law and the third in Asia, after Taiwan and Nepal.

Naphat - or "Jim" as he's known - said he and Rasithaya planned to register their marriage as soon as the law allowed it. As an advocate for trans rights himself, Naphat told The Associated Press, the anticipated change was not just a formality. A marriage certificate would allow LGBTQ+ couples a range of benefits, including healthcare and inheritance rights, that they have long been denied.

"It means a lot. This is the eighth year of our relationship. But our status isn't legally recognized," he said. "When either of us gets sick or has an emergency, we can't take care of each other properly. So it really matters to us."

Thailand has a global reputation for acceptance and inclusivity. In June, downtown Bangkok staged its annual Pride Parade. It drew tens of thousands in a joyous, hours-long party. Srettha, the premier, has said after he took office in August that he supported Thailand's bid to be a host of World Pride in 2028.

But once the crowds disappeared and the music stopped, the reality of being LGBTQ+ in Thailand may be less rosy than it might look.

"I think what foreigners see isn't the reality," said Nattipong Boonpuang, a 32-year-old fortune-teller and model. "People aren't actually as open to gender diversity as they may think," he said, adding they sometimes receive negative comments in both real life and online.

Nattipong is also a member of the Bangkok Gay Men's Chorus which was founded about a year ago.

What bound the chorus together, beyond their love of music, was a mission to advocate for more acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in Thailand, according to the chorus leader Vitaya Saeng-Aroon.

Vitaya said attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community in Thailand have definitely improved in recent years, but there was still a long way to go for misconceptions and legal discrimination remained.

"We don't want privileges. People misunderstand that we are calling for special treatment. Our community just wants fair treatment, on a daily basis," he said.

Thailand has struggled to pass a marriage equality law.

Last year, members of Parliament debated several legal amendments to allow either marriage equality or civil unions, which did not give LGBTQ+ couples all of the same rights as heterosexual couples. None of the proposed bills passed before Parliament was dissolved for election.

However, this year, Vitaya said things look more promising with the new draft bill being "very progressive." He hoped it would be approved so the rights of the LGBTQ+ community be finally recognized by law.

In May's general election, marriage equality was a hot topic for both the ruling party Pheu Thai and the opposition's Move Forward.

The latest bill appeared to have general support. But it still needs to be debated several times in Parliament before approval. Once passed, the country's King Maha Vajiralongkorn would endorse it to become a law.

The government said the next step may be an amendment to the pension fund law to recognize all couples.

The change might mean a lot to those affected, but it would barely shake Thai society, according to one analyst. Attitudes toward marriage have changed, said Khemthong Tonsakulrungruang, a law lecturer at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University, and the law was simply catching up.

"There's already cultural marriage - it's not legal - but there's cultural ceremonies, religious ceremonies between LGBTs," he said. "It makes headlines sometimes, but it's become more and more common for two persons, regardless of gender, to get married. So, it would reflect the change that has already been here ... for years."

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/rest-of-world/thailands-lgbtq-community-hopeful-as-marriage-equality-bill-is-set-to-be-discussed-in-parliament/articleshow/106140669.cms

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China asks US to stop solely blocking UN res. on Gaza truce

Dec 19, 2023

TEHRAN, Dec. 19 (MNA) Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said Tue. that China hopes the United States will stop single-handedly blocking UN Security Council resolutions, and play its due role in promoting a Gaza ceasefire.

Wnag Wenbin said so at a regular press briefing when asked to comment on remarks by US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns at the Brookings Institution on Dec. 15 that China has a wish to become more influential in the Middle East, but the work to end the conflict is really on US shoulders.

Since the Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, China has been committed to promoting a ceasefire, protecting the civilians and easing the humanitarian crisis, Wang said, according to Xinhua.

Wang said as the president of the Security Council in November, China enabled the adoption of the first Security Council resolution since the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict broke out, submitted the Position Paper of the People's Republic of China on Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict and worked to galvanize more support and action from the Security Council.

China has provided multiple batches of aid, including humanitarian cash assistance, food and medicine, to the people in Gaza, Wang added.

Wang noted that China stands ready to work with Arab-Islamic countries to firmly support the Palestinian people's just cause of restoring their lawful national rights.

Source: mehrnews.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://en.mehrnews.com/news/209753/China-asks-US-to-stop-solely-blocking-UN-res-on-Gaza-truce

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Middle East Investors Eyeing Indonesia's Sharia Bank BSI, Says Erick Thohir

20 December 2023

Dewi Elvia Muthiariny

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Erick Thohir highlighted the development of prospective investors in the country’s sharia bank, Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), from the Middle East.

Erick said the ministry is currently exploring potential Middle Eastern investors to invest in BSI. “During a roadshow, they want [share ownership] at more than 10 percent if possible,” he said at the SOE Ministry office, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday, Dec. 19.

According to him, the shareholding offered is only around 10-12 percent. “If possible, [they want] 15-20 percent. [That will] make them a strategic partner,” Erick added.

BSI's shares are currently owned by PT MandiriTbk with 51.47 percent, PT Bank Negara Indonesia Tbk or BNI with 23.24 percent, and PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia Tbk or BRI with 15.38 percent. “They are still discussing the matter,” he said.

Erick Thohir went on to say that BSI already has a full license to operate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and the ministry was lobbying for BSI to have a full license in Saudi Arabia. “We target [BSI] to be among the top ten [sharia bank] in the world," the SOE minister hoped.

Source: tempo.co

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://en.tempo.co/read/1811585/middle-east-investors-eyeing-indonesias-sharia-bank-bsi-says-erick-thohir

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Ministry provides Rp811 bln aid for 5,693 Islamic schools

19th December 2023

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Religious Affairs disbursed Rp811 billion (around US$52.29 million) in aid for 5,693 madrasahs (Islamic schools) at all levels in 2023.

Director General of Islamic Education at the ministry, M. Ali Ramdhani, said that of the 5,693 madrasahs, 4,849 are beneficiaries of the Affirmation Assistance program and 844 are beneficiaries of the Performance Assistance program.

"Providing madrasahs performance assistance and affirmation assistance aims to encourage improvements in the quality of the madrasahs and reduce or narrow the quality gap between madrasahs," he explained here on Tuesday.

According to him, the assistance programs are a form of his ministry's commitment to improve the quality of religious education nationwide and support its development.

"We hope that with the presence of this assistance, madrasahs in Indonesia can continue to develop and provide quality religious education," he remarked.

According to the ministry's Director of Curriculum, Facilities, Institutions, and Student Affairs, Muhammad SidikSisdiyanto, the performance assistance is aimed at rewarding madrasahs for creating a positive climate for their quality improvement.

Meanwhile, the affirmation assistance is aimed at supporting madrasahs that are in need of improving their quality.

He further explained that under the Affirmation Assistance program, each madrasah receives Rp150 million (around US$9.664). Meanwhile, under the Performance Assistance program, each madrasah gets Rp100 million (around US$6.443).

Chair of the project management unit of the Realizing Education's Promise-Madrasah Education Quality Reform (REP-MEQR) program, Abdul Rouf, said that the two assistance programs are part of the REP-MEQR, or Madrasah Reform program.

The program beneficiaries are selected through the EDM and eRKAM platforms, which are platforms for madrasahs' electronic-based planning and budgeting. This is to ensure that the selections are transparent and based on an evaluation of the madrasahs' performance.

"This is part of transparency so that the accountability of assistance reporting can be guaranteed," Rouf said.

Source: antaranews.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://en.antaranews.com/news/301398/ministry-provides-rp811-bln-aid-for-5693-islamic-schools

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Covid-19: Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council encourages wearing of face masks in mosques, surau

19 Dec 2023

KOTA BARU, Dec 19 — The Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council (Maik) encourages the wearing of face masks to the mosque and surau to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Its chairman, Tan Sri Tengku Mohamad Rizam Tengku Abdul Aziz said a circular to the effect would be issued to mosques and surau in the state.

“If we look at the statistics released by the Ministry of Health, there is an increase (in Covid-19 cases), although the situation is under control,” he told a press conference after the Corporate Zakat Payment ceremony at the Maik Office, here today.

At the event, three corporate entities, namely Global Ventures Holdings Bhd (FGV), Land Surveyors Board, and Angkatan KoperasiKebangsaan paid tithe amounting to more than RM1.1 million, RM1 million and RM130,493, respectively, while a private company, AnaZahra OEM paid tithe amounting to RM1 million.

Regarding corporate tithe collection by Maik this year, he said RM36,344,683.05 had been collected as of yesterday, an increase of 5.4 per cent compared to RM34,480,828.96 in the corresponding period last year.

“Business tithe payments by corporate companies in Kelantan are quite good based on the amount of payments received by Maik,” he added.

In another development, Mohamad Rizam said many “asnaf” (those eligible to receive tithe) under Maik have come out of the poverty line with the drop in the number of tithe recipients from 10,000 to 8,000 people. — Bernama

Source: malaymail.com

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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/12/19/covid-19-kelantan-islamic-religious-and-malay-customs-council-encourages-wearing-of-face-masks-in-mosques-surau/108327

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PM Anwar: Israel-based shipping company prohibited from docking at Malaysian ports

20 Dec 2023

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 20 — The Malaysian government said today it will impose an indefinite ban on vessels owned by Israel-based shipping company ZIM from docking at all Malaysian ports.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Transport Ministry has been instructed to enforce the ban with immediate effect.

“The ban is in response to Israel’s violation of basic humanitarian principles and international law over the ongoing continued massacre and brutality against the Palestinian people.

Anwar said the Cabinet had in 2002 allowed Israeli-registered companies to anchor in Malaysia; and in 2005, allowed Israeli-registered ships to dock at Malaysia.

However, he said the decisions have now been rescinded.

“However, the government today has decided to override the past Cabinet’s decision to not allow ships using Israeli flags to dock in the country,” he said in a statement here.

Effectively immediately, Anwar also said Malaysia imposed restrictions on any vessel en route to Israel from loading its cargo at any Malaysian ports.

“Malaysia is confident this decision will not affect the ongoing trade activities,” he said. Source: malaymail.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/12/20/pm-anwar-israeli-based-shipping-companies-prohibited-from-docking-at-malaysian-ports/108413

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Singapore’s Catholic Church: ‘Blessings’ for same-sex couples not a change in stance but to guide priests in pastoral care

19 Dec 2023

SINGAPORE, Dec 19 — The Vatican’s declaration to allow blessings of same-sex couples was not an endorsement of same-sex unions, but a setting out of the “rules and boundaries” for priests to bless these couples without it being mistaken as approval, the Catholic Church in Singapore said today.

Yesterday, in a document approved by Pope Francis, the Vatican backed the “possibility of blessings” for same-sex couples and couples in “irregular situations”, but insisted that the blessings must not be established as a Catholic rite or be given in contexts related to civil unions or marriage.

The head of the Vatican’s faith department, which wrote the document, was quoted in the introduction as saying that it was “a broadening and enrichment” of the Vatican’s stance on blessings, “based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis,” who wants a Church open to all.

The Vatican added that to avoid any form of confusion or scandal, blessings for same-sex couples cannot be performed with any clothing, gestures, or words that are proper to a wedding.

In a statement published today, Cardinal William Goh, archbishop of Singapore and leader of the Roman Catholic Church here, reiterated that the Vatican’s declaration was focused “not on the blessing of the unions of same-sex couples”.

He added that the Church is blessing couples who “are in irregular situations” such as those who are divorced and remarried, people struggling to be faithful to God’s commandments and those who aborted their babies.

This is just like how “we bless the sick, the elderly, and those who request spiritual and temporal blessings”, he said.

“We do not bless the sins of the person, but rather, the individual who is always loved by God, even when he or she is a sinner.”

The Vatican’s declaration serves in essence to provide “guidance in making a distinction between the Church’s official blessings, and a pastoral blessing for all occasions outside the liturgical and sacramental setting”, Cardinal Goh added.

Pastoral blessings or temporal blessings are ad-lib prayers offered spontaneously for a person such as during a meeting with a priest personally or in an informal group setting.

For instance, this may be for people asking for a blessing in times of need or a special occasion during a birthday or anniversary, or people asking for a blessing before making a journey overseas or before childbirth.

They do not legitimise anything, but rather to ask for God’s help to live better and to strengthen the people’s faith.

These are different from “official blessings”, which are imparted through the use of approved prayers in a ritual form, in addition to certain conditions being fulfilled. For example, in seeking forgiveness from God, Catholics ask for a blessing from priests when confessing their sins and this would require conditions such as being truly sorry or remorseful for their sins.

Cardinal Goh also said that the Church would want “everyone, without exemption” to receive God’s blessings for “good health, loving relationships, financial security and... their spiritual growth in understanding, discerning and accepting the will of God in their lives as taught in scripture and by the Church”.

“We hope that through encountering God’s love and mercy, they will be transformed by His grace and become the person that God has meant them to be,” he added.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore said in its statement that with media reports on the Vatican’s declaration, it would want to “correct the misimpression that the Church has changed its stance on its traditional doctrine about marriage”.

It added that it is grateful that Pope Francis has authorised this declaration so that church ministers will not “act in a way that gives others the wrong impression that the Church endorses same-sex unions”.

The declaration is the Church’s way of “showing mercy, love and compassion for those struggling through difficult situations and coming to terms with the demands of the Gospel”, it said, and that “we are all sinners endeavouring to grow in authenticity and perfection”.

“It is a prayer for these people — that they will come to know that truth is love, without which, love is compromised, and that there will be peace in their lives only when love and truth meet.”

The archdiocese also advised the faithful to refer to the original source of the content, or one close to it, for accurate representation.

It added that anyone who wishes to fully understand the Church’s position on the matter may refer to the official Church document Declaration Fiducia Supplicans. — TODAY

Source: malaymail.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.malaymail.com/news/singapore/2023/12/19/singapores-catholic-church-blessings-for-same-sex-couples-not-a-change-in-stance-but-to-guide-priests-in-pastoral-care/108357

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Johor encourages mosque imam, bilal, congregation to get booster shot

20-12- 2023

BATU PAHAT: Mosque imam, bilal and congregations in Johor are encouraged to take booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine following the current surge in the number of Covid-19 cases.

Johor Islamic Religious Affairs Committee chairman Mohd Fared Mohd Khalid (pix) said the move was to curb the spread of the epidemic, thus supporting the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) recommendation on the third booster dose.

He said that actions to prevent the spread of the epidemic should not only be focused on certain groups, but should be involved by all parties.

“However, for those who want to take the injection, they must first seek advice from a doctor about their health status,“ he told reporters after handing over the keys to the Asnaf Housing Scheme Project, Baiti Jannati Wakalah Zakat PerniagaanJCorp project at Kampung Peserai Kecil here yesterday.

On Monday, Johor Health and Unity Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon was reported to have said that Covid-19 cases in Johor had shown a sharp increase in recent months, with 401,886 cases reported as of Saturday (Dec 16).

Meanwhile, Mohd Fared said 25 houses have been built for eligible recipients this year under the project managed by Waqaf An-Nur Corp Berhad.

He said the 660-square-foot house built at a cost of between RM75,000 and RM95,000 has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. –Bernama

Source: thesun.my

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://thesun.my/local_news/johor-encourages-mosque-imam-bilal-congregation-to-get-booster-shot-LA11889604

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Africa

 

Authorities accuse jihadist groups of massacres of civilians in Burkina Faso

19 December 2023

Burkina Faso's ruling military regime on Monday accused jihadist groups of carrying out massacres against civilians in the north of the country, urging people to "give no credence" to images of abuses committed by armed men portrayed as Burkina Faso soldiers.

Since the beginning of December, several videos have been widely posted on social networks accusing the army of committing acts of violence against civilians in the Djibo area (north).

"The government invites the population not to give any credence to the video images currently circulating on social networks", wrote the government spokesman and Minister for Communication, Jean Emmanuel Ouédraogo, in a press release.

These videos "attempt to make people believe that massacres of civilians have been perpetrated by Burkina Faso's fighting forces", he added, denouncing a "communication campaign fuelled by the terrorists", concerning "massacres that they themselves have perpetrated".

"These are treacherous fabrications designed to discredit the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) and the Volunteers for the Defence of the Homeland (VDP, civilian auxiliaries to the army), who put up heroic resistance to the onslaught of terrorists who failed miserably to take control of the Djibo camp on 26 November", he said.

On that day, jihadists carried out a massive attack against an army detachment in Djibo, killing several soldiers, according to security sources. No official figures were released, but the state media claimed that the army's response had "neutralised more than 400 terrorists".

At least 40 civilians were also killed and 42 wounded, according to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. On Monday, the government spokesman also assured that "Burkina Faso's fighting forces are acting with professionalism and respect for human rights".

Djibo, close to the so-called three-border zone between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali where jihadist groups are active, has been under siege for months. Several convoys seeking to supply the area have been attacked.

Since 2015, Burkina Faso has been caught up in a spiral of violence perpetrated by jihadist groups affiliated to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda, which has left a total of more than 17,000 civilians and soldiers dead.

Source: africanews.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/19/authorities-accuse-jihadist-groups-of-massacres-of-civilians-in-burkina-faso/

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Islamic Clericsfrom Three Major Sects Converge InKano To Pray For APC Victory Over NNPP At Supreme Court

Guardian Nigeria

19 December 2023

Muslim clerics from three major sects have converged in the city of Kano to offer special prayers for the victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC), governorship candidate in the 2023 election, Nasiru Gawuna at the Supreme Court.

The clerics also prayed for the justices of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and of the Appeal Courts for the dispensation of justice over the petition filed by the APC.

It would be recalled that both the Tribunal and the appellate courts have declared Gawuna of the APC as the governor of the state in the March 2023 election.

The group of Ulamas from the Tijjaniyya, Izala and Kadiriyya sects offered prayers for the protection and guidance of the justices of the tribunal and Appeal Courts for returning what they described as the stolen mandate of the people of Kano to Gawuna who they said was the legitimate winner of the election.

The Ulamas who were led by Sheikh Albakry Mikail of the Tijjaniyya, Malam Garba Yusuf Abubakar of the Izala and Professor Maibushira of the Kadiriyya sect urged the Supreme Court to look at the facts before it and affirm Gawuna as a legitimate winner of kano governorship seat.

According to Mallam Abubakar, the prayer is necessary to ensure that justice prevails over emotional feelings by the supporters of the NNPP in Kano.

He said: “We are gathered here to offer special prayers for both the justices of the Tribunal and the Appeal courts. We are equally calling on the justices of the Supreme Court to look carefully at the facts before it and do justice to the people of Kano State. So that their stolen mandate can be recovered.”

Source: guardian.ng

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://guardian.ng/news/islamic-clerics-converge-in-kano-to-pray-for-apc-victory-over-nnpp-at-supreme-court/

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‘Christians, Muslims responsible for corruption in Nigeria’ – EFCC chairman

December 19, 2023

 Goodness Adaoyiche

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says both Muslims and Christians are responsible for the corruption problem facing the country.

EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, disclosed this at a two-day workshop on enhancing fiscal discipline in the management of local governments, organised by the Kaduna State Ministry of Local Government.

Olukoyede noted said the fight against graft is a collective battle for the soul of Nigeria adding that corruption has no colour, tribe and religion.

Represented by the EFCC Zonal Commander, ACE Aisha Abubakar, the EFCC czar urged the local government to support the anti-corruption drive of the present administration of President Bola Tinubu.

He noted that the local government tier, being the government nearest to the populace, is one of the best agencies that can drive the much-needed wider participation of the local population in the anti-corruption campaign.

“Let me stress here, that corruption has no colour, no tribe and religion. The people that steal Nigeria’s resources are both Christians and Muslims. It is not a battle between religions; corruption fight is also not between tribes,” he said according to Leadership.

“What we are fighting in this country is a battle between good and evil; it is a collective battle for the soul of Nigeria; a battle for the future generation of yet unborn Nigerians; it is indeed, the battle for the future of Africa.”

Source: politicsnigeria.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://politicsnigeria.com/christians-muslims-responsible-for-corruption-in-nigeria-efcc-chairman/

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South African president condemns Gaza crisis as genocidal, calls for ceasefire

19 December 2023

President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa has strongly condemned the ongoing crisis in Gaza, describing it as a "genocidal onslaught and slaughter of the people of Palestine."

In a press statement, he drew parallels between the struggles faced by Palestinians and those experienced by South Africans during their own tumultuous history.

"As we have looked at the sufferings of the Palestinians, we have seen similar features of what the Palestinians are going through as what we, as South Africans, went through," President Ramaphosa expressed.

Ramaphosa continued, asserting the gravity of the situation unfolding in Gaza. "What is unfolding now, in Gaza, is beyond being unjust. It is genocidal, and that is why we are dubbing it as a genocide against a people and a collective punishment against innocent people," he declared.

In response to the dire circumstances, President Ramaphosa called for an immediate ceasefire. He emphasized the urgency of halting what he perceives as a genocidal onslaught, expressing the collective responsibility to prevent further suffering.

- Previous action -

In a previous stern message, the South African government had issued a warning to its citizens involved or contemplating involvement in the conflict in Gaza.

The South African foreign ministry expressed deep concern over reports that some of its nationals may have joined the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) to fight in Gaza. The ministry emphasized that such actions could potentially lead to the violation of international law, making those involved liable for prosecution in South Africa. The State Security Agency (SSA) is reportedly actively tracking down individuals involved in this activity.

Source: africanews.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/19/south-african-president-condemns-gaza-crisis-as-genocidal-alls-for-ceasefire/

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Why Fed Govt is eyeing Islamic finance, by Edun

Nduka Chiejina, Abuja

December 20, 2023

The world can no longer afford the “elevated high levels” of interest-based financing, Finance Minister & Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, has said.

Citing man-made and natural shocks that have pushed rates sky-high, the minister painted a picture of development constrained by the soaring cost of borrowing.

The minister spoke at a programmeorganised in Abuja by the Security Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB).

Stressing the detrimental impact of high interest rates, the minister said they “make it impossible to access the funds needed for development, infrastructure, and even social services.”

Highlighting the crippling effect, he listed infrastructure, education and healthcare as some of the vital areas suffering under the burden of exorbitant borrowing costs.

Offering a potential alternative, Edun drew attention to a recent $30 million grant from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) dedicated to climate action and adaptation in Nigeria.

He said: “Notably, this grant was funded through Islamic finance principles, hinting at a shift in the landscape of available resources. Clearly, funds these days are with those who practice Islamic finance.”

Edun declared that, as a Finance minister, “you better follow the money”.

He urged deeper understanding and utilisation of Islamic finance, calling it “a veritable tool for financing development” endorsed by the IFSB.

Edun reiterated the imperative of harnessing the potential of Islamic finance as a viable tool for financing development.

“With Nigeria’s objective of achieving rapid, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, the minister emphasized the importance of learning from the IFSB and educating oneself to make optimal use of this financing tool,” he said.

Islamic finance, according to Edun, provides an additional avenue through which Nigeria can propel critical economic growth.

Aligning with the vision of President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the minister of Finance recognises the significance of tapping into Islamic finance to fuel the economy effectively.

Edun’s address shed light on the potential advantages of Islamic finance, encouraging stakeholders to explore this alternative financing model to bolster economic growth in Nigeria.

As government officials strive to diversify the country’s economic landscape, the minister’s stance shows a commitment to expanding opportunities for sustainable development in Nigeria through innovative financial techniques.

Source: thenationonlineng.net

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://thenationonlineng.net/why-fed-govt-is-eyeing-islamic-finance-by-edun/

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Reps probe Kaduna error bombings, seek competition for victims

Nicholas Kalu, Abuja and Ekaete Bassey

December 20, 2023

The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Army to investigate the error drone bombing that occurred at Tudun Biri village in Kaduna State on December 3.

The Green Chamber called for a thorough assessment of the incident, the damage done, and ensure adequate compensation to the victims and survivors.

It also mandated the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to provide the necessary materials to the families of the victims and survivors to ameliorate their sufferings.

The House, which observed a minute of silence in honour of the victims of the incident, constituted a committee to pay a condolence visit to the families of the victims and the survivors.

These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion of urgent importance moved by Umar Shehu Ajilo.

Also, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has said investigation into the error bombing in Kaduna State will be made public.

Gen. Musa said the report on the investigation should be made available promptly.

The CDS assured Nigerians that the military would punish any officer or soldier found culpable in the error attack, saying the force would not shield any personnel found wanting on completion of the investigation.

“The report is going to be made public. The Federal Government is already in charge. It is working on it, and I am sure the announcement will come very soon,” he said on yesterday’s edition of Channels Television breakfast programme, “Sunrise Daily”.

Source: thenationonlineng.net

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://thenationonlineng.net/reps-probe-kaduna-error-bombings-seek-competition-for-victims/

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North America

 

White House says it’s a ‘farce’ that the US left a bunch of weapons in Afghanistan

December 20, 2023

White House on Tuesday rejected claims that the US left a bunch of weapons in Afghanistan, calling it a “farce.”

John Kirby, spokesman of the US National Security Council, said at a press conference that what the US did over the course of 20 years in Afghanistan was helping equip the Afghan National Security Forces.

“Now — and as we have said time and time again, that as the Taliban (IEA) made advances, those Afghan National Security Forces, many of them decided not to fight but yet to lay down their arms and leave,” he said.

Kirby made the remarks in response to a question about reports that the attack that killed 21 Pakistani soldiers last week involved use of US weapons left behind in Afghanistan.

He said he can’t verify the report that weapons left in Afghanistan were used in the attack.

Kirby said that Pakistan remains a key partner in the region. “They continue to face a viable terrorism threat across that border.”

The Islamic of Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has previously rejected claims that Afghanistan soil is used in attacks in Pakistan.

Source: ariananews.af

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.ariananews.af/white-house-says-its-a-farce-that-the-us-left-a-bunch-of-weapons-in-afghanistan/

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US, allies mull striking Yemen; UAE, Saudis divided over support

 20 December 2023

The United States and its Western allies are reportedly mulling over military strikes against Yemen, after the Arab nation’s armed forces struck merchant vessels owned by Israel or bound for the occupied territories in support of Palestinians in the war-torn Gaza Strip.

American-based Bloomberg television news network, citing four people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified, reported on Wednesday that planning is underway for actions intended to cripple the Yemeni military’s ability to target commercial ships by hitting the forces at the source.

The report comes only two days after Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Seychelles and the United Kingdom would be among the countries joining the 10-nation alliance in the Red Sea.

Austin added that the coalition also included the United States, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

However, Spain’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that the country “depends on the decisions of the European Union and NATO and, therefore, will not participate unilaterally.”

Deep division

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two of the United States' closest allies in the Persian Gulf region, are deeply divided over the American military plan.

The UAE is pushing for military action against Yemen’s Ansarullah and wants the US to re-designate them as “terrorists”.

However, Riyadh supports a more measured approach, fearing that any military action could derail a fragile truce after its years-long war on Yemen.

The two have announced they will not take part in the maritime coalition.

Yemen’s defense minister has denounced the formation of a US-led maritime task force in the Red Sea to protect the passage of merchant vessels bound for the Israeli-occupied territories.

Late on Monday, the Yemeni defense minister denounced the formation of the coalition, warning that any assault on Yemeni soil would have dire consequences.

“We are in possession of munitions and military gear that can sink your warships, submarines and aircraft carriers,” Major General Mohammad al-Atifi said.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces will turn the Red Sea into a graveyard of the US-led coalition, if the alliance decides to take any action against Yemen,” he warned.

The Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7.

The Yemeni information minister says the country’s armed forces are fully prepared for any possible military scenario following threats by Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take military actions against the country.

The Yemeni forces have also launched missile and drone attacks on targets in the Israeli-occupied territories after the regime launched the war on Gaza.

Major international shipping companies have changed the course of their vessels in the region after the Yemenis said earlier this month that any ship bound for the Israeli-occupied territories will be a legitimate target until the Israeli regime completely halts its aggression against Gaza.

Source: presstv.ir

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/20/716689/US-allies-mulling-strikes-against-Yemen-support-Israel-Report

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Jewish Groups Line Up In Support Of Biden’s Muslim Court Pick Assailed By GOP

Dec 19, 2023

Fifteen Jewish organizations on Tuesday pledged their “strong support” for President Joe Biden’s historic Muslim court pick Adeel Mangi ― days after Republican senators subjected him to hostile and Islamophobic questioning in his confirmation hearing.

“Having ethical and unbiased judges is ingrained in our Jewish teachings in which we are taught that ‘judges need to be people of strength through good deeds,’” reads the groups’ letter to all 100 senators, obtained by HuffPost. “It is clear to us that Adeel A. Mangi is a person of strength and good deeds, as evidenced by his career, devotion to his community, and commitment to religious freedom and civil rights.”

The letter hails Mangi’s legal record and his pro bono work on behalf of religious organizations. It also highlights the numerous amicus briefs he has filed in federal courts on behalf of religious communities relating to LGBTQ rights, unlawful surveillance of religious communities and the repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.

“It’s important that people of faith have a voice on many of the critical issues that are before the Supreme Court and the appellate courts,” said the organizations. “There’s something beautiful about ... more than 150 different religious groups coming together to present a common position to the Supreme Court of the United States.”

The letter is signed by the National Council of Jewish Women, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, Carolina Jews for Justice, The Shalom Center, and others. The groups collectively represent more than a million people nationwide.

Here’s a copy of their letter:

Mangi Jewish Orgs Support Letter by jen_bendery on Scribd

Mangi, if confirmed, will be the nation’s first-ever Muslim federal appeals court judge, and only the third Muslim federal judge. Biden tapped Mangi for a seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit, based in Philadelphia.

The Jewish groups’ letter comes after Mangi, who is a partner at Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP, endured a series of offensive and irrelevant questions from Republicans in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday.

GOP Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Tom Cotton (Ark.) and Josh Hawley (Mo.) yelled at and interrupted Mangi throughout his hearing. They demanded that he share his personal views on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the Oct. 7 attack in Israel and the Israeli-Hamas conflict in general. They also repeatedly tried to tie him to pro-Palestinian comments made by people he didn’t know, and to events he didn’t know about.

Mangi repeatedly had to attest that he wasn’t antisemitic or sympathetic to terrorists.

Cruz, for one, specifically pressed Mangi to say whether he sees any justification for the Hamas militants’ terrorist attack in Israel that left some 1,200 Israelis dead.

“I have no patience ― none ― for any attempts to justify or defend those events,” Mangi replied.

Democrats on the committee later condemned Republicans for their treatment of Biden’s judicial pick, including chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), who banged his gavel several times in response to Cruz repeatedly interrupting Mangi.

On Friday, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the largest Muslim civil rights organization in the country, condemned all three Republican senators for their behavior.

“Singling out a Muslim judicial nominee and forcing him to answer ‘gotcha questions’ about the Middle East simply because of faith or because of his tangential connections to Muslims who comment on the Middle East is Islamophobic and un-American,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, CAIR’s national deputy director. “So is raising the hateful trope that presumptively assumes that Muslims are antisemitic.”

Mangi’s nomination isn’t going anywhere soon. The Senate is about to recess for the holidays and isn’t expected back until Jan. 8. After that, it’s up to Durbin to decide when to schedule a committee vote on Mangi’s nomination.

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Source: huffpost.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jewish-groups-muslim-judicial-nominee-gop-islamophobia_n_6581e857e4b01d1b95357921

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US Congressmen Announce Creation Of Hindu Caucus

December 20, 2023

Washington: Republican lawmakers Pete Sessions and Elise Stefanim on Tuesday announced the inauguration of a Congressional Hindu Caucus to protect the interests of this religious minority and raise their issues in the US Congress.

Originally established during the 115th Congress, the caucus continues its pivotal role in forging a vital connection between the Hindu-American community and policymakers, a media release said on Tuesday.

"The inauguration of the Congressional Hindu Caucus marks a significant step towards recognising and amplifying the voice of the Hindu-American community in our nation's capitol. We are committed to addressing their concerns, celebrating their contributions, and ensuring their perspectives are heard at the highest levels of government," Sessions said.

The Congressional Hindu Caucus, under the chairmanship of Congressman Sessions and Chairwoman Stefanik, is dedicated to representing the values that are significant to the Hindu-American community, it said.

Embodying a diverse coalition, the Caucus represents Hindus from various countries including India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.

It also includes members of other faiths with Indian origins, such as Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists, the statement said.

According to the lawmakers, the Congressional Hindu Caucus advocates for free enterprise, limited government, fiscal discipline, strong family values, and a robust foreign policy stance against authoritarian regimes.

This proactive approach not only strengthens the Hindu-American presence in Washington but also enhances its influence in shaping a more representative and diverse nation.

Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

In addition to Congressman Sessions and Chairwoman Stefanik, the Caucus includes members like Congressman Andy Biggs, among others, it said.

Source: ndtv.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.ndtv.com/indians-abroad/us-congressmen-announce-creation-of-hindu-caucus-4706657#pfrom=home-ndtvworld_us

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Complaint Alleges Ann Arbor School Counselor Referred to Muslim Student as Terrorist

Dec. 19, 2023

ANN ARBOR, MI - A complaint has been filed with the Office of Civil Rights for the U.S. Department of Education against Ann Arbor Public Schools claiming a middle school counselor allegedly referred to a Muslim student as a “terrorist.”

The complaint was filed Monday, Dec. 18, by the Michigan chapter of Council on American-Islamic Relations, a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, which was retained by the family of an eighth-grade student at Tappan Middle School. You can read the full complaint here.

The alleged incident took place on Nov. 14 at Tappan Middle School, when the student, who was waiting to speak with his guidance counselor, asked another sixth-grade counselor if he could leave the office to get a drink of water, according to the complaint.

The sixth-grade counselor allegedly told the student he could not leave to get a drink of water because she “did not negotiate with terrorists,” the complaint states.

The student immediately complained to the counselor that he felt her comments were discriminatory and inappropriate based on his Muslim and Palestinian religion and ethnicity, the complaint states.

As a result of the alleged comments of the counselors and staff at Tappan Middle School, the eight-grade student no longer feels comfortable attending the school or participating in meetings in the counselor’s office, the complaint states. CAIR-MI said it is speaking out on behalf of the family, who has asked to keep their name private for fear of retaliation.

Ann Arbor Public schools did not address whether the staff member was disciplined following the incident.

“The words of the guidance counselor referring to an eighth grade student as a ‘terrorist’ were not only discriminatory, but also deeply painful to the student,” CAIR-MI Executive Director Dawud Walid said in a statement. “For the school administration and school district to be so dismissive of the pain and harm this caused the student and his family is equally hurtful.”

When complaints were made to the district and school board, the school indicated it was a “private personnel matter and they consider the issue closed,” CAIR said.

Ann Arbor Public Schools Spokesman Andrew Cluley said the district “does not comment on personnel matters and pending legal complaints.”

Ann Arbor School Board President Rima Mohammad said the board learned of the incident that occurred in November 2023 and is “deeply concerned and dismayed” by the alleged incident.

“Islamophobia, antisemitism, and anti-Arab, anti-Palestinian and all forms of hate speech and rhetoric are not welcome in our community and schools,” Mohammad said in a statement on behalf of the board. “We stand firmly against discrimination as stated per our Board policy 5010. We are very sorry to hear about how this incident has impacted the child and the family. As always, we will take all allegations seriously and address them promptly.”

Source: mlive.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original

https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2023/12/complaint-alleges-ann-arbor-school-counselor-referred-to-muslim-student-as-terrorist.html

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CAIR Welcomes Hate Crime Probe into Arson Targeting Cemetery at Black Church in Maryland

Ismail Allison

December 19, 2023

(BALTIMORE, MD, 12/19/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed a hate crime investigation into an arson targeting a cemetery operated by a Black church in Anne Arundel County.

Someone set fire to a sign on the cemetery property, causing damage to the sign. The cemetery is operated by the Saint Mark United Methodist Church in Hanover. Police and the fire marshal are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.

SEE: Fire Marshal and Police Investigating Suspected Hate Crime and Arson at Cemetary – Southern Maryland News Net | Southern Maryland News Net (smnewsnet.com)

https://smnewsnet.com/archives/527691/fire-marshal-and-police-investigating-suspected-hate-crime-and-arson-at-cemetary/

“Targeting a cemetery with arson is a despicable act that must be addressed to the full extent of the law,” said CAIR Maryland Director Zainab Chaudry. “We thank law enforcement for their swift response and stand in solidarity with the congregation of Saint Mark United Methodist Church against racist hate and bigotry.”

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.            

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstados Unidos.     

Source: cair.com

Please click the following URL to read the full text of the original     

https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-welcomes-hate-crime-probe-into-arson-targeting-cemetery-at-black-church-in-maryland/

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CAIR Condemns Israeli Killing of Family in Front of Grandfather, Troops’ Vandalism of West Bank Homes, New Massacres, Deaths and Torture of Detainees in Israeli Custody

Ibrahim Hooper

December 19, 2023

(WASHINGTON, D.C., 12/19/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the reported mass killing of a Palestinian grandfather’s family in front of his eyes, vandalism of West Bank homes by Israeli forces, the deaths and alleged torture of Palestinian detainees, and more massacres in refugee camps and residential areas of Gaza.

According to Reuters: “When the Israeli soldiers entered the Gaza school where Yousef Khalil was sleeping near his family, they began shooting indiscriminately, killing nine people including children.” “They are my children and grandchildren. Why did they shoot them in front of my eyes?” said Khalil.

[NOTE: CAIR recently said that the Israeli military’s killing of three unarmed, shirtless Israelis waving a white flag is further proof that Israeli troops are “wantonly killing Palestinian civilians.” Over the weekend, CAIR called for United Nations to investigate reports that Israeli forces in Gaza bulldozed medical tents with injured Palestinians inside, allegedly burying civilians alive.]

In the West Bank, Al Jazeera reports: “Residents of the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank say Israeli Forces [vandalized] their homes, ate their food, and allowed their dogs to defecate inside residents’ homes.”

Al Jazeera also reports new massacres in Gaza: “Victims are just lying on the ground. Many have been killed, bodies ripped apart. Even animals aren’t spared.”

At least 29 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike in a residential area of the so-called “safe area” of Rafah in southern Gaza “while a hospital has been raided in north Gaza and 13 people were killed in an attack on a refugee camp in that part of the enclave.”

Several Palestinians are reported to have died in an Israeli detention facility after being detained in the Gaza. Others report being tortured.

“These war crimes – and the many more that undoubtedly go unreported – carried out by Israel’s apartheid government will continue until the Biden administration joins the international community in forcing an end to the ongoing slaughter, forced starvation and ethnic cleansing in Gaza,” said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper. “There must be a ceasefire now.”

Yesterday, CAIR condemned other Israeli war crimes after deadly Israeli strikes on a Gaza maternity hospital and other medical facilities, the killing of more than 100 people in a refugee camp and the killing of two Christians seeking shelter in a besieged church.

Israel has killed some 20,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, and including hundreds of UN workers, journalists and medical personnel.

CAIR recently called on the Biden administration to respond to reports that Israel forces shot women, children and babies “execution-style” after they sought refuge in a school in Gaza.    

CAIR condemned the attempted assassination of an Al Jazeera journalist (and the ultimate death of another) by Israeli forces, the desecration of Gaza cemeteries by Israeli troops in Gaza, and a deadly airstrike targeting a UN school in Gaza.   

OTHER ISRAELI WAR CRIMES:  

A new US intelligence assessment concluded that nearly half of the air-to-ground munitions that Israel has used in Gaza have been unguided, also known as “dumb bombs.” Unguided munitions are typically less precise and can pose a greater threat to civilians.  

CAIR condemned the Israeli government’s celebration of IDF troops who took over and desecrated a mosque in the West Bank as an “attack on Islam.”  

CAIR said the far-right Israeli government’s controlled demolition of a U.N. school in Gaza is “further evidence of the ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing.”     

Video posted online shows a man, reportedly with special needs, being detained by Israeli soldiers and then shot at point-blank range.     

CAIR condemned an Israeli attack on another hospital in Gaza and said the Biden administration is actively participating in Israel’s “ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestinian people.”  

CAIR condemned another “war crime of the day” – the slaughter of at least 50 civilians in airstrikes on two UN-run schools sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza.    

CAIR recently called on the Biden administration to address reporting that the U.S. supplied the Israeli government with white phosphorus used in attacks on civilian areas.   

The Israeli government’s extremist leaders have declared that there are no innocent civilians in Gaza, justified cutting off water, electricity and other basic necessities because Palestinians are ‘human animals,’ embraced an ancient biblical verse about the mass slaughter of an entire city from animals to infants, demanded a million residents of northern Gaza leave their homes or face death, and announced that the aim of the bombing in Gaza was destruction rather than accuracy.    

CAIR said a new report by Heritage for Peace detailing Israel’s ongoing destruction of Palestinian cultural sites shows its desire to entirely “eliminate Palestinian existence.”     

Washington, D.C., based CAIR questioned whether Western leaders even regard Palestinians as “human” after more than 700 women, children and men were massacred by Israel within just the last 24 hours.      

CAIR condemned the “Israeli war crime of the day” after more than 100 men, women and children were killed in the bombing of residential buildings hosting displaced families in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp.  

CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.                

La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertadesciviles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a losmusulmanesenlosEstados Unidos.      

Source: cair.com

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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-condemns-israeli-killing-of-family-in-front-of-grandfather-troops-vandalism-of-west-bank-homes-new-massacres-deaths-and-torture-of-detainees-in-israeli-custody/

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COAS engages in diplomatic, community outreach in US

December 20, 2023

WASHINGTON: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir engaged with US scholars and foreign policy experts in Washing­ton on Tuesday on the last leg of his week-long visit to the United States.

The meeting covered the regional security situation in South Asia and economic stability in Pakistan, which some of the participants thought was linked to political stability and security in the country.

On Monday, the army chief visited the headquarters of the US Central Command (Centcom) in Tampa, Florida, and met with the commander, Gen Michael Erik Kurilla.

A statement issued by the army’s media wing noted that the two leaders discussed “matters of shared interests, particularly cooperation in regio­nal security matters” during the meeting.

The talks focused on “avenues of joint training and reiterated the need for enhancing training interactions between Centcom and Pakistan Army,” the statement added.

The COAS also visited Centcom Joint Opera­tions Centre during his stay in Tampa.

He flew to Tampa from New York where he met the UN secretary general for talks focusing on the situation in India-held Kashmir and Gaza.

In his visit to Washi­ngton last week, the army chief met a number of high-ranking US military and civilian officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin.

His engagements at the Pentagon highlighted the importance of the US-Pakistan partnership in regional security and defence cooperation.

In a press briefing on Monday, US State Depart­ment Spokesperson Matt Miller spoke about the army chief’s visit and underscored the longstanding alliance betw­een the US and Pakistan.

He pointed out that Pakistan remained a major non-Nato ally and a Nato partner, which un­­derlines the country’s significance for Washington.

Gen Munir’s discussions in Washington centered on “reinforcing regional security measures and defence collaboration,” Mr Miller added.

The briefing, however, didn’t escape questions about domestic politics in Pakistan, prompting Mr Miller to emphasise the US commitment to supporting free and fair elections in Pakistan.

He reiterated the US stance of “engaging with leaders elected by Pakistani people” while refraining from taking sides among political parties.

Beyond the official diplomatic engagements, Gen Munir extended a charm offensive to the Pakistani diaspora in the US during a community dinner hosted by the Pakistan embassy.

Atten­dees, representing diver­­se backgrounds, including investors, professionals, and academics, engaged in an open and frank discussion with the COAS.

Gen Munir’s US visit has not only strengthened diplomatic ties but has also fostered positive engagement with the Pakistani diaspora.

The emphasis on security for investments and his encouraging words towar­­ds the diaspora highlight the multifaceted app­roach of the visit, combining diplomatic and community outreach efforts.

Source: dawn.com

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https://www.dawn.com/news/1799269/coas-engages-in-diplomatic-community-outreach-in-us

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Biden gets low marks on his support for Israel's war on Gaza: Poll

 19 December 2023

A majority of Americans have broadly disapproved of President Joe Biden’s support for Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip, a new poll shows.

A poll from The New York Times and Siena College shows 57 percent of voters disapproved of the Democratic president’s support for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

The Biden administration has given strong support to Tel Aviv in the war that has killed more than 19,600 people, including 7,700 children since its onset on October 7.

Biden’s overall approval rating stands at 37% among registered voters, the poll says.

Among voters younger than 30, his approval rating stands at 26% overall and 20% on Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.

Overall, 19% of registered voters say both that they disapprove of Biden on the war and that it’s because he’s too supportive of Tel Aviv, rising to 45% among voters younger than 30.

The 46th president of the United States, who is being sued for aiding and abetting “genocide” in Gaza, is also accused of having blood on his hands after his administration vetoed a UN Security Council resolution that would have called for a ceasefire in Gaza earlier this month.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said back then that the veto made Washington complicit in “war crimes” in Gaza.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/19/716669/Biden-gets-low-marks-on-his-support-for-Israel-s-war-on-Gaza--Poll

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