Hizbul Mujahideen and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan Remain a Global Terrorist Organisation: U.S. State Secretary
New Age Islam News Bureau
17 February 2023
U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken. File | Photo Credit: Reuters
----
• ‘Pakistan a Cancer State in the Name of Islam’:
Islamic State-Khorasan’s Latest Attack
• Muslim Outfits, Including IUML, Slam Jamaat-e-Islami
for Holding Talks with RSS
• Iranian President Joins Chinese Muslims for Prayers
at Beijing Mosque
• US Jail Abuse: Inmate, Mentally-Ill Anthony Mitchell,
Frozen to Death: Iran’s Rights Chief
North America
• Canada has already become a safe-haven for the
Islamic Republic regime’s murderers
• Chollet reaffirms US help in fight against terrorism
• US refuses to get involved in Imran’s ‘blame game’
• US ‘dismayed’ with Israel settlement move, dubs UN
vote ‘unhelpful’
• Top US diplomat to Afghanistan apologizes for
‘inappropriate’ tweets
• US frowns on UN Security Council's anti-Israel draft
resolution
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Pakistan
• PTI Workers Gather At Lahore’s Zaman Park To Resist
Imran’s Arrest
• Peshawar mosque attack confronts Pakistan with tough
security choice
• Terrorists attack CTD officials in Kalabagh, TTP
commander killed in exchange of fire
• Pakistani workers in Gulf face inhumane working
conditions: report
• Pakistan denies supplying ammunition to Ukraine
• Jaffar express explosion: Two killed, many injured
in Pakistan train blast
--------
India
• Burnt Bodies of 2 Muslim Men Found In Haryana,
Bajrang Dal Role Alleged
• Activists
of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal Target Mosque in Uttar Pradesh
• Plea moved in Supreme Court citing ‘hate speech
against Hindus’
--------
Southeast Asia
• Dr Mahathir: Radical actions of a few Muslims
contribute to Islamophobia
• 69 Rohingya refugees land on Indonesia’s west coast
• Malaysia will assist Turkiye in more capacities,
says PM
• ‘Don’t spin my words’: PAS lawmaker says did not
mean to imply Menu Rahmah causes cancer
• Activists decry Malaysia ban on LGBTQ books
--------
Mideast
• Religion in Ruins: Turkiye's Oldest Mosque And
World's Oldest Church Destroyed By Earthquake
• UN Mission Rejects Report over Al-Qaeda Chief's
Sheltering in Iran
• Iran planning to assassinate diaspora Jews if Israel
attacks: French journalist
• Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails launch
protest campaign against ‘collective punishment’
• President Rayeesi: Iran, China Agree on Technology
Transfer
• Iranian President: US Seeking To Stir Chaos in
Region By Forming Takfiri Outfits
• Renewed protests in Iran to mark 40 days since
execution of two demonstrators
• Iran says US claim linking al-Qaeda leader to Tehran
‘laughable’
• Iran jails influential academic for eight years:
Lawyer
--------
Arab World
• UAE, Egypt To Boost Cooperation In Anti-Money
Laundering, Counterterrorism Financing
• Arab popular sympathy, solidarity with Türkiye is no
surprise: Yemeni Nobel laureate
• Four Iraqi soldiers killed in raid foiling Daesh
plots to target pilgrims north of Baghdad
• Iraq PM risks new crisis as tensions with Kurds
resurface
• Saudi Arabia to build 3,000 homes as Turkey, Syria
earthquake survivors left homeless
• Awards for Jeddah Islamic Port at Rotterdam’s Green
Shipping Summit
• Saudi becoming a global leader in arts, says
Algerian American rapper and filmmaker
• Syrian kids feel the whole world is ‘spinning around
them,’ UNICEF official says
--------
Europe
• Bulgaria’s Turkish Minority Steps up Aid Drive for
Earthquake Victims in Türkiye
• Volunteer Dutch medics healing wounds of quake
victims in Türkiye
• Earthquake hit Turkey helped yet Syria ignored by
most EU states
• NATO chief says ‘time is now’ for Turkiye to ratify
Finland, Sweden membership applications
--------
Africa
• Israeli shadowy firm sought to discredit ICRC in
Burkina Faso: Report
• Tunisia’s Kais Saied rejects foreign interference
after US concern over arrests
• Libya’s Misrata mobilizes aid for quake victims in
Türkiye
• Türkiye donates over 70,000 military uniforms to
South Sudan
--------
South Asia
• ISIS Is the Common Enemy of Afghanistan,
International Community: Former U.S. Special Representative For Afghanistan
• Afghan Refugees Face Deportation Risks Due to
Congress Delays: CBS Report
• The Ruling Regime Should Pay Attention to People’s
Demands: IEA Minister
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/hizbul-mujahideen-tehrik-taliban-terrorist-us/d/129129
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Hizbul Mujahideen and Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan Remain a Global Terrorist Organisation: U.S. State Secretary
U.S. Secretary of State
Antony Blinken. File | Photo Credit: Reuters
----
February 17, 2023
Pakistan-based Kashmir-centric Hizbul Mujahideen and
Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan remain a global terrorist organisation and there is
no reason for the change in their status, U.S. Secretary of State Antony
Blinken has said following a review.
Mr. Blinken’s determination was notified in the
federal register on February 16 following a review of the designations as
foreign terrorist organisations of Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan, Hizbul
Mujahideen, and the Army of Islam (and Other Aliases).
“Based on a review” of the Administrative Records and
in consultation with the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury,
Mr. Blinken said he conclude that the circumstances that were the bases for the
designations of these organisations as Foreign Terrorist Organisations have not
changed in such a manner as to warrant revocation of the designations.
“The national security of the United States does not
warrant a revocation of the designations,” he said.
“Therefore, I hereby determine that the designations
of the aforementioned organisations as Foreign Terrorist Organisations,” Mr. Blinken
said.
Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) was designated as a
terrorist organisation by the U.S. on 1 September 2010. It also identified its
leaders Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali ur-Rehman as specially designated global
terrorists.
TTP, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, is an
umbrella organisation of various Islamist armed terrorist groups operating
along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Formed in 2007, the group shares a common
ideology with the Afghan Taliban and assisted them in the 2001–2021 war.
Based out of Pakistan, Kashmir-centric Hizbul
Mujahideen has been designated as a global terrorist organisation by the US,
Canada, India and the European Union.
Source: The Hindu
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original story:
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‘Pakistan a Cancer State in the Name of Islam’:
Islamic State-Khorasan’s Latest Attack
SKP emerged in 2014 with
the defection of Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), al Qaeda, and Taliban fighters active
in Afghanistan and Pakistan. (Shutterstock)
------
By: Manoj Gupta
FEBRUARY 16, 2023
Pakistan is a “cancer” for Islamic existence and is
run at the behest of the United States, the Islamic State - Khorasan Province
(ISKP) — an affiliate of the Islamic State militant group active in South Asia
and Central Asia — has said in its magazine, warning that it will continue
working against the country.
In the 18th issue of ISKP’s ‘Khorasan Ghag’ magazine,
the group attacked Pakistan’s religious scholars as well as system of
governance. A 79-page central piece in the magazine focuses on the Mufti Noor
Wali vs Mufti Taqi Usmani confrontation.
ISKP claimed that Pakistan is run by the establishment
which follows the instructions of the United States. Citing an example, the
group said in 2018, former prime minister Imran Khan was brought into power
through rigging and removed when he visited Russia.
They added that current army chief General Asim Munir
is on US visit and will act upon what the United States orders him.
The ISKP, which is lodged in a power tussle with
Taliban, called the Afghan Taliban “pawns” of the Pakistani establishment.
Noting that Pakistan is going through the worst
political, economic and security situation in the history of 75 years, ISKP
slammed Pakistani scholars — especially Mufti Taqi Usmani, claiming that after
issuing a fatwa on Jihad in Afghanistan, he called it a riot in Pakistan in
recent days.
“This shows that Pakistani politicians, journalists
and scholars also follow the instructions of the establishment,” the outfit
said.
Warning that ISKP will continue working against the
Pakistani state, the terror outfit said it was not following anyone else’s
agenda and will keep up its Jihad against US agents.
ISKP emerged in 2014 with the defection of
Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), al Qaeda, and Taliban fighters active in Afghanistan
and Pakistan. In the wake of these defections, the Islamic State dispatched
emissaries from Iraq and Syria to meet with local fighters, including a number
of TTP commanders. In January 2015, these efforts were formalised when the
Islamic State announced the formation of its “Khorasan” province.
Source: News18
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original story:
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Muslim Outfits, Including IUML, Slam Jamaat-e-Islami
for Holding Talks with RSS
IUML national general
secretary P K Kunhalikutty
-----
Feb 17, 2023
KOZHIKODE: Various Muslim organizations, including
IUML, have come out against Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH) for holding talks with
RSS.
IUML national general secretary P K Kunhalikutty said
that currently there is no circumstance for holding talks with the BJP or RSS
and added that what was needed at the hour was a joint fight by secular forces
against them.
Kunhalikutty said that the BJP/RSS or the central
government have not given any sign of any change in its policies or correction
in stand towards a secular character.
"The main concern of the people was the communal
stand taken by the central government. There is scope for talks only when that
stand is corrected," he said.
IUML leader Dr M K Muneer said that RSS was an
organization which was untouchable for those who believe in secularism.
"It is very dangerous for those who believe in secularism to hold
reconciliation or mediation talks with RSS," he said.
Meanwhile, Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen (KNM) president
T P Abdulla Koya Madani said that the talks should not have carried out in a
unilateral manner and added that it has created suspicion whether they had any
self-interest in the talks.
Samastha leader and SYS secretary Abdu Samad
Pookottoor too said that the talks were unwarranted and asked what purpose does
it serve to hold talks with an organization which challenges secularism and
which allegedly plans to change the Constitution of the country. "Instead
of approaching them for adjustment we should be able to able to tell that their
stand is wrong," he added.
RSS had held talks with some Muslim organizations,
including Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), Jem Iyyathul Ulama Hind, Darul Uloom
Deoband, Ajmer Dargah, etc. on Januray 14.
JIH had said that Muslim organizations decided to hold
talks with RSS because it was the organization which was controlling the India
government.
JIH general secretary T Arif Ali had said that the
Muslim organizations had strongly raised the issues of mob lynching, hate
speech and genocide at the meeting.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Iranian President Joins Chinese Muslims for Prayers at
Beijing Mosque
Photo: Tasmin News
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February 17, 2023
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi visited the Dongsi
Mosque in Beijing on Wednesday as part of his three-day trip to China, before
returning to Tehran on Thursday.
The Iranian president participated in the Maghrib and
Isha prayers with the local Chinese Muslims in the 500-person prayer hall,
where he gave a speech to the congregation.
“It’s an honor to join the local Chinese Muslims in
prayer at this historic mosque,” Raisi said.
He also said that the United States is responsible for
creating Takfiri terrorist groups and promoting insecurity in West Asia. He
stated that the US hostility towards Iran is due to the country’s independence,
and that despite all the animosity, the Islamic Republic has become stronger
than before.
He also praised the growing relations between Iran and
China, stating that the two countries have the potential to develop ties in
various fields.
The Dongsi Mosque, built during the Yuan Dynasty in
1356 AD, features a structure with two gates, a dome, a prayer hall, and more.
The mosque is built in the Ming Dynasty style and houses many cultural and
valuable artifacts. The mosque’s library preserves various copies of the Quran,
including one of the most valuable handwritten copies from the Yuan Dynasty.
The mosque is also the headquarters of the Beijing
Islamic Association.
Source: Eurasia Review
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
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US Jail Abuse: Inmate, Mentally-Ill Anthony Mitchell,
Frozen to Death: Iran’s Rights Chief
Photo: Fars Today
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16 February 2023
Iran’s top human rights official says at an Alabama
jail an inmate was deliberately frozen to death after he was placed in a
walk-in freezer for hours, yet no human rights mechanism dares to question such
an instance of appalling abuse in the United States.
Kazem Gharibabadi, the secretary of Iran's High
Council for Human Rights, made the remarks on Thursday, after leaked CCTV
footage of the jail revealed mentally-ill Anthony Mitchell, 33, froze to death
after he was purportedly locked inside the walk-in freezer while in police
custody.
"In yet another appalling instance of jail abuse
in the U.S., a man froze to death after being restrained in a freezer! And the
fact that no human rights mechanisms dare to pose a question, or unmask the
depth of the matter is just terrifying!," Iran's rights chief tweeted.
On January 12, Mitchell, who had a history of mental
health problems and drug addiction, was arrested for attempted murder after
allegedly threatening to harm himself and others. He was then transported to
Walker County Jail. Two weeks later, on January 26, he died at a local hospital
after he was taken there for evaluation and, according to a statement by the
sheriff’s office, “became unresponsive at the hospital, where he was pronounced
deceased.” However, leaked CCTV footage from the jail shows a different story,
and his family and protesters are demanding answers. The footage shows
authorities carrying Mitchell’s near-lifeless body, which appears frozen, out
of the jail and shoved into a vehicle to be taken to the hospital.
A lawsuit by his family alleges that Mitchell was taken
to the hospital only after “hours of neglect,” including being locked inside
the jail’s kitchen’s walk-in freezer as punishment. “How does a man literally
freeze to death while incarcerated in a modern, climate-controlled jail, in the
custody and care of corrections officers?” the family's lawyers asked.
Mitchell’s "cell was bare cement, the equivalent
of a dog kennel. But unlike a dog, Tony was not even given a mat to sleep on,”
the lawyers said.
Margaret Mitchell, his mother, brought the lawsuit
against Walker County Sheriff Nick Smith, 10 corrections officers, two nurses
and one investigator.
Austin Banks, a former classmate of Mitchell’s,
described the circumstances leading to his ex-classmate as "almost
barbaric."
“How does America, in 2023, how does a prisoner… die
of hypothermia?” he said.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/02/16/698329/Iran-Gharibabadi-Mitchell-jail
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North America
Canada has already become a safe-haven for the Islamic Republic regime’s murderers
By Lily Pourzand
Feb. 16, 2023
In February 2022, Morteza Talaei’s photo on a
treadmill in Richmond Hill was all over social media. It made my stomach churn
each time I saw the picture while scrolling through Facebook and Instagram.
Talaei was a member of the Islamic Regime’s police
force, but not just any member. He was Tehran’s police chief when the
Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra (Ziba) Kazemi was arrested, tortured and
murdered in Tehran’s Evin Prison in 2003.
This level of ignorance by the Canadian government was
not only disappointing but also horrifying for many Iranian-Canadians,
including myself.
When I learned that Talaei’s picture on the treadmill
was taken at the gym in my neighbourhood, only five minutes away from my home,
the combination of rage, disappointment, helplessness, and insecurity flared up
in my heart. I felt my self-identity as a refugee woman, who fled her homeland
to seek safety in Canada, instantly highjacked.
My dad’s voice kept echoing in my mind: “Each time
that famous Sardar (police chief) appeared back at the secret detention centre,
a new round of horrifying interrogation and torture would have been started.”
I recalled his voice talking about when the guards
forced him into the shower and covered his body with hair removal cream. Ten
minutes later, instead of letting him wash off the cream, they forced him to
put on his dirty, bloody clothes, his body still covered in chemicals. They
said there was no time to wash it off as “Sardar” had just arrived and wanted
to meet him. His old, vulnerable, weak body burned and became severely infected.
“Sardar” shouted at him while he was begging for water to wash off the chemical
and said if he confessed that he was a spy, they would let him back in the
shower.
The painful reality is that many Iranian-Canadians,
including myself, have repeatedly tried to alert the Canadian government across
parties since 2009 to the fact that Canada has become a safe-haven for the
murderers of the Islamic Republic. Officials have met with many of us,
individually and in group settings and little was done until recent months.
Since the Woman, Life, Freedom revolution, I have been
asked countless times how safe I feel in Toronto. Similarly, mainstream media
such as CBC have approached me for interviews, searching for the answers to the
same question. Honestly, I have no idea how to respond to this question since
Talaie has appeared in my neighbourhood. I am not sure how safe I feel when the
man who tortured my father lived in the same neighbourhood as my family.
Finally, on Dec. 9, on the eve of International Human
Rights Day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly announced that Canada is
imposing measures on those complicit in gross and systematic human rights
violations in Russia, Iran and Myanmar. Sardar Talaei is one of those
individuals.
Even though I feel validated by this announcement and
acknowledge all the steps the Canadian government took to support the Woman,
Life, Freedom revolution by banning regime officials from entering Canada and
there have been many other measures, I hope the government understands this is
not enough, and they have to do more.
Let’s be honest and accept that Talaei’s entry
permission to the country indicates that Canada has already become a safe haven
for the regime’s murderers. Unfortunately, Canada has already become a
destination for dirty money laundering of Islamic regime proxies.
Source: The Star
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Chollet reaffirms US help in fight against terrorism
Baqir Sajjad Syed
February 17, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Counselor of the US Department of State
Derek Chollet on Thursday reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to help Pakistan
deal with resurgence of terrorism in the country and said that the two
countries were looking at ways to strengthen their military ties.
Talking to a group of journalists at the US Embassy
after his meetings here, the senior State Department official said that US was
“prepared to work with Pakistan as they’re trying to deal with this renewed threat
to them”.
Though he confirmed that counter-terrorism cooperation
was discussed in the military talks held a few days back in Washington and in
his own meeting at the General Headquarters, he, however, did not share
specifics of the planned cooperation.
“I don’t want to get into the details of that right
now but we’re very much following their lead in terms of both the investigation
and where that leads and ensuring that those who conducted these attacks are
held accountable,” he maintained.
Says two nations looking at ways to strengthen
military ties
He said the US officials were assessing the terrorist
threat and how it was evolving. “We are looking at what we can do together to
try to address that threat, because the last thing any of us wants to see is a
return to where things were here 15 some years ago,” he added.
Military cooperation
“Well, we’re also looking at how to strengthen the
military relationship,” he further said noting the long history of the military
ties and how those had supported the broader bilateral relationship.
Chollet underscored the need for taking other elements
of the relationship in tandem with the growth in the military ties. He said
that the bilateral relationship has been in the past “defined solely or
principally by our military to military ties”, but now other areas of
cooperation like energy, environment and climate, and trade and investment are
also being focused.
Economic crisis
Speaking about Pakistan’s rapidly aggravating economic
crisis, the official said that US was working with both IMF and other
international partners to help the struggling country.
He urged the government to undertake fundamental
reforms to put the economy on track.
“There’s an eagerness from the US private sector to be
more engaged, but in order for them to be engaged and to realise that
potential, some of these reforms are necessary so people can have confidence in
their investments here,” he said.
About the overall trajectory of the relationship, he
said efforts were under way to reframe it.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737560
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US refuses to get involved in Imran’s ‘blame game’
Anwar Iqbal
February 17, 2023
WASHINGTON: The United States has once again refused
to get involved in former prime minister Imran Khan’s ‘blame game’ about
Washington’s alleged role in his ouster.
Days before his April 10, 2022 ouster, Mr Khan claimed
that the Biden administration had orchestrated his ouster and presented a
diplomatic cable to prove the allegation. But in an interview to VoA
broadcasting service earlier this week, he absolved America, saying it was
former army chief Gen Qamar Bajwa who planned and executed his ouster.
Asked to comment on Mr Khan’s new position, US State
Department spokesperson Ned Price said: “I’m just not going to comment on the
evolution of the blame game, as you say. We have spoken clearly about this ever
since these erroneous allegations surfaced. We’ve consistently said there is no
truth to these allegations.”
Addressing the issue at a Wednesday afternoon news
briefing in Washington, Mr Price said the United States valued its
longstanding cooperation with Pakistan and had always viewed a prosperous and
democratic Pakistan as critical to its interests. “That very much remains
unchanged.”
Whether the blame game had come to an end or not, “we
don’t let propaganda, misinformation, disinformation get in the way of any
bilateral relationship”, the US official said. “And that of course includes our
valued bilateral relationship with Pakistan.”
Mr Price said the United States never took a position
on Pakistan’s domestic politics. “When it comes to various political players
inside of Pakistan, we don’t have a position on one political candidate or
party versus another,” he explained.
“We support, as we do around the world, the peaceful
upholding of democratic, constitutional, and legal principles.”
Responding to a question about the US-Pakistan defence
dialogue being held in Washington, Mr Price said he was not in a position to
“share publicly beyond the fact that Pakistan is a valued partner” of the
United States.
“It’s valued across many realms. Of course we have a
security relationship that is important to us knowing that many of the threats
Pakistan faces could well in turn be threats to us,” the US official said.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737578/us-refuses-to-get-involved-in-imrans-blame-game
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US ‘dismayed’ with Israel settlement move, dubs UN
vote ‘unhelpful’
17 February ,2023
The US voiced deep dismay at Israel's decision to
expand Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territory but on Thursday
also described as “unhelpful” a push for the UN Security Council to denounce
the move.
In a rebuke of Israel - suggesting President Joe Biden
was prepared to take a harder line in dealing with Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu - the White House said settlement activity “creates facts on the
ground” that undermine hopes for peace between Israel and a future Palestinian
state.
“The US strongly opposes these unilateral measures
which exacerbate tensions, harm trust between the parties and undermine the
geographic viability of the two-state solution,” said White House press
secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Netanyahu's government on Sunday authorized nine
Jewish settler outposts in the occupied West Bank and announced mass
construction of new homes in established settlements.
Most world powers consider Israel's settlements in the
West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal. Israel disputes that and cites biblical,
historical and political links to the West Bank, as well as security interests.
The United Nations Security Council is considering a
draft resolution, seen by Reuters on Wednesday, that would demand Israel
“immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the occupied
Palestinian territory.”
The 15-member council is likely to vote on Monday on
the text, drafted by the United Arab Emirates in coordination with the
Palestinians, diplomats said.
“Steps like settlement activity, steps like the
introduction of such a resolution, are unhelpful and put us further away from a
negotiated two-state solution,” deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel
told reporters on Thursday.
He said the United States was working with partners at
the United Nations in New York on “next steps.”
In December 2016 the Security Council demanded Israel
stop building the settlements. It adopted a resolution after US President
Barack Obama's administration abstained, a reversal of its practice to protect
Israel from UN action.
When asked on Thursday if the United States could
again abstain, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield,
said: “I have nothing for you on that.”
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Top US diplomat to Afghanistan apologizes for
‘inappropriate’ tweets
17 February ,2023
The top US diplomat to Afghanistan on Thursday
apologized for tweets that suggested struggling Afghan women might find
inspiration in African American history and culture -- particularly the
#BlackGirlMagic social media movement.
US envoy Karen Decker tweeted that several of her
posts earlier in the week went “awry” despite her “best intentions” when she
suggested Afghan women could learn from examples such as pop culture icons
Beyonce and Lizzo.
Her comments sparked online indignation from users who
objected to the seemingly tone deaf comments about the plight of Afghan women,
who have seen their rights severely curtailed since the ultra-conservative
Taliban swept back to power in 2021.
Since then the hardline Islamist rulers have banned
women working for most aid groups, going to school or university, parks, gyms
and public baths, and ordered them to cover up in public -- effectively
segregating them from public life.
The poverty-stricken nation is also facing one of the
worst humanitarian crises in the world. More than half of its 38 million people
are facing hunger this winter, and nearly four million children are suffering
from malnutrition, according to aid agencies.
“Sometimes our best intentions go awry because we
haven’t listened enough or don’t truly understand others’ lived experience,”
Decker posted.
“My efforts to celebrate courageous African Americans
this month fall in that category. I apologize to any and all who I may have
offended or hurt.”
Decker’s apology came after her tweets drew a rare
rebuke from the State Department, with spokesman Ned Price saying on Wednesday
that her messaging was “rather inappropriate and ineffective.”
In a series of tweets over several days, Decker -- who
has had multiple postings in Afghanistan dating as far back as 2006 -- evoked
themes from Black History Month in relation to Afghanistan and Afghan women.
“Are Afghans familiar with #BlackGirlMagic and the
movement it inspired? Do Afghan girls need a similar movement? What about
Afghan women?” Decker tweeted on Wednesday in a now-deleted post.
“Teach me, ready to learn.”
At the bottom of her tweet, Decker put hashtags for
Beyonce, Lizzo and actress Regina King. In other tweets she also cited civil
rights leader Dr Martin Luther King Jr, the Super Bowl, and Abraham Lincoln.
#BlackGirlMagic is a movement born on social media
that celebrates Black women with millions of uplifting and laudatory posts.
“Decker asked if the country needed a ‘movement,’
apparently oblivious to its real need, which is food. Is she aware of the
impending famine?” tweeted Lee Slusher, an international security expert.
“What the hell is this? Apparently the Biden
Administration isn’t embarrassed enough already by their Afghanistan debacle,”
Donald Trump Jr, son of the former US president, tweeted.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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US frowns on UN Security Council's anti-Israel draft
resolution
16 February 2023
The United States rages against a proposed UN Security
Council (UNSC) resolution that calls on the Israeli regime to stop all its
illegal settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian territory.
"Our view is that the introduction of this
resolution was unhelpful," Vedant Patel, deputy US State Department's
spokesperson, told reporters on Thursday.
The draft resolution would demand that the Israeli
regime "immediately and completely cease all settlement activities in the
occupied Palestinian territory."
The measure "reaffirms" that the regime's
settlement construction activities across the Palestinian territory occupied
since 1967 "has no legal validity and constitutes a flagrant violation
under international law."
The draft was referring to the West Bank, including
East al-Quds, that the regime occupied during a heavily-Western-backed war that
year.
Ever since the occupation, the regime has set up more
than 250 illegal settlements across the West Bank that have come to house more
than half a million settlers.
Tel Aviv has stepped up its efforts at expanding the
illegal settlements since late December when Benjamin Netanyahu staged a
comeback as the regime's prime minister at the head of a cabinet of hard-right
and ultra-Orthodox parties.
On January 25, Israeli media sources informed that the
Israeli cabinet was planning to increase the number of the settler units by a
whopping 18,000 in the coming months.
The regime's unabated construction campaign comes
while the Palestinians have historically demanded that the West Bank serve as
part of their future state with East al-Quds as its capital.
The draft text also lambasted the Israeli regime over
its regular practice of "legalizing" or "retroactively
authorizing" the settler outposts that have been built across the occupied
territory without the regime's so-called approval.
Earlier in February, the Israeli cabinet granted such
permits to as many as nine settler outposts, raising international
condemnation.
Referring to such structures, the draft resolution
condemned "all attempts at annexation, including decisions and measures by
Israel regarding settlements, including settlement outposts," and called
for their immediate reversal.
The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Monday to
discuss the situation in Palestine. It is not clear yet whether the body would
put the draft to a vote during the upcoming session.
Completing his remarks, the State Department official
alleged that the UNSC measure was counterproductive to "the conditions
[that are] necessary to advance the negotiations of a two-state solution."
Negotiations between the Israeli regime and the West
Bank-based Palestinian Authority was suspended indefinitely in 2014 after Tel
Aviv resumed a temporary halt it had introduced in its incessant settlement activities.
Source: Press TV
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
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Pakistan
PTI workers gather at Lahore’s Zaman Park to resist
Imran’s arrest
February 17, 2023
LAHORE: Chanting slogans, hundreds of workers of the
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) reached the Zaman Park residence of Imran Khan
on Thursday evening after cancellation of his protective bail in a case
pertaining to protests outside the office of the Election Commission of
Pakistan (ECP).
Two days ago, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) had
rejected Khan’s request for an extension to his interim bail for non-appearance
in a protest case outside the ECP after his disqualification in the Toshakhana
case.
On Thursday, the Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed
Khan’s petition for protective bail and the PTI workers, including women and
children, started gathering at Zaman Park to thwart any attempt by the police
to arrest their party chairman.
A large number of the PTI workers have already been
camping outside the house of former prime minister Mr Khan at Zaman Park for
several days where their leader has been staying after suffering injuries in an
assassination attempt on him in Wazirabad during a march on Islamabad. The
workers were continuously chanting slogans against the government and police.
PTI leader Musarat Jamshaid Cheema said the entire
nation would take to the streets if the government tried to arrest the PTI
leader. She said all the women sitting outside the house of Mr Khan were
holding clubs and sticks for their safety and the women there were not
criminals but belonged to respected families. She said it would not be easy to
arrest Mr Khan and they would also start a ‘Jail Bharo’ campaign.
PTI’s social media focal person Azhar Mashwani told
Dawn thousands of the PTI workers were permanently camping outside the house of
Imran Khan to thwart any arrest attempt. He said the workers residing at Zaman
Park were working in shifts to stay outside the house of Mr Khan at Zaman Park and
they would come in shifts from different areas of the country.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737514/pti-workers-gather-at-lahores-zaman-park-to-resist-imrans-arrest
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Peshawar mosque attack confronts Pakistan with tough
security choice
AAMIR SAEED
February 16, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s perfect storm of crisis —
economic turbulence, plunging currency, political polarization and Islamist
militancy — has been compounded by last month’s suicide bombing at a mosque in
a highly fortified police compound in Peshawar.
The attack —Pakistan’s deadliest in several years —
harked back to a period more than 10 years ago when Peshawar, a city near the
former tribal areas that borders Afghanistan, was scarred by militant violence
and a military counteroffensive.
Authorities in Peshawar believe the Jan. 30 attack was
in retaliation for the police force’s role on the front line of Pakistan’s
battle with a resurgent insurgency since the Taliban returned to power across
the border in Afghanistan.
The suicide bombing was the latest in a string of
attacks targeted at security personnel across the country since the militant
group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, called off its cease-fire deal with
the Pakistan government in November.
Visiting Peshawar soon after the attack, Pakistan
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said “all resources” would be mobilized to flush
out the militants. “This is no less than an attack on Pakistan ... I have no doubt terrorism is our foremost
national security challenge,” he said in a tweet.
If Sharif’s government decides to match words with
resolute action, it would not be lacking in support judging by the public
outrage fanned by the high death toll.
“Pakistan needs to come out of the confusion, end
appeasement of the militants through peace talks, and go all out against them
to achieve permanent peace,” Mosharraf Zaidi, a Pakistani security analyst,
told Arab News.
Until Pakistan “separates itself from its romance with
violent extremism,” the militants will continue to believe they can seize
power, he said.
“We have to crush the militants’ ideological
infrastructure and supply chain to break their backbone,” Zaidi said, adding
that the government needed to formulate a “decisive strategy” to flush out the
terrorists.
The Peshawar attack happened at a time when Pakistan
is facing a slew of daunting challenges, with domestic political tensions
soaring over a worsening cost-of-living crisis in the run-up to general
elections due by October.
Analysts say political disunity and ideological
confusion have provided space for militants to regroup and target the state.
The situation is complicated by the fact that the TTP
has distanced itself from the Peshawar bombing, claiming it does not target
mosques. Police are investigating whether the attack was the handiwork of an
on-off TTP affiliate, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar.
Although separate, the Pakistani Taliban, established
in 2007, is allied with the Afghan Taliban, which returned to power in
neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 when US and NATO forces concluded their
20-year occupation of the country.
Several militant groups, including the TTP, began
operating in Pakistan’s former Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA,
shortly after the US and its allies invaded Afghanistan in response to the
Taliban’s refusal to hand over Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the
Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
During that time, the militants unleashed a wave of
terror in FATA, killing soldiers, murdering outspoken politicians and
celebrities, and eliminating perceived opponents. Compounding the crisis, they
outlawed women’s education in the area, destroying about 200 girls’ schools.
It was in 2012 in the Swat district of Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa that 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was shot in the head by a
Pakistani Taliban militant. She miraculously survived the attack, going on to
win the Nobel Peace Prize for her advocacy of girls’ education.
Large-scale counterinsurgency operations began in
2014, killing most militant commanders and fighters and driving the rest into
Afghanistan. The areas constituting FATA, established at the time of partition
from India in 1947, were amalgamated into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2018.
However, after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul
and the US ended counterterrorism operations in the border region, Pakistani
militants began to regroup in the former tribal districts. Since then, a rash
of deadly attacks have left Pakistanis in little doubt that their country faces
a renewed insurgency.
Ismail Khan, a Pakistani journalist and security
analyst, believes the Sharif government urgently needs to devise “a holistic
and long-term strategy in the conference to deal with the problem at hand.”
At the same time, he told Arab News, “the government
should also directly engage with the Afghan government to put an end to the
cross-border movement of the terrorists, besides formulating and implementing a
robust counterterrorism strategy.”
In January alone, the militants killed 124 security
personnel and injured 247 in 26 separate attacks, the majority of them in
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, according to data shared by the
Pak Institute for Peace Studies, an Islamabad-based think tank.
The breakdown of the data shows that of these 26
attacks, seven took place in Balochistan, in which six people were killed and
17 were injured; one in Sindh with no casualties; two in Punjab, killing two;
and 16 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, killing 116 and injuring 230.
According to the think tank, attacks rose by 50
percent in Pakistan, mostly along the western provinces bordering Afghanistan,
during the first year of Taliban rule in Kabul.
In recent months, Islamabad has accused Kabul of
failing to secure its borders and allowing militants inside Afghanistan to plan
attacks against Pakistan.
Peace negotiations between the TTP and Pakistan,
mediated by the Afghan Taliban, fell through in November, shattering a shaky
cease-fire. During the talks, the militants had their numbers boosted by the
release of about 100 low-level fighters from Pakistani jails.
Major General Ejaz Awan (retired), a prominent
security analyst and former Pakistani ambassador to Brunei, believes a military
response is the only solution to the terror threat.
“They are not willing to acknowledge Pakistan’s
constitution, law, and writ of the state, therefore there is only one option
left now and that is to wage a full-fledged war against them,” Awan told Arab
News.
Awan, who held several rounds of unsuccessful peace
talks with the militants in the early 2000s, wants the Pakistani government to
launch an intelligence-based operation in the country’s tribal districts and
other areas to eradicate the militants, their facilitators and supporters.
“These militants are equipped with the latest gadgets
like night vision goggles left by the US and NATO forces in Afghanistan after
their withdrawal, so Pakistan should also take it up with the Afghan
authorities,” he said.
According to investigators who spoke to the AFP news
agency, the suspect appeared on CCTV arriving at the compound gates on a
motorcycle before walking through a security checkpoint and asking officers
where the Police Lines Mosque was located.
Moazzam Jah Ansari, the head of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
province police force, said the bomber used 10-12 kg of explosive material,
brought to the site in advance of the attack in bits and pieces.
Authorities have been hard put to come up with an
explanation for the suicide bomber’s success in gaining access to the mosque
dressed in police uniform.
They are investigating how such a major breach could
have occurred in one of the most secure areas of the city, which houses the
intelligence and counterterrorism bureaus, amid concerns that people inside the
police compound may have enabled the attack.
Hundreds of police were attending afternoon prayers
inside what should have been a tightly controlled police headquarters when the
blast erupted, causing a wall to collapse and crush scores of officers.
On Feb. 2, police officials revised the death toll
down from 101 to 83 officers and one civilian, after saying there was confusion
in registering bodies. Many survivors remain in hospital in a critical
condition.
Expressing solidarity with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia’s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs “stressed the Kingdom’s firm position that rejects
targeting places of worship and terrorizing and shedding the blood of innocent
people,” according to a Saudi Press Agency report.
The ministry “also affirmed that the Kingdom stands by
the brotherly Islamic Republic of Pakistan against all forms of violence,
extremism, and terrorism, regardless of its motives or justifications.”
The attack also drew strong condemnations from the
Muslim World League and the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council,
among other international organizations.
“It is particularly abhorrent that the attack occurred
at a place of worship,” Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said
through a spokesperson. “Freedom of religion or belief, including the ability
to worship in peace and security, is a universal human right.”
Imran Khan, the former Pakistan prime minister who is
a fierce critic of the current government, said: “It is imperative we improve
our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police forces to combat the
growing threat of terrorism.”
Prime Minister Sharif has appealed for national unity
in the wake of the Peshawar attack. “We should unite and tackle this,” he said
on Feb. 3 during his visit to the city.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252671/world
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Terrorists attack CTD officials in Kalabagh, TTP
commander killed in exchange of fire
Wasim Riaz Published
February 17, 2023
The Punjab Counter-Terrorism Department’s team in
Mianwali’s Kalabagh came under attack by a group of armed militants belonging
to the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Thursday night, the CTD
said.
According to a statement issued by the CTD on Friday,
the militants and security officials exchanged fire for 20 minutes during which
a terrorist was killed.
“The slain militant was an important TTP commander
identified as Habibur Rehman,” it said, revealing that a Kalashnikov, suicide
jacket and TTP stickers were recovered from the terrorist’s possession.
The statement said that two terrorists managed to
escape during the exchange of fire and a grand search operation has been
launched to arrest them.
“A case against the attack has been registered at the
CTD police station in Sargodha,” the statement added.
There were no reports of any injuries to CTD personnel
during the attack.
Thursday’s attack is significant in that terrorists —
who had so far targeted police stations and checkposts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,
Balochistan and areas bordering Afghanistan — have set their sights in Punjab.
Earlier this month, a police station in Mianwali had
also come under a gun attack by a group of TTP terrorists. Fortunately, no
injuries to the police personnel were reported. After the attack, the Punjab
police had launched a grand counterterrorism operation in the highly complex
and inaccessible hilly areas of the district.
Last week, the CTD claimed to have killed a suspected
terrorist allegedly belonging to the TTP in an encounter and arrested 11 other
members of banned outfits from different cities during intelligence-based
operations (IBOs) across Punjab.
Source: Dawn
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Pakistani workers in Gulf face inhumane working
conditions: report
February 17, 2023
ISLAMABAD: A report on the plight of Pakistanis in the
Gulf States said low-wage migrants working abroad were at the mercy of their
employers, subjected to discriminatory and inhumane working conditions and
inadequate consular assistance from their diplomatic missions.
Titled, “The cost of living: migrant workers’ access
to health in the Gulf”, the report was launched at an event in Islamabad on
Thursday. It was a collaborative effort of civil society organisations in South
and Southeast Asia.
The launch event entailed a presentation of the
findings of the report relevant to Pakistan followed by a moderated discussion
between participants on the issue of migrant workers’ access to healthcare in
the Gulf, and what needed to be done to improve their situation.
The event was attended by parliamentarians, migrant
workers and representatives of various government and multilateral
organisations, including the International Labor Organisation, Ministry of
Overseas Pakistani and Human Resource Development, Bureau of Emigration and
Overseas Employment and International Organisation of Migration.
The report said destitute Pakistanis faced harsh state
of affairs due to their lack of understanding of and assistance with the labour
recruitment process, exploitative labour laws and a lack of protections
negotiated on their behalf by their home country. These issues were further
compounded by the fact that migrant workers in Gulf countries faced severe
difficulties in accessing affordable healthcare.
Chaudhry Shafique from the Parliamentarians Commission
for Human Rights said: “Exploitation of migrant workers is not just an
individual issue, it affects their families, the community and, most
importantly, the economy.”
It is the first of its kind report to attempt to
systematically analyze and explore the issue of migrant workers’ access to
healthcare in the six states of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC), where about
30 million migrant workers accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total
population.
Senator Dr Zarqa Suharwardy Taimur in a video brief
said she had tabled a law in the Senate where the labour attache would be
responsible for Pakistan migrants’ workers across the world.
The new law specifically prescribes harsh punishments
for agents who dupe people under false pretense of them getting a lucrative
job, she added.
The report said easy access to healthcare was
particularly critical for low-paid migrant workers in the Gulf due to the
multiple adverse health conditions that can result from their work. The GCC
states’ healthcare services were generally not tailored to the specific needed
of this population. There was obvious evidence of discrimination in access to
healthcare for migrant workers with lack of documentation and affordability the
most significant obstacles.
The gradual shift in the region to mandatory private
health insurance is more likely to further restrict access to care than to
improve low-paid migrant workers’ access to healthcare.
The report suggested repealing any laws or regulations
that required medical professionals to report undocumented or pregnant migrant
workers to the authorities and explicitly prohibit medical professionals from
doing so.
It also suggested to introduce meaningful sanctions,
passing legislation if necessary, for employers and sponsors who, by their
actions or omissions (e.g. confiscation or non-renewal of identity documents),
prevent migrant workers from accessing healthcare.
The report insisted that at a bilateral level, and
with the input of public health experts, inclusion of transparent and explicit
healthcare provisions in all bilateral agreements and memoranda of
understanding with the GCC states. Establish and activate meaningful and
regular review processes for these, it added.
At a multilateral level, work in coalition with other
origin states and outline a detailed position aimed at improving GCC migrant
workers’ access to health in regional and global forums such as the Colombo
Process, the Abu Dhabi Dialogue and the Global Forum for Migration and
Development.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737524/pakistani-workers-in-gulf-face-inhumane-working-conditions-report
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Pakistan denies supplying ammunition to Ukraine
Baqir Sajjad Syed
February 17, 2023
ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday questioned
the accuracy of reports claiming that Pakistan was providing ammunition to
Ukraine in its war with Russia.
“The reporting about supply of defence items by
Pakistan to Ukraine is not accurate,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra
Baloch said at the weekly media briefing.
Reports claiming that Pakistan was providing ammunition
to Ukraine have regularly surfaced in media since middle of the last year, but
it is rare for Islamabad to have officially denied such involvement in the
Russia–Ukraine conflict.
France 24 had a couple of days back reported that
“run-down ammunition supplies are one of Kyiv’s most pressing concerns, with
Ukraine and its partners resorting to far-flung countries like South Korea and
Pakistan as sources of artillery munitions”.
Pakistan, the spokesperson said, maintains a policy of
non-interference in military conflicts.
Many of those reports had alleged that the ammunition
was sent to Ukraine via some other European country.
“Pakistan only exports defence stores to other states
based on strong end-use and none re-transfer assurances. And this is the case
of Pakistan’s position in the Ukraine-Russia conflict,” she maintained.
Many of the reports about Pakistani ammunition
supplies have sought to target the improved ties between Islamabad and Moscow.
Raids on BBC offices
The FO spokesperson condemned the raids on BBC offices
in New Delhi and Mumbai by Indian tax officials, saying these acts have
tarnished India’s so-called democratic credentials.
“We believe that the raids conducted on the BBC
offices in India are yet another manifestation of the shrinking space for
freedom of media in India,” Ms Baloch said.
The raids were conducted weeks after India banned a
BBC documentary that criticised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s role in
Gujarat riots of 2002 in which Muslims were targeted.
Source: Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737577/pakistan-denies-supplying-ammunition-to-ukraine
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Jaffar express explosion: Two killed, many injured in
Pakistan train blast
Feb 16, 2023
NEW DELHI: At least two passengers are reported dead
in a blast that ripped through a coach of a moving train in Pakistan on
Thursday morning.
Another 4 were injured in the incident, Pakistan's ANI
reported quoting Pakistan's ARY News.
The blast on the Quetta-Rawalpindi Jaffer Express
occurred inside a washroom when it was passing the Chichawatni railway station
in Pakistan's Punjab province.
Train services on the route has been suspended.
No group has so far claimed responsibility behind the
train blast.
The militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
has been blamed for a majority of recent subversive activities, including
attacks on security forces in Pakistan.
It was reportedly behind last month's suicide attack
on a mosque in which more than 100 people, mostly police personnel were killed.
Source: Times Of India
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India
Burnt Bodies of 2 Muslim Men Found In Haryana, Bajrang
Dal Role Alleged
February 17, 2023
Bharatpur: A day after the burnt bodies of two Muslim
men were found in a car in Haryana, a kidnapping case has been filed against
five men, suspected to be cow vigilantes. Nasir, 25, and Junaid, 35, had been
kidnapped from Rajasthan's Bharatpur district on Wednesday, their families
alleged in their complaint to the police.
The charred bodies of Nasir and Junaid were found in a
Mahindra Bolero SUV on Thursday morning in Haryana's Bhiwani district. Police
are still trying to establish whether the remains are those of Nasir and
Junaid.
"The burnt bodies of two unidentified men have
been found in the car. To ascertain whether the two men are the same who were
kidnapped, our team has gone to the spot with the family members. After
post-mortem and DNA analyses, their identification will be verified,"
Bharatpur Inspector General Gaurav Srivastava said.
Whether the two were burnt alive or died in a fire
that broke out in the car is being investigated. The families of the two
kidnapped men identified the vehicle and said that the owner of the car was
known to Nasir and Junaid.
The police said they were investigating whether cow
vigilantism was involved in the deaths. Mr Srivastava said Junaid had five
cases of cow smuggling against him while Nasir had no criminal record.
Source: ND TV
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Activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal
Target Mosque in Uttar Pradesh
Piyush Srivastava
| Lucknow
17.02.23
Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists
ransacked a mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Banda city on Thursday and took away
construction materials kept there for the renovation of the structure.
The activists threw bricks, cement bags and iron
grills on the road and some of them also made away with the construction
materials.
Mohammad Zahiruddin, the caretaker of the mosque, has
lodged a police complaint against VHP and Bajrang Dal members.
“They came here in the morning and stopped the
labourers from doing their work. They threw bricks, cement bags and iron grills
on the road. Later, some of them took away the construction materials with
them,” Zahiruddin said.
Chandra Mohan Bedi, the district president of the VHP,
claimed that floors were being added to the mosque illegally.
“The local administration had given them permission on
December 12, 2022, for renovation work but they were adding new floors. They
were into the second phase of their construction work and we opposed it because
it was not written in the permission that they can add structures to the
mosque,” he said.
“We organised a dharna there because the people living
in the neighbourhood of the mosque had complained to us. We didn’t attack the
mosque, nor took away construction materials. But our protest will continue if
the construction work is not stopped,” Bedi added.
Source: Telegraph India
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of the original story:
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/activists-of-vhp-target-mosque-in-uttar-pradesh/cid/1917015
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Plea moved in Supreme Court citing ‘hate speech
against Hindus’
16th February 2023
New Delhi: A plea has been moved in the Supreme Court
citing some recent instances of “hate speeches, utterances and statements” made
against Hindus and Hindu religion by members of Muslim and Christian community,
including call for “Sar Tan se Juda” (beheading).
The application has been filed through advocates Hari
Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain after taking the court’s permission. The
application said: “On multiple occasions, Muslim mobs have brought out
processions in which they can be heard calling for beheading (‘Sar Tan se
Juda’) and after such calls, actual incidents of beheading have taken place.”
The plea said the apex court on January 13, permitted
the said application with reference to instances of some recent vintage.
The application has been filed by ‘Hindu front for
Justice-Trust of Lucknow through its President, Ranjana Agnihotri in a pending
petition by journalist Qurban Ali.
The plea filed by Ali alleged hate speeches were made
in ‘Dharm Sansad’ organised in Delhi and Haridwar, which resulted in filing of
cases and also arrest of the accused.
Agnihotri’s plea said: “The present application is
being filed with relevant facts and figures concerning the matter in issue.
Some recent instances of hate speeches, utterances and statements made against
Hindus and Hindu religion by members of Muslim and Christian community are
being placed on record in a summarised form.”
The plea cited several instances including speech by
prominent people including AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi wherein he was seen at a
public rally, saying: “I want to tell the police. Remember this. Yogi will not
be the Chief Minister forever. Modi will not remain the Prime Minister forever.
When Yogi will go back to his math, when Modi will go to the mountains, then
who will come to save you. Remember, we will not forget.”
The application also cited some stand-up comedians
namely Munawar Faruqui, Alexander Babu, Surleen Kaur etc., claiming they
blatantly made crass and insulting jokes on Hindu gods and Hindu religion.
The plea further alleged, “the buck does not stop here
when it comes to blatant hatred against Hindus. Even songs of ‘Qawwalis’ have
been made inciting hatred against Hindus and calling upon Muslims to kill
Hindus”.
Source: Siasat Daily
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.siasat.com/plea-moved-in-supreme-court-citing-hate-speech-against-hindus-2528341/
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Southeast Asia
Dr Mahathir: Radical actions of a few Muslims
contribute to Islamophobia
16 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — The radical actions of a few
Muslims such as committing violence, which deviate from the true teachings of Islam,
are among the contributing factors to Islamophobia sentiment around the world.
The Islamic Welfare Association of Malaysia (Perkim)
president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said there are Muslims who have strayed from
the true teachings of Islam to the point of bringing a bad image and perception
towards the religion.
The former prime minister said it was caused by the
nature of these individuals for doing something that is not based on the Quran.
“There are those who strayed from religion, do things
that are not condoned by the religion and commit violence. It is not our way,
it is not the teachings of Islam.
“There are cases where the Muslims themselves are
divided and this is against the religious teachings,” he said when met by
reporters after officiating the National Dakwah Conference hosted by Perkim at
the Federal Territories Mosque here today.
Dr Mahathir said that Islam is a religion that
promotes and encourages its followers to love peace.
“That is why every time we meet people, we greet them
by saying ‘peace be upon you’,” he said.
He said Muslims need to stand out as a civilised
group, apart from showing respect to other faiths.
Source: Malay Mail
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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69 Rohingya refugees land on Indonesia’s west coast
February 17, 2023
BANDA ACEH (Indonesia): At least 69 Rohingya refugees,
many of them women and children, landed on Indonesia’s west coast on Thursday
in a wooden boat, an official with the United Nations refugee agency said.
The vessel came ashore at a beach in Indonesia’s
westernmost province of Aceh, according to UNHCR official Oktina Hafanti, with
one passenger saying some on board died during the voyage.
It was the sixth Rohingya boat to land in Indonesia
since November.
Nearly one million Rohingya currently live in crowded
conditions in Bangladesh, including many of the hundreds of thousands who fled
a deadly crackdown in 2017 by Myanmar’s military, which denies committing
crimes against humanity.
Thousands risk their lives each year on long and
expensive sea journeys — often in poor-quality boats — attempting to reach
Malaysia or Indonesia.
“We currently count 69 of them, including men, women
and children,” Hafanti said.
Several died due to a lack of food and the captain
abandoned them in the middle of the journey
The refugees were being transported to a temporary
shelter nearby, the official added.
Hafanti said authorities would double-check the
headcount after they arrived at the refuge.
Miftah Cut Ade, a senior member of the area’s
traditional fishing community, told the group had arrived from Bangladesh, many
in a state of exhaustion. Local residents had offered them food, he said.
According to a passenger who gave his name as
Shorifuddin, the boat departed Bangladesh two weeks ago. Several people died
due to a lack of food and the captain abandoned the passengers in the middle of
the journey, he said.
“We have been suffering in the ocean for 15 days and
all this time, we didn’t have enough food,” the 15-year-old told.
He said he fled Bangladesh with seven family members
including his parents hoping for a better life in Indonesia.
“We were strongly persecuted in Bangladesh by the
local people. We also didn’t have the opportunity to study and achieve higher
education,” he said.
Five other vessels carrying Rohingya refugees landed
in Indonesia in November and December last year, carrying a total of nearly 700
passengers.
More than 2,000 are believed to have attempted the
risky journey in 2022, according to the UNHCR, a number similar to that in
2020.
Source: Dawn
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of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1737600/69-rohingya-refugees-land-on-indonesias-west-coast
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Malaysia will assist Turkiye in more capacities, says
PM
16 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim
(pic) said Malaysia is ready to assist Turkiye in more capacities in the
nearest future, especially in helping the Turkish government and its people
affected by the recent earthquakes.
Anwar, in an exclusive interview with the TRT World
that was uploaded on YouTube on Wednesday (Feb 15), said Malaysia would do more
in offering assistance after discussion he had with Turkiye President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.
"We (Malaysia) have sent three teams, so far.
I’ve discussed with the President that we’ll certainly do more, although
Turkiye already has that huge capacity in terms of resources and facilities.
"We’ll need and continue to raise more funds and
support, as well as providing relief support here.
"With Muslim and non-Muslim populations in
Malaysia who’re committed to assist, I think it will make things easier for us
to contribute and help more," he said in the interview with TRT World’s
diplomatic correspondent Andrew Hopkins on his one-day visit to Turkiye.
The Prime Minister said the Malaysian search and
rescue (SAR) team - comprising members of the Special Malaysia Disaster
Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart), Fire and Rescue Department, Civil Defence
Force, and Malaysian Armed Forces Royal Medical Corps stationed in Nurdagi -
has shown extraordinary capability with efforts that the nation can be proud
of.
Anwar, who arrived home on Thursday (Feb 16), was in
Turkiye to express support to the rescue teams as well as Malaysia's commitment
to helping its people affected by the twin earthquakes.
He had visited the Ground Zero, and described the
enormity of destruction from earthquakes as "so horrible and beyond
imagination."
Anwar had also met with Erdogan in Ankara to convey
Malaysia’s condolences during the short trip.
"I feel the urge and need to personally thank the
workers and rescuers. I need to express my sentiments, sympathy and support to
the President and the people of Turkiye.
"People (have had) outpouring sympathies and
grief throughout Malaysia that when we initiated fundraising for the calamities
recently, in a matter of few days and for a small and developing country
relatively, we managed to secure US$10mil. I think this is something
extraordinary.
"More than that, whenever Malaysia was in
difficulty, Turkiye has been one of many countries that offered help and played
its part.
"This country has that special relationship with
Malaysia as a whole, with me personally (too). Since I assumed office, I would
like to enhance these shared bilateral relations," he added.
On Thursday, Anwar said he has given approval for the
Smart team, which was supposed to be in Turkiye for two weeks, to extend their
stay at Erdogan's request.
Source: The Star
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‘Don’t spin my words’: PAS lawmaker says did not mean
to imply Menu Rahmah causes cancer
By Shahrin Aizat Noorshahrizam
16 Feb 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 16 — PAS lawmaker Dr Halimah Ali
said that her remarks on the government’s Menu Rahmah programme causing
“cancer, autoimmune diseases and autism, among other things” had been
misunderstood.
Speaking to reporters, the Kapar MP said that the
message she had wanted to convey was that the poor quality of raw materials
used by restaurants for Menu Rahmah could lead to the meal’s quality being
compromised.
“We are saying to the government, if you are
desperate, do not forsake nutrition. How do you provide good quality food at a
low price?” she said in Parliament.
She also expressed her concern that Menu Rahmah could
be exploited by those who can afford to buy meals at regular prices.
“Logically speaking, how are restaurants going to
check if a diner is really poor? The government must find a way to keep tabs on
this.
“The bigger issue is you are feeding the hungry, but
also please make sure that the food provided is nutritious and not detrimental
to one’s health,” she added.
Yesterday, Dr Halimah received flak from the public
over comments made during a Parliamentary debate, in which she reportedly said
that eating Menu Rahmah dishes could cause various diseases and health
conditions due to the use of low-quality ingredients.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who is also
the finance minister, had vowed to address cost-of-living issues, pledging that
it would be his top priority.
This came amid shaky public confidence in his Cabinet
line-up after he appointed several leaders from past administrations accused of
poor management of the economy.
Menu Rahmah was launched on January 31 by Domestic
Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Seri Salahuddin Ayub as part of the
Unity Government’s short-term efforts to mitigate the inflation squeeze on
low-income earners.
Source: Malay Mail
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Activists decry Malaysia ban on LGBTQ books
February 16, 2023
Activists in Malaysia criticized Thursday a government
decision to ban three books for allegedly promoting "LGBTQ
lifestyles", saying it would further erode gay and transgender rights.
"Jacob's Room to Choose", a children's book
about gender expression and identity, was banned in January, the home ministry
said in a statement on Tuesday.
In the book, a teacher educates children on gender
identity at a school after a student wearing a dress feels unwelcome in the
boys' toilet.
Two other children's books, "The Tale of
Seven" and "Aku", were also banned.
The ministry said its objective was to "prevent
the spread of elements that are harmful to morality in the community".
Homosexuality is forbidden in Malaysia and laws
criminalizing sodomy can result in imprisonment, corporal punishment and fines.
Siti Kasim, a prominent Malaysian human rights lawyer,
described the ban as an attempt "to chisel away" at LGBTQ rights.
"This group has always been marginalized and
oppressed," she said.
Thilaga Sulathireh from the transgender rights group
Justice for Sisters said the move was part of "a broader trend of
censorship that we are seeing in the last couple of years".
"The ban of the books further shrinks spaces for
LGBTQ people to express and be themselves," she told AFP, urging the
government to "stop discrimination against LGBTQ people".
In 2017, Walt Disney shelved the release of its movie
"Beauty and the Beast" after refusing to cut a "gay moment"
to mollify film censors.
And last year Marvel film "Thor: Love and
Thunder" was also banned over purported LGBTQ elements.
Malaysia has experienced growing religious
fundamentalism in recent years, sparking friction between conservative forces
and those campaigning for greater rights.
The Muslim-majority nation routinely bans publications
deemed to be pornographic, insulting to Islam or harmful to morality.
Source: UCA News
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https://www.ucanews.com/news/activists-decry-malaysia-ban-on-lgbtq-books/100398
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Mideast
Religion in ruins: Turkiye's oldest mosque and world's
oldest church destroyed by earthquake
By Kerem Congar
16/02/2023
In the ancient Turkish city of Antakya, the oldest
church in the world and the oldest mosque in the country were reduced to rubble
after two massive earthquakes hit in just 8 hours.
The domes and walls of the 1st century Antioch
Orthodox Church, known as Antakya Church, and the 7th century Habib-I Nejjar
Mosque have almost completely collapsed.
"Unfortunately our church was destroyed after the
earthquake. All its walls have fallen down and it is not in the condition for
prayers, " says Sertac Paul Bozkurt, a member of the board of Antioch
Orthodox Church. "Sadly Antakya is in great trouble. As the community
here, of course, we are deeply sad, we are in great despair. We have big
losses. We lost around 30-35 people from our church community."
The oldest church in the world
Bozkurt says that the city will try to save the church
but they need help from other communities.
"This is the oldest church, the first church in
the world. This is the place where Christianity was born. That is why we call
on Christians from all over the world to help us rebuild the Antakya Church.
This will be a long process. But we will rebuild our church and we will bring
our community together again in this church." Bozkurt says.
Muslims living in Antakya are also very upset. Habib-I
Nejjar Mosque, Turkiye's oldest mosque, built in the 7th century, was also
destroyed. Many local Muslims were killed by the earthquake.
"This mosque means so much to us. In every
province, we believe that there is a holy person protecting us. This Habib-I
Nejjar mosque is so valuable to us Muslims. On Qadr Night (the holiest day of
the year and Ramadan month) we used to come here for prayers. I was wondering
how our mosque was as I heard it was in a bad condition." says Havva
Pamukcu, a local Muslim worshipper.
"Every province is believed to have a holy person
that keeps it safe by God’s will and of course, Habib-I Nejjar was one of them.
As you know we believe in holy people in all villages here. This place means so
much to us, it is so valuable. It was very valuable for all of us, all Turks
and Muslims. People used to first visit here before they go to a pilgrimage to
Mecca.
Antakya: The horn of Turkiye was hit by huge
earthquakes 3 times
On 6 February 2023, 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes
in the city of Kahramanmaras shook Turkiye deeply. The loss of life so far has
exceeded the number of those who lost their lives in the tragic 1999
earthquake. A state of emergency was declared in the region for 3 months.
One of the cities most affected by the earthquake that
hit 10 provinces was Antakya-Hatay.
Source: Euro News
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UN Mission Rejects Report over Al-Qaeda Chief's
Sheltering in Iran
2023-February-16
A UN report based on intelligence supplied by member
states has claimed that a veteran Egyptian extremist, named Saif Al-Adel,
thought to be based in Iran is now the de facto leader of Al-Qaeda.
The US has also said its assessment aligns with the UN
report concluding that Al-Adel is based in Iran. The State Department added
Al-Adel has become the chief following the July 2022 death of Ayman
Al-Zawahiri.
Permanent Mission of Iran to the UN has categorically
denied the allegations levelled by the world body and Washington.
"The global network of Al-Qaeda was dismantled
after the death of Osama Bin Laden and the organization is no longer in
existence but its extremist ideology still persists," the mission wrote on
Twitter.
It added that the emergence of Daesh (also known as
ISIS or ISIL) terror group has taken the place of Al-Qaeda and has given rise
to "a new form of terrorism".
"It is worth noting that the address for the
so-called newly appointed Al-Qaeda leader is incorrect. This misinformation
could potentially hinder efforts to combat terrorism," it said.
Iranian officials say the country is perceived to be
at the forefront of the fight against terrorism, highlighting Tehran’s
contribution to the regional peace, security and stability.
They blasted the Western states for their
double-standard policies on terrorism and reiterated that Iran’s fundamental
stance is to condemn terrorism in any type and method.
Back in mid-July, Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim
Rayeesi underlined the need for fight against all forms of terrorism to protect
peace in the region.
"Terrorism may have different kinds, but fighting
terrorism under any name is necessary in order to guarantee the security and
stability of borders and states," the Iran's president underscored.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran planning to assassinate diaspora Jews if Israel
attacks: French journalist
February 16, 2023
LONDON: Tehran has identified a significant number of
diaspora Jews worldwide to assassinate in the event of a war with Israel, a
French journalist specializing in Iranian affairs has warned.
Catherine Perez-Shakdam — who has met both Iran’s
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi, and has contributed to
pro-Tehran media outlets — told the Jewish Chronicle she had learned that Iran
had “mapped” a significant number of Jews to be targeted in the event of it
being attacked by Israel.
She said she learned of the plans having accessed a
meeting through filmmaker Nader Talebzadeh, who was sanctioned by the US for
his ties to Tehran.
Talebzadeh, who died in April last year, was a member
of the organization New Horizon, which set up events supporting Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps.
It was at one such event that Perez-Shakdam said she
learned of the plot to “identify all the prominent NGOs run by Jews, who was doing
what in each business sector, the important rabbis.”
The IRGC “wanted to figure out their influence and
where they lived with their families in order to target them,” she said, adding
that the attendees did not know she was Jewish.
The IRGC has frequently been accused of trying to
assassinate opponents, including foreign nationals on other countries’ soil.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252611/middle-east
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Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails launch protest
campaign against ‘collective punishment’
MOHAMMED NAJIB
February 16, 2023
RAMALLAH: Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have
launched a protest campaign against punitive measures brought in by National
Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Widespread demonstrations have led to increased
tensions in prisons, and a situation that Palestinian prisoner affairs
officials on Thursday warned could boil over if not addressed.
Protests erupted after the Israeli Prisons
Administration began imposing collective punishment against Palestinians
including by closing canteens and other facilities on Friday and Saturday.
Also under the new rules, prisoners leaving their cell
will be handcuffed, even if attending the prison clinic, showering is being
limited to three minutes in hot water, monthly family visiting has been further
restricted, and morning sports are being halted.
Earlier this month, Ben-Gvir ordered the closure of
bakeries providing inmates with daily bread.
In response to the moves, the Supreme Emergency
Committee for Prisoners announced an immediate disobedience campaign followed
by a hunger strike to mark the start of Ramadan.
Qadura Faris, head of the Palestinian Prisoners Club,
told Arab News that the latest measures were government inspired and aimed at
humiliating and breaking the will of prisoners and the Palestinian people.
He said the situation had been brought to the
attention of relevant international bodies which had been urged to intervene
and put pressure on the Israeli government to ease the measures.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prisoners Club in Ramallah
said that the Israeli army had arrested 32 Palestinians in the West Bank at
dawn on Thursday, bringing the number held since the beginning of the year to
800.
Laila Zawahra, from Bethlehem, the 70-year-old mother
of a man given a life sentence, told Arab News that the families of the
detainees were going through difficult times because of the strict Israeli
measures.
She claimed that prison authorities had started
transferring inmate leaders in a bid to derail organized protests.
“I am very concerned about my son Mohammed, who is 41,
and about the situation of his fellow prisoners. In addition to their suffering
from this cold weather, they will start a hunger strike on the first day of
Ramadan,” Zawahra said, adding that she and other families of prisoners were
planning to stage sit-ins to highlight the inmates’ plight.
Israel currently has 4,780 Palestinians in detention,
including 160 children, 29 women, and 914 administrative detainees.
Palestinian political analyst Riyad Qadriya told Arab
News that the latest targeting of prisoners by the Israeli government could
spark street demonstrations.
Israeli journalist Dana Ben-Shimon told Arab News that
Ben-Gvir had advocated a tough stance against Palestinian prisoners even before
becoming a minister.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252581/middle-east
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President Rayeesi: Iran, China Agree on Technology
Transfer
2023-February-16
President Rayeesi, arriving in Tehran after an
official visit to China, stated 20 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were
signed between Tehran and Beijing during the trip.
He called for further bolstering bilateral ties in
commercial, economic, energy, science and technology fields.
"Good decisions were made in the mentioned fields
during the visit," the Iranian president stressed, adding that the Iranian
ministers followed good discussions in the fields of energy, industry and
trade, road and urban development.
"The decisions were based on the assumption that
all these connections should be accompanied by technology transfer,"
Rayeesi underlined.
He underscored that this 3-day visit was so positive
and fruitful, stating that China plays an important role in Asia and is
considered one of the emerging economies of the world.
"Bilateral cooperation at the Asian and
international level can be very effective," Iran's president further
noted.
“We have an effective role in the field of security in
the region and across the world and we should play an effective role in the
economy and trade as well,” the president maintained.
Rayeesi also stated that China has welcomed Iran’s bid
to join the group of the world’s emerging economies, known as BRICS.
“There was a discussion about Iran’s membership in
BRICS, and we saw China’s desire for this membership,” he clarified.
The BRICS group comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China
and South Africa. Their economies account for more than 40% of the global
population and nearly a quarter of the world’s gross domestic product.
In a meeting with President Rayeesi on Tuesday,
Chinese Leader Xi Jinping hailed the friendly relationship between his country
and Iran, underscoring that Beijing will unswervingly develop cooperation with
Tehran in various fields.
The Chinese president underlined the need for
implementing the strategic agreement between Beijing and Tehran, noting that
his country is strongly resolved to further enhance ties with Iran.
Iran and China have enjoyed close ties in recent
years, particularly after the United States reinstated sanctions on the Iranian
economy in 2018 after unilaterally withdrawing from the Iran nuclear agreement.
The US has increasingly targeted Chinese companies
over cooperation with Iran as the prospects of reviving the agreement have dimmed
due to Washington’s refusal to fully honor the deal.
China has strengthened its position as Iran’s top
trade partner in recent years. During the first ten months of the current
Iranian year (March 21, 2022 – January 20, 2023), China has exported $12.7 billion
worth of goods to Iran and its imports from Iran stood at $12.6 billion.
Source: Fars News Agency
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https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14011127000282/Presiden-Rayeesi-Iran-China-Agree-n-Technlgy-Transfer
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Iranian President: US Seeking to Stir Chaos in Region
by Forming Takfiri Outfits
2023-February-16
President Rayeesi made the remarks during an address
to Muslim worshippers at Dongsi Mosque in the Chinese capital Beijing on
Wednesday.
He described Iran's desire for independence as the reason
for the enmity of the United States and the domination system towards Tehran.
"Despite all the enmity of the United States,
today the Islamic Revolution of Iran has been able to continue its movement on
the path of progress and development, stronger than before," he added.
Stating that the Dominion System has failed in all its
conspiracies against the Iranian nation, Iran's president clarified, "The
Islamic Republic of Iran has been a security provider for the people of the
region, but America has sought to create insecurity in the region by creating
takfiri groups."
Referring to the insulting of sacred values in
European countries, Rayeesi pointed out, "Westerners insult the sanctities
of nearly 2 billion Muslims in the name of freedom of speech, which is an
insult to all humanity and an act against freedom of speech, but we are sure
that these conspiracies will not lead anywhere, and the domination system will
have no place in the future of the world."
The US and its allies invaded Syria in 2014 under the
pretext of fighting the Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) Takfiri terrorist group. The
outfit had emerged as Washington was running out of excuses to extend its
regional meddling or enlarge it in scale.
The US-led coalition sustains its illegal presence on
the Arab country's soil, although, Damascus and its allies defeated Daesh in
late 2017.
Several reports have revealed that the US troops have
provided military and financial supports to militants and training them for
field operations.
US military officials have also admitted that US
airstrikes had killed hundreds of civilians. According to reports, Pentagon has
tried to cover up several deadly raids on Syrian civilians.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Renewed protests in Iran to mark 40 days since
execution of two demonstrators
16 February ,2023
Protests erupted in several cities across Iran on
Thursday to mark 40 days since the execution of two protesters, footage
circulating on social media showed.
Last month, Mohammad-Mehdi Karami and Mohammad
Hosseini were executed by Iran for allegedly killing a member of the security
forces.
In Iran, the 40th day after a person’s death holds
significance in the mourning process.
Videos posted on Twitter showed demonstrations in the
cities of Tehran, Karaj, Mashhad, Izeh, Gorgan, Arak, and Isfahan. Protesters
were seen chanting anti-regime slogans and denouncing the clerical regime and
its highest authority, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In Tehran, protesters chanted “woman, life, freedom,”
the rallying cry of the protest movement sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini
last September. In another video from the capital, demonstrators were heard
shouting “death to the dictator,” referring to Khamenei.
In another video from Tehran, security forces were
seen clashing with protesters.
In Izeh, located in the southwest of Iran,
demonstrators were chanting, “this is the year of blood, Khamenei will be
overthrown.”
The death of Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish
woman who died on September 16 after being arrested by the morality police for
allegedly breaching the country’s strict dress rules for women, triggered
months of protests that quickly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the
Islamic Republic.
The protests were met with a violent crackdown from
authorities, resulting in the deaths of hundreds and the arrest of thousands,
according to human rights groups.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran says US claim linking al-Qaeda leader to Tehran
‘laughable’
16 February ,2023
Iran’s foreign minister dismissed on Thursday the US
claim that an Iran-based Egyptian has become the new leader of al-Qaeda,
calling it “laughable.”
“I advise White House officials to stop the failed
game of Iran-phobia. Creating news about the leader of al-Qaeda and linking it
to Iran is laughable,” Hossein Amir-Abdollahian wrote on Twitter, accusing
Washington of being the “creator” of al-Qaeda and ISIS.
The US State Department said on Wednesday that Saif
al-Adel, an Egyptian currently based in Iran, had succeeded Ayman al-Zawahiri
following the latter’s death in July 2022.
“Our assessment aligns with that of the UN – that
al-Qaeda’s new de facto leader Saif al-Adel is based in Iran,” a State
Department spokesperson said.
The United Nations report released Tuesday said that
the predominant view of member states is that Adel is now the group’s leader,
“representing continuity for now.”
But the group has not formally declared him “emir”
because of sensitivity to the concerns of the Taliban authorities in
Afghanistan, who haven’t wanted to acknowledge that Zawahiri was killed by a US
rocket in a home in Kabul last year, according to the UN report.
In addition, the UN report said, the terrorist group
al-Qaeda is sensitive to the issue of Adel residing in largely Shia Iran.
Adel, 62, is a former Egyptian special forces
lieutenant-colonel and figure in the old guard of al-Qaeda.
He helped build the extremist group’s operational
capacity and trained some of the hijackers who took part in the September 11,
2001 attack on the US, according to the US Counter Extremism Project.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran jails influential academic for eight years:
Lawyer
16 February ,2023
An Iranian court has sentenced influential sociology
professor Saeed Madani Ghahfarokhi to eight years in prison, his lawyer told
AFP on Thursday.
Madani, 62, who has published books on topics
including prostitution, violence against women, child abuse and drug addiction
in Iran, has been in detention since May last year.
“My client was sentenced to eight years in prison for
forming a hostile group and one year for propaganda against the system,” said
his lawyer, Mahmoud Behzadirad, adding the verdict was final.
Madani, a professor at Tehran’s Allameh Tabatabai
University, had previously been arrested several times and served a six-year
prison sentence from 2011.
Iran has been rocked by a wave of protests since
mid-September, sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, 22, who had been
accused of breaching the Islamic Republic’s dress code for women.
“Since my client has been in prison, he has been consulted
by some officials to find ways to deal with the violence” that broke out at the
protests, said Behzadirad.
Early this month, Madani published from prison an
analysis of the protest movement in which he wrote that it spelled a “vision of
the future Iran.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Arab World
UAE, Egypt to boost cooperation in anti-money
laundering, counterterrorism financing
February 16, 2023
CAIRO: The Executive Office of Anti-Money Laundering
and Counter Terrorism Financing in the UAE has signed a memorandum of
understanding with the Egyptian Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing
Combating Unit, the Emirates News Agency reported on Thursday.
The memorandum aims to expand collaboration between
the UAE and Egypt, particularly in risk understanding and the exchange of
knowledge, expertise, and practices in the fields of anti-money laundering and
counterterrorism financing, to strengthen both countries’ responses to shared
threats and risks.
The agreement also aims to raise awareness and improve
domestic and regional understanding through training courses, workshops,
seminars, and conferences.
Hamid Al Zaabi, director general at the UAE office,
said: “The signing of the memorandum is yet another step in a long series of
bilateral meetings and achievements that have undoubtedly strengthened national
and regional efforts to counter illicit financial flows.
“I would like to thank our Egyptian partners for
hosting a productive meeting and for sharing a valuable update on tactics,
typologies, and the latest developments.
“The signing of the memorandum formalizes the exchange
of knowledge, experience, and expertise in the areas of combating money
laundering, the financing of terrorism, and financing the proliferation of
weapons of mass destruction.
“By strengthening our cooperation in the fight against
financial crime, we protect our national economies and international financial
systems.”
Ahmed Khalil, the chairman of the Egyptian unit, said:
“We have cooperated closely for the past five decades, a milestone that we
celebrated last October on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the
establishment of Egypt-UAE relations.
“Ultimately, the bilateral partnership between our
countries is based on the pursuit of shared interests.
“The memorandum will also play a role in encouraging
the sharing of experiences through bilateral meetings and the exchange of best
practices, including the establishment and amendment of laws, supervisory
instructions, guidance mechanisms, and procedures to enhance the effectiveness
of both parties in relation to combating money laundering and related predicate
offenses, terrorism financing, and proliferation financing.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252526/middle-east
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Arab popular sympathy, solidarity with Türkiye is no
surprise: Yemeni Nobel laureate
Muhammad Sheikh Yusuf
16.02.2023
Yemeni activist and Nobel laureate Tawakkol Karman
deemed Arab widespread solidarity and sympathy with Türkiye amid the
devastating earthquake disaster a "no surprise."
In an interview with Anadolu, Karman said, "in
general, there is great popular sympathy and solidarity shown by the Arab
countries, and this is not surprising because what unites the Arabs and the
Turks is more than what separates them."
At least 36,187 people were killed by two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, says disaster agency on
Thursday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 tremors last week were
centered in Kahramanmaras and struck nine other provinces – Hatay, Gaziantep,
Adiyaman, Malatya, Adana, Diyarbakir, Kilis, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa. More than
13 million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.
Humanitarian response
The Yemeni activist stated that "the Tawakkol
Karman Foundation is providing relief to the afflicted as part of local and
international humanitarian efforts that seek to mitigate the damages of the
disaster and help those who lost their homes and loved ones."
According to Karman, the foundation seeks to
"build 50 housing units, which, upon completion, will be handed over to
the Turkish Disaster and Emergency Authority (AFAD)."
It also seeks to "deliver donations and mobilize
resources and efforts to meet the need, similar to other civil society
organizations and humanitarian work."
The assistance includes "blankets, mattresses,
winter clothes, foodstuffs, and some sanitary materials and personal hygiene
tools."
Karman explained that "the campaign, which is
conducted in coordination with the Turkish authorities, will focus on Reyhanli
in Hatay Governorate, to which many of the displaced have sought refuge, in
addition to other regions in southern Türkiye."
Karman also stated that "financial donation to
support institutions operating in northern Syria is also included in the
campaign's agenda."
Yemeni solidarity
Karman emphasized that "the Yemeni people have
fraternal affection towards the Syrian and Turkish peoples."
"The Yemenis in Türkiye did what any responsible person
should do. They contributed with financial and blood donations," she
added.
"Arab solidarity, to a large extent, was very
good, but we should not forget that there is a general weakness in the
equipment and preparations for confronting natural disasters," Karman
added.
She stressed that "the popular sympathy and great
solidarity shown by the Arab countries is not surprising, as what unites Arabs
and Turks is more than what separates them."
Since the earthquake, Arab activists have expressed on
social media their grief and solidarity with the afflicted in both Türkiye and
Syria.
Activists in Tunisia, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi
Arabia, and Somalia interacted with the earthquake disaster, expressing
solidarity with the two peoples, where they volunteered to collect donations
and deliver them to the afflicted.
Good management
The Yemeni activist said, "Let us admit that the
catastrophe is very big, and yet it seems that the reaction of the Turkish
government and agencies is good."
"The rescue, evacuation and shelter operations,
as well as the provision of the necessary supplies for those in need, were done
fast," she added.
"The government's pledges to restore what was
destroyed and to provide assistance to those affected indicate that it is
committed to alleviating the suffering of the affected areas," according
to Karman.
On Saturday, the Turkish president pledged to rebuild
the quake-hit region as part of a yearlong plan.
Karman criticized the international response and the
efforts of the international community, saying, "Through the news that is
being reported, there is an international response, but I do not imagine that
it was as big as the disaster."
She explained that "there should be more
attention by the international community towards natural disasters around the
world."
Karman stressed that "it is possible to work hard
to find certain fixed and flexible means that help in mitigating the damages
resulting from natural disasters."
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Four Iraqi soldiers killed in raid foiling Daesh plots
to target pilgrims north of Baghdad
16 February 2023
Four Iraqi army soldiers have been killed in a
counter-terrorism operation north of the capital Baghdad, which thwarted plots
by Daesh terrorists to target pilgrims during the martyrdom anniversary of Imam
Musa al-Kazim, the great grandson of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the seventh
Shia Imam.
Iraqi media reports said the fatalities took place on
Thursday in Tarmiya, about 25 kilometers north of Baghdad, where remnants of
the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group are active, as hundreds of thousands of
pilgrims descended on the Kadhimiya district to commemorate the martyrdom
anniversary of Imam Musa al-Kazim.
The Iraqi government's security media cell said in a
statement that an army unit launched a "raid on a hideout of Daesh
terrorists," adding that "three terrorists were killed, one of whom
was wearing an explosive belt.”
"Two officers and two soldiers" were also
killed when the device was detonated, the statement said.
Lieutenant General Ahmed Salim, the commander of
security forces in Baghdad, was quoted by Iraqi News Agency as saying that the
raid had foiled a terrorist plan to target the pilgrims of the seventh Shia
Imam.
"As part of the pre-emptive operations carried
out by the Baghdad Operations Command in the Tarmiya district, north of
Baghdad, to track down the remnants of Daesh terrorist gangs, the Baghdad
Operations Command Commando Brigade managed to kill a terrorist detachment of
Daesh gangs consisting of three terrorists, one of whom was wearing an
explosive belt,” Salim said.
"The information indicates that they intended to
target the pilgrims of Imam al-Kazim (PBUH)," he added, stressing that the
Iraqi army units are still searching the area.
Daesh began a terror campaign in Iraq in 2014,
overrunning vast swathes in lightning attacks.
Iraq declared victory over the terrorist group in
December 2017 after a three-year counter-terrorism military campaign, in which
the PMU, known in Arabic as Hashd al-Sha’abi, also played a major role.
However, Daesh’s remnants keep staging sporadic
attacks across Iraq, attempting to regroup and unleash fresh violence in the
Arab country.
The Takfiri terrorist group has managed to intensify
its attacks in Iraq, particularly since January 2020, when the United States
assassinated top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem
Soleimani and PMU’s deputy commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis in a drone strike
near Baghdad International Airport.
Anti-US sentiments sharply increased in Iraq in the
aftermath of the assassination, prompting Iraqi lawmakers to pass a bill – only
two days after the assassination – that required the Baghdad government to end
the presence of all foreign military forces led by Washington.
Source: Press TV
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Iraq PM risks new crisis as tensions with Kurds
resurface
16 February ,2023
After more than a year of political deadlock, Iraqi
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani could face a debilitating new crisis
with Kurdish leaders that risks undermining his efforts to set policy and
compile a badly needed state budget.
Sudani, whose government was approved in October, has
vowed to reform the economy, fight corruption, improve deteriorating public
services and combat poverty and unemployment -- tall orders in a country that
has been craving stability and cash since the 2003 US-led invasion.
Without support from the powerful Kurdish Democratic
Party (KDP) which helped him come to power and holds 31 seats in parliament, he
would find it difficult to advance his agenda.
The central government's strained relations with the
Kurds -- often part of Iraq's political landscape since Saddam Hussein was
toppled in the 2003 invasion -- could hamper Sudani's efforts after a long
period of paralysis.
The KDP may withdraw its support for the federal
government if he fails to fulfil his promises to fix long-standing disputes
between Erbil and Baghdad, according to two Iraqi lawmakers and a Kurdish
government official.
That could leave him struggling to pass bills in
parliament and enact reforms.
Before Sudani formed his government he struck a deal
with the KDP, which dominates the administration in Erbil, capital of the
semi-autonomous region in northern Iraq.
The agreement included ending a long-running dispute
over budget transfers to Erbil and oil revenue sharing between the national
government and Kurdistan, according to three Kurdish officials.
Under the Iraqi constitution, the Kurdish region is
entitled to a portion of the national budget. But the arrangement collapsed in
2014 when the Kurds began selling crude independently from Kurdistan.
In 2017, Iraqi forces retook disputed territories
including the oil city of Kirkuk. Baghdad resumed some budget payments, but
they have been sporadic.
The KDP made it clear that they would stop supporting
Sudani if he didn't keep his promises, according to one of the Kurdish
officials.
Sudani came to power after more than a year of
political deadlock as infighting among Shia and Kurdish groups prevented the
formation of a government, hampering efforts to rebuild a country on its knees
after decades of conflict.
The paralysis left Iraq without a budget for 2022
holding up spending on much-needed infrastructure projects and economic reform
and depriving Kurdish authorities of revenues needed to pay international oil
firms and the salaries of thousands of local workers.
A KDP official said after the government was formed
last year that the Kurds wanted to end the deadlock, which was why they
supported Sudani's government, but that if the other side failed to deliver
they would withdraw that support.
“There are some political forces that are trying to
break our will and we reject this and won't allow it,” said Shawan Taha, a KDP
spokesman.
Carrot and stick approach
In January, the Iraqi Federal Supreme Court ruled that
orders from the Baghdad government to transfer money to the Kurdistan Regional
Government (KRG) to pay salaries in 2021 and 2022 were illegal because they
broke Iraq's budget law.
Massoud Barzani, president of the ruling KDP, said the
court has taken a “hostile position” against the region and “seems to have
replaced the revolutionary court in the previous regime”, referring to an
infamous court of the Baathist regime known for issuing death sentences against
regime opponents.
A spokesman for the KRG, Jotiar Adil, said the
“politically motivated” court was trying to spoil the deal between Erbil and
Baghdad.
A KRG delegation was in Baghdad on Monday to discuss
the budget as well as hydrocarbon laws. A source with knowledge of the meetings
said Erbil and Baghdad remained far apart on the hydrocarbon law.
According to an adviser, who spoke on condition of
anonymity, Sudani has tasked the cabinet's legal team with finding a solution
to allow salary transfers without breaching the court verdict.
Other political actors in Sudani’s camp in Baghdad see
escalation with the Kurds by using such court rulings as a necessary political
tactic to put him in a stronger negotiating position, according to lawmakers.
But the KRG's Adil was still hopeful that a compromise
could be agreed on. He said the KRG delegation would be in Baghdad again on
Sunday, and he denied that the KDP was threatening to withdraw its support for
the government in Baghdad.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Saudi Arabia to build 3,000 homes as Turkey, Syria
earthquake survivors left homeless
16 February ,2023
Saudi Arabia will build 3,000 temporary buildings to
help those affected by the massive earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria earlier
this month, the General Supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and
Relief Center (KSRelief) Dr. Abdullah al-Rabeeah said.
Hundreds of thousands of people are now homeless as a
result of the 7.8-magnitude quake that struck both countries.
KSRelief has sent thousands of tents, but people will
need to have adequate shelter in the coming months as governments rebuild the destruction,
according to al-Rabeeah.
“Tens of thousands of people need shelters, and the
priorities of the Saudi team are to carry out a rescue operation of those
trapped under the rubble and to provide the necessary support such as medicine,
food, and urgent healthcare,” he said in an interview with al-Ekhbariyah TV on
Tuesday.
“KSRelief was able to provide temporary tents for
those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria and it will construct
3,000 temporary buildings for these people,” he added.
Under the directives of King Salman bin Abdulaziz and
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia sent teams from KSRelief and the
Saudi Red Crescent to provide aid to victims on the ground.
The Kingdom has also donated millions to both
countries and continues to accept donations from citizens and residents through
its “Sahem” program – all of which come under the directives of King Salman bin
Abdulaziz and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Awards for Jeddah Islamic Port at Rotterdam’s Green
Shipping Summit
February 17, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Islamic Port took two
awards — one for Best Port in 2022 and the other for Digital Transformation —
at the Green Shipping Summit in Rotterdam, the Saudi Press Agency reported on
Thursday.
The port was ranked eighth on the World Bank’s
Container Port Efficiency Performance Index.
The Kingdom’s port authority, known as Mawani, has
worked to improve the facility’s operational capabilities and use of clean
energy, including the establishment of five integrated logistics zones and the
operation of 12 environmentally friendly cranes in its southern and northern container
terminals.
In addition, Mawani has heavily promoted the use of
advanced digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, to automate
Jeddah Islamic Port. It has also launched a port community management system,
increasing the number of services available in Saudi ports from 46 to 150.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252686/saudi-arabia
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Saudi becoming a global leader in arts, says Algerian
American rapper and filmmaker
HUSSAM AL-MAYMAN
February 16, 2023
RIYADH: When Saudi Arabia decides to showcase arts and
culture, it does it on a grand scale, which is advancing its claim as one of
the world’s leading entertainment hubs.
This is the view of Algerian American filmmaker and
rapper Solvan “Slick” Naim, who recently appeared on “The Mayman Show” to talk
about his career and collaboration with leading Arab and American artists in
the US.
“I’m not surprised … I think their new initiative,
they’re really bringing a lot of entertainment, to their (cities). And I feel
like it’s when Saudi does it, they do it big, you know, they’re going to do it
big. So they’re going to put a lot of resources into it,” said Naim.
He is not surprised that the Kingdom is host to the
region’s largest music gathering with MDLBEAST. “I think it’s been showing
right, you know, it’s been a huge hit. And I look forward to collaborating with
them,” he said.
The rapper and filmmaker serves as director and
executive producer for the successful Netflix series “Mo” which has been picked
up for a second season. The series is loosely based on comedian and lead star
Mohammed Amer’s life as a Palestinian refugee living in Houston, Texas.
Naim is also working with Saudi comedian Moayad
Alnefaie who Amer brought onto the show. “Moayad is hilarious man, he is a
great guy. We became friends. He got into the project, very simple. Mo knew
him, Mo wanted him in the project role, pushed for him. You know, we didn’t
know who he was at the time, you know, in America. And Mo really vouched for
him, and he pulled through,” said Naim.
He said everyone were initially suspicious of
Alnefaie’s ability, but this was soon laid to rest after the first scene with
the Saudi comedian. “I mean, you know, he killed it, he was so unique, and
hilarious and authentic. That brought such a tapestry to the series,” said
Naim.
Naim said the scene was in a hookah shop, with Moayad
only saying “she foo, she foo” which impressed the production team because it
was so funny and memorable in the context of the storyline.
On his career as a rapper, Naim said he had recently
released a song “Scary Slope” where he describes how hard it is for him to
balance being a musician and filmmaker. For his music videos, he found a
productive partnership with his wife Dr. Reema Naim, who has Saudi roots, and
is now his director.
“She always wanted to be a music video director. So me
being a husband and a music artist, we were able to collaborate together and we
were able to make that second passion that she had a reality. Because like I
said, I wrote over a 100 songs. So we got plenty of music videos to shoot and
direct,” he said.
Naim said Reema has generated several ideas for songs.
“So she had a vision and we brought all the crew together, and now she’s able
to live out her dream as well.”
Naim said he has visited Saudi Arabia and found the
experience illuminating and educational. “It was going to a place I’ve never
gone before, seeing a culture I’ve never seen before. And you know, actually my
wife has roots there. So for me, it was also seeing family, right. Seeing my
mother-in-law.”
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252201/saudi-arabia
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Syrian kids feel the whole world is ‘spinning around
them,’ UNICEF official says
EPHREM KOSSAIFY
February 16, 2023
NEW YORK CITY: The international community must not
abandon the 4 million children in Syria for whom the Feb. 6 earthquakes came as
“a trauma on top of trauma,” the UN’s Children’s Fund, UNICEF, has warned.
“It is our duty to make sure that we do not forget
them,” said Adele Khodr, the organization’s regional director for the Middle
East and North Africa.
“It is our duty, as well, to ensure that this
earthquake does not make them even worse than what they are, and we should
leave anything that is political aside and focus only on the humanitarian.”
Ten days after a massive earthquake and major
aftershocks devastated parts of southern Turkiye and northwestern Syria, the
confirmed death toll exceeds 41,000, and continues to rise. UNICEF fears
thousands of children are among the dead, while millions of young people who
survived are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.
An estimated 7 million children were directly affected
by the earthquake in the two countries, including 2.5 million in Syria. Khodr
told Arab News that what worries her most is the unknown number of young people
in remote villages that have not been reached by international aid
organizations and so have yet to receive any humanitarian assistance.
“What we know about, we can address,” she said. “But
what really is worrying for us is what we don’t know about.”
As hopes of finding survivors in the rubble of
collapsed buildings fades, search and rescue operations are winding down and so
the aid effort will increasingly turn toward helping people in areas that have
not been reached so far, she added.
Many children and their families are in desperate need
of additional support, Khodr said. In addition, many first responders and
employees of the local partner organizations with which UNICEF works were
killed, injured or displaced, while their offices and equipment were damaged or
destroyed.
The existing situation in the country before the
disaster struck was not “a normal background,” Khodr said. The earthquake is an
“emergency on top of an emergency,” after 12 years of civil war that have
drained Syria of resources and destroyed much of its infrastructure.
She said the natural calamity has compounded “a very
serious economic crisis” that was already unfolding, including a decline in the
value of the Syrian pound, the effects of which included the deterioration of
basic health services for children and the education system.
In addition, the country has been dealing with a
cholera epidemic since September, exacerbated by damage to water infrastructure
caused by the war and now made even worse by this month’s disaster.
“The earthquake has damaged water tanks, especially
elevated ones,” said Khodr. “Some water pipes have also been dislocated, which
means the availability of water is going to be a very big issue.
“And the fact, also, is that people now might be
staying inside big centers, like schools or other public buildings: How do you
get rid of the wastewater and the solid waste? All these things around water
sanitation and hygiene are worrying in areas that were already subject to a
cholera epidemic.
“We are very worried that should spring come and
should the damaged water and sanitation infrastructure not be repaired, we
would be heading into a serious health (crisis) with waterborne diseases
(spreading) among the children.”
The earthquake damaged or destroyed many buildings, so
millions of children and their families are now sleeping outside, on the sides
of roads or under bridges, or in public buildings that remain intact, such as
schools and bus stations.
Even those whose homes are still standing are afraid
to return home to buildings that might be structurally unsound and vulnerable
to aftershocks, or might collapse as a result of heavy rain or other severe
weather events.
Sleeping outside, exposed to harsh winter conditions
in which freezing rain and snow are not uncommon, is already leading to growing
numbers of children suffering from hypothermia or acute respiratory infections,
said Khodr.
UNICEF is also worried about the mental health of
children driven from their homes, she said, especially in the rebel-held
northwest of the country where families had already been displaced at least
once — and some more than three times — before the earthquake.
“Many children said that they felt that the whole
world was spinning around them,” Khodr said. “This psychosocial impact on
children is one of our first worries.”
Further displacement, combined with the dire economic
situation, once again raises the specter of growing food insecurity, she added,
and the “already higher level of poverty in some pockets in those areas could
lead to more cases of malnutrition among children.”
Meanwhile, many people who have lost their homes are
seeking refuge inside schools, which means classes will not immediately resume
and children’s education will suffer as a result, said Khodr.
The immediate efforts by UNICEF to save lives in Syria
in the aftermath of the earthquake includes shipments of hygiene kits, food,
drinking water, warm winter clothes and tents, along with the provision of
medical aid.
The organization is also working with local partners
to provide children with psychosocial and mental health support. It is
distributing recreational kits “for the children to keep them busy and to try
to establish a sense of normalcy in their lives and allow them to deal with the
trauma that they have been through,” Khodr said.
For a week after the earthquake, the Syrian regime
refused to allow any deliveries of aid to rebel-held areas in the northwest of
the country and insisted that all humanitarian assistance should go through the
capital, Damascus.
But following intensive international pressure to open
more crossings along Syria’s border with Turkiye to allow the delivery of aid,
President Bashar Assad on Monday approved the reopening of two additional
crossing points, Bal Al-Hawa and Al-Raee, for an initial period of three
months, the UN said.
Despite the continuing politicization of aid
mechanisms in Syria, Khodr said that “we are a child rights-based agency and
(our) mandate remains a purely humanitarian one. Our position is that we have
to continuously try to reach all the children wherever they are, through
whatever means.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252556/middle-east
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Europe
Bulgaria’s Turkish minority steps up aid drive for
earthquake victims in Türkiye
Ahmet Gencturk
16.02.2023
The Turkish minority in Bulgaria stepped up an aid
drive for the earthquake victims in Türkiye, local media reported Thursday.
The minority’s religious authority, or grand mufti,
said nearly 1.95 million levs ($1.07 million) has been collected, as reported
by the Kircaalihaber news outlet.
Multiple aid campaigns by various Bulgarian and
minority bodies for the victims are ongoing.
At least 36,187 have been killed by two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster
agency said Thursday.
The 7.7- and 7.6-magnitude earthquakes, centered in
the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people in 11
provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis,
Malatya, Osmaniye, Sanliurfa and Elazig.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Volunteer Dutch medics healing wounds of quake victims
in Türkiye
Bilal Kahyaoglu and Ilyas Gun
16.02.2023
Dutch volunteer medical staff are examining patients
in southern Türkiye's quake-hit province of Adiyaman.
A team of two dozen doctors and nurses came to the
region under the coordination of the Turkish disaster management agency AFAD
last week after two back-to-back earthquakes caused widespread destruction.
The team, serving in a field hospital established by
the Turkish National Medical Rescue Team (UMKE) at Adiyaman University, has
provided much-needed support in the disaster zone.
Shakib Sana, a Dutch doctor of Afghan origin, told
Anadolu that he came to Türkiye to help health workers, who have been providing
care for the thousands in need of medical attention in the aftermath of the
quakes.
Sana, whose wife is a Turkish specialist doctor, said:
"We work here voluntarily. We are doing our humanitarian duty. This shows
the unity of people. We are here to contribute to the people and institutions
in Türkiye. Let's work shoulder-to-shoulder. The pain is great."
Dr. Sevilay Temel, who came to Türkiye with her
husband Sana, said: "We have established a tent hospital and pharmacy here
with UMKE and AFAD. We work in a well-integrated way with UMKE doctors."
Another doctor on their team, Jaco Suijker, said he
saw the earthquake on television and was very impressed by the support that
subsequently flooded into the country.
"I am very happy that the volunteers came
together and did such good work together," he added.
According to the latest figures, over 36,100 people
have been killed and over 108,000 others wounded after the two massive
earthquakes struck southern Türkiye within hours of each other on Feb. 6,
affecting more than 13 million people.
The earthquakes were centered in Kahramanmaras
province and shook ten other provinces, namely Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir,
Elazig, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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Earthquake hit Turkey helped yet Syria ignored by most
EU states
16 February 2023
Lives have been saved in Turkey following the recent
earthquakes because the country had access to heavy lifting machinery. Experts
say many lives were lost in Syria because sanctions prevented the country from
having similar equipment.
That catastrophe has just been debated in the European
Parliament.
Following the disaster, I contacted one of the largest
aid agencies in Syria. I've spoken to Italian agencies and other NGOs. They all
told me that the EU sanctions present an obstacle to humanitarian work.
Gyorgy Holvenyi, Hugarian MEP
European Commission officials told legislators that
just nine of the EU's 27 member states have supplied Syria with support,
whereas, 21 have scrambled to help Turkey.
The Commission also allocated an additional €3.5
million in emergency humanitarian funding to help our partners address urgent
needs in Syria.
Janez Lenarcic, EU Crisis Management Commissioner
This €3.5 million for Syrians pales into
insignificance when compared to the €67 billion spent by the EU on Ukraine
during the past 11 months.
Experts have been saying for years that the bloc lacks
unity when it comes to Syria.
Countries are acting in their own way; there is no
coordinated action. And this is one of the reasons that we're faced with this
very big crisis, this mega crisis.
Shada Islam, EU Affairs Specialist
Efforts by Western nations to overthrow President
Bashar Al Assad have failed. Critics say interventionism has brought misery to
millions of innocent people in the country. Some lawmakers want the pressure to
be paused.
In Syria there are sanctions. We don't want to see
more people die in the cold. They don't have medicines. We must put politics
aside and human life first.
Maria Grapini, Romanian MEP
It's been announced the EU will host a donor summit
next month to gather money for the earthquake hit regions.
Source: Press TV
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NATO chief says ‘time is now’ for Turkiye to ratify
Finland, Sweden membership applications
February 16, 2023
ANKARA: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said
on Thursday the “time is now” for Turkiye to ratify applications by Finland and
Sweden to join the defense alliance.
Stoltenberg was speaking at a joint news conference in
Ankara with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu after German Foreign
Minister Annalena Baerbock this week said she expects all NATO members to
ratify the bids “without further delay.”
Finland and Sweden applied to join the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February last
year and their membership bids have been ratified by all allies except Hungary
and Turkiye.
Turkiye is widely seen as the main hold-up, with
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicating his country could ratify Finland’s
application while not going ahead with Sweden’s.
Turkiye says Sweden harbors members of the Kurdistan
Workers Party or PKK, which is seen as a terrorist group by Turkiye, the EU and
others.
Last month Turkiye suspended talks with Sweden and
Finland on their applications after a protest during which Rasmus Paludan,
leader of the Danish far-right political party Hard Line, burned a copy of the
Holy Qur’an outside the Turkish Embassy in Stockholm.
Stoltenberg described protest as “a disgraceful act”
and said the Swedish government had demonstrated a strong position against the
protest which should be praised.
“For me, this just demonstrates that Sweden and
Finland understand and are implementing policies which recognize the concerns
that Turkiye expressed. And this is why I think that time has come to ratify,”
he said.
Cavusoglu repeated Turkiye’s position that it could
evaluate Finland and Sweden’s bids to join NATO separately.
While conceding that Sweden had changed its
legislation on terrorism in line with Turkiye’s demands, Cavusoglu said the
changes should be fully implemented.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2252606/world
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Africa
Israeli shadowy firm sought to discredit ICRC in
Burkina Faso: Report
16 February ,2023
An Israeli firm in 2020 smeared the International
Committee of the Red Cross in Burkina Faso, presumably at the request of the
Burkinabe government, investigative journalists said Thursday.
The report – by a consortium of journalists led by
French non-profit Forbidden Stories – appears to add to a growing body of
evidence that shadowy private firms worldwide are using hacking and social
media to manipulate public opinion.
Journalists posing as potential clients met one of the
two heads of Israeli influence company Percepto International, Royi Burstien,
who cited Burkina Faso as a successful disinformation campaign by his company.
Although Percepto had not yet been founded at the
time, “Burstien presented the case study as a significant achievement of
Percepto’s,” it said.
Burkina Faso is in the grip of a seven-year extremist
insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced at least two
million people from their homes.
In the meeting, Burstien, who says he previously
served in Israel’s military intelligence directorate, displayed a PowerPoint on
“Limiting Prominent NGO Intervention” for an unnamed government, Forbidden
Stories said.
“Our client had a real problem with a specific NGO
that really was not objective... The question is, how do you... put them on the
sideline?” he told them.
Based on a few clues, the reporters managed to trace
the controversy’s trajectory, Forbidden Stories said.
In the alleged disinformation campaign, an opinion
piece appeared in French magazine Valeurs Actuelles on August 3, 2020, asking
whether the ICRC was the “involuntary godfather of terrorism in Burkina Faso.”
The article was circulated by Burkinabe outlets and
provoked a fierce anti-ICRC controversy fed by social media, leading to fears
for the safety of ICRC employees working in the country, Forbidden Stories
said.
French analyst Emmanuel Dupuy, who wrote the article,
told AFP he had no link with Percepto, and was unaware of its existence.
He said an adviser to the country’s then-president
Roch Marc Christian Kabore, Samuel Sellem, suggested he write the article, for
which he was not paid.
“Everything is true in the column, I wouldn’t change a
comma,” he said.
As the controversy grew in Burkina Faso, AFP on
September 14, 2020 published a response by then ICRC head Peter Maurer, in
which he said the organization only entered into dialogue with armed groups out
of humanitarian necessity.
Forbidden Stories claimed AFP “amplified” the news.
“AFP on September 14, 2020 factually reported on a
press conference held by the ICRC president in Ouagadougou, according to the
journalistic standards of one of the world’s largest international news
agencies,” AFP global news director Phil Chetwynd said.
“At no prior stage had AFP reported on the contents of
the Valeurs Actuelles opinion piece,” he added.
Burstien seemed to interpret the results of the
campaign as a success, Forbidden Stories said.
Source: Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
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Tunisia’s Kais Saied rejects foreign interference
after US concern over arrests
16 February ,2023
Tunisia’s president on Thursday rejected “foreign
interference and harm to the country’s sovereignty” after the United States
raised concerns over a recent wave of arrests of his critics.
“We are able to diagnose our problems,” President Kais
Saied said, adding whoever wants to help Tunisians should “return our looted
money and drop the accumulated debts.”
The United States on Wednesday said it was “deeply
concerned” by the reported arrests of political figures, business leaders and
journalists in Tunisia.
In recent days, Tunisian police have detained leading
figures from opposition or critics of Saied, including prominent politicians,
an influential businessman, the head of Tunisia’s main independent news outlet.
“Our sovereignty is above all considerations... we are
not under colonization, we are an independent sovereign country,” Saied said in
a meeting with his prime minister Najla Bouden.
Saied on Wednesday accused some of those detained of
being responsible for price increases and food shortages in the north African
country, and of wanting to fuel a social crisis.
The opposition has said the arrests aim to silence
dissent, empower a slide towards autocracy and cover up Saied’s failure to
manage the worsening social and economic crisis.
The arrests have raised fears of a wider crackdown on
dissent and prompted the UN Human Rights Office to call for the immediate
release of detainees.
Tunisians have for months been suffering shortages of
food commodities that economic experts say are mainly caused by a crisis in
public finances as the state attempts to avert bankruptcy while negotiating for
an international bailout.
Last month, Moody’s ratings agency downgraded
Tunisia’s debt, saying it would likely default on sovereign loans.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Libya’s Misrata mobilizes aid for quake victims in
Türkiye
Aydoğan Kalabalık
17.02.2023
MISRATA, Libya
The people of Libya’s third-largest city, Misrata,
sent 12 truckloads of humanitarian relief items Thursday to quake-hit regions
of Türkiye.
Coordinated by Türkiye’s Consulate General in Misrata,
the Libyan Red Crescent and Misrata Municipality, the humanitarian supplies
were loaded onto a ship that was set to embark on its journey to Türkiye late
Thursday.
"The people of Türkiye and the Turkish Red
Crescent have always stood by us. We wanted to stand by the Turkish people in
this time of great disaster, which saddened us," Fethi Shibani, the
director of the Libyan Red Crescent in Misrata, told Anadolu.
The ship loaded with humanitarian aid will carry
generators, electric heaters, blankets and clothes to quake victims in southern
Türkiye.
A team of 25 people from the Libyan Red Crescent who
are experts in locating the missing and retrieving bodies had set out for
Türkiye, he added.
Mahmud Mirsadi, a senior official from Misrata
Municipality, said: “In the first phase, we collected 12 truckloads of
humanitarian aid. Our warehouses are full of aid. We will send two more ships.”
Mirsadi said that they wanted to establish an
"air aid corridor" between Tripoli and Türkiye to facilitate the
dispatch.
Türkiye’s Consul General to Misrata, Fatih Ugurlu,
said they initiated an aid campaign through social media after the devastating
earthquakes.
The list of primary needs was handed over to the associations
and the Misrata Municipality upon their request, Ugurlu said.
"The people of Misrata in general are very
thoughtful. Most of those who visited our Consulate General said they are of
Turkish origin, that they have a special love for our country, and that
friendship is understood in such difficult times," he added.
At least 38,044 people were killed by two strong
earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, the country's disaster
agency said early Friday.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes were centered in
Kahramanmaras and struck 10 other provinces – Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir,
Hatay, Gaziantep, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Elazig and Sanliurfa. More than 13
million people have been affected by the devastating quakes.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/libya-s-misrata-mobilizes-aid-for-quake-victims-in-turkiye/2822634
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Türkiye donates over 70,000 military uniforms to South
Sudan
Benjamin Takpiny
16.02.2023
JUBA, South Sudan
The Turkish government on Thursday donated 75,000
military uniforms for the use of unified forces in South Sudan.
South Sudan’s Minister of Defense and Veteran Affairs
Angelina Teny said the contribution will help promote stability in the country.
“It is a big celebration for contribution of Republic
of Türkiye to our peace and to creation of stability in our country, and I
don’t call it a donation,” Teny said during a handover ceremony at Juba
International Airport on Thursday.
Teny hailed the Turkish government for supporting
South Sudan to implement the 2018 peace agreement.
“They are putting their hands together with us to
ensure that peace stay in the Republic of South Sudan, we have signed the peace
agreement and we must build it and in order to do that it requires friends like
Türkiye,” she said.
Erdem Mutaf, Turkish ambassador to South Sudan, said
the donation of the first batch of military uniforms is a sign of strong
support of Türkiye to revitalized peace agreement.
“This donation of mainly 75,000 military uniforms is
the most important part of our assistance to South Sudan,” Mutaf said.
Mutaf described the contribution of 9 tons of military
uniforms as one of the biggest military support that Türkiye has provided to a
country in African continent so far.
“The total rate of this donation is 134 metric tons
and today’s symbolic handover comprise only 9 metric tons that were transported
to Juba by Turkish military aircraft and the rest will be deliver in due time.”
Brig. Gen. Abdullah Katirci, representative of Turkish
Ministry of Defense, said the contribution will enhance bilateral relations
between the two nations.
“I am sure that uniform to new unified forces will be
an import contribution to the peace process in South Sudan. This contribution
will enhance our bilateral relations,” said Gen. Abdullah.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/turkiye-donates-over-70-000-military-uniforms-to-south-sudan/2822368
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South Asia
ISIS Is the Common Enemy Of Afghanistan, International
Community: Former U.S. Special Representative For Afghanistan
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 15, 2023
Zalmay Khalilzad, Former U.S. Special Representative
for Afghanistan Reconciliation says that ISIS is the common enemy of
Afghanistan and the International Community.
The Afghan-American diplomat on Twitter said that
cooperation against ISIS (Daesh) can be an important part of future relations.
Khalilzad said the full implementation of the Doha
Agreement is the best way forward to bring peace and stability to war-torn
Afghanistan and fight the growing threats of terrorism in the country. “The
execution of the Doha Agreement addresses all the concerns of Afghans and the
international community,” he added.
Many Afghan politicians believe that Doha Agreement
signed between the Taliban and the United States in February 2020 was the main
factor in the collapse of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Certain Afghan politicians believe that some key
elements of the Doha Agreements were kept hidden from the public, and the
people of Afghanistan still do not know the full context of the peace agreement
between the U.S. and the Taliban.
Previously, high-ranking Afghan politicians including
President Ashraf Ghani, and Former Vice President Amrullah Saleh had asked for
publications of the hidden annexes of the Doha Agreement.
Khalilzad talks about the cooperation of the Taliban
against ISIS as the terror activities of the militant group have rapidly
increased since the Taliban’s return to power. The militant group has carried
out deadly attacks in different parts of Afghanistan in the last year and a
half, which resulted in the dead the injury of scores of innocent civilians.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/isis-is-the-common-enemy-of-afghanistan-international-community-khalilzad/
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Afghan Refugees Face Deportation Risks Due to Congress
Delays: CBS Report
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 17, 2023
Based on U.S. government documents thousands of Afghan
refugees who entered America after the Taliban’s takeover are now facing the
risk of losing their work permits and getting deported from the U.S. in the
summer, CBS reported.
Despite the pressures, the U.S. Congress has not yet
passed the bill to grant permanent residence to these refugees. Out of 77,000 Afghan nationals who were
evacuated to the United States, only 4,775 people have received permanent
residence cards.
Although the representatives of both parties
(Democrats and Republicans) supported the resettlement of Afghans in the U.S.,
the bill to grant permanent residence has not been approved yet. The reason for
the delay is primarily linked to the concerns of some Republican Senators
regarding the assessment of the refugees’ backgrounds.
Republican legislators are worried that terror group
members will take the advantage of the law on granting permanent residency and
become a potential threat to the security of America in the future.
With the fall of Kabul to the Taliban, the Biden
administration evacuated tens of thousands of people to America for
humanitarian reasons and without going through the legal process of granting
asylum and visa, which usually takes months.
Now the fate of these people is in the hands of the
American legislators to adjust laws and provide the conditions for the
residence of these refugees.
Afghan refugee advocates, mostly military veterans,
have said it is required that there is an urgent need to pass a bill amending
the law for Afghan refugees, as most of their work permits expire this year.
Krish O’mara Vignarajah, the President and CEO of
Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, who has helped in the resettlement of
thousands of Afghans, said to CBS, “conditions are tough for refugees. They
don’t know with certainty if they will be deported from the United States or
they can stay here.”
CBS has reported last week; 28600 Afghans have applied
for permanent residence in two separate programs out of which the applications
4775 have been approved.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/afghan-refugees-face-deportation-risks-due-to-congress-delays-cbs-report/
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The Ruling Regime Should Pay Attention to People’s
Demands: IEA Minister
By Nizamuddin Rezahi
February 15, 2023
Afghanistan’s Minister of Mines and Petroleum
Shahabuddin Delawar in a ceremony held to commemorate the withdrawal of the
Soviet Union said that the current regime should pay attention to the
legitimate demands of the people, in order to sustain itself.
Shahabuddin Delawar said that all Taliban senior
leaders including ministers, deputy ministers, and other officials should pay
extra attention to the legitimate demands of the common people.
Minister Delawar’s remarks indicate that Taliban
officials are criticizing the group’s leadership and the latest decisions which
violated the rights of women and girls to get an education, work, or appear in
public places.
Addressing a crowd, Mr. Delawar on Wednesday
reiterated that freedom is achieved through the power of the general public and
lost by leaders. Maintaining freedom is equally important as gaining it,
Delawar said.
This comes as the ongoing criticisms from the Taliban
leadership’s decisions are increasingly growing within the group in the recent
past. Previously, Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Acting Interior Minister in a gathering
in Khost province criticized the group’s leadership and said, “monopolizing
power” is not good for the ruling regime.
Haqqani criticized the members of the group and said
that they have forgotten the interests of the people. Taliban members do not think
about “what service they can provide to the people” after they get appointed to
positions in the current regime.
“We reached our goals with many sacrifices. Now, the
responsibility has been placed on our shoulders and it requires patience,
morals, and proper behavior and engagement with the people,” Haqqani said.
Source: Khaama Press
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of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/the-ruling-regime-should-pay-attention-to-peoples-demands-iea-minister/
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