New Age Islam
Sat Jul 19 2025, 04:19 PM

Islamic World News ( 14 May 2022, NewAgeIslam.Com)

Comment | Comment

Islamic Conference in Abu Dhabi Rejects Idea of Caliphate; Muslim Scholars Call For Diversity in Ummah

New Age Islam News Bureau

14 May 2022

 

The night view of Louvre Abhu Dhabi is seen in front of the city skyline in Abu Dhabi, UAE | AP

------

• Decades-Old Darul Islam Militant Group in Indonesia Remains a Threat: Densus 88

• Israeli Police Attack Mourners Carrying Coffin of Al Jazeera Journalist

• Gyanvapi Mosque Case: Amid Tight Security, 52-Member Team Enters Masjid Complex

• No Quick Fix for Baloch Issue as Pak Army Rather Than Govt Holds Power

 

Arab World

• UAE Elects Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed as President

• UAE de facto ruler sees Iran, Islamists as threat to ambitious Gulf safe haven

• Funeral prayer in absentia performed in Two Holy Mosques for late UAE president

• UAE officials, Arab leaders mourn death of Sheikh Khalifa

• Syria’s government criticizes US decision to allow investment in country’s north

• Five killed in Israeli strike on Syria’s Hama countryside

• Saudi Arabia’s embassy in UK helps student locked in British cafe after-hours

--------

Southeast Asia

• Malaysia Suspends Slaughtering Approval for Aussie Halal-Certified Firm

• Ex-Naza boss asks Shariah court to enhance Maria’s jail term

--------

Mideast

• Leader: Arab States Should Take Explicit Political Action against Israel's Crimes

• Iran: Nakba Day Reminiscent of Occupation, Massacre of Palestinians

• Israeli officer killed, 13 Palestinians wounded in Jenin standoff

--------

India

• Justice DY Chandrachud to Hear Plea against Varanasi Mosque Survey in Supreme Court

• Chhota Shakeel sent money to incite terrorism and target politicians: NIA

• Rahul Gandhi condoles death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed

• 2 LeT terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in J&K's Bandipora

• UP: Three Muslims shot by police over alleged cattle smuggling

• Kashmiri Pandits’ Killing – Acts of Terror With Wider Ramifications

--------

Pakistan

• Federal Minister Says No EVM Will Be Used In Pakistan Election

• Pakistan rupee slips to historic low, Imran blames it on his ouster

• Defiant Imran vows Sialkot jalsa will go ahead after police action

• Will not rest till perpetrators of KU suicide attack given exemplary punishment: Bilawal

• PTI dissident MPAs seek refuge in technicalities

• Sindh's social media users spreading anti-state material to face action

--------

South Asia

• Haqqani: About 50 Former Government Officials Have Returned to the Country

• Fighting in Panjshir triggers fresh claims of Taliban war crimes

• Afghan journalist sentenced to prison for criticizing Taliban

--------

Africa

• Deborah Samuel: Muslims Have Red Lines That Must Not Be Crossed – Imam Of National Mosque

• 10 ministers resign in Nigeria ahead of general elections

• Somali journalists protest killing of Al Jazeera reporter

• Somali parliament to choose next president on Sunday

--------

North America

• US Criticizes Israeli Attack on Mourners during Shireen Abu Akleh’s Funeral

• US President Biden, Jordan’s King Abdullah discuss tensions in Jerusalem

• US says reviving Iran deal ‘far from certain’ despite EU mission

• Biden offers condolences to UAE on death of late president

--------

Europe

• Fifteen European Nations Urge Israel To Reverse Plans For More Settler Homes

• German police: 5 stabbed and wounded on train in suspected Islamic terror attack

• Released aid worker tells UK’s Johnson his error worsened her Iran detention

• EU calls on Tehran to release Swedish-Iranian sentenced to death

• French President Macron to visit UAE to mourn death of Sheikh Khalifa

• EU condemns Israeli police attack at funeral of Al Jazeera journalist

• Berlin court upholds ban on Palestinian 'Nakba Day' demonstrations

• Irish foreign minister 'shocked' by images from Palestinian journalist's funeral procession

• Dutch court rules to bring back 12 Daesh/ISIS women, 29 children from Syria

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:    https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamic-conference-abu-dhabi-caliphate-ummah/d/127008

--------

Islamic Conference in Abu Dhabi Rejects Idea of Caliphate; Muslim Scholars Call For Diversity in Ummah

 

The night view of Louvre Abhu Dhabi is seen in front of the city skyline in Abu Dhabi, UAE | AP

------

13th May 2022

ABU DHABI: Rejecting the idea of uniting Muslims under one caliphate and one flag as propagated by the extremist elements like the Islamic State (IS), Muslim scholars have called for encouraging diversity in the Ummah (community).

The international conference organised by The World Muslim Communities Council on May 8 and 9 strongly felt that the Muslim unity is cultural and not political.

The concept paper prepared for the conference observed that "the groups and movements that emerged in the recent decades have twisted the concept of Islamic unity into a political dream." It added that the idea to unite all Muslims in one state under the name of Islamic caliphate in contrary to the historical facts.

The paper said that the single state (caliphate) disappeared one hundred years after the migration of Prophet Muhammad and the Ummah (the community) was divided and fragmented since then. But the divisions did not affect the cultural unity of Muslims all over the world, it said.

The sentiment of the conference was powerfully conveyed by Mohamed Mokthar Gomaa, Minister for Religious Endowments in Egypt, who said "a Muslim must respect the country in which he lives, whether it is a Muslim-majority or not."

The conference was held against the backdrop of the continuing propaganda that it is mandatory for Muslims to live under caliphate and not in modern nation-states. Extremist outfits like IS and Al Qaeda have been pushing the agenda fervently, misquoting the verses from scriptures. UAE has been fighting against the propaganda under the leadership of Islamic scholar Sheikh Abdulla Bin Bayyah, chairman of the UAE Fatwa committee.

It may be recalled that the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) had called for the annihilation of nationalism and restoration of the caliphate. Some Muslim youths from Kerala migrated to IS strongholds in Syria and Afghanistan a few years ago with the intention of living 'under the caliphate'.  Without directly referring to any of these developments, the conference unequivocally asserted that such dangerous dreams have no place in contemporary Islam.

The conference also called upon Muslim communities all over the world to draw up plans that are in consonance with the regional aspirations and to protect the diversity existing in the community. Unity could be achieved even while upholding the diverse cultures, the meeting felt.

UAE Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan inaugurated the conference. Sheikh Bin Bayyah, representatives from various countries including Russia, Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Egypt, Malaysia, Indonesia, USA, China and Morocco participated in the deliberations.

Source: New Indian Express

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://www.newindianexpress.com/world/2022/may/13/islamic-conference-in-abu-dhabi-rejects-idea-of-caliphate-2453197.html

--------

Decades-Old Darul Islam Militant Group in Indonesia Remains a Threat: Densus 88

 

Members of Indonesian counter-terrorism police unit Densus 88 conduct a raid in Tangerang, in Banten province near Jakarta, following a spate of attacks, May 16, 2018.

----

2022.05.13

In March, Indonesia’s Counter-Terrorism Unit Densus 88 arrested more than 20 suspected members of Darul Islam, a decades-old organization which aims to establish an Islamic state of Indonesia and has historically been a stepping stone for members to join more violent groups.

DI, also known as Indonesia NII (Negara Islam Indonesia), is unlikely to conduct terror attacks anytime soon, but still poses a threat.

Those arrests – 16 in West Sumatra and another five in Banten – quickly raised suspicions about Darul Islam’s possible revival. alleged reported that DI West Sumatra had planned low-level terror attacks using machetes and a larger campaign to overthrow the government by 2024.

However, the threat posed by DI is overhyped because its cells are too small and uncoordinated to pose any significant attack to the government, observers have noted.

Historically, DI’s main threat has come from its ability to sustain its members’ caliphate dream through social programs. Some of those members eventually split to establish and support groups including Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) or Jemaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) who are eager to take up arms in support of this dream.

While DI is indeed less coordinated today, its ability to build and sustain support for the caliphate dream remains.

History of DI’s rebellion

DI is a terrorist organization established by Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosuwiryo in 1942 with the goal of establishing an independent Islamic state of Indonesia. Because of a need to drive out colonial forces, DI for a time played a supporting role to Indonesia’s nationalist forces in their struggle for independence against the Dutch in West Java.

Because of different visions regarding the role of Islam in Indonesia’s post-independence governance and the temporary secession of West Java to the Dutch in the Renville Treaty of 1949, DI quickly became hostile to Indonesian forces as well. Since then, DI has made several attempts to establish a caliphate.

Between 1949 and 1962, DI mounted rebellions in West Java, South Sulawesi, South Kalimantan and Aceh which displaced more than 1 million people in Java alone. Between 1968 and 1976, DI reorganized itself and began a terror campaign in Sumatra under the name of Komando Jihad to sow chaos and court Libya’s support for an armed conflict.

In 1982, DI attempted to emulate Iran’s 1979 revolution and rally Muslims for a popular revolt under the name of the Indonesian Ulama Council. State forces’ intervention, however, caused these attempts to ultimately fail.

DI’s mark on Indonesia’s history goes beyond efforts to overthrow the government. Throughout its lifespan, DI has radicalized members who would eventually splinter from the organization’s main structure to spearhead successful rebel groups and terrorist organizations of their own.

In 1976, for example, DI’s chosen representative to liaise with the Libyan embassy, Hasan Tiro, split with the organization to establish the Free Aceh Movement (GAM). In 1993, DI’s head of foreign affairs who managed the organization’s relations with al-Qaeda, Abdullah Sungkar, split to establish JI.

Current state of DI

While DI’s notoriety has been overshadowed by JI and JAD recently, police have reported that its activities continue. Today, DI has cells across seven regions – Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Bali, Sulawesi, Maluku and West Sumatra – each of which operates a “structured and systematic” four-step recruitment system to vet and indoctrinate sympathizers.

In West Sumatra alone, this system reportedly recruited more than 1,125 DI members – 400 active members and the rest who are members of its sleeper cells. In 2019, one of Kartosuwiryo’s sons stated that DI has more than 2 million members and sympathizers across the nation.

It is also important to note that while individual DI cells may remain active, crucially, it lacks a meaningful central command to coordinate inter-cell activities. This has been the case since 1998 when members failed to resolve disputes over the organization’s leadership.

While seniors agreed to appoint Tahmid Basuki, one of Kartosuwiryo’s sons, younger members perceived him as weak and refused to recognize his status. This ultimately ushered in the “time of many imams” with various cells, while considering themselves DI, operating and strategizing independently from one another.

While DI cells today operate independently, they are bound by the same dream Kartosuwiryo had – to establish an Islamic state of Indonesia. In this regard, they share the same ideological space as Indonesia’s other salafi-jihadist groups.

Different from JAD, however, DI cells see Muslim communities not as enemies but victims of an apostate anti-Islamic government that they need to defend. And different from JI, DI is more lenient toward Sufi beliefs that combine Islamic teachings with local mysticism. That said, some DI cells do stray from these ideologies – such as DI Bandung that began adopting JAD ideology in 2014.

The future

It is unlikely for DI to mount any serious threat of attack to the Indonesian government in the short term. While recent accounts estimate the national membership to be around 2 million, it is unclear how many are skilled members and how many are sympathizers.

Additionally, based on evidence from DI West Sumatra, it would appear DI does not yet have the logistics to mount serious attacks – notably, during the March arrests, police found only machetes. Most importantly, DI’s current fractured state likely will hinder any form of collective mobilization necessary to a meaningful attack.

That said, DI is still a threat – largely because of its ability to instill the dream of the Indonesian caliphate to individuals through social programs. The DI cell in Bandung, for example, reportedly had developed health clinics, orphanages and welfare programs that built a sense of community and gave credential to DI’s ideology for many of its members.

As one member of DI Bandung stated, “Why join a group [like JI and JAD] that’s still dreaming when you can join a group that’s proven itself capable of establishing an Islamic state and giving benefits to its citizens?”

More worryingly, members rarely stay loyal to DI. As noted above, throughout its lifespan, DI has constantly become a stepping stone for members to join more violent groups.

More recently, DI cells have become stepping stones for members to join pro-IS groups – DI Bandung members eventually joined JAD, DI Makassar eventually became JAD Makassar, and a DI splinter in North Sumatra eventually created the pro-IS Muslim Nasution group in Belawan.

Thus, while DI itself may not pose any threat of violence, its ability to attract members that can and do become the base of more violent groups indicate that it should not be taken lightly.

Source: Benar News

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://www.benarnews.org/english/commentaries/militant-threat-05132022160103.html

--------

Israeli Police Attack Mourners Carrying Coffin Of Al Jazeera Journalist

 

Israeli police attacked the funeral procession - nearly forcing pallbearers to drop Abu Akleh's coffin [Ammar Awad/Reuters]

------

May 13, 2022

Israeli police officers charged at Palestinian mourners carrying the coffin of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh on Friday, before thousands led her casket through Jerusalem's Old City in an outpouring of grief and anger over her killing.

Packed around Abu Akleh's coffin, dozens of Palestinians, some waving Palestinian flags and chanting “with our soul and blood we will redeem you Shireen,” began walking toward the gates of St. Joseph's Hospital.

Israeli police officers, in an apparent bid to stop them proceeding by foot rather than taking the coffin by car, burst through the courtyard gates and charged at the crowd, some beating pallbearers with batons and kicking them.

At one point the group carrying her coffin backed against a wall and almost dropped the casket, recovering it just before one end hit the ground as stun grenades detonated.

The violent scenes, which lasted only minutes, added to Palestinian outrage over Abu Akleh's killing, which has threatened to fuel violence that has surged since March.

Abu Akleh, who had covered Palestinian affairs and the Middle East for more than two decades, was shot while reporting on an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday.

Palestinian authorities have described Abu Akleh's killing as an assassination by Israeli forces. Al Jazeera in its news reports has also said she was shot by Israeli forces.

Israel's government initially suggested Palestinian fire might have been to blame, but officials have also said they could not rule out it was Israeli gunfire that killed her.

Qatar and Al Jazeera condemned the Israeli police's conduct. Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said the scenes were “very shocking” and US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she was “deeply distressed by the images”, while the EU said it was appalled.

A few minutes after police intervened, Abu Akleh's coffin was placed in a vehicle that headed towards the Cathedral of the Annunciation of the Virgin in Jerusalem's Walled Old City, where the funeral ceremony proceeded peacefully.

Crowds of Palestinians lined the narrow alleyways of the Old City as the coffin was carried to the Mount Zion Cemetery nearby.

Her grave was covered in wreaths and the Palestinian flag draped over the grave cross as mourners surrounded it solemnly, paying tribute to Abu Akleh.

“We're here because we are screaming for justice. Justice for Shireen Abu Akleh and justice for Palestine,” said one mourner, who did not want to be identified by name.

Investigations and raids

The Israeli military said on Friday that its initial investigation “concluded that it is not possible to unequivocally determine the source of the gunfire which hit and killed Ms. Abu Akleh”.

She may have been killed by shots fired by Palestinian militants shooting at Israeli military vehicles or been hit inadvertently by an Israeli soldier returning fire, it said.

Israeli forces on Friday resumed raids on the outskirts of Jenin, where Abu Akleh was killed, and the Palestinian Health Ministry said 13 Palestinians had been wounded.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group meanwhile claimed responsibility for the death of an Israeli police officer in an exchange of gunfire in Jenin.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, said events in Jerusalem and Jenin could push the sides into serious escalation.

Abu Akleh's death has drawn widespread condemnation. Video footage from the moments after she was shot showed Abu Akleh, 51, wearing a blue vest marked “Press”.

At least two of her colleagues who were with her said that they had come under Israeli sniper fire and that they were not close to militants.

Israel, which has voiced regret at Abu Akleh's death has proposed a joint investigation with the Palestinians, asking them to provide the bullet for examination.

The Palestinians have rejected the Israeli request and have called for an international investigation.

Source: Dawn

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://www.dawn.com/news/1689492/israeli-police-attack-mourners-carrying-coffin-of-al-jazeera-journalist

--------

Gyanvapi Mosque Case: Amid Tight Security, 52-Member Team Enters Masjid Complex

 

At present, the team is surveying the western wall area of the mosque

-----

May 14, 2022

The videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex in Varanasi resumed today with tight security arrangements amid objections over videography inside the complex. However, the mosque management committee has indicated that it will cooperate for now with the team assigned the task by a local court.

Currently, the team is surveying the western wall area of the Mosque. As per News18, all roads leading to Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Gyanvapi Mosque have been blocked and tight security arrangements have been put in place. Pedestrians were also not allowed on the road between Maidagin and Godowlia areas.

The mosque is located next to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple. "There is a robust arrangement to ensure that the people don't face any inconvenience, the Darshan takes place well and everything goes on well," RS Gautam, deputy commissioner of police, Kashi Zone, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

"The authorised persons — all parties, their advocates, court commissioners and videographers — have reached the spot, and the survey has started," District Magistrate of Varanasi Kaushal Raj Sharma told PTI.

According to the latest reports, all the three underground cellars have been surveyed. A total of 52 people including survey team members from both sides, petitioners, respondents and officers from administration have entered the site.

The mosque is located close to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple and the local court is hearing a plea by a group of women seeking permission for daily prayers before the idols on its outer walls.

An important meeting was held with all parties concerned on Friday, Sharma had said earlier, and added that an appeal was made to them to cooperate in the commission's work and the maintenance of law and order.

In his order on Thursday, District Civil Court (Senior Division) judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar had turned down a plea by the mosque committee to replace Ajay Kumar Mishra, who was appointed advocate commissioner by him to survey the Gyanvapi-Gauri Shringar complex.

The judge also appointed two more advocates to help the commissioner with the survey and said it should be completed by Tuesday.

Lawyers representing the Hindu and Muslim sides were present at the meeting held on Friday by the district magistrate.

Also on Friday, the Supreme Court refused to grant an interim order of status quo on the survey. The top court, however, agreed to consider listing the plea of a Muslim party against the survey.

The survey was stalled last week amid objections by the mosque committee, which claimed that the advocate commissioner did not have the mandate to film inside the premises. The committee accused him of bias and filed a plea for his replacement.

Advocate Madan Mohan Yadav, who is appearing for the Hindu side, had said the three court-appointed advocate commissioners, five lawyers each from the two sides and an assistant besides a videography team will carry out the survey.

People attended Friday prayers amid tight security outside the mosque.

In its order on Thursday, the district court said locks should be broken if the keys are not available to access certain areas of the complex for the survey.

It also asked the district authorities to register FIRs if the survey was not allowed.

Source: Firstpost

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://www.firstpost.com/india/gyanvapi-mosque-case-amid-tight-security-52-member-team-enters-masjid-complex-10672701.html

--------

No Quick Fix For Baloch Issue As Pak Army Rather Than Govt Holds Power

 

Representative Image (File Image)

-----

14 May, 2022 

Balochistan [Pakistan], May 14 (ANI): Even after the Islamabad High Court has asked to stop ethnic profiling of Baloch students, atrocities against them are not ending anytime soon as the powerful military will not allow this to happen and even the government led by Shehbaz Sharif is also helpless on the issue.

Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court in his order dated May 5 had asked the Interior Secretary to develop a mechanism to stop atrocities against the people of Balochistan. However, the Interior Secretary has virtually no power to decide on that as everything is only and only in the hands of the Pakistani Army, reported a Canada-based think tank, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS).

The Army has strong control over the lives of people in Balochistan. The Army has imposed its own laws to control the area and people. The situation is similar in almost all the districts in Balochistan province.

All male members of the districts from the age of 12 appear once or twice in a week in the local Military Camp for questioning. It is mandatory as per the rules formulated by the army.

Let alone this, the locals in many districts of Balochistan are not even allowed to organize funerals without the approval of the Military. Even to visit a nearby town to buy household items, one needs Army’s permission.

Baloch people have been voicing their concerns and protesting against this but the pleas have fallen on deaf ears. When Pakistanis were celebrating Eid, the Baloch Educational Council, Bahawalpur, Punjab, staged a protest demonstration against enforced disappearances, harassment, and profiling of Baloch students and common people.

Harassment, killing, enforced disappearance, and torture by Pakistan security forces have put Baloch people in such a situation that even the educated women are resorting to a unique form of protest including a suicide bombing which is haram in Islam, as per the thinktank.

Pakistan Army can kill the Balochs but is not in a position to heal their wounds. With all this, one thing is clear the pain and suffering that Baloch people undergo are not going to be alleviated in Pakistan keeping in mind the continued pattern where many innocent Balochs are subjected to torture and harassment. (ANI)

Source: The Print

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://theprint.in/world/no-quick-fix-for-baloch-issue-as-pak-army-rather-than-govt-holds-power/955385/

--------

 

Arab World

 

UAE elects Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed as President

14 May ,2022

The UAE’s Federal Supreme Council has elected Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the President of the UAE, the Emirates News Agency WAM reported on Saturday.

Dubai Ruler and Prime Minister of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum shared his congratulations, according to a WAM report.

Source: Al Arabiya

Please click the following URL to read the text of the original story:

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/05/14/UAE-elects-Crown-Prince-Sheikh-Mohammed-bin-Zayed-as-President

--------

UAE de facto ruler sees Iran, Islamists as threat to ambitious Gulf safe haven

MAY 13, 2022

United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who is expected to become president, led a realignment of the Middle East that created a new anti-Iran axis with Israel and fought a rising tide of political Islam in the region.

Working behind the scenes for years as de facto leader, Sheikh Mohammed, 61, transformed the UAE military into a high-tech force, which coupled with its oil wealth and business hub status, extended Emirati influence internationally.

Mohammed began wielding power in a period when his half-brother President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, who died on Friday, suffered bouts of illness, including a stroke in 2014.

MbZ, as he is known, was driven by a "certain fatalistic line of thinking" that Gulf Arab rulers could no longer rely on their main supporter the United States, according to former US envoy to the UAE Barbara Leaf, especially after Washington abandoned Egypt's Hosni Mubarak during the 2011 Arab Spring.

From his power base in the capital Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed issued a "calm and cold" warning to then-President Barack Obama not to back uprisings that could spread and endanger Gulf dynastic rule, according to Obama's memoir, which described MbZ as the "savviest" Gulf leader.

A US State Department official serving in the Biden administration, which has had fraught ties with the UAE in recent months, described him as a strategist who brings historical perspective to discussions.

"He will talk not only about the present, but go back years, decades, in some cases, speaking to trends over time," the official said.

MbZ backed the 2013 military ousting of Egypt's elected Muslim Brotherhood president Mohammed Mursi, and championed Saudi Arabia's Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he rose to power in a 2017 palace coup, touting him as a man Washington could deal with and the only one able to open up the kingdom.

Encouraged by warm ties with the then US President Donald Trump, the two Gulf hawks lobbied for Washington's maximum pressure campaign on Iran, boycotted neighboring Qatar for supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, and launched a costly war to try to break the grip of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis.

The UAE also waded into conflicts from Somalia to Libya and Sudan before upending decades of Arab consensus by forging ties with Israel in 2020, along with Bahrain, in US-brokered deals known as the Abraham Accords that drew Palestinian ire.

The accords were driven by shared concerns over Iran but also perceived benefits to the UAE economy and fatigue with a Palestinian leadership "that doesn't listen," said one diplomat.

TACTICAL THINKER

While diplomats and analysts see the alliance with Riyadh and Washington as a pillar of UAE strategy, MbZ has not hesitated to move independently when interests or economic reasons dictate.

The Ukraine crisis exposed strains with Washington when the UAE abstained from a U.N. Security Council vote condemning Russia's invasion. As an OPEC producer, along with oil titan Riyadh, the UAE also rebuffed Western calls to pump more.

Abu Dhabi has ignored other US concerns by arming and backing Libya's Khalifa Hafter against the internationally recognized government and engaging with Syria's Bashar al-Assad.

With Riyadh, the biggest divergence came when the UAE largely withdrew from Yemen as the unpopular war, in which more than 100 Emiratis died, got mired in military stalemate.

When Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir reneged on a promise to abandon Islamist allies, Abu Dhabi orchestrated the 2019 coup against him.

STABILITY FOREMOST

Although he says he was attracted to their Islamist ideology in his youth, MbZ has framed the Muslim Brotherhood as one of the gravest threats to stability in the Middle East.

Like Saudi Arabia, the UAE accuses the Brotherhood of betrayal after it sheltered members persecuted in Egypt in the 1960s, only to see them work for change in their host countries.

"I am an Arab, I am a Muslim, and I pray. And in the 1970s and early 1980s I was one of them. I believe these guys have an agenda," MbZ said in a 2007 meeting with US officials, according to Wikileaks.

Educated in the UAE and the military officer's college at Sandhurst in Britain, Sheikh Mohammed's mistrust of Islamists heightened after 2001, when two of his countrymen were among the 19 hijackers in the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.

"He looked around and saw that many of the younger generations in the region were very attracted to Osama bin Laden's anti-Western mantra," another diplomat said. "As he once said to me: 'If they can do it to you, they can do it to us.'"

Despite years of enmity, MbZ chose to engage with Iran and Turkey as COVID-19 and rising economic competition with Saudi Arabia turned focus to development, pushing the UAE towards further liberalization while keeping a lid on political dissent.

Seen as a modernizer at home and a charismatic people's man by many diplomats, MbZ doggedly promoted the previously low-profile Abu Dhabi, which holds the UAE's oil wealth, by spurring development in energy, infrastructure and technology.

Source: J Post

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

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-706647

--------

Funeral prayer in absentia performed in Two Holy Mosques for late UAE president

May 13, 2022

Worshipers prayed to Allah Almighty to have His mercy on his soul and to grant patience and consolation to his family.

Earlier, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman directed to perform the absentee funeral prayer for the late UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah following the evening prayer.

Funeral prayers were performed in mosques across the UAE on Friday after the demise of Sheikh Khalifa. Citizens and residents came together to perform the prayers held after the Maghrib (sunset) prayer.

Source: Saudi Gazette

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

https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/620463/SAUDI-ARABIA/Funeral-prayer-in-absentia-performed-in-Two-Holy-Mosques-for-late-UAE-president

--------

Syria’s government criticizes US decision to allow investment in country’s north

13 May ,2022

Syria’s foreign ministry on Friday criticized a US decision to allow some foreign investment in areas of northern Syria that are outside of government control, vowing to “defeat” the move.

On Thursday, the US Treasury Department approved activities in 12 sectors including agriculture, construction and finance, in what it said was a strategy designed to defeat ISIS terrorist group through economic stabilization.

The decision does not permit any transactions with the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad or others blacklisted by the US during the 11-year-long Syrian war.

In a statement on Friday, the foreign ministry in Damascus said Syria was “determined to defeat this new conspiracy,” encouraging people in the country’s north to “bring it down.”

It described the decision as part of Washington’s “destructive approach” to Syria. Damascus blames Western sanctions for widespread civilian hardship in the country, where a collapse of the currency has led to soaring prices and people struggling to afford food and basic supplies.

Government troops and allied forces have recaptured most of the territory they had lost after demonstrations against al-Assad in 2011 devolved into a brutal conflict.

Swathes of territory in the northwest are held by Turkish-backed forces, while the northeast is mostly controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The northeast holds much of Syria’s oil reserves and wheat production, while the northwest was once an agricultural and industrial zone.

The license authorizes purchases of oil products such as gasoline in the area, but does not permit transactions with the government or sanctioned individuals or the import of Syrian petroleum products to the United States.

In a call with reporters, US officials rejected assertions that the move could be seen as helpful to efforts by some Arab allies to bring back Assad in from the cold, and repeated that Washington had no intention of lifting sanctions on him.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/Syria-s-government-criticizes-US-decision-to-allow-investment-in-country-s-north

--------

Five killed in Israeli strike on Syria’s Hama countryside

13 May ,2022

Israeli missiles targeted central Syria on Friday, killing five people, including a civilian, and ignited fires in farmlands in the area, Syrian state media reported.

The official news agency SANA said the missiles were fired at the town of Masyaf in the Hama countryside, adding that several of them were shot down by Syrian air defenses.

An unnamed military official was quoted as saying that five people were killed, including a civilian, and seven were wounded.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Syria war monitor, said Israeli aircraft fired at least eight missiles that struck weapons depots and sites belonging to Iranian militias in the Masyaf area, which led to several fires.

Ambulances were seen rushing to the area, it added.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attack, which the Observatory said was the 12th Israeli attack on Syrian territory since the beginning of the year.

The Observatory has a network of activists on the ground in Syria.

Israel has staged hundreds of strikes on targets in Syria over the years but rarely acknowledges or discusses such operations.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/Syria-s-air-defenses-confront-Israeli-aggression-over-Hama

--------

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in UK helps student locked in British cafe after-hours

13 May ,2022

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in the United Kingdom is in talks with the British police after a student from the Kingdom was left behind unnoticed in a cafe after waitressing staff closed the shop, according to a Saudi news report on Thursday.

The student, who is on a scholarship, was reportedly tuned in to an online lecture on the second floor of the establishment with headphones on when the incident transpired, Saudi Okaz newspaper reported.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

As the lecture ended, the student realized that he was alone in the now-empty coffee shop.

They had stopped operations and closed for the day.

The student then promptly contacted the local Saudi embassy who informed the police force.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/05/13/Saudi-Arabia-s-embassy-in-UK-helps-student-locked-in-British-cafe-after-hours

--------

 

Southeast Asia

 

Malaysia suspends slaughtering approval for Aussie halal-certified firm

May 14, 2022

PUTRAJAYA: The slaughtering approval granted by Malaysia to a halal-certified company in Australia, Thomas Foods International Lobethal, has been suspended with immediate effect until a thorough investigation is done.

Islamic development department of Malaysia (Jakim) director-general Hakimah Mohd Yusoff said the decision was taken following a special meeting between the veterinary services department (JPV), Jakim and Australia’s department of agriculture, water and the environment (DAWE) yesterday.

“Jakim has conducted an investigation into the slaughterhouse and held a series of discussions with the Australian authorities.

“Jakim has also arranged a meeting with Pertubuhan Kemasyarakatan Rakyat Malaysia (Pekemas) to get more information,” she said in a joint statement by Jakim and JPV here today regarding alleged violations of halal slaughtering procedures by a company given halal status by Malaysia in Australia.

Recently, the Malaysian Muslim Consumers Association (PPIM), together with Pekemas and Sahabat 99, had revealed alleged violations of SOPs for halal slaughter by a company in Australia, which had received approval from Jakim, based on video evidence and photos which were attested to by slaughter workers at the company.

Hakimah said the halal certification body responsible for halal supervision of slaughterhouses in Australia, the Supreme Islamic Council of Halal Meat in Australia Inc (Sichma), would be given a show-cause letter.

She said Sichma would also likely face revocation of its status as a halal certification body recognised by Jakim if it was found not complying with the requirements of Malaysian halal standards and procedures.

She stressed that Jakim and JPV viewed seriously the allegation, adding that the procedure for the recognition of foreign processing plants by the Malaysian government had to go through strict and detailed audits before going through the process of presentation and evaluation four times to be approved.

Source: Free Malaysia Today

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

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/05/14/malaysia-suspends-slaughtering-approval-for-aussie-halal-certified-firm/

--------

Ex-Naza boss asks shariah court to enhance Maria’s jail term

Predeep Nambiar

May 13, 2022

KUALA LUMPUR: Former Naza group chairman SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin has asked the shariah court to enhance a seven-day jail sentence on Petaling Jaya MP Maria Chin Abdullah over her criticism of a jail term on his former wife.

Faisal filed a cross-appeal to the shariah court, saying Maria’s appeal against her sentence should not be considered because of the “blatant disrespect” she had shown to the shariah judiciary.

Maria had been found guilty of contempt of court for a statement she made criticising an earlier shariah court decision to sentence Faisal’s former wife Emilia Hanafi to seven days’ jail, also for contempt of court.

Faisal said in his appeal that Maria’s challenge to the seven-day jail sentence indicated that she had no sense of remorse or regret over her actions.

He said the shariah high court had rejected Maria’s earlier appeal as she was found to have no respect for the court order by issuing baseless remarks that have sullied the shariah court’s image and integrity.

The shariah high court sentenced Maria to seven days’ in jail for contempt of court over a blog post in September 2019 which said “Muslim women are still being discriminated (against) under Malaysia’s shariah legal system.”

The posting was about the shariah court’s decision to sentence Emilia Hanafi to seven days in prison for rescheduling his visitation dates for her children. Maria said the jail term was a grave injustice and a “total disgrace to the judicial system”.

The shariah high court said Emilia had failed several times to produce her three children aged eight to 13 despite a consent judgement allowing Faisal visiting rights.

Shariah high court judge Fouzi Mokhtar said Maria’s description of the contempt proceedings against Emilia as being a form of “discrimination” against Muslim women by the shariah court system was false, and made without much research into the proceedings.

Source: Free Malaysia Today

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

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2022/05/13/naza-boss-asks-shariah-court-to-enhance-marias-jail-term/

--------

 

Mideast

 

Leader: Arab States Should Take Explicit Political Action against Israel's Crimes

2022-May-13

Ayatollah Khamenei receive Sheikh Tamin and his accompanying delegation on Thursday evening.

During the meeting, the Supreme Leader emphasized increasing political and economic cooperation between Iran and Qatar.

Referring to the fact that the solution to the regional issues is holding dialogues without foreign intervention, the Supreme Leader said "the Arab World was expected to enter the political action field against the obvious crimes committed by the Zionist Regime against the Palestinian people".

He said that the strength and sustainability of relations between Iran and Qatar is in the interest of both countries, adding that the current level of economic relationship was low and should be multiplied.

Ayatollah Khamenei expressed the hope that the Qatari Emir’s visit of Tehran would be a new starting point for expansion of cooperation between the two states.

He lauded Sheikh Tamim’s condemnation of the crimes committed by the Israeli  Regime, and underlined that "the decades-long oppression by the devil Zionists against the Palestinian people was a bitter reality and a blow to the Muslims and the Arab world".

The support from some Arab states for the Palestinian people in the last year incident in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in Holy Quds didn’t even match the Europeans’ support.

The region didn’t need foreign intervention for management, the Supreme Leader underscored, adding that "the Zionists cause corruption everywhere they go and they cannot provide power or advantage for countries".

He also urged the implementation of the agreements made between Iran and Qatar with a specific timing.

The Qatari Emir, for his part, highlighted the Supreme Leader’s status in the Muslim World, and said that the crime committed by the Israeli regime in Palestine were tragic and everyone should stand against them.

He expressed regret over the killing of a female journalist in Jenin by the Israeli military forces.

Sheikh Tamim said that the solution to the issues of the countries in the region, including Syria, Iraq and Yemen, was through dialogue.

The Qatari Emir arrived in Tehran on at the head of a high-profile political and economic delegation. He has also met with Iranian President Seyed Ebrahim Rayeesi.

Sheikh Tamim was welcomed by Iranian First Vice-President Mohammad Mokhber upon his arrival in Tehran.

The visit follows a trip by President Rayeesi to Doha in February, where he met senior Qatari officials and attended the sixth summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF).

Rayeesi's visit was the first to Qatar by an Iranian president in 11 years. During the trip, Tehran and Doha signed 14 memoranda of understanding in the fields of aviation, trade, shipping, media, cancellation of visa requirements, electricity, standards, education and culture.

Qatar has good ties with Iran, with which it shares a giant gas field.

Tehran stood by Doha after Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies imposed a boycott on Qatar in mid-2017.

Recently, Iran has voiced its preparedness to provide Qatar with whatever assistance it needs to better and more magnificently host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is scheduled to take place from November 21 to December 18 this year in the Persian Gulf kingdom.

Source: Fars News Agency

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

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010223000439/Leader-Arab-Saes-Shld-Take-Explici-Pliical-Acin-agains-Israel's

--------

Iran: Nakba Day Reminiscent of Occupation, Massacre of Palestinians

2022-May-13

"The criminal Zionists, with the support of some Western powers, usurped the Holy Land of Palestine by force through murder and looting and laid their permanent insecurity and instability in West Asian region in a way that their atrocities have continued ever after," the Iranian foreign ministry said in its statement on Friday.

Anniversary of 'Nakba Day' once again reminds the need for the human and legal duty of all governments and nations of the world in defense of the rights of oppressed Palestinian people and failure of international organizations and institutions to resolve one of the world's oldest humanitarian and political crises, the statement added.

It emphasized that the issue of Palestine is the first and fundamental issue of the Islamic world and considers the attempt of Zionist regime to cover up its atrocities in global arena as ‘doomed to failure’.

The statement said that the Iranian foreign ministry believes that any compromise with the sworn enemies of the Islamic Ummah would lay the ground for inhumane acts and human rights violations of the apartheid regime of Israel and Muslim nations and leaders must know that the only way to achieve rights of Palestinian people is the unity and amity of Islamic governments against oppressors and occupiers.

The Islamic Republic of Iran believes that the establishment of stable and lasting peace in the Middle East will be achieved only through roots of the this crisis including end of the organized occupation of Palestine, return of refugees, determination of future of Palestine based on holding a national referendum with the participation of main residents of the land and finally, formation of an integrated and unified Palestinian state with Al-Quds as its capital, the statement concluded.

In relevant remarks on May 7, 2021, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in a speech on the International Quds Day stressed that Israel is not a country but a terrorist base against the people of Palestine and other Muslim nations.

"Since the first day, the Zionists turned the usurped Palestine into a terrorist base. Israel is not a country, but a terrorist camp against the Palestinian nation and other Muslim nations," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

"Fighting against this despotic regime is fighting against oppression and terrorism. And this is a collective responsibility," the Supreme Leader added.

Source: Fars News Agency

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

https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010223000682/Iran-Nakba-Day-Reminiscen-f-Occpain-Massacre-f-Palesinians

--------

Israeli officer killed, 13 Palestinians wounded in Jenin standoff

13 May ,2022

An Israeli officer was shot dead Friday during raids around Jenin on Friday, Israel’s premier said, in the latest unrest to hit the flashpoint camp in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian health ministry said 13 Palestinians were also injured during the raids.

“Today we lost a real hero, Noam Raz – a brave (army) fighter ... (during a) complex and sensitive operation against terrorists,” Bennett said in a statement.

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Police said he was injured in Burqin, near Jenin, during a “shootout with terrorists” and later died from his wounds.

The army said it carried out several raids in the West Bank early Friday jointly with police units.

The raids included one in the restive refugee camp of Jenin to investigate the site where veteran Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on Wednesday.

During the Jenin operation, an AFP photographer saw Israeli forces surround the home of a suspect, besieging two men inside and then firing anti-tank grenades at the building in an effort to flush them out.

A near four-hour seige ensued, before the men eventually turned themselves in.

The army said that it used the raid to investigate the spot where Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was killed on Wednesday.

The army “reconstructed the events at the scene,” according to a military statement.

One of the 13 Palestinians injured was named as Daoud al-Zubaidi, a brother of Zakaria al-Zubaidi, who headed the armed wing of the Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and briefly escaped from Israeli prison last year.

The raids came hours before violence erupted at Abu Akleh’s funeral, after Israeli police stormed the grounds of a Jerusalem hospital as the body of the slain journalist was being transported for burial.

Israel and the Palestinians have traded blame over the fatal shooting of Abu Akleh.

Tensions are high with a wave of anti-Israeli attacks that have killed at least 18 people since March 22, including an Arab-Israeli police officer and two Ukrainians.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/Israeli-officer-killed-13-Palestinians-wounded-in-Jenin-standoff

--------

 

India

 

Justice DY Chandrachud to Hear Plea against Varanasi Mosque Survey in Supreme Court

May 14, 2022

New Delhi: A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud in the Supreme Court will hear the plea seeking a stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.

The order directing the registry to list the matter before Justice Chandrachud was uploaded on the Supreme Court website on Friday night, where Chief Justice of India NV Ramana directed that matter be listed before Justice Chandrachud.

"Upon being mentioned by Huzefa Ahmadi, senior counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioner, we deem it appropriate to direct the Registry to list the matter before the Bench presided over by Dr Justice DY Chandrachud," the order stated.

Yesterday senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi mentioned the matter before a bench headed by CJI Ramana asking to order status quo in the case pending before the Varanasi civil court.

The bench, however, had refused to grant status quo in the case, saying that it was not aware of the issue, as it had not seen the papers then.

"We have not seen the papers. We don't even know what is the matter. I don't know anything... how can I pass an order. I will read and then pass orders... let me see," said the CJI.

Mr Ahmadi appearing for the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee that manages the Gyanvapi Mosque sought an order of the status quo, saying "survey has been directed in relation to Varanasi property". This is covered by the Places of Worship Act. Now the Court has ordered the Commissioner to conduct a survey.

On Friday, the appeal was filed by the Committee, challenging an order of Allahabad High Court permitting a court-appointed commissioner to inspect, and conduct a survey and videography of the Gyanvapi mosque to which Hindus and Muslims have laid claim for their right to worship.

It sought direction to stay the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex.

The Varanasi civil court had directed a survey to inspect, conduct videography and collect evidence regarding the alleged existence of Hindu deities inside the Gyanvapi mosque located next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

On May 12, the court said that the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque will continue despite objections from mosque authorities.

The local court had earlier directed the authorities to submit a report by Tuesday (May 10), however, the survey could not take place as the mosque committee had opposed the videography inside the mosque.

The civil court had appointed a court commissioner to conduct the survey and videography of the site and the same was challenged before Allahabad High Court, which dismissed the appeal on April 21. Now April 21 order of the High Court has been challenged in the top court.

Five women had filed a petition in the court seeking permission for daily worship at the Shringar Gauri temple, which was allegedly situated inside the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Mosque premises.

The order of the civil court for undertaking survey and videography at the premises came on the petition of the aforesaid.

PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com

Another petition, which was filed by one Vijay Shankar Rastogi, had contended that the entire premises belonged to the Kashi Vishwanath and that the Gyanvapi Mosque was only a part of the Temple, is also pending in the court since 1991.

Source: ND TV

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

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sc-bench-headed-by-justice-chandrachud-to-hear-plea-against-gyanvapi-mosque-survey-2974797

--------

Chhota Shakeel sent money to incite terrorism and target politicians: NIA

May 14, 2022

MUMBAI: Fugitive gangster Chhota Shakeel sent huge money to incite terrorism and target prominent politicians in India, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said in a court while seeking custody of his two aides who were arrested on Friday.

The court remanded the two, Arif Abubakar Shaikh alias Arif Bhaijan (59) and his brother Shabbir Abubakar Shaikh (51) in NIA custody till May 20. The court found that the NIA's submission about involvement of the accused on the backdrop of available material on record was sustainable.

The NIA is investigating a terror funding case against gangster Dawood Ibrahim and his close aides, including Shakeel. The NIA alleged Arif and Shabbir were involved in handling of Dawood gang's illegal activities and terrorist financing in the western suburbs of Mumbai. On Friday, NIA also questioned a Borivli-based bookie-turned-builder.

The arrested accused are alleged to be close associates and relatives of Shakeel, who operates an international criminal syndicate from Pakistan and is involved in extortion, narcotics smuggling and violent terrorist activities in India.

The accused were provided legal aid as they did not have lawyers present in court. Arif told the court that "Humein is desh se bahut pyaar hai (We love this country). Saare jahaan se accha Hindustan hamara."

Source: Times Of India

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

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/shakeel-sent-money-to-incite-terrorism-and-target-politicians-nia/articleshow/91553697.cms

--------

Rahul Gandhi condoles death of UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed

May 13, 2022

UDAIPUR: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday condoled the death of UAE President and ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and said he will be fondly remembered as a visionary leader who brought rapid development to the UAE.

Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed passed away on Friday. He was 73.

"The Ministry of Presidential Affairs condoles the people of the UAE, the Arab and Islamic nation and the world over the demise of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE,” the official WAM news agency said in a statement.

Condoling his death, Gandhi said in a tweet, “My heartfelt condolences to the family of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and to the people of United Arab Emirates.”

My heartfelt condolences to the family of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and to the people of United Arab Emira… https://t.co/euG3HZLSQ6

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) 1652441952000

Source: Times Of India

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

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/rahul-gandhi-condoles-death-of-uae-president-sheikh-khalifa-bin-zayed/articleshow/91544925.cms

--------

2 LeT terrorists killed in encounter with security forces in J&K's Bandipora

May 13, 2022

Srinagar: Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists who had recently infiltrated into Kashmir were killed in an encounter with security forces in Bandipora district on Friday, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Brar in the Aragam area of Bandipora in north Kashmir following inputs about the presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the hiding terrorists fired upon security forces personnel, who retaliated.

In the ensuing exchange of fire, two terrorists were killed, he said.

The official said the identity of the slain terrorists was being ascertained.

Earlier in the day, Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Kashmir Vijay Kumar said the two terrorists trapped in Brar were Pakistani and belonged to the LeT. They had infiltrated into Jammu and Kashmir recently. They had managed to escape during an encounter in the Salinder forest area on Wednesday, he said.

Source: Times Of India

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

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/2-let-terrorists-killed-in-encounter-with-security-forces-in-jks-bandipora/articleshow/91544267.cms

--------

UP: Three Muslims shot by police over alleged cattle smuggling

13th May 2022

The Ghaziabad police on Thursday killed three Muslim cattle herders for allegedly smuggling cows. The three accused were reportedly gunned down after being chased by the police.

The deceased were identified as Zeeshan, Saddam and Qasim. According to the police, they asked the accused to surrender, but instead the trio allegedly open fire on the police, injuring a constable. The incident is said to have occurred at 4:30 AM, when the police were checking vehicles at the Jal Nigam Police Outpost area of Vijayanagar police station.

When the police tried to stop the Scorpio, the trio did not adhere to the orders and drove away. Superintendent of Police Nipu Agarwal said, “When Police asked the accused to surrender, they started firing.”

MS Education Academy

“Constable Deepak Kumar of Vijaynagar Police Station sustained injury due to a bullet. The police opened fire in retaliation. All three smugglers were shot during the encounter,” he further added. The three accused were arrested by the police, who recovered three pistols, cartridges, the car and a cow.

Source: Siasat Daily

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

https://www.siasat.com/up-three-muslims-shot-by-police-over-alleged-cattle-smuggling-2326198/

--------

Kashmiri Pandits’ killing – acts of terror with wider ramifications

14th May 2022

Arun Joshi

The killing of a Kashmiri Pandit employee Rahul Bhat in the central Kashmir district of Budgam on Thursday has been condemned and condoled like all other such killings in the past, but there is something more to this gruesome murder  – it brings a bad name to Kashmir, as it triggers a parochial narrative that Kashmiri Hindus were the only targets in the Muslim majority Valley. There always is an extra concern when a minority community member is shot dead by the terrorists. In the case of  Kashmiri  Pandits’ killing in the Valley, it is immediately traced to their mass exodus in 1990 when they had to flee their homes amidst the fear of bullets killing them and a hostile ecosystem that came into being in the initial days of the eruption of militancy in Kashmir. The past is relived every time a Kashmiri Pandit is killed in the Valley, the echoes of 1990 reverberate.

While all this was there, the spin doctors were ready with all their toxic formula of playing the Muslim- versus Hindu card, Kashmiri Muslims came out in open, took out processions condemning the gruesome murder, and made it plain that they won’t allow 1990 to be repeated. This should have been a more assuring message to the Kashmiri  Pandit community in the Valley, whether they are serving in government offices under PM’s Rehabilitation and Employment Package, or those who stayed back in the land defying all the calls to migrate – than the official pledges that the culprits would be brought to justice.

An act of terror is an act of terror. There have been numerous instances where local Muslims- employees, policemen, social activists, shopkeepers, and daily wage earners- have been killed by militants. That is condemned as an act of terror but no other motives are attributed as it is believed that terrorists have to kill, so they kill. But when it comes to the minorities, especially Hindus and Sikhs, the narrative shifts from acts of terror to communal overtones.

Indeed, the killing of a member of the minority community has its own tragedy and ramifications, but the larger issue that the Muslim majority Kashmir should be aware of, such killings have wider pitfalls.

At this point in time, when the tourists are in the Valley in thousands, enjoying its enchanting beauty and cool climes, these killings don’t do any good to the image of the place. The killings and fear go together and this can cast a shadow over the overall atmosphere in the Valley that is expecting not only more tourists but also an investment for its economic development. The fear leads to a rethink.

Of course, there are ripple-effects. Twists are given to make it look like the whole thing is communal. This widens gaps. This way, they are falling into the trap of the killers, and also their backers whether within or from across the border-Pakistan Ridicule is no solution to such situations.

The acts of terror and the hands behind such obnoxious and inhuman acts should be separated from the polity. Defaming the Valley will have its own consequences. The country’s leadership hails  Kashmir as “crown jewel of India”  that honour should be respected in letter and spirit. But the defamation of the Valley because acts of terror take place there is one thing, but to link these acts of terror to the majority community is quite dangerous. It is a deliberate attempt to draw wedges between the communities, not only within Jammu and Kashmir but also at the national level.

Source: Siasat Daily

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

https://www.siasat.com/kashmiri-pandits-killing-acts-of-terror-with-wider-ramifications-2326711/

--------

 

Pakistan

 

Federal minister says no EVM will be used in Pakistan election

May 13, 2022

LONDON: Electronic voting machines will not be used in the next general election in Pakistan, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said.

The remarks came after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and federal ministers' meeting with the PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif at his son Hussain Nawaz's residence in London.

The meeting was the second meeting since the prime minister and his delegation flew to London to meet Nawaz.

Addressing media on Thursday, the minister said that the incumbent government will "abolish" the idea of EVMs.

The first session of the crucial Pakistan Muslim League (N) huddle in London decided that there will be no early elections in Islamabad and the primary focus of the Shehbaz Sharif-led government should be on providing economic relief to the citizens and taking long-term economic decisions.

The six-hour-long meeting was held among Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, his brother and the party supremo Nawaz Sharif and other leaders, including Khwaja Asif, Miftah Ismail, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Atta Tarar, Rana Sanaullah, Ishaq Dar, Ayaz Sadiq, at an undisclosed location in London, The News International citing sources.

Notably, the former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has been continuously calling for early general elections in the country since he lost the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.

Shehbaz Sharif arrived in London to meet his brother Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday. Nawaz, who is convicted in a corruption case, has been living in London on the pretext of ill health since 2019. The former Pakistan PM sought extensions to prolong his stay in London on medical grounds.

According to Nawaz, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had left Pakistan in a deep economic crisis.

Last month, Nawaz had also conducted meetings with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who was later appointed Pakistan's federal minister.

Source: Times Of India

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

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/federal-minister-says-no-evm-will-be-used-in-pakistan-election/articleshow/91538165.cms

--------

Pakistan rupee slips to historic low, Imran blames it on his ouster

May 14, 2022

ISLAMABAD: As the Pakistani rupee continues to sink against the US dollar, declining to all time low on Friday, ousted PM Imran Khan claimed that he and his finance minister had warned the "neutrals" - a reference to the country's powerful security establishment - that the "fragile economic recovery would go into a tailspin" if the conspiracy against his government succeeded. The conspiracy, according to Imran and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, was hatched by the US in collaboration with his political opponents to remove him from office for pursuing an "independent foreign policy". Taking to Twitter, Imran said: "Rupee at all-time low (of) Rs193/$ (from Rs178 on March 8); interest rates at 15 per cent, highest since 1998; stock market down 3,000 points or 6.4pc; stock market lost Rs604 billion capitalisation; inflation 13.4pc, highest since Jan 2020."

Imran's tweets surfaced with the Pakistan Stock Exchange and the Pakistani rupee coming under pressure over past few days as the new government has failed to take decisive decisions. The latest depreciation recorded in rupee's value was followed by the central bank's report on Thursday that the foreign exchange reserves had depleted to a 22-month low, at $10.3 billion. The greenback reached 193 in the interbank market on Friday, breaking all previous records. The domestic currency had closed at Rs191.77 against the dollar on Thursday.

Source: Times Of India

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

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pakistan-rupee-slips-to-historic-low-imran-blames-it-on-his-ouster/articleshow/91554040.cms

--------

Defiant Imran vows Sialkot jalsa will go ahead after police action

Imran Sadiq

May 14, 2022

A defiant Imran Khan on Saturday vowed his planned rally in Sialkot would go ahead hours after police cracked down on arrangements on a premises it said belonged to the Christian community.

Earlier today, authorities stopped PTI members from erecting structures in preparation for the rally in Sialkot's CTI ground, DawnNewsTV reporting that police fired tear gas and baton-charged party activists who were resisting the move.

The rally — in which the PTI chairman was to deliver a speech as part of his series of jalsas culminating in the party's "Azadi March" on Islamabad — was set to be held later in the day.

Television footage showed police personnel at the venue, as people, some with PTI flags around their necks, stood atop a crane in what appeared to be an attempt to prevent it from dismantling the structures being set up for the rally.

Clouds of tear gas could also be seen in the footage, while another scene showed police rounding up some individuals.

Taking to Twitter, Imran said "let there be no doubt" he would be going to Sialkot today.

"What imported govt did in Sialkot against our leadership & workers is outrageous, but not unexpected. This bunch of criminals out on bail and their convict mafia boss in London have always used fascist tactics against opponents when they are in power."

He said they "use and abuse" democracy when in opposition and "totally destroy all democratic norms when in power", but the people had now risen against them.

He concluded his thread by saying his government "never stopped any of their jalsas, sit-ins and rallies "because we are committed to democracy". He added: "I will be in Sialkot today and I am calling on all our people to come out and protest in their areas/cities after Isha prayers against this fascist imported government."

'Ground belongs to Christian community'

Sialkot District Police Officer (DPO) Hasan Iqbal, who was present at the site, told reporters that the local Christian community had objected to holding a rally at the ground, saying that it was their property.

"As you know we are right now standing on a ground that belongs to the Christian community. They had filed a writ [petition] in the high court, asking that no political rally be held on the grounds," Iqbal said, adding that the high court then directed the Sialkot deputy commissioner to listen to both parties and decide accordingly.

"Leaders of the political party and representatives of the Christian community came yesterday and the former acknowledged that the ground belonged to the Christian community," the DPO said, without naming the PTI.

He added that the "political party's leaders" sought permission to hold the rally but the Christian community had refused.

He said the deputy commissioner had also provided alternatives for holding the rally.

"We made it clear that we are not against any political activity. Holding a rally is a legal and constitutional right. But forcibly holding a rally on a property belonging to a minority community without any due process would be inappropriate," DPO Iqbal said.

"Then we came here and told them that we can help you with regard to an alternative venue. What has happened after that is there for you to see."

He said it was "not our mandate to make arrests or stop the rally". "Our mandate is to implement the deputy commissioner's directives, which was made according to the law, after the high court's order."

To a question about containers being placed to block roads, the DPO said it was the "political party" had requested for space for parking. "We have not blocked any roads," he maintained.

Meanwhile, there were also reports of the arrest of PTI members but no immediate official confirmation.

When asked about the matter, the DPO did not give a definite answer saying that information about this would be given in an official version.

He went on to say that "police had not done anything on the ground" but it was the "vendors" who were clearing it, without elaborating further.

But the PTI said in a tweet that multiple party members, including leader Usman Dar, had been taken into custody.

In a video statement, Dar said that he was speaking from a "prison van" after his arrest from the ground. Others could also be seen with him.

"They believe that our love ... for the captain can be contained by putting us in this prison van or jail. Hear me: throw us in jail, we will come out and again continue the movement for freedom, will again hold a rally. This storm is not going to stop. This passion will not die down," he said, adding that "we are standing with Imran Khan".

Dar added: "We will bear imprisonment but remain loyal to our leader Imran Khan. And listen closely, we will come out of the jails and again hold a rally in Sialkot. Our leader will again come to Sialkot. And under the leadership of Imran Khan, we will bury this imported government, these puppets of America forever," Dar said.

PTI leaders defiant

PTI leaders remained defiant and vowed the rally would go ahead. Former planning minister Asad Umar said the "nation is no longer afraid", calling on supporters in Sialkot to "get ready, as Kaptaan will be arriving this evening".

Former state minister Farrukh Habib said the "fascist" government had "stooped to cowardly acts". He also condemned Usman Dar's arrest.

PTI chairman Imran Khan's chief of staff Shahbaz Gill, too, upbraided the "imported government" for its "hooliganism". "Holding a rally is our fundamental right and no one can stop us," he said, adding the move was evidence that the ruling coalition's "legs were quivering".

'Won't allow a religious divide'

Meanwhile, PML-N's Ataullah Tarar warned the PTI that if it wanted to "make it a religious issue" in the name of protest and "attempt to spread chaos", there would be arrests.

"The church does not want you to use the land they use for religious purposes," Tarar told reporters in Lahore. "It is the same as PML-N saying they want to hold a rally at Bani Gala. Would you give your land? Traditionally, all rallies have taken place in cricket stadiums."

He added: "If you do not desist from your actions and try to create divisions on religious lines and forcibly try to hold a rally on the church's ground, then the bars of the jail are present. Our Christian brothers and sisters are as much Pakistanis as you are."

He said the white in the Pakistani flag is the guarantor of their rights. "The chief minister (Hamza Shehbaz) has issued instructions to the administration and law enforcement agencies that there is no permission to create religious divide," Tarar added.

'Govt told us last night rally was not permitted'

Farrukh Habib later held a news conference in Faisalabad, in which he claimed the PTI had applied 10 days in advance to hold the rally in that ground, but the government had not responded until last night.

"On the eve of the rally, they are telling us 'we will not allow you to proceed with the jalsa'," he added.

"We are aware who the master planner is. The government whose members are on bail, whose 24 members are on the ECL (Exit Control List), has ignored governance and the runaway dollar," Habib said.

Source: Dawn

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

https://www.dawn.com/news/1689618/defiant-imran-vows-sialkot-jalsa-will-go-ahead-after-police-action

--------

Will not rest till perpetrators of KU suicide attack given exemplary punishment: Bilawal

May 14, 2022

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari vowed on Saturday that the government would not rest till it had given "exemplary punishment" to the perpetrators of the suicide attack inside Karachi University last month, in which four people, including three Chinese nationals were killed.

Addressing a condolence reference in Islamabad, he said the country was shocked and saddened at the terrible loss.

"We fully condemn this cowardly act and we will never forgive the enemies of Pakistan-China all-weather strategic partnership. We will also not allow anyone to harm our iron-clad friendship. The sacrifice of both Chinese and Pakistanis in nurturing our bonds of brotherhood will not be in vain."

Bilawal pledged that authorities would do everything in their capacity to provide maximum security and ensure the safety of the Chinese in Pakistan. "You are our guests and we are determined to ensure your safety and comfort in our country.

"To the families of those who perished, our entire nation grieves with you. While we cannot bring back the departed, we will not rest until we have given exemplary punishment to the perpetrators of this heinous act," he vowed.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan-China ties were time-tested and the countries would face every challenge together and emerge stronger.

The suicide attack at Karachi University had been carried out using the rights of the Baloch as an "excuse", he said.

"I know that every Pakistani is proud of our hospitality and gives importance to caring for friends. Not only do we know this [but] we're also known for this internationally. Neither a Sindhi Pakistani nor a Baloch Pakistani can ever tolerate the terrorism that is directed at our guests."

In the last decade, Pakistanis saw that citizens were targeted using religion, he said, iterating that Baloch rights were used as an "excuse" for carrying out the terror attack at the university.

"These people left their homes to come here and educate our people. This attack happened not only on those individuals but on Pakistan-China friendship as well. Now, it is the responsibility of every Pakistani to proceed on this issue as if it was an attack on our own brothers and sisters.

"Together, we have to ensure that we do not tolerate such terror attacks. We will ensure that the families of these people and our public get justice."

The country would succeed in its fight against terrorism and show the world that those who believed that they could attack Pakistan-China friendship would not succeed, he pledged.

On April 26, a woman, later identified as Shari Baloch, detonated herself as a van carrying staff members was about to enter the Confucius Institute at the Karachi University.

A spokesperson for the university had identified three of the deceased as Chinese nationals — Confucius Institute Director Huang Guiping, Ding Mupeng and Chen Sai. The fourth victim was the van's driver, Khalid.

Another four people were injured in the attack.

The banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) had claimed responsibility.

The Karachi University attack was the third terrorist attack on Chinese citizens on Pakistani soil in a year.

Source: Dawn

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

https://www.dawn.com/news/1689626/will-not-rest-till-perpetrators-of-ku-suicide-attack-given-exemplary-punishment-bilawal

--------

PTI dissident MPAs seek refuge in technicalities

Iftikhar A. Khan

May 14, 2022

ISLAMABAD: As 25 PTI dissident members of the Punjab Assembly tried to seek refuge in technicalities, their lawyers pleaded before a bench of the ECP on Friday that the spirit behind Article 63-A of the Constitution must not be allowed to be defeated.

Most of the 25 dissident MPAs tried to justify their action of voting in favour of PML-N’s Hamza Shehbaz Sharif by claiming that they had received no directives from the party. They raised procedural objections and claimed they never received any show-cause notices — a mandatory requirement.

Barrister Ali Zafar, representing the PTI before a three-member bench of the ECP, argued that the objective behind Article 63-A was to eradicate defection from the body-politic. “If the defectors are not deseated, it will amount to encouraging defection,” Senator Ali Zafar argued.

Faisal Farid, a PTI counsel, said the 25 MPAs were issued show-cause notices on April 7 for taking part in a “mock election of the chief minister” at a hotel.

“They have not denied voting for the opposition’s candidate and deliberately damaged their party’s standing,” he said. Further hearing was adjourned to Monday.

The PTI dissidents in their replies raised questions about the validity of the declaration of defection and the procedure adopted to seek their disqualification.

Abdul Aleem Khan said in his reply the declaration of defection made by the party head was “without lawful authority” and void in the eyes of the law.

Source: Dawn

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

https://www.dawn.com/news/1689560/pti-dissident-mpas-seek-refuge-in-technicalities

--------

Sindh's social media users spreading anti-state material to face action

Tahir Siddiqui

May 14, 2022

KARACHI: The provincial government on Friday assigned premier security agencies the task to comb out those who are spreading ‘venomous material’ on social media and ‘brainwashing’ youngsters against the state and its institutions.

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah took the decision while presiding over the 27th Apex Committee meeting which was attended among others by Corps Commander Karachi Lt-Gen Muhammad Saeed, DG Rangers Major General Iftikhar Chaudhry as well as provincial ministers, police chief, heads of intelligence agencies and other officials.

The participants were given a briefing on the social media being used by terrorist outfits and criminal groups.

The names and identification of terrorist outfits and their social media accounts and handles were identified with number of followers and traffic on their accounts.

Apex Committee told to control such elements through agencies

The premier agencies were assigned the task to examine those who were spreading venomous material on social media, brainwashing youngsters against the state and its institutions and instigating them to kill innocent people as had been witnessed at Karachi University.

The chief minister said the authorities would have to control the anti-state and anti-social elements by using latest technology.

It was pointed out that during different protests, slogans were raised against the state and its institutions. The chief minister said that such an attitude was not acceptable and directed police and Rangers to monitor such elements and take action against them.

The Apex Committee, at the outset of the meeting, condemned killing of three Chinese teachers at Karachi University and vowed to bring the culprits to book. The meeting was told that teams had been constituted to unearth the mastermind.

The chief minister in consultation with the participants decided to further strengthen intelligence network and intelligence sharing so that operation could be conducted against terrorists.

The meeting also condemned the recent blast in the Saddar area and ordered its investigation.

787 street criminals listed

The meeting was informed that through an extensive exercise conducted in the criminal records of the criminals operating in the city, 787 persons had been identified as habitual offenders, 540 drug dealers and 244 land grabbers.

The lists of the criminals prepared by the agencies were shared with each other [police, Rangers and Corps headquarters] so that action as decided by the chief minister could be accelerated.

In the list names of criminals, their addresses, CNICs, mobile numbers, photos or exposure, age have been mentioned. It was pointed out that most of the street criminals, drug dealers or land grabbers might be used by the terrorists in their anti-state activities.

The meeting was told that in 2013, street crime cases were recorded at 1,506 per month, but the number increased to 3,939 per month in 2022.

The task of installation of trackers in motorcycles was assigned to Transport Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon.

The meeting was told that around 400,000 unregistered Afghan nationals were living in Karachi, while 71,429 Afghans were holders of registration card. Illegal immigrants of other nationalities were in addition to them.

The federal government was asked to strengthen control along the border with Afghanistan.

Source: Dawn

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

https://www.dawn.com/news/1689499/sindhs-social-media-users-spreading-anti-state-material-to-face-action

--------

 

South Asia

 

Haqqani: About 50 Former Government Officials Have Returned to the Country

By Saqalain Eqbal

14 May 2022

Anas Haqqani, a prominent Taliban figure who also serves on the Return and Communications with Former Afghan Officials and Political Figures Commission, recently stated that almost 50 former government officials and political figures have returned to the country.

Although the commission’s approach has not been determined, the senior Taliban member informed TOLOnews that all options for the return of former government officials have been considered.

“We have facilitated the grounds. Many officials who worked as ministers and deputy ministers during the former government, they returned,” he said.

Dialogue with the Taliban, according to some former government political figures, is impossible unless the Taliban respect the people’s will for the regime’s legitimacy and the general election.

Said Ishaq Gailani, the head of National Solidarity Movement of Afghanistan, said “Those who have a mind of a politician, they first of all want legitimacy for the government, and then an election …”.

The commission for the Return of Former Afghan Officials and Political Figures, which has not long passed since its establishment, has continuously held meetings and actions in keeping with the commission’s goals.

Source: Khaama Press

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

https://www.khaama.com/haqqani-about-50-former-government-officials-have-returned-to-the-country11233/

--------

Fighting in Panjshir triggers fresh claims of Taliban war crimes

May 14 2022

Kabul, May 14 (IANS): Resistance to the Taliban is flaring up in northeastern Afghanistan, and as reports of deadly fighting increase, so are claims of war crimes against civilians.

The fighting is centred in Panjshir province, a traditional hotbed of ethnic Tajik resistance to the Pashtun-dominated Taliban and the last province to fall to the extremist group after it seized control of the rest of the country in August 2021, RFE/RL reported.

Residents of the southern Dara district's Abdullah Khel Valley said that an influx of Taliban fighters to counter growing unrest had led to extrajudicial killings, torture and beatings.

The violence has been attributed by some to defiance of the Taliban's declaration that Eid al-Fitr be celebrated on May 1.

Locals marked the Islamic holiday on May 2 after a prominent imam criticized the Taliban's decision as politicized, and issued a fatwa calling for it to be celebrated in keeping with the date set by Mecca, the RFE/RL report said.

They also report high casualties among Taliban fighters deployed from other provinces to quell fighting led by the resurgent anti-Taliban National Resistance Front (NRF) and to round up local religious figures and other potential insurrection leaders.

"As they (the Taliban) searched for the resistance, they encountered difficulties but took a number of young men hostage," said one resident of Abdullah Khel Valley.

"There are dead bodies in every corner," said Mullah Mahad, 41, another resident. "But they (locals) don't have the right to bury their dead."

Another resident, Gul Aqa, said that clashes with the NRF resulted in heavy losses for the Taliban.

"The Taliban sent more troops and military weapons to suppress the gunmen, but this time the National Resistance Front forces based in the Abdullah Khel Valley attacked the Taliban convoy," he said.

The reported fighting has led to a war of words between the NRF and the Taliban, with the resistance group claiming in recent days that it had killed scores of Taliban fighters and taken control of large parts of the Abshar and Dara districts, including the Abdullah Khel Valley, RFE/RL reported.

The reports of renewed fighting have been accompanied by multiple videos on social media of apparent war crimes being carried out by Taliban fighters.

The videos, which RFE/RL was not able to independently verify, purportedly show Taliban fighters beating civilians and firing at civilian homes.

Other videos show alleged Taliban fighters shooting men one by one in a trench and allegedly executing a resistance fighter.

The reports of the mistreatment and killings of civilians led the European Union's envoy to Afghanistan, Andreas von Brandt, to express his concerns about the situation in Panjshir.

"We mourn the innocent loss of life," von Brandt wrote on Twitter on May 10.

Source: Daiji World

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

https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=958185

--------

Afghan journalist sentenced to prison for criticizing Taliban

13 May, 2022

Kabul [Afghanistan], May 13 (ANI): The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has condemned the arbitrary sentencing of an Afghan journalist from Herat, and urged the Taliban to cease its persecution of journalists for their independent reportage.

Afghan journalist Khaled Qaderi has been tried and sentenced to one year in prison by a Taliban military court for social media posts criticizing the Taliban regime.

Qaderi, a poet and reporter for independent broadcaster Radio Nawruz, has been in custody since his arrest on March 17 in Herat, and was tried in mid-April. He was notified of the military court’s verdict 10 days from the date of the trial.

Istikhbarat, the Taliban Intelligence Service, accused the journalist of conducting ‘espionage for foreign media’ and criticizing the Taliban regime through propaganda posted to the social media platform Facebook.

Qaderi told the court, “I realized my errors and I deleted the posts from my Facebook page.” He did not have a defence lawyer and was forced to agree not to appeal the verdict.

According to IFJ, this is the first reported case of a journalist tried by the military court since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

Qaderi’s prison sentence is the latest example of human rights violations concerning journalists and restrictions on media freedoms in Afghanistan. In April 2022, a presenter for 1 TV, Moheb Jalili, and a reporter for Rah-e-Farda, Reza Shahir, were arrested and tortured by the Taliban Intelligence Service.

In the latest South Asia Press Freedom report, the IFJ documented 75 media rights violations, including 12 killings and 30 arrests, in Afghanistan from May 2021 to April 2022. An estimated 1,000 journalists have fled the country since the Taliban takeover, with threats, harsh restrictions, and economic collapse leading to mass closures of media outlets.

A survey conducted by the IFJ’s Afghan affiliate, Afghanistan’s National Journalists Union (ANJU), in February 2022, found that 318 media outlets across 33 provinces have closed since 15 August 2021.

On May 7, Hibatullah Akhundzada, Afghanistan’s supreme leader and Taliban chief, announced a strict new dress code for Afghan women, mandating the use of the chadori or head-to-toe-burqa.

Source: The Print

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

https://theprint.in/world/afghan-journalist-sentenced-to-prison-for-criticizing-taliban/954584/

--------

 

Africa

 

Deborah Samuel: Muslims have red lines that must not be crossed – Imam of National Mosque

May 13, 2022

By Fikayo Olowolagba

The Imam of National Mosque Abuja, Ibrahim Maqari, says Muslims have some red lines which must not be crossed especially as regards the dignity of the Prophet.

The Imam said this at a time when a Christian female student Deborah Samuel was burnt to death by a mob for blasphemy in Sokoto state.

Imam Maqari hinted consequences awaited those who crossed the religion’s red lines.

He noted that if grievances are not properly addressed no one should be criticised for addressing them individually.

A statement posted on the Imam’s Twitter account. read: “It should be known to everyone that we the Muslims have some red lines beyond which MUST NOT be crossed. The dignity of the Prophet (PBUH) is at the forefront of the red lines.

“If our grievances are not properly addressed, then you should not be criticized for addressing them ourselves.”

Source: Daily Post Nigeria

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

https://dailypost.ng/2022/05/13/deborah-samuel-muslims-have-red-lines-that-must-not-be-crossed-imam-of-national-mosque/

--------

10 ministers resign in Nigeria ahead of general elections

Olanrewaju Kola  

13.05.2022

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria

Ten of the 43 ministers in Nigeria's Federal Cabinet on Friday resigned from office ahead of this month's pre-election exercise by political parties before next year's general elections.

Nigerian Information Minister Lai Mohammed said President Muhammadu Buhari held a valedictory session with the outgoing ministers at the Presidential Villa on Friday.

"There was a valedictory service for 10 members of the Federal Council who have indicated their desire to aspire for higher offices," he said.

The president assured that the 10 vacant positions will soon be filled, the minister added.

Buhari last Wednesday asked Cabinet members seeking elective posts to resign by May 16.

Nigeria's electoral law mandates public officers competing in the general elections to resign at least 30 days before the election.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/10-ministers-resign-in-nigeria-ahead-of-general-elections/2587549

--------

Somali journalists protest killing of Al Jazeera reporter

Mohammed Dhaysane  

13.05.2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somali journalists on Friday held a protest to condemn the killing of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was shot dead while covering an Israeli raid at Jenin refugee camp in occupied West Bank.

While Palestinian officials and the Doha-based network say Israeli forces killed the veteran correspondent, there have been international calls for a probe.

Journalists including representatives from the Somali Journalists Syndicate (SJS) and Somali Media Association (SOMA) demonstrated at the Maka al-Mukarama street in the capital Mogadishu.

"We are in solidarity with our brothers and sisters of the Al Jazeera network as they mourn the loss of their colleague Shireen Abu Akleh," said Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the SJS secretary-general. "We call for an independent investigation to bring the killers to book," he added. "Journalism is not a crime."

“We are in shock that even journalists clearly wearing a press jacket are targeted and shot dead," said Mohamed Osman Makaran, secretary-general of SOMA. "We condemn this attack as an attack against all journalists in the world."

Abshir Nur Mohamed Faransa, a radio and TV journalist in Mogadishu, said journalists must be allowed to do their job, without fear of favor, wherever they are.

Hussein Mohamed, a stringer for The New York Times in Somalia, said Abu Akleh was a household name in Arab journalism, and a role model and mentor for many in Palestine and beyond. "I was shocked when I heard the news of her killing," he told Anadolu Agency.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somali-journalists-protest-killing-of-al-jazeera-reporter/2587182

--------

Somali parliament to choose next president on Sunday

Mohammed Dhaysane  

13.05.2022

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Somalia’s presidential election is way behind schedule, but after nearly a year-and-a-half of political wrangling, Somalis will finally have a new leader on Sunday.

The presidential election committee, which comprises members from both houses of parliament, is organizing the election, and the venue and stage have already been set up at Afasiyoni, the country's former air force base inside the heavily fortified Mogadishu International Airport.

Forces of the African Union Transition Mission will maintain the security of the venue and have imposed a total lockdown in the area ahead of the vote.

Abdurahman Sheikh Azhari, an independent analyst based in the capital Mogadishu, said the election is key to international support for Somalia on many fronts. "Political stability and security is uncertain due to the prolonged election process, which took longer than anticipated," he told Anadolu Agency.

But, he added, things are changing thanks to the end of the process of electing members of both the upper and lower house of parliament, who will jointly elect the president.

The head of state – who must receive at least two-thirds of the votes, or 184 votes, to be elected – will then appoint a prime minister, and a new Cabinet will be formed.

Besides political instability, the East African country faces an insurgency by al-Shabaab, a terrorist group linked to al-Qaeda.

Presidential race

Incumbent President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, also known as Farmaajo, who has remained in office more than a year after his constitutional mandate expired due to a delay in the holding of parliamentary elections, is hoping to be re-elected.

But he faces stiff competition from several candidates including two former presidents, Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, and former Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire Hassan.

No sitting president has ever been re-elected in Somalia's history.

After their registration, the candidates were given 15 minutes each to present their manifesto in parliament, which mainly focused on security, economy, and foreign policy.

Azhari said Somalis are hoping to see a change in the Somali leadership, adding that youth engagement should be significant in the new setup. "It's important to mention that half of the parliament members are under the age of 40, and there is a possibility of them joining the new Cabinet."

Somalia needs a healer

Abdinur Sheikh Mohamed, a candidate for Somalia’s presidency who identifies himself as a nationalist, told Anadolu Agency that Somalia needs a leader who can unite and reconcile Somalis, and have a clear political, economic, security, and foreign policy agenda.

Mohamed, who previously served as a federal minister of education, said he is glad to run against Farmaajo, offering the country an alternative leadership.

He believes the opposition candidates are better choices for Somalia, who could help bring "real change."

"Farmaajo didn't keep his promises to lead the country to a one-man, one-vote election (universal suffrage), and delayed the polls for over a year. Somalia needs change," he said.

Turkiye-Somali relations

Somalia and Turkiye enjoy special relations that have been growing since Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's visit to the country in 2011, a time when it was facing severe famine that killed over 20,000 people and displaced millions.

Turkish humanitarian organizations are also active in providing humanitarian and education assistance.

Mohamed said relations between Somalia and Turkiye are historical, and Turks have helped Somalia in state-building, as well as security. He added that the new era could take bilateral relations to an even higher level.

Elite capture

Omar Abdi Jimale, a lecturer at the SIMAD and Mogadishu universities, told Anadolu Agency that parliamentary elections in Somalia were neither free nor fair, and were characterized by political squabbles, horse-trading, intimidation, as well as armed clashes.

A few individuals, or the elite, control the vote, he said of the complex, indirect, and clan-based parliamentary election.

"Although I cannot call the 2017 election free and fair, there was autonomy in terms of who the clans elected as MPs, government intimidation was limited and women quotas were generally honored. But not so much this time," he said.

He said Somalis have been further divided in the last five years due to bitter political rivalries.

"The country requires a reconciliatory leader who can bring citizens together and work with [the five] federal states," Jimale said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/somali-parliament-to-choose-next-president-on-sunday/2586798

--------

 

North America

 

US criticizes Israeli attack on mourners during Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral

13 May ,2022

The US criticized Friday’s Israeli attacks on mourners and pallbearers during Palestinian-American Shireen Abu Akleh’s funeral procession in Jerusalem as “deeply disturbing.”

“We regret the intrusion of what should have been a peaceful procession. We’ve urged respect for the funeral procession, the mourners and the family at this sensitive time,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said.

As her casket was being carried, hundreds of Palestinians were seen hoisting the Palestinian flag and chanting.

Shortly after, Israeli forces rushed at the mourners, attacking them with batons, including the pallbearers and leading to the coffin dropping.

“This is a day where we should all be marking, including everyone there, the memory of a remarkable journalist who lost her life,” Psaki said during her final briefing as press secretary.

Pressed further as to whether the Biden administration condemned the Israeli violence, she said: “I think when we said they were disturbing, we obviously were not justifying them. But I think I will leave my comments at what I said.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a statement saying that the US was “deeply troubled to see the images of Israeli police intruding into her funeral procession today.”

Blinken added: “Every family deserves to be able to lay their loved ones to rest in a dignified and unimpeded manner.”

The top US diplomat also called on all sides to avoid actions that could further escalate the already tense situation in the area.

Abu Akleh, a reporter for Al Jazeera, was shot and killed this week while reporting on an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank’s Jenin. Palestine and her outlet have accused the Israeli military of killing her.

Video footage showed Abu Akleh, 51, wearing a flak jacket with “Press” clearly visible.

Israel said it was Palestinian gunmen who were responsible for her death before later backtracking and saying an investigation was going to be carried out.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/US-criticizes-Israeli-attack-on-mourners-during-Shireen-Abu-Akleh-s-funeral

--------

US President Biden, Jordan’s King Abdullah discuss tensions in Jerusalem

13 May ,2022

US President Joe Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah II met Friday and discussed ways to reduce tensions in Palestine and Israel, the White House said.

“The leaders consulted on recent events in the region and discussed urgent mechanisms to stem violence, calm rhetoric and reduce tensions in Israel and the West Bank,” the White House said.

Abdullah was in Washington for his second trip to the White House since Biden was elected in 2020.

It is worth noting that members of the press were not allowed in the Oval Office as is customary when the US president meets with foreign leaders. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the meeting was on a private level when asked about the reasons.

The visit also comes amid heightened tensions between Palestinians and Israelis. Most recently, Israeli forces reportedly shot and killed Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh and attacked mourners and pallbearers at her funeral procession on Friday.

Jordan has played a role in mediation efforts alongside Egypt, coordinating with the US.

“The President affirmed his strong support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and cited the need to preserve the historic status quo at the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount,” the White House said. “The President also recognized the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan’s crucial role as the custodian of Muslim holy places in Jerusalem.”

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/US-President-Biden-Jordan-s-King-Abdullah-discuss-tensions-in-Jerusalem

--------

US says reviving Iran deal ‘far from certain’ despite EU mission

13 May ,2022

The United States said Friday it remained uncertain if a nuclear deal with Iran can be revived after the European Union gave an upbeat assessment of a trip to Tehran.

A State Department spokesperson voiced appreciation for envoy Enrique Mora’s visit but added: “That said, at this point a deal remains far from certain.”

“Iran needs to decide whether it insists on extraneous conditions and whether it wants to conclude a deal quickly, which we believe would serve all sides’ interests,” the spokesperson said.

“We and our partners are ready, and have been for some time. It’s now up to Iran.”

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell earlier told reporters in Germany that stalled negotiations with Iran have been “reopened” after Mora’s trip.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/US-says-reviving-Iran-deal-far-from-certain-despite-EU-mission

--------

 

Europe

 

Fifteen European nations urge Israel to reverse plans for more settler homes

13 May ,2022

Fifteen European nations on Friday urged Israel to drop plans for thousands more settler homes in the West Bank, warning that they “stand in the way” of lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

“The new housing units would constitute an additional obstacle to the two-state solution,” said the countries in a statement issued by their foreign ministries.

“Israeli settlements are in clear violation of international law and stand in the way of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace between Israelis and Palestinians,” they added.

Israel advanced plans on Thursday for 4,427 housing units for Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, an Israeli non-governmental organization said.

The Civil Administration’s high planning committee gave final approval to 2,791 units and initial endorsement for another 1,636 units, said Peace Now, an organization that closely monitors Israeli settlement building.

Israel seized the West Bank and east Jerusalem from Jordan in 1967.

Since then, nearly 700,000 Israelis have moved into settlements that most of the international community regard as illegal.

The housing plans are scattered throughout a large swathe of the West Bank known as Area C, where Israel exercises military and planning control.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/Fifteen-European-nations-urge-Israel-to-reverse-plans-for-more-settler-homes

--------

German police: 5 stabbed and wounded on train in suspected Islamic terror attack

13 May 2022

VIENNA — Police have arrested an Iraqi-born man and are investigating a possible Islamic extremist motive after five passengers received knife wounds on a regional train in western Germany, authorities said Friday.

The train was traveling near the western city of Aachen Friday morning when a man began attacking fellow passengers “randomly and arbitrarily,” state interior minister Herbert Reul said, according to the news agency dpa.

There were approximately 270 passengers on the train, Reul said. A police officer who happened to be among the passengers overpowered the 31-year-old suspect with the help of two other passengers, state police confirmed.

Reul described the incident as “a gruesome crime that was stopped in an enormous act of courage.”

In total, five people were wounded, Reul said. Police confirmed the casualties were being treated at local hospitals and that none of them was in critical condition.

Source: Times Of India

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

https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-five-stabbed-and-wounded-on-german-train-in-suspected-islamic-terror-attack/

--------

Released aid worker tells UK’s Johnson his error worsened her Iran detention

13 May ,2022

British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe on Friday told Prime Minister Boris Johnson that an incorrect comment he made as foreign secretary had a big impact on her six-year detention in Iran, saying she lived in the shadow of his error.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe returned to London in March when she was released along with another dual national after Britain repaid a historic debt.

It was the first time she had met Johnson, who was foreign secretary in 2017 when he erroneously said she had been teaching people journalism before her arrest in April 2016.

His comment contradicted statements made by Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her employer, who said she had been on holiday visiting family.

She was subsequently convicted of plotting to overthrow the clerical establishment.

Johnson later apologized and retracted any suggestion that Zaghari-Ratcliffe was there in a professional capacity.

Her local member of parliament, who attended the meeting, said Zaghari-Ratcliffe had told Johnson to his face about the problems his mistake had caused.

“She told him very clearly and categorically that his words had a big impact on her and that she lived in the shadow of his words for the best part of four-and-a-half years,” Tulip Siddiq told reporters after meeting Johnson with Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s family.

“I had to say the prime minister looked quite shocked.”

The aid worker’s husband, Richard Ratcliffe, said Johnson’s comments were even brought up by interrogators during Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s last days in Iran as she waited to come home.

He said Johnson did not explicitly apologize for his error but the encounter had not been “abrasive.”

Zaghari-Ratcliffe did not speak to reporters herself, instead playing with the couple’s daughter Gabriella outside Johnson’s Downing Street office while her husband and Siddiq addressed the media.

“It was an honor to welcome Nazanin, Richard and Gabriella to Downing Street today,” Johnson wrote on Twitter, but he did not address his mistaken comment in 2017.

“We discussed the UK’s work to secure the release of unfairly detained nationals in Iran and I commended Nazanin for her incredible bravery during her ordeal.”

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested by Revolutionary Guards at Tehran airport on April 3, 2016, while trying to return to Britain with her then 22-month-old daughter from an Iranian New Year’s trip to see her parents.

Her family and her employer, the Thomson Reuters Foundation, denied the charges against her.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2022/05/13/Released-aid-worker-tells-UK-s-Johnson-his-error-worsened-her-Iran-detention

--------

EU calls on Tehran to release Swedish-Iranian sentenced to death

13 May ,2022

EU envoy Enrique Mora said Friday he called for the release on “humanitarian grounds” of an Iranian-Swedish academic on death row, during a mission to Tehran to help revive Iran’s 2015 nuclear pact.

Mora, the European Union’s coordinator for talks between Iran and major world powers to restore the deal, met Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri, who is also deputy foreign minister, on Wednesday and Thursday, state media said.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Mora tweeted after his departure that he had raised the case of the academic, Ahmed Reza Jalali.

“I want to underline that in Tehran I raised the need to stop execution of #AhmadrezaDjalali and asked for his release on humanitarian grounds,” the EU deputy foreign policy chief wrote.

Jalali, who was based in Stockholm and worked at Karolinska Medical Institute, was arrested during a visit to Iran in April 2016.

He was sentenced to death in 2017 after being found guilty of passing information about two Iranian nuclear scientists to Israel’s Mossad spy agency that had led to their assassinations.

Sweden granted Jalali citizenship while in detention in February 2018.

In March 2021, UN human rights experts called for his release, saying that he was “near death.”

Early this month, Iran’s ISNA news agency reported that the death sentence would be carried out by May 21.

The announcement coincided with the end of the trial in Sweden of Hamid Noury, a former official in Iran’s judiciary, accused of war crimes for his role in the killing of prisoners in Iran during the 1980s.

Prosecutors have requested life imprisonment for Noury, and he is set to be sentenced in July.

Iran’s foreign ministry has condemned the “illegal” arrest and trial of Noury, and called for his release.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2022/05/13/EU-calls-on-Tehran-to-release-Swedish-Iranian-sentenced-to-death

--------

French President Macron to visit UAE to mourn death of Sheikh Khalifa

14 May ,2022

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a trip to the United Arab Emirates to mourn the death of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and display his support for the ruling family, with whom France holds business and military ties.

Macron will travel to the UAE on Sunday, his administration said in a statement, to pay tribute to Sheikh Khalifa, who died on Friday, and “express his support to his brother Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and the rest of the family, and the entire Emirian people.”

For all the latest headlines follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Sheikh Khalifa, UAE president since 2004, aligned the Gulf state more closely with the West. He was buried and funeral prayers were held on Friday.

Major oil producer UAE is seen by France as a strategic partner in the region, and business ties, which include the delivery of military equipment and energy infrastructure, have been reinforced under Macron’s first presidential term.

During a high-profile visit to Dubai in November, Macron displayed a good relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed, and business delegations from both states signed a series of major deals.

The UAE ordered 80 of Dassault Aviation’s Rafale fighter jets and 12 military helicopters through an arms contract worth 17 billion euros ($19.20 billion), which the French say will secure thousands of local jobs.

Source: Al Arabiya

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

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2022/05/14/French-President-Macron-to-visit-UAE-to-mourn-death-of-Sheikh-Khalifa

--------

EU condemns Israeli police attack at funeral of Al Jazeera journalist

Agnes Szucs 

13.05.2022

BRUSSELS

The European Union condemned on Friday the Israeli police’s “the disproportionate use of force” during the funeral ceremony of slain Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

“The European Union is appalled by the scenes unfolding” at the funeral procession of Abu Akleh in the occupied East Jerusalem, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement.

He asserted that the bloc condemns “the disproportionate use of force and the disrespectful behavior” of the Israeli police against the participants.

Borrell also pointed out that it is “the minimal human respect” to allow a peaceful farewell “without harassment and humiliation.”

He reiterated the EU’s call for a “thorough and independent investigation” into the death of Abu Akleh.

Thousands of Palestinians participated in the funeral of the Palestinian-American journalist.

The Israeli police used stun grenades, tear gas and batons against the mourners, which left dozens injured, according to a statement by the Palestine Red Crescent Society.

The senior journalist was covering an Israeli military raid near the Jenin refugee camp in the occupied West Bank when she was shot dead on Wednesday.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/eu-condemns-israeli-police-attack-at-funeral-of-al-jazeera-journalist/2587539

--------

Berlin court upholds ban on Palestinian 'Nakba Day' demonstrations

Oliver Towfigh Nia  

13.05.2022

BERLIN

A Berlin court on Friday upheld a ban on all Palestinian "Nakba Day" demonstrations which were scheduled to take place in the German capital this weekend, the Berlin-based Tagesspiegel newspaper reported.

The administrative court outlawed five Palestinian demonstrations because for what it said was a risk of inflammatory or anti-Semitic calls and violence.

Reacting to the prohibition, the Palestinian civic group "Palestine Speaks" strongly criticized the ban on their demonstrations as an attack on the basic rights of freedom of assembly and freedom of expression.

"The ban on the commemorative events by the Berlin police restricts Palestinians in Germany in their fundamental rights and is worrying on several levels according to the standards of a democratic constitutional state,” the group said in a statement.

"The Nakba commemorative events are an important way for us Palestinians in Germany to remember the injustice perpetrated against our ancestors and to take a stand for the human rights of Palestinians everywhere," according to an unnamed spokesperson for "Palestine Speaks."

Palestinian groups had announced that they would protest against Israel's policies on the day of expulsion, Nakba (catastrophe), especially on Saturday and Sunday.

The demonstrations were planned because of the so-called Nakba Memorial Day which the Palestinians observe on May 15 every year to commemorate the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in the first Middle East war in 1948.

Palestinian civic leaders in Berlin have repeatedly made clear they do not condone anti-Semitic slurs in their demonstrations, saying their only objective is to highlight the ongoing Israeli repression in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/berlin-court-upholds-ban-on-palestinian-nakba-day-demonstrations/2587431

--------

Irish foreign minister 'shocked' by images from Palestinian journalist's funeral procession

Alyssa McMurtry 

13.05.2022

OVIEDO, Spain

A top Irish Cabinet minister on Friday declared himself “shocked” Friday by images of violence emerging from the funeral procession of slain Palestinian journalist Shireen Abu Akleh.

Video clips from her funeral procession showed Israeli riot police clashing with mourners and firing tear gas as people carried her coffin outside a Jeruselum hospital.

“We were all shocked after seeing the images of the funeral, which seemed extraordinary in terms of the policing of the funeral today,” Irish Defense and Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told a press conference in Madrid.

“Every country has the obligation to protect journalists, particularly in conflict zones,” he added.

Both the Spanish and Irish foreign ministers firmly condemned the death of the Al Jazeera journalist and called for an in-depth investigation into the cause of her death.

During the bilateral meeting, the two also said they discussed the need for “new ideas to avoid a new cycle of violence” in Israel, with Coveney insisting that the “international community should be more proactive” in the region.

Abu Akleh died from a shot to the head while she was covering an Israeli raid in the West Bank’s Jenin refugee camp.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/irish-foreign-minister-shocked-by-images-from-palestinian-journalists-funeral-procession/2587385

--------

Dutch court rules to bring back 12 Daesh/ISIS women, 29 children from Syria

Abdullah Aşıran  

13.05.2022

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands

The Rotterdam Court in the Netherlands ruled Thursday that the government should bring back 12 Daesh/ISIS women and their 29 children from Syria.

The court ruled that the women and children should be brought back to the country within four months if the Dutch Prosecutor's Office does not want to lose the right to prosecute them, according to a report by public broadcaster NOS.

The Netherlands wants to prosecute women who have gone to Syria to join the terrorist group.

The decision, which was leaked to the media, was made in a closed session and later confirmed by the court spokesperson speaking to NOS, according to the report.

It was also reported that the court in previous cases had never decided to bring such a large group of suspected Daesh/ISIS members back to the country in such a period.

In previous cases, a six-month period was given by the court to bring Daesh/ISIS women back to the Netherlands, while a decision on the four-month period was made for the first time.

Earlier this year, it was announced that the Dutch government brought back five women and 11 children who were suspected of being members of the terrorist organization or planning a terrorist attack from a camp in northern Syria.

It was reported that the government, which is not in favor of bringing back Daesh/ISIS women, decided on doing so to avoid losing the investigation right.

Source: Anadolu Agency

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

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/dutch-court-rules-to-bring-back-12-daesh-isis-women-29-children-from-syria/2586610

--------

URL:    https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/islamic-conference-abu-dhabi-caliphate-ummah/d/127008

 

New Age Islam Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism

Loading..

Loading..