New Age Islam
Thu Jun 19 2025, 07:12 PM

Islamic World News ( 26 Sept 2024, NewAgeIslam.Com)

Comment | Comment

SC Closes Proceeding Against Judge Who Called Muslim-Majority Area 'Mini-Pakistan', in the Dignity of the Judiciary, Says Five Judge Bench Led by CJI

New Age Islam News Bureau

26 Sep 2024

 

Supreme Court of India

-----

·         SC Closes Proceeding Against Judge Who Called Muslim-Majority Area 'Mini-Pakistan', in the Dignity of the Judiciary, Says Five Judge Bench Led by CJI

·         Tacit Support of the Far Right: France’s Interior Minister Vows Migration Curbs, Crackdown On Radical Islam

·         Emir of Kano Under Fire for Alleged Disrespect To Prophet Muhammad

·         At UN Open Debate, Saudi FM Says Violators of International Law Must Be Held Accountable Without Favour

·         US, France and Allies Call for ‘Immediate’ 21-Day Ceasefire Between Israel and Hezbollah

---------

India

·         Delhi HC Slams Delhi Shahi Idgah Managing Committee For Opposing Rani Lakshmibai Statue In The Shahi Idgah Park

·         A Petition in The Bombay High Court Seeks FIR Against Maharashtra CM, BJP MLA Over Anti-Muslim Remarks

·         J&K: Valley registers decent turnout of 54 per cent in second phase, vindicating old backer

-----

Europe

·         EU Leaders Must Address Alienation Of Muslim Voters, Report Warns

·         Justice Secretary Visits Southport Mosque to Show ‘Solidarity’ After Riots

·         Tour of North Harrow’s new Salaam Centre to take place during ‘Visit My Mosque’ event

·         How embracing Islam changed Jon Toogood’s financial outlook - Money Talks

---------

Africa

·         AGF Denies Claims of U.S. Court Seizing $21 Million From Nigeria

·         DR Congo opposition calls for release of political prisoners at protest

·         Insecurity: Swear with Qur’an – Matawalle’s Aide Tells Lawal

·         US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting

·         UN announces deal in Libya central bank crisis

--------

Arab World

·         Saudi Arabia: Vatican Library at Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah

·         Saudi Arabia Highlights AI, Data Efforts at UN Meeting

·         Judy Murray, Garbine Muguruza conduct tennis clinic for Saudi kids

·         Saudi FM participates in G20 ministerial meeting in New York

·         Saudi deputy FM receives Ambassador of Palestine to Kingdom

·         Investment in infrastructure key to smart and sustainable cities, say experts

·         Tajikistan aims for closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia

·         KSrelief delivers Gaza humanitarian Aid to Jordan

------

Mideast

·         ‘Committed to Joining Forces with Hezbollah Against Zionist Aggression’: Imam Khomeini’s Grandson

·         Head of Libyan Presidential Council Hits Out at Israel’s ‘Crimes of Genocide’ In Palestine During UNGA Debate

·         Houthis Threaten to ‘Cut Off Heads’ of Yemenis Who Celebrate Sept. 26 Revolution

·         Hezbollah’s tunnels and flexible command weather Israel’s deadly blows

·         Israel tells its troops to prepare for a possible ground operation in Lebanon

·         ‘We feel their pain’: Gazans stunned by strikes on Lebanon

·         Islamic Jihad: Targeting hospitals in Jenin is war crime

·         Iraqi Islamic Resistance targets enemy target in occupied Golan with drone

·         Zionist settlers storm Aqsa Mosque

---------

North America

·         US Muslim Advocacy Group ‘Emgage Action’ Endorses Harris, Warning Trump Greater Threat

·         CAIR-Chicago Calls for Probe of Islamophobic Survey Targeting Muslim Candidate

·         Stonewalling Muslim voters on Gaza has become a bipartisan effort

·         Harris promises 'pragmatic' approach in economic pitch to voters

·         New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal charges

-----

Pakistan

·         PML-N Leader Says Parliamentary Amendments Can't Be Challenged in Any Court

·         PM Shehbaz highlights India's egregious actions in IIOJK in meeting with UN chief

·         Imran Khan urges govt to notify Justice Shah as CJP soon

·         Ballots take precedence over Form 45 or 47 tally, rules SC

·         LHC rules against retrospective application of income tax law

·         At least 25 dead as Shiite-Sunni tensions flare over land dispute in Pakistan's Kurram

--------

South Asia

·         Yunus Seeks Gates Foundation's Enhanced Support For Bangladesh's Health Sector

·         92 arrested, 216 looted arms recovered so far: Police HQ

·         Media Violations Evaluation Commission Holds Regular Session

·         Public Health Minister Collaborates with WHO to Enhance Healthcare Services and Address Challenges

·         AFP: Afghan refugees tortured in Iranian detention camps

·         EU provides €146 million aid to Afghanistan

·         Families Of Mass-Uprising Martyrs Miraj, Rabbi Meet Nahid Islam

---------

Southeast Asia

·         Prabowo Warns of World War III Risk, Reaffirms Indonesia’s Non-Aligned Stance

·         Malaysia to prioritise foreign investments in AI and data tech, says PM Anwar

·         Malaysia calls to limit UNSC veto, demands Palestine resolution implementation

·         Ministry imposes RM4.4m in fines on 12 companies linked to GISB Holdings for failing to submit financial statements

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:     https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/judiciary-muslim-majority-mini-pakistan-cji/d/133294

-----

SC Closes Proceeding Against Judge Who Called Muslim-Majority Area 'Mini-Pakistan', in the Dignity Of The Judiciary, Says Five Judge Bench Led by CJI

 

Supreme Court of India

-----

Sep 25, 2024

By: Abhinav Singh

The Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday (Sep 25) closed the proceedings against a lower court judge after he made remarks, referring to a Muslim-dominated area as ‘mini-Pakistan'. A five-judge bench, Justices S Khanna, B R Gavai, S Kant, and H Roy, led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said the decision was taken after the judge apologised and in the wider interest of justice and dignity of the judiciary.

The apex court had taken suo moto cognisance of the issue last week and called out Karnataka High Court judge Vedavyasachar Srishananda for his insensitive comment.

"No one can call any part of territory of India as Pakistan," CJI Chandrachud declared.

"It is fundamentally against the territorial integrity of the nation. The answer to sunlight is more sunlight and not to suppress what happens in court. The answer is not to close it down."

The CJI said such observations may indicate personal biases which may be directed at a certain gender or community. Thus, judges should be wary of making patriarchal or misogynistic comments.

"We express our serious concern about observations on a certain gender or a community and such observations are liable to be construed in a negative light. We hope and trust that the responsibilities entrusted to all stakeholders are discharged without bias and caution," CJI added.

What did Srishananda comment?

During a recent hearing, Justice V Srishananda expressed his views on traffic conditions near the Mysore Road flyover in Bengaluru, where he made te contentious remark.

“Go towards the Mysore Road Flyover, every autorickshaw has got 10 people. The Mysore Road Flyover from the market to Goripalya is in Pakistan, not in India. This is the reality. However strict an officer you send, he will be beaten. This is not on any channel.”

A video clip of the judge making the remarks went viral on social media which instantly brought him flak and the legal trouble.

Another video showed Justice Srishananda telling a female lawyer that she seemed to know a lot about the "opposition party", so much so that she might be able to reveal the colour of their undergarments.

Source:wionews.com

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

https://www.wionews.com/india-news/india-sc-closes-case-against-judge-who-called-muslim-majority-area-mini-pakistan-761785

------

Tacit Support of the Far Right: France’s Interior Minister Vows Migration Curbs, Crackdown On Radical Islam

 

French Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau speaks with police officers on September 23, 2024. AFP

------

 25/09/2024

France is likely to see much tougher immigration and security measures to reflect a broad rightward shift in society, its new interior minister said in remarks hinting at the minority government’s dependence on the tacit support of the far right.

Bruno Retailleau’s calls for a harsher line on asylum claims, violence against police, prison sentences, radical Islam and drug-trafficking underline the sway of Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) on the newly-installed government.

After a June election in which President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist government suffered heavy losses, the ascendant RN gained kingmaker status, signalling tacit support for Michel Barnier’s new coalition between centrists and conservatives.

But the RN reserved the right to withdraw its backing for Barnier’s government if its concerns over immigration, security and other issues were not addressed.

Retailleau, 63, a veteran of the mainstream conservative Republicans (LR) party and a long-time sceptic of immigration, gave few details of his vision for the powerful interior ministry during Barnier’s first cabinet meeting on Monday.

But he has since been more explicit in a series of press interviews, telling Le Figaro daily that he would unveil new measures within weeks, and that France “must not refrain from strengthening our legislative arsenal”.

“My objective is to put a stop to illegal entries and to increase exits, particularly for illegal immigrants, because one should not stay in France when one has broken in,” he was quoted as saying by Le Figaro.

“I will have the opportunity, in the coming weeks, to make specific proposals,” he said, while also leaving open the possibility of using decrees. “The interior minister has significant regulatory powers. I will use them to the maximum.”

Echoing comments by RN officials, Retailleau told CNews on Tuesday that France and other like-minded European nations should join forces to compel the European Union to toughen its immigration laws.

He said neighbouring Germany’s decision to impose temporary border checks, suspending decades of largely free movement within the EU’s Schengen travel zone, underscored how European views on immigration were shifting rightward.

“I think we must forge an alliance with the major European countries that want to toughen up, and have already toughened up, their legislative arsenal to change European rules.”

Speaking to TF1 television, Retailleau said he would summon prefects, regional representatives of the interior ministry, from the ten regions with the highest immigration numbers to tell them “to expel more, to regularise less”.

He also pledged to consult with North African nations about having them stop more undocumented migrants from heading to France, and said he wanted harsher prison sentences for lawbreakers.

“To close Islamist mosques or expel hate preachers (in France), my hand will not tremble,” he told Le Figaro.

Asked by CNews if he relied on the political goodwill of the RN, Retailleau said: “I depend on the goodwill of the French.”

But he acknowledged that voters had sent a clear message in the first round of this summer’s legislative election, in which the RN came first with around a third of votes. A leftist alliance ultimately won the most seats in the second round, thanks to a legislative pact to keep the far right out of power.

“The French, too, have given us their roadmap. We must listen to the message they gave us … They want more security and less immigration. I will apply this roadmap.”

Source:thearabweekly.com

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

https://thearabweekly.com/frances-new-minister-vows-migration-curbs-crackdown-radical-islam

-----

Emir of Kano Under Fire For Alleged Disrespect To Prophet Muhammad

 

Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi

-----

25 September 2024

By Enioluwa Adeniyi

A photo of the reinstated Emir of Kano, Lamido Sanusi, walking on a customized rug engraved with his adopted name, ‘Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi ll,’ has sparked controversy, with some Islamic clerics accusing the emir of disrespecting religious traditions.

In response to the allegations, Emir Sanusi defended his actions, stating that the intentions behind his actions are what truly matter.

He referenced religious teachings to clarify that he meant no disrespect to the Prophet Muhammad.

The discourse intensified following a video featuring Muhammad Sharif, a Zaria-based Islamic cleric, who criticized the emir for not adhering to the protocols established by the Tijjaniyya founders, Ahmadu Tijjani and Ibrahim Niasse.

Sharif pointed to the late American boxer Muhammad Ali as a model of respect, recounting how Ali declined to have his name placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to honour the Prophet.

Ali insisted that his name, which he shares with the revered figure in Islam, should not be defaced and requested that his star be mounted on a wall instead.

In 2002, Ali was indeed honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but in a departure from tradition, it was installed on the wall of the Kodak Theater rather than on the sidewalk like other stars.

The cleric said, “I saw how Muhammad Sanusi, claiming to be the Khalifa of Tijjaniyya, is walking on a carpet inscribed with Khalifa Muhammad Sanusi. The name Muhammad is above someone to walk on if you truly respect the name; not even the Khalifa of Tijjaniyya or any other Muslim/ even non-Muslim who knows the right thing can walk on Muhammad’s name.

“For the Khalifa of Tijjaniyya walking on Muhammad’s name, I doubt if he is truly a disciple of Ahmadu Tijjani (the founder of Tijjaniyya).”

Another cleric from the Tijjaniyya sect, Ali Abdulrahman, said if the emir had walked on Muhammad’s name in the time of Imam Malik, he would have been punished for disrespecting a religious creed.

Source:naijanews.com

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

https://www.naijanews.com/2024/09/25/emir-sanusi-under-fire-for-alleged-disrespect-to-prophet-muhammad/

-----

At UN Open Debate, Saudi FM Says Violators Of International Law Must Be Held Accountable Without Favour

 

Prince Faisal was speaking at the “Leadership for Peace” open debate on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York. (SPA)

------

September 26, 2024

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister said restoring respect for international conventions and norms comes through the application of international law and international humanitarian law, and holding violators accountable without being selective.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the absence of serious international action to stop the ongoing Israeli military escalation is conclusive evidence of the shortcomings of the multilateral international system and the weakness of international political will. “The Kingdom believes that peace is the foundation that paves the way for cooperation and development, and is the protector of their sustainability,” Prince Faisal said during the “Leadership for Peace” open debate on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York.

Prince Faisal said the meeting comes at a time when the pace of conflicts and crises is escalating, common challenges and threats are multiplying, and the crisis of confidence in the multilateral international system and its ability to achieve the hopes of peoples for a future of peace and development is growing.

“These circumstances require us to evaluate the state of international multilateral action and the reasons for its decline in resolving crises and addressing common challenges,” he added.

Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia “will continue to support the multilateral international system, seek to develop it, enable its purposes, and restore confidence in its institutions. It is also committed to strengthening collective action to achieve common security and development.”

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572801/saudi-arabia

------

US, France and allies call for ‘immediate’ 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah

 

This government handout photo shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara boarding the Wing of Zion plane to travel to New York for the UN General Assembly, early September 26, 2024. (Avi Ohayon/GPO)

------

September 26, 2024

NEW YORK: The US, France and other allies jointly called Wednesday for an “immediate” 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.

The joint statement, negotiated on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, says the recent fighting is “intolerable and presents an unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”

“We call for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border to provide space for diplomacy,” the statement reads. “We call on all parties, including the Governments of Israel and Lebanon, to endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately.”

The signatories include the United States, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot told the UN Security Council during a meeting that “we are counting on both parties to accept it without delay.”

Barrot said France, a former colonial power to Lebanon, and the US had consulted with the sides on “final parameters for a diplomatic way out of this crisis,” adding that “war is not unavoidable.”

US deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood encouraged the council to support the diplomatic efforts but didn’t offer specifics about the plan.

“We are working with other countries on a proposal that we hope will lead to calm and enable discussions to a diplomatic solution,” he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US administration was “intensely engaged with a number of partners to deescalate tensions in Lebanon and to work to get a ceasefire agreement that would have so many benefits for all concerned.”

Blinken and other advisers to President Joe Biden have spent the past three days at and on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly meeting of world leaders in New York lobbying other countries to support the plan, according to US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic conversations.

Americans hope such a ceasefire could lead to longer-term stability along the border between Israel and Lebanon. Months of Israeli and Hezbollah exchanges of fire across the border drove tens of thousands of people from their homes on both sides of the border, and escalated attacks this week have rekindled fears of a broader war in the Middle East.

Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan and senior advisers Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein have been meeting with Middle East allies in New York and have been in touch with Israeli officials about the proposal, one of the US officials said. McGurk and Hochstein have been the White House’s chief interlocutors with Israel and Lebanon since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, another Iranian-backed militant group.

An Israeli official said Netanyahu has given the green light to pursue a possible deal, but only if it includes the return of Israeli civilians to their homes. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing behind-the-scenes diplomacy.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati threw his support behind the French-US plan that “enjoys international support and which would put an end to this dirty war.”

He called on the Security Council “to guarantee the withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied Lebanese territories and the violations that are repeated on a daily basis.”

Israel’s UN Ambassador, Danny Danon, told journalists at the United Nations that Israel would like to see a ceasefire and the return of people to their homes near the border: “It will happen, either after a war or before a war. We hope it will be before.”

Addressing the Security Council later Wednesday night, he made no mention of negotiations on a temporary ceasefire but said Israel “does not seek a full-scale war.”

Both Danon and Mikati reffirmed their governments’ commitment to a Security Council resolution that ended the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war in Lebanon. Never fully implemented, it called for a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon to be replaced by Lebanese forces and UN peacekeepers, and the disarmament of all armed groups including Hezbollah.

Danon demanded that the resolution be enforced in full without delay: “I make this declaration here today, to remove any doubt: Never again. Never again will the Jewish people hide from the monsters whose purpose in life is to murder Jews.”

Earlier Wednesday, Biden warned in an appearance on ABC’s “The View” that “an all-out war is possible” but said he thinks the opportunity also exists “to have a settlement that can fundamentally change the whole region.”

Biden suggested that getting Israel and Hezbollah to agree to a ceasefire could help achieve a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. That war is approaching the one-year mark after Hamas raids in southern Israel on Oct. 7 killed about 1,200 people. Israel responded with an offensive that has since killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health officials, who do not provide a breakdown of civilians and fighters in their count.

“It’s possible and I’m using every bit of energy I have with my team … to get this done,” Biden said. “There’s a desire to see change in the region.”

The US and other international mediators have tried and failed for months to broker a ceasefire in Gaza that also would release hostages held by Hamas.

The US government also raised the pressure with additional sanctions Wednesday targeting more than a dozen ships and other entities it says were involved in illicit shipments of Iranian petroleum for the financial benefit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and Hezbollah.

Meanwhile, the chief of Israel’s army said Wednesday that the military is preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon as Hezbollah hurled dozens of projectiles into Israel, including a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group’s deepest strike yet.

Blinken has been urging both Israel and Hezbollah to step back from their intensifying conflict, saying that all-out war would be disastrous for the region and that escalation was not the way to get people back to their homes on the Israel-Lebanon border.

“It would be through a diplomatic agreement that has forces pulled back from the border, create a secure environment, people return home,” Blinken told NBC News. “That’s what we’re driving toward because while there’s a very legitimate issue here, we don’t think that war is the solution.”

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572765/middle-east

----------

 

India

Delhi HC Slams Delhi Shahi Idgah Managing Committee For Opposing Rani Lakshmi Bai Statue In The Shahi Idgah Park

 Sep 26, 2024

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday came down heavily on the Delhi Shahi Idgah Managing Committee while dismissing a petition seeking to restrain the installation of a statue of Rani Lakshmi Bai inside the Shahi Idgah Park.

In its observations, the court stated that history should not be divided on communal grounds. The court further remarked that 'Maharani of Jhansi’ (Rani Lakshmi Bai) is a national hero, cutting across all religious lines.

"This is scandalous. Communal politics being played through court," the court remarked while rejecting the plea.

The plea of the Delhi Shahi Idgah Managing Committee was earlier also rejected by a single-judge bench of the Delhi High Court, after which it moved before another bench of the court.

The court called the Idgah Committee’s plea divisive and it was doing communal politics and using the court in the process.

The court also took exception to the wording used in the appeal against the single judge who had decided against the committee, calling the scandalous pleadings "unfair to the judge".

As the committee’s counsel said they are withdrawing the petition, the court asked them to first delete the paragraphs from their petition where scandalous pleadings were made and also give an apology before the court by today.

The court is to consider the case and is likely to pass an order on withdrawal on the next date, September 27.

In the petition, the committee sought directions to the DDA and others to not encroach upon Shahi Idgah at Motia Khan in Delhi's Sadar Bazar area, including the Idgah Park, saying it is a waqf property.

They sought that the civic authorities be restrained from installing any statue or any other structure inside Idgah Park.

A single bench of the court had dismissed the plea opposing the installation of the Rani Lakshmibai statue, stating that it doesn’t see how their right to offer prayers or to perform any religious rights is being endangered in any manner.


 

Source:indiatoday.in

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

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/law-news/story/delhi-high-court-slams-muslims-body-for-opposing-rani-lakshmibai-statue-in-park-2606592-2024-09-26

----------

 

Plea seeks case against Eknath Shinde, BJP's Nitesh Rane over anti-Muslim remarks

Sep 26, 2024

By: Karishma Saurabh Kalita

A Mumbai-based resident has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking the registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and BJP MLA Nitesh Rane over anti-Muslim remarks and not taking action against those spreading hate and Islamophobia.

Advocate Ejaz Naqvi mentioned the plea filed by Bandra resident Mohammad Wasi Sayed for an urgent hearing before the court which decided to hear the issue on Thursday.

The petition seeks a directive to take action against organisers of "Islamophobic" rallies and also for authorities to completely stop the live broadcast of Rane's rallies and speeches against members of the Muslim community.

It also stresses the need for the state to demand senior police officers to take responsibility and accountability in case permission is given to the BJP MLA or any others found to be "habitual Islamophobic" from holding such rallies.

The plea further says that Shinde and Rane should be jointly held liable by the High Court as "hatemonger, hate speaker, Islamophobic" and "may thereafter be further directed to face disqualification and prosecution as per their oath and violation, for violating the Representation of Peoples Act and violating the Constitution of India".

Additionally, it has also urged action against BJP spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala and former party spokesperson Nupur Sharma for allegedly spreading hateful content against Muslims and Islamophobic posts on the basis of fake news.

The plea also says that the Centre and states should frame guidelines against media outlets from running hateful content, while cyber police should remove such material on social media.

Nitesh Rane stoked controversy this month with provocative speeches against the Muslim community.

At an event on September 1, he threatened Muslims of "entering your masjid and hunting you down" if Hindu seer Mahant Ramgiri Maharaj, who has been charged with making alleged derogatory remarks about Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, was harmed.


 

Source:indiatoday.in

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

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/law-news/story/bombay-high-court-plea-fir-maharashtra-chief-minister-eknath-shinde-bjp-nitesh-rane-antimuslim-remarks-2606628-2024-09-26

---------

 

J&K: Valley registers decent turnout of 54 per cent in second phase, vindicating old backer

Muzaffar Raina

26.09.24

Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday registered another decent turnout of 54 per cent in the second phase of the Assembly elections, bringing cheer to Shabir Masoodi, 85, lawyer and visually impaired son of slain politician Maulana Mohammad Sayeed Masoodi.

Maulana was a top leader in Kashmir’s fight against Dogra autocracy, serving as National Conference general secretary from 1934 to 1953. He was assassinated at his home by militants in December 1990.

Many top political players in Kashmir have shuttled between the boycott and participation bandwagons over elections during the region’s tumultuous decades but Maulana’s family takes pride in always supporting the participation and has suffered for it.

"This time even those who had a tough stand on elections, declared others as anti-nationals for participating in polls and found them worthy of bullets, too are participating. Our family, on the other hand, always favoured elections. We have been proven correct,” Shabir told The Telegraph at his home, in an apparent reference to the banned separatist organisation Jamaat-e-Islami.

The second phase of elections on Wednesday presented a contrasting picture, with Ganderbal and Budgam districts voting in numbers — recording 59 per cent turnout each — while Srinagar registered a modest 27.5 per cent turnout. The turnout in the second phase was 4 per cent less than in the first phase.

Twenty-six Assembly constituencies in central Kashmir and Jammu’s Pir Panjal and Reasi districts went to polls on Wednesday.

Although participation has picked up this year in both the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, there are still many people, like in Srinagar’s old city, who believe elections are an exercise in futility.

They believe more participation has resulted in more disempowerment, leading to a climbdown from a status when J&K had its own prime minister and enjoyed complete autonomy on all issues except defence, foreign policy, currency and communication to a Union Territory with very limited powers.

Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal constituency, perhaps more than any other, has been witness to this downgrade, as much to the fall of Kashmir’s first family Abdullahs and their hold on politics. The National Conference (NC) lost the 2014 elections but are favourites this time but the days of getting an absolute majority are over.

In his quiet home at Ganderbal, guarded by police, Shabir avoided the debate over who would win but seemed elated that people were coming out to vote.

“Democracy always empowers. An elected government is always better (than a non-elected government). This election can rid us of the pain of officialdom,” he said.

“Whether you win or lose is a different thing. Political parties are not there to stay home. If you believe in democracy, you should fight.”

The old-timers in Ganderbal recalled with pride when NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah served as prime minister of Jammu and Kashmir between 1947 and 1953. He was dismissed that year and jailed, prompting him to boycott the subsequent elections, although Maulana always insisted on participation.

Shabir took the plunge into electoral politics in 1967, only to lose.

“We had sent a word to Sheikh Sahab, who was in Kodaikanal jail, that we should contest and not boycott but he fiercely opposed it. My father was also in jail at that time and I took an independent decision to contest,” he said.


 

Source:telegraphindia.com

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

https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir-register-decent-turnout-of-54-per-cent-in-second-phase-vindicating-old-backer/cid/2050673

----------

 

Europe

 

EU leaders must address alienation of Muslim voters, report warns

Sunniva Rose

September 25, 2024

The recent European Parliament election and the fallout from the war in Gaza has exposed the under-representation of some groups on the continent, including non-whites and Muslims, a report has found.

Public opinion of the EU is overwhelmingly positive but leaders must address blind spots that could undermine the long-term health of democracy in the bloc, said the report published by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the European Cultural Foundation.

Titled Welcome to Barbieland: European sentiment in the year of wars and elections, the report advises political parties to cultivate a more ethnoculturally diverse membership and voting base, to call out xenophobia even if it means clashing with voters, and for countries to reduce minimum voting age to 16 when applicable.

The reference to the 2023 hit film Barbie stems from the main character realising that 'Barbieland' is not the utopia she thought it was. Similarly, the report's author Pawel Zerka writes, pro-Europeans may have in the past year been shocked by the visible lack of enthusiasm for the European project harboured by some parts of the population.

The three groups examined in the report – non-whites, central and eastern Europeans, and youth – are concerned by the bloc's drift towards an "ethnic" rather than " civic" understanding of what it is to be European, it says.

The existing coalition in the European Parliament between the left-wing socialists, the centre-right European People's Party and the centrist Renew group remained in place after the election in June.

But it also featured the rise of far-right political parties and a broader embrace of their anti-immigration positions by traditional parties across the continent. This took place in parallel with a rise in anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim violence following the Hamas-led attacks against Israel last October. During the election campaign, political parties used anti-Muslim tropes, such as Italy's Lega featuring a veiled woman on a poster that read: "Let's change Europe before it changes us."

"The EU’s 'whiteness' – which some observers have critiqued for some time – was on full display," said the report. "Seeing most (though not all) European governments support Israel, many Muslims living in Europe may have felt that Europe’s solidarity was chiefly with the Jewish rather than the Palestinian victims of the war in the Middle East; and that no criticism of Israel was permitted."

A survey of French Muslims published in December by polling firm IFOP found 58 per cent of respondents thought the French government was pro-Israel, a figure that dropped to 20 per cent for the entire French population.

Overall, the report found diversity in EU institutions remains unrepresentative. According to ECFR's assessment, no more than 20 non-white MEPs were elected this year, which is less than 3 per cent of the total and way below the 10 per cent share that racial and ethnic minorities are estimated to account for among the EU population. Reasons for this may include non-whites and Muslims being less politically active, or being excluded altogether due to laws such as Italy's strict citizenship criteria.

This lack of representation in politics comes in contrast to multicultural role models in the arts and in sport. "Cultural life often better reflects underlying changes in society; but it should also spur politicians to catch up," the report said.


 

Source:thenationalnews.com

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

https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/2024/09/25/eu-leaders-must-address-alienation-of-muslim-voters-report-warns/

---------

 

Justice Secretary visits Southport mosque to show ‘solidarity’ after riots

CHRISTOPHER MCKEON

The Justice Secretary has praised the response to disorder over the summer as “the best of British” during a visit to the Southport mosque that was besieged by rioters.

Shabana Mahmood met imam Ibrahim Hussein and other worshippers at the mosque, where she prayed before discussing their experience of the summer’s disorder.

Mr Hussein described being one of seven people trapped in the mosque while it was attacked by rioters throwing missiles, telling the Justice Secretary he had feared the building would be burned down.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Ms Mahmood said she had wanted to visit the mosque soon after the attack, which came at the start of a week of rioting that targeted Muslims and people from ethnic minorities.

She said: “This was my first opportunity to come and show solidarity with the worshippers here after everything they went through.

“But also to recognise the strength of community spirit that saw off the forces of hate here in Southport and across the country as well, and to show that we are always much stronger when we are united.”

The Southport mosque was inundated with offers of help following the attack, including a local bricklayer who helped rebuild its wall, and received cards from across the country expressing support for them.

Ms Mahmood said she was “deeply encouraged” by the response, comparing it to messages of support she had received while facing “horrible weeks of intimidation and street-level harassment” during the general election.

She said: “I took such comfort from everyone who came out and, even if they disagreed with the Labour Party or disagreed with me personally, was giving me encouragement and support to keep going, because they could see that this was about our democratic values.

“And similarly, here talking to members of the mosque committee who were here the night that they were all being attacked from the outside, and there was a fire lit outside designed to set fire to this building, who were then encouraged and given moral support by everybody else who turned up to help them out.

“It’s a similar phenomenon, and I think it’s the best of British.”

Ms Mahmood’s visit came after the conclusion of the Labour Party conference in neighbouring Liverpool, at which the Prime Minister also praised the response to the riots, while condemning the rioters as “racist thugs”.

Source:standard.co.uk

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

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/shabana-mahmood-southport-liverpool-labour-party-prime-minister-b1184147.html

----------

 

Tour of North Harrow’s new Salaam Centre to take place during ‘Visit My Mosque’ event

September 25, 2024

By  Chris Mitchell

The Shia Itha’ashari Community of Middlesex (SICM) is inviting Harrow residents to their ‘Visit My Mosque’ event this Sunday, 29th September, from 3pm to 5pm.

This national initiative, led by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), encourages mosques across the UK to welcome people from all faiths and backgrounds, providing an opportunity to learn about Muslim communities and their activities.

SICM, an active Shia Muslim organisation based in North Harrow, is using this opportunity to bring the local community together and showcase their values, programmes, and the nearly completed Salaam Centre on Station Road (just opposite the Esso garage). This event will provide guests with a glimpse into the lives of the local Muslim community, their spiritual practices, and the broad range of services they offer.

The Salaam Centre, a significant project by SICM, has been under construction with the aim of becoming a welcoming and inclusive space for the entire Harrow community. Designed to cater to the social, emotional, cultural, and religious needs of the area, the centre will feature youth spaces, a sports hall, a lecture theatre, and more. It reflects SICM’s commitment to fostering community development and educational growth.

“We are excited to welcome our community to our centre once again. Our programmes are open to all, but we don’t often get the chance to showcase these events to everyone. We are also eager to take people on a tour of The Salaam Centre – which we hope will soon be a hub for our community to enjoy!” said Fatemah Manji, an Executive Committee member of SICM.

The event will include a tour of the Salaam Centre, with the striking façade already visible from the street. Guest can also visit various stalls highlighting SICM’s community activities and programmes. Short talks will be given by an Executive Committee member, along with contributions from the Vicars of local churches, St. Albans and St. Michael’s and All Angels.

The event kicks off with a welcome reception at 3pm, followed by the Salaam Centre tour at 3:30pm. The centre is located next to 39 Gloucester Road, HA1 4PR, with access through the large brown gates on Station Road. Attendees will be guided by a visible banner marking the event.

Source:harrowonline.org

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

https://harrowonline.org/2024/09/25/tour-of-north-harrows-new-salaam-centre-to-take-place-during-visit-my-mosque-event/

---------

 

How embracing Islam changed Jon Toogood’s financial outlook - Money Talks

By Liam Dann

25 Sep, 2024

As he embarks on a nationwide tour to support his first solo album, Jon Toogood, frontman for Kiwi rock heroes Shihad, is in a good place.

It’s an album that was written to help work through some tough times - including the death of his mother during Covid lockdown.

Money wasn’t a driver and hasn’t generally been throughout his career. Nobody who dedicates themselves to music in this country does it expecting to get rich.

But Toogood tells Money Talks that after some highs and lows during the rollercoaster of Shihad’s early days, he’s also in a good space when it comes to coping financially.

“It’s really important to value yourself properly,” he says. You know, I used to be such a people pleaser when I was younger. It was like, I’d undervalue myself, someone wanted me to do something. I’d be like, ‘I don’t want to offend them so I’ll just, short-change myself’.”

Toogood says getting married and becoming a father forced him to take the financial side of the business more seriously.

It’s tough being a musician in New Zealand but success with Shihad has created opportunities for Toogood to earn outside of the band. And he says he feels lucky to be able to pick and choose jobs he is passionate about.

“I never do anything half-arsed,” he says. “Whether it’s doing voiceovers for ads, whether it’s doing anything, I’m always 100% on and giving it my best shot.”

Toogood credits his wife Dana for really helping him focus on the financial side of his life.

“She was like, ‘What the hell, man? You’re Jonny f**king Toogood’ You should be asking for this’. I realised, okay, right. You’ve got to value what you do. And then when you turn up to do it, you nail the shit out of it.”

Toogood’s marriage to Dana - who is Muslim - also brought about a more holistic change in attitude to money, something he highlights when asked the regular Money Talks question about buying Lotto tickets.

“Part of my story is that I converted to Islam, so we can’t gamble,” he says.

More broadly, though, it has shifted his attitude to wealth.

“Because we think of money as everything’s a gift from Allah ... everything’s a gift from the universe if you want to put it that way. When you die, you’re going to be asked, what did you do with what I gave you?

“So the idea is to pass that money on,” he says. “When I first met Dana I was a staunch humanist atheist who talked a good game about being generous, being kind, but because I was a struggling artist, I held on tightly to any money I ever got because I didn’t have any faith that I would ever get paid again.

“But she would literally give her last $10 to the person on the street who needed it because it wasn’t hers anyway and you know what? Without fail by the end of the day, she was getting a comp dinner at some restaurant or someone would give her some money. It just comes back.

“In the West, we’re taught to look at people who have more than us and always be on the search for a better car, better house, better neighbourhood, better school ... you’re always going to be miserable,” he says.

“If you look the other way, and go who needs something here? Who has less than me? And you help them out, you sleep like a baby.”

The episode isn’t all big ideas - we also reveal Toogood’s favourite song about money, his favourite Led Zeppelin album and share tales of growing up in Wellington’s Island Bay - playing cricket against Chris Cairns - and of course starting one of New Zealand’s most beloved bands.

Listen to the full episode to hear more from Jon Toogood about his financial journey.

Jon Toogood’s new album Last Of The Lonely Gods is out in full on 11th October via Warner Music NZ. He also embarks on a nationwide tour from October 11 to November 09. Tickets and full details at jontoogood.com

Money Talks is a podcast run by the NZ Herald. It isn’t about personal finance and isn’t about economics - it’s just well-known New Zealanders talking about money and sharing some stories about the impact it’s had on their lives and how it has shaped them.

The series is hosted by Liam Dann, business editor-at-large for the Herald. He is a senior writer and columnist, and also presents and produces videos and podcasts. He joined the Herald in 2003.

Money Talks is available on iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.


 

Source:nzherald.co.nz

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

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/how-embracing-islam-changed-shihad-rockers-financial-outlook-money-talks/VALMJH22AFDIBKSJ3WEIVM4R5Y/

----------

 

Africa

 

AGF Denies Claims Of U.S. Court Seizing $21 Million From Nigeria

26 September 2024

By Enioluwa Adeniyi

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has firmly refuted allegations that a United States District Court authorized Louis E. Williams to seize $21 million from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the AGF clarified that the initial reports originated from an unspecified online media platform (not Naija News) and were entirely false.

The Ministry of Justice criticized the outlets for not seeking a response from the ministry before publishing the claims.

Fagbemi challenged these media organizations to present any official U.S. court order about the alleged seizure, underscoring the ministry’s commitment to transparency and accuracy in reporting.

The statement read, “The ministry wishes to set the record straight regarding an inaccurate publication by Peoples Gazette and others alleging that a US District Court has authorized a certain Louis E. Williams to seize $21m from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgan.

“We wish to note from the report follows similarly inaccurate publications by Peoples Gazette on August 21, 2023, under the cover: ‘UK Court authorizes SSS victim Williams Emovbira to seize $21 million from CBN account with JP Morgan in New York’.

“None of the media outlets that syndicated the story sought the reaction of the Nigerian government. Indeed, the ministry challenges these media outlets to publish a copy of the US court order authorising the seizure.

“The ministry hereby clarifies that at no time did the US District Court authorise the seizure of funds belonging to the Nigerian government in the custody of JP Morgan. The court only refused Nigeria’s preliminary motion to dismiss the complaint against it on the ground of sovereign immunity.”

The statement said that, by the court’s decision of August 21, 2024, the case would now proceed to a substantive hearing.

A British-Nigerian businessman, Williams Emovbira, had narrated how he was abused and defrauded by the Nigerian domestic intelligence office in the 1980s and was demanding the order of the court to withdraw $21m from Nigeria’s account with JP Morgans as damages.

Speaking on the decision of the court, the Justice Ministry said, “The implication of the ruling rendered on August 21, 2024, is that the case would now proceed to a substantive hearing on merit, wherein parties are required to present evidence and legal submissions in support of their case before the court will issue a final decision.

“It is pertinent to state that Nigeria has filed an appeal against the interlocutory decision.

“Nigeria has launched robust legal defences/challenges in the UK and US courts against Williams’ claims, including by launching proceedings against him for fraud and, therefore, remains quite confident and optimistic that his attempts to strong-arm the Nigerian government will come to nought.”

Source:naijanews.com

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

https://www.naijanews.com/2024/09/26/agf-denies-claims-of-u-s-court-seizing-21-million-from-nigeria/

---------

 

DR Congo opposition calls for release of political prisoners at protest

25 September 2024

Hundreds protested in front of Congo's top court Wednesday to demand the release of political prisoners, including the country’s three most prominent opposition figures.

After the protest ended, representatives of opposition parties handed the minister of justice a statement accusing Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi of trying to “muzzle the opponents” and “silence dissenting voices."

The parties called for the release of Jean-Marc Kabund, leader of the Alliance for Change party; Mike Mukebayi, a former member of the provincial parliament for Together for the Republic; and Seth Kikuni, a candidate in the presidential elections last year.

Kabund and Mukebayi were arrested last year for “insulting the head of state” and “spreading false rumors."

Kabund was sentenced to seven years in prison after he accused the president of corruption and embezzlement, while Mukebayi is currently in prison awaiting trial.

Both are held at the notorious Makala Central Prison, Congo’s largest penitentiary, which has a capacity for 1,500 people but holds more than 12,000 inmates, most of whom are awaiting trial.

Earlier this month, an attempted jailbreak at the prison left 129 people dead, including some who were shot by guards and soldiers and others who died in a stampede at the overcrowded facility, according to authorities.

Kikuni was arrested earlier this month for “incitement of civil disobedience” and “spreading false rumors” and is currently held by Congo’s intelligence agency.

Last month, Congo announced its intention to apply for a seat on the UN Human Rights Council.

The decision was heavily criticized by the opposition and various civil society organizations, including the Bill Clinton Peace Foundation, which said Congo does not meet the conditions necessary to claim such a position of international responsibility and that the country’s human rights record would discredit the institution.

The Human Rights Council reviews the human rights records of all countries periodically, appoints independent investigators to report on issues like torture, and sends fact-finding missions to investigate rights violations.

The council has been criticized since its creation in 2006 because of some members’ poor rights records and claims that rights abusers seek seats to protect themselves and their allies.

Source:africanews.com

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

https://www.africanews.com/2024/09/25/dr-congo-opposition-calls-for-release-of-political-prisoners-at-protest/

---------

 

Insecurity: Swear With Qur’an – Matawalle’s Aide Tells Lawal

By El Ameen Ibrahim

 Sep 25, 2024

Former Zamfara State Governor Bello Matawalle’s assistant Anas Kaura has urged current Governor Dauda Lawal and his cabinet to swear an oath based on the Qur’an as part of their pledge to fight insecurity in the state.

He implores the governor to set aside his grievances and cooperate with Bello Matawalle, the minister of defense, for the benefit of the state.

Dauda Lawal, the current governor, has come under fire from Comrade Kaura for failing to fulfill his duties and harming the state’s image.

He further claimed that Lawal often undermines Matawalle’s reputation on public platforms, harming the state’s standing both at home and abroad.

Zamfara State, located in northwest Nigeria, has become one of the regions hardest hit by insecurity. Once a thriving agricultural hub, the state has sadly become synonymous with banditry and violence.

The discovery of gold deposits in Zamfara is widely seen as a turning point, fueling unrest as criminal groups sought to exploit the resources. This marked the beginning of banditry in Nigeria, with Zamfara at the heart of the conflict. Shockingly, some traditional rulers in the state were accused of colluding with bandits, deepening the crisis and undermining efforts to restore peace.

One of the darkest moments in Zamfara’s recent history occurred in February 2021, when terrorists abducted around 300 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School in Jangebe.

“When Governor Lawal appears on television or in the media, it seems his primary focus is to criticize and discredit Matawalle,” Kaura said.

He reminded Lawal that during Matawalle’s administration, both he and his cabinet members swore on the Quran that they were not involved in the state’s insecurity.

Kaura challenged Lawal and his cabinet members to do the same, claiming they would refuse because they know the truth.

Regarding dialogue with bandits, Kaura emphasized the need for wisdom and cautioned against politicizing all issues at the expense of the people.

He highlighted the successes achieved in the fight against banditry in Northern states under the leadership of Matawalle and the Tinubu administration.

“Matawalle deserves commendation from you, not attempts to tarnish his image,” Kaura said. “He is solely focused on ensuring the safety of Zamfara people and Nigeria as a whole.”

Kaura urged Lawal to work with Matawalle for the development of Zamfara rather than attacking him in the media. He emphasized the importance of recognizing and appreciating Matawalle’s contributions to tackling insecurity.

“Governor Lawal should shift his focus from political attacks to governance,” Kaura added. “He should prioritize infrastructure development and protecting lives and property in the state.”

Comrade Anas Kaura suggested that Lawal’s continued criticism of Matawalle could be motivated by fear of political rivalry in the 2027 elections.

“Lawal is worried about Matawalle’s popularity and is using every opportunity to undermine him,” Kaura said. “But the people of Zamfara are watching closely.”

Source:independent.ng

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

https://independent.ng/insecurity-swear-with-quran-matawalles-aide-tells-lawal/

---------

 

US announces $424 mn in new aid for Sudanese at UN meeting

September 25, 2024

UNITED NATIONS: The United States on Wednesday announced $424 million in new aid for displaced and hungry Sudanese at a high-level meeting on the country’s brutal war at the United Nations.

The US mission to the UN said the assistance includes $175 million with which the United States will buy surplus food from its own farmers to feed people in and around Sudan, where a UN-backed assessment has warned of wide-scale famine.

Addressing the event, the US ambassador to the United Nations made a new appeal to let assistance into El-Fasher, which has been besieged by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) as the paramilitary force seeks a complete takeover of the western Darfur region.

“We must compel the warring parties to accept humanitarian pauses in El-Fasher, Khartoum and other highly vulnerable areas, eliminate barriers to humanitarian access along all routes, and put down their weapons and come to the negotiating table,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

Sudan plunged into a devastating war last year as the army battled the RSF.

The World Health Organization said this month at least 20,000 people have been killed. But some estimates are far higher, with the US envoy on Sudan, Tom Perriello, saying that up to 150,000 people may have died.


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572760/middle-east

---------

 

UN announces deal in Libya central bank crisis

September 25, 2024

TRIPOLI: The United Nations mission in Libya on Wednesday announced a compromise between the North African country’s rival powers aimed at resolving a crisis over its central bank.

“Following a new round of consultations facilitated by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) regarding the crisis at the Central Bank of Libya, representatives from the House of Representatives and the High Council of State reached compromise on appointing new leadership for the bank,” the mission said in a statement.

It said parliament and the High Council of State, which acts as a senate, initialled an agreement “on the procedures, criteria, and timelines for appointing a Governor, Deputy Governor, and Board of Directors” for the bank.

A signing ceremony is set take place Thursday, it said.

Libya is split between the UN-recognized government led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and the rival administration in the east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.

The country is struggling to recover from years of conflict after the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.

Tensions had been rising since early August when a group of men — some armed — laid siege to the bank demanding the removal of governor Seddik Al-Kabir, who later told the Financial Times he had fled the country.

On August 18, the central bank announced suspension of all operations following the abduction of its information technology chief. He was eventually released.

The UN has held talks with the rival powers to find a way out of the bank crisis which has threatened Libya’s vital oil income.

Kabir, in office since 2012, had been criticized for his management of oil revenues and budget, considered to be too favorable to Haftar.

Most of Libya’s revenue comes from its oil resources, with the country’s production mainly in the east.

Output recently returned to 1.2 million barrels per day, whereas under Qaddafi it was between 1.5 million bpd and 1.6 million bpd.


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572764/middle-east

----------

 

Arab World

 

Saudi Arabia: Vatican Library at Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah

25 September 2024,

The Vatican Apostolic Library has announced its participation in the Islamic Arts Biennale, showcasing several pieces from its collections. The event will take place from 25 January to 25 May, 2025, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Organised by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, the exhibition will be hosted at the Hajj terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport, a major hub designed to handle the vast number of pilgrims traveling to perform the sacred journeys of Hajj and Umrah. The terminal holds deep meaning for Muslims around the world as it accommodates millions of visitors on their way to Mecca each year.

A hub of art and culture

This unique cultural event celebrates Islamic civilisation through its artistic and scientific achievements. It aims to be a place of creative exchange, giving visitors the opportunity to explore the contributions of Islamic art and culture to the contemporary world. The Biennale promotes the diversity of artistic expressions within Islamic art globally and seeks to foster understanding and collaboration between cultures, linking past, present, and future. It will showcase a wide array of contemporary art and historical artifacts through an immersive, multi-sensory experience.

International team of curators

The inaugural edition of the Biennale in 2023 attracted over 600,000 visitors, and the 2025 event continues this tradition, presenting historical artifacts alongside contemporary works of art in a rich and continuous dialogue. The exhibition is curated by an international team, led by Artistic Directors Abdul Rahman Azzam, a renowned historian and author who served as Senior Expert Advisor for AlMadar in 2023; Julian Raby, a distinguished scholar and former professor of Islamic Art and Architecture at Oxford University and former Director of the National Museum of Asian Art at the Smithsonian Institution; and Amin Jaffer, Director of the Al Thani Collection and a scholar specialising in the intersections of European and Asian cultures. Saudi artist Muhannad Shono, known for exploring spirituality and the role of imagination in shaping reality, serves as the Contemporary Art Curator. The Biennale will cover 110,000 square meters of exhibition space and will include the publication of a comprehensive catalog of the featured works.

Art from Museums, Libraries, and Collections Worldwide

AlMadar (The Orbit) will feature a diverse selection of objects from museums, libraries, and collections around the world. It will offer a comprehensive exploration of the art of numbers, from its origins in nature to its varied applications in Islamic culture, including advancements in mathematics, celestial and terrestrial mapping, navigation and trade, religious rituals and spiritual life, Quranic organisation and decoration, geometry, proportion, Arabic text design, and architecture. Contemporary artworks will accompany the exhibition, examining the theme of numbers in the modern world, including site-specific installations.


 

Source:vaticannews.va

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

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-09/saudi-arabia-vatican-library-at-islamic-arts-biennale-jedda.html

----------

 

Saudi Arabia highlights AI, data efforts at UN meeting

September 25, 2024

RIYADH: The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority participated in a dialogue session on AI capabilities at the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

The authority’s general manager of strategic partnerships, Rehab Alarfaj, highlighted the Kingdom’s efforts in data and AI, focusing on building national human capacities and its global contributions.

Alarfaj said that the authority’s efforts aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly the fourth goal on quality education.

As part of this, she added, Saudi Arabia organized the National Olympiad for Programming and AI, with more than 260,000 middle and high school students participating, and the first International AI Olympiad, involving 25 countries.

She also emphasized alignment with the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal on gender equality, citing the Elevate program, which trained more than 25,000 women worldwide in AI.

Alarfaj stressed the importance of building capacity through training to raise awareness among policymakers and professionals in AI, emphasizing ethical AI practices that Saudi Arabia has embraced.

She said that the Kingdom’s data and AI initiatives, including the National Data Bank and Estishraf, an AI-powered decision-making platform, had received international recognition, winning the 2024 WSIS prizes.

Alarfaj said that the Riyadh-based International Center for Artificial Intelligence Research and Ethics was leading regional and global AI initiatives, supporting research, promoting AI ethics, coordinating policy development and enhancing capacity-building efforts.


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572737/saudi-arabia

----------

 

Judy Murray, Garbine Muguruza conduct tennis clinic for Saudi kids

SULAFA ALKHUNAIZI

September 25, 2024

RIYADH: Scottish tennis coach Judy Murray and former world No. 1 Spanish-Venezuelan Garbine Muguruza conducted a tennis clinic for children at the Net Tennis Academy in Diriyah on Tuesday.

Ahead of the WTA Finals that will be held for the first time in Riyadh in November, the pair spoke to Arab News about the growth of the sport in the region.

“I think there is a new generation now ... We have great players from all nationalities and we feel like every tournament there’s different winners. So that means that it’s very competitive,” Muguruza, who will act as tournament director for the upcoming event, said.

Public events could help to raise the profile of the sport, she said.

“One very good example is what we are doing here today. We are bringing the community together, especially the kids. The kids are the ones that are going to follow our footsteps and be the next generation.”

The Saudi Sports for All Federation and Saudi Tennis Federation are working together to stage the Tennis for All program at SFA Neighborhood Clubs in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province. The initiative is one of several launched to encourage people across the Kingdom to become more physically active.

Murray, who is mother to former world No. 1 and three-time Grand Slam champion Sir Andy Murray and his brother Jamie, had a similar message.

“It’s important that we share the sport as much as we can with those in the local community,” she said.

“The bigger your workforce, the more you can share your sport with any kids, teens, adults who might be interested in getting involved and picking up a racket.”

But the most important thing was passion, she said.

“I look at my sons, who were professional players for many, many years. They’re 37 and 38 now and they still love the game. They still love competing. They’re real students of the game. They really research, study it, love it. And I think I would say exactly the same for myself. I love the game.”

Having worked directly with the SFA, Murray said she saw a bright future for tennis in Saudi Arabia.

“I think bringing the World Tour Finals here for a three-year period and also having brought the next gen finals here, and there are a number of other things in the pipeline that will bring some major events into Saudi, the closer you can get your people to the action, live action, the more they are probably inspired to try it ... the more they believe that they could actually do it as well,” she said.

“I think that the goal is by 2030, to have a million people playing tennis, which is always good to have a target and I actually think you’re going to smash that target.”


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572781/saudi-arabia

---------

 

Saudi FM participates in G20 ministerial meeting in New York

September 25, 2024

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan participated in a meeting of G20 foreign ministers on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

During a speech, the minister stressed the urgent need to adhere to successful models of collective action and the importance of seeking to develop and reform international institutions, Saudi Press Agency reported.

“The repercussions of wars and political conflicts undermine efforts to establish international peace and security, and cast their shadows on all aspects of multilateral action.

“When these institutions fail to carry out their basic duties towards these crises, this creates a gap in international action and a crisis of confidence that undermines their legitimacy, and this is what we are witnessing today in the way some international institutions deal with the humanitarian disaster in Palestine,” Prince Faisal said.

The minister stressed that prolonging and expanding the war in Gaza will deepen the suffering of the Palestinian people, threaten international peace and security, and undermine the chances of achieving comprehensive peace in the region.

“G20 countries must intensify their joint efforts to overcome the international failure to confront Israel’s serious violations of international laws and norms, and enable the achievement of a ceasefire and the adoption of a reliable and irreversible path to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state,” Prince Faisal said.

The Kingdom’s foreign minister also took part in a ministerial meeting between Gulf Cooperation Council countries and the US on Wednesday.

Participants in the meeting discussed ways to enhance partnership and cooperation between the council and the US. Regional issues of common interest including the current situations in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon were also discussed.


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572777/saudi-arabia

----------

 

Saudi deputy FM receives Ambassador of Palestine to Kingdom

September 25, 2024

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed Elkhereiji received Ambassador of Palestine to the Kingdom Basem Al-Agha in Riyadh on Wednesday, to mark the end of his term in office.

Elkhereiji said he appreciated the efforts Al-Agha made to strengthen and enhance relations between the two countries, and wished him continued success in his future duties, the Foreign Ministry reported on X.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Political Affairs Saud Al-Sati met with Iranian Ambassador to the Kingdom Alireza Enayati in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss bilateral relations and other topics of common interest.

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572789/saudi-arabia

----------

 

Investment in infrastructure key to smart and sustainable cities, say experts

GHADI JOUDAH

September 25, 2024

RIYADH: Investment in infrastructure is pivotal in fostering sustainable development and facilitating the evolution of smart cities, the deputy minister of environment, water and agriculture has said.

Mansour Al-Mushaiti was speaking during “Shaping the Future: Collaborative Infrastructure Initiatives for Saudi Arabia,” a panel discussion at the Saudi Infrastructure Summit and Exhibition.

Panelists discussed the importance of taking practical steps and working together with government entities, along with the importance of overcoming obstacles in infrastructure development. They also emphasized the need for transparency and accountability to build trust with stakeholders.

“Protecting the environment is a significant challenge in agricultural and food advancement, and sustainable development is crucial for economic growth,” Al-Mushaiti said.

The biggest challenge, he added, was the high cost of infrastructure and lengthy construction: “The environmental burden in the municipalities and waste management system amounts to about SR7 billion (USD1.8 billion), which can be converted into revenues by 2035 through sustainable management, reducing consumption, and rationalization.

“The Kingdom’s Vision 2030 contributes to enhancing the sustainability of infrastructure through the implementation of a unified government framework to maximize assets in environmental, social, and economic domains.”

This includes technological innovations which contribute to providing job opportunities, improving the urban landscape and achieving spending efficiency.

“Applying sustainable resource management in the environment, water and agriculture system enabled us to benefit from the use of seawater, after which it is returned to nature,” added Al-Mushaiti.

The Saudi Infrastructure Summit is organized in collaboration with the Riyadh Infrastructure Project Center to improve project efficiency, increase spending effectiveness, and improve the overall quality of life in the Kingdom.

Meanwhile, experts also discussed the crucial role of infrastructure management in smart city operations, emphasizing the use of new technologies like intelligent transportation systems and data analytics to optimize resource allocation and public safety.

Head of Smart Cities at the Eastern Province Municipality Mohammed Binhijna said infrastructure management would be essential for efficient operation. The integration of new technologies in transportation would enable cities to enhance traffic management, minimize congestion, and boost effectiveness.

He shared his insight during a session called “Smart City Operations: Challenges, Opportunities, and Best Practices” at the Smart Cities Saudi Expo, held alongside the Saudi Infrastructure Expo and Global Water Expo.

“Furthermore, data analysis serves as a valuable tool for optimizing resource distribution and operational efficiency within urban areas,” Binhijna added. As an example, he explained that data analysis meant cities could pinpoint areas with higher crime rates and allocate resources accordingly, enhancing public safety.

“Citizen engagement is essential for successful Smart Cities, with online platforms for reporting issues and participating in decision-making processes,” said Binhijna.

Abdulrahman Al-Bati, smart city solutions manager at Misk City, highlighted the importance of key performance indicators in measuring a city’s sustainability, including energy management and air pollution reduction.

He explained that KPIs used by cities covered four main areas — health and safety, mobility, data availability, and governance.

Energy management was a significant KPI, he said, with smart street lighting reducing operational costs by 10 percent annually. Air pollution reduction was also a crucial global indicator for sustainable city development.

Fabian Sowieja, technical director of International IoT Communication Technologies at Arrowfinch Technologies, said public-private partnerships were essential for successful smart cities, with a focus on managing different stakeholders.

“Public-private partnerships play a crucial role in this context, with collaborative navigation representing a fundamental principle of smart city development,” he said, adding the key to a thriving smart city lay in efficient management across diverse stakeholders.

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572743/saudi-arabia

----------

 

Tajikistan aims for closer cooperation with Saudi Arabia

RASHID HASSAN

September 25, 2024

RIYADH: Tajikistan considers Saudi Arabia an important partner and looks forward to strengthening cooperation at all levels, its ambassador to the Kingdom said.

Speaking at a reception at the Culture Palace in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh to mark Tajikistan’s 33rd Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of its constitution, Akram M. Karimi said: “For over 33 years, my country has been moving forward with strength and determination in its journey to preserve its independence and sovereignty, and achieve the accomplishments it aspires to on the path of progress.”

A key step was the adoption of a new constitution through a popular referendum on Nov. 6, 1994, he said.

Tajikistan gained independence on Sept. 9, 1991.

“Saudi Arabia was among the first countries to recognize Tajikistan’s independence and establish diplomatic ties,” Karimi said, adding that his country valued the Kingdom as an important partner and was keen to enhance cooperation.

The two nations had already established strong links with organizations like the UN, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Gulf Cooperation Council, he said.

Karimi acknowledged Saudi Arabia’s support for Tajikistan’s development through financial institutions like the Islamic Development Bank, the Saudi Fund for Development and KSrelief.

“We are working together with our Saudi brothers to enhance trade, economic and investment cooperation between the two countries and we look forward to the desired Saudi investment presence in Tajikistan,” he said.

As part of these efforts, preparations are underway for the next Tajik-Saudi Intergovernmental Commission meeting and a Tajik-Saudi business forum in Riyadh.

Karimi spoke of Tajikistan’s progress under President Emomali Rahmon, who has made energy, communications, food security and industry his priorities for the country’s National Development Strategy through 2030.

Faisal bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudairy, undersecretary of Riyadh region, attended the celebration.

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572728/saudi-arabia

----------

 

KSrelief delivers Gaza humanitarian Aid to Jordan

September 26, 2024

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s aid KSrelief delivered a new shipment of Gaza Strip relief supplies to the Jordanian Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) in Amman in preparation for sending it to Gaza via Jordanian land crossings reported state news agency SPA on Wednsday.

The aid included 10 trucks loaded with 1,280 shelter bags and 3,537 baskets of essential food items, aimed at securing the daily needs of those affected by the crises.


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572817/saudi-arabia

---------

 

 

Mideast

 

Committed to joining forces with Hezbollah against Zionist aggression’: Imam Khomeini’s grandson

September 25, 2024

In his correspondence with Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, Seyyed Hassan Khomeini commended the courageous efforts of the Lebanese people and declared his willingness to stand alongside them in defending the Islamic cause and engaging in jihad against the illegitimate Zionist regime.

The complete text of the letter is as follows:

“Dear Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah,

Your relentless efforts and those of the brave Lebanese people against the oppressive Zionist regime continue to inspire pride among Muslims and honor for all who cherish freedom.

As Imam Khomeini articulated, “Martyrdom is the art of the men of God,” and today you and your comrades confront the epitome of cruelty and injustice. Those who communicate solely through force and lack any sense of humanity are, with the backing of Western powers and the disgraceful silence of Arab nations, perpetrating acts of violence and crime.

The determination and resilience of Hezbollah's fighters in Lebanon and the defenders of Palestine in Gaza symbolize the essence of truth and the unparalleled representation of honor and freedom.

Will not the voices, writings, and weapons that remain silent in advocating for your cause and opposing your oppression be rendered speechless on the Day of Judgment?

I, alongside all the followers of Imam Khomeini, proudly affirm to you, my readiness to contribute in any capacity to the defense of the Resistance Axis and to engage in war against the illegitimate Zionist regime, prepared to stand in any frontline.”


 

Source:tehrantimes.com

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

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/504157/Committed-to-joining-forces-with-Hezbollah-against-Zionist-aggression

---------

 

Head of Libyan Presidential Council hits out at Israel’s ‘crimes of genocide’ in Palestine during UNGA debate

September 25, 2024

NEW YORK CITY: The head of Libya’s Presidential Council on Wednesday joined growing voices of condemnation at the UN General Assembly of Israel’s actions in the Middle East as he spoke of its “crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing” perpetrated against the Palestinian people.

Mohamed Al-Menfi, who was speaking during the second day of the general debate in New York City, said that Israel’s onslaught in the Gaza Strip amid its battle with Hamas, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, was a blatant violation of international law.

He reaffirmed Libya’s solidarity with Palestine, while emphasizing the right of the Palestinian people to determine their own destiny and establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

“In this regard, we refer to Libya’s joining South Africa in the case raised before the International Criminal Court regarding Israel and its serious violations of laws, resolutions, and international charters, to promote accountability for the violations and genocide that the Palestinian people are being exposed to,” he said.

Al-Menfi also addressed the “urgent issues” of illegal migration and terrorism facing Libya today.

He said that his country, one that serves as a major transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe, bears a burden in managing migration flows, adding it was an issue which required the assistance of the international community to tackle.

“We believe that solving this issue requires collective efforts, while ensuring the consideration of national legislations and humanitarian aspects and protecting the rights of migrants,” he said. “There’s need for a balanced approach that respects the dignity of migrants, acknowledging their vulnerabilities in the face of harsh migration conditions.”

Al-Menfi was frank about the scourge of terrorism on Libya, particularly the threat posed by extremist groups such as Daesh.

He said that while Libya had made strides in combating terrorism with the help of the international community, a coordinated effort from within the country was essential to keeping its impact at bay.

“We continue to work on enhancing internal security and securing the borders through cooperation with the international community to establish security centers for coordinating efforts among various national security forces and neighboring countries,” he said.

“The fight against terrorism is not just a military confrontation, it is a multifaceted phenomenon that requires the concerted efforts of local and international parties, and a comprehensive approach that addresses its various dimensions.

“Despite the importance of the UN’s efforts in this regard, we see the necessity of developing a national mechanism to confront these challenges away from negative interventions,” he added.

During his address, Al-Menfi also urged unity among Libyans to overcome internal divisions and foreign interventions that he said threatened national stability.

He called on the international community to support Libya in its journey toward national reconciliation and to help foster a stable and peaceful future for its citizens by backing legitimate elections.

“A comprehensive political solution is the only path to unify institutions and ensure stability, leading to elections, renewing legitimacy for all institutions, and allowing the Libyan people to determine their destiny,” he said.

“The Libyans should be given the opportunity to decide their future by renewing legitimacy and restoring authority that some parties seek to exclude, the Libyan people are the best to determine their fate, and the people should be the arbiter in choosing their representatives.

“Returning to them through free referendums and holding inclusive elections is the best solution to end any political deadlock.”

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572768/middle-east

----------

 

Houthis threaten to ‘cut off heads’ of Yemenis who celebrate Sept. 26 revolution

SAEED AL-BATATI

September 25, 2024

AL-MUKALLA: The Houthis vowed to violently suppress any public celebrations this week of the 62nd anniversary of the Sept. 26 revolution in Yemen.

The militant group has deployed armored vehicles and forces across northern Yemen to crack down on any gatherings that take place on Thursday, and abducted more than 200 people who celebrated it online.

The revolution, which began on Sept. 26, 1962, resulted in the overthrow of the Zaidi Imamate rulers who had controlled northern Yemen for centuries, paving the way for the establishment of the Yemen Arab Republic.

The Houthis share a similar ideology with the Zaidi Imamate, including a desire to limit rule over the country to Hashemites. The group fears people will be motivated by the anniversary to take to the streets in large numbers and demand an end to repressive Houthi rule.

Nasruddin Amer, a Houthi media official, threatened to “cut off the heads” of those who gather on Thursday to commemorate the 1962 revolution. He accused them of being “stooges for the Zionists” and seeking to undermine security and stability in areas under Houthi control. Houthi authorities will allow people to celebrate the anniversary under supervision, in designated locations, he added.

“We do not have mercy or pity for enemies … If anyone tries to twist our arm, we will remove his head,” Amer said. “This is our nature and methodology. We are unconcerned about the entire world or public opinion.”

Abdulkader Al-Murtada, the head of the Houthi prisoner-exchange committee, issues similar threats and accused people who would celebrate the revolution of “serving the US agenda” in an attempt to force the Houthis to halt their attacks on international shipping, which the group claims to be carrying out in support of the Palestinian people.

“We will deal with any anarchists or charlatans, as well as anyone who attempts to cause trouble, in the same way that we deal with the enemy, and everyone is aware of how we do so,” Al-Murtada said.

Local media and residents of Sanaa, Hodeidah and other Houthi-controlled areas confirmed on Wednesday that the group had deployed armed vehicles and military forces as part of an intensive crackdown on those who celebrate the revolution or incite others to do so online.

The Mayyun Organization for Human Rights and Development said that in the past few days the Houthis abducted 270 Yemenis, including teachers, activists, journalists and members of the former ruling party, the General People’s Congress, in Sanaa and other areas for posting online messages that praised the Sept. 26 revolution and urged the public to commemorate it.

“We denounce these intimidation campaigns against civilians, particularly women, which coincide with security crackdowns and public threats of arrest aimed at deterring people from participating in planned public celebrations and raising the national flag,” the organization said.

Activists reported that in the past 24 hours the Houthis abducted people in Sanaa and other areas for flying the Yemeni flag, as well as a person in Sanaa who appeared in a video dancing to nationalist songs commemorating the revolution.

The Yemeni Journalists Syndicate also demanded the immediate release of four Yemeni journalists abducted over the past six days as part of the Houthi crackdown on Sept. 26 anniversary celebrations.

“The syndicate reiterates its call to all organizations concerned with freedom of opinion and expression to show solidarity with the abducted journalists and press for their release,” it said.

Hundreds of people marched through the streets of the government-controlled southern city of Taiz on Tuesday night to commemorate the 1962 revolution, carrying the Yemeni flag and chanting nationalist slogans. Thousands of people in Marib and other cities were expected to hold similar rallies on Wednesday and Thursday.

Meanwhile, the US Central Command said on Wednesday that its forces destroyed a Houthi drone over the Red Sea before it reached a vessel it was targeting in a critical shipping lane.

It was the latest US military response against the Houthis intended to weaken them and pressure them into halting their attacks on ships in international waters off the coast of Yemen.

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572763/middle-east

----------

 

Hezbollah’s tunnels and flexible command weather Israel’s deadly blows

September 26, 2024

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM: Hezbollah’s flexible chain of command, together with its extensive tunnel network and a vast arsenal of missiles and weapons it has bolstered over the past year, is helping it weather unprecedented Israeli strikes, three sources familiar with the Lebanese militant group’s operations said. Israel’s assault on Hezbollah over the past week, including the targeting of senior commanders and the detonation of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies, has left the powerful Lebanese Shiite militant group and political party reeling.

On Friday, Israel killed the commander who founded and led the group’s elite Radwan force, Ibrahim Aqil. And since Monday, Lebanon’s deadliest day of violence in decades, the health ministry says more than 560 people, among them 50 children, have died in air barrages.

The Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi said on Sunday that Aqil’s death had shaken the organization. Israel says its strikes have also destroyed thousands of Hezbollah rockets and shells.

But two of the sources familiar with Hezbollah operations said the group swiftly appointed replacements for Aqil and other senior figures killed in Friday’s airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in an Aug. 1 speech that the group quickly fills gaps whenever a leader is killed.

A fourth source, a Hezbollah official, said the attack on communication devices put 1,500 fighters out of commission because of their injuries, with many having been blinded or had their hands blown off.

While that is a major blow, it represents a fraction of Hezbollah’s strength, which a report for the US Congress on Friday put at 40,000-50,000 fighters. Nasrallah has said the group has 100,000 fighters.

Since October, when Hezbollah began firing at Israel in October in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza, it has redeployed fighters to frontline areas in the south, including some from Syria, the three sources said.

It has also been bringing rockets into Lebanon at a fast pace, anticipating a drawn-out conflict, the sources said, adding that the group sought to avoid all out war. Hezbollah’s main supporter and weapons supplier is Iran. The group is the most powerful faction in Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” of allied irregular forces across the Middle East. Many of its weapons are Iranian, Russian or Chinese models.

The sources, who all asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter, did not provide details of the weapons or where they were bought.

Hezbollah’s media office did not reply to requests for comment for this story.

Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London, said that while Hezbollah operations had been disrupted by the past week’s attacks, the group’s networked organizational structure helped make it an extremely resilient force.

“This is the most formidable enemy Israel has ever faced on the battlefield, not because of numbers and tech but in terms of resilience.”

Powerful missiles

Fighting has escalated this week. Israel killed another top Hezbollah commander, Ibrahim Qubaisi, on Tuesday. For its part, Hezbollah has shown its capacity to continue operations, firing hundreds of rockets toward Israel in ever deeper attacks. On Wednesday, Hezbollah said it had targeted an Israeli intelligence base near Tel Aviv, more than 100 km (60 miles) from the border. Warning sirens sounded in Tel Aviv as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defense systems, the Israeli military said.

The group has yet to say whether it has launched any of its most potent, precision-guided rockets, such as the Fateh-110, an Iranian-made ballistic missile with a range of 250-300 km (341.75 miles). Hezbollah’s Fateh-110 have a 450-500 kg warhead, according to a 2018 paper published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Hezbollah’s rocket attacks are possible because the chain of command has kept functioning despite the group suffering a brief spell of disarray after the pagers and radios detonated, one of the sources, a senior security official, said. The three sources said Hezbollah’s ability to communicate is underpinned by a dedicated, fixed-line telephone network — which it has described as critical to its communications and continues to work — as well as by other devices.

Many of its fighters were carrying older models of pagers, for example, that were unaffected by last week’s attack.

Reuters could not independently verify the information. Most injuries from the exploding pagers were in Beirut, far from the front. Hezbollah stepped up the use of pagers after banning its fighters from using cellphones on the battlefield in February, in response to commanders being killed in strikes.

If the chain of command breaks, frontline fighters are trained to operate in small, independent clusters comprised of a few villages near the border, capable of fighting Israeli forces for long periods, the senior source added.

That is precisely what happened in 2006, during the last war between Hezbollah and Israel, when the group’s fighters held out for weeks, some in frontline villages invaded by Israel.

Israel says it has escalated attacks to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities and make it safe for tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to return to their homes near the Lebanon border, which they fled when Hezbollah began firing rockets on Oct. 8.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has said it prefers to reach a negotiated agreement that would see Hezbollah withdraw from the border region but stands ready to continue its bombing campaign if Hezbollah refuses, and does not rule out any military options. Hezbollah’s resilience means the fighting has raised fears of a protracted war that could suck in the US, Israel’s close ally, and Iran — especially if Israel launches, and gets bogged down in, a ground offensive in southern Lebanon.

Israel’s military did not respond to a request for comment for this story. Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned on Monday of “irreversible” consequences of a full blown war in the Middle East. A US State Department official said Washington disagreed with Israel’s strategy of escalation and sought to reduce tensions.

Underground arsenal

In what two of the sources said was an indication of how well some of Hezbollah’s weapons are hidden, on Sunday rockets were launched from areas of southern Lebanon that had been targeted by Israel shortly before, the two sources said. Hezbollah is believed to have an underground arsenal and last month published footage that appeared to show its fighters driving trucks with rocket launchers through tunnels. The sources did not specify if the rockets fired on Sunday were launched from underground.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Monday’s barrage had destroyed tens of thousands of Hezbollah rockets and munitions.

Israel’s military said long-range cruise missiles, rockets with warheads capable of carrying 100kg of explosives, short-range rockets, and explosive UAVs were all struck on Monday.

Reuters could not independently verify the military claims.

Boaz Shapira a researcher at Alma, an Israeli think tank that specializes in Hezbollah, said Israel had yet to target strategic sites such as long-range missiles and drone sites.

“I don’t think we are anywhere near finishing this,” Shapira said.

Hezbollah’s arsenal is believed to comprise some 150,000 rockets, the US Congress report said. Krieg said its most powerful, long-range ballistic missiles were kept below ground. Hezbollah has spent years building a tunnel network that by Israeli estimates extends for hundreds of kilometers. The Israeli military said Monday’s air strikes hit Hezbollah missile launch sites hidden under homes in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah has said it does not place military infrastructure near civilians. Hezbollah has issued no statement on the impact of Israel’s strikes since Monday.

Tunnels

The group’s arsenal and tunnels have expanded since the 2006 war, especially precision guidance systems, leader Nasrallah has said. Hezbollah officials have said the group has used a small part of the arsenal in fighting over the past year. Israeli officials have said Hezbollah’s military infrastructure is tightly meshed into the villages and communities of southern Lebanon, with ammunition and missile launcher pads stored in houses throughout the area. Israel has been pounding some of those villages for months to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities.

Confirmed details on the tunnel network remain scarce.

A 2021 report by Alma, an Israeli think tank that specializes in Hezbollah, said Iran and North Korea both helped build up the network of tunnels in the aftermath of the 2006 war.

Israel has already struggled to root out Hamas commanders and self-reliant fighting units from the tunnels criss-crossing Gaza.

“It is one of our biggest challenges in Gaza, and it is certainly something we could meet in Lebanon,” said Carmit Valensi, a senior research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, a think-tank.

Krieg said that unlike Gaza, where most tunnels are manually dug into a sandy soil, the tunnels in Lebanon had been dug deep in mountain rock. “They are far less accessible than in Gaza and even less easy to destroy.”


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572807/middle-east

---------

 

Israel tells its troops to prepare for a possible ground operation in Lebanon

September 26, 2024

TEL AVIV, Israel: Israel is preparing for a possible ground operation in Lebanon, its army chief said Wednesday as Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets across the border and a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group’s deepest strike yet.

Addressing troops on the northern border, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said Israel’s punishing airstrikes this week were designed to ”prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah.”

Israel says it targeted Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers in attacks that have killed more than 600 people, at least a quarter of them women and children, according to Lebanese health officials.

In an apparent reference to the missile fired at Tel Aviv, Halevi told troops: “Today, Hezbollah expanded its range of fire, and later today, they will receive a very strong response. Prepare yourselves.”

It was not clear whether he was referring to a ground operation, airstrikes or some other form of retaliation against Hezbollah, which is Lebanon’s strongest political force and, with backing from Iran, is widely considered the top paramilitary group in the Arab world.

The Israeli military has said in recent days it had no immediate plans for a ground invasion, but Halevi’s comments were the strongest yet suggesting troops could move in. Israeli said Wednesday it would activate two reserve brigades for missions in the north — another sign that Israel plans tougher action.

In the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a building at the port was struck by a drone, an attack that injured two people and was claimed by an umbrella group for Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. A second drone was intercepted, the Israeli military said.

Footage aired on Israeli media showed a plume of smoke in the area and at least one damaged building. The army said the drones were identified “approaching from the East.”

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have steadily escalated since war broke out 11 months ago between Israel and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group. Hezbollah has been firing rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and Hamas. Israel has responded with increasingly heavy airstrikes and the targeted killing of Hezbollah commanders while threatening a wider operation.

Nearly a year of fighting had already displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border before the recent escalation.

Israel has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, something that appears increasingly remote.

To allow displaced Israelis to return to their homes, “we are preparing the process of a maneuver,” Halevi told troops.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel and Hezbollah to step back, saying all-out war would be disastrous for the region and its people.

In New York for the annual UN General Assembly, Blinken said the US was working with other partners on a temporary ceasefire plan to reduce tensions and allow Israelis and Lebanese to return to their homes in border areas.

US officials say they are floating ideas but have not been specific. Some may be discussed at a special UN Security Council meeting on Lebanon that France called for later Wednesday.

Lebanon’s health ministry said 72 people were killed Wednesday in the continuing Israeli strikes, raising the death toll from the past three days to 636, with more than 2,000 wounded.

At Dar Al Amal hospital in the eastern city of Baalbek, Soumaya Moussawi lay in bed with her head bandaged and face bruised.

She had been sitting outside with relatives when warplanes started striking in the distance, she said.

“Then suddenly it hit next to us. We were all thrown in different directions,” she said. Two cousins and her father were killed, and another cousin was badly wounded.

This week has been the deadliest in Lebanon since the bruising 2006 monthlong war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hezbollah said it fired a Qader 1 ballistic missile targeting the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, which it blames for a recent string of targeted killings of its top commanders and for an attack last week in which explosives hidden in pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of people and wounded thousands, including many Hezbollah members.

Israeli military officials said they intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that set off air-raid sirens in Tel Aviv and across central Israel. There were no reports of casualties or damage. The military said it struck the launch site in southern Lebanon.

Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the missile fired Wednesday had a “heavy warhead” but declined to elaborate or confirm it was the type described by Hezbollah. He dismissed Hezbollah’s claim of targeting the Mossad headquarters just north of Tel Aviv as “psychological warfare.”

The Israeli military said it was the first time a projectile fired from Lebanon had reached central Israel. Hezbollah claimed to have targeted an intelligence base near Tel Aviv last month in an aerial attack, but there was no confirmation. Hamas repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv in the opening months of the war in Gaza.

The launch ratcheted up hostilities in a region that appeared to be teetering toward another all-out war, even as Israel continues to battle Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Iranian-made Qader is a medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile with multiple types and payloads. It can carry an explosive payload of up to 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds), according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Iranian officials have described the liquid-fueled missile as having a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).

Israel said Wednesday its air force had struck some 280 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon by early afternoon, including launchers used to fire rockets on the northern Israeli cities of Safed and Nahariya.

Fleeing families have flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at the border with Syria.

The United Nations said more than 90,000 people have been displaced by five days of Israeli strikes. In all, 200,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel nearly a year ago, drawing Israeli retaliation, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Hezbollah’s latest strikes included dozens of rockets fired Wednesday into northern Israel, the military said.

Rocket fire over the past week has disrupted life for more than 1 million people across northern Israel, with schools closed and public gatherings restricted. Many restaurants and other businesses are shut in the coastal city of Haifa, and there are fewer people on the streets. Some who fled from communities near the border are coming under rocket fire again.

Israel has moved thousands of troops who had been serving in Gaza to the northern border. It says Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including some capable of striking anywhere in Israel.

Cross-border fire began ramping up Sunday after pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah were attacked remotely, killing 39 people and wounded nearly 3,000, many of them civilians. Lebanon blamed Israel, which has not confirmed or denied responsibility.

The next day, Israel said its warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets and attack drones, including weapons concealed in private homes. The strikes racked up the highest one-day death toll in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah fought a bruising monthlong war in 2006.


 

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572799/middle-east

----------

 

‘We feel their pain’: Gazans stunned by strikes on Lebanon

September 25, 2024

GAZA STRIP: As Israeli bombs flattened buildings and sent smoke billowing skywards over Lebanon this week, Gazans looked on with both empathy and fear over how the widening war might affect them.

Israel carried out a third day of airstrikes against Lebanon on Wednesday.

In a dramatic escalation after nearly a year of cross-border violence, Israeli air raids on Monday killed at least 558 people in Lebanon in the country’s deadliest day since the 1975-1990 civil war.

After the unprecedented Oct. 7 attack by militants against southern Israel, Hezbollah said it began striking Israel in solidarity with Hamas, another Iran-backed group.

The Oct. 7 attack sparked the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, marked by relentless Israeli bombardment that has devastated much of the Palestinian territory.

Chadi Nawfal, a 24-year-old resident of Gaza City who said he lost his home in an Israeli strike, said footage from Lebanon was hard to watch.

“The bloody scenes from Lebanon that we see on our television screens are very harsh images,” he said.

“We people in the Gaza Strip are the only ones who can currently feel the pain that the Lebanese people are experiencing.”

The sustained Israeli aerial assault on Lebanon is the latest in a series of attacks that began last week with coordinated blasts of Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies.

The explosions killed 39 people and wounded almost 3,000, and were followed by a deadly strike on Friday on south Beirut, with leading Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil among the dead.

Another strike on the Lebanese capital on Tuesday killed Hezbollah rocket forces commander Ibrahim Kobeissi.

Taken together, Israel’s onslaught confirmed its Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s claim a week ago that the war’s “center of gravity” was moving northward.

Ayman Al-Amreiti, another displaced resident of Gaza City, said he was worried the fighting in Lebanon would mean the ongoing war in Gaza gets less global attention.

“The military weight is now shifting to Lebanon, so even the media attention on the Gaza Strip has become secondary,” the 42-year-old said.

“This encourages the appetite of the occupation (Israel) to commit more crimes.”

Hamas’s attack on Israel nearly a year ago resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people.

Of the 251 hostages seized by militants that day, 97 are still being held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least nearly 41,500 people in Gaza, mostly civilians.

There are obvious differences in time frame and scale, but Umm Munzir Naim, 52, said she could not help but see similarities between the fighting in Lebanon and in Gaza.

“The war against Lebanon and Hezbollah is a war like in Gaza. The victims are the people,” she said.

“The small, the big, the properties, everything is targeted — humans, trees ... they say it’s against Hamas and Hezbollah, but on the ground it’s people who die.”

Amreiti said he hoped the fighting would end soon in both places, and that their fates could even be linked given Hezbollah’s past pledges to stop fighting once a Gaza ceasefire comes about.

“The outcome, the hope is that any settlement with Hezbollah will also involve Gaza,” he said.

“Right now, that is the hope that the children of the Palestinian people are turning to.”

Source:arabnews.com

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

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2572786/middle-east

---------

 

Islamic Jihad: Targeting hospitals in Jenin is war crime

25 Sep 2024

Jenin – Saba: The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine described, on Wednesday, the aggression launched by the Zionist enemy on the city of Jenin, and the siege of the city's hospital, as a new war crime within the framework of its frenzied campaign to shed blood in the region.

The Jihad movement confirmed in a press statement that targeting hospitals and medical facilities and destroying infrastructure reflects the enemy government's insistence on taking the lives of civilians, within the framework of crimes against humanity that the Nazi enemy's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to commit before heading to the United Nations General Assembly, challenging it to implement its decision on the illegitimacy of the occupation.

It stressed that the members of the United Nations General Assembly bear the burden of receiving a war criminal like Netanyahu as he defies its decisions in its own home, and continues to commit brutal massacres and a war of extermination against the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples.

Source:saba.ye

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

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3376502.htm

----------

 

Iraqi Islamic Resistance targets enemy target in occupied Golan with drone

25 Sep 2024

BAGHDAD - SABA : The Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted on Wednesday, a target in the occupied Golan with drones.

In a statement, the Islamic Resistance emphasized the continuation of its "approach in resisting the occupation, in support of the people of Palestine and Lebanon, and in response to the massacres committed by the usurper entity against civilians, including children, women and the elderly."

The Iraqi Islamic Resistance announced earlier last night that it had carried out a drone operation that targeted a target near Jordan Valley in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Earlier last night, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it had carried out a drone operation that targeted a target near the Jordan Valley, in the occupied Palestinian territories.

In two separate statements, the resistance announced the targeting of a vital target in northern occupied Palestine in support of Gaza and Lebanon, using an upgraded Al-Arqab Cruise missile.

Source:saba.ye

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

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3376434.htm

----------

 

Zionist settlers storm Aqsa Mosque

25 Sep 2024

OCCUPIED QUDS - (Saba): Dozens of settlers on Wednesday anew stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque, under the protection of the Zionist enemy police.

Local sources reported, according to the Palestinian News Agency, that dozens of settlers stormed Al-Aqsa in separate groups, carried out provocative tours, and performed Talmudic rituals.

The occupation forces continue their siege of Al-Aqsa Mosque since 7 October 2023, by restricting the entry of Muslim worshippers to it, and by tightening their procedures at its gates, placing iron barriers, stopping arrivals and obstructing their entry.


 

Source:saba.ye

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

https://www.saba.ye/en/news3376402.htm

----------

 

North America

 

US Muslim Advocacy Group ‘Emgage Action’Endorses Harris, Warning Trump Greater Threat

25 September 2024

US Muslim advocacy group Emgage Action on Wednesday endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, saying former president Donald Trump posed a greater danger to the community with his promise to reinstate a travel ban affecting majority-Muslim countries.

The group, which endorsed US President Joe Biden in 2020 after first backing Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, says it mobilized 1 million Muslim voters in that election.

Harris already won the endorsement of smaller Muslim groups, including the Black Muslim Leadership Council Fund and the American Muslim Democratic Caucus ahead of the November 5 election.

Trump’s campaign had no immediate comment.

He says he will reinstate the so-called travel ban that restricts entry into the United States of people from a list of largely Muslim-dominant countries. Biden rolled back the ban shortly after taking office in 2021.

The Biden administration, where Harris serves as vice president, has faced calls from both fellow Democrats and international allies throughout Israel’s campaign in Gaza to press Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to ease the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian enclave.

The ongoing war began on October 7 when Hamas-led terrorists rampaged through southern communities, slaughtering some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages to Gaza.

Israel launched its military operation, which has stretched for over 11 months, aiming to eliminate Hamas and bring back those kidnapped. In recent days, the military’s focus has shifted north to Lebanon as Israel began a sustained offensive against Hezbollah’s missile capabilities.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says more than 41,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far, though the toll cannot be verified and does not differentiate between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 17,000 combatants in battle and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel on October 7.

Israel has said it seeks to minimize civilian fatalities and stresses that Hamas uses Gaza’s civilians as human shields, fighting from civilian areas including homes, hospitals, schools, and mosques.

Israel’s toll in the ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza and in military operations along the border with the Strip stands at 348.


 

Source:timesofisrael.com

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

https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-muslim-advocacy-group-endorses-harris-warning-trump-greater-threat/

---------

 

CAIR-Chicago Calls for Probe of Islamophobic Survey Targeting Muslim Candidate

September 25, 2024

The Chicago office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Chicago), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today called for an investigation into Islamophobic campaign tactics targeting Suzanne Akhras, a Muslim candidate for Illinois’ District 82 State Representative.

Akhras has received reports of a misleading survey implying she is associated with Islamic terrorist groups. The survey, circulated through a text message under the guise of “Political Opinion Research,” asks voters if they would support Akhras if they knew she belonged to terrorist organizations. This deceptive tactic aims to stoke fear and perpetuate dangerous stereotypes, placing Akhras, her family, and campaign volunteers in harm’s way.

SEE: Anti-Islamic Survey Alleged In Darien Area Race | Darien, IL Patch

“Leaning on vile Islamophobic tropes to try to get an edge in a campaign on the mere fact your opponent is Muslim, is not only repugnant and un-American, but suggests a sort of political shallowness: you have nothing better to offer than sleaze,” said CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab. “We urge election authorities to investigate this slander.”

NOTE: As a 501(c)3 nonprofit, CAIR does not endorse or oppose candidates for office, and makes no claims as to the favorability of one candidate being elected over another.

CAIR-Chicago’s mission is to defend civil rights, fight bigotry, and promote understanding.

Source:cair.com

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

https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-chicago-calls-for-probe-of-islamophobic-survey-targeting-muslim-candidate/

----------

 

Stonewalling Muslim voters on Gaza has become a bipartisan effort

Dilshad Ali

September 25, 2024

(RNS) — There isn’t one moment when Vice President Kamala Harris alienated Muslim American voters who have spent the past year agonizing over the plight of Palestinians in Gaza. Some point to her visit to a Detroit airport hangar in early August, days before she accepted the Democratic nomination for the presidency, when Harris shut down pro-Palestinian protesters.

“Kamala, Kamala, you can’t hide. We won’t vote for genocide,” they chanted after being told by Harris that “I am speaking now, I am speaking now.” As they continued to chant, Harris got angry, saying: “You know what? If you want Donald Trump to win, then say that.”

Maybe it was at the Sept. 10 presidential debate, when Harris was asked about the ongoing bombing of Gaza and massive loss of civilian life after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7. Harris began her reply by repeating her support for Israel, weeks after the Biden administration approved $20 billion in arms sales to Israel.

But I’d wager she lost most Muslims when days of negotiation and protests, including an all-night sit-in outside Chicago’s United Center by members of the Uncommitted movement, failed to convince Harris to allow a Palestinian American to speak on the main stage.

The denial of that crumb of acknowledgment for Palestinian loss and suffering solidified what many Muslim, Palestinian and Arab Americans and others already knew: They don’t authentically matter to either of the two major presidential candidates.

“I need to sleep at night. I need to vote my conscience,” said Suehaila Amen, an organizer and activist in Detroit. “I’m sick and tired of hearing ‘Trump the bogeyman.’ … The Democratic Party is just as violent now as the Republican Party was in a post-9/11 world. I don’t see any difference in the … immensity of evil within the two candidates. They’re both violent, they both lack compassion and understanding and even humanity.”

Those who are not Muslim have often asked me why Muslim and Arab voters don’t see the virtue of voting Harris into office and then pushing her on Gaza and a cease-fire. Another Trump presidency, after all, would be detrimental on numerous fronts to Muslim and other minority communities.

But the advice to vote for the lesser of two evils is not flying now. The current administration’s abject support of Israel is something the majority of Muslim, Arab and Palestinian American voters can’t see past.

“If she and Biden didn’t do it now, more than 350 days into this, why would we believe that she will do anything after taking office?” said Dr. Nidal Jboor, a physician in Michigan who is president and co-founder of Doctors Against Genocide. “We would love it if the Democratic Party would give us an excuse to vote for them, (but) they’re doing everything to push us away. The only weapon they have is threatening us with Trump. We do hate Trump, but what else could he do? Continue the genocide?”

He added: “Our lives — Black and Brown lives — don’t matter. For (those in power), we’re just collateral damage.”

A recent survey from the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding examined the candidate preferences and policy priorities of Muslim voters in three key swing states: Georgia, Pennsylvania and Michigan. It found that whereas in 2020 64% of Muslim voters in these states voted for Joe Biden, only 18% of Muslims said they would vote for him before he withdrew. Even after Harris became the Democratic nominee, 30% of Muslim voters who had decided to not vote for Biden did not gravitate toward Harris, instead intending to vote third party or write in a candidate. (Seventeen percent declared they were still undecided.)

By far, Gaza is the top issue for Muslim voters, especially in key states, with 71% of Muslim voters in swing states choosing the war in Gaza as their top policy priority.

The dozens of Muslim and Arab Americans I’ve spoken with this summer have not forgotten the Muslim ban, the uptick in Islamophobic rhetoric and xenophobic violence, and other harmful effects of the Trump presidency. But nearly a year of bombing, and more than 41,000 Palestinian lives, nearly 16,500 of them children, supersedes any other issue for Muslim and Arab American voters.

Trump or Harris? Neither feels right for many of these voters, with some even going as far as to say that Trump couldn’t be worse given Harris and the Biden administration’s loyalties to Israel, and that some Republican Party values align more with conservative-leaning Islamic values. Amer Ghalib, the mayor of Hamtramck in the battleground state of Michigan, just endorsed Trump.

Meanwhile, Emgage, a Muslim political advocacy organization, just endorsed the Harris-Walz ticket. Both endorsements have unleashed a wave of ongoing frustration in many internal Muslim, Arab and Palestinian American community discussions, where many voters don’t see a path forward when it comes to the presidential election.

“This is the first time in our lives we have watched a genocide in real time,” Amen told me. “It has allowed us to bear witness in a way we never have before. Our diverse Muslim communities don’t agree on everything, but this is the one time (we’re) saying enough is enough. The knowledge that Palestinians have never mattered and we in this country have never mattered to either party — how can we ignore that? Neither (presidential) choice sits well.”

The bipartisan stonewalling of Muslim Americans was evident in last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on “Combating the Rise in Hate Crimes,” called by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin in conjunction with the Chicago-based Muslim Civic Coalition. The hearing, held to examine the surge in hate crimes against Palestinian, Muslim, Arab and Jewish communities since October 2023, was meant to highlight the Wadee Resolution, which honors the life of Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian American boy fatally stabbed in Illinois last October in what authorities have called a hate crime.

Amina Barhumi, the advocacy and policy lead at the Muslim Civic Coalition, said that while her organization’s original plan was to have impact witnesses such as Hisham Awartani, a Palestinian American student from Brown University who was shot and paralyzed from the waist down last November, Durbin’s office insisted on expert witnesses. This included Arab American Institute Executive Director Maya Berry.

This led to the scene of Sen. John Kennedy asking Berry if she supported Hamas (she said she didn’t) or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (she said she did) and then telling her, “You should hide your head in a bag.” Hanan Shahin, Wadea’s mother, who was stabbed 12 times herself when her son was killed, sat in silence behind Berry while the exchange took place.

Berry “was literally hate crimed at a hate crime hearing,” Barhumi said.

But Kennedy’s vitriol obscured the indifference of Democratic senators. “This was Sen. Durbin’s hearing, and his (Democratic) colleagues did not show up,” said Barhumi. “Sen. Jon Ossoff walked in, looked around, saw a room filled with kaffiyehs and left.”

Ultimately, the Senate passed the Wadee Resolution unanimously on Tuesday (Sept. 24).

Barhumi said the treatment of Muslims this election cycle is no accident, but a political calculation. But she believes that Muslims’ choice to invest in the difficult work of politics is crucial. “Are we ready to inch towards the power we want to gain? It’s a chess board, and the game is ugly. It’s the ugliness that creates apathy, and it’s the apathy they want.

“But we have to recognize we have power,” she said. “I have as much a right to be here as you do. My values and principles are honest and authentic.”

It feels impossibly hard, though, when the last year has taught Muslim, Palestinian and Arab American communities that their votes are not sought after, their pain is not a priority. There is a pervasive feeling in internal community discussions, that the long game of politics holds little profit, which means voting for the lesser of two evils is a dead-in-the-water strategy.

Source:religionnews.com

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

https://religionnews.com/2024/09/25/stonewalling-muslim-voters-on-gaza-has-become-a-bipartisan-effort/

----------

 

Harris promises 'pragmatic' approach in economic pitch to voters

Sam Cabral

September 26, 2024

US Vice-President Kamala Harris, seeking to sharpen her economic message, pledged to usher in new investments in domestic manufacturing across a range of industries if elected to the White House in November.

In a speech in the must-win state of Pennslyvania on Wednesday, Harris cast herself as "a capitalist" with a pragmatic approach to boosting the middle class.

An hour before the speech, her Republican rival Donald Trump touted his own economic agenda - including a 15% made-in-America tax proposal - while visiting North Carolina.

Both candidates are campaigning in battleground states this week on their competing visions for the econcomy, a key issue that voters say is a top priority in casting a ballot.

In a tacit rebuttal to Republican claims that she supports "communist" policies, Harris described herself as "a capitalist".

"I promise you I will be pragmatic in my approach," she said at an event hosted by The Economic Club of Pittsburgh.

Building on her vision for an "opportunity economy", Harris laid out new proposals to help young families, first time homebuyers and the elderly through $100bn worth in tax breaks and financial incentives. She vowed new investments in artifical intelligence, aerospace and energy development.

Harris added, however, that tax rates for large corporations and the wealthiest Americans must rise so they "pay their fair share".

She also promised to reform permitting to speed up building in the US, eliminate college degree requirements for federal jobs and increase union apprenticeships, if elected.

“I intend to chart a new way forward and grow America’s middle class” she argued, while Trump has “no intention to grow our middle class — he’s only interested in making life better for himself and people like himself”.

Later in her first major solo interview with MSNBC, Harris lambasted Trump, saying he "isn't very serious" on his tariff proposals and "constantly got played by China".

“You don’t just throw around the idea of tariffs across the board," she said. "He’s just not serious about very many of these issues."

Harris also pushed back for the first time on the Trump campaign's claim that she is lying about having worked at McDonald's as a university student.

"Part of the reason I even talk about having worked at McDonald's is because there are people who work at McDonald's in our country who are trying to raise a family," she said. "I worked there as a student."

Harris's remarks came as she is seeking to chip away at Trump's advantage with voters on his handling of the economy.

Though the race remains close, Harris has opened up a narrow lead in national polling since the two candidates met on a debate stage earlier this month.

At a campaign event in Mint Hill, North Carolina, Trump defended his tariff proposals and suggested they were the reason "people in [other] countries want to kill me".

“I’m imposing tariffs on your competition from foreign countries, all these foreign countries that have ripped us off, which stole all of your businesses and all of your jobs years ago,” he said.

He reminded supporters that, as president, he had passed the largest corporate tax cut in US history, from 35% to 21%.

The centrepiece of his second term, he said, would be a "manufacturing renaissance" ushered in by a 15% tax rate for products made in America.

The economy routinely emerges as the top issue for voters this November and both candidates have touted populist policies, with Harris appearing to mirror a Trump proposal to end taxation on service workers' tips.

In her sitdown with MSNBC, Harris said that "Donald Trump has a history of taking care of rich people".

"I'm not mad at anybody for being rich, but they should pay their fair share," she added, arguing that Trump advocates "tax cuts for the billionaires and the top corporations in our country".

"My perspective on the economy is when you grow the middle class, America’s economy is stronger, and there’s empirical evidence to prove my point correct."

Source:bbc.com

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

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c2439n8mr31o

---------

 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams indicted on federal charges

Sam Cabral

September 26, 2024

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing federal criminal charges, according to CBS News, the BBC's US partner.

Adams, 64, was elected to lead the most populous US city nearly three years ago on a promise to rein in crime.

But he and a string of top officials in his orbit have faced growing scrutiny as part of multiple federal corruption probes.

The indictment remains sealed but would make Adams, 64, the first mayor in city history to be charged while in office.

Adams released a video statement late on Wednesday where he vowed to fight the charges and remain in office, asking New York residents for both "prayers and patience".

"I will fight these injustices with every ounce of my strength and my spirit," he says in the video, adding "I am innocent" and he plans to request an "immediate trial so New Yorkers can hear the truth".

He also took on the flurry of calls for him to resign.

"Now, if I am charged many may say I should resign because I cannot manage the city while fighting the case.

"I can also understand how everyday New Yorkers would be concerned that I cannot do my job while I face accusations, but I have been facing these lies for months."

Federal prosecutors are expected to unseal the indictment on Thursday, when Adams will make an initial court appearance, CBS News reports.

The reported charges come less than a year after federal agents seized Adams' electronic devices and searched the home of Brianna Suggs, his chief fundraiser.

It was later revealed that the US attorney's office in Manhattan was looking into whether Adams' 2021 mayoral campaign team conspired with the government of Turkey to funnel illegal donations into the campaign.

The New York Times reported on Monday that prosecutors subpoenaed the campaign and the mayor's office for information related to five other countries: Israel, China, Qatar, South Korea and Uzbekistan.

Adams has remained steadfast that he would remain in office even as a growing list of officials have called for his resignation. Earlier Wednesday, US Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - a popular figure in left-leaning New York - joined that list.

"I do not see how Mayor Adams can continue governing New York City," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. "For the good of the city, he should resign."

Ocasio-Cortez referenced a recent "flood of resignations and vacancies" that she said were threatening city government's ability to function.

Adams's reported indictment comes weeks after federal agents seized electronic devices belonging to three people closely affiliated with him - schools chancellor David Banks, his brother Deputy Mayor Phil Banks, and his fiancée Deputy Mayor Sheena Wright.

In a surprise announcement on Tuesday, David Banks announced he would be stepping down from his role at the end of the year.

The US attorney’s office in Manhattan is investigating another Banks brother, Terence, over a possible bribery scheme involving his consulting firm and city contracts.

Prosecutors in that office are also looking into bribery claims against the twin brother of former New York Police Commissioner Edward Caban, who resigned earlier this month weeks after his phone was seized by federal agents.

Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Donlon had his own homes searched last Friday.

In the past two weeks, the mayor’s chief legal counsel and the city health commissioner have also stepped down.

Adams, who is only the second black person to run New York City, is facing a growing list of Democratic challengers ahead of his re-election bid next year.

New York’s Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul, a close ally who has yet to comment on the indictment, has the power to remove Adams from office.

If Adams’ tenure ends prematurely, Jumaane Williams, the city’s public advocate, is next in line to become the city’s acting mayor.

Source:bbc.com

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

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cglkeyjzez2o

---------

 

Pakistan

 

PML-N leader says parliamentary amendments can't be challenged in any court

September 25, 2024

Criticising the Supreme Court's detailed judgment on the reserved seats case, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Irfan Siddiqui said that amendments made by parliament cannot be challenged in any court.

“Constitution created you [judiciary] and not vice-versa,” the senator said while addressing a press conference on Wednesday, questioning the September 23 judgment, wherein the former ruling party was declared eligible for reserved seats in assemblies.

The reserved seats verdict dealt a major blow to the ruling coalition led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) as it lost the two-thirds majority in the lower house of parliament, which was crucial for the passage of a constitutional amendment, prompting the incumbents to intervene in the judicial procedure.

In its 70-page detailed judgment, the apex court termed the PTI "a political party" and eligible for the seats' quota. It stressed that the lack of an electoral symbol does not affect its constitutional right to take part in elections.

The PTI is a political party and won seats in the national and provincial legislatures in the general elections, the court remarked, while directing the country's top electoral body to notify the former ruling party's members on the reserved seats.

"The ECP's March 1 decision is contradictory to the Constitution and has no legal value," the apex court said while referring to the body's decision wherein it had declined the Sunni Ittehad Council's (SIC) plea for allocation of reserved seats and had instead decided to give them to other political parties on the principle of proportional representation.

Reacting to the detailed judgment, Siddiqui said that questions were being raised on the reserved seats verdict, which he said, should be removed without any “political divisiveness”.

“Every day a law is abolished by saying that it conflicted with the Constitution [of Pakistan].”

“If parliament makes a mistake, the judiciary corrects it, but if the latter rules against the Constitution then who will fix it,” he questioned.

Referring to PTI-backed lawmakers, the senator further said that those who submitted the affidavits of allegiance to SIC were now locked in the ‘constitutional cage’.

When the Constitution binds independent lawmakers to join ‘any political party’ within three days, then how the apex court granted them 15 days, he noted.

“What gives you [judiciary] such an authority […] and if you have taken the authority then it is wrong,” he added.

The PML-N leader pointed out that senior judges of the Peshawar High Court (PHC) ruled that "the reserved seats cannot be allocated to the SIC."

"To date, none of the lawmakers, who joined the religio-political party expressed a desire to change their party,” he said.

Criticising the judiciary, he regretted that the courts did not stand up against any martial laws imposed in the country, adding that many clauses of the Constitution were paralysed after the judiciary exceeded its limits.

“The Constitution clearly states that the amendments made by the parliament cannot be challenged in any court,” he said, adding it also states that the Majlis-e-Shura had “no limits” in the authority.

He asked the judiciary not to write the Constitution as it was the “parliament’s prerogative”.

Speaking of the constitutional package, the senator rejected the notion of ‘enslaving judiciary’ and said that the government wanted to bring constitutional court and implement the ‘unfinished agenda’ of the Charter of Democracy (COD).

Siddiqui also castigated PTI founder Imran Khan for ‘voicing support for Justice Mansoor Ali Shah’, saying that the incarcerated politician was involved in crimes.

“We respect Justice Shah […] why you [Khan] are stigmatising him with your favouritism,” he said, asking the PTI founder not to drag individuals into politics like this.

Earlier this month, the PML-N government and its allies made a frantic attempt to push a controversial constitutional package through parliament but failed as it lacked a two-thirds majority.

The package came amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire in October this year.

Source:thenews.com.pk

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

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1233729-pml-n-leader-says-parliamentary-amendments-cant-be-challenged-in-any-court

----------

 

PM Shehbaz highlights India's egregious actions in IIOJK in meeting with UN chief

September 25, 2024

In a meeting with the UN secretary general on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s 79th session in New York on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on Antonio Guterres to use his good offices for the implementation of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir and to ensure the right of self-determination of Kashmiris.

Briefing the UN chief on the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), the premier underscored Pakistan's serious concerns over PM Modi-led government's egregious actions in the occupied valley and stressed upon the need to resolve the dispute to ensure lasting peace and stability in South Asia.

PM Shehbaz also condemned Israel's genocidal campaign against the Palestinians and called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza. He urged the international community to hold Israel accountable.

He reaffirmed Pakistan's support for the establishment of a viable and sovereign State of Palestine.

The PM also underscored the need for stemming the rising tide of Islamophobia and discrimination against Muslims worldwide. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to actively contribute towards international peace and security as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the year 2025-26.

Besides, the prime minister welcomed the initiative by the UN secretary general to organise the "Summit of the Future", and expressed his hope that its outcome would help the developing countries in bridging the financial gap for the implementation of SDGs and climate goals.

Guterres thanked PM Shehbaz for Pakistan's active engagement at the United Nations as well as for its role towards international peace and security in the form of its UN's Peacekeeping force.

Pakistan, Bangladesh eye expanding ties

Premier Shehbaz also attended a ceremony to mark 50 years of Bangladesh's membership in the United Nations at the invitation of its Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus.

Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi accompanied the prime minister.

Yunus warmly welcomed PM Shehbaz and members of his delegation at the ceremony held on Tuesday night on the sidelines of the UNGA session.

The two leaders agreed to promote cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh in various fields.

There was a positive discussion regarding the expansion of bilateral relations between Pakistan and Bangladesh.

PM Shehbaz arrived in New York on Monday to attend the UNGA 79th session during his five-day official visit to the United States.

The premier is scheduled to address the UNGA on Friday.


 

Source:thenews.com.pk

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

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1233707-pm-shehbaz-highlights-indias-egregious-actions-in-iiojk-in-meeting-with-un-chief

---------

 

Imran Khan urges govt to notify Justice Shah as CJP soon

September 25, 2024

RAWALPINDI: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Wednesday demanded that the notification of the next chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) should be announced soon, adding that his party was backing senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah for the post.

"The appointment of the next chief justice should be announced soon. [We] completely back Justice Mansoor Ali Shah," the former prime minister said while speaking to journalists informally in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail on Wednesday.

Khan, who was removed from power via a parliamentary vote in April 2022, said that the purpose of the "constitutional court is to end the power" of the Supreme Court's chief justice, adding that the "government is bent on destroying the judiciary".

"They want their own judges to cover the [2024] election fraud," the PTI founder insisted, stressing that the government "does not want the PTI to rise at any cost".

The ousted premier made these comments in light of the ongoing saga surrounding the constitutional package chalked out by the ruling coalition which allegedly provisions regarding extension in the retirement ages of the high court and supreme court judges.

The government pushed the proposed constitutional package amid speculation about a potential extension in the tenure of Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, who is set to retire in October this year, following the PTI's request last month for the early issuance of a notification regarding the appointment of the next top judge.

However, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), despite having the support of its allies such as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and others, had postponed introducing the constitutional amendments in the parliament despite claiming to have secured the "magic number" earlier.

The deferment came after Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) refused to lend its support to the ruling coalition, short of 13 votes in the National Assembly (NA) and nine in the Senate as the said legislation, aimed at amending the Constitution, requires a two-thirds majority in both houses.

In the National Assembly, the ruling coalition needs 224 votes to pass the constitutional amendments, whereas in the Senate the number stands at 64. Currently, as per reports, treasury benches have 211 members against the opposition's 101 MNAs.

Although JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has so far remained seemingly unwilling to back the amendments, which he, in fact, has termed a bid to protect the coalition government,

Adviser on Political and Public Affairs and PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah had hinted at evolving "minimum consensus" among political parties on controversial judiciary-centric constitutional amendments that also included the proposal to establish constitutional court — which PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has said would be introduced "come what may".

The PM's aide also said that the consultation process with other political parties on the judicial package has not stalled as the Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari-led PPP and Maulana Fazlur Rehman-led JUI-F were working on their draft amendments.

He added that the drafts could be discussed in the forthcoming consultative sessions after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's return from the United States and opined that the government would table the constitutional package after developing a "minimum consensus".


 

Source:thenews.com.pk

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

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1233687-imran-khan-urges-govt-to-notify-justice-shah-as-cjp-soon

---------

 

Ballots take precedence over Form 45 or 47 tally, rules SC

Nasir Iqbal

September 26, 2024

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that ballot papers hold more significance in determining the vote count than Forms 45 and 47, as they serve as the primary evidence of any election result.

The observation came against the backdrop of the heated debate that ensued after the PTI claimed that its mandate in the Feb 8 elections was stolen, as the candidates fielded by the party were declared successful under Form 45s, but the results altered through Form 47s.

The Form-45 is the result of the vote count prepared by a presiding officer (PO) at each polling station, while Form-47 is the provisional consolidated statement of results of vote count of all polling stations in a constituency, prepared by the returning officer (RO) concerned.

A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and consisting of Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan, had taken up a challenge instituted by Ghulam Rasool, assailing the results of elections in Balochistan Assembly’s PB-14 (Naseerabad-II) constituency.

The appeal was moved against the Aug 2 ruling of the Quetta Election Tribunal, which had decided the election dispute in favour of PML-N’s Muhammad Khan Lehri and against PPP’s Ghulam Rasool.

Authored by the CJP, the SC judgement explained that the ballot papers were the determinative factor, and what was recorded by POs or ROs in the requisite forms was not the final determination of the vote count, if the votes were ordered to be recounted, which was done by opening the bags/packets containing the ballot papers.

“The ballot papers which are cast is the primary evidence of the election result,” the verdict explained, adding that the forms carried a presumption of correctness until the ballot papers were ordered to be recounted.

“A candidate may request for recounting of the votes and if such request is allowed, the votes are recounted, after issuance of notice to all the candidates, while the recounting takes place in the presence of all those who elect to attend,” the judgement said.

“If there is a dispute in this regard, the actual votes which are cast determine the controversy. Needless to state, if the seal of the bags/packets are found to be broken or tampered with the sanctity of votes therein stands compromised. This however is not the case of the appellant,” the judgment said.

Twenty-six candidates had contested the elections from PB-14 constituency on Feb 8 during which Muhammad Khan, one of the respondents, received the the highest number of votes with 21,103, whereas the runner-up, who is the appellant, received 19,093 votes. The candidate who stood third received only 347 votes. The contest, therefore, was between the appellant and Muhammad Khan — the respondent No. 11.

The SC judgement recalled that during the hearing, POs had testified as court witnesses and the parties were given an opportunity to cross-examine them.

Despite cross-examining them at length, the alleged wrongdoing on their part could not be established, nor could it be established that the copies produced by the appellant were those of actual Form 45s.

The judgement highlighted that in the present case, the appellant had questioned the declared results and sought recounting, which was allowed. Pursuant to the recounting, the votes received by the winning candidate (respondent No. 11) were reduced and so too those received by the appellant; however, respondent No. 11 still emerged victorious having received 1,919 more votes than the appellant.

The verdict said the tribunal had independently examined the case from all angles and attended to the allegations levelled by the appellant and correctly concluded that his allegations were not established, and that the election results were fair.

Consequently, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of the election tribunal while rejecting the appeal filed by Ghulam Rasool.

Source:dawn.com

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

https://www.dawn.com/news/1861199/ballots-take-precedence-over-form-45-or-47-tally-rules-sc

----------

 

LHC rules against retrospective application of income tax law

Malik Asad

September 26, 2024

RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench has ruled against retrospective application of a section of the Income Tax Ordinance 2001 that relates to concealment of taxable income.

The LHC bench comprising Justice Sajid M. Sethi and Justice Jawad Hassan noted that the application of Section 111(d) of the ordinance in the tax reference in hand was ‘unlawful’.

Initially, the court formulated the question that when it is admitted or determined that income has been concealed by suppressing the sales can the evaded tax be allowed to be kept as a gift by the taxpayer on the ground that wrong provision of law has been mentioned i.e. Section 111(1)(d)(i).

The court was earlier informed that a show cause notice was issued to the respondent-taxpayer to explain the nature and source of credit entries based on suppression of sales/tax evasion during a desk audit, on account of certain discrepancies found between the bank statement and statement of final taxation for the period in question.

Although the respondent filed reply to the show cause notice, the same was found ‘unsatisfactory’ that further led to amendment of the assessment and subsequent addition of Rs228 million under Section 111(1)(d) of the ordinance and total income was assessed at around Rs233m involving tax demand of Rs57m.

Feeling disgruntled, the respondent filed an appeal before Inland Revenue Commissioner. It was later disposed of vide order dated Nov 17, 2016 with the observation that Section 111(1)(d) as well as general rate of tax on the income of taxpayer without altering his status under the minimum tax regime under Section 113A declared under Section 115(4) of the ordinance, was wrongly applied by the assessing officer.

However, the appellate tribunal allowed the appeal of the taxpayer.

FBR’s legal adviser submitted that despite the fact that income has been concealed by suppressing the sales, the appeal of respondent-taxpayer was allowed by learned appellate tribunal without any lawful justification, on the ground that the provision of law i.e. Section 111(1)(d)(i) was not attracted.

He admitted that the show cause notice should have been issued under Section 111(1)(b), but said Section 111(1)(d) was ‘erroneously’ quoted.

The bench observed that Section 111(1)(d) was inserted through the Finance Act, 2011 with prospective effect and came into force with effect from July 1, 2011, adding that the matter pertains to the tax year 2010, thus, no retrospectivity can be given to it.

“As a basic principle of interpretation of statutes, tax statutes operative prospectively unless clearly indicated by the legislature, therefore, retrospectivity cannot be presumed,” the court ruled.


 

Source:dawn.com

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

https://www.dawn.com/news/1861193/lhc-rules-against-retrospective-application-of-income-tax-law

----------

 

At least 25 dead as Shiite-Sunni tensions flare over land dispute in Pakistan's Kurram

Sep 26, 2024,

At least 25 people were killed in recent days in clashes that erupted between armed Shiites and Sunni Muslims in Kurram, a district in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, according to officials.

The violence, which began over the weekend, is rooted in a long-standing land dispute and has continued into Wednesday. In addition to the fatalities, numerous individuals from both sides have sustained injuries since Saturday.

Kurram has been a hotspot for sectarian violence in the past. Authorities are working to prevent the land dispute from escalating into further sectarian conflict in the volatile northwest region, where extremist groups from both sides maintain a significant presence.

Barrister Saif Ali, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said that authorities, in collaboration with tribal elders, are striving to ease tensions. Following peace talks in Kurram, both sides have agreed to a cease-fire.

Pakistan, a Sunni-majority nation with a population of 240 million, has a Shiite Muslim population of approximately 15 per cent. While the two communities generally coexist peacefully throughout the country, tensions have persisted for decades in certain areas, particularly in Kurram, where Shiites hold a dominant presence in some parts of the district.

In July, the same dispute led to the deaths of dozens of people from both sides.


 

Source:indiatimes.com

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

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/at-least-25-dead-as-shiite-sunni-tensions-flare-over-land-dispute-in-pakistans-kurram/articleshowprint/113686501.cms

---------

 

South Asia

 

Yunus seeks Gates Foundation's enhanced support for Bangladesh's health sector

 Sep 26, 2024

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus urged the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's leading charitable organisation, to come forward with an enhanced support for the health sector of Bangladesh.

Global CEO of the Gates Foundation Mark Suzman shared the foundation's burgeoning engagements and vision for wider engagements in healthcare, nutrition, youth technologies and agriculture in Bangladesh with Yunus in New York on Wednesday.

"Chief sdviser has requested the Gates Foundation to increase its cooperation in health and other sectors in Bangladesh," Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam told UNB.

Mark Suzman responded positively to this and showed interest in increasing their involvement in Bangladesh.

Referring to the meeting, Shafiqul said Gates Foundation's interest in increasing their support in the health sector of Bangladesh means increasing the quality of health services in Bangladesh and creating new jobs.

During the meeting, the chief adviser called for the management of social business in other sectors as well as healthcare in Bangladesh.


 

Source:thedailystar.net

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

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/accidents-fires/news/3-female-garment-workers-killed-8-hurt-manikganj-head-collision-3712716

----------

 

92 arrested, 216 looted arms recovered so far: Police HQ

Sep 25, 2024

A total of 216 firearms, including 62 pistols and five submachine guns, have been recovered during the nationwide joint forces' drive till today.

The joint drive was launched on September 4.

As many as 92 suspects were also arrested during the drive, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement today.

The recovered firearms also include one AK-47, 23 shooter guns, 13 rifles, 28 shotguns, and 31 guns, read the release.

Members of the armed forces, Border Guard Bangladesh, Coast Guard, police, Rab, and Ansar took part in the drive.

The joint drives targeted three types of firearms: those looted from police, SSF and other security forces; firearms with suspended licences; and illegal firearms.

After the fall of the Awami League government on August 5 in the face of a mass uprising, mobs looted firearms and bullets from different police stations and establishments across the country.

The new interim government then set September 3 as the deadline to submit the looted firearms to nearby police stations.

The government also ordered to deposit licenced firearms within the same timeframe, suspending the licences issued in the last 15 years during the AL government's tenure.\

Source:thedailystar.net

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

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/acc-launches-probe-against-ex-bfiu-chief-3712051

----------

 

Media Violations Evaluation Commission Holds Regular Session

2024-09-26

KABUL(BNA): The Media Violations Evaluation Commission, chaired by Mawlawi Zia-ul-Haq Haqmal, Acting Deputy Minister for Publications and Director of Bakhtar News Agency, convened for its regular session on Wednesday.

During the meeting, Mawlawi Zia-ul-Haq Haqmal provided valuable insights into various media-related issues, reviewing decisions from previous meetings. The commission addressed a range of concerns and complaints raised by media outlets, emphasizing the need for transparency in the support provided to these organizations.

In a bid to enhance accountability, the commission engaged in detailed discussions about mechanisms to ensure clear and effective support for the media sector. As a result, several decisions were made to improve the situation.

Additionally, the commission established special committees aimed at tackling media-related challenges across multiple provinces. These committees will conduct on-ground visits to assess issues firsthand and will be responsible for submitting their findings to the commission for further action.


 

Source:bakhtarnews.af

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

https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/media-violations-evaluation-commission-holds-regular-session/

---------

 

Public Health Minister Collaborates with WHO to Enhance Healthcare Services and Address Challenges

2024-09-25

KABUL(BNA): In a recent meeting with the World Health Organization’s regional director, the Acting Minister of Public Health underscored the critical need for long-term collaboration between Afghanistan and the WHO.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Public Health, Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali engaged in an online dialogue with Ms. Hanan Al-Balkhi, the regional director of the WHO, Edwin Siniza Salvador, WHO’s representative in Afghanistan, and Dr. Hamid Jafari, the regional coordinator for the Eastern Mediterranean Polio Eradication Initiative.

The discussions centered on several pivotal topics, including the enhancement of healthcare services throughout Afghanistan, the capacity-building of Afghan healthcare professionals, the training of specialists across various medical disciplines, the establishment of health facilities in remote and underserved regions, and strategies for the control and prevention of communicable diseases. Additionally, the implementation of more effective polio vaccination campaigns and other critical health initiatives were addressed.

Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali emphasized the necessity for sustained support and cooperation, alongside immediate and short-term assistance, to fortify and maintain the integrity of the national health system. He deemed these collaborative efforts essential for advancing the healthcare framework in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, he highlighted the significance of attracting international support to Afghanistan’s health sector and advocated for enduring commitments in this area. He affirmed that the enhancement of Afghanistan’s health system is of paramount importance and necessitates considerable effort, to which he committed his full cooperation.

Source:bakhtarnews.af

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

https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/public-health-minister-collaborates-with-who-to-enhance-healthcare-services-and-address-challenges/

----------

 

AFP: Afghan refugees tortured in Iranian detention camps

By Fidel Rahmati

September 25, 2024

Afghan migrants report being tortured by Iranian officials in detention camps and forcibly deported.

According to the Taliban, up to 3,000 people, including those born in Iran, return to Afghanistan daily, many suffering from physical abuse and mental trauma.

Every day, waves of Afghan refugees return from Iran at the Afghanistan-Iran border. Reports from refugee organizations and statements from Taliban officials indicate a growing number of deportations of Afghan migrants from Iran.

Abdul Ghani Qazizada, a Taliban official at the Islam Qala crossing, told AFP that the deportation rate of Afghan migrants from Iran has increased in the last six months.

Qazizada said that in Iran, Afghans are given one week to leave or must pay a fine of 100 million tomans (around $2,375) if they are over 18 years old.

The returning migrants are registered by the Taliban and the International Organization for Migration, with 2,000 Afghanis in aid provided to those in need of assistance.

Ramadan Azizi, 36, who returned to Afghanistan with his wife and three children, said his Iranian landlord was fined for renting him a house. Azizi, a construction worker, reported that Iranian officials threw his belongings out of the window before deporting him to a military camp.

Fazila Qadiri, a 26-year-old migrant, described her husband and other migrants being tortured with metal batons in the Karaj camp in Tehran. She said the torture lasted for a week, with no regard for gender, as both men and women were subjected to the same brutal treatment.

Fazila’s husband suffered broken bones from the torture, and one Afghan migrant reportedly died from the abuse. She also said all her belongings were left behind in Iran upon deportation.

A Taliban official at the Islam Qala crossing stated that 90% of returning Afghan migrants were forcibly deported, and about 70% of them returned without any documentation.

The rising number of forced deportations and allegations of torture highlight the severe conditions faced by Afghan migrants in Iran. Many return to Afghanistan with no possessions or support, underscoring the urgent need for international attention and intervention to address these human rights violations and the growing humanitarian crisis.


 

Source:khaama.com

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

https://www.khaama.com/afp-afghan-refugees-tortured-in-iranian-detention-camps/

----------

 

EU provides €146 million aid to Afghanistan

By Fidel Rahmati

September 25, 2024

The European Union is adding €146 million to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund to meet the basic and livelihood needs of the Afghan people.

On Wednesday, September 25, the European Union announced that this financial package would be allocated to essential services, including healthcare, education, and food security, and would focus on supporting the rights of women and girls.

Notably, this humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan was pledged during the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meeting.

This humanitarian assistance is being announced just three days after the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stated that the Netherlands contributed €16.1 million to the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund.

Previously, the European Union had also announced humanitarian aid for the people of Afghanistan.

However, aid organizations in Afghanistan have repeatedly warned of the growing humanitarian need and the reduction in funding.

This substantial financial commitment from the European Union is critical as many Afghan citizens face mounting challenges due to economic hardships and a lack of essential services.

The continued efforts of international donors like the EU are vital to addressing the people of Afghanistan’s immediate and long-term needs.

Despite these contributions, there remains a pressing need for sustained international attention and assistance to prevent further deterioration of living conditions, particularly for vulnerable groups such as women and children.


 

Source:khaama.com

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

https://www.khaama.com/eu-provides-e146-million-aid-to-afghanistan/

---------

 

Families of mass-uprising martyrs Miraj, Rabbi meet Nahid Islam

  25 Sep 2024,

DHAKA, Sept 25, 2024 (BSS) – The family members of Shaheed Miraj Hossain and Shaheed Md. Ismail Hossain Rabi, who were killed in the student-people uprising, today met Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Adviser Md. Nahid Islam at the latter’s office in the  secretariat. 

In the meeting, Shaheed Miraj's father broke down in tears while recounting the death of his son on August 5. He broke down in tears while showing his son's blood-stained shirt to the adviser, creating a highly emotional atmosphere.

At that time, Nahid Islam, also the Adviser of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, hugged Miraj's father and consoled him.

Besides, Shaheed Ismail Hossain Rabbi's sister said they could not file a case as they failed to get the death certificate of her brother from the hospital. She asked the help of the adviser in this regard.

The Adviser assured her to provide any type of cooperation as she sought his intervention to include her brother's name in the list of martyrs.

Nahid Islam said that names of all the martyrs and injured will be included in the list, and this works would be easier after the establishment of the office of July Martyrs Memorial Foundation.

Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhtar was present.


 

Source:bssnews.net

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

https://www.bssnews.net/news/211917

---------

 

Southeast Asia

 

Prabowo Warns of World War III Risk, Reaffirms Indonesia’s Non-Aligned Stance

 September 26, 2024

Jakarta. Defense Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto warned of the rising possibility of World War III if nations fail to exercise restraint amid escalating global tensions.

Speaking at the parliamentary complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Wednesday, Prabowo emphasized that the world is facing significant challenges, including potential nuclear warfare, which could impact Indonesia despite its non-involvement.

"The world today is not in a good state. We are witnessing heightened tensions, with global defense and strategy experts suggesting that we are on the brink of World War III," Prabowo said.

He warned that a global conflict would likely involve nuclear warfare, impacting Indonesia even if the country were not directly involved.

Indonesia Officially Part of UN Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty

“If a nuclear war breaks out, although we may not be involved, the consequences will be severe. History has shown that when powers seek to impose their will, wars erupt unexpectedly, as seen in World War I and II. We also see growing tensions in Palestine that could lead to a major conflict,” he explained.

Cross-border attacks between Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah have reignited concerns that the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza could evolve into a regional conflict, nearly a year after it began.

The US, France, and other allies jointly called Wednesday for an immediate 21-day ceasefire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which has killed more than 600 people in Lebanon in recent days.

Despite these concerns, Prabowo reaffirmed Indonesia’s longstanding position as a non-aligned nation, stressing the importance of maintaining this stance amid rising global uncertainties.

“We understand that a World War III would likely lead to nuclear war. Thankfully, Indonesia has a strong tradition of non-alignment, and we will continue to uphold that position,” he said.

Indonesia officially joined the world’s anti-nuclear pact after Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi presented the country’s ratified document to the UN Secretariat on Tuesday.

The Indonesian House of Representatives passed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) into law last year after the country signed the nuclear ban treaty in 2017. Jakarta was also among the early state parties to the treaty.

Prabowo also emphasized the importance of national unity and political cooperation in safeguarding the country's interests. He cited his experience as a partner of the House of Representatives' Commission I, where all political factions have supported policies aimed at protecting national security.

"I have repeatedly reminded the nation of the need to strengthen ourselves. We are blessed with extraordinary natural resources. Despite ongoing challenges with resource mismanagement, our wealth remains vast," he remarked.

He expressed gratitude to Commission I for their support throughout his tenure as Defense Minister, noting that despite differing political backgrounds, the commission has prioritized national interests above political affiliations.

“We may come from different parties, but we must never forget that we are all Indonesians. As leaders, we have a responsibility to the people of Indonesia,” he concluded.

Source:jakartaglobe.id

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

https://jakartaglobe.id/news/prabowo-warns-of-world-war-iii-risk-reaffirms-indonesias-nonaligned-stance

----------

 

Malaysia to prioritise foreign investments in AI and data tech, says PM Anwar

 26 Sep 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 26 — Malaysia is now more selective in choosing foreign direct investments, with a focus on projects that would greatly benefit the country, especially in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and data technology, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the opening of a data centre that used to depend on cheap energy and water to move and cool the operating systems, is now no longer sufficient.

“Now, if you want to (establish) a data centre, you must have AI,” he said, referring to projects like Nvidia in Johor, “which is an example of how technology needs to be improved to remain relevant,” he said at the Ilmuan Malaysia Madani Forum here on Wednesday organised by Tenaga Nasional Bhd.

Anwar said universities in this country should also be empowered to produce skilled workforce in the field of AI and engineering in order to meet the needs of high-tech investors.

“So, if the investment is big, we are now more selective in choosing investments that can benefit the country more,” he explained.

Meanwhile, touching on the national budget, he outlined education and health as the main priorities, with the highest allocation given to the education sector, followed by health. — Bernama


 

Source:malaymail.com

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

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/09/26/malaysia-to-prioritise-foreign-investments-in-ai-and-data-tech-says-pm-anwar/151640

----------

 

Malaysia calls to limit UNSC veto, demands Palestine resolution implementation

BERNAMA

26-09- 2024

NEW YORK: Malaysia has made a strong appeal to limit the use of veto power in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), stressing that the unchecked use of veto has obstructed peace efforts, particularly in the case of Palestine.

Taking the floor at the UNSC Debate on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan stressed that the veto should not be used to block resolutions aimed at upholding international law and protecting innocent civilians.

“Everywhere, the same question echoes: Is the UN too broken to be fixed? The answer is ‘No’, as there is indeed a way, and only one way, to fix the UN. The veto must be limited,” said Mohamad representing Malaysia at the debate, themed “Leadership for Peace: United in Respect of the UN Charter, In Search of a Secure Future.”

Also present during the debate was Slovenia’s representative to the Security Council, Samuel Žbogar, who is also serving as UNSC President for September.

Mohamad also urged the Security Council to fully support the implementation of Resolution ES-10/24, which was adopted by the General Assembly on Sept 18 with overwhelming backing.

He described the resolution as a vital step toward securing justice for Palestine, stressing that the Security Council must not allow it to be undermined by the exercise of veto power.

“We demand that this Council support the full implementation of the resolution,” said Mohamad noting Malaysia’s deep concern over the killing of over 500 people in Lebanon while world leaders gathered under the banner of the UN.

The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/ES-10/24, demanding that Israel ends its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) within 12 months, as aligned with the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion.

With 124 states in favour, the vote reflects strong international support for justice and human rights.

However, 14 states opposed the resolution, while 43 abstained, according to the world body on its official website.


 

Source:thesun.my

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

https://thesun.my/local-news/malaysia-calls-to-limit-unsc-veto-demands-palestine-resolution-implementation-GG13043342

----------

 

Ministry imposes RM4.4m in fines on 12 companies linked to GISB Holdings for failing to submit financial statements

26 Sep 2024

PETALING JAYA, Sept 26 — The Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN) has imposed compounds amounting to RM4.4 million against 12 companies related to GISB Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISBH) recently.

KPDN Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the compounds were issued after an investigation by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) found that all the companies did not comply with the requirement to submit their annual statements and financial statements.

“Besides GISBH, there are 17 other companies using the GISB name in their SSM registration. At the same time, a review of data and websites related to GISB or ‘Ikhwan’ found that 201 businesses could be linked to GISB.

“One of the company’s responsibilities every year is to submit their audited financial statements. SSM investigation found that these 12 companies did not comply with the responsibility of submitting their Annual Statement and Financial Statement,” he said when met after the TikTok Shop Seller Summit 2024 here, today.

Armizan said on the issue of GISBH, KPDN is responsible for helping the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) in terms of legislation and non-compliance with related acts by its business networks. — Bernama

Source:malaymail.com

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

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/09/26/kpdn-imposes-rm44m-in-fines-on-12-companies-linked-to-gisb-holdings-for-failing-to-submit-financial-statements/151682

----------

 

URL:     https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/judiciary-muslim-majority-mini-pakistan-cji/d/133294

 

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..