Kerala Mosque Invites People From Other Religions To Attend Khutbah And Friday Prayers
New
Age Islam News Bureau
27
April 2022
Markaz Masjid in Zachariah Bazaar of Alappuzha is
taking the initiative in a bid to strengthen communal harmony
-----
• Thank You Indian Railways For The Iftar: Train Iftar
Leaves Shatabdi Traveller Very Surprised
• Kerala: Christian Association And Alliance For
Social Action Having Anti-Muslim Leanings To Take Part In Hindu Maha Sammelan
• France’s Highest Administrative Court Rules Emmanuel
Macron’s Mosque Ban Illegal
• India Religious Freedom Worsens ‘Significantly’: US
Commission On International Religious Freedom
India
• Karnataka: Groom Hosts Iftar For Muslim Friends
Fasting During Ramzan
• Prevent hate speech at Dharam Sansad: SC to
Uttarakhand govt
• Amid Loudspeakers Row, 5 Pune Mosques Say No To DJ Music
During Eid Festival, Utilise Fund To Help Poor And Needy
• Uniform Civil Code unconstitutional, against
minorities, says AIMPLB
• AIMIM denies part in Hubballi violence after
leaders’ arrest
• A
history of violence: Jahangirpuri is but another event in a historical
continuum
• When Sunil Dutt’s Family Was Saved By Muslim Man
During Partition: ‘He Helped Us Escape’
--------
Europe
• David Cameron accused of 'Islamophobia' after
singling out Muslim critics of Prevent
• Twitter admits temporarily suspending Dutch
far-right leader Geert Wilders
• UK announces £25 million aid package for Somalia,
supporting almost 1m people
• Islamic Centre in Vienna to hold Quran, Adhan competition
--------
North America
• White House worried Iran could develop nuclear
weapon in weeks
• US assured new govt wants to rejuvenate ties
• US wants deal with Iran, but it does ‘nothing’ to
address missile program: Blinken
--------
South Asia
• Bangladeshi Court Jails Islamist, Foyzul Hasan, For
Life Over Attack On Top Writer, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
• ISIS, Not A Threat, It’s Eliminated In Afghanistan:
MoI
• Taliban’s promises to protect Afghan minorities
falling apart amid a spate of attacks: Report
• Pakistan toasted brotherly Taliban’s takeover but
why they are bombing each other
• Taliban Might Get Recognized If They Form Inclusive
Government: Lavrov
• Netherlands Announces EUR 20 Million to Afghanistan
--------
Arab World
• Shia Lebanese Man Who Posed As Jew Says He Hopes He
Would Have 'Right To Kill' Hezbollah Leader
• Egypt Imposes 'Paranoid' Ramadan And Eid
Restrictions On Prayers And Spiritual Retreats
• Saudi Arabia, France partner to provide $76 million
in humanitarian aid to Lebanon
• Fears grow over negative impact of Hezbollah victory
in Lebanon elections
• Israeli missile strike on Damascus kills nine
people: Report
• Suicide bomber kills two Iraqi troops during
anti-ISIS raid
• Lenderking cautiously optimistic over Yemen, calls
out Iran’s support for Houthis
• Iran slams illegal foreign presence in Syria, says
war on terror must not be used as pretext
--------
Mideast
• Resistance Leaders Vow To Stand By Al-Quds, Blast
Israeli Barbarity
• Leader Criticizes Muslim Govts. For ‘Acting Poorly’
Vis-À-Vis Palestine
• Spokesman: Iran Hopes Talks with Saudi Arabia
Enhance Regional Security
• Iran's President Warns of Negligence of Afghanistan
Crisis in Light of Ukraine War
• Ancient goddess sculpture found by farmer in Gaza
Strip
• Turkish opposition leaders vow to overturn sentences
against Kavala, others
• Israeli forces kill young Palestinian man during
Jenin refugee camp raid
--------
Southeast Asia
• Indonesia’s Mosque Loudspeakers Continue to Spark
Controversy
• Court to decide June 15 whether woman who wants to
leave Islam to embrace Confucianism and Buddhism can continue with court
challenge
• Singapore Executes Disabled Malaysian Convicted In
Drug Case
• Over 5,000 former separatist fighters to join
Philippine police
--------
Pakistan
• Imran Khan's Supporters Stage Protest Outside
Election Commission Offices Across Pakistan
• China condemns suicide attack at Karachi University,
demands punishment for perpetrators
• Maryam withdraws plea for return of passport from
LHC
• Pakistan can’t afford enmity with US, says Shehbaz
• Terrorists attack Security Forces in Sararogha,
South Waziristan: ISPR
--------
Africa
• Tunisian Opposition Announces Alliance Against
President Saied
• Mali opens probe into mass grave near French base
• Tunisia detains crew of ship that sank off its coast
this month
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/kerala-mosque-religions-khutbah-friday-prayers/d/126880
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Kerala Mosque Invites People From Other Religions To
Attend Khutbah And Friday Prayers
Markaz Masjid in Zachariah Bazaar of Alappuzha is
taking the initiative in a bid to strengthen communal harmony
-----
Nov 26, 2021
KOTTAYAM: In a unique gesture, a mosque in Alappuzha
has invited individuals from other religions and faiths to attend the Friday
prayers and the weekly talk to be held in the mosque on Friday.
It is the Markaz masjid in Zachariah Bazaar in
Alappuzha town that have invited people from other sections to attend the
Friday prayers in the masjid. The Markaz trust has personally invited leaders
of various religions, government officials and people from different walks of
life. Special seats have been arranged for the guests during the Friday prayer.
According to the trust members, the move is basically
aimed at giving a message to the society that all should live peacefully in
this world. “There has been lots of controversies over religion recently. We
are against such tendencies and by doing this in the wake of the present social
atmosphere in the state we wanted to give a message of communal harmony,” said
Ashraf K S, a member of the Markaz trust. The mosque, which is around 30 years
old, is an important worshipping place of the Muslims in Alappuzha town.
The invited guests from other religions will have a
chance to listen to the weekly talks delivered during the Friday prayers and
could witness the namaz offered by the faithful. The guest are given a chance
to interact with the Muslim religious leaders after the prayer session and they
can also clear their doubts, if any, regarding the prayers and religious
practices.
“We are basically aiming at a friendly interaction.
People from other religions should know what is being held inside a mosque
during the Friday prayers. They should know on what all subject we speak here,”
said Ashraf. He also said that people from various walks of life have contacted
the trust members showing the interest to attend the prayer session on Friday.
The guests will be served food, vegetarian as well as non-veg, as per the
choice of the guests after the prayer session.
Siyad, another trust member, said the masjid as of now
is holding this friendly interaction only this Friday. “We may continue this in
the future and our trust will discuss the possibility for that,” he said.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Thank You Indian Railways For The Iftar: Train Iftar
Leaves Shatabdi Traveller Very Surprised
Iftar in Shatabdi Express
-----
Apr 27, 2022
NEW DELHI: Travelling by the Howrah-Ranchi Shatabdi
Express, Shahnawaz Akhtar was pleasantly surprised on Tuesday when Iftar was
offered to him on the train. While IRCTC serves "Upwas Meals" during
Navratri, no special service is available during Ramzan.
"Thank you #IndianRailways for the #Iftar. As
soon as I boarded Howrah #Shatabdi at Dhanbad, I got my snacks. I requested the
pantry man to bring tea little late as I am fasting. He confirmed by asking,
Aap Roza Hai? I nodded in yes. Later someone else came with Iftar," Akhtar
tweeted.
"The staff was breaking its fast and shared its
Iftar. This is basic humanity," the catering supervisor said.
Source: Times Of India
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original story:
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Kerala: Christian Association And Alliance For Social
Action Having Anti-Muslim Leanings To Take Part In Hindu Maha Sammelan
CASA state president Kevin
Peter confirmed that he would be participating in the Hindu Youth Conclave,
which will be held as part of the five-day event.
-----
by Shaju Philip
April 27, 2022
A CHRISTIAN organisation, which has been at the
forefront of tapping anti-Muslim sentiments among Christians in Kerala, will
participate in the 10th Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan, which begins here on
Wednesday.
The Christian Association and Alliance for Social
Action (CASA) will participate in a debate on “love jihad, land jihad and halal
food” at the pro-Sangh Parivar event.
Hindu Dharma Parishad president M Gopal said this is
the first time that a Christian outfit will be participating in the Hindu Maha
Sammelan. “We had Christians attending the event in the past. But this is the
first time a Christian outfit is attending the event,” he said. “The present
situation in Kerala demands that Hindus and Christians should stand united.
There are common issues which both communities are facing such as love jihad
and land jihad.”
“Both communities are facing the same crisis
situations. Islamic terrorism is confronting both communities,” said Gopal.
He denied any political agenda behind bringing the
Christian outfit for the Hindu conclave.
CASA state president Kevin Peter confirmed that he
would be participating in the Hindu Youth Conclave, which will be held as part
of the five-day event.
Like Sangh Parivar outfits, the CASA has been
campaigning to boycott halal food in Kerala. Also, recently it mobilised
supporters at Kodenchery village in Kozhikode district to protest against the
inter-faith marriage of a local CPI(M) leader – a Muslim – with a Catholic
nurse.
The Hindu conclave will be inaugurated by Kerala
Governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Wednesday. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, who
directed ‘The Kashmir Files’, will be the chief guest at the event, which has
former Mizoram Governor and BJP leader Kummanam Rajesekharan as the patron.
Union minister V Muraleedharan, RSS leaders J Nandakumar and Valsan Thillankeri
and VHP state president Viji Thampi will take part in various sessions at the
event.
“Left and Islamic historians have twisted the history
of the state. We want to put the history in the right perspective. The conclave
would take efforts in that direction,” said Gopal.
Source: Indian Express
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original story:
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France’s Highest Administrative Court Rules Emmanuel
Macron’s Mosque Ban Illegal
France President Emanuel
Macron
----
Ali Abunimah
26 April 2022
Days after his re-election victory, President Emmanuel
Macron has suffered a major defeat at the hands of the Muslim community in
Pessac in Southwestern France.
On Tuesday, the country’s highest administrative
court, the Conseil d’Etat, threw out a government decree ordering the closure
of the Bordeaux suburb’s Farouk mosque for six months.
Macron’s interior ministry issued the order earlier
this year on the pretext that the mosque was spreading hatred against France
and Israel and inciting terrorism.
In reality it amounted to revenge and collective
punishment for the mosque president’s criticisms of Israel’s crimes against
Palestinians and of Macron’s harsh anti-Muslim policies.
It was also a transparent effort to increase Macron’s
appeal to racist voters in the run-up to the presidential election in which he
faced off against far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Last month, a lower court in Bordeaux threw out the
order, calling it disproportionate and “a grave and manifestly illegal
violation of the freedom of religion.”
Gérald Darmanin, the interior minister, took the case
to the Conseil d’Etat in an effort to reinstate the order.
But the Macron administration lost.
The high court in Paris confirmed that by ordering the
mosque’s closure, the prefect of Gironde, the interior minister’s regional
official, had “taken a police measure that constitutes a grave and manifestly
illegal infringement of the freedom of worship.”
In its decision, the Conseil d’Etat “rejected the
appeal of the interior ministry and once again vindicated the Pessac mosque,”
Sefen Guez Guez, the Muslim congregation’s lawyer said on Tuesday.
According to Guez Guez, the court found that “nothing
in the case presented by the interior ministry supports an accusation against
the mosque for inciting terrorism.”
Many of the ministry’s justifications for closing the
mosque were ludicrous on their face.
They included a social media post by Abdourahmane
Ridouane, the mosque’s president, quoting Nelson Mandela supporting Palestinian
freedom.
Ridouane had also angered the government by
criticizing it for banning a group that combats anti-Muslim prejudice, and
calling Gaza, where Israel cages, besieges and regularly bombs a mostly refugee
Palestinian population, a “concentration camp.”
Guez Guez noted that the Conseil d’Etat ruling sets a
legal precedent.
That’s important because the Macron administration has
increasingly resorted to closing mosques and banning groups with whose opinions
it disagrees.
Amnesty International has termed the government’s 2020
order dissolving CCIF, the group fighting anti-Muslim bigotry, “a shocking
move” that could have “a chilling effect on all people and organizations
engaged in combating racism and discrimination in France.”
In addition to targeting Muslim communities, the
staunchly pro-Israel Macron has used similar repression against supporters of
Palestinian rights.
In February, he ordered the dissolution of two French
Palestine solidarity groups.
The Farouk mosque’s lawyer Sefen Guez Guez praised the
popular mobilization by members of the community and supporters across France.
He said that their activism, along with the legal battle, meant that the mosque
“had not been closed for a single minute.”
“It won at every stage, before the administrative
tribunal in Bordeaux and at the Conseil d’Etat.”
This video shows mosque president Ridouane addressing
supporters in Paris on the day of the hearing at the high court:
“The mosque is a place of worship but it’s not only
that. Every evening we distribute free meals, so it doesn’t only affect
Muslims,” Janna, a 19-year-old student, told Bondy Blog earlier this month.
She was one of the many community members who made the
400-mile trek from Bordeaux to the capital to support the mosque during the
hearing at the Conseil d’Etat.
That sort of charitable and community work is
especially important during Ramadan, when the mosque has been hosting iftars
every evening offering hot meals to anyone.
With Tuesday’s court victory against Macron’s
anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian repression, the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday
celebrating the end of the fasting month will be sweeter than ever.
Source: Electronic Intifada
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original story:
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India Religious Freedom Worsens ‘Significantly’: US
Commission On International Religious Freedom
Secretary of State Antony
Blinken with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during a meeting in
Washington. | Photo Credit: AP
----
April 27, 2022
WASHINGTON: Religious freedom has deteriorated
“significantly” in India under the Hindu nationalist government, a US commission
said Monday as it again recommended targeted sanctions over abuses.
It was the third straight year that the US Commission
on International Religious Freedom asked that India be placed on a list of
“countries of particular concern” — a recommendation that has angered New Delhi
and is virtually certain to be dismissed by the State Department.
In an annual report, the panel — which is appointed to
offer recommendations but does not set US policy — voiced wide concern about
South Asia and also backed the State Department’s inclusion of Pakistan on the
blacklist.
In India, the commission pointed to “numerous” attacks
on religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in 2021 as Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s government promoted “its ideological vision of a Hindu
state” through policies hostile to minorities.
“Religious freedom conditions in India significantly
worsened,” the report said.
It pointed to a “culture of impunity for nationwide
campaigns of threats and violence by mobs and vigilante groups” and arrests of
journalists and human rights advocates.
In a shift from the past two years, no one on the
panel dissented from the recommendation on India, commissioner Anurima Bhargava
told reporters.
The Indian government in previous years has angrily
rejected the commission’s findings, accusing it of bias.
President Joe Biden, like Donald Trump before him, has
sought to increase ties with India, seeing common cause in the face of a rising
China.
Biden is expected to meet Modi next month in Tokyo as
part of a four-way summit of the “Quad” with Japan and Australia.
The commission also recommended adding Afghanistan to
the blacklist following the triumph of the Taliban and relisting Nigeria, which
was removed by the Biden administration.
Source: Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2071446/world
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India
Karnataka: Groom hosts iftar for Muslim friends fasting during Ramzan
Apr 27, 2022
MANGALURU: Chandrasekhar Jeddu was upset that his
Muslim friends would not be able to feast at his wedding because they were
fasting through the day for Ramzan.
The groom, hailing from Byrikatte in Bantwal taluk,
orgaised an iftar or evening meal for them in the local mosque. At a time when
religious disharmony has been in the news, Chandrasekhar sent a strong message.
"In this village, Hindus, Christians and Muslims
have lived cordially for many years. I was feeling miserable that my Muslim
friends could not attend my wedding. So I spoke to a few of them and came up
with a plan to organise an iftar for all at the local mosque in Byrikatte. The
mosque heads were more than happy," Chandrasekhar said.
"The iftar was held on Monday evening. More than
100 Muslim friends, 30 of my Hindu friends and four Christian pals had the
iftar. This was just to convey that we are always together, now and in the
future," he said. Chandrasekhar, who works in a borewell company, married
Bhavya in Punacha on April 24.
Source: Times Of India
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Prevent hate speech at Dharam Sansad: SC to
Uttarakhand govt
R. Balaji
27.04.22
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Uttarakhand
government to ensure that hate speeches are not delivered at a so-called Dharam
Sansad scheduled in Roorkee on Wednesday and reminded the state it was “bound”
by the Constitution to ensure peace and was not “doing any favour” by complying
with relevant judicial directives.
“We are putting on record now. You know what are the
preventive measures. You will have to take it and if it (hate
speeches/violence) happens, we will ask the chief secretary to be present here
before the court…. We are directing you to take all the necessary steps,”
Justice A.M. Khanwilkar, heading a three-judge bench, told Uttarakhand deputy
advocate-general Jatinder Kumar Sethi.
“You are bound to take action. You are not doing any
favour to us by following the directions,” the court added while hearing
appeals against alleged hate speeches at religious events in Himachal Pradesh
and Uttarakhand. Both states are ruled by the BJP.
The bench, which also had Justices A.S. Oka and C.T.
Ravi Kumar, made the oral observations after Sethi assured the court that the
Uttarakhand government was adhering to the directives issued in 2018 in three
cases — Shakti Vahini Vs Union of India & Ors, Tehseen S. Poonawalla Vs
Union of India & Ors, and Kodungallur Film Society and Anr. Vs Union of
India & Ors. These judgments dealt with preventive and punitive measures
related to hate speeches.
The stern warning on Tuesday followed submissions by
senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for PIL petitioner Qurban Ali, that
guidelines issued by the Supreme Court in the three judgments were not being
complied with, resulting in hate speeches being delivered.
Sibal informed the court that on Wednesday another
“Dharam Sansad” was scheduled to be held at Roorkee where the petitioner
apprehended hate speeches similar to those allegedly delivered in Haridwar last
December.
“You (Uttarakhand government) have to follow the
guidelines, and if they are not being followed, you will have to answer,”
Justice Khanwilkar said.
When Sethi said the state was taking all preventive
measures, Justice Khanwilkar said: “Not only that, you have to stop all such
activities (hate speeches) and untoward incidents from happening. These events
don’t occur suddenly and are announced in advance. Your police need to ensure
that nothing happens.”
Sethi informed the court that the Uttarakhand
government had registered four FIRs relating to one community and one FIR in
the case of another community in connection with the hate speeches delivered in
December. He did not name the communities.
“Things are happening despite our judgment,” the court
replied.
On preventive measures, Sethi said the administration
was facing difficulties as “we don’t know what would be the text” of the
speeches that would be delivered at the religious gatherings. Justice
Khanwilkar remarked: “The speaker will be the same. You take action. Don’t make
us say what we don’t want to speak.”
Sethi replied: “We are taking steps and instructions.
Let them (petitioners) have faith in us.”
The bench said: “You talk to the secretary (home) and
the IG of that area (Roorkee). The problem is not about trust, but what we see
is something else on the ground. Despite the 2018 judgment things are
happening.”
Sethi said: “My friend (Sibal) is trying to colour a
particular community. We are taking steps and we will take steps that nothing
happens.”
In December in Haridwar, calls had allegedly been
issued at a Dharam Sansad for genocide against Muslims. At a similar event in
Delhi, participants had been seen in videos chanting: “We shall fight; we shall
die for and, if necessary, we shall kill.”
Last week the Supreme Court directed Delhi police to
file a “better affidavit” after the force stated that no hate speeches had been
delivered in the capital and the speakers were only trying to “save the ethics
of the community”.
Source: Telegraph India
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Amid loudspeakers row, 5 Pune mosques say no to DJ
music during Eid festival, utilise fund to help poor and needy
April 27, 2022
Pune: In the wake of a controversy over the use of
loudspeakers at religious places, authorities of five mosques in Pune and some
other senior Muslim community members have decided to shun DJ music during the
upcoming Eid celebration and utilise funds collected for it to help the poor
and needy people.
They also appealed to youth from the community not to
play loud DJ music during the Eid al-Fitr celebration on May 2.
"Everyone knows the ill-effects of such loud DJ
music, which is not good for sick people and those with a weak heart,"
said Maulana Mohsin Raza, the imam of the Bhartiya Anjuman Qadariya Mosque in
Lohiya Nagar area in Pune, Maharashtra.
"So, we formed a core committee of five mosques
in the area and convened a meeting of their imams and functionaries along with
other senior members of the community and decided not to have DJ music during
the Eid celebration," he said.
The funds usually collected to procure the DJ music
system during the celebration will be used to provide aid to the needy and poor
people in the area, he added.
Asked about the row over use of loudspeakers atop the
mosques, he claimed all five mosques in the locality in Pune follow the Supreme
Court's guidelines on noise pollution and the volume during 'azaan' is always
kept low.
"The locality has a mixed population and so far,
no one from the Hindu community has complained of any disturbance due to the playing
of 'azaan'. In fact, the communities here (in Pune) celebrate all the festivals
in harmony," Raza said.
Yunus Salim Shaikh, a local Urdu teacher who is part
of this core committee, said the formation of such a panel is a good step
towards dealing with social issues.
"After the formation of the core committee, a
decision has been taken to ban DJ music during the Eid celebration. During the
namaz sessions in mosques, we are informing people from the community about the
decision and counselling them. Fortunately, we are getting a good response from
everybody," he said.
Source: Firstpost
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Uniform Civil Code unconstitutional, against
minorities, says AIMPLB
Apr 27, 2022
LUCKNOW: Describing the idea of Uniform Civil Code
(UCC) as ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘anti-minority’, the All India Muslim Personal
Law Board (AIMPLB) on Tuesday said it was unacceptable to Muslims.
The AIMPLB statement comes in the backdrop of BJP
government in Uttarakhand having constituted a committee to prepare a draft of
UCC. Recently UP’s deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that the
state government was ‘seriously thinking’ of implementing Uniform Civil Code in
the state. Earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah, addressing party leaders in
Bhopal, had said issues like CAA, Ram Mandir, Article 370 and triple talaq have
been resolved and now it was time to focus on the Common Civil Code.
In a statement issued by AIMPLB general secretary
Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, the board said: “The Uniform Civil Code issue
has been raked up to push the agenda of hatred and discrimination. This
anti-Constitutional move is not acceptable to Muslims at all. The All India
Muslim Personal Law Board strongly condemns this and urges the government to
refrain from such actions.”
“Freedom to practice religion of choice is enshrined
as a Fundamental Right in the constitution of India and under these provisions
minorities and tribals follow their respective personal laws which only leads
to unity among different religious groups and does not harm the national
interests in any way,” the statement said, adding that these personal laws were
introduce to bring an end to many a revolts by tribes in India and have gone a
long way in maintain the mutual trust between the majority and the minority
communities in India.
“Now, the idea of Uniform Civil Code mooted by the
Uttarakhand or Uttar Pradesh government or the Central government is just a
diversionary tactic to shift the focus of the people from issues like rising
inflation, sinking economy and increasing unemployment,” the statement issued
by Maulana Rahmani said.Describing the idea of uniform civil code (UCC) as
‘unconstitutional’ and ‘anti-minority’, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board
(AIMPLB) on Tuesday said it was unacceptable to Muslims.
The AIMPLB statement comes in the backdrop of BJP
government in Uttarakhand having constituted a committee to prepare a draft of
UCC. Recently, UP’s deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya has said that the state
government was ‘seriously thinking’ of implementing Uniform Civil Code in the
state. Earlier, Union home minister Amit Shah, addressing party leaders in Bhopal
had said issues like CAA, Ram Mandir, Article 370 and triple talaq have been
resolved and now it was time to focus on the Common Civil Code.
In a statement issued by AIMPLB general secretary
Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, the Board said: “The Uniform Civil Code issue
has been raked up to push the agenda of hatred and discrimination. This
anti-constitutional move is not acceptable to Muslims at all. The All India
Muslim Personal Law Board strongly condemns this and urges the government to
refrain from such actions.”
“Freedom to practice religion of choice is enshrined
as a Fundamental Right in the constitution of India and under these provisions
minorities and tribals follow their respective personal laws which only leads
to unity among different religious groups and does not harm the national
interests in any way,” the statement said adding that these personal laws were
introduce to bring an end to many a revolts by tribes in India and have gone a
long way in maintain the mutual trust between the majority and the minority
communities in India.
Source: Times Of India
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AIMIM denies part in Hubballi violence after leaders’
arrest
Apr 27, 2022
The arrest of four office-bearers of the All India
Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) in connection with violence at the old
Hubballi police station has raised questions on the party’s intent to mobilise
support from the Muslim electorate ahead of the 2023 assembly elections, people
aware of the developments said. The party, however, has blamed right-wing
organisations for instigating violence in the state.
On Sunday, Hubballi police arrested Dadapeer Betgeri,
the city chief of AIMIM, under charges of rioting and other related sections
while three others, including the general secretary of the party, were arrested
earlier. The police have arrested a total of 146 people so far.
According to people aware of the developments, the
Asaduddin Owaisi-led Hyderabad-based outfit has tried to consolidate the Muslim
votes in parts of the Hubballi and Dharwad, about 450 kms from Bengaluru, where
minorities count for large numbers and can even decide the fate of a few
constituencies.
“Opposition parties have been making false accusations
against the good work we have been doing in the region. Our office bearers were
not part of the violence and have been wrongly arrested,” Rajesh Basavaraj, a
state-executive committee member and spokesperson for the AIMIM, told HT.
Basavaraj added that it was the right-wing groups, who
have been spoiling the peace of the district and state, making provocative
statements and attacking every aspect of Muslim lives as they look to
consolidate the larger Hindu vote to help bring back the Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) to power in the state next year.
AIMIM won three seats in the Hubballi-Dharwad
Municipal corporation elections in September last yearand one seat in neighbouring
Belagavi, giving them hope of expanding their footprint into other
Muslim-dominated constituencies.
In Belagavi, Muslims account for 20.62% of the total
population and nearly 21% in Hubballi-Dharwad, according to the 2011 census.
Source: Hindustan Times
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A history of violence: Jahangirpuri is but another
event in a historical continuum
Siddhartha Rai
April 27, 2022
As a matter of predictable historical consistency,
Muslims in India have vented their ire on Hindus whenever they have lost
relevance — social, political, economic — and whenever their self-image of
once-rulers of India has eroded in any measure.
The latest bout of anti-Hindu violence in Delhi’s
Jahangirpuri was just another event in this historical continuum, a part of
patterned collective action of the Muslim community at a perceived loss of
historical ‘superiority’.
While it is just stating the obvious that the Muslim
community is feeling the heat of a resurgent Hindu consciousness that sees
itself as the legatee of thousands of years old civilisational existence, the
Muslim reaction to it, far from being reasoned and logical, has been elemental
as always. They have always gone ape whenever faced with a Hindu challenge.
To put it another way, whenever the Muslim community
has perceived (perceived being the operative word here) a Hindu consolidation
or even the remote moorings of a communitarian collective emerging from within the
Hindus, they have felt anxious, nervous and unnerved. The unease among a large
section of the Muslim Ummah quite evident and public since 2014 — after the
rise of Narendra Modi whose persona has consolidated the imagination of the
Hindu community — is nothing new, just a replication of Muslim response in such
situations in the past.
While the construct of secularism has fallen flat in
terms of new academic trends that have harped on exposing, rather than
whitewashing historical Hindu-Muslim faultlines, the groundswell of the
realities of the past are now, more than ever, threatening to break earth. And,
it is for this reason that the continuity of anti-Hindu violence as a refrain
of Muslim political-cultural behaviour needs to be dealt with.
While Hindu-Muslim rivalry predates the colonial
period, the British Raj made the most to exacerbate it for its own good; with
the coming of the Raj, Muslims were at once reduced from once-rulers to
ordinary citizens at par with the Hindus, thanks to the Queen’s Proclamation of
1858. Conversely, Hindus who had been subjects — their subjecthood rubbed in
constantly by such degrading levies as jaziya — came at par with their Muslim
rulers overnight.
The Muslim despondency at this parity with the Hindus
is quite clear from the writings of one of the doyens of the community, Syed
Ahmed Khan. In the aftermath of India’s First War of Independence in 1857, Khan
absolved Muslims from any and all blame for the “rebellion” against the
British. On the contrary, he indicted the Hindus.
Khan wrote: “Be it known that I am not an advocate of
those Mohammadans who behaved undutifully and joined in the rebellion… because
at that momentous crisis it was imperatively their duty, a duty enjoined by the
precepts of our religion to identify themselves with the Christians and to
espouse their cause…”
“...The Muslims were the main targets of the
government’s wrath (in the aftermath of the events of 1857). The Indians
(Hindus) in an outward pretence of loyalty to the Government were quite openly having
their revenge on the Muslims,” Khan wrote in ‘The Causes Of The Indian Revolt’
published as early as 1858.
Cut to 1931. Why 1931? Because it was the year when
Kanpur was engulfed by one of the most extraordinary Hindu-Muslim riots in
Indian history. Ostensibly, the Congress gave a call for Kanpur bandh or a
general hartal on 24 March in the wake of Bhagat Singh’s martyrdom. Young
Congressmen tried to picket shops, including those owned by Muslims, and this
caused the flare-up as Muslims reacted to coercion to close their businesses.
Yes, a hartal to commemorate Bhagat Singh became the
core of Hindu-Muslim religious strife in Kanpur. According to the Congress’ own
official inquiry committee that investigated the riots, the Muslims had been
feeling unnerved at the end of the Civil Disobedience Movement as its perceived
success with the British Raj was considered a Hindu victory. Since it was a
Hindu victory, the Muslim community started organising Tanzeem. The Tanzeem
movement was “no doubt to organise the Mohammadans in opposition to the
Congress movement as an organisation of Hindus,” writes JF Sale, then distrct
magistrate of Kanpur, the official inquiry report.
According to one Daya Ram Nigam, a Kanpur resident who
deposed in front of the British inquiry committee on riots, “The tanzeemites
had more of the look of a regular army of soldiers than of the servants of
religion or of people… it had distinctly political bearing and was avowedly
anti-Hindu”.
The result of this Muslim anxiety about the perceived
ascendance of Hindus under the aegis of a rather unequivocally secular Congress
leadership was communitarian strife that officially claimed some 300 lives,
unofficially over 500.
The Direct Action Day that wreaked havoc in eastern
India, especially Bengal, was yet another example of how the Muslim community
shall react whenever it feels that loss of superiority over Hindus, whenever it
thinks it is losing the match.
Cut to present. Since 2014, the Muslim electorate has
ceased to be a political force. The political equation struck by the BJP with
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the head of it has shorn all political
significance from what once was the king-making electorate. The recent Uttar
Pradesh election, going a step ahead of the last one, has come to show that
Muslim vote-bank politics is a non-starter. The drubbing of such parties that
hankered after the Muslim vote as a bank has had a more telling effect on the
overall political significance of this community.
Source: Firstpost
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When Sunil Dutt’s Family Was Saved By Muslim Man
During Partition: ‘He Helped Us Escape’
April 27, 2022
Veteran actor-filmmaker Sunil Dutt, who appeared in
films like Mother India, Gumraah, Waqt, Mera Saaya, among many other hits, was
highly respected in the Hindi film industry. Father of actor Sanjay Dutt, Dutt
saab, as he was fondly called by his peers, was very vocal about his personal
struggles with his son, his time as a politician when Mumbai was going through
a crisis in the 1990s, and would fondly speak about his childhood in what is
Pakistan now, where he grew up. Recollecting one of the anecdotes from the time
Dutt saab had once shared that during the Partition, his “entire family was
saved by a Muslim.”
In an interview that he gave weeks before his death in
2005, the actor had spoken about the time when he got a chance to visit his
childhood village in Pakistan and how it was a “really emotional moment” for
him. Speaking to Lata Khubchandani for Rediff, he said, “I remember when I
visited my village (in Pakistan) again after 50 years. I was invited by then
prime minister Nawaz Sharif. He was very kind when I told him my desire to
visit my village. He made all the arrangements for my visit.”
Sunil Dutt grew up in a village named Khurd near
Jhelum city. The Hamraaz actor shared that his village welcomed him with open
arms and remembered all of his family members. He even met people who were 10
years old at the time and were now in the 60s, and they still remembered his
brother and mother. He shared that his village had more Muslims than Hindus but
his family “lived in the village without any problem.”
“During Partition, my entire family was saved by a
Muslim. His name was Yakub — a friend of my father’s who lived a
mile-and-a-half away from our village. He helped us escape to the main city,
Jhelum,” he recalled.
Sunil Dutt was married to actor Nargis, known for
films like Awara, Shree 420, and Mother India. Nargis passed away in 1981 and
he expressed that it was his deep desire that Nargis visit his village. “I was
very keen that my wife (Nargis) should also see my village, how we went to
school. I used to tell her stories about our life there. She was keen to go to
Pakistan and see all this. Unfortunately, she couldn’t,” he said.
Source: Indian Express
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Europe
David Cameron accused of 'Islamophobia' after singling
out Muslim critics of Prevent
By Areeb Ullah
26 April 2022
Campaigners have accused former UK Prime Minister
David Cameron of Islamophobia after he singled out Muslim critics of the
controversial Prevent strategy and said they were "enabling
terrorism" in Britain by criticising the policy.
In a new report published by the right-wing thinktank
Policy Exchange, Cameron said the UK government's failure to debunk criticisms
of Prevent would "jeopardise" Britain's fight against extremism.
The report claims that Prevent faces a concerted campaign
by allegedly fringe Muslim groups, including the Muslim Council of Britain, to
undermine the policy.
John Jenkins, who Cameron appointed to conduct a 2014
review of the Muslim Brotherhood in the UK, is one of the key authors of the
Policy Exchange report.
In the foreword of the report, Cameron defended his
government's decision to establish the 2015 Counter-Terrorism and Security Act
that made it mandatory for public bodies, including hospitals and schools, to
report and refer anyone who showed signs of terrorism.
Cameron's intervention comes after UK Home Secretary
Priti Patel said she wished to overhaul the Prevent scheme following the murder
of Conservative MP David Amess.
For years, campaigners had called on the government to
establish an independent review of the Prevent strategy and the government
faced criticism when it appointed William Shawcross to conduct the inquiry.
Shawcross, who chaired the Charity Commission between
2012 and 2018, has faced criticism for his previous comments on Islam and has
previously been accused of Islamophobia.
His review is due to be published later this year.
'Attempt to shut down criticism'
Among the Muslim groups accused of undermining the
Prevent strategy are CAGE, the Muslim Council of Britain, the Federation of Student
Islamic Societies, and the Muslim Engagement and Development (MEND) group.
The Policy Exchange Report also includes several
opinion articles written in Middle East Eye that is critical of the Prevent
Strategy.
MEND hit back at Cameron's comments and described it
as a "blatant Islamophobic attack on Muslim critics of the Prevent
strategy and the Shawcross review in the strategy".
"For Policy Exchange to claim that legitimate and
well-founded critique of Prevent is an 'Islamist' and 'extremist' nonsense, and
a thinly disguised and blatant attempt to shut down criticism from various
Muslim groups and to deligitimise them," said MEND.
Muhammad Rabbani, managing director of CAGE UK, said
Policy Exchange aimed to promote a "false reality of unopposed activists
critiquing Prevent in order to explain away communities wholesale rejection of
Prevent".
A spokesperson for the Muslim Council of Britain said,
"Policy Exchange has consistently led efforts to discourage cooperation
between the authorities and the MCB.
Source: Middle East Eye
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Twitter admits temporarily suspending Dutch far-right
leader Geert Wilders
26/04/2022
Twitter says it suspended Dutch far-right leader Geert
Wilders "in error" after reports that he had violated the platform's
rules on hate speech.
The social network admitted it had "temporarily
restricted" Wilders' access to his account on Monday.
The move came after the Freedom Party (PVV) chairman
had published a tweet addressed to Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,
denouncing the "violence of the intolerant ideology called Islam".
Wilders had also claimed that the Pakistani citizens
who have sent him death threats are "inspired by the fake prophet Mohammad".
The MP told Dutch media that has appealed the decision
and refused to remove posts from his account. His Twitter profile was
previously blocked in 2019 after he was accused of sowing online hatred.
Twitter has confirmed that it took "enforcement
action" against the account "in error" and that access has since
been restored.
"It is our top priority to keep everyone who uses
Twitter safe and free from abuse," a spokesperson said.
"We continue to enforce our rules judiciously and
impartially for all accounts that engage in behaviours that violate the Twitter
Rules in line with our range of enforcement options."
The far-right party leader -- who lives under
surveillance -- says he has frequently received threats since he called for a
ban on Islam in the Netherlands and the closure of mosques.
In 2020, a Dutch appeals court upheld his conviction
for insulting Moroccans in comments he made in 2014, although he was also
acquitted of inciting discrimination.
Turkish prosecutors have also investigated Wilders
over "insulting" tweets about President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.
Source: Euro News
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UK announces £25 million aid package for Somalia,
supporting almost 1m people
April 26, 2022
LONDON: UK Minister for Africa Vicky Ford has
announced a new £25 million ($31.4 million) aid package to provide vital
services to almost a million people in Somalia, as the country teeters on the
brink of widespread famine, the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a roundtable event organized by UN Office
for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Ford announced the package of
lifesaving food, water, nutrition and emergency health support and called on
other international donors to step up.
“The UK is stepping up our support with an additional
£25 million, taking our support to almost £40 million in 2022 alone,” Ford
said. “After a quarter of a million people needlessly died from hunger in
Somalia in 2011, we said never again. Now is the time for the international
community to fulfill that commitment and stand with the people of Somalia.”
After three failed rainy seasons, approximately half
the population require life-saving aid due to the ongoing drought, the UK
Foreign Office said, adding forecasts suggest a fourth failed rain is likely.
The UN estimate that there are pockets of famine in the county now, with more
than one million people on the edge.
The minister also announced a groundbreaking
partnership with Qatar, which will see the Qatari government invest $1.5
million with the UK toward the emergency response and resilience-building in
Somalia.
On Monday, the Minister conducted a virtual visit to
Baidoa in Somalia where the UK is supporting almost 120,000 people with food
and water support. She met with representatives from the Norwegian Refugee
Council, a UK partner on the ground, and heard from communities affected.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2071391/world
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Islamic Centre in Vienna to hold Quran, Adhan
competition
April 27, 2022
A Quran and Adhan contest is planned at the Imam Ali
(AS) Islamic Center in Vienna, Austria.
The competition will begin on Wednesday, April 27, and
run for two days, according to the center.
It will be held in two sections for men and women in
the categories of Quran recitation, Quran memorization and Adhan (call to
prayer).
The Quran recitation category has two sub-categories
of Tarteel and Tahqiq (imitation of famous qaris like Sheikh Mustafa Ismail).
In memorization, the adult participants will compete
in memorization of one Juz (part) of the Quran and memorization of 25 Juzes,
while memorization of 10 Juzes and 15 Juzes are for children and teenagers,
respectively.
The center is organizing the Quranic event on the
occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.
Initiated in 1992 by the Islamic Republic of Iran
under the name of Islamic Culture Center, the center expanded its activities in
2000. A year later, it was officially registered and renamed to “Imam Ali (AS)
Islamic Center Vienna”.
Since its establishment, the center has been actively
trying to promote religious teachings as well as Islamic identity in the Austrian
cross-cultural community.
In addition, it has made efforts to introduce the
genuine face of Islam to non-Muslims in this European country.
Source: ABNA24
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https://en.abna24.com/news//islamic-center-in-vienna-to-hold-quran-adhan-competition_1252149.html
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North America
White House worried Iran could develop nuclear weapon
in weeks
April 26, 2022
WASHINGTON: The White House is worried Iran could
develop a nuclear weapon in weeks, press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday,
after Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted earlier in the day the country
has accelerated its nuclear program.
“Yes it definitely worries us,” Psaki said, adding the
time needed for Iran to produce a nuclear weapon is down from about a year.
Earlier, Blinken said the US still believes a return
to a nuclear deal is the best path with Iran, amid a prolonged standoff in
talks.
Facing criticism of the deal during an appearance
before Congress, Blinken called the 2015 agreement imperfect but better than
the alternatives.
“We continue to believe that getting back into
compliance with the agreement would be the best way to address the nuclear
challenge posed by Iran and to make sure that an Iran that is already acting
with incredible aggression doesn’t have a nuclear weapon,” Blinken told the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
“We’ve tested the other proposition, which was pulling
out of the agreement, trying to exert more pressure,” he said.
The result, he said, is that the “breakout time” for
Iran to develop a nuclear bomb if it so chooses is “down to a matter of weeks”
after the deal pushed it beyond a year.
Former president Donald Trump pulled out of the
agreement reached under his predecessor Barack Obama and instead imposed
sweeping sanctions, including trying to stop other nations from buying Iranian
oil.
President Joe Biden’s administration has been engaged
in more than a year of indirect talks in Vienna on reviving the agreement,
which had promised Iran a relief from sanctions in return for major
restrictions on its nuclear work.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2071241/middle-east
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US assured new govt wants to rejuvenate ties
Baqir Sajjad Syed
April 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina
Rabbani Khar on Tuesday assured the United States that the new government
intended to rejuvenate bilateral ties.
She was talking to US Charge d’affaires Angela Egler,
who had called on her.
This was the first reported face-to-face meeting
between the new government and US officials in Islamabad since Prime Minister
Shehbaz Sharif was elected following Imran Khan’s ouster through a vote of no
confidence in the National Assembly.
Mr Khan had blamed the US for conspiring with local
collaborators for his ouster. The former prime minister based his allegation on
a cable received from Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington in which State
Department official Donald Lu had, ahead of the submission of no-confidence motion
by the then opposition, said that bilateral ties could suffer if Mr Khan
survived the no-trust move.
The National Security Committee, which met on Friday,
had rejected Mr Khan’s conspiracy allegations.
Ms Khar told the American diplomat that “Pakistan
values its relations with the United States and seeks to further expand
bilateral relations based on mutual respect, trust and equality”.
The meeting took place a day after FO Spokesman Asim
Iftikhar at a media briefing had called for moving past the cablegate
controversy so that ties with the United States, “a key partner”, could be
taken forward.
Source: Dawn
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US wants deal with Iran, but it does ‘nothing’ to
address missile program: Blinken
26 April ,2022
The top US diplomat continues to believe that reaching
a nuclear deal with Iran is in the best interest of Washington, Secretary of
State Antony Blinken told lawmakers on Tuesday.
Speaking to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations,
Blinken was pressed on the Biden administration’s adamance on reviving the 2015
nuclear deal.
“We continue to believe that getting back into
compliance with the agreement would be the best way to address the nuclear
challenge imposed by Iran,” he said.
Blinken vowed to hold an open Iran hearing before
Memorial Day, which falls at the end of May. “We will make sure that we get
that done,” he said.
Blinken reiterated previous comments that the Biden
administration inherited a “very challenging situation,” adding that there were
“ramped up” Iranian escalations.
The secretary also claimed that Iran’s nuclear
breakout time went from a year “to a matter of weeks” due to the US withdrawal
from the deal. “Iran is acting with more destabilizing effect throughout the
region,” he said.
However, Blinken admitted that the deal would “do
nothing” to address Iran’s ballistic missile program or its support for
destabilizing countries in the region.
The top US diplomat also admitted that there was an
ongoing Iranian threat against the lives of American officials, “both present
and past.”
Blinken also hit back at criticism of the deal, saying
that if an agreement was reached, it would not take away from Washington’s
ability to go after Iran using sanctions, interdictions, and stopping the money
flow Tehran could use for weapons.
“When it comes to these activities, it would be worse
if they had a nuclear weapon,” Blinken suggested.
The chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Bob
Menendez, said the deal would not be in the best interest of the US.
Source: Al Arabiya
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South Asia
Bangladeshi Court Jails Islamist, Foyzul Hasan, For
Life Over Attack On Top Writer, Muhammed Zafar Iqbal
Apr 26, 2022
DHAKA: A Bangladeshi court on Tuesday sentenced an
Islamist to life in prison for attempting to kill a prominent secular writer
and professor by stabbing him multiple times during a university seminar in
2018.
Muhammed Zafar Iqbal, a renowned science fiction
writer and professor at the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in
the northern city of Sylhet, was stabbed six times in his head, neck and left
hand in March 2018.
The Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal in northeastern
Sylhet sentenced 28-year-old convict Foyzul Hasan to life in prison, another to
four years in jail and acquitted four others in the case over the murder
attempt on writer Iqbal.
The verdict observed that accused Hasan was not linked
with any extremist outfit but was influenced by jihadist literature and he
believed that Iqbal mocked Solomon, one of the Biblical prophets also revered
in Islam, in one of the books he wrote for children.
The 68-year old professor was a faculty of state-run
Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) when he was attacked on
the campus of the same university by Hasan, who was a resident of an area
adjacent to the university.
Hasan, who was a former student of a traditional
Islamic seminary, was captured by students immediately after the attack and
severely beaten up by the angry students.
A recipient of Bangladesh's top literary prize, the
Bangla Academy Award, in 2004, Iqbal is known for his secular activism and
science fiction writings, novels and newspaper columns on social issues,
particularly criticising religious extremism and corruptions.
The judge said Hasan believed a children's book
written by Iqbal mocked and defamed Solomon, one of the Biblical prophets also
revered in Islam.
"Blindness gripped those who carry out such
attacks," Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had said soon after the attack and
urged Bangladeshis to remain alert to the threat of extremism. Hasan stabbed
Iqbal on the head, back and left hand. Iqbal was immediately rushed to a local
hospital and later was flown to a military hospital in Dhaka for better
treatment.
The professor, who also studied and taught in
universities in the United States, is a bestselling author and celebrity
speaker who regularly appears on campuses nationwide also to motivate youth
about education and values as a longstanding champion of free speech and
secularism.
"He (Hasan) told us that it was his duty as a
Muslim to resist those who work against Islam (and) Dr Zafar Iqbal was an enemy
of Islam," said Colonel Ali Haider Azad Ahmed of elite anti-crime Rapid
Action Battalion (RAB) at that time.
Source: Times Of India
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ISIS, Not a Threat, It’s eliminated in Afghanistan:
MoI
27 Apr 2022
Ministry of Interior Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan announced that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Daesh
has been eliminated by up to 98 percent in Afghanistan and is no more a threat.
The Ministry in a Twitter post on Tuesday, April 26,
2022, said that despite the elimination of the phenomenon-ISIS, the security
forces are still busy fighting the terrorists to root out their last and only
hideouts.
“The phenomenon called Daesh has been eliminated up to
98 percent in Afghanistan and is no more a serious threat. Security forces are
still trying to eliminate the last and only hideouts of the heinous
phenomenon.” Reads the Twitter post.
The Ministry further added that concerns of the
neighboring countries in terms of ISIS’s threat from Afghanistan are not
serious.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/isis-not-a-threat-its-eliminated-in-afghanistan-moi-76576576/
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Taliban’s promises to protect Afghan minorities
falling apart amid a spate of attacks: Report
26 April, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], April 26 (ANI): With a spate of
attacks in minority-dominated areas of Afghanistan in recent weeks, the
assurances that the Taliban regime gave to the world after the takeover of
Kabul in August last year seem to be falling apart, a media report said.
The series of attacks in the last few days all over
Afghanistan killed at least 77 people, including children, the Frontier Post
reported.
The devastating attacks are further destabilizing a
nation already in economic free fall and further increase doubt that the
Taliban can protect the Afghan people — especially minorities — from violence
and terror, the report said.
The attacks started last Tuesday, with double bombings
at the Abdul Rahim Shaheed High School and in the vicinity of the Mumtaz
Education Center, both in the capital Kabul, the report said, adding that there
were at least six deaths and 17 injuries at the Abdul Rahim Shaheed High School
in the predominantly Shia and Hazara Dasht-e-Barchi neighbourhood.
Attacks continued, with a bombing at a Shia mosque in
Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan that was claimed by the Islamic
State-Khorasan (ISIS-K). The attack killed at least 31 people and injured many
more, the report said citing Washington Post.
ISIS-K said that the bomb was in a bag that was left
in the mosque; it exploded when the mosque was filled with worshippers.
“When the mosque was filled with prayers, the
explosives were detonated remotely,” the ISIS-K statement claimed, also
alleging that 100 worshippers were injured.
Around the same time, ISIS-K attacked a bus in Kunduz
province, killing four and injuring 18, the report said.
This week’s attacks indicate that the Taliban either
doesn’t have as much control over the security situation in Afghanistan as the
leadership had indicated it would after US and NATO forces left the country in
August, or isn’t particularly interested in providing protection to minorities,
the report said.
It doesn’t help matters that the country is facing
destabilization wrought by economic sanctions against Taliban leaders, coupled
with the Taliban’s persecution of women, journalists, human rights workers, and
other groups, the report further said.
The Taliban has a history of targeting Afghanistan’s
Shias, however, the group agreed in the lead-up to its takeover that minorities
would be protected under a new Taliban government.
The Hazara, an ethnic minority group that mostly
practices Shia Islam, has been historically marginalized, with few
opportunities for education or employment. They are Afghanistan’s third-largest
ethnic group, behind Pashtuns and Tajiks.
While the Taliban has said it would not interfere with
Shia worship and will protect all ethnic groups, the group is responsible for
the deaths of dozens of Hazara over the past eight months, as well as mass forced
displacements of Hazara people, the report said.
“When the Taliban are pushed on issues of rights and
economic well-being of the Afghan people, they push back by touting their
ability to provide security for all Afghans, including minorities,” Asfandyar
Mir, a senior expert at the US Institute of Peace was quoted as saying.
“Yet under the Taliban, vulnerable minorities — in
particular the Hazara — continue to be one of the main targets of violence.
This is a source of enormous insecurity and raises questions about the
Taliban’s ability to provide security in general and against minorities in
particular,” Mir further said.
Source: The Print
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Pakistan toasted brotherly Taliban’s takeover but why
they are bombing each other
Darpan Singh
April 26, 2022
On August 15, 2021, armed Taliban militants posed at
President Ashraf Ghani’s adorned desk in the Afghan presidential palace.
Ironically, hanging on the wall behind them was a painting of Sufi mystic Sabir
Shah crowning a kneeling Amad Shah Durrani, regarded as the modern Afghan
founder.
While the world expressed shock over the astonishingly
swift fall of Kabul, prominent Pakistanis raised a toast. They included political
parties, senior journalists and retired generals. But none as overtly as
Pakistan’s then Prime Minister Imran Khan who said “the Afghans have broken the
shackles of slavery.” One of his ministers even said India has got an
appropriate gift for its Independence Day.
Pakistan had always backed the Taliban. This continued
even when Pakistan supported America’s war on terror in Afghanistan after 9/11.
Pakistan’s backing, now more covert, for the Taliban only deepened as India
became a close ally of non-Taliban governments after 2001. The Taliban’s return
would not only install a friendly government in Kabul but also deal a blow to
arch-rival India.
So, now the Taliban are running Afghanistan. “Breaking
the shackles of slavery”, they have reversed a decision to allow Afghan girls
to return to high schools. Government employees have been told not to shave
their beards and to wear local clothing and pray at correct times. But what has
also stood out is this: The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is on fire.
Sample some of these incidents from April 2022.
About 50 people, including 20 children, were killed in
Afghanistan’s Kunar and Khost provinces in airstrikes that the Taliban said
were carried out by Pakistan.
Taliban warned Pakistan of war after five children and
a woman were killed in Afghanistan’s Shelton in rocket attacks along the
border.
Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed in an ambush by
an armed group near the Afghan border.
Fighters in Afghanistan fired heavy weapons across the
border into a Pakistani military outpost and killed three troops.
All this followed a fight between Talibani and
Pakistani forces in Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district that left 20 wounded and 3
dead, and another clash in which five Pakistani soldiers were killed in Khurram
district.
Afghanistan’s acting defence minister said on April 24
that the Taliban administration would not tolerate “the next invasion by
Pakistan.” This was after The Taliban called in Pakistan’s ambassador to
protest the strikes.
Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson said Pakistan
and Afghanistan are brotherly countries who regard terrorism as a serious
threat and that Pakistan hopes for long-term engagement with Afghanistan to
secure peace.
BUT WHY THE FIGHTING?
But why are the "brotherly" sides fighting?
Pakistan clashed at the border with soldiers of even the US-backed Afghan
governments. When Kabul fell, Pakistan thought this would change. Pakistan also
thought the Taliban would control its ideological offshoot
Tehreek-e-Taliban-Pakistan (TTP), a terror group that's been trying to
establish an Islamic caliphate in Islamabad.
Both were wrong assumptions. Since August 15, 2021,
Taliban fighters have more frequently clashed with Pakistani soldiers, often
fatally, along the 1893 Durand Line (created by British diplomat Mortimer
Durand after whom India's football tournament, Durand Cup, is named) that the
former does not recognise. TTP has stepped up terror attacks in Pakistan. In
response, Pakistan’s military has ramped up operations. 128 armed fighters have
been killed since January 2022. The number of soldiers dead during this period
is 100.
THE BORDER DISPUTE
Let’s first understand the boundary question. The
Taliban object to Pakistan’s fencing work on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border
that “separates the ethnic Pashtuns living on both sides.” While the Afghan
governments have disputed the border since Pakistan’s formation in 1947, the
Taliban’s objection could also be from their desire to assert that they are not
Pakistan’s proxy.
Espousing the Pashtun cause may also earn the Taliban
legitimacy from Afghanistan’s largest ethnic group. Fencing anyway pricks the
Taliban because a generation from its community grew up in Pakistan’s refugee
camps, and now they have businesses and family there. Last but not least: the
fencing work also impedes drug and human trafficking Afghanistan thrives on. On
record, however, Pakistan and the Taliban have pledged to resolve the dispute
through talks.
ANTI-PAKISTAN SENTIMENTS
Anti-Pakistan sentiments are also high in Afghanistan
because many see Islamabad as the primary driver of instability. After each act
of hostility, hundreds of civilians can be seen pouring into Afghanistan’s
streets chanting anti-Pakistan slogans.
US WITHDRAWAL IMPACT
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan also has a role in
what is happening. America's longest war ended after billions of dollars spent
and thousands of lives lost. The war ended as it began, with the Taliban ruling
Afghanistan. And that also seems to have emboldened TTP. Till March this year,
terrorists attacked targets in Pakistan 52 times and killed over 150 people. As
for the border clashes, the US withdrawal also seems to have made the Taliban
hungrier to shake off the tag of Pakistan’s proxy.
There are operational factors, too. When the US was
waging its war on terror in Afghanistan, Pakistan shared intelligence on
militants for American forces to target them with drone strikes. Now Pakistan
has to do it on its own, given the Taliban’s response. The Taliban are not
ready to disown TTP. Both groups share more or less the same ideology.
IMRAN’S EXIT
The ouster of Imran Khan as Pakistan’s prime minister
may also be playing a role in the current scenario. He had closer ties with the
Taliban while maintaining his anti-US rhetoric. Imran Khan had even reached an
agreement for a ceasefire with TTP in November last year. On the contrary, his
successor, Shehbaz Sharif, has vowed to improve relations with the US and crack
down on terrorists.
WHAT NEXT?
So, what comes next? Shehbaz Sharif has said Islamabad
would “continue fighting terrorism”. Pakistan’s military has said it would
continue operations to eliminate TTP that operates across the border between
the two countries and has killed more than 70,000 people over the past few
decades in Pakistan. The Taliban have warned of retaliation against Pakistan’s
border raids.
There was a time when Pakistan said the Afghan Taliban
was good Taliban and the Pakistan Taliban was bad Taliban. But what Pakistan
missed was both are ideological brothers. And from being an asset, the Taliban
as a whole are fast becoming a liability for Pakistan.
Source: India Today
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Taliban Might Get Recognized If They Form Inclusive
Government: Lavrov
27 Apr 2022
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the
interim government of the Taliban might be recognized by Russia if they ensure
inclusivity in their government.
Sergey Lavrov said that Russia is ready to work
diplomatically with the new Afghan government but added that the Taliban should
meet their pledges and establish an all-inclusive government both from an ethnic
point of view and sectarian.
The Russian Foreign Minister made the remarks at a
news briefing with the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Moscow on
Tuesday.
“Our next move depends on the decisions of the Taliban
if they are able to set up an inclusive government. We are also cooperative
with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and head of former National Council
of Peace and Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah.” Lavrov said.
Further, Lavrov added that they (Russia) encourage
Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah not to end negotiations with the Taliban and
continue talks with them.
He said that Russia is in constant contact with the
Taliban Russia which ensures political and economic relations.
Source: Khaama Press
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Netherlands Announces EUR 20 Million to Afghanistan
27 Apr 2022
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Afghanistan announced that the Netherlands has
contributed an additional EUR 20 million for humanitarian purposes in
Afghanistan.
The UNOCHA in a Twitter post on Tuesday, April 26,
2022, said that the money will be supporting emergency life-saving responses to
assist the most vulnerable people in need in Afghanistan.
As per the UN office, the Netherlands has contributed
EUR 49 million to the Afghanistan humanitarian fund since 2016.
Source: Khaama Press
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https://www.khaama.com/netherlands-announces-eur-20-million-to-afghanistan-65476576/
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Arab World
Shia Lebanese man who posed as Jew says he hopes he
would have 'right to kill' Hezbollah leader
26 April, 2022
A Lebanese Shia Muslim man who was exposed for
impersonating an ultra-Orthodox Jew to get married has expressed regret, saying
he wants to "rectify" the situation by actually converting to Judaism
Speaking to Israel’s Kan public broadcaster on Monday,
Eliyah Hawila also addressed concerns that he is associated with Lebanon's
Hezbollah movement and its affiliates.
"I tell them I’m not on your side. To hell with
[Hassan] Nasrallah and [Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament Nabih] Berri and
their antisemitism," he said. "I’m not afraid and I curse them and I
say here in front of the cameras that I hope I will have the right to kill
Nasrallah myself," he added.
Hawila, born Ali Hassan Hawila in mainly Shia southern
Lebanon, reportedly lied about his identity to his Jewish wife, who he married
in the US.
Her family found documents that belonged to him
bearing a different name two weeks after the wedding.
His true identity sparked outrage among Jewish
communities, who fear that Hawila might have been a spy and was working for a
"terror group," such as Iranian-backed Hezbollah, which has
previously fought several wars with Israel.
Rabbis have also expressed indignation that he managed
to use deception in order to marry a Jewish woman.
Hawila, who is now in Israel and wants to convert to
Judaism, told Kan that he wanted to "rectify" the situation after
lying to his wife and others about his true identity.
Source: The New Arab
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https://english.alaraby.co.uk/news/shia-man-who-posed-jew-says-right-kill-nasrallah
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Egypt imposes 'paranoid' Ramadan and Eid restrictions
on prayers and spiritual retreats
26 April 2022
Egypt has imposed tight restrictions on Muslim
congregational prayers in the holy month of Ramadan and Eid citing Covid-19
rules, triggering widespread anger in the populous Muslim-majority country.
The restrictions include limiting night prayers to 30
minutes and banning spiritual retreats commonly held overnight at mosques
during the last 10 days of Ramadan, which ends on Sunday.
The government will also ban Eid prayers in open
spaces, and will only allow them to be held in a select number of mosques, with
imams approved by the government and a single state-sanctioned sermon.
Eid and night prayers during the holy month in Egypt
are usually busy, with even the less devout attending ceremonies.
The ministry of religious affairs announced the
controversial decision in mid-April, saying it was to prevent the spread of
Covid-19.
Health officials, however, have said the pandemic is
in significant decline in Egypt, and no distancing restrictions are imposed on
other social activities.
Videos and photos of government-appointed imams
shutting down mosques and taking photos of themselves after closure of gates
have been widely denounced as unjustified, given the lack of any similar
restrictions on public gatherings, including concerts and football matches.
Many have attributed the decisions to the government’s
fear of large gatherings that could turn into protests as the country suffers
an unprecedented economic crisis.
“The Egyptian government is paranoid of any
gatherings, including religious ones,” said Essam Telaima, an Egyptian
religious researcher and former government-appointed imam.
“The restrictions are mainly aimed at preventing
anti-government protests,” he told Middle East Eye. Telaima added that “it is
ironic that the government banned the outdoor Eid prayers but allowed the
indoor ones, citing Covid-19 precautionary measures, although holding prayers
in open spaces is safer”.
While the initial decision included banning late-night
prayers, called Tahajjud in Arabic, a popular backlash led the ministry to
announce on Monday that it will allow it only on the last three nights of
Ramadan - and only in certain major mosques.
Source: Middle East Eye
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https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/egypt-ramadan-paranoid-restrictions-prayers-retreats
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Saudi Arabia, France partner to provide $76 million in
humanitarian aid to Lebanon
27 April ,2022
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman Center for Relief and
Humanitarian Action (KSrelief) signed an MoU with the French Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and the French Agency for Development (AFD) to support
humanitarian work in Lebanon, the official Saudi Press Agency reported on
Wednesday.
The combined $76 million aid came to be under the
framework of the Saudi-French partnership.
The agreement was signed by a KSrelief department
director Mubarak bin Saeed al-Dossari, the French Ambassador to Lebanon Anne
Griot, and the AFD Director in Lebanon Gilles Gran-Pierre.
The first phase of aid will include aid in “food,
nutrition and health,” SPA reported.
Earlier this month, Lebanon signed a staff-level
agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a 46-month extended fund
facility, under which Lebanon has requested access to the equivalent of around
$3 billion.
But access to those funds is contingent on enacting a
slew of economic reforms and financial sector restructuring.
The currency has lost more than 90 percent of its
value, and more than 80 percent of the population now lives below the poverty
line.
With the government too poor to afford imports of
basic commodities such as medicines, many are struggling to source lifesaving
drugs, including those used to treat chronic illnesses.
According to a UNICEF report, more than 50 percent of
families were unable to obtain the medicines they needed and at least 58
percent of hospitals reported drug shortages.
Making matters worse, the financial crash has sparked
an exodus of healthcare professionals. According to UNICEF, 40 percent of
doctors and 30 percent of midwives have left the country.
Saudi Arabia’s aid comes after ties between Lebanon
and the Kingdom began to recover following corrective measures applied by
Beirut.
Critical comments made by former Information Minister
George Kordahi on the war in Yemen in October 2021 led the expulsion of
Lebanon’s envoy to the Kingdom, recalling its ambassador and banning all
imports from Lebanon, dealing a new blow to the country’s ailing economy.
Other Gulf states that are historical allies of
Lebanon, including the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, took similar punitive
diplomatic measures.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Fears grow over negative impact of Hezbollah victory
in Lebanon elections
27 April ,2022
Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora has warned that
Lebanon will be deprived of promised regional and international aid if
Hezbollah and its allies control the country by winning a parliamentary
majority in the elections set for May 15.
“There are no signs that Arab and international aid
will be forthcoming if Hezbollah continues to control Lebanon,” Siniora told Al
Arabiya English on Monday.
In another statement carried earlier in the day by
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency, Siniora, a harsh critic of Hezbollah,
said: “What does it mean if Hezbollah and its allies gain a majority in
Parliament? Amid Hezbollah’s control [of Parliament], will there be a
possibility for any salvation, reforms, and Lebanon’s recovery after it was
pushed into this deep abyss: a kidnapped state, a fully collapsing economy, the
threat of depositors losing their money and the need for reforms in all aspects
of life such as electricity, water, food, medicine and education? Definitely,
no.”
“With the expansion of the control of Hezbollah and
the sectarian and confessional parties allied with it, this will be at the
expense of the Lebanese state and its institutions, which will lead to the
continued implementation of Iran’s agenda in the region. In this case, there
will be no aid and no Arab or international support,” Siniora added.
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channel online or via the app.
Although he is not running in the upcoming polls,
Siniora is supporting an 11-member electoral list that will compete to gain
mainly Sunni seats in parliament in the Beirut district after former Prime
Minister Saad Hariri decided to remove himself from political life.
A professor of economics and international relations
agreed with Siniora, warning that an election victory for Hezbollah and its
allies will further complicate the Lebanese crises and impede efforts for the
country’s economic rescue.
“A victory by Hezbollah and its allies in the
elections is bound to block the road to the possibility of Lebanon’s economic
salvation. Consequently, the situation will continue to deteriorate and Lebanon
will no longer exist on the map because the economic collapse means the state’s
inability to survive, while it is already unable to survive,” Dr. Sami Nader, a
professor of economics and international relations at Universite St. Joseph in
Beirut, told Al Arabiya English.
“When a central authority collapses, the entire
country heads toward disintegration. Frankly speaking, Hezbollah’s victory will
further complicate the situation in Lebanon,” said Nader, who is also the
director of the Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs, a Beirut-based think
tank.
The concern over the outcome of the elections comes as
Lebanon’s embattled government, grappling with a series of crises, received a
new lease of life from two positive developments earlier this month, raising
hopes for the country to begin emerging from its deepest economic depression.
First, Gulf Arab states announced their intention to
restore ties with Lebanon, ending a five-month boycott. Then a preliminary agreement
with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was signed which should lead to a
bailout program to rescue the country’s crumbling economy burdened with over
$90 billion in public debt.
Yet, it remains to be seen whether Lebanon will
fulfill its obligations by implementing long-overdue reforms demanded by the
IMF and international donors as a condition for unlocking billions of dollars
in promised aid.
These developments come amid a warning by Hezbollah
that moves are afoot to delay the elections to prevent it from gaining a
majority in the next parliament.
In a televised speech earlier this month, Hezbollah
leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah claimed that results of surveys conducted by
polling companies indicated that the group and its allies would retain the majority
they currently hold in the outgoing parliament.
Nasrallah went on to accuse the US and other foreign
embassies in Beirut of seeking to “disrupt” the elections by delaying them for
several months. It’s in the hope that the Future Movement bloc, with the
largest Sunni representation in Parliament, will review its decision not to
field candidates or participate in the polls deemed “crucial” by the
international community and most of the Lebanese people, he claimed.
Lebanon is reeling from the worst monetary slump in
the country’s history following the collapse of the economy and banking sector.
There is hope that the elections will bring political change to steer the
nation out of the economic crisis, described by the World Bank as one of the
world’s worst since the 1850s. It is posing the gravest threat to its stability
since the 1975-90 Civil War.
But, according to a professor of political science at
the American University of Beirut, the elections’ outcome will not change
anything.
“When it comes to Lebanon, expect the unexpected, even
though I do not think the elections will be postponed. Sayyid Hasan Nasrallah
is probably warning about postponing the elections to prod Shia voters to go to
the polls in large numbers.” Dr. Hilal Khashan explained to Al Arabiya English.
He added that the polls will not solve the key
problems from which Gulf Arab states have been complaining, namely Hezbollah’s
growing influence in Lebanon and its intervention in regional conflicts.
“Hezbollah and its allies already control the
Parliament. Even in the unlikely event that Hezbollah and its allies do not win
a parliamentary majority, nothing will change in Lebanon,” Khashan said.
“Lebanese politics is not determined in the parliament, which is only a rubber
stamp for cabinet compromises and accommodation. I do not see the elections as
providing a panacea for Lebanon and its financial collapse. The elections will
not resolve the key issues that the Gulf countries have against Hezbollah - its
military component and ties with Iran,” he added.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli missile strike on Damascus kills nine people:
Report
27 April ,2022
At least five Syrian soldiers were among nine people
killed in Israeli air strikes near Damascus, in the deadliest such raid this
year, a war monitor said on Wednesday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said an
ammunition depot and several positions linked to Iran’s military presence in
Syria were among the targets.
Air defenses intercepted an Israeli missile strike
near the capital, state media reported earlier on Wednesday.
“Our air defenses confronted an Israeli aggression
over the outskirts of Damascus,” the SANA news agency said.
AFP correspondents in the Syrian capital said they
heard loud explosions.
Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has
carried out hundreds of air strikes inside the country, targeting government
positions as well as allied Iran-backed forces and fighters of Lebanon’s Shia
militant group Hezbollah.
While Israel rarely comments on individual strikes, it
has acknowledged mounting hundreds since 2011.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Suicide bomber kills two Iraqi troops during anti-ISIS
raid
26 April ,2022
Two Iraqi soldiers were killed Tuesday when a suicide
bomber blew himself up during an army raid targeting ISIS north of Baghdad,
security sources said.
A trapped militant “detonated his explosives belt,
killing a major and another soldier, also wounding three others,” an interior
ministry source told AFP, asking not to be named.
A second extremist was killed when he also tried to
set off a suicide bomb in the army operation in the rural area of Tarmiya, the
source said.
ISIS overran large swathes of Iraq and neighboring
Syria in 2014 before Baghdad declared victory in late 2017 after a grinding
campaign.
But low-level extremism has persisted, particularly in
rural areas north of Baghdad around the city of Kirkuk and in the eastern
provinces of Diyala and Salaheddin.
On Tuesday, Iraqi military command spokesman Yahya
Rassoul said “43 ISIS elements” had been killed in a recent operation in the
northern province of Niniveh, of which the former Mosul is the capital.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Lenderking cautiously optimistic over Yemen, calls out
Iran’s support for Houthis
27 April ,2022
US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking voiced
cautious optimism for efforts to end the seven-year-long war on Tuesday but
warned that “there’s more that needs to be done.”
Lenderking, one of US President Joe Biden’s first
appointments, recently returned from a three-week trip to the region. Since
last year, he has been involved in shuttle diplomacy as the Biden
administration doubled down on US efforts to help reach a ceasefire in Yemen.
Lenderking met with newly appointed officials in
Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council during his most recent trip.
“I do think that the opportunity of a new presidential
leadership council creates a more representative approach,” Lenderking told Al
Arabiya during an interview at the State Department.
The leadership council has brought together several
individuals who “have heated rivalry,” Lenderking said.
He added: “So far, it looks very promising to us when
you couple that with the fact that there’s a truce since April 2. I think this
is really a significant moment for Yemen.”
The US diplomat was referring to the ceasefire that
was reached at the start of Ramadan between the internationally-recognized
government and the Iran-backed Houthis.
Iran is playing a destabilizing role
Lenderking criticized Iran for its negative role in
Yemen and its support for the Houthis.
He said that the US was all for a better relationship
with Iran, but “thus far, we haven’t seen positive behavior from Iran in
Yemen.”
Tehran has released statements supporting political
efforts to end the war. “We need to see that translated on the ground by Iran,”
Lenderking said.
Asked about Iran’s military support for the Houthis,
Lenderking said: “That support has inflamed the war in the view of the United
States.”
He called on the Houthis to take the needed
independent steps to help the Yemeni people. “That’s the case with the Yemeni
leadership, also, that we want to see about decision-making that is oriented
toward providing services… and addressing really tangible needs.”
The Houthis continue to detain 13 individuals who are
or were employees at the US Embassy in Yemen, Lenderking revealed. “They keep
telling us that [their detention] is not aimed at us, but it’s pretty hard to
believe that.”
The Biden administration removed the Houthis from the
US terror blacklist in one of its first foreign policy moves last year.
But after the group repeatedly attacked Saudi Arabia,
the UAE and civilians inside Yemen, the US president said he was considering
re-designating the group.
Lenderking defended the move as being carried out for
humanitarian reasons.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Iran slams illegal foreign presence in Syria, says war
on terror must not be used as pretext
27 April 2022
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has censured
the “illegal presence” of foreign forces in Syria, stating that the war on
terrorism must not be used as a pretext to undermine Syria’s sovereignty.
Addressing the UN Security Council on Tuesday, Majid
Takht-Ravanchi reiterated Tehran’s call for the withdrawal of foreign forces
from the Arab country, saying their plundering of Syria’s natural resources,
particularly oil and agricultural products, must come to an end.
“This criminal act not only violates Syrian
territorial sovereignty, relevant Security Council resolutions, and the United
Nations Charter, but also has a negative impact on efforts and measures aimed
at restoring the Syrian economy,” he said.
He stressed that the war against terrorism must not be
used to undermine Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“After more than a decade of conflict in Syria, it has
become evident that only one solution exists: a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned
political process facilitated by the United Nations,” Takht-Ravanchi said.
He added that Iran supports the continuation of
inter-Syrian talks in Geneva and welcomes the convening of the Constitutional
Committee’s seventh session.
The Iranian ambassador also strongly condemned
Israel’s repeated violations of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity
and called on the Security Council to hold the Tel Aviv regime accountable for
such acts of aggression.
Since a foreign-backed conflict erupted in the Arab
country in 2011, Israel has been mounting attacks on Syrian soil for several
years, targeting government positions as well as resistance forces that have
been fighting the Daesh and other terrorist groups.
The Damascus government has on numerous occasions
condemned Israeli airstrikes as well as the illegal presence of American and
Turkish forces in the country, which both Washington and Ankara claim aims at
fighting terrorism.
Since its onset, the Syrian conflict has killed nearly
half a million people and displaced around half of the country’s population.
Speaking at the Tuesday meeting of the Security
Council, Syria’s delegate underscored that ending the illegal presence of the
United States, Turkey, and Israel in his country will help eliminate the
terrorist presence, end all forms of displacement, restore Syrian national
economic resources and improve the humanitarian and living situation in the
country.
“The United States and its Western allies continue to
obstruct the delivery of cross-line aid within Syrian territory to justify
their continued violation of Syria’s sovereignty through the so-called
cross-border aid mechanism that serves as a lifeline for terrorists,” the
Syrian envoy added.
Source: Press TV
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Mideast
Resistance leaders vow to stand by al-Quds, blast
Israeli barbarity
26 April 2022
Muslim leaders, officials, and personalities from
across the regional resistance axis and beyond take to the “al-Quds Podium” to
denounce the Israeli regime over its sheer escalation of violence against
Palestinians in the holy occupied city of al-Quds.
The leaders partook in the multinational event via video
conference on Tuesday amid the occupying regime’s ramped-up daily attacks on
Palestinian worshipers at the al-Aqsa Mosque’s compound in al-Quds’ Old City.
Addressing the event as its first keynote speaker,
Ziyad al-Nakhalah, head of the Gaza Strip-based resistance movement of Islamic
Jihad, vowed, “We will never retreat and compromise until we achieve victory,”
adding that the resistance’s fighters enjoyed presence across the entire
Palestinian territories.
“Al-Quds is ours. Al-Quds will never bow down and
surrender to aggressors, murderers, and the dregs of history,” he added.
He also hailed the approaching prospect of the
International Quds Day, whereby people rally across the world in support of the
Palestinian cause of liberation from Israeli aggression and occupation. The
occasion, which has been named so by the late founder of the Islamic Republic,
Imam Khomeini, falls on the last Friday of Ramadan every year.
“Iran too stands by Palestine’s liberation with all
its might and commitment,” Nakhalah added.
‘Resistance Palestine’s option of choice’
Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Gaza-based resistance
movement of Hamas’ Political Bureau, specified the Palestinian nation’s option
of choice as resistance, saying the successful Palestinian operations that had
taken place throughout the occupied West Bank since the start of Ramadan had
proven this.
Therefore, he added, such issues as the occupation and
Palestinians’ right to return to their homeland “cannot be resolved at the
negotiation table.”
Realizing this, the occupying regime began normalizing
its relations with some regional states to “legitimize its existence and its
designs for destruction of the Palestinian cause,” Haniyeh said.
Tel Aviv was also trying to use the conflict in
Ukraine as a smokescreen for its plans for al-Quds and the al-Aqsa Mosque,
Haniyeh noted.
“However, all of the regime’s efforts at harnessing
the Palestinian nation have been faced with defeat,” he said, adding, “Our
nation does not brook distortion of the al-Aqsa Mosque’s identity and the
historical facts that pertain to it.”
'Israeli regime heading for dustbin of history’
Bahrain's most prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Isa Qassim
said the al-Aqsa Mosque and al-Quds had been afflicted with the most dangerous
and savage instance of Zionist animosity, which translates into “the biggest
threat to the mosque’s “holiness and divine status.”
However, Israel is a moribund regime, “whose destiny
is nothing but the dustbin of history,” he said.
Sheikh Qassim said the entire Muslim community should
denounce and stop the trend of compromise with the regime, referring to some
regional regimes’ United States-aided normalization with Tel Aviv.
Sheikh Qassim urged that the upcoming International
Quds Day be seized upon as an opportunity, whereby “the pain suffered by
al-Quds” is broadcast to the whole world.
‘Iraqi resistance ready for Palestine’s liberation’
Hadi al-Ameri, the head of the Fatah (Conquest)
Alliance in Iraq's parliament, said, “Palestine’s occupation is an atrocity
that should be stopped,” describing al-Quds’ situation as a “deep wound
afflicted to the international Muslim Ummah (Nation)’s heart.”
“Iraq’s resistance groups are ready for Palestine’s
liberation,” he announced, adding that the Arab country’s nation and religious
authorities would stand by al-Quds and the cause of Palestine’s liberation.
Ameri urged the world’s Muslim community to “mobilize
all of its might and force” in support of Palestine during the International
Quds Day.
‘Defending al-Quds a Muslim duty’
Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Yemeni popular
resistance movement of Ansarullah, called defending al-Quds a Muslim duty.
“The Palestinian nation is part of the Muslim Nation
and this nation should not ignore it.”
The Yemeni people, he added, stands steadfast in support
of its “obvious stance of purging Palestine” of Zionist presence.
‘Resistance standing on verge of victory’
Secretary-General of the Lebanese resistance movement
of Hezbollah Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah noted the resistance’s “back-to-back”
victories against the occupying regime.
“Today, we’re standing on the verge of great and final
victory,” he said, declaring that the resistance axis is prepared to make
whatever sacrifices that are necessary to realize the prospect.
“Al-Quds is our model and goal,” he said, and urged
that the resistance axis be rather called “the al-Quds axis” due to the
centrality of the holy city to unity among the axis’ members.
Source: Press TV
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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2022/04/26/681041/Palestine-Israel-Muslim-leaders-al-Quds-Podium
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Leader Criticizes Muslim Govts. For ‘Acting Poorly’
Vis-À-Vis Palestine
26 April 2022
Ahead of the upcoming International Quds Day, Leader
of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei has criticized Muslim
governments for “acting very poorly” in defending the Palestinian cause against
Israeli occupation.
Ayatollah Khamenei made the remarks in a meeting with
a group of university students and representatives of student associations in
Tehran on Tuesday.
The Leader took the Muslim countries to task for
normalizing relations with the Israeli regime, describing the move as a “big
mistake.”
“Unfortunately, Muslim governments are acting very
badly [vis-à-vis Palestine] and are not even willing to talk about the
Palestinian issue. Some of them imagine that establishing relations with the
Zionists is the way to help Palestine, while this is a big mistake,” the Leader
stated.
Ayatollah Khamenei said such normalization would bear
no fruit even for the Tel Aviv regime, expressing hope that the Palestinian
people will soon regain their territories and liberate the al-Aqsa Mosque from
Israeli occupation.
The Leader hailed the “oppressed but powerful”
Palestinian people who have been preventing the Palestinian issue from sinking
into oblivion through their resistance and sacrifices.
'Quds Day an opportunity to sympathize with Palestine'
“The Quds Day is an appropriate opportunity to express
sympathy and solidarity with the oppressed people of Palestine,” the Leader
said.
‘Ukraine war must be viewed more deeply’
Elsewhere in his remarks, the Leader also drew
attention to a new world order being formed, under which the United States has
been losing power continuously.
“Today, the world is on the threshold of a new
international order that has been in the making following the era of a global
bipolar order and the theory of a unipolar world order, during which America
has, of course, been growing weaker day by day,” the Leader said.
Ayatollah Khamenei further stressed the importance of
developing a deeper view point to the conflict in Ukraine within the framework
of the new order emerging in the world.
“The events of the recent war in Ukraine must be
viewed more deeply and in the context of the formation of a new world order
which will probably be followed by complex and difficult processes,” the Leader
stated.
Source: Press TV
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Spokesman: Iran Hopes Talks with Saudi Arabia Enhance
Regional Security
2022-April-26
The fifth round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia
has been positive, Khatibzadeh said.
He expressed the hope that the negotiations would
enhance security and stability of the regional countries.
Khatibzadeh said this idea that talks between Saudi
Arabia and Iran will help de-escalation in the region is naturally correct,
adding that both states are important countries in the Persian Gulf region,
which have impacts on trans-regional developments.
He did not confirm claims that the issue of Yemen is a
hurdle in Saudi-Iran talks, adding that Yemen is one of important issues in the
region; so, it is normal that Riyadh and Tehran hold talks on regional topics.
In relevant remarks on Monday, Khatibzadeh had pointed
to the fifth round of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia which was held in
Baghdad, terming it positive.
"The talks were serious. We can expect to see
serious progress quickly in the various areas if the talks have some progress
at the political level."
Source: Fars News Agency
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Iran's President Warns of Negligence of Afghanistan
Crisis in Light of Ukraine War
2022-April-26
“The US and NATO presence in Afghanistan meant nothing
more than destruction and killing, and it did not provide security for
Afghanistan or the region,” Rayeesi said in a meeting with Latvia’s new
ambassador to Tehran on Monday.
The Iranian president noted that the war in Ukraine
must not divert international attention from the unfolding crisis in
Afghanistan, the problems facing its people and the large number of refugees
leaving the country.
Rayeesi also told the Latvian ambassador that Iran’s
geographical advantage can boost trade between Asian and European regions and
reduce costs.
The new Latvian envoy, for his part, said that his
country is interested in expanding relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran
on the basis of mutual understanding and friendship in order to ensure the
interests of both countries.
Last week, Rayeesi had condemned the recent terrorist
attacks on innocent people in Afghanistan, and asked the ruling body in the
country to punish the culprits and prevent recurrence of such crimes.
He warned of the expansion of terrorist threats
against Afghanistan and other nations in the region, and emphasized the
necessity of providing security for all Afghan people, especially in schools,
mosques, and religious centers.
Rayeesi highlighted the responsibility of authorities
in Afghanistan to identify and punish the perpetrators, and said that the
Islamic Republic of Iran was ready to deploy all its capabilities to help
Afghanistan prevent such threats.
He also expressed Iran’s readiness to help in
treatment of people injured in recent terrorist attacks.
Two powerful explosions hit two mosques in
Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province on Thursday.
According to the reports, at least 40 people were
killed and 100 injured in the explosion that took place in the largest Shia
mosque in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Also, at least 26 people, mostly students, were killed
and tens of others wounded after two blasts targeted a boys’ school in Kabul’s
Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood earlier this week.
Two improvised explosive devices (IEDs) blew up
outside the Abdul Rahim Shahid high school in Western Kabul.
A third blast occurred at an English language center
several kilometers away but in the same area.
Iran has been one of the main destinations of Afghans
who leave their country.
Source: Fars News Agency
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Ancient goddess sculpture found by farmer in Gaza
Strip
27 April ,2022
A Palestinian farmer found a rare 4,500-year-old stone
sculpture while working his land in the southern Gaza Strip, ruling Hamas
authorities announced Monday.
The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said the
22-centimeter (6.7-inch) tall limestone head is believed to represent the
Canaanite goddess Anat and is estimated to be dated to around 2,500 B.C.
“Anat was the goodness of love, beauty, and war in the
Canaanite mythology,” said Jamal Abu Rida, the ministry’s director, in a
statement.
Gaza, a narrow enclave on the Mediterranean Sea,
boasts a trove of antiquities and archaeological sites as it was a major land
route connecting ancient civilizations in Egypt, the Levant and Mesopotamia.
But discovered antiquities frequently disappear and
development projects are given priority over the preservation of archaeological
sites beneath the urban sprawl needed to accommodate 2.3 million people packed
into the densely populated territory.
In 2017, the militant Hamas group, which had seized
control of the Gaza Strip a decade earlier, destroyed large parts of a rare
Canaanite settlement to make way for a housing development for its own
employees.
And to date, a life-size statue of the Greek god
Apollo that had surfaced in 2013 and then disappeared has yet to be found.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Turkish opposition leaders vow to overturn sentences
against Kavala, others
26 April ,2022
Turkish opposition leaders vowed to overturn jail
sentences against philanthropist Osman Kavala and seven others convicted at the
end of a case that lawyers said showed courts had become the government’s
“vehicle for revenge.”
Kavala was sentenced to life in prison without parole,
while seven others got 18 years based on claims they organized and financed
nationwide protests in 2013, charges from which they were acquitted two years
ago.
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channel online or via the app.
The verdict was seen as symbolic of a crackdown on
dissent under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the punishment of the
government’s perceived foes through the use of the judiciary.
Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the Republican People’s
Party (CHP), promised on Monday to reinstate the rule of law if the opposition
wins elections scheduled for June 2023.
“In this fictitious trial, Osman Kavala was sentenced
to life in prison in a case in which he was previously acquitted,” he said in a
speech to CHP members on Tuesday.
“We will fight against those who place the judiciary
under the orders of politics.... and hold our people hostage in prisons,” said
Kilicdaroglu, who is seen as Erdogan’s likely challenger for the presidency.
His description of the so-called Gezi protests as “a
national movement” stands in sharp contrast to Erdogan’s view that the
demonstrations aimed at toppling the government.
Hundreds of thousands marched in Istanbul and
elsewhere in Turkey in 2013 as demonstrations against plans to build a replica
Ottoman barracks in the city’s Gezi Park grew into nationwide protests against
Erdogan’s government.
The president has equated the protesters to Kurdish
militants and those accused of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016. He has
accused Kavala personally several times of being the financier of the protests.
But the CHP and five other opposition parties who have
formed an alliance to defeat Erdogan in the next elections have sounded the
alarm over the verdict.
“The members of the judiciary, who conduct the trial
themselves, have abandoned their authority and ability for judgement,” said IYI
Party general secretary Ugur Poyraz.
Ankara’s Western allies, opposition members and rights
groups say Turkish courts are under the control of the government. Erdogan and
his AK Party say they are independent.
Protests against the verdict were planned in Ankara
and Istanbul later on Tuesday.
Rewriting history
The investigation that began with Kavala’s detention
in Oct. 2017 has seen various turns that cast doubt over the legality of the
judicial process, which critics said aimed to “rewrite history” and criminalize
the Gezi protests.
The indictment in the case alleged links between
George Soros and Kavala, in what lawyers said was an attempt to create the
perception that the protests were funded by foreign powers.
The indictment said the fact that defendants discussed
bringing milk, juice and pastries to Gezi Park, as well as gasmasks to counter
the effects of tear gas, showed they were financing the protests.
Another court ruled in 2020 that the evidence,
initially gathered by a group within the judiciary that Ankara accuses of
orchestrating the coup, was not enough for a conviction.
Similar concerns were highlighted by one of the judges
who dissented from Monday’s verdict.
The judge, one of three presiding, said the only
evidence was phone taps that were collected illegally and, even if they were
legal, were not enough to convict by themselves.
All defendants should be acquitted and Kavala should
be released, the judge wrote in his dissenting opinion.
Veysel Ok, lawyer and co-director of Media and Law
Studies Association, said Monday’s verdict was void of “judicial logic” and aimed
to intimidate those seeking the rule of law.
“This ruling shows us the picture of a judiciary that
has become a vehicle for revenge due to political interests. It is a sign that
no one in Turkey has legal security,” he said. The verdict showed the judiciary
would be used “as the fundamental weapon” to “bring the opposition to line”
before the elections.
“It indicates that a much harsher period awaits us and
that the public opposition and civil society need to stick together.”
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) called in
Dec. 2019 for Kavala’s release, saying his detention served the purpose of
silencing him.
But Kavala’s continued detention means Turkey now
faces being suspended from the Council of Europe rights watchdog, after it
launched rare infringement proceedings against Ankara.
Kavala was re-arrested hours after the acquittal and
has remained in jail for the past two years on an espionage charge, a move seen
as attempting to circumvent the ECHR ruling. Kavala was acquitted of espionage
on Monday.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Israeli forces kill young Palestinian man during Jenin
refugee camp raid
27 April 2022
Israeli forces have shot and killed a young
Palestinian man in Jenin, health officials say, as the military carries out
wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the West Bank.
The man was identified as 21-year-old Ahmad Muhammad
Lotfi Massad, a resident of the town of Burqin, during a raid on the Jenin
refugee camp in the early hours of Wednesday.
The director of Ibn Sina Hospital in Jenin, Jani Abu
Jokha, said Massad had been shot in the head. Three other Palestinians with
moderate wounds were transferred to the medical facility as well.
Palestine's official Wafa news agency, citing security
and local sources, reported that Israeli forces conducted a predawn raid on the
camp.
The Israeli troops broke into dozens of homes and
violently searched them, causing excessive property damage, before detaining at
least three Palestinians.
Violent confrontations broke out in the camp between
Palestinians and Israeli forces, who fired live who fired stun grenades, tear
gas canisters as well as live bullets in order to disperse the protesting
crowd.
Massad’s death follows that of another Palestinian
killed on Tuesday, when Israeli forces stormed a refugee camp in the occupied
West Bank.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 20-year-old Ahmed
Ibrahim Oweidat “succumbed to critical wounds sustained by live bullets to the
head,” during the shooting in Aqabat Jaber camp near Ariha.
On Monday, Secretary General of the Gaza-based Islamic
Jihad resistance movement Ziyad al-Nakhala said the Palestinian people are more
energetic than ever before in their confrontation with the Zionist regime.
Nakhala made the remarks in a conference dubbed
“Palestine, the Central Issue of Islamic Ummah,” which was held in the Yemeni
capital city of Sana’a.
“Our nation is faced with the Zionist regime’s
onslaught, which seeks to Judaize al-Quds and create new realities on the
ground,” he said, adding, “The Palestinian nation is creating new equations in
its confrontation with the Zionist regime.”
He said the conference was another proof of Yemen’s
support for the Palestinian cause and that the aggressors in Yemen are
approaching the Zionist regime despite its Judaization moves and destruction of
the Palestinian nation’s identity.
“The Zionists use military force and, under the guise
of international organizations, exploit the compromising Arab countries that
have recognized the legitimacy of this occupying regime. They also cause
conflicts with the Palestinian people in order to take advantage of them,” the
secretary general of the Islamic Jihad movement said.
Source: Press TV
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Southeast Asia
Indonesia’s Mosque Loudspeakers Continue to Spark
Controversy
By A’an Suryana
April 27, 2022
In late March, the mayor of a city within the greater
Jakarta area publicly opposed a recent circular issued by the Ministry of
Religious Affairs, which regulates the volume level of mosque loudspeakers broadcasting the azan, the call to prayer for
Muslims, which marks the time for obligatory prayers five times a day). The
mayor of Depok, a conservative Muslim area, argued that the regulation – which,
among other points, limits the loudspeaker volume up to 100 decibels – is too
much. He argued that regulating the matter, which might affect loudspeaker
operations in the over 500,000 mosques sprawled across the archipelago, should
be left in the hands of local people.
A week later, the religious minister rebuffed the
mayor’s criticism, arguing that even Saudi Arabia, where Islam originated,
considered as a holy land for all Muslims in the world, has regulated the
matter. Hence, he argued that there is nothing wrong in regulating the use of
mosque loudspeakers.
This public spat, which involves two high-ranking public
officials, shows how loudspeaker volume at mosques has increasingly become a
mainstream issue in Indonesia. Although the use of loudspeakers at mosques has
been ubiquitous in the country since the 1950s, public concern began to appear
only in 1978 when the Suharto government issued a circular to address the noise
level of mosque loudspeakers. The Ministry of Religious Affairs issued the
circular after it found that the loudspeakers, which are used to amplify the
sound of azan, were often improperly used. For example, either the loudspeakers
were too loud or they were out of tune; hence the Suharto government argued the
loudspeakers would tarnish the image of Islam and disturb people who were, for
example, resting, especially non-Muslims.
The 1978 circular instructed Ministry of Religious
Affairs staff across the archipelago to provide guidance to mosque committees
in using the loudspeakers properly. However, since the majority of mosques in
Indonesia are run by people and not by the government, the circular was not
effective, since it was not legally binding.
As a result, the mosque loudspeaker problem persisted.
Social discontent about the volume of mosque loudspeakers, especially among
non-Muslim Indonesians and foreigners, remained unaddressed. The social
discontent has rarely caused serious social conflict, given that people,
especially non-Muslims, are usually aware that it is a sensitive issue. Often,
they chose not to over-react when dealing with this issue, or just keep quiet,
to avoid facing social backlash from the country’s majority Muslim community.
But, in some cases, disputes over mosque loudspeakers
can trigger serious and even deadly conflicts. In 2015, one person was killed
and 12 others were injured in predominantly Christian Tolikara regency, Papua
province, after the Christians’ protest over the use of loudspeakers during Eid
al-Fitr prayers turned ugly. The Christians said the sound of the loudspeaker
disturbed their own religious event, which was being held concurrently near the
area where the Eid al-Fitr prayer was also in progress.
In 2016, a riot occurred in Medan, North Sumatra
province, after a Chinese Indonesian woman complained to local mosque officials
that the call for prayer, amplified by a mosque loudspeaker near her house, was
too loud. Irresponsible parties uploaded the heated argument between the woman
and the mosque officials to social media, and provoked local people to commit
violence. As result, local Muslims burned down at least 11 houses of worship
that belonged to the Chinese Indonesian community in the area.
Government officials understand that this issue can
seriously damage social stability, as exhibited in the Tolikara and Medan
cases. But authorities have so far refrained from taking a stern approach since
it is sensitive issue that can be easily manipulated by politicians aiming to
provoke people’s Islamic sentiment in order to dent the government’s
legitimacy. Hence, various administrations, including those of Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono and Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, have chosen to resort to persuasion to
address the issue. Jusuf Kalla – who was vice president in the Jokowi
administration between 2014 and 2019, and who has been chairing the Indonesian
Mosque Council since 2012 – often appealed more forcefully to mosque committees
and people at large to reduce the noise level of mosque loudspeakers, but his
appeals largely fell on deaf ears. The practice of setting mosque loudspeakers
at high volume levels continues in many parts of Indonesia.
The recent circular, issued on February 18, 2022 by
the Ministry of Religious Affairs, was the latest and strongest effort by the
government to address the issue. However, just like previous circulars, it is
unlikely to be effective due to the absence of any punishment mechanism and a
long-standing belief among the Muslim community that raising the volume of
loudspeakers is encouraged by Islamic teaching because it supports missionary
activities.
Source: The Diplomat
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https://thediplomat.com/2022/04/indonesias-mosque-loudspeakers-continue-to-spark-controversy/
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Court to decide June 15 whether woman who wants to
leave Islam to embrace Confucianism and Buddhism can continue with court
challenge
27 Apr 2022
BY IDA LIM
KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 — The High Court here will
decide on June 15 whether a Malaysian woman — who wants to be declared no
longer a Muslim in order to be free to embrace Confucianism and Buddhism — can
proceed to have her lawsuit heard.
The 32-year-old woman, who was born to a Muslim
convert father and a Muslim mother, cannot be named publicly due to a court
order.
High Court judge Datuk Ahmad Kamal Md Shahid fixed the
decision date on whether the woman would be granted leave for judicial review,
after hearing arguments from her lawyer and the Attorney General’s Chambers
(AGC).
For lawsuits filed through judicial review
applications, leave or permission must be obtained first from the court before
the lawsuit can be heard.
In this case, the woman — hereon referred to as “A” —
had on March 4 filed for judicial review, naming the four respondents as the
Shariah Court of Appeal, the Shariah High Court, the Federal Territories
Islamic Religious Council (Maiwp) and the government of Malaysia.
The woman “A” is seeking at least 12 court orders as
part of her lawsuit, including declarations that the Shariah courts do not have
the jurisdiction or power to declare that a person is no longer a Muslim.
Source: Malay Mail
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Singapore executes disabled Malaysian convicted in
drug case
Apr 27, 2022
SINGAPORE: Singapore on Wednesday executed a mentally
disabled Malaysian man condemned for a drug offense after a court dismissed a
last-minute challenge from his mother and international pleas to spare him.
Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, 34, had been on death row
for over a decade after he was convicted of trafficking about 43 grams (1.5 oz)
of heroin into Singapore. The city-state’s government has said its use of the
death penalty for drug crimes is made clear at the borders.
Nagaenthran’s family and social activists confirmed
the execution Wednesday.
“On this score may I declare that Malaysia is far more
humane,” his sister Sarmila Dharmalingam said. “Zero to Singapore on this.”
Nagaenthran’s supporters and lawyers said he had an IQ
of 69 and was intellectually disabled, and that the execution of a mentally ill
person was prohibited under international human rights law.
Singapore’s courts ruled, citing psychiatrists’
testimony in court, that he was not mentally disabled and had understood his
actions at the time of his crime.
“Nagaenthran Dharmalingam’s name will go down in
history as the victim of a tragic miscarriage of justice,” said Maya Foa,
director of non-governmental organization Reprieve.
“Hanging an intellectually disabled, mentally unwell man
because he was coerced into carrying less than three tablespoons of diamorphine
is unjustifiable and a flagrant violation of international laws that Singapore
has chosen to sign up to.”
Nagaenthran and his mother had filed a motion Monday
arguing that it was unconstitutional to proceed with his death sentence and
that he may not have been given a fair trial because the chief justice who
presided over his appeals had been the attorney general when Nagaenthran was
convicted in 2010, which the filing alleged could be a conflict of interest.
The court dismissed the motion, describing it as
“frivolous.”
His family said Nagaenthran’s body will be brought to
their hometown in Malaysia’s northern state of Perak, where they have made
preparations for his funeral.
Singapore had halted executions for two years because
of the Covid-19 pandemic before resuming them with the execution of a drug
trafficker in March.
Anyone found with over 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin
faces the death sentence in Singapore, although judges can reduce this to life
in prison at their discretion. Attempts to reduce Nagaenthran’s sentence or
obtain a presidential pardon failed.
Source: Times Of India
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Over 5,000 former separatist fighters to join
Philippine police
April 26, 2022
MANILA: More than 5,000 former fighters who fought for
Filipino Muslim autonomy in the southern Philippines will join the country’s
police force as part of government efforts to sustain peace in one of Southeast
Asia’s most conflict-torn regions.
The peace process in Bangsamoro, a region covering
predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao, has been underway for nearly a decade
since the government struck a permanent ceasefire deal with the Moro Islamic
Liberation Front after almost 40 years of conflict.
An armed breakaway group of the Moro National
Liberation Front — the oldest Muslim separatist movement in Mindanao — MILF
continued to fight when its parent organization reached a peace agreement with
the Philippine government in the 1990s. Only in 2014 did MILF fighters agree to
turn over their firearms in exchange for the establishment of a
self-administered Bangsamoro.
As part of the peace process, the region’s inhabitants
voted for its greater autonomy in a referendum held in 2019. The transition
period will culminate in 2025, when Bangsamoro will elect its legislature and
executive.
Mainstreaming former fighters into the national
security forces is part of the autonomy project. The Office of the Presidential
Adviser on the Peace Process announced last week that 11,000 former combatants
from MILF and MNLF will sit for exams in late May to join the Philippine police
force.
About 5,060 of the best candidates are expected to be
admitted, initially as patrolmen and patrolwomen.
“The entry of MILF and MNLF members into the PNP
(Philippine National Police) is a crucial step in sustaining and building on
the gains of the Bangsamoro peace process,” Wilben Mayor, assistant secretary
at the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, told Arab News
on Tuesday.
“Once they are integrated into the PNP, the MILF and
MNLF members will be part of the police force that will ensure peace and
security not only in the Bangsamoro, but throughout the country,” he added.
“They are now considered peacekeepers and peacebuilders.”
The induction of former fighter into the police
follows an agreement signed earlier this month by the National Police
Commission and Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, the MILF chairman who serves as the
interim chief minister Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
“We are happy that we are finally taking the first
step into making this provision a reality,” Ebrahim said at the time.
The integration process is also expected to help
uplift the local community.
“The lives of the 5,060 individuals and their families
can change for the better as they benefit from a stable career in the police
service,” National Police Commission Vice Chairperson Alberto Bernardo told the
media after signing the agreement with Ebrahim.
Source: Arab News
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2071271/world
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Pakistan
Imran Khan's supporters stage protest outside election
commission offices across Pakistan
Apr 26, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Supporters of Pakistan's former prime
minister Imran Khan on Tuesday held protests outside the election commission
offices across the country, demanding resignation of the Chief Election
Commissioner (CEC) over his alleged biased conduct.
Sikandar Sultan Raja, a former senior bureaucrat, was
appointed as head of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by the previous
Imran Khan government, but now the former premier has turned against him and
accuses him of “favouring” his rival political parties – an allegation rejected
by the CEC.
The party workers of Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) staged demonstrations outside the election commission offices in Karachi,
Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Gujrat and Faisalabad, among other cities.
The main rally was held outside the ECP head office in
Islamabad, with protestors chanting slogans against the CEC and demanding his
resignation.
“Our workers are staging a symbolic protest outside
the ECP office in the capital but thousands of party members were unable to
reach the site of demonstration as routes have been blocked,” PTI leader Shibli
Faraz said.
Former interior minister Sheikh Rashid said even if
the "government and entire establishment come together, they cannot stop
the elections from taking place". Meanwhile, strict security measures were
taken in the capital to stop protestors from entering the Red Zone which houses
many state buildings, including the ECP.
In Lahore, a large contingent of police was deployed
outside the ECP office and barriers were placed as citizens were barred from
entering the building. Protests also gathered outside the ECP office in
Peshawar and raised slogans. They also tried to force their way into the
building but were stopped.
The PTI had announced on Sunday that it would stage
protests outside ECP offices, alleging that the CEC had been biased against the
party.
The demonstrations were apparently a part of a
strategy to put pressure on CEC Raja as he was nearing the conclusion of
hearing in the case of foreign funding against the PTI. Many experts believe
that the party has failed to convince the ECP during the hearing of the case
about the legality of funds deposited in some of its bank accounts.
Source: Times Of India
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China condemns suicide attack at Karachi University,
demands punishment for perpetrators
April 27, 2022
China expressed "strong condemnation and
indignation" on Wednesday over the suicide attack outside the University
of Karachi's (KU) Confucius Institute a day earlier in which four people,
including three Chinese nationals, were killed.
The incident had taken place as van, carrying three
Chinese teachers, was about to enter the Confucius Institute. CCTV footage
showed a burqa-clad woman standing outside the entrance of the Confucius
Institute who detonated herself just as the van neared the institute's
entrance.
Resultantly, three Chinese teachers, including
Confucius Institute director Ding Mupeng, who were travelling in the van, and
the vehicle's driver were killed.
Later, the Balochistan Liberation Army claimed
responsibility for the attack.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, in response
to a question about the incident during a press briefing on Wednesday, said the
attack had left three Chinese teachers dead and one injured.
Acknowledging that there "are also casualties on
the Pakistani side", he went on to say that the "Chinese side
expresses strong condemnation and indignation over this major terrorist attack,
and extends deep condolences to the victims and sympathies to the injured and
bereaved families".
He further said the Chinese foreign ministry and
diplomatic missions in Pakistan activated the "emergency response
mechanism" immediately after the incident, and that Chinese Assistant
Foreign Affairs Minister Wu Jianghao made an urgent phone call to Pakistan's
ambassador in China.
The spokesperson said that the Chinese minister
expressed "grave concern" over incident during the call and demanded
that Pakistan conducted a thorough probe immediately. The minister further
demanded that the perpetrators of the attack should be apprehended and punished
to full extent of the law and all possible measures be taken to ensure the
safety of Chinese citizens in Pakistan so that such incidents were prevented in
the future.
"The Chinese embassy in Pakistan and
consulate-general in Karachi are working with the Pakistani side to deal with
the follow-up matters of the casualties," the foreign ministry
spokesperson said.
He also mentioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's
visit to the Chinese embassy in Islamabad on Tuesday evening, saying that the
premier had conveyed his condolences and the Pakistan government would conduct
an "in-depth probe" into the incident, "give exemplary
punishment to the perpetrators and strengthen the security of Chinese
personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan in an all-round way".
The spokesperson quoted PM Shehbaz as saying that the
Pakistan government would "never allow any force to undermine the
Pakistan-China friendship".
According to the spokesperson's statement, local
authorities in Sindh and Karachi have already launched a "full-scale
investigation to hunt down the perpetrators".
"The Chinese foreign ministry and Chinese
diplomatic missions in Pakistan will continue to urge relevant Pakistani
departments to handle properly the follow-up matters of those killed, treat the
injured, and resolutely crack down on the terrorist organisation
involved," the spokesperson said.
"The blood of the Chinese people should not be
shed in vain, and those behind this incident will surely pay the price."
Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had
also paid a visit to the Chinese consulate in Karachi where he briefed Consul
General Li Bijian about the blast.
The CM had expressed grief over the death of Chinese
nationals, assured that the incident would be fully investigated and those
involved in the incident would be brought to justice.
According to state-run APP, Pakistan Ambassador to
China Moinul Haque has also expressed shock over the incident and expressed
sorrow over the death of Chinese nationals.
Source: Dawn
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Maryam withdraws plea for return of passport from LHC
Rana Bilal
April 27, 2022
PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Wednesday
withdrew a petition filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) for the return of her
passport so that she could travel to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah.
A special division bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar
Najafi had taken up the petition earlier today. During the hearing, Maryam's
counsel, Advocate Amjad Pervez, informed the court that the PML-N leader wished
to withdraw her plea.
Subsequently, the court disposed of the petition.
Maryam's withdrawal comes after no less than four
benches were formed to hear the petition due to judges recusing themselves one
after the other.
Last week, the first bench — comprising Justice Syed
Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Anwarul Haq Pannun — had observed that the
petition should be heard by the same bench, headed by Justice Najafi, that had
granted bail to the petitioner before recusing itself.
A bench comprising Justice Najafi and Justice Farooq
Haider had then issued notices on Maryam's petition on Monday. But Justice
Haider recused himself from the matter when the petition came for hearing on
Tuesday.
LHC Chief Justice Muhammad Ameer Bhatti then
constituted a bench comprising Justice Najafi and Justice Asjad Javed Ghural to
hear the petition. However, Justice Ghural also recused himself from the matter
when the bench assembled to take up the petition.
The bench then sent the case file back to the chief
justice for its fixing before any other appropriate bench after which a
division bench comprising Justice Najafi and Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem took up
the petition on Wednesday (today).
Former information minister and PTI leader Fawad
Chaudhry on Tuesday said the general impression of the LHC over cases related
to the Sharif family was "negative”, adding that the chief justice should
keep that in mind.
"Judges are constantly not hearing Maryam's
cases," he had said on Twitter.
A bench comprising Justice Najafi and Justice Haider
had granted post-arrest bail to Maryam in the Chaudhry Sugar Mills case on Nov
4, 2019.
Source: Dawn
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Pakistan can’t afford enmity with US, says Shehbaz
Amir Wasim
April 27, 2022
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that
he is making efforts to mend fences with all allies and friends of Pakistan,
including the United States, that have been estranged from Islamabad due to a “faulty
foreign policy” of the previous government.
“Pakistan cannot afford to have enmity with the US at
all,” declared Mr Sharif while responding to a volley of questions from senior
journalists during an Iftar dinner at Prime Minister House on Tuesday.
The prime minister regretted that the previous
government led by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had annoyed all those
countries that had always helped Pakistan in difficult times, especially China,
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United States.
He said there was a need to end the mistrust between
Pakistan and the United States, and both countries needed to see if they had
committed any mistakes in the past.
Mr Sharif — clad in a green safari suit and flanked by
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Musaddiq Malik
and other senior PML-N leaders — answered questions regarding foreign policy,
economy and the prevailing political situation in the country in the wake of
renewed threat by PTI chairman Imran Khan to hold a long march towards
Islamabad to press for the party’s demand for early general elections.
Though Mr Sharif touched on all the issues during his
nearly hour-long conversation, his main emphasis remained on the country’s
foreign policy. He spoke about his forthcoming visit to Saudi Arabia and also
expressed his concerns over the suicide attack on the Chinese nationals in
Karachi earlier on Tuesday.
Mr Sharif said he had directed the interior minister
to visit Karachi on Wednesday (today). He said that soon after his visit to
Saudi Arabia, he would preside over a meeting to devise a strategy to provide
security to the Chinese as well as other foreign nationals in the country.
The prime minister said he was expected to have a
discussion on bilateral issues and cooperation with the Saudi leadership during
his upcoming visit to Riyadh.
Hitting out at the previous rulers over their alleged
flawed foreign policy, Mr Sharif said first the PTI government annoyed Qatar
royal family by raising fingers at the contract signed by Pakistan for the
purchase of gas in 2016, and then they did the same thing with China when they
cried foul and corruption in Chinese projects launched here.
Similarly, the previous government annoyed Saudi
Arabia by stating that “we can do Kashmir without them (Saudi Arabia)”, Mr
Sharif said. On the government’s Afghan policy, Mr Sharif said: “What is good
for Afghanistan, it is good for Pakistan and vice versa.”
In response to a question regarding the PTI’s demand
to form a judicial commission to investigate the allegations of a US conspiracy
behind the ouster of Imran Khan’s government, Mr Sharif said he could consider
the option.
Replying to a question about Imran Khan’s threat to
hold a long march to Islamabad, the PM said that protest was a democratic right
of everyone, but no one would be allowed to create anarchy on roads.
Source: Dawn
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Terrorists attack Security Forces in Sararogha, South
Waziristan: ISPR
April 26, 2022
The terrorists on Tuesday fired upon Security Forces
in Sararogha, South Waziristan District which was promptly responded by the
Pakistan Army troops.
However, during intense exchange of fire, two
soldiers, having fought gallantly, embraced Shahadat (martyrdom), said an Inter
Services Public Relations (ISPR) news release.
The martyred soldiers were identified as Lance Naik
Umar Ali Khan (age 26 years, resident of Bannu) and Sepoy Muhammad Siraj ud Din
(age 23 years, resident of DI Khan).
The area clearance was being carried out to eliminate
any terrorists found in the area, it added.
Source: Pakistan Today
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Africa
Tunisian opposition announces alliance against
President Saied
26 April ,2022
A veteran Tunisian opposition figure announced Tuesday
the creation of a new alliance to “save” the country from deep crisis following
President Kais Saied’s power grab last year.
Ahmed Nejib Chebbi, 78, a prominent left-wing
politician who opposed dictator Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s rule, said the new
National Salvation Front aimed to unite political forces, re-establish
constitutional and democratic processes and guarantee freedoms and rights in
the country.
“We want a return to legitimacy and democracy,” he
told a news conference in the capital Tunisia.
Saied – a former law professor elected in 2019 amid
public anger against the political class – on July 25 last year sacked the
government, suspended parliament and seized wide-ranging powers.
He later gave himself powers to rule and legislate by
decree and seized control over the judiciary.
He dissolved parliament last month, dealing another
blow to the political system put in place after the North African country’s
2011 revolution.
Chebbi opposes Saied’s moves and describes them as a
“coup.”
The new alliance comprises five political parties
including Saied’s nemesis the Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party, along with five
civil society groups involving independent political figures.
The Front’s priority is to rescue an economy ruined by
a “rotten” political system that puts off investors, Chebbi said.
It also aims to involve other political groups and
“influential” figures before launching a national dialogue on reforms to “save
the country,” he added.
Chebbi called for a “salvation government” to lead the
country during a “transition period” before new elections.
Last week Saied assigned himself the power to appoint
the head of the electoral commission, a move critics say aims to create a tame
electoral body ahead of a referendum slated for July on constitutional reforms,
and legislative elections due in December.
Last month, Saied also inaugurated a “temporary”
council of judges to replace an independent watchdog he abolished when seizing
sweeping powers over the judiciary.
Saied’s initial power grab last year was welcomed by
many Tunisians sick of the often-stalemated post-revolution political system.
But an increasing array of critics say he has moved
the country down a dangerous path back towards autocracy.
Saied has argued that the North African country’s 2014
constitution allowed him to take “exceptional measures.”
Source: Al Arabiya
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Mali opens probe into mass grave near French base
26 April ,2022
Mali’s military announced Tuesday an inquiry has been
launched into the discovery of a mass grave near a former French army base
where Paris says Russian forces buried the bodies.
A military tribunal prosecutor, who opened the
investigation at the request of the defense ministry, visited the site at Gossi
in the north of the country on April 23.
An official statement said he would “bring to light
all the facts” of the case and keep the public fully informed.
On April 21, two days after French forces handed the
base back to Mali, they released a video said to show Russian mercenaries
burying bodies nearby to falsely accuse the departing troops.
In the video, filmed with a drone, Caucasian soldiers
appear to be covering bodies with sand near the Gossi base.
France officially handed control of Gossi to Mali last
Tuesday as part of a withdrawal announced in February.
The next day the Malian army denied any role in
burying the bodies.
“The state of advanced putrefaction of the bodies
indicates that this mass grave existed well before the handover [of the base].
Consequently, the responsibility for this act can in
no way be attributed to the FAMa,” or Malian armed forces, a statement said.
France and the United States have accused Russian
Wagner mercenaries of deploying in Mali as Paris winds down its almost
decade-long military operation in the Sahel country.
Bamako’s military-dominated government says the
Russians are just military instructors.
Anti-French sentiment has grown in West Africa, where
French forces have operated since 2013 to stem extremist insurgencies.
Source: Al Arabiya
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Tunisia detains crew of ship that sank off its coast
this month
27 April ,2022
A Tunisian judge detained seven crew members of a
commercial ship that sank off the coast of the southern city of Gabes this
month, a judicial official said on Wednesday, as authorities investigated
whether the ship may have been deliberately sunk.
Tunisian officials said this month that the ship, the
Xelo, sank while heading from Equatorial Guinea to Malta carrying up to 1,000
tons of oil and the Tunisian navy had rescued all seven crew members.
Officials later said a specialized diving team sent to
counter a potential environmental disaster found the ship cargo did not contain
fuel, but rather was empty.
“The investigative judge issued a detention decision
against the ship’s crew,” said Mohamed Karay, a spokesman for the Gabes court.
Karay had previously said an investigation was being
conducted to determine if the ship sank under normal circumstances or was sank
to obtain compensation from insurance companies, and to look into the
possibility of oil smuggling.
The crew of the ship were four Turks, two Azerbaijanis
and one from Georgia.
The crew claimed the ship’s route documentation had
been lost, and that there was a conflict in the information they provided,
Karay said.
Source: Al Arabiya
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