New Age
Islam News Bureau
04 July 20123
For representational purpose (Photo |
EPS)
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India
• At ‘Thanksgiving’ Event By Migrant
Hindu Doctors From Pak, VHP Official Warns Of Medical Visa ‘Misuse’ By
Pakistani Muslims
• Not Just Muslim Personal Law Board,
RSS Body Also Wary of Uniform Civil Code, Will Write to Law Commission
• Telangana: Muslim Man Paraded For
Allegedly Urinating Near Shivaji's Statue
• CPM, IUML Vie To Rally Muslims Against
Uniform Civil Code
• No concrete action taken by PM Modi
for Pasmanda Muslims, claims outfit
• NIA raids 5 places in Maharashtra's
Mumbai, Pune in case linked to Islamic State
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Mideast
• Quran Burning Not Freedom Of
Expression: Erdoğan
• Israeli Forces Besiege Al-Ansar Mosque
In Jenin Refugee Camp
• IDF: Palestinian Gunmen ‘Fortified’
Jenin Mosque, Dug Tunnel Underneath
• Pan-Islamic Grouping Condemns Israeli
Military Operation In Jenin
• Gaza Pilgrims Thankful for Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Hajj
• Israeli Forces Detain 3 Workers in
Al-Aqsa Mosque, Threaten to Kidnap More
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Europe
• Canadian-British Actor Hagon, Who Played
Ammar Ibn Yasir, Says Proud To Have Been
Part Of Islamic Epic Drama The Message
• France Returns 35 Citizens From Camp
In Syria Housing Thousands Linked To Islamic State Extremists
• VOX leader hints ‘anti-EU’ Muslims
fuel French riots
• Swansea Fire: Muslim Community Pays
Tributes To Father And Three-Year-Old Son Killed In House Fire
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South Asia
• Afghan Students Accepted at Indian
Universities Lack Visas
• Teacher Provides Free Education for
Children in Kabul
• Situation in Afghanistan Remains
Tense: Putin
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Pakistan
• At SCO Virtual Summit, PM Says
Terrorism Should Be Condemned In Unambiguous Terms
• IHC sets aside session court’s verdict
in Toshakhana case against PTI chief
• Pakistan ‘too entangled’ to be
involved in bloc politics: Bilawal
• IO told to file charge sheet against
PTI lawmaker Firdous Shamim Naqvi
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Arab World
• Chinese Pilgrims Visit Two Holy
Mosques ExhibitionHosted In The Third Saudi Expansion Of The Grand Mosque
• Director General of Passports Inspects
Procedures of Pilgrims Departing through Jeddah Islamic Port
• Trained Cadres Sterilize Prophet's
Mosque with over 600 Cleaning Machines
• General Presidency for Affairs of Two
Holy Mosques Launches Welcome Initiative
• 60 Mobility Services employees assist
elderly pilgrims outside Prophet's Mosque round the clock
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Africa
• Uganda Muslim Council Condemns Quran Burning
In Sweden
• Trinidad Muslim League rejects
teaching of "alternative lifestyles" in schools
• Saudi Hajj: Governor doles out N278
million to Katsina Muslim pilgrims
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North America
• America's Longest-Serving Muslim Mayor,
Mohammed Khairullah, Reveals Impact Of FBI Watchlist
• New Mexico mosque attacked four times
in less than 2 week, rights advocates urge for hate crime probe
• Missoula's large, growing Muslim
community looks for a mosque
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Southeast Asia
• JakimIs More Than Just For Islamic Development
Under My Administration, Says PM Anwar
• Unity Govt Always Upholds Principles
Of Islam, Ensures Rights And Justice For All
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/kerala-sunni-wahhabi-tablighi-jamaat-salafis/d/130133
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By Revisiting Unity Talks, Kerala Sunni
Groups Look To Bury Differences with Salafis, Wahhabis, Tablighi Jama’at and
Jama’at-e-Islami
For representational purpose (Photo |
EPS)
----
04th July 2023
Unlike in other parts of the world,
‘Sunni’ is a general term used in Kerala to denote Muslims who follow the Sufi
version of Islam. Sunnis are opposed to other streams of Islam such as Salafis,
Wahhabis, Tablighi Jama’at and Jama’at-e-Islami. There are four groups of
Sunnis in the state who share almost the same ideology and beliefs. The unity
of Sunnis has become a major talking point after Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker
Musliyar declared that he is in favour of such an initiative. Here is the brief
lowdown on the four factions
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama
Samastha Kerala Jem-iyyathul Ulama was
established in Kerala in 1926 at a meeting held at Kozhikode Town Hall to
‘fight the deviant sects’, including Salafis and Wahhabis, who are called Mujahids
in Kerala. Founded by scholars, including Varakkal MullakoyaThangal, Pangil
Ahmed Kutty Musliyar and Muhammad Abdul Bari Musliyar, the organisation was
registered in 1934. Samastha’s current president is Sayyid Muhammad Jifri Muthukkoya
Thangal with K Alikutty Musliyar its general secretary. Sunni Yuvajana Sangham
(SYS), Samastha Kerala Sunni Students Federation (SKSSF), Sunni Mahal
Federation (SMF) are the major feeder organisations of the Samastha, which
publishes the Suprabhatham daily. Headquartered in Chelari, Malappuram, the
organisation is popularly known as the ‘EK Sunnis’ as E K Aboobacker Musliyar
was the general secretary of the organisation when it split
Kanthapuram faction
The Samastha split in 1989 over certain
political issues and six members of the ‘mushawara’ (highest consultative
body), led by Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musliyar, walked out to form a
splinter group. At the time, Kanthapuram was the general secretary of SYS. The
major point of contention was Samastha’s relationship with the Indian Union
Muslim League (IUML). The Markazu Saqafathi Sunniyya (Sunni Cultural Centre), which
later came to be known as Markaz, in Karanthur, Kozhikode, is the headquarters
of the Kanthapuram group. Kerala Muslim Jama’at, SYS and SKSSF are the chief
feeder organisations of the group. E Suleiman Musliyar is the current president
of the group while Kanthapuram is its general secretary
Dakshina Kerala Jami-yyathul Ulama
Dakshina Kerala Jami-yyathul Ulama is
the main Sunni organisation in the southern parts of the state. Its earlier
incarnation, the Thiru-Kochi Jami-yyathul Ulama was established on June 26,
1955, at Jonakapuram, Kollam, at a meeting presided over by P K Yunus Moulavi.
It was renamed Dakshina Kerala Jami-yyathul Ulama after the formation of the
Kerala state in 1956. Leaders of the organisation say it has no political
leanings and affirm that it was not formed as the splinter of any organisation.
K P Aboobacker Hasrath is president of the organisation and Thodiyoor Muhammadkunhu
Moulavi is its general secretary. Dakshina Kerala Islam MathaVidyabhyasa Board,
Kerala Muslim Jama’at Federation, Kerala Muslim Youth Federation and Dakshina
Kerala Islamic Students Federation are the main feeder organisations
Kerala Samsthana Jem-iyyathul Ulama
Kerala Samsthana Jem-iyyathul Ulama was
formed in 1967 following differences of opinion in the Samastha Kerala
Jem-Iyyathul Ulama. The main bone of contention was the use of loudspeakers for
Friday sermons in mosques. K KSadaquathulla Moulavi, who was then president of
the Samastha, came out to form the new organisation. Thazhekkad Kunhalavi
Musliyar was the founder president with K K Sadaquathulla Moulavi its general
secretary. The organisation has institutions in Vandoor, Nadapuram and Manjeri
and units in various Gulf countries. Sunni Yuvajana Federation (SYF) is the
youth wing of the organisation. U AbdurrahimMoulavi and A Najeeb Moulavi are
currently its president and general secretary, respectively.
Source: newindianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2023/jul/04/by-revisiting-unity-talks-sunni-groups-look-to-bury-differences-2591117.html
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We Are Witnessing 'Organized
Anti-Muslim' Trend In Europe After What Happened Recently In Sweden: Expert
Hassan Hanizadeh, Speaking to ILNA
-----
2023/07/04
Speaking to ILNA, Hassan Hanizadeh said
that what happened recently in Sweden is actually a series of movements to
create a gap between Muslims and Christians in this country and even the whole
of Europe.
We are witnessing a networked and
organized anti-Muslim trend in the Scandinavian countries, the expert noted.
He added that “using the lever of
democracy in the West is basically rooted in double standards. Europeans
declare that democracy means insulting the holy Quran and sanctities is
permitted, and on the other hand insulting the Holocaust is a violation of
democracy. This approach somehow shows that the West is using the lever of
democracy and playing with this category in order to maximize its interests.”
Source: ilna.ir
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.ilna.ir/Section-world-8/1374204-we-are-witnessing-organized-anti-muslim-trend-in-europe-expert
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France Riots: For Racist Police, Arab,
Black And Muslim Lives Do Not Matter
French
officers patrol the street in Lille, northern France, on 30 June 2023 (AFP)
------
Rayan Freschi
3 July 2023
On the eve of the most observed Muslim
celebration, Eid al-Adha, Nahel Merzouk, a French teen of Algerian and Moroccan
descent, was brutally murdered by a police officer during a traffic stop.
At first, the police described the event
as a case of legitimate self-defence. To their disarray, the scene was filmed
and proved the fallacy of the official version. It proved Nahel never
threatened in any way the officers’ lives.
He was shot at point-blank range when he
tried to escape. The video was shared on social media and instantaneously
became viral, sparking a wave of outrage across the entire country only hours
after the murder took place.
While busily preparing for a blissful
religious event, French Muslims’ spirit abruptly shifted from joy to grief.
Uprisings began to unfold in Nanterre,
the scene of the killing. The following night, they reached the rest of the
country. The protestors targeted state institutions: all across the country,
they burnt down town halls, attacked police stations, and vandalised some
schools. They looted shops and supermarkets.
Remarkably, most of the protestors
involved in the rioting are in their teenage years. To oppose them, the state
has used draconian counterinsurgency methods.
From Thursday night onwards, the
Ministry of the Interior deployed 45,000 police officers. The use of military
weaponry - including tear gas and armoured vehicles - is normalised to pacify
the rioters. Hundreds were arrested. The courts pronounced the first
fast-tracked prison sentences this weekend.
These riots are a clear expression of
frustration and anger over a blatant injustice.
The protestors regard the state - and
its institutions - with clarity: they see it as the main culprit responsible
for their suffering. The riots are a form of political dissent expressed by a
generation of Muslims and non-white teenagers whose lives are deemed inferior,
cheap, and meaningless by the French state.
Systemic brutality
France has a history of Islamophobic and
racist murders committed by the police.
Since 1991, at least 21 violent
uprisings of varying sizes broke out following a racist crime committed by the
police. In 2022 alone, at least one man of African descent died at the hands of
the police every month.
This brutality finds its roots in
France’s colonial past: law enforcement’s function was submitting the
indigenous Muslim population to "the Republic’s values", preventing
the legitimate expression of their political dissent.
Current police forces have inherited
this role in a different context. Police brutality is a systemic issue with
specific political goals: it is the means the French state uses to protect
republican values and violently obstruct Muslims and ethnic minorities’
political growth.
Police brutality and murders are not
events of marginal significance, or an abhorrent exception to common good
practice. Police brutality is the norm in Muslim neighbourhoods.
On Friday, the spokesperson of the UN's
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Ravina Shamdasani,
said in a statement of concern over the death of 17-year-old Nahel. "This
is a moment for the country to seriously address the deep issues of racism and
discrimination in law enforcement," she said.
The legislation regulating police
practices was designed with the intent of protecting its Islamophobic and
racist function. It is shaped to protect police immunity, giving police
officers a free hand when addressing Muslims and non-whites.
In the case of Nahel’s murder, the
relevant law - regulating the use of fire weapons by the police - was passed in
2017 amidst a strong Islamophobic push to loosen the legal framework regulating
police intervention in Muslim-majority neighbourhoods. Critics believe it
granted the police a "licence to kill".
An intoxicating atmosphere
A police crime committed on the eve of
Eid does not explain alone the significant magnitude of the riots.
It should be contextualised within
France’s current state of affairs to understand the motives animating so many young
French citizens. Indeed, the country is home to an intoxicating Islamophobic
and racist atmosphere.
Islamophobia is at the core of the
French political discourse: the criminalisation of Islam and Muslims has become
mainstream.
As evidenced by a testimony given to a
town councillor, deep-rooted Islamophobia provided the fertile ground for
violence: "Listen, that's it, they're criticising our religion, they think
we're illiterate, that we're scum, that's enough."
French media and politicians engaged in
a common practice of character assassination of the victim by suggesting a
criminal past. This narrative is meant to belittle the gravity of his murder.
Power structures systematically use this tactic to relativise the state’s
heinous crimes.
The victim’s profile is irrelevant in
these cases. Delinquency does not justify death at the hand of law enforcement
agencies. This dehumanising narrative targeting a murdered child alienates
French citizens of Muslim and non-white backgrounds even further.
As the riots went on, media and
politicians tried to depict the uprisings as a manifestation of a moral and
educational crisis, denying their political nature. French President Emmanuel
Macron appealed to the parents’ sense of responsibility.
According to this second narrative,
violence was not the natural answer to grave injustice, it was the
incomprehensible behaviour of children due to their parents' lack of care and
education.
Instead of trying to understand the
legitimate political grievances expressed through violence, both narratives
shamed and blamed the victims of the state’s Islamophobia and racism. They
served as violence’s catalyst, fuelling the rioters’ frustration and
determination.
Police abolition
This entire picture illustrates the
consequences of state-led dehumanisation of a segment of its population.
Denying their right to safety, their
grievances and their political expression, and curtailing their fundamental
rights proves how much the French state despises their existence.
Arab lives, Black lives, and Muslim
lives do not matter. They can be trampled on and stolen at will.
A way out is still possible.
Reforming the police is unrealistic, as
proven earlier. Its function is Islamophobic and racist. Furthermore, more than
half of its members support far-right parties, therefore, only its complete
abolition could lead to a systemic change.
The young rioters’ anger is a
predictable response to a disturbing murder. The state's crackdown will soon
stop the riots, but it won’t change the protestors' spirit in the long term as
its root causes persist.
As Frantz Fanon wrote in The Wretched of
the Earth: "The repressions, far from calling a halt to the forward rush
of national consciousness, urge it on".
The views expressed in this article
belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of
Middle East Eye.
Source: middleeasteye.net
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/france-riots-racist-police-arab-black-lives-do-not-matter
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Historic Id Kah Mosque In Kashgar,
China, Open For Tourists, But Not Worshipers
An elderly
Uyghur walks outside the Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar, northwestern China's
Xinjiang region, before prayers marking Eid al-Fitr, June 26, 2017.
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2023.07.03
Chinese authorities have begun selling
tickets to tourists to visit the historic Id Kah Mosque in Kashgar – where they
have prohibited Muslim Uyghurs from praying for years except for certain holy
days and for propaganda purposes, officials in the ancient city in Xinjiang
said.
The mosque has been mostly closed for
worship since 2016 amid a severe crackdown by Chinese authorities on the
religion and culture of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang in a bid to stamp out religious
extremism China believed to be behind terrorist attacks.
Information about the issuance of
tickets to visit the mosque first circulated last week on the Chinese
short-video platform Duoyin and later on Facebook by Uyghurs. It also appeared
in the marketing material of a travel agency based in the Xinjiang Uyghur
Autonomous Region, which said visitors had to pay 20-40 yuan (US$2.75-5.50) for
tickets, based on their ages, and that entry was free for people 65 years of
age and older.
Authorities allow small groups of
elderly worshipers to pray during Ramadan and other Islamic holy days, or for
propaganda purposes when arranging visits for dignitaries from other parts of
the world to give an impression that Uyghurs are not prohibited from praying,
sources say.
Those who saw the recent social media
post about tickets being sold assumed that the Chinese had turned the Id Kah
Mosque into a museum.
Kashgar police told Radio Free Asia that
the mosque was open for visitors but not for worshipers, and suggested
contacting local travel agencies for more information.
“I am not sure how much money each
visitor pays, but I am positive that people are allowed to enter the mosque,”
said an officer who declined to be named, per normal practice.
“But no one is allowed to pray because
the mosque sells tickets to visitors,” he said. “However, the government
organizes people to pray inside the mosque. Only they can perform their
prayers. It has been like this for five or six years.”
Systematic campaign
Since about 2017, up to 16,000 mosques,
or roughly 65%, of all mosques have been destroyed or damaged as a result of
government policies, according to the Uyghur Human Rights Project, a U.S.-based
activist group. Other mosques have been closed but left standing, and a few
famous ones remain open but under surveillance.
The moves are part of a larger campaign
of repression to erase Uyghur religious practices culture, along with the
arbitrary detention of an estimated 1.8 million Uyghurs and other Turkic
minorities in internment centers and prisons.
In May 2022, when Michelle Bachelet,
former U.N. high commissioner for human rights, visited the mosque, the imam,
MemetJume, told her that the facility was open for normal religious activities,
even though it was not.
When asked why there were so few
worshipers in the mosque, he said that the faithful were busy with their work
and that some had changed their viewpoints.
Residential committees paid Uyghurs to
perform a dance outside the mosque in an apparent bid to show that all was well
ahead of Bachelet’s visit.
Bachelet’s office issued a report in
August 2022 documenting cases of torture, forced labor and other severe rights
abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities.
For years now, foreign visitors have
noticed the absence of prayers inside the Id Kah Mosque. One of them posted a
travel blog on YouTube, showing thousands of worshippers praying in the mosque
between 2011 and 2016, but then an empty holy place in 2019.
TurghunjanAlawudin, a vice chairman of
the executive committee of the World Uyghur Congress, said under Islam, it was
never permissible to take money from those who enter a mosque, including
tourists.
“If the tourists say they will donate to
the mosque, they will,” he told RFA. “A mosque is only a place to worship
Allah.”
“Therefore, it is completely fraudulent
to say that we made half of the mosque a picnic ground and the other half a
prayer ground,” he added.
Source: rfa.org
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/uyghur/id-kah-mosque-07032023144243.html
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PTI Chief Imran Khan Blames Military For
Journalists’ Abduction During His Rule
PTI Chief, Imran Khan
-----
July 4, 2023
LAHORE: PTI Chairman Imran Khan has
blamed the military for the alleged abductions of journalists when he was the
prime minister.
In an interview with journalist Mehdi
Hasan on MSNBC, aired on Monday, Mr Khan was grilled over the atrocities
committed against the journalists during his reign in power when he brought up
the current restrictions on media and journalists.
The PTI chairman shrugged off the
comparison as a “false equivalence”, saying that no news channel was closed and
no journalist was forced to leave the country when he was in power.
He added that the only journalist to be
picked up was Matiullah Jan, and he too was recovered the next day when he
learnt about the case.
Says hybrid system ‘doomed to fail’;
calls for peaceful protests against desecration of Holy Quran
Pakistan was “at the tail end of the war
on terror” and “the establishment” was wary about any criticism from
journalists, he said. “So they were responsible for a few guys who were picked
up.”
However, it was nothing compared to
what’s happening at the moment, he claimed, adding that “four of the country’s
top journalists” left the country while the fifth one, Arshad Sharif, wrote a
letter to the Supreme Court chief justice that his life was in danger. “He
escaped [but] he was killed in Kenya.”
Mr Khan also referred to his unannounced
blackout from TV news channels, claiming that not even his name could be
mentioned.
At this point, the host interjected,
saying when he was the prime minister, the name of PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif
couldn’t be mentioned on air.
Mr Khan called this comparison baseless
as well, saying that Mr Sharif was convicted by the Supreme Court and “faked
illnesses” to leave for England.
“You can’t compare what is happening to
me. I’m not convicted but the media couldn’t say my name.”
Hybrid system ‘doomed to fail’
Mr Khan also said that the hybrid system
— a tacit power-sharing mechanism between the civilian and military leadership
— cannot work in Pakistan and is “doomed to fail”.
“If you are an elected prime minister
you must have the authority to implement reforms. It cannot work when you [the
PM] have the responsibility because you are elected but the authority is shared
and the army chief has veto power.”
“I wanted to bring the mafias under the
law but the former army chief had the veto power leading to blocking him from
laying hands on the corrupt,” he claimed while blaming ex-army chief General
Qamar Javed Bajwa.
When asked if he had any regret over
taking power in 2018, the former PM said: “I should have gone into elections
again and not taken power with a weak coalition because you can’t reform and
implement the rule of law with a weak coalition.”
Commenting on the current situation, the
PTI chairman said democracy, rule of law and governance system were in tatters
and “Pakistan is on the edge of darkness”.
“There is an undeclared martial law in
the country,” Mr Khan said and claimed some 10,000 PTI leaders and workers have
been arrested in cases of arson.
Call for peaceful protests
Separately, on Monday, the PTI chairman
called for peaceful protests on Friday against the desecration of the Holy
Quran in Sweden.
He said the desecration has hurt the
sentiments of Muslims and the nation should send a message in this regard.
“I ask the nation to come out after
Jumma prayers and send a message in a peaceful manner that we are hurt.”
In a speech, broadcast on social media,
Mr Khan also claimed that the PPP and PML-N leaders have devised a formula to
share seats among themselves and the newly-formed Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party in
the four provinces.
“They want to keep out Pakistan’s
biggest political party and arrest Imran Khan as they are afraid of PTI’s
return to power.”
In the address, a day before Mr Khan is
due to appear in court to seek bail in around 19 cases, as per his claims, he
expressed apprehension that he could be arrested again.
He also detailed all cases registered
against him and said if bail was not granted in any one of the cases, he could
be put in jail again.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1762829/pti-chief-blames-military-for-journalists-abduction-during-his-rule
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India
At ‘Thanksgiving’ Event By Migrant Hindu
Doctors From Pak, VHP Official Warns Of Medical Visa ‘Misuse’ By Pakistani Muslims
July 4, 2023
A Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) official,
Prashant Hartalkar, alleged on Monday that medical visas were being misused by
Muslims to migrate to India. Hartalkar, the VHP central secretary
(international coordination), was speaking at the ‘Migrant Pakistani Hindu
Doctors Registration Appreciation Ceremony’ in Ahmedabad.
Referring to former external affairs
minister, the late Sushma Swaraj, Hartalkar said that she had tried to issue a
lot of medical visas. “But in the name of medical visas, many Muslims migrated
to India. Does anyone return later? When a Hindu does not return then will a
Muslim return?… they (Hindus) should come and live here but Muslims should not
come to India,” Hartalkar claimed.
“The Indian government had eased the
visa process in the last two years. But unfortunately…many Muslims have
migrated to India. What will India do? What will the government do? They said,
there Are no medical facilities there. I went and saw the hospitals there. But
there are primary health centres, hospitals, and X-ray machines but no
electricity. Such are the hospitals in Pakistan,” Hartalkar alleged.
The ‘thanksgiving’ event – to thank the
government for their registration – on Monday was organised by the Migrant Pak
Hindu Doctors Forum, an Ahmedabad-based organisation. As per official data, 132
migrant Hindu doctors from Pakistan cleared the National Medical Commission
(NMC) exam and of these, 32 doctors have registered to provide their services
in Gujarat’s health sector.
Apart from Gujarat Chief Minister
Bhupendra Patel, MP Kirit Solanki, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale,
the Migrant Pak-Hindu coordinator Rajesh Maheshwari, the president of the
Gujarat Medical Council, and several migrant doctors and their families were
also present at the function.
Hartalkar referred to the Rohingya
Muslims while pointing out that Muslims were entering India from across
borders, and called them “intruders”, accusing them of coming to India “for
religion”. He also urged the migrant Hindu families to move across India,
without restricting themselves to Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Speaking on the occasion, Hosabale said
the Centre will not backtrack from implementing the Citizenship Amendment Act
(CAA). “As a matter of fact, the CAA is an attempt to give citizenship to those
who have been mistreated in Pakistan and Bangladesh. The division of the
country was a mistake of history and with that, hundreds of families and people
were destroyed. It is a black page in human history, in the history of India.
Even if you want to forget, you cannot forget and you should not forget
either,” Hosabale added.
There was a conspiracy to oppose CAA
through agitations in the entire country, Hosabale alleged. “All those attempts
and facilities like CAA that were brought in to help those harassed brothers
and sisters seeking citizenship here should be done immediately. That will be
attempted. The government that thought about this will not backtrack… there
were some obstacles. We need to recreate an environment to remove those
obstacles, it is required too,” he added.
CM Patel congratulated the doctors and
said that it was a “matter of pride” that doctors registered under this
opportunity will contribute to the health services of Gujarat.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/thanksgiving-event-migrant-hindu-doctors-pak-vhp-official-medical-visa-misuse-muslims-8700058/
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Not Just Muslim Personal Law Board, RSS
Body Also Wary of Uniform Civil Code, Will Write to Law Commission
JULY 04, 2023
If you thought only All India Muslim
Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) is wary of the 22nd Law Commission seeking public
opinion on the contentious issue of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), a couple of
weeks ago; think again. An affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),
the ideological mentor of the ruling BJP, is equally concerned about the UCC
becoming a reality.
Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram — an RSS affiliate
that focuses on the welfare of members of the Scheduled Tribes in remote areas
of India — is even preparing to write to the Law Commission.
UCC has been one of the core electoral
promises of the BJP. So, when an offshoot of BJP’s ideological mentor becomes
apprehensive about the prospect of the same UCC, it makes people surprised. But
those who have been associated with VKA say they have enough reason to be
concerned as many tribes across India have their own personal code that often
is in contradiction with Hindu personal codes.
“We are experiencing ethnic tensions in
Manipur right now. Next door in Meghalaya, among the Garos, there is a
long-standing custom of the youngest daughter becoming the family heir. Suppose
UCC comes in tomorrow and it asks each son and daughter to equally share the
family fortunes, the Garos won’t be happy, take it from me. Even their men
abide by this rule. How will you reason with them that the nation needs one
single personal code that is uniform in nature?” as a senior functionary of the
body puts it.
He also cited Santhals and Kols where
the picture is completely different and women have no rights to property.
When asked to comment, Atul Jog, who is
the Organisation Secretary of the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram tried to play it down.
However, talking to News18, he did concede, “We will definitely write to the
commission. However, we are waiting for the draft to see first.” But sources
within VKA tell News18, the body will write to the commission even before that.
Another contentious issue remains the
age of marriage. Right now, a Hindu man can marry at the age of 21 while a
woman can marry at the age of 18. But in many tribes that age limit is much
lower. Another key Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram functionary told News18, “For
instance, Odisha has 62 tribal groups out of which 13 are recognised as
particularly vulnerable tribal groups or PVTGs. They are Bonda, DongariaKondh,
Didayi, and LanjiaSoura among others who are vulnerable due to child marriage
and early pregnancies. The state government so far has been dealing it by
enticing them with late marriage incentives which have seen good responses. But
the moment you bring in a law, these tribes won’t be very cooperating.”
Estimates suggest that each year, at
least 1.5 million girls under 18 get married in India. Nearly 16% of adolescent
girls aged 15-19 are currently married.
VKA suspects, if UCC becomes a law, vast
sections of the tribal community will be behind bars under various sections of
the POCSO Act, which was brought in to safeguard the rights of children. The
act of engaging in sexual activities with children is considered a serious
offense under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act,
2012. But early marriage and procreation being a custom in many tribes, VKA is
wary of barrages of criminal cases against tribals, should UCC kicks in.
While AIMPLB has already launched an
online campaign against UCC and sought more time from the Law Commission to
respond, the RSS body is treading cautiously. They are mindful of the fact that
they are caught in a very tricky situation where they can’t go to court against
a reform seen to be on Sangh’s agenda but also cannot dismiss the concerns of
the very people they work with.
Source: news18.com
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--------
Telangana: Muslim man paraded for
allegedly urinating near Shivaji's statue
Ayushi Goswami
July 04, 2023
A Muslim man was brutally assaulted and
paraded by an angry mob for allegedly urinating near the statue of Chhatrapati
Shivaji Maharaj in the Gajwel town of Telangana's Siddipet district on Monday
night.
In multiple viral videos, the mob can be
seen heckling the man by chanting Jai Shri Ram, Bharat Mata ki jai, and
Chhatrapati Shivaji ki jai.
Man was reportedly drunk when incident
occurred
Reportedly, the man was under the
influence of alcohol when the incident occurred. He was caught urinating by
locals, who berated him.
Soon a crowd of Hindus— belonging to
right-wing organizations— gathered and assaulted the victim.
The man was forced to clean the area
where he allegedly urinated by pouring a bucket of water.
He was then paraded on the road amid
loud sloganeering.
Several videos of incident
Man was allegedly asked to lick
'urinated' ground
In one of the videos, a police officer
was seen trying to get a hold of the man, but the mob took him toward the
incident spot and shoved his face to the ground.
He was reportedly asked to lick the area
where he allegedly relieved himself.
Per NDTV, Muslims from the
neighboringSangapur village later gathered at the spot to protest.
Gajwel is Telangana CM KCR's
constituency
Some media outlets reported that the
Muslim crowd called for a bandh on Tuesday, while others said the Hindu mob
called for a one-day strike.
Following the incident, the police
beefed up security and patrolling in the area.
On Tuesday, many shops and commercial
establishments were reportedly closed in parts of Gajwel, the legislative
constituency of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.
Source: newsbytesapp.com
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https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/india/telangana-muslim-man-paraded-for-allegedly-urinating-near-shivaji-s-statue/story
--------
CPM, IUML vie to rally Muslims against
Uniform Civil Code
July 04, 2023
Malappuram: Politics centred on the
Muslim community in Kerala is set for a churn as rumours on the implementation
of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) are going round especially after Prime Minister
Narendra Modi recently pitched for it. The ruling CPM and the opposition Indian
Union Muslim League (IUML) have already commenced evaluating the reactions from
the over-two-million-strong community regarding the likely move of the BJP-led
central government. Doing so, both are also keen to re-evaluate their influence
on Muslim organisations in the state.
For IUML, they want to ensure its
supremacy in Muslim politics and its influence among the major organisations in
the community, whereas CPM plans to increase its sway in the community
organisations by opposing UCC.
Both CPM and IUML decided to rally all
the Muslim organisations under them to register their protest over the touchy
issue.
CPM was the first party to announce a
seminar on UCC with the participation of all the Muslim organisations and also
expects the participation of IUML. On the other hand, IUML has decided to
convene a meeting of Muslim organisations on Tuesday at Kozhikode to discuss
the matter and plan the protest.
CPM state secretary said in a press
meeting that the UCC would destroy the plurality of the country.
“CPM will organise a state-level seminar
at Kozhikode against the central government's attempt to implement UCC. The
party would also organise similar programmes at district and local levels. We
can invite anyone to these venues who has a secular mind," M V Govindan
said.
He also added that the Congress party
has failed to take a unanimous stand on the issue. CPM has decided to utilise
the dilemma of Congress in taking a proper stand on the UCC issue as if they
fear it would impact their fortune in the upcoming elections in the Northern
States. Minister P A Muhammed Riyas has also criticised the Congress party
alleging that it has not taken a stand on implementing UCC.
Meanwhile, the Samastha Kerala
Jamiyyathul Ulama E K faction leaders and IUML leaders are doubtful about the
sincerity of CPM on the issue. They believe that CPM has been utilising the
situation to gain political dominance among the Muslim community. (The former
is an influential body of Islamic scholars.)
“The LDF government has taken several
cases against those who have protested against the NRC (National Register of
Citizens). They had earlier offered to withdraw the cases but have not taken
any steps even after two-and-a-half years. How can we then rely on them on such
issues," PMA Salam, State General Secretary of IUML, said.
The EK Sunni faction leaders are also
doubtful about the sincerity of CPM on the issue. Samastha Central Mushavara
Member Bahauddeen Muhammed Nadwi has said that none of the leaders of Samastha
are having allegiance to the political organisations who believe in the non-
existence of god. The unity of Samastha and IUML brought development to the
Muslim community, he said in a Facebook post. E K Faction Samastha youth leader
SatharPanthalloor has also expressed doubt on the stand of CPM on the UCC
issue.
“There are some points which create
doubts among the Muslim community even though they are taking the statement of
M V Govindan positively. The community has an interest in knowing the stand of
CPM on Muslim personal laws and the Sharia law of the community. They have to
clear their stand on community matters even before supporting the community on
UCC," SatharPanthavoor said.
Kerala State Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami
Hind P Mujeeb Rahman shared his views on a Facebook post.
"The UCC is a part of the agenda to
create communal disharmony in the country. It has been depicted as an issue
affecting only the Muslim
community living in the country and
wants to create issues between the two communities. Society must understand
this and defend the attempt to utilise the situation for political gain, Mujeeb
Rahman warned.
Source: onmanorama.com
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https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2023/07/04/uniform-civil-code-muslims-cpm-iuml-opposition-kerala.html
--------
No concrete action taken by PM Modi for
Pasmanda Muslims, claims outfit
JUL 03 2023
An organisation of Pasmanda Muslims on
Monday claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not taken any concrete
step to resolve the issues of their community and demanded that a plan for
their uplift be implemented before the Lok Sabha polls, afte...
National president of Pasmanda Muslim
Samaj Anees Mansoori also questioned the need for bringing Uniform Civil Code
when people of different religions, sects and castes in the country have been
"living for centuries with their own religious and socia...
He asked the prime minister to implement
a concrete action plan to integrate the people from the Pasmanda community into
the mainstream before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections so that they could trust his
promises.
Last week, Prime Minister Modi made a
strong push for a Uniform Civil Code(UCC), asking how can the country function
with dual laws that govern personal matters. He also said that those supporting
'triple talaq' were doing a grave injustice to Muslim...
In a statement, Mansoori said that on
July 3 last year, Prime Minister Modi had expressed concern over the plight of
Pasmanda Muslims during the BJP's national executive meeting held in Hyderabad
and had talked about integrating them into the mainstr...
"One year has passed since then but
the prime minister has not yet made any concrete action plan to alleviate the
problems of Pasmanda Muslims," he said.
"If Modi is really concerned about
addressing grievances of the backward Muslims, then he should honestly prepare
a concrete action plan and implement it before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections so
that the Pasmanda Muslim community can have faith in the ...
The public acceptance of the plight of
85 percent of Pasmanda Muslims by the prime minister further strengthened the
need for an action plan for the upliftment of this section of Muslims.
"However, it is a matter of regret that Modi has not yet taken...
The Pasmanda community among Muslims
comprises around 41 "castes", including Ansari, Qureshi, Mansoori,
Salmani and Siddiqui. They are in professions such as butchers and weavers and
are considered the most backward strata on social, economic and pol...
Responding to the prime minister's
statement on the sensitive issue of UCC, Mansoori said that in India people of
different religions, sects and castes have been living for centuries and
following their own religious and social rules and regulations....
Source: deccanherald.com
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https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/no-concrete-action-taken-by-pm-modi-for-pasmanda-muslims-claims-outfit-1233641.html
---------
NIA raids 5 places in Maharashtra's
Mumbai, Pune in case linked to Islamic State
Jul 03, 2023
New Delhi [India], July 3 (ANI): The
National Investigation Agency (NIA (/topic/nia)) on Monday carried out searches
at five locations in Maharashtra (/topic/maharashtra)'s Mumbai (/topic/mumbai)
and Pune
(/topic/pune) in a case related to
Islamic State.
The searches are still underway at one
place in Pune (/topic/pune) and four in Mumbai (/topic/mumbai), sources told
ANI, adding the places raided include the premises of suspects having
allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS).
The anti-terror agency filed the case
earlier this year and started a probe against suspects hatching terror
conspiracy as part of an Islamic State (ISIS) plan to carry out incidents of
terror and violence and wage a war against India, the sources, privy to the
development, added.
"NIA (/topic/nia) investigations
are continued to unearth the whole conspiracy in the case being spread by
supporters of IS ideology in India," said the sources.
The move comes two days after the NIA
(/topic/nia) filed its first supplementary chargesheet against nine persons in
the ISIS conspiracy case of Shivamogga district in Karnataka. In the case, the
accused had conducted a trial IED blast in Shivamogga, besides conducting
reconnaissance of multiple places and indulging in the
arson of properties and vehicles
to spread terror and scare among the people, as part of an Islamic State
conspiracy, to carry out incidents of terror and violence in India and wage a
war against India.
In March this year, the NIA (/topic/nia)
conducted searches at four locations in Seoni (Madhya Pradesh) and one in Pune
(/topic/pune) in the Islamic State- Khorasan Province (ISKP) case. This case
was initially registered by Delhi Police Special Cell after the arrest of a
Kashmiri couple Jahanzaib Sami Wani and his wife Hina Bashir Beigh from Okhla,
Jamia in Delhi. (ANI)
Source: aninews.in
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https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/nia-raids-5-places-in-maharashtras-mumbai-pune-in-case-linked-to-islamic-state20230703165523/
----------
Mideast
Quran burning not freedom of expression:
Erdoğan
JUL 03, 2023
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan strongly
condemned the desecration of the Quran in Sweden, saying that the hostile act
cannot be evaluated under freedom of expression.
"The fact that the desecration of
the Quran took place under police protection in Sweden is a calamity,"
Erdoğan told reporters following a cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara on
Monday.
He noted that the same way as setting
houses of worship, including churches and synagogues is not freedom of
expression, there is no such freedom as burning Quran.
Last week, a person identified as
SalwanMomika burned a copy of the Muslim holy book under police protection in
front of Sweden's Stockholm Central Mosque.
His provocative act was timed to
coincide with Eid al-Adha, one of the major Islamic religious festivals
celebrated by Muslims worldwide.
The act elicited widespread
condemnations from across the Islamic world, including Türkiye, Jordan,
Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Senegal, Morocco and
Mauritania.
Erdogan stressed that racist terrorist
attacks target not only Muslims but also Jews, Africans, Asians, and
immigrants.
Previously Erdoğan has said that Sweden
cannot hope to join NATO, which it applied for after Russia's war on Ukraine
began, as long as it gives shelter and a green light for terrorists and
supporters of terrorists.
To join NATO, Sweden needs the approval
of all of its current members, including Türkiye, which has been in the
alliance for over 70 years and boasts its second-largest army.
The president also said Türkiye is
following recent developments in France with "deep concern," and
hopes current events after the police shooting of the 17-year-old boy will come
to an end as soon as possible.
"Türkiye is also concerned that
these incidents may lead to a new wave of pressure, intimidation and
suppression of Muslims and migrants in France," he said.
"At the root of the events that
started in France is the social architecture built by this mentality. Most of
the immigrants who are condemned to live in ghettos, who are systematically
oppressed, are Muslims."
He also condemned the widespread looting
that has accompanied the unrest.
"The streets cannot be used to seek
justice. However, it is clear the authorities should also learn from the social
explosion," Erdoğan said.
Protests have shaken France since last
Tuesday, when a police officer shot Nahel M., a 17-year-old of Algerian
descent, during a traffic check in the Paris suburb of Nanterre after he
ignored orders to stop.
French police arrested 157 people
overnight in nationwide protests over the police killing, local media reported
on Monday.
'War lobby obstructed Türkiye's efforts
to end Russia-Ukraine war'
Erdoğan also criticized what he called
the “war lobby” for sabotaging Türkiye’s sincere efforts to establish peace in
the Russia-Ukraine war.
“The diplomatic efforts, which were
initiated with the Istanbul process and proceeded with captive exchanges, have
unfortunately been obstructed and eroded by the war lobby,” Erdoğan said,
adding that civilians and soldiers paid the price in the end.
He noted that Türkiye has also been
targeted by the “war lobby,” without specifying which actors played a part in
the lobby.
He continued by saying that if the
opportunity was seized back then, the destruction and tears would not have
taken place.
Türkiye emerged as a mediator in the
war, taking a balanced stance.
Ankara frequently voiced that Russia's
war on Ukraine "will not end easily," despite Ankara's repeated
efforts to arrange peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow. Ankara initially aims
to broker a humanitarian cease-fire, which would be followed by a permanent
cease-fire and subsequent peace talks.
Source: dailysabah.com
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https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/diplomacy/quran-burning-not-freedom-of-expression-erdogan
--------
Israeli Forces Besiege Al-Ansar Mosque
In Jenin Refugee Camp
3 July, 2023
Israeli occupation forces continue
besieging Al-Ansar Mosque in Al-Damajneighbourhood, Jenin refugee camp.
Eyewitnesses reported that an Israeli
bulldozer is conducting excavation work around the mosque and firing bullets
intensively at Palestinian civilians.
The IOF are also using loudspeakers to
urge Palestinians inside to surrender themselves amid intensive surveillance
flights by Israeli “reconnaissance” aircraft.
The same sources added that violent
confrontations erupted in the vicinity of Jenin Hospital, with the IOF firing
bullets and tear gas canisters at Palestinians.
Source: daysofpalestine.ps
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--------
IDF: Palestinian gunmen ‘fortified’
Jenin mosque, dug tunnel underneath
The Israel Defense Forces on Tuesday
accused Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank city of Jenin of turning a mosque
into a “fortified” hideout, complete with an underground tunnel and a cache of
weapons.
Israeli forces gained control of the
al-Ansari mosque on Monday afternoon, following a shootout with Palestinian
gunmen in the area, during the course of a major counterterrorism operation
against the Jenin refugee camp.
The IDF said it carried out a drone
strike against the armed Palestinians outside the mosque and later managed to
break in.
On the ground floor, troops found two
tunnel openings that the army said were connected. Explosives, weapons, and
other military equipment were found inside the holes and scattered across the
mosque.
“All of this excavation work in the
mosque has turned it into a fortified site,” said Lt. Col. “Mem,” the commander
of the elite Egoz unit, who can only be identified by his rank and initial of
his first name in Hebrew.
Footage released by the army showed
dozens of sandbags and stones piled up across the ground floor of the mosque.
Mem said the fortification of the mosque
and the tunnel digging likely took the gunmen a long time to carry out.
The equipment was seized, the weapons
were destroyed, and the tunnel was rendered inoperable, the IDF said.
The military’s operation in Jenin was
set to continue Tuesday following a mostly uneventful night that saw
Palestinian gunmen choosing not to fight Israeli forces, potentially signaling
an approaching end to the campaign, now in its second day.
Israel launched the major operation
early Monday to crack down on what it says is a hotbed of terror in the city. A
number of attacks on Israelis in recent years have been carried out by
Palestinians from the area, and observers say the Palestinian Authority has
little control on the ground.
The IDF’s operation has focused on a
local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group known as the Jenin
Battalion, as well as other smaller armed groups in the city and refugee camp.
Over 1,000 IDF troops were involved in
the campaign, which appeared to be the largest in the West Bank in some 20
years.
Palestinian health officials said
Tuesday morning that ten people were killed and at least 100 others were
wounded, including 20 listed in serious condition, during Israeli airstrikes and
in clashes with Israeli forces the previous day.
All of the slain Palestinians were
involved in the fighting, but there were some noncombatants among the wounded,
according to the IDF.
The IDF said that since the early hours
of Monday, troops had questioned over 120 Palestinian suspects. Some were
released, while others were taken in for additional questioning.
The IDF believes there were some 300
Palestinian gunmen in the Jenin refugee camp. IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel
Hagari said the military had intelligence on the identities of at least 160
armed Palestinians.
Some 3,000 Palestinians streamed out of
the Jenin refugee camp on Monday night to escape the fighting, although the IDF
said it had not ordered an evacuation and that there was no closure on Jenin.
The military operation began shortly
after 1 a.m. on Monday with a series of airstrikes against multiple targets in
the city, including a joint war room shared by various armed groups in the
city.
Throughout the campaign, the IDF said,
troops located and demolished weapon storage sites, explosives labs with
hundreds of primed devices, war rooms used by Palestinian gunmen to observe
Israeli forces, and other “terror infrastructure.”
Troops also clashed with armed
Palestinians and carried out some 20 drone strikes against various targets in
the refugee camp.
Internally, the military has referred to
the operation by name, calling it “Bayit Vegan,” literally Home and Garden, a
reference to Jenin’s biblical name, and the term has been used by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu as well. But the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit has insisted that
the operation has no official name.
The military appeared to be downplaying
the scale of the campaign by not giving it a name. Hagari, the spokesman, has
called it a “brigade-level raid.”
For weeks, there was speculation about a
major Israeli military operation in the West Bank, following a string of
shooting attacks and intense resistance to IDF raids in Palestinian cities.
The northern West Bank, and especially
the city of Jenin and its environs, has long been considered by the IDF as a
hotbed of terrorism, highlighted by a string of attacks in early 2022, many of
which were carried out by residents of the area.
According to the IDF, since last year,
some 50 shooting attacks were carried out by residents of the area, and 19
wanted Palestinians escaped to Jenin to seek refuge there from Israeli forces.
Tensions between Israelis and
Palestinians have been high across the West Bank for the past year and a half,
with the military carrying out near-nightly raids, amid a series of deadly
Palestinian terror attacks.
Since the beginning of this year,
Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank have killed 24 people.
According to a tally by The Times of
Israel, 144 West Bank Palestinians have been killed during that time — most of
them during clashes with security forces or while carrying out attacks, but
some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed under unclear
circumstances.
Source: timesofisrael.com
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-palestinian-gunmen-fortified-jenin-mosque-dug-tunnel-underneath/
--------
Gaza Pilgrims Thankful for Custodian of
the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Hajj
03 Jul, 2023
Scores of family members of martyrs and
injured people from Gaza who performed Hajj this year as part of the Custodian
of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program for Hajj and Umrah have praised the
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s efforts to serve the Palestinian people and Muslims
in general, and for facilitating the procedures needed for them to perform
Hajj.
This year, the program hosted 1,000
members of families of martyrs, wounded and injured people from Palestine as
part of a total of 4,951 pilgrims from 92 countries hosted by the program to
perform Hajj. The cost of the program is covered by Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud; it is supervised by the Ministry of
Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/e75ba8df7b8b4d7eaec13121e2487b4c
--------
Israeli Forces Detain 3 Workers in
Al-Aqsa Mosque, Threaten to Kidnap More
4 July, 2023
Israeli occupation forces detained
Tuesday, July 4, 2023, three Palestinian employees of the Islamic Endowments
Department in Al-Aqsa Mosque in occupied Jerusalem.
A worker at Al-Aqsa Mosque reported that
the Israeli troops detained Al-Aqsa guards Arafat Najeeb and Muhammad Al-Salhi,
and an employee of the Reconstruction Committee, HussamSidr while performing
their work.
The Israeli occupation continues to
target Al-Aqsa mosque employees and guards through arrest, prosecution, and
deportation from the mosque to allow extremist settlers to storm the mosque
without any restrictions.
The occupation police prevented the
employees of the Al-Aqsa Reconstruction Committee from working in all its
departments inside the mosque and threatened its director to detain employees
who initiate the restoration inside it.
Semi-daily, Israeli settlers storm
Al-Aqsa and provocatively perform Talmudic rituals under the protection of
Israeli occupation forces, aiming to impose a temporal and spatial division in
the holy site, which the Muslim Palestinians reject and decry.
Earlier in June, media sources revealed
a new Israeli proposed plan aiming at dividing Al-Aqsa Mosque between Jews and
Muslims.
In June 2023, around 4000 Israeli
settlers stormed the mosque and performed Talmudic provocative rituals in its squares,
according to Palestinian figures.
Source: daysofpalestine.ps
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https://daysofpalestine.ps/israeli-forces-detain-3-workers-in-al-aqsa-mosque-threaten-to-kidnap-more/
--------
Europe
Canadian-British Actor Hagon, Who Played
Ammar Ibn Yasir, Says Proud To Have Been
Part Of Islamic Epic Drama The Message
03.07.2023
LONDON
Canadian-English actor Garrick Hagon
says he is proud to have been a part of Moustapha Akkad's Islamic epic drama
The Message, which was released in 1976.
Hagon, 83, best known for his role as
Biggs Darklighter in Star Wars: A New Hope, told Anadolu in London that The
Message had a noble purpose to explain the life of Prophet Muhammad.
He played Ammar ibn Yasir, one of the
first believers and child of the first martyrs of Islam in the movie, which
chronicles the life and times of Prophet Muhammad and serves as an introduction
to early Islamic history.
Brotherhood developed on the set
For Hagon, The Message was a
"learning process" from beginning to end, who also picked a bit of
Arabic on the filmset.
"It's always a learning process.
You get on a new set, you meet new actors and you are involved in different
situations," he said.
The film's cast and crew worked with
people from the Arab world, as well as the US, UK, Canada, Greece and other
countries.
The veteran actor said 13 months of
film-making created a brotherhood among everyone on the set. "Brotherhood,
in a way the disciples of Mohammad were like," he said.
'I can't work with a light'
Hagon said no stars threw their weight
around, and recalled his memories with Anthony Quinn, who portrayed Hamza, the
prophet's uncle, in the landmark production.
He said the actors had to look at a red
light above the camera when they had a scene with the prophet, who was not
depicted on screen. "But Anthony Quinn kept saying, 'I can't work with a
light' ... 'Hagon get behind the camera,' and I'd be his eyeline.'"
Hagons said Quinn once told him that
"I like working with you," adding that it was a privilege working
with Zorba the Greek actor.
'It was statuesque'
Recollecting the filming days, Hagon
said they never put sunblock as they wanted to look like the Arab desert
dwellers who live in harsh environment.
Remembering the first screening of the
movie, he said: "I felt like it was statuesque, maybe a little slow at
times, but that was part of the strength and magnitude of it," he
expressed.
He said he found The Message respectful
and not propagandist. "It made you proud to be in this group," he
said, adding that the secret of the film's success was the script, honesty and
the people working with Akkad, the Syrian-American film producer and director.
"It had a noble purpose to explain
the life of Muhammad," he said.
Hagon said he was often asked if he will
convert to Islam, adding that one has to move on after a chapter ends.
Nowadays the octogenarian is involved
with The Story Circle, an award-winning audiobook production company.
"My appearances have been shorter
and limited, enough so to keep me happy," he said.
Source: aa.com.tr
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/culture/canadian-british-actor-hagon-says-proud-to-have-been-part-of-islamic-epic-drama-the-message/2935889
--------
France returns 35 citizens from camp in
Syria housing thousands linked to Islamic State extremists
July 4, 2023
PARIS (AP) — France has returned 35
people — 10 women and 25 minors — from a sprawling camp in northeast Syria housing
thousands of people linked to Islamic State extremists.
Al-Hol Camp — named after a town near
the Iraqi border — holds about 51,000 people, including many widows, wives and
children of Islamic State fighters. Iraqis make up nearly half the population,
but a sizeable minority are from outside the Middle East.
Part of the camp called the Annex holds
around 8,000 women and children from 60 nationalities who are considered the
most die-hard among the residents, and experts have warned for years that the
camp’s wretched conditions and confined spaces risk creating another generation
of Islamic State fighters.
French citizens made up the largest
European contingent of people who joined the Islamic State at the height of the
extremist group’s reach. With its territorial defeat in 2019, France has
brought home women and children in successive waves.
All 10 of the adults, women aged 23 to
40 years old, who returned and a 17-year-old girl were detained upon arrival or
scheduled to go immediately before a judge Tuesday. The statement from the
French anti-terrorism prosecutor said the other children would be taken into
state custody.
There are also around 8,000 women and
children from 60 other nationalities who live in a part of the camp known as
the Annex. They are generally considered the most die-hard IS supporters among
the camp residents.
Source: apnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://apnews.com/article/france-islamic-state-iraq-syria-6d0b9f5d3c62cf4aca3fc63631d18e71
--------
VOX leader hints ‘anti-EU’ Muslims fuel
French riots
The Capitals brings you the latest news
from across Europe, through on-the-ground reporting by EURACTIV’s media
network. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.
The European news you deserve to read.
Welcome to The Capitals by EURACTIV.
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like Prime Minister Ana Brnabic.
In today’s news from the Capitals:
PARIS | MADRID
The leader of the far-right party VOX,
Santiago Abascal, indirectly accused radical Muslims living in the European
Union of fuelling and masterminding recent rioting and looting in France.
The French authorities are still on
alert in Paris, although the sixth night of riots was comparatively much
calmer. The government has urged social media to take action against hate
speech as youngsters use online platforms to coordinate their attacks.
EURACTIV reports on the ground from the
suburb of Nanterre, where the 17-year-old Nahel was killed by a French
policeman. Read more.
///
VIENNA
Neutral Austria to join European Sky
Shield initiative. The Austrian government wants the country to join the
European Sky Shield initiative, an air protection group launched by Germany,
sparking accusations from the far-right that the move violates the country’s
military neutrality. Read more.
///
BERLIN
Scholz says he’s a good leader, even if
not ‘John Wayne’. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz clapped back at those accusing
him of weak leadership, saying he provides orientation to the coalition despite
not having a showy, head-on leadership style like US Western icon John Wayne.
Read more.
///
THE HAGUE
Belarusian embassy in the Netherlands
vandalised. The Belarusian embassy in The Hague was defaced in the night from
Saturday to Sunday, as several windows were broken and graffiti critical of
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was sprayed on the front of the
building. Read more.
UK & IRELAND
LONDON
UK home secretary withdraws
controversial rules targeting trafficking victims. Home Secretary
SuellaBraverman has withdrawn new rules that would make it harder for
trafficking victims to have their cases accepted months after introducing them.
Read more.
EUROPE’S SOUTH
ROME
Italy’s Meloni cannot count on allies
Poland and Hungary regarding migration. Italian Prime Minister GiorgiaMeloni
has had difficulty convincing her Polish and Hungarian counterparts to approve
the agreement on migrants, as the two leaders, who typically have close ties
with her, appear to want to focus more on national interests. Read more.
VISEGRAD
WARSAW
Polish ruling party asks opposition to
leave EPP or demand Weber resign. Poland’s Civic Platform, currently in
opposition, should either withdraw from the European People’s Party (EPP) or
seek to replace EPP chief Manfred Weber, ruling Law and Justice (PiS) leader
JarosławKaczyński said on Sunday. Read more.
///
PRAGUE
Czech authorities investigate Russian
cultural centre. Czech authorities are investigating activities of a Russian
cultural centre operated by the sanctioned Moscow state agency,
Rossotrudnichestvo, which is still operating in the Czech Republic, according
to Czech Television. Read more.
///
BRATISLAVA
Slovakia, Ukraine looks to cooperate on
new artillery system. Konštrukta-Defence, the Slovak-owned arms company, and
Ukraine’s KZVV company will co-develop new Howitzers, though this could be
brought to an immediate halt if anti-Ukraine parties win September’s elections.
Read more.
NEWS FROM THE BALKANS
SARAJEVO
Secessionist Bosnian Serb leader ups
ante, talks of referendum. Bosnian Serb secessionist leader MiloradDodik raised
the political stakes on Sunday, saying he did not recognise the international
High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina because he lacked legitimacy while
announcing a referendum on the status of the Serb entity in Bosnia. Read more.
///
SOFIA
Bulgarian parliament to vote on
declaration for Ukraine NATO membership. Bulgaria’s lawmakers, except the
Bulgarian Socialist Party and the radical pro-Russian Vazrazhdane, who make up
60 of the 240 MPs – have proposed a declaration supporting Ukraine’s expected
future NATO membership once the war ends. Read more.
///
BUCHAREST
Sibiu to become NATO’s command centre
for the southern flank. Sibiu is set to be the NATO command centre for the
southern flank of the alliance, Deputy Secretary General MirceaGeoana said on
Sunday. Read more.
///
BELGRADE
‘Serbia against violence’ protests
expand into 15 cities. Anti-government Serbia against Violence protests were
held in 15 Serbian cities on Saturday, with the largest gathering being in
Belgrade, where protesters pelted the building of TV station Pink with toilet
paper. Read more.
///
TIRANA
Rama: Open Balkan fulfilled its mission,
time to focus on Berlin Process. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said the Open
Balkan initiative had fulfilled its mission, and it is time to look at the path
to EU membership as the capital of Tirana is set to hold the Berlin Summit in
October. Read more.
AGENDA:
EU: The College of Commissioners visits
Spain to mark the launch of the Spanish Presidency; Commission President Ursula
von der Leyen attends;
Commission Vice President meets with
Chinese Minister for Ecology and Environment Huang Runqiu, Special Envoy for
Climate Change XieZhenhua; Delivers speech on climate change and biodiversity
loss at Tsinghua University, China;
Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders
participates in the launch of the International Centre for the Prosecution of
the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine;
Agriculture Commissioner
JanuszWojciechowski in Tokyo, Japan; Meets Minister of Agriculture, Forestry
and Fisheries Tetsuro Nomura, Central Union of Agricultural Co-operatives
JA-Zenchu Chairman Toru Nakaya, Agricultural committee of the House of
Representatives Chairman HiroyoshiSasagawa; Attends working breakfast and
networking lunch with business delegates, and more;
Third meeting of the EU-UK Parliamentary
Partnership Assembly takes place in Brussels; MEPs and UK parliamentarians
discuss the state of EU-UK relations, joint efforts to support Ukraine, and
more; European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Commission Vice
President Maroš Šefčovič, and UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly expected to
participate;
Argentina: MERCOSUR heads of state
summi;
Trinidad & Tobago: Caricom
(Caribbean countries) annual summit;
***
[Edited by SarantisMichalopoulos, Vlad
Makszimov, Daniel Eck, Alice Taylor, Sofia Stuart Leeson, Sofia Mandilara]
Source: euractiv.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/vox-leader-hints-anti-eu-muslims-fuel-french-riots/
--------
Swansea fire: Muslim community pays
tributes to father and three-year-old son killed in house fire
Members of the Muslim community have
paid tribute to a father and his three-year-old son who died following a house
fire in Swansea.
Police and fire crews were called to the
blaze at Gonhill, West Cross in Swansea on Saturday, 1 July.
The three-year old-boy who died at the
scene has been named as Muhammad Esmael.
His father died in hospital this morning
has been named as 51-year-old NaematLawaEsmael.
Muhammad was a pupil at Whitestone
Primary School which described him as "a popular, well-loved little boy
who was settling in well to school life and making many friends."
A joint investigation is ongoing by the
police and fire service into the cause of the fire, which was contained to one
property.
Sheikh Mohsen El-Beltagi is Muslim
Chaplain at Swansea University and knew Mr Esmael for around a decade and
described him as a "great man".
"He was known by his kindness and
support to the entire community." He said.
"Whenever we'd call him to help
anyone, he was there without any problem. He never asked for money, not even
for his work, so he was really a figure within the Muslim community."
More than 17,000 has been raised by the
local community through an online fundraiser.
Organiser Clare-Anna Mitchell, from West
Cross, said: "In times like these, it is our duty as a community to come
together and support those who have faced unimaginable losses."
Swansea Council leader Rob Stewart
described the incident as “tragic”.
“Our thoughts, condolences and
sympathies are with the family and friends at this very difficult time,” he
wrote on Facebook.
He said the council would assist those
affected by the fire, adding a number of community initiatives had been set up
to support people.
Source: itv.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.itv.com/news/wales/2023-07-03/muslim-community-tributes-to-father-and-3-year-old-son-killed-in-house-fire
--------
South Asia
Afghan Students Accepted at Indian
Universities Lack Visas
Some of these students interviewed by
TOLOnews said that the Indian government stopped issuing visas for Afghan
students after the fall of the former government.
Ibrahim Nazerpour, a lecturer at Kabul
university, said that he was studying for a Ph.D. in India.
“In 2021, due to Covid-19 and also
because my instructor asked me to collect further research, I came to
Afghanistan. The political changes happened here and after that India
invalidated our visas,” he said.
The students urged the interim
government to consider their problems.
“We call on the Islamic Emirate to
clarify our destiny and give us a visa and help us to get back to India, said
Shirzad, a student.
Meanwhile, Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabiullah
Mujahid said they are in contact with Indian officials.
“There is a problem with the issuance of
Indian visas. We have talked to them many times to facilitate this because some
patients and our traders as well as our students are going to study there. This
problem has been created by them and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in
contact to find a solution for this issue,” he said.
After the Islamic Emirate came to power,
India closed its embassy in Afghanistan and halted the distribution of visas.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184032
--------
Teacher Provides Free Education for
Children in Kabul
A teacher has provided children with the
opportunity to get an education by creating a "Mobile School" in
Kabul.
Wazir Khan is the founder of the
"Mobile School" in Kabul and said that he does this work with the aim
of providing education for children who are left out of education.
“You can see that most of these children
are girls and children with disabilities, and these students have never gone to
schools before today and it’s their first time that they attended school, in
this school elders are also included,” said Wazir Khan, a teacher.
Zergai 12, said that he is concerned
about the lack of schools, and he is happy to attend this school.
“I want the school to be organized here,
and I want to become a doctor in the future, and it has been six months since
this school has been organized,” said Zergai, a student.
“Sometimes there is sun and sometimes
rain, and we asked for schools, and we have lots of challenges because we don’t
have notebooks and pens,” said Maryam, a student.
Some of the residents asked the Islamic
Emirate to provide an opportunity for education for the children who are left
out of school or do not have a place to study.
“You can see these children, and look at
this sun, in this situation our children are studying here,” said Mamor, a
Kabul resident.
“We don’t have a school here, but we are
happy for this educational opportunity,” said Nooruddin, a Kabul resident.
Source: tolonews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-184027
--------
Situation in Afghanistan Remains Tense:
Putin
July 4, 2023
“Traditionally, the situation in
Afghanistan is the focus of the SCO attention. Moreover, our colleagues have
just talked about it. The situation, which, unfortunately, is not becoming any
less tense,” Putin said.
Putin also said that the SCO’s top
priority should continue to be fighting terrorism, fighting extremism and
religious radicalism, stopping drug trafficking and other forms of smuggling,
and fighting bandit formations.
“I would like to recall the Russian
proposal to transform the SCO’s regional anti-terrorist organization into a
multi-purpose centre that would respond to the entire range of security
threats,” Putin said, Tass reported.
The virtual Summit of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organization was held virtually on Tuesday, in which several
leaders, including Xi Jinping, Putin, Shehbaz Sharif and the Prime minister of
India, joined the meeting.
The Summit was presided by Prime
Minister Modi, and he said that the organization should work together to combat
terrorism and not hesitate to condemn countries that support terror.
Meanwhile, the Indian Prime Minister
urged the Eurasian political and security alliance to support Kabul with
humanitarian aid and strive for the country’s welfare.
The organization comprises eight
countries: India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizstan, Tajikistan
and Uzbekistan.
Source: khaama.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.khaama.com/situation-in-afghanistan-remains-tense-putin/
--------
Pakistan
At SCO virtual summit, PM says terrorism
should be condemned in unambiguous terms
July 4, 2023
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on
Tuesday that terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, should be
condemned in “clear and unambiguous terms”.
He made the remarks while addressing the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) virtual summit hosted by India.
Russia and China were also among the other countries attending the meeting.
“SCO member states have a shared
interest in ensuring peace and stability in the region, which is a precondition
for economic development anywhere in the world.
“The Hydra-headed monster of terrorism
and extremism — whether committed by individuals, societies or states — must be
fought by full vigor and conviction. Any temptation to use it as a cudgel for
diplomatic point-scoring must be avoided under all circumstances,” he said.
“Terrorism in all its forms and
manifestations, including state terrorism, must be condemned in clear and
unambiguous terms. There can be no justification for the killing of innocent
people regardless of the cause or pretext.”
The premier went on to say that
religious minorities should not be demonised in the “pursuit of domestic
political agendas”.
While PM Shehbaz did not refer to any
specifics in his speech, his remarks come as activists say persecution and hate
speech against religious minorities, especially Muslims, in India have
accelerated since Narendra Modi came into power.
In his speech, PM Shehbaz noted that
while the sacrifices made by Pakistan in fighting the scourge of terrorism were
without a parallel, the phenomenon continued to plague the region and was a
“serious obstacle” to peace and stability.
“SCO countries must take concerted and
immediate actions, both in their national and collective capacity, […] to
combat the three evils of terrorism, extremism and separatism,” he said, adding
that achieving lasting peace in the region was a common concern as well as the
responsibility of all SCO leaders.
PM calls for world to ‘meaningfully’
engage with Afghanistan
PM Shehbaz further said that stability
in Afghanistan was critical for achieving this “common objective”, noting that
the world was currently at a “standstill” with the war-torn country.
“The cascade of unmet expectations has
meant that critical support needed by Afghanistan to ward off a great
humanitarian crisis, prevent an economic meltdown and to combat terrorism has
been withheld.
“This policy needs an urgent reset. The
international community should meaningfully engage with the interim Afghan
government to take the next steps.
“Similarly, the interim afghan
government must also take concrete measures to ensure its soil is not used for
terrorism by any entity. A peaceful and stable afghan will not only bring
economic dividends to the Afghan people but will also unlock the true economic
potential of the SCO region as well as contribute to global peace, security and
progress,” he said.
He said that the SCO Afghanistan contact
group had an important role to play in providing a platform for practical
cooperation.
‘Fundamental rights should be guaranteed
for all’
At one point in his speech, the prime
minister noted that to achieve the goal of sustainable peace, fundamental
rights and freedoms should be guaranteed for all, including those “under
occupation”.
“Peace and communal harmony should
replace violent, ultra-nationalism and xenophobic ideologies, especially
Islamophobia.”
He said that the SCO should oppose
divisive policies based on prejudice and discrimination. “There should be no
place for willful provocations, and incitement to hatred, especially on
religious grounds.
“The SCO stands for observance of the UN
principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the people’s right to
self-determination,” he said.
He went on to say that the UN principles
offered a workable framework for the resolution of “long-standing disputes” in
the region.
“These must be addressed immediately and
settled amicably before its too late,” PM Shehbaz said.
‘SCO meeting at critical juncture’
At the outset of his speech, PM Shehbaz
said that the SCO members were meeting at a “very critical juncture” where
important developments were taking place in the socio-economic and security
sphere.
“In this era of global geopolitical
flux, the SCO has acquired added significance as a beacon of stability,
security, peace and progress. The fundamental values of the Shanghai spirit are
more relevant now than ever before.”
He said that connectivity had become a
defining feature in the modern global economy, adding that it was rightly
hailed as a vehicle for peace and prosperity. Talking about the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said that the project could be a “game changer”
for connectivity and prosperity in the region.
“Pakistan’s location serves as a natural
bridge, connecting Europe and Central Asia with china, South Asia and the
Middle East,” he said, adding that special economic zones under CPEC could also
serve as convenient conduits for promoting regional trade.
Earlier on Tuesday, Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi said the SCO should join hands to fight terrorism and
not hesitate to condemn countries that support terror.
Modi also urged leaders of the Eurasian
political and security grouping to work for the welfare of Afghanistan and
provide humanitarian aid to Kabul.
Afghan soil, Modi told the virtual
summit of SCO leaders, should not be allowed to be used to destabilise its
neighbourhood.
Ahead of the summit, the Foreign Office
said PM Shehbaz’s participation “illustrates the high importance that Pakistan
attaches to the SCO, as an important forum for regional security and
prosperity, and enhanced engagement with the region”.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1762935/at-sco-virtual-summit-pm-says-terrorism-should-be-condemned-in-unambiguous-terms
--------
IHC sets aside session court’s verdict
in Toshakhana case against PTI chief
July 4, 2023
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on
Tuesday overturned the ruling of a sessions court wherein it had rejected
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s petition to declare the
Toshkhana case inadmissible.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq
pronounced the verdict reserved on June 23 on a petition filed by the former
prime minister, challenging the Toshakhana trial proceedings. The verdict came
a day after the PTI chief petitioned the court for Justice Farooq’s recusal
from the bench.
In a verdict, a copy of which is
available with Dawn.com, the IHC asked the sessions court to consider the
ex-PM’s plea as pending and decide it afresh within seven days.
“The application in question shall be
deemed to be pending and decided afresh by the learned trial court within seven
days from the receipt of this judgment, keeping in view the law in question and
observations made above,” the court order reads.
The IHC also observed that the sessions
court had left the “issue undecided and dismissed the application of the
petitioner with scanty reasons which left the main legal issues undecided or
unresolved”.
It added that it would be only proper
for the trial court to decide the application afresh after hearing the parties
with detailed reasons keeping in view the provisions of Article 10-A of the
Constitution.
Imran was indicted in the Toshakhana
case on May 10, as Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar had dismissed his
objections regarding the admissibility of the case.
Subsequently, the ex-PM approached the
IHC, which granted a stay on criminal proceedings until June 8. After the
hearing resumed last month, Justice Farooq reserved his judgment on the
petition on June 23, which he announced today.
Imran’s lawyer, Gohar Khan told
reporters outside the court that the case was dismissed due to a lack of
grounds to maintain it.
In the PTI chief’s plea seeking the
recusal of the IHC chief justice, Imran assailed the IHC chief justice for not
granting him permission to “drive the vehicle inside the court”, not relaxing
the requirement of biometric verification and not declaring his May 9 arrest
illegal.
He also referred to the case of his
alleged daughter Tyrian-White Jade Khan and said: “An important case was
decided by two learned judges [Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Arbab
Muhammad Tahir] but the learned chief justice did not allow that to be published
and when one of the learned judges directed the office to upload the judgement,
it was taken down after issuance of a press release.”
IHC verdict ‘a victory for PTI’: Imran’s
lawyer
Speaking to reporters outside the IHC,
Gohar Khan, the lawyer representing the PTI chief, stated that they had lodged
a complaint with the IHC, challenging the admissibility of the Toshakhana case
against the former Prime Minister as presented by the trial court.
Gohar said: “The reference filed by the
ECP against the PTI chief in October 2022 has been dismissed due to lack of
grounds for maintaining it.”
He expressed gratitude to God for
granting the party the victory they had been eagerly awaiting for a year.
He urged PTI workers to show their
appreciation by prostrating before God in thanks for the relief granted to the
party chief.
Toshakhana case
The case, filed by ruling party
lawmakers, is based on a reference filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan
(ECP). The reference alleges that Imran had “deliberately concealed” details of
the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana — a repository where presents handed
to government officials from foreign officials are kept — during his time as
the prime minister and proceeds from their reported sales.
Imran has faced a number of legal issues
over his retention of gifts. The issue also led to his disqualification by the
ECP.
On October 21, 2022 the ECP concluded
that the former premier had indeed made “false statements and incorrect
declarations” regarding the gifts.
The Toshakhana is a department under the
Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by
heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. According to Toshakhana
rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom
these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.
The watchdog’s order had said Imran
stood disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.
Subsequently, the ECP had approached the
Islamabad sessions court with a copy of the reference, seeking proceedings
against Imran under criminal law for allegedly misleading officials about the
gifts he received from foreign dignitaries during his tenure as the prime
minister.
Murder of lawyer in Quetta: SC rejects
Imran’s plea against bail cancellation
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court rejected
the PTI chief’s application against the Balochistan High Court’s (BHC) decision
to reject his plea seeking to quash the FIR and arrest warrants registered
against him in connection with the murder of senior lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar in
Quetta.
In his petition, Imran had argued that
the BHC had, without considering the actual facts of the matter, dismissed his
petition in the preliminary stage. The petition urged the SC to set aside the
high court’s June 15 order and quash the FIR.
A two-judge SC bench comprising Justice
Ijazul Ahsan and Justice Ayesha A. Malik heard the case.
During the hearing, Imran’s lawyer
Sardar Latif Khosa contended that his client’s life was in danger and urged to
court to bar authorities from arresting him. He also read out the FIR
registered against Imran and said that the deceased’s son had registered a case
against the ex-premier on terrorism charges.
Justice Ahsan then asked who determines
that terrorism charges will be added to the case. Khosa replied that it was the
station house officer’s (SHO) primary responsibility.
“If the SHO’s decision is incorrect,
will an application be sent against him in an anti-terrorism court?” Justice
Ahsan asked, noting that it was the petitioner’s right to approach the correct
forum for the redressal of his grievances.
The court subsequently rejected Imran’s
plea for issuing a stay against the BHC and for granting interim bail. The
court also sought details of the case from the government lawyer and issued
notices to the respondents, including the Balochistan prosecutor general.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1762926/ihc-sets-aside-session-courts-verdict-in-toshakhana-case-against-pti-chief
--------
Pakistan ‘too entangled’ to be involved
in bloc politics: Bilawal
July 4, 2023
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal
Bhutto-Zardari has said that as a developing country facing serious economic
and environmental challenges, Pakistan has no time for the Cold War-style bloc
politics that appears to be making a comeback.
He was hinting at the US and China blocs
amid strife in the two superpowers’ relations while addressing an event in
Tokyo on Monday.
The foreign minister who is on a
four-day official visit to Japan also met his Japanese counterpart and prime
minister.
“We want to focus on delivering jobs and
prosperity to our 230 million people — two-thirds of whom are below 30 years of
age,” he stressed in his remarks at the Asian Development Bank Institute.
Says economy, climate ‘major
challenges’; meets Japanese PM, counterpart
Mr Bhutto-Zardari hailed the Chinese
investment in Pakistan’s power sector when the country was facing crippling
electricity cuts that had paralysed its industries.
The opportunities created in Pakistan’s
industrial, agricultural and energy sectors as a result of the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects were not exclusive to any single country, the
minister said.
While calling for enhanced regional
connectivity for more trade, the foreign minister agreed Pakistan’s aspirations
for deeper linkages and more trade would remain unfulfilled as long as lasting
peace and stability in South Asia remain elusive.
“Pakistan’s position has always been
clear that there can be no peace in South Asia until the region’s core dispute
— the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir — is resolved through dialogue and in
accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions and the principles of
international law.”
Pakistan has always been ready to work
towards such a resolution but the country has no “partner for peace in South
Asia”.
While claiming that India was in the
grip of “a religious hysteria” closing out any space for dialogue and
diplomacy, he lamented the “disappointing silence” of the international
community on India’s oppression in held Kashmir and provocations against a much
smaller neighbour.
However, Mr Bhutto-Zardari said things
must have to change as business as usual was no longer an option.
“We can only do this by leveraging our
strategic location at the crossroads of Central and South Asia to foster
economic connectivity and generate growth. This vision is the moving force
behind our shift from geopolitics to geo-economics.”
Japan ‘a key development partner’
The foreign minister called Japan “a key
development partner” and an important source of foreign direct investment and
industrial infrastructure for Pakistan. “All this makes Japan one of Pakistan’s
closest partners in Asia.”
“While Pakistan and Japan are situated
in different corners of the Asian continent, we share important convergences in
terms of our outlook and vision for our region.”
The Japanese expertise in building
infrastructure was second to none and by joining hands, Pakistan and Japan can
create a robust and efficient infrastructure network, boosting regional
connectivity and enhancing not only bilateral but also regional trade volumes.
“More than anything, Pakistan and Japan
can contribute to and enrich the discourse on issues of regional importance —
especially conflict resolution, poverty alleviation, climate change, and global
health.”
Meeting with Japanese PM, FM
The foreign minister also held separate
meetings with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi and PM Fumio Kishida.
The two sides agreed to enhance their
bilateral cooperation in diverse areas including trade, investment, human
resource development and agriculture sectors.
Addressing a joint press conference
after the meeting, FM Bhutto-Zardari said the two sides explored the
possibility of working together on targeted programs with higher impact in the
domains of solarisation, desalination and water purification and housing and
infrastructure rebuilding in the flood-affected areas of Pakistan.
They also agreed to conduct skill
assessment tests for the Japanese language in Pakistan to facilitate the
movement of the skilled workforce. “We also deliberated on investments and
joint ventures by Japanese enterprises in Pakistan.”
Mr Bhutto-Zardari added the two sides
must stay engaged at all levels to further positive dialogue and continue
exploring more avenues of cooperation.
Pakistan and Japan were long-standing
friends and share a special bond based on deep-rooted linkages that go far in
history and time.
The foreign minister also interacted
with several Japanese business executives and representatives of the Japan
International Cooperation Agency and Japan External Trade Organisation.
Aseefa ‘paying for her trip’
Separately, PPP has clarified that the
foreign minister’s sister Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari who was accompanying him on the
Japan visit, was bearing her own expenses, Dawn.com reported.
Ms Bhutto-Zardari has been under severe
criticism after photos appeared on social media in which she could be seen
sitting beside her brother at an event in Tokyo on Sunday. However, talking to
Dawn.com, PPP Information Secretary Shazia Marri said Ms Bhutto-Zardari was not
attending official meetings. “She has only attended the Pakistani community and
Friends of Pakistan business community events.”
Source: dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1762837/pakistan-too-entangled-to-be-involved-in-bloc-politics-bilawal
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IO told to file charge sheet against PTI
lawmaker Firdous Shamim Naqvi
July 4, 2023
KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Monday
directed the investigating officer to file a charge sheet against Pakistan
Tehreek-i-Insaf lawmaker Firdous Shamim Naqvi in a case pertaining to May 9
riots.
PTI lawmaker Naqvi is facing cases
pertaining to allegedly resorting to violence, arson and causing terror while
staging protests in Karachi before and after the arrest of former prime
minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on May 9.
On Monday, the IO produced the PTI
lawmaker before a judicial magistrate (East) in connection with a case
pertaining to allegedly leading a violent protest near Millennium Mall.
However, the IO failed to submit an
investigation report against the interned legislator.
The magistrate asked the IO to submit
the investigation report on the next date and adjourned the hearing till July
18.
Pleas against arrest of 13 PTI workers
The Sindh High Court adjourned the
hearing on petitions challenging arrest of 13 PTI activists in cases pertaining
to May 9 riots.
A prosecutor informed the bench that interim
charge sheets had not been submitted by the investigating officer with relevant
trial courts.
He asked the court to call the record
and police papers of the cases lodged against detained PTI activists.
Petitioners’ counsel Hafeezuddin and
Sathi M Ishaq contended that the police had detained even innocent people who
had nothing to do with the alleged acts of violence and terrorism on May 9.
They said their clients’ relatives were
in custody since May 10. They pleaded the court to declare their detention
illegal and order their release.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.dawn.com/news/1762815/io-told-to-file-charge-sheet-against-pti-lawmaker-firdous-shamim-naqvi
---------
Arab World
Chinese Pilgrims Visit Two Holy Mosques
ExhibitionHosted In The Third Saudi Expansion Of The Grand Mosque
04-07-23
A group of pilgrims from the People’s
Republic of China today visited the Two Holy Mosques exhibition hosted in the
third Saudi expansion of the Grand Mosque.
The pilgrims were briefed on the
landmarks of the Grand Mosque, including the Black Stone, the Yemeni Corner,
Maqam Ibrahim, Hijr Ismail and Zamzam water.
Assistant Undersecretary for Field
Advisory Affairs Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdul Majeed Al-Barakati said that the visit
is part of the program carried out under the slogan "From arrival to
departure” that the presidency prepared for this year's Hajj season.
Al-Barakati also highlighted the great
efforts and pioneering role of the wise leadership in serving the two Holy
Mosques and their visitors.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/e146a5a9e0cf48cca4d7fd696e7b4a5b
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Director General of Passports Inspects
Procedures of Pilgrims Departing through Jeddah Islamic Port
03 Jul, 2023
Director General of the Passports
Directorate Lt. Gen. Sulaiman bin Abdulaziz Al-Yahya inspected today the
progress of work to complete the procedures for the departure of pilgrims through
the passports of the Jeddah Islamic Port.
Lt. Gen. Al-Yahya stressed that the
General Directorate of Passports harnesses all its human and technical
capabilities to facilitate the completion of procedures for the departure of
the pilgrims through various air, land and sea ports.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/28d6267b155b409fa58e5862542f369b
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Trained Cadres Sterilize Prophet's
Mosque with over 600 Cleaning Machines
03 Jul, 2023
The Sterilization Department of the
General Presidency for the Affairs of the Prophet's Mosque has intensified its
efforts to sanitize the mosque in preparation for the arrival of pilgrims and
visitors. This department is dedicated to sterilizing and perfuming the entire
mosque, including its roof and courtyards, ensuring that pilgrims and visitors
can perform their rituals comfortably and conveniently.
The sterilization process is carried out
through daily programs that run around the clock, utilizing top-of-the-line
equipment and skilled personnel. Trained staff members employ over 600 cleaning
machines to execute sterilization procedures. Each day, more than 109,000
litres of antiseptics, over 126,000 litres of disinfectants, and 30 litres of
fresheners are utilized in the process.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/b708093941ed47049ab4785afe6506b6
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General Presidency for Affairs of Two
Holy Mosques Launches Welcome Initiative
04 Jul, 2023
The General Presidency for the Affairs
of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque launched yesterday the Hayyakum
(Welcome) initiative at the Library of the Holy Mosque.
As per the initiative, visitors and
pilgrims are welcome at the library after performing Hajj, culture and
knowledge are promoted, the Islamic heritage and history of the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia are introduced to visitors, and spirituality and cultural
awareness about the Two Holy Mosques are enhanced among pilgrims and visitors.
Source: alriyadhdaily.com
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http://alriyadhdaily.com/article/e7703b4ca54d441596d7b91cc2729ffc
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60 Mobility Services employees assist
elderly pilgrims outside Prophet's Mosque round the clock
July 03, 2023
MADINAH — Sixty staff members of the
Mobility Services Department at the General Presidency for the Affairs of the
Prophet's Mosque provide humanitarian services to elderly and disabled
pilgrims, helping them access the Prophet's Mosque at prayer time and for
visits.
They work round the clock, transporting
the elderly and disabled pilgrims in the Prophet's Mosque courtyards in
electric carts that can accommodate several people.
This service is part of the humanitarian
initiatives taken by government health, security and volunteer agencies to
serve pilgrims and make the performance of Hajj comfortable.
Since the beginning of the Hajj season,
the Mobility Services Department has transported 700,000 people, among them
elderly and disabled pilgrims, people taking part in funeral processions, and
women visiting the exhibition around the architecture of the Prophet’s Mosque.
— SPA
Source: saudigazette.com.sa
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click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://saudigazette.com.sa/article/633937/SAUDI-ARABIA/60-Mobility-Services-employees-assist-elderly-pilgrims-outside-Prophets-Mosque-round-the-clock
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Africa
Uganda Muslim Council condemns Quran
burning in Sweden
Deputy Mufti of Uganda Sheikh Muhammad
Ali Waiswa has condemned the act of burning the Quran in Sweden as
"barbaric and disrespectful" to a religion professed by over 2
billion people.
Speaking to Iran Press in his office at
Uganda Muslim Supreme Council (UMSC) on Monday, he appealed to Sweden and other
European countries to stop protecting provocative behaviors towards Muslims
that disturb their social peace.
“Provocation of violence among peaceful
living Muslims is indeed uncalled for. In a civilized world like in a European
society, it is shocking that a person is allowed to provoke the anger of over 2
billion people without repercussions is unimaginable,” he said.
“Freedom of expression is not a right
without limits and cannot be enjoyed in a way that belittles the rights and
dignity of others” he added.
He said that the burning of Quran as
part of freedom of expression is a "mockery" towards Islam and its
followers adding that there should be a single standard for freedom of expression.
He stated that imposing restrictions on
the freedom of expression for those who deny or write negatively about the
Holocaust, while allowing the desecration of the holy Quran, is a double
standard.
"Why would it be illegal to deny or
write negatively about the Holocaust, but it is legal to offend Muslims? That
is double standards," he said.
He questioned why the state grants
permission for discrimination, prejudice, and offense against Muslims.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please
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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/uganda-muslim-council-condemns-quran-burning-in-sweden/2936211
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Trinidad Muslim League rejects teaching
of "alternative lifestyles" in schools
20230703
The Trinidad Muslim League (TML) says it
has been cautiously observing the developments in the country regarding the
issue of alternative lifestyles and what it calls its subtle introduction into
our mainstream society.
In a media release, TML said, "We
have seen, over the years, the 'seemingly innocent' assimilation of LGBTQ into
our print, social as well as electronic media. Today, there is a perceived move
to introduce this in our schools, where our children will be indoctrinated into
accepting this immoral lifestyle as something that is good and healthy.
Trinidad and Tobago, while not a religious state, consists predominantly of
citizens who adhere to and hold religious principles as sacrosanct. These
principles have been handed down through our forefathers who upheld such moral
and spiritual values upon which our nation was built."
TML said as a recognized Islamic
organization that has contributed significantly to our nation’s development, it
is its responsibility to proffer its position on this issue.
"Islam, like other religions, categorically
speaks against homosexuality and other such alternative lifestyles."
TML said as Muslims they do not doubt,
even for an instant, that what Allah and His Prophet have prescribed is wise.
"We know that there is great wisdom
in what Allah has commanded and what He has forbidden. Since the prohibition
has come from our Lord, Muslims do not wait until science proves that harm
befalls the one who does that which Allah has forbidden. Rather we must believe
firmly that Allah only prescribes that which is good for people and these
modern discoveries should only increase our certainty and confidence in the
greatness of Allah’s wisdom."
As caregivers of one of the
denominational school boards in Trinidad and Tobago, the TML, through its
rights enshrined in our Concordat, "rejects whatever attempt, overt or
covert, to introduce any material or concept associated with teaching our
children about alternative lifestyles in our schools."
TML said if we want to help children
develop into happy and healthy adults, "we as a society must return to
family values that are in agreement with the teachings and guidance of our
beloved Creator."
The Ministry of Education has said that
there is no plan to change the school curriculum.
Source: guardian.co.tt
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.guardian.co.tt/news/trinidad-muslim-league-rejects-teaching-of-alternative-lifestyles-in-schools-6.2.1744522.9555964399
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Saudi Hajj: Governor doles out N278
million to Katsina Muslim pilgrims
JULY 3, 2023
Governor DikkoRadda has gifted N278
million to Katsina pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.
This was disclosed in a press statement
on Monday in Katsina by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Malam
Ibrahim Kaula.
According to him, Katsina’sAmirul Hajj
and former state assembly speaker, Tasiu Musa-Maigari, disclosed this in Makkah
on Sunday when he visited the pilgrims.
Mr Musa-Maigari further revealed that Mr
Radda also urged the pilgrims to pray for the end of insecurity in Katsina.
The former speaker later announced the
donation of 300 riyals (the equivalent of N6O,000) by the governor to each
pilgrim as a feeding allowance.
The executive secretary of the Katsina
State Pilgrims Welfare Board, Suleiman Kuki, expressed satisfaction with the responsible
and decent conduct of the State pilgrims during the annual exercise.
In the entourage of the Amirul Hajj were
former Deputy Governors Abdullahi Garba-Faskari, Abdullahi Garba Aminci, and
the chairman of the board, MagajinGarinKatsina.
Source: gazettengr.com
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https://gazettengr.com/saudi-hajj-governor-doles-out-n278-million-to-katsina-muslim-pilgrims/
--------
North America
America's Longest-Serving Muslim Mayor,
Mohammed Khairullah, Reveals Impact Of FBI Watchlist
4 July 2023
On May 1 this year, prominent Muslims in
the United States were supposed to gather at the White House to meet President
Joe Biden and celebrate the festival of Eid al Fitr, which marks the completion
of the holy month of Ramadan.
Among the invited guests was Mohammed
Khairullah, a burly man with a shaved head who is the mayor of the Prospect
Park borough in the state of New Jersey.
But half an hour before he was scheduled
to arrive at the White House, he received a phone call telling him he was no
longer invited: the Secret Service had refused to allow him in.
Khairullah says after this phone call,
he contacted the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) regarding the
incident; they confirmed that he had been barred from entering the White House
because of a secret status the FBI had assigned to him years earlier without
notice or explanation.
“I don't know how I got on that
list," he tells TRT World. "But the majority of the people on that
list are either Muslims or Arabs, which tells you that I can easily get on this
list basically by sneezing the wrong way.”
A recent report by the Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) highlights the disproportionate number of
Muslims in the FBI’s Terrorism Screening Database and on its No-Fly List.
The report reveals that more than 98
percent of the individuals on the FBI’s watchlist are Muslim, with Muslims
comprising a whooping 99 percent of the Bureau’s No-Fly List, which contains
the names of those who can be stopped from boarding a commercial airliner.
Khairullah, who had sought refuge in the
US after escaping violence in Syria in the 1990s, never imagined he would end
up on the list.
In an interview with TRT World, he
discusses how being on the list impacts his political career, personal life and
the wider Muslim community.
A political career sparked by a passion
for firefighting
Khairullah reminisces about his
childhood dreams of becoming a firefighter and how his political career in the
United States began.
“What I wanted to do, always, as a
child, was to be a firefighter. The United States gave me the opportunity to
become a volunteer firefighter, and that was my first experience dealing with
the political system," he recalls.
Since becoming a firefighter required US
citizenship, Khairullah was told that local rules could be changed on a town
level to allow him to join the fire department.
“You could make rules locally — and that
made me intrigued by local politics,” he says.
Khairullah became a member of the City
Council after obtaining his citizenship in 2000. In 2005, he received support
from his colleagues on the Council to fill the seat of the previous mayor, who
had moved out of town. Since then, Khairullah has run for five terms, each term
lasting four years.
"I think we could change the narrative by
being involved within the system. They no longer can say, ‘any Mohammed is
whatever we see on TV, because the Mohammed in Prospect Park, NJ, is the person
we know that helps people and raises funds for areas hit by disaster’," he
says.
"They know us (Muslims) for who we
are, not for what the media tells them."
The urgent need to reform the FBI
watchlist
Mayor Khairullah emphasises that
reforming the process of compiling the watchlist should be a top priority in
the upcoming 2024 presidential elections. "It's crucial for Muslim
organisations and the Muslim community to address this as a serious and major
topic," he states.
"How you get on it (the FBI list),
we don't know. Until it was leaked, the government did not acknowledge that it
exists. I think, until now, they kind of don't acknowledge its existence,"
says Khairullah.
"That's the crazy part in the
United States, a country of institutions and a constitution that protects civil
liberties. I am guilty of something in their eyes, which prevents me from being
a normal citizen, but they won't tell me what it is, which is, in my mind, the
core issue of what is wrong with that list."
According to Khairullah, federal agents
provide no explanations regarding the watchlist to elected officials,
congresspeople or senators. This lack of transparency further exacerbates the
situation for Muslim citizens listed by the FBI.
“They won’t even answer to federally
elected officials. They won’t answer to senators. They won’t answer to
congressmen… I mean, these are people who sit in Congress, in the Senate and
they vote on major bills that fall on US policy, but they still can’t get an
answer. So what do you think of this humble servant or any other average
citizen?”
Khairullah is calling for urgent reform
in both the creation and maintenance of the watchlist. He stresses the need for
a transparent process to allow individuals to defend themselves against
whatever allegedly incriminating ‘evidence’ had them included on the list in
order to be removed from it altogether.
Impact on Muslims' lives
The repercussions of being on the
watchlist extend beyond Mayor Khairullah's political career. He recounts a
personal experience at the Canadian border, where he was detained in a glass
room for three to four hours. "My toddler daughter was asking me why I
can't get to her," he recalls.
"That is not an experience that I
want my children or the children of others to go through because that will give
the impression that you are a second- or third-class citizen."
While Mayor Khairullah’s inclusion on
the FBI watchlist is a high-profile case, he highlights that there are hundreds
of thousands of people suffering silently.
“A flight between the New York area and
Chicago could be less than two hours by plane, but then some people choose to
take a 16-hour car ride if they need to go there” — because many would rather
avoid harassment at the airport.
The CAIR report sheds light on the
severe impact the watchlist has on the lives of Muslims. Saadiq Long, a US Air
Force veteran with no criminal record, is just one of many Muslims who has
faced significant challenges due to his watchlist status. Flight bans prevented
him from visiting his critically ill mother in Oklahoma, forcing him to undertake
arduous overland journeys. Stories like Long’s are a dime a dozen among Muslims
in the US.
Avoiding airports and travelling by car
doesn’t always shield individuals from the far-reaching consequences of being
on the watchlist. They often find themselves confronted by a swarm of CBP
(Customs and Border Protection) officers at frontiers, where they face a series
of distressing ordeals. They are often held at gunpoint, handcuffed and
subjected to hours of relentless interrogation. In some cases, they may even be
detained under hazardous conditions.
Anas Elhady is another Muslim whose case
is highlighted in CAIR’s report. Elhady, a college student, was returning home
to Michigan after a visit to Canada in 2015. Upon crossing the border, he was
detained by CBP officers who proceeded to subject him to an extensive
interrogation that lasted for hours. Throughout this ordeal, Elhady was
confined to a freezing-cold cement cell wearing only his shirt, pants and thin
socks. Despite his repeated pleas for additional clothing or a blanket, his
requests were denied by the CBP officers until he lost consciousness from the
cold. It was only then that he was finally taken to a hospital.
These stories reveal the profound human
toll exacted by the watchlist system, leaving affected individuals with lasting
scars and eroding their sense of safety and dignity.
Forced to become informants
One of the FBI’s tactics while
monitoring those on the watchlist is to coerce them into becoming informants
within their communities. Mayor Khairullah, himself, was subjected to this
approach.
“I have been interviewed by federal
agents and they asked me to sort of become an informant,” he reveals. The
agents, knowing he had taken several trips to Syria, requested that he go on
social media and find some information about the Muslim community in the Middle
Eastern country.
He refused the offer, telling the
agents, “There's nothing that I could share with you. If there's anything that
I need to share with you that I know is important for our country, I would,
I'll be more than happy to do so. But I'm not going to go on social media and
dig up stuff,” continuing, “That's his job, not my job.”
The FBI’s coercion tactics extend beyond
high-profile civil servants to encompass young Muslim citizens in the US. The
CAIR report provides several examples illustrating how these methods have been
used on young American Muslims, with the case of Osama Ahmed being just one of
many.
In early 2011, Osama Ahmed, an
18-year-old US citizen, experienced a harrowing encounter upon his return to
the US from Yemen. Right after disembarking from his flight, Ahmed was taken to
an interrogation room where he was kept for some 7 hours of questioning by FBI
agents before he was released. Days later, FBI agents visited Ahmed’s home and
forced him to be an informant in Yemen. They even offered to teach him how to
skydive. One of the agents informed Ahmed that he was on the No-Fly List, but
if he cooperated, his name would be removed.
These two examples highlight a
concerning pattern of targeting individuals within the Muslim community in the
US, regardless of their age, political status or criminal background.
Is there any white person on the list?
Despite federal law enforcement
officials consistently identifying white supremacists as the primary threats to
national security, the focus of the FBI watchlist disproportionately targets
Muslims based on race and religion, as stated in the CAIR report. However, the
question of whether white individuals end up on this list remains unanswered.
Khairullah remarks, “Does that happen to
a John Doe who happens to be a white person? I mean, for God’s sake, on January
6th of 2020, they almost toppled our democracy by trying to storm the Capitol
building,” he asserts, referring to the deeply ingrained racism found within
and throughout the US political system.
Who will be the next target of the FBI?
Both Mayor Khairullah and the CAIR
report warn that the individuals on the FBI’s watchlist face serious challenges
and repercussions. For the past two decades, the Bureau’s secret list has
brought hardship and fear to the Muslim community.
However, the report cautions that,
"The FBI's next million targets won't be Muslims. With the ‘War on Terror’
fog lifting, the FBI’s secret list will one day find a new target. The next
target will be our fellow Americans."
Khairullah urges the US Muslim community
to be proactive and engage in local events and activities.
“I urge everybody to volunteer in their
local community, because that changes the narrative that people see of Muslims.
So we all need to be involved, we all need to do our part in changing the
narratives and then this way, we gain more support when we speak about issues
of racism and discrimination.”
Source: trtworld.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.trtworld.com/us-and-canada/americas-longest-serving-muslim-mayor-reveals-impact-of-fbi-watchlist-13891797
--------
New Mexico mosque attacked four times in
less than 2 week, rights advocates urge for hate crime probe
04 July, 2023
A mosque in the small New Mexico town of
Portales has seen four attacks in the span of a week and a half.
The Portales Islamic Center, with a
small congregation of around 20 that mainly serves local university students,
was hit with four instances of vandalism in less than two weeks, in one of the
latest examples of mosque attacks in different parts of the United States.
Local authorities are reportedly
investigating the matter, though not explicitly as a hate crime as of Monday, as
Muslim rights advocates are urging, despite indications of a biased motive.
Damage to the mosque includes broken
furniture, punctures to a wall, a ripped Quran with beer poured on it, as well
as KKK painted on the wall, a clear reference to the notorious Ku Klux Klan
white supremacist group, shown on a video clip of a local news report.
"All too often, when there's
vandalism of a mosque, local law enforcement brushes it off," Ibrahim
Hooper national communications director and spokesman with the Council on
American-Islamic Relations, which has publicly called for a hate crime
investigation, told The New Arab.
"When you have KKK spray painted on
the interior, it's not like there's no indication of a bias motive. I don't
know if they're looking at the same thing I'm looking at," he said.
Christopher Williams, police chief of
Portales, issued a statement to local media, saying that these incidents were
not likely a hate crime.
“Our investigators are continuing to
investigate this incident regardless of if it is or is not a hate crime,"
he told KRQE, noting that if a hate crime was determined, in New Mexico there
would be a sentencing enhancement and not a separate criminal charge.
"At this time the damage is
extremely similar to that on other vacant buildings in the area, which leads us
to believe that this is more than likely not a hate crime however, possible
leads are being followed up on and the area is being monitored by
officers," he said.
The current response, though not what
advocates are hoping, is still something for attacks on a house of worship,
which some say are often disregarded by authorities.
"They didn't really take it
seriously until we pressed them on it," said Hooper.
Source: newarab.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.newarab.com/news/new-mexico-mosque-attacked-four-times-week-and-half
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Missoula's large, growing Muslim
community looks for a mosque
DAVID ERICKSON
Jul 3, 2023
Missoula's large and ever-growing Muslim
community urgently needs a new place of worship as they've lost access to the
space they've been using for years.
The International Muslim House, located
on Fifth Street near the University of Montana campus, is owned by the
university. Also the headquarters of the Montana Islamic Society, the large
house has been used as a mosque for Muslims to pray every week for a long time.
It's been crucial for local Muslim community members, students and refugees
from other countries who have settled in Montana.
But now, UM plans to renovate the house
and use it as residential housing instead of a gathering space.
"It's a very urgent problem for
us," said AseelNiazai, a member of the Missoula Muslim community who is
originally from Afghanistan. He's also a representative of a refugee advocacy
organization.
"We are growing day by day,"
he said. "We have a large population from Afghanistan. We have lots of
people from Iraq, Syria, and countries in Africa like the Democratic Republic
of Congo."
The International Muslim House serves as
a gathering place for people from countries where there isn't a huge population
in Missoula as well, such as Egypt, Malaysia and Turkey, for example.
The house is important, Niazai said,
because it's big enough to accommodate large groups and special religious
events. It also allows people to come and go as they need, because sometimes a
person's work schedule means they have to come pray at odd times of day. There
are private rooms and a kitchen for communal meals, with a refrigerator to
store meat for special occasions or to donate to people in need.
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UM has reserved a space in the
University Center for people to use as a meeting and prayer space, but Niazai
said it will be inadequate over the long-term. It's too small, has no kitchen
and lacks separate floors for men and women like the current house. Also, it
won't be available all the time.
Niazai said he's met with Missoula Mayor
Jordan Hess to discuss the issue.
"This is a priority for us,"
Niazai said, noting that other problems and issues have been pushed to the
backburner.
Dave Kuntz, the director of strategic
communications at the University of Montana, said the university is taking many
of the houses it owns along Fifth and Sixth Streets offline for renovations.
The plan is to use them to expand the University's housing supply in the years
ahead.
“The International Muslim House has been
used as a meeting space for Muslim students and others in the community for the
past few years,” Kuntz explained. “Nobody has lived in this house, rather, it
has been used for meetings and prayer.”
The building is not to be confused with
the International House, which houses international students and will not be
changed.
“At the International Muslim House, the
University will proceed with a renovation to take what has been a meeting space
and return it to a living space owned by UM,” Kuntz said. “It has not been
determined yet if students or employees will rent this place once the
renovation is complete.”
Muslims pray five times a day every day,
but the most important prayer of the week is the day of gathering on Friday. So
the Muslim community hosts a congregational prayer on that day in Missoula.
This past Friday, June 30, was the last
day that the Muslim community in Missoula held a gathering at their only mosque
in the area. After the afternoon congregational prayer, a group of men were
busy moving rugs, religious books and furniture out of the house.
"We need to have a big place
because we, as a Muslim community, are growing day by day so we need to have an
appropriate place," Niazai said. "So, everyone is working on
it."
David Erickson is the business reporter
for the Missoulian.
Source: mtstandard.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://mtstandard.com/news/state-and-regional/missoula-growing-muslim-community-search-for-place-of-worship/article_26080701-52ef-5ed4-963d-bdf9b204f388.html
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Southeast Asia
Jakim is more than just for Islamic
development under my administration, says PM Anwar
By Muhammad Yusry
Tuesday, 04 Jul 2023
PUTRAJAYA, July 4 — Prime Minister Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim today said the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia
(Jakim) has a greater role to play in his administration than previous
governments.
He said Jakim is more than capable of
expanding its scope into other related fields such as discussing the economic
narrative of Malaysia.
“Where’s Jakim in the Budget of previous
governments and the 12th Malaysia Plan?
“Jakim is also capable of running
education policies. This is important because the principles of good values and
morality are key to running the government,” he said in his speech at the
launch of the the book Adab PerbezaanPendapatDalam Islam at the Jakim
Auditorium in Kompleks Islam Putrajaya here.
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/07/04/jakim-is-more-than-just-for-islamic-development-under-my-administration-says-pm-anwar/77784
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Unity Govt always upholds principles of
Islam, ensures rights and justice for all
04-07- 2023
PUTRAJAYA: The Unity Government will
always uphold the principles of Islam and ensure the rights and justice for all
Malaysians are safeguarded, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Speaking at the launch of the book
titled “Adab PerbezaanPendapatDalam Islam” here today, Anwar said he would use
the mandate and trust given by the people for that purpose.
“As a Muslim, I have a responsibility
and the mandate to uphold the principles of Islam and justice for all,
including the non-Muslims.
“The concept of Malaysia Madani does not
fall far from these principles,” he said.
The Prime Minister also called on all
Malaysians to give the chance to the Unity Government to implement the
principles embodied in the concept of Malaysia Madani.
The concept of Malaysia MADANI,
introduced on Jan 19, is based on six principles: Sustainability, Prosperity,
Respect, Innovation, Trust and Compassion.
In terms of governance, Anwar said he is
determined to prevent all leaders, including himself, from abusing their powers
to steal from the people.
Anwar also asserted that he is not a
puppet of anyone and cannot be bought with money.
“Alhamdulillah, I am almost 76 years old
and I cannot be bought with money. If that were possible, I would have deviated
long ago,” said Anwar, who is also the Finance Minister.
On another development, Anwar said the
government has no problem with parties with different views and opinions, but
they must not violate existing ethical foundations.
“It’s okay to have different opinions,
the ethics of disagreement in Islam also stated that even if you decide to
disagree, there are ethical principles underlying there. You cannot violate
ethical foundations,” he said. – Bernama
Source: thesundaily.my
Please
click the following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thesundaily.my/local/unity-govt-always-upholds-principles-of-islam-ensures-rights-and-justice-for-all-GJ11181887
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/kerala-sunni-wahhabi-tablighi-jamaat-salafis/d/130133