Love Jihad, Shariat, Hiring Youth: Main Agenda Of Three “Highly Radicalised” ISIS Members Arrested from Jabalpur?
New
Age Islam News Bureau
12
June 2023
The arrested
accused Mohammad Adil Khan, Syed Mamoor Ali (Centre) and Mohammad Shahid
(extreme left) are 'highly motivated' Islamic State supporters and have created
a local ISIS-inspired outfit called ‘Fisabilillah’. (Photo: News18)
-------
India
• Muslim Leaders to Hold Mahapanchayat
over ‘Targeting’ Of Community in Uttarakhand
• Love Jihad: BJP Leader Pankaja Munde
Says 'Love Is Love'
• RSS-Linked Muslim Rashtriya Manch
Resolves To Donate Cows on Eid Ul Zuha and Not Sacrifice Them
• Ghaziabad Online Gaming Case: How
Mumbra Police Tracked Prime Accused Who Converted Young Boys to Islam
• Union Minister Giriraj Says, Will
Drive out Illegal Muslim Migrants from Country
• Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s
‘Fertiliser Jihad’ Stokes Row, Opposition Says Remark Aimed at Bengali Muslims
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Arab World
• Specialist Saudi tea maker turns over
new leaf as movie star
• Saudi artist delights Banan visitors
with beautiful mosaics
• Exhibition explores Hajj through art
and photography
• Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route initiative
continues in Indonesia
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Europe
• Global powers ramping up nuclear
arsenals – study
• Sanctioned Russian billionaires
investing at home – Bloomberg
• Russian region recognizes Ukrainian as
official language
• Russia signs tax treaty with Gulf
state
• The real reason ‘The Little Mermaid’
bombed in Asia is not racism
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North America
• US Seeks To Rejoin Cultural
Battleground with China
• UK judge denies Assange’s bid against
US extradition as family fights on to block move
• Donald Trump is 'toast' if classified
records case is proven, US ex-attorney general says
--------
South Asia
• Deputy Interior Minister Meets EU
Religious Scholars in Kabul
• Shaping the future of Islamic Banking
in Bangladesh: Insights from banking leaders
• 100 Afghan Inmates Handed Over to
Islamic Emirate by Iran
• Afghan Chargé d’affaires in Iran Urges
Turkey to Address Afghans Refugee Issues
• Islamic Emirate Rejects UNSC Report as
‘Biased’
• Afghan Refugees Face Lack of
Employment Opportunities in Iran
--------
Africa
• Islamisation: Sharia Council tackles
CAN over El-Rufai’s comment
• European Envoy Removed From Africa Over
'Racist' Remark
• 10th NASS: Arewa group opposes muslim
emerging Senate President
• Saudi Arabia, US condemn return to
violence in Sudan
• Tunisia’s president urges aid to stem
migration as European leaders visit
• EU considers aid to Tunisia to boost
economy, reduce migrant flows
--------
Mideast
• Mullahs’ Regime’s Terrorists and
Mercenaries Attack NCRI Supporters’ Building In Saint-Ouen-L’Aumône, North
Paris
• Ex-Military Chief, Gadi Eisenkot, Says
Israel ‘Was Asked’ To Attack Islamic State In 2015
• ‘Nothing Wrong’ With Nuclear Deal with
West, Says Khamenei
• Two Yemeni soldiers killed in Al-Qaeda
attack in Shabwa
• GCC ministers condemn Israeli
settlements in occupied Palestinian territories
• Tourists, crew members rescued after
boat catches fire in Egypt’s southern Red Sea
• Trials of Islamic State foreign
fighters in Syria to start in days
--------
Southeast Asia
• The Truth about Travelling In Aceh,
Indonesia’s Marijuana-Crazy, Ultraconservative Muslim-Majority Province, Where
Sharia Law Rules
• Minister Sandiaga Uno Encourages
Islamic School Students to Embark on Entrepreneurship
• Madani economic narrative to be
launched in August, says PM Anwar
• Dr Wan Azizah: Continuous education,
skills training important for women in leadership positions
• KL court sets July 17 for mention of
businessman charged with using object on woman sexually without her consent
---------
Pakistan
• Retired Soldiers To Be Hired By
Islamabad Police
• At least 9 killed as coaster plunges
into ravine in AJK
• Schools in far-flung areas of Bara
reopen after nine years
• Dr Aafia unrecognisable, says sister
• Three soldiers martyred in North
Waziristan
• Maryam lauds Shehbaz, Dar for
‘averting default without IMF’
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/love-jihad-shariat-radicalised-jabalpur/d/129977
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Love Jihad, Shariat, Hiring Youth:Main Agenda Of Three “Highly Radicalised” ISIS Members Arrested from Jabalpur?
The arrested
accused Mohammad Adil Khan, Syed Mamoor Ali (Centre) and Mohammad Shahid
(extreme left) are 'highly motivated' Islamic State supporters and have created
a local ISIS-inspired outfit called ‘Fisabilillah’. (Photo: News18)
-------
JUNE 12, 2023
The three “highly radicalised” men from
Jabalpur ISIS module, who were arrested on May 27, possessed sharp-edged
weapons and digital devices containing ISIS propaganda materials, Jihadi
literature and pamphlets were recovered from the suspects, and their main
agenda was religious conversion and expanding reach through online platforms.
The arrested accused Mohammad Adil Khan,
Syed Mamoor Ali and Mohammad Shahid are “highly motivated” Islamic State
supporters and have created a local ISIS-inspired outfit called ‘FiSabilillah’,
according to top intelligence sources.
Adil Khan and Shahid have studied
engineering and are tech-savvy. They were actively involved in recruiting for
the group through online platforms.
The group was in the process of
procuring arms and ammunitions, including pistols, to create violence in
Jabalpur.
They conducted meetings and ‘dars’
(discourse) programmes in local masjids of Jabalpur to influence youngsters in
the area with the aim to conduct violent jihad and bring Islamic rule in the
country, quite similar to the ISIS-ruled theatres.
The ideological motivation was also
through a closed WhatsApp groups and Instagram pages.
The module members staunchly opposed
democratic institutions and even discouraged their acquaintances to vote in
elections.
This process was launched intentionally
to gradually establish the supremacy of Shariat laws above democratic institutions,
the sources added.
The arrested trio were in contact with
foreign-based Islamic State handlers. Few were also exploring ways to migrate
to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq.
Adil Khan tried to recruit youngsters in
ISIS through training videos and social media. He had several accounts and
profiles on online channels to disseminate voluminous data of ISIS materials.
Apart from this, the module was also
involved in conversion activities from other religions.
This was done as a purposeful act of
jihad with an aim to convert many young girls of different faiths and to bring
demographic change across generations.
The National Investigating Agency (NIA)
had carried out raids in 13 places in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh last month to
expose further links and conspiracies of the 10 already arrested accused and
charge-sheeted in the case. Six of the arrested accused are Bangladeshi
nationals and are active JMB cadres.
They had entered India illegally,
without any valid documents, and had acquired false and forged Indian identity
documents with the help of their sympathisers in India. The searches at the
premises of various suspects led to the seizure of several digital devices
(mobile phones), SIM cards, Bank Passbooks and Identity documents.
Source: news18.com
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'Madrasas Centre of Love Jihad, Global
Strife,' Says VHP Leader Sadhvi Prachi
VHP leader
Sadhvi Prachi. Credit: DH Photo
-----
JUN 11 2023
VHP leader Sadhvi Prachi on Sunday
called for shutting down of madrasas in the country saying it is where the
'love jihad' emanates from.
"Hindus only think about earning
money, while there is a special community, which thinks about ruling over
India. Their agenda to rule over India is there for thousands of years."
"What do they have to do? run a
puncture shop on a national highway. Why is a puncture shop not seen in any
bylane in a city?" she said during an interaction with reporters.
"'Love jihad' starts from madrasas,
where knowledge about it is disseminated. This is the reason why 'love jihad'
is increasing. The day madrasas are shut down in India, 'love jihad' will cease
to exist. Then, there will be peace and harmony not only...
'Love jihad' is a term often used by BJP
leaders and right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu
women into religious conversion through marriage.
The Indian government does not recognise
the term and a minister in a response in Parliament in 2020 had said no cases
were registered by central agencies under it.
"The term 'Love Jihad' is not
defined under the extant laws. No such case of ‘Love Jihad’ has been reported
by any of the central agencies," junior home minister G Kishan Reddy had
said in a reply.
The VHP leader on Sunday also said
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav should drop his dreams of becoming UP
chief minister again.
"He will neither become the UP
Chief Minister, nor Prime Minister. Even in the 2024 parliamentary elections,
Narendra Modi will come back, people know this, and they will vote for Modi ji
only," she said.
Sadhvi Prachi told reporters that in
Uttarakhand no mosque had been removed, and only the illegal mausoleum were
being razed.
The Uttarakhand government is running an
anti-encroachment drive against illegal religious constructions in the state.
She said "number of non-Hindus is
increasing in Devbhumi" and that an exodus of Hindus was underway from
Uttarakhand.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami
should take action against this, she said.
Source: deccanherald.com
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https://www.deccanherald.com/national/north-and-central/madrasas-centre-of-love-jihad-global-strife-says-vhp-leader-sadhvi-prachi-1226854.html
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Saudi Arabia Eases Bans On Shia Pilgrims
Visiting Baqi Cemetery
Jannat ul
Baqi cemetery
-----
2023/06/12
The restrictions have been eased for
this year’s hajj ritual from June 23 to July 1, according to a report released
by Iran's Fars news agency on Sunday.
The report said that male pilgrims, many
of them Shia Muslims from Iran, were allowed to visit Baqi cemetery, aka Jannat
ul Baqi, a holy place where some Shia Imams and members of the household of
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) are buried.
They were able to recite religious
prayers and eulogies that are special to the pilgrimage and were previously
banned.
Women are allowed to pay tribute to Baqi
cemetery from behind fences that surround the cemetery.
Saudi Arabia eases restrictions on pilgrimage
to Baqi cemetery
Haj is a major religious ritual and must
be performed at least once during the lifetime of an able-bodied Muslim who can
afford it.
Source: ilna.ir
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following URL to read the full text of the original
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More Than A Third of Germany Men Find
Violence against Women ‘Acceptable’: Survey
The survey
also found that 34% of male respondents admitted to being violent towards women
in the pastImage: Rolf Poss/IMAGO
------
June 12, 2023
FRANKFURT: More than a third of men in Germany
find violence against women “acceptable”, according to survey results that
campaigners described as “shocking” on Sunday.
A total of 33 per cent of men aged 18-35
said they found it “acceptable” if “their hand slipped” occasionally during an
argument with their female partner, according to the survey set to be published
by the Funke newspaper group on Monday.
Thirty-four per cent of respondents
admitted that they had been violent towards women in the past.
The results are “shocking”, said Karsten
Kassner from the Federal Forum Men, an umbrella group that advocates for gender
equality.
“It’s problematic that a third of the
surveyed men trivialise physical violence against women. This urgently needs to
change,” he told the Funke newspapers.
The nationwide survey, which questioned
1,000 men and 1,000 women aged 18-35, was commissioned by children’s aid
organisation Plan International Germany and carried out online from March 9-21.
It further found that 52pc of men said
they believed their role was to be the main provider in a relationship, and
that their partner should mostly run the household.
Just under half of respondents (48pc)
also expressed a dislike for seeing public displays of homosexuality, saying
they felt “disturbed” by it.
“Traditional gender roles are still
deeply ingrained in people’s minds,” Alexandra Tschacher, a spokeswoman for
Plan International Germany, told the Funke newspaper group.
More than 115,000 women were victims of
partner violence in 2021, according to federal police data — or 13 women each
hour.
A total of 301 women were killed by
their current or former partners in 2021.
Source: dawn.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
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No Progress Worldwide on Biases against
Women in a Decade: UN Report
FILE - A
woman is silhouetted against the setting sun, Aug. 1, 2022, in Kansas City,
Missouri. Biases against women has shown no progress over the past decade,
according to a United Nations report.
------
Jun 12, 2023
UNITED NATIONS: Data tracking biases
against women has shown no progress over the past decade, with prejudices
remaining "deeply embedded" in society despite rights campaigns such
as MeToo, a UN report said Monday.
Among both men and women, "biased
gender social norms are prevalent worldwide: almost 90 percent of people have
at least one bias" among the seven analyzed by the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP).
These prejudices "are widespread
among men and women suggesting that these biases are deeply embedded and
influences both men and women to similar degrees", the report says.
The UN agency has updated its Gender
Social Norms Index (GSNI) -- which takes into account political, economic,
education and physical integrity metrics -- using data from the World Values
Survey, an international project studying how values and beliefs are changing
worldwide.
The index shows "no improvement in
biases against women in a decade," the UNDP said, "despite powerful
global and local campaigns for women's rights" such as MeToo.
For example, 69 percent of the world's
population still believes that men make better political leaders than women,
and only 27 percent believe that it is essential for democracy that women have
the same rights as men.
Nearly half the population (46 percent)
believes that men have more right to a job, and 43 percent that men make better
business leaders.
A quarter of the population also think
it justifiable for a man to beat his wife, and 28 percent believe that
university is more important for men.
Prejudices create "hurdles"
for women and are "manifested in a dismantling of women's rights in many
parts of the world," the report said.
"Without tackling biased gender
social norms, we will not achieve gender equality or the Sustainable
Development Goals," it said.
The lack of progress on gender biases
comes as the UN also reports declining human development metrics in general,
linked in particular to the Covid-19 pandemic.
"Social norms that impair women's
rights are also detrimental to society more broadly, dampening the expansion of
human development," Pedro Conceicao, director of the UNDP's Human
Development Report Office, said in a statement.
"Everyone stands to gain from
ensuring freedom and agency for women," he said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/no-progress-on-biases-against-women-in-a-decade-un-report/articleshow/100927303.cms
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India
Muslim Leaders to Hold Mahapanchayat
Over ‘Targeting’ Of Community In Uttarakhand
By Amit Bathla
The interfaith tensions trace back to May
26 after two men, a Muslim and a Hindu, allegedly tried to abduct a 14-year-old
girl.
Muslim religious leaders in
Uttarakhand’s Dehradun have called for a “Mahapanchayat” on June 18 to protest
what they said is “increasing targeting” of their community, days after traders
belonging to the minority group in Uttarkashi were asked to shut shops and
leave the state amid communal tension.
The interfaith tensions trace back to
May 26 after two men, a Muslim and a Hindu, allegedly tried to abduct a
14-year-old girl. Local residents alleged it was a case of ‘love jihad’ – a
term used by right-wing groups to describe an alleged conspiracy by Muslim men
to woo and seduce Hindu women, although courts and the Union government do not
officially recognise it.
While the two accused – Ubed Khan (24),
a local shopkeeper, and Jitender Saini (23), a motorcycle mechanic – were
arrested on May 27, the incident led to right wing groups holding protests in
several areas and attacking shops and houses of several Muslims.
Posters threatening Muslim traders to
shut shops and leave the state by June 15 also came up at Uttarkashi’s Purola
market on June 5. The tension has prompted Muslims to keep their shops shut and
some families to leave the district.
“A meeting of Muslim religious leaders
was chaired by Dehradun’s Shehar Qazi Mohammad Ahmad Qasmi on Saturday to
discuss the current atmosphere of hatred against Muslims across Uttarakhand. A
Mahapanchayat of Muslim religious leaders will be held on June 18. People from
across the state, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, and Haldwani
will participate,” Waseem Ahmed, media in-charge of Muslim Seva Sangathan an
organisation that works for the rights of Muslims, said.
Mohammad Ahmad Qasmi, Dehradun’s Shehar
Qazi, said: “In the hills, innocent Muslims are being forced out. Those who
have committed the crime should be punished. The whole community should not be
targeted and rendered unemployed because of one person.”
He added: “Through the mahapanchayat, we
just want to make an appeal not to punish the innocent.”
The developments in the state are
worrying. The posters, and the sentiment echoed by right-wing groups during
protest marches, amount to hate speech. Hate and fear-mongering on the basis of
religious identity has no place in India. The state police now have a duty to
crack down on such instances, especially since the Supreme Court in April
ordered several states – including Uttarakhand – to prosecute hate speech even
if no complaint is made.
Right-wing organisations, which are
scheduled to hold a mahapanchayat on June 15, said they will not allow the
Muslims to hold their meeting on June 18.
“We will not allow this (mahapanchayat
by Muslims) to happen even if we have to take a big step,” Swami Darshan
Bharti, founder of Devbhoomi Raksha Abhiyan, said.
“We will hold a mahapanchayat in Purola
on June 15,” Bharti added.
Dehradun additional district magistrate
(ADM) Shiv Kumar Baranwal said: “We haven’t been approached yet by anybody to
seek permission for a mahapanchayat in Dehradun. If permission is sought, we
will take appropriate action.”
On May 29, a protest march in Purola
turned violent after some of the agitators attacked shops and establishments
belonging to the Muslims. A similar protest was held on June 3, under the
banner of Yamuna Ghati Hindu Jagriti Sangathan. Nearly 900 people took part in
the stir.
The protesters also handed over a
memorandum to the Purola sub-divisional magistrate (SDM), seeking verification
of people coming from outside for business in the town.
On June 5, a few Muslim families handed
over a memorandum to Purola SDM, highlighting the financial crisis they are
facing and seeking security to reopen businesses.
In a high-level meeting with senior
police officials on Friday, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami instructed
director general of police (DGP) Ashok Kumar to take strict action against
“increasing love jihad cases in the state”.
Reacting to the Muslim leaders’ call for
a mahapanchayat, state BJP media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said: “If
Muslims have called for a mahapanchayat, they can discuss any issue but they
should not justify rising cases of love jihad.”
State Congress chief spokesperson Garima
Mehra Dasauni said, “We don’t support extremism from any side… It can have an
irreparable impact on the harmony of the state and its tourism-based economy.”
Source: hindustantimes.com
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Love Jihad: BJP Leader Pankaja Munde
Says 'Love Is Love'
12 JUN 2023
Bhartiya Janata Party leader Pankaja
Munde during a press conference in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh on Sunday responded
to a question about 'love jihad' by saying that love is love and it sees no
barriers. She further explained that the BJP-led government never intended to
spread the idea of 'love jihad'.
During the press conference, someone
told Munde citing an example of an inter-religious couple who faced trouble for
marrying each other and asked what did she think of it, Munde responded by
saying, "I think love is love. Love sees no walls. If two people have come
together purely out of love, it should be respected. But if there is some
bitterness and artifice behind it, it should be seen differently."
Munde further spoke about the
development done by the BJP government over the last nine years in the Centre.
She said, "No such subject as ‘love jihad’ has ever been on the agenda of
the Modi government. The discussions are always centred on development and
redevelopment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's focus is to put the country on
the road to development and progress in the next 25 years."
But Pankaja Munde recently spoke
differently about her party, she reportedly claimed that she belongs to the BJP
party but the party doesn't belong to him.
Source: outlookindia.com
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RSS-Linked Muslim Rashtriya Manch
Resolves To Donate Cows OnEid Ul ZuhaAnd Not Sacrifice Them
Jun 11, 2023
By Press Trust of India: Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh-linked Muslim Rashtriya Manch has resolved that its members
will donate and serve cows on Eid Ul Zuha, a senior leader said on Sunday.
They have also resolved to participate
in Yoga Day programmes, RSS leader Indresh Kumar told reporters on the
concluding day of the Manch's 'Abhyas Varg' or brainstorming session held in
Bhopal.
Kumar said all Hindustanis have common
roots and DNA."The people in the country dream in Hindustani and not in
foreign languages," he added.
He said confusion prevails among people
over Eid Ul Zuha, which some people call Bakra Eid.
"Bakra, which some people
understand as goat but in the Arabic world, Bakra stands for cows. The Manch
has approved a proposal that its members will serve and donate cows and not
sacrifice them. The Manch will appeal not to sacrifice cows," he said.
Kumar said 2,500 units of the Manch will
celebrate Yoga Day as yoga is a way to heal body, mind, and soul and has
nothing to do with religion or caste.
He said Manch members have also resolved
to celebrate Raksha Bandhan, which is not a religious festival.
"Raksha Bandhan is a festival of
women's respect and security and a large number of Muslim women observe
it," Kumar claimed.
He said the Manch will hold big
programmes at 100 places on Raksha Bandhan to remove discrimination based on
religion and caste to make the world free of riots.
A public contact campaign will be
organised between August 20 to September 30 this year during which Manch
members will reach out to 15 lakh families with a resolve to make the country
free of strife, discrimination, and pollution and to spread brotherhood, Kumar
added.
He said more than 100 new workers of the
Manch have been given the responsibility at the national, zonal and state
levels to hold the upcoming programme.
During the four-day session, the Manch
passed 11 resolutions including upholding the idea of "one nation, one
law" by celebrating diversity.
"Resolutions on population control,
love jihad, Uniform Civil Code were also passed," a release said.
Muslim intellectuals including former
vice-chancellors, professors, lawyers, and doctors put their views at the
session, it said.
Source: indiatoday.in
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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/rss-muslim-rashtriya-manch-resolves-donate-cows-no-sacrifice-on-eid-ul-zuha-2391745-2023-06-11
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Ghaziabad Online Gaming Case: How Mumbra
Police Tracked Prime Accused Who Converted Young Boys to Islam
JUNE 12, 2023
Shahnawaz Khan, the prime accused in an
alleged online gaming and religious conversion racket, was traced to Worli in
Mumbai before he was arrested in Alibaug by the Mumbra Police on Sunday night.
The Ghaziabad Police had sought
assistance of Mumbra Police after Khan’s involvement in online gaming and
religious conversion case, therefore, a joint operation was conducted to nab
him but he escaped along with his mother and brother.
According to sources, Thane Police had
sought help of Mumbai Police, but by then Shahnawaz Khan had changed his
location and eloped to Alibaug.
Mumbra Police conducted raids in several
lodges in Alibaug overnight after receiving a tip-off that Khan was hiding
there since Saturday morning. Khan was later taken into the custody with the
help of the Alibaug Police.
Khan told the police that he initially
came in touch with the victim (a boy) on Fortnite, an online gaming
application, in early 2021. Later, they exchanged their mobile numbers and
started communicating on Discord feature within the game, and, eventually,
became friends.
After a few days, the victim stopped
playing the game on Fortnite, and joined Valorent. Both of them then got
connected on the gaming platform in December-end 2021.
While playing the game, they reached the
target location, Ice Box, which is where the two of them had a conversation on
religious conversion for the first time and discussed televangelist Zakir
Naik’s speech.
A mobile phone, an iPad and a computer
were seized from Khan’s residence, which he used to access the gaming app. His
WhatsApp and Instagram accounts are being scrutinised.
An FIR against Khan was filed under the
jurisdiction of Kavi Nagar police station in Ghaziabad on May 30.
The victim’s family gave the digital
identity of the suspect as Baddo. When the cyber team tracked his location, the
real identity of the accused was Shahnawaz Maqsood Khan, aged 23, from Thane.
The second accused was identified as a
Maulvi from Ghaziabad. They had converted one Jain and two Hindu boys.
The accused were using Fortnite app to
bring the targets on one platform, and used a Hindu identity to interact with
them.
They used to convince the victims that
if they recite Quran they will win the game. Through this, they earned their
faith and then gradually move them towards Discord chat engine.
Once the boys came to the chat engine,
they were shown the videos of Zakir Naik. After accepting Islam, the victims
were introduced to the videos of Tariq Jameel, a Pakistani Islamic television
preacher and a member of Tablighi Jamaat, for turning them into believers.
Source: news18.com
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following URL to read the full text of the original
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Union Minister Giriraj Says, Will Drive
out Illegal Muslim Migrants From Country
12th June 2023
By Ramashankar
PATNA: Union minister Giriraj Singh on
Sunday asked Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take concrete steps for the repatriation
of all illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingya Muslims from the state.
The Minister of Rural Development and
Panchayati Raj Department made the remark while replying to a query during his
interaction with a group of students in Begusarai, his constituency in Bihar.
The BJP’s firebrand leader said that all
foreign infiltrators should be repatriated from the state.
He maintained that the BJP would take
steps for the repatriation of Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims if his party
formed the government in the state after the next assembly elections if the
Nitish government failed to do so.
Singh said the Bangladeshi insurgents
should not be viewed from the prism of vote bank politics as the country was
already bearing the burden of a huge population. “Nitish should identify all
insurgents and should take steps for their repatriation from the state. BJP
will take necessary measures for it if it forms the government in the state,”
he added.
Earlier, state BJP president Samrat
Choudhary had asserted that all Bangladeshi insurgents would be thrown out of
Bihar after identifying them. The BJP keeps alleging that the Muslim-dominated
Seemanchal region of the state, bordering Nepal, has a substantial population
of Rohingya Muslims and Bangladeshi infiltrators.
On Friday, Giriraj had stoked a
controversy when he described Nathuram Godse as ‘saput’ (son) of ‘Bharat Mata’.
The minister had said that Godse was born in this country and was not an
invader like Babur or Aurangzeb.
Source: newindianexpress.com
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Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma’s ‘Fertiliser
Jihad’ Stokes Row, Opposition Says Remark Aimed at Bengali Muslims
11 JUN 2023
In an apparent jibe at the Bengali
Muslim population, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma coined a new phrase “fertiliser
jihad”.
According to The Indian Express report, Sarma
said his government had committed during the elections to “fight against
fertiliser jihad”.
“There is so much power hidden in our
soil and nature that if we learn to utilise that power, urea, phosphate,
nitrate, etc will not be required. When we started our government in Assam, at
that time we had said one thing on the public stage, that the uncontrolled use
of fertilizers for growing various food materials in our state is causing
illnesses of the kidney, heart, etc,”the report Sarma as having said.
It mentioned the Opposition was quick to
note that Sarma’s remarks seemed directed at Bengali Muslims, who comprise a
big proportion of vegetable farmers in the state.
It is not the first time the BJP leader
brought up “fertiliser jihad” in reference to farming, the report said.
While campaigning for the 2021 Assembly
elections, when he was the Health Minister in Sarbananda Sonowal’s government,
he said Assam was under “chemical and biological attack” from “a section of
people who live in Kharupetia and Dalgaon”, it mentioned.
The region he referred to, located in
Darrang district, is dominated by Muslims of Bengali origin and is one of the
biggest hubs of vegetable growers in the state, supplying vegetables to other
parts, including Guwahati, the report said.
“People of Jorhat, Sivasagar and other
Upper Assam districts are dependent on vegetables from Kharupetia and Dalgaon.
But those farmers use dangerous chemicals for quick production and preservation
of vegetables,” Sarma said.
Source: outlookindia.com
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https://www.outlookindia.com/national/assam-cm-himanta-biswa-sarma-s-fertiliser-jihad-stokes-row-opposition-says-remark-aimed-at-bengali-muslims-news-293843
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Arab World
Specialist Saudi tea maker turns over
new leaf as movie star
June 11, 2023
RIYADH: A Saudi tea maker renowned for
his experimental brew concoctions has turned over a new leaf — as a movie star.
Jafar Al-Jaroudi, who grew up in a
farming community in Jaroudiya village in Qatif governorate, Eastern Province
found himself the subject of a short flick after being talent spotted while
serving his drinks at the Saudi Film Festival.
He first discovered his gift for tea
making during a trip to Iraq in 2003 and began mixing local herbs to produce
his popular blends which include traditional black lemon, Iraqi-style red, and
cinnamon teas. He also specializes in brewing Saudi coffee.
After years serving his refreshments at
events such as festivals and weddings, Al-Jaroudi was approached by a friend,
Samar Albayat, to showcase his beverages at the 2016 third edition of the film
festival.
Albayat said: “Jafar is an exceptional
man that treats everyone with so much love and happiness, and that is the best
part about him. But he also makes the best tea and coffee.
“You can tell that every cup he makes is
made with love. He told me whenever he makes the lumi (black lemon) tea, he
speaks to it with care. He puts his soul into his creations.”
Al-Jaroudi said: “That was the beginning
of me attending the festivals. I made sure I took along a good selection of
refreshments, like Saudi coffee with a side of dates harvested specifically
from our date tree.”
While serving to actors and guests at
the eighth edition of the film festival, he was complimented on his tea-making
skills by Saudi writer and novelist, Saad Al-Dossari.
“Saad told me, ‘by the time the ninth
edition of the Saudi Film Festival is here, there must be a movie about you,’”
Al-Jaroudi added.
And the following year, “The Night Maker”
premiered in Braira Al-Azizia Resort on the last day of the festival. Directed
by Mohammed Al-Faraj, the film documents Al-Jaroudi’s story and includes his
son, Khalil, as part of the cast.
Al-Faraj said: “I love the energy and
atmosphere that Jafar brings to the festival. What he does is so creative. He
is like an alchemist using sugar, tea, water, and fire. I felt like it would be
nice to create a short film about it.
“The video is also similar to what he
does, putting things together and editing to create a final result.”
Al-Jaroudi received a Golden Palm Award
from the film festival team as a mark of appreciation.
He said: “When I received the award, my
heart skipped a beat. Each year, I save a badge or card given to me by the
festival to remind me of those beautiful moments. I still have the invitation
and badge I was given in 2016.
“My eyes teared up at the premiere of
the film. I would not have been able to do this without my wife, daughter, and
son.
“The headspace I enter when I brew a cup
of tea is ethereal. I feel a great sense of joy when I make a kettle of tea.
Since visiting Iraq in 2003, I have never made a cup of tea on the fly, I have
always made one with joy and complete integrity.
“When it comes to making tea, I stick to
what I know and what is familiar in my culture. The one thing I can never
waiver is simplicity. I use things that I love — and I am talented in brewing —
which are herbal drinks from Qatifi culture,” Al-Jaroudi added.
Source: arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2319831/saudi-arabia
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Saudi artist delights Banan visitors
with beautiful mosaics
June 11, 2023
RIYADH: Among the many treats on offer
to visitors to the Saudi International Handicrafts Week at the Riyadh Front is
a display of spectacular mosaics by local artist Salwa Al-Amoudi.
Al-Amoudi uses pebbles, shells, colored
glass, porcelain and ceramics to create contemporary mosaic panels that can be
used to decorate the walls and floors of homes and public buildings.
Such is the intricacy of the designs
that they often take up to two months to produce.
Mosaics are among the world’s oldest
visual arts and have been used by many ancient civilizations. They were
commonly used to decorate the walls of mosques and palaces during the Umayyad,
Abbasid and Fatimid periods in Egypt and Andalusia.
Titled “Banan,” meaning fingertips in
Arabic, the Saudi International Handicrafts Week, organized by the Heritage
Authority, aims to highlight the community-building aspect of crafts like
woodworking, blacksmithing, weaving and embroidery.
Saudi Deputy Minister of Culture Hamed
Fayez said earlier: “There’s no doubt that handicrafts play an important part
in economic and cultural projects and are a factor for creating job and
investment opportunities, in addition to their role in preserving cultural
heritage and strengthening national identity.”
The event, which ends on Monday, also
invites craft enthusiasts to engage in hands-on workshops and provides a platform
for the sharing and celebration of centuries of collective stories and legacies
from around the world.
Source: arabnews.com
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Exhibition explores Hajj through art and
photography
June 11, 2023
JEDDAH: An extraordinary exhibition
titled “Journey Through the Holy Sites” has opened its doors in Jeddah,
offering a captivating exploration of a pilgrim’s experience during Hajj.
Showcasing a collection of historic
pieces, this unique exhibition features 26 artists, including three talented
Saudi photographers.
Running from June 12 to 23, at Terhal
Hall in Jeddah Park, the exhibition coincides with the Muslim holy pilgrimage
to the sacred city of Makkah. In collaboration with the Islamic Art Museum and
Oyoun Jeddah Charity Association, this remarkable showcase presents over 100
exhibits, ranging from photographs and paintings to books, manuscripts, and
other precious artifacts.
The primary objective of this exhibition
is to reflect the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to ensuring a seamless and
accessible journey for pilgrims from around the world. It also aims to
highlight the various initiatives implemented to facilitate Hajj for all
individuals.
Dedicated to Makkah as a historically
and economically significant city, the exhibition covers the journey from the
medieval age to the Ottoman era and up to the present day. A particular section
focuses on artistic representations of the rituals, including embroidered
fabrics that once adorned the Kaaba and breathtaking aerial shots of the Holy
Mosque.
Dr. Zuhair Maimani, a business
development consultant at the Creativity Zone Foundation and organizer of the
exhibition, emphasized that the exhibition aims to showcase the collective
efforts of Islamic nations in making this blessed ritual a resounding success.
He further emphasized the role played by Saudi Arabia in serving the Two Holy
Mosques and the pilgrims.
“This exhibition portrays the status of
Makkah, the significance of Hajj, and its impact on the lives of Muslims
worldwide. It also contributes to fostering a greater understanding of Islam
among non-Muslims,” Maimani explained.
Running parallel to the main exhibition
is a photography exhibit about the Hajj captured through the lenses of three
talented Saudi photographers: Prof. Khaled Khader, Prof. Susan Baaqhil, and
Imad Al-Husseini.
Baaqhil, the first professional
award-winning photographer-artist in Saudi Arabia, expressed her pride in
representing Islam and Saudi Arabia to the world.
“We take great pride in presenting a
truly unique perspective on Hajj and offering a local lens through which
visitors can experience it,” she stated.
Baaqhil continued: “Displaying rare
images captured since 2002, I aim to provide a compelling portrayal of the
extensive urban redevelopment currently taking place in the holy city of
Makkah.”
In addition to the local pieces,
objects, photographs, and artworks, the exhibition also hosts live calligraphy
workshops and showcases Islamic designs, adding an interactive element for
visitors to engage with.
Visitors are welcome to explore the
exhibition from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi Arabia’s Makkah Route initiative
continues in Indonesia
June 11, 2023
RIYADH: The Makkah Route initiative,
launched by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, has continued to offer its services
to Indonesia, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Sunday.
The scheme includes a tagging service to
code and sort luggage at airports in Indonesia to streamline the transport of
items to Makkah or Madinah. Stickers are placed on bags and passports containing
information on each pilgrim’s flight data and place of residence.
The tagging service is carried out by a
specialized team working under the supervision of the Ministry of Hajj and
Umrah.
Teams at King Abdulaziz International
Airport in Jeddah and Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in
Madinah receive the luggage and deliver it to visitor accommodation.
The Makkah Route initiative was launched
in 2019 and allows pilgrims from seven countries to pass seamlessly through
immigration facilities at their respective airports.
Source: arabnews.com
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Europe
Global powers ramping up nuclear
arsenals – study
12 Jun, 2023
Nuclear powers are actively modernizing
and expanding their arsenals amid rising geopolitical tensions, according to a
report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) released
on Monday.
The think tank estimated that as of
January 2023, Russia, the US, the UK, France, China, India, Pakistan, North
Korea and Israel had a total of 12,512 warheads, with 9,576 stored in military
stockpiles for potential use – an increase of 86 from one year previously.
The report also claimed that as of January,
Russia and the US – which between them possess almost 90% of the world’s
nuclear weapons – had 1,674 and 1,770 deployed warheads respectively. Last
year, Russia had approximately 1,588 warheads while the US had 1,744, according
to SIPRI.
The think tank noted that “the sizes of
their respective nuclear arsenals… seem to have remained relatively stable in
2022, although transparency regarding nuclear forces declined in both
countries” following the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine.
Over the course of the year, China’s
nuclear arsenal grew from 350 warheads to 410, SIPRI estimated, adding that by
the end of the decade Beijing “could potentially have at least as many
intercontinental ballistic missiles as either the USA or Russia.”
Elsewhere, the UK is not thought to have
increased its arsenal in 2022, although its number of warheads is expected to
grow in the years to come. Meanwhile, France has continued its nuclear
development program, while India and Pakistan appear to be expanding their
nuclear arsenals, the report said.
North Korea is said to be prioritizing
its nuclear program and is estimated to have assembled some 30 warheads.
Israel, which has not publicly admitted to possessing nuclear weapons, is also
believed to be modernizing its nuclear arsenal, SIPRI added.
The think tank also pointed to the
erosion of global arms control architecture amid the Ukraine conflict, noting
Washington’s decision to freeze strategic stability dialogue with Russia and
Moscow’s suspension of the 2010 New START Treaty, which places limits on US and
Russian nuclear arsenals.
Russian President Vladimir Putin
announced the move in February, pointing to the refusal of Western powers to
permit inspections of their nuclear facilities. He confirmed, however, that
Moscow would continue to abide by the deal’s limits on deployed warheads.
Source: rt.com
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Sanctioned Russian billionaires investing
at home – Bloomberg
12 Jun, 2023
Russia’s richest business figures
continue to reap huge profits from their operations but, because of Western
sanctions, they are reinvesting in their own country, Bloomberg reported on
Friday.
Five tycoons in the oil, nickel and
fertilizer industries have each received roughly $10 billion in dividends since
the beginning of 2022, the outlet said, citing the Bloomberg Billionaire’s
Index.
For billionaires in the energy sector
such as Lukoil founder Vagit Alekperov, head of Novatek Leonid Mikhelson, and
the owner of energy investment company Volga Group, Gennady Timchenko, the
large payouts stemmed from soaring energy prices after the West imposed
restrictions on Russian supplies.
Novatek, the country’s largest liquefied
natural gas producer, has paid out the highest dividends in its history,
followed by Lukoil, its second largest oil producer.
Fertilizer billionaire Andrey Guryev
enjoyed his biggest profit ever last year, after Western sanctions disrupted
logistics causing product shortages and driving market prices up.
Individual sanctions faced by Russian
billionaires forced them to reorient their windfall profits to the domestic
market, spurring investments in local businesses and signaling that they are
adjusting to sanctions, the outlet noted.
Among the billionaires who have shifted
their investment focus towards Russian companies, Bloomberg mentions the
founder of Lukoil, Vagit Alekperov. In May, the outlet reported that Alekperov
was seeking a 51% stake in Yandex, Russia’s largest internet company, for
between $7 billion and $7.5 billion. The deal would mark the tycoon’s first
major investment outside the oil industry.
Another example cited by the news outlet
was the acquisition of a 35% stake in Tinkoff Bank by Russia’s richest man and
a top shareholder of mining giant Norilsk Nickel, Vladimir Potanin. In addition
to the stake in the country’s top fintech company, Potanin purchased Rosbank
from Societe Generale and is also jointly bidding for Yandex with Alekperov and
others.
Alekperov and Novatek’s Mikhelson were
sanctioned by the UK in 2022. Potanin and Guryev were also blacklisted last
year by Britain and the US, while Timchenko is under sanction by the EU, the US
and the UK.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has
urged domestic investment in new technology, production facilities and
enterprises to help overcome what he called Western attempts to destroy the
national economy. According to Putin, well-timed investment decisions today
will pay off a hundredfold tomorrow.
Source: rt.com
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Russian region recognizes Ukrainian as
official language
11 Jun, 2023
The governor of Russia’s Kherson Region
has announced that Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar can be used as official
languages in the region, alongside Russian. Commenting on Sunday, Vladimir
Saldo said Russian citizens have the right to “the free choice of language in
communication, upbringing, culture, and art.”
“Safeguarding people’s cultural,
spiritual, and historical values” is among the priorities for the government in
Kherson Region and more broadly across Russia, Saldo said in a Telegram post, where
he published the text of his decree on the use of official languages.
Under the ruling, public officials and
government agencies can choose any of the three languages for official
communications. The region’s population can also choose freely, and can file
requests with public officials in any of the three languages and request an
answer in the same language. In the event that a public official cannot provide
an answer in the specified language, the response will be given in Russian, the
decree added.
Kherson Region joined Russia along with
the neighboring Zaporozhye Region and the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s
Republics in autumn 2022, following a series of referendums.
In April, Russia’s Education Ministry
said that students in the four new regions will be able to study Ukrainian as
their native language or as an additional course. The ministry also said it had
developed a new Ukrainian language textbook for elementary school students. The
final decision in the field of education will rest with the regional
authorities, the ministry said at the time.
On June 3, the acting head of the
Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, said that the Ukrainian
language would not be taught in the region’s schools in the next academic year
as no classes had chosen it as an additional course. The acting governor
maintained that the language is not banned in the region, but insisted that
students there simply do not want to study it.
The DPR and the neighboring Lugansk
People’s Republic have been in conflict with Ukraine since 2014, when they
refused to recognize a violent coup in Kiev and declared independence.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has continued its
crackdown on the Russian language inside the country. In February, the
ombudsman in charge of protecting the Ukrainian language, Taras Kremen, argued
that speaking Russian should be prohibited on all Ukrainian university
campuses.
In January, the renowned Kiev-Mohyla
Academy (NaUKMA), one of the oldest universities in Ukraine, officially forbade
students and educators from using Russian within its grounds. Kiev passed a law
stating that Ukrainian was the only language that could be used in the
education process back in 2019.
Moscow has repeatedly denounced such
policies, arguing that the “forced Ukrainianization” of the country violated
international norms and infringed upon the rights of Ukraine’s native Russian
speakers, who make up around a quarter of the population.
Source: rt.com
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Russia signs tax treaty with Gulf state
12 Jun, 2023
Russia and Oman have signed an agreement
which eliminates double taxation in a sign of strengthening economic ties
between the two countries, the Russian Finance Ministry announced on Thursday.
The treaty is designed to protect
investors in both countries and to regulate the imposition of levies. The
measure should boost investments and trade between Russia and Oman, according
to Moscow.
“In 2022, the volume of mutual trade
between our countries already showed growth of 46%,” Deputy Finance Minister
Aleksey Sazanov noted. “It is necessary to further increase trade turnover and
strengthen economic cooperation.”
The agreement establishes a general 15%
withholding tax on dividend income and a reduced rate of 10% for companies
holding at least a 20% stake in a dividend paying company, the Finance Ministry
explained.
The tax rate on interest income and
royalties is set at 10%. State entities and state-owned companies as well as
other forms of public investment will be exempt from the withholding tax on
dividend and interest income, the ministry added.
The treaty is due to be ratified this
year and will come into force from January 1, 2024.
Source: rt.com
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The real reason ‘The Little Mermaid’
bombed in Asia is not racism
11 Jun, 2023
The Hollywood press has been up in arms
this week about Disney’s live-action The Little Mermaid performing poorly in
East Asian countries, such as China and South Korea.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the
film “grossed a mere $3.6 million in its first 10 days of release in China” and
another “$4.4 million through June 4” in Korea, which insiders cited by the
site claim is due to the casting of black actress Halle Bailey in the lead
role.
In essence, the implied reason why the
movie is doing poorly in these markets is because consumers there are racist.
And, indeed, other sites did cite some pretty nasty remarks. But the specific
quotations mentioned by The Hollywood Reporter make a (very American) mistake
of lumping East Asians together as though they are the same – because they only
quote hateful comments from South Korea, not China. To be sure, it would not be
surprising if some of these comments existed on Chinese social media, but they
were not cited specifically.
The reaction to this story has been
about what you’d expect: Black people being angry at these countries, and their
people, for what is allegedly out-and-out racism. It is very typical of the
American media to race bait and sow division among minorities, e.g., Black
Americans and Americans of Asian descent, instead of promoting intersectional
solidarity. But it also misses the obvious reason why this film, and so many
others from Hollywood of late, haven’t done well in Asia.
For an American media consumer, it is
evident that the quality of cultural exports has fallen dramatically in recent
years. This is not just some nostalgic yearning on my part, but a careful
observation of the fact that Hollywood is not producing any new intellectual
properties (IPs) but is just regurgitating the same stories over and over again.
It seems like we have a new Marvel movie every few months, with the typical fan
service of packing in as many superheroes as possible, and then some Disney
live-action of a classic animated movie.
Take the example of the live-action
Mulan, which actually portrays a Chinese setting and is based on a Chinese
fable. As Forbes reported at the time of its release in September 2020, this
was one of Disney’s worst-performing remakes in China. Chinese people didn’t
clamor to theaters just to see a Chinese-American face as the lead character.
In fact, they clearly have little regard for such shallow forms of
“representation” and found the narrative lacking.
Look at how Black Panther: Wakanda
Forever performed in China, too. The first movie in the series did well.
However, many people rightly pointed out that the politics reflected in the
movie were problematic. The main antagonist, Killmonger, reclaimed stolen
African artifacts from what was portrayed as the British Museum, and fought
against the CIA, with one agent – a “good character” – portrayed by a white
man. Think about that: The bad guy in a Black-centric movie about Africa is
actually the person who most reflects the struggle of Black folks around the
world. It’s ridiculous.
Watching American entertainment these
days, which, admittedly, I rarely do, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Our
films are the same cycle of boring and overdone IPs, anything novel is just
watered-down brain rot. Movies that portray the military and use military
hardware have to have their scripts approved by the Department of Defense. And
our television, which I most often watch during the National Football League
season, is sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry, the automobile industry,
the defense sector or Wall Street. It’s no wonder our cultural exports are
dying.
On the contrary, we can see that new
film industries have developed all over the world in recent decades –
especially in South Korea and China, both of which are becoming cultural titans
in their own right. Consumers in the Asian market don’t have to succumb to
recycled American garbage anymore because they’ve reached parity with Hollywood
and, less encumbered by the not-so-ideal material conditions in the States,
have the creative freedom to make things suitable for their respective
audiences.
So this is not about race particularly.
There are certainly people who have said nasty things about Halle Bailey, which
defies the most basic logic since mermaids are mythical creatures and can be
portrayed in any way one imagines. This is obviously regrettable. But just
because those voices are prominent does not mean they are the majority. The
reality is that folks in Asia – and, of course, all over the world – don’t want
to keep replaying the same thing over and over again. Can you really blame them
for that? Hollywood should try creating new and imaginative IPs that people
around the world might identify with.
Source: rt.com
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https://www.rt.com/pop-culture/577853-little-mermaid-china-korea/
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North America
US seeks to rejoin cultural battleground
with China
12 Jun, 2023
The US is planning to rejoin the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the State
Department confirmed on Sunday. Years after leaving the body, US officials now
see it as an essential platform in Washington’s multi-domain rivalry with
China.
The State Department sent a letter to
the Paris-based body on June 8, outlining its desire to return to the
organization after a five-year absence. “It is our understanding that UNESCO
leadership will convey our proposal to the membership in the coming days,” the
department confirmed to AP.
Washington cut its funding to UNESCO
under then-President Barack Obama after Palestine became a full member of the
organization in 2011. Washington formally left UNESCO under the administration
of Donald Trump in 2017, followed by Israel, citing an alleged “pro-Palestinian
bias” within the agency.
“China right now is the single largest
contributor to UNESCO,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken noted in March. The
diplomat urged Congress to set aside some $150 million for a potential return,
as the US owes a significant amount in missed payments.
“They are working on rules, norms and
standards for artificial intelligence. We want to be there,” Blinken said.
The move “will help address a critical
gap in our global leadership toolkit and capacity, and it will also help us
address a key opportunity cost that our absence is creating in our global
competition with China,” Under Secretary of State for Management John Bass said
at the time.
“If we’re really serious about the
digital-age competition with China… we can’t afford to be absent any longer
from one of the key fora in which standards around education for science and
technology are set,” he added, arguing that the absence undercuts Washington’s
ability “to be as effective in promoting our vision of a free world.”
In 2021, three years after a similarly
dramatic walkout over alleged anti-Israel bias, the US rejoined the UN Human
Rights Council, also fearing a growing Chinese influence over the global body.
Source: rt.com
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UK judge denies Assange’s bid against US
extradition as family fights on to block move
Saturday, 10 June 2023
A UK judge has rejected WikiLeaks
founder’s latest appeal against his extradition to the US for unveiling secret
American military and diplomatic documents that confirmed deliberate US war
crimes in Iraq, Afghanistan and other foreign nations.
Julian Assange’s lawyers, family members
and friends expressed fears that he is “dangerously close” to being extradited
to the US following a ruling by British Judge Jonathan Swift denying all eight
grounds of the appeal filed on his behalf, but vowed to launch a final appeal
to block his expulsion and ensuing life imprisonment.
Assange’s wife, Stella, declared that
her husband will submit a new appeal to the British Supreme Court in the coming
days after Swift issued a three-page ruling on Tuesday confirming the
extradition order signed by then Home Secretary Priti Patel in June 2022.
“And we remain optimistic that we will
prevail and that Julian will not be extradited to the United States where he
faces charges that could result in him spending the rest of his life in a
maximum security prison for publishing true information that revealed war
crimes committed by the US government,” she said as quoted in a Thursday report
by the UK-based Guardian daily.
Assange's father also said that his
son's reasons for further investigation are clear, solid and fair.
“Julian’s family watch on, horrified,
and all fair-minded people the world over watch with profound disquiet and
alarm,” he said.
Assange's appeal argues that Patel erred
in his decision to uphold the extradition order because the request violated
the US-UK extradition treaty, which states that extradition cannot be granted
if the crime for which extradition is sought is a political offense. Assange's
legal team has also emphasized that the US desire to try Assange is politically
motivated.
Assange's legal team has also stated
that American officials have consistently misrepresented the main facts of the
case in UK courts.
Swift’s rejection of the appeal grounds
leaves only one final step in the UK courts: the defense has five working days
to submit an appeal of 20 pages to a panel of two judges, who will convene a
public hearing, according to the daily.
There are no further appeal avenues at
the domestic level, it added, further noting that Assange could still fight the
extradition at the European court of human rights, which last December
confirmed that an application from Assange had been received.
In 2010, Assange published a series of
damning leaks provided by US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning,
including nearly 750,000 classified military and diplomatic documents related
to the Iraq and Afghanistan wars that exposed the US military's war crimes in
these countries.
Assange, 52, is an Australian citizen
who remains in Belmarsh prison in London as he fights a US demand for his
extradition to face multiple alleged “espionage” charges.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/06/10/705013/UK-judge-rejects-WikiLeaks-founder%E2%80%99s-latest-plea-against-US-extradition
--------
Donald Trump is 'toast' if classified
records case is proven, US ex-attorney general says
Jun 11, 2023
WASHINGTON: Former US Attorney General
William Barr on Sunday defended Special Counsel Jack Smith's 37-count
indictment against Donald Trump on Sunday, saying if the allegations the former
president willfully retained hundreds of highly classified documents are proven
true, then "he's toast."
"I was shocked by the degree of
sensitivity of these documents and how many there were ... and I think the
counts under the Espionage Act that he willfully retained those documents are
solid counts," Barr, who served under Trump, told "Fox News
Sunday."
"If even half of it is true, then
he's toast."
The comments from Barr, who was Trump's
attorney general from February of 2019 through December of 2020, are notable
and were made at a time when many other prominent Republicans have been
hesitant to criticize the former president and current Republican front-runner
in the 2024 White House race.
Trump is due to appear in a federal
courthouse in Miami on Tuesday to make his initial appearance on the charges,
which include the willful retention of highly sensitive national defense
records under the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice, making false
statements, conspiracy and concealment.
Trump told Politico on Saturday that he
would continue his presidential campaign, even if he were convicted in the
case, saying "I'll never leave."
Of the 37 counts against Trump, 31 of
them relate to secret and top-secret classified documents that he kept after
leaving the White House in early 2021.
The indictment alleges that Trump stored
the documents in a haphazard manner at his home in Palm Beach, Florida, refused
to give them back to the government, and tried to hide them from the FBI and
even his own attorney after a grand jury issued him a subpoena demanding that
he turn over all records bearing classified markings.
His attorney Alina Habba, who is not
representing him in the case, told "Fox News Sunday" that Trump is
innocent of the charges and plans to vigorously defend himself in the case.
In the past, Barr has been a fierce
defender of Trump, going so far as to appoint his own special counsel to probe
whether the FBI improperly opened an investigation into Trump's 2016
presidential campaign over possible ties to Russia based on flimsy evidence.
But towards the end of his tenure, Barr's
views on Trump soured after the former president tried to pressure the Justice
Department to launch bogus voter fraud investigations, in a failed bid to
overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Not 'personal documents'
Trump has previously defended his
retention of classified records, claiming without evidence he declassified them
while in office - a defense that his allies have also repeated.
"I go on the president's word that
he said he did," U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee
Chairman Jim Jordan told CNN's "State of the Union" program on Sunday
when asked if he had any evidence to back up Trump's claim.
In previous litigation related to the
FBI's search of his Florida home, however, Trump's lawyers repeatedly declined
to make that argument in their court filings, and the indictment also contains
evidence that Trump knew he had retained records that remained highly
classified.
"As president, I could have
declassified it," the indictment quotes Trump as saying about one military
document he allegedly displayed during a meeting at his New Jersey golf club in
July of 2021. "Now I can't, you know, because this is still a
secret."
Trump and his allies have also
separately tried to argue that the records at the heart of the case are
personal in nature and covered by the Presidential Records Act.
"He has every right to have
classified documents that he declassifies under the Presidential Records
Act," Habba told Fox News Sunday.
But Barr said the claim that the
documents were Trump's personal records is "facially ridiculous."
The records referenced in the indictment
are "official records" prepared by government intelligence agencies,
he said, and therefore they are the property of the US government.
"Battle plans for an attack on
another country or Defense Department documents about our capabilities are in
no universe Donald J. Trump's personal documents," he said.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/donald-trump-is-toast-if-classified-records-case-is-proven-us-ex-attorney-general-says/articleshow/100919302.cms
--------
South Asia
Deputy Interior Minister Meets EU
Religious Scholars in Kabul
2023-06-11
KABUL (BNA) The Deputy Interior Minister
in a meeting with religious scholars of Denmark, Norway, and Germany discussed
security, education, and the fighting against drugs in the country.
The top officials of the Interior
Ministry met with the religious scholars of the European Union at the
headquarters of the ministry, a statement said.
According to the Ministry’s statement,
the two sides discussed mutual interested issues including security, education,
and fighting against drugs.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://bakhtarnews.af/en/deputy-interior-minister-meets-eu-religious-scholars-in-kabul/
--------
Shaping the future of Islamic Banking in
Bangladesh: Insights from banking leaders
Sun Jun 11, 2023
Syed Waseque Md. Ali
Managing Director,
First Security Islami Bank Ltd.
In the pursuit of providing modern
technology and Islamic Shariah-based banking services to the masses in
Bangladesh, First Security Islami Bank Ltd. offers a range of deposit accounts
and schemes tailored to meet the needs of people from various walks of life.
These include Al Wadiyah current account, Mudaraba savings account, Ankur and
Alo for school-going students, Projonmo and Uddipon for college and university
students, Mehonoti for working people, Shadesh for expatriates, Mahiyasi for
women, Grihini for housewives, and deposit schemes Murobbi and Probin for
senior citizens.
Although the Islamic banking industry in
Bangladesh has achieved over 20% annual growth, there is still immense
potential for further business expansion. Bangladesh, being a Muslim-majority
country with a vibrant economy experiencing 6% real economic growth over the
last decade, provides favorable conditions for the industry to thrive.
Incorporating the benefits of Islamic
banking into our national educational curriculum can ensure its expansion to
future generations. The concept of Islamic banking can also be promoted through
financial inclusion initiatives set by the government and Bangladesh Bank.
Managing Director & CEO,
Shahjalal Islami Bank Ltd.
Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited (SJIBL)
offers a range of deposit and investment products based on various Shariah
principles and mechanisms such as Mudarabah, Musharakah, Murabahah, Bai Muajjal,
Ijarah, HPSM, and Bai-Salam.
Due to the absence of an Islamic money
market in Bangladesh, Islamic banks face challenges in investing their surplus
funds to generate income since government treasury bills, approved securities,
and Bangladesh Bank Bills in the country are interest-bearing.
The establishment of a regulatory
authority with a robust legal framework is necessary, including separate laws
for Islamic banks, appropriate licensing requirements, prudential regulations,
minimum capital and liquidity standards, and methods for risk-weighted asset
classifications.
Islamic banks in Bangladesh also face
the issue of organizing their relationships with foreign banks and conducting
international operations, which requires creating financial instruments that
are consistent with Islamic principles and acceptable to interest-based banks,
including foreign banks.
Md. Habibur Rahman
Managing Director & CEO,
Standard Bank Ltd.
Islamic banking activities have made
significant progress in Bangladesh over the past few decades. However, there
are still obstacles that hinder its growth and wider acceptance. Many people in
Bangladesh lack awareness of the principles and benefits of Islamic banking.
Extensive awareness campaigns and educational programs are needed to help
individuals understand the concepts and advantages of Islamic banking.
The limited diversity in Islamic banking
products poses challenges in attracting a broader customer base, especially
those seeking specialized financial solutions. To address this, a comprehensive
regulatory framework is essential to build trust and confidence among customers
and investors.
Developing specialized training programs
and attracting skilled professionals to work in Islamic banking institutions
are crucial in overcoming these challenges. Islamic banks should seamlessly
integrate with the existing conventional banking infrastructure to offer
seamless services to customers. Ensuring interoperability and compatibility
between Islamic and conventional banking systems is vital for effective
promotion of Islamic banking in Bangladesh.
Adil Chowdhury
President & Managing Director
Bank Asia Ltd.
Bank Asia holds a significant position
in the history of Islamic banking in Bangladesh for introducing a simple and
appropriate Shariah-compliant profit-sharing module called the Income Sharing
Ratio (ISR) to accurately calculate the profit rate each month. Our Islamic
banking division ensures the highest level of Shariah compliance in all banking
activities.
One of the major challenges faced by
Islamic banking is the management of surplus funds, as there is no Islamic
money market and limited number of Islamic instruments. The adverse economic
conditions resulting from the impact of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war pose
challenges in timely realization of investment dues. Adjusting deposit rates in
line with increasing inflation rates is another challenge, as deposit rates are
determined based on income/earnings.
To address these issues, the central
bank should address concerns such as establishing an inter-bank money market
for Islamic banks to facilitate the smooth management of surplus funds.
Besides, the government should introduce more Islamic instruments like Sukuk
Bonds to create alternative investment opportunities for the banks particularly
Shariah based.
Mohammad Feroz Hossain
Managing Director & CEO,
Exim Bank Ltd.
Nowadays, Islamic banks offer a wide
range of banking services that encompass various aspects such as deferred
payment-based foreign trade, overnight call money services, wholesale
subordinated bonds, and retail credit cards. These services are provided
through Islamic modes that are primarily based on principles of buy-sale (bai),
partnership (shirkah), renting (ijarah), and agency (wakalah).
The main challenges faced by Islamic
banking in Bangladesh include the need for education among customers and
bankers about this particular banking system. The government can play a crucial
role in addressing these challenges by initiating or sponsoring comprehensive
research projects and publications. Such efforts can help disseminate accurate
knowledge and enhance confidence among people regarding Islamic banking as a
holistic alternative to interest-based conventional banking.
It is important to recognize that
Islamic banking contributes significantly, and in some cases exclusively, to
the government's inclusive banking campaign by bringing unbanked individuals
into the banking sector. Currently, Islamic banking commands approximately
one-fourth of the total bank deposits in the country.
Syed Habib Hasnat
Managing Director,
Global Islami Bank
Global Islami Bank boasts a strong
Shariah Board consisting of renowned Islamic scholars from the country.
Firstly, we ensure that we explain the principles and concepts of Islamic
banking to our customers, including profit-sharing (Mudarabah), cost-plus
financing (Murabaha), and asset-based financing (Ijarah). We emphasize the
significance of Sharia compliance in all our Islamic banking practices.
Additionally, we have developed educational resources such as articles and FAQs
to educate potential customers about the principles of Islamic banking and the
benefits they can derive from our bank's services.
The government can play a supportive
role in promoting Islamic banking by enacting laws that facilitate the
establishment and operation of Islamic financial institutions. We anticipate
legal frameworks that address Islamic contracts and financial transactions,
taxation policies that treat Islamic financial products fairly, and mechanisms
for resolving disputes specific to Islamic banking. We also encourage the
government to foster collaboration between Islamic banks and conventional
financial institutions, both domestically and internationally. Such
partnerships, joint ventures, and cross-border cooperation can enhance the
accessibility and availability of Islamic banking services.
Mohammed Monirul Moula
Managing Director & CEO,
Islami Bank Bangladesh Ltd
Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited offers
Shariah-based financial solutions to promote Islamic banking. We engage in real
asset-based and real asset-backed investments, following a need-based approach
to maximize welfare. We have also introduced a collateral-free microfinance
program for marginalized individuals, which has now become the world's largest
Islamic microfinance operation.
The major challenges faced by Islamic
banking include a lack of skilled manpower in the field, the absence of a
well-established research and development framework in the country, and a lack
of Islamic banking literacy in society. Currently, Islamic banking in the
country is governed by a 2009 guideline from the Central Bank, which is not
aligned with the latest developments. Ensuring uniformity in Islamic banking
practices is also necessary.
It is high time to enact a separate law
for Islamic banking, considering the significant demand in the market. To meet
this demand effectively, the Islamic banking curriculum should be incorporated
at the university level. Practical aspects of Islamic banking should be
emphasized alongside the theoretical framework.
Managing director & CEO, Al-Arafah
Islami Bank Limited
Sharing of profit and loss and
prohibition of collecting interest have been the two major pillars of the whole
Islamic banking system. Presence of some 500 plus Shariah-based financial
institutions in 76 countries not only justifies the above statement but also
bears testimony to the fact that it is gaining popularity among the non-Muslim
countries as well. Ever since the inception of the first Islamic bank in the
80s, Bangladesh has never looked back. Today, there exist as many as 10
full-fledged Islamic Banks in the country. Moreover, there are Islamic banking
windows in almost all the banks. Despite all the growths, I think there are
numerous challenges too. The shortage of skilled manpower with a deep
understanding of Islamic tenets is the most significant of all. In spite of all
the bottlenecks, I still believe Islamic Banking System is poised to play an
increasingly important role in our economy and the world economy as a whole.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/islamic-finance-bangladesh/news/the-journey-islamic-banking-bangladesh-3343066
--------
100 Afghan Inmates Handed Over to
Islamic Emirate by Iran
2023-06-12
KABUL (BNA) Iran authorities handed over
100 Afghan inmates to the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the prisoners charged
with various crimes.
The authorities handed over these
prisoners after a series of talks between Kabul and Tehran, both sides pledged
on some agreements, a statement said.
The Deputy of the Afghan Embassy in
Tehran Mohammad Alim Noorani told Bakhtar News Agency that these prisoners will
spend their criminal charges in Afghanistan prisons.
Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans are
jailed in Iran for various charges, mainly not having a residence permit.
Lately, the Islamic Emirate has
intensified its efforts to free innocent people from Iran’s prisons and to
transfer prisoners with criminal offenses to the country.
One of the Afghan inmates Noorgul
Qaisari expressed happiness over his transformation from Iran’s prisons to
Afghanistan.
Noorgul who suffered a lot in Iran’s
prisons said he is happy that he will spend his prison time in his country.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://bakhtarnews.af/en/100-afghan-inmates-handed-over-to-islamic-emirate/
--------
Afghan Chargé d’affaires in Iran Urges
Turkey to Address Afghans Refugee Issues
2023-06-11
KABUL (BNA) The Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan Chargé d’affaires in Iran asked the Deputy Ambassador Turkey to
Tehran to address Afghan refugees’ issues living in that country.
The country’s Chargé d’affaires Mufti
Mohammad Alim Noorani in Iran met with the deputy ambassador of Turkey to
Tehran, a statement said the other day.
The Afghanistan diplomats in Iran
welcoming the deputy ambassador Turkey called Turkey a friendly country of
Afghanistan with long-standing political ties, the statement added.
Afghanistan Chargé d’affaires Noorani
shared the Issues of Afghan refugees on the Iran-Turkey border with the deputy
ambassador of Turkey and asked the side to address the issues of Afghans living
in that country.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://bakhtarnews.af/en/afghan-charge-daffaires-in-iran-urges-turkey-to-address-afghans-refugee-issues/
--------
Islamic Emirate Rejects UNSC Report as
‘Biased’
12-06-23
In reaction to a report by the
monitoring and analysis team of the sanctions committee of the United Nations
Security Council about the situation in Afghanistan, the Islamic Emirate in a
statement on Sunday called the findings of the report “biased and far from the
reality.”
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
considers the continuation of UN Security Council sanctions and such reports as
full of prejudice and in conflict with the principles of independence and
non-interference, and calls for an end to it,” the Islamic Emirate spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid said in a statement.
The statement added that the accusations
in the report are “baseless” and show an “obvious hostility with the people of
Afghanistan as well as repetition of the baseless propaganda of the past 20
years.”
Mujahid said the Islamic Emirate is
committed to its promises and that there is no threat from Afghanistan to
neighboring, regional and world countries.
Analysts said that Islamic Emirate and
the UN should solve their problems through an impartial organization.
“The best way for the current government
is to reach the conclusion to add more people to the higher government ranks,”
said Torek Farhadi, a political affairs analyst.
“Instead of these reports and
conflictive allegations, an impartial group should be appointed to know which
party has not remained committed to the Doha agreement and after that, the
concerns of both sides should be addressed,” said Sadiq Shinwari, a military
affairs analyst.
“The current government should take
practical steps towards the international community and the mistrust between
the two sides will be solved,” said Najib Rahman Shamal, a political affairs
analyst.
On Saturday, an annual report by the
United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team for the UN
Security Council Committee criticized what it considers the return of the
Islamic Emirate to “exclusionary” policies of the late 1990s.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-183736
--------
Afghan Refugees Face Lack of Employment
Opportunities in Iran
11-06-23
Afghan refugees have complained over
lack of job opportunities in Iran, saying they are also concerned about “mistreatment”
by authorities.
“Even if an employment opportunity is
provided, because of religious issues or for being a Sunni and Afghan, you
cannot engage in work. If they are selected for a job, they are given heavy
tasks,” said Mursal, an Afghan refugee in Iran.
“The refugees have problems in working
and residence issues and lack of identification and also the closure of
identification and passport centers has created obstacles for the refugees,”
said Asifa Stanikzai, a human rights activist.
The Ministry of Refugees and
Repatriation meanwhile said on Twitter that more than 2,500 Afghan refugees
returned to Afghanistan from Iran on Saturday.
The ministry said that “2,534 refugees
arrived in Afghanistan from Iran on Jawza 20 (June 10, 2023).
“According to a border office in Islam
Qala of Herat province, 228 of them were sent to IOM to receive assistance,”
the ministry said.
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman
Zabiullah Mujahid called on Iran to treat Afghan refugees properly.
He also said that the Islamic Emirate is
making efforts to provide the ground for the return of Afghan refugees from
Iran.
“The situation of the refugees should be
based on human beings in all neighboring countries, especially Iran. Their
rights should be ensured and they should not be deported. Migration is an issue
which is difficult for Iran as well to cope with but it should consider it
based on neighborly and brotherly manners,” Mujahid said.
Iran hosts the highest number of Afghan
refugees after Pakistan. Tens of thousands of Afghans have left the country for
Iran over the past two years.
Source: tolonews.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://tolonews.com/index.php/afghanistan-183738
--------
Africa
Islamisation: Sharia Council tackles CAN
over El-Rufai’s comment
11th June 2023
The Supreme Council for Shariah in
Nigeria on Sunday, rose in defence of the immediate-past governor of Kaduna
State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai over his six-minute viral video justifying his
choice of appointing Muslims to occupy top positions in the Kaduna State
Government at the expense of Christians.
This was just as Apostle Emmanuel Nuhu Kure, the co-chairman of the
House of Kaduna Family, a peace-building body in the the Kaduna Peace Commission, resigned his
appointment over El-Rufai’s inflammatory statement.
The former governor, who made the
revelation during a meeting with some Islamic clerics on the eve of his final
day in office, said the Muslims voted for the APC during the last election.
In the video, he told his audience that
the dominance of Islam in the governance of Kaduna State had come to stay as he
expressed relief that the trend had been successfully replicated at the
national level with the election of former Lagos Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu,
as president and Kashim Shettima as the vice.
But the Kaduna State chapter of the
Christian Association of Nigeria through its chairman, Rev. John Hayab, in
reaction, urged Nigerians to ignore El-Rufai’s utterances, declaring that the
former governor was only playing a game and seeking attention. The cleric spoke
on Arise Television’s ‘Morning show’.
The CAN’s statement infuriated the
Sharia Council through its state Secretary, AbdurRahman Hassan, in Kaduna on
Sunday, declaring that the Christian Association would have shut up, and follow
the line of Honour! If it had known.
The Council lamented how if not for God,
Nigeria would have long gone after the 2023 general elections because of
unguarded utterances by Christian leaders across the country.
The statement referenced one Apostle
Kassy Chukwu in a video that went viral on social media, where he insinuated
that Tinubu’s wife should have poisoned him, yet the CAN did nothing.
The statement added, “For the past one
week the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Kaduna State Chapter has been
wagging tongues accusing the former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasiru
Ahmad El-Rufa’i for making some statements as far as CAN is concerned, simply
because he aired his view on the political realities of Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“During the campaigns of the just
concluded elections in this country, where was CAN when a majority of pastors
were making unguarded utterances, which if not for the help of Allah (SWT),
Nigeria would have been history.
“Where was CAN when a pastor stood on
the pulpit with AK-47 in Abuja? Where was CAN when some Christian clergies were
making prophecies of doom for this country? But Alhamdu Lillah, all the
hullabaloo, and all the fake and false prophecies, nothing negative happened to
our dear country Nigeria.
“The Muslim Ummah has been tolerant
enough, if not, there is no way, a Muslim Dominated state like Taraba, will be
governed by a Christian. If a plateau state with a population of over 35per
cent Muslims were denied the Deputy Governor slot, why should Kaduna State with
a Muslim population of close to 75 per cent not have Muslim-Muslim ticket?
“CAN should better understand that
democracy is a game of numbers, and that was what played out during the just
concluded presidential elections.
“The Muslim votes were divided into four
places; Mallam Bola Ahmed Tinubu of APC, Alh. Atiku Abubakar of PDP, Engr.
Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso of NNPP and Mallam Kola Abiola of PRP, while the entire
Christians of both northern and southern parts of this country (if not but a
few) gave a bulk vote to Mr. Peter Obi of LP. Despite this, Mallam Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, a Muslim, emerged as the winner of the election and is now our
President.
“Let the politicalised CAN understand
that peace is only achieved when there is justice and adherence to the
democratic norm, which is relative to demographic realities.
“Good men of God always preach peace,
not violence and instigative tendencies which in turn, will be a threat to
peace and development. We eschew CAN to toe the line of honour in neutrality,
rather than playing double standards.”
Meanwhile, Kure, who’s the Founder, of
Throne-room Ministry, Kafanchan, in a letter of resignation which was addressed
to the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Kaduna State Peace Commission, said
the resignation was with immediate effect.
He said he couldn’t in good conscience
serve on a committee that will promote disharmony and the further
disintegration of our great nation.
He alleged that the former Governor of
Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai never executed any of their suggestions from their
several parleys with him.
The letter partly reads, “In the
backdrop of the viral video statement credited to His Excellency, the now
defunct Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai (which he is yet to
openly deny) in which he openly thanked one religion over the other and
explained why his government discriminated against one side and his wish that
the Muslim-Muslim ticket and religion be entrenched as the sole ruler over
Nigeria, which is contrary to my belief and the fairness that my faith teaches
me and that, I think, the Peace Commission stands for.
“I hereby tender my resignation as both
Co-Chair and Member of this laudable Committee because it is clear that we were
set up to serve a diversionary interest and that we were not meant to succeed.
“This may explain why the governor never
executed any of our suggestions from our several parleys with him.
“I cannot in good conscience serve in a
committee that will promote the disharmony, and the further disintegration of
our great nation.
“More so, it is clear that this explains
why he arbitrarily proscribed the Atyap Development Association to send a
warning to the other associations in Southern Kaduna that the same fate awaits
them if they try to bring the plight of Southern Kaduna people to the rest of
the world.
“My prayer is that the current
government will do things to heal the wounds that this grave statement has
brought to Southern Kaduna people and its inappropriate message to all
Christians in Nigeria.
“I also pray that the Federal Government
will find a way of discountenancing his views in other to maintain peace and
mutual trust between the religions in the country.
“I thank the Peace Commission for the
opportunity to serve and to get to know closely the wonderful Muslim leaders
with whom I served on this great committee.
“I will always have respect for them and
the wonderful job we set out to do, and the sacrifice we all made to try to
bring peace and assure the people of the integrity of government to which I
regret today to announce following the speech of His Excellency, that we have
been taken for a ride.
“l am available to serve in any capacity
that will promote sincere peace in any future proper platform with sincere intentions.
“I commend the maturity and hard work of
the leadership of the Peace Commission from the Chairman, to the Vice Chairman
and all the Secretariat staff in their sincere work for peace.”
Source: punchng.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://punchng.com/islamisation-sharia-council-tackles-can-over-el-rufais-comment/
--------
European envoy removed from Africa over
'racist' remark
11 Jun, 2023
Romania’s Foreign Ministry has recalled
its ambassador to Kenya, Dragos Viorel Tigau, the country’s media reported over
the weekend. The diplomat has found himself at the center of a scandal after he
made a remark in late April that sparked a protest from the African side, the
reports said.
The ministry said it became aware of the
scandal only this week as the ambassador had failed to inform his superiors
about his own actions, in violation of existing procedure. According to the
Kenyan and Romanian media, Tigau had allegedly likened Africans to monkeys
during a meeting with other Eastern European diplomats at a UN office in
Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.
“The African group has joined us,” the
Romanian envoy allegedly said after seeing a black monkey in the vicinity of
where the diplomatic meeting was taking place, news website
KenyanForeignPolicy.com reported. Some of the meeting attendees found the
remark insensitive and others found it offensive, the media outlet said,
adding, however, that an African delegation itself had not been present at the
scene at that time.
The African delegation, which included
diplomats from several African nations, then demanded clarification over the
incident from both the ambassador and the Kenyan Foreign Ministry. Efforts were
also made to encourage the UN office in Nairobi to separately seek
clarification over the alleged remark, the African media said.
Kenya’s Foreign Ministry Principal
Secretary Macharia Kamau branded the remarks “intolerable and unacceptable in
any era, let alone in the 21st century in Nairobi.” In a post on Twitter, he
also denounced as shameful what he called “attempts to cover up this disgrace.”
According to the Romanian Foreign
Ministry, the ambassador then offered his apology over the incident, including
in written form. The diplomat was then urgently called back to Bucharest by
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu. The ministry’s Diplomatic Control and
Evaluation Corps (CCED) has launched an internal probe into the incident, the
ministry said.
The Kenyan authorities also initiated an
expulsion procedure against Tigau following Bucharest’s apology,
Johannesburg-based journalist Karabo Letlhatlha told RT.
The Romanian ministry expressed its hope
that “this isolated episode will not affect the … nature of the relationship
between Romania and the countries of the African continent,” adding that
partnership with African nations is an “important priority” for Bucharest.
The incident occurred just months after
a German ambassador was expelled from Chad over an “impolite attitude.” AFP
then reported that the envoy had allegedly been interfering in the African
nation’s internal affairs and making divisive remarks. Berlin slammed Chad’s
justification for the ambassador’s expulsion as “completely incomprehensible”
and expelled the Chadian ambassador in response.
Source: rt.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.rt.com/africa/577865-european-envoy-africa-racist-remark/
--------
10th NASS: Arewa group opposes muslim
emerging Senate President
June 11, 2023
By Gabriel Ewepu
WITH few days to the inauguration of the
10th Assembly, an Arewa group, Arewa New
Agenda ANA, Sunday, opposed a Muslim becoming Senate President, says it
is morally right to allow a Christian to emerge the President of the 10th
Senate, and should be from South-South geopolitical zone of the country, which
it threw weight behind Senator Godswill Akpabio, in that regard.
This was contained in a statement signed
by the Convener, ANA, Sen Ahmed Abubakar MoAllahyidi, where it pointed out that
the President and Vice President are Muslims, the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN
is a Muslim and the front-runner for the Speaker of the House of
Representatives is also a Muslim.
The statement reads in part, “As a
northern voice engaging in the promotion of social harmony and peaceful
coexistence in our great country Nigeria, we are speaking ahead of the
inauguration of the 10th national assembly coming up in the next few days-
essentially to add our voice and prevail on our newly elected distinguished
senators and honorable members of the house of representatives to use the
election of their presiding officers as an activity that will demonstrate
social peace building, national cohesion and healing.
“The election of principal officers of
the two chambers of the national assembly is coming at a time when some
sections of the polity are already jittery of the fact that the President and
Vice President are Muslims, the Chief Justice of Nigeria CJN is a Muslim and
the front-runner for the Speaker of the house of representatives is also a
Muslim.
“ANA is concerned that a situation where
all the leadership of the Executive, Legislature and the judiciary are Muslims
does not provide the needed balance, inclusion and cohesion that our diversity
requires at this moment; it is for this reason that the quest to have a
Southern Christian as President of the 10th Senate is laudable, commendable and
most reassuring.
“Taking deliberate steps to reserve the
position for the South with a Christian on the saddle is a bold move that has
the propensity of further uniting Nigeria across both tribal and religious
lines. It is a very desirable and progressive move that is capable of
engendering peace and national stability.
“It will also demonstrate empathy,
accommodation and a sense of belonging that will erode the fear of exclusion
and marginalization. ANA is however mindful of the fact that in the lead up to
the determination of the Leadership of the 10th Senate, many highly qualified
contenders have publicly thrown their hats into the ring; they come from
different regions of the country; we therefore respectfully impress on the
northerners among them especially the Muslims, to defer their ambition as a
sacrifice to promote the spirit of brotherhood, fraternal accommodation and
goodwill.”
According to the group, a groundswell of
patriotic and informed leaders have in recent times spoken of the iterative fit
of someone from the South-South Geopolitical Zone to head the 10th Senate.
“This being the only Zone never to have
held the Position of Senate President in this era of our democratic expression
(1999 to date) the current dispensation requires leaders with character and
tenacity; Senator Godswill Akpabio comes across as a gifted leader with an
uncommon grace to navigate the treacherous and difficult political landscape,
having built enduring bridges across the Political, ethnic and religious
landscape of a multifaceted country like Nigeria, his political sagacity and
accommodating win-win ethos will be the highly needed skills required to head the
10th Senate.
“For the APC as a political party, it is
time to reward Nigerians who put their fate in the hands of the party despite
the clamor by pundits who vehemently oppose the choice of two Muslims as
President and Vice President. It is therefore critical to reduce the usual
acrimony that characterizes struggle for power among the geo-political zones,
in a manner that will reduce unnecessary distractions and foster a peaceful and
smooth take-off of the new dispensation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu”, it
added.
Source: vanguardngr.com
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Saudi Arabia, US condemn return to violence
in Sudan
June 12, 2023
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and the US on
Sunday urged the warring parties in Sudan to get their acts together after
fighting resumed upon the expiration of a 24-hour cease-fire.
In a joint statement, the partners
condemned the resumption of violence, which they said was regrettable
considering that the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces
(RSF) have demonstrated effective command and control over their forces during
the ceasefire period.
As soon as the 24-hour cease-fire ended
Sunday, heavy clashes and artillery fire erupted across Sudan’s capital
Khartoum.
More than 1,800 have been reported
killed since the the army led by Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and the RSF led by
his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo began fighting in mid-April, according
to figures from the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.
Saudi Arabia and the US managed to get
the two sides to the negotiation table in May, signing what had become known as
the Jeddah Declaration committing to the restoration of peace in the
impoverished North African nation.
A number of temporary cease-fires have
been agreed upon to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to trapped
civilians, but the violence has persisted.
The two warring sides had “agreed to
allow the unimpeded movement and delivery of humanitarian assistance throughout
the country,” the Saudi foreign ministry said on Saturday.
In the joint statement on Sunday, Saudi
and US facilitators said they “stand ready to reconvene formal talks in Jeddah,
but only once the parties demonstrate their commitment to uphold their
obligations under the Jeddah Declaration to Protect the Civilians of Sudan.”
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the
United States continue to stand by the people of Sudan and urge the parties to
end the fighting immediately.
“There is no acceptable military
solution to the conflict. Besides engaging with the parties, facilitators
continue to coordinate with regional and international partners to stop the
fighting and minimize its impact on the region, and to intensify coordination
with Sudanese civilian stakeholders, who must be the authors of their country's
future,” said the statement released by the Saudi Foreign Ministry.
Fighting has been concentrated in the
capital, much of which has become a war zone plagued by looting and clashes.
But unrest has also flared elsewhere including the western region of Darfur,
already suffering from a conflict that peaked in the early 2000s.
Residents and activists have reported a
further deterioration in recent days in El Geneina, near the border with Chad,
and new waves of attacks by Arab nomadic tribes with ties to the RSF.
Among those killed were a number of
human rights activists, lawyers and doctors, according to the Darfur Bar
Association, which monitors the conflict in the region.
The city has been largely cut off from
telephone networks for several weeks.
A record 25 million people — more than
half the population — are in need of aid and protection, according to the UN.
Fighting has gripped Khartoum and the
western region of Darfur, uprooting nearly two million people, including
476,000 who have sought refuge in neighboring countries, the United Nations
says.
More than 200,000 of those have entered
Egypt, mostly by land.
But Cairo on Saturday announced it was
toughening requirements for those Sudanese who had previously been exempted
from visas — women of all ages, children under 16 and anyone over 50.
Egypt said the new requirements were not
designed to “prevent or limit” the entry of Sudanese people, but rather to stop
“illegal activities by individuals and groups on the Sudanese side of the
border, who forged entry visas” for profit.
Source: arabnews.com
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Tunisia’s president urges aid to stem
migration as European leaders visit
June 11, 2023
TUNIS: Tunisia’s president hosted the
leaders of Italy, the Netherlands and the EU on Sunday for talks aimed at
smoothing the way for an international bailout and restoring stability to a
country that has become a major source of migration to Europe.
Meanwhile, the EU on Sunday offered
major financial support to Tunisia. The EU is ready to offer Tunisia a €900
million package plus €150 million in immediate support, European Commission
head Ursula von der Leyen said on a joint visit with the Italian and Dutch
prime ministers.
Aside from trade and investment, it
would help Tunisia with border management and to combat human trafficking, with
support worth 100 million euros this year, she said.
On the eve of the talks, Tunisian
President Kais Saied made an unannounced visit to a migrant camp in the coastal
city of Sfax, a central jumping-off point for boat journeys crossing the
Mediterranean to Italy. Saied spoke with families living in the camp, and
pleaded for international aid for Africans who converge on Tunisia as a transit
point to reach Europe.
Support from Tunisia’s president is
crucial to any European deal to curb migration. Tunisian Prime Minister Najla
Bouden met Sunday with Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, Dutch Prime Minister
Mark Rutte and Ursula von der Leyen, according to images released by Meloni’s
office.
Stemming migration is a top priority for
the far-right Meloni, who was making her second trip in a week to Tunisia.
Italy is the destination for most Europe-bound migrants leaving from the North
African nation, whose economy is teetering toward collapse.
Saied has balked at conditions for $1.9
billion in stalled International Monetary Fund support, which includes cuts to
subsidies on flour and fuel, cuts to the large public administration sector,
and the privatization of loss-making public companies.
The president warns such moves would
unleash social unrest, and bristles at what he calls Western diktats. The
population is already restive, and disillusioned with both Saied’s leadership
and the country’s decade-long experiment with democracy.
That has pushed more and more Tunisians
to risk dangerous boat journeys across the Mediterranean to seek a better life
in Europe. Tunisia is also a major transit point for others seeking to migrate:
sub-Saharan Africans make up the majority of those who leave from Tunisia’s
shores.
“Tunisia is a priority, because
destabilization in Tunisia would have serious repercussions
on the stability of all Northern Africa,
and those repercussions inevitably arrive here,” Meloni
said Thursday.
The European leaders brought a packet of
initiatives to improve security in Tunisia, easing the way for the IMF’s help,
Meloni said. The European Commission said talks would center on making progress
on an EU-Tunisia agreement focused on the economy, energy and migration.
Saied has said that addressing his
country’s problems requires not only improved security but also “tools to
eliminate misery, poverty and deprivation.
The Fitch ratings agency further
downgraded Tunisia’s default rating from CCC+ to CCC- on Friday, meaning the
country is inching closer to potentially defaulting on its debt. The agency
cited the government’s failure to pursue the reforms needed to free up the IMF
funds.
Tunisia’s budget deficit was aggravated
by the COVID-19 pandemic and fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the IMF
aid was stalled amid political tensions and Saied resistance to the required
reforms. Saied disbanded parliament and had the constitution rewritten to give
more power to the presidency.
Saied said Tunisia is struggling to cope
with migrants from other African countries who settle in Tunisia or transit
through, and called for international aid to fight migrant smuggling networks
that “consider these immigrants as merchandise thrown into the sea or the sands
of the desert.”
During his visit to the Sfax camp
Saturday, the president described African migrants as “victims of a global
system that treats them not as human beings, but as mere numbers, and it is
unacceptable for us to play the policeman for other countries. The solution
must be collective ... (and) this situation that Tunisia is going through is
abnormal, and we must put an end to this inhuman situation.”
For years, Tunisia has been one of the
few countries with repatriation agreements with Italy, and so Tunisians who
enter illegally and do not have grounds to seek asylum are sent back. A
migrants’ advocacy group, the Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights,
held a demonstration when Meloni visited the country on Tuesday and planned
another for Sunday.
Source: arabnews.com
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EU considers aid to Tunisia to boost
economy, reduce migrant flows
June 11, 2023
TUNIS: The European Union on Sunday said
it is considering more than one billion euros in aid to boost crisis-hit
Tunisia’s economy and reduce the flow of irregular migrants across the
Mediterranean Sea.
The North African country, highly
indebted and in talks for an IMF bailout loan, is a gateway for migrants and
asylum-seekers attempting the dangerous voyages to Europe.
The EU is ready to offer Tunisia 900
million euros in long-term aid plus 150 million euros in immediate support in a
bid to “strengthen our relationship,” European Commission head Ursula von der
Leyen said on a joint visit with the Italian and Dutch prime ministers.
The aid would be contingent on approval
of the nearly $2 billion loan currently under negotiation with the
International Monetary Fund, according to a document posted on the European
Commission’s website.
But Tunisian President Kais Saied again
on Tuesday rejected what he termed the “diktats” of the Washington-based
lender.
Aside from trade and investment, the EU
package would help Tunisia with border management and to combat human
trafficking, with support worth 100 million euros this year, von der Leyen
said.
“We both have a vast interest in
breaking the cynical business model of smugglers and traffickers,” she said.
“It is horrible to see how they deliberately risk human lives for profit.”
She said other joint projects with the
bloc would help Tunisia export clean renewable energy to Europe, and deliver
high-speed broadband, all with the aim of creating jobs and to “boost growth
here in Tunisia.”
Von der Leyen, after the four-way talks
with Saied, said she hoped an EU-Tunisia agreement could be signed before the
next European summit later this month.
She stressed that the EU is Tunisia’s
top trade and investment partner and had “supported Tunisia’s path to
democracy” since it became the birthplace of the Arab Spring popular revolts in
2011, describing it as “a long and difficult road.”
Von der Leyen visited Tunisia with
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her Dutch counterpart Mark Rutte for
talks with Saied, who has assumed near total governing powers over the country
since 2021.
EU governments, under pressure to reduce
migrant arrivals, last week agreed on steps to fast-track migrant returns to
their countries of origin or transit countries deemed “safe,” including
Tunisia.
Italy’s far-right premier, Meloni, on
her second Tunisia visit within a week, said she was “satisfied” with the EU
offer of “a real partnership to face the migratory crisis and the question of
development” in Tunisia.
Tunisia lies less than 150 kilometers
(90 miles) from the Italian island of Lampedusa, and has long been a departure
point for migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan African countries.
According to the UN’s refugee agency,
51,215 migrants have arrived illegally by sea in Italy so far this year, up
more than 150 percent from last year, and nearly 1,000 have died or disappeared
at sea.
An increasing number of the migrants
hail from Tunisia, whose tourism-based economy was hit hard by the Covid
pandemic and is now marked by high inflation and unemployment.
Tunisia reached an in-principle deal
last year for an IMF bailout loan of around $2 billion.
But talks have since stalled over the
reforms demanded by the fund, especially on state-run enterprises and the
scrapping of state subsidies on basic goods.
Source: arabnews.com
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Mideast
Mullahs’ Regime’s Terrorists and
Mercenaries Attack NCRI Supporters’ Building In Saint-Ouen-L’Aumône, North
Paris
11th June 2023
In today’s early hours of June 11, 2023,
a building owned by supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
(NCRI) in the city of Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, north of Paris, came under attack by
the mullahs’ regime’s terrorists and mercenaries from the Quds Force and the
Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS). Two assailants hurled incendiary devices
toward the building’s entrance. However, upon being pursued by residents, they
swiftly escaped the area using a pre-arranged vehicle. Notably, the mercenaries
were conversing in Farsi.
The fire at the entrance was quickly
extinguished, causing no harm to anyone. Firefighters and the police promptly
arrived at the scene and initiated an investigation.
It is worth mentioning that a similar
incident occurred at the same location on May 31, 2023, at 6 am, when six
gunshots were fired from the street. Fortunately, no one was injured. The
police had been investigating the matter discreetly. The investigation at the
scene has been completed, with all relevant details documented, samples
collected, and footage recorded. These consecutive acts of terrorism,
perpetrated by the religious fascism ruling in Iran on French soil, leave no
room for doubt.
As previously stated by the Iranian
Resistance, the release of Assadollah Assadi, a terrorist diplomat who
orchestrated the bombing at the Iranian Resistance gathering in Villepinte,
Paris, in June 2018, has emboldened the mullahs’ regime in committing further
acts of terrorism.
The Iranian Resistance urges the French
government, police, and judiciary to apprehend the culprits and masterminds
behind these terrorist acts, ensuring they face due legal process. Furthermore,
the complete disclosure of all documents and the revelation of all details are
necessary to inform the public at large.
Source: ncr-iran.org
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https://www.ncr-iran.org/en/news/iran-resistance/mullahs-regimes-terrorists-and-mercenaries-attack-ncri-supporters-building-in-saint-ouen-laumone-north-paris/
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Ex-Military Chief, Gadi Eisenkot, Says
Israel ‘Was Asked’ To Attack Islamic State In 2015
11 June 2023
Former military chief of staff Gadi
Eisenkot on Sunday revealed that the Israel Defence Forces was asked by a third
party to carry out operational attacks against the Islamic State jihadist group
in 2015.
Speaking at an event hosted by the
Institute for National Security Studies, Eisenkot — a current MK with the
National Unity party — said that “Islamic State knows best how much the IDF
operated in the Middle East: They paid a price of hundreds of killed and
injured.”
Eisenkot said that “during 2015, there
was an event in a certain place where we were asked to carry out an attack.”
The IDF carried out “a relatively broad attack and harmed a great number of
ISIS fighters,” he said.
The former IDF chief did not elaborate
on who made such a request and where the activity took place, although he said
the IDF operated against the terror group “in many more than one country.” He
added that some of the IDF’s activity “went under the radar” at the time.
“There are not many countries in the
world who know how to locate targets the size of a podium and get a missile on
a target within a 1,000-kilometer radius around Israel,” Eisenkot said. “Our
enemies saw it, the Russians saw it, the Americans saw it.”
“[Many parts of the] army were involved
in this campaign: Military Intelligence, Air Force, special units, foreign
relations,” he added.
In 2018, it was reported that Israeli
drones, fighter jets, and helicopter gunships carried out more than 100
airstrikes against Islamic State-affiliated terrorists over a two-year period
in Egypt’s Sinai Desert, close to Israel’s border.
While security coordination between
Jerusalem and Cairo is known to be close, the ties are unpopular in Egypt,
despite nearly decades of official peace. In order to keep the cooperation
under wraps, the Israeli aircraft were often unmarked and sometimes used
indirect routes in a bid to cover up the origin of the strikes, The New York
Times reported at the time.
In May 2022, Islamic State accused
Israel of helping Egypt in assassinating a local jihadist group leader in
northern Sinai.
Israeli and Egyptian officials have
refused to confirm or comment on the reports.
Source: timesofisrael.com
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https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-military-chief-says-israel-was-asked-to-attack-islamic-state-in-2015/
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‘Nothing wrong’ with nuclear deal with
West, says Khamenei
June 12, 2023
DUBAI: Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday
said a deal with the West over Tehran’s nuclear work was possible if the
country’s nuclear infrastructure remained intact, amid a stalemate between
Tehran and Washington to revive a 2015 nuclear pact.
Months of indirect talks between Tehran
and Washington to salvage the nuclear accord with six major powers have stalled
since September, with both sides accusing each other of making unreasonable
demands.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s guarded
approval comes days after both Tehran and Washington denied a report that they
were nearing an interim deal under which Tehran would curb its nuclear
programme in return for sanctions relief.
“There is nothing wrong with the
agreement (with the West), but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry
should not be touched,” Khamenei said, according to state media.
A US State Department spokesperson
declined specific comment on Khamenei’s remarks, reiterating the Biden
administration stance that the United States “is committed to never allowing
Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon.”
“We believe diplomacy is the best way to
achieve that goal on a verifiable and durable basis, but the President has also
been clear that we have not removed any option from the table,” he said,
alluding to the possibility of military action.
“We will not characterise the nature of
an Iranian leader’s remarks,” the spokesperson added.
The 2015 agreement limited Iran’s
uranium enrichment activity to make it harder for Tehran to develop nuclear
arms, in return for lifting international sanctions.
Then-US President Donald Trump exited
the pact in 2018 and re-imposed sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy,
leading Tehran to gradually move well beyond the deal’s nuclear restrictions
and reviving US, European and Israeli fears that Iran may seek an atomic bomb.
Echoing Iran’s official stance for
years, Khamenei said the Islamic Republic has never sought to build a nuclear
bomb.
“Accusations about Tehran seeking
nuclear weapons is a lie and they know it. We do not want nuclear arms because
of our religious beliefs. Otherwise, they (the West) would not have been able
to stop it,” Khamenei said.
Khamenei, who has the last say on all
state matters, said the country’s nuclear authorities should continue working
with the UN nuclear watchdog “under the framework of safeguards.”
However, Khamenei called on Iranian
authorities not to yield to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA)
“excessive and false demands”, adding that a law passed by Iran’s hard-line
parliament in 2020 had to be respected.
Under the law, Tehran would suspend IAEA
inspections of its nuclear sites and step up uranium enrichment if sanctions
are not lifted.
“This is a good law … which must be
respected and not violated in providing access and information (to the IAEA),”
Khamenei said.
Last month, the IAEA reported limited
progress over disputed issues with Iran, including re-installing some
monitoring equipment originally put in place under the 2015 pact that Tehran
ordered removed last year.
Source: dawn.com
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Two Yemeni soldiers killed in Al-Qaeda
attack in Shabwa
June 11, 2023
AL-MUKALLA: Two Yemeni soldiers were
killed and three others were injured on Sunday morning when Al-Qaeda militants
attacked their outpost in the southern province of Shabwa, local officials and
media reports said.
This was Al-Qaeda’s bloodiest strike on
government troops in the south in months.
Shabwa Defense Forces said that Al-Qaeda
attacked a military outpost in Al-Musenah region of Shabwa with heavy machine
guns and other weapons, triggering clashes that left two soldiers dead and
three others wounded.
Local media reported that Al-Qaeda
militants retreated to the mountainous region of Al-Musenah shortly after
carrying out the attack.
Since September, when pro-independence
southern troops initiated military operations within the militants’
long-standing hideouts in Shabwa and Abyan, Al-Qaeda has employed insurgent
tactics, primarily the planting of landmines and improvised explosive devices,
in its efforts to confront government troops.
Due to a paucity of manpower and
firepower, as well as infighting between different factions of Al-Qaeda,
according to experts, militants have avoided engaging in direct combat with
southern forces or attacking their bases.
Yemeni counterterrorism expert Saeed
Obeid Al-Jemhi told Arab News that Al-Qaeda’s most recent deadly attack in
Shabwa was intended to send a message that the group is still powerful and able
to inflict damage on its opponents, as well as to persuade reluctant and
potential new members who believed the organization was on the decline.
“The assault is violent and horrific.
Al-Qaeda is floundering and is searching for any potential weak points that
could have a significant impact,” Al-Jemhi said.
This time, the militants took advantage
of extensive public anger following the assassination of a religious figure in
Shabwa and the dispute between factions in the province to launch an attack.
“They want to resurrect memories of the
past when the organization emerged with strong operations and perhaps persuade
some of the young men who have lost interest in joining them since the organization
has become weak, as well as to demonstrate that there is still strong
leadership.”
During the last ten months, local
military and security forces have boasted of making military achievements in
their war against Al-Qaeda by driving it out of Omaran Valley in Abyan, as well
as other harsh and isolated locations in Shabwa.
Observers argue that Al-Qaeda’s attack
in Shabwa and the increasing number of casualties among southern forces
contradict reports of military successes against the militants.
“There have been certain successes that
should not be overlooked. But there are also exaggerations. There are
operations (for Al-Qaeda) that occurred in previously cleared regions,”
Al-Jemhi said.
“The war against Al-Qaeda in Yemen is
still in its infancy, and there are exaggerations to persuade outsiders and the
region that they have won,” he added.
Source: arabnews.com
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GCC ministers condemn Israeli
settlements in occupied Palestinian territories
June 11, 2023
RIYADH: A meeting of foreign ministers
from the Gulf Cooperation Council on Sunday condemned Israel’s continued
construction of settlement units in occupied Palestinian territories.
The 156th ministerial meeting was held
at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the GCC in Riyadh, the Saudi
Press Agency reported.
The ministers rejected Israeli attempts
to annex settlements or impose sovereignty over them, which they said was in
contravention of international resolutions, most notably UN Security Council
Resolution 2334. They also urged the international community to put pressure on
the Israeli government to reverse its settlement policies.
The council also condemned Israel’s incursions
into Al-Aqsa Mosque and its attempts to Judaize Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, the council praised Saudi
Arabia’s efforts, in cooperation with the Arab League and EU, to revive the
Arab Peace Initiative and challenge Israeli breaches. It also praised the
support of GCC countries for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees.
The council also reaffirmed its support
for the sovereignty of the Palestinian people in all Palestinian territories
occupied since 1967, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state
with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The meeting lauded the success of Saudi
Arabia in hosting several key international and regional events, including the
32nd Arab Summit in Jeddah, while emphasizing the significance of unifying Arab
countries.
It also commended Saudi Arabia and the
UAE for their achievements in space exploration, knowledge growth and
scientific research.
The council also discussed enhancing
joint Gulf action as well as developments concerning Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Sudan,
Libya, Afghanistan and the crisis in Ukraine.
Source: arabnews.com
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Tourists, crew members rescued after
boat catches fire in Egypt’s southern Red Sea
June 11, 2023
CAIRO: Egyptian authorities said three
British tourists were missing after a scuba diving boat they were cruising in
caught fire on the Red Sea coastline on Sunday.
The Red Sea Governorate said 26 people
including 12 crew members were rescued when the medium-sized scuba diving boat,
Hurricane, went up in flames off the southern Red Sea resort town of Marsa
Alam.
A search party was launched to find the
remaining three tourists.
Citing initial investigations, Egyptian
authorities said an electrical short circuit in the boat’s engine room sparked
the blaze.
The Public Prosecution Office moved to
examine and investigate the cause of the fire.
The motor yacht departed on June 6 from
Port Ghalib Marina and was scheduled to return on Sunday.
The rescued tourists and the crew were
taken to the beach of Marsa Shagra Village. They are in good health and
unharmed.
The fire in the boat was reported while
the vessel was reaching the Elphinstone region, 25 km north of Marsa Alam.
Maj. Gen. Mohammed Bandari, secretary of
the Red Sea Governorate, said that the Egyptian Ambulance Authority and the
Directorate of Health Affairs had been notified to raise the maximum level of
readiness.
The Red Sea Governorate is one of the
largest in Egypt.
All its cities and villages overlook the
Red Sea coast.
On Thursday, a Russian tourist was
killed by a shark while swimming off the coast of the Red Sea city of Hurghada.
Tourist destinations on the coasts of
the Red Sea are the largest, as they have hundreds of tourist and hotel
facilities, in addition to dozens of infrastructure facilities serving the
industry.
According to the latest statistics of
the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, the governorates of the Red Sea and
South Sinai contained 511 hotel establishments in 2022, in addition to 439
centers for marine activities and diving.
Egypt’s Red Sea resorts host some of the
country’s most renowned beach destinations and are popular with European
travelers.
The region has cemented its reputation
as a dive destination with easy access to coral reefs containing diverse marine
life.
In recent years, Egypt has gone to great
lengths to bolster its tourism industry, hurt by years of political
instability, COVID-19 and the negative economic effects of the conflict in
Ukraine.
Source: arabnews.com
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Trials of Islamic State foreign fighters
in Syria to start in days
11 June 2023
Trials of thousands of foreign Islamic
State fighters imprisoned in Syria are set to begin within a “few days”, local
authorities said as they attacked their partners for failing to help repatriate
the terrorists.
The Kurdish administration in the
northeast of Syria, responsible for holding the terror group since they
destroyed the so-called caliphate, told The Telegraph the prosecutions would
start this week.
It came as they blamed the international
community – parts of which armed and
supported them in the fight against Islamic State – for dragging its heels in helping bring the
fighters to justice.
In a statement at the weekend announcing
their intention to begin trials, the Kurdish authorities also warned that the
security situation in the jails was deteriorating.
The trials were unexpectedly announced
by the US-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES),
which is outside of Damascus’ control, on Saturday.
The announcement left western diplomats
on the back foot and did not appear to have been negotiated with Washington,
their main backer. The US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken just two days
before had called on countries to repatriate their citizens and not “burden”
affected countries with them.
Western diplomats said that the trials
were not discussed on the sidelines of the anti-Islamic State coalition summit
in Saudi Arabia.
The authority blamed the “failure of the
international community” in not responding to their years-long calls for
repatriation of foreign fighters or for an international tribunal to put them
on trial.
Around a dozen British and former
British suspected Islamic State fighters are estimated to be in prisons in
northeast Syria, while almost 50 Islamic State-affiliated women and innocent
children are in squalid camps. They include Shamima Begum, who was stripped of
her citizenship.
A spokesman for the AANES told The
Telegraph that only the prisoners will be put on trial while they try to find a
solution for the camps.
It is not immediately clear what
criteria the authorities are setting for who goes on trial. Guards have been
known to rally male children from the camps and send them to adult prisons when
they reach adolescence.
Analysts – as well as the US-backed
Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia who secure the prisons and camps – have
been warning for years that the fragile situation is a ticking time bomb for an
IS resurgence. Public trials could be a prime time for another prison break.
The trials, authorities said, will be
“open, free and transparent,” but rights groups have raised concern of whether
they will have due process in reality.
Islamic State fighters, and their wives
and children, from over 60 countries were captured by the SDF during battles
with the terror group. More than 10,000 fighters – including 2,000 foreigners –
have been held in makeshift prisons since Islamic State’s territorial defeat in
2019. Some 50,000 women and innocent children are crammed into camps that are
rife with extremism.
“There are only a small number of
British men in these prisons, but it’s impossible to know how many as they are
held incommunicado,” said Katherine Cornett, head of UK-based campaigning group
Reprieve’s North-East Syria team. “They are in a legal black hole which makes
it very hard to understand how fair trials could possibly occur. The only
realistic way to ensure justice is to repatriate them and try them in British
courts, where there is a case to answer.”
Western diplomats working on the complex
issue told The Telegraph that the announcement had caught them with surprise
and they were urgently trying to get in contact with the AANES.
The spokesman said that the trials are
expected to begin in the coming days. The court will be open to rights
organisations, journalists and members of the public, he said. Lawyers will be
provided and paid for by the administration, though he did not clarify whether
the accused would be able to bring their own lawyers.
The cases that will be brought against
the first defendants are being prepared now.
Repatriation has been slow –
particularly for the male fighters in prisons – but four years after the
territorial defeat, the UK is now the only major western power still taking a
hardline stance not to bring them home for trial. Canada was forced this year
to repatriate British-born “Jihadi Jack” after the British Government stripped
him of his citizenship. The US also took high-profile British detainees
Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh.
The statement from AANES called on the
international community to help facilitate the trials.
“The US-led coalition against ISIS, the
UN, and detainees’ countries of origin should support fair trials in NE Syria,
in home countries or a third country. Anything less is not only a violation of
these detainees’ rights to due process. It’s also an injustice to ISIS
victims,” Letta Tayler, a counter-terrorism expert at Human Rights Watch said
on Twitter.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
Please click the
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https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2023/06/11/syria-islamic-state-foreign-fighters-trials-to-begin/
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Southeast Asia
The truth about travelling in Aceh,
Indonesia’s marijuana-crazy, ultraconservative Muslim-majority province, where
sharia law rules
12 Jun, 2023
Recently, 23-year-old Australian Bodhi
Mani Risby-Jones made global headlines after he attacked a local fisherman
during a drunken, naked rampage in Aceh, an ultraconservative Muslim-majority
province on the western tip of Sumatra island, in Indonesia.
After his arrest in late April, many of
the foreign news reports focused on the fact that, under Aceh’s strict sharia
or Islamic criminal law, Risby-Jones faced not only a lengthy prison sentence
but also a public flogging.
Described by Amnesty International
Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid as “cruel, inhuman and degrading
treatment” that “may amount to torture”, public flogging is frequently doled
out in Aceh for apparently benign crimes such as playing live music, mingling with
the members of the opposite sex, drinking alcohol, gambling, cross-dressing and
same-sex relationships.
Last year, a woman collapsed twice while
being flogged 100 times for adultery, and in 2018, two men were flogged for
playing a children’s game considered a violation of sharia law. In the same
year, the Aceh administration debated in parliament the introduction of
beheading as a punishment for murder, although nothing came of it.
After striking a compensation deal with
his victim for US$20,000, Risby-Jones will be allowed to return home without
serving any additional time after his remand period. But the incident has
reinforced the image of Aceh as a backward, primitive place populated by
extremists and fanatics where foreigners should not dare tread. But is that a
fair assessment?
Before Risby-Jones disgraced himself, I
visited Aceh.
I arrive in Lhokseumawe, a port city on
Aceh’s northern coast where a German tourist was temporarily detained by
religious police in 2016 for wearing board shorts on a beach. I, too, have an
issue with my swimming attire, while doing laps at the pool at the Lido Grand
Hotel, when I am asked by a staff member to wear a pair of shorts over my
Speedos.
The next day, I ride a rented motorcycle
westwards.
The provincial capital, Banda Aceh, was
flattened by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami but has since been
rebuilt around the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque, one of a small number of
buildings that survived the disaster and a symbol of the spirit and struggle of
the Acehnese people.
Non-Muslims are not allowed inside so I
instead walk around the building, rebuilt 142 years ago after a fire, with its
seven domes, eight minarets and 32 pillars.
That evening, while dining at a seafood
restaurant on the waterfront, I am approached by members of Aceh’s religious
police force, dressed in body-hugging uniforms similar to those worn by
policemen in Thailand.
They have no interest in checking my
passport or ensuring that I am dressed and behaving in accordance with sharia
law; they just want to say hello and welcome me to Aceh, as Westerners are a
rare sight here.
When I ask whether female travellers
must cover their heads like local women do, one officer says that they must
only if they are Muslim. The officers have no remit to police the dress code of
non-Muslims, be they foreigners or locals, and spend most of their time telling
off teenagers for socialising in public with members of the opposite sex.
I experience the same warm welcome
everywhere in Aceh: people come up to me on the street, at restaurants and in
hotels and ask me where I come from and whether I’ll pose for a group selfie –
something they will show their friends and family to prove they have
fraternised with a bule, or foreigner.
From Banda Aceh, I ride south to the
Gayo Highlands, in the geographic heart of the province.
The smooth black undulating ribbon of
asphalt is edged by giant ferns and ancient hardwood trees, sluiced by raging
rivers and topped with cloud-ringed mountain ranges that rise all around and as
far as the eye can see.
At the first mountain pass, I stop for
lunch at a restaurant with panoramic mountain views and order mie Aceh – Aceh
noodles.
The waiter gives me a wink before
sashaying off to place my order in the kitchen, a gesture I understand only after
taking a few bites of the delicious gravy and buffalo meat concoction he brings
me. It is laced with marijuana.
While illegal in Indonesia, marijuana is
deeply embedded in Acehnese culture and authorities turn a blind eye to its
consumption.
It’s used as an additive in many dishes,
even in coffee and tea, is sold openly at wet markets and grows wild by the
roadside. Men smoke in private, as I discover when I am invited into the home
of my guide, Dicky, after a half-day trek in the Mount Leuser National Park,
one of the last places in the world where you can see orangutans in the wild.
I am even more surprised when a couple
of Dicky’s friends turn up with plastic bags containing a white liquid that
they say is alcohol.
Despite being prohibited under sharia
law, this susu (milk) is sold under the counter at corner stores throughout
Aceh, and drunk by groups of men after dark, in private.
Women do not partake as it is not
socially acceptable, Dicky explains, but they profit from the practice by
making the booze from coconut milk, in backyard distilleries.
Like the arak that is consumed by locals in
Bali, susu can contain dangerous quantities of methanol and can lead to
blindness or death. Dicky and his friends do not seem to be concerned and drink
it like water.
“People think we are all so serious in
Aceh, that all we do is pray and go to the mosque,” he says, on condition that
his surname be withheld. “But us Aceh guys, we love to party.”
The following day, I park by a roadhouse
in the mountains in which a road crew is having breakfast.
The forewoman, Dian, is a civil engineer
who earned a master’s degree at a university in Melbourne, Australia. She tells
me women can do all kinds of work in Aceh and she is living proof. And she
feels safe in Aceh.
“In Melbourne, men would often try to
pick me up when I sat at cafés and even when I was studying in the library and
clearly wanted to be left alone,” she says. “But in Aceh, men never bother me.
“I don’t agree with caning, except for
extreme crimes like child abuse and rape. But once in Australia, a man wouldn’t
take no for an answer and followed me off the tram and down the road at night.
I had to run to get away from him.
“I think if there was a possibility he
could have been caned, he probably would’ve left me alone.”
After a week in Aceh, my life has been
enriched with snapshots of beautiful places, fond memories of friendly faces
and insight into a culture that, despite a proclivity for corporal punishment,
is as rich, colourful and welcoming as in any other part of Indonesia.
Source: scmp.com
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Minister Sandiaga Uno Encourages Islamic
School Students to Embark on Entrepreneurship
11 June 2023
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Minister of Tourism
and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno urged students of pesantren (Islamic boarding
school), commonly called santri, nationwide to embark on entrepreneurship
through various programs provided by the ministry.
At a gathering with religious leaders
and students of Al-Itqon Pesantren on Friday (June 9) evening, the minister
stated that entrepreneurship programs would help to resolve the students'
concerns regarding difficulties in finding jobs.
"Hence, students are encouraged to
open new business opportunities through various programs from the ministry for
them to embark on (careers in the) creative economy and tourism sectors,"
Uno stated.
The minister highlighted that two main
ministry programs that pesantren students, locally known as santri, can partake
in are the Santri Digitalpreneur program, under which they will learn about
digitalization and the creative economy training program.
"They can also embark into the
culinary and fashion sectors where the demand is huge," he pointed out.
Uno encouraged santris to play their
role as drivers in the development of national human resources in the future.
"We have developed the
infrastructure and to ensure they will get a job, they must be nurtured by
knowledge and noble character," he affirmed.
"Thus, we can become an advanced
country, and they will create new jobs instead of looking for one," the
minister explained.
Uno also noted that religious tourism
sites in Indonesia, such as the trail to the graves of Wali Sanga, the nine
Javanese saints credited to the spread of Islam in Java, hold high potential to
be developed further.
"We should arrange religious
tourism in the form of ziarah (grave visit) tourism with historical enrichment
(to tell) how the spread of Islam in Indonesia was conducted by approaches
harmonious with the local culture and wisdom," Sandiaga Uno remarked.
Source: en.tempo.co
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://en.tempo.co/read/1736044/minister-sandiaga-uno-encourages-islamic-school-students-to-embark-on-entrepreneurship
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Madani economic narrative to be launched
in August, says PM Anwar
By Kenneth Tee
Monday, 12 Jun 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim who introduced the Madani concept is expected to
launch its economic narrative in August.
He said the Madani narrative aims to
provide each ministry and agency in clear directions in implementing the unity
government’s economic plans, which include the creation of a high valued
sustainable economy, expanding social protections by empowering individuals and
reforming the labour market.
He added that the government will
continue existing policies at the same time.
“We have some economic analysis that we
touched on briefly in the Madani handbook but the Economy Ministry and other
ministries together with the private sector are involved in stakeholder
meetings to formulate some of the policies I mentioned,” he said in a press
conference after chairing a National Economic Action Council (NEAC) meeting in
Putrajaya.
Anwar said the narrative framework will
comprise several economic pillars that will be executed in stages, including
the development of green technology, prioritisation of investment and labour
management.
He also said economic reforms are also
expected to be finalised in upcoming NEAC meetings by taking account of present
challenges in the global economy.
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
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Dr Wan Azizah: Continuous education,
skills training important for women in leadership positions
Monday, 12 Jun 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — Continous
education, upskilling, reskilling and cross skilling are important to ensure
women are continuously equipped with the ability to remain at the top of
leadership, said the Prime Minister’s wife Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also the Girl
Guides Association of Malaysia president, said women must ensure that their
participation in leadership positions is due to their possession of appropriate
skills and not just to fill quotas.
“Choosing women should not be a matter
of obligation by regulations. We women should be the preferred choice due to
our capabilities,” she said in her opening address for the Asia Pacific Region
Intergenerational Leadership Roundtable here today.
The former deputy prime minister said
when talking about the participation of women in leadership positions, there
should be partnerships between leaders of different generations where each can
learn from the other.
“Those of us who are more experienced
should be allies and role models to emerging leaders,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah said government
initiatives to increase female participation in leadership positions cannot be
achieved in silo and collaboration with multiple stakeholders is needed to
reach the goal.
In a lighter vein, Dr Wan Azizah said
she happened to personally know the first female deputy prime minister, adding,
“I think that if she can break the glass ceiling, so can you.”
When met by reporters later, she said
collaborations among the old and new generations as well as countries could
improve the position of women in leadership.
The roundtable, which runs from June 11-14, is
co-hosted by the Asia Pacific Region World Association of Girl Guides and Girl
Scouts and supported by Temasek Foundation. It is aimed at sparking
conversations and formulating strategies in practising intergenerational
leadership for a sustainable and thriving region.
A total of 230 participants, aged 18 to
30, including delegations from 15 countries, are attending the roundtable.
Among the countries represented are
Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, the Maldives, South
Korea, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Meanwhile, the founder of Friends of
Asia Pacific World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, Datuk Dr Juseon
Byun, said she regarded Malaysia as a pioneer in women’s leadership training.
“And under the leadership of Dr Wan
Azizah, I am sure Malaysia Girl Guides Association will further grow and make
more progress in leadership training,” she told reporters. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
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KL court sets July 17 for mention of
businessman charged with using object on woman sexually without her consent
Monday, 12 Jun 2023
KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — The Sessions
Court here today set July 17 for the next mention date of a case involving a
businessman charged with having a sexual connection with a woman using an
object without her consent.
Judge Siti Aminah Ghazali fixed the date
during the mention of the case today following a request from deputy public
prosecutor Nidzuwan Abd Latip, who informed the court that the prosecution had
submitted some of the case documents to the defence and would submit the
remaining at the next mention date.
The businessman, Wan Mohammad Ashraf
Nasjaruddin, 42, who is former Shah Alam Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia
(Bersatu) logistics and security director, was charged with committing the act
against a 25-year-old bank officer in a toilet of a hotel at Jalan Bukit
Bintang here at 5am on January 2 this year.
The charge, framed under Section 377CA
of the Penal Code, provides imprisonment for up to 30 years and whipping, if
found guilty.
Lawyers Datuk Mohamad Hanafiah Zakaria
and Datuk Ishak Mohd Yusoff represented Wan Mohammad Ashraf. — Bernama
Source: malaymail.com
Please click the
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https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2023/06/12/kl-court-sets-july-17-for-mention-of-businessman-charged-with-using-object-on-woman-sexually-without-her-consent/73857
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Pakistan
Retired soldiers to be hired by
Islamabad police
June 11, 2023
The Islamabad police will hire military
veterans in different fields of the force, Geo News reported Sunday.
About 200 retired experienced soldiers
will be recruited in the Islamabad police force initially, as per the sources.
The educational qualification for
recruitment will be till matriculation while the age limit is set till 42
years, said the sources, adding that a character certificate, national identity
card (NIC), and educational credentials are mandatory for the recruitment.
They added that the retired soldiers
will be deployed at sensitive buildings and red zone for security purposes.
A day earlier, the Islamabad
administration asked the interior ministry to call back the Pakistan Army
troops a month after they were deployed in a bid to deal with the law and order
situation following former prime minister Imran Khan's arrest on May 9.
On May 10, the military was called in
Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad to maintain the deteriorating law and
order situation after the protests erupted countrywide.
The nearly three-day-long protests also
claimed at least eight lives and injured dozens of others with the incumbent
coalition government suspending internet services and deploying army troops to
maintain law and order situation.
In a letter to the Ministry of Interior,
the chief commissioner of Islamabad said that the situation in the capital was
"satisfactory".
“The situation is now satisfactory in
the ICT (Islamabad Capital Territory) and it is, therefore, requested that the
requisition made vide the referred letter may be de-notified, in the best
interest of the public,” the letter said.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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At least 9 killed as coaster plunges
into ravine in AJK
June 12, 2023
At least nine people were killed while
18 others were injured after a coaster fell into a ravine in Azad Jammu and
Kashmir (AJK) during the early hours of Monday, police said.
The vehicle, bearing registration
number, IOT-1493, was returning from Nairiyan, a remote village in AJK’s
Sudhnoti district where the victims had gone to attend urs celebrations, to
Gujranwala.
As the vehicle arrived near Jarai
village, at the border of Kotli and Mirpur at around 1am, it fell into a ravine
due to the “negligence of the driver who was unfamiliar with the area”, Senior
Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kotli Riaz Mughal told Dawn.com.
“The skid marks on the road suggest the
speeding vehicle spun out of the driver’s control before plunging into the
ravine,” he said, adding that there were between 28 to 30 people on board the
coaster.
The senior police officer said that the
local police station was alerted about the incident, following which police and
Rescue 1122 personnel from both Kotli and Mirpur rushed to the scene.
The SSP said that the driver was
believed to have fled the scene. He said the driver had been booked under
sections 320 (punishment for qatl-i-khata by rash or negligent driving) and
337-G (punishment for hurt by rash or negligent driving) of the Pakistan Penal
Code.
SSP Mughal said that the deceased and
the injured, some of whom were critically wounded, had been shifted to the
Divisional Headquarters Hospital, Mirpur.
Source: dawn.com
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Schools in far-flung areas of Bara
reopen after nine years
June 12, 2023
KHYBER: Educational activities have
resumed in schools of the far-flung areas of Sandana and Speen Drand in upper
Bara after nine years owing to displacement of locals, who returned in June
last year.
Sources in the region said that Sipah
Khidmat-i-Khalq Committee (SKKC) played an important role in persuading the
officials of district administration and education department for resumption of
educational activities in the areas. The displaced families had returned to the
areas but there was no schooling facility for children.
Turab Ali, a SKKC activist, told Dawn
that at least 50 students including seven girls started taking classes at the
government primary school Sandana.
“The school initially has one teacher
while the number of students is expected to increase in the coming weeks as
more families are shifting to the area with the start of summer,” he added.
He said that the school was the only
educational institution for the surrounding localities of Shiekhmali Baba,
Speen Drand, Tharkho Kas, Nangrosa and villages lying on the other side of the
Bara River.
“We have plans to distribute uniforms,
school bags and stationery among the students of Sandana primary school in the
coming few days,” said Turab Ali.
Officials of education department said
that more schools would be reopened in near future to impart education to the
maximum number of students in those areas. Most of the government schools were
shut down after locals migrated to safe places after the start of a military
operation in Bara in 2012-13.
Meanwhile, Community Resilient Activity
(CRA) North has started repair and rebuilding of a two-kilometre irrigation
water channel in upper Bara, which will irrigate at least 5,000 acres of farm
lands after remaining barren for the last one decade.
CRA-North district team leader Ejaz
Durrani said during a ceremony that his organisation was working to end feuds
and disputes among local tribes and families along with helping
militancy-affected people to stand on their own feet by providing job
opportunities to them.
He also appreciated the role of Sipah
Khidmat-i-Khalq Committee in encouraging government departments and
non-governmental organisations to initiate various development schemes in the
areas where the recently returned families were facing multiple problems.
Source: dawn.com
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Dr Aafia unrecognisable, says sister
June 12, 2023
Dr Fowzia Siddiqui has said that due to
the condition of her sister, Incarcerated Pakistani neuroscientist Aafia
Siddiqui, she could not recognise her during their first meeting in 20 years at
a prison hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, US.
Dr Fowzia, along with Jamaat-e-Islami's
(JI) Senator Mushtaq and human rights lawyer Clive Stafford Smith, was in the
United States after they were finally allowed to meet Dr Aafia.
Upon her return to Pakistan, the doctor
told journalists at Karachi airport that this government helped her meet her
sister even though the previous governments were capable of doing so.
"Prime minister and foreign
minister helped in my meeting with Aafia," she said.
Shedding light on her meeting with her
sister, she said: "I could not even imagine that Dr Aafia would have been
in such a terrible situation."
"Due to her condition, I could not
even recognise her."
Dr Fowzia mentioned that if the
government tries, it would be extremely easy to repatriate Dr Aafia. She
mentioned that her next meeting with her sister is in July.
The incarcerated doctor held around
three meetings with her sister and met JI's Senator Mushtaq and the human
rights lawyer.
None of them, however, could meet her
physically as they were separated by transparent glass and were allowed to talk
through phones.
JI's warm welcome
Meanwhile, the JI Sunday arranged a big
rally to receive their party leader Mushtaq upon his return from the US after
having a meeting with Dr Aafia.
A vehicular procession was arranged from
Motorway Toll Plaza to Hashtnagri Chowk, where a public gathering was arranged.
The rally was addressed by Mushtaq, district president of the party Bahrullah
Khan and others.
Dr Fowzia was also supposed to
participate in the rally. But she could not make it due to the non-availability
of the flight. She, however, addressed the gathering by telephone.
Speaking on the occasion, Mushtaq urged
the nation to raise a vociferous voice for the release of Dr Aafia so that the
government could take steps for her release.
He said that the award of 86 years
imprisonment and police torture over Dr Aafia spoke volumes of the human rights
violations at the hands of the so-called champions of human rights.
He criticised the rulers for handing
over the daughter of the nation to the US in return of a few thousand dollars.
He said that the political parties in
opposition never tired of raising voices for the release of Dr Aafia. But when
they come into power, they keep mum over the issue, he added.
Who is Dr Aafia Siddiqui?
A US-educated Pakistani scientist, Dr
Aafia Siddiqui was jailed in 2010 for 86 years by a New York federal district
court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault, stemming
from an incident during an interview with the US authorities in Ghazni,
Afghanistan — charges that she denied.
She was the first woman to be suspected
of Al-Qaeda links by the US, but never convicted of it.
At 18 years old Siddiqui travelled to
the US, where her brother lived, to study at Boston's prestigious MIT, later
earning a PhD in neuroscience at Brandeis University.
But after the 9/11 terror attacks of
2001, she came up on the FBI's radar for donations to Islamic organisations and
was linked to the purchase of $10,000 worth of night-vision goggles and books
on warfare.
The US suspected she joined Al-Qaeda
from America, returning to Pakistan where she married into the family of Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed — an architect of the 9/11 attacks.
She disappeared in around 2003, along
with her three children, in Karachi.
Five years later she turned up in
Pakistan's war-torn neighbour Afghanistan, where she was arrested by local
forces in the restive southeastern province of Ghazni.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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Three soldiers martyred in North
Waziristan
June 12, 2023
RAWALPINDI: Three soldiers were martyred
in an exchange of fire with terrorists in the general area of Miran Shah, North
Waziristan district, Friday night.
The troops effectively engaged the
terrorists, killing three of them, while four were injured. Weapons and
ammunition were also recovered on their person.
During the intense exchange of fire,
Subedar Asghar Ali, 40, Sepoy Naseem Khan, 26, and Sepoy Muhammad Zaman, 22,
were martyred, said the ISPR in a statement.
Sanitization of the area is being
carried out to eliminate any other terrorists.
“The armed forces of Pakistan are
determined to eliminate terrorism and such sacrifices of our brave soldiers
further strengthen our resolve,” the statement said.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1079481-three-soldiers-martyred-in-north-waziristan
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Maryam lauds Shehbaz, Dar for ‘averting
default without IMF’
June 11, 2023
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N)
Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz praised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for “averting” the default threat without the
International Monetary Fund's (IMF) bailout package.
“Even in difficult economic conditions,
the salaries of government employees of up to grade 16 were increased by 30%,”
she said while addressing the PML-N’s youth convention in Punjab’s Sujabad city
on Sunday,
The ruling party leader said the
country’s economy would take off when PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who has been
living London since November 2019 on medical grounds, returned to the country.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday
unboxed a Rs14.46 trillion budget for the fiscal year 2023-24, introducing
"no new taxes" and envisaging an economic growth of 3.5% as the
crisis-riven country looks to persuade the IMF to release more bailout money.
Earlier today, PM Shehbaz reiterated
that Pakistan has already met "all" the preconditions of the IMF to
revive the stalled bailout programme of the global lender, adding that "no
hurdle is now left" in the signing of a staff-level agreement.
‘PTI can fit in a Qingqi rickshaw’
Addressing the party gathering, Maryam
also took a jibe at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) saying the entire
opposition party can fit in a Qingqi rickshaw following defections in the wake
of May 9 violence.
“Today he himself is the president,
general secretary, chief organiser and spokesperson of the party and the only
candidate of his party,” she said while referring to PTI chief Imran Khan.
The ruling party leader made these
remarks while addressing the PML-N’s youth convention in Punjab’s Shujabad city
on Sunday.
At the rally, the PML-N stalwart was
also coronated with gold tiara studded with beautiful pearls.
Unlike PTI, Maryam said the PML-N did
not dismantle because “it is the people’s party and not a fake party”.
She said the PTI “which was formed after
the hard work of 26 years, disintegrated in 26 minutes”.
She said the real enemy of the country
was identified after May 9 tragedy which saw attacks on public and military
installations in many parts of the country following the arrest of the PTI
chief.
“The chapter of chaos and anarchy has
ended and now the journey of progress will begin,” the PML-N leader added.
Dozens of PTI leaders including Shireen
Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry, Aamir Mehmood Kiani, Ali Zaidi and other shave quit the
party over May 9 mayhem while senior leaders including Asad Umar and Parvez
Khattak stepped down from party positions citing the same reason.
Several PTI deserters have joined
Istihkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) launched by sugar baron Jahangir Tareen with an
aim to “set new direction in the country’s politics”.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the
following URL to read the full text of the original
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1079459-maryam-lauds-shehbaz-dar-for-averting-default-without-imf
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URL:
https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/love-jihad-shariat-radicalised-jabalpur/d/129977