Macron Vowed France Would Stand Firm Against Religious Extremists After 'Islamist' Knife Attack In Church Kills Three
New Age Islam News Bureau
30 October 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron visit the knife
attack spot in Nice. (Photo| AFP)
-----
• Twitter Removes Mahathir Mohamad’s Tweet On Killing
Millions Of French People, Accusing Of ‘Glorifying Violence’
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi Greeted Muslims On The
Occasion of Milad-un-Nabi with Message Of Brotherhood
• Pulwama Attack ‘Major Imran Achievement’: Pakistan
Minister To Parliament
• Middle East Leaders Join World In Condemnation Of
Deadly France Attack
• French Investigators Identify Nice Attacker As A
21-Year-Old Tunisian Migrant
• Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, A Religious Political
Party, Holds Anti-France Rally Against The Anti-Islam Rhetoric
• Iranian Protesters Issue Final Statement, Warn
Western States to Avoid Sacrilege of Islamic Sanctities
Europe
• Macron Vowed France Would Stand Firm Against
Religious Extremists After 'Islamist' Knife Attack In Church Kills Three
• French Interior Minister: More Attacks Likely Due To
‘War Against Islamist Ideology’
• Nice attacker is Tunisian, entered France from
Italy, had Quran copy on him: Official
• European Union leaders demand that Turkey show them
some ‘respect’
--------
Southeast Asia
• Twitter Removes Mahathir Mohamad’s Tweet On Killing
Millions Of French People, Accusing Of ‘Glorifying Violence’
• Malaysia Condemns 'Provocative Acts', Defamation Of
Islam As Anger Over French Cartoon Mounts
• Pompeo urges Indonesia to focus on China's treatment
of Uighurs
--------
India
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi Greeted Muslims On The
Occasion of Milad-un-Nabi with Message Of Brotherhood
• India Backs Macron After Attacks By Pakistan,
Turkey; Says No Justification For Terror
• AIMPLB Appeals To Muslims To Boycott French Products
After Macron's Comments On Islam
• Kashmiri Pandit organisations welcome move to allow
any citizen to purchase land in J&K
• Raids Meant To Cripple Terror Funding Ahead Of
India’s FATF Test
• Gujarat State Waqf Tribunal Stays Mosque
Construction, Prayers In It
• Pak has no locus standi to talk on J&K laws:
India
• NGO funding case: NIA conducts searches in J&K
for 2nd day
• Efforts to assist Afghanistan through Chabahar port
appreciated by US: MEA
--------
Pakistan
• Pulwama Attack ‘Major Imran Achievement’: Pakistan
Minister To Parliament
• Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani Neuroscientist Has
Signed Mercy Petition, Senate Told
• Imran Khan-led Pakistan government will be sent
packing by January 2021, says PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto
• IS ‘prime suspect’ for Peshawar seminary bombing
' • Misleading'
to link Abhinandan's release with anything other than Pakistan's mature
response: DG ISPR
• UHS won’t forge cooperation with French institutes:
VC
--------
Arab world
• Middle East Leaders Join World In Condemnation Of
Deadly France Attack
• MbS Would Get Killed By Saudi Royal Family If Riyadh
Normalized Ties With Israel: Dissident
• Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry Condemns Nice's
Terrorist Attack
• Lebanon and Israel agree to continue maritime border
negotiations next month
• Deal on horizon after Lebanon maritime border talks
--------
Africa
• French Investigators Identify Nice Attacker As A
21-Year-Old Tunisian Migrant
• Somalis protest against offensive cartoons on
birthday of Prophet Mohammad
• Nice attack link to Tunisia points to its continued
struggle with ‘jihadists’
• Moroccan prison guard killed by ISIS-linked inmate
--------
South Asia
• Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, A Religious Political
Party, Holds Anti-France Rally Against The Anti-Islam Rhetoric
• Bangladesh's Institute of Public Health director
apologises for ordering Islamic dress code amid outcry
• Parents Name Twins Vladimir Putin, Barak Hussain
Obama
• Officials Nab Afghan National in 2008 Kidnapping of
U.S. Journalist, Two Others
• Man lynched for stepping on Quran in Bangladesh
--------
Mideast
• Iranian Protesters Issue Final Statement, Warn
Western States to Avoid Sacrilege of Islamic Sanctities
• France’s Macron ‘a puppet in hands of Zionists,’
says Houthi
• Palestinians set to hold Friday of Rage over
cartoons insulting Prophet, Macron’s anti-Islam remarks
• Bosnian Speaker Underlines Further Expansion of Ties
with Iran
• UN calls for protection of West Bank Palestinian's
olive trees
• Israeli court gives three years in prison to
Palestinian minor
--------
North America
• US Presidential Contest Increases Influence Of Pakistani,
Muslim Voters
• Pompeo calls China "the gravest threat" to
the future of religious freedom
• US to allow Jerusalem-born Americans to list Israel
as birthplace, says Pompeo
• Trump admin to sell Iranian fuel meant for
Venezuela, give proceeds to terror victims
• How might a potential Biden win change US policy on
Turkey?
• US moves forward with sale of 50 F-35 jets to UAE:
Sources
• US imposes Iran-related sanctions on individuals,
entities
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/macron-vowed-france-stand-firm/d/123322
--------
Macron Vowed France Would Stand Firm Against Religious
Extremists After 'Islamist' Knife Attack In Church Kills Three
Oct 30, 2020
French President Emmanuel Macron visit the knife
attack spot in Nice. (Photo| AFP)
-----
NICE: French president Emmanuel Macron vowed his
country would stand firm against religious extremists after a knife-wielding
man killed three people at a church, in the country's second attack blamed on
Islamist terrorism this month.
France will not "give up on our values,"
Macron said in Nice, after a Tunisian migrant went on a near half-hour rampage
with a 30-centimetre (12-inch) knife, targeting people praying in the southern
city's Notre-Dame basilica.
A 60-year-old woman died inside the church and the
body of a man, a 55-year-old church employee, was found nearby, his throat also
slit.
Another woman, a 44-year-old Brazilian who had fled
the church to a nearby restaurant, died shortly afterwards from multiple knife
wounds.
"Tell my children I love them," she managed
to say before her death, according to French cable channel BFM TV.
The assailant, who was shot and wounded by police, was
identified as 21-year-old Brahim Aouissaoui, who arrived in Italy last month,
then travelled to France, judicial sources said.
Aouissaoui who had a copy of the Koran and three
knives with him, shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest) when
approached by police who shot and seriously wounded him, France's anti-terror
prosecutor Jean-Francois Ricard told a press conference.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi told journalists at the
scene the attacker "kept repeating 'Allahu Akbar' even while under
medication" as he was taken to hospital.
The church killings come after the October 16
beheading in a Paris suburb of history teacher Samuel Paty by an extremist
after Paty showed pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a free speech
lesson.
Macron defended the cartoons and the right to mock
religion, sparking widespread anger against France in the Islamic world and
several campaigns in Muslim-majority countries to boycott French products.
Daniel Conilh, a 32-year-old waiter at Nice's Grand
Cafe de Lyon, a block from the church, said it was shortly before 9:00 am when
"shots were fired and everybody took off running".
"A woman came in straight from the church and
said, 'Run, run, someone has been stabbing people'," he told AFP.
French anti-terror prosecutors are handling the
inquiry into charges related to a "terrorist murder".
The police who shot Aouissaoui had "without any
doubt prevented an even higher toll," said chief prosecutor Jean-Francois
Ricard, adding investigators had found two unused knives in a bag at the scene.
The killings, which occurred ahead of the Catholic
holy day of All Saints Day on Sunday, prompted the government to raise the
terror alert level to the maximum "emergency" level nationwide.
France has been on high alert since the January 2015
massacre at the satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo marked the beginning of
a wave of jihadist attacks that have killed more than 250 people.
Tensions have heightened since last month, when the
trial opened for 14 suspected accomplices in that attack.
The paper marked the start of the court proceedings by
republishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that infuriated millions of
Muslims worldwide -- the same caricatures that teacher Samuel Paty used as
lesson material.
Days after the trial opened, an 18-year-old man from
Pakistan seriously injured two people with a meat cleaver outside Charlie
Hebdo's former offices in Paris.
In Nice, Macron announced increased surveillance of
churches by France's Sentinelle military patrols, to be bolstered to 7,000
troops from 3,000.
Security at schools would also be boosted, he said.
But some claim Macron is unfairly targeting France's
estimated five to six million Muslims -- the largest community in Europe.
Macron on Thursday urged people of all religions to
unite and not "give in to the spirit of division".
After Thursday's attack, Malaysia's former prime
minister Mahathir Mohamad tweeted that "Muslims have a right to be angry
and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past".
Twitter later deleted his post.
Thursday also saw a Saudi citizen wound a guard in a
knife attack at the French consulate in Jeddah while police in the French city
of Lyon said they had arrested an Afghan spotted carrying a knife while trying
to board a tram.
In Nice, painful memories remain fresh of a jihadist
attack during Bastille Day celebrations on July 14, 2016, when a man rammed his
truck into a crowded promenade, killing 86 people.
Abdallah Zekri, director general of the French Council
of Muslim Worship (CFCM) denounced Thursday's attack and urged French Muslims
to cancel festivities to mark the Mawlid, or the Prophet's birthday, which ends
Thursday, "in solidarity with the victims and their loved ones".
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/macron-vows-defiance-after-islamist-knife-attack-in-church-kills-three/articleshow/78945598.cms
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Twitter Removes Mahathir Mohamad’s Tweet On Killing
Millions Of French People, Accusing Of ‘Glorifying Violence’
Tuqa Khalid
30 October 2020
Mahathir Mohamad. Photo: Bloomberg
----
Twitter removed a tweet by Malaysia's former prime
minister Mahathir Mohamad on Thursday, accusing him of “glorifying violence” in
a message that said that Muslims had a right “to kill millions of French
people,” shortly after a knife-wielding man killed three people in a church in
the French city of Nice.
In a tweet, which was among a longer thread about
Muslims living in France, Mahathir said: “Muslims have a right to be angry and
to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past.”
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Three people were killed at a church in the southern
French city, with the attacker slitting the throat of at least one of them, in
what authorities were treating as the latest jihadist attack to rock the
country.
Shortly afterwards, Mahathir – who was prime minister
of Muslim-majority Malaysia until his government collapsed in February –
launched an extraordinary outburst on Twitter.
Referring to the beheading of a French teacher who
showed pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, Mahathir said he did not
approve of that attack but that freedom of expression does not include
"insulting other people".
"Irrespective of the religion professed, angry
people kill," said the outspoken 95-year-old.
"The French in the course of their history has
killed millions of people. Many were Muslims. Muslims have a right to be angry
and to kill millions of French people for the massacres of the past."
Mahathir, who served as Malaysian premier twice for a
total of 24 years, said that French President Emmanuel Macron was "not
showing that he is civilised", adding he was "very primitive".
"The French should teach their people to respect
other people's feelings. Since you have blamed all Muslims and the Muslims'
religion for what was done by one angry person, the Muslims have a right to
punish the French.
"The boycott cannot compensate the wrongs
committed by the French all these years."
He made no direct reference to the Nice attack.
The beheading of the teacher, Samuel Paty, prompted
Macron to promise a crackdown on what he described as “Islamist extremism.”
But the move has inflamed tensions, with protests
against France erupting in several Muslim countries, with some urging a boycott
of French goods.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/30/Nice-attack-Twitter-removes-Mahathir-s-tweet-on-killing-millions-of-French-people
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi Greeted Muslims On The
Occasion of Milad-un-Nabi with Message Of Brotherhood
October 30, 2020
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Credit: PTI Photo
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday greeted Muslims
on the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of Prophet Muhammad. "Best
wishes on Milad-un-Nabi. Hope this day furthers compassion and brotherhood all
across. May everybody be healthy and happy. Eid Mubarak!" PM Modi said in
a tweet. Eid Milad Un Nabi or Mawlid is being celebrated today in India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other parts of the subcontinent. Eid Milad
Un Nabi is celebrated in the third month of the Muslim lunar calendar.
Best wishes on Milad-un-Nabi. Hope this day furthers
compassion and brotherhood all across. May everybody be healthy and happy. Eid
Mubarak!
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 30, 2020
President Ram Nath Kovind in his greeting on the
occasion of Milad-un-Nabi tweeted, "On the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, the
birthday of Prophet Muhammad, good wishes to all fellow citizens, especially to
our Muslim brothers and sisters in India and abroad. Let us follow his
teachings and work for the well-being of society and peace and harmony in the
country."
On the occasion of Milad-un-Nabi, the birthday of
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), good wishes to all fellow citizens, especially to our
Muslim brothers and sisters in India and abroad. Let us follow his teachings
and work for the well-being of society and peace & harmony in the country.
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) October 30,
2020
The history of Mawlid goes back to the early days of
Islam when people gathered to read poetry and sang verses to honour Prophet
Muhammad. The Prophet's life and teachings, as reflected in the Hadith,
continue to influence believers. Muslims who observe Milad-un-Nabi remember,
discuss and celebrate the Prophet's life on Eid Milad Un Nabi. People hold
night-long prayers and send Milad-un-Nabi e-cards to friends and family. Eid
Milad Un Nabi Mubarak!
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/eid-milad-un-nabi-2020-pm-modi-tweets-mawlid-greetings-message-of-brotherhood-2317931
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Pulwama Attack ‘Major Imran Achievement’: Pakistan
Minister To Parliament
Oct 29, 2020
ISLAMABAD/ NEW DELHI: In what amounts to an admission
— for the first time — of Pakistan's role in the February 14, 2019 Pulwama
terror attack, the country’s minister Fawad Chaudhry on Thursday said the
jihadi strike was a "major achievement" under the leadership of
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In his remarks on the floor of the National Assembly,
Chaudhry said the attack was a success of both the treasury and opposition
benches. Though the statement was a response to a jibe from PML-N leader Sardar
Ayaz Sadiq that the country’s military caved in to an Indian threat of
retaliation if captured IAF pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan was not returned,
science & technology minister Chaudhry ended up admitting the terror strike
was Pakistan's doing.
resize15 (1)
Sadiq had claimed a day earlier in the National
Assembly that the Imran Khan government had released Abhinandan fearing an
imminent attack from India. The IAF pilot was captured after an unsuccessful
Pakistani attempt to bomb targets in India after the February 26 Balakot strike
by the IAF.
"Humne Hindustan mein ghus ke unko maara (We hit
India in their home). Our success in Pulwama is a success of this nation under
the leadership of Imran Khan. You (opposition) and we (government) are all part
of that success," Chaudhry said in response to Sadiq’s claim. He seemed to
be borrowing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's words describing the IAF action on
a jihad nursery in Balakot.
On Wednesday, Sadiq claimed that the government had
"pleaded" with parliamentary leaders that Abhinandan be allowed to be
set free. "I remember foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was present in
that meeting, which the prime minister had refused to attend. The chief of army
staff was also present," Sadiq had said on Wednesday.
"With his legs shaking and sweat on his forehead,
Qureshi told us, ‘For God’s sake, let him (Abhinandan) go back now, otherwise
India will attack Pakistan at 9pm’," Sadiq quoted Qureshi as saying.
Meanwhile, Pakistan army spokesperson Maj Gen Babar
Iftikhar said that any attempt to link Abhinandan’s release with "anything
other than the country’s mature response as a responsible state was
disappointing and misleading".
Addressing a press conference on Thursday with a
one-point agenda, Iftikhar said he sought to "correct the record"
regarding the events that surrounded India's violation of Pakistani airspace in
February last year.
"A statement was given yesterday which tried to
distort the history of issues associated with national security," he said,
referring to Sadiq’s statement.
He said following the Pulwama attack, India
"showed aggression against Pakistan in violation of all international laws
on February 26, 2019, in which not only did it face defeat but was humiliated
around the world".
"Pakistani armed forces’ alert and timely
response foiled the enemy's designs. The enemy planes that had come to drop the
explosives on the Pakistani people escaped while dropping their payload on
empty mountains in panic after seeing our Shaheens," the spokesperson
said.
"Pakistan responded to India in broad daylight
after announcing it. Not only did we give an appropriate reply, but also shot
down two enemy war planes and captured Wing Commander Abhinandan," the
military spokesperson said.
"During these actions, the enemy became so
frightened that it shot down its own helicopter and troops in a state of panic.
This victory not only exposed India’s hollow claims of power before the world
but made the entire Pakistani nation proud," he said.
"Being a responsible state, the government of
Pakistan, in order to give peace another chance, decided to release Indian
prisoner of war Wing Commander Abhinandan," he added, emphasising that
this decision, which was in line with the Geneva Convention, was praised the
world over.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/pak-admits-role-in-pulwama-attack-minister-says-in-parliament-jihadi-strike-was-a-major-achievement/articleshow/78938855.cms
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Middle East leaders join world in condemnation of
deadly France attack
October 30, 2020
PARIS: World leaders condemned fatal stabbings in the
French city of Nice Thursday that France called an Islamist terrorist attack.
Condemnation came from US President Donald Trump, UN
chief Antonio Guterres, as well as European, Arab and Israeli leaders.
“Our hearts are with the people of France. America
stands with our oldest Ally in this fight,” Trump tweeted. “These Radical
Islamic terrorist attacks must stop immediately. No country, France or
otherwise can long put up with it!“
One of the first to condemn was Turkey, embroiled in a
row with France over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that
have triggered a wave of attacks against French people.
“We strongly condemn the attack committed today inside
the Notre-Dame church in Nice,” a Turkish foreign ministry statement said.
It expressed solidarity with France, and offered
condolences to relatives of the three people killed in the attack.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also
condemned the attack, while adding that “peace cannot be achieved with ugly
provocation.”
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Arab and Islamic leaders
drew a clear distinction between their religion and violent acts that claimed
to defend it.
Egypt’s foreign ministry said it “stands as a
government and people with... France in combating this hateful incident.”
Qatar voiced strong condemnation and reiterated its
rejection of violence and terrorism, especially against places of worship and
regardless of the motives.
Lebanese prime minister designate Saad Hariri urged
Muslims “to reject this criminal act that has nothing to do with Islam or the
Prophet.”
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed the
killing as “an attack on liberty. When we think of France, we think of liberty.
And we stand with the people of France.”
European Union leaders quickly expressed solidarity
with France, and pledged to confront “those that seek to incite and spread
hatred.”
“I condemn the odious and brutal attack that has just
taken place in Nice and I am with France with all my heart,” European
Commission president Ursula von der Leyen tweeted.
“We will remain united and determined in the face of
barbarity and fanaticism.”
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was “deeply shaken by
the brutal murders” and said “my thoughts are with the relatives of those
murdered and injured. Germany stands with France at this difficult time.”
In a statement issued later by EU Council chief
Charles Michel, the 27 leaders expressed solidarity with France but made no
reference to the controversy over cartoons mocking the Prophet Muhammad.
Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte condemned a
“cowardly attack” and said: “Our convictions are stronger than fanaticism, hatred
and terror. We embrace the families of the victims and our French brothers. We
are united!“
Spanish counterpart Pedro Sanchez added: “We continue
to defend freedom, our democratic values, peace and the security of our
citizens.”
A harder tone came from Hungary, where populist Prime
Minister Viktor Orban wrote that the attack showed clearly “that our culture,
our way of life and our European values are in the crosshairs of extremist
terrorism.
“We are ready to join forces in order to protect
traditional European values and the traditional European way of life,” Orban
added.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who previously
governed with far-right ministers, called the murders in Nice “a despicable
Islamist terror attack.”
“We will defend our values and European ‘way of life’
with all our might against Islamists and political Islam,” Kurz said.
Indian premier Narendra Modi, a Hindu nationalist,
strongly condemned the “heinous attack in Nice” and added that his country also
“stands with France in the fight against terrorism.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “appalled” at
the “barbaric attack at the Notre-Dame Basilica,” he tweeted in English and
French.
“Our thoughts are with the victims and their families,
and the UK stands steadfastly with France against terror and intolerance.”
Pope Francis prayed for the victims as the Vatican
said that “terrorism and violence can never be accepted.
“Today’s attack has sown death in a place of love and
consolation,” Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni said.
The pontiff urged people in France, a multi-cultural
society, to “unite to combat evil with good.”
During talks with the Italian foreign minister,
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin warned: “The attempt to foment war between
religions is inconceivable.
“There is no war between Christianity and Islam, or
between Judaism and Islam and we must be sure that no one is allowed to make
that happen.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1756126/world
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French investigators identify Nice attacker as a
21-year-old Tunisian migrant
29 October 2020
The man suspected of killing three people at a church
in the southern French city of Nice on Thursday is a 21-year-old Tunisian who
arrived in Europe just a few weeks ago, sources close to the inquiry said.
The suspect, identified as Brahim Aoussaoui, landed in
late September on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where he was placed in virus
quarantine by authorities before being released with an order to quit Italian
territory.
He arrived in France in early October, the sources
said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/10/29/French-investigators-identify-Nice-attacker-as-a-21-year-old-Tunisian-migrant
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Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, A Religious Political
Party, Holds Anti-France Rally Against The Anti-Islam Rhetoric
Md. Kamruzzaman
29.10.2020
DHAKA, Bangladesh
The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, a religious political
party, on Thursday protested against the anti-Islam rhetoric and publication of
blasphemous cartoons in France.
Protesters at the rally in the capital Dhaka chanted
slogans against France, and urged Bangladeshis for a boycott of French
products.
Shafiqur Rahman, a party leader, said Muslims cannot
tolerate any insult against the Prophet Muhammad.
"I expect all Muslims to raise their voice
against France's pro-blasphemy stance strongly but peacefully," he told
Anadolu Agency.
Addressing the rising trend of Islamophobia in Europe,
he said: "Muslims across the world should stay united, and not let anyone
ridicule Islam."
Thousands of protesters from the Islami Andolon
Bangladesh group also demonstrated against French President Emmanuel Macron’s
defense of blasphemous cartoons on Tuesday.
They demanded a boycott of French goods, and urged the
Bangladeshi government to expel France's ambassador.
Police
had placed barricades to keep marchers away from the French embassy.
Muslims have been calling for both protests and a
boycott of French goods in response to the controversial statements following
the killing of a French teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in
class.
Macron also described Islam as a "a religion in
crisis," and initiated a crackdown against "Islamist
separatism."
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bangladesh-islamic-party-holds-anti-france-rally/2023715
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Iranian Protesters Issue Final Statement, Warn Western
States to Avoid Sacrilege of Islamic Sanctities
Oct 29, 2020
"The insulting act of the French publication has
hurt the hearts of hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world, as they
took to the streets all over the world to express anger and disgust even under
coronavirus situation," the statement said.
"Unfortunately, we have recently witnessed that
some reactionary governments in the region betrayed the Muslim Ummah by
normalizing their relations with the occupying regime and served the leaders of
infidelity, and became their puppets," it added.
They voiced their firm stance on the sacred ideals of
Islam, and said, "We will not give up the struggle until your complete
destruction and the eradication of oppression from the world."
Groups of people, including university students,
gathered in front of the French embassy in Tehran on Wednesday to protest at
President Emanuel Macron’s position in support of the blasphemous acts against
the holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH).
The protestors, who wore surgical masks and met social
distancing protocols due to the coronavirus epidemic, condemned the organized
sacrilege of Islamic sanctities in France, chanting slogans against Macron and
other French officials.
They also called on the Iranian government to expel
the French ambassador, and stressed the need for boycotting the France-made
goods.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990807001221
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Europe
French interior minister: More attacks likely due to
‘war against Islamist ideology’
30 October 2020
More attacks on French soil are likely as France is
engaged in a “war against Islamist ideology”, its interior minister said on
Friday.
A knife-wielding Tunisian man shouting “Allahu Akbar”
(God is Greatest) beheaded a woman and killed two other people in a church in
the French city of Nice on Thursday before being shot and taken away by police.
“We are in a war against an enemy that is both inside
and outside,” Gerald Darmanin told RTL radio.
“We need to understand that there have been and there
will be other events such as these terrible attacks.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/30/French-interior-minister-More-attacks-likely-due-to-war-against-Islamist-ideology-
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Nice attacker is Tunisian, entered France from Italy,
had Quran copy on him: Official
30 October 2020
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutor says the man who
killed three in a Nice church was a Tunisian aged about 20 who entered France
from Italy, and was carrying a copy of Islam’s Holy Quran, on him at the time
of the attack.
Jean-Francois Ricard told a press conference late
Thursday that the man arrived in Italy by reaching the Mediterranean island of
Lampedusa on September 20, and traveled to Paris on October 9.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The travel information came from a document on the man
from the Italian Red Cross, Ricard said. The attacker was seriously wounded by
police, who fired at least 14 bullets at him, and is being treated in a
hospital.
Ricard added that the attacker was not on the radar of
intelligence agencies as a potential threat.
He detailed the gruesome scene inside the church where
a man and woman were killed by the attacker. The third victim, a 44-year-old
woman who managed to flee, died at a nearby restaurant.
A 60-year-old woman whose body was found at the entry
of the church, suffered “a very deep throat slitting, like a decapitation,”
Ricard said. The 55-year-old man also died after deep cuts to his throat.
An investigation was opened for murder and attempted
murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise, a common term for such
crimes.
A copy of the Quran and two telephones were among the
things found on the attacker. Also found was the knife used in the attack, with
a 17-centimeter (6.7-inch) blade, Ricard said. A bag with the attacker’s
personal affairs was found to contain another two unused knives.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/30/Nice-attacker-is-Tunisian-entered-France-from-Italy-had-Quran-copy-on-him-Official
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European Union leaders demand that Turkey show them
some ‘respect’
30 October 2020
European Union leaders demanded that Turkey show them
some respect on Thursday and warned its encroachment into Greek waters is
"completely unacceptable".
The 27 national leaders met by videolink to discuss
the coronavirus pandemic, but European Council chief Charles Michel said they
also discussed the stand-off in the Mediterranean.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
Turkey has deployed a research ship to search for gas
in waters claimed by Greece, setting off a fierce war of words with European
leaders and talk of sanctions.
NATO has set up a hotline to help the Greek and
Turkish militaries avoid accidental clashes, and Germany has been leading a
diplomatic outreach.
But Greece and Cyprus, with strong backing from
France, have been calling for tougher action. The EU leaders are due to return
to the issue at their next summit.
"We expressed our determination to be respected
and we agreed to work on two tracks, a positive track and a less positive
one," Michel said.
"We offered a clear way to work towards a
positive agenda with Turkey. So far Turkey has not chosen this path," he
said.
"We condemn the recent unilateral action in the
eastern Mediterranean, provocations and rhetoric which are completely
unacceptable," he warned.
"We will have the occasion to revert to this
topic in December," he said, referring to the next scheduled EU summit, at
which the 27 could decide on action.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/30/European-Union-leaders-demand-that-Turkey-show-them-some-respect-
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Southeast Asia
Malaysia condemns 'provocative acts', defamation of
Islam as anger over French cartoon mounts
OCT 28, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR - The Malaysian government said it
strongly condemns provocative acts that would defame Islam as Muslim activists
in the country called for the boycott of French products amid a growing anger
across the world over the French President's remarks that defended cartoons of
the Prophet.
Malaysia's Foreign Affairs Minister Hishammuddin
Hussein said in a statement on Tuesday night (Oct 27) that as a matter of
principle, Malaysia strongly condemns any inflammatory rhetoric and provocative
acts that seek to defame Islam.
He cited the populist speeches and publication of
blasphemous caricatures depicting Prophet Muhammad as examples of actions that
are disrespectful towards the religion and more than two billion Muslims all
over the world.
Datuk Seri Hishammuddin also said his government is
gravely concerned over the "growing open hostility towards Muslims".
"Malaysia is committed to upholding the freedom
of speech and expression as fundamental human rights for as long as these
rights are exercised with respect and responsibility in order to not infringe
on or violate the rights of others," his statement read.
"In this context, to denigrate and tarnish the
Prophet and to associate Islam with terrorism are certainly beyond the scope of
such rights."
Umno Youth has also submitted a memorandum to the
French embassy in Kuala Lumpur asking French President Emmanuel Macron to
retract his statement and apologise to Muslims.
President Macron found himself in the centre of a
global backlash, particularly in the Islamic world, over a remark he made at a
memorial service for high school teacher Samuel Paty, who was murdered earlier
this month in a terror attack.
Mr Paty was beheaded near his school in a northern
suburb of Paris after he showed cartoons of the prophet published by the
satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo during a class on freedom of expression.
In an apparent defence of free speech, Mr Macron said
that France would not "give up" the caricatures and pledged to tackle
extreme Islamism in the country, which outraged many Muslim-majority countries.
Protesters took to the streets in Bangladesh,
Pakistan, Iraq, Gaza and Turkey as France warned its citizens abroad to take
extra precautions.
"As a democratic and moderate Islamic country
with a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society, Malaysia continues to promote
and maintain harmonious relations and peaceful co-existence, not only among our
people of different faiths and convictions, but also in the context of the
diverse global community," said Mr Hishammuddin.
He added that Malaysia will continue to work with the
international community to promote mutual respect among religions and prevent
religious extremism at all levels.
The Muslim Youth Movement of Malaysia (Abim), one of
Malaysia's largest Islamic organisations, has also criticised President Macron,
for making allegations "with elements of Islamophobia by hiding behind
freedom of expression".
"As an organisation that promotes religious
harmony, Abim condemns the brutal murder of Samuel Paty and at the same time
strongly criticises the statement of the French president," its president
Muhammad Faisal Abdul Aziz said in a statement.
He called on Muslims in Malaysia and around the world
to boycott French products.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has similarly
called on Turks to boycott French goods. But European leaders have come out in
support of France, with leaders from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands
publicly expressing their solidarity with Mr Macron.
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/malaysia-condemns-provocative-acts-defamation-of-islam-as-anger-over-french-cartoon
--------
Pompeo urges Indonesia to focus on China's treatment
of Uighurs
OCTOBER 29, 2020
By Tom Allard, Kate Lamb
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday urged
Indonesians to focus on the treatment of Muslim Uighurs in China, describing it
as the “gravest threat” to religious freedom in a speech to an Islamic group.
On a trip to the world’s largest Muslim majority
country, Pompeo praised Indonesia’s tradition of tolerance, but urged Jakarta
to resist China’s entreaties to “look away from the torments of your fellow
Muslims”.
Pompeo said China had brutalised its Uighur minority
in Xinjiang province, corralling them in huge detention centres and forcing
some to eat pork during the Islamic holy month.In his address to the youth wing
of Indonesia’s largest Muslim group, he also accused China of separating Uighur
children from their parents and imposing sterilisations.
China denies mistreating Uighurs and says the camps
are vocational training centres that are needed to tackle extremism and promote
development.
Indonesians are typically vocal about the mistreatment
of Muslims, but the backlash against abuses of Uighurs has been comparatively
muted.
China - Indonesia’s largest trade partner and a
leading investor - has also embarked on a diplomatic push to influence
perceptions about Uighurs in Indonesia, including paid trips for journalists
and Muslim leaders to Xinjiang.
Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi has said
her government has pressed China on the treatment of Uighurs.
Pompeo also lamented the rise in “blasphemy accusations”
and discrimination against non-official religions, both growing problems in
Indonesia, according to Human Rights Watch’s Andreas Harsono.
Indonesia is religiously pluralist but recognises only
five religions: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism and Hinduism.
“Indonesia has a toxic blasphemy law and is planning
to expand it,” said Harsono.
“Indonesia continuously discriminates against
non-Islam and non-Sunni minorities, as well as indigenous faiths,” he said.
Pompeo is visiting Indonesia as part of a regional
trip to bolster trade and security ties amid rising geopolitical tensions
between the United States and China. He also met Indonesian President Joko
Widodo and Foreign Minister Retno in Jakarta.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-asia-indonesia-islam-idUSKBN27E11K
--------
India
India backs Macron after attacks by Pakistan, Turkey;
says no justification for terror
Oct 29, 2020
India on Thursday came out strongly in support of
French President Emmanuel Macron’s stance on radical Islam in the wake of the
beheading of a teacher in Paris and deplored personal attacks on him by
countries such as Turkey and Pakistan.
New Delhi’s opposition to criticism of Macron came
against the backdrop of foreign secretary Harsh Shringla beginning a two-day
visit to France and another terror attack in the French city of Nice, where a
knife-wielding man killed three people in a church.
Macron has pledged to crack down on radical Islam in
France after the October 16 beheading of Samuel Paty, a professor who used
controversial caricatures of Prophet Mohammed from the satirical newspaper
Charlie Hebdo in a class on freedom of expression. Paty’s killing by a
suspected terrorist triggered a heated debate on secularism and Islamophobia in
France.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week
that Macron needs “some sort of mental treatment” for his attitude towards
Muslims, while Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan accused the French president
of encouraging Islamophobia.
Asked about such criticism of Macron at the external
affairs ministry’s weekly news briefing, spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said
without naming any countries: “We have strongly deplored the personal attacks
in unacceptable language on President Emmanuel Macron and we have also
condemned the brutal terrorist attack that took the life of a French teacher.”
He added, “We believe there is no justification for
terrorism for any reason or under any circumstance.”
The external affairs ministry also said in a statement
that the attacks on Macron violate the “most basic standards of international
discourse”. It added that Paty’s murder has “shocked the world”.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned recent terror
attacks in France, including the one in Nice, in a tweet, saying: “Our deepest
and heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and the people of
France. India stands with France in the fight against terrorism.”
Shringla tweeted that he had reiterated the “PM’s
message to our #French interlocutors and at the public event at the Institute
of French International Relations (IFFRI)”.
French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain responded to the
external affairs ministry’s expression of support by tweeting: “Thank you
@MEAIndia. France and India can always count on each other in the fight against
terrorism.”
Amid protests in some Muslim countries over Macron’s
defence of the publication of the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed, there was
support for the French president from European states such as the UK. Foreign
secretary Dominic Raab said the UK stands with France “in sorrow, shock and
solidarity at the horrifying events in Nice” and he offered “every support to
the French people in pursuing those responsible for this appalling attack”.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “I am
appalled to hear the news from Nice...of a barbaric attack at the Notre-Dame
Basilica. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families, and the UK
stands steadfastly with France against terror and intolerance.”
France has emerged as one of India’s strongest allies
in Europe and has taken a strong position on security challenges facing the
country, especially at the UN Security Council. It has consistently criticised
cross-border terrorism targeting India and was also one of the first countries
to offer support amid the border standoff with China and the killing of 20
Indian soldiers in a clash in June.
French defence minister Florence Parly expressed “deep
solidarity” over the death of the Indian soldiers in a violent face-off along
the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and conveyed her country’s “steadfast and
friendly support” in a letter sent to her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
India’s support for Macron also comes at a time when
New Delhi’s relations with Islamabad and Ankara are at a low. Pakistani and
Turkish leaders have earned India’s ire by repeatedly raising the issue of
Kashmir and treatment of minorities at international forums such as the UN.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-backs-macron-after-attacks-by-pakistan-turkey-says-no-justification-for-terror/story-96JQ8PiCMemPAuc8eIZnIL.html
--------
AIMPLB appeals to Muslims to boycott French products
after Macron's comments on Islam
Oct 30, 2020
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)
appealed to the Muslims to boycott French products on Thursday. Maulana
Muhammad Umrain Mahfuz Rahmani, the secretary of the board and in-charge of the
social media desk, made the announcement.
The appeal was issued over French President Emmanuel
Macron's speeches on Islam and Muslims. In Bhopal, members of the Muslim
community also protested at Iqbal Maidan against Macron over the controversy
about the depiction of Prophet Muhammad in cartoons.
Speaking at the demonstration, Congress MLA Arif
Masood demanded that the Union government asked the Indian Ambassador to France
to register protest against "anti-Muslim" stand of that country's
regime.
This becomes after the French President made certain
comments on Islam after the brutal killing of schoolteacher Samuel Patty for
showing a cartoon of the Prophet.
https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-aimplb-appeals-to-muslims-to-boycott-french-products-after-france-president-emmanuel-macron-s-comments-on-islam-2853212
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Kashmiri Pandit organisations welcome move to allow
any citizen to purchase land in J&K
Oct 30, 2020
NEW DELHI: Prominent Kashmiri Pandit organisations
have welcomed the government notification allowing Indians to purchase land in
Jammu and Kashmir.
In a joint statement, Roots in Kashmir (RIK), Jammu
Kashmir Vichar Manch (JKVM) and Youth for Panun Kashmir (Y4PK) have welcomed
the government decision.
Dilip Mattoo, President JKVM said that the Kashmiri
Pandit community has always kept the rights of Indians above any community or
regional aspirations.
“We have chosen exodus but no compromise on the unity
and integrity of this nation,” he said.
Rahul Mahanoori, spokesperson, RIK said that soldiers
fighting the terror and jihad in Kashmir come from every part of India and
thousands have sacrificed their lives fighting the enemy in Kashmir. It was
unfair till now that protectors and martyrs had no right on the land, they were
ready to sacrifice their lives for.
Netri Bhat, a prominent woman community activist said
that with ownership rights extended to entire India is a welcome step towards
the One Nation, One Law and One rule. This will also bring in much needed
investment and generate employment that will benefit the residents of the
state.
Vithal Chowdhary, organising secretary for Y4PK said
that the best way to counter jihad in Kashmir is by giving every Indian a right
to settle in Jammu & Kashmir.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/kashmiri-pandit-organisations-welcome-move-to-allow-any-citizen-to-purchase-land-in-jk/articleshow/78942961.cms
--------
Raids meant to cripple terror funding ahead of India’s
FATF test
Oct 30, 2020
NEW DELHI: The series of raids on Kashmir-based
non-governmental organisation (NGOs) and sympathisers of terror outfits by
intelligence and enforcement agencies are part of a strategy of the government
to dismantle the terror infrastructure in the Valley and cripple sources of
terror financing, a pre-condition for India to clear the Financial Action Task
Force (FATF) test coming up sometime early next year.
The fourth round of the on-site visit of the FATF team
for ‘mutual evaluations’ of India is to take place sometime in February/March
next year.
India was removed from the ‘regular follow up process’
after a 2013 plenary meeting of the FATF which found ‘satisfactory level of
compliance’. India had carried out all the required legislative reforms
associated with anti-money laundering and countering terror financing (AML
& CFT) as recommended by the Paris-based intergovernmental body.
Clearing the FATF test is not an easy task for
enforcement agencies as they have to prove ‘decisive actions’ on the ground
against money laundering and terror financing to avoid being part of the Grey
list,which is where Pakistan has found itself in recent times.
Being on the grey list of FATF impedes foreign
investments and the country’s trade with others in view of stringent conditions
imposed on the financial system and on the inter-governmental transactions.
Since 2010, when it became a member of the Paris-based body, India has carried
out several legislative reforms and enacted laws required as part of FATF’s
guidelines on AML/CFT.
As part of actions on the ground, the government has
asked all agencies to file chargesheets in a time-bound manner and ensure
completion of trials and convictions in cases registered by them. Indian
agencies' record of obtaining convictions in cases investigated by them is very
poor owing to many reasons, including witnesses turning hostile or delay in the
trial process, all pointing at deficiencies in the present prosecution system.
The searches on Wednesday and Thursday by the National
Investigation Agency (NIA) on Kashmir-based NGOs and some overground workers of
terror outfits are just among a series of actions being taken against those
associated with Pakistan-based terror sponsors. The NIA actions have come just
after the Enforcement Directorate attached assets of many hawala operators and
Srinagar-based businessmen used by Pakistan's Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz
Saeed to fund terror operations in the Valley.
The RBI had recently cancelled the licences of 19
foreign exchange agents across the country after they were found issuing
foreign currencies, particularly US dollars, to people without keeping track of
who they were or what had been their source of funds. Thousands of crores worth
of foreign currencies have been distributed by these agents without maintaining
any record. A lot of this is suspected to be dirty money, proceeds of crime,
and used for anti-national activities, including terror financing.
The ED last month filed a chargesheet against hawala
dealers, terror sympathisers and heads of terror outfits, including LeT chief
Hafiz Saeed. Its probe revealed many in the Union Territory of J&K, including
some NGOs, were founded by Saeed’s Pak-based NGO Falah-i-Insaniyat for terror
operation and providing safe houses to Pak-based terrorists operating in the
Valley.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/raids-meant-to-cripple-terror-funding-ahead-of-indias-fatf-test/articleshow/78942958.cms
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Gujarat State Waqf Tribunal Stays Mosque Construction,
Prayers In It
Oct 30, 2020
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat State Waqf Tribunal has ordered
a stay on further construction of a mosque and the offering of prayers at it,
after a Muslim group objected to the masjid being built on a graveyard with old
graves.
The dispute concerns control over a Sunni Muslim
graveyard at Badarpura village near Palanpur in north Gujarat. A shrine named
Balapir and a few old graves existed on the graveyard land. As members of the
Tabligh Jamaat wrested control of the trust, they got permission to build a
mosque at the graveyard from the Gujarat State Waqf Board.
The construction of the mosque on top of the old
graves irked members of another group, which follows the Sufi tradition. They
objected before the Masjid, Madresa, Kabrastan Balapir Waqf Trust, which
manages the graveyard’s affairs, and the government authorities, but to no
avail. They finally approached the Waqf Tribunal and argued that construction
permission for a mosque by destroying the graves of their forefathers could not
have been granted by the board, as they are revered in their faith. They also
objected to the construction of a mosque on a graveyard.
After a preliminary hearing on October 15, which
involved the lawyer from the Waqf Trust, the tribunal said that the Tabligh
Jamaat was not able to supply evidence regarding the handing over of the
disputed land to it and that illegal construction of a religious structure
would create an unnecessary dispute between people of two different faiths.
While directing a stay on further construction and use
of the religious structure, the tribunal also ordered the board and concerned
government authorities in Banaskantha district to monitor the situation and if
the tribunal’s order is violated, they should take immediate action. The status
quo has been ordered to be maintained till the court pronounces a final verdict
in this case.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/waqf-tribunal-stays-mosque-construction-prayers-in-it/articleshow/78940639.cms
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Pak has no locus standi to talk on J&K laws: India
Oct 30, 2020
NEW DELHI: The government Thursday hit out at Pakistan
for attacking India on the issue of terrorism as it said that the whole world
knew the truth about Pakistan and its role in supporting terrorism. India also
asked Islamabad to not talk about land laws in Jammu & Kashmir as it was an
internal matter of India and no country had the locus standi to comment on the
issue.
MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava told reporters that
Pakistan was providing shelter to the maximum number of UN proscribed
terrorists.
On the issue of J&K land laws, the official said
India had taken a number of measures in recent times for the socio-economic
development and for improvement of livelihood in Jammu & Kashmir.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pak-has-no-locus-standi-to-talk-on-jk-laws-india/articleshow/78943096.cms
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NGO funding case: NIA conducts searches in J&K for
2nd day
Oct 29, 2020
SRINAGAR: The National Investigation Agency (NIA)
continued with its operation against a number of NGOs and trusts for the second
consecutive day on Thursday, conducting searches at six locations in Jammu and
Kashmir and two in Delhi.
According to an NIA spokesperson, these searches were
in connection with a case related to NGOs and trusts allegedly diverting funds
meant for charitable activities to secessionist and separatist activities in
J&K.
NIA sleuths conducted searches at premises of JK
Yateem Foundation in Srinagar and Kulgam, Salvation Movement in Srinagar, Jammu
and Kashmir Voice of Victims in Baramulla, Falah-e-Aam Trust in Budgam, Human
Welfare Foundation offices in Delhi and Anantnag and Charity Alliance in Delhi.
“These searches were in continuation of Wednesday's
operations. The case was registered on October 8, under Sections 120B, 124A of
IPC and Sections 17, 18, 22A, 22C, 38, 39 and 40 of UAPA as per the directions
of MHA. The ministry had received credible information that certain NGOs and
trusts are collecting funds domestically and abroad through donations and
business contributions in the name of welfare activities such as public health
and education,” said an NIA spokesperson.
“These funds are sent to J&K through various
channels like hawala and cash couriers. Several incriminating documents and
electronic devices have been seized during searches,” the spokesperson added.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/ngo-funding-case-nia-conducts-searches-in-jk-for-2nd-day/articleshow/78938833.cms
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Efforts to assist Afghanistan through Chabahar port
appreciated by US: MEA
Posted by Shivani Kumar
Oct 29, 2020
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Spokesperson Anurag
Srivastava on Thursday said that India’s efforts to assist Afghanistan through
the Chabahar port were appreciated by the United States during the recently
concluded 2+2 Ministerial dialogue.
Speaking at the weekly media briefing, Srivastava
said: “Our development assistance and multi-modal connectivity infrastructure
and trade linkages that have been built and our efforts in this regard through
our development assistance to Afghanistan to sustain the growth and development
there over the long term was something which was appreciated by the US side.”
The MEA Spokesperson was replying to a question --
whether the US had given a green signal to the developments on Chabahar port in
Iran.
In 2018, Iran and India had signed an agreement worth
USD 85 million to develop the Chabahar Port in south-eastern Iran.
The Chabahar Port, which provides an alternative route
for trade between India and Afghanistan, is located in the Gulf of Oman.
The United States has provided a “narrow exemption” to
India from sanctions on the Chabahar project in Iran as it plays a vital role
in transporting India’s humanitarian supplies to war-torn Afghanistan.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/efforts-to-assist-afghanistan-through-chabahar-port-appreciated-by-us-mea/story-dSB89vtDh63Wq5CLEuN0ZP.html
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Pakistan
Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani Neuroscientist Has
Signed Mercy Petition, Senate Told
Iftikhar A. Khan
30 Oct 2020
ISLAMABAD: The Senate was informed on Thursday that Dr
Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist convicted by a US court on the charge
of shooting at army and FBI officers while in custody in Afghanistan, has
finally signed a mercy petition.
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs
Babar Awan said during the question hour that earlier Dr Siddiqui had
reservations over filing the mercy petition, but now she has signed it and the
petition was being sent to the US president through the jail authorities.
“If we had the power, we would have brought Aafia
Siddiqui to Pakistan within 24 hours,” Mr Awan said.
He said Dr Siddiqui had access to e-mail through which
she stayed in touch with her family and counsel.
Besides, he said, Dr Aafia had spoken to officials of
Pakistan Embassy in the United States by telephone several times.
The adviser said that legal action could be taken against
those who had handed over Dr Siddiqui and Aimal Kansi to the United States.
On behalf of the foreign minister, Mr Awan was
responding to a question asked by Senator Mushtaq Ahmad who had sought to
confirm whether ban had been imposed on meetings with Dr Siddiqui in the US
jail during the Covid-19 pandemic and the number of Covid-19 patients was
increasing in that prison.
The written reply said that during the pandemic, the
consular visits had been suspended by the prison authorities in Federal Medical
Centre, Carswell, a US federal prison in Fort Worth, Texas, for female inmates
with special medical and mental health needs.
“Resultantly, in person meetings of our Consul General
with Dr Aafia Siddiqui had been put on hold. However, Consul General remained
in touch with the prison authorities in order to get updates on the health and
well-being of Dr Aafia,” the reply said.
It said that due to efforts made by Pakistan’s Embassy
in Washington DC, a special consular visit had been arranged for the consul general
in Houston to meet Dr Siddiqui on Sept 24. During the meeting she herself
informed the consul general that her Covid-19 test had come negative. She was
alert in her conversation with the diplomat and told him that she had recently
been examined by her psychiatrist who had declared her well.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1587743/aafia-has-signed-mercy-petition-senate-told
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Imran Khan-led Pakistan government will be sent
packing by January 2021, says PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto
Oct 29, 2020
GILGIT-BALTISTAN: Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP)
chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday insisted that Imran Khan-led
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government would be sent packing by January
2021, and a 'people's government' would take over.
While addressing a public gathering at the main Skardu
Bazaar as part of the party's campaign for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly
elections in November, Zardari said that today every section of the society was
protesting against the PTI government, further pointing out that GB had not yet
become a separate province, but the PTI government at the centre had already
imposed taxes on the region's people, reported Dawn.
He also declared that the campaign for the right to
rule and right to property belonged to the PPP."PPP is the only party
which included the demands of people of Gilgit-Baltistan in its manifesto for
elections in Pakistan in 2018," Dawn quoted him.
He went on to say that PPP was the only party
advocating that people of GB should have their own province, representation in
the Senate and the National Assembly of Pakistan. The PPP chairman also warned
that his party won't allow stealing of votes in Gilgit-Baltistan.
He stated that it was unfortunate that the 'tyrants'
had snatched Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shaheed Shahnawaz Bhutto, Shaheed Mir
Murtaza Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto from the people.
"I have gone to the smallest town and village in
Gilgit-Baltistan and seen that Bhutto is alive at all those places,"
Zardari declared.
Thousands of PPP workers from across the Baltistan
division had shown up in the meeting.Former Gilgit-Baltistan governor and PPP
central leader Qamar Zaman Kaira, former chief minister Mehdi Shah, PPP GB
president Amjad Hussain Advocate and Sadia Danish were also present on the
occasion.
Along with moving ahead with its plan to make
Gilgit-Baltistan as its province, Pakistan is also planning to hold elections
to the so-called Gilgit Baltistan legislative assembly on November 15.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/imran-khan-led-pakistan-government-will-be-sent-packing-by-january-2021-says-ppp-chairman-bilawal-bhutto/articleshow/78931909.cms
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IS ‘prime suspect’ for Peshawar seminary bombing
30 Oct 2020
PESHAWAR: The Islamic State, a militant outfit, is the
prime suspect for the Peshawar seminary bomb blast in light of initial
investigations, the provincial government was informed during a meeting on
Thursday.
The high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister
Mahmood Khan was called over the Zubbariyah Madrassah bombing, which had killed
eight students and around 120 others injured on Tuesday morning.
A senior official told Dawn requesting anonymity that
the participants discussed the threat perception in the wake of the bomb blast
and the recent regrouping of the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
He said the chief minister was informed that
Zubbariyah Madrassah administrator Sheikh Rahimuddin Haqqani was vocal against
the Islamic State and had issued several fatwas (decrees) against it.
The meeting was also informed that the Sheikh Haqqani,
who survived the attack, was on the hit list of the IS, which had attempted to
kill him in the past.
Investigators say explosive, timed device used in
blast apparently smuggled from Afghanistan
“These things made the IS the prime suspect for bomb
attack,” the official said.
He said the initial investigations had revealed that
the ‘military grade’ explosive or TNT was used in the timed detonation and both
of the explosive and timed device were not available locally and were
apparently smuggled from Afghanistan.
The official said after being ‘badly battered’ in
Afghanistan, the Islamic Sate seemed to be trying to make for losses by
reasserting themselves in Pakistan.
Meanwhile, a statement issued here said the meeting
was attended by chief secretary Dr Kazim Niaz, home secretary Ikramullah,
Peshawar commissioner Amjid Ali Khan and senior police officials.
The participants were briefed about the current
security situation in the province and security arrangements made to prevent
terrorist attacks.
The statement said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan
declared security of the public life and property the government’s foremost
duty and top priority and said there won’t be any compromise on peace in the
province and all resources would be utilised for the purpose.Mr Mahmood said
the seminary bomb blast was an attempt to spoil the peaceful atmosphere of the
province but the government would maintain law and order at all costs.
He directed the police to ensure fool proof security
arrangements and further improve their intelligence system to preempt terrorist
attacks.
Earlier, seminary administrator Sheikh Haqqani, in a
message on Facebook Live, a video streaming feature of the social networking
website, had pointed the finger at the Islamic State for the bomb blast.
He, however, didn’t name the militant outfit
explicitly.
“Neither it was the first Kharijite attack nor would
it be the last one,” the cleric said in the message in an apparent reference to
the Islamic State.
He, however, said, “we would not retreat from our
mission despite the attack.”
Meanwhile, a delegation of the religious educational
boards met the city police’s officials to chalk out a strategy for the security
of the local religious schools.
The police officials briefed visitors about the steps
being taken for the security of seminaries.
The delegates assured the police of their support and
cooperation for maintaining peace and law and order in the city.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1587671/is-prime-suspect-for-peshawar-seminary-bombing
--------
'Misleading' to link Abhinandan's release with
anything other than Pakistan's mature response: DG ISPR
Javed Hussain
29 Oct 2020
Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar, director general of the
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), on Thursday termed as
"disappointing" and "misleading" any attempt to link the
release of Indian pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman with anything other
than Pakistan's mature response as a responsible state.
Although the chief of the military's media wing did
not name anyone, his statement comes a day after former National Assembly
speaker and senior PML-N leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq suggested that the PTI
government had released Abhinandan in capitulation, fearing an imminent attack
from India.
After his comments sparked a social media storm, Sadiq
on Thursday issued a clarification, saying his remarks were being
"misquoted and misreported".
Addressing a press conference with a one-point agenda,
the DG ISPR said he sought to "correct the record" regarding the
events that surrounded India's violation of Pakistani airspace last year in
February.
"A statement was given yesterday which tried to
distort the history of issues associated with national security," he said.
The DG ISPR said following the attack on Indian troops
in occupied Kashmir's Pulwama area, India "showed aggression against
Pakistan in violation of all international laws on February 26, 2019, in which
not only did it face defeat but was humiliated around the world".
"Pakistani armed forces' alert and timely
response foiled the enemy's designs. The enemy planes that had come to drop the
explosives on the Pakistani people escaped while dropping their payload on
empty mountains in panic after seeing our Shaheens."
He said the Pakistani forces "decided to teach
the enemy a lesson in response" to the attack and country's entire civil
and military leadership was united in the decision.
"Pakistan responded to India in broad daylight
after announcing it. Not only did we give an appropriate reply, but also shot
down two enemy war planes [and] Wing Commander Abhinandan was captured.
Timeline: Events leading up to the Feb 2019 Pak-India
aerial combat
"During these actions, the enemy became so
frightened that it shot down its own helicopter and troops in a state of panic.
[...] This victory not only exposed India's hollow claims of power before the
world but made the entire Pakistani nation proud," he said.
The ISPR chief said Pakistan's victory was "not
only acknowledged by the world" but the Indian leadership had attributed
their forces' failure to the absence of Rafale fighter jets.
"Being a responsible state, the Government of
Pakistan in order to give peace another chance decided to release Indian
prisoner of war Wing Commander Abhinandan," he added, emphasising that
this decision, which was in line with the Geneva Convention, was praised the
world over.
"I want to make it clear once again for the sake
of record that Pakistan first showed its capability and resolve and this
decision was taken keeping in view all warfare options from a position of
strength. Pakistan's leadership and the armed forces were fully prepared to
deal with any situation.
"We gave them a bloody nose and it is still
hurting," he said while referring to Pakistan's response to India's
violation of its airspace.
"It is extremely disappointing and misleading to
link Wing Commander Abhinandan's release with anything other than a responsible
state's mature response.
"This is in fact equivalent to making
controversial the Pakistani nation's clear supremacy and victory over India,
and I think this is not acceptable to any Pakistani."
Maj Gen Iftikhar said such "negative narrative
directly affects national security and the enemy is taking thorough advantage
of these things in the information domain and you all can see a glimpse of this
in the Indian media".
"This same narrative is being used to minimise
India's defeat and loss," he continued. "In these conditions, when
enemy forces have imposed a hybrid war on Pakistan, we will all have to move
forward with great responsibility."
He said the Pakistan Army "is keeping a close eye
on the regional security situation and is not only aware of internal and
external threats but is also ready to counter all kinds of challenges".
"With the nation's help, we will foil every
conspiracy against Pakistan and give proportionate response to any
aggression," he added.
Asked by a journalist to give his take on some
"recent statements which could create a rift between the armed forces'
leadership and soldiers", the DG ISPR said: "The armed forces are an
organised institution and its leadership and rank and file cannot be separated.
"No difference can be created between the
leadership and rank and file of the armed forces. There is a unity and it will
remain."
'No attack was imminent'
Abhinandan was captured in February 2019 after his
plane was shot down by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) after it violated Pakistani
airspace in a serious escalation of hostilities between India and Pakistan.
A day after his capture, Prime Minister Imran Khan had
announced that the pilot would be released as a "gesture of peace" to
India.
On Wednesday, former speaker Sadiq claimed on the
floor of the National Assembly that the government had 'pleaded' to
parliamentary leaders to let Abhinandan be freed.
"I remember [Foreign Minister] Shah Mahmood
Qureshi sahib was present in that meeting, which the prime minister had refused
to attend. The chief of army staff also attended," Sadiq had said while
responding to federal minister Murad Saeed.
"With his legs shaking and sweat on the forehead,
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said to us, 'For God's sake, let him
(Abhinandan) go back now'," he had claimed, adding "no attack was
imminent; they only wanted to capitulate and send Abhinandan back".
As his comments went viral on social media and were
picked up by Indian television channels, Sadiq issued a clarification on
Thursday, saying the tweets and Indian media reports were "totally
contrary" to what he actually said in the parliament.
"Abhinandan had not come to Pakistan to
distribute sweets; he had attacked Pakistan and it was a victory for Pakistan
when his plane was shot down," he said in a video message.
Sadiq said Prime Minister Imran had called a meeting
of parliamentary leaders on the issue but "could not dare" to attend
the meeting because he was very anxious. "He did not share with us on
whose instruction he was doing this and what pressure he was under because he
did not attend the meeting," he alleged.
Sadiq said upon Qureshi's request, the civil
leadership decided to release the Indian pilot for the sake of "national
interest".
"We did not agree with the decision. There was no
rush to return Abhinandan; you could have waited a little. But it was done in
the national interest. But Imran Khan's decision betrayed weakness of the civil
leadership."
Qureshi slams 'irresponsible statements'
Reacting to Sadiq's comments, Foreign Minister Qureshi
said the PML-N leader's statement was "contrary to the reality".
"I did not expect Ayaz Sadiq to say such a
thing," he said, adding that the parliament had been taken into confidence
over the intelligence information received regarding tensions with India. This
information did not involve Abhinandan, Qureshi said.
"Such irresponsible statements are being given
only to gain political mileage," he said, accusing the opposition of
"misleading" the nation regarding Abhinandan and Indian spy Kulbhushan
Jadhav.
"We don't want to give India a chance to take
Pakistan to the International Court of Justice again," he added.
Qureshi said no Pakistani would be willing to
"bargain" on the issue of Kashmir. "We unify the nation on
Kashmir and they try to peddle India's narrative," he added, referring to
the opposition.
"An attempt is being made to make the issue of
Abhinandan controversial for no reason."
Addressing a news conference, Information Minister
Shibli Faraz said Sadiq had "pleased the enemy" through his comments.
"The nation will hold him accountable for his
statement and we want him to apologise in the assembly," Faraz said,
calling upon the leadership of the opposition's Pakistan Democratic Movement to
also condemn and apologise for Sadiq's comments.
'Pakistan wants peace in the region'
At a weekly press briefing, Foreign Office
spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri reiterated that Pakistan had released
Abhinandan as a gesture of peace and ruled out any pressure in this regard,
Radio Pakistan reported.
"Pakistan wants peace and stability in the region
and release of [the] Indian pilot manifests this resolve," he said in
response to a question.
Chaudhry, however, emphasised that Pakistan was fully
prepared and capable to take "firm action against any misadventure"
by any country.
He said Pakistan's successful downing of Indian planes
last year reflected the level of preparedness of its armed forces against any
external threat directed at the country.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1587624/misleading-to-link-abhinandans-release-with-anything-other-than-pakistans-mature-response-dg-ispr
--------
UHS won’t forge cooperation with French institutes: VC
30 Oct 2020
LAHORE: President Azad Jammu and Kashmir Sardar Masood
Khan says the recent comments by French President Emmanuel Macron are
indicative of rising European nationalism.
University of Health Sciences Vice Chancellor
Professor Javed Akram, on the other hand, has announced that the UHS will not
collaborate anymore with French institutions in research and academics.
Addressing the senior faculty during a visit to UHS on
Thursday, Sardar Masood Khan said: “India is using the cover of Covid-19 to
ethnically cleanse Kashmiris. This is the eighth stage of genocide. In Occupied
Kashmir, a child can be sentenced to two years for merely chanting the slogan
of independence. They are being persecuted because they are Muslims.” He said
Azad Jammu and Kashmir had a special bond with the UHS as all the three
government medical colleges [in Kashmir] were affiliated with the university.
“Prof Javed Akram and his team went to the Line of
Control and proved that when a doctor wants to reach his patient, no border or
army can stand in his way”, he said.
UHS Board of Governors Chairman retired Justice
Tassaduq Hussain Jilani said India had failed to silence the voice of the
people of Jammu and Kashmir. He said like government medical colleges in
Punjab, UHS should also allocate seats for Kashmiris in its M.Phil and PhD
programmes.
UHS VC Prof Javed Akram announced that the university
would not enter into academic or research collaboration with any French
institutions.
Researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering,
China, and a delegation from the Pakistan Society of Internal Medicine were
also present on the occasion.
Head of the team of Chinese researchers, Dr Qiu Don
Xu, said the human trial of Chinese vaccine for coronavirus had started in
Pakistan and so far 2,000 volunteers had been registered [for trial]. “Our
target is to register 10,000 volunteers in coming days,” he added.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1587709/uhs-wont-forge-cooperation-with-french-institutes-vc
--------
Arab world
MbS Would Get Killed By Saudi Royal Family If Riyadh
Normalized Ties With Israel: Dissident
30 October 2020
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS)
actually fears deadly reprisal from his own relatives if he joined the United
Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Sudan in normalizing ties with Israel, an
anti-regime activist says.
Dissident Saudi academic Madawi al-Rasheed dismissed
as unfounded recent allegations by American-Israeli millionaire, Haim Saban,
that the reluctance of the kingdom’s de facto ruler to take a step forward to
recognize the Tel Aviv regime was due to his fear of reactions from Iran, Qatar
or "his own people."
She highlighted that none of those three
constituencies are contemplating an assassination, and that the Saudi crown
prince’s nightmare is to get killed by his royal rivals as his ambitious
scenario is to rule as a king.
Rasheed went on to say that any assassinations in
Saudi Arabia have been historically carried out by members of the House of
Saud.
The dissident academic noted that Saudi princes and
kings have been killed by a brother, uncle or nephew since the 19th century.
The last murder in the palace took place in 1975, when King Faisal was shot
dead by his young nephew, also called Faisal.
Revenge, treachery and power struggles within the
royal household were simply behind such murders. Neither the Palestinian cause
nor any other cause was responsible for the homicides.
Rasheed underlined that MbS will not rush into
publicizing his relations with the Israeli regime if he can keep them secret,
and he and his father, King Salman, will continue to make noises about
respecting the so-called defunct Arab Peace Initiative – which calls for
Israel’s complete withdrawal from the Palestinian territories occupied after
1967 in exchange for peace and the full normalization of relations.
The Saudi social anthropologist added that MbS would
continue to deploy his media resources to erode Arab public support for the
Palestinian cause, until the Riyadh regime’s normalization with Israel becomes
a fait accompli, and the move would not jeopardize his life or undermine the
legitimacy of the ruling Al Saud regime.
US President Donald Trump announced on October 23 at
the White House that Sudan and Israel had agreed to normalize relations.
Trump sealed the agreement in a phone call with
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla
Hamdok and Burhan, senior US officials said.
Sudan’s acting Foreign Minister Omar Gamareldin,
however, later said the accord will depend on approval from its yet-to-be
formed legislative council.
It is unclear when the assembly will be formed under a
power-sharing deal between the country’s military officers and civilians.
Earlier, Netanyahu signed US-brokered normalization
deals with Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and
Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani during a September 15
ceremony at the White House.
The normalization deals have drawn widespread
condemnation from Palestinians, who seek an independent state in the occupied
West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital. They say
the deals ignore their rights and do not serve the Palestinian cause.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/30/637539/MbS-would-get-killed-by-Saudi-royal-family-if-Riyadh-normalized-ties-with-Israel-Dissident
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Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry condemns Nice's
terrorist attack
29 October 2020
The Saudi Press Agency, quoting a foreign ministry
statement: The Kingdom expresses its strong condemnation and condemnation of
the terrorist attack that took place near Notre Dame Church in Nice, France.
Latest: Police shoot suspect threatening people with
knife in France’s Avignon
Latest: Man arrested in Saudi Arabia's Jeddah after
stabbing guard at French consulate: SPA
"The Kingdom reaffirms its categorical rejection
of such extremist actions that are incompatible with all religions and human
beliefs, and stresses the importance of rejecting practices that generate
hatred, violence and extremism", the statement added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/gulf/2020/10/29/Saudi-Arabia-s-Foreign-Ministry-condemns-Nice-s-terrorist-attack
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Lebanon and Israel agree to continue maritime border
negotiations next month
29 October 2020
In statement released jointly by the Government of the
United States and the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, the two
announced that Lebanon and Israel agreed to continue maritime border
negotiations next month.
"Building on progress from their October 14
meeting, on October 28 and 29 representatives from the governments of Israel
and Lebanon held productive talks mediated by the United States and hosted by
the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL). The
United States and UNSCOL remain hopeful that these negotiations will lead to a
long-awaited resolution. The parties committed to continue negotiations next
month.", the joint statement added.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/10/29/Lebanon-crisis-Lebanon-and-Israel-agree-to-continue-maritime-border-negotiations-next-month
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Deal on horizon after Lebanon maritime border talks
October 29, 2020
BEIRU: Talks between Israel and Lebanon over disputed
maritime borders are expected to resume next month following two days of
productive negotiations, the US and UN said.
US-mediated talks held at the UN Interim Force in
Lebanon (UNIFIL) headquarters in Naqoura ended on Thursday with plans for
another round of negotiations to begin on Nov. 11.
Lebanon presented documents and maps claiming its
right to 2,270 sq. km of the marine area, a position at odds with Israel.
Following the talks, the US and the Office of the UN
Special Coordinator for Lebanon released a statement saying: “Building on
progress from their Oct. 14 meeting, on Oct. 28 and 29 representatives from the
governments of Israel and Lebanon held productive talks mediated by the US and
hosted by the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon
(UNSCOL).
“The US and UNSCOL remain hopeful that these
negotiations will lead to a long-awaited resolution. The parties committed to
continue negotiations next month.”
Meanwhile, a terrorist attack that left three people
dead in a church in the southern French city of Nice has drawn widespread
condemnation in Lebanon.
Prime minister-designate Saad Hariri condemned what he
described as a “heinous criminal attack.”
After meeting with Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Latif
Derian, Lebanon’s top Sunni religious authority, he said: “The incidents in
France are regrettable, but we condemn in return the words and cartoons mocking
the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him). But what happened today in Nice is a very
regrettable murder because it makes it seem like all Muslims have the same
mentality, and this is entirely false.
“Thoughts, speech or revenge should not be based on
this logic. This discourse is wrong. Just as well, such cartoons should not be
published, and we condemn them. But the important thing is to realize that
Islam is fine.”
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1755911/middle-east
--------
Africa
Somalis protest against offensive cartoons on birthday
of Prophet Mohammad
29 October 2020
Protesters in Somalia's capital Mogadishu gathered on
Thursday for a second day to protest against French President Emmanuel Macron
and the printing of cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in France.
Hundreds of people including clerics and youths
gathered at a compound of an Islamic learning center to hold Mawlid
celebrations, which marks Prophet Mohammad's birthday, and shouted slogans
denouncing France and President Macron.
Some protesters carried paper drawings and photographs
of Macron which they then burned while others chewed the pictures.
Protests have spread across the Muslim world since
Macron made comments about Islam which angered many observers of the faith.
The row has its roots in a knife attack outside a
French school on October 16 in which a man of Chechen origin beheaded Samuel
Paty, a teacher who had shown pupils cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in a civics
lesson on freedom of speech. The caricatures are considered blasphemous by
Muslims.
Macron has pledged to fight "Islamist
separatism", saying it was threatening to take over some Muslim
communities in France.
Several world leaders including Imran Khan and Recep
Tayyip Erdogan have spoken out against Macron's recent comments.
Boycotts of French goods have also been called for in
some Muslim countries.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/29/637506/Somalis-protest-against-offensive-cartoons-on-birthday-of-Prophet-Mohammad
--------
Nice attack link to Tunisia points to its continued struggle
with ‘jihadists’
29 October 2020
Though French police believe the attacker who killed
three people in Nice on Thursday is a Tunisian, the North African democracy has
made big strides in tackling the ‘jihadist’ threat in recent years.
A French police source told Reuters the man who
beheaded an elderly woman and killed two others in a church in the French
Riviera city was thought to be a 21-year-old Tunisian who recently entered
France via Italy.
Five years after ‘militant Islamists’ killed scores of
tourists in two mass shootings in Tunisia, police in the North African state
have grown far better at disrupting plots and responding quickly when attacks
take place, diplomats say.
However, a steady series of smaller attacks has shown
that the threat remains.
Tunisians made up one of the largest contingents of
foreign fighters for ISIS, and though many died in wars in Syria and Iraq, some
returned home and were imprisoned.
An al Qaeda group is meanwhile entrenched in a hilly,
inaccessible part of the border region between Tunisia and Algeria but has
proven unable to stage attacks beyond that area.
The last major attack in Nice was also carried out by
a Tunisian man who had emigrated to France in 2005 before driving a truck into
a Bastille Day crowd in 2016, killing 86 people.
Tunisia’s Foreign Ministry condemned the latest Nice
attack and a branch of the judiciary said it has opened an investigation into
the suspect.
Though the 2011 revolution brought Tunisia democracy
and freedom of expression, it did not translate into an improvement in living
standards or economic opportunity, and ever more young people have sought to
emigrate.
In September, Italy said the number of migrants
arriving over the past year in boats across the Mediterranean -- often to the
small island of Lampedusa -- had risen by half thanks in part to Tunisia's
economic woes.
Lampedusa is only 130 km (80 miles) from the Tunisian
coast and young Tunisians living in port towns have told Reuters of a constant
temptation to board the ever-present boats departing at night and seek their
fortunes in prosperous Europe.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/10/29/Nice-attack-link-to-Tunisia-points-to-its-continued-struggle-with-jihadists-
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Moroccan prison guard killed by ISIS-linked inmate
28 October 2020
A Moroccan prison guard was killed by an inmate who
was in jail for belonging to a militant cell linked to ISIS terrorist group,
prosecutors said Wednesday.
The detainee on Tuesday “took captive an employee in
his cell and assaulted him with a metal object” at Tiflet prison on the
outskirts of the capital Rabat, they said in a statement.
“A rapid intervention unit was deployed to free the
employee” but the officer was declared dead of his injuries in hospital, it
added.
Three other prison staff were wounded in the incident.
The fate of the inmate was not reported.
The prosecutor’s office said it had “ordered the
judicial police to open a careful investigation to determine legal
responsibility.”
The detainee had been arrested in September near Rabat
in an operation to dismantle an ISIS-linked cell.
He and five other men were accused of plotting suicide
attacks against prominent figures and against a Morocco security installation.
Morocco has been spared from extremist-linked acts of
violence in recent years since two Scandinavian tourists were beheaded in 2018
in the High Atlas mountains in an ISIS-claimed attack.
The perpetrators were sentenced to death, the first
time Morocco handed down capital punishment since 1993.
Last year, 79 people were arrested in the country on
“terrorism” charges, according to an official report.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/north-africa/2020/10/28/Moroccan-prison-guard-killed-by-ISIS-linked-inmate
--------
South Asia
Bangladesh's Institute of Public Health director
apologises for ordering Islamic dress code amid outcry
29 Oct 2020
Md Abdur Rahim, the director at the Institute of
Public Health, has withdrawn his own order that made following the Islamic
dress code mandatory for its Muslim staff members.
He apologised for issuing the order “inadvertently”
and promised “not to repeat such mistake” in a statement on Thursday evening
amid a debate over the issue on social media.
Hours earlier, the Health Services Division asked him
to explain which rules he had followed and which authority had permitted him to
issue the circular.
Sharmin Akhter Jahan, the deputy secretary at the
Health Services Division, in the show-cause notice on Thursday gave Rahim three
working days to clear his position.
The notice said Health Minister Zahid Maleque has
ordered the health and family welfare secretaries, and the director general of
health services to take “urgent” steps.
The circular by Rahim triggered a debate on social
media after stating on Wednesday that men must wear trousers above the ankle
and women must cover themselves from head to toe in hijab.
It also ordered all employees to strictly maintain
‘purdah’, or seclusion, and asked them to keep their mobile phones turned off
or on silent mode.
“He (Rahim) can’t issue such a notice. Is he insane!”
said ABM Khurshid Alam, the director general of health services, citing the
public servant conduct rules.
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2020/10/29/bangladesh-s-institute-of-public-health-director-apologises-for-ordering-islamic-dress-code-amid-outcry
--------
Parents Name Twins Vladimir Putin, Barak Hussain Obama
By Mohammad Arif Sheva
29 Oct 2020
DAYKUNDI, Afghanistan – Parents in Nili, downtown
Daykundi, named their twin children Vladimir Putin and Barack Hussain Obama,
according to sources, saying their preference was after the two known world
leaders’ personality and leadership characteristics.
Gholam Ali Peyman, father of the twins, said four
years ago they negotiated over the name without a full knowledge of his wife
being pregnant with twins.
“Sometimes I told my wife that if a boy was born, we
would name him Barack Hussain Obama; but my wife insisted that we would name
him Vladimir Putin,” he said, adding God has blessed them with twins so they
could name each as parents always wished.
Payman admires former United States President Barak
Obama because of his moderate policies and leadership approach, while his wife
applauds Russian incumbent President Vladimir Putin because of his courage in
politics.
The father believes his initiative for naming their
children as such breaks the conservative norms and, perhaps, helps bring
nations of the worlds a step closer. According to Payman, the four-year-old
Vladimir Putin is interested in English, computers, math and chess, while the
four-year-old Barack Hussain Obama is interested in sports.
Previously, another family named their newborn Donald
Trump three years ago in Daykundi, which triggered a widespread of perspective
among social media users.
https://www.khaama.com/parents-name-twins-vladimir-putin-barak-hussain-obama-34545/
--------
Officials Nab Afghan National in 2008 Kidnapping of
U.S. Journalist, Two Others
30 Oct 2020
The Department of Justice announced Thursday an Afghan
man has been arrested and charged in the November 2008 kidnapping of two New
York Times journalists, including their driver.
Haji Najibullah is charged with six counts, according
to the news release: “hostage taking, conspiracy to commit hostage taking,
kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, and two counts of using and
possessing a machine gun in furtherance of crimes of violence.” All charges
carry potential life sentences.
After seven months in captivity, American journalist
David Rohde and Afghan journalist Tahir Ludin escaped in June 2009. Their
driver, Asadullah Mangal, did not escape with them.
Najibullah and his co-conspirators “forced the victims
to make numerous calls and videos seeking help” from loved ones “while
surrounded by masked guards armed with machine guns,” the Justice Department
said.
“Nearly 12 years ago, the defendant arranged to kidnap
at gunpoint an American journalist and two other men, and held them hostage for
more than seven months,” acting U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said in a
statement. “The prosecution of Haji Najibullah shows that law enforcement will
never stop in our mission to hold accountable those who commit violent crimes
against American citizens.”
Security officials did not provide further details of
Najibullah’s arrest, but the news release said he was transferred to U.S.
custody from Ukraine.
https://www.khaama.com/officials-nab-afghan-national-in-2008-kidnapping-of-u-s-journalist-two-others-234324/
--------
Man lynched for stepping on Quran in Bangladesh
October 30, 2020
DHAKA: Hundreds of people in a Bangladesh town on
Thursday beat and lynched a man who had allegedly desecrated the Muslim holy
book, police said.
The crowd seized two men who had been in official
custody after they were accused of stepping on a Quran in the main mosque of
the town of Burimari, near the frontier with India, police said. The second man
escaped with injuries.
“They beat one man to death and then burnt the body,”
district police chief Abida Sultana told AFP.
Police took the two men into protective custody in a
municipal office after the allegations were made by worshippers at the Burimari
Jame Masjid mosque.
They said more 1,000 people stormed the council office
and police fired 17 live shotgun rounds in a bid to calm the crowd but could
not stop them seizing the 35-year-old man.
The victim was beaten to death before the crowd
torched the office and burned the body in the street.
The incident came amid mounting anger in the Muslim
majority country over comments about Islam made by France’s President Emmanuel
Macron.
Tens of thousands of people took part in anti-French
rallies this week in the capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong. More
demonstrations have been called for Friday after weekly Muslim prayers.
https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/world/2020/10/30/man-lynched-for-stepping-on-quran-in-bangladesh/
--------
Mideast
France’s Macron ‘a puppet in hands of Zionists,’ says
Houthi
29 October 2020
The leader of Yemen’s Houthi Ansarullah movement has
strongly condemned Emmanuel Macron after he publicly defended publication of
derogatory cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), saying the French
president is “a puppet in the hands of Zionists.”
“Emmanuel Macron is just a puppet in the hands of
Zionists. They pushed the French president into insulting Islam and the
Messenger of God,” Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said at a televised speech broadcast
live from the Yemeni capital of Sana’a on Thursday evening as thousands of
people were celebrating the birth anniversary of the prophet across the
country.
He added, “Western states and media outlets, which
permit insults to God and the divine prophets but forbid exposition of
Zionists’ conspiracies, are dominated by … Zionist lobbyists.”
The Ansarullah leader then termed deviations from
divine messages and teachings as the root cause of all grave problems of the
Muslim world and the international community, stressing that such approaches
will have irreparable consequences.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Houthi reiterated his
rejection of normalization of ties with Israel, denouncing the move as betrayal
and partnership with the enemies of Islam.
“While the Saudi regime has opened the gates of the
Two Holy Mosques to Zionists, it is enforcing a blockade on Yemeni people and
continuing its attacks at the same time. It has also imprisoned Palestinian
expatriates simply because of their stance against the Zionist enemy,” the
Ansarullah chief pointed out.
Houthi also called the Israeli regime a threat to the
Muslim world and the stability and security of the Middle East region.
He said Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates,
Bahrain and Sudan are partners in US-Israeli conspiracies against the Muslim
world.
The Ansarullah leader then described resistance
against the Saudi-led coalition waging a devastating military onslaught against
Yemen as a religious and national obligation, and called on all Yemeni groups
and forces to confront enemies’ psychological operations and misinformation
campaign.
Saudi Arabia and a number of its regional allies
launched the war on Yemen in March 2015, with the goal of bringing the
government of former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi back to power and
crushing the popular Houthi Ansarullah movement.
The US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data
Project (ACLED), a nonprofit conflict-research organization, estimates that the
war has claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past five years.
The popular Houthi Ansarullah movement, backed by
armed forces, has been defending Yemen against the Saudi-led alliance,
preventing the aggressors from fulfilling the objectives of the devastating
war.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/29/637511/France-Macron-a-puppet-in-the-hands-of-Zionists-says-Houthi
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Palestinians set to hold Friday of Rage over cartoons
insulting Prophet, Macron’s anti-Islam remarks
29 October 2020
The preacher of the al-Aqsa Mosque and former Grand
Mufti of Jerusalem al-Quds has called on Palestinians to observe a Friday of
Rage across the Israeli-occupied territories in protest at publication of
blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in France and French
President Emmanuel Macron’s support for for the move.
On Thursday, Sheikh Ekrima Sa'id Sabri called on
Palestinians from all walks of life to prove their allegiance to Islam’s
Prophet and unite against any insult to him.
“Muslims condemn publication of blasphemous cartoons
insulting the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and firmly oppose such uncivilized
conduct,” the distinguished Palestinian religious leader pointed out.
He added, “These offensive caricatures contradict the
principles of free speech as well as freedom of opinion. They run counter to
what they claim. Such behavior is nothing but mockery and ridicule indeed.”
On October 16, French teacher Samuel Paty was beheaded
outside his school in a Paris suburb by an 18-year-old assailant of Chechen
origin, identified as Abdullakh Anzorov. He had shown the caricatures during a
lesson about free speech.
While eulogizing the history teacher a few days later,
Macron said France would not renounce its display of the blasphemous cartoons.
French consulate guard wounded in Jeddah knife attack
Meanwhile, a Saudi national wounded a guard in a knife
attack at the French consulate in the country’s Red Sea port city of Jeddah on
Thursday.
Police officials in Mecca province, where Jeddah is
situated, said the attacker, whose identity was not immediately disclosed, was
a Saudi citizen.
They did not provide any information about the
nationality of the guard, and only said he had sustained minor injuries.
“The assailant was apprehended by Saudi security
forces immediately after the attack. The guard was taken to hospital and his
life is not in danger,” the French embassy in Riyadh said in a statement.
The diplomatic mission strongly condemned the attack,
and urged its nationals in the ultra-conservative Persian Gulf kingdom to
exercise “extreme vigilance.”
Somalia condemns Prophet cartoons, Macron's support
Separately, Somalia on Thursday condemned comments by
the French president supporting cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammed.
“The Federal Government of Somalia regrets the
violation of the faith, sanctity, and theology of the Muslim people, and our
Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him,” the Somali Presidency said
in a statement.
“Any act that harms the feelings of Muslims serves the
interests of extremist groups, and such acts should be avoided as they create
social hatred among people of different nations and religions,” it added.
The Horn of Africa nation then urged the world leaders
to carefully consider statements that provoke the sentiments of Muslims by
distinguishing between freedom of expression and violation of religious
sanctities.
On Wednesday, hundreds of people protested in the
Somali capital Mogadishu against Macron’s controversial remarks.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/29/637503/Palestinians-set-to-hold-Friday-of-Rage-over-insulting-Prophet-cartoons-Macron-anti-Islam-remarks
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Bosnian Speaker Underlines Further Expansion of Ties
with Iran
Oct 29, 2020
Radmanovic made the remarks in a meeting with Iran's
Ambassador to Sarajevo Reza Qelichkhan.
He referred to the good relations between the two
countries, and said that "further development of relations with Iran,
especially in the economic field, supported by the Bosnia-Herzegovina
parliaments, and I hope that trade and economic relations between the two
countries would be further enhanced with the rapid lifting of the coronavirus
pandemic along with the expansion of political relations."
He noted that "we will continue our relations
with the Iranian Parliament and the Bosnia and Herzegovina parliaments support
the expansion of relations with Iran".
Qelichkhan, for his part, stated that parliamentary
relations are essential factors between the two countries and expressed hope
that Iran-Bosnia ties would be expanded in all areas with the support of the
two countries' parliaments.
He stressed good relations between the two countries,
and added that "the Islamic Republic of Iran has been beside the people
and government of Bosnia and has supported the unity of the European country
since the beginning of its independence".
The two sides exchanged views on bilateral
parliamentary relations, the latest status of the nuclear agreement and the US
withdrawal from it, and the coronavirus pandemic in Iran and
Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In relevant remarks last month, Qelichkhan said that
Tehran has always supported stability, unity and peaceful coexistence of all
ethnic groups in Bosnia- Herzegovina.
He made the remarks in a meeting to submit his
credentials to the Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina Šefik
Džaferović.
“Over the past three decades, the government and
people of Iran have always stood by the people of Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Iran
has always supported and will continue to support the stability, unity and
peaceful coexistence of all ethnic groups and development of
Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Qelichkhan said.
Džaferović, for his part, appreciated Iran’s support
for his country since its independence, saying that Iran is a large and
important country.
“Relations between the two countries have always been
at a good level, and the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomes
promotion of political, economic and cultural ties with Iran,” he added.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990808000392
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UN calls for protection of West Bank Palestinian's
olive trees
29 October 2020
For many West Bank Palestinians, the olive tree is
both a revered cultural emblem and an economic necessity - but it has also
become a focal point of a struggle between them and Israeli settlers for a land
they both claim.
More than 1,000 trees owned by Palestinian farmers
have been burned or damaged in the Israeli-occupied territory since the harvest
began three weeks ago, according to a United Nations report.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The Oct 23 report by humanitarian affairs office
UNOCHA has also logged 19 disruptions “by people believed or known to be
Israeli settlers,” with 23 Palestinian farmers injured.
While the settlers dispute those figures, in normal
years peace monitors accompany the farmers to protect the harvest. But the
coronavirus pandemic has made this harder.
Some Israeli activists are still deploying. “With
COVID-19 it is impossible for foreigners to come, harder for Israelis,” said
one activist, Guy Butavia.
Olive farmers in areas near some Israeli settlements
say they face problems each year.
“When we try to reach our fields, the army protects
the settlers and prevents us from accessing our olives,” said Adnan Barakat,
council head of Burqa village, near Ramallah.
In Burqa, Israeli settlers “stoned and physically
assaulted Palestinian olive pickers on three occasions, triggering clashes”,
UNOCHA said.
Calling on Israel to ensure the farmers’ safety, UN
Middle East envoy Nickolay Mladenov told the Security Council on Monday: “Each
year, the ability of Palestinians to harvest is compromised due to access
restrictions, attacks and intimidation.”
Yigal Dilmoni, a spokesman for the settler council
Yesha, said most of the accusations came from “dubious” sources.
“For many years now, extremist organizations... have
been carrying out provocative actions and exploiting the harvest season to
incite against Israeli civilians,” he said.
“I live on the ground and see thousands of
Palestinians harvesting their olives daily without any problem.”
Burning Bushes
Around 430,000 Israeli settlers live among three
million Palestinians in the West Bank, territory that Israel captured in 1967.
Settlers have also been targets of Palestinian stabbing, shooting and
car-ramming attacks.
Palestinians claim the West Bank for a future state.
But Israel cites its security needs and historical ties to the region.
Tensions rose this summer over Palestinian fears that
newly re-elected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would implement
pre-election promises to annex part of the West Bank.
Last week in Burqa, Reuters journalists there saw
Palestinians and Israelis confronting each other. Israeli security forces
intervened, firing tear gas and stun grenades towards Palestinians, who threw
stones back.
A brush fire broke out amid the clashes and Israeli
firing, and spread to nearby olive trees.
The Israeli military said security forces had
coordinated with landowners to ensure safe picking, but were met with “rioters”
hurling rocks.
“A few arson attempts were identified,” a military
statement said. “Troops responded with riot dispersal means... During the
incident, a fire broke out and several trees were damaged.”
The military said it “would not allow the olive
harvest to be used in order to harm Israeli civilians or security forces.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2020/10/29/UN-calls-for-protection-of-West-Bank-Palestinian-s-olive-trees
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Israeli court gives three years in prison to
Palestinian minor
29 October 2020
An Israeli military court has sentenced a Palestinian
minor from the occupied east Jerusalem al-Quds to three years in prison over an
alleged attempt to carry out a stabbing attack.
The court on Thursday ruled that 13-year-old Ashraf
Adwan from Eizariya town should pay 5,000 Israeli shekels ($1461) in fine and
compensation, the Palestinian Information Center reported.
Adwan was abducted from outside the al-Aqsa Mosque
compound in September last year.
He has been interrogated in harsh circumstances at an
Israeli detention center over the past few months. The teenager is also said to
have been tortured.
Adwan’s mother expressed her sadness at the ruling on
Thursday and said the Israeli authorities had only allowed her to visit him
once after his detention.
“I am longing to see Ashraf and I miss his presence at
home because he is my youngest child. His father died when he was a
seven-month-old baby. During the last period of his detention, I was able to
visit him once,” the mother said.
Back in April, the Palestinian Detainees and Ex-Detainees
Affairs Commission said in a report that nearly 200 Palestinian children were
kept behind bars in Israeli prisons in inhumane conditions, undergoing “very
rough interrogation process and torture.”
Qadri Abu Baker, the head of the commission, denounced
the UN at the time for failing to “provide the minimum protection for the
Palestinian children” against physical and psychological abuse in Israeli
jails.
Abu Baker said Israeli forces had arrested more than
17,000 minors since 2000, adding that in most cases the children under the age
of 10 were detained. He stressed that the majority of the children had been
subjected to physical and psychological torture.
According to figures by the Defense for Children
International, between 500 and 700 Palestinian children at the age of 12-17 are
arrested and tried in Israeli military courts every year.
Detention of Palestinian children by the Israeli
regime violates Article 33 and Article 34 of the UN Convention on the Rights of
the Child, according to which the parties must protect children from abduction
and all forms of exploitation.
Israel has a long history in wounding and killing
Palestinian children, especially during anti-occupation protests.
In March 2019, UNICEF said about 40 Palestinian
children had been killed and hundreds more wounded in a year of anti-occupation
protests along the fence that separates the besieged Gaza Strip and the
occupied Palestinian territories.
More than 7,000 Palestinians are reportedly held in
Israeli prisons. Hundreds of inmates have apparently been incarcerated under
the practice of administrative detention, a policy under which Palestinians are
kept in Israeli detention centers without trial or charge.
Palestinian injured in car-ramming attack by Israeli
settler
In a separate development, a Palestinian citizen
identified as 41-year-old Jibril al-Amour was injured when an extremist Israeli
settler rammed his car into a horse-drawn cart in the occupied West Bank. The
incident happened on a road near Rifa’iya village in the south of al-Khalil
(Hebron) on Wednesday.
The settler fled the scene following the hit-and-run
attack.
According to human rights groups, incidents of
sabotage and violence by extremist settlers against Palestinians and their
property are a daily occurrence throughout the occupied West Bank.
Israeli settlers have pressed ahead with their acts of
vandalism and violence, known as price tag attacks, against Palestinians and
their property as well as Muslim holy sites.
The Israeli settlers also launch attacks on
Palestinian homes, set their cars on fire, vandalize their property, and uproot
their olive trees and other crops.
The Israeli rights group B’Tselem earlier this year
said Israeli settlers had noticeably escalated attacks against Palestinians in
the occupied West Bank in April despite restriction of movement and lockdowns
due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 600,000 Israelis live in over 230 illegal
settlements built since the 1967 Israeli occupation of the Palestinian
territories of the West Bank and East Jerusalem al-Quds.
For years, Israel has clearly allowed its settlers to
assault Palestinians and inflict damage on their property as one of its
policies. This has included provision of military protection for the attackers,
and in some cases troopers' active participation in the assault.
All Israeli settlements are illegal under
international law. The UN Security Council has condemned Israel’s settlement
activities in the occupied territories in several resolutions.
Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future
independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem al-Quds as its capital.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/29/637507/Palestine-Israel-Jerusalem-al-Quds-Ashraf-Adwan
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North America
US presidential contest increases influence of
Pakistani, Muslim voters
Anwar Iqbal
25 Oct 2020
WASHINGTON: Five journalists of an American
broadcasting service recently lost their jobs for publishing Democratic
presidential candidate Joe Biden’s election message in Urdu.
Normally, such deviations would have been ignored but
the 2020 elections are different. A close contest between President Donald
Trump and Mr Biden means that all votes count, even that of Pakistanis, the
single largest country group within America’s 3.45 million Muslims. The
Pakistani community includes thousands of professionals — particularly
physicians – and this gives them an influence much larger than their size. This
also explains why the Trump administration reacted so strongly to Voice Of
America’s Urdu message.
Pakistani and other Muslim voters are concentrated in
key swing and battleground states, such as Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and
Pennsylvania. Two of these states — Michigan and Wisconsin — changed from blue
to red (Republican) in 2016.
In 2016, Democrats lost Michigan by less than 20,000
votes. The state has more than 100,000 Muslim voters who can help the Democrats
take it back, as those in other key states can too. This will ensure that Mr
Biden gets 270 of the 435 electoral votes he needs for the White House.
So, they have a clear message for Muslims. If elected,
Mr Biden will “prioritise issues affecting American Muslims, protect their
constitutional and civil rights and will honor the diversity of Muslim-American
communities”, says a group that identifies itself as “Muslims for Biden”.
Five VOA journalists lose jobs for publishing Biden’s
message in Urdu
But a recent survey by the Institute for Social Policy
and Understanding says that Muslim support for President Trump nearly doubled
in 2020 compared with a year ago, with 30 per cent of Muslims willing to vote
for him.
Another survey by the Council on American-Islamic
Relations reports that American Muslims’ support for the Democratic Party fell
by 12pc since 2018, while the Republican Party gained 2pc.
Yet, both surveyors acknowledge that Muslims appear to
be the religious group least likely to support Mr Trump in 2020. Jewish
Americans came in as the second least likely, with only 34pc favouring the
president. The only group that showed less support for the president than
Muslims was Americans who are unaffiliated with any faith, 23pc.
Mr Biden re-emphasized his message for Muslims in the
final US presidential debate on Thursday night, saying that President Trump has
“banned Muslims” from coming to the United States because “they are Muslims”.
In July, Mr Biden told Million Muslim Votes Summit
that if elected, “I will end the Muslim ban on day one. Day one. And I will
work with Congress to pass hate crimes legislation” to prevent future actions.
One of Mr Trump’s first actions as president in 2017
was to suspend entry to the United States of travelers from seven majority
Muslim nations.
There are about 23m immigrant voters this year against
a total of nearly 240m eligible voters. Of these, only 1m are Muslims — not a
large number but when compared with voting patterns, this becomes a significant
bloc.
In 2016, only 55.5pc voters used their right to elect.
Even if the expected 60pc cast their votes this year, the total would still be
144m. This gives 23m immigrant voters, including Muslims, a deciding role in
the 2020 election.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1586873
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Pompeo calls China "the gravest threat" to
the future of religious freedom
29 October 2020
China is the “gravest threat” to the future of
religious freedom, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday, in his
latest verbal assault on Beijing during a whirlwind Asian tour.
Pompeo has made attacks against China the focus of his
trip this week which kicked off in India and included visits to Sri Lanka, the
Maldives, Indonesia and, later Friday, Vietnam.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
In Indonesia -- which has the world’s biggest Muslim
population -- Pompeo took aim at China’s treatment of its Uighur Muslim
minority.
“The gravest threat to the future of religious freedom
is the Chinese Communist Party’s war against people of all faiths: Muslims,
Buddhists, Christians, and Falun Gong practitioners alike,” Pompeo said in a
speech Thursday to major Muslim organization the Nahdlatul Ulama.
“The atheist Chinese communist party has tried to
convince the world that its brutalisation of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang is
necessary as counter-terrorism or poverty alleviation,” he added.
Rights groups say that more than one million Uighurs
languish in camps in the northwest Xinjiang region as Beijing attempts to
forcibly integrate the community and root out its Islamic heritage.
China has denied the numbers and describes the camps
as vocational centers that teach skills to prevent the allure of Islamic
radicalism following a series of attacks.
“But we know that there is no counter-terrorism
justification in forcing Uighur Muslims to eat pork during Ramadan, or
destroying a Muslim cemetery,” Pompeo said.
“There is no poverty-alleviation justification for
forced sterilizations, or taking children away from their parents to be
re-educated in state-run boarding schools.” Pompeo rejected what he called
Beijing’s “fantastic tales of happy Uighurs”.
“The Chinese Communist Party has tried to convince
Indonesians to look away from the torments your fellow Muslims are suffering...
Search your hearts. Look at the facts,” he said.
“Think about what you know of how an authoritarian
government treats those who resist its rule.” China is Indonesia’s biggest
trading partner and criticism in the Southeast Asian country of Beijing’s
treatment of Uighurs has been muted.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/29/Pompeo-calls-China-the-gravest-threat-to-the-future-of-religious-freedom
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US to allow Jerusalem-born Americans to list Israel as
birthplace, says Pompeo
29 October 2020
US citizens born in Jerusalem will now be able to list
Israel as their birthplace on their passports and other consular documents, US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Thursday, in a nod to
Washington’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s
capital.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app
Effectively immediately, Jerusalem-born Americans can
elect to state Israel but otherwise their passports would still say only
Jerusalem -- an option sure to be preferred by many from the city’s
predominantly Palestinian eastern part.
The announcement comes days before the presidential
election in which Trump has promoted his steadfast support of Israel, a key
cause for his evangelical Christian base.
In his first year in office, Trump recognized
Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and later moved the US embassy there -- putting
the United States at odds with virtually every other country.
“The United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital
of Israel and its seat of government but continues to take no position on the
boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
said as he announced the passport changes.
“This matter remains subject to final status
negotiations between the two parties.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/29/US-to-allow-Jerusalem-born-Americans-to-list-Israel-as-birthplace-says-Pompeo
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Trump admin to sell Iranian fuel meant for Venezuela,
give proceeds to terror victims
30 October 2020
The Trump administration plans to use proceeds from
the sale of fuel confiscated from Iranian tankers to benefit victims of
terrorism, officials announced Thursday.
The US military in August seized 1.1 million barrels
of fuel from four Iranian tankers bound for Venezuela. The fuel has since been
sold, and officials say the proceeds will go to a special fund for victims of
state-sponsored terrorism.
For all the latest headlines follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
The money "will now go to a far better use than
either regime, Iran or Venezuela, could have envisioned because it will provide
relief for victims of terrorism rather than the perpetrators of such
acts," said Elliott Abrams, the State Department's special representative
for Iran and Venezuela.
“So that is both poetic and tangible justice,” he
added.
The US estimates that it will be able to recoup some
$40 million from the sale, said Michael Sherwin, acting US attorney for the
District of Columbia.
A separate forfeiture complaint from the Justice
Department centers on Iranian missiles that were seized from flagless vessels
in November and February. Officials say the cargo was intended for militant
groups in Yemen.
In addition to the forfeiture complaints, the
administration also announced sanctions against multiple petroleum companies in
Iran.
The administration has had a contentious relationship
with Iran, announcing last month that it had restored all United Nations
sanctions that had been eased under the 2015 nuclear deal. Last week, officials
accused Iran of election interference through the distribution of threatening
emails to Democratic voters in multiple states.
“With these seizure actions, we are expanding our
toolbox to combat Iran’s bad behavior,” said Assistant Attorney General John
Demers, the Justice Department's top national security official.
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/world/2020/10/30/Trump-admin-to-sell-Iranian-fuel-meant-for-Venezuela-give-proceeds-to-terror-victims
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How might a potential Biden win change US policy on
Turkey?
29 October 2020
Days after Turkey took delivery of Russian missile
defense systems in July 2019, top security officials in the Trump
administration were in full agreement that Washington should deliver on its
threat to impose sanctions on its NATO ally.
The US State Department had sent its recommendations
to the National Security Council calling for prompt sanctions on Turkish
individuals and entities and the measures were going to be rolled out once
President Donald Trump approved.
For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News
channel online or via the app.
He never did, disagreeing with his closest advisers,
two sources familiar with Trump’s decision-making said. To date, he has refused
to impose sanctions on Ankara for buying the Russian S-400 missiles, which
Washington says compromise NATO defenses.
While overruling advisers is common in Trump’s policy
playbook, his instinct to go lightly on Turkey has prevented severely fractured
ties between Ankara and Washington from total collapse.
The decades-old partnership between the NATO allies
has gone through unprecedented tumult in the past five years over disagreements
on Syria policy, Ankara’s closer ties with Moscow, its naval ambitions in the
eastern Mediterranean, US charges against a state-owned Turkish bank and
erosion of rights and freedoms in Turkey.
Should Republican Trump’s Democratic rival Joe Biden
win Tuesday’s election, as opinion polls suggest, Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdogan will be losing his most valuable ally in Washington, leaving
Ankara vulnerable to the wrath of a deeply antagonized US Congress and some US
agencies skeptical of Turkey.
Biden, who called Erdogan an ‘autocrat’ last December,
is expected to be tougher on Turkey, particularly over its weakening of human
rights and democratic norms and could impose sanctions over Ankara’s purchase
of the Russian S-400s after Erdogan last week confirmed testing was underway.
Still, Biden’s priority to counter Russia and Iran and
reinvest in multilateral alliances could play into Ankara’s hands, analysts
said.
“Biden is unlikely to lurch into a reflexively
punitive approach, as many seem to assume, but he will likely close the gap
between the professional ranks of the US government bureaucracy and the White
House that has yawned wide under Trump,” said Max Hoffman, associate director
at the Center for American Progress.
“That means Erdogan will not be able to upend US
policy with one call to the White House,” he said.
Trump has publicly praised Erdogan and his combative
ruling style, calling him “a friend” and “hell of a leader.” Washington has
largely stayed quiet in the face of an increasingly authoritarian Erdogan.
“I think it’s fair to say you would see stronger
pushback (from a Biden administration) against the Turkish government where it
does run counter to US interests,” Torrey Taussig, research director at Harvard
Kennedy School’s Belfer Center said, while noting that Turkey’s democratic
backsliding would likely be a more primary concern.
Biden campaign officials declined to comment for this
story.
Congress ‘out of patience’
One of Biden’s first foreign policy moves would be to
restore Washington’s commitment to alliances, first and foremost to NATO, whose
cohesion has been damaged under Trump as he questioned the relevance of the
70-year-old organization.
To repair the transatlantic alliance, analysts said,
Biden will have to work with Turkey, or at least try.
“I expect Biden will reach out to Erdogan because the
priority is going to be to resuscitate NATO and you know you can’t do that
without Turkey,” said Soner Cagaptay, senior fellow at the Washington Institute
for Near East Policy.
But that effort will clash with mounting pressure from
the US Congress to impose Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions
Act (CAATSA), legislation that passed 98-2 in the US Senate, designed to punish
aggression by Russia, Iran and North Korea and deter others from cooperating
with them.
“Congress has already run out of patience,” Democratic
Senator Chris Van Hollen said in an interview. “I think you will find
bipartisan support in Congress to push the administration, regardless of which
administration, to follow through on the CAATSA sanctions.”
Washington’s punishment to Ankara’s Russian missile
purchase so far has been expelling Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program.
But Turkish companies still produce components of the jets.
Ankara and Washington have a window of six to nine
months to reset ties and build goodwill, Emre Peker, director at Eurasia Group,
wrote in a recent research note, with “risk of accidents” remaining high and increasing
over time.
“Given the options to punish Turkey, and short of
Ankara renouncing its S-400s, Biden will likely start to impose toward end-2021
less onerous measures under CAATSA and threaten more severe action unless
Turkey reverses course. CAATSA could be catastrophic for Turkey,” Peker wrote.
Turkey’s beleaguered lira is particularly vulnerable
to US sanctions.
For now, Ankara gives no indications of walking back.
The tests “have been and are being conducted,” Erdogan
said on Friday, adding in what sounded like a challenge to America: “Whatever
your sanctions are, don’t hold back.”
https://english.alarabiya.net/en/features/2020/10/29/How-might-a-potential-Biden-win-change-US-policy-on-Turkey-
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US moves forward with sale of 50 F-35 jets to UAE:
Sources
30 October 2020
The US State Department has notified Congress its
approval of the sale of 50 F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
in a deal that could be worth $10 billion, despite a declared congressional
effort to secure the Israeli regime's alleged military advantage in the Middle
East region, sources have said.
The sources said on Thursday that the Trump
administration aims to send formal notifications for the deal in the coming
days to Congress which can choose to pass legislation to block the sale.
Reuters reported last month that Washington and Abu
Dhabi hope to have an initial deal on the F-35s by UAE National Day celebrated
on December 2.
The US Senate Foreign Relations and House of
Representatives Foreign Affairs committees have the right to review, and block,
weapons sales under an informal review process.
The Trump administration has been working to advance
Abu Dhabi’s longstanding request to buy F-35s after the UAE and Israel signed a
normalization agreement at the White House in August.
Israel initially tried to stop the prospective sale
but last week ended its opposition after getting so-called US guarantees that
Israeli military superiority would be preserved.
Israel said that any deal must satisfy an old
agreement between Washington and Tel Aviv that any American weapons sold in the
Middle East region must not weaken Israel's "qualitative military edge.”
"We all face a common threat," Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters on Thursday when asked about reports
of the impending UAE jet sale.
"But with that said, it was important that the
(Israeli) defense establishment received this clear American undertaking to
preserve our qualitative military edge," added Netanyahu, who earlier on
Thursday hosted visiting US Defense Secretary Mark Esper.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Eliot
Engel said that an informal notification was sent to Congress on Thursday.
"As Congress reviews this sale, it must be clear that changes to the
status quo will not put Israel's military advantage at risk," he said.
Under understandings dating back decades, Washington
has refrained from Middle East arms sales that could blunt Israel’s
“qualitative military edge” (QME). This has applied to the F-35, denied to Arab
states, while Israel has bought and deployed it.
Israel and the UAE, on August 13, reached a deal that
will lead to a full normalization of diplomatic relations between the two
sides, in an agreement apparently brokered by US President Donald Trump.
Reports say that the driving factor for the UAE to
sign the agreement with Israel has been a US weapons deal to the tune of tens
of billions of dollars, including supplying F-35 jets, advanced UAVs and other
arms.
A day after the normalization deal, Amos Yadlin, a
former general in the Israeli air force and the ex-head of the Israeli military
tweeted, "It is important to remember that Abu Dhabi seeks to acquire very
sophisticated weapons from the United States."
Under pressure from Israel and the Israeli lobby in
Washington, Congress had earlier blocked a plan for such a sale.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/30/637534/US-moves-forward-with-sale-of-50-F-35-jets-to-UAE
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US imposes Iran-related sanctions on individuals,
entities
29 October 2020
The administration of US President Donald Trump has
imposed Iran-related sanctions on several individuals and entities, including
some based in China and Singapore.
The Department of Treasury made the announcement on
Thursday in a statement on its website just days before the November 3 election
between Trump and his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
“Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office
of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated eight entities for their
involvement in the sale and purchase of Iranian petrochemical products brokered
by Triliance Petrochemical Co. Ltd. (Triliance), an entity designated by
Treasury in January 2020. These entities, based in Iran, China, and Singapore,
engaged in transactions facilitated by Triliance or otherwise assisted
Triliance’s efforts to process and move funds generated by the sale of those
petrochemical products,” the Treasury statement said.
Iran “benefits from a global network of entities
facilitating the Iranian petrochemical sector,” said Treasury Secretary Steve
Mnuchin.
The Trump administration returned the sanctions in
2018 after leaving a historic and internationally-lauded nuclear agreement
between Iran and world powers.
Departure from the deal -- that is officially known as
the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action -- and restoration of the bans both
constituted illegal actions because they came in absolute disregard for the
fact that the JCPOA has been ratified by the United Nations Security Council.
The illegal measures were also marked by sheer unilateralism as they violated
the international nature of the deal that has the UK, France, Russia, and China
plus Germany as its other parties.
In September, the United States imposed unilateral
sanctions against Iran after it had failed to garner support for its anti-Iran
move at the United Nations.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the sanctions
would target Iran’s Defense Ministry and the country’s Atomic Energy
Organization on September 21, a day after Washington unilaterally declared that
all UN sanctions against Tehran were re-instated.
Pompeo announced that all UN sanctions against Iran
were "back in effect" under the “snapback” provision in the JCPOA.
The claim came 30 days after Pompeo notified the UN
Security Council of what he called Iran’s “significant non-performance” with
its obligations under the JCPOA – from which Trump withdrew in May 2018.
Following Pompeo's announcement, the three European
signatories to the JCPOA said in a statement that the US claim has no legal
effect.
The United Nations secretary-general, for his part,
said “uncertainty” prevents him from taking any action on a US declaration that
all UN sanctions have been reinstated against Iran.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/10/29/637522/US-imposes-Iran-related-sanctions-on-individuals,-entities
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