Madrasas ‘Unfit’ For Proper Education, Textbooks “Profess Supremacy Of Islam”, Child Rights Panel Tells Supreme Court
New Age Islam News Bureau
13 Sep 2024
File image for representation. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
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· Madrasas ‘Unfit’ For Proper Education, Textbooks “Profess Supremacy Of Islam”, Child Rights Panel Tells Supreme Court
· Supposedly Dead Son Of Osama Bin Laden, Hamza Bin Laden, Now 'Commanding Al-Qaeda' And Has Built A Chilling Militant Dynasty
· Cop Shoots Blasphemy Suspect In Quetta Lockup Of The Cantt Police Station In Quetta
· Western Efforts to Replace Hasina Unintentionally Strengthen Muslim Brotherhood in South Asia
· Spain to Host Meeting of European and Muslim Countries on Palestinian Statehood
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India
· Amid Tension Over Sanjauli Mosque, Minister Claims Former BJP CM Donated For Construction
· Supreme Court To Hear Mosque Committee's Plea In Mathura Land Dispute Case On September 17
· Why Young Muslims From Bengal Want The Supreme Court To Restore Their OBC Status
· Shimla Police Release CCTV Of Anti-Mosque Protestors Pelting Stones; 6 Cops Injured, 8 Firs Registered
· Two Bengali Muslims Killed, 33 Others Including Police Injured During Eviction Drive In Assam
· Attack on Indian High Commission in Canada: NIA conducts searches in Punjab
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Arab World
· Saudi Hospital Performs World’s First Fully Robotic Heart Transplant
· Saudi Arabia strongly condemns intrusion by Netanyahu into Palestinian Jordan Valley
· From seamless travel to tailored experiences, AI is transforming Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry
· Saudi ministry to host Cultural Week in Greece
· Moonlight exhibition illuminates Jeddah with art and emotion
· Qassim region unveils scientific research hub
· Saudi crown prince, Chinese premier in high-level talks
· Arab leaders join UN chief in call for global action
· Arab League chief briefed on conditions faced by refugees in Gaza
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Pakistan
· Minor Hindu Girl Abducted, Married Off And Converted To Islam In Pakistan's Sindh
· Two khawarij killed in friendly fire: CTD
· Imran Khan displeased with Gandapur's 'vulgar remarks' against journalists
· Imran’s acquittal plea in £190m case rejected
· Dialogue urged with dissidents to defuse Balochistan crisis
· PTA lawyers disagree over status of X ban
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South Asia
· ISIS Claims Responsibility For Deadly Attack On Hazara Civilians In Daikundi
· US Embassy for Afghanistan: will never stop calling for the reopening of schools for girls
· Kabul Municipality Enhances City Infrastructure with New Street and Road Signage
· Hundreds of Needy Families Receive Cash Assistance in Panjshir
· Islamic Emirate’s narcotics policy has ‘devastated’ livelihoods in rural areas: ICG
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Europe
· Austria carries out raids against 72 alleged Islamic extremists
· EU Foreign Policy Chief Urges De-Escalation At Lebanon-Israel Border
· Iranian president calls for European style borderless Islamic union
· UK crime minister’s bag stolen at police conference
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Mideast
· Palestinian Ministry Warns Of Escalating Israeli Incitement Against Al-Aqsa Mosque
· Prophet's birthday at Martyr of Qur’an School celebrated
· Islamists Triumph In Jordan’s Election, Signal Shift Wway From Western-Aligned Policies
· Lebanon Islamic Resistance fires heavy artillery shells at Bayad Blida site
· Israeli Group’s Video of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fire Sparks Outrage
· As war rages in Gaza, Israel’s crackdown on West Bank insurgency is killing Palestinian youths
· Three police killed in Iran, jihadists claim responsibility
· Israel intelligence unit chief quits over October 7 failure
· UN envoy repeats call for prioritization of efforts to end war in Yemen
· Car blast kills four in Israel city: medics, police
· Palestinian economy is in free fall and will require billions to rebuild: UN
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North America
· A New Exhibition Features Culinary Art From Across the Islamic World
· Trump rules out another presidential debate against Harris
· Why Kamala Harris is leaning into her gun ownership
· Congress will have Olympics-level security when it certifies US election\
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Africa
· Conscience-pricked Islamic Evangelist Resigns As Kwara Governor’s Aide
· Sharia court jails 70-year-old for stealing mosque mat in Kaduna
· Libyan factions have not reached final agreement on central bank crisis, UN Libya Mission says
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Southeast Asia
· Subang Jaya Police: Viral Mosque Video Not Kidnapping, Boy May Be Victim Of Sexual Assault
· Cops probing clip of alleged kidnap attempt in Selangor mosque
· PM Anwar orders police, religious departments to hasten investigations on GISBH-linked welfare homes
· ‘Find someone else lah’: Kedah MB Sanusi shuts down PM talk at PAS muktamar
· Bangi MP rebukes PAS Youth delegate for claiming Masjid India sinkhole ‘divine retribution’ for DAP’s ‘evil deeds’
· PAS deputy president’s claim of suspicion upon hearing Chinese words dangerous, DAP MP says
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/madrasa-education-supremacy-child-sc/d/133192
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Madrasas ‘Unfit’ For Proper Education, Textbooks “Profess Supremacy Of Islam”, Child Rights Panel Tells Supreme Court
File image for representation. | Photo Credit: The Hindu
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September 11, 2024 - NEW DELHI
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), the top child rights protection body in the country, has told the Supreme Court that madrasas are “unsuitable or unfit” places for children to receive “proper education”. The Commission said the textbooks in madrasas “profess supremacy of Islam”.
“Merely teaching a few NCERT Books in the curriculum is a mere guise in the name of imparting education and does not ensure that the children are receiving formal and quality education,” it argued.
NCPCR highlighted issues of curriculum, eligibility of teachers, opaque funding, violation of land laws and failure to provide children a holistic environment as problems associated with madrasas.
“The teachers appointed in madrasas are largely dependent on the conventional methods used in learning Quran and other religious texts. The “scanty and unregularised” working in madrasas creates a haywire system which just stands alone on the conventional ground of religion,” it said.
“Majority of madrasas have no idea as to how to plan social events or extracurricular activities, such as field trips, that could provide students with some level of experiential learning… Madrasa education is neither all-encompassing nor thorough. It is not helping children advance since it lacks so many crucial components of learning. Madrasas infringe on children’s fundamental right to a good education by failing to provide these basic requirements. Children are denied not only a suitable education but also a healthy atmosphere and improved opportunities for growth,” the Commission said.
It said children from faiths other than Islam were also studying in madrasas in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Providing Islamic religious education to non-Muslims was a violation of Article 28(3) of the Constitution, which upholds the right against forced participation in religious instruction or worship.
The submissions by NCPCR, represented by senior advocate Swarupama Chaturvedi and advocate Abhaid Parikh, were in response to petitions challenging an Allahabad High Court judgment which struck down the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act, 2004.
The High Court had ordered the transfer of madrasa students to regular schools. The apex court stayed the implementation of the High Court decision in April. On Wednesday, a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud said the petitions would be taken up for detailed hearing soon.
Taking Uttar Pradesh’s case, the NCPCR drew the court’s attention to the Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa founded in Deoband in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
“According to the information available the Deoband Madrasa fanned out across South Asia and has also set up seminaries, or madrassas, teaching an austere version of Islam, particularly along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border… it has also been alleged by Taliban extremists groups to have been influenced by the religious and political ideologies of Darul Uloom Deoband Madrasa… the Deoband Madrasa issues fatwas online as well as offline and have a very strict and conservative interpretation of Sharia, as evidenced by its issuance of roughly 2,50,000 fatwas which restrict followers in terms of faith, life, and many other aspects,” NCPCR submitted.
“Though madrasas dot the country, only States such as Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand have Madrasa Boards. Large number of children attend madrasas that are either unrecognised or unmapped,” the Commission observed.
“It is unknown whether these institutions provide quality education. The information on the environment these institutions provide to children also remains unknown. Children attending all such institutions (unrecognised and/or unmapped schools) are to be treated as out-of-school, even if they provide regular education,” NCPCR said.
The Commission contended that madrasas do not meet the definition of a school under the Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009.
Muslims will never come up if sub-standard education in madrasas continues, says NHRC Chairperson
Though acknowledging that amendments in 2012 had exempted madrasas from the ambit of RTE Act, NCPCR said children who attend these institutions would still be entitled under Articles 21 (right to life) and 21A (right to free and compulsory education) of the Constitution.
“Children who are not in formal schooling system are deprived of their fundamental right to elementary education, including the entitlements such as midday meal, uniform, trained teachers, etc, and since madrasas are exempted from the purview of the RTE Act, these children are deprived of not only formal education in schools but also the benefits provided under the Act,” the Commission said.
Source:thehindu.com
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Supposedly Dead Son Of Osama Bin Laden, Hamza Bin Laden, Now 'Commanding Al-Qaeda' And Has Built A Chilling Militant Dynasty
Hamza Bin Laden, the son of al-Qaeda founder Osama Bin Laden/The US government had offered $1m for information leading to his whereabouts
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12 SEP 2024
Experts have claimed that the supposedly dead son of Osama bin Laden is commanding al-Qaeda and has built a chilling militant dynasty. Analysis suggests Hamza bin Laden survived CIA attempts to kill him in 2019.
The claims Hamza – known as the Crown Prince of Terror – is secretly running al-Qaeda are worsened by intelligence reports his brother Abdullah is also entrenched in the network. As reported by the Mirror, it means their father – the dead 9/11 plotter – has from beyond the grave spawned a terrorist network and dynasty hell-bent on murder across the world.
It is claimed that, between them, they have developed 10 major al-Qaeda terror training camps in Afghanistan and have forged global links with other West-hating groups. Analysis suggests Hamza, 34, spends most of his time in Jalalabad - a terror hotbed 100 miles east of the capital Kabul.
A report seen by the Mirror says: “Hamza bin Laden is not only alive but actively involved in al-Qaeda’s resurgence, a fact well-known among senior Taliban leaders. These leaders... engage with him, holding regular meetings and securing him and his family.
"It highlights a deep connection between al-Qaeda and the Taliban, one that is crucial for Western governments to understand. [Hamza] has ascended to the leadership of al-Qaeda, steering [it] towards its most potent resurgence since the Iraq War.
“Under his command, al-Qaeda is regrouping and preparing for future attacks on Western targets. Hamza is driven by a powerful determination to continue the legacy of his father, which adds a symbolic and strategic weight to his actions. Moreover, Hamza’s brother, Abdullah bin Laden, plays a critical role in this revival.”
Another report says the camps train fighters and suicide bombers, and teach them how to slip out of Afghanistan to launch threats against Western targets.
It is thought up to 21 terror networks are operating in Afghanistan, turning the country into the world’s biggest terror hotspot. The latest assessments say al-Qaeda is working with Islamic State, sparking growing fears of another 9/11-style attack on the West.
Another intelligence analysis document seen by the Mirror warns: “The parallels between the current situation and the prelude to the 9/11 attacks are alarming. The lack of a legitimate government and the ideological alignment between the ruling Taliban regime and these groups have turned Afghanistan into a haven for extremism. Terrorists from outside flock to the country for training.”
It is believed too that al-Qaeda and ISK, the regional Islamic State franchise, are not just co-existing but actively collaborating, with inter-marriages among members. This is creating a unified and formidable terrorist network. This mirrors the alliances formed by key terrorist leaders in the past and underscores the growing danger.”
It is believed Hamza and his four wives have sheltered in Iran for several years to hide from the CIA. In 2019 the then US President Donald Trump claimed he had ordered a successful hit on Hamza in an airstrike believed to be in Ghazni Province in south east Afghanistan. No DNA proof was acquired by the CIA. Ayman al-Zawahiri – an Egyptian who led al-Qaeda after Bin Laden senior was killed by the US in 2011 in Pakistan – was killed by a CIA missile in Kabul in 2022.
It is believed Hamza and al-Qaeda’s de facto leader Saif al-Adel use safe houses in Afghanistan. According to the analysis seen by the Mirror, the boltholes in Kandahar, Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan, Herat and Helmand enable al-Qaeda members to travel to and from Iran.
The report adds: “The resurgence and stronger ties between the Taliban and AQ and the establishment of its training camps in Afghanistan represent a profound threat to the West.” It says the camps teach that martyrdom is the highest achievement which motivates “many recruits to volunteer for suicide operations”.
One camp is thought to be in Helmand Province, where UK troops were based while fighting the Taliban. The other nine al-Qaeda teaching barracks are in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan, Uruzgan, Zabul, Nangarhar, Nuristan, Badghis and Kunar.
Sources say the growth of these camps represents a particular threat to nations such as the US and Britain because of their involvement there. The Taliban retook Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in 2021.
The analysis, by Western intelligence experts, says: “The Taliban, despite their assurances to the West, have maintained and cultivated closer ties with AQ and others, providing the group with a relatively safe haven to regroup and rebuild. Although it was initially believed Hamza bin Laden was killed... recent information has surfaced indicating that he survived the strike.”
It is thought that while in hiding Hamza has been helped by terror boss Sirajuddin Haqqani, who runs the Haqqani network crime family, dubbed the Sopranos of Afghanistan. It is believed Hamza’s fourth wife is one of the Haqqani family daughters.
The dossier adds: “[Hamza’s] involvement in the reintroduction of training camps serves as a powerful symbol for the organisation. [His] presence reinforces the historical legacy of al-Qaeda, inspiring recruits with the direct lineage to Osama bin Laden. All 19 of the 9/11 hijackers... attended Afghan training camps. The relationship between al-Qaeda and the camps was vital for the [group]. Camps supplied manpower for terrorist activities, and successful attacks boosted recruitment.”
Source:dailyrecord.co.uk
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https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/supposedly-dead-son-osama-bin-33659189
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Cop Shoots Blasphemy Suspect In Quetta Lockup Of The Cantt Police Station In Quetta
Constable from the Kharotabad station Saad Khan Sarhadi, , and blasphemy suspect Abdul Ali.
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Saleem Shahid
September 13, 2024
QUETTA: A police constable gunned down a blasphemy suspect inside the lockup of the Cantt Police Station in Quetta on Thursday.
The suspect, identified as Abdul Ali alias Lala, had been arrested a day earlier by local police on charges of blasphemy.
The suspect, a resident of Kharotabad, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta, was detained after a video in which he allegedly made objectionable remarks about Khatm-i-Nabuwwat (finality of prophethood) and the Holy Prophet (PBUH) went viral. A case was registered against him following the video’s circulation.
An angry mob belonging to religious parties, including Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), gathered outside the Kharotabad Police Station where the suspect was initially held. The crowd demanded custody of the suspect, pelting the police station with stones and even launching grenade attacks in their protest.
The police officials later moved the suspect to the Cantt Police Station for his safety. However, a constable who was posted at the Kharotabad station arrived at Cantt and, after conversing with other officers, opened fire on the suspect in the lockup.
The cop “suddenly opened fire on the suspect who was in the police lockup”, Inspector General Police in Balochistan Moazzam Jah Ansari told Dawn, adding that the police officer used his personal pistol.
The suspect was killed on the spot as he received multiple bullet injuries, another police officer confirmed. The police constable, identified as Saad Khan Sarhadi, was arrested after the incident, officials said, adding that further investigation was in progress.
It is the first incident of its kind in Quetta, where a serving police officer has killed a suspect facing blasphemy charges while in custody.
Source:dawn.com
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https://www.dawn.com/news/1858677/cop-shoots-blasphemy-suspect-in-quetta-lockup
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Western Efforts to Replace Hasina Unintentionally Strengthen Muslim Brotherhood in South Asia
Sheikh Hasina, former Bangladesh PM
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By Vaishali Basu Sharma
September 13, 2024
Recent political developments in Bangladesh have attracted significant international attention, with some observers suggesting that Western nations, particularly the United States, played a role in the transition of power that led to Sheikh Hasina’s exit from leadership. There has been speculation that the U.S. was involved in supporting Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, as the head of the interim government.
Yunus, who has longstanding connections with the West, is well-regarded for his work in microfinance and social entrepreneurship. He has been honored with awards such as the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom and several honorary degrees from American universities. Western governments and organizations have worked closely with Yunus on initiatives aimed at promoting financial inclusion and social business.
Despite his international acclaim, concerns have arisen regarding Yunus’s ability to manage Bangladesh’s political and security landscape. Since Sheikh Hasina stepped down on August 5, there have been reports of increased violence in various regions of Bangladesh, including attacks on Hindu temples and the Ahmadiyya community. These incidents have raised questions about the government’s commitment to protecting minorities.
Yunus’s approach toward certain radical groups has also led to geopolitical concerns. His meeting with Mamunul Haque, a leader of Hefazat-e-Islam, has drawn significant attention, sparking debate about whether Yunus is offering space to Islamist factions within the political sphere. While some view this engagement as an attempt to maintain dialogue with all sectors of society, others are concerned that it could embolden radical groups.
The re-entry of Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) into Bangladesh’s political landscape under Yunus’s administration, following the lifting of a previous ban, has similarly raised alarm. Jamaat-e-Islami, which has historical ties to Islamist movements like the Muslim Brotherhood, has expressed support for Yunus’s government, leading some to fear that this could lead to increased radicalization and a shift towards conservative Islamic policies.
Bangladesh’s challenges are compounded by regional security issues. There are growing concerns about connections between radical groups in Bangladesh and militant organizations in neighboring Myanmar. The Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, which house displaced populations from Myanmar, have been identified as potential areas of recruitment for groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). The cross-border influence of these groups threatens to escalate tensions and instability.
The United States, in its support for political transition in Bangladesh, may have inadvertently created an environment where Islamist factions are gaining influence. While Yunus has been positioned as a stabilizing figure by many in the West, his engagement with groups like Hefazat-e-Islam and the legitimization of Jamaat-e-Islami could result in long-term challenges. These groups, if empowered, could seek to advance conservative policies, affecting areas such as education, gender equality, and social norms, thereby increasing polarization within Bangladeshi society.
The potential for further radicalization in Bangladesh not only poses risks to its internal stability but also has implications for regional security. As these groups gain political leverage, the possibility of a broader shift towards conservative Islamist policies in South Asia grows, with significant consequences for Bangladesh’s relations with its neighbors and international partners.
As Bangladesh navigates this complex political landscape, Yunus’s leadership will be crucial in determining whether the country can maintain its secular foundation or if the rise of conservative elements will lead to increased social tensions and instability. The international community, particularly Western nations, will need to carefully monitor these developments and consider the broader regional implications of political shifts in Bangladesh.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/western-efforts-to-replace-hasina-unintentionally-strengthen-muslim-brotherhood-in-south-asia/
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Spain to Host Meeting of European and Muslim Countries on Palestinian Statehood
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez poses for a family photo with Spain's Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, Spain's Secretary General for Foreign Affairs Emma Aparici, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, Saudi Arabia's Foreign... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
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September 12, 2024
The foreign ministers of several Muslim and European countries will meet in Madrid on Friday, 113 September 2024 to discuss how to implement a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine issue, the Spanish and Norwegian governments have announced.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares will host the meeting, which will be attended by some of his European counterparts, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, and members of the Arab-Islamic Contact Group for Gaza.
Spain, Norway and Ireland formally recognised a unified Palestinian state on 28 May. Ruled by the Palestinian Authority, the state comprises the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with East Jerusalem as its capital. With the three European countries included, 146 of the 193 member-states of the UN now recognise Palestinian statehood.
Albares hosted a diplomatic meeting with the Gaza Contact Group on 29 May in which participants discussed the next steps towards actively implementing the two-state solution.
Source:daysofpalestine.ps
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https://daysofpalestine.ps/spain-to-host-meeting-of-european-and-muslim-countries-on-palestinian-statehood/
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India
Amid Tension Over Sanjauli Mosque, Minister Claims Former BJP CM Donated For Construction
12.09.24
Himachal Pradesh minister Anirudh Singh on Thursday claimed that former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur gave Rs 2 lakh for the construction of a portion of the Sanjauli mosque during his tenure and the BJP was now trying to disturb peace in the state.
Terming it as baseless, Thakur said the Congress minister was lying to hide his failure and changing his statement under pressure from the Congress high command.
Addressing mediapersons here along with Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh, the rural development and Panchayati Raj minister said the portion of the mosque was constructed during the Covid times when the BJP was in power and even the mayor of Shimla Municipal Corporation was from the party.
He alleged that some people from the BJP and anti-social elements were present in Wednesday's protest held for the demolition of the mosque and stones were pelted at the police injuring six of them following which police resorted to mild baton charges.
"This is not a matter of any religion, it is a matter of unauthorised construction and law will take its course but some people are trying to give a political colour to the issue and disturb peace by creating fear among the people which would not be tolerated," he said.
Both Anirudh Singh and Vikramaditya Singh hailed a Muslim welfare committee for coming forward and offering to demolish the unauthorised construction themselves.
The ministers said the committee had set an example by giving a representation to the Municipal Corporation commissioner to seal the unauthorised portion.
Reacting to the claims of Anirudh Singh, Thakur said the Congress high command had directed the chief minister to remove him from his cabinet and now the minister was in damage control mode.
Thakur said people are angry after protesters were baton-charged in Sanjauli.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
Source:telegraphindia.com
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/amid-tension-over-sanjauli-mosque-minister-claims-former-bjp-chief-minister-jai-ram-thakur-donated-for-construction/cid/2047586
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Supreme Court To Hear Mosque Committee's Plea In Mathura Land Dispute Case On September 17
September 13, 2024
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition by the Shahi Idgah Masjid challenging last month's Allahabad High Court verdict, which allowed 15 suits filed by Hindu petitioners claiming the mosque, in Uttar Pradesh's Mathura, is built on 13.37 acres of land that was Lord Krishna's birthplace.
The petitioners had sought removal of the mosque.
The top court will hear the Muslim side's petition on Tuesday.
On August 1 Justice Mayank Kumar, in what was seen as a landmark ruling with implications for other similar pending suits, allowed all 15 suits by the Hindu petitioners to stand.
That order came after the court re-opened hearings on the case because the Shahi Idgah counsel moved an application requesting he be heard and prayed for video recordings.
READ | Big Setback For Mosque Committee In Mathura Land Dispute Case
The Shahi Idgah Intezamia Committee had challenged maintainability of the petitions, including one filed by Bhagwan Shrikrishna Virajman at the Katra Keshav Dev temple.
The Hindu side claims the land is the birthplace of the Lord Krishna.
The petitioners claim as evidence some lotus carvings on the mosque, as well as shapes supposedly resembling the 'sheshnag' or the snake demigod in Hindu mythology. These are proof that the mosque was built over a temple, they argue.
The Muslim side had earlier sought to dismiss these petitions by citing the Places of Worship Act of 1991, which maintains the religious status of any place as it was on August 15, 1947.
In 1968, an agreement was signed between the Shri Krishna Janmasthan Seva Sansthan and the Shahi Masjid Idgah Trust, under which 10.9 acres of land was given for the Krishna Janmabhoomi and the remaining 2.5 acres of land to the mosque.
In December last year the Supreme Court declined to stay a High Court order approving a "scientific survey" of the disputed land. However, in January the top court paused the order.
Source:ndtv.com
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https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/supreme-court-to-hear-mosque-committees-petition-in-mathura-land-dispute-case-on-september-17-6554494
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Why young Muslims from Bengal want the Supreme Court to restore their OBC status
Vineet Bhalla
“The High Court judgement hit my job prospects hard,” said Shahanawaz Ali Molla. “After the cancellation of my OBC certificate, I have had to fill exam forms as a general category candidate, in which the competition is stiffer.”
Molla is a 27-year old history graduate from Pathradaha village in Nadia district of West Bengal. The son of a daily wage agricultural labourer, with a family income less than Rs 6,000 a month, he hails from the Muslim Molla community that the West Bengal government included in the state list of Other Backward Classes in 2010.
The inclusion enabled students like him to get access to college seats reserved for OBC applicants. Molla had hoped that it would also help him secure a public sector job, which, like millions of other young people across the country, he sees as a path towards economic security.
But his hopes came crashing down in May when the Calcutta High Court cancelled the Other Backward Class categorisation of 77 communities, most of them Muslim, including Molla’s. This rendered over 5 lakh OBC certificates, like the one with Molla, void.
The West Bengal government challenged the judgement in the Supreme Court, which refused to stay it last month. As a result, the 77 communities are no longer listed in the OBC category in the online application forms for public sector jobs.
Even the results of several exams that Molla had appeared for as an OBC candidate, before the High Court ruling in May, are stuck because public agencies are awaiting clarification from the government about the status of reservation for candidates from these 77 communities.
Instead of waiting in despair, Molla decided to join the legal fight. He has filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking permission to intervene in the appeal being heard by the apex court against the High Court’s verdict.
Millions left in lurch
Molla has filed the application along with Wasim Akram Mondal, a 26-year old from the Pukhuria village in Nadia. Mondal is from the Muslim Mondal community, which was also notified as an Other Backward Class in 2010.
The Muslim Molla and Muslim Mondal communities were among 56 communities subsequently placed in a sub-category labelled OBC-A, designated as “more backward”, alongside 52 communities placed in the sub-group called OBC-B, designated as “backward” on September 24, 2010. Within the 17% OBC quota in the state, OBC-A would get 10% and OBC-B was entitled to 7%.
This categorisation has also been done away with by the High Court judgement.
Like Molla, Mondal too is the son of an agricultural labourer. His family’s monthly income varies between Rs 4,000 and 5,000 and the value of the total assets owned by them is under Rs 1 lakh.
Mondal was the first person in his family to matriculate and finish schooling. He graduated from an open university and has since been preparing for recruitment exams for the posts of constable and clerk, besides other Group D posts – which are entry level, non-technical, support roles in government bodies.
“There are thousands in my village and my community who have been adversely affected by the High Court judgement,” Mondal told Scroll. “Our OBC certificates are useless now.”
Community leaders of the affected Muslim OBCs had been considering legal action to overturn the High Court ruling and reached out to lawyers in Delhi.
Senior advocate Shadan Farasat and advocates Sanchita Ain and Prannv Dhawan agreed to represent them in court. They suggested that those affected directly by the High Court verdict apply as intervenors.
As the community leaders began looking for youngsters who would be willing to get involved, they eventually narrowed down on Molla and Mondal.
“People in our family and community get scared when they hear about getting involved in court affairs,” said Molla. “But I am educated so I understand my rights and that the Supreme Court will help us.”
Mondal asserted: “We are not doing anything wrong.”
In their intervention applications, Molla and Mondal have requested that they be allowed to make submissions before the Supreme Court. This is because the High Court had not heard anyone from the denotified OBCs before cancelling their OBC status.
“We also don’t have too much faith in the state government counsel,” activist Md Pasarul Alam told Scroll. Alam, based in North Dinajpur, is a political and social activist who is leading the advocacy efforts for the Muslim communities affected by the High Court judgement. “They argued before the High Court mainly on procedural grounds and did not bring up any empirical evidence or reports about our backward status.”
Alam said, “It is best that we represent our interests on our own before the court.”
The intervention applications were listed for September 9 but the case did not come up for hearing. The matter is now likely to be listed on September 30, as per the Supreme Court website.
High Court judgement
The High Court’s ruling was based on three planks: that the government’s OBC classification orders in 2010 and 2012 suffered from procedural impropriety, were not based on objective data and instead incorrectly relied on the religious identity of the notified communities. Many legal experts, however, found these arguments unconvincing.
The High Court held that the West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes was not adequately consulted and that the notification orders were rushed, possibly for political reasons. But experts pointed out that the classification of each of the 77 communities as backward was based on recommendations by the commission, and that making political imputations about legislative or executive actions is beyond the court’s remit.
The court ruled that the surveying just 5% of the population, without holding public hearings, compromised the credibility of the data and reflected hastiness. Experts, however, said that even the BP Mandal-led Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Commission, whose findings were used to grant Other Backward Class reservation across the country, surveyed the representative sample of only a few villages. Such a strict standard was not applied to the classification of non-Muslim groups as backward.
The High Court also noted that religion cannot be the sole criterion to identify backward classes, as backwardness must be established on social, economic and educational grounds. However, as Molla and Mondal’s applications argue, their communities were recognised as backward based on social and educational factors, not just religion.
The High Court judgement came out in the midst of the Lok Sabha election in May. Both Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah used it to stoke fears that the Opposition INDIA bloc, if voted to power, would take away reservation benefits from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, and hand them over to Muslims. This ignored the fact that backward Muslim communities have OBC reservation in 14 states and Union Territories, several of which are ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party and its National Democratic Alliance.
Scholars have long pointed out that a majority of Indian Muslims are converts from Dalit communities. Such Muslim communities have been recognised as backward by both the Mandal Commission and the National Commission for Backward Classes.
Reality of backwardness
About 30% of the population of West Bengal is Muslim. The socio-economic backwardness of a large proportion of this population has been well-documented even outside the findings of the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission.
The Census Report of the Bengal province, published in 1902, stated that the social stratification within the Muslim community resembled the Hindu caste system in terms of division, graded inequality and orthodox caste customs enforced through caste-based governing committees and rural police committees.
The Census reports of 1931 and 1951 repeat the observation of caste-based stratification among Muslims in Bengal.
Most recently, a 2014 study by three nonprofits highlighted the dire socioeconomic conditions of Muslims in West Bengal with abysmally low indicators in criteria such as the availability of infrastructure, electricity, drinking water, irrigation, health, education, employment and other basic amenities.
Alam, the Muslim OBC activist from Bengal, said that it had been falsely claimed that only Muslim groups were given OBC status after 2010 and that they were given religion-based reservation. “Only socially and economically backward and politically deprived communities among Muslims are listed as OBCs,” he said.
He said that the vast majority of Muslims in Bengal are socio-economically backward. “That is why in spite of making up 30% of the population, Muslims hold only a tiny percentage of government jobs.” State government data from 2016 showed that 5.7% of government employees in the state were Muslim.
Alam also pointed out that the OBC reservation in West Bengal is 17%, which is lower than the 27% set aside for the category in every other state. “In some places, this figure is higher than that,” he said. “Therefore, this is a concern for the entire OBC community in Bengal: why is it being deprived of over 10% reservation?”
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Shimla police release CCTV of anti-mosque protestors pelting stones; 6 cops injured, 8 FIRs registered
Sep 13, 2024
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 13 (ANI): Shimla police on Friday released the stone pelting video of Wednesday's protest held inSanjauli over the alleged illegal construction of a mosque. protest in Shimla, 8 FIRs have been registered so far. 6 policemen were injured in the protest including a woman police who had vertebrae fractures and is in a serious condition. Earlier on Wednesday, protestors removed the first layer of barricading and clashed with the security forces while entering the Dhalli Tunnel East portal during their protest march. Police personnel used water cannons and resorted to lathi-charge to disperse protestors heading towards the Sanjauli area of Shimla. Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Minister Vikramaditya Singh asserted on Thursday that the Himachal government will work according to the law. "There was a protest in Sanjauli, it happened on a large scale and some police personnel were also injured in it, they are in the hospital and some protesters were also injured in it," Himac al Minister Vikramaditya Singh said. He further said that the government sympathies with the protestors. "We had said earlier also that our sympathies are with them, but the law will complete its process and is doing so, the government works according to the law," the Himachal Pradesh Minister added. He further informed that members of the Mosque committee had met Municipal Commissioner Bhupender Kumar Attri and offered to demolish any illegal part of the mosque themselves if the court orders so. 9/13/24, 11:09 AM Shimla police release CCTV of anti-mosque protestors pelting stones; 6 cops injured, 8 FIRs registered https://www.aninews.in/news/national/general-news/shimla-police-release-cctv-of-anti-mosque-protestors-pelting-stones-6-cops-injured-8-firs-registere… 3/6 TAGS Vikram Aditya (/topic/vikram-aditya/) Sanjauli Mosque (/topic/sanjauli-mosque/) "A big development has happened that the office bearers of the mosque committee met the commissioner today and they have said that to maintain communal harmony we are ready to seal this place, for this, they have given a written letter to the Municipal Commissioner, the Municipal Commissioner will take action on it, it will be sealed; and they have also said that whatever decision comes up in the commissioner's court, they will respect that too." Vikramaditya Singh added. Earlier on Thursday, Shaizad Alam, Imam, Sanjauli Mosque (/topic/sanjauli-mosque) gave an application to the Municipal Commissioner of Shimla and said that they will demolish the alleged illegal construction of a mosque in Sanjauli to maintain harmony. "We gave this application because...all the people of Himachal Pradesh have been living in harmony for decades. We want to stay in harmony and love in the future as well. It shouldn't be given a political angle... so we gave this application that we will demolish that part ourselves...we are not doing it under any pressure, we have only pressure that is to maintain the harmony," Shaizad said. Himachal Minister Vikaramaditya alleged that few people ere present in the protest to incite the matter further. He also accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of allowing this structure to build on that spot, saying that the three floors of this structure were built during COVID, when Jairam Thakur was the Chief Minister of the state. (ANI
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Two Bengali Muslims killed, 33 others including police injured during eviction drive in Assam
12 September 2024,
Sumir Karmakar
Guwahati: Two people belonging to the Bengali Muslim community died in police firing on Thursday near Assam capital Guwahati after a mob of alleged illegal settlers attacked government officials and police personnel.
The victims have been identified as Zubahir Ali, 19 and Haidar Ali, 22, police said. Eleven other protesters were also injured in the clash. Director general of police, GP Singh said the alleged encroachers also injured 22 police personnel including...
Sources said many of those evicted from the land since Monday had returned and were living in makeshift tents. "As the officials on Thursday went there and asked them to vacate the land, a large crowd came chasing and attacked the officials with sti...
Reacting to the incident, Maulana Barduddin Ajmal, the chief of All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), an Opposition party, said the killing of the two homeless villagers was inhuman. He urged the government to halt eviction drives without arrang...
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Attack on Indian High Commission in Canada: NIA conducts searches in Punjab
September 13, 2024
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday conducted searches in Punjab in connection with its probe into the attack on the Indian High Commission in Canada by pro-Khalistan supporters, officials said.
The anti-terror probe agency had registered a case in this regard in June last year.
The NIA is conducting searches in Punjab in the case, they said.
The case relates to protest by pro-Khalistani supporters outside the Indian mission in Ottawa, Canada on March 23, 2023, “who raised anti-India slogan, tied Khalistani flags on the boundary wall of the High Commission and hurled two grenades inside the High Commission building”, according to the NIA’s first information report (FIR).
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Arab World
Saudi hospital performs world’s first fully robotic heart transplant
September 12, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center has performed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant, Saudi Press Agency reported.
The two-and-a-half-hour operation was carried out on a 16-year-old patient suffering from end-stage heart failure.
A medical team led by Dr. Feras Khaliel, head of Cardiac Surgery and director of the Robotics and Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at KFSHRC, performed the operation after weeks of preparation.
The pioneering achievement, overcoming significant medical challenges associated with such procedures, reinforces Saudi Arabia’s leadership in healthcare, and highlights KFSHRC’s ability to innovate medical practices, SPA said.
The process began with detailed theoretical planning to ensure precision and minimize potential risks.
The team devised a surgical approach to access the heart and perform the transplant without opening the chest of the patient.
To ensure the effectiveness of this approach, the team practiced the procedure virtually seven times over three days before carrying out the operation.
The successful operation has been hailed as a significant development in heart transplant surgery, moving away from traditional chest-opening procedures that require long recovery periods, often lasting months.
Robotic technology allows for minimally invasive surgery, reducing pain, shortening recovery time, and minimizing the risk of complications. This significantly improves patients’ quality of life and accelerates recovery.
KFSHRC CEO Dr. Majid Al-Fayyad said that the successful operation marked another major advance in heart transplant surgery, first performed in the 1960s.
“The success of the world’s first robotic heart transplant marks a transformative leap, not only for our institution but also for Saudi Arabia’s journey toward global leadership in specialized medicine, in line with Saudi Vision 2030, which places innovation at the core of its efforts to improve quality of life,” he said.
“This remarkable achievement would not have been possible without the unwavering support of the Saudi leadership, who have prioritized the development of the healthcare sector, paving the way for a transformative leap in health care services, unlocking new possibilities to elevate the quality of life for patients both locally and globally,” he added.
The breakthrough aligns with KFSHRC’s commitment to medical innovation. As a leading training center in robotic organ transplant surgery, KFSHRC contributes to advancing the global understanding of minimally invasive organ transplants by collaborating with medical institutions worldwide to train their medical teams and achieve better outcomes, further elevating global medical practices.
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Saudi Arabia strongly condemns intrusion by Netanyahu into Palestinian Jordan Valley
September 13, 2024
JEDDAH: The Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned what it described as a blatant Israeli intrusion by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into a Palestinian-controlled area of the Jordan Valley.
It said the incident was a provocative action carried out with the aim of expanding Israeli settlement activity that violates international law and resolutions designed to prevent such actions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu, accompanied by Israeli army commanders, visited part of the valley close to the border with Jordan and announced his intention to build a wall along the border to prevent what he described as attempts to smuggle weapons and fighters into the West Bank and Israel. It is a revival of a project initially proposed by Israeli authorities about 20 years ago.
The ministry said such violations harm efforts to ease tensions in the region and to provide protection for civilians in the Palestinian territories.
It reiterated the important need for an end to Israel’s aggression in Gaza, the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from the territory, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, and increased flows of humanitarian aid to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.
The ministry also renewed its call for the international community to fully live up to its responsibility to do all it can to halt all Israeli aggression against Palestinians and their territories, and stressed the need for mechanisms to ensure accountability for actions in Gaza and to help end actions by Israeli authorities that threaten security and undermine peace efforts in the region.
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From seamless travel to tailored experiences, AI is transforming Saudi Arabia’s tourism industry
SULAFA ALKHUNAIZI
September 12, 2024
RIYADH: As the tourism industry prospers in Saudi Arabia, local travel agents are turning to artificial intelligence to help their clients plan dream vacations, offer seamless journeys, and create highly personalized visitor experiences.
As part of its Vision 2030 economic reform agenda, Saudi Arabia has raised its ambition to attract 150 million tourists a year by the end of the decade. Thanks to an array of AI solutions, this new target could be well within grasp.
NEOM, Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion mega-city taking shape on the Kingdom’s northwest coast, will feature a range of innovative tourism experiences, using AI for personalized services, transport and hospitality.
Meanwhile, at the UNESCO World Heritage sites of AlUla and Diriyah, AI-powered augmented reality technology will offer visitors a program of interactive tours through the Kingdom’s historical sites.
“The Kingdom is making significant progress in building its local AI talent through ambitious initiatives, collaborating with global AI players, such as Artefact, to upskill its young talent on AI,” Rahul Arya, CEO of tech consultancy Artefact MENA, told Arab News.
“The Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence’s major initiatives and events, such as the GAIN Summit, are also putting the Kingdom on the global AI map and positioning it as an AI pioneer in the region.”
The latest edition of the Global AI Summit, also known as GAIN, took place in Riyadh between Sept. 10 and 12, offering a platform for experts, academics, corporates and policymakers to advance the discussion on AI.
Oussama Ahmad, Artefact’s global lead on travel and tourism, attended the summit, held at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center.
“As an AI practitioner, I am both invigorated and captivated by Saudi Arabia’s pioneering role in AI, as evidenced by its global leadership in government AI strategy,” he told Arab News.
“It’s imperative for me to be at GAIN to witness the latest AI advancements and success stories in the Kingdom and to exchange insights with thought leaders and experts in the domain.”
During the event, Ahmad moderated a panel discussion on AI’s transformative potential for the tourism sector.
“This session was part of a ‘first-of-a-kind’ event on AI for Tourism — a collaboration between the Ministry of Tourism, Saudi Tourism Authority, SDAIA and Artefact,” he said.
“Additionally, I had the pleasure to sign a memorandum of understanding between Artefact and STA to drive the development of AI solutions to promote Saudi Arabia as a leading tourism destination and to elevate its visitors’ experience.”
Ahmad said that AI solutions can enhance the marketing of the Kingdom as a tourist destination by addressing specific perception barriers with targeted messages delivered through the right channels.
“Solutions created by artificial intelligence include monitoring visitors’ experiences, addressing pain points and capitalizing on moments of delight, as an outstanding visitor experience is crucial for encouraging repeat visits and referrals,” he said.
“Additionally, AI can help identify new global events and attractions to be hosted by the Kingdom, plan for participant capacity at these events, and measure their return on investment.”
Ahmad highlighted the Saudi Tourism Authority’s AI-powered recommendation systems, predictive analytics for visitors, spending on optimizing capacity planning, and AI adoption by the Kingdom’s newest national carrier.
“Riyadh Air has established its data and AI infrastructure on-cloud to develop AI applications aimed at differentiating its guest experience and enhancing its commercial and operational performance,” he said.
Ahmad highlighted the effectiveness and accuracy of many AI applications, especially those based on generative AI, which rely on a detailed understanding of language and its dialectical nuances.
“This deep understanding can make all the difference in the model’s analysis of text or speech input, extraction of insights, and the accuracy of the model’s responses to user queries,” he said, underscoring the need for such models to be trained in Arabic dialects.
“AI models, and more specifically large language models, should be trained on the native language (both text and speech) and fine-tuned with the various dialects present in the Kingdom and its priority source markets of visitors.
“Moreover, Saudi Arabia has specific cultural aspects related to social values, customs, education, and communication … Developing AI solutions and innovations in the Kingdom comes with challenges, but the Kingdom is working to bridge the gap.”
For Saudi Arabia’s tourism sector and other emerging industries to reap the benefits AI has to offer, Ahmad said the Kingdom should focus on data collection, the entry of cloud providers, and on supporting local tech talent.
“First, AI applications require a vast amount of clean historical data, typically in the range of hundreds of thousands to millions of data rows,” he said.
“However, the emerging Saudi tourism sector currently faces limitations in data availability and quality. To address this, organizations in Saudi Arabia should focus on extensive data collection through first-party data strategies and partnerships for second and third-party data exchange.
“In the meantime, AI models can be developed as proof of concepts and later fine-tuned as data sources are enriched.”
“Second, many organizations in the Kingdom have legacy technology infrastructure that cannot support the deployment and productionalization of large-scale AI applications.
“However, the entry of cloud providers into the Kingdom through local data centers has begun to alleviate this challenge, particularly as cloud service providers make their most advanced AI services available in these data centers.
“The third challenge is the undersupply of AI talent in the Saudi market, which has led to limited AI innovation locally. To address this, local organizations are tapping into global AI talent pools.”
High-quality data and robust governance are key pillars for developing effective AI models that generate accurate results. That is why the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence has created the National Data Management Office and the National Data Index.
“To address this, SDAIA has devised the NDMO and NDI frameworks, which regulate and standardize data governance and management across the Kingdom, thus accelerating AI development and leading to value creation from data insights,” Ahmad said.
“Additionally, the Kingdom has set clear standards for residency of AI applications based on the classification of data sets required for those applications. This has fueled a healthy competition among cloud providers to build compliant data centers in the Kingdom, offering a comprehensive range of their AI applications and services.”
Most recently, the Kingdom pioneered AI regulations by defining a set of “AI Ethics Principles” in collaboration with the EU and in line with its AI Act.
“This framework ensures that AI development is ethical, transparent, and compliant with personal data protection standards,” Ahmad said.
If the Kingdom is able to overcome challenges such as data availability, technological infrastructure, and talent scarcity, Ahmad believes Saudi Arabia will make significant strides in AI development and adoption.
“The successful implementation of AI solutions, tailored to local languages, cultural nuances, and compliant with regulatory frameworks, is crucial for unlocking the full potential of AI in driving the tourism sector.
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Saudi ministry to host Cultural Week in Greece
September 12, 2024
ATHENS: The Saudi Ministry of Culture is set to launch Saudi Cultural Week in Greece from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1.
Historic Zappeion Hall in Athens will host the event, which will offer visitors an immersive experience of the diverse cultural heritage of the Kingdom, showcasing the cultural exchange between the two countries, and highlighting their shared values.
Various commissions under the Ministry of Culture and Saudi cultural institutions will present multiple elements of Saudi culture.
Craftsmen will display traditional arts and handicrafts, while workshops will feature collaborations between Greek and Saudi artisans.
Visitors will be able to try their hand at conventional weaving and experience time-honored crafts firsthand.
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Moonlight exhibition illuminates Jeddah with art and emotion
AFSHAN AZIZ
September 12, 2024
JEDDAH: The Ehsass Moonlight Exhibition at Jeddah Park’s Wasl Art Space features 120 meticulously curated paintings and artworks.
The event, which began on Sept. 10 and continues until Sept. 14, offers a vibrant platform for both established and emerging local artists to share their creative vision.
The exhibition was officially inaugurated by Abdulkhaleq Al-Zahrani, director general of the Ministry of Information branch in Makkah region, who expressed his appreciation for the variety and scale of the event.
“I’m grateful to be part of such a grand exhibition, filled with a diverse array of beautiful artworks. Meeting so many talented artists and experiencing their brilliant work has been inspiring. The quality of some exhibits is truly remarkable,” he said.
The exhibition also features a variety of events including art workshops, live performances and interactive experiences.
Among the activities are clay and handicraft workshops, face painting, mural drawing, T-shirt illustration, cartoon sketching, and live calligraphy by renowned artist Saud Khan.
Attendees can also enjoy piano performances at the Cocoa Lounge and participate in a podcast with artists. The event is not only an opportunity to appreciate art but also to purchase pieces from the exhibition.
Ali Alqahtani, CEO of Upgrade Ventures and the founder of the exhibition, said: “Ehsass Moonlight was born from a desire to bring the emotive expressions of local artists into a shared space, symbolized by the light of the moon — representing reflection and serenity.”
“Through this exhibition, we aim to highlight the importance of connection, both with ourselves and others, through the medium of art. We want people to rediscover the beauty and emotional depth that often gets overshadowed in our busy lives,” he said.
Alqahtani told Arab News that the artist selection process involved both an open call and curated invitations. “We looked for artists who displayed a deep emotional connection in their work and strong technical abilities. The pieces chosen reflect the exhibition’s central themes of introspection and light, creating a cohesive narrative through a variety of styles and mediums.”
Asked about the exhibition’s contribution to the art community, Alqahtani highlighted the significance of supporting local talent. “This exhibition provides a platform for local artists, many of whom are emerging talents, to reach a broader audience. It fosters a sense of artistic community and collaboration, while also emphasizing the universal language of emotion in art.”
Alqahtani noted the challenges of organizing such an event, particularly finding the right venue and coordinating with a diverse group of artists.
“Creating the serene, intimate ambiance we envisioned was key,” he said. “We worked closely with the artists to ensure the space reflected the moonlight theme, allowing for a collaborative approach in the display of their works.”
First-time participant Naila Hamadani, who has been painting since she was 7, shared her experience. “I’ve been creating art for almost 20 years, but this is my first exhibition. I showcased two paintings, one of which is called ‘After Two Years.’
“It represents my return to art after a creative block. The colors and brightness of the piece reflect the positive changes I’ve experienced during this time.”
Hamadani’s second piece, “Imagination Moon,” is a personal interpretation of the moon, driven by her preference for imagination over realism.
“I enjoy creating from my imagination, and this painting reflects my personal vision of the moon. What I love about art is that people can understand my emotions through my work without needing any explanation.”
Another artist, Rahaf Al Ghamdi, who specializes in abstract and landscape art, drew inspiration from her experiences in AlUla.
“It’s my first time participating in an exhibition. My artwork captures the serenity of stargazing in AlUla — its weather, rocks and mountains. As an emerging artist, I’ve found there are many opportunities in Saudi Arabia, and this exhibition has been a great platform to share my work alongside more established artists.”
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Qassim region unveils scientific research hub
September 12, 2024
BURAIDAH: Qassim Gov. Prince Faisal bin Mishaal bin Saud inaugurated on Thursday the Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mushaiqih Center for Scientific Research and Innovation, in Buraidah.
The facility, operating under the region’s General Administration of Education, is set to revolutionize scientific research skills among students.
Equipped with state-of-the-art laboratories, the center covers a wide range of scientific disciplines including applied physics, biochemistry, computer engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence.
It also features dedicated spaces for emerging fields such as solar and alternative energy, aviation, space sciences, project showcases and a digital manufacturing workshop. The facility can accommodate 380 students.
During his tour, the governor received a briefing from Mohammed Al-Fraih, director general of education in the region.
The governor expressed his enthusiasm for the center’s potential, emphasizing its role in empowering students to discover their talents and develop their capabilities.
He said: “I am proud of our education department’s achievements and their commitment to preparing our youth for future challenges, particularly in technology, space sciences and specialized research.”
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Saudi crown prince, Chinese premier in high-level talks
September 12, 2024
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang on Thursday led discussions during the fourth meeting of the High-Level Saudi-Chinese Joint Committee.
With the aim of bolstering Saudi-Chinese relations, the talks focused on “focusing on strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries across all fields,” state news agency SPA reported.
They also touched upon key regional and international issues of mutual interest.
“Both parties commended the robust economic, trade, and investment relations between the two nations, with Saudi Arabia being China’s top trading partner in the Middle East and reciprocally, China being the Kingdom’s foremost trading partner,” a portion of the statement, issued after the meeting, said.
During the meeting, both sides discussed avenues to enhance cooperation across various fields, including politics, security, defense, energy, trade and investment, finance, science, technology, culture and tourism, SPA reported.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian, meanwhile, posted on social media platform X: “Premier Li highlighted that under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders, #China and #SaudiArabia have maintained mutual respect, trust, and benefit, as well as mutual learning & understanding. The bilateral relationship has developed comprehensively, rapidly, and deeply, with fruitful results in various areas of #cooperation.”
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Arab leaders join UN chief in call for global action
CASPAR WEBB
September 12, 2024
LONDON: Arab leaders have joined the head of the UN in calling for global action on security, poverty, development and climate change.
Their appeals came ahead of the UN’s Summit of the Future, which will take place on Sept. 22 and 23, during the organization’s 79th General Assembly in New York.
Billed as an attempt to revive trust in multilateralism and bolster support for the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, the event will result in a “Pact for the Future,” negotiated and agreed upon by member states. It will also produce a “Global Digital Compact” and a “Declaration on Future Generations.”
The UN said: “The world is not on track to meet the goals we have already set for ourselves. Nor are we effectively rising to new challenges or opportunities.
“Multilateral governance, designed in simpler, slower times, is not adequate to today’s complex, interconnected, rapidly changing world. The summit is an opportunity to put ourselves on a better path.”
The pact agreed during the summit will cover key aspects of the UN’s remit, including sustainable development, international security, science and innovation, and youth issues.
The organization hosted a “Global Call” on Thursday to promote the summit and outline its aims for the summit, at which Antonio Guterres, the UN’s secretary-general, was backed by Arab leaders including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and newly reelected Algerian leader Abdelmadjid Tebboune, who delivered their messages of support in video statements.
Other leaders from Muslim-majority countries who took part in the appeal included Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The Global Call was hosted by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba.
Guterres said: “Member states are now in the final stages of negotiating the three agreements to be adopted at the Summit of the Future: the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact and the Declaration on Future Generations.
“My appeal is for you to push hard for the deepest reforms and most meaningful actions possible. We need maximum ambition during these final days of negotiation.”
He listed major global challenges he said are “moving much faster than our ability to solve them” and added: “Ferocious conflicts are inflicting terrible suffering. Deep geopolitical divides are creating dangerous tensions, multiplied by nuclear threats.
“Inequality and injustice corrode trust and fuel populism and extremism. Discrimination, misogyny and racism are taking on new forms.
“Poverty and hunger are at crisis levels as the Sustainable Development Goals are slipping out of reach. And we have no effective global response to new, and even existential, threats.”
Addressing recurring criticism of his organization’s relevance and influence in the modern world, the UN chief described the Security Council as being “stuck in a time warp.”
Highlighting the challenges facing the international financial system, he said: “Our institutions cannot keep up because they were designed for another era and another world.”
However, the UN is still in a unique position to address global issues by offering a platform for change through the summit, Guterres added.
He listed a series of requirements for the revival of multilateralism, including conflict prevention and mediation, financial reforms, increased lending capacity among development banks, and management of the risks posed by new technologies.
“As we reach the end of negotiations on the three texts, I appeal to all governments to make sure they are as ambitious as possible, to restore the hope and trust we need in order to address the dramatic challenges of our time,” he said.
“The Summit of the Future is an opportunity for far-reaching agreements on international collaboration for a safer, more sustainable and more equitable world. Let’s seize it.”
The appeal by Guterres was echoed by Tebboune, the Algerian president, who warned that the world is “going though a very sensitive, critical juncture.”
Egyptian leader El-Sisi highlighted the current tensions in the Middle East as he called for the summit to address three main priorities.
Member states must establish a system “based on the principles and rules of international law,” “reform the structure of the global financial system” and “enhance efforts toward the eradication of poverty and hunger,” he said.
Sharif, the Pakistani prime minister, drew attention to the “plight of the people in Gaza.”
He said: “Today, in times of unprecedented global challenges and escalating conflicts, we are at risk of permanently damaging the notion of ‘we.’ A collective ‘we’ requires a degree of equality and justice.
“The plight of the people of Gaza is a mockery of this ‘we.’ This ‘we’ becomes marred amid rising debt burdens for the poor, increasing poverty, growing inequality, intolerance, terrorist violence, illegal foreign occupation and a skewed approach to climate adaptation.”
Erdogan, who recently called on the leaders of Muslim-majority countries to gather for a summit on Gaza, described the UN event as a “rare window of opportunity.”
He added: “It is only a matter of days until the Summit of the Future, which aims to fortify international solidarity in the face of threats to the future of humanity, and facilitate the establishment of a peaceful, secure and equitable system.
“In the midst of the conflicts, oppression, hunger and poverty that are ravaging our world, I perceive the summit as a rare window of opportunity.”
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Arab League chief briefed on conditions faced by refugees in Gaza
GOBRAN MOHAMED
September 12, 2024
CAIRO: Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, during a meeting in Cairo identified significant challenges confronting the agency.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit received Lazzarini at the General Secretariat headquarters on Thursday.
During the meeting, Lazzarini mentioned the challenges confronting the agency on the financial and logistical fronts, exacerbated by the persistent targeting of its headquarters and personnel by the Israeli military, along with increasing efforts to disrupt the agency’s operations.
Lazzarini provided an in-depth account of the dire conditions faced by Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip amid the bloody Israeli aggression, as well as in the West Bank, where Israeli attacks have escalated.
Gamal Roshdy, spokesperson for the secretary-general, said that Aboul Gheit reiterated the Arab League’s support for UNRWA’s vital mission and its efforts to assist Palestinian refugees throughout its five areas of operation.
He emphasized the need for donor countries to fulfill their financial commitments and contributions to the agency’s budget, particularly given the precarious situation currently faced by the Palestinian people.
In February 2024, the Arab League chief said the decision by some countries to suspend the funding they provide for UNRWA was wrong from both a humanitarian and security standpoint and a morally flawed position to take.
At that time, he warned that ending the agency’s role would endanger the entire region and said it would be a dangerous move that suits the long-held ambitions of the Israeli right wing to dismantle UNRWA and persuade the international community to step back from its responsibility to help address the issue of Palestinian refugees.
Source:arabnews.com
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Pakistan
Minor Hindu girl abducted, married off and converted to Islam in Pakistan's Sindh
Sep 13, 2024
KARACHI: A minor Hindu girl has been abducted and forcibly married off to an elderly man who converted her to Islam in Pakistan's Sindh province, the community members said on Thursday.
The matter came to light just a day after another minor Hindu girl, who was kidnapped from Hyderabad, was handed back to her family on the orders of a court Wednesday.
Shiva Faqir Kaachi, who heads the Pakistan Darawar Ittehad organisation, said the girl, 16, was abducted from her village in Hunguru Wednesday and forcibly married off to a much older man who converted her to Islam. "The girl was taken to a seminary and married off. When the parents went to the seminary Thursday to see her, the cleric refused to let them in," Kaachi said. "It has now become a regular occurrence for Hindu families to see their young daughters and sisters forcibly taken away and converted to be married off to Muslim men," he said.
Source:indiatimes.com
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https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/minor-hindu-girl-abducted-married-off-and-converted-to-islam-in-pakistans-sindh/articleshow/113308603.cms
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Two khawarij killed in friendly fire: CTD
By Mian Abid
September 13, 2024
LAHORE: The counter-terrorism department (CTD) on Friday said two khawarij were killed by the firing of their accomplices during a raid at Dera Ghazi Khan-Quetta road.
According to the CTD spokesperson, two other terrorists successfully managed to flee in the meantime.
The spokesperson said the department had recovered a hand grenade and explosive material from the terrorist hideout. While, a search operation was underway to catch the other terrorists, he maintained.
Previously in August, a wanted terrorist of the Balochistan Liberation Front (BLF), a banned militant organisation, had been killed by his own accomplice, as per security sources.
The operation by the CTD comes in the wake of the government's efforts to curb terrorism in the country, approving Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a reinvigorated national counter-terrorism campaign following the Central Apex Committee's recommendations under the National Action Plan to root out terrorism.
As Pakistan teeters in its struggle to overcome several challenges including economic instability and political unrest, terrorism adds to the country's woes as the terror incidents witnessed a surge in August.
The nation has been reeling under rising violent attacks since the Taliban rulers returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021, particularly in the bordering provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
The two most vulnerable provinces saw a sharp rise in deadly attacks last month, according to data from the Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS).
The digital database of security incidents managed by the Islamabad-based think-tank suggested an alarming situation as the number of attacks jumped from 38 in July to 59 in August.
These incidents included 29 attacks in KP, 28 in Balochistan, and two in Punjab.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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Imran Khan displeased with Gandapur's 'vulgar remarks' against journalists
By Shabbir Dar
September 12, 2024
RAWALPINDI: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan expressed displeasure over Khyber PakhtunKhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s vulgar remarks against journalists during a party's September 8 power show in Islamabad by deeming them “inappropriate” on Thursday.
Gandapur uttered irresponsible and inappropriate comments about the journalists during a public rally in Islamabad on Sunday, which was a major event for the embattled party.
Hurling insults at the newspersons, the KP CM had alleged that a group of journalists were “campaigning against the PTI” besides vowing to “confront” them and asked the party workers to identify and expose them.
While denouncing KP CM’s act, the PTI founder in a statement said: “Ali Amin Gandapur should not have passed such remarks about the journalists.”
“Ali Amin Gandapur said way too much during his emotional speech,” Imran said, adding: “I do not support Ali Amin Gandapur’s remarks about the journalists.”
Acknowledging the challenges faced by journalists in Pakistan, the PTI founder further added: “The pressure, in which, journalists are working, they are doing jihad.”
Notably, earlier on Monday, Imran was asked by journalists about Gandapur’s controversial remarks and the use of foul language against media workers at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail
Responding to it, he expressed ignorance about what the party stalwart said in the speech.
Some journalists questioned how come the ex-PM was unaware of Gandapur's remarks when he knew all important developments taking place in the country, while being in jail.
However, the PTI founder insisted that he is "completely unaware of what is happening outside the jail”.
Moreover, following KP CM’s remarks, rights organisations and media bodies demanded an apology from him along with asking PTI to investigate this matter.
The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) and Aurat Foundation denounced KP CM’s comments against the journalists, especially women present during the public rally.
Denouncing the KP CM’s statement, the AEMEND had said: “In Pakistan, journalists are performing their duties under unfavourable circumstances. PTI should inquire Gandapur for his language against the journalists, who are performing their duties under pressure and regulations, and he should apologise to the journalist community for his use of inappropriate words.”
In addition to AEMEND, Aurat Foundation also expressed outrage over his inappropriate remarks and said in a statement: “The chief minister's language was threatening. He has proved his moral decline by speaking against women. By using these words, he has clearly violated Section 10 of the Cyber Crimes Act 2016, which deals with "cyber terrorism" and Section 10A, which deals with "hate speech.”
Subsequently, on the same day, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan offered an “unconditional apology” after Gandapur uttered inappropriate words.
Source:thenews.com.pk
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Imran’s acquittal plea in £190m case rejected
The Newspaper's Staff Reporter
September 13, 2024
ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday rejected the petitions of former premier Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, seeking acquittal in the £190 million corruption case under the amended National Accountability Ordinance of 1999.
Mr Khan, while relying upon the amended NAO, claimed that the case against him was initiated on the basis of a meeting of the federal cabinet and the law has protected the decision taken by the cabinet.
“Despite being fully aware that the case does not fall within the ambit of the NAO, NAB exceeded its jurisdiction and filed a false and frivolous reference, alleging that the applicant, as prime minister of Pakistan, chaired the cabinet meeting held on Dec 3, 2019, during which a deed of confidentiality was approved,” said the petition filed by the PTI founding chairman.
It said the NAB had accused Mr Khan of misusing his authority for according the said approval and, in return, obtained approximately 458 kanals of land in tehsil Sohawa of Jhelum district, Rs285m in cash, and other benefits under the guise of donations for Al-Qadir University Project Trust.
“Additionally, it is alleged that the applicant and his spouse, through their associate Farhat Shehzadi, received 240 kanals of land from co-accused Ahmad Ali Riaz Malik as compensation for personal gain.
“Thus, the accused/applicant, as a public officeholder, is accused of misusing his authority for personal gain for himself and his wife in the form of donations and other benefits,” the petition said.
The NAB prosecution contended that the case is that the ex-PM had misled the cabinet to obtain the approval. The prosecutor said Mr Khan had concealed the facts from the cabinet members and forced them to approve the confidential deed in a sealed envelope.
Subsequently, accountability judge Nasir Javed Rana dismissed the petition.
Source:dawn.com
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Dialogue urged with dissidents to defuse Balochistan crisis
Baqir Sajjad Syed
ISLAMABAD: As the security situation in Balochistan continues to deteriorate, experts gathered at a roundtable discussion on the province’s escalating crisis warned that the government’s failure to engage in meaningful dialogue with Baloch dissidents is exacerbating the conflict, with one analyst cautioning that the prolonged “deadlock” is driving insurgents towards increasingly extreme forms of violence, underscoring the urgent need for seeking a negotiated settlement to the long-simmering dispute.
The roundtable titled, Balochistan’s Escalating Security Crisis, was hosted by Islamabad Policy Institute (IPI) for reviewing the situation and discussing possible options to mitigate the crisis for stability in the province and country.
The situation in restive Balochistan has sharply aggravated due to long-standing neglect, misrule, and repression.
Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, who formerly headed the Senate’s foreign and defence committees, critiqued the successive governments’ failure to implement key reports that could have empowered Balochistan politically and economically, including the 2005 Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Balochistan and another one recently commissioned by Islamabad High Court on missing persons’ issue.
Mr Syed also regretted the Shahbaz government’s failure to seize an offer by former Army Chief retired Gen Qamar Bajwa for resolving the issue of missing persons by legislating on arrest of people involved in terrorism and espionage.
To address these challenges, Mr Syed proposed a five-point plan focusing on implementing existing reports, strengthening Pakistan-Iran security ties, empowering Balochistan’s chief minister to find a local solution to terrorism, and using regional frameworks like the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to protect Balochistan from external threats by deterring players involved in the new great game.
IPI Chairperson Dr Shireen Mazari criticised the government’s security-focused approach, calling it a failure that has militarised the province and alienated its people.
She pointed to enforced disappearances and exclusion from natural resources as major grievances. Mazari argued that foreign investment, particularly in projects like CPEC, will only succeed if local people are included. She warned that the government’s policies are creating resentment and instability in the region.
Abdul Basit, a fellow at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore, spoke on the concept of relative deprivation, explaining how education and social media as deepened Baloch students’ perception of exploitation.
He noted that the terrorist group Balochistan Liberation Army’s tactics have become sophisticated as exhibited by their ability to strategically disrupt infrastructure and use of media to spread their message.
Basit argued that the conflict has now reached a deadlock, which is a typical outcome in insurgencies. He urged the state to take the initiative in starting negotiations to avoid the conflict spiralling into more extreme forms of violence.
Dr Maria Malik, assistant professor at Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, called for the demilitarisation of Balochistan and respect for the local population’s dignity and unique identity.
Source:dawn.com
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PTA lawyers disagree over status of X ban
Ishaq Tanoli | Abdul Moiz Malik
September 13, 2024
KARACHI: Two lawyers representing the telecom regulator in the Sindh High Court on Tuesday took contradictory stances on whether or not social media platform X has been restored.
A two-judge SHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Shafi Siddiqui and Justice Omar Sial, was hearing a set of petitions filed against the suspension of mobile and internet services and the ban on X since February.
As the hearing started, one of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) lawyers, Ahsan Imam Rizvi, informed the bench that the notification to ban X has been “withdrawn”.
However, the petitioners’ counsel, Abdul Moiz Jaferii, said access to the platform was still not possible.
The bench asked the lawyer if the notification has been withdrawn, does it mean access to X has been resorted?
In reply, Saad Siddiqui, who was representing PTA in a related petition, said he had no knowledge about the notification’s withdrawal.
The judges remarked that PTA had engaged separate lawyers for each petition, and surprisingly, one of them was informed about the notification’s withdrawal while the other was clueless.
Later, the bench gave time to the PTA and other respondents to clarify their positions on the issue and adjourned the hearing for two weeks. The written order is likely to be issued today (Friday).
After the hearing, the defendants’ lawyer, Mr Jaferii, told reporters that X was still inaccessible and the stance of PTA’s lawyer would be verified at the next hearing.
he court is jointly hearing separate petitions filed by journalists and academics to restore X and by lawyer Jibran Nasir for suspending mobile internet and broadband services on the day of general elections. Last year, [two identical petitions][3] were also filed by the Public Interest Law Association of Pakistan and two other petitioners.
X blocked on ministry’s order
On Thursday, the information technology minister told the Senate that X had been blocked on the directives of the interior ministry.
While answering the senators’ questions, Shaza Fatima Khawaja said PTA’s web management system has been used to block X on the ministry’s orders.
She added that the web management system was installed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 and is regularly updated. “It is being used to block grey traffic and objectionable content,” the minister said while hinting at the use of VPN to access blocked content.
Earlier, the government told the SHC and Islamabad High Court that X has been blocked till further orders on the reports of intelligence agencies.
It justified the ban on grounds that the X management refused to act on “lawful directives of the government of Pakistan” to block objectionable content.
“The decision to impose a ban on Twitter/X in Pakistan was made in the interest of upholding national security, maintaining public order, and preserving the integrity of our nation,” the ministry said in its report submitted to IHC.
Source:dawn.com
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South Asia
ISIS claims responsibility for deadly attack on Hazara civilians in Daikundi
By Fidel Rahmati
September 13, 2024
On Thursday, ISIS claimed responsibility for the killing of at least 14 Hazara civilians on the road between Daikundi and Ghor provinces.
ISIS alleged that 15 civilians were killed and 6 others were injured in the attack.
According to ISIS, the target of the attack was the Shia community. The group stated that they opened fire on civilians.
However, local sources have so far confirmed the deaths of 14 people and the injury of 4 others. All the victims were men who, according to local reports, had traveled to Ghor province to welcome pilgrims returning from the Arbaeen ceremony.
The attack occurred around 1 p.m. on Thursday in the village of Qorudal, located between Ghor province and the Sangtakht and Bandar district of Daikundi.
This incident once again highlights the ongoing security challenges faced by the Hazara community and the deadly threat posed by ISIS against this vulnerable ethnic group.
Previously, Taliban officials had dismissed the threat posed by ISIS in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, Taliban-controlled national television announced that the governor of Daikundi had traveled to the Sangtakht Bandar and Khadir areas.
Maulvi Najibullah Rafi visited the region a day before the Hazara killings, emphasizing communal prayers, obedience to superiors, and adherence to the Taliban leader’s orders during his visit.
This tragic event raises serious questions about the effectiveness of security measures in regions populated by ethnic minorities like the Hazaras. The repeated attacks on the Hazara community by ISIS show the urgency of addressing their safety and ensuring protection for vulnerable groups.
The incident also calls for greater international attention to the ongoing violence in Afghanistan, particularly targeting ethnic and religious groups. Strengthened efforts are needed to prevent further atrocities and safeguard the lives of civilians.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/isis-claims-responsibility-for-deadly-attack-on-hazara-civilians-in-daikundi/
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US Embassy for Afghanistan: will never stop calling for the reopening of schools for girls
By Fidel Rahmati
September 13, 2024
The U.S. Embassy for Afghanistan, operating from Doha, has stated that Washington will not cease its efforts to reopen girls’ schools in Afghanistan.
On Thursday, September 12, the U.S. Embassy for Afghanistan posted on its X account that it supports girls’ education in Afghanistan.
The embassy added, “As students around the world return to school, 1.4 million seats in classrooms in Afghanistan remain empty.”
The embassy reiterated its commitment to supporting educated Afghans and voiced hope for a brighter future by continuing to call for the reopening of schools for girls.
The U.S. Embassy’s statement coincides with the start of the academic year in many countries around the world, where schools reopen after summer breaks, unlike in Afghanistan where girls above sixth grade are still barred from attending.
Since the Taliban’s takeover in August 2021, girls’ education beyond sixth grade has been banned in Afghanistan.
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, recently stated in an interview with an Iranian media outlet that the Taliban have yet to create the necessary conditions for girls to return to school.
The plight of Afghanistan’s girls has only worsened under the Taliban regime, with severe restrictions placed on their education, employment, and freedom of movement.
Since the Taliban took control, Afghan girls and women have faced increasing suppression, including the loss of basic rights, which has drawn widespread international condemnation and further isolated Afghanistan on the global stage.
Source:khaama.com
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https://www.khaama.com/us-embassy-for-afghanistan-will-never-stop-calling-for-the-reopening-of-schools-for-girls/
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Kabul Municipality Enhances City Infrastructure with New Street and Road Signage
2024-09-12
KABUL(BNA): The Kabul Municipality has commenced the installation of new address signs for streets, roads, and public pathways across seven districts of Kabul 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, and 12. This initiative aims to enhance city navigation and improve public access to essential locations.
Engineer Mohammad Hamed Sadat, Director of Infrastructure Projects at the Program and Project Management Department of Kabul Municipality, informed Bakhtar News Agency that the contracted company will carry out the installation of these signs with high quality and efficiency. The process will be overseen by Kabul Municipality’s technical and engineering teams to ensure compliance with established standards.
He added that a preliminary survey and the installation of number plates on residential properties have already been completed under the supervision of the Traffic Analysis and Address Identification Department in these districts. Furthermore, the installation of address signs for alleys, secondary roads, and public streets is set to begin soon in districts 1, 7, 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17, where preparatory surveys have been conducted, and some residential door numbers have already been installed.
Meanwhile, survey efforts are currently underway in districts 18, 19, 20, 21, and 22. Following the completion of residential door numbering, the installation of signs for alleys, main roads, and secondary streets will proceed accordingly.
Recently, the Kabul Municipality began installing informational and directional signs, specifying key routes and their respective distances, along several public roads and pathways. This initiative will be further expanded to cover additional areas in the future.\
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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Hundreds of Needy Families Receive Cash Assistance in Panjshir
2024-09-12
PANJSHIR(BNA): The World Food Programme (WFP) has provided cash assistance to 320 needy families in the Dara district of Panjshir. Mullah Abdul Ahmad Akbari, the district governor of Dara, stated that this financial aid was distributed with the cooperation of local authorities to support families in need.
According to Mullah Akbari, each of the 320 families received a cash amount of 3,200 Afghanis. This initiative is part of the ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty and provide essential support to vulnerable communities in the region.
The distribution process took place in the presence of the district governor, local representatives, and WFP officials, ensuring transparency and fairness in the allocation of funds.
Source:bakhtarnews.af
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Islamic Emirate’s narcotics policy has ‘devastated’ livelihoods in rural areas: ICG
September 12, 2024
The International Crisis Group (ICG) has said the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) anti-drug policies provide an opportunity to stabilize the country’s economy although it has “devastated livelihoods in rural areas”.
ICG, an international think-tank, said in a report published Thursday, titled ‘Trouble In Afghanistan’s Opium Fields: The Taliban War On Drugs’, that the Islamic Emirate’s ban has been “one of the most successful poppy elimination efforts in modern history.”
Late last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime said opium cultivation fell throughout the country to just 10,800 hectares in 2023 from 233,000 hectares the previous year, slashing supply by 95 percent following the Islamic Emirate’s ban on all cultivation of opium poppy in April 2022.
However, the report warns that as long as rural Afghans lack alternative livelihood opportunities, the likelihood of large-scale displacement and rising emigration will remain high.
The international think tank, known for policymaking advisories, said: “Making the narcotics policy (of the interim administration) sustainable and equitable will require a multilateral effort between Afghanistan and the outside world.”
“In the meantime, the Taliban (IEA) should adopt more lenient measures as it implements its eradication campaign to enable the poorest farmers and those most impacted by the ban to gradually transition away from the poppy as a cash crop,” ICG stated.
However, legal crops will not offer sufficient employment, so the focus should be on job creation in non-farm industries, the group suggested.
ICG also stated that the ban’s future is uncertain; although the Islamic Emirate is adamant about implementing it, “it could collapse under the weight of economic hardship.”
“Foreign donors, who have much to gain from reduced drug production in Afghanistan, should harness the Taliban’s (IEA) zeal for counter-narcotics and encourage licit economic growth. In the meantime, the Taliban should consider the welfare of the poorest farmers and implement a phased approach to the ban.”
By UN estimates, the halt to opium farming has affected the livelihoods of almost seven million people and while underworld kingpins and big landowners have thrived under the ban, reaping the benefits of skyrocketing prices by selling stockpiles, many farmers have suffered.
Farmers have lost an estimated $1.3 billion annually, or eight percent of GDP in 2023.
Farm work remains the biggest source of employment for Afghan women and the ban has hit them especially hard and the economic shock has been compounded by the Islamic Emirate’s limited capacity to offer farmers and rural workers alternatives.
“Many switched to cultivating wheat or cotton, but struggle to make ends meet. Development of licit agriculture would require more irrigation, cold storage facilities and better roads. The Taliban does not have the budget to develop such infrastructure.
“Meanwhile, the opium price has soared, tempting farmers to flout the ban,” ICG said.
“While the Taliban’s measures have shaken the drug sector to its very foundations, the future of the ban remains in doubt.
“Some experts predict that its economic impact will force the Taliban to backtrack on a signature policy. Of course, it is also possible that the Taliban leadership will remain stubborn and steadfast,” ICG stated.
The group stated that support could focus on rural development, agricultural support, water conservation and investments in agro-processing.
“But the reality is that a drug-free agricultural sector will not provide enough jobs, so the country needs a development plan focusing more broadly on non-farm employment, including for women.”
ICG stated that a full transition away from the dependence on narcotics as a cash crop will take time. Instead, the Islamic Emirate “should show a bit of leniency.”
“Adopting more lenient practices such as turning a blind eye to small garden plots of poppy and cannabis would give the poorest farmers a better chance of survival in the coming years. Farmers selling tiny amounts of opium for prices hundreds of times higher than what is paid for other crops would give them a lifeline without jeopardizing the ban’s overall objectives,” the report stated.
Source:ariananews.af
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https://www.ariananews.af/islamic-emirates-narcotics-policy-has-devastated-livelihoods-in-rural-areas-icg/
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Europe
Austria carries out raids against 72 alleged Islamic extremists
September 12, 2024
VIENNA — Austrian security forces carried out raids against 72 alleged Islamic extremists this week ahead of the 23th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, citing the potential for copycat violence on the date of the plane hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 people. The raids occurred across the European country on Tuesday, before Wednesday’s anniversary, because the 2001 tragedy remains symbolic for extremists and has inspired copycat attempts, the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence said Thursday in a statement. Authorities thwarted an attempted attack last year on anniversary at the Vienna central station, and the risk remains high on the date around the world, it said. Tuesday’s raids came a month after authorities foiled a plot to attack planned Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna which were then canceled. Austrian officials said the main suspect, a 19-year-old Austrian man, was inspired by the Islamic State group and sought to kill tens of thousands of fans. The 19-year-old had allegedly uploaded to the internet an oath of allegiance to the current leader of the Islamic State group. Authorities said they also found Islamic State group and al-Qaida material at the home of a second suspect, who is 17.
The actions on Tuesday included raids on several prisons in Austria, as well as interrogations of suspects and seizures of digital devices such as cellphones to look for evidence of radical Islamic propaganda. Franz Ruf, Austria’s director general for public security, appeared to reference the Taylor Swift plot in the statement, saying the last few weeks have shown the importance of cooperation between security agencies to counter extremism. Interior Minister Gerhard Karner also called for stronger powers for investigators to be able to root out such plots. Currently, Austrian officials often rely on other countries — such as for the Swift concerts, where the CIA discovered the information — because unlike some foreign intelligence services, Austria can’t legally monitor text messages.
Source:stripes.com
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https://www.stripes.com/theaters/europe/2024-09-12/austria-raids-islamic-extremists-15150539.html
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EU foreign policy chief urges de-escalation at Lebanon-Israel border
NAJIA HOUSSARI
September 12, 2024
BEIRUT: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for a de-escalation of tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border, expressing fears of “more regional escalation due to the war in Gaza and especially in Lebanon.”
He called on Lebanese leaders to work for the interests of their country and its people and “not for someone else’s interests.”
During a visit to Beirut on Thursday, Borrell met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, and Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Joseph Aoun.
He said that “the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701 should pave the way for a comprehensive settlement, including the demarcation of land borders between Lebanon and Israel.”
With more than 4,000 buildings completely destroyed and some 110,000 people having fled their homes in Lebanon, he said its people wanted peace, stability and prosperity — not war.
He added: “My main message today is that the EU stands with the Lebanese people to overcome the challenges as much as possible.”
Borrell warned that fears of further escalation and increased human suffering were growing and emphasized the importance of economic reform and bank restructuring.
The EU was ready to continue its support for Lebanon, he added: “We can help but we cannot overcome the internal obstacles. The Lebanese themselves can do so.”
Borrell’s meetings came amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army on the Lebanese southern front.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Borrell: “Lebanon doesn’t want war but has the right and the capacity to defend itself.”
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized “the necessity to intensify the international and UN pressure to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”
Israeli Channel 12 reported that US envoy Amos Hochstein had arrived in Israel with a message that the country should refrain from large-scale military action in Lebanon. The channel said both the US and Israel realized a war with Hezbollah could lead to a multi-front conflict, but while Hochstein would make efforts for settlement in the north, such agreement was linked to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli action against Hezbollah has increased in recent days. The militia added the settlement of Rosh HaNikra to its list of targets for the first time, along with Matzuva which was hit with salvos of rockets.
A statement said this was “in response to Israel’s attacks on the steadfast southern villages and safe civilian homes, particularly the two wronged martyrs in El Biyada.”
In the town of El Biyada, an Israeli combat drone targeted a motorcycle and killed two brothers aged 12 and 17. Israeli artillery north of Ein Yaakov came under rocket fire, while Bayad Blida and Al-Malikiyah was attacked with heavy artillery shells.
Israeli media reported a fire north of Nahariya as a result of rocket fire from southern Lebanon, saying 50 rockets had been launched toward Western Galilee.
Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Alma Al-Shaab and the Labouneh area in Naqoura, and a drone targeted the outskirts of Maroun Al-Ras Park.
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft continued to fly over southern areas, especially western and central villages, extending to the outskirts of the Litani River and the coast.
Source:arabnews.com
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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2571105/middle-east
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Iranian president calls for European style borderless Islamic union
12 SEP 2024
During his visit to Iraq, the Iranian president advocated for the formation of a European style borderless Islamic union while the very borders he suggests opening are hotbeds of smuggling and extremist infiltration.
Masoud Pezeshkian’s vision to remove borders between Islamic countries comes across as an unrealistic proposition in spite of framing it as a solution to strengthen ties among Islamic nations and counteract Western sanctions, mainly affecting Iran.
The Islamic president failed to acknowledge the intricate web of illegal activities that thrive at the borders. For years, Iran has been at the center of illicit smuggling networks, ranging from narcotics to weapons, that have destabilized not only its own economy but those of its neighbors.
Observers say Pezeshkian’s rhetoric dismisses the truth that removing the borders would not create the utopian unity he envisions but would instead exacerbate the already rampant flow of narcotics and illegal goods.
Iran has long been a hub for drug trafficking, particularly with its proximity to Afghanistan, one of the world’s largest producers of opium. The smuggling routes that traverse Iran’s eastern and western borders bring vast quantities of heroin and other narcotics into the region, causing immense harm to public health and economic stability in Iran and the region.
Beyond narcotics, smuggling of goods, especially dollars, has been an issue for Iran. Pezeshkian’s government, facing international sanctions, has increasingly relied on its proxy forces in countries like Iraq to funnel dollars back into Iran. This has led to severe economic instability in Iraq, with the US imposing restrictions on Iraqi banks to curb the illegal dollar trade.
The result has been a dual exchange rate system and skyrocketing inflation in Iraq, which has spurred public protests and deepened the country’s economic crisis.
The president’s speech also neglected the security threats, and terrorism that exist due to Iran’s own destabilizing actions in the region. For years, Iran has created and supported proxy militias in countries like Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, contributing to civil conflicts and power struggles. In Iraq, these groups have political power and control over key institutions, making it difficult for any genuine economic or political unity to be achieved.
Middle Eastern nations are generally very protective of their borders, mainly concerned about their security potentially threatened by state and non-state actors.
Meanwhile, informed sources have told Iran International that in a meeting Iraq’s foreign minister strongly opposed Masoud Pezeshkian’s proposal for settling Baghdad’s debt to Tehran using a joint currency during a lengthy meeting. Iraq insists that Iran can only receive its payments by purchasing non-sanctioned goods from the country.
Sources said that during Pezeshkian’s meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, Pezeshkian requested that Iraq settle its debt to Iran using "a joint currency similar to the Russia-Iraq project."
The meeting, which lasted about 40 minutes longer than scheduled, saw Iraq’s foreign minister firmly reject Pezeshkian’s proposal. The Iraqi side argued that settling the debt based on Pezeshkian’s suggestion could weaken the value of the Iraqi dinar.
On Thursday, Pezeshkian arrived in Erbil for his first official visit to the Kurdistan Region since taking office in July. Upon his arrival at Erbil International Airport, Pezeshkian was welcomed by Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, as part of his wider tour of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.
During his visit, Pezeshkian is set to hold separate meetings with key Kurdish leaders, including Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) President Masoud Barzani, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani, and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.
Source:iranintl.com
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UK crime minister’s bag stolen at police conference
13 Sep, 2024
The UK minister for policing and crime prevention, Diana Johnson, had her purse stolen while speaking about rising lawlessness at a conference for top police officials on Tuesday.
The incident happened during the annual Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA) conference in Kenilworth, as confirmed by the ministry to the Financial Times. Warwickshire Police reported that they are investigating a theft at the hotel hosting the event. A 56-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of burglary and has since been released on bail, according to the police.
In her speech at the PSA conference, Johnson, who holds the Home Office position under the new Labour government, vowed to “restore respect for the rule of law on British streets, including restoring respect for the police, which has sadly eroded over many years.”
Town centers across the country have been “gripped by an epidemic of antisocial behavior, theft, and shoplifting,” she stated.
Despite the efforts of “thousands of incredible police officers” and other staff doing an “admirable” job, Johnson said, “we must face the reality that there are still too many victims of antisocial behavior who feel that when they call the police, no one listens, no one comes, and nothing is done.”
This month, the UK decided to release thousands of prisoners early amid a jail overcrowding crisis, coinciding with hundreds of arrests during riots across the country. PSA President Nick Smart told the conference that the move left the police at the center of a storm not of their making.
Leading up to the landslide election victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule, Labour pledged to crack down on crime. Johnson reiterated some of her party’s slogans at the PSA, promising to revitalize neighborhood policing.
Meanwhile, trust in the British police is falling to record lows, according to YouGov polls. More than half of Britons lack confidence that the police can effectively address crime, with 15% expressing no confidence in the UK’s police at all.
Source:rt.com
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Mideast
Palestinian ministry warns of escalating Israeli incitement against Al-Aqsa Mosque
13.09.2024
The Palestinian Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs issued a warning Thursday about rising Israeli incitement targeting Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site.
The ministry responded to a video released by the Israeli extremist group “Temple Mount Activists” that depicted Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock engulfed in flames, with captions suggesting the destruction could happen soon.
The ministry emphasized that the increasing hatred and threats toward Islamic holy sites are now more apparent than ever. It also noted that these threats, rooted in myths and falsehoods, are becoming more openly declared.
They pointed out the political and security backing for these actions from the Israeli government and its security forces, which protect these extremists during their regular incursions into Al-Aqsa.
The ministry called on the international community to intervene and stop the escalating provocations supported by the Israeli government.
It also urged the people of Jerusalem to remain vigilant and maintain a constant presence at the mosque to counter any potential plans by extremists.
Earlier in the week, the ministry reported that Israeli settlers had stormed Al-Aqsa Mosque 21 times in August.
The video shared by the “Temple Mount Activists” showed a large fire near the Dome of the Rock, accompanied by captions referencing a forthcoming victory. The group advocates for building a temple in place of Al-Aqsa and promotes regular incursions by extremists.
Occasionally, Israeli ministers from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, visit the mosque, despite strong criticism from the international community.
In August, Ben-Gvir called for Jews to be allowed to pray in Al-Aqsa and establish a synagogue in its courtyards.
There has been a rise in Israeli extremists conducting religious rituals and other provocative actions at the mosque in recent weeks.
Palestinians accuse Israel of intensifying efforts to Judaize occupied East Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa, and erase its Arab and Islamic identity, while insisting on East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa are driven by far-right groups openly pushing to replace the mosque with a temple.
Source:aa.com.tr
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Prophet's birthday at Martyr of Qur’an School celebrated
12 Sep 2024
SA'ADA - SABA: The Martyr of the Qur’an School for Islamic Sciences in Sa'ada province on Thursday organized a cultural celebration to honor the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth.
This event was held in recognition of the Prophet’s life and teachings, and was particularly significant as it involved the children of martyrs.
The event was attended by several prominent figures including Governor Mohammed Awad, representatives Muhammad Baydan, Mohsen al-Hamzi, Yahya al-Hamran, and Ahmed Jaran, head of the Martyrs Foundation.
Governor Awad praised the community’s engagement with the Prophet’s birthday, emphasizing the special place the Prophet holds in the hearts of Yemenis.
He announced that the twelfth of Rabi’ al-Awwal would witness a significant Muhammadi march in Sa'ada and other provinces.
This march is intended to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad and demonstrate the profound respect and love for him.
The Governor stressed the importance of this occasion for reflecting on the life and teachings of the Prophet, who serves as a model for moral conduct and jihad.
He highlighted Yemen’s role in supporting al-Aqsa and Palestine, aligning with the Prophet’s values of justice and support for the oppressed.
The speeches at the event reviewed various aspects of the Prophet Muhammad’s life, including his moral values, his jihad, and his influential positions throughout history. These reflections aimed to inspire participants to emulate the Prophet’s virtues and uphold his teachings.
The celebration served as a powerful reminder of the Prophet’s impact and a call to embody his teachings in contemporary struggles, particularly in support of justice and the oppressed.
Source:saba.ye
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Islamists triumph in Jordan’s election, signal shift wway from Western-aligned policies
12 Sep 2024
Lior Ben Ari
The Islamic Action Front, the Jordanian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, made significant gains in Jordan’s parliamentary elections, tripling its representation to 31 seats in the 138-member lower house, up from 10 in the outgoing legislature.
As the main opposition party, the Front's victory could potentially position its members for ministerial roles, although King Abdullah II is expected to favor loyalists in forming the new government.
With a majority Palestinian population, Jordan has been deeply affected by the ongoing Gaza war. The Islamic Action Front capitalized on this sentiment, with its leaders suggesting the election results reflect increased public support for resistance to Israeli policies.
Morad Al-Adilah, a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said the election was a referendum on the Gaza war, indicating Jordanians' backing for the resistance. He cited comments by Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir about building a synagogue on Temple Mount as a catalyst for heightened voter turnout.
Voter participation reached 32%, a rise from previous elections, held just two days after a Jordanian terrorist killed three Israelis at the King Hussein border crossing.
Source:ynetnews.com
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Lebanon Islamic Resistance fires heavy artillery shells at Bayad Blida site
2 Sep 2024
BEIRUT - SABA: The Islamic Resistance in Lebanon, led by Hezbollah, said its mujahedeen at dawn on Thursday targeted the site of Bayad Blida with heavy artillery shells and achieved direct hits.
The Islamic Resistance said in a statement that "in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their valiant and honorable resistance, our mujahedeen targeted at dawn on Thursday the site of Bayad Blida with heavy artillery shells."
Earlier in the morning, the enemy Zionist army announced the sound of sirens in the Western Galilee, without giving further details.
On the other hand, the Israeli army radio said that about 60 rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Upper Galilee in the northern occupied Palestinian territories during the past few hours.
Source:saba.ye
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Israeli Group’s Video of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Fire Sparks Outrage
September 12, 2024
The Israeli Jewish group “Temple Mount Activists” published today a provocative video depicting Al-Aqsa Mosque engulfed in flames, accompanied by the caption, “Soon, in these days.”
The video is directly referring to the group’s longstanding plan of demolishing the holy mosque and constructing on its ruins a Jewish temple, marking a dangerous escalation in the ongoing threats to the sacred Muslim site.
This disturbing video comes in the wake of significant recent developments, including the Israeli government’s formal endorsement of increased settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
In August, the Israeli Ministry of Heritage announced a budget allocation specifically designed to advance the Jewish narrative of the Temple Mount, which the ministry frames as a response to what it characterizes as “anti-Semitic narratives.”
This funding aims to support the creation and dissemination of Zionist accounts that reframe the mosque as the site of an ancient Jewish temple. For the first time, the Israeli government has officially endorsed what has previously been a campaign primarily driven by settler groups.
Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has publicly declared his intention to establish a synagogue within the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
Ben-Gvir contends that Israeli law accords equal rights to Muslims and Jews to worship at the site, a pronouncement that has further exacerbated tensions in the occupied Palestinian capital, Jerusalem.
Immense Outrage
“Alarm bell”—with this phrase and others, social media users reacted to a video posted by the right-wing extremist organization “Temple Mount Activists”, which simulates a large fire at the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
A blogger wrote, “Were you scared? Shocked? Did you think it was breaking news. This is to measure the response of Arab and Islamic population over the burning of the holy site.
Activists said, “Perhaps the only remaining option for Jerusalemites to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque is to go to the utmost extent, regardless of the outcome. Protecting the mosque requires firmness and strength to deter those they describe as ‘fools,’ otherwise, we will truly lose Al-Aqsa. The post concludes with a question: ‘What kind of life is there without the Al-Aqsa Mosque?'”
The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns against the repercussions of extremist settler groups desecrating Al-Aqsa Mosque and the danger this aggression poses to igniting the epicenter and the entire region.
Al-Aqsa Mosque preacher, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, condemned the video in a statement to Quds News Network, saying, “This video confirms what we have been warning about for years—that these extremist groups are determined to seize control of Al-Aqsa. They believe this is the right time to carry out their aggressive plans against the mosque.”
Sabri stressed that these ambitions are not new, but part of an ongoing campaign to dominate the Islamic site.
“We warn against any action to realize these plans,” he added. Sabri reaffirmed the religious significance of Al-Aqsa to Muslims worldwide, stating, “The mosque’s status is divinely decreed, and it serves as the gateway between heaven and earth. It is above any human laws, negotiations, or compromises.”
Temple Mount’s Plans for Al-Aqsa
The extremist right-wing Israeli organization calls for the “establishment of the alleged Temple in place of Al-Aqsa Mosque” and actively promotes incursions by extremists into the mosque’s courtyards.
Israeli settlers incursions into Al-Aqsa are marked with clear violations of the Islamic sacred place, in which the settlers, protected by Israeli police, enter it with plants and animal sacrifices en masse during their Jewish holidays.
Epic prostration and blowing the trumpet are the most perilous Jewish activities and rituals that threaten the existence of the third holiest site for Muslims.
Their threat lies in the Jewish beliefs that they signify Israeli supremacy and dominance over the occupied lands, and declares the end of the Islamic identity and the start of the Judaization.
Since its founding by the Israeli army officer Gershon Solomon following 1967 war, the group attempted multiple times to lay the foundation stone for the alleged Temple.
On August 21, 1969, an Australian extremist named Dennis Michael Rohan entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque through the Bab Al-Ghawanima gate and set fire to the mosque’s southern prayer hall. This act was part of a series of measures taken by the Israeli occupation since 1948 aimed at erasing the Islamic cultural identity of Jerusalem.
Source:daysofpalestine.ps
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As war rages in Gaza, Israel’s crackdown on West Bank insurgency is killing Palestinian youths
September 13, 2024
JENIN, West Bank: As the world’s attention focuses on the deadly war in Gaza, less than 80 miles away scores of Palestinian teens have been killed, shot and arrested in the West Bank, where the Israeli military has waged a monthslong crackdown.
More than 150 teens and children 17 or younger have been killed in the embattled territory since Hamas’ brutal attack on communities in southern Israel set off the war last October. Most died in nearly daily raids by the Israeli army that Amnesty International says have used disproportionate and unlawful force.
Amjad Hamadneh lost son Mahmoud when the 15-year-old’s school dismissed students at the start of a May raid.
“He didn’t do anything. He didn’t make a single mistake,” says Amjad Hamadneh, whose son, a buzz-cut devotee of computer games, was one of two teens killed that morning by a sniper.
“If he’d been a freedom fighter or was carrying a weapon, I would not be so emotional,” says his father, an unemployed construction worker. “But he was taken just as easily as water going down your throat. He only had his books and a pencil case.”
It is clear from statements by the Israeli military, insurgents and families in the West Bank that a number of the Palestinian teens killed in recent months were members of militant groups.
Many others were killed during protests or when they or someone nearby threw rocks or homemade explosives at military vehicles. Still others appear to have been random targets. Taken together, the killings raise troubling questions about the devaluation of young lives in pursuit of security and autonomy.
The Israeli army said in a statement to The Associated Press that it has stepped up raids since Oct. 7 to apprehend militants suspected of carrying out attacks in the West Bank and that “the absolute majority of those killed during this period were armed or involved in terrorist activities at the time of the incident.”
On the June afternoon that 17-year-old Issa Jallad was killed, video from a neighbor’s security camera shows, he was on a friend’s motorbike with an Israeli armored vehicle in close pursuit. Days later, a poster outside his family’s home in Jenin showed him cradling an assault rifle and declared him a holy warrior.
But the grainy tape, reviewed by AP days after the raid, and others from nearby cameras do not explain where he fit in the conflict. The Israeli army said that its soldiers had spotted two militants handling a powerful explosive device. When the pair tried to flee, troops opened fire and “neutralized them.”
But an Israeli human rights group, B’Tselem, says its review of multiple security camera videos showed Jallad and his friend posed no threat.
“We all expected to be in this situation,” said the teen’s brother, Mousa Jallad. “It could happen to any of us.”
Jenin’s refugee camp has long been notorious as a hotbed of Palestinian militancy, raided repeatedly by Israeli forces who have occupied the West Bank since seizing control in their 1967 war with neighboring Arab states.
The embattled territory was already seeing deadly clashes before the war began. But Israeli forces, which police about 3 million Palestinians while assigned to protect 500,000 Jewish settlers, has significantly stepped up raids in the months since.
Youths represent almost a quarter of the nearly 700 Palestinians slain in the West Bank since the war began, the most since the violent uprising known as the Second Intifada in the early 2000s. More than 20 Israeli civilians and soldiers have been killed in the territory since October.
A military spokesman said the Israeli army makes great efforts to avoid harming civilians during raids and “does not target civilians, period.” He said human rights groups focus on a few outlier cases.
Military operations in the West Bank are fraught because forces are pursuing militants, many in their teens, who often hide among the civilian population, said the spokesman, Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani.
“In many cases many of them are 15, 16 years old who are not wearing uniforms and might surprise you with a gun, with a knife,” he said.
Critics say the crackdown is shaped by retribution, not only military strategy.
When sirens erupted at the start of the May raid, Amjad Hamadneh says, he called Mahmoud on his cellphone and was relieved to hear that the brothers had reached their school. But then Mahmoud’s twin brother, Ahmed, called back to say that the principal had dismissed classes. As students poured into the street, the brothers were separated in the chaos.
Four bullets hit Mahmoud as he fled, and another pierced his skull. He was the third student from his school killed in a raid since the war began.
A former classmate, Osama Hajjir, who had dropped out of school to work, was also killed, along with a teacher from a nearby school and a doctor from the hospital down the street.
“Now when I hear the sound of sirens I go to my room and stay there,” says Karam Miazneh, another classmate, who was shot during the raid but survived. “I’m still in fear that they will come to shoot me and kill me.”
Immediately after the May raid, a spokesman for the army said it had carried out the operation with Israeli border police and the country’s internal security agency, destroying an explosive device laboratory and other structures used by militants. But police recently declined to comment, and three weeks after the AP asked the military to answer questions about the May raid, an army spokesman said he was unable to comment until he could confer with police.
When Amjad Hamadneh heard his son had been wounded, he sped through Jenin’s twisting streets, drawing gunfire as he neared the hospital. But Mahmoud was already gone.
Nearby, Osama’s father, Muhamad, broke down as he leaned over his son’s body. Months earlier he’d snapped a photo of the smiling teen beside graffiti touting Jenin as “the factory of men,” tirelessly cranking out fighters in the resistance against Israel. Now, he pressed that same, still-smooth face between his hands.
“Oh, my son. Oh, my son,” he sobbed. “My beautiful son.”
Since Mahmoud Hamadneh was killed, his siblings ask frequently to visit his grave. His younger sister now sleeps in his bed so her surviving brother, Ahmed, will not be in the room alone.
“I feel like I cannot breathe. We used to do everything together,” Ahmed says. His father listens closely, despairing later that such grief could drive the teen into militancy. If the risk is so clear to a Palestinian father, he says, why don’t Israeli soldiers see it?
“They think that if they kill us that people will be afraid and not do anything,” he says. “But when the Israelis kill someone, 10 fighters will be created in his place.”
Source:arabnews.com
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Three police killed in Iran, jihadists claim responsibility
September 13, 2024
TEHRAN: Three police officers were killed Thursday in southeastern Iran in an attack claimed by a jihadist group that is active in the region, the country’s official news agency said.
“Three members of the police forces were killed and a civilian injured in an attack carried out by armed criminals in Mirjaveh in Sistan and Baluchestan province,” the IRNA news agency said.
Sistan and Baluchestan, one of the poorest regions in Iran, is mostly inhabited by the minority Baloch community, who largely practice Sunni Islam in a country where the theocratic government is staunchly Shiite.
The officers were attacked at a petrol station, IRNA said.
The Pakistani-based Sunni jihadist group Jaish Al-Adl, which means Army of Justice in Arabic, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on Telegram.
The same group claimed responsibility for an attack last month that killed the head of the criminal investigation department in the city of Khash in Sistan and Baluchestan province.
Jaish Al-Adl also claimed two attacks in April in the region that saw 10 members of the security forces killed.
Source:arabnews.com
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Israel intelligence unit chief quits over October 7 failure
September 12, 2024
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said on Thursday that the head of an elite intelligence unit will resign over the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7 attack.
“The commander of the 8200 unit, (Brig. General) Yossi Sariel, has informed his commanders and subordinates of his intention to end his position,” the army said in a statement.
“The officer will conclude his role in the near future.”
The prestigious and secretive Unit 8200 is in charge of decoding and analizing intercepts and other signals intelligence.
In the wake of October 7, Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate was thrown into a crisis that led to its commander, Major General Aharon Haliva, announcing his resignation in April 2024.
The army said then that Haliva had asked to be relieved of his duties for the directorate’s failure to foil the October 7 attack.
Israeli media on Thursday broadcast a copy of Sariel’s resignation letter in which he asked for “forgiveness” for “not fulfilling the mission we were entrusted with” on October 7.
In June, public broadcaster Kan disclosed the existence of an intelligence brief prepared by Unit 8200 in September 2023 that warned military officials of Hamas’s preparations for the attack.
Kan said the Unit 8200 document included details of elite Hamas fighters training for hostage-taking and plans for raids on military positions and Israeli communities in southern Israel.
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Included in that count are hostages who were killed in captivity.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.
Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly refused to open an official inquiry into October 7 until the war in Gaza is over.
Source:arabnews.com
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UN envoy repeats call for prioritization of efforts to end war in Yemen
ZAYNAB KHOJJI
September 12, 2024
LONDON: The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Thursday repeated his call for all involved in the war in Yemen to put the country first and prioritize efforts to resolve the conflict.
Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, he said the war in Gaza was having “destabilizing effects across the broader region,” including a negative effect on Yemen.
“Ansar Allah (the more formal name for the Houthis) has continued attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, threatening regional stability and international maritime security,” he told council members.
“In response, the United States and the United Kingdom have continued to strike military targets inside of Yemen.
“I reiterate my concern over this escalatory trajectory and repeat my call for the parties to put Yemen first and to prioritize a settlement of the conflict.”
The Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October last year. They have seized one vessel and sunk two during their campaign, which has claimed the lives of four sailors. Many more missiles and drones were intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.
The militia continues to insist it is targeting ships with links to Israel, the US or the UK, in an attempt to force an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. However, many of the targeted ships had little or no connection to Israel or the conflict, including some that were bound for Iran.
Grundberg called for an “immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
He said the Houthi attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion on Aug. 21 was a “development of particular concern” and “raises the imminent threat of a catastrophic oil spill and environmental disaster of unprecedented scale.”
Following the attack, fires burned for weeks on the vessel, which is carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil. Salvage efforts are continuing but proving difficult.
“An oil spill on this scale would have dire consequences for both Yemen and the broader region … I strongly urge Ansar Allah to end their dangerous targeting of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and beyond,” Grundberg said.
He also demanded that the Houthis release all of the Yemenis they have detained who were engaged in critical efforts related to humanitarian assistance, development efforts, human rights, peace building, and education.
“This includes United Nations personnel, members of civil society, staff of diplomatic missions, private-sector employees, and individuals from minority religious communities,” Grundberg said.
“The continued detention of these individuals is a profound injustice to those who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of Yemen. These detentions are shrinking civic space and negatively impacting humanitarian efforts critical to Yemenis.”
Joyce Msuya, the acting under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and acting emergency relief coordinator at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, echoed this demand.
“I want to start by expressing our deep concern about the continued arbitrary detention of United Nations personnel, non-governmental organization staff and civil society representatives, among others, by the Houthi de facto authorities.
“These colleagues have now been detained for more than three months. Four additional colleagues remain in detention since 2021 and 2023. I reiterate, in the strongest terms, the secretary-general’s demand for their immediate and unconditional release.
“Additionally, we strongly reject false allegations by the Houthi de facto authorities against humanitarians, including recent claims of interference in Yemen’s education system. These allegations threaten the safety of staff, further hinder the ability of the UN and its partners to serve the Yemeni people, and must cease immediately.”
She told council members the steady deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues.
“62 per cent of surveyed households report they do not have enough food to eat,” Msuya said. “This is historically high. For the first time on record, three districts — two in Hodeidah and one in Taiz — are facing extremely critical levels of malnutrition: IPC Phase 5. One more district is projected to reach this level by October.”
IPC is the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, and level 5 denotes famine in an area and catastrophe for households there because they do not have enough food to meet basic needs.
“By the end of 2024, more than 600,000 children in Government of Yemen-controlled areas are estimated to be acutely malnourished, and around 118,000 are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, a 34 per cent increase since 2023,” Msuya added.
Slovenia’s representative to the council, Samuel Zbogar, who is the president of the council this month, welcomed the World Food Programme’s ongoing emergency distribution of aid in Yemen.
“We are also following with concern the devastating impact of recent flooding, which has affected hundreds of thousands of Yemenis, aggravated the displacement crisis and exacerbated the outbreak of diseases,” he added.
Source:arabnews.com
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Car blast kills four in Israel city: medics, police
September 12, 2024
RAMLA, Israel: Four people were killed and eight injured when a vehicle exploded in the central Israeli city of Ramla on Thursday in an apparent gangland hit, medics and police said.
Liad Aviel, spokesman for the Asaf Harofe Medical Center in central Israel, said it “mourns the deaths of four individuals injured in the Ramla incident,” adding that six other casualties were receiving treatment there.
The Israeli police said it had launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion which was suspected to be linked to “a criminal conflict between crime families in the Arab neighborhood.”
Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir visited the site of the explosion and said police would “continue to fight this crime with all the tools at its disposal.”
“But I warn: crime in the Arab community requires more extensive tools and broader powers.”
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Ben-Gvir’s visit to the scene.
“There have been incompetent ministers before him, but he’s the first to turn failure into a profession,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Israel’s emergency medical service Magen David Adom said the vehicle “exploded while parked on the sidewalk near a store and residential building” in Ramla.
“As a result of the explosion, several passersby were injured by the blast and shrapnel,” rescue worker Benny Cohen said in a statement.
“The burning car was parked next to the store entrance, which prevented people inside the store from getting out.
“We moved the injured we were treating away from the fire scene... The rescued victims were unconscious, and our teams began advanced resuscitation efforts and transported them to hospitals in critical condition.”
Liat Cohen, another paramedic at the scene, said the unconscious victims included a month-old infant and a 50-year-old woman.
All suffered from smoke inhalation and were transported to hospital, he said.
“They tell us it’s a settlement of personal scores, but an explosion downtown in midday in a crowded area, that’s crazy,” Judith Touati, a Ramla resident and mother of seven, told AFP.
“My children were there just an hour before.”
Located east of Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, Ramla is a mixed city, home to both Jews and Arabs.
Arab communities in Israel have long complained of violence connected to organized crime.
Organizations such as the Mossawa Center, a nonprofit representing Arabs in Israel, argue such violence should receive more attention from the government.
Source:arabnews.com
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Palestinian economy is in free fall and will require billions to rebuild: UN
September 12, 2024
GENEVA: The Palestinian economy is “in free fall,” the United Nations reported Thursday, with production in Gaza plunging to one-sixth of its level before Israeli forces began a blistering military response to the Oct. 7 attacks in the territory.
The report from UN Trade and Development, or UNCTAD, also warned of “rapid and alarming economic decline” in the West Bank, citing expanded Israeli settlements, land confiscations, demolition of Palestinian buildings and violence by settlers.
The report made no mention of corruption in Palestinian institutions.
“The Palestinian economy is in free fall,” Pedro Manuel Moreno, the agency’s deputy secretary-general, told reporters in Geneva. “The report calls for the international community to halt this economic free fall, address the humanitarian crisis, and lay the groundwork for lasting peace and development.”
That would include a “comprehensive recovery plan” for Palestinian areas, more international aid, the lifting of Israel’s blockade on Gaza, and the release of revenues and withheld funds for Palestinians retained by Israel, he said.
Gaza’s economy was weak even before the war, when unemployment was close to 50 percent, but the war has brought it to a near-standstill, with the UN estimating that roughly 90 percent of the territory’s population has been displaced, many living in squalid tent camps and dependent on international aid.
The war has also hurt the West Bank. After the Oct. 7 attacks, Israel immediately revoked work permits that allowed some 150,000 Palestinians to work inside Israel, depriving them of a key source of income.
A military crackdown that Israel says is aimed at militants has also rippled through the economy, with frequent army raids and military checkpoints making it difficult for people to work or move around.
With violence continuing, there’s little sign of any recovery plan being launched anytime soon.
Mutasim Elagraa, who coordinates UNCTAD’s assistance to Palestinians, said: “If we want to return Gaza to pre-October 2023, we need tens of billions of dollars, or even more, and decades.”
The ultimate goal is “to put Gaza on a path of sustainable development,” which will take more time and money, he said.
Economic output in Gaza plunged to just over $221 million in the half-year including the last quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024 — the last quarter for which figures are available — or about 16 percent of the total figure for the same half-year period in 2022 and 2023, when the total was just over $1.34 billion, the agency said.
Meanwhile, more than 300,000 jobs in the West Bank — home to some 3 million Palestinians — have been lost, driving unemployment rates up to 32 percent, up from under 13 percent before the conflict, the agency reported.
By early this year, as much as 96 percent of Gaza’s farming assets, including livestock farms, orchards, machinery and storage facilities, had been “decimated,” UNCTAD said.
Over 80 percent of businesses were damaged or destroyed, and the damage has continued to worsen, it said.
Since the 1990s, Israel has collected import duties for Palestinians — leaving about two-thirds of all Palestinian tax revenue under the control of the Israeli government. Israel has repeatedly withheld or suspended the payments, accusing the Palestinian Authority of encouraging violence or taking hostile steps against Israel in the UN and other international bodies.
From 2019 through April this year, Israel had withheld or deducted a total of more than $1.4 billion, crimping the ability of Palestinian officials to provide public services and pay salaries, pensions and debts, it said. The European Union last month said it paid some $43 million to help the Palestinian Authority pay salaries and pensions in the West Bank.
Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed at least 41,084 Palestinians and wounded another 95,029, the territory’s Health Ministry said. The ministry’s count does not differentiate between civilians and militants.
Israel launched its campaign vowing to destroy the Palestinian group Hamas after the Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel in which militants killed some 1,200 people and abducted 250 others.
Source:arabnews.com
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North America
A New Exhibition Features Culinary Art From Across the Islamic World
BY ANNE EWBANK
SEPTEMBER 12, 2024
AMONG THE HUNDREDS OF OBJECTS at an upcoming exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum, there’s one that stands out: a lovely turquoise-tinted pitcher, shaped like a rooster.
Curator Katherine E. Kasdorf calls it “fabulous.” The ewer, she explains, dates back to 13th-century Iran. “The handle is shaped like the tail, and you imagine somebody pouring, and then the liquid comes out of the beak,” she says. “It’s just a fun object. It would have been a fun conversation piece when it was being used, too.”
The Art of Dining: Food Culture in the Islamic World, which opens on September 22, spans centuries and continents of culinary history. The exhibition’s objects originate everywhere from Spain to South Asia. The very oldest, Kasdorf says, date back to the pre-Islamic Sasanian Empire, which was located in Iran and part of present-day Iraq from the third through seventh centuries.
Many of the objects in the exhibition, such as the rooster ewer, combine beautiful design with their utility. But alongside spoons and serving trays are paintings and cookbooks. “Some of the earliest cookbooks from the medieval period were actually written in Arabic,” Kasdorf says. “There’s a very long tradition of recipe books in the Islamic world.”
The Art of Dining originally began as a show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. That exhibition, which closed in August, featured 12 objects from the collection at Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). As for why DIA chose to mount their own exhibition, Kasdorf points to Detroit’s robust Arab-American community. The city is home to the largest population of Arabic speakers in the United States, “in addition to being home to many other communities that might find some personal connection to the regions represented in the show,” Kasdorf adds.
Many of the objects on display are imbued with cultural meaning that might not be apparent at first glance. In the case of the rooster ewer, Kasdorf says it’s theorized that it was used for wine. “There’s this tradition in Iran, going back to antiquity, where there is a very strong association between bird-headed vessels and wine,” she says. While many Islamic teachings forbid drinking alcohol, Kasdorf notes that wine-drinking “was a very strong part of elite banqueting during the Sasanian period. And these traditions of Sasanian elite banqueting were carried over by early Islamic courts as well.”
The exhibition goes beyond simply featuring serving dishes and cookbooks. The “Dressing for Dinner” section displays historical outfits and textiles such as napkins from the Ottoman Empire, and the “Music and Entertainment” section showcases instruments accompanied by QR codes for visitors to listen to them being played. There are also QR codes for historical recipes interpreted for the original LACMA exhibition by chef Najmieh Batmanglij, such as a 16th-century Iranian recipe for rice and lamb with chickpeas and barberries and a 19th-century Turkish recipe for a minced chicken pie.
The most modern work in the show was commissioned by LACMA from the artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji. A Thread of Light Between My Mother’s Fingers and Heaven is a multimedia installation featuring animation. The piece is also food-focused, centering on Alfraji’s mother, her homemade bread, and family meals in Bagdad.
Kasdorf notes that while the original LACMA show and the upcoming exhibition at DIA are closely related, “we’ve really tailored it and personalized it for our audiences here.” For example, they held a town hall for community members to weigh in on the name of the show. “It was just really important to us that we listened to our community members and that we present the show in a way that is welcoming and resonant to them.
Ingredients
8 cups wheat flour (brown or white or a mixture of both)
1 tablespoon yeast
Warm water, as needed while at work
1/2 tablespoon salt
Instructions
Mix the yeast, salt, and a little warm water in a deep bowl, then add the flour and a small amount of warm water. Start kneading with your hands. Add small amounts of water whenever needed, and continue kneading until the dough becomes soft, cohesive, and sticks to your hands.
Shape the dough into a single mass, make holes in it with your finger, then cover it with warm water and let it sit for about 15 minutes.
Drain the excess water from the bowl and start kneading the dough again with your hands to increase its consistency and softness. Cover the bowl with a piece of cloth or nylon and leave it for 1 1/2 hours or more. If the weather is cold, put a blanket over the dough so that it ferments faster.
After the dough rises, cut it into small balls, about the size of a fist, and place them on a tray sprinkled with flour. Leave them, uncovered, for 30 minutes or more, as they will double in size.
As the dough balls sit, prepare the tandoor oven for baking (the temperature should be very hot).
Flip each ball of dough with your hands until it becomes round and thin. Then push each dough ball to the oven wall with enough force that it sticks. Bake until brown and toasty.
Source:atlasobscura.com
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Trump rules out another presidential debate against Harris
Bernd Debusmann Jr
SEPTEMBER 13, 2024
Donald Trump has ruled out another presidential debate against his rival Kamala Harris before November's election.
He said on Thursday - two days after the pair's first showdown in Philadelphia - that Harris only wanted a rematch because he "clearly" won.
Several instant polls taken after Tuesday's contest indicated voters felt Harris had performed better than her Republican opponent.
Trump added that Harris should instead "focus" on her job as vice-president.
Shortly after, at a campaign rally in North Carolina, Harris responded by saying they "owe" voters another debate because "what is at stake could not be more important".
Polls suggest the two candidates are in an extremely tight race with just two months to go before the election.
Both claimed victory after Tuesday's 90-minute debate on ABC News, in which Harris rattled Trump with a string of personal attacks that put him on the defensive. These included comments about the size of his rally crowds and his conduct during the 6 January 2021 riot at the US Capitol.
Trump and his supporters have since accused the two ABC journalists that moderated the debate of being unfair and biased in favour of Harris. He said on Thursday that he did not need another debate.
"When a prizefighter loses a fight, the first words out of his mouth are 'I want a rematch'," Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday.
"Polls clearly show that I won the debate against comrade Kamala Harris, the Democrats' radical left candidate... and she immediately called for a second debate," he added.
The former president held a rally in Arizona on Thursday and gave an interview with Telemundo Arizona backstage. "We just don't think it's necessary," he said of a second debate with Harris. "We think we've discussed everything and I don't think they want it either."
The Harris campaign, however, called for a second debate immediately after Philadelphia and continued to do so on Thursday. They said voters "got to see the choice they will face at the ballot box: moving forward with Kamala Harris or going backwards with Trump".
"Vice-President Harris is ready for a second debate. Is Donald Trump?" the campaign said.
Speaking after the debate, various Trump campaign surrogates - including Florida Republican Representative Matt Gaetz - said they believed Trump would welcome another debate.
However, Trump said on Fox News the following morning that the debate had been "rigged" and that he was "less inclined" to attend another after his "great night".
His decision on Thursday also appeared to contradict earlier messaging from his own campaign. On Wednesday morning, Jason Miller, a senior adviser to the former president, told CNN that Trump “has already said that he is going to do three debates".
Both campaigns had reportedly been in discussions over a debate on NBC News on 25 September. The network has not commented on Trump's latest statement.
'Trump needs a new angle'
Adam Green, the co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee - an organisation that has advised the Harris-Walz campaign on economic messaging - told the BBC that Trump's decision was a "double favour" to the Harris campaign.
"Voters will have a lasting impression of Kamala Harris as looking presidential and standing on their side," he said. "That will probably do her very well."
"Another debate would potentially help Harris, but could also shake up the existing glow that surrounds her," Mr Green added.
Jeremy Petersen, an independent voter from Utah, told the BBC that he was not surprised by Trump's decision.
"If [Trump] doesn't feel like he can score some social media soundbites, there's no benefit for him to show up," said Mr Petersen, who added that he would probably support Harris after the Philadelphia debate.
"He felt that Harris wouldn't have the type of performance she did and now he's running scared," Mr Petersen added. "He can't stop her momentum via debate so he needs a new angle."
Source:bbc.com
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Why Kamala Harris is leaning into her gun ownership
SEPTEMBER 13, 2024
Sam Cabral
Kamala Harris is leaning into a little-known aspect of her biography - the fact that she is a gun owner - to stake out ground on the issue of firearms control.
The Democratic presidential nominee supports universal background checks, so-called "red flag" laws and a ban on assault weapons, but critics are honing in on her past support for a mandatory buyback of semi-automatic rifles.
After Donald Trump claimed during their Tuesday debate she would "confiscate everybody's gun" if elected, Harris replied that both she and running mate Tim Walz own guns.
"We’re not taking anyone’s guns away, so stop with the continuous lying about this stuff," she said.
Gun control remains among the most contentious issues in American politics but has largely taken a backseat to other policy areas this election.
The question raised during Tuesday's debate over where exactly Harris stands was the first time the issue has even come up in a 2024 debate.
Moderator Linsey Davis noted that, among other shifting policy positions, Harris no longer backs a programme that would force gun owners to hand over their AR-15s and other assault-style weapons to the government.
Harris reiterated her stance at a rally on Thursday in North Carolina. "We who believe in the freedom to live safe from gun violence will finally pass an assault weapons ban, universal background checks, and red flag laws".
Gun buybacks
Gun buyback proposals gained steam during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary race, first endorsed by Eric Swalwell and earning support from Harris, Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders and - most memorably - Beto O'Rourke.
"We have to have a buyback programme, and I support a mandatory gun buyback programme," Harris said in October 2019.
"It's got to be smart, we got to do it the right way. But there are five million [assault weapons] at least, some estimate as many as 10 million, and we’re going to have to have smart public policy that’s about taking those off the streets, but doing it the right way.”
Buyback initiatives have taken place in cities across the US since at least the 1970s, though research indicates that they are often very expensive and not effective as a standalone strategy to curb gun violence.
Advocates, however, point to the impact of two mandatory buybacks in Australia following the deadliest mass shooting on its soil in 1996. The country has largely avoided mass firearm violence since that incident.
In making her own case for buybacks as part of a broader effort to rein in gun violence, Harris explained back in 2019: “I am a gun owner, and I own a gun for probably the reason a lot of people do – for personal safety. I was a career prosecutor.”
She argued US politicians were offering American voters "a false choice" between protecting gun rights under the Second Amendment and taking guns away.
"It's a false choice that is borne out of a lack of courage from leaders who must recognise and agree that there are some practical solutions to what is a clear problem in our country," she said.
Harris's experience
Harris began her career as the district attorney - or the top prosecutor - in Alameda County and then for the city of San Francisco. She also served from 2011 to 2017 as California's attorney general, the top law enforcement job in the state.
William Lockyer, a fellow Democrat who served as California AG from 1999 to 2007, told the BBC that it was not uncommon for a local or state-level prosecutor to own a gun, even though the role comes with its own security team.
"I don’t know about Kamala's experience as AG, but I received a threat on average every day during my eight years," he said.
Harris not directly explain on Tuesday either why she got a weapon or why she no longer supports the idea of a mandatory gun buyback by the federal government.
The Harris campaign did not respond to the BBC's request for comment.
It is rare for elected officials in the party to speak openly about their experience as gun owners.
Walz the hunter
Harris's vice-presidential nominee, Tim Walz, is a notable exception.
Walz, from Nebraska, grew up hunting during summer breaks and trained with firearms over the more than two decades he spent as a National Guardsman.
At the start of his political career, he held an A rating from the National Rifle Association and was often spotted wearing an NRA ballcap.
But Walz changed tack amid a series of deadly shootings during the 2010s, including at schools in Sandy Hook, Connecticut and Parkland, Florida.
He held an F rating by the time he left Congress and, as Minnesota governor, he signed expansions of background checks and other restrictions into law.
"I know guns," he said at the Democratic National Convention last month.
"I'm a veteran. I'm a hunter. I was a better shot than most Republicans in Congress and I have the trophies to prove it. But I'm also a dad.
"I believe in the Second Amendment, but I also believe that our first responsibility is to keep our kids safe.”
On the Republican side, Trump has referred to himself as ”the best friend gun owners have ever had in the White House".
Speaking to NRA members in February, he bragged that he "did nothing" despite pressure to take action after shootings and pledged "no one will lay a finger on your firearms” if he is re-elected.
Trump's record
As a New York resident, Donald Trump owned three licenced firearms, two of which he surrendered in 2023 following his arrest on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
The third weapon is said to have been legally transferred to Florida, the state where he now lives.
His criminal conviction in New York required that his gun licence there be revoked.
Convicted criminals are barred under federal law from owning guns or ammunition, but authorities in Republican-led Florida have expressed no interest in confiscating his weapon.
Trump once claimed in an interview that he "always" carried a gun. Under Florida law, he can carry his firearm concealed and does not need a permit.
The Trump campaign has also said his support for gun rights was unshaken by the attempt on his life this July, when a 20-year-old armed with his father's AR-style rifle shot at least eight rounds in his direction and grazed his right ear with a bullet.
JD Vance, his running mate and a former Marine, has described shooting guns from an early age and was lauded earlier this year for his "perfect voting record" on protecting the Second Amendment by the pro-gun group, Gun Owners of America.
Source:bbc.com
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Congress will have Olympics-level security when it certifies US election\
Christal Hayes
SEPTEMBER 13, 2024
Congress will have an unprecedented amount of security when it certifies the winner of the presidential election in January, at a level typically seen for the Olympic Games and gatherings of world leaders like the Nato summit.
The US Secret Service said the decision to treat the procedure at the Capitol as a "national special security event" was made after they received numerous calls from politicians, including Washington's mayor.
The agency said the classification will allow for "significant resources" at local, state and federal levels and a "comprehensive security plan".
This will be the first time lawmakers confirm election results since the US Capitol riot, when supporters of former President Donald Trump violently breached the complex on 6 January 2021.
Trump is again running for president in a close race against Vice-President Kamala Harris. His running mate, JD Vance, recently said that if he had been US vice-president in 2021 he would not have certified the election results.
An attempt to assassinate Trump in July has also stoked security fears surrounding the election.
Events that have had the high-level security designation in the past include presidential inaugurations, the UN General Assembly, Nato summits and the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Utah.
The first Super Bowl after the 9/11 attacks, which was held in New Orleans in February 2002, was given the same designation.
The Secret Service said on Wednesday they had received multiple requests for upgraded security, including from members of a House of Representatives committee that investigated the Capitol riot.
In Tuesday's presidential debate, Trump blamed then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser for the riot, saying Bowser had turned down his offer to have the National Guard at the Capitol that day.
Bowser, however, has said the president never made the offer and that as president, he had controlled the troops.
Meanwhile, US Attorney General Merrick Garland condemned "an escalation of attacks" against the justice department in a speech on Thursday.
America's top law official pushed back on "conspiracy theories, dangerous falsehoods…and threats of actual violence" that endanger the department's employees.
The justice department has faced criticism from Republicans and Democrats for its handling of various politically charged investigations into both Trump and Biden.
Source:bbc.com
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Southeast Asia
Subang Jaya police: Viral mosque video not kidnapping, boy may be victim of sexual assault
13 Sep 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — Police have denied that the boy, who was seen being held by a man in a mosque in a viral video, was a victim of an attempted kidnapping.
Subang Jaya police chief ACP Wan Azlan Wan Mamat said investigations revealed that the 10-year-old boy was likely a victim of sexual assault.
“The man had asked for the victim’s name and home address, which led the boy to flee to a nearby school.
“The victim reported the incident to the complainant, a local woman, and yesterday, the complainant received a video and images of the incident,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Wan Azlan said the video, which had gone viral on Facebook, showed images and claims of an attempted kidnapping in Subang Jaya. However, preliminary investigations have found these claims to be false.
He said the case was being investigated under Section 14(a) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2021 and also Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
“Police advise the public to be cautious when posting any statements on social media that could cause public concern and to always prioritise the safety of themselves and their families.
“Anyone with information about the incident can contact assistant investigating officer Sergeant Siti Shabilah Zulkifle@Awang at 010-2667017 or the nearest police station,” he said. — Bernama
Source:malaymail.com
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Cops probing clip of alleged kidnap attempt in Selangor mosque
Sep 12, 2024
The police are investigating a CCTV clip of a man allegedly attempting to kidnap a child at a religious school in Darul Ehsan Mosque, Subang, Selangor.
“Still under investigation,” said Subang Jaya district police chief Wan Azlan Wan Mamat to Malaysiakini.
When contacted, the Darul Ehsan Mosque spokesperson...
Source:malaysiakini.com
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PM Anwar orders police, religious departments to hasten investigations on GISBH-linked welfare homes
13 Sep 2024
By Soo Wern Jun
BANGI, Sept 13 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has told the police to hasten their investigations on alleged child sexual offences linked to Global Ikhwan Service and Business Holdings (GISBH).
He said the police will conduct investigations following laws that fit.
“With regards to GISBH, let the police do their investigations following existing laws.
“As for religious departments like Jais (Selangor Islamic Religious Department) and at Federal level especially Jakim (Malaysian Islamic Development Department), they have the jurisdiction and channels to conduct investigations and give advice on the case.
“If this is true, investigate the matter, this is very important as it has become a big matter that is linked to abuse of the Islam religion and childcare,” Anwar told reports here at the Al-Imam Mosque here.
The Prime Minister was responding to the police’s recent raid on 20 welfare homes in Negeri Sembilan and Selangor linked to GISBH, where 402 children were rescued with 13 teenaged victims believed to be sodomised.
The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had earlier said six suspects, who were arrested earlier, were charged yesterday in Port Dickson.
A woman from this six was charged under Section 31(1)(a) of the Child Act 2001, four of the five men are charged under Section 14 of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, while one more has been charged under Section 354 of the Penal Code, Razarudin said.
As for the 402 children rescued from the welfare homes, Razarudin said 392 children were still undergoing medical health checks, while the remaining children ,who are disabled or autistic, have been placed in the care of the Welfare Department.
He added that health checks will be a priority for these child victims, saying that some do not have identification documents on them.
Razarudin reportedly said that some children are as young as five and were found to have sustained burns inflicted on them by hot objects.
Four investigation papers have been opened, with one already progressing under the Child Act 2001.
Additional investigations are being carried out under the Sexual Offences Act, Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 and Section 354 of the Penal Code.
Source:malaymail.com
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‘Find someone else lah’: Kedah MB Sanusi shuts down PM talk at PAS muktamar
13 Sep 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said today that he does not aspire to become prime minister and is not ready to take on the responsibility of the country’s top job.
According to Malaysiakini, Sanusi expressed these sentiments in response to PAS delegates at the party’s annual muktamar in Temerloh, Pahang, who had named him as a potential candidate for the position.
Speaking at a press conference after officiating the PAS women’s wing muktamar, the PAS election director described himself as merely a party member who follows the leadership’s directions.
“No, I am not ready. Find someone else lah,” he was quoted as saying.
He added that he would neither promote himself for the role nor seek it, choosing instead to focus on his responsibilities, including managing the administration of Kedah.
“I am a party member, I have no personal ambition in politics. I leave everything to the party’s decision. If the party tells me to lead a branch, I will lead a branch,” he said.
Malaysiakini also reported Sanusi as taking a jab at Umno, stating that he is not like some leaders of the governing party, who he claimed are harming the country through money politics.
“I am not like Umno leaders, who would volunteer themselves to be leaders and show off their wealth (to win support). They would sponsor this and that person, sponsor party delegates, and such. All these actions are ruining politics in this country.”
“Let the people decide whether you are fit to be a leader. Don’t buy support or build your influence through false pretences. This will only destroy our country,” he was quoted as saying.
Earlier, it was reported that PAS Youth delegates named Muhammad Sanusi, Alor Setar MP Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden, and PAS vice president Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar as potential future prime minister candidates, with Bachok MP Mohd Syahir Che Sulaiman also mentioned.
Source:malaymail.com
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Bangi MP rebukes PAS Youth delegate for claiming Masjid India sinkhole ‘divine retribution’ for DAP’s ‘evil deeds’
13 Sep 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — Bangi MP Shahredzan Johan has sharply criticised PAS Youth delegate Mohd Sharif Mohd Azhari for branding last month’s sinkhole incident near Masjid India as “divine retribution from Allah,” particularly if DAP’s alleged “evil deeds” are not addressed.
Shahredzan, a lawyer by profession, condemned Mohd Sharif’s apparent exploitation of the tragedy for political gain, arguing that no party should use disasters to attack their opponents.
“The actions of PAS Youth representative Mohd Sharif Mohd Azhari, as reported by the media, who linked DAP to the recent sinkhole tragedy, are beyond the pale,” Shahredzan said on X today.
The DAP rep further noted that, as a young politician, Mohd Sharif should be focused on advancing new and healthy political practices and playing a constructive role in ensuring government accountability.
“Unfortunately, PAS once again demonstrates that they remain mired in outdated and extreme political polemics and rhetoric,” Shahredzan added.
News reports indicate that Mohd Sharif, speaking at the PAS Youth muktamar yesterday, cited the Quran, suggesting that the act of sinking into the earth represents divine retribution for DAP’s alleged wrongdoings.
“DAP is evil, they do evil things, and we let them get away with it, so we need to speak out about this,” Mohd Sharif was quoted as saying.
On August 23, G. Vijaya Lakshmi, a woman from Kuppam, Andhra Pradesh, India, went missing after falling into an eight-metre-deep hole on Jalan Masjid India.
The search and rescue (SAR) operation was halted on August 31 after nine days due to safety concerns for the SAR team.
Source:malaymail.com
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PAS deputy president’s claim of suspicion upon hearing Chinese words dangerous, DAP MP says
13 Sep 2024
KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 — PAS deputy president Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man’s assertion that Malays would feel suspicion upon hearing the spoken Chinese language was divisive and incendiary, said DAP lawmaker Lim Lip Eng.
The Kepong MP said the PAS leader’s reported remarks at the Islamist party’s annual convention was unacceptable in a multiracial setting such as in Malaysia.
“His claim is extremely worrying and racially charged. Not only is his view inaccurate, but it also has the potential to divide Malaysia’s multi-ethnic society,” Lim said in a statement.
“According to Section 504 and Section 505(c) of the Penal Code, it is an offence to make statements that can incite tension and stir up racial sentiments. Has Tuan Ibrahim’s statement violated the law?”
He added that he has lodged a police report against Tuan Ibrahim over the latter’s remarks, and urged the authorities to investigate without fear or favour.
Lim said transparent action was needed to safeguard Malaysia’s racial harmony and prevent any communal strife.
Tuan Ibrahim made the remarks yesterday when insisting that all communities in Malaysian should use the Malay language.
However, his remark was juxtaposed with PAS Youth chief Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden’s call for the party to learn Mandarin and Tamil in order to approach non-Malay communities that still avoided the Islamist party.
Source:malaymail.com
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/madrasa-education-supremacy-child-sc/d/133192