Madrasa Teachers Humiliated and Thrown out of Guest House in Kolkata’s Salt Lake for Being Muslims
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 September 2020
Officers
at East Bidhannagar police station said three employees of the second guest
house have been arrested for throwing out the teachers.(Representational
Photo/REUTERS)
------
• PTI Lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani Announced
Sit-In in Islamabad Against Killing Of 11 Pakistanis In India
• Muslims in Kenya Change Tack on Family Planning,
Abortion of Unintended Pregnancies No Longer Haram
• Palestine Refuses to Chair Arab League over UAE and Bahrain
and Israel Deals
• Trudeau Calls Reports Linking Killing of Toronto
Mosque Volunteer To Hateful Ideologies 'Extremely Concerning'
• Norway Allocates 1 Million Kroner to Foundation That
Promotes Knowledge About Al-Noor Mosque Terrorist Attack
India
• Madrasa Teachers Humiliated and Thrown out of Guest
House in Kolkata’s Salt Lake for Being Muslims
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Comments on
Kashmir Constitute Gross Interference in India’s Internal Affairs and Are
Completely Unacceptable: India
--------
Pakistan
• PTI Lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani Announced
Sit-In in Islamabad Against Killing Of 11 Pakistanis In India
• PPP Calls for Musharraf’s Trial in Benazir Murder
Case
• Fazl, Bilawal hold huddle to discuss anti-govt
movement
• Eight years on, ex-MQM men get death in factory fire
case
---------
Africa
• Muslims in Kenya Change Tack on Family Planning,
Abortion of Unintended Pregnancies No Longer Haram
• Islamic group issues strong warning to Oduduwa
Republic agitators
• Stop Looking for Endorsement from Pastors, Imams,
Bishop Kukah Tells Nigerian Politicians
• Jaiz emerges most improved Islamic Bank
--------
Arab world
• Palestine Refuses to Chair Arab League over UAE and Bahrain
and Israel Deals
• Hezbollah And Amal Movement: We Have Rescued Hariri
Several Times from Ingesting His Allies’ Poison
• Saudi Arabia will allow Umrah and visits to Holy
Mosque starting on October 4
• Anti-ISIS Sunni fighters complain of electoral
exploitation
• Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood to take part in elections,
defying ban attempts
• Saudi cabinet underlines importance of confronting
Iran
---------
North America
• Trudeau Calls Reports Linking Killing of Toronto
Mosque Volunteer To Hateful Ideologies 'Extremely Concerning'
• Trump Attacks Muslim Congresswoman Over Telling Him
'How to Run Our Country'
• Pressure mounts on U of T law faculty as Amnesty,
National Council of Canadian Muslims seek investigations into alleged
inappropriate influence
---------
Europe
• Norway Allocates 1 Million Kroner to Foundation That
Promotes Knowledge About Al-Noor Mosque Terrorist Attack
• Britain sends evidence on accused Islamic State
'Beatles' to U.S.
• Archbishop of Mosul nominated for the Sakharov prize
in memory of Islamic State victims
• Alleged Isis members can be tried in US after UK
high court ruling
• Council of Mosques issues guidance on Madrasas and
children self-isolating
--------
Mideast
• Iranian President: Holy Defence Created Culture of
Jihad, Self-Sacrifice, Martyrdom
• World Poets Welcome Int’l Poetry Competition on
Shiite’s Imam Hussein (AS)
• Iran Has Only Provided Yemen With the Know-How in
The Defense Sector: Armed Forces Spokesman
--------
South Asia
• Sheikh Hasina: This Winter Is Likely to Herald A Second Wave
Of The Pandemic In Bangladesh
--------
Southeast Asia
• Indonesian Finance Minister Stresses Importance of
Sharia Economy in Global Economy
• Malaysia Airlines Defers Payments On $492 Million Islamic
Bonds
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/madrasa-teachers-humiliated-thrown-guest/d/122926
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Madrasa Teachers Humiliated and Thrown out of Guest House in Kolkata’s Salt Lake for Being Muslims
Sep 22, 2020
Officers
at East Bidhannagar police station said three employees of the second guest
house have been arrested for throwing out the teachers.(Representational
Photo/REUTERS)
------
HT Correspondent
Ten madrasa teachers from West Bengal’s Malda district
alleged on Monday that they were thrown out of a private guest house in
Kolkata’s Salt Lake because of their religious identity. They said they had
booked three rooms in advance ahead of their visit to Kolkata for some official
work at the state education department.
Sadek Ali, the headmaster of Krishnapur Madrasa
Education Centre, told reporters that he has never faced such humiliation in
his long career as a teacher. Ali and his colleagues, in their police
complaint, said when they reached the guest house on Monday morning after travelling
overnight from Malda, they were told that no room was available and were sent
to another guest house. At the second guest house, the teachers were allowed to
stay for three hours before being asked to go.
“They were sent by another guest house. We told them
that they would have to vacate at 9 am as we were expecting other guests. They
left at 9 am,” Gautam Pal, manager of the second guest house.
An employee of the second guest house, who did not
want to be named, said after the arrests of six suspected al-Qaeda operatives,
locals objected to the stay of teachers at their guest house.
Jahangir Ali, a second teacher in the group, said, “We
never expected this kind of humiliation in Kolkata.”
Actor Kaushik Sen and poet Joy Goswami condemned the
incident, saying the arrest of the suspected al-Qaeda members cannot be used as
an excuse to isolate people from a particular religion.
Md Salim of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
said Bengal has always been known for its secular values. “This cannot be
tolerated. Trade licence of the guest house must be cancelled.”
Officers at East Bidhannagar police station said three
employees of the second guest house have been arrested for throwing out the
teachers.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/kolkata/driven-out-of-guest-house-for-being-muslims-say-10-Madrasa-teachers/story-N13PA9cXVEiFiBJYBYu1RO.html
---------
PTI Lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani Announced Sit-In in Islamabad Against Killing Of 11 Pakistanis In India
Kalbe Ali
23 Sep 2020
PTI
lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani said convoys from across the country led by
members of the Hindu community will arrive in Islamabad on Thursday to hold the
protest sit-in. — Photo courtesy Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani Facebook/File
------
ISLAMABAD: PTI lawmaker Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani on
Tuesday announced to hold a sit-in in the Red Zone of the federal capital to
seek justice over the death of 11 Pakistanis in the Indian city of Jodhpur, who
were killed by extremist Hindu nationalists.
Addressing a press conference, the MNA, who is the
patron-in-chief of Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), said convoys from across the
country led by members of the Hindu community will arrive in Islamabad on
Thursday to hold the protest sit-in.
He said the victims belonged to the Bheel community
from Tharparkar and the PHC had decided to hold the protest in front of the
Indian High Commission.
The protest caravan will commence in Tharparkar and
after passing through Mirpurkhas, Thatta, Hyderabad and Nawabshah would move to
Islamabad. Another protest rally will come from Karachi and join the protestors
from Larkana and Kashmore.
“Not only Hindus but also the entire Pakistani nation
will be with me to seek justice for the 11 Pakistani Hindus killed by the
extremists of RSS.”
Dr Vankwani said the sit-in will continue until Indian
authorities lodge an FIR against the culprits and submit the postmortem reports
of the 11 people to the Pakistan High Commission.
He said the members of the Hindu family had migrated
from Pakistan to India in 2012 but they were not granted Indian citizenship.
The authorities claimed that the family members committed suicide by consuming
some chemical on August 9, 2020.
“But what we say is that if they have committed mass
suicide, there was no reason to stop the Pakistani High Commission from
accessing the case. The reason is that India has declared these murders a
suicide.”
The PTI lawmaker also spoke about his discussions with
Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi and said he (Dr Vankwani) was under
pressure from his community to raise voice for those who have been killed.
“The foreign minister told me last week that the
Indian high commissioner had been called and it was likely that things will
move in a right direction,” Dr Vankwani said.
He added: “I told the foreign minister that I am under
severe pressure from my community and we cannot wait forever against the
injustice by Modi and his henchmen.”
He said the daughter of the deceased head of the
family, Shrimati Mukhi, had filed an FIR in Sanghar, nominating RSS and BJP for
their involvement in the murder of her family members.
As per Ms Mukhi, her father, mother and other family
members were murdered after they refused to spy on Pakistan and issue
anti-Pakistan statements at the behest of the Indian intelligence agency, RAW.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Foreign Office
said the foreign minister informed Dr Vankwani that Pakistan had taken up the
issue forcefully with the Indian side through diplomatic channels both in
Islamabad as well as in New Delhi.
Immediately after the incident, the high commission of
Pakistan in New Delhi asked the government of India for provision of access to
the surviving member of the bereaved family, sharing of copies of the FIR and
initial investigation report and facilitating the presence of the high
commission for Pakistan’s representatives during the postmortem of the deceased
persons.
Mr Qureshi assured the MNA that safety and security of
all its nationals was the responsibility of the government of Pakistan.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581102/sit-in-announced-in-capital-against-killing-of-11-pakistanis-in-india
---------
Muslims in Kenya Change Tack on Family Planning,
Abortion of Unintended Pregnancies No Longer Haram
By Angela Oketch
22 SEPTEMBER 2020
With 10 mouths to feed, no source of income and
nowhere proper to sleep, Fatuma Hamed has many difficulties to contend with.
We find her and four of her children sitting by the
doorstep of her house - a grass-thatched shelter with holes everywhere.
She looks lost in thought. She wonders what to buy
with the Sh50 she got from selling vegetables: Whether to buy food for the
daytime meal or spare the money for dinner.
On a good day, when she makes a sale, she can buy
flour for her children's porridge, which is the most affordable meal for her.
As long as the children are full, the nutritional value of whatever they eat is
the least of her worries.
Most times she goes hungry, so that her children can
eat. Other times there is not enough to go around, and the younger children eat
as the older ones and their mother watch.
Fatuma's life has been this way for as long as she can
remember. A life of constant worry about whether her children will eat or have
a decent place to sleep. She is the second wife in a family of four wives.
Back-to-back pregnancies have also left her
vulnerable, depleting her nutritional stores. This means she is never healthy
enough to breastfeed her children whenever she gives birth.
With the family's resources spread thin, her children
are unlikely to go to school, increasing their chances of being trapped in a
cycle of poverty.
However, the hard life does not stop her from wanting
to continue giving birth. "Children are a blessing from God and child
spacing is a sin, going against the religion and Islamic culture," she
tells HealthyNation at her home in Balich village, Garissa County. "I just
want to continue giving birth even if it means having 20 children whether I can
feed them or not. It is God who gives children. Allah provides for each
child."
What Fatuma does not understand is that frequent
pregnancies without spacing of the births take a substantial toll on a woman's
health and the risks are more pronounced in counties like Garissa, where
quality healthcare is inaccessible.
All her 10 children were born at home. She does not
remember a day when she was not either carrying a baby in her womb or her arms
as she gives birth after every two years.
Her husband believes the more the children you have,
the more respected you are in the society. "Muslims who are using family
planning methods are sinning," he says.
Ismael Omar is among religious leaders who preach
against family planning. "The Koran allows us to marry as many women as we
want, so that they can give birth to many children who will continue with our
lineage," the father of 12 tells HealthyNation.
But, a wave of change is sweeping across Garissa and
unlike Fatuma, women are choosing a different path. They want a better life for
their families.
Mubarak Hussein, the assistant chief of Dololo Midi
village, says: "Somali women fail to use contraceptives because they think
this is against their religion. I am happy that things are changing. Mothers
and children of most families who space their children have good health."
Anneb Ibrahim, a 29-year-old from Ithin location,
wants better. In the past 14 years of marriage, Anneb has given birth to only
five children, a small number compared to what has been the norm for women from
the region. She is grateful to a religious leader, who convinced her to
consider spacing her children. Anneb does not want more children and is on
injection contraception.
"When I informed my husband about the family
planning methods, he did not object to them. He only wanted an assurance that I
was safe," she says.
When she had her first injection, people were against
it. They told her that modern contraceptives caused cancer. But, she went for
the injection anyway. "I know it takes our men time to accept such things,
but it is upon the woman to take a stand. Before the injection, I used to hide
my pills and take them without his knowledge," she says. "Alikuwa
ananikasirikia lakini mimi naficha na nakunywa (he used to get mad, but I would
still take them)."
She said the Koran was not against child spacing.
"In fact, I am in the (child spacing) programme with the Sheikh's
wife," says Anneb, whose firstborn is in Class Seven.
This is not the first time the mother of three is
using a contraceptive method. Soon after she gave birth to her first child, who
is six years old now, she went for an injection. However, she developed
complications and changed to the current method. "Men do not want us to
use the drugs, but it is the woman and the child who suffer when a mother fails
to space her children. All the births have been through Caesarean section.
Child spacing has given me time to heal and take care of myself and my children
as well," says Ibrahim.
Through the efforts of the sheikhs, imams and
administration officers, who hold barazas to highlight the importance of child
spacing, there has been a difference.
Mohammed Khalif, a sheikh in the county, says Islam
does not prohibit child spacing and it does not interfere with the women's
health and fertility.
However, he says, the effective way to deliver the
family planning messages is through religion and culture. Religious leaders are
deeply trusted. "In the past, Muslims used Al-Azl, also known as
withdrawal, as a family planning method. Others are breastfeeding for two years
as a method," says the sheikh.
Initially, threats would be issued to the community on
the health dangers of failure to plan families, which failed to work. "The
health of the mother is paramount and family planning is only meant to space
children and not terminate an individual's fertility. The mother is a factory.
She will keep on giving you children, but if her health is in danger, the whole
family is affected," he says.
Fountain of Hope, a six-month programme that seeks to
discuss more post-partum family planning, said it has so far reached 423 people
with its messages.
Abdirizak Adan, the project manager Fountain of Hope,
says the plan was to address the unmet need of postpartum family planning or
contraception use among Muslim women. "In Garissa, religion is pervasive
on all matters of life, even managing family life. The challenge has been the
myths and misconceptions. There is also the challenge of what is permitted;
that is child spacing in Islam vis-a-vis the conventional family
planning," Adan tells HealthyNation.
As we celebrates World Contraceptive Day on Saturday,
most countries, including Kenya, will be reflecting on some of the necessary
measures to adopt to turn the bulging population into a socio-economic success.
She started using the Depo injection three years ago,
but changed to a three-year implant. However, the unavailability and
inaccessibility of the methods made her go back to the natural method of
breastfeeding for two years to avoid pregnancy.
The only option the mother of nine has is to walk for
hours to the nearest health facility for her preferred method, five hours to
Garissa Referral hospital or stay without it.
"I learnt my lessons the hard way. I was giving
birth every year, I did not have good health, my children were not as healthy
as I would have wished them to be. My husband would not let me be. But, I made
a choice. I want to take care of my body," she tells HealthyNation at her
home in Doholo Sub-County, Garissa County.
Through the mobile clinic initiative, the mothers in
the rural area get their preferred methods. However, these services are offered
once in three months. "Before Covid-19, we would get the services on a
monthly basis," she says.
She is hopeful that one day the county government will
construct a health facility near her. "I have always given birth at home
because of the distance. I am afraid that I might give birth on the road while
going to the hospital," she says.
As Covid-19 takes up most of the health resources,
people with other needs are struggling to get care and among the forgotten medical
needs are reproductive health services.
Due to lockdowns in some countries, there has been a
disruption in the importation of contraceptives into the country. As a result,
in various health facilities, most of the methods are unavailable, especially the
long-term ones.
Population Reference Bureau Country Director Kenya and
Regional Technical Advisor East and Southern Africa Angeline Siparo said if
counties prioritised family planning, they could avert the loss of an
additional 2,138 lives by 2020.
Kenya is already experiencing a shortage of many
commodities since Covid-19 has impacted on the production of condoms and other
contraceptives in the main manufacturing countries, including India, Indonesia,
Malaysia and Thailand.
A mother told HealthyNation that most long-acting
methods were not available at Garissa County Referral Hospital and many health
facilities in the county.
Like Hawes, one in seven married women aged between 15
and 49, who need contraceptives to space or delay their next birth lack them,
resulting in many unintended pregnancies, according to data from the
Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020, which monitors family planning
indicators in 11 counties in Kenya.
The reason given for non-use of birth control among
all women ranged from health-related concerns, opposition to use and lack of
access.
https://allafrica.com/stories/202009230097.html
--------
Palestine Refuses to Chair Arab League over UAE and
Bahrain and Israel Deals
News Service
September 22, 2020
Palestinian
Authority quit its rotating chairmanship of Arab League meetings on Tuesday
------
Palestine on Tuesday relinquished its right to take
the rotating presidency of the Arab League in protest of recent deals to
normalize relations between the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Israel.
"This decision was taken after the Arab League
Secretariat took a supporting position to the UAE and Bahrain, which normalized
their relations with Israel in violation of the Arab Peace Initiative,"
Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a press conference in Ramallah.
“Some influential Arab states refused to condemn the
violation of the Arab Peace initiative,” he said.
Al-Maliki, however, stressed that Palestine will not
withdraw from the Arab League.
On Sept. 9, the pan-Arab body failed to issue a
resolution condemning the move by Abu Dhabi and Manama to normalize their
relations with Israel.
On Sept. 15, the UAE and Bahrain signed US-sponsored
agreements to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, amid strong
condemnations from the Palestinians.
https://www.yenisafak.com/en/world/palestine-refuses-to-chair-arab-league-over-muslim-states-deals-with-israel-3549868
--------
Trudeau calls reports linking killing of Toronto
mosque volunteer to hateful ideologies 'extremely concerning'
Miriam Katawazi
September 22, 2020
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says reports linking the
killing of a 58-year-old mosque volunteer to Neo-Nazi and Islamophobia-inspired
motives are “extremely concerning.”
Earlier this month, Mohamed-Aslim Zafis was approach
by a man while he was sitting outside the International Muslim Organization
mosque in Toronto and stabbed.
Guilherme "William" Von Neutegem, 34, is now
charged with first-degree murder in connection with the incident. The charge
has not been proven in court.
“My heart goes out to the loved ones of Mohamed-Aslim
Zafis. The reports that his murder was motivated by Neo-Nazism and Islamophobia
are extremely concerning,” Trudeau posted on Twitter Tuesday.
While police have not publically confirmed the crime
was hate-motivated, Von Neutegem has allegedly shared content from a satanic
neo-Nazi group on social media, according to an organization that tracks online
extremism.
The Canadian Anti-Hate Network, a non-profit
organization that researches, monitors and combats hate groups, has reported
that the suspect’s social media is allegedly connected to a variety of known
racist and Nazi-inspired occult movements.
Police have previously said there does not appear to
be any relationship between the accused and the victim. But on Saturday, police
said they were aware of allegations that the murder suspect had ties to a
neo-Nazi social media group.
“As far as the investigation goes, looking into the
social media of the accused is an important part of trying to determine
motive,” Supt. Ron Taverner said on Saturday. “That process is ongoing and
hopefully we can have answers to that question in the coming days.”
Several politicians and advocacy groups across the
region spoke against the act of violence and urged police to thoroughly
investigate the matter.
“The news that his murder was motivated by Neo-Nazism
and Islamophobia are very alarming,” Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown stated
Tuesday. “Brampton stands with the Muslim community against hate. There must be
zero tolerance for hate crimes.”
“Everyone should feel and be safe in their communities
and places of worship,” she wrote on Twitter Tuesday. “The attack on
Mohamed-Aslim Zafis is part of a trend of white supremacist hate and terror we
must confront. News that the perpetrator of this Islamophobic attack has
Neo-Nazi ties make this even clearer.”
Advocacy groups like the National Council of Canadian
Muslims (NCCM) are calling on the federal government to take action in
dismantling Islamophobic, Neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups.
“Someone connected with neo-Nazi movements slaughtered
a man standing in front of the mosque doors … we need action to end white
supremacist groups today,” NCCM’s CEO Mustafa Farooq said.
https://www.cp24.com/news/trudeau-calls-reports-linking-killing-of-toronto-mosque-volunteer-to-hateful-ideologies-extremely-concerning-1.5115601
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Norway allocates 1 million kroner to foundation that
promotes knowledge about Al-Noor mosque terrorist attack
BY: ROBIN-IVAN CAPAR
22. SEPTEMBER 2020
The August 10 Foundation, established after the
terrorist attack on the Al-Noor mosque, will receive NOK 1 million according to
the government’s proposal for next year’s state budget, which will be presented
on October 8.
“It means incredibly much. It shows that there is
support out there for the purpose of the Foundation, and the work that we want
to carry out in Bærum and Norway,” general manager of the Foundation, Hawa
Abshir Muuse, told newspaper Budstikka.
The Foundation will help promote knowledge about the
terrorist attack on the mosque on August 10 of last year, as well as prevent
hate speech and hateful actions.
“I visited the Al-Noor mosque and representatives from
the Foundation before the summer.
I got to see the physical traces of the attack and to
hear about what happened, why it happened, and why they are an actor who can
convey the story further in a good and credible way,” Minister of Education and
Integration Guri Melby (V) wrote in an email to Budstikka.
“I think the Foundation has a project that is worth
supporting,” she said.
https://norwaytoday.info/news/norway-allocates-1-million-kroner-to-foundation-that-promotes-knowledge-about-al-noor-mosque-terrorist-attack/
---------
India
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Comments On Kashmir
Constitute Gross Interference In India’s Internal Affairs And Are Completely
Unacceptable: India
Sep 23 2020
Ahval
India lambasted remarks by Turkish President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan on Kashmir during his speech to the United Nations General
Assembly (UNGA).
Erdoğan's comments "constitute gross interference
in India’s internal affairs and are completely unacceptable,” T S Tirumurti,
India’s permanent representative to the U.N., said in a tweet on Wednesday.
"Turkey should learn to respect sovereignty of
other nations and reflect on its own policies more deeply,” he said.
During a general debate at the U.N. on Tuesday,
Erdoğan said the topic of Jammu and Kashmir remained a “burning issue”, and
that a resolution was important to stability and peace in the region.
“Steps taken following the abolition of the special
status of Jammu-Kashmir further complicated the problem,” the Turkish president
said in a pre-recorded video message. He also called for the matter to be
resolved through negotiation.
The Indian-Pakistani dispute over Kashmir has led to
several conflicts since the countries’ partition in 1947. The Indian government
withdrew the autonomy of Kashmir in August last year, shutting down internet
access in the region and detaining activists and politicians.
Erdoğan, an outspoken critic of Indian policy toward
Kashmir, said during a speech at the Pakistani parliament in February that
resolving the future of the occupied region was of similar importance to
Turkey’s own war of independence early last century.
https://ahvalnews.com/turkey-india/india-slams-erdogan-kashmir-remarks-un
---------
Pakistan
PPP calls for Musharraf’s trial in Benazir murder case
Amir Wasim
23 Sep 2020
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has called
for bringing back self-exiled former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf to the
country in connection with Benazir Bhutto’s murder case and regretted the
failure of the state to implement the orders of the court which had already
issued his non-bailable arrest warrants.
Talking to reporters outside the Lahore High Court’s
Rawalpindi bench after the hearing of the Benazir Bhutto murder case here on
Tuesday, PPP leader and former Punjab governor Sardar Latif Khosa said the
party jiyalas (activists) had been anxiously waiting to get justice in the case
for the last over a decade.
“It is before everyone that the main accused General
Pervez Musharraf has fled the country and how did he manage to escape the
justice,” said Mr Khosa, who is also PPP’s counsel in the case.
PPP secretary general Syed Nayyar Hussain Bukhari,
former senator Farhatullah Babar, former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf,
Asif Ali Zardari’s official spokesman Aamir Fida Paracha and party’s media coordinator
Nazir Dhoki were also present in the court, besides local PPP leaders and
activists.
Mr Khosa regretted that several non-bailable warrants
had been issued for Gen Musharraf but these could not be implemented. Moreover,
he criticised the state machinery, particularly the city police officer (CPO),
for not obeying the orders of the court in this most important case. He also
slammed the CPO for not appearing before the court on Tuesday.
“It is ironic that all the people who were sentenced
to 19 years in jail have now been restored on service, and even got
promotions,” Mr Khosa said.
Responding to a question, Nayyar Bukhari said the
26-point declaration issued at the opposition’s multiparty conference (MPC) on
Sept 20 would determine the direction of politics in Pakistan in near future.
He lashed out at the federal ministers for their statements after the MPC.
Raja Pervez Ashraf welcomed the statement by the
military leadership of dissociating itself from politics, saying politics was
the job of only politicians. He said the opposition parties were united to
safeguard the parliamentary system in the country.
Earlier, a two-judge LHC bench took up PPP’s appeals
against the 2017 verdict of an anti-terrorism court to acquit main suspects in
the case. The ATC had also declared Gen Musharraf an absconder in the case.
The court issued warrants for two suspects — Aitzaz
Shah and Sher Zaman — over their failure to appear before it and ordered the
CPO to produce them at the next hearing on Oct 19.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581142/ppp-calls-for-musharrafs-trial-in-benazir-murder-case
---------
Fazl, Bilawal hold huddle to discuss anti-govt
movement
Staff Reporter
23 Sep 2020
KARACHI: Two days after the opposition’s multiparty
conference in Islamabad, seasoned politician and chief of his own faction of
the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Maulana Fazlur Rehman held a meeting with
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday and discussed
with him the planned anti-government movement.
Maulana Fazl visited Bilawal House in Clifton along
with his party leaders Rashid Soomro, Maulana Obaidur Rehman and Aslam Ghori.
Mr Bhutto-Zardari was assisted by PPP leader Naveed Qamar during the meeting.
A brief PPP statement issued after the meeting said
that both leaders discussed the overall political situation in the country. It
added that Mr Bhutto-Zardari and the JUI-F chief also discussed the issue of
launching a movement against the government.
The meeting comes against the backdrop of reports that
Maulana Fazl was not happy with the PPP as it did not allow live telecast of
his speech during Sunday’s MPC. Maulana Fazl had himself protested during the
MPC over the “media blackout” of his speech and the PPP claimed that the speech
was not telecast live on his own party’s request.
It appears that Tuesday’s meeting between Mr
Bhutto-Zardari and Maulana Fazl was aimed at quashing rumours that the
opposition’s newly formed alliance — the Pakistan Democratic Movement formed as
a result of Sunday’s MPC — had developed cracks moments after it was launched.
The country’s major opposition parties had announced
launching of a three-phased anti-government movement starting from next month
with countrywide public meetings, protest demonstrations and rallies in
December and a “decisive long march” towards Islamabad in January 2021.
The MPC also issued a 26-point declaration in the form
of a resolution demanding an end to the establishment’s interference in
politics, new free and fair elections after election reforms with no role of
armed forces and intelligence agencies, release of political prisoners,
withdrawal of cases against journalists, implementation of the National Action
Plan against terrorism, speeding up of the projects under China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor and across the board accountability under a new
accountability law, etc.
Former Senate chairman and senior PPP leader Senator
Raza Rabbani called on Mr Bhutto-Zardari and discussed with him the country’s
political situation.
Mr Bhutto-Zardari, who is also a member of the
National Assembly, and Senator Rabbani held a detailed discussion on different
parliamentary bills and their certain clauses, said a party statement.
It added that Mr Bhutto-Zardari praised the
performance of his party’s lawmaker and said that PPP’s performance in both
houses of parliament was “impressive”.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581071/fazl-bilawal-hold-huddle-to-discuss-anti-govt-movement
--------
Eight years on, ex-MQM men get death in factory fire
case
Naeem Sahoutara
23 Sep 2020
KARACHI: An antiterrorism court on Tuesday sentenced
two former activists of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to death and awarded
life imprisonment to four gatekeepers of the Baldia garments factory, while
acquitting party leader Rauf Siddiqui in Pakistan’s deadliest industrial blaze
case.
Some 264 male and female workers, including 16 who
remain unidentified, were burnt alive in an ‘arson’ attack on the multistorey
Ali Enterprises garments factory in Karachi’s Baldia Town on Sept 11, 2012.
According to the prosecution, the accused persons
acted on the instruction of the-then chief of the Karachi Tanzeemi Committee
Hammad Siddiqui after the factory owners failed to pay Rs250 million extortion
or partnership in their business. Ten accused including Mr Siddiqui, MQM’s
then-Baldia Town sector in-charge Abdul Rehman alias Bhola, activist Mohammad
Zubair alias Chariya, Hyderabad-based businesspersons Dr Abdul Sattar Khan, Mst
Iqbal Adeeb Khanum, Umar Hasan Qadri, and the industrial unit’s four
gatekeepers were charged with setting fire to the readymade garments factory.
The judge of the ATC-VII, who conducted trial in the
judicial complex inside the Karachi Central Prison, pronounced his verdict that
had been reserved after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides.
The judgement in the high-profile case comes after
eight years of the tragic incident.
Finding the-then MQM’s Baldia sector in-charge and
the-then head of the ill-fated factory’s finishing department, Mohammad Zubair
alias Chariya, guilty of committing an act of terrorism, the court handed down
death sentence to each of them for causing death of 264 persons (both men and
women) through ‘arson’ and ordered them to pay a fine of Rs200,000 for the
death of each victim. The judge also awarded death sentence to the two
activists under Section 302(a) (premeditated murder) and 34 (common intention)
of the Pakistan Penal Code for killing 264 persons.
According to the verdict, both Rehman and Zubair were
also given life imprisonment for participation in the offence likely to cause
the death and endanger the life of factory workers/employees present inside
the factory. Besides, 10-year imprisonment each was awarded to the two former
MQM activists for attempting to murder 60 persons (men and women, who suffered
injuries) and ordered to pay Rs100,000 as fine each or undergo six months
additional imprisonment on default. They were further sentenced to life
imprisonment under the antiterrorism act for causing injuries to 60 people and
ordered to pay Rs200,000 fine each or undergo additional six months
imprisonment on default. Another life term was awarded to them for creating
serious risk to the public, factory owners, workers and employees inside the
factory, thereby preventing them to get out of the burning factory building.
Similar punishment was given to them for destroying the factory. The judge
awarded a collective sentence of 15-year imprisonment each to Rehman and Zubair
for threatening the factory owners and extorting money (“bhatta”) and ordered
to pay a collective fine of Rs 250,000 each.
‘Gatekeepers abetted arsonists’
The judge awarded life imprisonment to each of the
four gatekeepers namely Shahrukh Latif, Ali Mohammad, Arshad Mehmood and Fazal
Ahmed for aiding and abetting Rehman and Zubair and their accomplices allowing
them entry into the factory to cause endanger to the life of workers, employees
and owners of the factory. They were told to pay Rs200,000 fine each and on
default suffer six month additional imprisonment. The four gatekeepers were
also given life imprisonment for sharing common intention with Rehman and
Zubair and ordered to pay Rs100,000 fine or undergo six months imprisonment on
default.
Each of the four accused was ordered to pay
Rs2,777,353 as Diyat to the legal heirs of each of 264 victims. The amount of
Diyat, if paid, will be deposited in the government treasury. All the four
accused, who were present on bail, were taken into custody and sent to the
prison to serve out their sentences, which shall run concurrently as the court
extended the benefit of Section 382(b) of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The judge exonerated the MQM-Pakistan leader Abdul
Rauf Siddiqui and the three Hyderabad-based business persons of the charges of
allegedly receiving Rs50.9 million from the factory owners under the pretext of
giving compensation to the legal heirs of the victims. They appeared before the
court on bail and the judge cancelled their bail and discharged their sureties.
While the judge sent a reference to the Sindh High
Court for confirmation of all the sentences, the case against proclaimed
offenders Hammad Siddiqui and Ali Hassan Qadri was kept on dormant file until
their surrender or arrest for which the court issued perpetual non-bailable warrants.
Factory owner’s testimony
The judge noted that the factory owner Arshad Bhaila
in his statement recorded from Dubai deposed that he had been pressed hard
repeatedly by the activists of MQM (Altaf) and Baldia sector activists of the
party before the factory was torched through chemical substance. Mr Bhaila
narrated the full particulars from the day one that he faced and under the
tremendous pressure exerted upon him, his brother and father due to which he
used to pay extortion money to the activists of MQM-A till the occurrence.
Though he was not an eyewitness he specified the details of activities of the
MQM workers in the factory that had neither been denied nor rebutted by the
accused persons.
“The evidence of the factory owner nowhere suggests that
such act of fire was due to his negligence or closure of doors by him
deliberately,” the judge wrote in the 146-page judgement. The court ruled that
the evidence of prosecution witness Kashif, other witnesses as well as Mr
Bhalia specifically pinpointed that it all was arson and sabotage activity.
The judge noted that the prosecution examined 400
witnesses, whose testimonies corroborated with the allegations of the
prosecution, as well as the reports of the experts of forensic, chemical and
ballistic experts also determined that the fire was caused by some chemicals.
The Rangers special public prosecutor Sajid Mehboob
Shaikh represented the prosecution while Advocates Shaukat Hayat, Abid Zaman,
M.T. Khan, Hasan Sabir, Mansoor Akhtar and others represented the accused
persons.
MQM says it has nothing to do with case
Soon after the court verdict, MQM leader Rauf Siddiqui
told the media that he had resigned from his post of provincial minister when
the incident had occurred. “People don’t let go of a cleaner’s job [but] I had
resigned from my post,” he remarked, expressing gratitude over the court
decision.
He said he was unable to forget the night of the
incident, which would come to his mind every time he had to appear in court.
“To this day, I can still hear the screams of the victim’s families,” he added.
Another MQM leader Faisal Subzwari posted the response
of his party’s spokesperson on twitter, which said the acquittal of party
leader Rauf Siddiqui proved that the MQM-Pakistan had nothing to do with the
case. “[We] make it clear that patronage of any anti-social and law-breaking
elements neither was nor will ever be a policy of MQM-Pakistan,” Mr Sabzwari’s
tweet quoted the party spokesperson as saying.
PPP objects to MQM claim
Mr Subzwari’s tweet drew a quick response from PPP
leader and Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani who asked him to tell who was
“Hammad Siddiqui, Bhola and Charya”.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1581135/eight-years-on-ex-mqm-men-get-death-in-factory-fire-case
--------
Africa
Islamic group issues strong warning to Oduduwa
Republic agitators
By John Owen Nwachukwu
September 23, 2020
The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has told the
protagonists of the proposed Oduduwa Republic to stop using fake Islamic
organisations to camouflage as Muslims.
The human rights organization urged Nigerians to be
wary of fake Islamic groups masquerading and declaring support for the
secessionists.
“The protagonists of the proposed Oduduwa Republic are
desperate. Their desperation has reached a crescendo where they have resorted
to dishonourable actions.
“This should jog the conscience of honest Nigerians.
There is nothing wrong to have differences and disagreements. It is also normal
to have ambition. But what is abnormal and ignoble is to pursue your ambition
by hook or crook.
“Those in the irredentist Oduduwa Republic camp have
descended so low that they use fake Muslim names and counterfeit Islamic
organisations to issue statements in order to confuse Nigerians.
“Their plan is to deceive Nigerians and the rest of
the world into believing that Yoruba Muslims are with them in their secession
bid. This is not politics. It is outright dishonesty. It is not only cowardly,
but ignoble, despicable and condescending. It should be condemned by all men
and women of honour.
“Those behind it should be ashamed of themselves and
those still supporting them should realize by now that they are being led by
the nose.
“We urge Nigerians and the outside world to wake up to
the antics of shenanigans masquerading as leaders of Yoruba self-determination
groups.
“Yorubas are known to have great qualities of honesty
and transparency. That is why the average Yoruba man, based on established
Yoruba norms and values, is proud to be called an ‘Omoluabi’, i.e. a man of honour.
“But the reverse is the case with the self-acclaimed
leaders of the present Yoruba irredentists. They are another cup of tea
entirely.
“They are prepared to get their reckless and
ill-thought-out ambition by fair or foul means. Instead of using superior logic
to convince Nigerians, they tell lies at will to confuse the gullible. They
forge names and concoct counterfeit organisations just by snapping their
fingers.
“All these are in an effort to deceive the public. Our
question to them is very simple: what kind of ‘republic’ do you want to
establish with falsehood? Why must you resort to deception, lies and false
propaganda? It is sheer mischief, nothing else.
“This is where Nigerians have to choose: should we
follow liars and mischief makers or should we queue behind men of honour and
truth? The devil you know is always better than the one you do not know. We may
not have gold or silver today, but we will never deceive you with lies or
half-truths. Unless you are a certificated gambler, it is too dangerous to
follow liars to terra incognito.
“The names of fake Islamic groups like Yoruba Jamatru,
Yoruba Islamic Organisation (YISO) and Yoruba Muslim Community have been used
to deceive the general public. We alert the press and the good people of
Nigeria that these are all fake groups conjured by the secessionist camp.
“Observers of the religious circle in the South West
will note that notable Islamic organisations that have been speaking for
Muslims in the region are the umbrella body for all Islamic organisations in
the zone, the Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN), the Companion, The
Criterion, The Muslim Public Affairs Centre (MPAC), FOMWAN, NASFAT, QAREEB, the
Muslim Students Society of Nigeria (MSSN), The Muslim Congress (TMC), The
Ansaruddeen Society, Nawairudeen Society, MURIC, the Movement for Islamic
Cultural Affairs (MICA) and a few others whom space cannot allow us to mention
here.
“Most of these Islamic organisations have issued
statements rejecting the Oduduwa Republic but the irredentists want to distort
history by making forged statements using faceless Islamic organisations.
This is criminal. We advise journalists to seek clarification
from MUSWEN whenever any new group comments on the matter in order to avoid
vicarious liability. MUSWEN is our umbrella organization in the South West and
all Islamic groups in the South West are registered under it.
“We assert clearly, categorically and unequivocally
that none of the so-called Islamic groups which have issued statements in
support of a Yoruba Republic are known to us.
“They are fifth columnists created by the separatists
with the aim of dividing the Yoruba Muslim community. But they have failed. It
is not an Islamic organization if it is not an Islamic organization.
“The Yoruba Ummah is one, virile and indivisible. We
therefore charge the Nigerian press to handle the Oduduwa Republic matter with
utmost professionalism. The wheat must be separated from the chaff. This is not
the time for yellow journalism. Neither is it the time for sensationalism.
“Statements issued by groups that are hitherto unknown
in Christian, Muslim and traditional Yoruba circles should be checked and cross-checked.
Media houses who publish statements made by fake groups will be held
responsible for such statements. A certified journalist is expected to check
the source of his or her information. The press must take responsibility.
“Those who allow the name of Yoruba Muslims to be used
freely and irresponsibly will answer to Yoruba Muslims because we are going to
make sure that we forward reports of fake statements to the security agents and
legal action will be taken where necessary. The sources of those statements
will be traced and all those involved will have questions to answer. This
society must be sanitized.
“There must be consequences for irresponsible and
mischievous statements and publications capable of causing the breakdown of law
and order in the society. Yoruba Muslims have Allah-given fundamental right to
enjoy freedom from molestation, harassment, intimidation and coercion from any
quarters. MURIC will do everything possible within the laws of the land to
guaranty this right.
“MURIC appeals to Nigerians, particularly the Yoruba
people, to shine their eyes. These liars and forgers are advocatus diaboli
whose only desire is to cause chaos in society.
“The Yoruba say ‘Omo ti o ba puro yio jale’ i.e. a
child that tells lies will soon start stealing. Those who are now misleading
you with lies will definitely steal all your money if ever Oduduwa Republic
becomes a fait accompli.
“They are not to be trusted. They are making noise
today because the tap from which free naira and dollar used to flow has been
closed. We assure Nigerians that the agitation will die a natural death when
the man they love to hate ends his tenure in 2023.
“To cut a long story short, we warn those agitating
for the establishment of Oduduwa Republic to stop deceiving Nigerians by using
Muslim names and fake Islamic organisations to issue statements.
“The Nigerian press has a duty to ensure that fake and
faceless groups are not allowed to use it to cause disaffection in the society.
Media houses are advised to publish only what they can be proud of as members
of the noble profession,” he said.
https://dailypost.ng/2020/09/23/islamic-group-issues-strong-warning-to-oduduwa-republic-agitators/
---------
Stop Looking For Endorsement From Pastors, Imams,
Bishop Kukah Tells Nigerian Politicians
BY SAHARAREPORTERS
SEP 22, 2020
Bishop Matthew Kukah has knocked politicians, who run
to religious leaders for endorsement, saying Nigeria was practicing democracy
not theocracy.
Kukah, who is the Bishop of Sokoto Catholic Diocese
and a member of the National Peace Committee, also commended the conduct of the
Edo governorship election, urging the people of Ondo to imitate Edo
electorates.
While speaking on Sunrise Daily on Channels
Television, the cleric said politicians should engage the people and practice
issues-based campaigns.
He said, “When last did you see a politician across
Europe we are trying to imitate, go and bow to the queen or king or seek
blessings from a bishop. We have too many intervening variables that are
confusing the narrative.
“We are really not practicing the principles of
democracy and it lies in the fact that only those who have money can hope to be
voted into power.
“If you feel you need to be anointed to ascend to
power then we are running a theocracy.
“Our commendation goes to the people of Edo State. I
have received quite a lot of messages from old friends that I haven’t spoken to
in a long time commending the work of the National Peace Committee but really
this is not an honour that one individual should take.”
http://saharareporters.com/2020/09/22/stop-looking-endorsement-pastors-imams-bishop-kukah-tells-nigerian-politicians
--------
Jaiz emerges most improved Islamic Bank
22nd September 2020
Uche Usim, Abuja
Jaiz Bank Plc, Nigeria’s premier non-interest bank has
been recognised as the most improved Islamic Bank in the world in 2020 by the
Global Islamic Finance Awards (GIFA).
GIFA is one of the most prestigious awards in Islamic
banking and other prestigious awards are Islamic Development Bank Prize in
Islamic Banking and Finance (also known as ‘IDB Prize’) and the Royal Award for
Islamic Finance, founded by the government of Malaysia.
In a congratulatory letter to Hassan Usman, Managing
Director of Jaiz Bank, Professor Humayon Dar, the Chairman of GIFA, said that
the Award Committee selected Jaiz Bank as the best out of three organisations
considered and “after long deliberations decided in favour of Jaiz Bank based
on a number of factors included in the GIFA Methodology. Please accept our
heartiest congratulations on this huge achievement and accolade.”
The GIFA methodology – on which the awards are based
and winners selected – is the most detailed approach to screen only the best of
the best in their respective award categories.
Social Responsibility: An organisation is considered
socially responsible if it makes continuing efforts to behave ethically and
contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of its
employees and the local community and society at large.
Shari’a Authenticity: An organisation is considered
Shari’a authentic if it commits itself to the Shari’a Standards issued by an
independent body like the Accounting and Auditing Organisation for Islamic
Finance Institutions (AAOIFI) or a national body set up to issue Shari’a
guidelines.
Commitment to Islamic Banking and Finance: The
selection criteria allocates a maximum points to full-fledged stand-alone
Islamic banks and financial institutions
According to the Awards Committee, Jaiz Bank was able
to meet all the above factors, hence the basis for its selection as the winner.
In his response, the Managing Director/CE of Jaiz Bank
Hassan Usman thanked GIFA for choosing the bank as the Most Improved Islamic
Bank in the world.
He said: “We are pleased that the world watches and
appreciates our modest contributions to the development of Islamic Finance.
This award is dedicated to our creator, in whose Grace all things are
perfected. We are deeply appreciative of the contributions of our loyal
customers, dedicated staff and committed shareholders.’’
https://www.sunnewsonline.com/jaiz-emerges-most-improved-islamic-bank/
---------
Arab world
Hezbollah And Amal Movement: We Have Rescued Hariri
Several Times From Ingesting His Allies’ Poison
Source: Al-Manar
September 22, 2020
In response to the statement of the former premier, MP
Saad Hariri, about the cabinet formation, the Shia duo (Hezbollah and Amal
Movement) sources told Al-Manar that the duo wonders how Hariri allows himself
to set conditions for nominating the finance minister, wondering how he alleges
that the French initiative includes this issue.
The sources added that the Shia duo do not want for
Hariri to be poisoned, adding that that they have rescued him several times
from his allies’ poison.
Hariri had stated that he decided to help the
PM-designate Mustafa Adib by approving nominating a Shiite minister to hold the
finance portfolio, considering that he has accepted again to ingest the poison.
The former prime ministers Fouad Siniora, Tammam Salam
and Najib Miqati later issued a statement in which they pointed out that they
are not committed to Hariri initiative pertaining the cabinet formation
Meanwhile, Al-Manar sources said that the cabinet
formation process did not witness any progress, adding that President Michel
Aoun has the right to propose whatever is suitable in this regard.
The Lebanese political system classifies the finance,
interior, foreign affairs, and defense portfolios as sovereign and distributes
them over the major sects. However, Taif Agreement grants the finance ministry
to the Shia sect in order to have the third signature on most of the
ministerial decrees.
The PM-designate Mustafa Adib and a group of former
prime ministers reject granting the finance ministry to the Shia sect, while
Hezbollah and Amal movement insist on the right to take the portfolio in line
with the Constitution.
http://english.almanar.com.lb/1149810
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Saudi Arabia will allow Umrah and visits to Holy
Mosque starting on October 4
The National
September 23, 2020
Saudi Arabia will allow visitors inside the Kingdom to
perform the Umrah and visit the Holy Mosque starting October 4.
The Saudi Interior Ministry made the announcement on
Tuesday night after a four-month pause caused by the pandemic.
“An approval was issued to allow the performance of
Umrah and to visit the Holy Mosque in #Makkah gradually only to those within
the kingdom starting from October 4, 2020, while taking the necessary health
precautions,” the ministry said.
Umrah will be reopened in four phases, with the first
starting on October 4 allowing Saudi citizens and residents to perform the
pilgrimage at 30 per cent capacity, or 6,000 pilgrims a day.
From October 18, crowds of up to 75 per cent, or
15,000 Saudi citizens and residents a day, will be allowed.
That will grow to 100 per cent capacity, or 20,000
pilgrims a day, from November 1.
Foreign pilgrims will be able to join the Umrah at a
date yet to be announced.
Saudi Arabia has had more than 330,000 coronavirus
cases, including 312,684 recovered and 4,542 deaths.
But it has had a drop of almost 88 per cent in cases
this month compared with June, the Health Ministry said.
https://www.thenational.ae/world/mena/saudi-arabia-will-allow-umrah-and-visits-to-holy-mosque-starting-on-october-4-1.1081896
-------
Anti-ISIS Sunni fighters complain of electoral
exploitation
2020-09-22
Iraq News
Shafaq News / Al-Hashd fighters in Diyala criticized
on Tuesday the politicization of their file and turning it into an electoral
tool in the governorate, demanding fairness with those who fought ISIS and
officially integrating them into Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi formations.
One of the Hashd fighters, Murad Lahibi, 36, who does
not receive any salary so far, along with thousands of his peers, said that the
Al-Hashd Al-Ashaeri has become an electoral tool in Diyala among some
parliamentarians to reserve early electoral votes.
In his interview with Shafaq News agency, he explained
that the politicizing Al-Hash could led thousands of fighters to leave their
sites due to the ignoring of the security authorities.
The former leader of Al-Hashd in Al-Azim, Muhammad
Ibrahim Dhaifan, confirmed to Shafaq News
agency that the politicization of this file in the electoral and
regional areas, calling on the security authorities to grant all Al-Hashd
fighters monthly salaries away from the criteria of patronage.
Dhaifan, who is fighting without any revenue noted,
"There are more than 400 fighters volunteered at the border posts between
Diyala and Saladin for 5 years and provided dozens of victims during their
response to ISIS attacks".
He pointed out that many Al-Hashd fighters neglected
their families and left them under a hard life conditions for not leaving the
combat sites despite their very difficult financial situation.
For its part, A member of the Parliamentary Security
and Defense Committee for Diyala Governorate, Abd al-Khaleq Medhat al-Azzawi,
supports the demands of Al-Hashd fighters, explaining in his interview to
Shafaq News agency that" 6000 fighters are fighting in Diyala, some of
them get salaries, and the largest part deployed within the Ministry of Defense
and without salaries."
Al-Hashed Al-Ashaeri were formed in Diyala within the
areas that ISIS invaded in 2014 to secure the areas from attacks and exposures.
Al-Hashed fighters were distributed within the regions
of the outskirts of Al-Miqdadiyah and the districts of Al-Azim and Al-Mansuriya
in the north and northeast of Diyala.
It's noteworthy that, Al-Kadhimi had set June 6 as a
date for early elections, pledging to conduct a fair voting process.
https://www.shafaaq.com/en/Iraq-News/Anti-ISIS-Sunni-fighters-complain-of-electoral-exploitation
---------
Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood to take part in elections,
defying ban attempts
22 September 2020
By MEE and agencies
Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood said on Monday that it
would take part in November’s parliamentary elections, in defiance of a court
order to dissolve the country’s largest opposition party.
The announcement from the Islamic Action Front (IAF)
came two months after Jordan's top court had dissolved the country's chapter of
the Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement.
The decision by Jordan’s Court of Cassation, issued on
15 July, came four years after the country had legalised a splinter group and
closed the offices of the main Muslim Brotherhood organisation, claiming it was
not licensed.
"The Islamist movement is clearly being targeted
and faces vigorous attempts to undermine it due to its national role and
charitable efforts," it said in a statement.
Murad al-Adailah, general secretary of the IAF, told
Reuters that his group was considering participating in elections to advance
demands for democratic reforms.
He pointed out that an Islamist voice was needed in
parliament to help expose rampant corruption and stand up to tough laws
restricting public freedoms, as well as oppose any normalisation deals with
Israel, with which Jordan has a peace treaty.
"Meddling in these elections is playing with the
security and stability of the country … In such conditions, it would create a
social explosion," he said. "We don't accept any pressure from
anyone, or a diktat as to whom we nominate or don't."
Analysts said that electoral laws that favour tribal
areas rather than cities, where Islamists enjoy most support, meant they were
unlikely to dominate the vote, but that they could still shake up Jordan’s
sclerotic political scene.
The Islamists made their comeback in the 2016 election
- after having boycotted polls in 2010 and 2013 - when they gained 16 of
parliament's 130 seats as part of a broad civic alliance. The boycott had
reduced voting to nominal contests between tribal leaders, establishment
figures and independent businessmen.
It had faced years of pressure, especially since the
2011 Arab Spring uprisings, and had been outlawed as a "terrorist"
group in Egypt and banned in several other countries.
Amman had tolerated the group's political arm for
decades, but since 2014, authorities had considered it illegal, arguing its
licence was not renewed under a 2014 law.
It continued to operate, but its relations with the
state deteriorated after the government authorised a splinter group in 2015,
the Muslim Brotherhood Association.
In 2016, security services closed Brotherhood offices
across the country and transferred their ownership to the splinter group. The
movement denounced the step as political.
In mid-July, after a long court battle to retrieve the
properties, Jordan's Court of Cassation ruled the group dissolved for
"failing to rectify its legal status under Jordanian law".
The group, banned in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab
Emirates, has widespread grassroots support in Jordan and is supported by
Turkey and Qatar.
The breakaway Muslim Brotherhood Association,
authorised by Jordan, aimed to sever ties with the Brotherhood in Egypt, where
hundreds of supporters had been killed and thousands detained since the army
ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Elections were set to go ahead in despite the novel
coronavirus crisis, which had infected 5,045 people in Jordan and left 32 dead.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/jordan-muslim-brotherhood-elections-defying-ban-attempts
---------
Saudi cabinet underlines importance of confronting
Iran
SPA
September 23, 2020
RIYADH: The Saudi Cabinet on Tuesday reiterated the
importance of confronting Iran over its destabilizing activities in the Middle
East, and throughout the world, and its sponsorship of terrorism.
Only by agreeing to end such provocative behavior will
the country be reintegrated into the international community and sanctions be
lifted, ministers noted during a virtual meeting chaired by King Salman. Such
an outcome would would greatly benefit the Iranian people, they added.
The cabinet said that any current or future nuclear
agreement with Iran must include provisions that continue to prevent the
proliferation of nuclear weapons and contribute to efforts to rid the region of
weapons of mass destruction.
Ministers also reviewed the latest developments in the
region and internationally. These included a joint statement on Yemen that was
issued on Sept. 17 by the foreign ministers of US, China, France, Russia,
Germany, Kuwait, Sweden and the EU — following their meeting in connection with
the 75th General Assembly of the UN — in which they expressed concern about an
attack by Houthis on the Yemeni city of Ma’rib, which undermined UN-led efforts
to find a political solution to the crisis.
In addition, acting Minister of Media Majid Al-Qasabi
told SPA that ministers reviewed the latest developments in the coronavirus
pandemic, at local and international levels. These included statistics for
cases in the Kingdom, which indicate that the number of infections continues to
decline and that there has been a significant increase in recoveries, and the
progress being made in global efforts to develop a vaccine.
The Cabinet also reviewed the Kingdom’s response to
the persecution and suffering of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in
Myanmar. It noted the Saudi call during the 45th Session of the UN’s Human
Rights Council in Geneva for the international community to urgently act to
stop the violence, restore the rights of the Rohingya minority, intensify efforts
to resolve this crisis, and create the conditions necessary for the safe return
of those who have been displaced.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/1738696/saudi-arabia
---------
North America
Trump attacks Muslim congresswoman over telling him
'how to run our country'
Source : PressTV
September 23, 2020
US President Donald Trump has attacked Muslim
congresswoman Ilhan Omar over telling him "how to run our country."
His Tuesday comments marked the latest personal
attacks he has levied against Omar, who arrived in the United States with her
family after fleeing war-ravaged Somalia.
"We’re going win the state of Minnesota because
of her, they say," the president said. "She’s telling us how to run
our country. How did you do where you came from? How is your country
doing?"
Trump also attacked Representative Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez, another member of a group of progressive congresswomen known as
The Squad, saying she is "not a good student" or a "good
anything, but she’s got a good line of crap."
"We don’t need socialists and we don’t need
communists telling us how to run our country," Trump said.
The president posted a series of racist tweets last
year, calling on the four lawmakers, who are some of his most fierce critics,
to "go back" to the "totally broken and crime infested places
from which they came" and fix them before criticizing the way America is
governed.
This is while Representatives Ocasio-Cortez, Omar,
Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley are natural-born US citizens, and only Omar
was born in Somalia and immigrated to the US when she was younger.
https://en.abna24.com/news//trump-attacks-muslim-congresswoman-over-telling-him-how-to-run-our-country_1072758.html
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Pressure mounts on U of T law faculty as Amnesty,
National Council of Canadian Muslims seek investigations into alleged
inappropriate influence
By Shree Paradkar
Sept. 22, 2020
The University of Toronto and the Canadian Judicial
Council are under mounting pressure to investigate allegations that the
university’s Faculty of Law backed off from an important hiring decision under
external influence and that a sitting judge — a major donor to the faculty —
exerted that inappropriate influence.
Global human rights organization Amnesty International
threatened to pull out of its four-year partnership with the law school’s
International Human Rights Program (IHRP), citing “serious reputational risk”
for Amnesty unless the university offered a “full, transparent explanation of
events.”
The Star reported last week that the university had
reversed a decision to offer Germany-based scholar Valentina Azarova the
position of director of IHRP. According to a note by two previous directors of
that program to the faculty dean, Edward Iacobucci, on Sept. 12, a judge of the
Tax Court of Canada had expressed concern about Azarova’s scholarship on
Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories.
The Canadian Association of University Teachers
(CAUT), which represents 70,000 academic and general staff at 120 universities
and colleges, asked the university to immediately restart the hiring process
with Azarova.
Dean Iacobucci denied “outside influence affected the
outcome” of the search but not that such pressure was applied. He told law
professors, “Even the most basic of the conjectures that are circulating in
public, that an offer was made and rescinded, is false.” However, sources told
the Star that a verbal offer had been made and accepted. The Star also
published details of emails that corroborate that intention.
The entire faculty advisory board of the IHRP has
resigned; one of them was on a three-member hiring committee. Another hiring
committee member resigned his job in protest.
On Monday, the National Council of Canadian Muslims
(NCCM) asked the judicial council for an “independent and thorough
investigation” of the alleged interference by a sitting judge.
“Unproven and potentially spurious allegations, both
on social media and amongst various members of the University of Toronto
community, have been made that Justice David Spiro, who sits on the Tax Court
of Canada, and is publicly listed as a donor to the University of Toronto, was
the judge responsible for engaging in such inappropriate conduct,” wrote the
council CEO Mustafa Farooq.
Two sources have independently named the same judge to
the Star. Judge Spiro is among those named on the Faculty of Law Building
Campaign Donors and for a Campaign for Excellence without Barriers in support
of students in the $25,000-$99,999 donor category.
The tax court declined comment when the Star asked to
clarify whether Spiro was involved. “The Tax Court of Canada will not comment
on this matter,” Sophie Matte, executive legal counsel to the chief justice,
said by email Tuesday.
Farooq cited complaints from Canadian Muslim academics
who feared the incident could restrict their academic freedom and lawyers, some
of whom appear at the Tax Court feeling “reasonably concerned about the
apprehension of bias.”
On Sunday, Osgoode Hall Law School professor Craig
Scott asked the council to seek the name of the judge and conduct further
investigations once that name is determined.
Your chance of encountering COVID-19 has increased in
69% of Toronto neighourhoods. Check our interactive map to see where the risk
is greatest
He offered four names at the University of Toronto’s
law school who he believed had “first-hand knowledge of the name of the Tax
Court judge and the timing and recipients of one or more communications to the
University of Toronto Faculty of Law” in relation to Azarova’s appointment.
The four names are Iacobucci; Professor Audrey
Macklin; who resigned from the faculty advisory board and was a hiring
committee member; assistant dean Alexis Archbold, also on the hiring committee
(the Star has seen letters from Archbold that suggest Azarova was the committee’s
unanimous and enthusiastic choice); and lastly, assistant dean Jennifer
Lancaster, who leads the law school’s fundraising strategy.
“If contacted, I assume that every one of them would
feel ethically and possibly legally obliged to answer the questions of an
investigator truthfully, even as they may, for different reason have decided
not to speak to reveal such information to journalists,” Scott wrote.
Search for new director of U of T law faculty’s
International Human Rights Program leads to resignations, allegations of
interference
“It is essential that the investigation be
independent, meaning wholly outside the university’s control and direction,”
Amnesty secretary general Alex Neve told the Star. “The investigator must have
unhindered access to any and all information and to interview anyone they see
fit. It should be feasible to wrap this up within six weeks.”
“According to information I have received, including
discussions with Dr. Azarova, it appears the decision to cancel her appointment
was politically motivated, and as such would constitute a serious breach of
widely recognized principles of academic freedom,” wrote David Robinson, CAUT
executive director, on Sept. 16 in a note made public Monday.
From politics to policing, hospitals to housing, we
report on the issues that affect us all. We hold the powerful accountable and
help create a Canada that works for every one of us.
In its media statements, the university has been at
pains to point out that the position of the IHRP director is “a managerial
staff position not a faculty one” and that it was a “non-academic staff
member.”
“A job like the director of a human rights clinic,
which engages teaching and research specifically on issues holding power to
account, should attract academic freedom considerations similar to those of
tenured faculty and students.”
https://www.thestar.com/opinion/star-columnists/2020/09/22/pressure-mounts-on-u-of-t-law-faculty-as-amnesty-national-council-of-canadian-muslims-seek-investigations-into-alleged-inappropriate-influence.html
----------
Europe
Britain sends evidence on accused Islamic State
'Beatles' to U.S.
By Mark Hosenball
SEPTEMBER 22, 2020
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The British government has
forwarded to U.S. authorities evidence in its possession regarding two accused
Islamic State militants known as the “Beatles” being held by the U.S. military
and suspected of involvement in beheadings of Western hostages.
In a court ruling on Tuesday, two British High Court
judges rejected a request from the family of one of the accused which sought to
block the transfer of evidence to the United States.
In a message posted on Twitter, Priti Patel, Britain’s
interior minister, confirmed the transfer of the evidence regarding alleged
militants Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh to U.S. authorities.
“Pleased to say that the further evidence to support
the prosecution of Kotey & El Sheikh has now finally been transferred to
the US. I sincerely hope that justice for the victims and their families will
now be served,” Patel wrote.
The pair are suspected of membership in a four-strong
Islamic State cell known as the Beatles because they were English speakers. The
group is alleged to have detained or killed Western hostages in Syria,
including U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid workers Kayla
Mueller and Peter Kassig.
U.S. Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi said:
“We are pleased with the UK High Court’s decision and we are grateful that the
British government has passed its evidence to us and confirmed its commitment
to cooperate with our efforts to investigate and prosecute the two ISIS
terrorists currently being held in U.S. military custody.”
In a letter to Patel last month, U.S. Attorney General
William Barr said that if Britain granted a mutual legal assistance request for
evidence regarding Kotey and Elsheikh, U.S. prosecutors will not seek the death
penalty in any cases against them and would not carry out executions if it were
to be imposed.
The pair are being held by the U.S. military in an
unidentified overseas location after being captured in 2019.
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-usa-security-court/britain-sends-evidence-on-accused-islamic-state-beatles-to-u-s-idUKKCN26D2L2
---------
Archbishop of Mosul nominated for the Sakharov prize
in memory of Islamic State victims
09/22/2020
EUROPEAN UNION
Mosul (AsiaNews) – Najeeb Moussa Michaeel, a
Dominican, has been the archbishop of Mosul in northern Iraq since January
2019. A few days ago, he was nominated for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of
Thought awarded by the European Parliament. Last year, the prize went to a
Ilham Tothi, a Uyghur scholar.
For Archbishop Moussa, this is not a " personal
recognition, but one for Iraq as whole;" above all for those who
"suffer or have suffered" in the past few years of war and jihadist
violence, as well as for working to protect “a heritage in danger of
extinction”.
He notes that it is important to remember the great
threat posed by the Islamic State (IS) group against the country and the world
because “a people without a heritage is a dead people”.
Born in Mosul, Najeeb Moussa Michaeel was forced to
flee the city first to the Nineveh Plain, then to Iraqi Kurdistan, when IS
forces occupied it.
Over the years, he has worked on the preservation and
digitisation of more than 800 ancient manuscripts in Aramaic, Arabic and other
languages, as well as thousands of books and centuries-old letters.
His tenacity in saving this cultural heritage from
jihadist madness earned him the nomination for the EU prize, together with the
democratic opposition in Belarus, Polish LGBTI activists and the environmental
movement Guapinol.
As the official statement of the European Parliament
explains, the prelate “ensured the evacuation of Christians, Syriacs and
Chaldeans to Iraqi Kurdistan and safeguarded more than 800 historic manuscripts
dating from the 13th to the 19th century.”
It goes on to say: “These manuscripts were later
digitised and exhibited in France and Italy. Since 1990 he has contributed to
safeguarding 8,000 more manuscripts and 35,000 documents from the Eastern
Church.”
The archbishop describes his action as a "rescue
operation" of an invaluable asset "from the jihadi clutches”. This
“nomination represents an honour,” which he ideally shares with the peoples of
Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen who “are going through tough times because it
is a duty to save not only the heritage” but also and above all “people”.
Archbishop Moussa still remembers “the bullets flying
over our heads, as we sought shelter with our hands carrying precious volumes”
during the sudden flight.
He considers the nomination to the Sakharov Prize “as
a signature on every page of these manuscripts"; it is also a way to
remember “the innocent victims, especially the Yazidis, a peaceful people who
had to face a real tragedy and to whom I feel particularly connected.”
This also represents "an encouragement to all
Iraqis" who suffer but want to continue living.
"To save the manuscripts and people during the
advance of Islamic State forces, many feet and many hands were needed. At that
time, I called on God to have ten feet and ten hands to save books and people,
and he replied by sending me many young people who helped me in this mission.”
Faced with a shared tragedy, “we have seen a shared
response from everyone, including Muslims who have done an extraordinary job to
help Christian families and save their cultural heritage.”
Now more than ever, "we need true peace in order
to continue living as a community based on the principle of citizenship,
overcoming barriers of race, religion, ethnicity . . . This is the only viable
solution for the future.”
To rebuild Mosul and all of Iraq, "it is necessary
to rebuild homes, churches, work activities, offering young people jobs to
avoid the desire to flee," the archbishop added.
"Iraq could be subjugated by neighbouring
countries and external forces. This is inadmissible; we cannot allow Deash (IS)
to be replaced by forces that are equally, if not more dangerous.”
Human dignity must be accompanied by the
"ultimate value of education in schools, churches, mosques, where it is
necessary to fight hatred by every means, encourage positive statements, about
brotherhood. Education remains the best weapon against obscurantism and the
evil of our time.”
http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Archbishop-of-Mosul-nominated-for-the-Sakharov-prize-in-memory-of-Islamic-State-victims-51103.html
---------
Alleged Isis members can be tried in US after UK high
court ruling
Kevin Rawlinson
22 Sep 2020
Britain has handed over key evidence that should allow
the prosecution in the US of two alleged Islamic State members accused of being
involved in a series of beheadings, after a final appeal failed.
Priti Patel, the home secretary, announced that the
information relating to El Shafee Elsheikh, 32, and Alexanda Kotey, 36, had
been shared with US authorities immediately after the ruling in the high court
on Tuesday morning.
“Pleased to say that the further evidence to support
the prosecution of Kotey and El Sheikh has now finally been transferred to the
US. I sincerely hope that justice for the victims and their families will now
be served,” the minister said.
It brings to an end a long-running legal battle over
whether the two men – who were British citizens – can be prosecuted in the US.
They are expected to be transferred from where they are now being held by the
US military in Iraq.
The evidence is understood to be information that is intended
to assist in identifying the two men, who have been accused of being involved
in the murder of Britons and Americans in Syria in 2014 and 2015 – and which US
officials have suggested is critical to the prosecution case.
Britain had been prevented from handing over the
evidence by a supreme court ruling because the US had initially refused to
waive a death penalty charge. However last month, at the urging of the victims’
families, the US attorney general, William Barr, announced Washington would not
seek the death penalty.
That paved the way for Britain to hand over the
evidence, but Patel’s decision to do so was subject to a final judicial review
attempt by Elsheikh’s mother, Maha Elgizouli. Her lawyers argued it was
unlawful because it was incompatible with the Data Protection Act.
Elgizouli asked that the court order no material to be
provided to US officials, who had already signalled their intention to
prosecute. But, in their ruling, Dame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Garnham
said Elgizouli’s case was “not properly arguable”.
The two men are accused of being part of a murderous
four-man team known for their brutal treatment of captives and nicknamed “the
Beatles” because of their British accents. One of the others, Mohammed Emwazi,
was killed in a US airstrike in 2015 and the fourth, Aine Davis, has been
jailed in Turkey.
The victims were the British aid workers David Haines
and Alan Henning, the US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and the US
aid workers Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller, who was also tortured and sexually
abused.
Diane Foley, James’s mother, said that six years after
the murder of her son, and thousands of Syrians killed by Isis, “there is a
glimmer of hope for accountability and justice”.
At a hearing in London on 11 September, Elgizouli’s
lawyers argued the evidence transfer was not necessary because the director of
public prosecutions (DPP) was considering whether there was enough evidence to
prosecute Elsheikh in the UK, which US authorities had previously said they preferred.
The judges said: “The conclusion that, even if Mr
Elsheikh could be prosecuted in England, it would still be necessary and
proportionate to transfer the data to the US authorities remained a conclusion
properly open to the secretary of state.”
The hearing was held urgently as the US indicated it
would transfer the pair to Iraq for trial if it did not receive all the
evidence the UK has by 15 October. If found guilty there, the pair could have
been executed.
Elsheikh and Kotey, who were raised in the UK but have
been stripped of their British citizenship, were captured by the Syrian
Democratic Forces in January 2018, sparking an international row over whether
they should be returned to the UK for trial or face justice in another
jurisdiction.
They were transferred to the custody of the US
military in Iraq in October 2019 and remain in American custody.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/sep/22/alleged-isis-members-can-be-tried-us-uk-high-court-ruling
-------
Council of Mosques issues guidance on Madrasas and
children self-isolating
By Shuiab Khan
22nd Septembe
In a message to clarify guidance for parents and
teachers the Lancashire Council of Mosques (LCM) said if a child was part of a
year or class sent home from school then they should not then attend any mosque
or madressa in the evening.
Mosques and Madrasas across Lancashire reopened
earlier this month. Some are continuing to host a mix of face to face classes
and digital sessions whilst others have reopened fully in line with government
guidelines.
If a child is sent home from school because of a
confirmed coronavirus case, advice stipulates that they must self-isolate for
14 days. This means they should not leave home, meet up with friends or have
guests over to the house.
Maulana Rafiq Sufi, Chair of the Lancashire Council of
Mosques said, “I would like to share some information and clarifications. We
know some pupils have been sent home from school due to the coronavirus cases.
“If a child has been sent home due to a colleague in
that bubble testing positive then that whole bubble will also need to go into
self-isolation for 14 days.
“A child that has been sent home due to being a
contact of the colleague who has been tested positive will have to stay in
self-isolation and they will not be attending Madrasah for the next 14
days."
Maulana Sufi added, “If a child is tested positive
then that child’s ‘Madrasah bubble’ will also be going into self-isolation for
14 days.
“If a child starts to develop symptoms of Coronavirus
at the Madrasah then the parents should be called in immediately and the child
should get a test done as soon as possible. No action is required by the
Madrasah at that time until the child’s results return back as positive”
The LCM has been working with Faith Associates who are
providing COVID-19 Risk Assessments across the UK to ensure Mosques are
COVID-19 Secure venues.
Many faith institutions followed government guidelines
in order to first re-open following the national Lockdown in June and July.
Faith Associates say a key part of being able to remain open, is having an
adequate ‘Response Strategy’ to any potential COVID-19 outbreak in the
institution.
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/18739051.council-mosques-issues-guidance-Madrasas-children-self-isolating/
--------
Mideast
Iranian President: Holy Defence Created Culture Of
Jihad, Self-Sacrifice, Martyrdom
September 23, 2020
Emphasising that culture played a very important role
in the 8 years of Holy Defence, the President said, "The main factor of
endurance, resistance and victory in the 8 years of defence was culture,
especially the religious and doctrinal culture of the children of this land,
and the Holy Defence created a culture of jihad, self-sacrifice and
martyrdom".
Speaking on Tuesday in the meeting of the Supreme
Council of Cultural Revolution in honour of the Holy Defence Week, Dr Hassan
Rouhani referred to the resistance of the Iranian nation against world powers
during the 8 years of Holy Defence and said, "In a relatively long period
after World War II, the Iranian nation resisted and won not only against the
aggressor army but also against all world powers during the 8 years of Holy
Defence".
Explaining the cultural approaches during the Holy
Defence, referring to the role of manpower and equipment, the President said,
"In some countries, the first role is played in war by equipment and
military facilities, but undoubtedly in the 8-year Holy Defence of our country,
manpower played the first role".
The President noted, "The martyrs and youth who
came to the borders to defend our country entered the field of resistance based
on faith, belief and love for the homeland".
Emphasising that culture played a very important role
in the 8-year Holy Defence, Dr Rouhani said, "The faith of the youth,
belief in the Day of Judgment, faith in the verses of the Quran and hadiths and
that they really went for a deal with God, was the main axis of the Holy
Defence".
The President added, "Reviewing the history of
the Holy Defence era and observing the states of fighters and warriors on the
battlefield, especially in the trenches and their praying during the nights of
operations, shows that culture, especially religious culture, played a key role
in this period".
Dr Rouhani emphasised that the era of Holy Defence and
the resistance of the young children of this region on the battlefield, created
culture, jihad, self-sacrifice and martyrdom, and said, "If today the
spirit of resistance is felt in society, there is no doubt the Holy Defence has
had an important role in promoting and stabilising this spirit".
The President noted, "Today, patience and
endurance of the families of veterans and martyrs is a great lesson for all of
us. They promote the culture of self-sacrifice, endurance and patience in the
true sense of the word in society".
https://en.abna24.com/news//pres-rouhani-holy-defence-created-culture-of-jihad-self-sacrifice-martyrdom_1072755.html
--------
World Poets Welcome Int’l Poetry Competition on
Shiite’s Imam Hussein (AS)
Sep 22, 2020
@jayezai20
TEHRAN (FNA)- Poets from several world states have
sent their artworks to the international poetry competition in Persian and
English languages on the third Imam of Shiites, Imam Hossein (AS), and issues
related to his uprising 14 centuries ago.
Less than two weeks after call for the international
competition held by the Islamic Center for Africa in Johannesburg, tens of
poets from Iran, Australia, Sweden, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India
have sent their artworks to the secretariat.
The ICFA has launched an international poetry award to
honor two winners who compose the best poems in Persian and English on Imam
Hossein and his uprising.
Each work will receive the International Grand Poetry
Award worth €10,000, ICFA Director Seyed Abdollah Hosseini announced earlier
this month.
“Due to the fact that the award will also be for
poetry in the English language, the headquarters of the award is located in
South Africa,” he said.
Each winner will also receive the trophy of the Poet
of the Year, and the centers will cover all the cost of their travel to
Karbala, which hosts the holy shrines Imam Hossein (AS) and his brother, Hazrat
Abbas (AS).
A jury of top experts on Persian and English
literature also will pick ten other top works, which will receive honorable
mentions and their composers will also pay visits to the Muslims' holy shrines
at the organizers’ expense.
The jury will select the winners from a long list of
100 entries chosen from among the submissions. The 100 poems are scheduled to
be published in a book. In addition the winning works will be published in
several languages.
Only those compositions that have not been published
audio-visually are allowed to compete in this contest, and the deadlines for
Persian and English categories are October 8 and 20 respectively.
https://en.farsnews.ir/newstext.aspx?nn=13990701000853
--------
Iran Has Only Provided Yemen With The Know-How In The
Defense Sector: Armed Forces Spokesman
22 September 2020
Iran has only provided Yemen with the know-how in the
defense sector, says the spokesman for the Iranian Armed Forces, dismissing
claims about the Islamic Republic’s military presence and ‘intervention’ in the
region.
“We provided them (Yemenis) with the technical
experiences in the defense sector. They have learned how to produce missiles,
drones and weapons in Yemen on their own,” Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi
said in a televised program on Tuesday.
He emphasized that Iran has not supplied Yemen with
missiles. “We have shared our experience and knowledge with the Yemeni people.”
Unlike what the enemy is trying to portray, Yemenis
are a very cultured and smart people who have managed to manufacture missiles
and the most advanced drones at the shortest possible time while they have also
made great headways in the electronic warfare, the Iranian military official
said.
Shekarchi once again reiterated that Iran has no plan
to have military presence anywhere and added that the country merely has
“spiritual and advisory presence” in the region.
“Countries of the resistance front have armies and
forces themselves. We provide them with advisory help. In order to share our
experience with the people of Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, our skilled
forces go there and assist them, but this is the people and armies of these
countries who stand against the enemies in practice.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh
earlier this month slammed as “baseless” a report published by the United
Nations’ Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) alleging that
Tehran has been sending arms to war-torn Yemen.
“Placing Iran’s name next to those supplying weapons
to the Saudi coalition against Yemen is completely wrong,” Khatibzadeh said.
Since March 2015, Saudi Arabia has been striking Yemen
with the help of its regional allies and largely assisted by Western-supplied
weapons which have been indiscriminately used against Yemeni civilians.
Despite numerous bids to stop arms sales, top Western
arms suppliers such as the United States, Britain, Canada, France and Germany
have pushed through with lethal weapons shipments to the oil-rich kingdom.
According to a CNN investigation released in October
2019, the American-made weapons, supplied to Washington's allies involved in
the war on Yemen, end up in the hands of US-backed militants fighting against
each other in the impoverished state.
The report found that American military hardware has
been distributed to militant groups in Yemen, including the southern
separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), al-Qaeda-linked militants
and hardline Salafi militias.
https://www.presstv.com/Detail/2020/09/22/634774/Iran-Yemen-weapons
---------
South Asia
Sheikh Hasina:
This Winter Is Likely To Herald A Second Wave Of The Pandemic In
Bangladesh
Mohammad Al-Masum Molla
September 23, 2020
Chilly or not, the coming winter is set to be an
ominous one.
The spike of pneumonia and asthmatic cases, triggered
by the cold and poor air quality, is a typical winter woe.
But this winter, the novel coronavirus will be an
additional and potentially deadlier peril, with some countries fearing it will
add to the Covid-19 death toll by thousands.
As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has warned, this
winter is likely to herald a second wave of the pandemic in Bangladesh and
third or fourth waves in many other places of the world.
Influenza viruses, like the coronavirus, are typically
found to be more potent in colder climates. The virus finds it easier to spread
in cooler weather conditions, experts have said.
In Bangladesh, it is more likely to find a hospitable
environment and claim more victims as moisture and humidity will plummet,
people will remain indoors with little outside ventilation and the cold will make
them prone to other infections as well.
"During winter, people who have COPD (Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) problems and allergies, will be in great danger
as coronavirus is highly risky for them," epidemiologist and IEDCR adviser
Mushtuq Hussain told The Daily Star yesterday.
He also said that the Chinese city of Wuhan -- the
epicentre of Covid-19 -- saw the virus spread during winter and Chinese experts
are fearing a second wave.
South China Morning Post reported that a second wave
in China during winter was "inevitable" and until a vaccine was
available, there could be further outbreaks.
The number of acute respiratory infections increases
during this season and that is what the novel coronavirus targets primarily.
According to the Directorate General of Health
Services, a total of 1,11,737 patients suffered from acute respiratory
infections from November to March 15 this year and 22 died. Many are saying the
situation could worsen this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Muzaherul Haque, former WHO consultant for the South
East Asia region, said while there is no scientific evidence that the
coronavirus situation will deteriorate during winter, there is still a danger.
"Poor people will become vulnerable due to a lack
of protection. If people who have respiratory diseases and lung diseases get
infected with coronavirus, the risk of death will be huge and the number of
deaths could be on the rise," he said.
BBC ran a report at the end of last month that said,
"A leaked government report suggests a 'reasonable worst case scenario' of
85,000 deaths across the UK this winter due to Covid-19."
Prof Dr Mohammad Shahidullah, chairman of the national
technical advisory committee on coronavirus, said some viruses spread more
during winter, like the flu in the USA and Europe.
"During winter, humidity falls and dust is added,
making for less dense air which aids in the virus travelling farther and so
spreading more. The greater the coughing and sneezing, the greater the spread.
And as respiratory infections increase during winter, coronavirus may take a
huge toll on us," he added.
Bangladesh has already witnessed 3.5 lakh coronavirus
cases since March 8 and more than 5,000 deaths since March 18.
The country's Covid-19 test positivity rate was now
over 19 per cent but the rate has dropped to 12 per cent in recent days.
The death rate now ranges between 1.8 per cent and
just above 2 per cent, which was a little above 1 per cent a few weeks ago.
Bangladesh reopened offices and businesses, except
educational institutions, on May 31 after a complete shutdown of over two
months.
"We have risks. From the experiences of various
countries, we saw that the coronavirus [pandemic] took a deadly turn during
winter. Although it is not definite, but there is a risk," Dr ABM Abdullah,
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's personal physician, said.
Also a noted medicine specialist, he said not only
Bangladesh, but almost all countries are fearing the worst case scenario in
winter.
"Our air gets polluted during winter and various
[kinds of] flu spreads during this time. In winter, we see the rise of fever
and coughing, so it may be difficult to distinguish between Covid-19 and normal
flu," he said.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are coming out
with new research that suggests rising temperatures do moderate the spread of
the virus -- and a big new wave of cases could be coming with the cooler fall
air.
Another paper published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association found the virus "acted in a way consistent with the
behaviour of a seasonal respiratory virus spreading along with temperature and
humidity levels".
https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/covid-19-winter-wave-people-conditions-will-be-greater-risk-1965813
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Southeast Asia
Indonesian Finance Minister Stresses Importance of
Sharia Economy in Global Economy
Dewi Elvia Muthiariny
22 September 2020
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani
Indrawati revealed the importance of the concept of the Islamic economy for
global economic growth. According to her, it contributed to the economic
development up to 5.2 percent per year.
“The current total Muslim population in the world
reaches more than 1.8 billion. This contributes to a total expenditure of
around US$ 2.2 trillion, with a substantial hike in the annual growth rate of
5.2 percent,” said Sri via her Instagram account @smindrawati on Tuesday,
September 22, 2020.
She also delivered the statement at the 2020 Islamic
Economic and Financial Research Forum (FREKS) held on Monday, September 21.
Sri stated that as a country with the largest Muslims
population in the world, Indonesia has a great opportunity to develop a sharia
economy and even become the world's sharia economic and financial hub, as well
as a major player in the sector.
Thus she ensured that the government had drafted the
2019-2024 sharia economy master plan.
To achieve the target, the former World Bank managing
director opined that Indonesia must work hard to build the ecosystem. For
example, by formulating policies, regulations, instruments, and measures that
can accommodate inclusive needs.
Sri Mulyani also highlighted the importance of
exporting halal products by taking advantage of Indonesia's membership in the
international Islamic Cooperation Organization (OKI).
She mentioned that in 2018, exports of halal products
to OKI countries amounted to US$ 45 billion, or 12.5 percent of Indonesia's
total trade valuing US$ 369 billion. “Hopefully, the growth can be maintained
in the next years ahead,” Sri said.
https://en.tempo.co/read/1388828/sri-mulyani-stresses-importance-of-sharia-economy-in-global-economy
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Malaysia Airlines defers payments on $492 million
Islamic bonds
23-09-2020
AFP
KUALA LUMPUR (REUTERS) - Malaysia's national carrier
has deferred by six months payments to holders of RM1.5 billion (S$492 million)
in Islamic bonds, CIMB Investment Bank, the facility agent, said.
In a notice on a central bank website, CIMB Investment
Bank said Malaysia Airlines issued deferral notices last week on periodic
distribution amounts due on Sept 30 for RM1.5 billion nominal value unrated
perpetual sukuk musharakah.
Payments will resume at the next periodic distribution
date on March 31 next year, it added in the notice, filed on Tuesday (Sept 22).
The global coronavirus pandemic has hit airlines hard,
with nations shutting borders as a precaution, bringing travel almost to a grinding
halt for months.
Malaysia Airlines, which had struggled financially
even before the outbreak, said in April it had made cost cuts and was working
with sole shareholder Khazanah Nasional for support to ride out the crisis.
https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/malaysia-airlines-defers-payments-on-492-million-islamic-bonds
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