Madrasas Should Cease To Exist, Quran Should Be Taught At Home, If Muslim Children Are Smart It Is Because Of Their "Hindu Past": Assam CM
New Age Islam News Bureau
23 May 2022
• Male Afghan Anchors Wear Black Masks to Protest the Restrictions
on Their Female Colleagues
• Ulama Summit Recommends Review Of Fatwa Discouraging
Muslims from Visiting Al-Aqsa
• Scotland Yard Arrests Two More Teenagers, Including
a Girl, In Islamist Extremism Probe
• Tunisia’s Ennahda Decries Exclusion of Parties from
Drafting New Constitution
India
• Home of Five Muslim Families Demolished in India’s
Assam Allegedly Involved in Setting Fire to a Police Station in Assam
• At RSS Event, Yogi Adityanath Lists Highlights: No Eid
Namaz on Road, Loudspeakers
• Gyanvapi Mosque issue: CPM disappointed with Supreme
Court stand
• Hindu side cites 1936 British stand to bolster
Gyanvapi claim
• Two 'hybrid' terrorist of LeT arrested in Srinagar
• No terror case against SIMI when I was with it:
Khalid’s dad
--------
South
Asia
• Taliban Leader, Stanikzai: Women Should Be Provided
With Their Rights Based On Afghan Culture, Islamic Values
• Taliban Chief Bans Polygamy, Calls It ‘Unnecessary
And An Expensive Affair’
• Taliban’s ‘atrocious’ regime root cause of food scarcity
in Afghanistan
• Food Inflation; a Sack of Flour Costs 2,800 Afghanis
in Kabul
--------
Southeast
Asia
• Thai Ruling Undermines Muslims' Trust in Judicial
System
• Tens of millions in foundation belong to me, says
Zahid
• 25 more waiting for diplomatic posts, says Saifuddin
• Weaker ringgit shows world losing confidence in
Malaysia, says Anwar
• Malaysian Army Veterans Warned Of Stern Action over
Unsanctioned Rally
--------
Europe
• Turkey’s Erdogan urges Sweden, Finland to end
support to ‘terror’ groups
• Israel bans member of European Parliament from
visiting Palestine
• PKK/YPG terror group holds demonstration in Swedish
capital
• Turkiye expects Sweden to take tangible steps
against terror groups: President Erdogan
--------
Africa
• 30 terrorists, 5 soldiers killed in Burkina Faso
clash
• Blasphemy: National mosque Imam, Maqari should not
be sacked – Shehu Sani on Wole Soyinka’s call
• Sudanese security forces kill one protester in
Omdurman: Medics
• Tunisian parties vow to fight President Saied’s
‘autocratic rule’
• Ethiopian regional authority arrests four staff
members of media group
• Algeria denies mediation to restore ties with
Morocco
--------
North
America
• Many Afghan Soldiers Fled to Pakistan after Kabul’s
fall, Says US Report
• Turkiye summons US envoy over embassy's Istanbul
rally alert
• Turkiye advises citizens living in US to avoid
gatherings
• Turkish Americans hold parade, festival in New York
City
--------
Pakistan
• Senior Journalists Booked In Sedition Cases for
Allegedly Criticising State Institutions
• Imran Khan owes apology not just to Maryam but to
all women: Pak rights group
• Pakistan's ex-PM Imran Khan calls for march to
Islamabad on May 25; seeks fresh elections
• Shehbaz Sharif govt wary of tough decisions to stabilise
economy ahead of polls
• Imran out to start civil war: PM Shehbaz
• Pakistan: No-confidence motion against Punjab
Assembly Speaker dismissed
--------
Arab
World
• Houthi Top Official Says Group Not Against Extending
Truce In Yemen
• Four killed in attempt to smuggle drugs from Syria:
Jordan’s armed forces
• Russia: Time to stop aid from Turkey to Syrian
rebels
• Six killed in Iraq drone strikes blamed on Turkey
• Syria says 3 soldiers killed in Israeli missile
attack
• UN envoy praises ‘potential’ of Syria prisoner
amnesty
--------
Mideast
• Palestinians Slam US Removal of Radical Jewish Group
from Terror Blacklist
• Hamas Chief Warns Israel against Jerusalem Flag
March
• Over 120 extremist Jewish settlers defile Aqsa
Mosque
• Iranian Foreign Ministry Condemns Assassination of
IRGC Member by Terrorists
• IRGC Spokesman: Iran Not to Tolerate Israeli Bases
in Region
• Israeli govt and court at odds over Jewish prayer at
flashpoint shrine
• Israeli court sentences six Palestinian jailbreakers
to five years
• Thousands protest Turkish opposition politician’s
conviction for insulting Erdogan
Compiled by New
Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/madrasas-quran-muslim-children-hindu/d/127073
--------
Madrasas Should Cease To Exist, Quran Should Be Taught
At Home, If Muslim Children Are Smart It Is Because Of Their "Hindu
Past": Assam CM
May 23, 2022
Assam (a state of India) chief minister Himanta Biswa
Sarma has once again stoked a controversy by saying 'madrasas' (Muslims
religious schools) should cease to exist and that Quran should be taught at
home only.
He also opined that no one is a born Muslim in India
and that if Muslim children are smart, it is because of their "Hindu
past".
While addressing a gathering in Delhi, Sarma said
children will not be able to think of becoming doctors and engineers till the
word 'madrasa' exists.
"If you tell them that they will not become
doctors or engineers if they study in madrasas, they themselves will refuse to
go. Teach the Quran to your children, but at home. Admitting children in
madrasas is a violation of their human rights," he pointed out.
The Assam CM said there should be stress on teaching
science, maths, biology, botany, and zoology to all children but they should
study to become doctors, engineers, professors and scientists.
Replying to a question that students in madrasas are
extremely talented, they can memorise every word of the Quran easily, Sarma
said, "All Muslims were Hindus. No one was born a Muslim (in India).
Everyone was a Hindu in India. So, if a Muslim child is extremely meritorious,
I will give partial credit to his Hindu past."
In 2020, the Assam government decided to dissolve all
government-run madrassas and convert them into general educational institutions
to facilitate a secular education system.
Source: ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Male Afghan Anchors Wear Black Masks to Protest the
Restrictions on Their Female Colleagues
Male employees are at risk
of being suspended if their spouses or daughters do not comply. Photo: Daily
Mail UK
------
By Saqalain Eqbal
23 May 2022
Male presenters in the visual media protested after
the restrictions were imposed on female presenters for covering their faces
with masks. Male anchors protested by covering their faces with black masks.
The Taliban Ministry of Propagation of Virtue and
Prohibition of Vice has ordered the visual media female presenters to wear
black masks during their performance when on air.
The policy was earlier declared “final and
non-negotiable” by the Ministry of Information and Culture.
In response to the Taliban’s restrictions, male
presenters in masks appeared on TOLONews and 1TV.
Following the Taliban’s “mandatory hijab,” which
received public outrage, the Taliban’s order for the female TV presenters also
prompted widespread condemnation, and despite the protests, the Taliban warned
that media officials and the guardians of the female presenters would be
penalized if the order was disobeyed.
According to a tweet from TOLONews, the Taliban set
the deadline for implementing this order, which has been implemented by this
media, since yesterday, Sunday May 22.
Female presenters dressed in black and wearing black
masks performed in TOLONews, yesterday, with only two eyes visible.
The Taliban ordered all women in public to wear
head-to-toe clothes with only their eyes visible earlier this month. The edict
said that women should only leave the house only “when necessary”, and that
male relatives would be punished for women’s violating the dress code,
beginning with a summons and advancing to court hearings and jail time.
Taliban leaders have also prohibited girls from
attending school after sixth grade, reversing previous Taliban promises that
girls of all ages would be permitted to attend school.
Source: Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Ulama Summit Recommends Review Of Fatwa Discouraging Muslims
From Visiting Al-Aqsa
BERNAMA Pic
----
May 23, 2022
SEPANG: The 2022 Muslim Scholars Summit has
recommended that a review be done on a fatwa discouraging Muslims from visiting
the Al-Aqsa Mosque as the area is within the Israeli-occupied territory, says
its programme committee chairman Datuk Dr Mohd Khairuddin Aman Razali.
He said the proposal was among 24 resolutions reached
through a three-day conference organised by the MyAQSA Foundation and Yayasan
Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia that began last Friday, and attended by more than 150
Muslim scholars from over 50 countries.
"The Muslims of Al-Aqsa desperately need moral
support from Muslims around the world. We call for a review of the fatwa that
discourages Muslims from heading to the land of Al-Aqsa on the grounds that it
is a diplomatic recognition of the Zionist occupation.
"With the current developments when Muslims in
Al-Aqsa need the support of the world, we call for a review of the fatwa based
on the current changes and situation," he told reporters at a dinner in
conjunction with the summit here yesterday.
According to Mohd Khairuddin, the summit also agreed
to publish a special encyclopaedia related to Palestine, which, among others,
serves to display scientific information related to the history and struggle of
Palestine.
He said the publication of an encyclopedia by scholars
was also very necessary as there were efforts to provide false information
about Palestine at the global level.
Among other resolutions reached at the conference was
encouraging the use of social media, including among non-Muslims, to expose
Zionist atrocities on Palestinian soil.
"We urge the people to use social media as much
as possible so that we can expose the atrocities that are occurring in
Palestine, on humanitarian grounds," he said.
Mohd Khairuddin said a committee under the auspices of
the International Union of Muslim Scholars would be set up in the near future
to discuss the Palestinian issue.
Based in Kuala Lumpur, he said the committee, among
other things, would work specifically to bring together all Muslim unions
around the world under one forum and at the same time will ensure that all 24
resolutions decided in the conference could be achieved.—BERNAMA
Source: NST
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Scotland Yard Arrests Two More Teenagers, Including A
Girl, In Islamist Extremism Probe
MAY 22, 2022
The arrest of the teenagers follow the arrest of a
13-year-old boy earlier this week on suspicion of dissemination of terrorist
material contrary to Section 2 of TACT 2006.
Two teenagers, including a girl, have been arrested on
suspicion of terrorism offences as part of an ongoing investigation linked to
Islamist extremism, Scotland Yard said on Sunday.
The arrest of an 18-year-old man in Essex, near
London, was made on suspicion of encouraging terrorism contrary to Section 1 of
the UK Terrorism Act 2006 (TACT) and a 17-year-old girl was arrested at an
address in east London as part of the same investigation.
It follows the arrest of a 13-year-old boy earlier
this week on suspicion of dissemination of terrorist material contrary to
Section 2 of TACT 2006.
“The investigation related to alleged offences linked
to extreme Islamist ideology,” the Metropolitan Police said.
Those arrested remain in custody while enquiries
continue following the court granting the Met Police warrant of further
detention.
“We have seen three teenagers arrested this week by
Met officers for terrorism offences, albeit as part of separate
investigations,” said Commander Richard Smith, head of the Met Police’s Counter
Terrorism Command.
“We need to let this investigation run its course, but
it is a further indication of a concerning upward trend in police action
against younger people for terrorism-related matters. Across the country,
police are working hard to try and prevent young people from being radicalised,
and acting quickly when it is suspected that offences have been committed,” he
said.
“Police rely on information from the public in our
mission to tackle terrorism. If you see or hear something unusual or suspicious
and think someone may be engaging in terrorist activity, trust your instincts
and contact police,” he said.
The 18-year-old man was first arrested on Wednesday
under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) before being detained under
TACT on Thursday.
A warrant of further detention application was granted
by Westminster Magistrates’ Court, allowing detectives to keep him in custody
until May 25, the Met Police said.
The 17-year-old girl was arrested under Section 41 of
the Terrorism Act 2000 and remains in custody for questioning until May 27.
The Met Police Counter Terrorism Command has called on
anyone who thinks a friend or relative is becoming “radicalised or drawn into a
path towards terrorism” to contact the force as part of the ACT Early strategy
– or Action Counters Terrorism Early.
There is also an app called iREPORTit for people to
report such terror related concerns.
Source: The Hindu
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
Tunisia’s Ennahda Decries Exclusion of Parties from
Drafting New Constitution
Photo: aa.com
-----
22.05.2022
Tunisia’s Ennahda movement has decried a decree issued
by President Kais Saied excluding political parties from drafting the country’s
new constitution.
On Friday, Saied named law professor Sadik Belaid to
chair an advisory committee to draft a new constitution.
Belaid will be coordinating between two other advisory
panels tasked with making proposals for drafting the country’s new
constitution. The two panels consist of deans of law and six national
organizations, including the powerful UGTT Labor Union.
According to the decree, the two panels will prepare a
constitution “that responds to the aspirations of the people and guarantees the
principles of justice and freedom in a true democratic system."
In a statement, Ennahda termed Saied’s move as “a
complete departure from constitutional legitimacy and a consecration of the
July 25 coup and one-man rule.”
In January, Saied launched an online survey with the
aim of "enhancing citizens' participation in the democratic transition
process". He also plans to hold a referendum in July on the shape of the
political system in the country.
Ennahda said a referendum planned by the Tunisian
president “lacks legitimacy and credibility,” citing the dissolution of the
country’s election commission and naming new members by Saied.
Ennahda called on Tunisia’s political parties “to
unify efforts to restore democracy and save the country from the dangers of
economic collapse.”
Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political
crisis since July 25, 2021, when Saied dismissed the government, suspended
parliament, and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as
a “coup.” He later dissolved the parliament in March after lawmakers held a
session to revoke his measures.
The North African country is also going through a
severe economic crisis aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic amid the ongoing
Russian war on Ukraine.
Source: Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original story:
--------
India
Home of Five Muslim Families Demolished in India’s
Assam Allegedly Involved in Setting Fire to a Police Station in Assam
May 23, 2022
Nagaon administration in Assam, India, demolished the
residences of five families allegedly involved in setting fire to a police
station.
A mob allegedly set Batadrava police station on fire
in Nagaon district after a man allegedly died in police custody on Saturday.
“We are investigating the allegations. Three have been
detained among persons who attacked the police station. Two police personnel
have been injured in the attack,” said Leena Doley, Superintendant of Police.
Meanwhile, Assam Police suspended the officer in
charge of Batadraba police station to ensure fair probe in the matter of the
death of Safiqul Islam in custody.
“We take the unfortunate death of Safiqul Islam very
seriously and have put the OC of Batadraba thana on suspension and the rest of
the staff closed. If there is any foul play at our end, we mean to find that
and punish the guilty according to the law. No second thoughts,” said Assam
Director General of Police Bhaskar Jyoti Mahanta.
He claimed that the police station was set on fire as
part of an organized attack.
“Local bad elements took law onto their own hands and
burnt down the thana. These bad elements came in all forms: women, men, young
and old. But the preparedness with which they came, the ferocious, organized
attack they staged on police has made us think deeper. We do not think these
are grieving relatives of the dead, but as we have identified, they were bad
characters and their relatives have criminal records- records that were there
within the thana. Proof, incrementing evidences - all burnt down,” said the
DGP.
Police said the police station fire was not just an
action-reaction incident and the matter will be thoroughly investigated.
Source: ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
At
RSS event, Yogi Adityanath lists highlights: no Eid namaz on road, loudspeakers
by
Deeptiman Tiwary | New Delhi |
May
23, 2022
The
Eid Namaz was not conducted on roads for the first time in UP, and “the volume
of the mosque loudspeaker has gone down” following the state’s recent
crackdown, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday while referring to his
government retaining power in the elections this year.
He
was speaking at an event organised to celebrate 75 years of RSS-affiliated
magazines Organiser and Panchjanya.
Other
BJP chief ministers also spoke at the event, with Goa’s Pramod Sawant calling
for temples destroyed in the past to be rebuilt and Uttarakhand’s Pushkar Singh
Dhami reiterating that his state will form a “special committee” to implement
Uniform Civil Code.
The
chief ministers of Manipur (N Biren Singh), Himachal Pradesh (Jai Ram Thakur)
and Haryana (M L Khattar) spoke mostly about various government schemes and
development projects in their states.
Adityanath
referred to the BJP retaining power in UP, and spoke about his government’s
achievements, especially in law and order in the context of communal clashes
occuring in some other states amid a string of religious festivals last month.
“In
many states, there were riots after the elections were over. There were no
riots in UP during or after the elections,” he said.
“After
the formation of the government, Ram Navami was celebrated with fervour.
Hanuman Jayanti celebrations passed off peacefully. This is the same UP where
small issues led to riots. Now, you must have seen for the first time that Eid
namaz was not held on roads. Now, you must have heard that either the volume of
the mosque loudspeaker has gone down or the loudspeaker has been removed completely.
Now these loudspeakers are being donated to schools and hospitals for their
use,” he said.
More
than 1 lakh loudspeakers have had their volumes turned down or been removed, he
said.
Adityanath
also spoke on the issue of stray cattle in the state and detailed the steps
taken by his government. “You may remember that when our government came to
power in the state, it shut down all illegal slaughterhouses. But there was an
adverse consequence of this that we had to bear — of stray cattle roaming on the
roads and in the fields,” he said.
“Earlier,
they were smuggled into illegal slaughterhouses. To meet this challenge, we set
up over 5,600 shelters for stray cattle. We are also setting up a new model
where we will make CNG from cow dung, which will be bought at Rs 1 per kg from
people. We have taken all necessary steps to protect cows,” he said.
Adityanath
spoke about how a “grand Ram temple” is being built in Ayodhya, the “splendour”
with which the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex has been rejuvenated, and new
life being injected into pilgrimage sites such as Mathura, Vrindavan and
Chitrakoot.
According
to the Chief Minister, UP has started moving towards becoming the No.2 economy
in the country under a “double engine” government, with the BJP at the helm in
the Centre too.
“In
70 years, UP has reached the sixth position among economies in the country. In
the last 70 years, the per capita income of UP had remained one-fourth of the
nation’s. In the past five years, we have doubled it. In ease of doing business,
UP has climbed up to No.2 spot in the country. And in ease of living, in 44
schemes, UP is No.1. The maximum infrastructure development is happening in UP
and the state is now known as an expressway,” he said.
Goa
Chief Minister Sawant said his government has made a budgetary allocation for
renovation of temples destroyed by the Portuguese.
“In
the 450 years of Portuguese rule, there was destruction of Hindu culture and
many people were converted. Temples of the state were destroyed. We are going
to rejuvenate all of them… I believe wherever there are temples in destroyed
condition, they should be rebuilt,” he said.
Sawant
said that beyond beaches, the Goa government was promoting cultural and
spiritual tourism in the hinterland and coaxing people to go to temples. “In
every village, there are a couple of temples. We have to take people from the
beach to the temple,” he said.
Sawant
said Goa already has a Uniform Civil Code, and urged other states to implement
it. “We have discussed the Goa UCC with other chief ministers also,” he said.
The Goa government is also working on restarting mining in the state, he said.
Uttarakhand’s
Dhami said that apart from moves to bring in the Uniform Civil Code, a special
drive was on to identify infiltrators and that the anti-conversion law will be
made “stronger”.
“We
have decided to form a committee on Uniform Civil Code. The committee will have
legal experts and stakeholders. We will implement the draft that the committee
submits… We will implement Uniform Civil Code for which we are making
preparations and we want other states to follow suit,” he said during an
interaction with Hitesh Shankar, editor of Panchjanya.
Source:
Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Gyanvapi
Mosque issue: CPM disappointed with Supreme Court stand
22nd
May 2022
KALABURAGI:
The Communist Party of India (M) has expressed its dissatisfaction over the
stand of the supreme Court of India on the Gyanvapi Mosque issue of Varanasi.
Speaking
to the media here on Sunday, CPM Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat said the
supreme court should not have allowed the lower court of Varanasi to conduct
survey as it has amounted to a violation of the Place of worship (Special Provisions ) Act 1991 Act which has
come precisely to ensure that such controversies over religious places are
avoided and that efforts to change there existing character not be permitted.
Karat
said that the Supreme Court during the passing of the orders on the
construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya has said that it is an exceptional case
and the orders on Ayodhya can not be taken as an instance for other places of
worship.
But
by not intervening in the civil court order of conducting the survey of the
Gyanvapi Mosque issue, the Supreme Court has ignored its own orders, it is
disappointing Brinda Karat said.
Pro
Hindu activists are approaching courts for surveys in Mathura and Qutub Minar
arguing that there were temples. If the courts continue to admit the pleas and
allow the survey, where should the people belonging to minorities go for
offering prayers, she asked. Considering this issue, the Parliament passed the
Act in 1991 which prohibits conversion of any place of worship and provides for
the maintenance of the religious character of any place of worship as it
existed on the 15th day of August 1947, Karat said.
She
alleged that the BJP government is creating controversy through the activists
just to divert the attention of the people about the real issues of
unemployment and an increase in the prices of essential commodities abnormally.
Answering a question on the passing of the orders on the Hijab issue by the
High Court of Karnataka, she said it is not acceptable to a majority of the
people in the country and a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court
against the order of Karnataka High Court.
Source:
New Indian Express
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Hindu
side cites 1936 British stand to bolster Gyanvapi claim
May
23, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Five Hindu women plaintiffs have told the Supreme Court that entire
Gyanvapi mosque land belonged to Kashi Vishwanath temple and cited the British
government's trial court statement repudiating a Muslim's 1936 suit for a
declaration that the mosque land was a wakf property.
In
an affidavit responding to the petition by Committee of Management, Anjuman
Intezamia Masjid, Varanasi, seeking quashing of survey of Gyanvapi mosque, the
plaintiffs through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said the British government had
rightly taken a stand that the land belonged to the temple because, as it was
never a wakf property, the Muslims cannot claim it to be mosque.
The
plaintiffs said, "Historians have confirmed that Mughal emperor Aurangzeb
had issued 'farman' on April 9, 1669 for demolition of the temple of Adi
Visheshwar (Kashi Vishwanath) at Varanasi. There is nothing on record to
establish that the then ruler or any subsequent ruler has passed any order to
create a Waqf over the land in question or for handing over the land to any
Muslim or body of Muslims."
"A
mosque can be constructed only over the property dedicated by waqif, who should
be the rightful owner of the property. Construction raised under the orders of
any Muslim ruler or by any Muslim over the land of a temple cannot be construed
as mosque," they said.
The
mosque management committee had claimed through senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi
that Muslims have been performing wuzu and offering namaz at the mosque since
time immemorial or at least 500 years while seeking Muslims' access to the
sealed wuzu khana where purportedly a Shivling was discovered recently during a
court-ordered survey.
The
plaintiffs said, "Any super structure created over the temple land, by
Muslims, can will be only a structure and cannot be regarded as a mosque...
Deity Adi Visheshwar is continuing as de jure owner of the entire land of
Settlement Plot No 9130, 9131 and 9132 in Mauza Shahar Khas, Tahsil and
District Varanasi. The land does not belong to any Muslim, body of Muslim or
Waqf board," they said.
"Without
impleading a Hindu party, one Deen Mohd had filed civil suit 62 of 1936 making
the secretary of state for India through District Magistrate, Benares, and
Anjuman Intezamia Masjid, Benares, through secretary, for granting a
declaration that the Plot bearing No. 9130, measuring 1 Bigha 9 Biswa and 6
Dhurs together with enclosure all round described in the plaint, was Waqf in
possession of that plaintiff and other Musalmans had right to say their prayers
specially Alvida prayers and exercise other religious rights," they said.
In
the suit, on behalf of the Secretary of State for India in Council, a written
statement was filed refuting the plaint allegations. Annexing a copy of the
statement on behalf of secretary of state with their affidavit, the plaintiff's
quoted it - "the idols and the temple which stand there exist since long
before the advent of the Mohammadan Rule in India."
In
paragraph 11, the British government had said - "It is submitted that the
non-Muslims have been using the land for their religious purposes as a matter
of right and have got a right of way over it." In Paragraph 12, it had
said - "The land in question was never stamped with the character of
‘Waqf’ land. It was never dedicated to God, nor could it have been dedicated
and God has no proprietary interest."
It
had further said that - "The Mohammadans of that time or for the matter of
that Aurangzeb himself was not the owner of the site in which the old temple of
Vishwanath existed and which was demolished by Aurangzeb owing to the religious
antipathy, hence it could not have been dedicated according to the true spirit
of the Mohammadan faith.”
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Two
'hybrid' terrorist of LeT arrested in Srinagar
May
23, 2022
SRINAGAR:
Two local 'hybrid' terrorist of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba
(LeT) were arrested with arms and ammunition in Srinagar city on Monday, police
said. 'Hybrid' terrorist are those who are not listed as ultras but persons
radicalised enough to carry out a terror strike and then slip back into the
routine life.
"Srinagar
Police arrested two local hybrid terrorists of proscribed terror outfit
LeT/TRF. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition, including 15 pistols, 30
magazines, 300 rounds and a silencer were recovered," Inspector General of
Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar said on Twitter.
TRF
or The Resistance Front is an offshoot of the LeT.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
No
terror case against SIMI when I was with it: Khalid’s dad
May
23, 2022
NEW
DELHI: Member of Gyanvapi Legal Committee constituted by the All India Muslim
Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), S Q R Ilyas, on Sunday said there was no criminal
or terror case against Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) or any of its
members while he was associated with the outfit and that the UAPA ban on it
came almost one-and-a-half decades later.
Clarifying
on a report in TOI headlined ‘Gyanvapi: Intel lens on father of Umar Khalid’
published on May 21, 2022, Ilyas told TOI that he was with SIMI only till 1985,
while it was banned 16 years later in 2001. “Besides, the UAPA Tribunal’s order
upholding the ban on SIMI has been challenged in the Supreme Court and the
matter is yet to be decided,” he said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
South
Asia
Taliban
Leader, Stanikzai: Women Should Be Provided With Their Rights Based On Afghan
Culture, Islamic Values
May
23, 2022
Taliban's
senior leader Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai came out in support of women's
education rights and said that it is the responsibility of the government to
provide a safe education to them in the country.
Addressing
a gathering to mark the death anniversary of Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour, a
former Islamic Emirate leader, Stanikzai said that women should be provided
with their rights based on Afghan culture and Islamic values, Tolo News
reported.
"Women
can't even ask for their inheritance. They are deprived of the right to
education. Where will women learn Shariah's lessons? Women make up half of
Afghanistan's population," he said.
Stanikzai
was critical of the small budget for development in economic sectors and also
said that due to the economic challenges, people were forced to leave the country.
"We
don't have a chair in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), we don't
have a chair in the United Nations and we don't have a political office in
Europe," he said.
Speaking
at the same gathering, another Taliban leader, Mullah Mohammad Yaqub criticized
the economic sanctions on Afghanistan, reported Tolo News.
"They
imposed economic sanctions on Afghanistan and made a plot against us in
Afghanistan," he said.
The
Taliban's decision to ban female students above grade six from going to school
has drawn widespread criticism at the national and international levels.
Source:
Hindustan Times
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Taliban
chief bans polygamy, calls it ‘unnecessary and an expensive affair’
SUKRITI
VATS
21
May, 2022
New
Delhi: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has issued an order banning
polygamy among members of the group terming it “unnecessary and costly,”
Kabul-based Bakhtar News Agency reported on Saturday.
The
country, which is an ‘Islamic emirate’ governed under Sharia laws, allows for
men to have up to four wives. Polygamy is widely practiced in Afghanistan. The
absence of offspring from the first marriage is believed to be the primary
reason Afghan men take multiple wives.
However,
Akhundzada has emphasised how “Taliban members should avoid second, third and
fourth marriages” as it’s an expensive affair. The order further instructed the
Amr-ul-Ma’ruf Ministry (Ministry of Enforcement of Virtue and Suppression of
Vice) to “identify violators and report to the leadership.”
In
January 2021, a similar decree was issued by the Taliban when it was still in
midst of peace negotiations with the Afghan government regarding the country’s
future. The leadership was concerned about rampant corruption among members who
were looking to raise money to either pay the bride price (dowry paid by the
groom to the bride’s family) or sustain their many households.
The
Taliban leadership also believed that spending a huge amount of money on
wedding ceremonies could lead to criticism from their enemies/opponents or from
within the group.
Source:
The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Taliban’s
‘atrocious’ regime root cause of food scarcity in Afghanistan
21
May, 2022
Kabul
[Afghanistan], May 21 (ANI): Since the takeover, the Taliban’s hard regime has
waged war and constant unrest in the country with the newest one emerging in
the form of wheat shortfall as the country now gears up to tackle the looming
food crunch.
Due
to the gripping crisis, the Taliban, in its latest order, authorized all
customs offices on Thursday, May 19, to prevent wheat export or trade due to
extreme food scarcity, Khaama Press reported.
This
measure has been taken into consideration to avoid amplification of scarcity,
Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
stated on his Twitter handle.
While
the price for wheat has increased by 50% in different parts of Kandahar
province, it is claimed that some people have begun smuggling wheat to
Pakistan, the report added.
Furthermore,
as a result of recent political developments, the Afghan people are
experiencing a severe humanitarian crisis. In addition to that, food prices,
particularly wheat, have risen substantially since Russia’s invasion of
Ukraine.
According
to the UN, hunger and food shortages affect up to 97% of the Afghan population.
Previously, World Food Programme (WFP) reported that since the fall of the
former government to the Taliban, over 22 million people face severe hunger.
Absolute
poverty, food crisis, and unemployment are being witnessed at an all-time high
as families in Kabul are forced to move to the streets due to political unrest
in the country since the Taliban took control.
According
to Khaama Press, Afghanistan is estimated to require more than six million
tonnes of wheat each year to feed its 33 million population as Wheat is the
country’s principal source of nutrition.
Meanwhile,
India has pledged to provide 50,000 tonnes of wheat to Afghanistan as
humanitarian aid in addition to medications as another consignment of the
cereal from the government of India was dispatched to Afghanistan via the
Attari Wagah Border on Monday.
Source:
The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Food
Inflation; A Sack of Flour Costs 2,800 Afghanis in Kabul
By
Saqalain Eqbal
22
May 2022
In
less than three months, food prices in Afghanistan have soared more than
double.
A
sack of flour is now priced at 2,800 to 3,000 Afghanis, while previously, it
was sold at 1,400 Afghanis, according to a number of Kabul locals.
According
to them, food prices have risen as a result of the lack of price regulation in
the marketplaces.
People
stated that they used to purchase 20 liters of cooking oil at a cost of 2,000
Afghanis, but that now only 10 liters of cooking oil cost 2,200 Afghanis.
Food
price, they added, had declined slightly from what it was in the previous six
months but, it has soared more than double in recent days.
Sellers,
on the other hand, blame the high inflation on rising commodities, explaining
that when the Afghani depreciates against the dollar, food prices increase.
Source:
Khaama Press
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.khaama.com/food-inflation-a-sack-of-flour-costs-2800-afghanis-in-kabul36822/
--------
Southeast
Asia
Thai
ruling undermines Muslims' trust in judicial system
May
23, 2022
A
Thai court has ruled in a controversial decision that its inquest was
inconclusive into the death of a Muslim man who died in military custody in
Thailand’s restive Muslim-majority region despite lingering fears that the man
was tortured to death.
Abdullah
Isomuso, who had been accused by security forces of being engaged in insurgent
activities in the largely Muslim southern province of Pattani, was found
unconscious in his cell after being detained and died in intensive care a few
weeks later in August 2019.
His
family has alleged that the man died as a result of injuries he suffered while
being tortured during interrogation by the Thai military in what has become a
high-profile case in Thailand, where the police and military have over the
years been credibly accused of using torture techniques on some suspects.
Thai
security forces have denied torturing the man and in a new ruling a provincial
court in Songkhla, another one of the Muslim-majority provinces in Thailand’s
Deep South, has said that while Abdullah died of brain damage resulting from
oxygen deprivation, there was insufficient evidence as to whether his death was
caused by the actions of any officials.
Many
Muslims in Thailand’s southernmost region, where a separatist insurgency has
been raging since 2004, have been following the case closely, seeing it as an
example of official impunity.
Abdulkohar
Awaeputeh, a lawyer who represents the dead man’s relatives in their search for
answers and justice, told a local newspaper that the court’s ruling could
further undermine trust in the judicial system among many local Muslims.
“I
have been working here for a long time and in my status as a lawyer I want to
see change. I use trust in the judicial process. I use the state channels. I
want to show that there is a way out,” Abdulkohar said.
“I
understand that it’s difficult because you have to fight the old system, but at
this point I don’t know how to explain it to the family so that they should
still believe [in the justice system]. I think they want to know the real cause
of death.”
Rights
groups have long accused Thai security forces of employing extrajudicial means
such as “systematic torture” of some suspected militants in the restive region
where well over 7,000 people have died over the years in violence perpetrated
by Islamist militants and security forces.
Amnesty
International, for one, has documented numerous cases in which suspected
insurgents were allegedly tortured in detention.
“At
about 1am I was ordered by the superior officer to get up. This officer punched
me in the face, called me a terrorist and broke my national identification
card, while another soldier kicked me from behind; there were three soldiers in
addition to the superior,” one man told the rights group.
A
prominent rights advocate says that the inconclusive inquest into the cause of
Abdullah’s death leaves some important questions unanswered.
The
court’s inquest, which took two years to conclude, has not provided any answer
as to whether he suffered a severe brain injury without external causes, noted
Pornpen Khongkachonkiet, director of the Cross-Cultural Foundation, which seeks
to foster multiethnic harmony in Thailand.
Source:
UC News
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
https://www.ucanews.com/news/thai-ruling-undermines-muslims-trust-in-judicial-system/97352
--------
Tens
of millions in foundation belong to me, says Zahid
May
23, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told the High Court
today that not a single sen of Yayasan Akalbudi’s funds came from the
government or the people.
Instead,
he said, the tens of millions of ringgit in the foundation belonged to him.
Zahid,
69, said the source of the foundation’s funds was from his income when he was
in the corporate sector before becoming an administrative member in the
government.
“Before
I became a member of the administration, namely as deputy minister, minister
and deputy prime minister, I was in the corporate business sector.
“I
used to head four companies listed on Bursa Malaysia and used to be the
chairman of Bank Simpanan Nasional.
“There
were some contributions from friends and businessmen who had nothing to do with
the portfolio I was holding, but not a single sen was from government
contributions or the people’s money or from the taxpayers.”
He
said this when questioned by his lawyer, Ahmad Zaidi Zainal, on the third day
of his defence proceedings on 47 charges involving breach of trust, corruption
and money laundering.
The
Bagan Datuk MP also told the court his income and allowances as a chief
executive officer, executive chairman and chairman of a corporate company
exceeded his family’s expenses and needs.
“So
I was determined, on the advice of my father, who was a mudir or principal of a
religious school in Bagan Datuk, to channel the surplus income to people in
need through donations, alms, infak, tithes for welfare and religious purposes
in Yayasan Akalbudi.
“The
funds in the Akalbudi Foundation fund are from my personal income as well as
the allowances I received during my corporate business activities,” he said.
Apart
from that, Zahid said, he received dividend payments from the companies
concerned which he deposited into the foundation and also conducted stock
market transactions for income.
Zahid
is facing 47 charges, comprising 12 for breach of trust, eight charges of
corruption and 27 charges of money laundering, involving tens of millions of
ringgit in funds belonging to Yayasan Akalbudi.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
25
more waiting for diplomatic posts, says Saifuddin
May
21, 2022
KUANTAN:
The foreign ministry is in the process of having 25 more people appointed to
Malaysian diplomatic missions abroad, foreign minister Saifuddin Abdullah said
today.
He
said the number was relatively large, as Malaysia had not been able to send new
representatives abroad because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Bernama reported.
Saifuddin
said several people were awaiting letters of appointment as heads of missions
abroad. The ministry was awaiting a date from Istana Negara for the
presentation ceremony with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Abdullah Sultan
Ahmad Shah.
The
foreign minister said a long process was involved in appointing a Malaysian
head of mission, with various screenings of those nominated. The name of the
person must also be sent to the host country for approval.
Saifuddin’s
remarks, made to reporters at a constituency event in Pahang, come in the wake
of criticism of the appointment of Pasir Salak MP Tajuddin Abdul Rahman as
ambassador to Indonesia.
Tajuddin
said today that he had been hurt by comments made about his appointment. “I
have served the government, the country and the people for more than 45 years,
since I was 25. Now I’m being treated as if I were a homeless person,” he said,
according to Utusan Malaysia.
He
is expected to leave for his posting to Jakarta next week.
Change
of policy about ambassadors
Saifuddin
said the current government had done away with the Pakatan Harapan (PH) policy
of only choosing career diplomats as heads of missions.
“The
government feels there is a need to appoint those who are not diplomatic
officers (as heads of missions). They can be a politician, former politician,
former police or military officer, and so on.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Weaker
ringgit shows world losing confidence in Malaysia, says Anwar
May
22, 2022
PETALING
JAYA: The ringgit’s dissipating value has shown that the world has lost
confidence in Malaysia, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim said today.
In
a Facebook post, Anwar said short-term solutions and quick fixes by the
government were not enough.
“We
need leadership that must first inspire the confidence of the people before we
can dream of inspiring foreign confidence and then investment.
“A
proper plan for a proper recovery requires complex thinking and an appreciation
for the complexity of contemporary economics,” he said.
The
Port Dickson MP, who is a former finance minister, explained that Malaysians
were trapped in a cycle where the people work harder and make less while the
price of basic needs has risen exponentially.
“I
compel the government to give the rakyat a long-term solution that can inspire
the confidence we all deserve.
“The
people’s work is paramount to bringing this nation back and you, the people,
deserve just reward for your labour,” the PKR president said.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Malaysian
Army Veterans Warned Of Stern Action over Unsanctioned Rally
May
22, 2022
KUALA
LUMPUR: Stern action will be taken against members of the Veterans’ Association
of Malaysian Armed Forces (PVATM) who are involved in organising rallies that
were not recognised by the leadership, PVATM President Sharuddin Omar said.
He
said recently there were a handful of veterans who had reportedly formed groups
to fight for veterans’ welfare issues which they thought needed to be resolved
by the government immediately, but the struggle was different from each other.
“PVATM
would like to stress that it is not involved with any group of veterans who
fight for the welfare of veterans in the streets in an unbecoming manner.
“The
concept of PVATM’s struggle is very clear from the past until now in fighting
for any issue of veterans’ welfare, that is, we will always take a sensible
approach and negotiate to jointly find a ‘win-win’ solution,” he told reporters
after the Army Veterans Anniversary parade of the 100th Malaysian Armed Forces
at Dataran Pahlawan Negara in Putrajaya yesterday.
Sharuddin
(above) said this when asked to comment on the issue of a peaceful rally in the
capital scheduled for June 6 which is expected to be attended by about 5,000
armed forces veterans to express dissatisfaction with the government for
allegedly not looking after the welfare of retired, non-pensionable, and
retrenched soldiers.
He
added that the five issues that PVATM fought for in appreciating their
struggles and sacrifices were the adjustment of veterans’ pensions, subsistence
allowances for non-pensionable veterans, the Pardons Board for former service
officers, and improving derivative pensions for military widows, and Pingat
Jasa Malaysia commemorative allowance.
Sharuddin
said the leadership and members of PVATM were mature and full of common sense
in upholding the issues of veterans based on being firm in raising their
issues, sensible in approach and open-minded as well as tolerant in dealing
with decisions and constraints.
“PVATM
has never acted or sponsored any group of veterans who made claims on veteran
issues through reckless and unreasonable actions,” he said.
PVATM
is the oldest non-governmental organisation (NGO) in Malaysia. It was
established on May 20, 1922, under the name Ex-Services Association of Malaya
by former British soldiers in Malaya after the first world war.
The
association became an affiliate member of the British Empire Services League on
May 22, 1922. PVATM now has 173,000 registered members nationwide.
Source:
Free Malaysia Today
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Europe
Turkey’s
Erdogan urges Sweden, Finland to end support to ‘terror’ groups
21
May ,2022
President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Swedish and Finnish leaders in separate phone calls
Saturday to abandon financial and political support for “terrorist” groups
threatening Turkey’s national security.
Erdogan
has objected to the two Nordic nations becoming members of NATO over their
failure to address Turkey’s terror-related concerns.
Ankara
in particular accused Stockholm of leniency toward the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(PKK) listed as a “terrorist” group by Ankara and its Western allies, as well
as members of the movement led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen,
whom Ankara blames for an attempted 2016 coup.
Erdogan
told Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson that “Sweden’s political,
financial and weapon support to terrorist organizations must end,” the
presidency said.
Turkey
expects Sweden to “take concrete and serious steps” that show it shares
Ankara’s concerns over the PKK and its Iraqi and Syrian offshoots, Erdogan told
the Swedish premier, according to the presidency.
Russia’s
invasion of Ukraine in February has shifted political opinion in both Nordic
countries in favor of joining the Western military alliance.
Membership
requires consent of all 30 existing members but Turkey is putting a spanner in
the works.
Sweden
and Finland, while solidly Western, have historically kept a distance from NATO
as part of longstanding policies aimed at avoiding angering Russia.
But
the two nations moved ahead with their membership bid in shock over their giant
neighbor’s invasion of Ukraine, which had unsuccessfully sought to join NATO.
Erdogan
also told Andersson to “lift restrictions imposed on Turkey in the defense
industry” after the army’s Syria operation in 2019.
In
another phone call with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Erdogan said turning
a blind eye to “terror” organizations posing a threat to a NATO ally was
“incompatible with the spirit of friendship and alliance.”
Erdogan
also said it was Turkey’s most natural right to expect respect and support for
its “legitimate and determined struggle against a clear threat to its national
security and people,” the presidency said.
Swedish
and Finnish leaders on Thursday were welcomed by US President Joe Biden, who
strongly backed their bid to join NATO.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israel
bans member of European Parliament from visiting Palestine
Zehra
Nur Düz
23.05.2022
Israel
has banned Manuel Pineda, a Spanish communist politician from the United Left
coalition who is a member of the European Parliament (MEP) and also the head of
the delegation for EU-Palestine relations, from entering the country.
Pineda
in a Twitter post announced that he had canceled the mission he was going to
lead on Monday to assess the current situation of the Palestinians.
He
also shared the rejection statement delivered by the Israeli Foreign Ministry.
According
to “the information received from the competent authorities in Israel,” the
ministry has decided “not to approve the arrival” of Pineda in the country,
said the statement, without giving reasons.
Pineda
accused Israel of “blocking the work of the European Parliament.”
“The
mission was planned to meet with the Palestinian authorities and civil society,
to see the consequences of the occupation on the daily life of the Palestinian
population on the territory, as well as to see the effects of the policies of
EU cooperation,” Pineda said.
European
Parliament President Roberta Metsola also regretted the decision to refuse
entry to Pineda to Israel.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
PKK/YPG
terror group holds demonstration in Swedish capital
21.05.2022
STOCKHOLM
Pro-PKK/YPG
protesters on Saturday gathered in Swedish cities chanting slogans in support
of the terrorist group in rallies organized to object to the country’s
membership in NATO.
Swedish
police forces stood aside in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo as the terror
sympathizers chanted slogans in support of the terrorist organization.
PKK/YPG
supporters carried banners displaying photos of the head terrorist, Abdullah
Ocalan, as well as flags of PKK/YPG.
Such
protests by the PKK/YPG were held in Sweden on many occasions in the past and
have turned violent against Turkish officials and Turks.
The
PKK/YPG/PYD has had an office in Sweden’s Stockholm since 2016, and according
to sources, who wish to remain anonymous, the PKK terror group also generates
significant income in Sweden through theft, arms trafficking, drug dealing, and
racketeering.
The
terrorist group is believed to generate its income under organizations such as
the NCDK and “Kurdiska Rode Halvmanen.”
Sweden
regularly sends official delegations to areas in eastern Syria occupied by the
PKK/YPG for talks with terrorist leaders and holds regular meetings with the
terror group.
Protests
organized by the PKK/YPG are also held regularly in the Swedish neighboring
country Finland.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/pkk-ypg-terror-group-holds-demonstration-in-swedish-capital/2594249
--------
Turkiye
expects Sweden to take tangible steps against terror groups: President Erdogan
Ali
Murat Alhas
21.05.2022
The
Turkish president on Saturday spoke to the Swedish premier and discussed
Stockholm's bid to join the NATO alliance, Turkiye's Communications Directorate
said.
According
to a statement, Recep Tayyip Erdogan informed Magdalena Andersson about Turkish
concerns regarding activities of the PKK/YPG and FETO terror groups in Sweden,
and said that the NATO-candidate country should put an end to its financial,
political and weapon support to such groups.
The
Turkish president said Ankara has always supported NATO's open-door policy, and
that solidarity was essential for the security of member countries, as well as
collective security.
Ankara
expects Stockholm to take serious steps to address its concerns with regards to
the terror groups, he said, adding that the claim that PKK/YPG was fighting the
Daesh terror group, also known as ISIS, did not reflect the reality.
Swedish
arms restrictions on Turkiye was another subject brought up during the
conversation. Erdogan said Turkiye's cross-border military campaigns in
northern Syria were a result of a necessity caused by terror threat in the
region, and Ankara expects Stockholm to lift the restrictions.
Andersson
in a tweet appreciated the call, and said that Sweden looked forward "to
strengthening our bilateral relations, including on peace, security, and the
fight against terrorism."
Speaking
to public broadcaster SVT following the phone talk with Erdogan, Andersson said
that her country openly supports the fight against terrorism and the PKK's
inclusion on the terrorist list.
"I
emphasized that Sweden welcomes the possibility of cooperation in the fight
against international terrorism and emphasized that Sweden is clearly behind
the fight against terrorism and the terrorist listing of the PKK," she
said.
Sweden
and Finland formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday – a decision spurred by
Russia's war on Ukraine, which began in February.
But
Turkiye, a longstanding member of the alliance, has voiced objections to the
membership bids, criticizing the countries for tolerating and even supporting
terrorist groups.
In
its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkiye, the PKK – listed as a
terrorist organization by Turkiye, the US, and EU – has been responsible for
the deaths of over 40,000 people. The YPG is PKK’s Syrian offshoot.
FETO
and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July
15, 2016 in Turkiye, in which 251 people were killed and 2,734 injured.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Africa
30
terrorists, 5 soldiers killed in Burkina Faso clash
James
Tasamba
22.05.2022
KIGALI,
Rwanda
At
least 30 terrorists were killed in an attack early Saturday against a military
detachment in northcentral Burkina Faso, according to the army.
The
army said five soldiers were and 10 others injured during the clash.
The
military detachment of Bourzanga in Bam province, Center-North Region,
“vigorously retaliated” an attack against its base, is said in a statement.
“Coming
in very large numbers and heavily equipped, the terrorists had to retreat
before the firepower of the detachment members and the intervention of the air
force,” it said. “Search and security operations continue in the area to find
the terrorists, some of them wounded, and disappeared into the civilian
population to try to escape the pursuit of the military.”
The
army said several ammunitions, about 30 motorcycles, an armored vehicle and
communication gargets and armed pickups, used by the terrorists to attack the base
were seized.
Burkina
Faso has been battling an insurgency that has spread from neighboring Mali in
the last decade.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/30-terrorists-5-soldiers-killed-in-burkina-faso-clash/2594383
--------
Blasphemy:
National mosque Imam, Maqari should not be sacked – Shehu Sani on Wole
Soyinka’s call
May
22, 2022
By
Ochogwu Sunday
Former
lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has said that the Abuja Imam, Professor Ibrahim
Maqari should not be sacked over his comment on the killing of Deborah Samuel.
Recall
that the Imam, who is in charge of the National Mosque, Abuja, had while
reacting to the killing of Deborah, a 200-level student of Shehu Shagari
College of Education in Sokoto State, who was lynched over alleged blasphemy
against Prophet Mohammed, said Muslims have line that must not be crossed.
Nobel
laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka had on Saturday called for the sacking of the
Imam, alleging that Maqari directed his supporters to take laws into their
hands.
But
Shehu Sani, a governorship aspirant in Kaduna State said the Imam should not be
arrested, saying he is entitled to his own opinion.
In
a post on his verified Facebook page, the former lawmaker said, “Professor
Ibrahim Maqari should not be removed as Chief Iman of Abuja National mosque.
Source:
Daily Post Nigeria
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Sudanese
security forces kill one protester in Omdurman: Medics
21
May, 2022
Sudanese
security forces killed one protester on Saturday during renewed demonstrations
against a military takeover that derailed a transition to civilian rule last
year, medics said.
The
victim, who was not identified, died as a result of “a bullet to the chest” in
the capital’s twin city of Omdurman, the pro-democracy Central Committee of
Sudan Doctors said in a statement.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
The
latest death brings to 96 the toll from a crackdown on anti-coup protests which
have taken place regularly since the October 25 military putsch led by army
chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the committee said.
Saturday’s
protests came after thousands took to the streets Thursday to oppose the power
grab, mainly in Khartoum but also elsewhere, renewing demands for civilian
rule.
About
100 people were injured during Thursday’s demonstrations, according to the
doctors’ committee.
At
the same time two leading anti-coup figures from Sudan’s Communist Party were
arrested. They were released on Friday.
The
United Nations, along with the African Union and regional bloc IGAD, have been
pushing to facilitate Sudanese-led talks to resolve the crisis after the latest
coup in the northeast African country, one of the world’s poorest.
But
civilian forces have refused to enter negotiations involving the military,
while Burhan has repeatedly threatened to expel UN envoy Volker Perthes,
accusing him of “interference” in the country’s affairs.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Tunisian
parties vow to fight President Saied’s ‘autocratic rule’
21
May, 2022
Tunisia’s
political parties pledged to fight President Kais Saied’s decision to exclude
them from key political reforms including the drafting of a new constitution,
accusing him of seeking to consolidate autocratic rule.
Saied,
who took executive power last summer and dissolved parliament to rule by
decree, has since said he will replace the democratic 2014 constitution with a
new constitution via a July 25 referendum and hold new parliamentary elections
in December.
On
Friday, he named a law professor to head an advisory committee of legal and
political science experts to draft the new constitution for a “new republic”,
excluding political parties from the process.
The
National Salvation Front, an umbrella for several parties and activists
including Ennahda, Heart of Tunisia, Karama and the Citizens Against the Coup
coalition, decried the move as another dangerous step towards entrenching
one-man rule.
“We
will face the new step of his autocratic rule with protests in streets and by
uniting the opposition front to overthrow the coup,” Ennahda official Riadh
Chaibi told Reuters.
Saied
denies his opponents’ accusations that he staged a coup to seize power, saying
his intervention was legal and necessary to save Tunisia from years of
political paralysis and economic stagnation at the hands of a corrupt,
self-serving elite who had taken control of government.
The
president has nonetheless attracted broad opposition across Tunisia’s political
spectrum.
The
Free Constitutional Party, whose leader Abir Moussi is a supporter of the late
autocratic president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, and a bitter foe of Ennahda,
also rejected the move to exclude parties from the drafting of a new
constitution and other reforms. It called for a mass protest on June 18.
“What
is happening is a dictatorship but we will not leave Tunisia hostage in Saied
hands,” Moussi said.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Ethiopian
regional authority arrests four staff members of media group
22
May, 2022
Authorities
in Ethiopia's northern Amhara region have arrested four employees of a US-based
online media outlet, while the whereabouts of two others was unclear, the
outlet said on Sunday, in the latest round of arrests involving media.
The
arrests would add to those of five journalists in another Amhara media outlet
on Thursday over what their colleague said was the outlet's reporting of the
activity of a local volunteer militia, known as Fano.
“We
have four confirmed employees who are in jail and two unknown. Out of the four,
one (is a) fulltime editor, one in the process of hiring for editor position,
one fulltime reporter, one human resource and finance lead,” Nisir
International Broadcasting management, said in a message to Reuters on Sunday.
Nisir
said three of the employees were arrested on Thursday, and two were in custody
in the regional capital Bahir Dar. The third employee and a fourth one who was
arrested on Friday are in the town of Gayint, some 160 km (100 miles) from
Bahir Dar, Nisir said.
Gizachew
Muluneh, spokesperson for the Amhara regional administration and government
spokesperson Legesse Tulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nisir
calls itself an impartial and independent online media agency focusing on
Ethiopian news, paying close attention to Amhara region. It did not give a
reason for the arrests.
Amhara
is the second-most populous region in Ethiopia, and a key constituency for
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. But recently some Amhara leaders who previously
backed his government have publicly criticised his handling of a war with the
neighbouring region of Tigray.
Amhara
forces and the Fano militia backed Abiy's federal troops against rebellious
forces in northern Tigray when fighting erupted there in 2020.
Critics
say Abiy, who won a Nobel Peace Prize after taking office as a reformer in
2018, is cracking down on dissent around Ethiopia. He says he is guaranteeing
stability and law and order in the multi-ethnic nation.
In
another case, Solomon Shumiye, an Addis Ababa-based talk show host, was
arrested on Friday, taken to court with three others and ordered detained for
14 days, his sister Tigist Shumiye told Reuters.
Solomon
has been critical of the government and the war in Tigray.
Government
spokesperson Legesse and Markos Tadesse, spokesperson for the Addis Ababa
Police Commission, did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment
on the arrest.
The
arrests add to those of a prominent general critical of Abiy, and some ethnic
Amhara activists in the last week.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Algeria
denies mediation to restore ties with Morocco
Hassan
Jebril
22.05.2022
ALGIERS,
Algeria
Algerian
Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra has denied reports about mediation with
Algeria to restore their diplomatic relations.
Lamamra
told the state television Saturday that the crisis between Algiers and Rabat
"does not tolerate mediation".
"There
is no mediation, not yesterday, not today, not tomorrow," he said when
asked about Saudi mediation between the two neighbors.
Moroccan
media earlier suggested that Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan had discussed
during his visit to Algeria on Wednesday a roadmap for reconciliation between
Algeria and Morocco.
In
August 2021, Algeria severed diplomatic relations with Morocco, accusing Rabat
of having "hostile tendencies." Morocco dismissed the accusations.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/algeria-denies-mediation-to-restore-ties-with-morocco/2594631
--------
North
America
Many
Afghan soldiers fled to Pakistan after Kabul’s fall, says US report
Anwar
Iqbal
May
23, 2022
WASHINGTON:
Many soldiers of the former Afghan government fled to Pakistan after the fall
of Kabul, says an official US report while pointing out that the fall of border
crossings into Pakistan and Iran also contributed to the collapse of the former
Afghan government.
The
office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction reported
this week that in July 2021, the Taliban “started seizing border crossings with
Pakistan and Iran, depriving the Afghan government of critical customs
revenues”.
The
report noted that Afghan soldiers started crossing into Pakistan weeks before
Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021.
“Many
Afghan soldiers reportedly escaped to Pakistan as the Taliban attacks on
districts and provincial capitals intensified weeks before the Afghan
government’s collapse,” the report added.
The
UN refugee agency UNHCR reported early this year that more than 300,000 Afghans
had fled to Pakistan between August 2021 and January 2022. But it did not say
how many of those were from the military.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Turkiye
summons US envoy over embassy's Istanbul rally alert
Emre
Karaca
22.05.2022
Turkiye’s
Foreign Ministry on Sunday summoned US Ambassador Jeffry Flake to express the
country’s grievances over a US Embassy warning regarding a rally held in Istanbul
a day ago.
Flake
was told the embassy’s alert contained unfounded claims that Turkish
authorities were likely to use force against the rally participants, according
to Foreign Ministry sources.
It
was conveyed to the envoy that the warning was unacceptable as it created a
misperception that such actions are a serious problem in Turkiye, the sources
said.
Ministry
officials told Flake that political parties’ rallies are a deep-rooted
tradition of Turkish democracy and Saturday’s gathering was without incident.
They
reminded Flake of events where US law enforcement authorities had used
disproportionate force, the sources said.
He
was also told that Turkiye expects that any such US alerts in the future,
whether travel advisories or warnings about demonstrations, will be based on
facts, the sources added.
Earlier
on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry warned Turkish citizens in the US to avoid
large gatherings for their own safety.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text of
the original story:
--------
Turkiye
advises citizens living in US to avoid gatherings
Seda
Sevencan
22.05.2022
Turkiye's
Foreign Ministry in a statement on Sunday advised its citizens living in the US
to avoid gatherings with wide participation for their safety.
The
ministry said the US security units take measures against rallies that may
occur in large gatherings, but also recalled some violent acts in the past
where real bullets, electroshocks, and tear gas were used.
It
recommended to avoid large rallies and events unless necessary, considering the
possibility of exposure to violence in such events that are difficult to keep
under control.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/turkiye-advises-citizens-living-in-us-to-avoid-gatherings/2594601
--------
Turkish
Americans hold parade, festival in New York City
Servet
Günerigök
22.05.2022
WASHINGTON
Thousands
of Turkish Americans joined the Turkish Day Parade on Saturday in New York
City, to celebrate an annual festival that highlights Turkish culture and
traditions.
With
the support and coordination of the Turkish Presidency's Communications
Directorate, the 39th annual parade saw participants carrying Turkish and
American flags, and singing and dancing on Madison Avenue. A Turkish band
Mehter (Ottoman Janissary Band) performance was also part of the parade.
In
addition, a convoy of vehicles belonging to various nongovernmental
organizations and Turkish soccer fan groups also made their way to the avenue.
The
parade drew an estimated 5,000 people, according to organizers.
In
a video message, Turkish Communications Director Fahrettin Altun said events
like the parade are a beacon for Turkish people's unity and solidarity.
"In
addition, these events have a function that introduces the richness of our
country to the American society, and conveys the voice of our nation,"
said Altun.
The
parade was attended by Turkish Ambassador to US Hasan Murat Mercan, Turkiye's
UN envoy Feridun Sinirlioglu and Reyhan Ozgur, consul general of Turkiye in New
York.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/turkish-americans-hold-parade-festival-in-new-york-city-/2594392
--------
Pakistan
Senior
journalists booked in sedition cases for allegedly criticising state
institutions
Imtiaz
Ali | Mohammad Hussain Khan
May
22, 2022
Cases
have been registered against journalists Imran Riaz Khan, Sabir Shakir and
Arshad Sharif for allegedly criticising state institutions and “abetting
mutiny”, it emerged on Sunday.
The
first information report (FIR) against Khan, a copy of which is available with
Dawn.com, was registered in Thatta's Dhabeji police station under Sections 131
(incitement to mutiny), 153 (provoking to cause riot), 452 (trespassing) and
505 (statement conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
The
FIR said that the complainant had heard Khan talking against the army and the
institutions in a "derogatory and provocative language" on social
media.
Meanwhile,
a pair of FIRs were also registered against anchorperson Arshad Sharif on
Friday and Thursday in Hyderabad and Karachi. The FIRs, copies of which are
available with Dawn.com, were registered under Sections 131, 153 and 505 of the
PPC.
They
referred to Sharif's comments in a conversation with journalist Matiullah Jan
on his YouTube channel wherein he allegedly "disrespected" state
institutions and uttered statements that attempted to "spread hate in the
army and create a hateful atmosphere".
Another
FIR in Dadu, registered on Friday under PPC Sections 131, 153 and 505,
mentioned Sharif and fellow ARY News journalist Sabir Shakir. The FIR said that
"derogatory language" regarding state institutions was used in a
conversation between the two and analogies were drawn to Mir Jafar and Mir
Sadiq. It added that the two were inciting people against the army and state
institutions.
It
is pertinent to mention that a similar FIR was also recently registered against
journalist Sami Ibrahim in Attock under Sections 505, 131 and 499 (defamation)
of the PPC, which deal with statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred,
attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty.
The
FIR was based on a complaint by Akhtar Javaid advocate, a resident of Attock
city, who said he had viewed "Canadian Pak News", Ibrahim's Youtube
channel. He said that Ibrahim had hatched a conspiracy and spread rumours
against state institutions in a vlog.
Sharif
claimed today that "multiple cases" were registered against the four
journalists in various police stations across the country.
The
journalists against whom the FIRs have been filed are commonly understood to be
closer to the PTI.
Meanwhile,
PTI Chairman Imran Khan condemned the filing of FIRs against the journalists
and branded it "political retaliation". He alleged that the
government was behind the "fake FIRs" and said it was
"absolutely unacceptable".
The
Pakistan Electronic Media Regulation Authority (Pemra) had warned TV channels
on Monday against airing content that "ridicules" state institutions,
especially the judiciary and the army, or face retribution such as suspension
of transmission and imposition of a fine without any prior notice. Pemra's
instruction had followed after a similar warning on May 9 ago wherein it warned
private electronic media from airing content against the armed forces and
judiciary.
The
army also recently took a "strong exception" to "intensified and
deliberate attempts" to drag its name into the country's ongoing political
discourse by "some political leaders, journalists and analysts".
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Imran
Khan owes apology not just to Maryam but to all women: Pak rights group
May
21, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Saturday came down heavily on
former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan after he made a sexist comment
against Pakistan Muslim League-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz during his Multan
rally which led to outrage in the country.
Severely
criticising Imran, the rights group said Imran Khan's vile remarks about Maryam
at the PTI's Multan rally have "plumbed the depths of misogyny."
"It
is simply unacceptable that the political narrative should crumble into such
glaring intolerance and sexism," the HRCP said in a tweet.
"Mr
Khan is a national leader. He must learn to conduct national conversations with
his political rivals. He owes an apology not just to Ms Sharif but to all
women," the group added.
Earlier,
while addressing the Multan rally, Imran Khan citing Maryam Nawaz's Sargodha
rally said, "In that speech, she uttered my name with such passion that I
would like to tell her, Maryam, please be careful, your husband may get upset
because you were constantly repeating my name."
After
his comment went viral, politicians, journalists and civil society members from
around Pakistan criticized Khan for his "sexist and misogynist"
statement.
Taking
to Twitter, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also happens to be
Nawaz's paternal uncle, expressed strong disapproval of Imran Khan's statement
and said that the entire nation, especially women, should strongly condemn the
"deplorable language used against the daughter of the nation Maryam
Nawaz."
"Your
crimes against the country and the nation cannot be hidden under your lowly
humour. How could those -- who cannot respect the sanctity of Masjid Nabawi (PBUH)
-- be expected to respect the honour of someone's mothers, sisters, and
daughters?" Sharif tweeted.
"Imran
is the first person in history to fall into this abyss of rudeness as the
leader of a party. His party went out to make a nation but spoiled the morals
of the people instead. To Allah, we belong and to Him, we shall return,"
he added.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Pakistan's
ex-PM Imran Khan calls for march to Islamabad on May 25; seeks fresh elections
May
22, 2022
PESHAWAR:
Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday asked his supporters to
march peacefully to Islamabad on May 25 to press for the dissolution of the
National Assembly and fresh elections in the country. Khan, 69, who served as
prime minister for over three and half years, was removed from the position
through a no-confidence vote in parliament by the Opposition parties last
month. Since his removal, Khan has addressed several rallies in different
cities.
Addressing
a press conference after his party's core committee meeting in Peshawar, Khan
said the march would convert into a sit-in and continue until his demands are
accepted, the Dawn newspaper reported.
"The
main demands for the march to the capital were the immediate dissolution of the
National Assembly and a date for the next general election," he said
during the press conference.
Khan
said he wants people from all walks of life to participate in the march to
raise clamour against his removal as the prime minister which he called as
"illegal".
"On
the 25th [of May] I will meet you in Islamabad on the Srinagar Highway. I want
people from all [walks of life] to come because this is Jihad, and not
politics. I've decided and told all my team that we have to be ready to
sacrifice our lives," Khan said.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Shehbaz
Sharif govt wary of tough decisions to stabilise economy ahead of polls
May
22, 2022
ISLAMABAD:
In the wake of the country's tanking economy, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N) coalition refuses to take tough decisions.
Coalition
partners think that taking difficult decisions on the economic front for the
short term will cost them dearly if elections are held early and therefore
require guaranteed backing of the powerful military establishment to help it
see through the remaining period of its tenure till August next year, Dawn
reported.
Prime
Minister Shehbaz Sharif's role has been reduced to an 'interlocutor' among his
elder brother Nawaz Sharif, the establishment and the coalition partners -- the
PPP and JUI-F in particular, especially in key decision-making to tame the
surging inflation in the country.
Political
spats between PTI and PML-N also continue as ousted premier Imran Khan's
massive rallies have forced main players of the coalition to review strategies,
according to Dawn.
Meanwhile,
the PPP leadership also recently reached out to Maulana Fazl and PML-Q chief
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain for a 'piece of advice' to negotiate the economic and
political challenges.
Source:
Times Of India
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Imran
out to start civil war: PM Shehbaz
Majeed
Gill | Amjad Mahmood
May
23, 2022
LAHORE
/ BAHAWALPUR: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has alleged that PTI chairman Imran
Khan wants a civil war in the country, but warned him that the nation will hold
him by the collar for his ‘nefarious designs’.
“Imran
Niazi wants to initiate a civil war in the country. But he is mistaken. The
nation will never forgive him [for the sin] and will hold him by the collar,”
Prime Minister Sharif said on Sunday in reply to a question about the long
march on Islamabad the opposition PTI is planning to take out on May 25. This
was his third visit in a month to the Pakistan Kidney & Liver Institute.
When
asked if the government would call in the army to stop the long march, visibly
upset at the query the prime minister replied that a decision would be taken if
and when needed.
Speaking
on the same issue in Bahawalpur on Sunday, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah
said the government and its allies would decide whether the PTI long march
should be allowed to enter Islamabad.
PPP
confident people will reject PTI’s march; Sana says coalition will decide on
permission to enter Islamabad
“If
the coalition goes for action, we will not allow protesters to even come out of
their homes,” he told media.
When
told (in a TV talk in the evening) that the PTI leadership had promised to
remain peaceful, Rana Sanaullah said he did not trust Imran Khan since he had a
history of speaking “lies and taking U-turns”.
“Keeping
in view the past record of PTI and its workers, my apprehensions are that they
will come to Islamabad with the intent to cause anarchy.”
The
minister said personally he wanted to detain Imran Khan for three days in the
same cell where he was imprisoned for months in a cooked-up drug smuggling
case. “Three days behind bars will wipe politics out of him.”
The
premier said Mr Niazi had devoted all his time to victimising political
opponents during his three-and-a-half years in power and did not spare time for
welfare projects.
“The
former prime minister didn’t have even a single moment to think about the
welfare of the masses, while he remained riding the nerves of NAB [National
Accountability Bureau] to victimise the opposition leaders.”
He
alleged that Mr Khan had directed his ex-adviser on accountability Shehzad
Akbar to ensure that Shehbaz Sharif, suffering from backache problem, would
sleep on the floor during the NAB custody.
The
prime minister lambasted the PTI chairman for using inappropriate language
against Maryam Nawaz in PTI’s Multan rally and said it made the people hold
their heads in shame.
He
regretted that the PTI government had damaged the PKLI by blocking funds for
the institute offering free treatment to the poor. He recalled that former
chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar visited the PKLI and asked about the Rs20
billion expenses incurred on the project, while corruption worth not a single
penny could be detected in the project during the NAB probe.
About
Shireen Mazari’s arrest, Rana Sanaullah said there was no involvement of the
government or anyone else in her arrest.
The
minister questioned the effectiveness of the cybercrime law and suggested that
the government, opposition and media decide the matter in a way that it did not
gag freedom of speech and also prevented misuse of the law.
The
minister visited Bahawalpur to see arrangements for the May 28 PML-N rally in connection
with Yaum-i-Takbir. He said the party would make the rally a memorable event in
Bahawalpur.
Accusing
Imran Khan’s government of burdening people with unprecedented price hike, PPP
secretary general Nayyar Bokhari said people would fail the PTI’s long march.
In
a statement, he said Mr Khan’s politics would not go ahead on the pretext of
seeking support from the families of police officials, bureaucrats and military
officials.
“Imran
has turned hundreds of thousands of people jobless and now he will have to face
their wrath,” he said.
Source:
Dawn
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1691056/imran-out-to-start-civil-war-pm-shehbaz
--------
Pakistan:
No-confidence motion against Punjab Assembly Speaker dismissed
23
May, 2022
Lahore
[Pakistan], May 23 (ANI): The no-confidence motion against Pakistan’s Punjab
Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi was dismissed on Sunday after Pakistan Muslim
League-N MPA (Members of Provincial Assembly) Sami Ullah Khan, who had filed
the motion against him, failed to show up.
As
the result, the session of the assembly has been postponed till June 6, Geo
News reported.
The
session was chaired by Waseem Khan Badozai. As the assembly’s proceedings
started, the speaker called out the name of MPA Khan but he was not present in
the House, after which Badozai disposed of the motion and deferred the session.
The
security had been tightened around the assembly in Lahore on Sunday morning.
Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi called the session today while cancelling
the previous date of the assembly session scheduled for May 30.
Following
the dismissal of the no-trust motion against Elahi, PML-N has announced that it
would again submit a motion against the speaker, according to Geo News.
Meanwhile,
the political situation intensified on Sunday morning as Punjab Police arrested
a senior official of the Assembly after conducting raids at the houses of
multiple officials.
As
per the reports by Pakistan media, the police conducted raids at the houses of
Director General (DG) Parliamentary Affairs Rai Mumtaz, Secretary Coordination
Inayat Ullah, and Secretary Punjab Assembly Muhammad Muhammad Khan Bhatti, a
Punjab Assembly spokesman confirmed.
While
the police arrested DG, the other two escaped, ARY News reported.
Following
this, the Police have taken control of the Punjab Assembly building and
deployed personnel at all entrances of the House.
Source:
The Print
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Arab
World
Houthi
top official says group not against extending truce in Yemen
22
May, 2022
The
head of Yemen's Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, on Sunday
said the group was not against extending a UN-brokered truce, despite
describing it as “not encouraging enough”.
The
two-month nationwide truce between the Arab coalition and the Iran-aligned
Houthi group, the first since 2016, went into effect on April 2 and has largely
held.
The
United Nations is now seeking an extension to pave the way for inclusive
political negotiations to end a seven-year war that has killed tens of thousands
and caused a humanitarian crisis.
“We
affirm that we are not against the extension of the truce, but what is not
possible is accepting any truce in which the suffering of our people
continues,” Mashat said in a speech carried by Al Masirah TV, the main
television news outlet run by the Houthi movement.
“I
call for a genuine and encouraging cooperation that leads to improving the
humanitarian and economic benefits of any upcoming truce,” he added.
The
Arab coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 against the Houthis after they
ousted the government from the capital Sanaa.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Four
killed in attempt to smuggle drugs from Syria: Jordan’s armed forces
22
May, 2022
Four
people were killed in an attempt to smuggle large amounts of drugs from Syria
to Jordan, the kingdom’s armed forces said on Sunday.
Some
smugglers were also wounded while others escaped by going back to Syria, it
said.
The
Jordanian armed forces did not specify who killed or wounded the people
involved.
Jordan
is both a destination and a main transit route to the oil-rich Gulf countries
for Syrian-made cheap amphetamine drug known as captagon, also dubbed as
poor-man cocaine.
War-torn
Syria has become the region’s main production site for a multi-billion dollar
trade also destined for Iraq and Europe. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s
government denies involvement in drug making and smuggling.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Russia:
Time to stop aid from Turkey to Syrian rebels
22
May, 2022
Russia’s
deputy UN ambassador says he sees no reason to continue humanitarian aid
deliveries from Turkey to rebel-held northwest Syria, accusing the West and the
United Nations of insufficient efforts to deliver aid from Damascus and failing
to finance “early recovery projects” to improve life for millions of Syrians.
Dmitry
Polyansky told the UN Security Council on Friday that “we are not okay” with
preserving the status quo at any cost, and cannot “turn a blind eye to the fact
that terrorists from HTS,” the strongest militant group in northwest Idlib,
“usurp the authority and manipulate humanitarian assistance.”
He
said supporters of cross-border aid deliveries “show no wish” to enable aid
deliveries across conflict lines from Damascus which could be easily arranged,
“which leaves us no reason to preserve the cross-border mechanism.”
Polyansky
said that fighters for al-Nusra, al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, “openly state that
they are not going to let through humanitarian cargo from Damascus to the
detriment” of cross-border aid deliveries.
In
early July 2020, China and Russia vetoed a UN resolution that would have
maintained two border crossing points from Turkey to deliver humanitarian aid
to Idlib.
Days
later, the council authorized the delivery of aid through just one of those
crossings, Bab al-Hawa. That one-year mandate was extended for a year on July
9, 2021 and expires in about six weeks.
UN
humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths told the council Friday that the UN is
doing its “utmost” to expand cross-line aid deliveries, and is working toward a
fifth convoy this year. But he stressed that “cross-line operations cannot
under current conditions replace the size or the scope of the massive UN
cross-border operation.”
“Failure
to renew the authorization will disrupt life-saving aid for the people living
in the northwest, including more than one million children,” he said.
Last
month, his deputy Joyce Msuya, told the council “a staggering 4.1 million
people” in the northwest need humanitarian aid, with almost a million people,
mainly women and children, living in tents, “half of which are beyond their
normal lifespan.”
She
said last year the UN sent some 800 trucks of cross-border aid to the northwest
each month, “consistently reaching 2.4 million people.”
US
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who said she will be making a return visit
to the Bab al-Hawa crossing in the coming weeks, stressed that it is in the
interest of everyone, including Russia and Syria, “to prevent a dire
humanitarian situation in Syria from growing worse and more desperate.”
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Six
killed in Iraq drone strikes blamed on Turkey
21
May, 2022
Drone
strikes targeting Kurdish rebels killed at least six people, including three
civilians, in northern Iraq on Saturday, local officials and the rebels said,
blaming Turkey for the attack.
Turkey
routinely carries out attacks in northern Iraq, where the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers’ Party (PKK) has bases and training camps.
Saturday’s
drone strikes targeted mountainous areas of Chamchamal district, west of the
city of Sulaimaniyah, the officials said.
There
was no immediate comment from the Turkish authorities.
“Two
Turkish drones struck twice,” said Heimin Bahjat, mayor of the village of
Agjalar. “The second strike hit a pick-up truck, killing five people, including
two civilians.”
A
medical source confirmed that the bodies of two civilians had been brought to
Chamchamal hospital.
A
PKK spokesman said: “Three... guerrillas were targeted by the Turkish armed
drones and heavily wounded. When the civilians ran to help them and take them
to hospital, they were also targeted by the drones. Two civilians lost their
lives, along with the three wounded guerrillas.”
Later
in the day, another suspected Turkish drone strike hit a vehicle in Makhmur
refugee camp, killing a resident, camp director Nechirvan Mahmoud told AFP.
The
camp, which houses Kurdish refugees who fled Turkey in the 1990s, has been a
repeated target of attacks by the Turkish military, who claim it has become a
recruiting ground for the PKK.
Repeated
Turkish operations targeting Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq have tested
relations between Baghdad and Ankara, key trade partners.
They
have also complicated ties with authorities in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish region
who have an uneasy relationship with the PKK.
In
December, three Turkish soldiers were killed in an attack in northern Iraq
which Ankara blamed on the PKK.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Syria
says 3 soldiers killed in Israeli missile attack
21.05.2022
Three
Syrian soldiers were killed in an Israeli missile attack south of the capital
Damascus, according to the state news agency SANA.
SANA,
citing a military source, said the Israeli army struck targets Friday night
using surface-to-surface missiles from the direction of the occupied Golan
Heights.
The
broadcaster said some missiles were intercepted by Syrian air defenses.
Material damage was reported in the attack.
There
was no comment from the Israeli military on the report.
Israel
launches airstrikes from time to time on positions of Syrian regime forces and
Iranian troops in Syria.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/syria-says-3-soldiers-killed-in-israeli-missile-attack/2593970
--------
UN
envoy praises ‘potential’ of Syria prisoner amnesty
May
22, 2022
DAMASCUS:
UN special envoy Geir Pedersen has welcomed a general amnesty aimed at freeing
thousands of Syrians convicted on terrorism charges.
President
Bashar Assad has decreed several amnesties during the country’s devastating
11-year war, but the latest in April was the most comprehensive related to
terrorism charges since the conflict began, rights activists said.
Pedersen,
speaking to reporters in Damascus after a meeting with the regime’s Foreign
Minister Faisal Mekdad, said he had been briefed “in quite some detail” on the
latest measure.
“I
am very much looking forward to being kept informed on the progress on the
implementation for that amnesty,” Pedersen said before talks on a new
constitution for Syria are to resume in Geneva.
“That
amnesty has potential, and we are looking forward to see how it develops,”
Pedersen said.
The
regime’s Justice Ministry has said hundreds of inmates had been released, and a
military official, Ahmad Touzan, told local media this week that the amnesty
would cover thousands, including those who are wanted but not detained.
Touzan
refused to disclose the number of inmates freed, saying “numbers are changing
by the hour.”
The
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, which relies on a large network
of sources inside Syria, says around 1,142 inmates have so far been released
across the country under the amnesty, with hundreds more expected.
In
the next few days Syria’s warring parties are to hold the latest round of
constitutional talks in Switzerland, under a process that began in 2019.
It
is hoped the talks can pave the way toward a broader political process.
Pedersen
said he is “hopeful that this will be a positive meeting that can help bring us
forward so that we can start to see... some confidence building measures,”
Pedersen said.
Syria’s
civil war erupted in 2011 after the violent repression of protests demanding
regime change.
Source:
Arab News
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2087361/middle-east
--------
Mideast
Palestinians
slam US removal of radical Jewish group from terror blacklist
Nour
Abu Eisha
22.05.2022
GAZA
CITY, Palestine
Palestinians
have condemned a US decision to remove radical Jewish group Kach from the list
of terror organizations.
On
Friday, the US Department of State removed five extremist groups from its list
of foreign terrorist organizations, including Kach movement.
In
a statement, the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) termed the US
decision as a “reward for the operatives of this terrorist organization.”
“The
actions of the US administration contradict with its words and don’t fit with
its commitments to peace and stability,” the statement said.
The
PA went on to call on the US administration to reverse the move and take a
"historic decision to remove the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization)
from its list of terrorist organizations."
Hamas
group, which rules the Gaza Strip, said the Kach group was responsible for
dozens of terrorist attacks against Palestinians.
The
US decision “reflects its double-standard policy and the US inadequacy to be a
fair mediator in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict,” Hamas leader Basem Naim
said in a statement.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Hamas
chief warns Israel against Jerusalem flag march
Nour
Abu Eisha
22.05.2022
GAZA
CITY, Palestine
Hamas
political chief Ismail Haniyeh on Sunday warned Israel against allowing a flag
march by settlers in occupied East Jerusalem.
On
Wednesday, Israeli Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and Police Commissioner
Kobi Shabtai approved the march to pass through Jerusalem’s Old City.
"We
follow the threats of storming Al-Aqsa complex and we warn the enemy against
taking such moves,” Haniyeh said in a televised speech marking the first
anniversary of an 11-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip.
Haniyeh
said Hamas “will not allow any desecration of the Al-Aqsa Mosque or settler
arrogance in Jerusalem.”
The
Hamas leader called on the Palestinians “to protect Al-Aqsa Mosque and prevent
settlers from moving ahead with their plans” against the mosque.
Al-Aqsa
Mosque is the world's third-holiest site for Muslims. Jews call the area the
"Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in
ancient times.
Israeli
settlers plan the flag march to mark what they call the day of unifying
Jerusalem, in reference to Israel’s occupation of the city in 1967.
Last
year, settlers staged their march through the Damascus Gate, known as Bab
al-Amud area and one of Jerusalem's Old City gates amid anti-Arab chants.
In
May 2021, Israeli violations inside Al-Aqsa Mosque and in Sheikh Jarrah
neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem triggered the break-out of an Israeli
military offensive on Gaza.
Source:
Anadolu Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/hamas-chief-warns-israel-against-jerusalem-flag-march/2594628
--------
Over
120 extremist Jewish settlers defile Aqsa Mosque
May
23, 2022
Dozens
of Jewish settlers desecrated the Aqsa Mosque in Occupied al-Quds (Jerusalem)
under tight police protection on Sunday.
At
least 129 settlers, including government employees, entered the Mosque in
different groups through its Maghariba Gate and toured its courtyards under
police guard, according to al-Qastal news website.
During
their tours at the Islamic holy site, the settlers received lectures from
rabbis about the alleged temple mount and a number of them provocatively
performed Talmudic prayers.
Meanwhile,
the Israeli occupation police imposed movement restrictions on Muslim
worshipers at the Aqsa Mosque’s entrances and gates.
Source:
ABNA24
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://en.abna24.com/news//over-120-extremist-jewish-settlers-defile-aqsa-mosque_1259943.html
--------
Iranian
Foreign Ministry Condemns Assassination of IRGC Member by Terrorists
2022-May-23
“The
sworn enemies of the sacred establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran once
again revealed their evil nature through the assassination and martyrdom of an
IRGC member,” Khatibzadeh said in a statement on Sunday.
“This
inhuman crime is committed by the terrorist agents that are affiliated with the
global arrogance while those countries that claim to be fighting terrorism are
regrettably silent and support it,” he added.
Khatibzadeh
said that the Islamic Republic of Iran has been a victim of terrorist attacks
during more than four past decades.
He
said terrorists think that they can impede the forward march of the “great
nation of Iran toward achievement of its sublime ideals ... but the blood of
these martyrs guarantees the survival and progress of this nation and country”.
An
IRGC member was assassinated on Sunday afternoon when he was dismounting his
car to enter his home in Eastern Tehran.
Colonel
Hassan Sayyad Khodayee was martyred after two motorcyclists shot him five times
before fleeing the scene.
IRIB
news agency reported that three bullets hit him in the head and two bullets hit
his hand.
The
IRGC issued a statement soon after the assassination, saying that its former
member was assassinated in a terrorist attack by counterrevolutionary elements.
The
statement condoled with his family, adding that necessary measures have been
taken to identify and arrest the assailant or assailants.
Following
the assassination, Head of Tehran Court of Justice Ali Alqasi ordered Tehran
prosecutor to speed up efforts to identify and arrest those behind this
criminal act.
He
also stressed the need to expedite judicial measures aimed at the
identification of the perpetrators of this assassination.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
IRGC
Spokesman: Iran Not to Tolerate Israeli Bases in Region
2022-May-22
The
Zionists have officially announced everywhere that they are against Islamic
Republic’s interests, General Sharif said.
They’ve
said that they seriously follow assassination of “our figures” and
identification of “our bases”, he stated, adding that in order to preserve its
security and national interests, Iran does not stand their bases near "our
land".
If
assured of any evil act by the Zionists anywhere, the Islamic Republic of Iran
will repeat its previous crushing responses, General Sharif warned.
“We’ll
never budge an inch on people’s rights,” he underlined.
In
relevant remarks in March, IRGC Commander Major General Hossein Salami warned
the Persian Gulf Arab states against the threat that Israeli presence poses to
the security of the region.
"Unfortunately,
some regimes to the south of the Persian Gulf have established political and
security relations with the Zionist regime, which poses a serious threat to the
security of the region and especially those regimes," General Salami said
while referring to the security situation in the Persian Gulf region, the
Strait of Hormuz and the Sea of Oman.
"We
explicitly declare and warn that the continuation of such relations are not
acceptable at all, and they should know that the existence of the evil Zionist
regime everywhere is a cause of insecurity," he added.
Also
in March, General Salami had warned Israel that repetition of its mischiefs
against Iran will be retaliated crushingly.
Iran
will retaliate because Iranians will not accept terrorism against their forces;
so, retaliation is a real and serious message, General Salami said, addressing
a ceremony in the Southwestern city of Dezfoul in Khuzestan province.
Source:
Fars News Agency
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
https://www.farsnews.ir/en/news/14010301000439/IRGC-Spkesman-Iran-N-Tlerae-Israeli-Bases-in-Regin
--------
Israeli
govt and court at odds over Jewish prayer at flashpoint shrine
22
May ,2022
Israel
reaffirmed on Sunday a long-standing arrangement with Muslim authorities that
prevents Jewish prayer at a contested Jerusalem holy site, pushing back against
a lower Israeli court that questioned the legality of police action against
violators.
Al
Aqsa mosque compound, which Jews revere as a vestige of their two ancient
temples, is a flashpoint of Israeli-Palestinian tensions. Under the decades-old
“status quo”, Israel allows Jews to visit only if they refrain from religious
rites.
Three
Jewish minors, ordered to stay away for 15 days by police after they prostrated
themselves and intoned a biblical prayer during a compound tour, contested the
ban at Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. It ruled in their favour on Sunday.
For
the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
Police
argued that the appellants had disrupted officers' duties and threatened public
order. But Judge Zion Saharai, while noting he did not intend to interfere in
law enforcement policy, said they had not “raise(d) worry of harm befalling
national security, public safety or individual security”.
Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas issued a statement calling the ruling “a grave assault
against the historic status quo ... and a flagrant challenge to international
law”.
Jordan,
a US-backed Israeli security partner that serves as custodian of Al Aqsa, has
also voiced concern about the Jewish visits to the compound.
Israeli
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office said the ruling would be appealed at
the higher Jerusalem District Court.
“There
is no change, nor is any change planned, on the status quo of the Temple
Mount,” it said in a statement, using the Jewish term for the site Muslims call
the Noble Sanctuary.
“The
magistrate's court decision is focused exclusively on the matter of the conduct
of the minors brought before it, and does not include a broader determination
regarding the freedom of worship on the Temple Mount.”
With
the Jewish visits increasing in number, including over the Muslim fasting month
of Ramadan that coincided this year with the Jewish Passover festival,
Palestinians have cried foul.
The
ruling came a week before nationalist Jews are due to hold an annual flag march
through Jerusalem's Old City, marking its capture by Israel in a 1967 Middle
East war. The event is resented by Palestinians, who want the Old City and
other parts of East Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for future state.
Hamas,
a Palestinian group that fought a Gaza war with Israel last year that was
partly stoked by Jerusalem tensions, described the flag march's planned route
through a Muslim quarter of the Old City as “adding fuel to the fire”.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Israeli
court sentences six Palestinian jailbreakers to five years
22
May, 2022
An
Israeli court on Sunday sentenced six Palestinian inmates to five years in
prison for tunneling out of their cell last year and escaping from a
high-security facility in the biggest prison break of its kind in decades.
The
jailbreak sparked a massive manhunt in the country’s north and the occupied
West Bank in search for the men, who were members of Palestinian militant
groups. They were recaptured days later.
The
bold escape dominated newscasts, sparked heavy criticism of Israel’s prison service
and prompted the government to launch an inquiry. According to various reports,
the men dug a tunnel through the floor of their shared cell undetected over
several months and managed to slip past a sleeping prison guard after emerging
through a hole outside the facility.
The
judge ruled that the sentence took into account the fact that the prison break
paralyzed the nation for days, the costs it took to recapture the inmates and
the harm to public security caused by having prisoners under life sentence and
convicted of serious crimes escape.
The
five-year sentence will be added to the prison terms the prisoners were already
serving. Five other inmates charged with assisting the men were sentenced to an
additional four years.
Israel
considers all six of the escapees to be terrorists. Five of them are from the
Islamic Jihad militant group, with four of them serving life sentences. The
sixth, Zakaria Zubeidi, is a member of the secular Fatah group of Palestinian
President Mahmoud Abbas.
Zubeidi
was a militant leader during the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s
and well known in Israel both for his militant activity and his love for giving
media interviews.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
Thousands
protest Turkish opposition politician’s conviction for insulting Erdogan
21
May, 2022
Thousands
gathered for a rally in Istanbul on Saturday to protest the conviction of
leading Turkish opposition politician Canan Kaftancioglu for insulting the
president and the state.
Demonstrators
in the central district of Maltepe chanted songs and waved the opposition and
national flags.
Kaftancioglu,
who was sentenced to just under five years in jail, heads Republican People’s Party’s
(CHP) Istanbul branch and is one of the strongest voices in it.
In
2019, she played a significant role in municipal elections in the city that saw
the CHP take over the mayoralty, which had been held by President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan’s AK Party and its Islamist predecessors for the last 25 years.
Turkey’s
judicial independence has been in the spotlight in recent years, notably since
a crackdown on the judiciary and other state bodies after an abortive 2016 coup
and a switch to an executive presidency last year.
The
country’s top court upheld three convictions in a ruling made public earlier
this month, but reduced the prison term to four years, 11 months and 20 days.
Source:
Al Arabiya
Please click the following URL to read the full text
of the original story:
--------
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/madrasas-quran-muslim-children-hindu/d/127073