Grants For Madrasas Giving Religious Education To Students Of Other Faiths , And Force Them To Attend Worship Practices Contrary To Their Religious Teachings, Will Be Stopped: MP CM
New
Age Islam News Bureau
21
Aug 2024
PTI
------
India
·
Infiltration attempts by Bangladeshis on the
rise, six arrested in Assam and Meghalaya
·
CRPF inspector killed in encounter with militants
in Udhampur, search ops on
·
Telangana Muslim Leaders Oppose Centre’s Waqf Bill
·
West Bengal Govt Seeks SC Stay On HC Verdict
Striking Down OBC Status Of Several Castes
·
1992 Ajmer Rapes: POCSO Court Sentences 6 To
Life Imprisonment
·
Jammu And Kashmir: Valley Kingsmen Ditch BJP Allies
Ahead Of Assembly Polls
-------
Pakistan
·
Imran seeks UK PM’s help to raise awareness
about ‘threats’ to Pak democracy
·
Pakistan conducts training launch of Shaheen-II
missile
·
Lahore High Court Asks FBR Chief To Decide Applications
Of ‘Whistleblower’
·
Six more Adiala jail employees ‘arrested for
aiding’ Imran
·
Bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to
Iraq crashes in Iran, killing at least 28 people
·
Stranded climbers rescued after three days on
Gasherbrum
·
Suspected mpox patient in Islamabad tests
negative
·
Lahore police file case as YDA, hospital staff
protest against 5-year-old girl’s alleged rape
--------
South
Asia
·
Hasina Sued In Yet Another Murder Case, Former
CJ Khairul Accused As Well
·
Uzbekistan to Build a Landmark Islamic School
in Balkh Province
·
Shakil Ahmed, Farzana Rupa detained at Dhaka
airport
·
Islamic Emirate Bolsters Infectious Disease
Response at Border Regions
--------
Mideast
·
Islamic Jihad: Mustafa Hafez School Massacre
Evidence That Biden Gave Green Light
·
Islamic states must follow Scot's approach in
face of Israel
·
Lebanon says five killed in fresh Israel
strikes
·
Crossing between a government and
opposition-held area in Syria closes after violence
·
New weather alert after 14 killed by lightning
strikes as storms lash Yemen
·
Blinken wraps up Mideast tour with Gaza truce
plea
·
Amir issues decree appointing Undersecretary of
Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs
·
Hezbollah pounds Israeli military centres in
Golan, Galilee
--------
North
America
·
Protesters in Chicago Confront Police Outside
Israeli Consulate On 2nd Night Of Democratic Convention
·
Muslim community ‘shaken’ after elder is shot
outside north Minneapolis mosque
·
Is Tehran Setting a Dare for America as the
Islamic Republic Threatens Israel?
·
Bay Area Cities to Honora American Muslim
Appreciation and Awareness Month
--------
Arab
World
·
Saudi Arabia’s Literary Renaissance Captivates
Local And International Audiences
·
New Umrah program to boost pilgrim experience
·
Saudi Cultural Development Fund partners with
top banks to drive sector growth and sustainability
·
MWL chief meets Kenyan president in Nairobi
·
Saudi Civil Defence extinguishes fire in
Jeddah’s Ash Shati district
-----
Europe
·
UK Bolsters Fight Against Migrant Crossings: Asylum
Seekers Arriving Illegally On Small Boats From France
·
Ex-UK Home Secretary Braverman’s Israel Trip
Funded By Anti-Muslim Zionist Activist
·
Thug hurled missile at police in violent scenes
outside mosque
·
E. Equatoria: Muslims pledge to spread beyond
urban areas
---------
Africa
·
Zamfara Govt Speaks On Appointing Terrorist,
Bashir Hadejia As Adviser
·
Pastor Kumuyi Gives Reason For Allowing Muslim
Cleric To Use His Pulpit
·
Kumuyi urges love between Christians, Muslim
faithful
--------
Southeast Asia
·
PM Anwar Holds Talks With Indian Business
Giants TCS, EmamiAgrotech And HCL Tech
·
Helping injured Palestinians: Malaysia is just
a small country of people with big hearts
·
Anwar meets Malaysian diaspora in New Delhi
·
‘Foreign Suspect In Triple Murder Sought My
Help To Exorcise Son Believed To Be Possessed Before His Arrest At Mosque’,
Reveals Imam
Compiled
by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
Grants
For Madrasas Giving Religious Education To Students Of Other Faiths , And Force
Them To Attend Worship Practices Contrary To Their Religious Teachings, Will Be
Stopped: MP CM
PTI
20.08.24
PTI
---------
Government
grants for madrasas which impart religious education to students of other
faiths and force them to attend worship practices contrary to their religious
teachings will be stopped and legal action taken, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister
Mohan Yadav said on Tuesday.
Yadav
issued this warning during a meeting of cabinet ministers.
The
School Education Department has issued instructions enforcing a ban on
religious teaching to students of faiths other than those prescribed by their
respective religions, in compliance with Article 28(3) of the Constitution, as
per an official release quoting Yadav.
The
chief minister said that government grants to madrasas (Islamic seminaries)
that force students to study or participate in religious practices contrary to
their own beliefs will be halted. Additionally, such institutions may face
legal actions, including potentially cancelling their recognition.
An order
to this effect was released by the School Education Department last Friday.
Yadav
also directed cabinet ministers to spend at least one night per month in their
designated districts to strengthen local governance.
To
bolster anti-corruption efforts, the Chief Minister announced plans to expand
the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) and the Lokayukta in the state, the chief
minister said.
Yadav
said a committee will be formed for the Maa Narmada Mission for holistic
development of the Narmada river. The mission will involve urban bodies and
Panchayat Raj institutions working together to ensure the continuity of the
Narmada’s flow from its source to the Gujarat border.
The
state government recently directed officials to verify the credentials of
students enrolled in madrasas that receive government grants and ensure that
they are not given religious education without the consent of parents or
guardians, an official said on Saturday.
The
state government on Friday issued an order on the recommendation of the
National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) that cited that some
madrasas had fabricated names of students.
The
order stated that it was brought to the notice of the NCPCR, New Delhi and
newspapers that the names of many non-Muslim children were fraudulently
registered at madrasas to obtain government grants.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/government-grants-for-madrasas-giving-religious-education-to-students-of-other-faiths-will-be-stopped-madhya-pradesh-chief-minister-mohan-yadav/cid/2042353
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Pakistani
Citizen , Farhan Asif, Accused Of Triggering UK Riots Is A Lone Wolf
Umar
Cheema
August
21, 2024
Protesters
throw a garbage bin on fire outside a hotel in Rotherham, Britain, August 4,
2024. — Reuters
-----------
ISLAMABAD:
A Pakistani citizen, Farhan Asif, whose fake news triggered riots in the United
Kingdom has turned out to be a lone wolf, investigation has revealed.
Not only
did he feed lie to the British people, he was also successful in misleading the
BBC into believing that there was a team of people drawn from different
countries to work for the website, Channel3Now, and that the fake news was run
by another team member, not him.
The
Lahore Police took him into custody a couple of days ago after locating him
through the face trace technology by using his picture, which appeared on ITV.
Since the offence committed by him fell under the jurisdiction of the Federal
Investigation Authority, he was subsequently handed over to the agency which
registered an FIR against him and started interrogation.
Farhat
shot to notoriety after July 29 when three girls were stabbed dead in
Southport, a seaside town, in the UK. That day, he posted an article with a
headline: “17-year-old Ali Al Shakati arrested in connection with a stabbing
incident in Southport, England.” This contained a false claim about the arrest
of a Muslim asylum seeker in the stabbing incident. This was widely shared in
social media which resulted in violent riots spearheaded by the far right.
Investigation
has revealed that Farhan is a 31-year-old graduate in computer sciences. He is
a web developer and runs the Channel3Now website. He doesn’t have any
background in journalism. For him, aggregating sensational news from the
Western countries was not more than a source of earning as click hits from the
rich countries fetch more dollars than the viewership in the developing world.
He has
never been to the UK. Only once he went abroad and that was to Saudi Arabia for
Umrah purpose. He lives in a rented portion in the Defense Housing Authority.
His brother is a police constable. Sensational news platforms fetch him between
Rs300,000 to Rs400,000 per month, he told investigators who have yet to see his
bank statements. He would make money through rumble.com, twitter, Facebook and
Instagram. His Youtube channel and Facebook account have been suspended.
Farhan
uses several identities to disguise himself including the one he used to
communicate with the BBC which spoke to one Kevin, a purported member of this
so-called channel based in Huston (USA). He had told the BBC through an
official email address that the controversial story was run by a team member
from the UK and the website had already apologized. Kevin said the news had nothing
to do with Farhan.
During
the investigation, Farhan said that he purchased Facebook ID “Kevin” from
Google and used it for the news sharing. He also admitted having used that to
communicate with the BBC for diverting attention from himself. He further told
the investigators that he picked the news from another website
kossyderrikent.com and was also shared on a twitter account @bernie run by a
UK-based woman who has also been arrested. Farhan was the third one to share
the news through his website and social media accounts.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1222149-pakistani-accused-of-triggering-uk-riots-is-a-lone-wolf
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IEA
leader instructs governors to enforce Sharia law, reinvigorate divine
ordinances
August
20, 2024
By
Ariana News
The
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) supreme leader, MawlaviHibatullah
Akhundzada, met with the governors of all provinces in Kandahar and advised
them about good governance, paying attention to their responsibilities and
preserving the Islamic system, said IEA’s spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid in a
statement.
At the
meeting, Akhundzada urged the governors to uphold sound Islamic governance,
fulfill their responsibilities diligently, and safeguard the Islamic framework
established through Jihad. He delivered an extensive address regarding the
primary objective of the sacrifices made by the Mujahideen, emphasizing the
enforcement of the Holy Sharia, according to the statement.
Akhundzada
added: “The governors are the initial victors in the realm of Jihad, you stood
at the forefront of the conflict. Dozens and hundreds of Mujahideen have sacrificed
their lives under your guidance. It is imperative to realize their aspirations.
Strengthen the Islamic framework,
enforce
Sharia law, and reinvigorate divine ordinances. Prevent any unlawful activities
within the provinces. Focus on the spiritual and intellectual advancement of
the populace while nurturing connections with scholars. Entrust scholars, seek
their guidance, and collaborate in religious implementation. Prioritize the
education of the youth and cultivate a generation instilled with the essence of
Islam”
Source: ariananews.af
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.ariananews.af/iea-leader-instructs-governors-to-enforce-sharia-law-reinvigorate-divine-ordinances/
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Palestinian
Resistance sends message to Islamic Resistance in Lebanon calling for the
eradication of Israel
2024-08-20
Hezbollah's
military media released a message on Tuesday from the "Palestinian
Resistance" addressed to the "Islamic Resistance" in Lebanon.
In the
message, the Palestinian Resistance considered that "Israel is gripped by
fear and costly anticipation," criticizing it for misjudging its
calculations.
They
expressed confidence in Hezbollah's ability to fulfill its mission,
highlighting unity across the Resistance Axis, from Iran to Syria and Iraq,
arriving to Yemen, and called for a renewed effort to "open the Bab
Khaybar" and work towards the eradication of Israel.
Source: lbcgroup.tv
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.lbcgroup.tv/news/lebanon-news/791073/palestinian-resistance-sends-message-to-islamic-resistance-in-lebanon/en
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17-year-old
accused of plotting terror attack in Las Vegas to support Islamic State
August
21st 2024
FILE: A
courtroom in the Regional Justice Center in Las Vegas is pictured. (File: KSNV)
---------
LAS
VEGAS (KSNV) — A 17-year-old is accused of planning a terror attack in Las
Vegas in support of the Islamic State, according to a grand jury indictment.
Joshua
Robles is charged with eight counts, including attempt to commit or cause an
act of terrorism, per Clark County District Court records.
A grand
jury returned an indictment on Aug. 16 alleging Robles intended to provide
material support to the Islamic State, also referred to as ISIS.
Robles
allegedly collected materials last year to build an improvised explosive
device, or IED, the indictment states.
He also
posted to an online chatroom saying he would "be starting lone wolf
operations in Las Vegas" and was "a supporter of the Islamic State,
and I will make sure the zionists in this city know it," the indictment
alleges.
Prosecutors
accused Robles of targeting one or more areas within Clark County and said he
had a floorplan of Chaparral High School and guidebooks and manuals for attacks
or building IEDs.
An
arraignment hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 21. A booking photo was not
immediately available.
Source: news3lv.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://news3lv.com/news/local/17-year-old-accused-of-plotting-terror-attack-in-las-vegas-to-support-islamic-state
--------
India
Infiltration
attempts by Bangladeshis on the rise, six arrested in Assam and Meghalaya
UmanandJaiswal
21.08.24
Six
Bangladesh nationals — three each in Assam and Meghalaya — were apprehended on
Monday for having illegally entered India.
Infiltration
attempts by Bangladeshis through the Northeast have increased since the
resignation of the Sheikh Hasina-led government in the neighbouring country on
August 5 following the turmoil triggered by the anti- job quota agitation led
Assam
police apprehended the trio who had entered India from Tripura and were
identified as Md Abu Shaid, Asadul Islam and Md Sarwar hailing from Rajshahi
district of Bangladesh, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma tweeted.
“One of
them was found with an Aadhaar card, having entered India for the second time,
all three intended to travel to Chennai for labour work. They have since been
pushed back to Bangladesh,” Sarma further said.
On
Sunday, the police had pushed back Lipi Akhtar from Dhaka. She had entered
Assam’s South Salmara district “on foot” after multiple bus and boat rides
spanning over 24 hours.
“After
taking shelter at a house in Sukchar, she proceeded to Dhubri by boat where she
was intercepted. A manhunt is underway to trace other accomplices/
infiltrators,” Sarma had tweeted on Sunday.
Four
Assam districts — South Salmara-Mankachar, Dhubri, Cachar and Karimganj —
border Bangladesh.
On
Monday night, the BSF also thwarted an infiltration attempt by nabbing three
Bangladesh nationals in West Jaintia Hills district of Meghalaya along with
three Indian facilitators.
The
apprehended persons have been handed over to the concerned police station for
further legal action, the BSF said in a statement on Tuesday.
“Amidst
the ongoing unrest and deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh, BSF
Meghalaya has heightened surveillance and intensified border domination along
the Indo-Bangladesh border to prevent illegal crossings and ensure national
security,” the BSF statement said.
Similarly,
14 Bangladesh nationals along with five Indian facilitators were arrested from
three locations in Tripura between Saturday and Sunday. The arrested from West
Tripura district on Sunday night included seven transgenders.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/infiltration-attempts-by-bangladeshis-on-the-rise-six-arrested-in-assam-and-meghalaya/cid/2042419
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CRPF
inspector killed in encounter with militants in Udhampur, search ops on
Arun Sharma
August 20, 2024
jammu
terror attack udhampurThe CRPF along with the Special Operations Group (SOG) of
the local police was fired upon by militants around 3:30 pm in the remote Dudu
area of Basantgarh, according to officials. (Representative/ Express file photo
by Shuaib Masoodi)
A CRPF
inspector was killed on Monday in a gunfight after militants opened fire on a
joint security team in Dudu area of Udhampur district, the second such attack
in Jammu region in the past five days.
Sources
said the joint team of CRPF and J&K Police personnel was on its way to an
under-construction police post in Chill village in Dudu subdivision near Kathua
district’s LohaiMalhar area, where an Army convoy was attacked on July 8,
killing four soldiers and a policeman.
The
joint party was on a routine visit to the post when, at around 2.45 pm,
militants hiding in the forests opened fire on it, a police officer said. In
the exchange of fire that followed, the CRPF inspector was killed.
Sources
identified the CRPF inspector as Deepak Kumar of 187 Battalion.
Further
details are awaited as the area where the gunfight took place is nearly three
hours walking distance from the nearest motorable road, a police officer told
The Indian Express, adding that reinforcements have been rushed to the site and
a search operation has been launched.
The
attack comes three days after the Election Commission announced the
much-awaited Assembly elections in J&K in three phases beginning September
18. It is the second such attack on security personnel in Jammu region since
August 14 when an Army Captain was killed and a civilian injured in a gunfight
in Doda district’s Akar forests adjoining the Patnitop hill station.
The
decision to set up the new police post in the area was taken in view of the
spurt in militant activities in areas of Kathua, Udhampur and Doda around
Kailash Mountain which acts as a central point to the tri-junction of these
three districts. It is aimed at thwarting the entry of militants into Dudu and
Basantgarh subdivisions from Kathua district’s Machedi area through dense
forests.
The
attack in Dudu sub division has raised security concerns about the forthcoming
Kailash Yatra from August 27 to September 1. Between 50,000-70,000 pilgrims
undertake the yatra to Kailash Kund, said Thakur Hansraj, president of the
management committee of Vasuki Nag Kailash Kund Yatra Temple, Dudu. He demanded
adequate security arrangements for the pilgrims during the yatra period.
After
over a decade, militants made their presence felt in Dudu-Basantgarh area’s
Chochru Gala heights on April 28 this year when they attacked a joint team of
J&K Police and Village Defence Guards (VDGs). One VDG was killed in the
attack.
Since
then, the security forces launched massive seek and destroy operations to kill
the militants who, senior police officers believe, have infiltrated from across
the Pakistan border.
Source: indianexpress.com/
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/jammu-kashmir-udhampur-militant-attack-crpf-inspector-death-9522250/
---------
Telangana
Muslim leaders oppose Centre’s Waqf bill
Aug 21,
2024
Hyderabad:
Rejecting the proposed amendments to the Waqf Act 1995, over 50 prominent
Muslim leaders have decided to hold deliberations on the new amendments.
Representatives
of religious and social organisations, legal experts, clerics, journalists, and
other distinguished individuals united in opposing the proposed Waqf
(Amendment) Bill, 2024, which was introduced in Lok Sabha on Aug 8, at a
meeting convened by Telangana govt advisor Mohammed Ali Shabbir at secretariat
on Monday.
During
the meeting, they discussed contentious clauses in the bill and their impact on
the institution of Waqf. The participants expressed the opinion that the
proposal was not just an amendment but an attempt to completely replace the
existing law.
They
described it as a conspiracy to end Waqf institutions across the country by interfering
with the control, administration and management of Waqf properties.
Telangana
Waqf Board chairman Syed Azmatullah Hussaini told the gathering that a special
meeting of the Waqf Board would be convened on Aug 29, during which a detailed
resolution would be passed against the Waqf amendment. He also appealed to all
individuals and organisations to send as many representations as possible to
the JPC to ensure their voices are heard, as many fake organisations and
individuals might submit representations supporting the bill.
They
also alleged that the proposed law was aimed at ending all the pending cases
over the title of disputed properties between Waqf boards and the state or
central govts.
The
leaders suggested that the proposed bill should be opposed at both the
political and legal levels and called for a movement similar to the anti-CAA
protests to oppose the bill. It was decided during the meeting that the support
of the Christian community should be sought in the fight against the Waqf
amendment bill as the Christian community owns more properties than the Waqf
and they could be the next target of the BJP-led govt.
Shabbir
Ali assured the meeting that he would convey the views and feelings of all
participants to chief minister A Revanth Reddy and convince him to make an
official representation to the JPC on behalf of the state govt.
We also
published the following articles recently
BJP
veteran Jagdambika Pal to head 31-MP JPC on Waqf BillSenior BJP leader
Jagdambika Pal was appointed chairperson of the 31-member joint committee
tasked with examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. This decision followed
opposition protests in Lok Sabha. The committee, including members from both
Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, is expected to submit its report by the next parliamentary
session.112505944
'Why
didn't they talk to us? Without consulting they presented it': Shia cleric on
Waqf (Amendment) BillShia cleric Maulana Syed Kalbe Jawad urged for a detailed
discussion on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, criticizing the government for
not consulting religious leaders. The bill was introduced in the budget session
and sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee for review. It aims to define waqf,
establish a separate board for specific communities, and reform various waqf
management procedures.112611017
Mumbai:
Minara Masjid caught in legal tussle over Waqf board claimsThe iconic Minara
Masjid in Mumbai has been embroiled in a legal tussle with the Maharashtra
State Board of Waqf, challenging its control over the property. The Masjid
Trust has opposed the Board's orders to vacate tenants and has approached the
High Court, citing previous permissions and regulations. Disputes continue over
the property's status and redevelopment plans.112596132
Source: indiatimes.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/telangana-muslim-leaders-oppose-centres-waqf-bill/articleshow/112665103.cms
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West
Bengal govt seeks SC stay on HC verdict striking down OBC status of several
castes
PTI
August 20, 2024
The West
Bengal government on Tuesday sought an urgent hearing by the Supreme Court of
its appeal against the Calcutta High Court verdict striking down the OBC status
of several castes, mostly Muslim groups, in the state for granting them
reservation in public sector jobs and admissions in state-run educational
institutions.
The top
court said it will hear the pleas on the issue on August 27.
Senior
advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the state government, told a bench
comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj
Misra that the high court verdict needed to be stayed as it was affecting the
admission of candidates who have cleared the NEET-UG, 2024.
“We need
a stay of the high court’s verdict… the issue of scholarships is pending and
the NEET admissions will be effected,” Sibal said, adding that the plea be
heard during the day.
A
counsel, representing the state’s Other Backward Classes (OBC) panel, said
students are lining up for authentication of their OBC status for securing
admissions to medical colleges and other institutions.
The top
court had on August 5 asked the state government to provide quantifiable data
on social and economic backwardness of fresh castes it has included in the OBC
list and on their inadequate representation in public sector jobs.
While
issuing notices to the private litigants on the plea of the state government
against the high court verdict, it had asked West Bengal to file an affidavit
giving details of the consultations, if any, made by it and the state’s
backward classes panel before including 37 castes, mostly Muslim groups, in the
OBC list.
The high
court had on May 22 struck down the OBC status of several castes in West Bengal
granted since 2010, holding as illegal the reservation for them in public
sector jobs and state-run educational institutions. While striking down the OBC
status of these castes, the high court had said, “Religion indeed appears to
have been the sole criterion” for declaring these communities as OBCs.
The high
court had said that it is of the view that the selection of 77 classes of
Muslims as backwards is an “affront to the Muslim community as a whole.”
Maintaining that this court’s mind is not free from doubt that “the said
community (Muslims) has been treated as a commodity for political ends,” the
bench had said, “This is clear from the chain of events that led to the
classification of the 77 classes as OBCs and their inclusion to be treated as a
vote bank.” Passing the judgment on petitions challenging the provisions of the
state’s reservation Act of 2012 and reservations granted in 2010, the high
court had clarified that the services of citizens of the struck-down classes,
who are already in service or have availed the benefit of reservation or have
succeeded in any selection process of the state, will not be affected by the
order.
The high
court also struck down 37 classes chosen for grant of reservation as OBC under
The West Bengal Backward Classes (Other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled
Tribes) (Reservation of Vacancies in Services and Posts) Act, 2012.
While
the court had scrapped the 77 classes over “illegality” of reports recommending
such classification, other 37 classes were removed from the OBC list for
non-consultation by the West Bengal Backward Classes Commission.
The
bench had also struck down an executive order of May 11, 2012 creating several
sub-classes.
The high
court ruled that the directions will take effect prospectively.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/west-bengal-govt-sc-hc-verdict-obc-status-several-castes-9523585/
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1992
Ajmer Rapes: POCSO Court Sentences 6 To Life Imprisonment
PTI
August
20, 2024
A POCSO
court has sentenced six accused in the sensational Ajmer sex scandal of the
early 1990s to life imprisonment.
Protection
of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court judge Ranjan Singh also slapped
fines of Rs 5 lakh on each of the accused.
Nafees
Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani and Sayed
Zameer Hussain were convicted of being involved in the crime, prosecution
counsel Virendra Singh said. Bhati was brought to Ajmer from Delhi in an
ambulance. The Ajmer sex scandal came to light in 1992.
More
than 100 girls were victimised by a gang, whose members befriended them and
shot their photographs in compromising situations, and later raped them.
While 18
people were accused in the case, a separate trial was conducted for these six
accused. The other accused have either completed their term or been acquitted
by the courts.
The
girls, aged between 11 and 20 years, studied in a famous private school in
Ajmer. They were called to a farmhouse, where they were raped.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/1992-ajmer-rapes-pocso-court-life-imprisonment-9523783/
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Jammu
and Kashmir: Valley kingsmen ditch BJP allies ahead of Assembly polls
Muzaffar
Raina
21.08.24
Kashmir’s
kingsmen are up for grabs in the run-up to the Assembly polls, with several
leaders deserting the Delhi-backed parties to join the mainstream parties in
the Valley.
The
BJP-led government at the Centre is believed to have played a key role in the
formation of Altaf Bukhari’s Apni Party and Ghulam Nabi Azad’s Democratic
Progressive Azad Party (DPAP). It had also propped up SajadLone’s Peoples
Conference to challenge the old guard such as the National Conference, Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress.
The Apni
Party, Peoples Conference and the DPAP are also called the “king’s parties” for
their proximity with the Centre. They were supportive of the BJP’s policies to
varying degrees after the 2019 scrapping of special status, which earned them
the tag of the saffron party’s B, C and D teams. They have, however, lost
lustre following their humiliating defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.
Several
leaders from these three parties are now on their way out.
Apni
Party’s Usman Majid, Noor Mohammad and Choudhary Zulfikar, Peoples Conference’s
Nizam-ud-din Bhat and Khurshid Alam and the DPAP’s Taj Mohiuddin have deserted
their parties in recent weeks.
Mohiuddin
has returned to the Congress and Alam to the PDP while Zulfikar has joined the
BJP. Others are weighing options.
On
Tuesday, Apni Party’s ZaffarManhas, who was the candidate for the Anantnag Lok
Sabha seat, quit the party. He is likely to join the Congress.
“I have
resigned from the Apni Party and this is what my workers wanted me to do,”
Manhas told reporters. “I have not joined any party yet.” Former minister Abdul
Haq Khan on Tuesday returned to the PDP, two years after he had reportedly
resigned from
the
party.
PDP
chief Mehbooba Mufti, however, said Khan had not resigned but become inactive.
Khan’s
return was preceded by high drama. He suffered a mild heart attack early in the
day and was admitted to a hospital in Srinagar. Later, he was shifted to his
home where Mehbooba visited him. They spoke for some time and Khan announced
his return to his party.
The PDP
had borne the brunt of Delhi’s crackdown after 2019, with several of its senior
leaders quitting to form the Apni Party or joining other parties. The party’s
veteran face in Kupwara and a former Rajya Sabha member, Sheikh Fayaz, had
returned to the party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls and was the PDP candidate
for Baramulla. A few weeks ago, former minister Basharat Bukhari also rejoined
it.
Apni
Party spokesman Muntazir Mohiuddin said: “Where are they (their leaders) going?
Our leader (Zulfikar), a former minister, has been poached by the BJP. He
joined the BJP, which is working against us. Another leader (former MLC
JavaidMirchal) has been poached by the National Conference,” Mohiuddin told
reporters here.
Source: telegraphindia.com
Please
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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/jammu-and-kashmir-valley-kingsmen-ditch-bjp-allies-ahead-of-assembly-polls/cid/2042376
-------
Pakistan
Imran
seeks UK PM’s help to raise awareness about ‘threats’ to Pak democracy
By
Murtaza Ali Shah
August
21, 2024
LONDON:
Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has sought help of the newly
elected Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to raise awareness about threats to
democracy in Pakistan.
In an
interview to ITV News from Adiala Jail, Imran Khan congratulated the new
British PM for his election victory but asked him to imagine senior Labour
figures being “abducted in the dead of night” during the UK election campaign
to understand the erosion of democracy in Pakistan.
“For
nearly a year now, I have been confined in a seven-by-eight-foot death cell, a
space typically reserved for terrorists and those on death row,” he said via
lawyers. ITV said his lawyers sent answers of questions sent by ITV News.
“Surveillance is constant, stripping away any semblance of privacy.” The
71-year-old former cricket star said he was “resolute and ready” for democratic
change, adding that despite his condition, prayers, reading and exercise had
given him strength. “I am both mentally and physically prepared for the
struggle ahead. True democratic change and freedom in Pakistan were never going
to be easy,” he said.
Khan
told ITV: “I urge PM Starmer and his cabinet, who assumed power through the
genuine will of the people without any electoral manipulation, to imagine if
their overwhelming victory was stolen. Picture a scenario where a party that
barely won 18 seats usurped your mandate, where your party symbols were
stripped, and your leaders were imprisoned or tortured until they switched
allegiances or left politics altogether. Imagine homes broken into and women
and children abducted in the dead of night.” He added that his party has been
“brutally suppressed”.
“The
people of Pakistan yearned for change, for democracy, and for the rule of law
to prevail. Their votes were a cry for justice, self-determination, and
freedom.”
ITV also
interviewed Imran Khan’s international advisor Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari who
confirmed Khan is now seeking to become the next chancellor of Oxford
University, where he studied during the 1970s.
An
application form was submitted on his behalf for an election later this year,
Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari said. If successful, he would replace Chris Patten, the
former government minister.
When
asked by ITV News whether a new British government should amplify calls for his
release, Khan warned that the administration carried “tremendous responsibility
and high expectations” on the world stage.
“The
world is watching them and looking to them for leadership, especially in light
of the horrific situation in Gaza and the erosion of democratic principles
globally. We have a collective duty to uphold the values of peace and strive
for freedom and fairness for everyone. Where the UK stands in its commitment to
these values will speak volumes.”
Khan
added that Starmer should do more to tackle anti-Muslim hatred in the UK. “Having
spent much time in the UK during my cricketing days, it saddens me to see the
rise of Islamophobia over the past decade. I hope the newly appointed
government can curb the bigotry that has affected Muslims and people of all
faiths.”
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1222154-imran-seeks-uk-pm-s-help-to-raise-awareness-about-threats-to-pak-democracy
--------
Pakistan
conducts training launch of Shaheen-II missile
Our Correspondent
August
21, 2024
RAWALPINDI:
Pakistan conducted successful training launch of surface to surface ballistic
missile Shaheen-II on Tuesday.
The
training launch was aimed at training of troops, validating various technical
parameters and performance evaluation of different sub-systems incorporated for
improved accuracy and enhanced survivability.
“Today’s
training launch was witnessed by senior officers from Strategic Plans Division,
Army Strategic Forces Command, scientists and engineers of strategic
organizations”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement said.
Director
General Strategic Plans Division appreciated the technical prowess, dedication
and commitment of scientists who contributed towards this land mark achievement.
The
president, prime minister, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and
Services Chiefs congratulated the scientists and engineers on this achievement.
Shaheen-II is also capable of nuclear weapons-delivery at vast range and it is
described as highly capable missile which fully meets Pakistan’s strategic
needs towards maintenance of minimum deterrence stability in the region.
Source: thenews.com.pk
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https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1222153-pakistan-conducts-training-launch-of-shaheen-ii-missile
--------
Lahore
High Court asks FBR chief to decide applications of ‘whistleblower’
August 21, 2024
The
Newspaper's Staff Reporter
LAHORE:
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday directed the chairman of the Federal
Board of Revenue (FBR) to decide applications of a ‘whistleblower’ challenging
his suspension allegedly for disclosing a nexus between customs officials and
smugglers.
Syed
Amir Shabbir, a sepoy in customs intelligence, posted at the FBR was suspended
by the authority apparently in violation of the Public Interest Disclosure Act,
2017, which protects a complainant or witness against adverse actions including
suspension and dismissal from service.
He
approached the LHC against the authorities for not taking action on his
application exposing the customs-smugglers nexus and his subsequent suspension.
Advocate
Sarfraz Ali Dayal, the counsel for the petitioner, argued before the court that
an employee cannot be subjected to suspension or any adverse action after
making a public interest disclosure to the competent authority as this comes
under protection given in section 10 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act,
2017.
The
counsel said it would be appropriate if a direction was issued to the FBR
chairman to decide the petitioner’s applications expeditiously. An assistant
attorney general raised no objection to the request of the petitioner’s
counsel.
At this,
Justice Shakil Ahmad disposed of the petition, ordering the FBR chairman to decide
the petitioner’s applications, if pending, expeditiously preferably within 15
days in accordance with the law.
Shabbir
had filed a complaint to the authorities about the alleged nexus of his
immediate bosses with smugglers.
With his
complaint, he also furnished a list of the smugglers allegedly working
hand-in-glove with the customs officials. He was sent on forced leave by his
director after he allegedly refused to withdraw the complaint.
The LHC
on Aug 7, ordered the FBR chief to decide the applications of Shabbir within
one month from the date of receipt of a certified copy of the court order.
However,
the authorities already suspended the petitioner when a certified copy of the
LHC order was presented to them.
An order
issued by the deputy director (HQ) of intelligence and investigation customs
bearing the handwritten date of August 13, says Shabbir has been suspended with
immediate effect for a period of 120 days.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1853590/lahore-high-court-asks-fbr-chief-to-decide-applications-of-whistleblower
---------
Six more
Adiala jail employees ‘arrested for aiding’ Imran
By Our
Correspondent
August
21, 2024
RAWALPINDI:
After arresting a former jail deputy superintendent, law enforcement agencies
(LEAs) have taken six more employees of the Adiala jail into custody for
allegedly aiding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, sources
told Geo News on Tuesday.
The
sources said three members of the jail employees’ network involved in alleged
facilitation of the former prime minister were women. The LEAs will investigate
these workers. The aforementioned employees included a sweeper, two lady
wardens and three officials posted on monitoring surveillance cameras in the
jail premises, they said.
The
sources said the female staff passed on messages between Imran and his wife
Bushra Bibi in the prison, adding cell phones of all those employees were
confiscated as well.
Meanwhile,
they said, manpower for monitoring of the Adiala jail had also been increased.
The sources, on August 14, said that the former deputy superintendent of Adiala
jail Muhammad Akram had been taken into custody on charges of aiding the
incarcerated PTI founder.
Akram
was removed from his post on June 20, while Deputy Superintendent Judicial
Tahir Siddique Shah replaced him as security supervisor of Imran. The Punjab
home department (prison section), through a notification, had removed Muhammad
Akram, directing him to leave the charge and report to the Prisons Department,
Lahore.
The
sources had said Akram would allegedly convey the jailed PTI founder’s messages
outside the prison facility secretly. They said the LEAs had formally informed
the inspector general of prisons, Punjab, regarding the senior police officer’s
arrest and probe. The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in
prison for more than a year after he was booked in plethora of cases, including
the Toshakhana case, cipher case, and the un-Islamic marriage case.
His
wife, Bushra Bibi, has also been behind bars for months. However, a court
suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned
his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, respectively.
While there
were hopes for Khan and Bushra’s release in July, they were dashed when the
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested them on fresh charges related to
the sale of state gifts.
The
chances of Imran’s release from jail further dimmed after the Lahore Police
declared his arrest in several cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots, that
erupted after his detainment from from Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises last
year in which protesters targeted government and military installations.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/1222150-six-more-adiala-jail-employees-arrested-for-aiding-imran
---------
Bus
carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashes in Iran, killing at
least 28 people
August
21, 2024
AP
TEHRAN:
A bus carrying Shiite pilgrims from Pakistan to Iraq crashed in central Iran,
killing at least 28 people, an official said Wednesday.
The
crash happened Tuesday night in the central Iranian province of Yazd, said
Mohammad Ali Malekzadeh, a local emergency official, according to the state-run
IRNA news agency.
Another
23 people suffered injuries in the crash, 14 of them serious, he added. He said
all the bus passengers hailed from Pakistan.
There
were 51 people on board at the time of the crash outside of the city of Taft,
some 500 kilometers (310 miles) southeast of the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Iranian
state television later blamed the crash on the bus brakes failing and a lack of
attention by its driver.
In
Pakistan, media reports quoted a local Shiite leader, Qamar Abbas, saying as
many as 35 people had died in the crash. He described those on the bus as
coming from the city of Larkana in Pakistan’s southern Sindh province.
Pakistan’s government offered no immediate comment.
Iran has
one of the world’s worst traffic safety records with some 17,000 deaths
annually. The grave toll is blamed on wide disregard for traffic laws, unsafe
vehicles and inadequate emergency services in its vast rural areas.
The
pilgrims had been on their way to Iraq to commemorate Arbaeen.
A
separate bus crash early Wednesday in Iran’s southeastern Sistan and
Baluchestan province killed six people and injured 18, authorities said.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568235/middle-east
--------
Stranded
climbers rescued after three days on Gasherbrum
August 21, 2024
Jamil
Nagri
GILGIT:
Two Russian climbers were rescued from Gasherbrum IV on Tuesday after remaining
stranded at an altitude of 6,400 metres for over three days.
A
five-member rescue team successfully managed to bring down the climbers to the
advance base camp at a height of 6,000m on Tuesday.
The Army
Aviation helicopters are expected to airlift the climbers to Skardu today
(Wednesday).
According
to the tour operator of the Russian climbers, the two mountaineers suffered
injuries in their legs and arms and probably fractures. However, they are out
of danger now.
The
climbers Mikhail Mironov and Sergei Mironov were part of a five-member team
attempting to ascend the mountain when they were hit by a snow avalanche at
6,400m altitude on Saturday.
The two
climbers got stranded after being injured, while two others, AlexyBautin and
Evgeni Lablokov, remained unhurt and were later rescued by the army and
airlifted to Skardu on Sunday.
One of
their partners, Sergei Nilov, who went missing, has lost his life, the rescued
climbers told Dawn on Tuesday.
The five
climbers had set out on a mission to retrieve the body of their countryman,
Dmitry Golovchenko, who went missing on the mountain in 2023.
Rescue
mission
On
Sunday, the Army Aviation helicopters dropped the five-men rescue team — four
local climbers Yousuf Ali, Muhammad Ali, Ghulam Abbas, Muhammad Younus and Mr
Lablokov — at a height of 6,000m as helicopters can’t land and hover above that
altitude.
The
rescue team started their climb to approach the stranded climbers at 6,4000m in
the early hours of Monday.
Despite
bad weather, snowfall and wind, the rescuers successfully approached the
climbers and provided them with food and other necessities.
They
were then brought down to 6,000m, where a tent and other facilities had been
made available for climbers.
The Army
Aviation helicopters were set to fly from Skardu to airlift the climbers from
the advance base camp on Tuesday but couldn’t do so due to the bad weather.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1853688/stranded-climbers-rescued-after-three-days-on-gasherbrum
---------
Suspected
mpox patient in Islamabad tests negative
August
21, 2024
Ikram
Junaidi
ISLAMABAD:
The National Institute of Health (NIH) confirmed on Tuesday that a suspected
case of mpox has tested negative.
“The
development confirms that Pakistan has reported only one case since the World
Health Organisation (WHO) declared mpox a public health emergency of
international concern,” Sajid Shah, spokesperson for the Ministry of National
Health Services, told Dawn.
The
suspected case was identified on Monday by Border Health Services (BHS) at
Islamabad Airport.
“The
47-year-old suspect, who arrived from a Gulf country, was shifted to the
Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) and admitted to the isolation
ward. His sample was sent to the NIH for the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
test,” Pims focal person for mpox Dr Naseem Akhtar earlier told Dawn.
She
added that contact tracing would be initiated if the patient tested positive
for mpox, previously known as monkeypox.
Mr Shah
said that the individual was a resident of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
“So far,
only one case of mpox has been reported in Pakistan. The Ministry of Health is
continuously monitoring the situation and effective measures are being taken to
protect the public from mpox,” he said.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1853667/suspected-mpox-patient-in-islamabad-tests-negative
--------
Lahore
police file case as YDA, hospital staff protest against 5-year-old girl’s
alleged rape
Imran
Gabol
August 21, 2024
The
Lahore police registered a case on Tuesday after the staff of the Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital (SGRH) and the Young Doctors Association (YDA) alleged that a
five-year-old girl was raped on the facility’s premises.
The
protest was led by Punjab YDA President Dr Shoaib Niazi and Dr Azam Saeed,
president of the YDA’s chapter for the hospital. The demonstration was also
joined by the staff and students of the hospital as well as the Fatima Jinnah
Medical University (FJMU).
A note
of demands by the protesters said: “An incident of rape/attempt of rape on the
premises of SGRH Lahore has occurred, which was pushed under the carpet by the
administration. The victim was said to be a minor of five years old.
“The
students of FJMU/SGRH demand transparency and an investigation of the case. The
students further demand the administration to answer their criminal silence. If
such incidents are covered up and silenced, it raises a question mark for the
hospital administration!”
Among
others, the protesters demanded that a first information report (FIR) be lodged
and there should be transparency about any further steps taken regarding the
case.
Meanwhile,
Dr Hafiz Moinuddin, the hospital’s medical superintendent, told Dawn.com that
the girl was sleeping with her mother in a corridor when a sanitary worker
“touched” her at 2am in the night.
He said
the girl screamed and woke her mother up, prompting several people in the
hospital to gather on the spot. The sanitary worker was then nabbed and taken
to the security room where the security in-charge called the police and handed
over the suspect to them.
Dr
Moinuddin said the sanitary worker was not a hospital employee and the company
responsible for hiring him had also fired him from his job following the
incident.
He said
the hospital administration was taking special measures for the security of the
attendants of patients and would not tolerate any mismanagement.
The FIR
was registered at the Civil Line police station on the complaint of
Sub-Inspector Saleem Raza under Sections 376 (punishment for rape), 509ii
(insulting modesty or causing sexual harassment) and 511 (punishment for
attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or for a
shorter term) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Sections
376 and 511 were added later to the FIR. Notably, the text of the FIR did not
mention rape.
The FIR
said the police received a call that a suspect had harassed a woman’s daughter
on the hospital’s third floor and upon arriving, the police were informed that
the suspect was a sweeper at the hospital who was surrounded by a crowd after
the girl had created noise.
Videos
of protesters on social media showed them criticising the FIR, alleging that it
downplayed the incident and criticising officials for covering up the matter in
an attempt to silence the victim’s family.
Source: dawn.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1853579/lahore-police-file-case-as-yda-hospital-staff-protest-against-5-year-old-girls-alleged-rape
-------
South
Asia
Hasina
sued in yet another murder case, former CJ Khairul accused as well
Star
Digital Report
Aug 21, 2024
Former
prime minister Sheikh Hasina, former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque and three
others were sued over the killing of Firoz Talukder, an office assistant of
Rangpur Chemical Ltd, who was shot from a helicopter during clashes centring on
the quota reform movement in Dhaka's Mirpur area on July 19.
The
three other accused in the case are Awami League General Secretary and former
road transport and bridges minister ObaidulQuader, former home minister
Asaduzzaman Khan and former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah
Al-Manun.
The
victim's wife, Reshma Sultana, filed the case with the court of Dhaka
Metropolitan Magistrate Mehedi Hasan.
Upon
hearing, the magistrate recorded the statement of the complainant and asked the
officer-in-charge of Mirpur Model Police Station to register it as a first
information report (FIR).
In her
complaint, the complainant said her husband was crossing the Mirpur-10 intersection
around 6:00pm on July 19 when Rapid Action Battalion members fired from a
helicopter, leaving the victim dead.
Sheikh
Hasina, ABM Khairul Haque and three others were named as masterminds behind the
firing that killed the victim, said the complaint.
With
these cases, Hasina is now facing 32 cases against her, including 27 for
murder, four for crimes against humanity and genocide, and one for abduction.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/shakil-ahmed-farzana-rupa-detained-dhaka-airport-3682786
-------
Uzbekistan
to Build a Landmark Islamic School in Balkh Province
2024-08-21
KABUL
(BNA): To strengthen educational ties between the two neighboring countries,
the government of Uzbekistan has begun construction on a large religious school
in Afghanistan’s northern Balkh province.
The
foundation stone for the “Imam Bukhari Khair-ul-Madrasah Great School” was laid
this week in the New Town area of Mazar-e-Sharif, the provincial capital.
The
religious school, which will be built on 60 jeribs (approximately 30 acres) of
land, will be constructed under the supervision of the Uzbek Ministry of Construction
at a cost of $6 million, as revealed by FarkatNazarov, the Uzbekistan Consul
General in Mazar-e-Sharif.
The
project is expected to be completed within one year, and the school is
anticipated to provide thousands of students with education in Islamic
sciences.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/uzbekistan-to-build-a-landmark-islamic-school-in-balkh-province/
-------
Shakil
Ahmed, Farzana Rupa detained at Dhaka airport
Aug 21,
2024
Star
Digital Report
Former
head of news of Ekattor Television Shakil Ahmed and its principal correspondent
Farzana Rupa have been detained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in
Dhaka as they tried to leave the country.
"We
completed the immigration but they were wanted in cases. A requisition was
given by the Detective Branch (DB) against the case, and they were taken to
custody from the airport," a high official of the special branch (SB),
requesting anonymity, told The Daily Star.
The
reason behind their detention could not be known immediately.
Airport
sources said they were trying to take a Turkish Airlines flight to go to France
via Turkey.
Although
any official comment or details of the case regarding the arrest could not be
found, a high official of the Detective Branch (Lalbagh division) of police
confirmed the detention to The Daily Star.
Ekattor
Television had dismissed Shakil and Farzana Rupa on August 8. A copy of the
order was circulated on social media days later.
Source: thedailystar.net
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/12-digs-11-sps-transferred-3682726
-------
Islamic
Emirate Supreme Leader Stresses Islamic Governance in Meeting with Provincial
Governors
2024-08-21
KABUL(BNA):
The spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Zabihullah Mujahid, has
announced that the Esteemed Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of
Afghanistan held a meeting with all provincial governors in Kandahar.
In a
statement, Mujahid reported that during this meeting, the Supreme Leader
addressed the governors on the importance of good Islamic governance,
emphasizing their responsibilities, the protection of the Islamic system
established through jihad, and the primary objective of the Mujahideen’s
sacrifices, which is the implementation of sacred Sharia.
The
statement further highlighted that the Supreme Leader instructed the governors
to ensure that the Islamic system remains strong, Sharia law is enforced, and
divine commands are revived. He also emphasized that no un-Islamic practices
should be allowed in the provinces.
According
to the statement, the Esteemed Supreme Leader also listened to the governors’
views on maintaining the Islamic system and implementing Sharia and provided
them with necessary guidance on these matters.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/islamic-emirate-supreme-leader-stresses-islamic-governance-in-meeting-with-provincial-governors/
---------
Mideast
Islamic
Jihad: Mustafa Hafez School massacre evidence that Biden gave green light
20 Aug
2024
GAZA
August 20.2024 (Saba) - Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine on Tuesday said the
massacre committed by the criminal Nazi enemy army against civilians at Mustafa
Hafez School, west of Gaza City, this afternoon, is evidence of President Joe
Biden administration persistence in granting the entity a license to commit
massacres and a war of extermination against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
The
deception practiced by the Zionist administration of Joe Biden in the rounds of
negotiations aims to impose dictates of Netanyahu government on the Palestinian
people and peoples of the region, the Movement added in a press statement.
"Our
Palestinian people are paying the price for it with the blood of our sons and
women."
Ten
Palestinian citizens were martyred and others were injured on Tuesday, after
Zionist enemy bombed Mustafa Hafez School, which shelters displaced people, in
the Al-Rimalneighborhood, west of Gaza City.
Source: saba.ye
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3361088.htm
---------
Islamic
states must follow Scot's approach in face of Israel
Aug 20,
2024
In an
interview with KHABAR ONLINE, Hadi Borhani said this ban was adopted due to the
continuation of the genocidal war and the killing of Palestinians in Gaza by
the Israeli forces and the protest against the continuation of Israeli crimes
in Gaza Strip and will be continued until a real progress is achieved in the
process of the ceasefire negotiations, unhindered and direct access of people
of Gaza to the humanitarian aids and full cooperation of Tel Aviv in
implementation of its legal obligations in the face of the international
investigations in the fields of genocide and war crimes.
This
humanitarian decision of the Scottish government can spread to the other
European countries, especially the countries that attach more importance to the
human rights including Ireland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland, and create
a new wave against Israeli regime in Europe and Western countries, he opined.
The
pressure of this wave can have a decisive effect on the ceasefire process in
Gaza and also on the meeting of Palestinian rights in the relevant truce talks.
According
to the reports on the ceasefire talks, it is a matter of regret to say that the
United States, instead of taking a fairer position, has thrown its weight
behind the Zionist regime and has assisted the Zionist regime by giving a new
plan for a ceasefire (the terms of which are contrary to the US President
Biden's plan in some cases).
As a
matter of fact, the United States has pressurized the Palestinian Islamic
Resistance Movement, Hamas, to accept the terms of Israeli Prime Minister
Netanyahu's extremist government.
At this
stage of the ceasefire talks, which are supposed to be finalized by the end of
this week, the Palestinians extremely need the international support to realize
their rights, and accordingly, the Scottish government's action to support them
(Hamas) and put pressure on Israel can strengthen their position in the
ceasefire talks.
Accordingly,
Muslim governments are expected to take a step towards helping the Palestinian
organizations in the ceasefire negotiations by understanding the sensitivity of
the time and position of the Palestinian organizations.
The
decision adopted by the Scottish government in this regard is a good example of
the possibility of supporting the Palestinian people despite the US pressure.
In this
regard, the Islamic countries (which have ties with Israel) can suspend all
relations or meetings with the representatives of this regime until the
acceptance of the Biden plan and the relevant resolution of the UN Security
Council by this regime and restoration of a ceasefire in Gaza.
The
decision of the Scottish government clearly shows that such a decision is
completely possible in the current international atmosphere. At the same time,
such actions, especially at the current critical moment when the ceasefire
talks are underway, can be a great and effective help to the Palestinians and
their inalienable rights.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/219900/Islamic-states-must-follow-Scot-s-approach-in-face-of-Israel
---------
Crossing
between a government and opposition-held area in Syria closes after violence
21 August 2024
AP
IDLIB,
Syria: A key crossing inside Syria between an area held by the government and
one held by the opposition was closed again on Tuesday after violence followed
its brief reopening this week.
A local
activist and a war monitor said that opposition groups protested the reopening
of the Abu Al-Zandin crossing in Aleppo province, which had been closed since
2020, and that it was twice hit by artillery shelling.
A few
trucks on Sunday moved through the crossing in what appeared to be a trial
reopening. The move was met by protests and the crossing was hit by artillery
shelling from an unknown source on Monday and again on Tuesday.
Reports
of an initial planned reopening in June were met with angry protests by
residents of the opposition-controlled area who saw the move as a step toward
normalization with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.
Sunday’s
trial reopening was followed again by protests and a sit-in at a tent erected
by local activists.
The
Britain-based war monitor Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the
shelling. It was not clear who fired. The monitor also said that gunmen opposed
to the opening of the crossing “forced a number of trucks to return” as they
were headed into government-held territory.
An
official with the Turkish-backed opposition government confirmed plans to
reopen the crossing but denied it represented a step toward normalizing relations
with Damascus. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not
authorized to comment publicly.
“The
opening of crossings, whether commercial or humanitarian ... is not linked to
reconciliation,” he said and also gave the example of function crossings in
Syria between areas that Ankara controls and areas that are under the control
of Syrian Kurdish local authorities.
The
official declined to elaborate or comment on the shelling.
The
anti-government uprising turned civil war in Syria, now in its 14th year, has
killed nearly half a million people, displaced half of its prewar population of
23 million and crippled infrastructure in both government and opposition-held
areas.
The
conflict today is largely frozen. In June, Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan and Assad both signalled that they are interested in restoring
diplomatic ties that have been ruptured for more than a decade. Several
previous reconciliation attempts did not succeed.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568215/middle-east
--------
New
weather alert after 14 killed by lightning strikes as storms lash Yemen
August
21, 2024
SAEED
AL-BATAT
AL-MUKALLA:
Weather chiefs in Yemen issued a new warning on Tuesday after 14 people were
killed by lightning strikes in the northern province of Hajjah.
Lightning
killed three people during thunderstorms in Abbes, three in KuhlanAffar and
eight more in other parts of the province. The National Center of Meteorology
said there would be severe weather conditions over the next 24 hours.
Heavy
rain since July has caused flash floods that have killed over 100 people and
displaced many more in Hodeidah, Ibb, Hajjah, Sanaa, Marib, and other
provinces. At least 600 people were injured by flooding in Hodeida and Marib
alone, the UN humanitarian agency OCHA said, and 13 people were still missing
in Hodeida and Taiz.
It said
a total of 38,285 families — nearly 268,000 people — had lost their homes.
“Public infrastructure, including schools, roads, and health facilities, have
been affected. Livelihoods that were already hanging by a thread have been
swept away,” OCHA said. “Severe weather is expected to persist into September,
with additional alerts for heavy rainfall.”
Yemen
suffers from severe floods triggered by torrential rainfall nearly every year.
The University of Notre Dame’s Global Adaptation Initiative ranks Yemen as one
of the region’s most climate-vulnerable countries. In recent years it has
experienced an increase in the frequency and intensity of rainfall due to
climate change, stimulated by atmospheric circulation in the Indian Ocean.
The
country also suffered heavy flooding in 2019, 2020 and 2021.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568238/middle-east
--------
Blinken
Wraps Up Mideast Tour With Gaza Truce Plea
21
August 2024
DOHA:
Top US diplomat Antony Blinken said Tuesday that “time is of the essence” to
secure a Gaza truce as he wrapped up a Middle East tour with a plea for a deal.
The US
secretary of state, on his ninth regional visit since the 10-month-old
Israel-Hamas war began, made a brief stop in mediator Qatar but was unable to
meet its emir.
Speaking
on the tarmac in Doha before heading back to Washington, Blinken reiterated his
call for Hamas to accept a “bridging proposal” for a deal, which he said Israel
had accepted, and asked both parties to work toward finalizing it.
“This
needs to get done, and it needs to get done in the days ahead, and we will do
everything possible to get it across the finish line,” he said.
Palestinian
militant group Hamas, whose October 7 attack triggered the war, said it was
“keen to reach a ceasefire” agreement but protested “new conditions” from
Israel in the latest US proposal.
Earlier
Tuesday, Blinken flew from Israel to Egypt for talks with President Abdel
Fattah El-Sisi, who told him that “the time has come to end the ongoing war,”
according to an official Egyptian statement.
El-Sisi
warned of the consequences of “the conflict expanding regionally,” it said.
Blinken
then traveled to Doha to meet with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, though
a US official said the Qatari ruler was feeling unwell and the two will instead
talk on the phone soon.
Mohammed
bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al-Khulaifi, minister of state at the Qatari foreign
ministry, met with Blinken to discuss “joint mediation efforts to end the war,”
Doha said.
Both
Egypt and Qatar are working alongside the United States to broker a truce,
which diplomats say would help avert a wider conflagration that could draw in
Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Israel
and Hamas have blamed each other for delays in reaching an accord that would
stop the fighting, free Israeli hostages and allow vital humanitarian aid into
the besieged Palestinian territory.
Medics
and civil defense rescuers in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip said Israeli
bombardment on Tuesday killed more than two dozen people, and Israel announced
it had recovered the bodies of six hostages.
Mediators
met last week with Israeli negotiators in Doha, and more truce talks are
expected in Egypt this week.
One of
the main sticking points has been Hamas’s long-standing demand for a “complete”
withdrawal of Israeli troops from all parts of Gaza, which Israel has rejected.
Israeli
media quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying Israel would insist on
maintaining control of a strategic strip on the Gaza-Egypt border, known as the
Philadelphi corridor.
A US
official traveling with Blinken, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss
sensitive matters, said that “maximalist statements like this are not
constructive to getting a ceasefire deal across the finish line.”
In Doha,
Blinken said Washington opposes “any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel.”
Fears of
a regional escalation have mounted since Hezbollah and Iran vowed to respond
after an attack last month, blamed on Israel, killed Hamas political leader
Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, shortly after an Israeli strike on Beirut killed a
top Hezbollah commander.
Lebanon’s
health ministry said four people were killed in Israeli strikes on Tuesday and
Hezbollah claimed a string of attacks on Israeli troops, in the latest of the
cross-border exchanges which have raged almost daily since the Gaza war began.
Hamas
had called on the mediators to implement a framework set out by US President
Joe Biden in late May, rather than hold more negotiations.
The
Biden plan would freeze fighting for an initial six weeks while Israeli
hostages are exchanged for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and
humanitarian aid enters Gaza.
Hamas
said on Sunday that the current US proposal, which Washington had put forward
after two days of meetings in Doha, “responds to Netanyahu’s conditions.”
And on
Monday, in response to comments by Biden that it was “backing away” from a
deal, the Iran-backed group said the “misleading claims... do not reflect the
true position of the movement, which is keen to reach a ceasefire.”
Hamas
officials as well as some analysts and critics in Israel have accused Netanyahu
of prolonging the war for political gain.
The
October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people,
mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s
retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 40,173 people, according to
the territory’s health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and
militant deaths.
Most of
the dead are women and children, according to the UN human rights office.
Out of
251 hostages seized during the attack, 105 are still held in Gaza, including 34
the Israeli military says are dead.
Israeli
army operations in Gaza have continued throughout the truce talks.
An
Israeli strike on Tuesday hit a school in Gaza City where the civil defense
agency said at least 12 Palestinians were killed and the military said a Hamas
command center was based.
Thousands
of displaced Palestinians had sought refuge in the facility, civil defense
spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.
AFP
photos showed the Mustafa Hafiz school partly reduced to rubble, with
Palestinians fleeing.
Elsewhere
in Gaza, Bassal and medical sources reported at least 17 killed in four
separate strikes.
The
Israeli military said forces had retrieved the bodies of six hostages from a
tunnel in the southern Gaza district of Khan Yunis.
The
United Nations said parts of a north-south Gaza road that is “a crucial passage
for humanitarian missions were included in the latest evacuation order” issued
by the Israeli military on Saturday.
“This
has made it nearly impossible for aid workers to move along this key route,” a
UN statement said, preventing “critical supplies and services, such as water
trucking” from reaching those in need.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568186/middle-east
--------
Amir
issues decree appointing Undersecretary of Ministry of Endowments and Islamic
Affairs
20 Aug 2024
Doha,
Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued Tuesday the decree
No. 47 of 2024, appointing HE Sheikh Khalid bin Mohammed bin Ghanem Al-Thani as
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs.
The
decree is effective starting from the date of its issuance and is to be
published in the official gazette.
Source: thepeninsulaqatar.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/20/08/2024/amir-issues-decree-appointing-undersecretary-of-ministry-of-endowments-and-islamic-affairs
--------
Hezbollah
pounds Israeli military centers in Golan, Galilee
Aug 20,
2024
Lebanon's
Hezbollah announced in a statement that in line with supporting the steadfast
Palestinian nation in Gaza and helping its brave and honorable resistance, its
combatants targeted the headquarters of the 146th Division in Giaton with
katyusha rockets.
Lebanon's
Hezbollah also hit the positions of the Zionist forces in the occupied Golan
and Galilee in a missile attack.
Hezbollah
said in a statement that in response to the Israeli enemy's attack on Bekaa
Valley, Islamic Resistance combatants heavily bombarded the command
headquarters of the Golan Brigade 210 in the Nafah barracks, as well as the
Artillery Battalion and the Armored Brigade of the 210th Division in the Yarden
barracks.
The
Lebanese Resistance movement Hezbollah has been conducting regular attacks
since early October last year against the Israeli regime’s military positions
in retaliation for the occupying regime’s offensives against Gaza and southern
Lebanon.
Israel
waged its brutal war on besieged Gaza on October 7 after Hamas carried out an
unprecedented operation against the occupying entity in retaliation for its
intensified atrocities against the Palestinian people.
Israel
has imposed a complete siege on the densely populated territory, cutting off
fuel, electricity, food, and water to the more than two million Palestinians
living there.
Source: mehrnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/219892/Hezbollah-pounds-Israeli-military-centers-in-Golan-Galilee
-------
North
America
Protesters
in ChicagoConfront Police Outside Israeli Consulate On 2nd Night Of Democratic
Convention
AP
August
21, 2024
CHICAGO:
Dozens of Chicago police officers are posted outside a skyscraper that houses
the Israeli consulate and where a pro-Palestinian demonstration is expected
Tuesday on the second night of the Democratic National Convention.
Police
had closed down most of the entrances to the building on Tuesday, allowing
commuters to come in only one entrance where armed officers were also posted.
Many of the building’s shops were closed. Martha Hill, a spokeswoman for the
Metra commuter rail service, says train service is running as normal.
Meanwhile,
the sites of demonstrations from the previous night were largely quiet.
Thirteen people were arrested during Monday’s protests, most them related to a
“brief breach” of security fencing “within sight and sound of the United
Center,” the city’s police superintendent said.
In
downtown Chicago, security was tighter than usual — including law enforcement
officers with weapons slung across their bodies — outside the office building
that houses the Israeli Consulate and a major city transportation hub. Metal
barricades were set up, and an officer said they were preparing for a 7 p.m.
demonstration.
The
consulate, located about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the United Center, has
been the site of numerous demonstrations since the war in Gaza began in
October. It is in a building connected to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, a
major commuter rail station.
Israel
supporters, including some relatives of people kidnapped by Hamas, gathered
earlier in the day at a pro-Israel art installation not far from the consulate
to call on US leaders to continue backing Israel and pushing for the release of
hostages. The art installation included giant milk cartons bearing photos of
some of the hostages.
Elan
Carr, CEO of the Israeli-American Council, condemned the pro-Palestinian
protesters who have descended on Chicago this week, calling them “fringe
crazies” and demanding that US leaders “stand unequivocally with the state of
Israel.”
More
protests were planned throughout the week. However, attendance at the main
rally on Monday was far below estimates of organizers who had predicted more
than 20,000 would show up.
Chicago
Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said Tuesday that the crowd was around
3,500 strong and that the vast majority of the protesters were peaceful.
However,
some clashed with police, used pepper spray against them and threw water
bottles at officers during the clash in the park where there was a breach in
security fencing, Snelling said. He said officers did not use any chemical
sprays.
“Our
officers showed great restraint,” he said at a news conference. “We’re not
going to tolerate vandalism and violence in our city. ... We’re going to
continue to protect the city.”
Snelling
said with more protests planned, his department is prepared to de-escalate
situations whenever possible.
“Again,
we’re up to the challenge,” Snelling said. “The city is up to the challenge.”
The park
where the most arrests were made, located a block from the convention arena,
served as a destination point for a march of thousands calling for a ceasefire
in the Israel-Hamas war. Several dozen activists broke off from the main group,
breached the fencing, and were pushed back by police.
Authorities
said the inner security perimeter surrounding the United Center was not
breached and there was no threat to those attending the convention.
On
Tuesday morning, an extra line of fencing was installed at the park and the
tall metal barriers were reinforced to prevent protesters from lifting and
removing the panels. No police officers or protesters were in the park early
Tuesday.
The 13
people arrested during Monday’s protest were detained on charges ranging from
criminal trespass and resisting and obstructing an arrest, to aggravated
battery of police officers, Snelling said.
At least
10 of them were arrested in connection with the fence, he said.
Snelling
said he did not connect those who tore down the fence with the entirety of the
march. He said the vast majority of participants were peaceful, and he praised
his officers’ conduct in the moment.
The
Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild said two of the people arrested
were hospitalized. Snelling said they were not taken to the hospital for
injuries, but “so they could be provided the treatment they needed when it came
to their medications.”
Two
people were also arrested on misdemeanor property damage and resisting arrest
charges during a protest march Sunday night. As of Tuesday morning, 15 people
had been arrested.
Most of
the largest demonstrations have been organized by the Coalition to March on the
DNC, which has focused on calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. But smaller protests
have popped up around the city, during the convention’s welcome party at Navy
Pier.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568225/world
----
Muslim
community ‘shaken’ after elder is shot outside north Minneapolis mosque
Katrina Pross
The
Muslim community is “shaken” after a man was shot multiple times Monday night
outside a mosque in north Minneapolis.
The
shooting occurred about 5:30 p.m. as people were leaving Masjid An-Nur after
the third prayer of the day. The victim remains hospitalized but is expected to
survive; the suspected shooter is in custody.
Makram
El-Amin, the mosque’s imam, said at a news conference Tuesday that a respected
elder in the community noticed people loitering near the mosque who appeared to
be engaging in criminal activity.
The
elder and another member of the mosque asked them to leave. A suspect drove
away in a white SUV, made a U-turn and then opened fire. The elder was shot at
least three times in the arm and shoulder, El-Amin said.
“For
this to happen here in this space is still unsettling, to say the least,” he
said.
El-Amin
said that mosques are sacred spaces, and worshippers should feel safe on their
premises.
Muslim
leaders and Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara applauded the elder’s bravery
for trying to protect the community.
“What he
did yesterday, we believe, is a heroic act,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive
director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
“We are today echoing this hero, recognizing his incredible sacrifice that
sometimes is required, unfortunately, in this environment.”
El-Amin
said the mosque is evaluating its security protocols in light of the incident,
and may take extra measures.
O’Hara
said police have a person in custody who they believe to be the shooter. He
declined to provide more information about the suspect, but said the department
will release additional information soon.
Minneapolis
police will increase patrols in the area as needed, O’Hara said.
“We want
all people in this community to know that we are here to support, to respond,”
O’Hara said. “We’ll do everything we can to try and prevent something like this
from happening again.”
Source: sahanjournal.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://sahanjournal.com/policing-justice/mosque-shooting-north-minneapolis-masjid-an-nur/
--------
Is
Tehran Setting a Dare for America as the Islamic Republic Threatens Israel?
August
20, 2024
BENNY
AVNI
Iran is
now saying that its weeks-long vow to attack Israel may be postponed for a long
while. Is the Islamic Republic waiting for America to reduce its Mideast
military presence, which it has beefed up to avert an all-out regional war?
“Time is
on our side and the waiting period for this response to the criminal Zionist
regime may take a long while,” a spokesman for the Islamist Revolutionary
Guards Corps, Brigadier General Ali-Mohammad Naini, said Tuesday. “Not a single
attack on Iran has ever remained unanswered, and the enemy should expect
measured and precise strikes in due time.”
General
Naini is the IRGC’s specialist in psychological warfare, and his statement
might represent a strategy of keeping the Israeli military on alert and the
country’s citizens in a constant state of anxiety. Iran may also be daring
America to allow its forces in the region to dwindle.
Supreme
Leader Khamanei has vowed to avenge the July 31 killing of Hamas’s political
chief, Ismail Haniyeh, at Tehran, which was widely ascribed to the Mossad. The
arch-terrorist and his bodyguard visited Iran to attend President Pezeshkian’s
inauguration.
The
attack “created a problem for Khamenei among his main powerbase, the
intelligence services,” a founding IRGC
member, Mohsen Sazegara, who has since defected to America, tells the
Jerusalem Post. Mr. Khamanei’s “first reaction was that we retaliate and don’t
stop.”
Yet, Mr.
Sazegara adds, Mr. Khamenei, after consulting his military, realized that Iran
could hardly defend itself against an Israeli counterattack, so he decided to
wait. What might have also convinced him to bide his time was President Biden’s
decision to dispatch serious military fire power to the Mideast.
Two
carrier strike groups, the United States Ships Abraham Lincoln and Theodore
Roosevelt, were sent to the region, along with a nuclear submarine, USS
Georgia. America’s most advanced fighter jets, the F-22, arrived too.
The 24th
Marine expeditionary unit is also in the Mediterranean to assist in evacuation
of Americans in Lebanon should a full war erupt between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Lebanese terror organization is threatening to avenge the Beirut killing of
its second in command, Fuad Shukr, by Israel.
Yet how
long can America’s fire power remain in the region? “As a rough rule of thumb,
you can say that carrier strike groups in recent years have deployed somewhere
between seven and nine months,” the director of the center on military and
political power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracy, Brad Bowman, tells
the Sun.
Yet,
other crises could erupt that demand attention from the American military.
America is facing threats from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The
Lincoln group, for one, was redirected to the Mideast from the Pacific. Can it
remain if military tensions escalate in, say, the Philippines or Taiwan?
“Many of
our resourcing decisions, war plans, and contingent plans,” Mr. Bowman says,
“are based on outdated and dangerous assumptions that we’re going to be able to
confront one major combat operation at a time and that our adversaries will be
polite enough not to give us dilemmas of simultaneous conflicts.”
Meanwhile,
the mere presence of American power in the Mideast might not carry the
deterrence effect that it is meant to achieve. It is “causing Iran to rethink
their retaliation,” the policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, Jason
Brodsky, tells the Sun. Yet, he adds, through several administrations, America
has made clear that it is, above all, escalation-averse.
“There
is an unwritten rule that Iran can attack anyone and can’t be attacked back,”
Mr. Brodsky says. Washington’s “paralyzing fear of escalation is inviting
escalation.”
America,
Mr. Bowman adds, has the world’s most formidable military. “Unfortunately, our
adversaries came to the conclusion that while the United States has the biggest
muscles in the weight room, we’re also very reluctant to throw a punch. At some
point, if the big bodybuilder is not willing to throw a punch, the muscles
become irrelevant or are perceived as irrelevant,” he says.
The
Islamic Republic may well wait for the outcome of America’s diplomatic push to
end the Gaza war. It could avert the military collapse of Hamas, a member of
Tehran’s “ring of fire” of anti-Israel proxies. The IRGC might also groom other
proxies, like Hezbollah or the Houthis, to retaliate on its behalf.
Also,
the IRGC may attack Israeli or Jewish targets abroad, rather than in Israel
itself. It might assume that it can safely launch a missile attack, as
Washington would likely force Israel to refrain from counter-attacks. Or it is
simply waiting for America to sail away from the region.
Either
way, reports that Mr. Khamanei has given up on retaliation altogether may be
premature. “I don’t believe it,” Mr. Brodsky says. “The Haniyeh killing is too
embarrassing for the regime.”
Source: nysun.com
Please
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https://www.nysun.com/article/is-tehran-setting-a-dare-for-america-as-the-islamic-republic-threatens-israel
--------
Bay Area
Cities to Honora American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month
August
20, 2024
On
Tuesday, Aug. 20, four Bay Area cities will recognize the contributions of
American Muslims to their communities by issuing proclamations declaring August
as American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month.
The
cities of Dublin, Milpitas, Pleasanton, and Santa Clara will honor local Muslim
community members with these proclamations at their respective Aug. 20 city
council meetings. The presentations will take place at the beginning of each
meeting.
WHAT:
American Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month Proclamations
WHEN:
Tuesday, August 20 | 7:00 PM
Dublin
City Hall, 100 Civic Plaza, Dublin
Milpitas
Community Center Auditorium, 457 E. Calaveras Blvd., Milpitas
Pleasanton
City Hall, 200 Bernal Ave., Pleasanton
Santa
Clara City Hall, 1500 Warburton Ave., Santa Clara
WHO:
Community leaders from each local Muslim community will be present to accept
the proclamations.
In a
statement, CAIR San Francisco Bay Area (CAIR-SFBA) Policy Coordinator Musa
Tariq said:
“American
Muslim Appreciation and Awareness Month is an opportunity to celebrate the
invaluable contributions of American Muslims to our communities. These
proclamations are a testament to the growing recognition of the diversity and
richness that Muslims bring to our society. We applaud this acknowledgment and
are grateful for the support of our elected officials.”
CAIR-SFBA
is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization.
Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, protect civil rights,
promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
Source: cair.com
Please
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https://www.cair.com/press_releases/bay-area-cities-to-honor-american-muslim-appreciation-and-awareness-month/
-------
Arab
World
Saudi
Arabia’s literary renaissance captivates local and international audiences
20 August 2024
WAAD
HUSSAIN
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia’s literary scene is experiencing a vibrant renaissance with a new
generation of writers captivating local and international audiences.
“Saudi
literature has witnessed significant acceleration over the past decade,
particularly during the period when culture and its literary derivatives became
one of the key objectives of Vision 2030,” said Ibraheem Al-Sinan, head of
editorial at Raff Publishing.
He
added: “This newfound openness to knowledge and literature, spurred by various
initiatives, competitions and activities, has enabled young people to make
significant leaps in literary production. What once took decades to learn, the
youth now accomplish in just a few years.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568203/saudi-arabia
---------
New
Umrah program to boost pilgrim experience
20 August 2024
RIYADH:
The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has announced the Direct Umrah Program, which
allows companies to serve pilgrims directly, ensuring high-quality standards
without intermediaries.
The aim
is to enhance pilgrims’ experiences through visits to historical sites linked
to the Prophet’s life and discovering the Kingdom’s attractions.
The
program supports service providers, encouraging companies to adopt professional
destination management and trip organization, after 13.5 million pilgrims were
recorded in 2023.
In
collaboration with the Pilgrim Experience Program, part of Saudi Vision 2030,
the ministry held the second Umrah organizations’ gathering in Makkah, led by
Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.
This
meeting aligned with the ministry’s strategy to enhance the Umrah experience
and empower the private sector to provide services year-round, the Saudi Press
Agency reported on Tuesday.
It also
streamlines procedures and enforces commitment and compliance standards
throughout the Umrah journey.
The
meeting addressed challenges and proposed solutions to ensure top-quality
services, introducing companies to new tools and indicators for monitoring
performance. It also discussed strategic directions for the Umrah season and
launched innovative services.
The
Ministry of Hajj and Umrah continues to enhance Umrah services, with the
intention each year to welcome more pilgrims and provide a rich, unique faith
journey in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568200/saudi-arabia
--------
Saudi
Cultural Development Fund partners with top banks to drive sector growth and
sustainability
20
August 2024
RIYADH:
The Cultural Development Fund, a key financial enabler of the Kingdom’s
cultural sector, signed five agreements on Tuesday in Riyadh with leading local
banks Al-Rajhi Bank, Alinma Bank, Banque Saudi Fransi, Arab National Bank, and
Bank AlJazira.
These
agreements will support the upcoming launch of the first financing solution of
its kind in the Kingdom, aimed at bridging the public, private and nonprofit
sectors to drive the cultural sector’s growth and sustainability.
The fund
plans to sign additional agreements with leading banks to diversify financing
channels for the cultural sector. Through these partnerships, the fund will
offer financing solutions for micro, small and medium-sized cultural
enterprises, marking a significant step in sector-specific financing.
The fund
will soon unveil financing options for enterprises in all cultural sub-sectors,
aimed at stimulating the growth of cultural businesses and increasing private
sector contributions to economic diversification.
Ibraheem
Al-Sinan, head of editorial at Raff Publishing, said: “This signing is a
strategic step toward enhancing and sustaining the cultural economy. The
cultural sector is a key component of the creative economy, contributing
directly to economic growth and income diversification.”
Al-Sinan
added that the agreements provide funding to support cultural projects,
increase investment opportunities and reduce financial risks. This funding
helps grow social and cultural capital, enabling publishers and creators to
develop high-quality content, boosting the sector’s competitiveness locally and
internationally, and contributing to GDP growth.
“These
initiatives also create new jobs in the cultural market, positively impacting
unemployment and supporting long-term sector sustainability,” Al-Sinan said.
Mohammed
Al-Furaih, director of Obeikan Publishing, said diversifying funding sources
and providing innovative solutions will empower cultural institutions to
continue and expand.
He added
that launching the first-of-its-kind financing solution in the Kingdom
represents a major shift in sectoral financing, providing solutions tailored to
the needs of micro, small and medium-sized cultural institutions.
The
partnerships between the fund and the banking sector highlight their shared
interest in enhancing the private sector’s role in achieving economic diversity
and sustainability in the cultural sector, Al-Furaih said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568181/saudi-arabia
--------
MWL
chief meets Kenyan president in Nairobi
20
August 2024
ARAB NEW
RIYADH:
Secretary-General of the Muslim World League Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim
Al-Issa met with Kenyan President William Ruto in Nairobi, the Saudi Press
Agency reported on Tuesday.
The two
officials discussed topics of common interest, focusing particularly on the
MWL’s initiatives to foster moderation, stability and development in Kenya, and
Africa as a whole.
Al-Issa
also met with Kenyan Prime Cabinet Secretary MusaliaMudavadi, with whom he
discussed areas of cooperation.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568198/saudi-arabia
--------
Saudi
Civil Defense extinguishes fire in Jeddah’s Ash Shati district
20
August 2024
ARAB
NEWS
JEDDAH:
A fire that broke out in a closed entertainment complex in Jeddah’s Ash Shati
district has been extinguished, the General Directorate of Saudi Civil Defense
said on Tuesday.
The
fire, which extended to a limited area of the complex, resulted in smoke rising
and no injuries, the directorate said.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568176/saudi-arabia
--------
Europe
UK
Bolsters Fight Against Migrant Crossings: Asylum Seekers Arriving Illegally On
Small Boats From France
AFP
August
21, 2024
LONDON:
The British government on Wednesday announced new measures to crack down on
high numbers of asylum seekers arriving illegally on small boats from France.
It said
100 “new specialist intelligence and investigation officers” would be recruited
to the National Crime Agency (NCA) to help dismantle smuggling gangs that run
the dangerous crossings.
The
interior ministry added that the government aims over the next six months to
achieve the highest rate of deportations of failed asylum seekers for five
years.
The
Labour government, which won an election last month, intends to increase
detention capacity at removal centers and sanction employers who hire people
with no right to work in the UK, the Home Office said.
“We are
taking strong and clear steps to boost our border security and ensure the rules
are respected and enforced,” interior minister Yvette Cooper said in a
statement.
Stopping
the small boat arrivals was a key issue in the July 4 election, in which Labour
won a thumping majority.
Within
days of taking power, Prime Minister Keir Starmer scrapped a controversial
scheme to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda, which had been a flagship policy
of the last Conservative government.
Starmer
has instead pledged to dismantle the people-smuggling gangs who organize the
crossings and are paid thousands of euros by each migrant.
The Home
Office is recruiting a so-called Border Security Commander who will work with
European countries against the people-smuggling gangs.
Starmer
has also pledged with French President Emmanuel Macron to strengthen
“cooperation” in handling the surge in undocumented migrant numbers.
More
than 200 people crossed the Channel in three boats on Monday, taking the
provisional total for the year so far to 19,294, according to Home Office
figures.
This is
a 10 percent increase on the number recorded last year, which was 17,620, but
down on the 21,344 crossings recorded in the same period of 2022.
The Home
Office said the NCA is pursuing about 70 investigations against criminal
networks involved in people trafficking.
It said
the government would issue financial penalty notices, business closure orders
and bring possible prosecutions against anyone employing illegal workers.
The
department also said it was adding 290 beds to two removal centers and
redeploying staff to try to remove failed asylum seekers at the highest rate
since 2018. The ministry did not give figures on the numbers involved.
Source: arabnews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2568224/world
-----
Ex-UK
Home Secretary Braverman’s Israel trip funded by anti-Muslim Zionist activist
August
20, 2024
Former
UK Home Secretary SuellaBraverman’s April visit to Israel, costing a hefty
$36,000 (£27,801.27) for a four-night stay, was reportedly funded by the
National Jewish Assembly (NJA), an organisation headed by Gary Mond, a known
Zionist with a history of promoting anti-Muslim views.
Revelation
about Braverman’s trip to Israel and ties to Mond was shared by Chris Doyle,
director of the Council for Arab British Understanding (CAABU), raising further
questions about the links between advocates of the apartheid state and
far-right leaders accused of stoking anti-Muslim pogroms in the UK.
Mond,
the former senior vice-president of the anti-Palestinian group Board of
Deputies of British Jews, resigned from that position following an
investigation into alleged Islamophobic and far-right comments. Notably, he has
promoted Pamela Geller, a figure notorious for describing Islam as a “genocidal
ideology” and expressing support for the English Defence League (EDL) whose
founder, Tommy Robinson, has himself come under scrutiny over his role in the
anti-Muslim pogroms and Zionist backers.
“Now we
know who paid for SuellaBraverman’s April visit to Israel. Firstly it was for
her and her husband. It cost a massive £27,801.27 for just 4 nights, of which
the flights were about £1000. Quite the bill. But who paid?” asked Doyle on X.
“Braverman
costs were picked up by the National Jewish Assembly. This is headed by Gary
Mond, the former senior vice-president of the Board of Deputies. He resigned
because he was reportedly investigated for Islamophobic and far-right
comments.”
Read:
‘What can pro-Israel entities gain from backing Tommy Robinson?’ A lot
Doyle
went on to reveal Mond’s ties with Geller and how he promoted the notorious
Islamophobe. Braverman herself has come under sharp criticism over her role in
amplifying the far-right against Muslims and migrants while government
minister. She is one of several MP’s accused of sowing racism and division that
led to the recent riots in the UK.
In
February, Braverman amplified a false but nevertheless common far-right
narrative about Muslim takeover of Europe known as the Great Replacement Theory
by claiming that Muslims are “bullying Britain into submission.”
Geller
came to notoriety after the September 11 attack when a multi-billion dollar
global Islamophobia industry spawned across US and Europe. An eye-watering
$105,865,763 was poured into 26 Islamophobia Network groups between 2017-2019,
within the US alone. An earlier study, for example, found that as many as 1,096
organisations were funding 39 groups in the Islamophobia Network between 2014
and 2016, to the tune of $1.5 billion.
Amongst
the top funders is the Zionist group the Adelson Family Foundation. Its
founder, Sheldon G Adelson, who passed away in 2021, was a staunch supporter of
Israel. A major donor of former US President Donald Trump, Adelson’s fortunes
turned the GOP into a deeply hostile anti-Palestinian party and ensured that
there was no daylight between US and the Israeli far-right. “I’m a one-issue
person. That issue is Israel,” Adelson is reported as saying.
Between
2017 and 2019, Adelson’s foundation gave nearly $4 million to anti-Muslim
groups. Since his death, Adelson’s fortune has been put into the service of
Israel by his wife, Miriam Adelson.
Geller
received funds from the Jewish Communal Fund, which reportedly funnelled over
$3 million into some of the most notorious groups within the Islamophobia
Network, including Geller’s the American Freedom Defence Initiative (AFDI). It
is said to have donated $50,000 to the AFDI.
Source: middleeastmonitor.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240820-ex-uk-home-secretary-bravermans-israel-trip-funded-by-anti-muslim-zionist-activist/
-------
Thug
hurled missile at police in violent scenes outside mosque
Thomas
George
20 AUG
2024
A thug
who hurled a missile at police officers as violent scenes unfolded outside a
mosque has been jailed.
Luke
Summerfield was caught on video footage throwing an object towards PCs as
trouble erupted in Southport after the fatal stabbings of three young girls
last month. The 33-year-old, from Ashton-under-Lyne, was also seen "with a
group of males attacking an individual for an unknown reason", although he
was said to be "in a more peace making role".
She
added: "He is ashamed of his behaviour and says he feels like a fool. The
defendant sought to protect somebody on that night. A fight broke out in the
middle of a group of people. The defendant was close by. He tells me that this
was a journalist.
"They
were taking photographs and everybody began to beat him up. He fell to the
floor. People were kicking him as he tried to get back up. Somebody was trying
to take his camera.
"He
placed himself over the male and told people to stop. He has shown the true
version of himself the day, a version who does not engage in violence but
rather seeks to protect people."
Summerfield,
who was previously handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence for conspiracy
to produce cannabis in 2016, was sentenced alongside two other men. Paul
Dryhurst and David Engleby also admitted taking part in the violent disorder in
Southport.
Wearing
a grey Berghaus top in the dock, Engleby nodded and gave a thumbs up to the
judge after being locked up for 28 months. Dryhurst received two years behind
bars
The
court heard that evening prayers were in progress at Southport Islamic Society
Mosque on St Luke's Road when worshippers were "made aware of a
significant number of white males gathering outside". Members of the crowd
began shouting vile chants and throwing objects towards the building and police
officers at the scene - more than 50 of who were injured during the incident.
Simon Leong,
prosecuting, described how Engleby was seen filming the violence on his mobile
phone and chanting "Allah, Allah, who the f*** is Allah?". The
29-year-old, of Scarisbrick New Road in Southport, then "surged forward
with the crowd" before picking a brick up from the floor and throwing it
towards PCs.
He
subsequently followed this up with a second "projectile". Engleby was
identified from video footage provided to the police and handed himself in at
Southport Police Station on August 12, having been circulated as wanted.
His
criminal record shows two previous convictions from 2013 concerning the theft
of bicycles and going equipped for theft. Olivia Beesley, defending, told the
court: "He is lightly convicted. There has been a gap in offending since
the last conviction, when he was 18 years old.
"This
is his first experience of custody. He understands that it will not be a short
experience of custody.
He tells
me that he was on good terms with his family, who he was estranged from for a
matter of years. However, this incident has led to them cutting him off.
"He
has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was sectioned when he was 13 years
old. He was in respite foster care from when he was eight years old, and this
progressed to full time care when he was 15.
He
secured accommodation for himself and rebuilt the relationship with his family.
He worked hard to build that relationship and is sad to now have lost it due to
his actions.
"He
understands that he has ruined that in a matter of hours and says he deserves
it. He wants me to convey his remorse to the court. Quite frankly, he sees his
behaviour as disgusting."
Dryhurst,
of Gale Road in Litherland, Merseyside, was meanwhile brought to justice after
a "police constable recognised him as someone with whom he went to
school". He was also identified in footage as he was "slightly
shorter than most of the people there" and due to his
"distinctive" green hooded top.
This
film showed the 33-year-old "throwing an object" at two officers and
recording the scenes with his phone, as well as "surging forward with the
rest of the crowd" and then standing on the wall of a resident's front
garden. Dryhurst surrendered himself at Marsh Lane Police Station on August 11
and "claimed he had gone to Southport to attend the vigil, but somehow
found himself caught up in the wrong group" and was "trapped and
scared".
He has
previous convictions for possession of cannabis in 2000 and assault in 2012.
His counsel Desmond Lennon said: "He has not been in a position like this
ever before in his life.
"He
blames nobody but himself for his behaviour. He is only sorry and ashamed for
that behaviour. His last conviction was in 2012. Since then, he has led a
blameless and industrious life.
He
worked hard as a self employed joiner. He is held in his regard by those who he
has had professional dealings with.
"He
employs two people frequently and another two who work on and off with him. His
own behaviour has effectively led to unemployment for four people who relied on
him.
"He
bitterly regrets his behaviour. He really is sorry for what he has done. He has
no right wing affiliation or political interest whatsoever. He has no religious
bias or adverse views about other religions.
"He
did not organise this and he did not instigate this. He has gone along to go to
the vigil, but saw this event unfolding and got swept up in this activity and
acted in a shameful and reprehensible way.
"His
mother is devastated over the fact that he is in this position. His mother and
father work for the ambulance service and are at a complete loss after someone
they believed had overcome earlier problems and built up a business and been in
a stable relationship for almost 15 years with plans to acquire their own home.
They have all been destroyed by his own stupidity."
Sentencing
the three men, Judge Denis Watson KC said: "A mob which became about
1,000-strong gathered near the mosque. Without any evidence or justification,
the mob attacked the mosque and its community, who were completely blameless.
"The
mob laid siege to the police and engaged in a violent confrontation, what in
olden times may have been termed a pitched battle, and it lasted several hours.
Since these events, several other serious incidents of mob violence have
occurred in Liverpool and across the country. Those who choose to participate
in such disorder - causing injury, damage and fear to communities - will
inevitably be punished with sentences designed to deter others from similar
activity.
"David
Engleby, you can be seen picking up and item - a brick - and throwing it at the
police, and then throwing a second missile at the police. Paul Dryhurst, you
are visible joining the same large, aggressive mob.
"You
can be seen picking up and item and throwing it before smiling in satisfaction.
Luke Summerfield, you can be seen to pick up an item and throw that at the
police. "
Source: manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/thug-hurled-missile-police-violent-29771843
--------
E.
Equatoria: Muslims pledge to spread beyond urban areas
August
20, 2024
Muslim
communities in South Sudan’s Eastern Equatoria State have resolved to unite
towards extending services to the grassroots population.
At a
Muslims meeting in Torit on Monday, the faithful noted that their activities
were mostly centered within towns, hence the need to spread out.
Besides
the hosts, the meeting organized by the Islamic Council in Eastern Equatoria,
brought together delegates from Somalia, Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. It aimed at
embracing peace and unity for all Muslims in the State.
Ugandan
delegate Abdel-WahabAbdalla urged Muslims to desist from false accusations and
disunity, saying the vices were a hindrance to their peaceful co-existence and
service delivery.
“The
Muslims are one, be they from Uganda, Somalia, Darfur or Kenya. The problems
that arise in their midst should be directed to our office,” he said.
Equally,
Abdalla added, Muslims were brothers with non-Muslims and I request them to
build schools together for the future generations.
Sudanese
Muslim resident of Eastern Equatoria State Silliman Ahmed called for
cooperation with the other stakeholders and the local communities. He, however,
admitted, there have been disagreements over finances, hence the need to
strengthen the financial status and the commitment towards raising funds.
Eastern
Equatoria State woman delegate RuhayaBeletKodi decried the lack of financial
support to boost women activities. She appealed to the international community
and the partners to support them in improving the places of worship across the
State.
The
Eastern Equatoria State Islamic Council Secretary General, Sheikh Awad Omar,
cautioned politicians against inciting the Muslims. He urged fellow Muslims and
Christians to work together for peace and unity.
Source: radiotamazuj.org
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.radiotamazuj.org/en/news/article/e-equatoria-muslims-pledge-to-spread-beyond-urban-areas
-------
Africa
Zamfara
Govt Speaks On Appointing Terrorist, Bashir Hadejia As Adviser
20 August 2024
Rachel OkporuFadoju
The
Zamfara State government has dismissed reports on the appointment of
controversial terrorist, Bashir Hadejia as a Governor’s adviser.
Recall
that Hadejia was arrested on Monday last week over alleged treason and
subversion against the state.
Naija
News reports that a letter, dated October 27, 2023, purportedly signed by the
Secretary to the Zamfara State Government, Mal Abubakar M. Nakwada, alleging
that the state government offered an appointment to the suspected gunrunner
made rounds online.
The
letter alleged that Hadejia was appointed as the Technical Adviser, Mining
under the office of the state.
Reacting
to the purported appointment, the Zamfara State government, in a statement
issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media, office of the secretary to the
state government, Suleman Ahmad Tudu, described the letter in circulation as
fake and attempted to mislead the public.
Tudu
said Governor DauduLawal did not offer any appointment to Hadejia, and the
purported appointment letter is aimed at smearing the image of his
administration.
The
statement read, “For the records, Governor Lawal has not made any such
appointment and Bashir Hadejia has not been appointed to any position in the
present government.
“This
doctored document letter is the handwork of mischief makers as part of their
broader attempts to mislead the public and smear the good image of Governor
Lawal’s administration.”
Source: naijanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2024/08/20/zamfara-govt-speaks-on-appointing-terrorist-bashir-hadejia-as-adviser/
--------
Pastor
Kumuyi Gives Reason For Allowing Muslim Cleric To Use His Pulpit
20 August 2024
Rachel
OkporuFadoju
The
founder of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi, has explained
the rationale for allowing Muslim clerics to speak from his pulpit at the
church conference.
Naija
News reports that pictures of Muslim clerics with caps speaking from the church
pulpit at the ongoing revolutionary Change Makers International, CMI,
conference at the General Yakubu Gowon Stadium Elekahia Port Harcourt in Rivers
State, set tongues wagging across social media.
Reacting
to the controversies in a video online, pastor Kumuyi explained that he allowed
the Muslim clerics because the conference was held in a stadium and not within
the church’s hallowed walls.
He said:
“People were asking, Pastor WF, what are you looking at, look at that man
having his cap on. Yes, we are in the stadium, we are not in the church
building, and so I do not have to challenge him, he has his cap on.”
Kumuyi
Sends Message To Nigerian Youths, Discloses What Must Be Done To Achieve
Positive Change
Meanwhile,
William Kumuyi has urged Nigerian youths to dialogue with the Federal
Government to achieve positive socio-economic impact change in the country.
The
clergyman made the call on Wednesday while speaking with newsmen at the Port
Harcourt Airport.
Kumuyi
was in the state for a six-day programme organised by the Change Makers
International Initiative (CMII).
The
cleric, who is the Convener of CMII, described the programme as a
non-religious, non-partisan, non-denominational movement, driven by a passion
to achieve positive change and create social impact in Nigeria.
Source: naijanews.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2024/08/20/pastor-kumuyi-gives-reason-for-allowing-muslim-cleric-to-use-his-pulpit/
--------
Kumuyi
urges love between Christians, Muslim faithful
By
Favour Lashem
August
20, 2024
he
General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, William Kumuyi, has
called on the Christians and Muslim faithful in the country to love and live
The
General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, William Kumuyi, has
called on the Christians and Muslim faithful in the country to love and live in
harmony with one another.
He made
the call on Monday night in Port Harcourt during a Global Conference organised
by the Change Makers International (CMI).
Kumuyi,
who is the Founder and Convener of CMI, said that the conference, with the
theme, “Driving positive change and social impact, was to bring the
consciousness of the people to becoming change agents in Nigeria.
Speaking
on “The call and the commission of a change maker”, he outlined the response
and responsibility of a change maker with reference to Luke 10:39.
He also
listed the role and roles of a change maker, the rule and reign of the Almighty
change maker.
Kumuyi
said: “We should respond to our responsibility to love our neighbours as was
commanded by God.
“Lift up
your neighbours, assist and care for them.”
He
asked: “How do we say that we love God when we don’t care for our neighbours?
“Who are
our neighbours? Christians and Muslims are our neighbours.
“We are
created by God, we have the same father, we have the same flesh and blood that
runs through us.
“Christians
and muslims should give one another a sense of belonging.
“Our
neighbours are not only those who are in the same religious faith with us.
“We
should help each other,” Kumuyi said, adding that people should help to pay
their neighbour’s child’s school fees, if they have.
“We
should have compassion for our neighbours as change makers.
“The
need of our neighbours that are in pain, crisis, or sick should be important to
us than where we are going.
“Think
through life, if you are in a painful situation like your neighbour, what would
you like your neighbour to do for you.
“Do to
others what you want them to do for you.”
“Call
your neighbours together, and while you are talking with them, give them food,
if you have, before you start preaching to them the gospel because Jesus christ
is a well rounded person who understood who his neighbour was,” he said,
Kumuyi
advised Nigerians to understand their neighbours and do to them as Jesus
Christy did to the multitude who came to him (Job 29 to 17).
“If you
are not a hearer and doer of the word of God then you are not righteous
(Matthew 25 to 43).
“Don’t
look at religion or tribe, look at everyone as Jesus Christ did and do good to
them (Rev 7 :9 to17).
“We need
to help and save people who are in trouble.
“We
should not rule over people but we have to be servants for our people and allow
God to be the ruler (Psalm 146:10).
“We need
to be inventors, our lives should be attractive to others.
“Teach
everyone how to become better, be a man, a woman available to lift people and
make a change.
Source: newsdiaryonline.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://newsdiaryonline.com/kumuyi-urges-love-between-christians-muslim-faithful/
--------
Southeast Asia
PM Anwar
Holds Talks With Indian Business Giants TCS, EmamiAgrotechAnd HCL Tech
21 Aug
2024
NEW
DELHI, Aug 21 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim today held meetings
with representatives from three prominent Indian companies, namely Tata
Consultancy Services (TCS), EmamiAgrotech Ltd and and HCL Tech, here.
TCS, an
information technology (IT) services, consulting and business solutions
organisation, was represented by its president (India business and strategic
accounts, growth markets) Ujjwal Mathur.
EmamiAgrotech
Ltd, which is a key player in India’s edible oils and food products sector, was
led by its executive director ManushGoenka while HCL Technologies, a globally
recognised IT services and consulting company, was represented by managing
director and global chief executive officer C. Vijaykumar.
Also
present during the meetings were Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Datuk
Seri TengkuZafrul Abdul Aziz; Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo; Human
Resources Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong; and Malaysian High Commissioner to
India Datuk Muzafar Shah Mustafa.
Following
these meetings, Anwar, who is also the finance minister, is scheduled to attend
a roundtable with Indian industry leaders, followed by a meeting with J.P.
Nadda, president of India’s ruling party BJP.
He will
also participate in an exclusive media interview with India Today.
Later,
Anwar will engage with Muslim religious leaders before concluding his visit
with a press conference for the Malaysian media.
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/08/21/pm-anwar-holds-talks-with-indian-business-giants-tcs-emami-agrotech-and-hcl-tech-to-meet-bjp-president-after/147729
-------
Helping
injured Palestinians: Malaysia is just a small country of people with big
hearts
BERNAMA
21-08-
2024
KUALA
LUMPUR: The backlash from some parties against the Unity Government’s move to
bring injured Palestinians and their family members from Gaza to receive
medical treatment in Malaysia must have caught Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by
surprise.
The
Prime Minister has expressed his disappointment and sadness over the criticism,
saying the detractors had gone to extremes with some asking him to go and
become the Prime Minister of Palestine.
Some
insisted that charity should begin at home, pointing out that there was a long
line of Malaysians seeking medical treatment in hospitals.
Others
are also upset that Palestinians are given places in local public universities
when many must fight to enter.
There is
even a fake video showing the Palestinians who arrived here last Friday were
given a grand welcome with a convoy of police escorts.
The
purported resentment is just over 41 injured Palestinians and 86 of their
family members including children.
The
criticism seems incredulous as over 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and
more than 77,000 injured since the Israeli attacks on Oct 7 following the
attack by Hamas fighters.
Nearly
85 per cent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population have been displaced and over
14,000 children have been killed in the war of vengeance while over 7,000
people are still missing.
It won’t
be wrong to say it’s genocide as most of these people did nothing to deserve
the bombing and killing to wipe them off.
About 72
per cent of those killed are women and children. The United Nations (UN) Human
Rights chief Volker Turk said a child in Gaza is killed or wounded “every 10
minutes.’’ Surely, they are not Hamas fighters.
Anwar
has been criticized by some as “going overboard’’ and “hypocritical’’ for
flying these Palestinians for 16 hours on two Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF)
aircraft.
Malaysia
isn’t the only country providing medical aid to Palestinians. Other countries
are doing the same including Egypt, Jordan and Turkiye.
Egypt
has reportedly allowed 40,000 family members to attend Egyptian schools, while
over 1,000 injured Palestinians are in the United Arab Emirates, 3,000 orphans
and 1,000 injured in Qatar, while Saudi Arabia is hosting 1,000 family members.
Turkiye
has sent a medical ship not only to treat the Palestinians, but also brought
over 1,000 of them back to the republic for medical treatment.
Indonesia
has also reportedly expressed its readiness to help these Palestinians.
Egypt’s
healthcare system is strained, according to the UN Human Rights Watch, with
over 40 hospitals across the country treating Palestinians.
These
are the lucky ones who made it to Egypt as Gaza’s healthcare system has
collapsed. Of the 36 hospitals, 32 have been damaged or raided, with serious
shortages of power, water, medicine, equipment and staff.
It will
be pointless for Anwar and many of us Malaysians to merely attend protest
rallies, mass prayers and boycott Kentucky Fried Chicken and Starbucks, which
only hurt the Malaysian franchisees when we should be taking a more practical
approach.
Attending
to the 41 injured is a tiny percentage of the total number of Palestinians who
need help.
Human
Rights Watch associate director BelkisWille said “evacuating patients and
providing proper medical care for them is a concrete and feasible humanitarian
action that would help the lives of Palestinians.
“One of
the most meaningful ways to mitigate avoidable deaths would be to offer medical
care to Palestinians who need it, ensuring their family members can accompany
and stay with them and that none are forcibly returned to face the risk of
further harm,” she said.
It
doesn’t matter if we are the first or second Asian country to help them. What
Malaysia is spending on these Palestinians is a small fraction of what we can
do.
Malaysia
has a history of humanitarian assistance, especially to the Palestinians, as
they have a situation that others have not faced – to be driven out of their
homes and subjected to daily harassment in occupied territories.
I know
what I am talking about because I have travelled to Gaza and the West Bank and
see their frustrations with my own eyes, the kind of humiliations that
Palestinians face daily.
We have
allowed Syrians and Bosnians to come to Malaysia, and most of them moved on to
another country.
Nearer
to home, we have allowed 250,000 Vietnamese “boat people’’ refugees to land in
Malaysia, most of whom chose to relocate to other countries.
We have
also been involved in peace-keeping missions in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lebanon and
Somalia, assistance in conflict zones in East Timor and Mindanao, Philippines,
disaster relief and responses in Aceh, Indonesia, and Nepal earthquake, and
regional peace initiatives in southern Thailand and Mindanao, Philippines.
Are we
really neglecting our own people while spending money to bring in these
Palestinians?
Malaysia
allocated RM41.2 billion for healthcare expenditure in 2024, an increase of
almost 13 per cent from 2023 or about 5.0 per cent of the national gross
domestic product (GDP), which places it third in ASEAN.
The cost
of living is still an issue, but median monthly wages are up 4.9 per cent. Of
course, we can do better, but it doesn’t mean we can’t afford to help the
Palestinians.
Our
ringgit has been the best-performing currency in Asia while the stock market
has seen over RM2 trillion in market activity.
Managing
race relations is a delicate matter, especially in balancing the relationship
between races.
There
will always be community and minority issues from time to time, but we should
not let race-based and religious-based narratives argue our cases.
It is
understandable if some Malaysians feared that we would be flooded with more
foreigners including Palestinians and others.
These
concerns are justified as Malaysia is a small country.
Many
also do not want Malaysia to be dragged into a conflict, but we should not be
apologetic over our support for the Palestinians.
The
Palestinians are just human beings and deserve to be helped. Maybe Malaysia is
just a small country, but we are a nation of people with big hearts.
Source: thesun.my
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/local-news/helping-injured-palestinians-malaysia-is-just-a-small-country-of-people-with-big-hearts-LD12888726
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Anwar
meets Malaysian diaspora in New Delhi
BERNAMA
21-08-
2024
NEW
DELHI: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim concluded the second day of his
visit to India by attending an engagement session with the Malaysian diaspora
at the Malaysian High Commission here.
In his
speech at the event, the prime minister highlighted the necessity for Malaysia
to make some unpopular decisions, such as the rationalisation of diesel
subsidies, to prevent the country’s wealth from being exploited by outsiders.
Anwar,
who is on an official visit to India from Aug 19 to 21, also advised the
students and younger Malaysians present to appreciate the good in life.
“As long
as opportunities are given and help is granted, we (should) work together,” he
said to an audience of over 100 Malaysians.
Tomorrow,
Anwar is scheduled to meet with Indian industry captains and BJP President
J.P.Nadda and conduct an exit press conference with the Malaysian media before
departing for Kuala Lumpur.
Source: thesun.my
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://thesun.my/local-news/anwar-meets-malaysian-diaspora-in-new-delhi-CD12887588
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‘Foreign
suspect in triple murder sought my help to exorcise son believed to be
possessed before his arrest at mosque’, reveals imam
Malay
Mail
20 Aug
2024
KUALA LUMPUR,
Aug 20 — Claiming his son’s bloated stomach was because he was possessed, the
foreign national suspected to be involved in the murder of a woman and her
daughter discovered in a drain along the AlorSetar highway yesterday had
approached the imam of Masjid Al-Hidayah in Bukit Pinang and sought his help to
conduct “rukyah” (exorcism) on the child.
MohdFauzi
Bakar, the imam of Masjid Al-Hidayah in Bukit Pinang had recounted how the
foreign national had approached him before being detained by the police at the
mosque for suspected involvement in the murder of his wife and child in Simpang
Kuala last night, according to a report published by Utusan Malaysia today.
He,
along with other worshippers, initially saw the man on the mosque stairs as
they exited after Isyak prayers.
“As soon
as he saw us coming out of the mosque, he approached me with his son. He then
asked for help because he claimed his son was possessed and as a result, the
child’s stomach was said to be bloated,” he said when met at the mosque today.
He said
that when the man made the request, he held the child’s head and recited Surah
Al-Fatihah and other Quranic verses.
“Not
long after that, the police arrived and immediately arrested the man. At that
moment, I was unaware of what had happened until others informed me that the
foreign man was involved in a murder case,” he said.
MohdFauzi
added that the man came dressed in a shirt and sarong when he met him.
He said
he was unaware that the police had already found the bodies of the man’s wife and
child, and that the case had gone viral on social media.
“Before
he (the suspect) was arrested, he also asked to stay at the mosque. He said
that if he could sleep in the mosque’s yard, it would be fine, but he requested
that the lights be turned on,” he said.
He then
left the mosque and was not aware of what else happened as he assumed
everything was resolved with the arrival of the police.
Earlier
today, a foreign man was remanded for seven days to assist in the investigation
of the murder of a woman and her daughter yesterday.
Later in
the afternoon today, police made another discovery when a passerby found the
body of a two-year-old boy at Pantai Leman, Kuala Kedah.
Police
believe the death of the boy is connected to the murder of a woman and her daughter
discovered in a drain along the AlorSetar highway yesterday.
According
to Kedah deputy police chief Deputy Commissioner Adzli Abu Shah, the suspect
had three children.
“We
believe the suspect disposed of the child into a drain on JalanPegawai, approximately
2 kilometers from the murder scene, where the body was carried out to sea.
“Another
son, aged five, was rescued by the police when the suspect was apprehended last
night,” Adzli said during a press conference.
Source: malaymail.com
Please
click the following URL to read the text of the original Story
https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2024/08/20/foreign-suspect-in-triple-murder-sought-my-help-to-exorcise-son-believed-to-be-possessed-before-his-arrest-at-mosque-reveals-imam/147638
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/madrasas-religious-education-students-force/d/133001