Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim’s Remarks On ’Need to Spread Islam Among Non-Muslims’ Spark Controversy
New Age Islam News Bureau
06 July 2024
Close aide of West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim
------
·
Kolkata
Mayor Firhad Hakim’s Remarks On ’Need to Spread Islam Among Non-Muslims’ Spark
Controversy
·
Speeches
of 143 Ulema, Zakireen Banned in Sindh for Sixty Days Starting Muharram
·
‘Don’t
Take Us for Granted’: Muslim Voters Send Message to Labour Over Its Gaza Stance
·
Reformist
Pezeshkian Wins Iran’s Presidential Runoff Election, Besting Hard-Liner Jalili
·
Why
Nigerian Military Is Operating School of Islamic Affairs — Defence Media Operations
India
·
Jamiat
Ulama-i-Hind Seeks Muslim Quota, Opposes Uniform Civil Code in Its Two-Day
Governing Council Meeting
·
In
Howrah, ‘Parikrama’ Of Deities Starts from Muslim Prof’s House
·
Post
Highlighting 3 Muslims Arrested in NEET (UG) Paper Leak Is Misleading
·
6
Women, 7 Kids Among 25 Rohingya Held in Tripura; Probe Reveals They Wanted to
Travel to Hyderabad
·
How
an Undetonated World War II Bomb Was Found And Defused In Bengal
--------
Pakistan
·
PTI
Founder, Imran Khan, Threatens Hunger Strike If ‘Denied Justice’
·
Militant
attacks expanded to nine KP districts in June: report
·
Gandapur
demands US Congress probe into cipher case
·
Top
military brass denounces undue criticism of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam
·
Pakistan
eyes enhanced UK ties after Starmer's victory
·
Zardari
felicitates Pezeshkian on election as Iranian President
·
Pakistan,
US to finalize employment procedure of nurses in NY
--------
Europe
·
President
Ilham Aliyev congratulates newly elected President of Islamic Republic of Iran
·
Labour
vote share down in multiple Muslim majority areas
·
Labour
majorities slashed in Muslim areas as five pro-Palestine independents gain
seats
·
The
Kremlin Seeks to Downplay Threat of Islamic Terrorism in Russia
·
In
Batticaloa, a community market for Muslim women from Caritas
--------
Mideast
·
Islamic
Resistance Continues Border Against Israeli Enemy In Support Of Gaza
·
Islamic
Jihad: Killing people in West Bank to not break resistance
·
Profile:
Masoud Pezeshkian, new reformist president of Islamic Republic of Iran
·
Hamas
Accepts US Proposal On Talks Over Israeli Hostages 16 Days After First Phase,
Hamas Source Says
·
Gaza’s
biggest soccer stadium is now a shelter for thousands of displaced Palestinians
·
Israeli
team led by spy chief Barnea meets Qatari mediators on Gaza deal
·
Large
crowds in ten squares in Taiz in marches "With Gaza... Supporting fronts
are steadfastness & jihad"
·
Marches
& vigils under slogan “With Gaza, support fronts are steadfastness &
jihad” in Al-Bayda
·
Major
marches in Hajjah entitled “With Gaza... Supporting fronts: steadfastness &
jihad” in Hajjah
--------
Africa
·
Kenya’s
President Apologizes for Arrogant Officials and Promises to Act Against Police
Brutality
·
Brazil
issues apology for police action against diplomats’ kids
·
Islamic
State releases quarterly details of violence, claims more attacks in Nigeria
--------
South Asia
·
New
British PM Keir Starmer Cancels Plan to Deport Illegal Afghan Immigrantsto
Rwanda
·
Germany
rejects Afghan refugees, plans to deport them back to Afghanistan within 7
days: Amnesty International
·
Turkish
police detain 29 Afghan refugees
·
German
Govt rejects Afghan refugees despite prior commitments
·
Greece
arrests 7, including 3 Iranians and 2 Afghans, over Arson attacks on
Israeli-owned hotel
·
5
New School Projects Launched in Ghazni, Benefiting 4,000 Students
·
Afghanistan
and Uzbekistan Extend Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Repair Contract
--------
North America
·
Belgrade
Crossbow Attacker Swore Allegiance to Islamic State Leader, Video Indicates
·
With
National Rally Showing Strength in Sunday’s Vote, French Muslims Hold Their
Breath
·
Labour
wins UK elections in landslide, but suffers losses in heavily Muslim areas
·
Starbucks
Faces $6 Million Lawsuit for Alleged Discrimination Against Disabled Muslim
Family
·
Israeli
Envoy: West Faces 'Radical Muslim Occupation'
·
Lebanese
authorities charge US Embassy shooter with affiliation to militant Islamic
State group
--------
Arab World
·
Saudi
Scouts Showcase Impressive Passion for STEM At International Jamboree In US
·
How
Saudi Arabia is harnessing its abundance of renewable energy resources
·
KSrelief
launches food program in earthquake-hit areas in Syria and Turkiye
·
Fruit
Festival gets underway in Al-Baha’s Baljurashi
·
More
than 15,000 beneficiaries from ‘Hedayh’ programs in Alkhobar
·
Saudi
Aid Chief, Palestinian Health Minister Meet To Discuss Gaza
--------
Southeast Asia
·
Pope
to Preside Over Interfaith Meeting in Indonesian Mosque During Longest Trip
·
Indonesia
to Ramp Up Funding to UN’s Palestine Refugee Agency
·
UN
Palestine Committee Has High Expectations for Prabowo’s Administration
·
JKSK
discusses recommendations to improve Syariah courts
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/mayor-firhad-non-muslims-controversy/d/132647
-------
Kolkata
Mayor Firhad Hakim’s Remarks On ’Need to Spread Islam Among Non-Muslims’ Spark
Controversy
Close aide of West Bengal
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim
------
6 Jul
2024
Kolkata
Mayor and close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Firhad
Hakim's recent speech stirred a controversy after he said that people who are
not born in Islam are unfortunate. His speech openly called out people to
convert to Islam. His remarks came during an ‘All India Quran Competition’
event that took place on July 3.
Here's
what Firhad Hakim said
During
the event, the Kolkata Mayor said, “Those who are not born in Islam are
unfortunate! They are born with misfortune. We have to bring them under the
fold of Islam.”
BJP
slams TMC
On his
comments, BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya criticised the TMC for its extreme
appeasement politics in the state.
Taking
to X, Malviya wrote, “The TMC's penchant for extreme appeasement politics in
West Bengal is an open secret. The party’s relentless appeasement politics has
paid off, as evident from the successive electoral victories and subsequent
post poll violence, which have emboldened the TMC, making it more audacious and
haughty than ever. The brazen act of publicly flogging a woman by TMC’s JCB in
a manner akin to Sharia Court punishment and the reprehensible defense by TMC’s
Chopra MLA, Hamidur Rahman, asserting such actions are typical in a ‘Muslim
Rashtra,’ have already incited a political maelstrom and bears the testament to
the TMC’s ‘underlying agenda’."
"Now,
TMC heavyweight and Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim openly acknowledged this
‘underlying agenda’, by brazenly advocating the conversion of ‘ill-fated
non-Muslims’ to Islam to ostensibly please ‘Allah’. These flagrant incidents
portend an ominous future, where the TMC’s policy of appeasement will
intensify, heralding a day not far off when West Bengal is wholly converted
into a ‘Muslim Rashtra’ under ‘Didi’s Anuprerona (inspiration),’” he wrote.
Source: livemint.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.livemint.com/politics/who-was-k-armstrong-bsp-tamil-nadu-chief-hacked-to-death-at-perambur-in-chennai-11720236046986.html
--------
Speeches
of 143 Ulema, Zakireen Banned in Sindh for Sixty Days Starting Muharram
Senior
police officers are monitoring the security of the mourning procession on the
occasion of 9th Muharram in Hyderabad on August 8, 2022. — NNI
------
July 06,
2024
KARACHI:
The Sindh Home Department has banned travelling and speeches of 143 ulema and
Zakireen over security concerns during the month of Muharram, Geo News reported
Saturday citing a notification.
The
provincial department said the ban on the scholars and zakireen will be
effective immediately and will last for 60 days.
The Home
Department said Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon had
recommended for restrictions on the 143 persons of 13 districts.
“The ban
has been imposed viewing the law and order situation” during the Islamic month,
it said.
Muharram
marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, and it is regarded as one of the
four sacred Islamic months. During this month, Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the
grandson of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (SAWW), along with his family members
were martyred.
Faithful
hold processions and majalis across the country in Muharram, while religious
scholars address huge gatherings amid tight security, with thousands of law
enforcers deployed to ensure security.
To curb
the spread of hate material on the internet, the provincial governments have
sought the suspension of six social media applications for about a week during
Muharram so that security is not compromised.
The
Punjab government cited the spread of hate material and misinformation as
reasons behind the move.
According
to a Punjab Home Department letter, a meeting of the Standing Committee of the
Cabinet on Law and Order was convened to review security and administrative
arrangements for Muharram.
In this
meeting, it was decided to suspend social media platforms, including Facebook,
Twitter, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram from Muharram 6 to 11 to
prevent the dissemination of hate material and misinformation, aiming to avert
sectarian violence.
However,
the federal government has not yet taken any decision to suspend internet
services during Muharram, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior Friday
said.
Central,
district Ruet-e-Hilal committees to meet today
On the
other hand, the central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will meet in Quetta on Saturday
to sight the crescent of Muharram (1446 Hijri).
Ruet-e-Hilal
Committee Chairman Moulana Abdul Khabir Azad will preside over the committee
meeting. Simultaneously, the meetings of zonal and district Ruet-e-Hilal Committees
will also be held at their respective headquarters.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1206908-travelling-speeches-of-143-ulema-zakireen-banned-in-sindh-over-security-concerns
--------
‘Don’t
Take Us For Granted’: Muslim Voters Send Message To Labour Over Its Gaza Stance
Kauser
Patel, who campaigned for Adam, said the team had not even been thinking about
winning but that she was elated when he was victorious. Photograph: Fabio De
Paola/The Guardian
------
6 July
2024
When
Labour’s Jonathan Ashworth lost his Leicester South seat to the pro-Palestine
independent candidate Shockat Adam, it was widely seen as one of the biggest
upsets of election night.
But a
walk along Evington Road, a busy shopping street with a large Muslim population
in the constituency, showed that all the signs were there.
Posters
and banners calling on people to vote for Adam were plastered on every other
shop, while dozens of Palestine flags blew in the breeze along streets of
terrace houses. Gaza is a huge issue here, alongside frustration with
Ashworth’s performance locally.
“I was
always a Labour voter, but it was [Ashworth] who changed me because he became
complacent. He didn’t listen to us. When he abstained from the Gaza vote, he
closed his doors on us. That wasn’t good enough,” said Kauser Patel, 37, a
local business consultant who has been campaigning for Adam.
Despite
the signs, his win on Thursday came as a shock even to his campaign, Patel
said. It had attracted dozens of volunteers – many of them young – in recent
weeks.
“We knew
it was going to be hard, so we weren’t even thinking about winning. Canvassing
has been tough, we were mainly speaking to Labour voters, trying to make them
understand where we were coming from,” she said. “When he won, I was elated.”
Ashworth,
who was the shadow paymaster general, had held the seat since 2011 and secured
a majority of more than 22,000 in 2019. He was expected to take a seat in Keir
Starmer’s cabinet and his Midlands constituency was considered safe Labour
territory.
Patel
was keen to stress that while Gaza was a key factor behind many people’s vote,
Adam’s personal likeability, and his stance on issues such as improving the NHS
and abolishing the two-child benefit cap, also went down well with residents.
He is an
optician well-known in the area and has a strong presence on social media.
“He’s well spoken and seems down to earth. It feels like he’s one of us and
he’s inspired a lot of people,” said 26-year-old Saif Ali, who works on
Evington Road in a shop for a charity, Al-ianah Humanity Welfare, raising money
to send to people in crises abroad.
“I live
right opposite the polling station and I was surprised at the amount of young
people coming and going. I think that’s the thing with Adam, he engaged the
youth on social media. A lot of young people just used to vote for Labour
because their parents did, and I think that’s changed.”
The
result here was probably compounded by other liberal voters turning away from
Labour, such as 22-year-old politics student Daisy Sore, who voted Green
instead. “I would consider myself a Labour voter but I don’t agree with where Keir
Starmer has taken the party, and Ashworth’s delayed call for a ceasefire in
Gaza was a real sticking point for me,” she said.
Ashworth
was not the only high-profile Labour politician who became a victim of the
party’s Gaza stance. In Birmingham, Khalid Mahmood, England’s first Muslim MP,
lost the Perry Barr seat he had held since 2001 to the barrister Ayoub Khan, a
former Liberal Democrat councillor who quit the party over Gaza.
All eyes
had been on Birmingham Ladywood and Yardley – where pro-Palestine candidates
wiped out Labour’s majority and came in second place. Across the city, Labour’s
standing now looks shaky – in Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley, once
considered one of the party’s safest seats, two independent candidates won more
votes combined than Labour, suggesting the party might have lost if just one
independent had stood.
Mahmood
insisted his defeat was not down to the Gaza issue, which he said he had spoken
out about, but he did admit the issue had “emotionally tugged” voters.
In
Dewsbury and Batley in West Yorkshire, Labour’s Heather Iqbal – a former
adviser to the shadow chancellor, Rachel Reeves – lost by nearly 7,000 votes to
Iqbal Mohamed, an IT consultant who quit the party over its stance on the war
in Gaza.
After
Friday prayers, worshippers who spilled out of the Masjid e Mahmoodiyah in
Batley were full of praise for Mohamed and his campaign. “I’m pleased that he’s
won,” said Raja Waseem, 25. “We want people who will stand for things like Gaza
and Palestine. I think the young generation can look up to him.”
“I was
overwhelmed when I woke up this morning,” said Ash Hussain, 38. While Gaza was
an important issue for him, he said he was also impressed by what Mohamed had
achieved without a party machine. “He’s from a working-class background, and I
think he’s done really well.”
Over the
border in East Lancashire, another independent candidate, Adnan Hussain,
overturned an 18,000 Labour majority in Blackburn. In 2019, while surrounding
bricks in the “red wall” fell to the Tories, Blackburn looked rock solid –
credited, at least in part, to the loyalty of south Asian voters.
“After
69 years of having a Labour MP, Blackburn has sent a message that Palestinian
lives matter, and Muslim votes can’t be taken for granted,” Yusuf Patel, a
religious leader in the town, said.
“This
was not a message to the [former Labour] MP Kate Hollern, because she had an
excellent track record when it came to Palestine, but it was a message to the
Labour leadership.”
Salim
Sidat, the former Labour councillor who led Hussain’s campaign, said: “We just
want to send a message very, very clearly to Keir Starmer, and anybody in the
world, that Muslim votes should not be taken for granted.
“We
wanted somebody to stand up, we wanted Labour to stand up, people we’ve been voting
for all our lives,” he said. “Keir Starmer was the issue, Kate Hollern was not
the issue.”
The
Blackburn Labour councillor Shaukat Hussain added: “Gaza was the No 1 issue,
there’s no doubt about that. So it was difficult to talk about the manifesto, to
talk about Labour’s policies.”
Ibrahim
Master, another former Labour member who worked on Hussain’s campaign, said
“hundreds if not thousands” like him had resigned their party membership over
Gaza.
“We need
to send a message to Starmer and the Labour party hierarchy that you cannot
take Muslim votes for granted, and you also have to take other views into
consideration. We have supported the Labour party for well over 40 years, but
that doesn’t make you take our votes for granted,” he said.
Master
said that in his view, Starmer’s party could win Muslim voters back in seats
like these. “The Labour party left us in a way, we didn’t leave the Labour
party,” he said.
Patel
added: “If Labour revisited its foreign policy, and takes a neutral stance, and
upholds international law, and campaigns for justice, then I see no reason why
people wouldn’t revert, or at least consider their position.”
Source: uk.news.yahoo.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/don-t-us-granted-muslim-050030830.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9jLm5ld3Nub3cuY28udWsv&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFOQDrBmeF-LHMngndSs5JyVXKTSH9OuTJ_1FeQi7iLH0jYtKp25FYBETY4bZS0D5RgA_RtFoLYt3MXKTtXHZuRLZnWfFkzGl-uKCIBMgL1YL-6gPVFQhChXIa-1gKiqrJuhR_c4GJPIl_MdxYGyfmFH5hW8yjzqMTL9pfhhshER
--------
Reformist
Pezeshkian wins Iran’s presidential runoff election, besting hard-liner Jalili
Reformist
Masoud Pezeshkian
------
July 06,
2024
DUBAI:
Reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian won Iran’s runoff presidential election
Saturday, besting hard-liner Saeed Jalili by promising to reach out to the West
and ease enforcement on the country’s mandatory headscarf law after years of
sanctions and protests squeezing the Islamic Republic.
Pezeshkian
promised no radical changes to Iran’s Shiite theocracy in his campaign and long
has held Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the final arbiter of all
matters of state in the country. But even Pezeshkian’s modest aims will be
challenged by an Iranian government still largely held by hard-liners, the
ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, and Western fears over Tehran
enriching uranium to near-weapons-grade levels.
A vote
count offered by authorities put Pezeshkian as the winner with 16.3 million
votes to Jalili’s 13.5 million in Friday’s election.
Supporters
of Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon and longtime lawmaker, entered the streets of
Tehran and other cities before dawn to celebrate as his lead grew over Jalili,
a hard-line former nuclear negotiator.
But
Pezeshkian’s win still sees Iran at a delicate moment, with tensions high in
the Mideast over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, Iran’s advancing
nuclear program, and a looming US election that could put any chance of a
detente between Tehran and Washington at risk.
The first
round of voting June 28 saw the lowest turnout in the history of the Islamic
Republic since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iranian officials have long pointed
to turnout as a sign of support for the country’s Shiite theocracy, which has
been under strain after years of sanctions crushing Iran’s economy, mass
demonstrations and intense crackdowns on all dissent.
Government
officials up to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei predicted a higher
participation rate as voting got underway, with state television airing images
of modest lines at some polling centers across the country.
However,
online videos purported to show some polls empty while a survey of several
dozen sites in the capital, Tehran, saw light traffic amid a heavy security
presence on the streets.
The
election came amid heightened regional tensions. In April, Iran launched its
first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups
that Tehran arms in the region — such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s
Houthi rebels — are engaged in the fighting and have escalated their attacks.
Iran is
also enriching uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a stockpile
large enough to build several nuclear weapons, should it choose to do so. And
while Khamenei remains the final decision-maker on matters of state, whichever
man ends up winning the presidency could bend the country’s foreign policy
toward either confrontation or collaboration with the West.
The
campaign also repeatedly touched on what would happen if former President
Donald Trump, who unilaterally withdrew America from the Iran nuclear deal in
2018, won the November election. Iran has held indirect talks with President
Joe Biden’s administration, though there’s been no clear movement back toward
constraining Tehran’s nuclear program for the lifting of economic sanctions.
More
than 61 million Iranians over the age of 18 were eligible to vote, with about
18 million of them between 18 and 30. Voting was to end at 6 p.m. but was
extended until midnight to boost participation.
The late
President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a May helicopter crash, was seen as a
protégé of Khamenei and a potential successor as supreme leader.
Still,
many knew him for his involvement in the mass executions that Iran conducted in
1988, and for his role in the bloody crackdowns on dissent that followed
protests over the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained by police
over allegedly improperly wearing the mandatory headscarf, or hijab.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544421/middle-east
-----
Why
Nigerian Military Is Operating School of Islamic Affairs — Defence Media
Operations
Major
General Buba
-----
Jul 6,
2024
ABUJA –
The Director, Defence Media Operations (DMO), Major General Edward Buba, has
explained that the purpose of establishing the School of Islamic Affairs is
to develop and build the capacity of military men.
General
Buba gave the explanation on Thursday at the joint Press Briefing by the
Strategic Communication Interagency Policy Committee which took place at the
Force Headquarters, Abuja.
While
answering questions on the viral photo of the Nigerian Army School of Islamic
Affairs which attracted a lot of reactions from members of the public who
questioned the existence of such school in the Nigerian military, General Buba
justified the establishment of the School of Islamic Affairs by the military.
He said,
“Life is spiritual and being military men does not make them less spiritually
inclined.”
Furthermore,
Buba said, “The military does not only have the School of Islamic Affairs; we
also have the Chaplaincy School. Being military men does not make us not to be
spiritually inclined.
“They
say that life is spiritual. Things start from the spiritual before we see
them in the physical. We in the military are also aware of that. So, we pray
according to our religion, be it Christian or Islam.
“And
what is the purpose of a school? It is to develop and build capacity. If you
want somebody to go and preach to others, he should know what he is preaching
about. He should be able to read the scriptures from one point to the other in
whatever religion he practises, so that he can communicate that breakdown to
the troops and build their faith.
“I
believe that answers the question, why is the military operating a School of
Islamic Affairs.”
Meanwhile,
checks by Saturday INDEPENDENT showed that the Chaplaincy of the Nigerian Army
is a religious institution that renders spiritual, moral, and psychological
support services to military personnel in their service to the nation.
It has
three units with different religious identities, namely Catholic, Protestant,
and Islamic Affairs. Since the commencement of the Army, services of the
clergy for the soldiers have been required at both the barracks and on the
battlefield as well as services for their families at the barracks.
However,
this was never formalised until the situation demanded a religious
institutional structure to serve the military more effectively.
However,
Saturday INDEPENDENT’s investigation confirmed that the Nigerian Army School
of Islamic Affairs is for troops and is intended to educate them spiritually.
The school offers education in various areas, including Islamic Studies,
Arabic and Islamic Studies, LLB Sharia, Islamic Theology, Qur’anic Science,
Hadith Sciences, Qur’anic Exegesis, Islamic Jurisprudence and Comparative
Religious Studies and is managed by the Nigerian Army Council.
It is
open to eligible Nigerians who can apply through the Nigerian Army website and
must be able to speak Arabic and English languages. The application for the
2024 academic year closed on February 23, 2024.
Source: independent.ng
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://independent.ng/why-nigerian-military-is-operating-school-of-islamic-affairs-dmo/#google_vignette
--------
India
Jamiat
Ulama-i-Hind Seeks Muslim Quota, Opposes Uniform Civil Code in Its Two-Day
Governing Council Meeting
Jul 5,
2024
NEW
DELHI: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind ended its two-day governing council meeting on
Friday with a call for Muslim quota based on social, economic and educational
backwardness, and reiterated its opposition to Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
In a
resolution, JUH said “reservation should not be based on religion, nor should
it be hindered by religious considerations”, while highlighting that the
Constitution provides for reservation for disadvantaged classes deprived of
adequate representation.
It said
Other Backward Classes (OBC) at both central and state levels included many
Muslim communities and the quota was based on social and educational
backwardness. “The 4% sub-quota reserved for Muslim OBCs in Karnataka, as well
as quotas in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, adhere to constitutional
rights. The meeting urges other state governments to adopt this commendable
practice without succumbing to political pressures,” the resolution said.
The
demand comes in the backdrop of ‘quota’ featuring prominently in the Lok Sabha
polls with BJP and Congress targeting each other over quota-related issues.
Jamiat’s
resolution demanded that Dalits among Muslims be treated at par with Hindu,
Sikh and Buddhist Scheduled Castes. “If a Hindu converts to Christianity or
Islam, they forfeit their benefits under Section 341. This exemplifies severe
religious discrimination,” JUH claimed and demanded that the govt amend the
Constitution to eliminate such religious restrictions.
In another
resolution, JUH reiterated its opposition to UCC and called it "part of a
broader conspiracy to undermine the religious freedom and constitutional rights
of citizens". Calling implementation of UCC by the Uttarakhand government
as “arbitrary and unjust”, it urged the Centre not to proceed with any proposal
for UCC.
On
Thursday, JUH had passed a resolution against “growing hate campaign” and
called for a separate legislation to counter Islamophobia by punishing those
who incite violence. JUH president Maulana Mahmood Madani had said, “The
country cannot thrive on hatred.”
The
Jamiat also condemned the attempt by central and state govts to “saffronise”
the education system and compel students to engage in practices that contradict
their religious beliefs. Stating that the “govt’s imposition of compulsory
orders for school students to perform surya namaskar, Saraswati puja, Hindu
songs, shlokas, or wear tilak is an interference in religious freedom”, JUH
appealed to the govt to refrain from such provocative actions.
The
governing council meeting was attended by nearly 1,500 members and prominent
Islamic clerics and scholars from across the country.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/juh-seeks-muslim-quota-opposes-ucc/articleshow/111521043.cms
---------
In
Howrah, ‘parikrama’ of deities starts from Muslim prof’s house
Jul 6,
2024
Kolkata:
The Kadamtala neighbourhood in Howrah eagerly awaits the day of Rath Yatra. Not
only children but adults too participate in a unique Rath Yatra that starts
from the residence of Sheikh Makbul Islam. Islam, along with his Hindu
neighbours, takes Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra for a ‘parikrama’. In this
journey, they carry the deities in their arms instead of using a wooden
chariot.
Islam, a
professor of Bengali at St Paul’s Cathedral Mission College in Kolkata, used to
reside in the mission’s quarters during his childhood, where his father was
associated. “Here, many of our neighbours were Vaishnavites from Odisha. I was
immensely influenced by their religious culture. The influence has had an
everlasting impression on me,” said Islam.
Islam’s
association with Jagannath has its roots in his native village at Bagnan in
Howrah.
He
vividly shares his memories of ‘rath mela’ (fair on the occasion of Rath
Yatra), where he would buy ‘venpu’ (a kind of small bugle made of leaves or
paper), colourful birds made of naturally grown cork, and relish hot ‘jalebis’
and ‘papads’ with his friends.
“Not
only me, many children from the Muslim community would wait for this week-long
fair,” said Islam, who has done extensive research on Jagannath. His areas of
research include folkloristics, visual folklore, folkmusicology, Jagannath
consciousness, and comparative religion, Bengal-Odisha. He received the
“Navakalevara Award-2015” for his research on Jagannath from the hands of
Shankaracharya of Puri.
The Rath
Yatra procession ends at the house of another neighbour, Dinesh Kumar Khan.
According to the rituals, the trio — Jagannath, Balaram, and Subhadra, along
with Sudarshan — go to their ‘masir bari’ (maternal aunt’s residence) and
return after seven days, which is celebrated as ‘Ulto Rath’ (return journey).
Aloka Khan, sister-in-law of Dinesh Khan, said, “Everyone in this locality
enjoys the day with heartfelt content. After reaching our residence, ‘prasad’
and ‘bhog’ (offerings to the deities) are served among the devotees.
During
the spectacular journey of the deities, locals participate with traditional
musical instruments, lamps, and incense sticks.
“Children
are the most enthusiastic among all. The idea of Rath Yatra is all about
integration. In Puri, it is held in an open space so that people from all
sections of society can participate,” said Islam, adding, “Children of the
present generation should know about Ratha Yatra and Jagannath so that they can
carry forward this tradition in the future.”
We also
published the following articles recently
No VIP
darshan in Puri Jagannath Temple on Rath Yatra this yearOdisha government ends
VIP darshan system at Jagannath Temple for Rath Yatra to maintain ritual
schedule. All devotees, regardless of social status, can now view sibling
deities on chariots outside the temple. Learn more about this significant
change for the upcoming religious event.111412553
Lord
Jagannath Embarks on Rath Yatra to show love to his devoteesDiscover the annual
Jagannath Rath Yatra in Puri, starting from the historic Jagannath Temple and
ending at Gundicha Temple. Learn about the significance of the chariot
procession with Krishna, Subhadra, and Balabhadra, drawing devotees together in
a display of tradition and faith.108410453
Jagannath
Puri Rath Yatra 2024: When is Jagannatha Yatra? All you need to knowLearn about
the significance of Jagannath Rath Yatra 2024 celebrated in Odisha's Puri
state. Discover the date, time, and FAQs related to this sacred Hindu festival.
Join the grand procession of Lord Jagannatha, Lord Balbhadra, and Goddess
Subhadra in their beautifully decorated chariots.111474983
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/rath-yatra-in-howrah-with-muslim-professors-house-start/articleshow/111526278.cms
--------
Post
Highlighting 3 Muslims Arrested In NEET (UG) Paper Leak Is Misleading
5 July
2024
A post
with photos of three Muslim men arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) (NEET-UG)
paper leak scandal is being shared with a false and communal claim insinuating
that the investigative agency has arrested only Muslim accused in the case.
BOOM found that while the three men in the photos have been arrested by the
CBI, several other accused individuals who are Hindus have also been arrested.
The CBI is currently investigating alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG exam,
conducted on May 5, 2024. This nationwide entrance test, is administered by the
National Testing Agency (NTA). The CBI has arrested multiple individuals for
their alleged involvement in the case. The allegations against the NTA include
accusations of paper leaks and a controversy over grace marks awarded to over
1,000 students from six centres due to a delayed start, which were later
canceled following a court order.
The
viral graphic is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "In NEET-UG
paper leak case, arrests made by CBI so far: -Md Jamaluddin who was working for
Prabhat Khabar -Dr Ehsanul Haq, Principal Oasis school -Imtiaz Alam, Vice
Principal Oasis school Exam Jihad ??"
FACT-CHECK
BOOM found that the men in the viral photo have been arrested by the CBI in
relation to the NEET-UG paper leak scam, however the investigative agency has
also arrested several Hindu accused in the case. We ran a keyword search with
the "NEET-UG paper leak scam" and found several news reports which
had details of all the accused arrested by the CBI, these reports had names of
several Hindu accused in the case which the viral graphic does not mention in
order to bolster the misleading claim. The three Muslim accused were arrested
by the CBI are - Ehsanul Haque, the principal of Oasis School in Jharkhand,
along with his vice-principal, Imtiaz Alam, who also served as the Hazaribagh
district coordinator for NEET-UG appointed by NTA. Investigators suspect that
the leak originated from their school. CBI also arrested Jamaluddin a
journalist in Hazaribagh on June 29, in connection with the NEET paper-leak
case. He is accused of assisting the principal and vice-principal of Oasis
School in the paper leak. However except these three Muslim accused the rest of
the accused in the case arrested are mostly Hindus. The Indian Express reported
on July 1, 2024, with the list of accused arrested in the case by CBI. The list
names includes - Sanjeev Mukhiya, Baldev Kumar, Nitish Kumar, Amit Anand, Manish
Prakash, Ashutosh Kumar, Roshan Kumar, Awadhesh Kumar, Sikander Yadavendu,
Mukesh Kumar, Panku Kumar, Paramjit Singh, Rajiv Kumar, Ehsanul Haque, Imtiaz
Alam, Mohd Jamaludin, Purshottam Sharma, Tushar Bhatt, Arif Vohra, Parshuram
Roy, Vibhor Anand Umeshwar Prasad Singh. In the list reported below, there are
several Hindu accused that the viral graphic omits and only shares photos of
there Muslim accused.
BOOM has
debunked misinformation surrounding the NEET paper leak case. Posts featuring a
Malayalam newspaper advertisement of students and their NEET scores were shared
online with the false and communal claim that Muslim NEET aspirants were the
main beneficiaries of the question paper leak fiasco.
Source: boomlive.in
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.boomlive.in/fact-check/fact-check-neet-ug-paper-scam-only-muslims-arrested-misleading-post-fake-news-25814
--------
6 women,
7 kids among 25 Rohingya held in Tripura; probe reveals they wanted to travel
to Hyderabad
July 5,
2024
As many
as 25 people of Rohingyas origins, including six women and seven children, were
held from two separate places of Tripura while they were trying to leave for
Hyderabad in search of jobs, said a police officer on Friday. They were arrested
from a bus stand at Dharmanagar and the Churaibari gate area in North Tripura
district on Thursday night.
Sources
in the police said that the accused were planning to go to Guwahati on a bus
and then to Hyderabad on a train in search of jobs.
In their
preliminary interrogation, the police came to know that the infiltrators
entered Tripura via Sonamura in Sepahijala district and Kailasahar in Unakoti
district from neighbouring Bangladesh.
The
police officer further said that the Rohingya infiltrators left their camps in
Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazaar and later entered India with the help of touts
without any valid documents.
A huge
number of Bangladeshi and Rohingya persons were arrested in Agartala Railway
Station and different parts of Tripura in the last few weeks while they were
trying to board trains or vehicles to move out of the state.
Over 30
Bangladeshi nationals were arrested at Agartala Railway Station in the last
four days itself.
Amid an
increase in illegal infiltration from Bangladesh, Saha, who also holds the Home
portfolio, on Thursday held a meeting with the top officers of the Border
Security Force (BSF). He asked them to maintain tight vigil across the border
and to take strict action against those involved in the infiltration of
Bangladeshi nationals into Indian territory.
Notably,
the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested several Tripura youths in
connection with a case registered at Guwahati last year for involvement in
human trafficking of Bangladeshi and Rohingya persons into Indian territory
through the state. The latest arrests came on June 16 this year.
A series
of arrests of drug peddlers, gun runners and human traffickers also came to
light recently at the Agartala Railway Station, which the authorities suspect
is being used as a corridor for trafficking.
Source: indianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/india/women-kids-among-rohingya-held-tripura-probe-reveals-travel-hyderabad-9435536/
--------
How an
undetonated World War II bomb was found and defused in Bengal
July 6,
2024
The
police and the Airforce on Friday jointly defused an undetonated World War II
bomb found in Bhulanpur under West Bengal’s Jhargram district.
The bomb
was spotted on Thursday, following which residents in a 1-km radius of the site
were evacuated.
“We came
to know (about the bomb) after the owner of the land noticed it while carrying
out some agricultural activity and reported the matter to the police. We
approached the IAF for help as the CID said it seemed to be a weapons-grade
munition,” Arijit Sinha, Superintendent of Police, Jhargram, told The Indian
Express.
During
the operation, a Domestic Fire Tender (DFT) was deployed to handle any
potential fire hazards. About 5,000 sandbags were also supplied for protective
measures. A JCB was arranged for the necessary digging and preparation of the
site. At least 20 to 30 casual labourers were brought in to assist the bomb
disposal squad.
After
the bomb was defused, CM Mamata Banerjee wrote on her X handle, “Yesterday, it
came to our notice that an undetonated bomb of World War II was found in an
open field in village Bhulanpur, Gopiballavpur in Jhargram district. State
government machinery including police and also airforce immediately swung into
action. Public from nearby areas were shifted to a safe & secure place.
Thereafter, it was safely and successfully diffused. I thank everyone involved
for the good work done.”
Source: indianexpress.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/world-war-ii-bomb-found-bengal-jhargram-9435394/
--------
Pakistan
PTI
Founder, Imran Khan, Threatens Hunger Strike If ‘Denied Justice’
July 6,
2024
ISLAMABAD:
The PTI on Friday reiterated its demand for Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa to
recuse himself from benches hearing cases related to the political party, while
its founder revealed he was contemplating a hunger strike if he continued to be
denied justice.
Talking
to the reporters after attending proceedings in the £190m corruption case on
Friday, Imran Khan said that cases must not be decided on the basis of ‘like or
dislike’, as all citizens are equal before the law.
He
pointed out that every other case involving his party was fixed before CJP Isa
even though his counsel objected to the CJP’s presence in the bench.
He
claimed that his legal team wanted such cases to be transferred away from
Courtroom 1.
The
ex-PM also reiterated his allegation that Adiala Jail was being managed by some
colonel or major, pointing out that the jail superintendent served “under their
command” who denied his meeting with party leaders.
Some PTI
leaders had arrived at the jail to meet Mr Khan on party’s internal disputes,
but the jailer allegedly on the instructions of that military officer, did not
allow them access for at least three hours.
The PTI
founder said he was mulling the decision to observe hunger strike and would do
so if justice was denied.
Talking
to reporters, Mr Khan said he would advise the PTI leaders not to make internal
differences public, as it would divert their attention from the real cause.
The PTI
founder said the recent budget had already buried PML-N politics.
Separately,
at a press conference, PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said the
CJP should recuse himself from all PTI related cases as they had reservations
with him.
Speaking
on the occasion, PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen noted that the party wanted that
decisions should be made based on the law and Constitution, and that since the
party and its leader had expressed reservations about the CJP, he should not be
part of the bench.
PTI
leader Shaukat Basra even claimed that all 180 PTI MNAs and MPAs from across
the country would appear in court to express their reservations.
Proceedings
Earlier,
Judge Mohammad Ali Warriach of the accountability court summoned four witnesses
namely Pervez Khattak, Zubeda Jalal, Azam Khan and a patwari in the graft case.
The court would record their statements on July 10.
So far,
the court has recorded the statements of 30 prosecution witnesses who have also
been cross-examined by the defence counsel.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1844107/pti-founder-threatens-hunger-strike-if-denied-justice
--------
Militant
attacks expanded to nine KP districts in June: report
July 6,
2024
ISLAMABAD:
Nine districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed terrorist attacks in June
2024, in what has been termed as a sign of expanding militancy in the province.
A report
issued by the Islamabad-based think tank Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies
(PIPS) documented 27 terrorist attacks in Pakistan in June, down from 36 in the
preceding month. Of these attacks, 21 were reported in KP and six in
Balochistan.
While
attacks on security forces personnel remained the prime target of militant
groups in the KP, in recent weeks and months, educational institutions, mainly
girls’ schools, polio vaccination workers, tribal elders, and political
leaders, have come under frequent attacks.
In its
monthly security review for June 2024, PIPS noted that during the month, the
banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and other local Taliban groups claimed
responsibility for 21 terrorist attacks in KP, which is two more than the
previous month.
These
attacks claimed the lives of 28 people, including 19 security and law
enforcement personnel.
During
June 2024, Balochistan experienced a total of six terrorist incidents, which
claimed four lives, including security and law enforcement personnel, while 14
people were injured.
According
to the report, security forces and counter-terrorism departments police
conducted five operations against alleged militants in June, compared to 10 in
the previous month.
In these
operations, 17 alleged militants were killed, and three were injured.
Four out
of the five reported operations took place in Bannu and Lakki Marwat districts
of KP, while one operation was conducted in Karachi.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1844111/militant-attacks-expanded-to-nine-kp-districts-in-june-report
--------
Gandapur
demands US Congress probe into cipher case
July 6,
2024
PESHAWAR:
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur has called for a US
Congress investigation into the alleged American plot to overthrow Prime
Minister Imran Khan’s government, citing a diplomatic cipher.
During a
meeting with a delegation of the New York State Assembly and American-Pakistani
Public Affairs Committee, led by Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos, here, the chief
minister said the US Congress should uncover the truth behind the ouster of the
Imran government by probing that cipher, which caused significant political
turmoil in Pakistan.
Adviser
to the chief minister on finance Muzammil Aslam confirmed to Dawn that Mr
Gandapur took up the cipher issue with the American delegation.
He
claimed that the visitors “endorsed the chief minister’s concerns on the matter
and said he’s absolutely right.”
They
also insisted that their perceptions of Pakistan changed after the visit,
according to Mr Aslam.
The
Chief Minister’s Secretariat later issued a statement about the meeting.
According
to it, Mr Gandapur and the visitors discussed matters related to promoting
relations between KP and New York State, especially cooperation for social
sector development.
Both
sides agreed to sign memorandums of understanding for partnership in health,
education, trade, and human resource, and initiate nursing exchange and
tele-health programmes.
Cabinet
members Syed Qasim Ali Shah, Faisal Khan Tarakai and Muzammil Aslam, chief
secretary Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry, additional chief secretary Syed Imtiaz Hussain
Shah and other senior officials were also present in the meeting.
Mr
Gandapur informed the visitors that his government always welcomed and
appreciated the US government’s initiatives for projects of public welfare.
He said
bilateral cooperation in different fields would strengthen the Pakistan-US
relations.
The
chief minister said the development of health and education sectors were top
priorities of his government.
He said
that the government introduced multiple reforms in health and education
sectors, leading to significant improvement in healthcare and learning systems
to the relief of people.
“Entire
population of the province is being provided free healthcare facilities in
reputable public and private hospitals registered under the provincial
government’s health card scheme,” he said, according to the statement.
Mr
Gandapur said his government was working on the launch of the Education Card
like the Sehat Card health insurance scheme.
He said
the enrolment of all out-of-school children and an increase in women’s literacy
rate in the province was one of the priorities of his government.
The
chief minister said the government would need support for providing
scholarships to students for higher education abroad as well as imparting
modern vocational training to the talented youth.
He said
the US could benefit from the skilled manpower of the province.
Mr
Gandapur said there was immense potential for foreign investment in tourism,
mines and minerals, agriculture and hydropower sectors.
“Under
our ease-of-doing business policy, we will provide a conducive environment as
well as all possible facilities in our province to foreign investors,” he said.
The
chief minister said efforts were under way to develop all sectors along modern
lines to increase revenue and provide job opportunities to residents.
He said
an integrated strategy was devised to strengthen the economy of the
war-affected province, while necessary legislation was being made for
sustainable reforms.
The
visitors lauded the provincial government’s reforms in health, education and
social sectors and in the police department, according to the statement.
They
also said initiatives to deal with climate change were highly commendable.
The
delegates said it was a great achievement of the provincial government to
increase forest cover in the province to 26 per cent.
They
appreciated the provision of free healthcare to the entire population of the
province.
Source: dawn.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.dawn.com/news/1844059/gandapur-demands-us-congress-probe-into-cipher-case
--------
Top
military brass denounces undue criticism of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam
July 05,
2024
As the
newly announced anti-terrorism operation Azm-e-Istehkam faces opposition from
certain factions, the military dismissed the "unwarranted criticism"
of the "vision" aimed at rooting out terrorism from the country.
The
statement came after Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir
presided over the 265th Corps Commanders’ Conference (CCC) held at the General
Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Friday, the the Inter-Services Public
Relations (ISPR) said.
"Forum
noted with concern the unwarranted criticism by some quarters and deliberate
misrepresentation of the vision, only for furthering their vested
interests," a statement issued by the military's media wing read.
It said
that the forum undertook a comprehensive review of the internal and external
security situation of the country and had detailed discussions on various
aspects of Operation Azm-e-Istehkam.
The
military operation aimed at "harnessing the national counter-terrorism
efforts in a synchronised manner to dismantle the nexus of terrorism and
illegal spectrum in the country for enduring stability and economic
prosperity" was approved by the federal government last month following
National Action Plan's Central Apex Committee's recommendations.
"The
forum affirmed that military leadership is cognisant of the full spectrum of
the challenges and resolved to shoulder its constitutionally mandated
responsibilities with the support of the resilient people of Pakistan," it
added.
The
military vowed to combat "digital terrorism" conspirators abetted by
foreign cohorts.
"Forum
underscored that onslaught of politically motivated digital terrorism,
unleashed by conspirators, duly abetted by their foreign cohorts against state
institutions is meant to induce despondency in the nation and sow discord
through peddling of blatant lies, fake news and propaganda," the
military's media wing said.
It said
that the armed forces and the nation are fully aware of all such machinations
and stand united and committed to defeating the "notorious designs of the
enemies".
Moreover,
the military top brass also deliberated upon the regional security situation,
especially Afghanistan, and reaffirmed its commitment to regional peace and
security.
They
expressed solidarity with the people of Kashmir and Palestine and condemned
serious human rights violations, war crimes and genocide being perpetrated in
Kashmir and Gaza.
The
forum paid rich tribute to the supreme sacrifices of martyrs of the armed
forces, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) and the citizens of Pakistan who have
laid their lives for peace and stability in the country.
It also
renewed the resolve to continue full support of ongoing efforts in uplifting
socioeconomic growth and wholeheartedly assisting the government in curbing all
illegal activities that hamper investors’ confidence, economic stability and
growth.
Expressing
satisfaction with the army's commitment to national security, COAS Gen Munir
stressed upon maintaining high standards of professionalism and operational
preparedness.
In his
concluding remarks, the army chief stated that the Pakistan Army has always been
fully prepared to thwart all internal and external challenges and play its due
role in the stability and prosperity of the country, regardless of the
challenges posed, the military's media wing added.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1206690-top-military-brass-denounces-undue-criticism-of-operation-azm-e-istehkam
--------
Pakistan
eyes enhanced UK ties after Starmer's victory
July 05,
2024
Pakistan
on Friday congratulated UK Prime Minister-elect Keir Starmer following his
party's victory in the British general elections, expressing a desire to
strengthen ties between the two countries.
"I
extend my heartfelt felicitations to @Keir_Starmer, Leader of Labour Party
@UKLabour on the historic victory in parliamentary election in United
Kingdom," Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said in a
post on X.
He noted
that Pakistan and the UK share deep-rooted and broad-based ties founded in
shared history and people-to-people contacts.
"I
am confident that under his stewardship our relationship will be further strong
and we can work together for global peace, prosperity and development," he
added.
Pakistan
eyes enhanced UK ties after Starmers victory
Starmer's
centre-left Labour won a massive majority in the 650-seat parliament. Rishi
Sunak's Conservatives suffered the worst performance in the party's long
history as voters punished them for a cost of living crisis, failing public
services, and a series of scandals.
The
election result has upended British politics. Labour won more than 410 seats,
an increase of over 210, while the Conservatives, the western world's most
successful party, lost about 250 lawmakers, including a record number of senior
ministers and former Prime Minister Liz Truss.
A glum
Sunak conceded defeat and will meet King Charles later to formally resign
before Starmer is appointed in his place.
"Today
power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all
sides," Sunak said. "There is much to learn and reflect on and I take
responsibility for the loss to the many good hardworking Conservative
candidates ... I am sorry."
In his
victory speech, Starmer said: "We did it. Change begins now [...] We said
we would end the chaos, and we will, we said we would turn the page, and we
have. Today, we start the next chapter, begin the work of change, the mission
of national renewal and start to rebuild our country."
The
election victory represents an incredible turnaround for Starmer and Labour,
which critics and supporters said was facing an existential crisis just three
years ago when it appeared to have lost its way after its 2019 drubbing.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1206627-pakistan-eyes-enhanced-uk-relations-as-starmer-prepares-for-premiership
--------
Zardari
felicitates Pezeshkian on election as Iranian President
July 06,
2024
President
Asif Ali Zardari has felicitated Masoud Pezeshkian on his election as the
Iranian President.
In a
statement, he said both Pakistan and Iran enjoy fraternal ties. He expressed
the confidence that under the leadership of Masoud Pezeshkian, these relations
will grow further stronger.
He said Pakistan
looks forward to working together with Iran for the peace and prosperity of the
region.
Source: radio.gov.pk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.radio.gov.pk/06-07-2024/zardari-felicitates-pezeshkian-on-election-as-iranian-president
--------
Pakistan,
US to finalize employment procedure of nurses in NY
July 06,
2024
Pakistan
and the US have agreed to finalize a procedure for the employement of Pakistani
qualified Nurses in New York.
This
came at a meeting between Interior Mohsin Naqvi and Deputy Speaker of New York State Assembly
Phil Ramos in Islamabad today.
The
Deputy Speaker of New York Assembly said there is a shortage of qualified
nurses in the US and Pakistan has a lot of potential in this regard.
Mohsin
Naqvi said urgent steps will be taken to send qualified Pakistani nurses to New
York.
The
Interior Minister said there are vast opportunities for collaboration in the
areas of education, health and economic development between the two countries.
Alluding
to his recent visit to New York, the Interior Minister said positive
discussions were held between Islamabad Police and the New York Police
Department to enhance cooperation. He
said a delegation of Islamabad Police will soon visit New York.
Source: radio.gov.pk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.radio.gov.pk/06-07-2024/pakistan-us-to-finalize-employment-procedure-of-nurses-in-ny
--------
Europe
President
Ilham Aliyev congratulates newly elected President of Islamic Republic of Iran
6 July
2024
BAKU,
Azerbaijan, July 6. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has
sent a congratulatory letter to the newly elected President of the Islamic
Republic of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian on the occasion of his victory in the
extraordinary presidential election, Trend reports.
"Dear
Mr. Pezeshkian,
I
heartily congratulate you on your election as President of the Islamic Republic
of Iran.
We
attach great importance to the relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and
the Islamic Republic of Iran, built on solid foundations such as common
religious and cultural roots, friendship and brotherhood. It is gratifying that
over the past decades, our mutually beneficial cooperation has developed
dynamically and reached its current level, gaining new content in all domains,
especially in the economy, transport, energy and humanitarian spheres.
Today,
the agreements reached on the future development areas of Azerbaijan-Iran
relations based on mutual respect and good neighbourliness and the implemented
joint projects serve the well-being of our countries, the sustainable
development and security of the region as a whole.
I am
confident that through our joint efforts, we will ensure further strengthening
of the traditional friendly relations and the expansion of mutually beneficial
cooperation between Azerbaijan and Iran in line with the interests of our
peoples and countries.
I invite
you to pay a visit to Azerbaijan to exchange views on the prospects for
development of our bilateral cooperation.
I convey
my best wishes to you, and wish success in your future responsible activities
for the prosperity of the friendly and brotherly people of Iran." reads
the letter.
Source: en.trend.az
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://en.trend.az/azerbaijan/politics/3920504.html
--------
Labour
vote share down in multiple Muslim majority areas
5 Jul
2024
Labour
may have secured that huge majority but there have been a few upsets.
Last
night, the Labour front bencher Jon Ashworth lost his seat to pro-Gaza
independent Shockat Adam, while across the country the Labour vote was down by
as much as 15% in seats with sizeable Muslim electorates.
Source: channel4.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.channel4.com/news/labour-vote-share-down-in-multiple-muslim-majority-areas
--------
Labour
majorities slashed in Muslim areas as five pro-Palestine independents gain
seats
05-07-24
Labour
may have won a landslide victory, but there were huge upsets for some
candidates who faced pro-Palestine independents.
Five
candidates who stood on pro-Gaza platforms won seats as the Muslim vote for
Labour appeared to collapse.
In the
most shocking toppling, shadow cabinet minister Jonathan Ashworth lost his seat
in Leicester South.
Shockat
Adam, an independent who had focused his campaigning on Palestine, dramatically
defeated the man who would have been Paymaster General.
Mr
Ashworth was unseated by fewer than 1,000 votes. He had been a familiar face on
Labour’s election campaign trail.
Following
the result Mr Ashworth, who won a majority of more than 22,000 votes in 2019,
said: “It’s very disappointing, but that’s democracy. The most important thing
is that Labour is heading into government.”
It
follows simmering anger at Sir Keir Starmer over the party’s stance in the
Israel/Gaza war and clumsy comments he made about Bangladeshi migrants during
an event.
Labour’s
vote was estimated to be down an average 11 points in seats where more than 10
per cent of the population identify as Muslim.
Labour’s
Khalid Mahmood lost to Ayoub Khan by 507 votes in Birmingham Perry Barr. Mr
Khan had made the conflict in Gaza central to his campaign.
Heather
Iqbal, a former aid to Rachel Reeves, lost Dewsbury and Batley by more than
6,000 votes to independent Iqbal Mohamed.
Defending
Blackburn MP Kate Hollern was defeated by independent Adnan Hussain who told
the count in his speech: “This is for Gaza.”
In the
most high-profile independent win of the night, Jeremy Corbyn beat Labour in
Islington North. Iain Duncan Smith also held Chingford and Woodford Green for
the Tories after Faiza Shaheen, who stood as an independent when she was ousted
as the Labour candidate, split the vote.
Meanwhile,
senior Labour figures in areas with large Muslim populations only narrowly held
their seats or saw their majorities slashed.
In
Ilford North shadow health secretary Wes Streeting won his seat by 528 votes
with British Palestinian independent Leanne Mohamad coming a close second.
Rushanara
Ali, who was defending one of the largest majorities in the country, beat
independent candidate Ajmal Masroor by just 1,689 votes.
Jess
Phillips, who last year resigned as a shadow minister to back calls for a Gaza
ceasefire, was met with boos as it was announced she had won her Birmingham
Yardley seat by fewer than 700 votes. The Workers Party of Britain came second.
“This
election has been the worst election I have ever stood in,” Ms Phillips said.
However,
George Galloway lost the Rochdale constituency just months after winning the
seat in a shock by-election.
The
leader of the Workers Party, who did not stay to hear the general election
result, lost to Labour’s Paul Waugh, a former Evening Standard journalist.
Mr
Galloway swept to victory in Rochdale in February, gaining almost 40 per cent
of the vote in a contest dominated by the Gaza war.
Ex-Labour
leader Lord Kinnock said: “Galloway is repulsive. He always has been.” Shadow
minister Pat McFadden told LBC: “Overall, we’ve got a great victory, but where
we’ve lost ground, we want to learn from that.”
Asked
about the Labour party recognising a state of Palestine, he added: “We want to
do that. You know we said we want to do that during the campaign, but we want
to do it at the right time, when it has the most impact. A number of countries
already do that and it hasn’t had much impact.”
Source: standard.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/labour-muslim-areas-mps-palestine-independents-london-general-election-results-b1168968.html
--------
The
Kremlin Seeks to Downplay Threat of Islamic Terrorism in Russia
July 5,
2024
Three
months after the horrific IS-claimed terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall, a
concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow, several inmates convicted of
terrorism and IS connections took two prison guards hostage at a detention
center in Rostov-on-Don. Just a week later, another terrorist attack occurred
in Russia.
Several
gunmen opened fire in two cities in Dagestan on June 23. They targeted an
Orthodox church during a Trinity Sunday service, as well as a synagogue and a
police post, taking the lives of over 20 people.
The
newspaper Izvestia reports that one of the victims, Orthodox Priest Nikolai
Kotelnikov, was the initial target of the terrorists, according to a source
close to the investigation of the attack.
In the
predominantly Muslim republic in the Northern Caucasus, the terrorists
scribbled “2:120” and “8:39” on the wall of the synagogue, a reference to
verses from the Koran that say: “never will the Jews or Christians be pleased
with you until you follow their faith,” and “Fight against them until there is
no more persecution, and your devotion will be entirely to Allah,”
respectively.
The day
after the attack, Dmitri Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, said that
the authorities are not concerned about a return to the situation of the 2000s,
when terrorism was one of Russia’s most serious problems.
“No. Now
Russia is different, society is completely consolidated, and such criminal,
terrorist acts, like the one we saw in Dagestan yesterday, are not supported by
society either in Russia itself or in Dagestan,” Peskov said at the press
conference the day after.
Back in
March, when IS claimed responsibility for the Crocus City Hall attack, where
144 people were killed, Putin stated that “Russia cannot be a target of
terrorist attacks by Islamic fundamentalists,” adding the aim of the
perpetrators was to dent Russia’s unity.
“We have
a country that demonstrates a unique example of interfaith harmony and unity,
interreligious and interethnic unity. On the international stage, it conducts
itself in such a way that it is unlikely to be a target of attacks by Islamic
fundamentalists,” Putin said at the trade union congress in April.
Instead,
Russian officials blamed Ukraine for the Crocus attack. A month after, Russian
Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov stated that “the Ukrainian trace is obvious,”
while FSB chief Alexander Bortnikov added that the attack was organized by
Western intelligence agencies and Ukraine to destabilize Russia and create
panic among its people.
The
Kremlin did not claim a “Ukrainian trace” in the Dagestan attack, yet it is not
publicly confirming the IS version, according to the Russian news outlet
Verstka, whose journalists spoke with several anonymous sources close to the
authorities. Putin has not commented on the attack, and according to Verstka’s
sources, there is a deliberate approach to avoid highlighting the issue of
terrorism too much.
On the
day of the terrorist attack, Channel One, Russia’s main state TV channel, did
not report on the tragedy in Dagestan until halfway through its evening news
broadcast – a whole hour and a half after it started – despite the news of the
shootings breaking three hours earlier. The coverage lasted slightly more than
two minutes.
In
contrast, that day Russian independent news station TV Rain (Dozhd) started its
evening news with Dagestan, adding more details in the middle and at the end of
their broadcast, devoting more than 25 minutes to the story.
The top
news on state television channels that day was a missile strike by Ukrainian
forces near the city of Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. Debris from one of the
missiles fell on a beach, causing the deaths of four people. Channel One called
this a “terrorist act.” Meanwhile, the anchors referred to the events in
Dagestan as an “armed attack,” while still using the term “terrorists” to
describe the perpetrators.
Whereas
the Kremlin was reserved in attributing responsibility for the Dagestan attack,
Abdulhakim Gadzhiev, a Duma deputy from Dagestan, wrote on Telegram that
responsibility lay squarely with Ukraine and NATO. He claimed that they
attempted to destabilize the situation in the country amid the “successes” of
Russian forces on the battlefield.
Meanwhile,
Dmitry Rogozin, the former head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos and now a
senator from occupied Zaporizhzhia Region, urged against linking the terrorist
attack in Dagestan with Ukrainian intelligence.
“I
believe that if we attribute every act of terrorism stemming from national and
religious intolerance, hatred and Russophobia to the machinations of Ukraine
and NATO, this rose-colored fog will lead to significant problems,” wrote
Rogozin on his Telegram channel.
Another
incident with religious and nationalist motives took place in Dagestan last
October in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel, when a crowd stormed the
Makhachkala airport. People broke onto the runway in search of Israeli refugees
who, according to local Telegram channels, were supposedly coming to Dagestan
from Tel Aviv. Over 20 people were injured.
Despite
frequent Russian claims about the effectiveness of their counterterrorism
efforts, Alexander Cherkasov, chair of the human rights organization Memorial,
told Kavkaz.Realii that such rhetoric is merely “distorting and swapping of
concepts.”
In the
interview, he mentioned that Putin came to power during the Second Chechen War,
which the authorities officially labeled a counterterrorism operation.
Cherkasov pointed out that even now the authorities use the pretext of fighting
terrorism to “crack down on oppositional politicians and movements.” As an
example he cited the branding of Alexei Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation
(FBK) as an “extremist organization.”
“The
fight against terrorism and extremism was not the primary goal but rather a method
to achieve other objectives… a tool for seizing and maintaining power,”
Cherkasov said.
It is
not surprising, Cherkasov concluded, that the government is unable to protect
its citizens against terrorist attacks.
He also
linked the increase in the number of terrorist attacks to the fact that the
state is currently preoccupied with the war in Ukraine.
“If
those who are supposed to fight terrorists are trying to ‘restore order’ in,
say, Kherson Region, there is obviously no one else to do their job,” said Cherkasov.
“Russia is at war; Russia has turned away from its internal problems. And it is
clear that these problems are only growing.”
Source: russiapost.info
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.russiapost.info/digest/islamic_terrorism
--------
In
Batticaloa, a community market for Muslim women from Caritas
05-07-24
Batticaloa
(Asia News) - In the eastern province of Sri Lanka, Caritas recently launched
an initiative to make people aware of the value of organic farming for a
sustainable economy and future, also distributing equipment and seeds for
cultivation.
As part
of this initiative, a new community market for income generation through the
work of women was inaugurated on 29 June in the Muslim village of Iyankerney,
in the Batticaloa area, in the presence of Sr Deepa Fernando, head of the
Sustainable Peace and Justice Unit of Caritas Sri Lanka.
"Creating
a healthy society that does not consume poisons and is a strength for all to
live peacefully together is the ambition of this project of ours," said
the director of the Centre for Human and Economic Development at Caritas
Eastern Province, Fr S. L. Jayanixon, during the ceremony.
There
are 31 Muslim women in Iyankerney who are benefiting from this project, which
started in January. They grow produce such as beans, aubergines, green beans,
okra, peanuts, which were quickly sold to the community market.
The
women of the community expressed their joy at the initiative: "Today is a
very happy day for us because for the first time we have opened the market to
sell the harvest. Catholic priests, Buddhist clergymen, Muslim dignitaries,
Caritas representatives are here with us on this occasion. It is a very
beautiful scene".
'For a
long time we ate poisonous food, even if it looked good,' Zulfika, a Muslim
woman living in Eravurpattu, added to AsiaNews. 'We used to get sick after
eating them. But thanks to organic farming, today we and our children eat
fresh, healthy vegetables, brought from our gardens for sale. We will continue
this work and invite everyone to do the same'.
Hamzia,
another Muslim woman, pointed out that thanks to this organic farming project
promoted by Caritas, their relationships have also grown, as has their income.
"We have been lucky to strengthen our situation at a time of economic
crisis," she explained, "That is why we thank all those who have made
this project possible.
Representing
the Muslims, Kabeer Moulavi praised the efforts of Caritas for his community.
"Even the Holy Koran," he said, "indicates that not only
Muslims, but all people should maintain good health by consuming healthy food.
"We
ask you to continue to work together in your crops, in the market and in any
other activity," Sr Deepa Fernando said for her part. Caritas can provide you
with financial support and guidance. But using these resources in a peaceful
way to strengthen your economy and develop unity among yourselves is a task you
must do yourselves," she concluded, praising the enthusiasm and commitment
of the Muslim women.
Source: asianews.it
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.asianews.it/news-en/In-Batticaloa%2C-a-community-market-for-Muslim-women-from-Caritas-61088.html#google_vignette
--------
Mideast
Islamic
Resistance Continues Border against Israeli Enemy in Support of Gaza
July 5,
2024
In
solidarity with the people of occupied Palestine and the resistance in the Gaza
Strip and amidst Zionist aggression on several villages in South Lebanon, the
Islamic Resistance in Lebanon persistently targeted on Friday Israeli
occupation soldiers and sites near the Lebanese-Palestinian borders.
Hezbollah’s
Military Media released consecutive statements outlining the attacks and their
outcomes:
The
first statement mentioned that the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted
Al-Ramtha site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with rocket weapons at
12:30 pm on Friday, 05-07-2024, and achieved a direct hit.
The
second statement mentioned that the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted Al-Samaqa
site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar Shuba hills with rocket weapons at 12:45 pm
on Friday, 05-07-2024, and achieved a direct hit.
The
third statement affirmed that the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted Ramya
site with artillery shells at 1:20 pm on Friday, 05-07-2024, and achieved a
direct hit.
The
fourth statement underlined that the Islamic Resistance fighters targeted a
building used by enemy soldiers in Shlomi settlement with appropriate weapons
on Friday, 05-07-2024.
The
fifth statement emphasized that, in response to the enemy’s aggressions on the
resilient southern villages and safe homes, especially in the towns of Yohmor
Shaqeef and Kfar Tibnit, the Islamic Resistance fighters bombarded, on Friday,
05-07-2024, the command headquarters of Brigade 769 in Kiryat Shmona barracks
with Katyusha rockets.
In
support of the steadfast Palestinian people in Gaza and backing their valiant
and honorable resistance, the Islamic Resistance carried out several operations
against “Israeli” military sites and deployments along the Lebanese-Palestinian
border on Thursday, 04-07-2024, as follows:
1.
Targeting a newly established positioning of “Israeli” enemy soldiers in Kfar
Blum settlement with a salvo of Katyusha rockets. This was in response to the
“Israeli” assaults on the steadfast southern villages and safe homes,
particularly in Shebaa, where a civilian woman was injured.
2.
Bombarding over 200 rockets of various types on the following sites:
– The
command headquarters of the newly established 91st Brigade at Ayelet Barracks
– The
command headquarters of the 7th Armored Brigade at Katsavia Barracks
– The
command headquarters of the Armored Battalion of the 7th Brigade at Gamla
Barracks
– The
command headquarters of Brigade 210 (Golan Brigade) at Nafah Base
– The
artillery battalion headquarters of Brigade 210 at Yarden Barracks
This was
in response to the attack and assassination carried out by the enemy in the
Housh area of the city of Tyre.
3.
Launching an aerial attack with a swarm of assault drones on the following
sites:
– The
command headquarters of the newly established 91st Brigade at Ayelet Barracks.
– The
command headquarters of the 7th Armored Brigade at Katsavia Barracks
– The
Northern Region command headquarters at Dado Base
– The
Northern Region Intelligence Base Mishar
– The
command headquarters of the Hermon Brigade 810 at Ma’aleh Golani Barracks
– The
main permanent base of the 146th Ilania Brigade
– The
headquarters of the Golan Brigade and the Egoz Unit at Shraga Barracks
This was
a continuation of the response to the attack and assassination carried out by
the enemy in the Housh area of the city of Tyre.
4. At
10:55 am, targeting the Ruwaisat Al-Alam site in the occupied Lebanese Kfar
Shuba hills with a heavy Burkan rocket, resulting in direct hits, fires, and
confirmed damage and casualties.
5. At
11:00 am, targeting Al-Marj site with a heavy Burkan rocket, resulting in a
direct hit.
6. At
11:00 am, targeting Al-Baghdadi site with a heavy Burkan rocket, resulting in a
direct hit.
7. At
12:15 pm, targeting Bayad Blida site with a Burkan rocket.
8. At
4:30 pm, targeting the espionage equipment at Al-Metula site with appropriate
weapons, achieving a direct hit.
9.
Targeting a building used by “Israeli” soldiers in the Adamit settlement with
appropriate weapons, causing fires and inflicting casualties among those
inside, leaving them killed and wounded. This was in response to the “Israeli”
assaults on the steadfast southern villages and safe homes, particularly in the
town of Houla.
Source: english.almanar.com.lb
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://english.almanar.com.lb/2146179
--------
Islamic
Jihad: Killing people in West Bank to not break resistance
05 Jul
2024
GAZA
July 05. 2024 (Saba) - The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) on Friday said a
group of Palestinian resistance mujahedeen were killed in Jenin refugee camp,
after being targeted by a Zionist enemy drone.
"With
persistence to commit more massacres, and the assassination of our people in
the cities of the West Bank, the Zionist enemy won't achieve its goals in
breaking the resistance, but will increase its stability and
determination," the movement said in a statement.
The pure
blood shed on the land of Palestine will be a witness to steadfastness and
determination to liberation, and the legitimate resistance continues in defense
of the land of Palestine and its people, it added.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3345986.htm
--------
Profile:
Masoud Pezeshkian, new reformist president of Islamic Republic of Iran
06.07.2024
A
lesser-known Iranian parliamentarian, who previously served as a health
minister, has been elected the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran in a
stunning turn of events.
Masoud
Pezeshkian defeated his conservative opponent, Saeed Jalili, the former lead
nuclear negotiator and head of the top security body, by a margin of 2.7
million votes in results announced early Saturday.
Pezeshkian
pocketed 16,384,403 votes out of 30,530,157 counted. Jalili had to settle for
13,538,179 votes in Friday’s runoff election which saw a higher turnout than
the previous round.
Before
the runoff, Pezeshkian stunningly raced past his more prominent opponents in
the snap presidential election last Friday, receiving the highest number of
votes.
The
reformist candidate received 10.4 million votes out of 24.5 million in the June
28 election -- more than Jalili and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf.
A
relatively low-profile political figure, Pezeshkian served as health minister
in the government of Mohammad Khatami (2001-2005) and has represented the
northwestern city of Tabriz in the Iranian parliament since 2008.
A
cardiologist by practice, Pezeshkian previously headed the Tabriz University of
Medical Sciences, one of the leading medical institutions in northern Iran.
His two
previous unsuccessful bids for the presidency came in 2013 and 2021,
respectively.
In 2013,
he withdrew from the presidential race in the later stages in favor of former
President Hashemi Rafsanjani; in 2021, his candidacy was rejected by the
Guardian Council, the country’s top vetting body.
As the
only reformist candidate in the race this time around, backed by the country's
leading reformist coalition, Pezeshkian engaged in hectic campaigning in recent
weeks.
His
campaign was bolstered by the presence of former reformist politicians and
ministers, including Javad Zarif, who served as foreign minister for two terms
under former President Hassan Rouhani.
Pre-election
polls showed significant support for Pezeshkian, especially after five
televised presidential debates in the first round in which he was vocal about
domestic and foreign policy issues.
Pezeshkian
gave indications he would be more open to diplomatic engagement with the world,
including the West, and intends to initiate reforms in economic and cultural
domains.
In the
presidential debates, he asserted that sanctions were acting as a roadblock in
attracting trade partners and achieving an 8% growth rate was impossible
without opening borders.
He
vigorously defended the 2015 nuclear deal that was reached between Iran and
world powers during the administration of Rouhani, a fellow reformist.
Pezeshkian
was also vocal about women-centric issues, including the mandatory hijab, or
Islamic headscarf, expressing opposition to a parliamentary bill on the
implementation of the Islamic dress code bill.
Source: aa.com.tr
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/profile-masoud-pezeshkian-new-reformist-president-of-islamic-republic-of-iran/3267636
--------
Hamas
accepts US proposal on talks over Israeli hostages 16 days after first phase,
Hamas source says
July 06,
2024
DUBAI/CAIRO:
Hamas has accepted a US proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages,
including soldiers and men, 16 days after the first phase of an agreement aimed
at ending the Gaza war, a senior Hamas source told Reuters on Saturday.
The
militant group has dropped a demand that Israel first commit to a permanent
ceasefire before signing the agreement, and would allow negotiations to achieve
that throughout the six-week first phase, the source told Reuters on condition
of anonymity because the talks are private.
A
Palestinian official close to the internationally mediated peace efforts had
said the proposal could lead to a framework agreement if embraced by Israel and
would end the nine-month-old war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
A source
in Israel’s negotiating team, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there
was now a real chance of achieving agreement. That was in sharp contrast to
past instances in the nine-month-old war in Gaza, when Israel said conditions
attached by Hamas were unacceptable.
A
spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not immediately
respond to a request for comment on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath. On Friday his
office said talks would continue next week and emphasized that gaps between the
sides still remained.
The
conflict has claimed the lives of more than 38,000 Palestinians, according to
Gaza health officials, since Hamas attacked southern Israeli cities on Oct. 7,
killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 hostages, according to official
Israeli figures.
The new
proposal ensures that mediators would guarantee a temporary ceasefire, aid
delivery and the withdrawal of Israeli troops as long as indirect talks
continue to implement the second phase of the agreement, the Hamas source said.
Efforts
to secure a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza have intensified over the
past few days with active shuttle diplomacy among Washington, Israel and Qatar,
which is leading mediation efforts from Doha, where the exiled Hamas leadership
is based.
A
regional source said the US administration was trying hard to secure a deal
before the presidential election in November.
Netanyahu
said on Friday that the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency had
returned from an initial meeting with mediators in Qatar and that negotiations
would continue next week.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544471/middle-east
--------
Gaza’s
biggest soccer stadium is now a shelter for thousands of displaced Palestinians
July 06,
2024
GAZA
CITY, Gaza Strip: Thousands of displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza have
sought refuge in what was once the territory’s biggest soccer arena, where
families scrape by with little food or water as they try to keep one step ahead
of Israel’s latest offensive.
Their
makeshift tents hug the shade below the stadium’s seating, with clothes hung
out to dry across the dusty, dried-up soccer field. Under the covered benches
where players used to sit on the sidelines, Um Bashar bathes a toddler standing
in a plastic tub. Lathering soap through the boy’s hair, he wiggles and shivers
as she pours the chilly water over his head, and he grips the plastic seats for
balance.
They’ve
been displaced multiple times, she said, most recently from Israel’s renewed
operations against Hamas in the Shijaiyah neighborhood of Gaza City.
“We woke
up and found tanks in front of the door,” she says. “We didn’t take anything
with us, not a mattress, not a pillow, not any clothes, not a thing. Not even
food.”
She fled
with about 70 others to Yarmouk Sports Stadium — a little under 2 miles (3
kilometers) northwest of Shijaiyah, which heavily bombed and largely emptied
early in the war. Many of the people who ended up in the stadium say they have
nothing to return to.
“We left
our homes,” said one man, Hazem Abu Thoraya, “and all of our homes were bombed
and burned, and all those around us were as well.”
Hundreds
of thousands of people have remained in northern Gaza, even as Israeli troops
have surrounded and largely isolated it. However, aid flows there have improved
recently, and the UN said earlier this week that it is now able to meet
people’s basic needs in the north. Israel says it allows aid to enter Gaza and
blames the UN for not doing enough to move it.
Still,
residents say the deprivation and insecurity are taking an ever-growing toll.
“There
is no safe place. Safety is with God,” said a displaced woman, Um Ahmad. “Fear
is now felt not only among the children, but also among the adults. ... We
don’t even feel safe walking in the street.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544391/middle-east
--------
Israeli
team led by spy chief Barnea meets Qatari mediators on Gaza deal
July 05,
2024
JERUSALEM:
Israel’s spy chief held talks with Qatari mediators on Friday in the latest
effort for a truce and hostage release deal for Gaza, almost nine months into
the Israel-Hamas war.
A source
with knowledge of the negotiations said Mossad chief David Barnea and his
delegation had left Doha straight after the meetings on the latest Hamas ideas
for an agreement.
No
public statement was issued after the talks.
The US,
which has worked alongside Qatar and Egypt in trying to broker a deal, had
talked up the significance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
decision to send a delegation to Qatar.
The US
believes Israel and Hamas have a “pretty significant opening” to reach an
agreement, a senior official said.
The Gaza
war — which has raised fears of a broader conflagration involving Lebanon —
began with Hamas’s October 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in the
deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli
figures.
The
militants also seized hostages, 116 of whom remain in Gaza including 42 the
military says are dead.
In
response, Israel has carried out a military offensive that has killed at least
38,011 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry
in the Hamas-ruled territory.
US
President Joe Biden announced a pathway to a truce deal in May that he said had
been proposed by Israel. It included an initial six-week truce, Israeli
withdrawal from Gaza population centers and the freeing of hostages by
Palestinian militants.
Talks
subsequently stalled but the US official said on Thursday that the new proposal
from Hamas “moves the process forward and may provide the basis for closing the
deal,” though “significant work” remained.
Senior
Hamas official Osama Hamdan told AFP that the group expected a swift Israeli
response — “likely today or tomorrow morning” — to its new “ideas.”
He
blamed Israel for the deadlock since Biden’s announcement.
Hamdan
said the ideas had been “conveyed by the mediators to the American side, which
welcomed them and passed them on to the Israeli side. Now the ball is in the
Israeli court.”
Hamdan
said the Doha talks “will be a test for the US administration to see if it is
willing to pressure the Zionist entity to accept these proposed ideas.”
There
has been no truce in the war since a one-week pause in November saw 80 Israeli
hostages freed in return for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
The war
has uprooted 90 percent of Gaza’s population, destroyed much of the territory’s
housing and other infrastructure, and left almost 500,000 people enduring
“catastrophic” hunger, UN agencies say.
The main
stumbling block to a truce deal has been Hamas’s demand for a permanent end to
the fighting, which Netanyahu and his far-right coalition partners strongly
reject.
The
Israeli leader has faced a well-organized protest movement demanding a deal to
free the hostages, which took to the streets again on Thursday evening.
Netanyahu
insists the war will not end until Israel destroys Hamas and the hostages are
freed.
The head
of the World Health Organization warned that “further disruption to health
services is imminent in Gaza due to a severe lack of fuel.”
Only
90,000 liters (20,000 gallons) of fuel entered Gaza on Wednesday, but the
health sector alone needs 80,000 liters each day.
The WHO
and its partners in Gaza were having “to make impossible choices” as a result,
said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
US
officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, have voiced hope that a
ceasefire in Gaza could lead to an easing of violence on the Israel-Lebanon
border as well.
Since
the war began, Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement has exchanged
near-daily cross-border fire with the Israeli army in support of its
Palestinian ally.
The
exchanges have intensified over the past month after Israel killed senior
Hezbollah commanders in targeted air strikes.
Hezbollah
said it fired more than 200 rockets and “explosive drones” at army positions in
northern Israel and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights in its latest round of
reprisals on Thursday.
A
military source said the rocket fire killed a soldier in northern Israel.
Hamas
said Friday that its foreign relations chief Khalil Al-Hayya had met Hezbollah
leader Hassan Nasrallah to coordinate their “resistance efforts” and the
upcoming truce negotiations.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544181/middle-east
--------
Large
crowds in ten squares in Taiz in marches "With Gaza... Supporting fronts
are steadfastness & jihad"
05 Jul
2024
TAIZ
July 05. 2024 (Saba) - Taiz province witnessed today, Friday, massive public
marches in ten squares under the slogan “With Gaza... the support fronts are
steadfast and jihad,” emphasizing the continued solidarity with the Palestinian
people and their free resistance in Gaza.
The
province people gathered in Al-Rasoul Al-A’zam Square at Mawiyah Junction in
Al-Ta’aziyah District in a mass march, led by the Acting Governor Ahmed Amin
Al-Masawa, the President of the Court of Appeal Judge Abdulaziz Al-Sufi,
members of the Shura Council Abdul-Rahman Al-Rumaima and Taha Hamid, the
governor’s representative Taha Al-Burahi, and a member of the Association of
Yemeni Scholars Taher Al-Hadar a number of directors of executive offices and
directorates, military and security leaders, social figures, sheikhs and
notables.
A
statement issued by the marchers in the Great Prophet Square, read by the
President of the Court of Appeal, Judge Abdulaziz Al-Sufi, condemned the
Zionist enemy’s continued commitment of genocide , the use of siege and
starvation as weapons to kill the Palestinian people.
The
statement saluted the steadfastness of the sacrificial, patient, oppressed,
struggling Palestinian people, and the heroes in Palestine who continue with
all effectiveness, influence, and steadfastness in confronting the Zionist
enemy.
The
statement stressed the right of the Yemeni people to take whatever measures
possible to confront the American’s diabolical efforts to implicate some
countries in the region by opening their airspace to attack Yemen and pressure
it to stop its operations in supporting the Palestinian people.
The
statement praised the continuation of Hezbollah's qualitative, effective and
escalating operations, the military operations of the Iraqi Islamic Resistance,
and the joint operations of the Yemeni Armed Forces with the Iraqi Islamic
Resistance.
The
marches statement called on the Arab and Islamic peoples to awaken their
conscience and assume their responsibilities towards the genocidal crimes
occurring in Gaza and to continue the comprehensive and effective economic
boycott of Zionist, American , British goods and products.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3345993.htm
--------
Marches
& vigils under slogan “With Gaza, support fronts are steadfastness &
jihad” in Al-Bayda
05 Jul
2024
BAYDA
July 05. 2024 (Saba) - The directorates of Al-Bayda province witnessed
today,Friday, mass marches and stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people
under the slogan “With Gaza, the support fronts are steadfastness and jihad.”
Participants
raised the Palestinian flag, chanting slogans denouncing the crimes of the
Zionist occupation against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
They
stressed the continuation of supporting the Palestinian people , their valiant
resistance , confronting the Zionist enemy supported by America and Europe
until the entire occupied Palestinian territories are liberated.
A
statement issued by the solidarity marches and vigils praised the joint
operations of the Yemeni armed forces with the Axis of Resistance, which embody
the hopes of the nation’s peoples in confronting enemies.
It
blessed the operations of the armed forces targeting ships supporting the enemy
entity, and preventing their passage from the Red and Arab Seas, the Indian
Ocean, and the Gulf of Aden.
The
statement affirmed the readiness to confront the aggression against Yemen,
support the Palestinian people, support their valiant resistance, and support
their just cause.
It
reiterated the support of the people of Al-Bayda for the escalating operations
of the Yemeni armed forces within the fourth phase of escalation, and the
continuing military achievements.
The
marches statement denounced the crimes of genocide committed by the Zionist
enemy against the Palestinian people.
He
saluted the heroic epics written by the Palestinian resistance in the face of
the usurping Zionist enemy.
The
statement called on the Arab and Islamic peoples to take an honorable position
in supporting the Palestinian people, supporting their valiant resistance, ,
continuing to boycott products and goods that support the Zionist enemy.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3345945.htm
-------
Major
marches in Hajjah entitled “With Gaza... Supporting fronts: steadfastness &
jihad” in Hajjah
05 Jul
2024
HAJJAH
July 05. 2024 (Saba) - The people of Hajjah Province went out today, Friday, in
major marches in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in support of their
valiant resistance under the slogan “With Gaza... Supporting fronts are
steadfastness and jihad.”
Participants
in the marches in the Province centers and districts raised slogans in support
of the choices of the revolutionary leadership, the armed forces, and the
Yemeni people to support Al-Aqsa and victory for the martyrs, women and
children.
They
chanted slogans against the Zionist, American, and British enemies, and the
massacres they committed against our brothers in Gaza, the shameful
international and Arab silence regarding the reprehensible crimes.
A
statement issued by the marches saluted the steadfastness of the patient ,
oppressed Palestinian people and the mujahideen in Palestine... stressing the
firm , principled position of faith in support of the Palestinian people and
their mujahideen in military operations , in official and popular activities
and events.
It
denounced the Zionist enemy's continued commitment of genocide , the use of
siege and starvation as weapons to kill the Palestinian people.
It
praised Hezbollah's qualitative, effective and escalating operations, the
military operations of the Iraqi Islamic Resistance, and the joint operations
of the Yemeni Armed Forces with the Iraqi Islamic Resistance.
The
statement also stressed the right of the Yemeni people to take what is necessary
to confront the American’s diabolical efforts to implicate some countries in
the region in opening their airspace to attack the Yemeni people.
The
statement renewed the absolute mandate of the wise revolutionary leadership to
make choices and confront the Saudi regime’s aggressive measures that affect
the interests of the Yemeni people.
The
march statement expressed regret at the transformation of the role of some Arab
regimes and armies into the role of advocate and defender of the Zionist enemy
by intercepting the Yemeni missiles and marches in support of Palestine,
renewing the call to all the peoples of the nation to assume their
responsibility towards the crimes of genocide occurring in Gaza and the
comprehensive economic boycott of enemies.
Source: saba.ye
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.saba.ye/en/news3345943.htm
--------
Africa
Kenya’s
president apologizes for arrogant officials and promises to act against police
brutality
July 06,
2024
NAIROBI:
Kenya’s President William Ruto on Friday apologized for the “arrogance and show
of opulence” by legislators and ministers from the ruling party and promised
action against “rogue” police officers who shot at unarmed civilians during
deadly protests and the storming of parliament over plans to hike taxes.
Ruto,
referring to what he called arrogant statements made by officials, said public
speaking was “difficult” and some people make “mistakes” for which he takes
responsibility and promised change in the conduct of officials.
Kenya
experienced two weeks of unrest during which Parliament was stormed by
protesters during a finance bill vote. The president was hosted Friday on the
social media platform X by popular social media influencer Osama Otero, who
said he was abducted on the night of the protests and beaten by police.
Ruto
said he regretted the abduction and that he would take action, adding that
“that is not right.” “You don’t deserve the kind of treatment you went
through,” he said.
The
president said the police are independent and not controlled by the executive
branch of government but promised to ensure that those responsible would be
prosecuted. “I am ultimately responsible because I am president, and that is
why I said it was regrettable,” Ruto said.
During
the storming of Parliament during a finance bill vote — which would have
resulted in a tax increase if approved — legislators fled through an
underground tunnel. Police responded by opening fire and several protesters
were shot dead.
Ruto later
said he would not sign the finance bill and communicated to Parliament that the
proposed legislation should be withdrawn, but protests continued with calls for
him to resign over poor governance.
Kenya
has been plagued by corruption, with the latest case involving the sale and
distribution of thousands of fake fertilizer bags worth millions of shillings
by the agriculture ministry.
The
president on Friday was accused of not showing empathy and not mentioning the
names of those who died during the protests. He responded by saying “people are
born differently.” But he added that he was scheduled to speak with the mother
of a boy who was shot and killed during protests.
Ruto was
accused of not acknowledging the correct number of those who died in the protests.
He put the number at 25 while the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights
said 39 people were killed.
An hour
before the online engagement, Ruto in a televised address announced specific
austerity measures that included the dissolution of “47 state corporations with
overlapping and duplicative functions” to save on operation and maintenance
costs.
He also
“suspended” the appointment of 50 chief administrative secretaries that were
challenged in court on the basis of the positions being unconstitutional.
The
president also announced that the offices of the first lady and the spouses of
the deputy president and prime Cabinet secretary would not be funded using
public money.
The
young people who spoke during Otero’s Friday engagement on X emphasized the
need for the president to sack incompetent government ministers in a
reorganization that he stated was “coming soon.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544376/world
--------
Brazil
issues apology for police action against diplomats’ kids
July 06,
2024
RIODE
JANEIRO: Brazilian officials apologized Friday after police officers were
filmed in an armed confrontation with the children of ambassadors from Canada,
Gabon and Burkina Faso.
Surveillance
footage from the incident Thursday night in Rio de Janeiro showed police
exiting a vehicle and rushing with guns drawn toward a group of four teens.
Two of
the teens are then put up against a wall and frisked before being released by
police, who departed minutes later.
The
minors, who live in the country’s capital Brasilia, were on vacation in Rio’s
affluent Ipanema neighborhood when the confrontation occurred.
“How are
you going to point guns at the heads of 13-year-old boys?” said Julie-Pascale
Moudoute-Bell, the wife of the Gabonese ambassador to Brazil, in an interview
with Globo television.
“Even
for adults: you approach me, you ask me first, and then you tell me why you’re
approaching me,” she continued.
As a result
of the confrontation, Brazilian officials met with the ambassadors of Gabon and
Burkina Faso on Friday to formally apologize, according to the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs.
The
ambassador from Canada was not present for the meeting.
Brazil’s
Military Police also released a statement saying the body-worn camera footage
of the officers involved would be reviewed “to determine if there was excess
force on the part of the authorities.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544366/world
--------
Islamic
State releases quarterly details of violence, claims more attacks in Nigeria
July 5,
2024
Islamic
State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has claimed it orchestrated 232 attacks in the
first quarter of 2024, leading to 609 deaths and injuries across its
strongholds in Nigeria.
The
group, after breaking away from Boko Haram in 2016, was recognised as Islamic
State (IS) franchise in West Africa with operational bases in the Lake Chad basin
spanning Nigeria, Cameroon, Niger and Chad.
In an
official propaganda infographic published by the IS on 01 July, it said its
African franchises staged 536 attacks that culminated in 2,142 casualties.
Analysing
the attacks
PREMIUM
TIMES’ analysis of the infographic showed that ISWAP and Islamic State in the
Greater Sahara (ISGS) accounted for 1,115 casualties in the West Africa region.
This is more than half of Africa’s total attacks (2,142) within the period
under review.
ISWAP,
in 232 attacks, killed 609 people in Nigeria and 40 in Cameroon. This, compared
to 446 people killed in 73 attacks by its counterpart, ISGS, operating in
Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger Republic, was significantly high.
The
ISGS, as seen in the infographic, killed 224 in Niger, 180 in Mali and 62 in
Burkina Faso. These three francophone countries are under military juntas with
a unified mandate to fight terrorism.
In
Congo, the Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP) staged 135 attacks
that resulted in 762 casualties.
The IS
franchises in Mozambique claimed 137 casualties in 68 attacks. Also, in 14
attacks, the Islamic State in Somalia killed 128 people.
However,
there were other terror activities (that claimed lives and injured others) by
the IS franchises in continents like Asia, Europe and the Middle East.
The IS
publication showed that 500 casualties were recorded in Russia, 393 in Syria,
303 in Iran, 142 in Pakistan, 138 in Afghanistan, 96 in Iraq, 33 in the
Philippines, and two in Turkey.
In all
the 788 attacks, “3,749 were killed and wounded, including 51 officers and
commanders,” the group stated.
During
the period under review, 1,440 houses and shops were targeted, the IS claimed,
adding that 47 barracks and churches were also targeted.
While it
claimed to have destroyed 202 vehicles, the IS said it acquired 25 vehicles as
ghanima (booty taken in battle).
ISWAP’s
campaign of terror in Nigeria
After
breaking away from its original body, Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad
(JAS), popularly known as Boko Haram, ISWAP, pledged allegiance to the Islamic
State.
Abubakar
Shekau, a former idiosyncratic leader of JAS, had, in 2015, pledged allegiance
to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS),
making him the leader of ISWAP.
But
dissidence over ideological differences forced some top members of the group,
including Habib Yusuf, the son of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf, to fall
out with Shekau.
The
breakaway faction led by Mr Yusuf, otherwise known as Abu Musab al-Barnawi went
ahead to bear the name ISWAP with operational bases in the islands and shores
of the Lake Chad basin.
Although
the IS tried all it could to reconcile the groups led by Messers Shekau and
Yusuf, the negotiation failed majorly as a result of Mr Shekau’s ideological
stance, especially on who should be regarded as a kufar [apostates] and why
they must be executed.
In
August 2016, the IS officially recognised Mr Yusuf as the leader of ISWAP, a
situation that forced Shekau and some of his loyalists to revert to JAS
designation.
Subsequently,
a clash between ISWAP and JAS led to the death of Mr Shekau, who experts
believe killed himself to escape ridicule after Sambisa hideout was raided on
19 May 2021.
Shadowy
Bakura Doro succeeded Mr Shekau, and the supremacy fights between both groups
continued, diminishing their strengths. This is besides strategic military
offensives against the groups.
Both
groups now resort to guerilla tactical attacks, deploying IEDs of various types
to hit their targets. According to experts, this shift in operational pattern
shows a significant combat weakness within the groups.
But that
does not mean the state actors have won the war. Our correspondent understands
that groups, especially ISWAP, intensify their endearing strategies in the
local communities they control.
Noting
that more than 35 million people need support because of the instability in
Lake Chad that has claimed thousands of lives, the European Union recently
allocated €201 million in humanitarian aid for Sahel and Lake Chad countries.
Recent
terror attacks in Nigeria
Last
Tuesday, ISWAP launched two Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) attacks on
“African Coalition Forces” between Kukawa and Kidimbari in Borno State.
The
bombs, according to an IS Telegram propaganda message seen by our reporter,
“led to the destruction of a mechanism and the connection inside it.”
On
Sunday, 30 June, ISWAP claimed that two people were killed in an IED attack
carried out along Monguno road in Borno.
A day
after, the terror group claimed it detonated “several bombs” on the road
linking Mile 90 and Cross-Kukawa along Monguno highway in the North-eastern
states.
Source: premiumtimesng.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/nnorth-east/710017-islamic-state-releases-quarterly-details-of-violence-claims-more-attacks-in-nigeria.html
--------
South Asia
New
British PM Keir Starmer Cancels Plan to Deport Illegal Afghan Immigrantsto
Rwanda
July 6,
2024
Keir
Starmer, the new Prime Minister of Britain, on his first day in office,
cancelled the controversial policy of the previous government to deport illegal
immigrants to Rwanda.
According
to The Telegraph, officials from the Labour Party, now in power in Britain,
have reported that the pursuit of the deportation scheme of illegal immigrants
to Rwanda has officially ceased.
Keir
Starmer, the leader of the Labour Party, defeated the Conservative Party led by
Rishi Sunak in the country’s parliamentary elections and officially began his
tenure as the new Prime Minister.
On his
first working day as Prime Minister of Britain, Keir Starmer halted the
controversial policy of the previous government to deport illegal immigrants to
Rwanda, but addressing illegal immigration is expected to remain a priority for
the new government.
Meanwhile,
in Germany, amid increased insecurity and knife attacks, there has been a surge
in forced deportations of foreign citizens. The German government has faced
criticism for these actions, with human rights organizations expressing concern
over the treatment of asylum seekers.
Across
other European countries like France and Sweden, similar measures to deport
foreign nationals have intensified due to rising security concerns. Instances
of knife attacks have prompted stricter immigration policies, leading to
heightened tensions over human rights violations and international obligations.
These
deportations come amid a dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, where
thousands of Afghans seek refuge due to escalating conflict and Taliban rule.
Human rights advocates argue that European governments should prioritize
protecting vulnerable populations rather than implementing harsh deportation
policies.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.khaama.com/new-british-prime-minister-cancels-plan-to-deport-illegal-immigrants/
--------
Germany
rejects Afghan refugees, plans to deport them back to Afghanistan within 7
days: Amnesty International
July 5,
2024
Amnesty
International Germany reports that a large number of Afghan refugees in
Pakistan who were awaiting transfer to Germany will be deported to
Taliban-controlled Afghanistan within seven days. Recently, Germany has retracted
its positive responses to some Afghan refugees waiting in Pakistan.
The news
network “ARD” reported that the German government has reneged on its previous
commitments to accept Afghan refugees, primarily those in Pakistan. Some of
these Afghan refugees have been residing in Pakistan for months, awaiting
transfer to Germany, only to receive rejection emails from the German Foreign
Ministry after a prolonged wait.
According
to information from the German Interior Ministry, currently, 3,022 vulnerable
Afghans in Pakistan are awaiting transfer to Germany, highlighting the
uncertain fate of these asylum seekers amidst shifting government policies.
Following
an attack by an Afghan-origin citizen named Salim Attai on a demonstration of
Islamic critics in Germany, resulting in the death of a police officer, the
German government announced a policy shift regarding refugees.
They
declared intentions to repatriate criminal and dangerous refugees to their
countries of origin.
This
policy shift has been criticised and pressured by right-wing parties and other
factions within Germany. They advocate for stricter immigration controls and a
reduction in refugee acceptance, citing increased incidents involving migrant
assailants as a primary concern.
The
situation underscores a growing debate within Germany about the balance between
humanitarian obligations and national security concerns, particularly amidst
rising tensions over immigration policies and their impact on domestic
stability and security.
This situation
unfolds amid a dire humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s
assumption of power. The country faces widespread challenges, including
economic collapse, food shortages, and restrictions on freedoms, exacerbating
the plight of its citizens.
The
forced deportation of Afghan refugees from countries like Pakistan to
Afghanistan poses severe security threats and risks of persecution. Many of
these individuals fled Afghanistan to escape Taliban rule and now confront the
prospect of returning to a volatile environment where they could face
retaliation or retribution.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.khaama.com/germany-rejects-afghan-refugees-plans-to-deport-them-back-to-afghanistan-within-7-days-amnesty-international/
--------
Turkish
police detain 29 Afghan refugees
July 5,
2024
Following
the expulsion of Afghan refugees without residency documents from Turkey,
Turkish security forces detained 29 Afghan asylum seekers.
According
to Turkish media reports, these Afghan citizens were identified and detained in
a trailer in the city of Ağrı, Turkey.
The
detainees were subsequently transferred to the immigration office in Ağrı after
going through legal procedures, as reported.
Turkey’s
Anadolu Agency reported that security forces also detained the trailer driver.
Since
the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, thousands have migrated through
difficult routes via Iran, entering Turkey in hopes of reaching Europe. Some
refugees have lost their lives along this journey.
In
addition, Turkey has deported thousands of these individuals to Afghanistan
over the past three years.
This
comes amid a dire humanitarian crisis exacerbated by the Taliban’s resurgence
in Afghanistan, prompting a surge in Afghan refugees seeking safety in
neighboring countries like Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.
However,
Turkey’s increased enforcement and deportation efforts highlight a broader
trend of countries tightening immigration policies amid rising political tensions
and security concerns.
In Iran
and Pakistan, similar policies have led to an uptick in forced deportations of
Afghan refugees, adding to the humanitarian challenges faced by vulnerable
populations already displaced by conflict and economic instability.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.khaama.com/turkish-police-detain-29-afghan-refugees/
--------
German
Govt rejects Afghan refugees despite prior commitments
July 5,
2024
Some
refugees, who have been waiting in Pakistan for months in anticipation of being
transferred to Germany, received rejection emails from the German Foreign
Ministry.
Following
the collapse of the previous Afghan government, the German federal government
committed to relocating one thousand at-risk Afghans to its country monthly.
The
German Foreign Ministry had accepted applications from some at-risk Afghans,
but in light of recent incidents in Germany, the country has notified Afghan
migrants in Pakistan of their rejected applications via email.
According
to IRNA’s report published on Thursday, Fatemeh Ahmadi is among those who
received a rejection response from the German Foreign Ministry after a year of
waiting.
The
German government had formally recognized Fatemeh as an at-risk individual and
had promised her acceptance and relocation. However, the government’s letter
now states that there is no basis for her acceptance without specifying a
reason.
She has
even been labeled as a security threat to Germany, despite no such threat being
identified during her interview and acceptance promise.
The
German Interior Ministry emphasizes its flexible approach in refugee
evaluations, noting that decisions can change based on new information received
during the process.
Hans-Hermann
Dubke, a migration expert, suggests that the recent withdrawal of refugee
acceptances and stringent security checks indicate a diminishing political
willingness in Germany to accept at-risk Afghan migrants.
Currently,
3,022 at-risk Afghans in Pakistan await acceptance by Germany, according to the
latest figures released by the German Interior Ministry, highlighting ongoing
challenges in refugee resettlement efforts.
Meanwhile,
the situation highlights the complex interplay between humanitarian commitments,
security concerns, and domestic political dynamics within Germany.
The
evolving policies reflect broader shifts in public opinion and government
priorities, impacting the lives and futures of vulnerable Afghan refugees
awaiting resettlement.
As debates
on immigration continue, balancing humanitarian obligations with national
security remains challenging for European governments.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.khaama.com/german-govt-rejects-afghan-refugees-despite-prior-commitments/
--------
Greece
arrests 7, including 3 Iranians and 2 Afghans, over Arson attacks on
Israeli-owned hotel
July 5,
2024
Greek
counter-terrorism police announced the arrest of seven suspects, including three
Iranians and two Afghans, accused of setting fire to an Israeli-owned hotel and
restaurant in central Athens earlier this year.
Among
those detained were a 25-year-old Greek woman, Iranians aged 36 and 46, and
their Afghan accomplice, all linked to the attack targeting a building housing
Israeli establishments using an improvised incendiary device.
The
suspects face charges of endangering lives through arson and causing damage to
properties of foreign nationals under racial motivations.
In
another incident, a 44-year-old Greek man and a 26-year-old Afghan approached a
synagogue in Athens on June 29, throwing flammable materials and setting its
entrance on fire, with a 30-year-old Iranian aiding them in the operation. All
were arrested and charged with arson, theft, and possession of weapons.
Greek
police have stated that out of the seven suspects detained in connection with
the synagogue and Israeli-owned hotel attack, five remain in custody, while two
others have been conditionally released pending their trial.
Earlier,
during Operation 2023, Greek police thwarted an attack on an Israeli restaurant
in Athens and detained two individuals in connection with the incident.
Previously,
on February 16, Tel Aviv University and the Anti-Defamation League jointly reported
a significant increase in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide.
The Wall
Street Journal reported last December on the emergence of new “terrorist”
threats, thwarting several “terrorist operations” and detaining several asylum
seekers and extremist elements in Europe, linking these threats to the Islamic
Republic and its proxy groups, as well as the Gaza conflict.
Meanwhile,
the escalating tensions and violence between Israel and Gaza have not only
resulted in devastating human casualties but also sparked heightened security
concerns across Europe due to increased terrorist threats.
The
geopolitical ramifications of these events underscore the complex and
interconnected nature of conflicts in the Middle East and their global
implications.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.khaama.com/greece-arrests-7-including-3-iranians-and-2-afghans-over-arson-attacks-on-israeli-owned-hotel/
--------
5 New
School Projects Launched in Ghazni, Benefiting 4,000 Students
2024-07-06
KABUL(BNA):
In a significant step towards enhancing educational infrastructure, the
Ministry of Education has announced the commencement of construction for five
new schools in Ghazni province.
According
to a press release from the Ministry, the Directorate of Education in Ghazni,
with the support of a humanitarian organization, will build these schools in
the Giro and Andar districts. Each school will have six classrooms and an
administrative office, along with all necessary facilities. The total cost of
these projects is estimated at 53.5 million Afghanis.
At the
groundbreaking ceremony held in Giro district, Mawlawi Mir Nasir Ahmad
Hosseini, the head of the Ghazni Education Directorate, stated that three
schools will be built in Giro and two in Andar. He emphasized that the
construction of these schools will provide a healthy learning environment for
approximately 4,000 students.
Meanwhile,
local residents expressed their happiness with the construction of the schools
in their districts and welcomed the Ministry of Education’s efforts to expand
educational facilities.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/5-new-school-projects-launched-in-ghazni-benefiting-4000-students/
--------
Afghanistan
and Uzbekistan Extend Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif Railway Repair Contract
2024-07-05
KABUL(BNA):
The Ministry of Public Works’ Railway Directorate and the Uzbekistan Railways
Administration have extended the contract for the repair work on the
Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif railway for six months.
According
to a press release from the Ministry of Public Works, the initial contract
period had expired, but some repair work on certain stations remained
incomplete, necessitating the six-month extension.
Meanwhile,
Deputy Minister of Railways, Mullah Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat, met with a
delegation led by the head of Uzbekistan Railways and discussed bilateral railway
cooperation and several other important issues.
The
Uzbek delegation assured that the work on the Naibabad station along the
Hairatan-Mazar-e-Sharif route has been completed and will soon be operational.
The
delegation also mentioned plans to have joint technical teams from Uzbekistan
and the United Arab Emirates commence preliminary technical surveys for the
Afghan-Trans railway project in the near future.
The
Deputy Minister of Railways acknowledged Uzbekistan as a significant and
influential railway partner for Afghanistan. He emphasized that the
Afghan-Trans railway project, which is a regional connectivity initiative, is a
high priority for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, particularly the Ministry
of Public Works.
At the
conclusion of the meeting, both sides emphasized the importance of connecting
Central and South Asia through Afghanistan’s railway network.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/afghanistan-and-uzbekistan-extend-hairatan-mazar-e-sharif-railway-repair-contract/
--------
North America
Belgrade
Crossbow Attacker Swore Allegiance To Islamic State Leader, Video Indicates
July 05,
2024
A man
who wounded a policeman in front of the Israeli Embassy in Belgrade with a
crossbow on June 29 had sworn allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State
(IS) terror group, according to a video seen on July 5 by RFE/RL. Milos
Zujovic, who took the name Salahudin when he converted to Islam, said in the
video that he swore allegiance to Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi, "the
leader of all Muslims." The place or date that the video was recorded was
not clear. Zujovic, a native of Mladenovac near Belgrade, wounded a policeman
on duty in front of the embassy before he was shot dead by the officer.
Authorities labeled it a terrorist attack, and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic
said another person had been arrested in Belgrade on suspicion of terrorist
association, identified only by the initials I.D. To read the original story by
RFE/RL’s Balkan Service, click here.
Source: rferl.org
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.rferl.org/a/belgrade-serbia-crossbow-islamic-israeli-embassy-attack/33023719.html
--------
With
National Rally showing strength in Sunday’s vote, French Muslims hold their
breath
July 5,
2024
PARIS
(RNS) — On Wednesday (July 3), five days before the second and decisive round
of parliamentary elections in France, in which the populist National Rally
Party is on track to win a majority, leaders of the French Muslim community
gathered in Paris’ Grand Mosque to call for massive voter mobilization against
what they called an existential threat to the country’s political institutions.
“We are
standing firm against the project of the National Rally, against its ideology,
its roots and its origins, which we haven’t forgotten,” said Chems-Eddine
Hafiz, a Franco-Algerian lawyer and rector of Paris’ Grand Mosque since 2020.
“These past few years, the party’s project has revolved around the invention of
a public enemy: the Muslim citizen.”
Kamel
Kabtane, the rector of Lyon’s Grand Mosque, said a victory for the far right
would have “devastating consequences” for the community. In a recent op-ed
published in Le Monde, Kabtane said the risk to the Muslim community has never
been higher, arguing that a National Rally victory would make Muslim citizens
feel that a target had been put on their backs.
Long
considered a fringe party, the National Rally’s leader, Marine Le Pen, has made
great efforts to make the party more palatable and accepted in French politics in
the two decades since she took over from her father in 2011, party founder
Jean-Marie Le Pen, with whom she cut ties for his controversial remarks about
the Holocaust.
Still,
the party’s core values remained centered around nationalism and xenophobia, and
its proposed policies focus on straitening immigration rules. The younger Le
Pen has made plain her desire to ban the wearing of hijab — Muslim women’s head
coverings — from public spaces and prohibit the distribution of halal goods,
though she recently declared that no Muslim citizens would be stripped of their
rights if her party won the elections.
The
party’s growing mainstream acceptance was demonstrated when it made large gains
in the elections for the European parliament on June 9. Following that vote,
President Emmanuel Macron called the snap parliamentary elections, surprising
the public and political observers alike by his decision to turn to the ballot
just as far-right support, not only in France but across Europe, seems to be
hitting an all-time high.
The
president appears to be betting that voters will again stand by him as they did
in the presidential run-off of 2017 and 2022, when surges by Le Pen gave voters
a stark choice between the far-right and his technocratic centrist party, and
Macron prevailed.
In last
week’s first round of voting, the National Rally drew 33% of the votes,
followed by the New Popular Front, an alliance of left-wing political parties,
at 28%, and Macron’s Ensembles with 22%. The split prevented National Rally
from gaining the 289 seats needed to obtain an absolute majority.
If these
results hold in the second round on Sunday, Macron would be compelled to
nominate a prime minister from National Rally. A recent Harris interactive poll
estimated that the far-right could only obtain between 190 and 220 seats.
French
Muslims, who have been targeted by the far-right for the past decade, are
holding their breath. “I’m saddened to see France in this situation, a country
attached to liberty, equality and fraternity, to see its founding principles
corrupted like this,” Kabtane told Religion News Service.
A
Franco-Algerian who has lived in France for 50 years, he said the climate has
never been so hostile to Muslims. He recalled the numerous political and
administrative hurdles he faced in 1976, when he first established Lyon’s Grand
Mosque. He said it would be impossible to found the mosque today.
According
to an IFOP survey taken for magazine La Croix, 41% of French Muslims
participated in the European election, a huge turnout for French Muslims, with
62% casting a ballot for the left-wing list of the Unbowed Party.
On June
28, two days before the first round of the European elections, Lyon’s Grand
Mosque urged French Muslims to vote. “Voting is not only authorized in Islam
but also prescribed,” read a statement signed by various Muslim organizations
published on the mosque’s website. “In a situation where abstention benefits
extremists who are obsessed about Islam and Muslims, it can even become an
obligation.”
Kabtane
argued that the community’s mobilization in the recent elections shows the
widespread concern among Muslims. “People are worried for the future of their
children. They are wondering, will they have the right to practice freely
tomorrow?”
If
National Rally wins, Kabtane said he expects the closure of many mosques and
Islamic schools, the deportation of foreign imams and stricter bans on wearing
hijab. Since 2004, hijabs, along with all “conspicuous religious symbols,” have
been banned in public schools, upholding the value the French place on
secularism, or “laicité.”
In its
2024 report on the state of human rights in the world, Amnesty International
expressed alarm about the level of religious discrimination in France, which
disproportionately affects Muslim women wearing a veil. In 2022, the European
group against islamophobia, CCIE, counted 501 anti-Muslim incidents in France,
the majority targeting Muslim women.
After
Sunday’s election, Kabtane fears the country will witness an unleashing of
islamophobia and less public outcry.
“Will we
be able to protect ourselves like we have the possibility to today? Will we be
considered second-class citizens?” he asked.
Source: religionnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://religionnews.com/2024/07/05/with-national-rally-showing-strength-in-sundays-vote-french-muslims-hold-their-breath/
--------
Labour
wins UK elections in landslide, but suffers losses in heavily Muslim areas
July 5,
2024
LONDON
(RNS) — New British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer celebrated a massive
election victory on Friday after the Labour Party gained power with a
landslide, securing a 170-seat parliamentary majority. Yet, losses in a handful
of former strongholds — to independent candidates standing on pro-Palestinian
tickets — suggests the new government will have work to do when it comes to
earning back the trust of Muslim voters.
Perhaps
the biggest upset of the night was the defeat of one of Starmer’s loyal
lieutenants, the shadow work and pensions secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, who
lost his Leicester South seat, despite previously having a 22,000 majority.
Independent
candidate Shockat Adam, who ousted Ashworth after 13 years as MP for Leicester
South, won by just 979 votes. After his victory was announced, he said “this is
for Gaza.”
Leading
up to the election, organizers had conducted an intense drive to encourage
Muslims to vote and to support candidates who had been more vocally supportive
of Gaza and a cease-fire than official Labour candidates.
Among
the other seats where Labour lost to independent candidates who made Gaza a key
issue were:
Birmingham
Perry Barr, where Labour’s Khalid Mahmood lost by 507 votes to Independent
Ayoub Khan.
Dewsbury
and Batley, where Independent candidate Iqbal Mohamed smashed the Labour vote
to gain the West Yorkshire seat by 15,641 votes to the 8,707 votes for Labour
candidate Heather Iqbal.
Blackburn,
where the Lancashire seat was won by Independent Adnan Hussain (10,518 votes),
ousting sitting MP Labour’s Kate Hollern (10,386). The Labour vote fell by
39.3% from the last election in 2019.
Also
elected in London seat Islington North was former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn,
standing as an Independent, who told voters that “Palestine is on the ballot.”
He defeated the Labour candidate by more than 7,000 votes.
Although
Labour said in its manifesto that it is committed to recognizing a Palestinian
state, critics of its policy said its call in February for a humanitarian
cease-fire in Gaza was too late.
Other
leading Labour politicians came close to defeat in constituencies with strong
Muslim populations. Wes Streeting, who is likely to be in Starmer’s cabinet,
clung on by just 528 votes after a challenge by Independent candidate Leane
Mohamad. Jess Phillips, a senior Labour figure, saw her majority slashed from
13,141 in 2019 to just 693 this year, with Workers Party candidate Jody
McIntyre, also critical of Labour on Gaza, at her heels.
David
Lammy, who is the likeliest candidate to be Starmer’s Foreign Secretary, told
the BBC that Labour would “work with partners to seek Palestinian recognition.”
One
Labour MP, Zarah Sultana, who increased the Labour vote by 3.45 percent in
inner-city Coventry South, said her party’s position was “a stain on its record,”
and that it had taken a long time to move in the right direction.
Source: religionnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://religionnews.com/2024/07/05/labour-wins-uk-elections-in-landslide-but-suffers-losses-in-heavily-muslim-areas/
--------
Starbucks
Faces $6 Million Lawsuit for Alleged Discrimination Against Disabled Muslim
Family
Pace
Johnson Law Group
Jul 06,
2024
Disabled
Muslim family sues Starbucks for $6 million, alleging discrimination after being
forcibly ejected from a Utah store over seating.
SALT
LAKE CITY, July 6, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- A $6 million lawsuit has been
filed against Starbucks Corporation by a disabled Muslim family following a
troubling incident at a Midvale, Utah store. The plaintiffs—Mr. Hossein Kaveh,
his wife Faranak Sedarat, and his mother-in-law Banou Afsar Sedarat—accuse
Starbucks of discrimination after being forcibly ejected by police at the
request of store management. Law enforcement body-cam footage shows the moments
when they were forced to leave or face arrest.
The
Kaveh family alleges they were targeted and discriminated against due to their
Middle-Eastern background and Muslim faith, stemming from a dispute over
handicapped seating. Despite showing a valid handicapped placard, the family
was accused of causing a disturbance and forcefully removed by police from the
store at 7184 Union Park Ave.
The
lawsuit highlights the Kaveh family's ordeal, including loud accusations from
another customer in a wheelchair, who claimed plaintiffs had no right to the
handicapped table. Despite attempts to resolve the situation amicably,
including Mr. Kaveh asking able-bodied patrons to move, the situation
escalated. Starbucks management called law enforcement, allegedly misrepresenting
the family's behavior, leading to the plaintiffs' public ejection and an
indefinite ban from the store.
Witnesses
corroborate the family's account, noting that the disturbance was caused by the
other customer, not the Kaveh family. Body-cam footage from police captures
Starbucks management specifically requesting the family's removal. The footage
shows the family complying without resistance, aiding their elderly disabled
mother in leaving the store.
Mr.
Kaveh, an Iranian immigrant and retired engineer, expressed disbelief at the
treatment. "In my 45 years in this country, I've never had any issue with
the law or police," he said. His wife, Faranak, holds a master's degree in
economics, and his mother-in-law, Banou, is a retired school teacher.
The
Kaveh family seeks $6 million plus punitive damages for the humiliation and
emotional distress they endured. They demand a public apology from Starbucks,
the right to return without fear of discrimination, and a commitment from
Starbucks to address and rectify discriminatory policies globally. "What
happened to us, I hope nobody has to go through," Mr. Kaveh added.
Attorney
Pace W. Johnson, representing the plaintiffs, emphasized the broader
implications of the case. "This lawsuit is about holding corporate giants
accountable for actions and policies that can affect people's lives. Nobody
should suffer discrimination under any constitutional basis. We stand firm in
our commitment to fighting for the rights of individuals to be free from
discrimination," Johnson stated.
Filed in
the United States District Court for the District of Utah, case no.
2:24-cv-00291, the lawsuit claims Starbucks violated the Americans with
Disabilities Act, Civil Rights Act, and Utah Civil Rights Act. Starbucks denies
the claims and is seeking to dismiss the suit.
For
further information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Ryan
Hogan
Pace
Johnson Law Group
Website:
https://www.pacejohnsonlaw.com/
Email:
media@pacejohnson.com
Telephone:
(385) 347-3111
SOURCE
Pace Johnson Law Group
Source: prweb.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.prweb.com/releases/starbucks-faces-6-million-lawsuit-for-alleged-discrimination-against-disabled-muslim-family-302190187.html
--------
Israeli
Envoy: West Faces 'Radical Muslim Occupation'
05 July
2024
Ofir
Akunis was solidly entrenched in the Knesset, serving in his 15th year as a
lawmaker. The popular Likud figure — formerly a party spokesman and adviser to
Benjamin Netanyahu— had held a number of ministerial roles over the last nine
years, and was minister of science and technology in the current government.
So, why
exactly would the 50-year-old (now 51), not exactly known for an active role in
the Diaspora, accept Netanyahu's offer to become the consul general to New York
in a post-Oct. 7 world?
"It's
a very good question. I think that we are living in challenging times. I think
that it's not less important to be here these days and represent the State of
Israel and the Jewish people from New York," Akunis told JNS in his office
on Manhattan's Second Ave.
"I
think that a political leader should do more things in his career. And I think
that this is the right place to be these days. Especially these days," he
said.
While
Akunis generally hews close to Netanyahu in principle, he has carved out his
own path, and while he rarely contradicts Netanyahu, he has avoided being
sycophantic.
Netanyahu
has been known to shuffle off political rivals and annoyances to diplomatic
posts, but that doesn't appear to be the case with Akunis. The position of
consul general had been open since Asaf Zamir, appointed by the previous
government, resigned in March 2023 to protest the advancement of judicial
reform by Netanyahu.
Netanyahu
floated firebrand Social Equality Minister May Golan for the post in April
2023, but backlash from the more left-wing American Jewish community quickly
put that idea to bed. The consulate had been served by a series of acting
consuls general until Akunis's arrival.
While
Akunis may lack diplomatic bona fides, his appointment was largely viewed as
one of a professional, technocratic hand coming on to steady a ship that's been
rocking since Hamas' massacre.
"I
think that the very main issue here is the attacks on the Israeli and Jewish
students in the universities and among the campuses. This is
unacceptable," Akunis said of his top priority since taking over in May.
His very
first meeting, he told JNS, concerned the attacks on Jews and Israelis at
Columbia and NYU.
"This
is urgent, because we are a few weeks before the new year on the campuses, and
I'm calling from here to the American people and to the American leaders to do
whatever they can to stop" the violent antisemitic protests that took
place in the spring.
"If
someone wants to protest against the State of Israel or against the Jewish
communities, he can do it," Akunis said, but not by waving Hamas,
Hezbollah, and ISIS flags, as was seen at a number of campus protests.
"To
scream and shout, 'Oct. 7 was only the beginning,' this is unacceptable,"
he said. "This is not freedom of speech. It's freedom of hate."
Akunis
went so far as to say last week that New York City was in danger of falling
under "radical Muslim occupation," similar to European cities that
have succumbed to violent Islamist riots and so-called no-go zones that are
essentially off-limits to non-Muslims.
"I
think that radical Islam, influenced by Tehran and the Axis of Evil, is a huge
problem, not only to the State of Israel, not only to the Jewish communities.
It's the Axis of Evil versus the Western world," Akunis told JNS.
"How
do I know it? I can hear from here, from this office — the screaming of 'Death
to America, to Israel, glory to Palestine.' So it's not about us anymore,"
said Akunis, describing protests that have taken place outside the consulate.
He
warned again of "a lot of neighborhoods" around Europe under
"radical Muslim occupation," citing London, Paris, Brussels, and
Malmö as examples.
"I
didn't know that such a thing would happen here in the United States," Akunis
said. "We can see it in the streets. It's not my imagination."
It is
critical that Americans understand that the issue has gone far beyond the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, morphing into a broader anti-American bent, he
said.
"I
think that I need to send this match message to my American friends. I think
that this is the right message," asking people to open their eyes to the
support for terrorism taking place on New York's streets.
And it's
happening during a broader time of political uncertainty and upheaval in the
United States. Akunis arrived in the midst of a critical election season. Asked
who on the political battlefield he has found to partner with and who he is
still trying to bring on board, Akunis said, "I'm trying to bring
everybody to support Israel. I think that the American administration, American
people, American leaders, must stand with Israel."
He was
quick to note, though, that "the Israelis are not part of the election
campaign. The American people will choose the president and their administration.
And we, of course, respect any result we'll see here on Nov. 5. This is the
main idea of democracy — the will of the people.
Perhaps
getting in a delicate shot at those who have opined on Israel's domestic
political affairs, including New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, who called for
Netanyahu to stand down as premier, Akunis said he was "sure that you, the
Americans, will respect the will of the people in Israel."
Regarding
his early dealings with American Jews, Akunis stressed the unity he's seen in
the community members that he's been dealing with on the street level.
"This unity reflects strength, and not the opposite. We will not be
victims anymore," he said, adding that "in the darkest days, you can
see the light."
In turn,
the Jewish community looked for unity from its supposed partners and allies in
other American minority and religious communities in the aftermath of Oct. 7,
but largely encountered "radio silence".
While
American Jewish leaders have been quick to note their deep disappointment,
worry and anger on that front, Akunis inferred to JNS that those concerns are
overblown by the media, which he said tends to amplify the negative.
"I'm
talking with them all the time," he said of those erstwhile partners.
"Beyond the big headlines, I think that most Americans, including the
communities that you just mentioned, support Israel. There's a lot of voices
for Israel."
While
Akunis said he has not received a straight answer on why those communities went
silent during Israel's darkest hour, he is "asking them to reflect on
their solidarity with Israel," and he expects attitudes will change soon.
Source: newsmax.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/israel-new-york-envoy/2024/07/05/id/1171353/
--------
Lebanese
authorities charge US Embassy shooter with affiliation to militant Islamic
State group
July 2,
2024
BEIRUT
(AP) — A judge at Lebanon’s military court on Tuesday charged the gunman who
opened fire at the U.S. embassy near Beirut with being affiliated to the
militant Islamic State group, security and judicial officials said.
Lebanese
soldiers shot and arrested the gunman in early June, later identified as Kaiss Farraj
from Syria, after a shootout that lasted almost 30 minutes and injured an
embassy security guard.
The
Islamic State group has not claimed responsibility for the attack, nor has any
other group.
The
attack took place as tensions simmered in the tiny Mediterranean country, where
fighting between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops has displaced thousands
along the border, following years of political deadlock and economic hardship.
Lebanese
media published photos that appear to show a bloodied attacker wearing a black
vest with the words “Islamic State” written in Arabic and the English initials
“I” and “S.”
Judicial
and security officials familiar with the investigation previously told The
Associated Press that Farraj initially appeared to be a lone wolf and not
linked to any extremist group. The Lebanese Army soon after the shootout raided
the eastern Lebanese towns of Majdal Anjar and nearby Suweiri, where it
arrested three relatives of the suspect and two other people believed to be
associated with him.
The two
officials added that Government Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Fadi
Akiki also charged two others who sold weapons to the gunman with selling
unlicensed firearms. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with
regulations.
The officials
said that Farraj, who was shot three times in the shootout, is in poor health
and remains unconscious.
In 1983,
a deadly bombing attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut killed 63 people. U.S.
officials blame the attack on the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Following
that attack, the embassy was moved from central Beirut to the Christian suburb
of Aukar, north of the capital. Another bomb attack struck the new location on
Sept. 20, 1984.
In
September 2023, Lebanese security forces detained a Lebanese man who opened
fire outside the U.S. Embassy. There were no casualties in that attack.
In
October 2023, hundreds of protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces in
demonstrations near the U.S. Embassy in support of Gaza’s people and the
militant group Hamas in its war with Israel.
Source: apnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://apnews.com/article/lebanon-us-embassy-attack-islamic-state-group-2084e3b5a0b02a3f50cc143e52198cb7
--------
Arab World
Saudi scouts
showcase impressive passion for STEM at international jamboree in US
July 06,
2024
RIYADH:
Saudi scouts taking part in the 3rd International Muslim Scouts Jamboree in the
US have stood out when it comes to science, technology, engineering and mathematics,
a Saudi Press Agency (SPA) report said on Friday.
A
delegation from the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association (SASA) are among the
participants in the week-long summer camp being held at Camp Strake in Houston,
Texas, which opened on June 30 and will end on July 6. The jamboree is
organized by the National Islamic Committee on Scouting under the supervision
of Boy Scouts of America.
On
Thursday, the activities included a competition in the basics of electrical and
electronic engineering and designing robots using specialized software and
hardware, including automatically and logically controlling the robot’s
movements.
Aside
from showing passing in STEM activities, the Saudi delegation also showed
passion in developing their research and innovation skills, the report said.
Scouts
participating in the jamboree also received training on the best way to safely
drive motorcycles. They compete in scouting leadership and ways to build gates,
flagpoles, fences and bridges using wood, along with the correct use of knots,
ties and loops to fix them in place, as well as in building cooking ovens and
are taught the correct way to light fires.
Other
activities listed in the summer camp include visiting NASA in Houston,
workshops, and exploring hobbies such as canoeing, swimming and climbing.
Leaders of the Saudi Arabian Scouts Association said the group participates in
the global camp “to highlight the Kingdom’s role in the Islamic world, promote
values of love and peace, showcase the Kingdom and its progress, and facilitate
cultural exchange and learning about civilizations.”
On
Tuesday, scout leader Syed Ehtesham Naqvi, president of the US National Islamic
Committee on Scouting, took the occasion to commend the efforts and services
provided by the Saudi government to serve Muslim pilgrims, Umrah performers,
and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, facilitating their performance
of rituals.
He made
the remarks when he visited the Saudi scouting delegation on the third day of
the jamboree at Camp Strake, SPA said in a separate report.
Meeting
with the delegation led by SASA Vice President Abdurrahman bin Ibrahim
Al-Mudaires, Naqvi also commended the Saudi scouts for their role in serving
pilgrims.
While
scouting was officially founded in Saudi Arabia in 1961, scouting activities in
the Kingdom started as early as 1943, according to writings about the
international movement.
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544396/saudi-arabia
--------
How
Saudi Arabia is harnessing its abundance of renewable energy resources
July 05,
2024
RIYADH:
With a goal of sourcing at least 50 percent of its electricity from renewables
by 2030, Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in diversifying its energy mix
toward renewable sources to meet its pledge to cut carbon emissions and promote
sustainable development.
To
promote public understanding of renewable energy technologies and to advance
the goals of Vision 2030, the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable
Energy launched the Mishkat Interactive Center for Atomic and Renewable Energy
in Riyadh in 2017.
“The
National Renewable Energy Program, with all its achieved and under-construction
projects, really reflects how promising this strategic initiative is to fulfill
Vision 2030,” Reham Aldous, the center’s content and program development
manager, told Arab News.
Wind
Saudi
Arabia has immense wind energy potential, particularly in its northwestern and
coastal regions. The Kingdom has set a target of producing 50 gigawatts of wind
energy capacity by 2030.
In 2021,
Saudi Arabia inaugurated its first commercial-scale wind farm, the 400-megawatt
Dumat Al-Jandal project, which is currently the largest in the Middle East.
Additional large-scale wind projects are in the pipeline.
Solar
As one
of the sunniest countries in the world, Saudi Arabia has an abundance of solar
energy resources. The country aims to install 50 GW of solar capacity by 2030.
Major
projects include the 300-MW Sakaka solar plant, the 420-MW Sudair solar park,
and the planned 2-GW Al-Shuaibah solar project. Saudi Arabia is also exploring
innovative applications like floating solar farms on its reservoirs.
Inaugurated
in 2021, the Sakaka Solar Power Plant in Al-Jouf uses photovoltaic technology. Made
up of more than 1.2 million solar panels arranged across 6 sq. km, it produces
low-cost energy at just $0.023 per kWh.
Besides
using photovoltaic cells to capture the sun’s rays, another method is thermal
solar energy, where mirrors focus sunlight in a specific spot to collect and
concentrate it, allowing for the production of very high temperatures, which
are used to generate electricity.
Hydro
Although
Saudi Arabia’s hydropower potential is limited due to its limited moving bodies
of water, the country does have some small-scale hydroelectric facilities.
The
Baisha Dam in the southwest generates about 2.1 MW of power. Saudi Arabia is
also investigating the potential for pumped storage hydropower projects.
Geothermal
Saudi
Arabia has begun to explore its geothermal energy resources, particularly in
the volcanic areas of the Hijaz and Asir mountains.
Pilot
projects are underway to assess the viability of geothermal power generation in
the Kingdom. Early estimates suggest a potential of up to 3 GW of geothermal
capacity.
Bio
Saudi
Arabia has made strides in developing its bioenergy sector, focusing primarily
on biofuels.
The
Kingdom aims to produce 9.5 million liters of bioethanol and 0.3 million liters
of biodiesel annually by 2030. Agricultural and municipal waste-to-energy
projects are also being explored.
Wind,
biofuels, geothermal, and thermal solar energy all use the kinetic energy
produced by these resources to move turbines, either directly or by heating
water to create steam, thereby generating electricity.
Saudi
Arabia’s Ministry of Energy has been the driving force behind the country’s
renewable energy transformation.
The
ministry has set clean energy targets, launched competitive bidding for
projects, and partnered with local and international stakeholders to develop a
robust renewable energy sector.
Through
strategic policies, dedicated funding, and collaborative efforts, the Ministry
of Energy has been instrumental in positioning Saudi Arabia as a regional
leader in the global shift toward sustainable power generation.
The
ministry’s comprehensive approach to renewable energy integration has been
crucial in diversifying the Kingdom’s energy mix and securing its long-term
energy future.
Much of
this success, however, is owed to Saudi Arabia’s geography, said Aldous of the
Mishkat Interactive Center.
“The
Kingdom is characterized by an abundance of renewable energy resources,” she
said, “highlighting solar energy and wind energy as the main two green energy
resources with great potential.”
Source: arabnews.com
Please click the following URL to read the text of the
original Story
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2544306/saudi-arabia
--------
KSrelief
launches food program in earthquake-hit areas in Syria and Turkiye
July 06,
2024
RIYADH:
Saudi aid agency, KSrelief, inaugurated a volunteer program to distribute food
parcels to earthquake-hit areas in Syria and Turkiye, state news agency (SPA)
reported.
The
program aims to secure food baskets for 2,000 individuals in the Turkish cities
of Reyhaniya and Gaziantep.
KSrelief
general supervisor Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah inaugurated the
volunteer program on Friday.
The
program is part of KSrelief efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian
and Turkish people affected by the recent earthquakes, the statement read.
Source: arabnews.com
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Fruit
Festival gets underway in Al-Baha’s Baljurashi
July 05,
2024
AL-BAHA:
A range of agricultural products are on offer at the second Fruit Festival in
Al-Baha, Baljurashi governorate.
The
three-day event is organized by the regional branch of the Ministry of
Environment, Water and Agriculture in cooperation with other government
entities, agriculture associations and the Culinary Arts Commission.
Among
the products on display at the 20 stalls are fruits, honey and other rural and
agricultural goods.
Fahd bin
Muftah Al-Zahrani, director general of the local arm of the ministry, said the
event was an opportunity to promote the region’s products.
It also
includes events and programs to raise farmers’ awareness of sound agricultural
practices that can help them maximize their output.
Al-Zahrani
said agricultural festivals were a key part of the ministry’s support for
farmers and rural families and its drive to improve incomes and living
conditions in line with the Vision 2030 initiative.
Source: arabnews.com
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More
than 15,000 beneficiaries from ‘Hedayh’ programs in Alkhobar
July 05,
2024
ALKHOBAR:
The “Hedayh” Association for Dawah, Guidance and Community Awareness
implemented several educational and outreach programs in Alkhobar last June,
benefiting 15,098 people.
Adeeb
Al-Zamil, chairman of the association’s board of directors, said the
beneficiaries included 12,458 people from community programs, the Saudi Press
Agency reported. These encompassed mobile dawah initiatives, outreach tours,
Friday sermon translations, public lectures, community outreach programs,
electronic dawah, informational brochures, educational lessons, and video and
audio clips.
The
association also published 973 items and distributed gifts to pilgrims arriving
and departing through orts in the Kingdom’s Eastern Province.
Al-Zamil
said 680 individuals benefited from the Dawah management programs, including
360 from dawah speeches, lessons and courses, and 320 from lectures.
The
women’s section activities reached 1,960 beneficiaries through lessons and
speeches, while 180 benefited from the new Muslim follow-up program.
Additionally, 138 books were distributed to beneficiaries, and classes for
non-Muslim outreach benefited 360 women.
Source: arabnews.com
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Saudi
aid chief, Palestinian health minister meet to discuss Gaza
July 05,
2024
RIYADH:
The head of Saudi aid agency KSrelief Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah has held talks on
the humanitarian situation in Gaza with Palestinian Minister of Health Dr.
Majid Awni Abu Ramadan.
The
meeting happened during Al-Rabeeah’s visit to Jordan to sign a number of
humanitarian project deals, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Friday.
Abu
Ramadan expressed his gratitude for the Kingdom’s support, through KSrelief, in
aiding the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip amid the ongoing humanitarian
crisis caused by Israeli assault.
He also
thanked Saudi Arabia for its support of the Palestinian health sector, which he
said had been instrumental in helping those affected in Gaza.
The two
officials also discussed ways to deliver aid to displaced individuals.
The meeting
was also attended by the Saudi ambassador to Jordan and non-resident ambassador
to Palestine, Naif bin Bandar Al-Sudairi.
On
Thursday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met UN Senior
Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag in Madrid on
the sidelines of the annual meeting of the European Council on Foreign
Relations.
They
discussed the importance of delivering adequate and sustainable humanitarian
aid to the Gaza Strip and the need to reach a ceasefire to end the crisis.
Al-Rabeeah
also met with the Minister of State for Palestinian Relief Affairs, Basil
Nasser, and discussed ways to provide urgent aid to the Gaza Strip.
Nasser
praised the Saudi aid provided to the Palestinian people in Gaza during the
current humanitarian crisis.
As part
of Al-Rabeeah’s visit to Jordan, he met with President of the Palestine Red
Crescent Society, Younis Al-Khateeb.
Al-Khateeb
thanked the Kingdom for its support to the efforts of the Palestine Red
Crescent Society to deliver aid to those affected in the enclave.
Source: arabnews.com
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Southeast Asia
Pope to
Preside Over Interfaith Meeting in Indonesian Mosque During Longest Trip
July 6,
2024
Rome.
Pope Francis will preside over an interfaith meeting in a mosque in the world’s
largest predominantly Muslim country during a four-nation Asian visit in
September that will be the longest and most complicated foreign trip of his
pontificate.
The
Vatican on Friday released the itinerary for Francis’ Sept. 2-13 trip to
Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea and Singapore. The packed schedule
makes clear that the 87-year-old pontiff, who has battled health problems and
is increasingly reliant on a wheelchair, has no plans to slow down.
After a
day of rest upon arrival in Jakarta on Sept. 3, Francis launches into a
typically rigorous round of protocol visits to heads of state and government,
speeches to diplomats and meetings with clergy and public Masses.
Francis
will be the third pope to visit Indonesia, after Pope Paul VI in 1970 and Pope
John Paul II in 1989. About 87 percent of Indonesia’s 277 million people are
Muslim, but the country also has Southeast Asia’s second-largest Christian
population, after the Philippines, and the third-largest in Asia after the
Philippines and China.
In
Jakarta, he’ll preside over an interfaith meeting at the capital’s Istiqlal
Mosque, expected to be attended by leaders of the six religions in Indonesia
that are officially recognized and protected: Islam, Protestant, Catholic,
Buddhism, Hinduism and Confucianism.
Francis
is also expected to walk through a tunnel, called the “Tunnel of Friendship,”
connecting the grand mosque to the neo-Gothic Our Lady of The Assumption
Cathedral, which was constructed by Indonesian authorities in 2020.
As a
result, the first leg of Francis' four-nation trip is likely to heavily
emphasize interreligious harmony and tolerance, a theme he has hammered home on
many of his foreign visits, especially to the Gulf and other Muslim-majority
nations.
Sprinkled
in the mix in all four countries are encounters with young people, poor and
disabled people, elderly people and Francis’ regular meetings with his Jesuit
confreres.
The trip
was originally planned for 2020 but was called off because of the COVID-19
pandemic. At 11 full days, it's the longest of Francis’ 11-year papacy,
outpacing by a few days some of his long trips to the Americas and recalling
some of the strenuous, globe-hopping trips of St. John Paul II.
It will
bring the Argentine Jesuit to Indonesia, as well as one of the world's newest
countries, the former Portuguese colony of East Timor, where the Catholic
Church wields enormous influence.
About
98.3 percent of its 1.34 million population is Catholic, according to the 2022
census, and it’s the Asian country with the highest proportion of Catholics
after the Philippines.
Francis
will be the second pope to visit East Timor after John Paul in 1989, but the
first since the country gained independence from Indonesia in 2002.
In East
Timor, however, Francis may also have to reckon with the legacy of independence
hero Bishop Carlos Ximenes Belo. The Nobel Peace Prize winner was sanctioned by
the Vatican in 2020 for having sexually abused young Timorese boys and is
currently believed to be living in Portugal.
Francis
had to cancel his last planned foreign visit -- a quick trip to Dubai last year
to participate in the UN climate conference -- because of a recurring case of
bronchitis. He has seemed in relatively good form in recent months, including
during day trips to Italian cities and visits to Roman parishes.
But in
recent years, as his mobility has been limited by bad knee ligaments, he has
generally stuck closer to home and kept his foreign trips relatively short.
After he
returns to Rome in mid-September, he has a four-day visit to Belgium and
Luxembourg before the end of the month, the only other foreign trip that has
been confirmed for the year.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
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Indonesia
to Ramp Up Funding to UN’s Palestine Refugee Agency
July 4,
2024
Jakarta.
Indonesia is planning to ramp up its funding to the UNRWA -- the UN’s relief
agency for Palestinian refugees -- this year as the Southeast Asian country
grows increasingly concerned with what is happening in Gaza.
UNRWA
data showed that Indonesia dramatically increased its donations to the agency
in 2023 -- the same year that the armed conflict between Israel and the
Palestinian militant group Hamas escalated. Indonesia pledged a total of $2.6
million in donations to the UNRWA throughout 2023. About $2 million went to the
Gaza flash appeal. Indonesia became the 35th largest UNRWA donor with the US
becoming the top contributor by donating $422 million that year.
“We have
tripled our contribution in 2023. This year, we are expecting to double what we
tripled last year,” Arrmanatha C Nasir, the Indonesian permanent representative
to the UN, said in a press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday.
What
Indonesia pledged last year was indeed much higher compared to 2022, during
which Indonesia donated $200,000. The UNRWA also reported it also received
$200,000 in donation pledges from Indonesia in 2021. The UNRWA mainly relies on
voluntary contributions from governments across the globe.
The
UNRWA funding was one of the series of the Indonesian government’s support to
the Palestinians. Indonesia has sent
humanitarian aid to Gaza, while also helping nudge other countries into
recognizing Palestinian statehood. Earlier this year, Indonesia dispatched
humanitarian assistance --consisting of
medicines and medical equipment-- worth Rp 30 billion ($1.8 million) to both
Gaza as well as conflict-torn Sudan.
The Gaza
health ministry announced Monday that at least 37,900 people had been killed
since the Hamas-Israel conflict intensified last October.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
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UN
Palestine Committee Has High Expectations for Prabowo’s Administration
July 4,
2024
Jakarta.
The visiting UN Committee that is in charge of promoting Palestinian rights
said Thursday that it had high expectations for Indonesia’s next administration
set to be led by the current defense minister Prabowo Subianto.
Members
of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian
People (CEIRPP) -- a body under the UN General Assembly -- are visiting Jakarta
to meet Indonesian government officials. Speaking to reporters shortly after talking
with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, the committee considered Indonesia a
staunch supporter of the Palestinian cause. Indonesia’s support did not only
come only recently as the Southeast Asian country was among the first ones to
recognize Palestinian statehood in 1988.
“The
support started decades ago when the [CEIRPP] committee was first formed in
1975, and Indonesia got admitted as a member,” CEIRPP’s chairman Cheikh Niang
told a press briefing in Jakarta on Thursday.
The
Senegalese diplomat said that it would be unlikely to see the support weaken in
the coming years, considering how the pro-Palestinian view is not only coming
from Indonesian government officials but “all segments of the nation”. As
Indonesia inches closer to a shift in presidency, the committee wants to see
the incoming Indonesian government keep backing Palestine.
“We are
really looking forward to the next administration … to build on what has been
done by the previous administration, and maintain the leadership of Indonesia
in defending the cause of the Palestinians,” Niang added.
Prabowo
is set to assume power this October, succeeding the two-term incumbent
president Joko “Jokowi'' Widodo. Prabowo not long ago said Indonesia would be
ready to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza if required. The committee is
scheduled to meet with Prabowo during their Jakarta visit. The CEIRPP, however,
stopped short of sharing the details of what they planned on discussing with
Prabowo, saying that some matters were confidential.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
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JKSK
discusses recommendations to improve Syariah courts
06-07-
2024
SEPANG:
Recommendations to improve the management and administration functions of
syariah courts across the country are among the highlights at the first meeting
of the National Syariah Judiciary Committee (JKSK), which kicked off today
here.
According
to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs), Datuk
Dr Mohd Na’im Mokhtar said the two-day meeting will propose the expansion of
the hierarchy of Syariah courts from three levels (Syariah subordinate courts,
Syariah high courts and Syariah appeal courts) to four.
“I hope
the JKSK meeting will serve as a platform for improving Syariah courts. The
MADANI government leading the country’s administration is highly committed to
strengthening the Syariah justice and legal system,“ he told reporters after
attending the special session and address with JKSK members tonight.
“The
resolutions will be presented to MKI (National Council of Islamic Religious
Affairs Malaysia), which the Conference of Malay Rulers will then approve...so
issues related to Syariah court justice can be coordinated nationwide,“ he
said.
JKSK was
established under MKI and approved by the Conference of Rulers. In February,
the committee members’ names were submitted for approval to the then MKI
chairman, the Selangor Sultan, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah.
Six
experts in law and academics and 14 representatives from each state, including
the chief judges of state Syariah courts, were appointed committee members.
This
first meeting convenes its members to discuss their workflow and direction and
establish terms of reference.
The
establishment of JKSK marks a significant step in strengthening and advancing
Syariah law in Malaysia, specifically enhancing and dignifying the Syariah
judicial system holistically, aligning with the position of Islam in the
Federal Constitution.
It also
reflects the government’s ongoing efforts to improve the jurisdiction, status,
and credibility of Syariah courts.
Source: thesun.my
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/mayor-firhad-non-muslims-controversy/d/132647