Modi’s Anti-Muslim Speeches: ‘Election Commission Says It Decided Not To Touch Top Two Leaders of BJP and Congress’
New Age Islam News Bureau
04 Jun 2024
Chief Election Commissioner of India, Rajiv Kumar,
at a press conference in New Delhi. | AFP
------------
·
Modi’s Anti-Muslim Speeches: ‘Election
Commission Says It Decided Not To Touch Top Two Leaders of BJP and Congress’
·
Voters’ Right Can’t Be Snatched On Basis of Technicality:
Supreme Court of Pakistan’ 13 Members Bench
·
Shia Afghans Are Being Brought To Iran To Make
Up For The Lack Of Religious Iranians
·
Organisers of Scottish Muslim Awards Boycott
Hotel Hosting Israeli Football Team
·
Pro-Palestinian Protesters Occupy Israeli
Consulate in San Francisco
India
·
Hindu Youth 'Attacked For Giving Lift' To Muslim
Girl on Bike in Shivamogga
·
INDIA Bloc’s Dismal Show in Bihar Raises
Questions on RJD’s Yadav-Muslim Rhetoric
·
Asif Kapadia, Amjad Rasheed Shine at 1st Muslim
Film Festival
·
Marathis, Muslims, and Transfer Of BJP Votes
Hold The Key Maharashtra
--------
Pakistan
·
IHC Transfers Iddat Case to another Court after
Judge's Request
·
Day of Happiness For PTI As Imran Acquitted In
State Secrets Case
·
State dept says it's up to Pakistani courts to
decide Imran Khan's cases
·
Why Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi remain in
jail despite relief in cipher case?
·
Interior Minister, Pope Francis discuss
promotion of peace
·
Tactic being used to put pressure on CJP unacceptable:
PBC
--------
South Asia
·
UNICEF urges increased investment to combat
climate change threats in Afghanistan
·
General Mckenzie: Doha agreement was
Washington’s biggest mistake
·
Deputy PM Hanafi Meets Al Jazeera Journalist,
Stresses Continuous Efforts for National Development
·
Defence Minister Mujahid Meets Indonesian
Envoy, Emphasizes Strengthening Bilateral Ties
·
Security forces work laudable
--------
Europe
·
Young British Muslims: Why both Nigel Farage
and Angela Rayner Get Them Wrong
·
UK: Trent City Council Has 'No Evidence' Of
Disturbed Graves at Church Being Turned Into Mosque
·
Mannheim knife attack: Authorities suspect
Islamist motive
·
Faith Friendship: Christians Bring Muslim Imam
To Wigan
·
Germany: Afghan Islamist who killed police
officer in Mannheim lived in the country illegally for at least 8 years
--------
North America
·
Muslim College Students Face Heavy Emotional
Toll, Discrimination as War in Gaza Drags On
·
Two New Jersey Islamist Charities Support
Anti-Jewish Islamists at Home and Abroad
·
CAIR Urges New Jersey Muslims to Vote in
Tuesday’s June 4th Statewide Primary Election
·
Muslim Soccer Player Suspended 4 Games for
Covering Up Anti-Homophobia Patch On His Jersey
--------
Mideast
·
Contentious Jerusalem Day ‘Flag March’ To
Maintain Route Through Muslim Quarter
·
‘We Reject War,’ Lebanon Tells Iranian Foreign
Minister
·
Ministry postpones Islamic studies exam over
leak
·
Islamic Resistance in Iraq targets vital target
in Haifa
·
Europeans submit draft resolution against Iran
to IAEA board, text shows
·
Netanyahu to address US Congress on June 13,
Punchbowl reports
·
Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted ‘military
site’ in Israel’s port city Eilat
--------
Arab World
·
Japanese Film Festival Begins With Saudi Arabia
on Its Mind
·
Saudi Deputy Minister for Consular Affairs
Welcomes Chinese Envoy To Riyadh
·
Saudi Civil Defense bolsters teams for Hajj
·
Saudi Arabia, Brazil sign defence agreement
·
Baha’s stunning new destination for nature
lovers
--------
Southeast Asia
·
Indonesia Says No National Consensus Yet on
Ratifying Genocide Convention
·
Indonesian Military Ready to Send Peacekeeping
Troops to Gaza
·
Two Malaysians stake claim on ‘All Eyes on
Rafah’ image making waves worldwide
·
Deputy Foreign Minister to head delegation to
first Malaysia-UAE JCC meeting
-----
Africa
·
Attacks By Islamists In DR Congo Increase In East
Of African Country
·
Why Muslims Must Say No to NLC, TUC Strike – MURIC
·
UAE Visa Ban On Nigerians Resolved – Keyamo
Announces
·
Haiti: Garry Conille sworn in as Prime Minister
·
Russian FM Sergei Lavrov begins Africa tour
Compiled by
New Age Islam News Bureau
URL:
----------
Modi’s
Anti-Muslim Speeches: ‘Election Commission Says ItDecided Not To Touch Top Two
Leaders of BJP and Congress’
June 4
2024
Chief
Election Commissioner of India, Rajiv Kumar, at a press conference in New
Delhi. | AFP
----------
Chief
Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar told Scroll on Monday that the Election
Commission had deliberated over poll code violations during the 2024 general
elections at length and had decided to not admonish two top leaders each from
the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Indian National Congress – Narendra Modi and
Amit Shah of the Bharatiya Janata Party and Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra of the Indian National Congress.
Kumar
was responding to Scroll’s query about why the Election Commission of India had
failed to rein in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election speeches targeting
Muslims throughout his campaign.
“We
deliberately decided – this is such a huge nation – that the top two people in
both the parties we did not touch. Both party presidents we touched equally,”
Kumar told Scroll after the poll body’s press conference at Delhi’s Rang
Bhavan. “Why did we leave two this side and two that side? The persons in
position in this huge country also have responsibility. We reminded them of
their responsibility.”
At an
election rally in Rajasthan’s Banswara on April 21, Modi claimed the Congress
manifesto had promised to seize and redistribute private wealth of Indians
among “infiltrators” and “those who have more children” – a dog whistle
reference to India’s Muslims. In the same speech, the prime minister claimed
that the Congress would snatch away the mangalsutras worn by married Hindu
women in its bid to distribute wealth among Muslims.
Scroll
has repeatedly debunked Modi’s untruthful claims which pit India’s Muslims
against other disadvantaged communities.
The
Election Commission responded to complaints from the Congress and other
political parties over Modi’s speech by sending a directive to BJP president JP
Nadda to ensure that all star campaigners of the party “set high standards of
political discourse and observe provisions of model code of conduct in letter
and spirit”. It did not name Modi.
The
directive failed to deter the prime minister. On April 30, Modi told an
audience in Telangana that as long as “he is alive, he will not allow the
Indian Constitution-mandated reservations for the SC, STs and OBCs to be
distributed to the Muslims at any cost”.
On May
7, in a rally in Madhya Pradesh, the prime minister said that the Congress’s
intent “is to give minorities a preference in sports” and it will decide who
stays in the cricket team and who does not on the basis of religion.
The
chief election commissioner added that the commission did not notify Modi
because the Supreme Court and the Delhi High Court had rejected petitions that
demanded the poll body to act against Modi.
“Twice
it went to court,” said Kumar. “It is written in that order. Once to Delhi HC
and once to SC. The thing which is judged…you cannot over and over say anything
on that.”
On May
14, the Supreme Court had asked one of the petitioners to first approach the
Election Commission for redressal.
The
chief election commissioner, however, contended that these leaders had been
reminded of their responsibility because of the commission’s “strong
directions”.
Asked
about the efficacy of sending directions to the party presidents, not leaders
accused of hate speech, Kumar said: “So? What is the party president? Because
of that party president’s direction, at least 80% of the second rung has not
said anything.”
By
second rung, Kumar said he meant Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma,
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath, Union information and broadcasting
minister Anurag Thakur and Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin.
Contrary
to Kumar’s claim, Sarma, a star campaigner for the BJP, has repeatedly made
anti-Muslim speeches, going to the extent of accusing 1.25 crore residents of
Assam of being infiltrators from Bangladesh. Nor have the Election Commission’s
notices stopped Adityanath and Thakur from hateful speeches. Adityanath in a
Uttar Pradesh rally said that this election “is between Ram Bhakts and
Ramdrohis” – devotees and haters of Ram. The poll body did not send a notice to
these leaders.
The
chief election commissioner added that the poll body “did not touch equally
glaring things on the other side also”, meaning the Opposition parties.
“After
all, you have to give a space to the topmost person to also feel responsible,”
said Kumar. “If Mr [Jairam] Ramesh has said something, he is in a high
position, he must feel responsible. When will you understand your
responsibility?” Jairam Ramesh is the communications head of the Congress.
The poll
body had earlier issued directions to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge
asking him to ensure the party’s star campaigners do not spread the fear about
the Constitution being abolished, or indulge in “any political propaganda
involving activities of the defence forces”. Congress leaders had protested
saying the Opposition should have the freedom to criticise the government’s
defence recruitment policy, the Agnipath scheme.
The
Election Commission’s efficiency and impartiality has come under intense
scrutiny during the 2024 general elections. It has been criticised for inaction
in penalising hate speech by BJP leaders, overlooking serious allegations of
vote suppression in Sambhal and Beed constituencies, the delay in releasing
voter turnout data, the lack of explanation for significant differences between
provisional and final voter turnout data, and its refusal to release this data
in absolute numbers.
The poll
body’s press conference on Monday came after 10 weeks, having held the last one
on March 16 – a departure from the standard practice of holding press
conferences at the end of every polling day.
Source: scroll.in
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://scroll.in/article/1068728/cec-on-modis-anti-muslim-speeches-we-decided-not-to-touch-top-two-leaders-of-bjp-and-congress
--------
Voters’
Right Can’t Be Snatched On Basis of Technicality: Supreme Court of Pakistan’ 13
Members Bench
June 04,
2024
ISLAMABAD -
Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday adjourned the hearing of an appeal
of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) regarding the reserved seats till Tuesday
(today).
A
13-member full court bench presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez
Isa heard the case. Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar,
Justice Yahya Khan Afridi, Justice Amin ud Din Khan, Justice Jamal Khan
Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Ayesha A. Malik, Justice Athar
Minallah, Justice Syed Hassan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Irfan
Saadat Khan and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan were also part of the bench. The
case proceedings were broadcast live on the direction of the bench.
During
the course of proceedings, the lawyers of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N),
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI-F) opposed the SIC’s
appeal.
While
giving arguments, SIC’s lawyer Faisal Saddiqui said that the Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has submitted lists for the reserved seats but the
Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not accept them. He said that it was
not necessary for any political party to contest elections for the reserved
seats. The reserved seats could be allocated to a political party after
independent members joined it.
He said
that there was a conflict on 77 reserved seats, which were allocated to other
political parties.
CJP Isa
remarked that the factual position was that the SIC did not contest the
elections. A political party might claim that it had received the highest
number of votes. “If we talk about democracy then we should view this
completely,” he added. The lawyer said that the ECP had admitted the SIC as a
parliamentary party.
During
the hearing, Faisal Siddiqui also informed the bench that their reserved seats
of women and minorities have been allocated to other political parties. There
are total 77 disputed seats in National Assembly and the Provincial Assemblies
– 23 in NA, 11 in KP, 24 in the Punjab, and 3 in Sindh.
The
counsel said first the ECP took away election symbol ‘bat’ from PTI and asked
us bat. Justice Munib said even without ‘bat’ there is win win situation for
it.
Justice
Athar Minallah observed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on
February 22, 24 notified and acknowledged Sunni Ittehad Counsel as the
political/parliamentary party. Can the Court or the ECP allow the voters to
suffer if a political party make mistake. Since they (independents) have
contested elections as the political party then the people could not be
disenfranchised due to the fault of the ECP.
Justice
Mansoor remarked that when the ECP has recognised SIC as parliamentary party
and the PTI independent candidates were forced to join the SIC as after
notification of election results they have to join any party within three days.
Later on when it was found that the SIC did not contest elections and has no
member in the Parliament then three-day time limit should have been extended.
Justice
Jamal Khan Mandokhel questioned why the independents did not join PTI instead
of SIC, as it also did not contest elections and had no member in the
Parliament and the provincial assemblies like SIC? He, however, observed that
in 2024 general elections the people did not vote to any individual, but a
political party. They were not independents as mentioned in Article 51 of the
constitution.
The
judge inquired that the candidates, though contested elections as an independent,
belonged to which political party. He said those candidates though joined SIC
after elections, were the members of a political party.
The
Chief Justice inquired from Faisal that why he had not made PPPP, PML-N, JUI-P
and MQM-P as the respondents when they are the affected parties. The SIC
counsel responded that they were not parties before the Peshawar High Court.
He, however, stated that he would file an application to make them respondents.
Justice
Amin-ud-Din Khan, questioned whether SIC participated in the general elections.
Faisal replied no. He told as the PTI office is sealed therefore can’t provide
the record when the PTI leaders had joined the SIC.
Justice
Jamal inquired whether a political party remains intact after election symbol
is taken from it. Justice Athar questioned whether the PTI is enlisted party in
the Election Commission. Justice Munib said that Pakistan democracy is based on
proportional representation system and the political parties get reserved seats
in the National and the Provincial Assemblies according to their strength. He
said Article 51 of the Constitution has two faces negative and the positive
i.e. one is that the parties be given the reserved seats, while the balance or
remaining seats cannot be given to other political parties. This is
illogicality? he asked.
Justice
Jamal remarked; “Then can we say that PTI is still intact.” Justice Athar said
that the PTI members contested the election as the party and therefore should
get the reserved seats according to the proportion. He questioned whether the
Election Commission can assume adversarial role? The judge said that the PTI is
bound to perform the duties enshrined in the Constitution.
Justice
Jamal inquired when the members of a political party join other political party
then they do not remain member of that party, which is affected. Justice Amin
said the SIC did not put up any candidate in the general elections. It did not
win any seat.
Justice
Jamal said that if the SIC has committed wrong then the ECP should have
rectified it. The Commission should have accepted PTI, if they had done so then
this case would have end. Justice Athar said the whole issue revolved around
the people/voter, they can’t be disenfranchised, adding that their right can’t
be snatched on the basis of technicality.
The
Chief Justice told the SIC counsel that the bench wanted to hear you. If we
(judges) had sat with pre-determined mind, then your case is over. Justice
Munib strongly reacting to the CJP observation, said; “This is not fair
statement. When we are sitting in the larger bench then we have right to
question in order to understand the issue.”
Justice
Athar Minallah said in every period the political parties have been victimised
either by depriving of their names or taking away election symbol.
He said
people are aware why the Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) came
into existence. At a time, it was Pakistan Peoples Party and then Pakistan
Muslim League-Nawaz and now Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf is targeted. He said the
Court has to see how should be constitutional and fundamental rights be
interpreted.
Justice
Mansoor questioned when did the elected MPs of the PTI had joined the SIC.
Faisal Siddiqui said the ECP had issued the notification of PTI members joining
the SIC on February 22, 24. He submitted whether the reserved seats for women
and minorities could be allocated to a political party, which has not contested
elections, but has recognised as the political/parliamentary party by the ECP
in the Assembly.
He added
that in other words, the foundational basis for allocation of such reserved
seats is the total number of general seats in the Assembly is not the
contestation or getting vote in the election. Whether any political party could
be allocated reserved seats, which is disproportionate to that they have
secured in the elections.
The
judge said that whether there is constitution absence or silence in case in
which there are leftover of reserved seats, which can’t be allocated to any
political party either entitlement and disproportion.
Later,
the bench deferred hearing of the case till Tuesday (today).
Source: nation.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.nation.com.pk/04-Jun-2024/voters-right-can-t-be-snatched-on-basis-of-technicality-justice-athar
--------
Shia
Afghans are being brought to Iran to make up for the lack of religious Iranians
According
to state-backed media in Iran, more than one hundred thousand Shia Afghan
migrants in the Iranian city of Mashhad participated in state-backed mourning
processions to commemorate the death of hardline Islamist President Ebrahim
Raisi in late-May.
But this
is far from a one-off.
In
March, the presence of at least twenty thousand Afghan migrants at a state-run
event in Tehran to commemorate the birth of the third Shia saint, Imam
Hassan—and support the Resistance Axis—caused a significant stir among
Iranians.
Some
Iranians have also ridiculed the Islamic Republic’s reliance on Afghan migrants
to pack Tehran’s eighty-thousand-seat Azadi stadium at a state-run ideological
parade, mocking the move as further evidence of the regime’s shrinking support
base.
The
topic of mass Afghan migration is virtually unavoidable on Iranian streets. The
past year has seen a significant influx of Shia Afghans to Iran—something that
is visible across every city and even in the most obscure rural areas, such as
Khomein, the hometown of Islamic Republic founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini
On the
surface, there appear to be two explanations for this sudden surge in migration
from Iran’s eastern border: the Taliban takeover in 2021, which caused mass
displacement, and the fact that Iran has lost control over its borders—with an
Afghan refugee increase of 338 percent since 2021, equivalent to 3.41 million
people in just three years.
But the
unusual pace with which Afghan refugees have been legally incorporated into
Iranian society, despite severe backlash, suggests something greater and more
coordinated is at play.
Historically,
Afghans have faced state and societal discrimination in Iran. This
discrimination prevented Afghans from owning homes, opening bank accounts, or
buying cell phones, and Afghans also faced marriage restrictions. However,
multiple reports have recently revealed that Afghan refugees en masse have been
granted Iranian passports, national identity cards, and full citizenship
rights—including the rights to work, vote, and own homes.
While
many Afghans have used this avenue, others have taken advantage of recent
changes to Iran’s migration laws, which grant immediate “special permanent
residence” to foreign nationals “interested in the Islamic Revolution” or who
support “the ideals and securing the interests of the Islamic Republic.”
In
recent months, the mass participation of Shia Afghans at regime-organized
events—including speeches made by the president and supreme leader, state-run
Shia Islamist processions, and even rubber-stamp “elections”—sheds light on how
the Islamic Republic is proactively using Afghan migrants to foster a loyal
constituency and fill the widening gap between the state and Iranian society.
As one Shia Afghan migrant declared on state television during the highly
engineered March parliamentary elections, which were boycotted overwhelmingly
by the Iranian population, “It’s my great honor to come to the ballot box and
vote for the Islamic Republic.”
This
resembles the clerical establishment’s demographic engineering abroad—repopulating
Sunni and Christian neighborhoods in places like Syria and Iraq—where Shia
migration, mainly from Afghanistan, has been used to facilitate Tehran’s
ideological and security needs. This model not only consolidates the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) suppressive security apparatus but serves to
Islamize societies and change their identities according to Supreme Leader
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s grand ideological project.
Against
this backdrop, the pace at which Afghan Shia migrants have been incorporated
into the Islamic Republic’s ideological and propaganda pillars raises serious
questions. Is the regime deliberately manufacturing demographic changes in Iran
through migration to engineer the supreme leader’s long-held objective of achieving
a so-called “Islamic society”?
As
Khamenei has repeatedly argued, creating an “Islamic society” can only be
achieved after creating a “true” Islamic government. The de facto appointment
of hardline Islamist cleric and Khamenei protégé Ebrahim Raisi in the 2021
presidential elections was designed to complete that first step so the regime
could move toward an Islamic society, as noted by the supreme leader’s
representative to the IRGC.
From the
start of the revolution in 1979, the Islamic Republic has taken two approaches
to Islamizing Iranian society: from above, through top-down imposition, and
from below, focusing on grassroots projects such as establishing Basij militias
and mosques in every neighborhood.
Despite
all these efforts, Iranian society today is anything but Islamic. A leaked poll
conducted by the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance from 2023 revealed
that 73 percent of Iranians seek a secular state, contrary to regime
propaganda. The Woman, Life, Freedom uprising in 2022 following the killing of
Mahsa Jina Amini for “improper hijab” brought these data to life.
Videos
of women and men burning the compulsory Islamic veil and the Quran, the
torching of mosques and Shia eulogy centers, and the new trend of “turban
tossing” to mock the Shia clergy revealed the extent of secularization in
Iranian society.
In many
ways, the uprising was the final nail in the coffin for Khamenei and his
hardline followers’ attempts to achieve an Islamic society among Iranians.
Having
tried and failed to Islamize society from above and below, the clerical
establishment and the IRGC adopted a new approach to the creation of their
ideal Islamic society—Islamization from outside.
Migrants
from Afghanistan and other shia comminutes are, in many ways, the perfect
candidates for Khamenei to exploit to implement his project of Islamization.
The Shia Afghan community is undoubtedly more religiously conservative and
observant than the increasingly secular Iranian population—and Tehran is
awarding full privileges to committed Shias from Afghanistan.
The
current migration figures from Afghanistan underscore that engineering
demographic changes in Iran is not a pipe dream for the supreme leader, but a
genuine possibility that is within reach.
These
figures reveal that there are as many as 6 million Afghan migrants in Iran.
However, according to Seyed Hadi Kasai-Zadeh, editor of the journal Meydan-e
Azad, if the current trajectory of migration continues, this figure could
increase to “20 million in the next three years.” Today, as many as ten
thousand Shia Afghans are crossing the border into Iran. These numbers, coupled
with mass Iranian emigration—with as many as 2.2 million Iranians leaving the
country in 2023 alone—and the country’s historically low birthrate reveal its
population will be very different in the coming years.
Iran’s
birthrate—which has dropped from 6.4 percent in 1980 to 1.66 percent in
2022—has been a significant cause of concern for the aging ayatollah. In 2013,
the supreme leader demanded that Iran’s population increase to 150
million—which he deemed necessary for the establishment of a new Islamic
civilization. To achieve this, the regime has employed both incentives for
“baby making”—such as providing free housing or high-speed internet to married
couples—and forced impositions, such as banning contraception for men and
women. An anonymous IRGC official told us that all members of the IRGC must
have at least two children or provide medical reasons why they cannot.
In the
conspiratorial worldview of Khamenei and the clerical establishment, Iran’s low
birthrate is part of a Western plot to decrease the global Shia population and
incapacitate the workforce the regime needs to establish its new Islamic
civilization. Many in Iran have interpreted the influx of Shia Afghan migrants
as Khamenei’s attempt to remedy this. In 2023, the state-run Islamic Republic
newspaper reported that, in the fall of 2022, out of 300 births in a hospital
in Fars province, 294 were Afghan. These statistics simply cannot be ignored.
But how
will Shia Afghan migrants contribute toward achieving Khamenei’s so-called
ideal “Islamic society”? One way relates to Islamizing public life in Iran. The
regime has long sought to increase attendance at mosques, Shia Islamist eulogy
centers (heyats), and public ideological processions—attendance which has been
significantly declining among Iranians. For example, during this year’s Nowruz
holiday, while large numbers of Iranians opted to celebrate New Year festivities
at pre-Islamic, secular historical sites, a reported thirty thousand foreign migrants—the
overwhelming majority of whom were Afghan—gathered in Mashhad at the holy
shrine of eighth Shia saint, Imam Reza.
Islamic
morality policing is another example. As more and more Iranian women and men
resist Islamic dress codes, the regime is seeking to actively incorporate Shia
Afghan migrants in its efforts to enforce its Islamist “enjoining good,
forbidding evil” doctrine, which underpins its morality policing codes.
The
final—and perhaps most important—example relates to bolstering the IRGC’s
security and paramilitary apparatus. Reports have revealed that the IRGC has
been encouraging Shia Afghan migration in Iran to bolster its Shia Afghan
proxy, the Fatemiyoun Brigade. This paramilitary force—known as the IRGC’s
Afghan Hezbollah—is actively participating in the Iranian regime’s militancy
and terrorism abroad, including against Israel and US forces. Regime affiliates
have also alluded to using Afghan migrants to suppress future anti-regime
protests in Iran.
In the
short term, Khamenei might be able to use Islamization from outside to fill the
increasing gap between the regime and its people, and to expand his shrinking
social constituency. In the medium to long term, however, such demographic
manufacturing will inevitably inflame domestic tensions in Iran, further
increasing the gap between the Iranian people and the regime and resulting in
societal conflict between Iranians and Afghan migrants.
If
Khamenei and the IRGC can control this, then they will have a better chance of
preserving the Islamic Republic, undercutting the widely held belief that the
modernization and secularization of society will inevitably lead to the
collapse of the regime. On the other hand, if the regime’s project unravels, it
could increase the frequency of mass protests and violent resistance against
the regime’s suppression. Either way, domestic instability in Iran is about to
get a lot worse.
Saeid
Golkar is a senior adviser at United Against Nuclear Iran and UC Foundation
associate professor in the department of political science at the University of
Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Source: atlanticcouncil.org
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/iransource/shia-afghans-khamenei-islamic-society/
--------
Organisers
of Scottish Muslim Awards Boycott Hotel Hosting Israeli Football Team
June 4,
2024
The
scene outside the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel near Falkirk (Image: Facebook)
------------
Organisers
of the Scottish Muslim Awards have decided to boycott a Scots hotel that hosted
the Israeli women's football team - and was the scene of police moves to try to
eject a small number of pro-Palestinian protesters, the Herald can reveal.
The
awards were due to be held at the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel near Falkirk on
September 28, but the organisers have said that it will now hold the event
"in solidarity with the victims of the ongoing genocide in Gaza".
A
24-year-old man was charged over an on-the-field protest before Scotland’s
Women's Euro 2025 qualifier against Israel at Glasgow's Hampden stadium on
Thursday evening.
A
protester was led away by police after appearing to chain himself to the
goalposts on Thursday evening.
The
match was played behind closed doors as several hundred demonstrators gathered
outside the stadium to protest at Israel's military operation in Gaza.
When the
two sides returned to the field, the Israeli team held up a T-shirt bearing the
message "Bring Them Home" in reference to hostages taken by the Hamas
group in the official team photo.
The
Herald:
The game
eventually kicked off 45 minutes later than planned, with Scotland running out
4-1 winners.
The
following day two protesters went to the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel where the
Israel Women's players had been staying to demonstrate against their presence
using a loud hailer with police telling them that it was a "public
safety" issue.
Organisers
of the Scottish Muslim Awards, which aims to recognise and celebrate the
success and personal achievements of Muslims from across all walks of Scottish
life, has said it is now looking for a new venue after cancelling plans to
stage the event at the Macdonald Inchyra Hotel.
A
spokesman said: “It is with great disappointment we have to find a new venue
for the Scottish Muslim Awards 2024 - an event to recognise the achievements
and talents of Scottish Muslims, to overcome the proliferation of Islamophobia,
by identifying role models from across all sectors, for a new generation.
"However,
we could not host it at a venue which chooses to legitimise the ongoing
genocide on the people in Gaza. So, for that reason, we will be choosing a new
venue.
“Choosing
to host a national sports team of Israel, whilst its government continues the
horrific and illegal slaughter of families in Gaza, is not acceptable and not
in line with the values of the Scottish Muslim Awards. Therefore we will choose
a venue which is in closer alignment with the spirit of the awards."
The
first Scottish Muslim Awards were held in 2013 and have been held regularly but
not annually since.
Renown
human rights lawyer and political activist Aamer Anwar has been one of the
recipients of the awards in the past - while ceremonies have seen the likes of
Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar and Alba Party chairman Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh
present prizes.
The
Herald: Anas Sarwar presented the Babar Saleem Award to Alam Sher during the
2014 ceremony the at Radisson Blu Hotel, Glasgow.
Bashir
Maan, the Pakistani-Scottish politician and businessman who died in December,
2019 has been a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award being the first
Muslim and Asian city councillor in the UK, serving as a Labour Party
councillor in Glasgow.
“The
awards are still going ahead and we are more determined than ever to recognise
and celebrate the great, the good and the amazing, from the pool of talent
across Muslim communities in Scotland," said the spokesman.
“We will
confirm a new venue and date in due course. We call on everyone, Muslim and
non-Muslim, Scottish and not Scottish, to do whatever they can to stand in
solidarity with the people of Gaza.”
During
the protest on Friday, two members of the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity
Campaign decided to make their feelings felt outside the hotel having assumed a
right of public access.
But they
were met by officers of Police Scotland who asked them to move on saying:
"The hotel doesn't want you on their land."
A video
of the encounter revealed an officer to raise concerns that there would be
"some sort of disorder".
But one
of the protesters said: "There is no sign of disorder."
He said
he they did not want to leave and said there was a presumer right of public
access."
The
officer asked if they were refusing to leave adding: "The hotel have asked
to move to the other side of the road, they don't want you on their property.
"I
am asking you one more time to move to the other side of the road."
One of
the protesters responded: "As far as I understand, it is private property
with a presumed right of public access, the public can wander in and out at
will and we have political rights to free speech here."
Then
officer said that they were asking them to move quoting a "question of
public safety".
But one
of the protesters said: "There is no issue of public safety. It is a
screwed up world when you come and protest against genocide and [are] impeded
by Police Scotland."
A Police
Scotland spokesman said the arrested man in the Hampden incident would be the
subject of a report to the procurator fiscal.
The
force said officers had engaged with a small number of people entering private
grounds of the hotel and were asked to leave "which they did."
The
spokesman said: “Officers attended planned protests at a business premises in
Grangemouth on Thursday, 30 May, 2024 and Friday, 31 May, 2024.
"The
group dispersed and there were no arrests.
“We
continue to engage with those organising demonstrations to ensure rights to
peaceful assembly and protest are protected while minimising disruption to
communities and businesses.”
The
Herald: Campaigners staged a demonstration outside Hampden
At
Hampden thousands of protesters including represenatives of Show Israel the Red
Card and Scottish Friends of Palestine held a protest outside the stadium
calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war in Gaza.
They
also hit out at the SFA’s decision to allow the game to go ahead, describing it
as an attempt to “sportwash” Israel.
Demonstrators
held small replica coffins and spread a banner which read “Ceasefire Now” on
the ground outside Hampden.
The
match was delayed for around 30 minutes due to the protests and one person
chaining themselves to a goalpost just before kick-off.
His
t-shirt read ‘Red card for Israel’.
The
Maldives government has said it will ban Israelis from the Indian Ocean
archipelago, known for luxury resorts, as public anger in the predominantly
Muslim nation rises over the war in Gaza.
The president’s
office has said that the Cabinet decided to change laws to prevent Israeli
passport holders from entering the country and to establish a subcommittee to
oversee the process.
It said
President Mohamed Muizu will appoint a special envoy to assess the Palestinian
needs and to launch a fundraising campaign.
Source: heraldscotland.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/24363491.scottish-muslim-awards-boycott-hotel-hosting-israeli-football-team/
--------
Pro-Palestinian
protesters occupy Israeli consulate in San Francisco
04 June
2024
Police
arrest pro-Palestinian protesters after they occupied the building lobby of the
Israeli consulate, in San Francisco, California, US, June 3, 2024
(photo
credit: REUTERS/CARLOS BARRIA)
----------------
Scores
of pro-Palestinian Americans have occupied the Israeli consulate in San
Francisco, protesting against the occupying regime’s ongoing genocidal war on
the Gaza Strip and the US’s complicity in the brutal military onslaught.
Around
60 protesters occupied the building on Monday and were arrested by the police a
few hours later.
The
protest prompted the law enforcement to block off the entrance to the building
and an adjacent street.
“In a
sense, we’re occupying the occupier’s space,” said Sara, a 54-year-old Bay Area
resident, who partook in the protest.
“We’re
doing that because we are part of the growing masses of people who are
demanding an end to the genocide and who are in solidarity with Palestine and
very concerned about the complicity of particularly the United States
government with the genocide that’s happening,” she added.
“So at
this point we’ve marched, we’ve occupied,” said Margot, another protester,
adding, “The consulate is a place that represents what we need to keep pushing
back on. Ultimately, Israel is making these decisions with US backing and we
have to disrupt wherever we can.”
More
than 36,470 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in the
war that began following a retaliatory operation staged by Gaza’s resistance
movements.
The
United States has been providing the regime with thousands of tons of military
equipment since the onset of the war.
It has
also cast its veto against several United Nations Security Council resolutions
calling for implementation of an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli onslaught.
Across
the United States, dozens of universities have, meanwhile, been witnessing
demonstrations and setting up of encampments in protest at the war and
Washington’s support for it.
Source: presstv.ir
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2024/06/04/726811/United-States-protesters-occupy-Israel-consulate-San-Francisco
--------
India
Hindu
Youth 'Attacked For Giving Lift' To Muslim Girl On Bike In Shivamogga
03 June
2024
Shivamogga:
A gang of Muslim youths reportedly assaulted a Hindu youth while he was
ferrying his colleague belonging to the Muslim community in a bike near
Ilyasnagar in the city on Sunday.
According
to police, S B Nandan, resident of Kumbaragundi in Shivamogga is the victim.
He is
employed in a private company in the city and Muslim girl also works in the
same company. The two were heading to the girl’s house on a bike when they were
intercepted by a gang of Muslim youths .
The gang
threatened Nandan that they would kill him if he was seen with the girl again.
They also questioned why he was taking Muslim girl on the bike. He was admitted
to McGann hospital in the city. The Doddapete police registered a case.
Source: deccanherald.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.deccanherald.com/india/karnataka/gang-attacks-hindu-youth-for-dropping-muslim-girl-3050343
--------
INDIA
Bloc’s Dismal Show in Bihar Raises Questions on RJD’s Yadav-Muslim Rhetoric
Jun 04,
2024
The
INDIA bloc has not been able to make any mark in Bihar despite the opposition
camp’s otherwise better performance in other parts of the country in this
year’s Lok Sabha elections.
As per latest trends, the opposition bloc
combine was leading only in five seats, three in RJD and two in Congress.
The
RJD’s hopes of the opposition camp winning at least 20-25 seats in Bihar, as
claimed by its leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav (the face of the INDIA bloc
campaign in the state) seems to have fallen flat. The ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance
is leading in around 30 seats as compared to the NDA tally of 39 from the 40
parliamentary seats in Bihar.
In the 2014 election, the RJD has contested on
23 seats, the Congress on 9, along with its allies – the CPI, CPM and CPI-ML
(Liberation) and Vikeshsheel Insaan Party (VIP) – contesting on the remaining
eight seats.
For
Tejashwi, the Lok Sabha results seem to be upsetting as the 34-year-old
youngest son of RJD chief Lalu Prasad had spearheaded the campaign, giving less
space to other opposition leaders, including from the Congress and Left.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had come to Bihar to attend only four rallies
during the campaign.
Tejahswi
had focussed his poll campaign in this poll on the promise of generating 10
million new jobs by assuring voters he would deliver as he did during his stint
as deputy CM in the last Grand Alliance government (of RJD-Congress-Left) with
the JD(U) from August 22-January 24.
According
to GA leaders, the factors that probably have not given the INDIA bloc in Bihar
much of an edge against the ruling NDA is the caste factor and voters not
reposing much faith on the opposition alliance despite high anti-incumbency
sentiments against the NDA candidates.
Many
also feel that the RJD’s Yadav-Muslim caste combination and its latest
experiment of giving another OBC caste group – the Kushwahas (a traditional
vote bank of the NDA) – much more preference did not yield much among OBCs
voters.
“RJD
chief Lalu Prasad and Tejashwi tried to woo the Kushwahas by giving 7 tickets
to people from their caste at the cost of denying tickets to Yadav candidates.
That backfired as there were many rebel candidates who contested against the
INDIA bloc nominee, be it in Nawada or other constituencies. Besides, the RJD
and INDIA bloc perhaps did not manage to stop the division of votes among the
Yadavs, a factor which has helped the NDA to retrain its seats in a big way,” a
senior GA leader said on conditions of anonymity.
Moreover,
RJD and Congress leaders feel the INDIA bloc’s big dependency on RJD’s base
votes of Yadav and Muslim minorities, without making many efforts to mobilise
votes of other sections, be it of EBCs, Scheduled Castes and upper castes, was
another factor why INDIA bloc nominees have trailed in big number of seats.
“One cannot
just win polls by having votes from only one section of society. The BJP-JD(U)
combine has managed to keep its vote bank among upper castes, OBCs, Dalits and
even Muslim minorities, whereas in opposition, all the parties have depended
only on RJD’s own vote base of Muslim-Yadav combination. Left parties have
contributed by their cadre votes, a reason why the Left are likely to win a few
seats,” said one Congress leader, wishing not to be quoted.
RJD
leaders also claimed the Congress’ lack of its own base votes has only put a
challenge for the RJD to ensure the win of Congress nominees.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/patna-news/india-bloc-s-dismal-show-in-bihar-raises-questions-on-rjd-s-yadav-muslim-rhetoric-101717494665910.html
--------
Asif
Kapadia, Amjad Rasheed Shine at 1st Muslim Film Festival
Jun 03,
2024
The
inaugural Muslim International Film Festival (MIFF)—held in London from
Thursday to Sunday—concluded with Amjad Al Rasheed's debut feature Inshallah A
Boy winning the best feature award.
The
festival was initiated by producer Sajid Varda to showcase international Muslim
culture and faith through diverse filmmakers.
Upon
receiving the award, Rasheed expressed his gratitude by saying, "I'm
honored to be competing with these great films and winning Best Feature at the
Muslim International Film Festival. Thank you."
'Inshallah
A Boy' journey and other award winners
Inshallah
A Boy, before its triumph at MIFF, debuted in the Critics Week sidebar at the
2023 Cannes Film Festival and was showcased at several other prestigious film
festivals including Red Sea, Bengaluru, and Thessaloniki.
The best
short award at MIFF was won by Elham Elhas's BAFTA-nominated Yellow.
The
short project is depicted as a "touching and visually compelling"
narrative about a woman living in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan who purchases
her first full-body veil.
Trailblazer
recognition
Asif
Kapadia honored with inaugural Trailblazer Award
Academy
Award, Grammy, and four-time BAFTA winner Asif Kapadia was honored with the
inaugural Trailblazer Award at MIFF's opening gala.
Born to
working-class British Indian Muslim parents, Kapadia is renowned for his
documentary features such as Senna, Amy, and Diego Maradona.
Accepting
the award, he said, "It's important to show that people from all faiths
and backgrounds can be successful and there should never be any boundaries or
limits for what we can say, create, or express through our art."
You're
66% through
Looking
ahead
Festival
concluded, preparations for the next edition underway
The
festival concluded with a screening of Naqqash Khalid's In Camera on Saturday.
Reflecting
on the event, the festival's producer Varda said, "Sharing this year's
programme with cinema lovers in London has been a true privilege. We're already
excited for our second edition in 2025."
Submissions
for next year's festival are now open, marking the beginning of preparations
for the upcoming edition.
Source: newsbytesapp.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/entertainment/inshallah-a-boy-wins-at-1st-muslim-international-film-festival/story
--------
Marathis,
Muslims, and Transfer OfBJP Votes Hold The Key Maharashtra
Jun 04,
2024
To say
the Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and the NCP led by Sharad Pawar are
facing a crisis would be an understatement. This is the first time that a
Thackeray is fighting an election without the old party name and the symbol
that Maharashtrian voters are so familiar with: the bow and arrow. Second,
during past rebellions by Shiv Sena leaders like Narayan Rane in 2005 or Raj
Thackeray’s in 2006, the BJP had the Sena’s back but with Eknath Shinde, it’s
the BJP that has engineered the split and is out to demolish the Thackerays and
their control over the Shiv Sena. For Sharad Pawar too the loss of his party’s
symbol and the large-scale defections by the top-rung leadership have hit hard.
A few
pointers to look out for in today’s results that will be an indication whether
the two stalwarts of Maharashtra politics can rise again from the ashes:
Will
Mumbai’s Marathi voter back the Thackeray family once again?
From our
exit poll data of Mumbai South and Mumbai South Central, Sena UBT is poised to
do well in the Marathi heartland of Dadar, Worli, Sewri and where the Marathi
vote is split in some segments like Dindoshi and Goregaon. If the Shiv Sena
(UBT) does pull off a win in the two seats of Mumbai south and Mumbai south
central, it will be a big morale boost for Thackeray as it will demonstrate his
hold on the Marathi heartland.
How the
2 M combination works out
Shiv
Sena (UBT) may have lost out on the Gujarati and the north Indian votes of
Mumbai after the split with the BJP, but it has seemingly been replaced by the
Muslim vote, that constitutes over 18 per cent Mumbai’s voters. As per our exit
poll in the Muslim dominated constituencies of Mumbadevi, Byculla and Dharavi
75-80 per cent of the Muslim voters have cast their vote for Thackeray’s party
which is quite extraordinary considering the Shiv Sena’s tryst with Hindutva.
This is possibly the first time in decades that the Marathi and Muslim voters
of Mumbai have voted to be on the same side and this can influence the election
outcome in at least four of the six Lok Sabha seats in the city.
Eknath
Shinde's Pull Beyond Mumbai
Eknath
Shinde’s Shiv Sena is contesting 15 seats of which five are in the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region. His real problems lie outside the MMR where his party has
changed the sitting MP in the three constituencies of Ramtek, Hingoli and
Yavatmal-Washim while the two-time MP from Nashik Hemant Godse who has been
renominated faces severe anti-incumbency. It is in these constituencies that
Shinde will lean heavily on the BJP’s clout to pull them through. The big
question is whether the BJP can do that and whether people will accept the
rebel MPs in the other constituencies will have a significant spill over effect
on the assembly elections to be held in October this year. A decent tally of
6-7 seats for Shinde's Shiv Sena, if it materialises, will determine his
bargaining power in seat-sharing talks for the assembly elections.
Pawar vs
Pawar: What is at stake?
Going by
our exit poll in Western Maharashtra, the NCP led by Sharad Pawar (NCP-SP) is
likely to do better, including in the prestige battle for Baramati. If the MVA
dominates the 12 seats of Western Maharashtra and of which, NCP-SP bags 4-5
seats that they are contesting there, it will create serious headwinds for Ajit
Pawar, leading, in fact, to a question mark on the very future of his party.
The
other question to ask is whether the alliance with Ajit Pawar, against whom
they raised so many corruption allegations, has put off the BJP voter? Look no
further than Khadakwasla assembly segment in Baramati for the signal... BJP led
by 26 per cent in this segment in the 2019 LS polls denting Supriya Sule's
victory margin. This time, our exit poll indicates otherwise. In the Daund
assembly segment where there is a BJP MLA, we found a lead for Surpriya Sule,
indicating that the BJP’s vote is not transferring to Ajit Pawar’s party.
A
disastrous result for any of the four factions of the Shiv Sena and NCP today
will intensify the power struggle in Maharashtra and make the October assembly
elections and even more fraught affair.
Source: hindustantimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
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https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/marathis-muslims-and-transfer-of-bjp-votes-hold-the-key-101717474070589.html
--------
Pakistan
IHC
transfers iddat case to another court after judge's request
June 03,
2024
ISLAMABAD:
The iddat case related to the alleged "un-Islamic nikah" between
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi was
transferred by the Islamabad High Court to the another district and sessions
court on Monday.
The
development came after District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand wrote a
letter to the IHC registrar, requesting transfer of the case in the wake of
no-confidence expressed towards the judge by Bushra's ex-husband Khawar Maneka.
Additional
District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majuka will now be hearing the case.
In his
letter to IHC registrar on May 29, Judge Arjumand maintained that it will not
be appropriate for him to announce the verdict in the aforementioned case due
to reservations raised by Maneka.
He
requested the registrar to transfer Bushra and Khan's appeals against
conviction to another court.
The judge,
in his letter, also complained of repeated disruptions by Maneka and his
lawyers during the hearing.
Judge
Arjumand had written the letter after Maneka himself expressed his lack of
confidence in the judge.
During
the hearing of the case conducted on May 29, the former first lady's ex-husband
told the judge: "I don't want you deciding this case."
"What
is the reason for this?" the judge asked while lamenting repeated
expressions of no-confidence.
"Tell
me if there's any concrete reason for this [...] some judge will decide the
case eventually," Judge Arujmand said while highlighting that the court
has already dismissed a no-confidence motion filed by Maneka wherein he had
expressed no confidence in the judge and requested that the case be transferred
to another court.
The same
day, Maneka was also beaten by PTI lawyer in the premises of the court as he
appeared for the hearing of the case.
During
the hearing of appeals filed by Bushra and Khan against conviction in the iddat
case, Judge Arjumand went into his chamber without announcing the verdict.
Following
the development, PTI lawyers hurled bottles in the courtroom which prompted
Maneka's lawyers to escort him out. However, while being escorted out, a PTI
lawyer then attacked Maneka within the court premises after which he fell to
the ground.
The
court, on May 23, had reserved the verdict on the appeals which was to be
announced that day.
Maneka
had, in January, moved the court challenging Khan and Bushra Bibi's marriage
and terming their nikah as fraudulent, stressing that the marriage was
solemnised during her iddat (the time a woman goes into isolation after a
divorce or her husband's death).
The
trial court then handed down a seven-year sentence to the couple in February
and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each on the duo.
In its
51-page detailed verdict, the court maintained that the record proves that both
of the accused, Khan and Bushra, were in relation before the 2018
"fraudulent" nikah.
Commenting
on the likelihood of the case's verdict being issued in favour of Khan and
Bushra Bibi, PTI Information Secretary Raoof Hasan earlier said: "We know
what the decision of iddat case was to be announced on merit. In principle, the
court should not be used for political matters, and the court should also not allow
itself to be used."
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1196364-ihc-transfers-iddat-case-to-another-court-after-judges-request
---------
Day of
happiness for PTI as Imran acquitted in state secrets case
June 04,
2024
ISLAMABAD -
Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday acquitted founder of Pakistan
Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the
much-hyped cipher case while terminating their imprisonment sentences.
IHC
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq pronounced the short order in the appeals of both
two accused persons.
The
division bench comprising the CJ and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb heard the
case. During the hearing, the court expressed concern over the absence of
Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) prosecutor in the courtroom.
The FIA
had submitted the case challan having the reference of 27 witnesses with the
court on September 30, declaring the PTI founder and Qureshi as main accused.
It was alleged that the PTI founder had misused the cipher for his political
benefits.
The
trial court had announced 10-year jail terms to both the PTI founder and Shah
Mahmood Qureshi on January 30 this year, which was challenged by the latter before
the IHC.
In its
short order, the bench stated that for the reasons to be recorded later,
instant appeal is allowed and judgment dated 30.01.2024 is set aside;
consequently, the appellants namely Imran Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi are acquitted of the
charges in case FIR No.06 dated 15.08.2023 under section 5/9 of Official
Secrets Act, 1923 read with section 34 PPC, 1860 registered with Police Station
Counter- Terrorism Wing/FIA, Islamabad. It added, “He shall be released forthwith,
if not incarcerated in any other case.”
However,
they are not expected to release as due to Khan’s sentence in Iddat case while
Qureshi is arrested in cases related to May 9 protests.
Earlier,
a special court, established under the Official Secrets Act, had handed both
Imran and Qureshi 10-year jail sentences each in the case in January after
Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain appointed a state counsel for them.
Then,
Imran and Qureshi moved the petitions through their counsels Barrister Ali
Zafar, Salman Safdar Advocate and others and cited the State and Chairman
National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Secretary Interior as respondents.
Khan and
Qureshi have challenged the conviction and their 10-year sentence each in the
cipher case. Khan and Bushra Bibi filed appeals against their conviction in the
Toshakhana reference in which they were sentenced to 14 years’ imprisonment
each and a Rs1.54 billion fine.
Imran’s
counsel stated in the petition that the appellant along with the co-accused,
Shah Mehmood Qureshi, faced trial in Case FIR No.06/23 dated 15.08.2023
(“Cypher Case”) under Sections 5 and 9 of the Official Secrets Act, 1923 read
with Section 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 1860. The Appellant was
arrested on 15.08.2023 and is aggrieved with the conviction-and sentence
awarded in the instant case through judgment dated 30.01.2024 passed by Abu-al
Hasnat Muhammad Zulgarnain, Special Judge (Official Secrets Act, 1923),
Islamabad.
Therefore, he prayed that the judgements
passed by the NAB authorities and Special Judge in jail trials of Toshakhana
and Cypher cases be set aside, they be acquitted from charges and their
sentence and conviction may be suspended.
Separately,
the IHC also accepted District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand’s request
for the transfer of the Iddat case to another court after complainant Khawar
Fareed Maneka had requested Arjumand to recuse himself from hearing the
appeals.
Last
week, an Islamabad district and sessions court did not announce its already
reserved verdict in the Iddat caseagainst Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra
Bibi.
While
the verdict was expected to be pronounced last week, Judge Arjumand had sought
a transfer of the case and said that he would not be announcing the judgment.
On Monday, after Judge Arjumand had written a letter to the IHC chief justice
to transfer the case, the court transferred the case to the court of Additional
District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka.
‘Wave of
fresh air’
While
talking to reporters, PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said: “The nation saw
today that the just verdict came and the banner of justice was held high and
that baseless case was eliminated in which Imran Khan spent around 10 months in
jail and for which he was kept in jail all the time. Today is a day of
happiness … very soon the nation will see that Imran Khan will be outside.”
Senate
opposition leader Shibli Faraz said God had vindicated the PTI duo, adding that
the verdict came as a “wave of fresh air” and that the party hoped that its
other case of the reserved seats in the Supreme Court would also be granted
justice.
PTI
Senator Barrister Ali Zafar while talking to a private TV channel said that the
verdict was a victory for justice, even if it was delayed due to the
prosecution’s tactics.
“The
decision is as per justice and was expected. It was hoped that the decision
would be exactly this,” he said. Zafar added that the verdict proved the PTI’s
stance that the cipher case was a “false one” and said the government should
seek forgiveness from Imran for imprisoning him in jail for an “illegal and
wrong case”.
Imran’s
counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, said the state had “badly failed” in proving
its case and even its prosecutors had abandoned the case. “Hats off to the
honourable judges. It was a case of first impression. Imran Khan and Shah
Mahmood Qureshi did not do any anti-state activity,” he said.
He also
lauded the two leaders for their patience and forbearance in the case and for
not pestering the legal team about questions of release. Safdar said the cipher
case was the most important and serious one yet, adding that Imran’s release
was near.
“The
high court declared today that there was no traitor here whose case was being
heard. Whatever Imran Khan did was in the national interest.”
A
statement issued by the PTI requested the judiciary that the “false cases”
against all political prisoners be dealt with as soon as possible and they
should be released from jail.
Speaking
in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur said
someone should be answerable for keeping Imran behind bars given that the
cipher case was discarded.
“Who is
responsible for this? Who made this case?” he asked while addressing the
provincial assembly, adding that he would hold the people who filed the case
accountable.
Expressing
relief, a spokesperson for Khan’s PTI, Naeem Panjutha, announced the
overturning of the sentence on X social media platform.
‘Long
march vandalism’
Imran
Khan and Shah Mahmood Qureshi Monday were also acquitted by a district and
sessions court in Islamabad in two cases related to the long march vandalism.
Their
acquittal pleas — alongside those filed by ex-PTI leader Asad Umar as well as
party’s existing politicians Ali Mohammad Khan and Murad Saeed — were approved
by Judicial Magistrate Ehtesham Alam.
Both
Umar and Ali appeared before the court and marked their attendance.
The
cases against Khan and his party’s leaders were filed in the Golra police
station.
The
development comes two weeks after the PTI founder and other leaders of his
party were acquitted in similar cases registered in the Kohsar and Karachi
Company police stations for violation of Section 144.
Other
leaders of the party who were acquitted on May 20 included Zartaj Gul, Ali
Nawaz Awan, Faisal Javed, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Qasim Suri, Raja Khurram Nawaz,
Shireen Mazari, Saifullah Niazi, Asad Umar and Awami Muslim League chief Sheikh
Rashid Ahmad.
On May
30, a district and sessions court of Islamabad had also acquitted Khan in two
cases related to the May 9 riots.
“Because
of insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution, the PTI founder has been
acquitted,” the district and sessions court said in its verdict.
The
cases were registered against the PTI founder for long march and violation of
Article 144.
Khan
remains behind bars in Adiala jail since August 2023, while several current and
former politicians of his party are facing various allegations in the cases
related to the violence following his arrest on May 9.
Islamabad
High Court (IHC), on May 16, had also approved PTI founder’s bail petition in
the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement reference, but he has
been arrested in other cases as well.
Source: nation.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.nation.com.pk/04-Jun-2024/day-of-happiness-for-pti-as-imran-acquitted-in-state-secrets-case
---------
State
dept says it's up to Pakistani courts to decide Imran Khan's cases
June 04,
2024
WASHINGTON:
In response to a question regarding Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder
Imran Khan's incarceration, US Department of State Spokesperson Matthew Miller
Monday said it was something that Pakistani courts had to decide and not the
United States.
"It
is our position that when you come to these laws in Pakistan and this court
case, it is something for the Pakistani courts to decide," said the US
official while giving his country’s position about the sub judice matters.
Miller
said this to a query posed by a reporter after Khan’s acquittal in cipher case
and remaining jailed in the un-Islamic marriage case.
The
Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday annulled Khan and PTI Vice-Chairman Shah
Mahmood Qureshi’s conviction in the infamous cipher case containing charges of
misusing and misplacing the classified diplomatic document.
Meanwhile,
Khan remains incarcerated under the seven-year sentences handed to him and his
wife Bushra Bibi by a trial court on February 3, in the "un-Islamic
nikah" case at the Adiala jail. The couple was also fined Rs500,000 each.
A trial
court on February 3 handed seven-year sentences, each, to the PTI founder and
his wife Bushra Bibi.
Further
describing the State Department’s perspective, the spokesperson said,
"When we look at different countries, we take into account appropriate
context, circumstances in making our judgments."
Miller
said US had numerous times addressed the question regarding Khan.
“The
legal proceedings against him are something for the Pakistani courts to decide
(and) I’d say in accordance with their laws and constitution,” he stressed
again.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1196717-state-dept-says-its-up-to-pakistani-courts-to-decide-imran-khans-cases
--------
Why
Imran Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi remain in jail despite relief in cipher case?
June 03,
2024
In a
major boost to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Islamabad High Court
(IHC) on Monday overturned former prime minister Imran Khan and ex-foreign
minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi's conviction in the cipher case containing
charges of leaking state secrets and misusing a diplomatic classified document.
The PTI
founder and the party's vice-chairman were sentenced to 10 years each in prison
in the case in January this year.
Despite
being acquitted in the case, Khan and Qureshi are unlikely to walk free from
prison as they both are incarcerated in other cases as well.
Khan,
the deposed prime minister who was ousted from power via the opposition's
no-confidence motion in April 2022, has been facing a slew of charges ranging
from corruption to terrorism since his removal as the premier.
He has
been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in the
Toshakhana case and subsequently convicted in other cases as well including
cipher and illegal marriage cases.
Due to
his conviction in an illegal marriage case, the former premier will remain behind
bars despite securing relief in several cases.
Similarly,
Qureshi, who was foreign minister during the PTI tenure from 2018-2022, was
booked in eight cases related to May 9 last week.
Both
party leaders are currently incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
Reacting
to the verdict, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan hoped that the party founder
would soon walk free from prison as a “baseless case came to its conclusion”.
"We
will celebrate this victory," another one of his lawyers, Ali Zafar, said
in a TV interview, adding that the other cases faced by Khan would result in
acquittals too.
"It's
a huge political and legal victory," journalist and political analyst
Mazhar Abbas told Reuters, but cautioned that it would be premature to say that
Khan would be released anytime soon.
Khan is
also named as an accused in several other cases, including charges of inciting
violence against the state.
Source: thenews.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1196486-why-imran-khan-shah-mahmood-qureshi-remain-in-jail-despite-relief-in-cipher-case
---------
Interior
Minister, Pope Francis discuss promotion of peace
June 04,
2024
Pope
Francis has said that interfaith dialogue and harmony are the only solution to
the problems, being faced by the world today.
He was
talking to Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who called on him at Vatican City.
Issues
related to interfaith harmony, interfaith dialogue and promotion of peace and
brotherhood came under discussion.
Pope
Francis said his message for the people of Pakistan is peace and we should all
work for peace and harmony. He prayed for the development and prosperity of
Pakistan and expressed his best wishes for its people. He also praised the
immediate construction and repair of churches after the Jaranwala tragedy.
Describing
the situation in Palestine as a matter of concern, the Pope said he gets
updates about Palestine daily by having discussions with the welfare workers in
Palestine.
Speaking
on the occasion, the Interior Minister commended the services of Pope Francis
to make the world a cradle of peace.
Mohsin
Naqvi informed the Pope that protection of minorities in Pakistan is our top
priority. He said our religion, our Prophet, our Constitution and founder of
Pakistan Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah have also emphasized the protection
and care of minorities. He said the minorities living in Pakistan are enjoying
equal rights.
The
Interior Minister thanked Pope Francis for taking an effective stance on the
Palestine issue.
He also
informed the Pope about Pakistan's sacrifices and actions in the war against
terrorism. He said Pakistani nation and
armed forces have rendered unprecedented and matchless sacrifices in the war
against terrorism.
Earlier,
the Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was accorded a warm welcome at his arrival
at Vatican City.
Source: radio.gov.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.radio.gov.pk/04-06-2024/interior-minister-pope-francis-discuss-promotion-of-peace
--------
Tactic
being used to put pressure on CJP unacceptable: PBC
June 04, 2024
ISLAMABAD -
Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA)
Monday strongly denounced the recent statement made by the spokesperson of one
political party against the Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Qazi Faez Isa
demanding his recusal from hearing their cases.
The PBC
and SCBA leaders in separate statements respectively issued by their offices
Monday termed the political party plea unacceptable and uncalled for.
PBC
vice-Chairman Riazat Ali Sahar, and its Chairman of Executive Committee Farooq
Hamid Naek expressed that after promulgation of the Supreme Court Practice and
Procedure Act, 2023, it is authority of the Committee of three members
comprising the Chief Justice of Pakistan and two next most senior Judges, to
constitute Bench, therefore, wish of a political party is uncalled for and it
is the tactic being used to put pressure on the Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa,
which is extremely deplorable and is not acceptable to the legal fraternity.
They
further expressed that Justice Faez is very competent, upright and independent
Judge and his integrity is above any doubt and have great respect amongst the
legal fraternity. They reiterated their unwavering commitment to uphold the
independence of judiciary and have rejected any tactic to malign the
institution of Judiciary and undermines the principle of the independent
judiciary in their nefarious designs and motives to target the Justice Faez.
The
Pakistan Bar Council and the legal fraternity ever supported and struggled for
the supremacy of the Constitution, Rule of Law and independence of Judiciary,
as enshrined in the Constitution.
SCBA
President Shahzad Shaukat, its Secretary Syed Ali Imran and the 26th Executive
Committee said the judiciary, and particularly the incumbent Chief Justice,
have always played a crucial role in ensuring justice is administered fairly
and impartially, in accordance with the Constitution and the relevant laws of
state.
They
underlined that demands such as separating the CJP from political parties’
cases are unfounded and based on preconceived notions. If the said political
party or any individual has any objections, the appropriate lawful course of
action would be to file a petition rather than publicizing political slogans in
the media.
At the
end, they said that the SCBAP and the entire legal fraternity of Pakistan stand
firmly with the Chief Justice and the judiciary and shall not allow anyone to
demean the repute, dignity, and honesty of our judges as well as of our
institutions for petty political gains.
Source: nation.com.pk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.nation.com.pk/04-Jun-2024/tactic-being-used-to-put-pressure-on-cjp-unacceptable-pbc
--------
South Asia
UNICEF
urges increased investment to combat climate change threats in Afghanistan
June 3,
2024
The
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), referring to the recent floods in
Afghanistan, has called for increased investment to counter the threats arising
from climate change, which primarily affect children.
In a
report released on Monday, June 3, UNICEF stated that the humanitarian
community and the United Nations must prepare to confront the new reality of
natural disasters and climate change.
According
to this report, floods pose an immediate and ongoing threat to children in
Afghanistan. This “serious warning” necessitates that the international
community expand its efforts and investments to support communities in reducing
the impact of climate change on children.
The
recent floods in Afghanistan, particularly in the provinces of Ghor, Baghlan,
and Badakhshan, have raised concerns that Afghanistan is not prepared to handle
the threats posed by climate change.
UNICEF’s
report on the recent floods also indicates that nearly 350 people, including
dozens of children, have lost their lives. Additionally, 7,800 residential
houses have been completely or partially destroyed, and more than 5,000
families have been displaced due to the floods.
Meanwhile,
the World Food Programme has announced that it will need at least $14.5 million
over the next seven months to assist the victims of the recent floods in
Afghanistan.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/unicef-urges-increased-investment-to-combat-climate-change-threats-in-afghanistan/
--------
General
Mckenzie: Doha agreement was Washington’s biggest mistake
June 3,
2024
General
Frank McKenzie, the former commander of the United States Central Command,
criticized the consequences of the Doha Agreement, stating that Washington made
its most egregious mistakes during these negotiations.
In a new
interview with CBS, the former commander of the United States Central Command
stated that the Doha Agreement led to “the destruction of the government in
Afghanistan.”
The U.S.
negotiating team, led by Zalmay Khalilzad, and the Taliban negotiating team,
led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, signed the Doha Agreement in February 2020
after months of negotiation.
Following
the signing of this agreement, the process of withdrawing foreign forces led by
the U.S. from Afghanistan, which was part of the Doha Agreement, began and was
completed by the end of August 2021, when the Taliban had taken control in
Afghanistan.
Before
the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan was complete, the then-Afghan
government, led by Ashraf Ghani, collapsed. With the president fleeing on
August 15, Taliban forces had taken control of nearly all provinces.
This
process happened very quickly and sparked widespread international reactions.
Many described the manner of the foreign forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan as
“disastrous” with devastating consequences, and General Frank McKenzie stated
in his interview with CBS that the Doha Agreement “destroyed the government in
Afghanistan.”
He also
mentioned that both former President Donald Trump and current President Joe
Biden, who oversaw the signing and implementation of this agreement, focused on
the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan.
According
to the retired general, America’s egregious mistake in negotiating with the
Taliban was that Washington “treated it as a timetable for the withdrawal of
its forces from Afghanistan.”
In his
interview, McKenzie referred to the Doha Agreement as an “operational
mechanism” that led to “the destruction of the government in Afghanistan,”
while, according to him, the U.S. could have achieved a better outcome.
Source: khaama.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.khaama.com/general-mckenzie-doha-agreement-was-washingtons-biggest-mistake/
--------
Deputy
PM Hanafi Meets Al Jazeera Journalist, Stresses Continuous Efforts for National
Development
2024-06-04
KABUL(BNA):
During a meeting with Al Jazeera writer and journalist, the Deputy Prime
Minister for Administrative Affairs emphasized that the Islamic Emirate is
actively working on economic development and is committed to creating job and
educational opportunities for the youth.
In an
official statement, the Press Office announced today that Deputy PM, Mawlawi
Abdul Salam Hanafi met with Dr. Ahmed Muwaffaq Zaidan, a renowned journalist,
writer, and political analyst from the Arab world.
During
the meeting, Dr. Zaidan expressed his satisfaction with the security and
progress made by the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan. He mentioned that,
contrary to the misinformation disseminated by the media about Afghanistan, he
observed positive changes in the country firsthand.
Expressing
hope for future improvements, he stated, “I believe that the leadership of the
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will guide the country towards development and
progress and will make tireless efforts to achieve this goal.”
Meanwhile,
Deputy PM Hanafi noted that many significant tasks have been accomplished in
various fields since the Islamic Emirate took power, which are considered
achievements of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.
He
further added that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is committed to the
progress and development of the country and is utilizing all available
resources to achieve this.
Moreover,
Mawlawi Abdul Salam Hanafi mentioned that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is
making continuous efforts in economic development and providing job and
educational opportunities for the youth.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/deputy-pm-hanafi-meets-al-jazeera-journalist-stresses-continuous-efforts-for-national-development/
--------
Defense
Minister Mujahid Meets Indonesian Envoy, Emphasizes Strengthening Bilateral
Ties
2024-06-04
KABUL(BNA):
The Acting Minister of National Defense, Mawlawi Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, held
a promising meeting with Mohammad Yusuf Kalla, former Vice President and
current President of the Indonesian Red Crescent and Mosque Council, along with
his delegation, at his office.
During
the meeting, Defense Minister Mujahid expressed Afghanistan’s interest in
expanding relations and cooperation in various fields with Indonesia,
highlighting the many commonalities shared by Afghanistan and Indonesia and the
desire to strengthen ties between the two Islamic countries.
On the
other hand, the Indonesian delegation observed significant progress in
Afghanistan’s security and economic sectors, contrary to negative media
reports. They emphasized that much of what they had heard about Afghanistan was
propaganda, and the reality is much more positive.
In the
end, the Indonesian delegation expressed their readiness to invest in
Afghanistan, committing to foster bilateral relations and contribute to its
development.
Source: bakhtarnews.af
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.bakhtarnews.af/en/defense-minister-mujahid-meets-indonesian-envoy-emphasizes-strengthening-bilateral-ties/
--------
Security
forces work laudable
June 4,
2024
The only
thing that can remove worries and distress from people’s minds and create a
bright atmosphere is security, through which people become hopeful and the
nation feels comfort, peace, and happiness. After the end of occupation, the
nation is now, living in a completely safe environment, and day by day, we are
witnessing important security, economic and political achievements across the
country. Intelligence and security forces of the country have had big
achievements in the past and especially in recent days, they arrested and
handed over to the law most of those who were kidnappers, drug traffickers and
those behind insecurity in the country. The intelligence and security forces’
vigilance and readiness are praiseworthy and every Afghan is thankful to them
for their day and night efforts. The suffered and Mujahid people of Afghanistan
bore many troubles and difficulties and experienced hard and dark days over the
past forty years. But with the victory of the Islamic Emirate, all the
ambitions and wishes of the hero nation were fulfilled. This nation had reached
the highest peak of physical and spiritual independence and ascended to the top
of glory, esteem and happiness through the efforts of the Islamic Emirate. This
nation is standing by the security forces of the country and is struggling to
identify the criminals, robbers, kidnappers, traffickers and those who make the
country insecure. The nation is cooperating and coordinating with intelligence,
defense and security forces of the country day and night to preserve the peace
and security of the country. Arresting of the kidnappers in Herat, freeing
several children from abductors in Faryab and other parts of the country, and
also neutralizing the plans of the ones who made insecurity were all
achievements which are worthy of appreciation. We are hopeful that the security
and defense forces of the country create a trustable space more and more and
make more relationships with people and provide all the grounds for development
and promotion to the nation so that they can live in a secure and peaceful
space and our country can step to the comfort and prosperity.
Source: thekabultimes.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://thekabultimes.com/security-forces-work-laudable/
--------
Europe
Young
British Muslims: why both Nigel Farage and Angela Rayner get them wrong
Nigel Farage hopes to replace the Conservative
Party after the election, but one of many problems with this scenario is his
claim that “a growing number” of British Muslims, especially the young, “do not
subscribe to British values”. Islamism, or in my view Islamo-fascism, is and
will continue to pose one of the highest threats to this country. But one thing
that will most certainly render young Muslims more susceptible to the extremist
narrative is statements that negatively stereotype and homogenise Muslim
communities.
Meanwhile
the Labour Party’s continued relationship with anti-Western Islamist movements
puts it at the other end of the spectrum. Between the contrasting approaches of
Labour and Nigel Farage, a counter-extremism crisis lies ahead.
Whilst
Farage is busy reducing all Muslim males to extremists, Labour has been working
to fulfill extremist demands. Angela Rayner is filmed sitting with Muslim men
(no women) and making promises over Gaza, including recognition of a
Palestinian state. Some will argue that this indicates compassion and an
understandable concern for Gazans, and I myself hold that a two state solution
is a must, but there is a wider context. Labour has a sorry history of leaning
on those with a self-loathing of the West and dark fantasies of crippling
institutional phobias of one thing or another.
Whilst
an immediate ceasefire in Gaza is, in my view, imperative, this is not because
I think that Israel is engaged in genocide, let alone that there is an evil
Western plot to eradicate Islam. Like many people I simply want to see human
suffering in Gaza stopped. In my view, Israeli military strategy has been
hideously directed. But this is not the thinking of MuslimVoteUK and their ilk.
Many of the groups that are backing such initiatives and driving Islamist
thinking in the UK believe in antisemitic conspiracy theories and hope for an
Islamic revival that will overthrow the “evil” Western hegemony. Israel’s very
existence in “Muslim lands” is cause for their outrage.
For
Labour, it is pandering to this lobby that is the heart of the issue. Under
Jeremy Corbyn, Labour consistently aligned itself with those who have little
love for Western society and its success. As a result of this psychology and a
desire to gain votes in the Muslim communities, Labour has effectively backed
Islamism. Labour has adopted the Islamist definition of Islamophobia that could
act to freeze critique of Islam. That, arguably, would mean re-introducing
blasphemy laws into this country. In some constituencies Labour has turned a blind
eye to sectarianism that sees Muslim minorities persecuted by extremists, for
the sake of the voting support of the extremist lobby. Some Labour councillors
themselves have been seen engaging in hate campaigns against Muslims they deem
to be “heretics.” Labour has made friends with Islamists and accepted them into
their party.
Now to
Mr Farage. His assertion that young Muslims are pro-Jihad comes from a recent
J.L Partners survey of 1,000 British Muslims, commissioned by the Henry Jackson
Society. That poll did not attempt to qualify what the question meant by
“Jihad”. Jihad has a dual meaning in Islam, one “spiritual”, that means the
inner struggle against the temptations of the devil, and the other “physical”,
that means to engage in a defensive war against that which threatens Islam.
Whilst Jihad of the soul is a key tenet of Islam across all sects, physical
Jihad depends on circumstances. Views about whether it is imperative and in
what context widely differ across sects. Therefore with no qualification to
this question, the answer given is utterly moot.
Most
Muslims in this country are not anti-British, as Farage claims. According to a
Policy Exchange study that relied on ICM polling of a 3,000-strong Muslim
sample, 56% of young British Muslims felt they had a strong sense of belonging
to Britain. This was 1% more than the general population sample. In another ICM
poll of 1,000 British Muslims for Channel Four, 69% said that they had respect
for the late Queen Elizabeth and 94% of Muslims disagreed that Muslims should
live separately from non-Muslims.
Alas,
methodological differences and differences in phraseology can wildly impact
polling results, making broad conclusions almost impossible. On the topic of Sharia, national surveys by
reputable polling agencies give dramatically differing results. In the 2016
Policy Exchange ICM survey, younger Muslims were relatively less likely to
favour the provisions of Sharia law. Only 1% of respondents were in favour of a
“fully separate Islamic area in Britain, subject to Sharia Law and government”.
And the percentage of those favouring full integration “in all aspects of life”
was highest among the youngest cohort. However, the Channel Four ICM poll found
that 30% of Muslim respondents wanted to live under Sharia. Once again this was
an issue of definition. “Sharia” can mean merely buying from Halal butchers and
using Sharia compliant financial systems. Unless the question specified
Taliban-style chopping off hands and stoning adulterers, it is very unlikely that
30 per cent of British Muslims had that kind of “Sharia” in mind.
A
consistent finding across UK polls is strong opposition to insulting the
Prophet Mohammed. According to the J.L Partners poll, 52% believe no image of
Mohammed should ever be shown. This result is consistent with the ICM survey,
which found that 69% thought those who insulted Islam should be prosecuted.
British
schools have been intimidated by those who hold extreme anti-blasphemy
attitudes. Recent examples include a teacher forced into hiding and an autistic
boy receiving death threats for dropping a Quran. There have been at least nine
cases of those who call for the death of blasphemers being given entry into the
UK to preach. Protests outside school gates have seen schools temporarily closed.
Some have accused the Department for Education of not doing enough or failing
to speak out proactively to protect secularism within schools. Extreme
anti-blasphemy attitudes in Britain are heavily influenced by Pakistan’s
capital punishment for blasphemy and increasing societal violence towards
blasphemers. Preventing hate preachers gaining visas, shutting down charities
who espouse extreme anti-blasphemy beliefs and ensuring the robust defense of
secular schooling are imperatives for the next government.
Recently,
a post-October 7th spike in conversions to Islam could spell a rise in
political Islam. Islamism, a politicised version of Islam grounded in
opposition to the West, tends to be deeply conspiratorial and holds regressive
and hateful views towards other sects of Islam, LGBT communities and women.
Anti-establishment youth caught up in online conspiratorial thinking is
particularly vulnerable to Islamist influence. This may account for the J.L
Partners poll finding that one in four British Muslims do not believe that
Hamas committed rape and murder, with 18-34 year old Muslims being the most
likely to sympathise with Hamas (53%).
Islam
itself is a faith that provides many with moral direction, life purpose and
spiritual fulfillment, according to a recent Whiststones poll commissioned by
the Institute for the Impact of Faith in Life. Anti-Western, anti-liberal
politics, with Islam tagged on, can become a dangerous form of fascism that has
the ability to create deep fissures in multicultural Britain. It runs counter
to key freedoms and undermines our liberal democracy. Tackling these attitudes
through education and an unapologetic defense of liberalism should be an
ongoing priority for any British government. Indeed we should also take
confidence from the 49% of Muslims who believe that more should be done to
tackle Islamist extremism, with the younger respondents especially likely to
agree that Muslims should be the ones doing more. Despite this clear Muslim
support for tackling Islamist extremism, society often cowers at the task.
Labour in particular fears that calling it out is to attack all Muslims.
Nigel
Farage is right, there is a problem, but the problem is not Muslims as a whole.
It is a politicised, extreme form of Islam that is appealing to frustrated,
anti-establishment young Muslims. Neither the Faragist Right nor the Labour
Left seem to be able to tell the difference.
Source: thearticle.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.thearticle.com/young-british-muslims-why-both-nigel-farage-and-angela-rayner-get-them-wrong
--------
UK:
Trent City Council Has 'No Evidence' Of Disturbed Graves at Church Being Turned
Into Mosque
4 JUN
2024
Council
officials have found 'no evidence' of graves being disturbed at a disused
historic church set to be turned into a mosque - after concerns were raised by
the public. Plans were lodged last August to convert the Grade II*-listed St
John's Church, in Hanley, back into a place of worship and community centre.
The Town
Road church dates back to 1788, closed in the 1980s, and up until 2020 was used
as an antiques centre and tearoom. A video has been circulating on social media
which it is claimed shows stacks of gravestones, some of them damaged, as
external works were being carried out at the site.
The
video has prompted a spate of objections to the mosque plan submitted to
Stoke-on-Trent City Council, with objectors raising concerns over the
'disgusting' damage to 'ancient headstones'. The church was originally surrounded
by a graveyard, and while exhumations took place prior to the construction of
the adjacent Potteries Centre in the 1980s, there may still be human remains
present beneath the site.
Now
council officers have visited the site and found no evidence of works currently
being carried out, or that any graves had been disturbed.
A
spokesperson for the city council said: "We are aware of the video which
has recently resurfaced on social media and appears to date from September
2023. The concerns raised in this video are historical. Officers have visited
the site and found no evidence of further works being carried out or any public
health or safety concerns. It should be noted that St John's Church ceased
operation in 1985, having had uses other than as a place of worship since.
"Although
it is probable that graves are present within the area around the church, there
is no evidence to indicate that any have been disturbed. If any illegal
activity is identified, including a non-permitted use of the building, we will
ensure that appropriate action is taken. A planning application for a change of
use of the building has been submitted, but has yet to be determined."
The
Darul Falah centre purchased the disused St John's Church for £140,000 last
year. According to the planning application, returning the building to its
original purpose as a place of worship and community facility would be
'completely logical and appropriate' and would allow it to 'once again serve
the area as a cultural and community asset'.
While
the building would be primarily used as a mosque, there would also be space on
the ground floor available to the community 'and to individuals of all faiths
or none'. The application has prompted more than 50 representations from
members of the public so far, from both supporters and objectors.
In his
comment, supporter Atiqulah Hossaini said: "Utilising the church helps in
maintaining its architectural beauty. Vacant buildings can degrade, but this
move ensures the conservation of a valuable piece of our city's past."
Source: stokesentinel.co.uk
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/council-no-evidence-disturbed-graves-9317617
--------
Mannheim
knife attack: Authorities suspect Islamist motive
German
authorities say they believe there was an Islamist motive behind a knife attack
at an anti-Islam rally in the southwestern German city of Mannheim on Friday
during which a police officer was killed.
The
federal prosecutor, Germany's highest prosecuting authority with responsibility
for terrorism, espionage and international criminal law, is taking on the case
due to its "particular importance," a spokeswoman said.
She said
the suspected attacker, a 25-year-old Afghan national and nine-year German
resident who was shot by police and remains in hospital, is suspected to have
wanted to prevent critics of Islam from exercising their right to freedom of
expression.
The
suspect, who reportedly had no criminal record and was not known to German law
enforcement, faces possible charges of murder, attempted murder and five counts
of serious bodily harm.
'Clear
indications of an Islamist motive'
Justice
Minister Marco Buschmann of the Free Democrats (FDP), the junior pro-business
partner in Germany's current coalition government, wrote on the social network
X, formerly Twitter, that there were "clear indications of an Islamist
motive."
He added
that "Islam belongs to Germany, but Islamism does not" and said that
"the danger posed by religious fanaticism and radical Islamism remains
large."
Other
FDP politicians demanded that Muslim community groups do more to combat
extremism.
"Islamic
groups and clergy cannot duck away from the fight against Islamism,"
Konstantin Kuhle, chair of the FDP's parliamentary group, told German media on
Tuesday.
Mannheim:
Thousands gather to mourn
Meanwhile,
around 8,000 people gathered in Mannheim on Monday to pay their respects to the
29-year-old police officer who on Sunday succumbed to injuries sustained from stab
wounds.
The
event was organized by a broad cross-section of Mannheim society including
Christian, Muslim and Jewish religious leaders and local politicians.
"The
death of this young person fills us all with grief, tears us apart and robs us
of words," said local Catholic deacon Karl Jung, while Mustafa Aydinli,
the imam of Mannheim's Muslim Community, called on citizens to stick together
because "God wants us to live in peace."
Scholz
to address parliament on security
After
saying on Sunday that he was "deeply dismayed" by the death of the
police officer, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is due to make a statement on
national security to the German parliament, the Bundestag, on Thursday,
according to a Chancellery letter seen by the German DPA news agency.
However,
it's unclear whether the subject of Scholz's address will be domestic security
in the wake of the attack in Mannheim or foreign policy following his recent
decision to allow Ukraine to use German weapons to strike military targets
within Russia's internationally-recognized borders.
High
alert ahead of European elections and Euro 2024
Domestically,
Germany has been on high alert for possible Islamist attacks since the outbreak
of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7, 2023.
With
European Parliamentary elections on June 9 and football's European
Championships kicking off in Germany one week later, the country's domestic
intelligence chief warned that the risk of such assaults is "real and
higher than it has been for a long time."
German
Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) told daily tabloid newspaper Bild that
"we must defend ourselves against Islamist terrorism with
determination" while Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) urged
colleagues not to instrumentalize the attack by demanding tougher migration
laws.
"If
the aim of extremists, whether far-right or Islamist, is to split a free
society, then the answer has to be that we answer together as a society,"
she said at an event in Düsseldorf organized by the local Rheinische Post
newspaper on Monday evening.
"Of
course I was deeply affected," she said of the Mannheim attack, but still
urged German society and democracy not to allow itself to be "destroyed by
hate, violence and murderous intent."
Source: dw.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.dw.com/en/mannheim-knife-attack-authorities-suspect-islamist-motive/a-69259747
--------
Faith
Friendship: Christians Bring Muslim Imam To Wigan
4th Jun
2024
Algerian
imam Prof Youcef Mecheria visited Archbishop Steven Evans who took him on a
tour of The International Christian Church Network (TICCN) ministries and
churches in Oxford, Wigan – at the Living Faith Church in Orrell – and Burnley.
The
culmination of this visit saw TICCN ministers join together with Imam Youcef's
International Day of Living Together in Peace initiative.
This
Algerian day has been recognised by the United Nations, signed by 130 countries
and takes place annually.
Archbishop
Steven said: "As an International Church Network of over 3,000 churches it
is our privilege to join in agreement with this important initiative, our goal
is to promote peace and harmony across our communities and Professor Youcef's
initiative will help to further strengthen this cause.
Source: wigantoday.net
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.wigantoday.net/community/faith-friendship-christians-bring-muslim-imam-to-wigan-4651473
--------
Germany:
Afghan Islamist who killed police officer in Mannheim lived in the country
illegally for at least 8 years
JUNE 03,
2024
The
25-year-old Afghan who stabbed a police officer to death and also brutally
stabbed Islamic critic and politician Michael Stürzenberger on Friday last week
lived in the country illegally for years.
Video of
the stabbing incident has shocked the country, with the Islamist stabbing
officer Rouven L. in the neck multiple times, with the officer dying on Sunday
after succumbing to his injuries. The officer was apparently already brain-dead
on Friday evening.
The
attacker, Sulaiman Ataee, also attacked Stürzenberger during the incident, who
appeared to be his main target. The shocking incident cannot be embedded on
websites, likely due to EU or German censorship efforts, but it can still be
viewed on X here.
According
to Ataee’s asylum file, which was obtained by German newspaper Welt, the
murderer came to Germany in March 2013 and applied for asylum. His claim was
rejected already in 2014, approximately eight years ago, and he has been living
illegally in the country ever since then.
After
nine years of living in the country illegally, he received a residence permit
from German authorities in 2013 after he fathered a child with a German
citizen. Welt also notes that during 2020 and 2023, he grew a full beard and
developed an identity around radical Islam. On a Youtube channel that has since
been deleted, which was run by Ataee, he featured a Taliban flag in his profile
photo and uploaded videos of terror preacher Ahmad Zahr Aslamiyar.
Many
Islamists consider Asiamayer, a Taliban commander who died battling Western
troops in Afghanistan, to be a martyr, with branches of ISIS in Afghanistan
also hailing the man and following his teachings.
Tens of
thousands of migrants currently reside in Germany who have committed severe
crimes, but authorities are unable or unwilling to deport them. These migrants
remain protected through policies promoted by both the ruling left-liberal
government and previously the Christian Democrats (CDU).
Recently,
a viral video featuring young people on the island of Sylt chanting “Foreigners
out,” to the beat of the club song “L’amour toujours” by Gigi D’Agostino
prompted a frenzy of media coverage across the country, with top politicians
condemning the young people and calling for the “maximum sentence,” The young
peoples’ faces were not blurred despite being found guilty of no crime.
Source: rmx.news
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://rmx.news/article/germany-afghan-islamist-who-killed-police-officer-in-mannheim-lived-in-the-country-illegally-for-at-least-8-years/
--------
North America
Muslim
college students face heavy emotional toll, discrimination as war in Gaza drags
on
June 3,
2024
Yaqoub
Saadeh graduated this month from Indiana University Indianapolis with a degree
in psychology and a certificate in social work. But instead of celebrating the
accomplishment with family and friends, he spent the last weeks of his
undergrad in an encampment setup on a concrete corner of the campus.
“I just
feel like, how can I function normally and do everything normally when my home
country is undergoing these atrocities?” Saadeh said.
Tents
went up in late April as part of the national anti-war movement on college
campuses in solidarity with Palestine. The encampments come seven months after
the war in Gaza began. Now, students and community members are asking their
universities to divest from companies that partner with or support Israel.
While
the Indianapolis demonstration remains quiet, large-scale arrests and violence
at other campuses pushed the movement into a volatile national debate. But for
Saadeh, the decision to protest is far more personal.
He was
born and raised in Fishers, Indiana, but his family is from Palestine. Saadeh
grew up advocating for Palestinian freedom, because both his grandmother and
father were displaced from the conflict in Gaza during the 1967 Middle East
war.
“They
did not come to America with the American dream in mind,” Saadeh said. “It was
displacement. They couldn’t live in their country. They had to come here to
survive, and I was born into that.”
Saadeh
grew up with his family’s stance that Israel’s occupation of Gaza causes human
rights abuses of Palestinans. Saadeh always felt concern for his parent’s home
country but it became overwhelming in the past months as he’s seen what he
calls “the most widely broadcast genocide in history.”
He says
the suffering of Palestinians is not new. When he visited the West Bank last
summer, he said he met a family who had no clean water because their water tank
was shot with bullets.
“They’re
not living life,” he said “So why should I be?”
In
October of last year, Hamas militants launched a deadly attack on Israel. A day
later Israel declared war on Hamas. The government said “no electricity, no
food, no fuel” would be allowed to enter Gaza.
More
than 10,000 women and children have since been killed in the Gaza Strip,
according to a revised death toll released from the United Nations.
“I can’t
focus on school, I can’t focus on work, I can’t focus on my day to day
activities, it’s hard to focus on yourself mentally, physically, you start, you
know, just dropping the ball,” Saadeh said.
Saadeh
knows he should also be developing his professional goals and career “but it
just almost feels dystopian to see things just go on normally.”
The
Pro-Palestinian encampment on the Indiana University Indianapolis campus in May
2024. (Sydney Dauphinais / WFYI)
Last
year, Saadeh started a Middle Eastern Student Association because he wanted to
promote diversity on campus. This year, the focus has shifted to advocating for
and raising money for Palestine.
In the
past, he’d experienced racism from students and faculty, and it’s only become
more overt in recent months, he said
Federal
politicians, cable news pundits and others have broadly characterized those
involved in the campus protests as supporting terrorist groups.
“I’ve
been called a terrorist before,” Saadeh said. “People have said, I’m a
terrorist sympathizer. People say that I don’t stand for what’s right, because
I’m a Palestinian. It’s all just these little, some people consider
microaggressions. I just think it’s blatant racism and discrimination.”
Saadeh
says although the hateful comments make him angry, they are in part why he
remains in public and tables with the student association on campus. Earlier
this month he and a friend visited a handful of college campuses on the East
Coast to support students at other encampments.
They
visited City University of New York, Columbia, MIT, Harvard and University of
Michigan.
He said
as someone who was a college student at the time, he wants to be able to look
back and say that he was engaged in this piece of history.
“I was
fighting for what I believed was right,” he said. “Regardless of the
repercussions that I was facing, regardless of police brutality, regardless of
the censorship, regardless of the racism, discrimination. At the end of the
day, I had something that I believed in, I didn’t have much to lose and I
wanted to see it for myself.”
The
emotional toll
Imam
Anisse Adnani understands how Saadeh and many other students feel about the
war. He also knows these students face intense criticism and accusations by the
media and some on their own campus for supporting Palestine. Adni works with
students at Butler University as a Muslim Life Advisor.
“With
the drastic increase in Islamophobia in our society, I feel a moral obligation,
a sense of responsibility to be there for these youth the way that elders were
there for, for me, to help me explore what is Islam,” he said.
During
Ramadan this year, Adni said Muslim students struggled, as they observed it
with a fast from sun-up to sundown. He did too during those four weeks.
“I think
the social spiritual, emotional toll of the genocide in Gaza has been
overwhelming for many,” he said. “We’re fasting. We’re praying. We’re breaking
fast with one another. But our hearts, our minds, our spirits are tied to the
plight of the Palestinians. We can’t divorce ourselves from that.”
As the
war continues, Adni says Palestine is at the heart of everything for him and
others. As Muslim students speak out through protests and encampments in
Indiana and beyond, they’ve found students of other faiths and no faith have
joined them.
“I think
it’s hard on everyone, individually, on their own,” he said. “But knowing that
we’re not alone is helping everyone get through the day, the week, the month,
the year. Whatever hardships we are facing and undergoing pales in comparison
to the occupation and the genocide in Palestine.”
Adni
says that despite the spike in discrimination, it hasn’t gotten in the way of
him practicing his faith.
“The one
thing I wish everybody understood is that this is not a religious issue. It’s
an issue of liberation,” he said. “ It’s an issue of liberty. Freedom. No one
deserves to be under occupation.”
Now that
Saadeh is a college graduate, he’s back home in Fishers with his family and
applying to social work jobs focused in child abuse and neglect. Eventually, he
wants to go back to school and get his Masters degree to work with young
adolescents who have war-related PTSD.
He said
as the conflict in Gaza continues to unfold, he wants people to stay aware of
the conflict and continue to advocate for Palestinians.
“And I
hope that people still keep their focus on Gaza because the people of Gaza are
literally dying every day,” he said. “It’s a race against time.”
Source: indianapublicradio.org
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://indianapublicradio.org/news/2024/06/muslim-college-students-face-heavy-emotional-toll-discrimination-as-war-in-gaza-drags-on/
--------
Two New
Jersey Islamist Charities Support Anti-Jewish Islamists at Home and Abroad
May 31, 2024
Two
Islamist non-profits in Teaneck, New Jersey, are driving forces behind
anti-Semitic protests in the state, while also providing financial support to a
501(c) operating in Gaza with alleged ties to terror.
The Al
Ummah Community Centre and the Ray of Sunshine Foundation (RSF) have provided
support to the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), which operates in the
Gaza Strip and has partnered with fronts for the designated terrorist
organization Hamas.
It's a
troubling look for the two charities that, in addition to receiving
tax-deductible donations from U.S. citizens, also enjoy taxpayer support.
The
larger of the two charities is Teaneck's Al Ummah Community Center (AUCC),
which according to its tax documents, promotes the "Islamic principles of
public service, love, equality, justice and peace for all." Its
"mission is to assist individuals in attaining the vital support they need
to achieve stability and a sense of unity."
The
AUCC, which has approximately 44 employees and enjoys the support of 10
volunteers, generated $1,790,634 in revenues in 2022. Most of this revenue
($1.3 million) was generated by the AUCC's pre-kindergarten program. The
remainder of its 2022 revenue comprised $241,771 worth of government grants and
$154,458 worth of private contributions and gifts.
In
total, the AUCC claims to have received over $511,000 of government grants
since 2020.
The
AUCC's address also houses the Ray of Sunshine Foundation Inc. (RSF), an
affiliated nonprofit that claims to provide assistance to Palestinian children.
RSF claimed to have received government grants worth $56,000 in 2020.
According
to public documents, the two organizations are led by four individuals: Rayed
Hassan, who serves as president of the two organizations; Mohammed Salem, who
serves as secretary of AUCC and as treasurer of the RSF; Suha Hassan who serves
as vice president of the two organizations; and Lisa Hassan who serves as
secretary for both groups.
Suha
Hassan has also been linked to the point of contact for Voice for Humanity, a
radical activism group connected to Islamist and anti-Israel protests in New
York, in partnership with groups such as American Muslims for Palestine (AMP),
often referred to as "Hamas's lobby" in the U.S. The phone number
listed on Voice for Humanity's social media is also listed as belonging to the
AUCC.
The AUCC
also backs anti-Jewish protests in New Jersey, recently working with AMP and
other Islamist groups to organize demonstrations, including "car
rallies," against local synagogues.
The AUCC
has also worked to supply radical anti-Israel student encampments with aid and
other logistical support.
The AUCC
also operates abroad. In 2022, it allocated $159,250 to humanitarian projects,
ostensibly for injured and sick children in the Middle East. Images published
on social media by AUCC head Rayed Hassan include pictures of AUCC officials
operating in the Palestinian city of Jenin.
The AUCC
fundraises and operates in the West Bank, and more recently in Gaza, through Human
Concern International, an Islamic charity Canadian media has previously accused
of links to terror.
Meanwhile,
Hassan's Ray of Sunshine Foundation has donated $105,000 to a U.S. 501(c) named
the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF).
In Gaza,
the PCRF runs the pediatric cancer unit inside Al-Rantisi Children's Hospital,
which the Israeli military claims contained Hamas weapons caches as well as a
"Hamas 'command and control center' and may have been used to hold
hostages." PCRF staff vacancies and news about the organization are
reported in Hamas's own media outlet, Felesteen News. According to NGO Monitor,
one PCRF official ran a website that openly glorified jihad.
As
revealed by the Middle East Forum in 2023, the PCRF works in Gaza with
organizations linked directly to the Hamas authorities, such as the Eastern
Association for Agriculture and Development, to whose board meetings the Hamas
government sends representatives, as well as delegations to honor the
association's work.
Among
the hundreds of millions of dollars of government grants and every day
financial transactions throughout the 501(c) system, the monies provided to the
AUCC may appear nominal. Which level of government provided the grants remains
unknown, with other public records datasets only accounting for a small
proportion of the funding. Some $22,000, for instance, was granted to the AUCC
by the Division of Family Development within State of NJ Department of Human
Services. Wherever the rest of this money came from, at the very least,
government support has made it easier for the AUCC and the RSF to provide over
a quarter of a million dollars to the PCRF and other radical organizations.
Should
taxpayer dollars ever be used to subsidize domestic organizations that fund and
support radical protests on college campuses? Certainly, government money must
never subsidize extremist charities operating in the terrorist-run Gaza Strip.
It is
critical that state and federal legislators crack down on this misuse of
taxpayer funds. We are calling on the State of New Jersey to investigate the
AUCC and RSF. If funds were used improperly, officials must ensure proper
measures are taken going forward to ensure no future grants are awarded.
The use
of charities to advance extreme and violent ideological movements isn't new. In
fact, it is precisely how Gaza became what it did. It is now up to local
government officials to ensure that the taxpayer is not an unwitting
contributor to such malfeasance.
Source: meforum.org
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.meforum.org/65941/two-new-jersey-islamist-charities-support-anti
--------
CAIR
Urges New Jersey Muslims to Vote in Tuesday’s June 4th Statewide Primary
Election
June 3,
2024
(WASHINGTON,
D.C., 6/3/24) — The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s
largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today urged all eligible
voters to participate in the New Jersey State Primary Election on Tuesday, June
4, with polls open from 6 AM to 8 PM.
Tonight,
CAIR is also launching a statewide robocall campaign targeting over 5,000
registered Muslim voter households and CAIR supporters, encouraging them to
vote and maximize participation in the democratic process.
Volunteer
Locally to Get Out the Vote: CAIR’s New Jersey Chapter (CAIR-NJ) is seeking
volunteers to engage New Jersey Muslim voters through its Election Day phone
bank event. Join their efforts at CAIR-NJ headquarters in Newark tomorrow. Time
slots are available throughout the day, and pizza will be provided. Your
participation matters. Sign up here: cair-nj.org/phonebank.
CAIR
notes that New Jersey holds a closed primary, so voters must be affiliated with
a party to participate. However, party declaration can be made at a polling
location just before casting a ballot.
For more
information on poll locations and voting by mail, visit the New Jersey
Department of State – Division of Elections – NJ Voter Information Portal.
For the
next two months, CAIR is urging all American Muslims to participate in CAIR’s
2024 General Election Survey of American Muslim Voters. CAIR’s survey aims to
better understand and promote the American Muslim community’s readiness for the
2024 general election, interests in presidential and congressional races, and
Muslim political preferences, views, and attitudes on widely discussed policy
issues.
CAIR is
also encouraging New Jersey voters to read its newly published “2024 General
Election Congressional Scorecard” and “2024 Sample Questions for Candidates and
Government Officials” to educate American Muslim voters and allies about how
their members of Congress voted on key legislation and provide sample questions
to ask candidates running for office to better to understand their stance on
issues important to our community.
In the
coming weeks, CAIR plans to relaunch its nationwide “Muslims Vote” campaign,
providing get-out-the-vote resources including an election calendar, sample
candidate questions, election surveys of Muslim voter attitudes, and more.
In
February, CAIR announced that it counted over 2.5 million registered Muslim
American voters nationwide. CAIR previously estimated in 2022, there were some
1.2 million or more Muslim voters.
NOTE: As
a 501(c)3 nonprofit, CAIR does not endorse or oppose candidates for office, and
makes no claims as to the favorability of one candidate being elected over
another.
Source: cair.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.cair.com/press_releases/cair-urges-new-jersey-muslims-to-vote-in-tuesdays-june-4th-statewide-primary-election/
--------
Muslim
soccer player suspended 4 games for covering up anti-homophobia patch on his
jersey
Muslim
soccer player Mohamed Camara was suspended four games for covering a pro-gay
patch on his jersey with tape.
Camara
is from Mali and plays in the top French soccer league, Ligue 1. His team is AS
Monaco, which is consistently one of the better performing teams in Europe and
currently second in the league standings at the time of this writing.
The
patch said "homophobie football" with a red line through it to denote
it was against homophobia; Camara covered it with white tape. He also declined
to stand in front of an anti-homophobia banner before the game, both for
religious reasons.
Camara
played five years in Austria before making the move to the bigger French club,
but his status was not enough to avoid his team handing down a four-game
suspension for refusing to participate in the initiative.
The
Ligue de Football Professionnel, known as the FLP, which governs French soccer,
released a statement that said, "After hearing the player Mohamed Camara,
and noting his refusal during the meeting to carry out one or more actions to
raise awareness of the fight against homophobia, the Commission decided to impose
a four-match suspension."
Monaco's
CEO Thiago Scuro said that his team supported the league's pro-gay campaign and
will have discussions with the Malian player.
"It
was a personal initiative from Mo Camara. We will have this conversation with
Mo internally. Internally, we will discuss this situation," Scuro said,
according to Daily Mail.
The
government also took issue with the player's beliefs, as French Sports Minister
Amelie Oudea-Castera said both Camara and Monaco should be punished.
"It
is unacceptable behavior," she reportedly told a radio station. "I
had the chance to tell the Ligue de Professionnel what I thought about it, and
I think such behavior must be subject to the strongest sanctions against the
player and the club which allowed it to happen."
As
reported by Outkick, the French soccer league launched its initiative on May
17, 2024, with the proclamation, "Let's get rid of discrimination and
homophobia!"
"The
LFP is continuing its major anti-discrimination campaign, with a new section
dedicated to the fight against homophobia. Seven weeks after an exceptional
mobilisation on a day dedicated to the fight against racism, French
professional football is mobilising to fight homophobia in a totally
unprecedented way at all Ligue 1 Uber Eats and Ligue 2 BKT stadiums," the
league said.
Camara
received support from his home country through the Mali football federation,
which said it supports his freedom of speech.
Monaco
won its game against Nantes 4-0 with Camara scoring a penalty kick.
Source: theblaze.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.theblaze.com/news/mohamed-camara-as-monaco-suspension
--------
Mideast
Contentious
Jerusalem Day ‘Flag March’ to maintain route through Muslim Quarter
3 June
2024
This year’s
Jerusalem Day Flag March, a controversial and often incendiary annual event,
will follow its traditional route through the Damascus Gate and the Muslim
Quarter of the Old City, despite heightened tensions amid the ongoing war in
Gaza.
Police
said Monday that the march will follow the same route as it did last year, from
downtown Jerusalem to the Western Wall. There will be two routes participants
will take to the wall, one that passes through Dung Gate, and a second that
passes through Damascus Gate and the Muslim Quarter.
“The
police urge Flag March participants and the public to follow police
instructions, avoid any physical or verbal violence, and allow the event to
proceed safely while strictly adhering to law and order. Any disruptions or
acts of violence will be dealt with firmly by the police,” the force said in a
statement.
Police
stressed that the march will not at any point pass through the Temple Mount or
the Temple Mount gates.
The Flag
March, which in recent years has been attended largely by religious Zionist
youth groups and other adherents of Orthodox nationalism, has long been a
flashpoint event, with marchers saying it simply celebrates the reunification
of Jerusalem in 1967 following the Six Day War, and opponents saying it
unnecessarily seeks to antagonize the Palestinian residents of the Old City.
Police
said that more than 3,000 officers — including border police, volunteers and
backup from other cities — will be deployed in and around the Old City on
Wednesday afternoon for the Flag March.
Chief
Supt. Wissam Ali, the head of the Jerusalem police operations division, said in
a video statement that police “will work to maintain as normal a routine as
possible, for the participants, pedestrians, visitors, and worshipers of all
religions.”
Many of
Jerusalem’s main roads will be blocked off to vehicular traffic on Wednesday
afternoon, and will gradually reopen as the parade progresses. The light rail
will not operate during the parade, and bus routes will be redirected so as to
not interfere with the march.
In years
past, officials have often faced calls both within and outside Israel to alter
the route to avoid passing through the Muslim Quarter and inflaming tensions.
Last year’s parade came just days after a ceasefire brokered the end of a
five-day flareup of violence between Israel and Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu resisted calls to change the route of the parade, and it went ahead
as planned.
While
the event ended without any major incident or escalation, some participants in
the march scuffled with Palestinian residents while others shouted threats and
slurs as they passed through the streets of the Muslim Quarter.
Eight
months into the war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the terror group’s deadly
October 7 onslaught, the alleys of the Old City remain largely quiet, with few
tourists around and many Palestinian-owned shops shuttered.
In 2021,
the Jerusalem march served as a pretext for Hamas to launch an 11-day conflict,
dubbed by Israel Operation Guardian of the Walls. The terror group fired
rockets at Jerusalem during the event, sparking the deadly conflagration, which
also saw a severe outbreak of Arab-Jewish violence in some Israeli cities.
That
year, Netanyahu agreed to reroute the Flag March, though he waited until hours
before the rally to make the decision, allowing threats to pile up in the
meantime. Ultimately the terror group chose to fire a barrage of rockets at the
rerouted march regardless.
The
following year, then-prime minister Naftali Bennett ultimately decided to allow
the march to go forward on the original route. In past years, US officials have
urged Israel to change the path of the march, though this year attention has
been largely focused on President Joe Biden’s efforts to broker a hostage-truce
deal and end the war in Gaza.
Source: timesofisrael.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.timesofisrael.com/contentious-jerusalem-day-flag-march-to-maintain-route-through-muslim-quarter/
---------
‘We
reject war,’ Lebanon tells Iranian foreign minister
June 03,
2024
BEIRUT:
Lebanon wants to avoid a wider war and is looking for sustainable solutions
that restore calm and stability to the south, Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou
Habib said on Monday.
His
remarks at a joint press conference in Beirut with acting Iranian Foreign
Minister Ali Bagheri Kani came as Hezbollah said it launched a squadron of
drones toward the headquarters of the Israeli military’s Galilee formation.
An
Israeli military drone targeted a car on Monday on the road between the
villages of Kharayeb, Zrariyeh, and Kauthariyet Al-Rez with four rockets,
killing one person.
The
acting Iranian foreign minister arrived in Beirut on Monday for a visit during
which he planned meetings with Lebanese officials as well as representatives
from Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad.
Kani
held talks with his counterpart in the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At the
joint press conference, Kani said Iran has “always supported stability, safety,
security, and progress in Lebanon and has spared no effort to promote the
progress and well-being of the Lebanese people.”
Kani
stressed that “the close relationship between Iran and Lebanon is a major
indicator of stability in the region and that resistance is the basis of
stability in the region.”
The
Iranian official said the discussion focused on “events in Gaza, especially in
Rafah, and we agreed on the necessity for countries in the region, especially
Islamic countries, to adopt a joint movement to confront Israeli aggression and
protect the Palestinian people.
“We also
agreed on an initiative to hold an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers
of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation as a common proposal that enables us
to take a decisive collective step in this regard.”
The
Lebanese minister said Kani affirmed Iran’s keenness to preserve Lebanon’s
stability.
Bou
Habib reiterated Lebanon’s position rejecting war and its vision for a solution
that would “restore calm and stability” through the implementation of UN
Resolution 1701, approved in 2006 to resolve the Lebanon War that same year.
Kani’s
visit to Lebanon is the first since the death of Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir Abdollahian in a helicopter crash last month.
The
talks took place as hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army entered
a new tense phase. Israeli attacks on Monday reached the outskirts of Saida and
Iqlim Al-Tuffah — some 15 km from the southern border
The
Israeli moves indicate “serious connotations and fear that the almost
eight-month-long operations will turn into an open war,” said a political
observer.
Israeli
warplanes raided Jabal Al-Rihan, Jabal Abou Rashed, and the outskirts of
Meidoun in Jezzine in five stages.
A drone
struck a motorcycle in Naqoura, killing one person and injuring another.
Other
warplanes carried out mock raids over the southern region, breaking the sound
barrier over Al-Zahrani, which shattered the glass of several houses and shops
in Kharayeb, Zrariyeh, and Erzay, as well as the window of a special needs
school in Sarafand.
Israeli
artillery shelling and raids targeted the outskirts of Mhaibib, Khiam, Aita
Al-Shaab, Hanin in Bint Jbeil, and the Kasaret Al-Arayesh, Aramta heights, in
Iqlim Al-Tuffah.
Ali
Abbas Hamieh, researcher and writer in strategic and military affairs, told
Arab News that Israel had taken its ongoing war to a new phase.
He
commented that Hezbollah had yet to announce moving to a new stage of
confrontation but believes that “the ongoing military operations show that the
Israeli side is no longer superior (at) the military level."
Hamieh
added that Israel has “lost its ability to hide, as its soldiers are being
killed in their combat positions, while Hezbollah’s members are being targeted
on their way home and not in their combat positions.”
As for
the depth of the ongoing and escalating Israeli hostilities in southern
Lebanon, Hamieh sees “a change in the Israeli military strategy.”
As for
Hezbollah, “they are taking proactive measures.
“Hezbollah
is now striking weapon factories in northern Israel in retaliation for any
Israeli escalation inside Lebanon.”
Hamieh
added: “There will be no more surprises from now on. We are in a state of
military deterrence.”
He
added: “I believe that Israel will avoid attacking sensitive locations in
Lebanon because Hezbollah knows even more critical Israeli targets that it can
attack.
“The
losses are significant on both sides, and the costs are high, which everyone is
mindful of.”
Hezbollah
announced on Monday that it launched “attack drones on the new command
headquarters of the Eastern Front in the Galilee Division (Nahal Gershon, east
of Dishon) and the locations of its officers and soldiers.”
It said
the drones hit their targets “accurately, causing fire to erupt and killing and
injuring enemy soldiers.”
Hezbollah
also said it had targeted “a military vehicle at the Israeli Har Addir site
with guided missiles and hit it directly, leading to its destruction, leaving
its crew dead and wounded.”
Additionally,
Hezbollah targeted espionage equipment at the Al-Malikiyah site with artillery
shells and a group of soldiers at the Khallet Wardah site with rockets.
Source: arabnews.com
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Ministry
postpones Islamic studies exam over leak
June 03,
2024
KUWAIT:
The official spokesman for the Ministry of Education, Ahmed Al-Wahida,
expressed the dissatisfaction and denunciation of all workers in the
educational field for the unfortunate facts that followed the Islamic studies
test on Monday, stressing that the postponement of the exam to next Monday aims
to ensure equal opportunities and achieve justice among all students in the
12th grade.
Al-Wahida
pointed out in a press statement that the Minister of Education and Minister of
Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr Adel Al-Adwani, was present along
with a number of officials at the headquarters of the printing press and
inspected the mechanism of work to find out what caused the unfortunate
incident.
Al-Wahida
stated that the minister immediately directed officials to implement a number
of firm decisions, namely postponing the Islamic education exam on Monday,
sacked the employees of the printing press, in addition to assigning new
members of the printing press to complete their tasks while changing the
workflow plan, and taking all necessary precautions for the remaining exams
with a new tight mechanism.
The
minister also directed officials to quickly take all necessary legal measures
against anyone who seeks to breach the integrity of the educational process and
secondary exams, stressing that the ministry will not hesitate to apply
penalties to everyone who caused the leak.
Al-Wahida
pointed out that there is an ongoing investigation in the Ministry of Education
under the supervision and direct follow-up of the minister. Al-Wahida called on
students to study hard and stay away from everything that distracts them from
achieving their goals and ambitions while adhering to the instructions.
Source: kuwaittimes.com
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Islamic
Resistance in Iraq targets vital target in Haifa
[03/June/2024]
BAGHDAD
June 03. 2024 (Saba) - The Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced that it
targeted a vital target in Haifa in the occupied territories at dawn today
using drones.
The
Islamic Resistance in Iraq stated in a statement: Our Mujahideen targeted a
vital target in Haifa in our occupied territories at dawn on Monday using
drones, and we confirm our continuation in destroying the enemy's strongholds.
The
Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced yesterday that its Mujahideen targeted a
vital target in Umm al-Rashrash "Eilat" in southern occupied
Palestine, using drones.
Source: saba.ye
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--------
Europeans
submit draft resolution against Iran to IAEA board, text shows
June 04,
2024
VIENNA:
Britain, France and Germany have formally submitted a draft resolution against
Iran to the UN nuclear watchdog’s 35-nation Board of Governors for it to be
voted on later this week, the text sent on to member states by the watchdog
showed on Monday.
The
draft text seen by Reuters follows up on a resolution passed 18 months ago
ordering Tehran to urgently comply with an International Atomic Energy Agency
investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites in Iran. Iran still
has not explained traces found at two sites, the IAEA said on Monday.
Source: arabnews.com
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Netanyahu
to address US Congress on June 13, Punchbowl reports
June 04,
2024
WASHINGTON:
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address a joint meeting of the
US Congress on June 13, Punchbowl News reported on Monday, following an
invitation by top lawmakers intended as a show of support despite partisan
divides over the Gaza war.
Netanyahu’s
handling of the war, during which tens of thousands of Palestinians have been
killed, has heightened tensions with President Joe Biden’s administration.
The
Israeli premier is unlikely to meet with Biden during his time in Washington.
The US president is scheduled to be in Puglia, Italy, for a G7 leaders’ summit
taking place June 13-15.
Addresses
to joint meetings of Congress by foreign leaders are a rare honor generally
reserved for the closest US allies or major world figures. Netanyahu has
already given three such addresses, most recently in 2015.
This
speech would make Netanyahu the first foreign leader to address joint meetings
of Congress four times. He is currently tied at three with Britain’s wartime
prime minister, Winston Churchill.
The Gaza
war was precipitated by a Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7 that killed around 1,200
people, according to Israeli tallies. Palestinian health authorities estimate
more than 36,280 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel attacked the
enclave.
Source: arabnews.com
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Yemen’s
Houthis say they targeted ‘military site’ in Israel’s port city Eilat
June 04,
2024
CAIRO:
Yemen’s Houthis say they targeted a military site on Israel’s port city of
Eilat with a new ballistic missile, the Iranian-backed group’s military
spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Monday.
The
Houthi militia, which controls the most populous parts of Yemen and is aligned
with Iran, has attacked ships off its coast for months, saying it is acting in
solidarity with Palestinians fighting Israel in Gaza.
The
group targeted the military site “with a ballistic missile ‘Palestine’ that is
being revealed today for the first time, and the operation has successfully
achieved its objective,” Saree said in a televised address.
Source: arabnews.com
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Arab World
Japanese
film festival begins with Saudi Arabia on its mind
June 03,
2024
DHAHRAN:
When celebrated Japanese actor Tetsuya Bessho landed in Dhahran last month for
the Saudi Film Festival, it was his first time in the Kingdom. But the
surroundings felt instantly familiar. He slipped back in time to the early days
of his career when the world around him felt ripe with ample stories to pick
from.
He had
journeyed from Japan to learn more about Saudi films, shorts in particular, and
was more convinced than ever that short films could be a tool and portal to
help us all learn from each other, and ourselves. And Saudi Arabia, he was
convinced, was a blossoming place to find these untold narratives.
This
week, Bessho is back in Tokyo getting ready for his own film festival, the
Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, now in its 26th year. The festival
starts on June 4 and ends on the 17th, with online streaming available.
“When I
was young, I wanted to become a lawyer or a diplomat, or something like that. I
wanted to change the world and, in a way, I’m doing that. I became an actor,”
Bessho told Arab News.
With
this soft diplomatic approach, he was able to most effectively communicate with
viewers by showing — and not just telling — complex stories within the stories,
more so than when he studied law at university. At the drop of a hat, he could
stealthily slip into character and communicate an emotion or idea to help
viewers understand a specific predicament or persona.
Short
films, he found, were a window from which viewers could look into intimate
spaces, from where he could allow people to peer into an unfolding story.
Now, in
his late 50s, he looks back at his career with optimism. When Bessho was about
22, someone suggested that he go to Hollywood, so he did. He made his first
feature film on that trip and was instantly bit by the acting bug.
When he
returned to Tokyo, it was as a Hollywood actor. And while feature films were
his preferred genre at the time, he learned to embrace the shorter format.
“Remember
back in 1997? Windows 97 — the internet world started. And Microsoft, they
talked about maybe creating a world where we will be stepping into the internet
world; not on your TV, not in the movie theater — short clips. We have been
focusing on these internet worlds,” he added.
Since
then, Bessho has dedicated his life to elevating the short film format and
encouraging filmmakers to explore that medium.
“Short
films are one of the great art formats and also the entertainment that I didn’t
know (about previously). All the filmmakers started with short films; it’s like
an audition, so I saw potential after that,” he said. “I was shocked, I was
amazed — because even a really short film, like five minutes, eight minutes, 10
minutes — it had great messages and great quality of acting,” he said. “It’s a
different style of storytelling.”
While in
Dhahran, he came to the Saudi Film Festival specifically to scout for short
films made by Saudis so he could potentially showcase them in Tokyo at his
festival. His film festival has showcased many shorts from Middle Eastern
filmmakers previously, but none from Saudi Arabia — yet.
“I can
see some of the younger generation … they try to bring a different type of
narrative story; a new kind of story that is very Saudi — bringing local flavor
to it, their own original story. I can see them through animation, too,” Bessho
said.
He sees
great potential in emerging Saudi filmmakers and hopes he can add one — or a
few — in next year’s programming.
He
believes Saudi Arabia is also strategically positioned to excel in the format.
Just like in Latin countries, where the language — albeit with various dialects
— might tie them in, Saudi filmmakers have been able to create their own rhythm
within the short film circuit, he added.
“I think
the Arab region has a potential to create wonderful entertainment and Saudi is
the key country to cultivate that Arabian entertainment. Like Ali (Kareem
Obaid) has a different background, he has a strong motivation and mission to
exchange the cultures globally like us, with us. And then in Saudi Arabia, the
Saudi Film Festival, which is a great entertainment hub.”
Indeed,
Obaid, who is a millennial Iraqi German filmmaker, has worked as a script
consultant at the Saudi Film Festival in Dhahran, and has been immersed in the
blossoming industry from within the region and from abroad.
Obaid
got in touch with the Short Shorts Film Festival when he submitted a short film
seven or eight years ago. Bessho flew him to Tokyo and they stayed in touch
since. In 2024, they reunited in Saudi Arabia.
Obaid’s
short film, “Postmodern Times” will be part of the Japanese festival’s “Very
Shorts” program this year.
But
Bessho has not done it alone. Back in May, the Short Shorts Festival’s
director, Seigo Tono, also came to Dhahran. Tono was on hand to select the
winners of the short film category at the Saudi Film Festival, where he
carefully watched each nominated short film along with his fellow jurors,
including Obaid. They presented the selected winners on stage on the final
night.
Tono,
like Bessho, believes that short films are ideal for telling a compelling story
that can change the world, or at least, your view of the world.
“By
showing Japanese films to the public overseas, people can learn about the
Japanese culture — maybe they might be interested in Japan afterward,” Tono
told Arab News.
“The
same applies to Saudi films,” he said.
Next
year marks 70 years since Saudi Arabia and Japan launched official diplomatic
relations. The Short Shorts Festival will attempt to spotlight Saudi short
films during its 2025 edition. This year, the Saudi Film Festival spotlighted
Indian cinema. Bessho hopes his country will be next on the list.
But for
now, both Bessho and Tono will be back in Japan for their own festival. With
them, they will take the Saudi stories they watched on the screen — and that
they experienced firsthand at the Saudi Film Festival halls — each with a
renewed passion for continuing the tradition of using storytelling as a tool.
The
festival will be held in Japan with streams on the event’s website and YouTube
page, in both Japanese and English.
Source: arabnews.com
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----------
Saudi
deputy minister for consular affairs welcomes Chinese envoy to Riyadh
June 03,
2024
Saudi
Arabia’s Deputy Minister for Consular Affairs Ambassador Ali Al-Yousef received
the recently appointed Ambassador of China to the Kingdom Chang Hua on Monday
in Riyadh.
Al-Yousef
welcomed the ambassador and wished him success in his new duties, the Foreign
Ministry reported on X.
The two
sides also reviewed consular issues of common interest.
Source: arabnews.com
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--------
Saudi
Civil Defense bolsters teams for Hajj
June 04,
2024
RIYADH:
The Kingdom’s Civil Defense has bolstered its emergency and field teams in
Mina, southeast of Makkah, in preparation for this year’s Hajj, the Saudi Press
Agency reported on Tuesday.
Officials
from the body have been conducting inspections at all the holy sites in
conjunction with other government agencies, according to the SPA.
The
Civil Defense was “bolstering all field centers, units and teams” to ensure
pilgrims can perform their rituals safely later this month.
More
than three million Muslims every year perform the stoning ritual at Jamarat
Bridge in Mina.
Source: arabnews.com
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--------
Saudi
Arabia, Brazil sign defense agreement
June 04,
2024
RIYADH:
Saudi Arabia and Brazil signed on Monday in Riyadh a cooperation agreement in
the defense field.
The deal
was signed during a meeting between Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin
Salman and Brazil’s Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade
and Services Geraldo Alckmin.
The
meeting discussed bilateral relations and ways of strengthening cooperation in
defense industries, research and development, and technology transfer and
localization, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
The pair
also reviewed regional and international developments, the Saudi Press Agency
said.
Saudi
and Brazilian military and civil senior officials attended the meeting.
Source: arabnews.com
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Baha’s
stunning new destination for nature lovers
June 03,
2024
RIYADH:
Nestled in the heart of the Bani Hassan governorate, the newly-built Jadar Park
has become one of the most prominent tourist attractions in Baha, the Saudi
Press Agency reported on Monday.
Khaled
Al-Ghamdi, head of the Bani Hassan Municipality, said that its location within
the lush Khairah Forest complements the nearby Waterfall Park.
Jadar
Park was constructed carefully to preserve the site’s natural terrain, he said.
Jadar
Park spans 30,000 square meters, with 17,000 set aside for green spaces. It
also has a 2,000-meter-long network of pedestrian walkways and water channels
of over 2,182 meters.
Al-Ghamdi
underscored the municipality’s commitment to developing Bani Hassan’s tourism
sector, to ensure citizens, residents and visitors enjoy year-round access to
recreational spaces.
The
local community has welcomed the addition of Jadar Park, which has cemented
Baha’s reputation as one of the Kingdom’s most popular tourist sites for nature
lovers, he said.
Source: arabnews.com
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--------
Southeast Asia
Indonesia
Says No National Consensus Yet on Ratifying Genocide Convention
June 4,
2024
Jakarta.
Indonesia still has not reached a national consensus to ratify the Genocide
Convention, according to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi.
As the
name suggests, the UN international treaty obliges its signatories to take
measures to prevent and punish genocide, including by enacting relevant
legislation and punishing perpetrators. As many as 153 countries, including
China and the US, have ratified or acceded to the treaty. This convention
serves as the basis for South Africa’s international lawsuit against Israel for
its atrocities in Gaza. Despite being a staunch supporter of Palestine,
Indonesia cannot join South Africa in suing Israel as Jakarta is not a
signatory to the treaty. Questions now arise if Indonesia will ever ratify the
anti-genocide pact.
“Ratifying
a convention is a long process. If you ask me ‘have we [Indonesia] started
discussing the convention, the answer is ‘yes’. But we have not reached a
national consensus that we can ratify the Genocide Convention,” Retno said at a
forum held by Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University (UGM) on Monday.
“When
ratifying a convention, we need to take into account everything, including our
national interests from A to Z, to reach a point that there is a need for us to
ratify the convention,” Retno said.
Abdul
Kadir Jailani, a senior official at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, echoed
Retno’s remarks that convention ratification requires an extensive process. As
a case in point, the talks to ratify the Rome Statute -- the founding treaty
for the International Criminal Court (ICC)-- are still ongoing in Indonesia to
this day.
“We
[Indonesia] already have the Rome Statute in our human rights agenda since
2009, but for some reason, we have not finished it because we still have to pay
attention to a variety of aspects, including from a political and legal
standpoint. Ratifying a convention is not only about doing it for a show,”
Abdul Kadir told the same forum.
He
added: “But even if we are not signatories to those conventions, Mrs. Retno has
done many things [to help Palestine.”
Late
last year, South Africa sued Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ)
over its actions in Gaza, saying that the latter had violated the Genocide
Convention. Although Indonesia could not partake in the actual lawsuit, Jakarta
declared its “political and moral support” for South Africa’s efforts at the UN
top court.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
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--------
Indonesian
Military Ready to Send Peacekeeping Troops to Gaza
June 3,
2024
Jakarta.
The Indonesian Military (TNI) is prepared to send peacekeeping troops to the
war-torn Gaza if requested by the United Nations, a spokesman said on Monday.
The
statement followed President-elect Prabowo Subianto's remarks during a seminar
in Singapore, where he stated that Indonesia is willing to contribute more to
restoring peace in Gaza, which is currently under Israel’s relentless military
campaign to root out the militant group Hamas.
“The TNI
is ready to carry out a peacekeeping mission under the UN flag if the country
calls us for duty,” TNI spokesman Maj. Gen. Nugraha Gumilar said.
Nugraha
noted that active participation in international efforts to maintain world
order is mandated by the 1945 Constitution, whose preamble requires the nation
to “contribute to the implementation of a world order based on freedom, lasting
peace, and social justice.”
Indonesia
has regularly deployed its peacekeeping forces to UN missions in conflict areas
in the Middle East and Africa.
Speaking
at a seminar hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in
Singapore on Saturday, Prabowo said Indonesia wants to contribute to a
potential UN peacekeeping mission in Gaza, Palestine.
He also
mentioned that Indonesia is on standby to send medical workers to makeshift
hospitals in Gaza, with permission from major international organizations and
other parties.
"Indonesia
is more than willing to evacuate and treat injured Palestinians at our
hospitals,” Prabowo told the forum.
The
former army general, who will be inaugurated as president on October 20, also
said Indonesia shares the view of many countries around the globe that the only
viable way to create lasting peace for both Israel and Palestine is through a
two-state solution.
Source: jakartaglobe.id
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--------
Two
Malaysians stake claim on ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ image making waves worldwide
04 Jun
2024
KUALA
LUMPUR, June 6 — Even as the “All Eyes on Rafah” picture that spotlights
Israel’s assault against Palestinian refugees continues to garner global
attention with over 50 million reposts on social media platforms, two
Malaysians have claimed credit for creating the artificial intelligence (AI)
image.
One is
Zila Abka, a 39-year-old science teacher from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah who first
posted the image on the Facebook page of a group called Prompters Malaya on
February 14 as reported by local news portal Sinar Daily on May 31.
The
other is Amirul Shah, a 21-year-old college student from the Malaysian capital
city who goes by the moniker Shahv4012 on Instagram where he first posted the
image, as reported yesterday by a US-based media organisation called NPR (short
for National Public Radio).
“I
wanted to spread and highlight the issue and hoped that everybody would do
whatever they could to show solidarity with Gazans right now,” Zila was quoted
as saying in the NPR article published yesterday.
She
claimed to have written a prompt to create an image using Microsoft’s Image
Creator and put two watermarks on it to indicate that it was AI generated, and
that she was its creator before uploading it on Facebook almost five months
ago.
Amirul
also claimed to have used Microsoft's Image Creator to generate the AI image,
but can’t remember the details of how he did it.
The
photography enthusiast told NPR that he had not seen Zila’s AI picture before
he created the “All Eyes on Rafah” image that bears his watermark and is tagged
@chaa.my_ on Instagram, which was also shared by singer Dua Lipa and model
Bella Hadid.
“My
intention was not for popularity. I wanted to uphold justice for all
Palestinians who are there,” Amirul told NPR.
Both
images look very similar with identical word size, letter placement, and tent
clusters, but Amirul’s shows a higher aerial view with longer shadows from
snowy mountains.
Zila
claimed that Amirul took her image, edited it, and turned it into an Instagram
template that's gone viral, reaching nearly 50 million shares on Instagram and
millions more elsewhere.
She
believes he cropped her image above her watermarks, then used AI to expand and
reimagine its background.
“Everything
about the structure of the words and the arrangement of the tents, it’s all the
same, except for the expanded part.
“When I
saw it, I thought, yeah, I think this is mine,” Zila told NPR, adding that
while AI-generated images are not fully original, her prompts that resulted in
its creation should be acknowledged.
According
to NPR, Amirul blocked its reporter on Instagram after being told about Zila’s
claims.
NPR said
it also used Microsoft's Image Creator to see if it could also generate a
similar image to what both Zila and Amirul claim as theirs, but found that it
could not.
The news
outlet said its attempts failed because the AI generator could not spell “All
eyes on Rafah” correctly, noting that this is a common limit with similar AI
image generators.
Source: malaymail.com
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Deputy
Foreign Minister to head delegation to first Malaysia-UAE JCC meeting
04-06-
2024
PUTRAJAYA:
Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Mohamad Alamin will lead the Malaysian delegation
to the first meeting of the Joint Committee for Cooperation (JCC) between
Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Abu Dhabi today.
According
to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, the organisation
of this JCC is in line with the enhancement of Malaysia-UAE relations to the
level of strategic partnership since September 2022.
The
first Malaysia-UAE JCC meeting will be jointly chaired by Mohamad and UAE
Minister of State, Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayeghan.
A total
of 16 areas of strategic cooperation between the two countries will be
discussed, including defence, banking and finance, health, renewable energy,
education, halal industry and science and technology.
Mohamad
is also scheduled to pay a courtesy call on the UAE Foreign Minister, Sheikh
Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Their discussions will focus on Malaysia-UAE
bilateral relations, as well as regional and international affairs,
particularly the situations in the Middle East and Palestine.
The UAE
is Malaysia’s second largest trading partner, the second largest export
destination and the second largest import destination from the West Asian
region.
In 2023,
Malaysia’s total trade with the UAE increased by 5.4 per cent to RM39.63
billion (US$8.67 billion) compared to RM37.6 billion (US$8.53 billion) in the
previous year.
Source: thesun.my
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https://thesun.my/local-news/deputy-foreign-minister-to-head-delegation-to-first-malaysia-uae-jcc-meeting-OF12531971
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Africa
Attacks
by Islamists in DR Congo increase in East of African country
Jun 4,
2024
YAOUNDÉ,
Cameroon – A recent attack that killed at least 14 Catholics the Democratic
Republic of Congo has raised fears of a new religious conflict in the east of
the African country.
The
killings were carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Forces – a
militia affiliated to the ISIS terrorist group.
According
to Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, the 14 Christians, “many of them
very young” were “killed with pangas [matchetes] and kalashnikovs [rifles] in
the town of Eringeti, for refusing to convert into Islam.”
In a May
25 statement, Pope Francis condemned the killings, noting that the action of
the Christians [refusing to convert and opting for death instead] was “a
testimony of martyrdom that a group of Catholics from Congo, from North Kivu,
have given in recent days.”
This
wasn’t a one-off attack, but a systematic attack on Christianity by Islamist
terrorists.
On May
13, at least 11 Christians were executed in the village of Ndimbo in Ituri
Province. Many others were kidnapped, and houses set on fire.
“This
horrific attack has left a trail of devastation and despair, with the loss of
life and destruction of property reaching catastrophic proportions,” said a
survivor in an interview with International Christian Concern.
For over
30 years eastern Congo has been marred by conflict, where over 100 armed groups
and foreign armies battle for the control of the region’s vast mineral
deposits.
The toll
is staggering, with approximately six million people killed since conflict
re-escalated in 1996. Some 6.1 million others have been displaced internally,
and nearly a million Congolese have gone out of the country to countries such
as Angola, Burundi, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, the United Republic of
Tanzania, and Zambia.as refugees or asylum-seekers.
International
Christian Concern says the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – an Islamist
extremist rebel group – has committed “ruthless and barbaric actions.”
The
Democratic Republic of the Congo is over 95 percent Christian and under 2
percent Muslim, but the lack of government control in the East has meant
Islamist terrorist groups have little resistance.
Bishop
Melchisedec Sikuli Paluku of the Catholic Diocese of Butembo-Beni said the
“brazen disregard for human life and dignity exhibited by these extremists
underscores the urgent need for heightened security measures and robust
counterterrorism efforts to safeguard innocent civilians from such brutal acts
of violence.”
The
bishop praised the “resilience and courage “of the villagers in the face of
such adversity and noted that such courage was “a testament to their unwavering
spirit and determination to rebuild their lives amidst unimaginable tragedy.”
In the
month of March alone, at least 50 Christians were killed by the ADF in the DRC,
according to the charity Open Doors.
“Anyone
who has been kidnapped by these terrorist groups and managed to escape from
them alive has told the same story. They were given the choice between death
and converting to Islam,” Paluku said.
“Not a
day goes by without people being killed,” the bishop said, and insisted that
there was “a large-scale project […] to Islamize or expel the Indigenous
populations” of the region.
In an
April 2021 statement the bishops’ conference said that they see “the
Islamization of the region [in the East] as a sort of deeper strategy for a
long-term negative influence on the general political situation of the
country.”
Paluku
claims the rise of Islamist groups rose with under the influence of former
Libyan strong man, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who “financed many mosques in our
country; since then, other organizations have taken over.”
Tony
Nwaezeigwe Nwankwo, the president of International Coalition against Christian
Genocide in Nigeria, said what is happening in the Democratic Republic of Congo
is part of an international trend in Africa.
“I think
the Congo DRC case is multidimensional, the ISIS question which is shared with
Uganda being just one,” he told Crux.
“But
going further, the situations in Angola, Central African Republic and West
Africa present one aspect of the scenario that’s linked with the Congo
DRC/Uganda Islamic insurgency,” Nwankwo said.
Source: cruxnow.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-africa/2024/06/attacks-by-islamists-in-dr-congo-increase-in-east-of-african-country
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Why
Muslims must say no to NLC, TUC strike – MURIC
June 3,
2024
The
Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has told the labour unions that their ongoing
strike will make life unbearable for Muslims preparing for e-Id al-Kabir
(Salah) which is just a few days away.
In a
statement signed by its executive director, Professor Ishaq Akintola, the group
advised the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to postpone its strike until after
the Muslim festival.
The
statement reads: “There is no scintilla of doubt that the strike will make life
unbearable for Muslims preparing for Id al-Kabir (Salah) which is just a few
days away.
“As
expected, the worker’s unions of other service-providing sectors like petroleum
and electricity have offered to join. This means the lives of Nigerians are
likely to be thrown into a state of higgledy-piggledy in the next few days.
“But
what does NLC think will happen to Muslims whose festival of Id al-Kabir is
already knocking on the door? Transport fares to and fro their various
destinations will skyrocket. Movements will be so adversely affected that the
whole Salah period will become a horrendous experience. Is that what NLC wants?
“The
notice of strike was too short. It was given from the negotiation table and it
was 48 hours or less. The approach of the current crop of NLC leaders is
aggressive, arrogant, fascist and partisan. The body language is unmistakable.
It is directed at bringing the government down. This NLC has no respect for the
rule of law, not even an iota of decorum for democratic practices.
“If we
cannot speak for the government, what about Nigerian Muslims whose lives your
strike could turn into a sheer nightmare? Is this a deliberate attempt to make
life uncomfortable for Muslims? Will NLC declare a strike one week before
Christmas? Or is this about bringing down our Muslim-Muslim ticket? Is this
part of the ‘religious war’ of ‘Yes Daddy’?
“This
strike is ill-timed. It is a recipe for a topsy-turvy Salah. We advise NLC to
postpone it till after the Salah. If NLC rejects our advice and goes ahead with
its satanic strike, we will ask all Muslim workers who know that they will meet
Allah Yaom al-Qiyaamah (The Last Day) not to cooperate with NLC. They should
reject the strike because it is an assault on the religion of Islam.
“We call
on all Muslim leaders and Islamic organisations in Nigeria to speak up now
before it is too late. We must reject the tyranny of Muslim-haters thinly
veiled in unionism. We say ‘No To Strike in Salah.’”
Source: thenationonlineng.net
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://thenationonlineng.net/why-muslims-must-say-no-to-nlc-tuc-strike-muric/
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UAE Visa
Ban On Nigerians Resolved – Keyamo Announces
3 June
2024
During a
welcome dinner for delegates at the International Air Transport Association
(IATA) 80th Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Dubai,
Keyamo informed the press that concerns regarding visa denials by the UAE have
been addressed.
According
to him, the UAE is set to remove travel restrictions and that the focus is now
on refining the necessary procedures.
Keyamo
said, ” The visa issue has been resolved; only the announcement remains. They
want to dot the I’s and cross the T’s. The announcement will be made in a
couple of weeks.
“The UAE
is considered as a very important partner in Nigeria. Nigerians have a lot of
stakes here in the UAE with a lot of investments. What we are doing is to make
sure that we make it easy for millions of Nigerians who have put a lot of
pressure on us to ensure that we open up this route again. Second, to make the
visa application easier. I am sure you can see the way I was received here.
That is to tell you how they value Nigeria.
“I was
on the same ride with the ruler of Dubai, the Minister and the head of Emirates
Group and all the top shots of Emirates. There was no other person given that
privilege here. That is to tell you how much they value us, and they want
Nigeria to see it in that light. They have opened up again to us. They have
started to trust us again, and I want to say thank you to them. I will take it
from here on.”
Source: naijanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.naijanews.com/2024/06/03/uae-visa-ban-on-nigerians-resolved-keyamo-announces/
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Haiti:
Garry Conille sworn in as Prime Minister
Garry
Conille was officially sworn in Monday (Jun. 3) as Haiti's new Prime minister.
A short ceremony was held at the Prime Minister’s office in the capital,
Port-au-Prince.
Conille
took over from interim PM Patrick Boisvert.
The
58-year-old who shares executive power with the Presidential Council, has
called political factions to set aside their differences.
“we will
see the interests of different groups of individuals put aside for the best
interest of the nation,” he assured.
Conille
briefly served as Haiti's prime minister from 2011 to 2012.
He now
faces a monumental task including reform institutions and fighting gang
delinquency.
President
of the transitional council, Edgard Leblanc-Fils made a short speech about the
need for "credible, free and democratic elections".
In
addition to choosing the prime minister, the transitional council is tasked
with arranging presidential elections before early 2026.
The
Caribbean nation is still waiting on the Kenya led-international police force.
Conille
has been UNICEF’s regional director for Latin America and the Caribbean since
January 2023.
He
studied medicine and public health and helped develop health care in
impoverished communities in Haiti, where he helped coordinate reconstruction
efforts after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
According
to the Maimi Herald, he returned to Haiti from Miami on June 1st.
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/04/haiti-garry-conille-sworn-in-as-prime-minister/
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Russian
FM Sergei Lavrov begins Africa tour
Russian
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Guinea on Monday on the first leg of
a three-country African tour aimed at boosting support for Moscow.
Russia's
foreign ministry announced the visit on the Telegram social media app.
Lavrov
is expected to continue his tour in Chad and Burkina Faso, according to reports
by Russian state media.
Russian
isolation
The trip
comes as Moscow looks to bolster support from countries on the continent,
amidst Russian isolation on the world stage.
After
its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia saw its relations with the
West plummet.
While
the African Union and several African capitals opposed Russia's stance, more
than half of African countries, including Guinea, abstained from UN resolutions
calling for a withdrawal of Russian troops.
Boosting
African ties
In July
last year, Russian president Vladimir Putin hosted several African heads of
government at the second Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg.
During
the summit, Russia made promises focused on delivering grain to a number of
African countries, while also declaration an intention to strengthen economic
and security cooperation between Moscow and the continent.
Russia's
main economic interests in Africa have centred on its grains, arms,
extractives, and nuclear power exports.
More
than 70 per cent of all Russian trade with Africa in 2021 was carried out in
just four countries—Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, and South Africa.
Source: africanews.com
Please click the following URL to read
the text of the original Story
https://www.africanews.com/2024/06/03/russian-fm-sergei-lavrov-begins-africa-tour/
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/modi-muslim-election-commission-bjp-congress/d/132445