A Message To Muslims Across India Not To Get Agitated: We Fought A Long Court Battle For Babri Masjid And In Fact We Won It: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind

New Age Islam News Bureau

08 December 2023

 

Maulana Arshad Madani.

File picture

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·         A Message To Muslims Across India Not To Get Agitated: We Fought A Long Court Battle For Babri Masjid And In Fact We Won It: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind

·         Kudupu Temple Management in Mangaluru Refuses Permission to Muslim Vendors During The Six-Day ‘Shasti Mahotsava’

·         Irish Capital Dublin Twinned With Palestine's RamallahAs Part Of A "Friendship Agreement"

·         Group Of Swing State Muslims Vows To Ditch Biden In 2024 Over His War Stance

·         Hamas: At Least 79 Israeli Armoured Vehicles Destroyed In 72 Hours

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India

·         Kannada, English Among Subjects To Be Taught In Madrasas: Karnataka CM

·         Nuh Violence Was Motivated By Killing Of 2 Muslim Men, Say Police In Chargesheet

·         Communalism is first step towards country’s destruction: Arshad Madani

·         Allahabad HC to resume hearing on Gyanvapi mosque committee’s plea on Friday

·         J&K: Supreme Court verdict on Monday on pleas challenging abrogation of Article 370

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Europe

·         Denmark Passes Law Banning Quran BurningsThat Triggered Protests In Muslim Countries

·         UK Team Helping Palestinian Authority Prepare For Gaza Takeover: Defence Secretary

·         East London Mosque Cordoned Off And People Evacuated After 'Threatening Email' Sent

·         Tory MP Says Sunak Favours Tackling Antisemitism Over Anti-Muslim Hate

·         Ireland To Co-Sponsor UN Security Council Resolution Demanding Immediate Humanitarian Cease-Fire In Gaza

·         London Students March In Solidarity With Palestine, Decrying UK, Israel

·         Protesters blockade Israel-linked UK defence factories

·         Raisi condemns Gaza ‘genocide’ at Moscow talks with Putin

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North America

·         With Islamophobic Incidents On The Rise, Muslim Canadians Are Worried

·         Islamic Ministerial Delegation discusses Gaza situation with US parliamentarians 

·         Fears of US veto loom large on eve of UN Security Council vote on Gaza ceasefire call

·         US imposes sanctions on Iran-backed network funding Yemen’s Houthis

·         Protection of civilians 'critical,' Biden tells Netanyahu as toll mounts

·         Senate Republicans block Ukraine and Israel aid; Biden calls it ‘greatest gift’ for Putin

·         Group representing Canadian Muslim donors pulls back from Liberal Party over stance on Gaza

·         White House Disavows U.S. Islamic Group After Leader’s Oct. 7 Remarks

·         Alberta opens funding for Jewish, Islamic faith-based schools to bolster security

·         CAIR-SFBA to Join Gathering in Solidarity with Palestine at Rep. DeSaulnier Town Hall

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Mideast

·         Islamic Grouping Condemns Israel For Allowing Jerusalem Settler March

·         Hezbollah launches strikes against Israeli, occupied sites in support of Gaza

·         Israel must face war crimes probe over journalist killing in Lebanon: Rights groups

·         Iran urges ICC to hold Israel accountable for Gaza genocide

·         Report: Half A Million Israelis Have Fled Occupied Territories Since Oct. 7

·         UAE Tables Resolution Calling For ‘Immediate Ceasefire’ In Gaza

·         Turkish FM in US for Muslim nations contact group's Gaza talks

·         Israel pursues Hamas in and around Gaza's biggest cities

·         Gaza Toll Crosses 17,000 After 350 Killed In A Day

·         US Criticizes Israel On Gaza Civilian Toll As UN To Hear Ceasefire Demand

·         Hamas says captive Israeli soldier killed in clash with special forces

·         Palestinian Poet Refaat Alareer Killed In Gaza Strike

·         Israeli forces kill 6 Palestinians in West Bank raid: ministry

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Arab World

·         Saudi Hajj Minister Expects Surge In Number Of Indian Umrah Pilgrims

·         Saudi authorities thwart two attempts to smuggle over 250,000 Captagon pills

·         Saudi FM Saudi meets US Republican senator Lindsey Graham

·         Saudi Arabia, France discuss economic cooperation, global aid

·         Saudi and US defence ministers discuss ties during call

·         Neamaa Mostadama project in Makkah aims to reduces food waste

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Pakistan

·         Pak FM Hails Danish Parliament Bill Prohibiting Desecration Of Holy Quran

·         Toshakhana case adjourned: Court orders declaring Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi proclaimed offenders in £190m case

·         Why did Imran ignore cipher when told by Bajwa?

·         PM announces $77.8m ‘Recharge Pakistan’ at COP28

·         City Council demands world powers help end genocide in Gaza

·         1.5 million Afghan refugees not burden for Pakistan: ex-PM Imran Khan

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South Asia

·         Amnesty Intl Calls for Probe of War Crimes in Afghanistan

·         Pakistan Envoy Claims TTP in Afghanistan

·         No need to show ‘enmity’ towards neighbouring Islamic countries: Nadim

·         US forces ready to address threats from Afghanistan: Biden

·         Stanikzai acknowledges grils’ education ban discontent

·         Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi reopens after month-long closure

·         China Firm’s Crude Oil Production Surges 300% in Taliban-led Afghanistan: Bloomberg Report

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Africa

·         Somali Army Kills 33 Al-Shabab Militants In Central Region

·         Anxiety as Lagos seals RCCG, mosques, hotels over environmental infractions

·         Terror In Uganda: What’s Driving The Islamic State-Linked Rebels

·         Ethiopia: Thousands in Dasenech distrirct left homeless after devastating flood

·         Widespread floods kill hundreds and displace millions in East Africa

·         Kenya to send 1,500 farm workers to Israel

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Southeast Asia

·         Sarawak Deputy Premier: Advisory Council Set Up For Non-Muslim Religions To Promote Mutual Respect, Advise On Religious Issues

·         Perak State Assembly passes Muslim Wills Enactment Bill

·         Mohamad- Palestine: M’sia cannot send peacekeepers without UN mandate

·         Ops Ihsan aid received in Gaza, says Zambry

·         Court Upholds Ex-Tabligh Teacher's Sentence For Sexually Assaulting Student

Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau

URL:      https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/muslim-india-babri-masjid-jamiat-ulema/d/131278

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A Message To Muslims Across India Not To Get Agitated: We Fought A Long Court Battle For Babri Masjid And In Fact We Won It: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind

 

Maulana Arshad Madani.

File picture

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08.12.23

Piyush Srivastava

Maulana Arshad Madani, the president of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, has said he had declared decades ago that Babri Masjid was not built on the remains of any temple and his words had been proved correct eventually.

“We fought a long court battle for Babri Masjid in Ayodhya and in fact we won it. The court didn’t say that it was built over any temple, it only handed over the property to the other party on the basis of the religious beliefs of a large number of people,” Madani said while addressing members of the Jamiat, a socio-religious organisation, at a training programme at Lucknow’s Sunni Degree College on Thursday.

There were representatives from 37 districts of central Uttar Pradesh at the programme.

Observers believe that Madani’s remarks in the run-up to the inauguration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22 could be intended to send a message to Muslims across India not to get agitated over the latest developments.

“We had told the court that any place of worship is prohibited in Islam if it is built over the remains of the shrine of any other religion. Fortunately, it was proved that Babri was not built after breaking any temple. Here lies our victory. Further, we are tolerant people and known for our extraordinary participation in the freedom struggle. Even today, we are among those true nationalists who are engrossed in building a better India,” said the chief of the Jamiat, the largest Muslim organisation in the country.

The Supreme Court had given its verdict in favour of the Hindu side in 2019.

Madani also reacted to the ongoing inquiries against every madrasa in Uttar Pradesh, saying: “The madrasas which accept funds from the government are under vigil (of the government). No such probe can be fruitful against the madrasas that don’t accept even a penny from the government.”

“Some people say that private madrasas get foreign funding. Are the donors (of other countries) fools that they would fund madrasas in India? Moreover, is there any dearth of donors in India?” Madani asked.

Bidhuri ‘regrets’ House abuse

New Delhi: BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri is learnt to have expressed regret for his communal remarks against BSP member Danish Ali in Parliament.

Bidhuri’s expression of regret was made at a meeting of the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee on Thursday, paving the way for a possible early closure of the matter. Both Bidhuri and Ali had been asked to appear before the committee on Thursday but they were called in separately. Sources said Bidhuri pointed out that defence minister Rajnath Singh had expressed regret.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/we-fought-a-long-court-battle-for-babri-masjid-in-ayodhya-and-in-fact-we-won-it-says-maulana-arshad-madani/cid/1985342

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Kudupu Temple Management in Mangaluru Refuses Permission to Muslim Vendors During The Six-Day ‘Shasti Mahotsava’

 

Photo: English Jagran (Representative Image)

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December 07, 2023

The Dakshina Kannada Beedibadi Vyaparasta Shreyobhivrudhi Sangha has accused Endowment Department administered Kudupu Anantapadmanabha Temple of not allotting stalls to Muslim vendors, that are coming up outside the temple during the six-day ‘Shasti Mahotsava’, which commences from December 14.

In a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner M.P. Mullai Muhilan, Sangha president B.K. Imtiyaz on Thursday, December 7, said a group threatened the temple authorities that there would be a disturbance if stalls were allotted to Muslim traders. Consequently, the authorities did not allot stalls to Muslim traders, he alleged.

He asked the district administration to intervene and permit poor Muslim traders to eak out a living by having their stalls during the six-day fair. Mr. Imtiyaz also demanded disciplinary action against persons responsible for this denial, Mr. Imtiyaz said.

G. Santosh Kumar, Additional DC, who received the memorandum, said he has sought a report from the temple authorities.

Old practice

The Kudupu temple is among the 44 “A” Grade temples with an annual income of over ₹25 lakh in Dakshina Kannada. Shasti Mahotsava is held in Subrahmanya temples including in KukkeSubrahmanya and Kudupu.

An endowment department official said around 40 stalls come up for the Shastimahotsava at Kudupu — 20 on Car Street on the temple premises and 20 outside the temple, off Mangaluru-Moodbidri NH.

As per the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments Act, stalls were allotted to Hindus inside the premises. Concerning stalls outside the temple, the temple has continued with the tradition of auctioning the space to the highest bidder, who, in turn, allows space to vendors. “We have selected the bidder and he has allotted space. The temple has no say in allotment of stalls outside the temple,” the official said.

Following a section of traders questioning the practice of auctioning the space outside the temple to a single bidder, Mangaladevi Temple, another Endowment department administered temple, following orders by then-in-charge Deputy Commissioner K. Anandh, held an open auction to allow each of the 93 spaces, off the temple Car Street, outside the temple, during the Navaratri festival in October.

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists had then put out saffron flags outside the stalls operatd by Hindu vendors and asked Hindus to deal only with them. This had no effect as people freely traded in the stalls owned by Hindus and Muslims.

Source: thehindu.com

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https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Mangalore/kudupu-temple-authorities-accused-of-not-allotting-stalls-to-muslim-traders/article67615205.ece

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Irish Capital Dublin Twinned With Palestine's RamallahAs Part Of A "Friendship Agreement"

 

Photo: aa.com

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BurakBir

08.12.2023

Ireland's capital of Dublin has been tied to Ramallah in Palestine as part of a "friendship agreement," the Dublin City Council said Thursday.

It comes following a meeting last December between then-Council Chief Executive Owen Keegan and Palestinian Ambassador to Ireland Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid where they discussed the potential for cooperation between the two cities.

The Dublin City Council said the city has been twinned with Ramallah in Palestine under a "friendship agreement" signed by Dublin Mayor Daithi de Roiste and Ramallah Mayor Issa Kassis.

Ramallah is now the fifth city with which Dublin has a twinning agreement, following San Jose in the US in 1986, Liverpool in 1997, Barcelona in 1998 and Beijing in 2010.

"I very much welcome the signing of this Friendship Agreement between our two cities,” said de Roiste. “The aim of this Friendship Agreement is to contribute to the strengthening of friendly relations between our two cities.”

Areas of possible mutual interest between the two cities include climate action, sustainable transport and active travel, municipal services in particular waste management and smart cities, added the statement.

The Dublin City Council recently agreed to fly the Palestinian flag for the next week in solidarity with the people of Gaza amid ongoing Israeli attacks on the besieged enclave.

Israel resumed its military offensive on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group, Hamas.

At least 17,177 Palestinians have been killed and more than 46,000 injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stood at 1,200, according to official figures.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/irish-capital-dublin-twinned-with-palestines-ramallah/3076591

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Group Of Swing State Muslims Vows To Ditch Biden In 2024 Over His War Stance

 

A picture taken from Rafah shows smoke billowing above buildings during Israeli bombardment on Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on December 7, 2023, amid continuing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (Photo by MAHMUExpand

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December 7, 2023

CHICAGO (AP) — Muslim community leaders from several swing states pledged to withdraw support for U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday at a conference in suburban Detroit, citing his refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Democrats in Michigan have warned the White House that Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war could cost him enough support within the Arab American community to sway the outcome of the 2024 presidential election.

Leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania gathered behind a lectern that read "Abandon Biden, ceasefire now" in Dearborn, Michigan, the city with the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the United States.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza on Saturday updated the death toll in the Israel-Hamas war to 15,200 Palestinians, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors. Some 1,200 Israelis have been killed, most during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas that triggered the war.

Biden’s unwillingness to call for a ceasefire has damaged his relationship with the American Muslim community beyond repair, according to Minneapolis-based Jaylani Hussein, who helped organize the conference.

"Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars," Hussein said. "What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy."

Hussein, who is Muslim, told The Associated Press: "The anger in our community is beyond belief. One of the things that made us even more angry is the fact that most of us actually voted for President Biden. I even had one incident where a religious leader asked me, 'How do I get my 2020 ballot, so I can destroy it?" he said.

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates previously said the Biden administration has pushed for humanitarian pauses in the fighting to get humanitarian aid into Gaza, adding that "fighting against the poison of antisemitism and standing up for Israel’s sovereign right to defend itself have always been core values for President Biden."

Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania were critical components of the "blue wall" of states that Biden returned to the Democratic column, helping him win the White House in 2020. About 3.45 million Americans identify as Muslim, or 1.1% of the country's population, and the demographic tends to lean Democratic, according to Pew Research Center.

But leaders said Saturday that the community's support for Biden has vanished as more Palestinian men, women and children are killed in Gaza.

"We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself," Hussein said at the conference.

The Muslim community leaders' condemnation of Biden does not indicate support for former President Donald Trump, the clear front-runner in the Republican primary, Hussein clarified.

"We don't have two options. We have many options. And we're going to exercise that," he said.

Source: fox10phoenix.com

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https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/group-of-swing-state-muslims-vows-to-ditch-biden-in-2024-over-his-war-stance

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Hamas: At Least 79 Israeli Armoured Vehicles Destroyed In 72 Hours

 

Photo: Mehr News

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08 December 2023

A senior official of Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right cabinet won’t be able to reap any benefits out of the ongoing onslaught against the Gaza Strip, stressing that fighters from his group are engaged in “fierce battles” with Israeli troops across the territory.

"Netanyahu and his Nazi cabinet have not been successful in achieving their political, military, and field goals, nor will they be in the future," Osama Hamdan, Hamas’ representative in Lebanon and also a member of the group’s politburo, said at a press briefing in the Lebanese capital of Beirut on Thursday evening.

"The occupying Zionist entity has exercised all methods of killing, destruction, starvation, and systematic extermination against our people in the Gaza Strip, with American and Western support,” he added as the indiscriminate Israeli bombing campaign against Gaza since October 7 has killed at least 17,177 Palestinians, most of them women and children. More than 46,000 people have been wounded as well.

Hamdan added, “Zionist officials are trying to establish unreal goals to present an imaginary victory to settlers. This is while surrender and defeat do not exist in the lexicon of our people.”

Hamdan underscored that the Tel Aviv regime is trying to clinch an imaginary victory through Netanyahu’s announcement that Israeli forces have encircled the home of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, stating that the development comes irrespective of the fact that the building has already been bombed and demolished.

The top Hamas official also said fighters from his group are engaged in “fierce battles” with Israeli troops in various neighborhoods across the besieged Gaza Strip, stressing that the invading forces are facing fierce and resolute confrontations from the resistance factions.

Iran warns that the threat posed by Israel to global peace and security is now “greater than ever” amid the regime’s bloody aggression against Gaza.

He said the “actual number” of Israeli soldiers who have been killed and injured during clashes in Gaza is “much higher” than the figures announced by Israeli authorities.

The Hamas’ top representative in Lebanon went on to address family members of Israeli captives in Gaza, saying, “The ongoing military aggression against our people will not return your children to you.”

“They will not return if the ground and air strikes don’t stop,” Hamdan pointed out.

While some 100 aid trucks enter Gaza daily, the Palestinian territory needs 600 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies, the top Hamas official said elsewhere in his remarks.

Hamadan argued that areas in northern Gaza only receive a fraction of what has been allowed to enter the Strip, criticizing the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the Palestine Red Crescent Society for failing to carry out their duties properly.

Iran urges the International Criminal Court to hold the Israeli regime accountable for its genocidal atrocities across Gaza and the West Bank.

The top Hamas official went on to say that resistance fighters have managed to either destroy or damage at least 79 armored Israeli military vehicles in Gaza City over the past 72 hours.

He underscored that Gaza-based Palestinian resistance fighters are fully prepared for any possible scenario, stressing they will firmly stand up against Israeli plans for the forced displacement of the Palestinian population from the region.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s resistance movements waged the surprise Operation al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/08/715994/Netanyahu-his-Nazi-cabinet-wont-reap-any-gains-in-Gaza-Hamas

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India

Kannada, English among subjects to be taught in madrasas: Karnataka CM

8th December 2023

Marziya Sharif Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said Kannada and English along with Maths and science will be taught for two years on an experimental basis in the registered madrasas for two years.

“Children studying in waqf properties and registered madrasas run by waqf institutions will be taught continuously for two years in Kannada, English, Science, Mathematics on an experimental basis and other subjects and will be made to write SSLC, PUC and graduation exams through National Open Schools. An order has already been issued in this regard,” Siddaramaiah wrote on X.

The CM made the announcement sharing the message of Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, according to which, the initiative will be carried out first in 100 madrasas.

Source: siasat.com

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https://www.siasat.com/kannada-english-among-subjects-to-be-taught-in-madrasas-karnataka-cm-2930201/

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Nuh violence was motivated by killing of 2 Muslim men, say police in chargesheet

Dec 8, 2023

Ashutosh Acharya

The chargesheet filed in the death of two home guards during the Nuh violence indicates that the riots that broke out during the VHP Yatra in July was "motivated" by the killing of two Muslim men earlier in the year allegedly at the hands of cow vigilantes, police said.

According to police, the three men named in the chargesheet said that the July 31 violence in Nuh was motivated by the killings of Nasir and Junaid in February and also the rumour that cow vigilante Monu Manesar would be attending the Yatra.

Sohil Khan, 21, a resident of Dhekli village, and Osama, 30, and Shaukeen, 25, both residents of Firozpur Namak of Nuh district, were named in the chargesheet filed on November 24, police said.

According to the confession of the three men, police said the Nuh violence was the result of "hatred" towards the Bajrang Dal and Hindu religion.

On July 31, a VHP Yatra passing through the Anaj Mandi area in Nuh was pelted with stones by a mob and when home guards Neeraj and Gursevak reached there, they too came under attack, Inspector Ajay Kumar said in the more than 160 page chargesheet.

The mob pelted stones and opened fire at the participants of the Yatra and also shattered the windows of the police vehicle, which they later overturned and set on fire.

The crowd dispersed only after the police fired warning shots in the air.

Neeraj and Gursevak were injured in the attack and were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead, police said.

Sohil Khan was arrested on August 26 with two mobile phones in his possession and was found to be in Nuh on July 31, when his call detail records were checked, police said.

A Thar vehicle recovered from his possession was found to have had been used to carry sticks, a liquid substance, and stones, they said.

According to his confession, Sohail claimed that after Nasir and Junaid's murder, people "from his community had become antagonised", said police.

"Sohil had posted an audio asking members of a WhatsApp group to be 'prepared' for the Yatra and his friend Junaid too released a video message in which they warned Monu Manesar not to make the mistake of participating in the Yatra. Later, they gathered near the cyber police station, where they not only broke the gate of the police station with a bus, but also thrashed policemen and even snatched their mobile and cash," police said.

Shaukeen in his disclosure statement said that Nasir and Junaid's murder allegedly by cow vigilantes in February was the cause of strife between locals and Bajrang Dal (VHP's youth wing), which had organised the Yatra.

Osama corroborated the other two's statements in his testimony, police said in the charge sheet, which carries the names of 15 more people who are still at large.

The charred bodies of Nasir and Junaid were found in a vehicle on the Rajasthan-Haryana border on February 16 after they were allegedly abducted by some vigilantes, who accused them of cow smuggling.

Source: indiatoday.in

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https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/nuh-violence-motivated-by-killing-of-2-muslim-men-2473376-2023-12-08

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Communalism is first step towards country’s destruction: Arshad Madani

8th December 2023

Sameer Khan 

Lucknow: Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind President Maulana Arshad Madani on Thursday said communalism is the first step towards the country’s destruction, and urged political parties to spread love and brotherhood, not hatred.

Asserting that “love jihad” was a term coined by those who want to spread hatred in the country, Madani strongly advocated for the opening of as many separate schools as possible for Muslim girls.

Addressing a conference of 37 district units of the Jamiat in eastern Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, Madani said, “It is the country’s misfortune that hatred in the name of religion has been increasing since independence.

“Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind considers communalism as the first step towards the destruction of the country. Those who are sowing seeds of hatred instead of love are just playing their cards to capture power,” he said.

“We also want to give a message to political parties… whether they are in power or not they should propagate only love and affection, not hatred. The country’s welfare lies in this,” he said.

Madani said that the Jamiat has always been against sectarianism and that it never accepted the Muslim League’s wish to live separately from the Hindus after India’s independence.

“When the country was moving towards independence, the British sowed the seeds of division in the country. They convinced the Muslim League that we (Muslims) will not live with the Hindus but the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind never accepted this point of view.

“We opposed the Muslim League. Many atrocities were committed but we did not deviate from this approach,” he said.

“Even today we cannot accept ‘firqaparasti’ (sectarianism). Whether someone likes it or not, the country can only run with love. The country will not run on hatred. This country is ours. We were born here and will die here. We have called you all here to send out this message, Madani said.

Madani asked Muslims to resist sectarianism and support all people irrespective of the other person’s religion.

“If someone is setting fire, then stop it. If someone is abusing, let him do that,” the Jamiat president said.

“Irrespective of the other person’s religion, do not be influenced by the sectarianism of the communal mind. We see each other as brothers and support them no matter his religion,” Madani said.

Madani said that he had not heard the term “love jihad” “for the past 80 years”.

“This is a word coined by those who want to sow hatred within the country. We ask Muslims to open as many separate schools as possible for their daughters so that those who intend to hurt them on the pretext of ‘love jihad’ allegations against Muslims can be stopped,” he said.

He also expressed the need for modern education in madrasas and added that while the Muslim community needs good scholars, it also needs excellent lawyers, doctors and professors.

About 1,000 members from 37 districts of the state participated in the conference organised at Sunni Inter College, Lucknow. Eight different resolutions were also passed in the conference.

Source: siasat.com

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https://www.siasat.com/communalism-is-first-step-towards-countrys-destruction-arshad-madani-2930220/

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Allahabad HC to resume hearing on Gyanvapi mosque committee’s plea on Friday

7th December 2023

Marziya Sharif

Prayagraj: The Allahabad High Court will resume on Friday the hearing on a petition filed by the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee challenging the maintainability of a suit seeking “restoration” of a temple at the site of the Gyanvapi mosque.

On December 5, the matter was listed before the bench of Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal. When it was called for hearing, the court adjourned the matter and posted it to December 7.

After hearing the parties concerned on Thursday, Justice Rohit Ranjan Agrawal adjourned the hearing in the case and posted it for hearing on December 8.

By an order dated August 28, the then chief justice PritinkarDiwaker had transferred the case from Justice Prakash Padia to himself, saying “a single judge continued with the hearing of these cases for more than two years, even though he had no jurisdiction in the matter as per the roster”.

Justice Diwaker had further said the decision to withdraw the case from the single-judge bench was taken on the administrative side in the interest of judicial propriety, judicial discipline and transparency in the listing of cases.

Justice Diwakar retired on November 22 and the case was listed before Justice Agrawal on Tuesday.

The Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee (AIMC), which manages the Gyanvapi mosque, has challenged the maintainability of a suit filed before a Varanasi court in which the plaintiff has sought restoration of a temple at the site where the mosque stands.

AIMC’s counsel S F A Naqvi said the petition also challenges a Varanasi court direction to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a comprehensive survey of the mosque. The order was passed on April 8, 2021.

Source: siasat.com

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https://www.siasat.com/allahabad-hc-to-resume-hearing-on-gyanvapi-mosque-committees-plea-on-friday-2930082/

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J&K: Supreme Court verdict on Monday on pleas challenging abrogation of Article 370

 07.12.23

The Supreme Court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict on December 11 on a batch of petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution which bestowed special status on the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to the cause list for December 11, Monday, uploaded on the apex court website, a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud would deliver the verdict.

The other members of the bench are Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai and Surya Kant.

The apex court had on September 5 reserved its verdict in the matter after a marathon 16-day hearing.

During the course of the hearing, the top court had heard Attorney General R Venkataramani, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior advocates Harish Salve, Rakesh Dwivedi, V Giri and others on behalf of the Centre and the intervenors defending the abrogation of Article 370.

Senior advocates including Kapil Sibal, Gopal Subramanium, Rajeev Dhavan, Zaffar Shah, Dushyant Dave and others had argued on behalf of the petitioners.

The lawyers had dwelt on various issues including the constitutional validity of the Centre's August 5, 2019 decision to abrogate the provision, the validity of Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, which split the erstwhile state into two Union Territories, challenges to imposition of Governor's rule in Jammu and Kashmir on June 20, 2018 and imposition of President's rule in the erstwhile state on December 19, 2018 and its extension on July 3, 2019.

Several petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019 that divided the erstwhile state into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh - were referred to a Constitution bench in 2019.

The arguments in the matter had commenced on August 2.

During the hearing, the apex court had asked who can recommend the revocation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir when no constituent assembly, whose concurrence was required before taking such a step, exists there.

The top court had also asked as to how can a provision (Article 370), which was specifically mentioned as a temporary provision in the Constitution, become permanent after tenure of the Jammu and Kashmir constituent assembly came to an end in 1957.

Some of the petitioners opposing the repeal of Article 370 had argued that the provision could not have been abrogated, as the term of the Jammu and Kashmir Constituent Assembly ended in 1957 after it drafted the erstwhile state's Constitution.

With the constituent assembly having become extinct, Article 370 acquired a permanent status, they had said.

The Centre had argued that there was no "constitutional fraud" in annulling the provision that accorded special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.

Source: telegraphindia.com

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Europe

 

Denmark Passes Law Banning Quran BurningsThat Triggered Protests In Muslim Countries

Fidel Rahmati

December 8, 2023

Denmark’s parliament passed a law making it illegal to desecrate any holy text in the country, following public Quran desecrations that triggered protests in Muslim countries.

The government of Denmark will now take action against those who violate this law, citing the need to protect Denmark’s security and its citizens.

The legislation, approved by representatives with 94 votes in favor and 77 against, imposes fines and up to two years of imprisonment for burning, tearing, or insulting religious texts in public places.

Peter Hømgaard, the Minister of Justice, stated, “We must protect the security of Denmark and our citizens.” He added, “Such demonstrations can harm Denmark’s relations with other countries, our interests, and ultimately our security.”

Official statistics show that in the past three months, over 500 incidents of Quran burning or flag burning have been recorded, sparking anger in many Islamic countries. Protesters in Iraq, outraged by Quran burning, attacked the Danish embassy in Baghdad on October 31.

Some countries, like Iran, have recalled their ambassadors from Denmark in response to these incidents.

Before this law can be enacted, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark must officially sign it. Previously, Denmark had condemned Quran burning but argued that it couldn’t prevent it based on freedom of speech principles.

Denmark, amidst concerns that Quran burning could incite attacks by Islamist extremists, has been seeking a balance between freedom of expression protected by its constitution and national security.

Domestic critics in Sweden and Denmark have argued that any restrictions on criticizing religion, including Quran burning, weaken civil liberties in the country. IngerStøjberg, leader of Denmark’s anti-immigration Democratic Party, said, “History will judge us harshly, and it has good reason. Everything boils down to whether we determine our freedom of expression or it’s dictated from the outside,” as cited by Reuters.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/denmark-passes-law-banning-quran-burnings/

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UK Team Helping Palestinian Authority Prepare For Gaza Takeover: DefenceSecretary

December 07, 2023

LONDON: British military personnel are helping the Palestinian Authority prepare to take control of the Gaza Strip, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps told The Times.

The British Support Team, which works with US and Canadian personnel, has been in Ramallah for over a decade, working with elements of the Palestinian security services, he said.

Shapps met the team and PA Interior Minister Maj. Gen. ZiadHab Al-Reeh in Ramallah on Thursday, and said the UK’s presence could be expanded to assist the PA with any power transition in Gaza.

“Ultimately, I think the solution (to governance of Gaza) is likely to be a Palestinian Authority, who need to be capable of a level of governance which will require a huge amount of international help and support and we are not there yet,” Shapps said.

“When something really terrible happens what we absolutely need to do is get something that is better than what was there before.

“We have to use this appalling crisis to improve the security of Israelis and the lives and livelihoods of Palestinians. And I think you do that by bringing together an international coalition which is led by Arab states in terms of the on-the-ground reconstruction of Gaza and also administratively.

“One of the reasons we are going to Ramallah to talk to the Palestinian Authority is to understand their capacity and ability. One of the things we will be doing is talking to the British team who are helping to build that capacity along with the Americans.”

Shapps, who is Jewish, also met with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. They lit candles to mark the first day of Hanukkah, while Shapps also visited a kibbutz near Israel’s border with Gaza.

His comments come in sharp contrast to those of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said Israel needs security control over Gaza after its military operation in the enclave ends.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in November that the PA taking control in Gaza would depend on a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2422011/world

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East London Mosque cordoned off and people evacuated after 'threatening email' sent

7th Dec 2023

 Rahmah Ghazali

A mosque in the capital was cordoned off today (December 7) after being sent an 'email threat'. East London Mosque in Whitechapel said they received a 'credible threat' on Thursday afternoon, and people were evacuated from the building.

Tower Hamlets Police said they were called at 3.02pm and officers searched the building. However, nothing suspicious was found and the incident was stood down. In a statement posted on social media, police said: "An investigation is currently under way after a threatening email was sent to the East London Mosque. No arrests have been made so far."

The mosque, in a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter said: "The East London Mosque received a credible threat this afternoon, leading to a swift evacuation under the instruction of local police officers. We thank and appreciate the prompt response of the Met Police.

"In these times of tension and heightened Islamophobia, we urge the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity. In an emergency always dial 999. Thank you for your understanding and support."

The mosque added: "We are pleased to announce that the mosque has now reopened after addressing the emergency situation."

London police had previously recorded a 1,353% increase in antisemitic offences in October compared to the same period last year, while Islamophobic offences were up 140% in the wake of the Israel and Hamas war.

Source: nationalworld.com

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https://www.nationalworld.com/news/crime/east-london-mosque-cordoned-off-and-people-evacuated-after-threatening-email-sent-4438263

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Tory MP says Sunak favours tackling antisemitism over anti-Muslim hate

December 7, 2023

A former Conservative minister has accused the UK government of “favouring one faith community and not the other” in a Commons debate on Islamophobia.

Ex-foreign office minister Rehman Chishti MP told MPs antisemitism and Islamophobia are “both unacceptable” but he suggested Rishi Sunak was failing to tackle anti-Muslim hatred in the same way he was attempting to combat that against UK Jews.

Speaking in a Commons backbench business debate Chishti MP said that in last month’s Autumn Statement chancellor Jeremy Hunt had been “absolutely right” to announce a further £7million to tackle antisemitic hate, in response to the October 7th terror attack by Hamas in Israel.

But Chishti then asked:”Why in that Autumn Statement was there no funding to tackle anti-Muslim hatred?”

The ex-vice chairman of the Conservative party suggested that the Prime Minister’s No.10 Twitter feed also raised further concerns about the PM’s alleged lack of engagement with the British Muslim community.

He said:”If you look at the UK Prime Minister Twitter handle, on that handle it says with regards to the Muslim community Eid event with the prime minister on the 3rd of May, an engagement on Eid Mubarak with the Muslim community.

“There is nothing else on the prime minister’s page about tackling anti-Muslim hatted, although on 21 occasions about tackling antisemitism.”

Chishti repeatedly stressed to MPs that “both antisemitism and Islampohobia are unacceptable” but “perceptions” of the UK government would be of “favouring one community over another.”

He claimed also that money given to the group Tell Mama, set up to monitor anti-Muslim hate in this country, was £6 million from their “inception”, which Chishti reminded MPs was in 2012.

The MP also noted that the government had yet to appoint another independent adviser on Islamophobia, following the dismissal of Imam Qari Asim in 2022 after he was accused of supporting “a campaign to limit free expression” over a controversial film depicting the life of the prophet Muhammad’s daughter.

In further comments Chishti told MPs that the government’s own approach to foreign policy was to advocate for freedom of religious belief around the globe.

But he argued that on “foreign policy issues” such as the Middle East, the government’s approach to anti-Muslim hate at home would not reflect well.

In an intervention at last week’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Chishti had urged Sunak to do more to tackle Islamophobia and told the PM “enough is enough”.

On Thursday he said he had received no response or spoken with the PM since then.

Source: jewishnews.co.uk

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https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/tory-mp-says-sunak-favouring-tackling-antisemitism-over-anti-muslim/

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Ireland To Co-Sponsor UN Security Council Resolution Demanding Immediate Humanitarian Cease-Fire In Gaza

Ahmet Gençtürk

08.12.2023

Ireland on Friday announced that it will co-sponsor a UN Security Council resolution demanding a humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza.

The resolution will demand an immediate humanitarian cease-fire, protection of civilians and compliance with international law, immediate and unconditional release of hostages, and urgent humanitarian access, Irish Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said on X.

“The Council must act,” he stressed.

Israel resumed its military offensive against the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause with the Palestinian group, Hamas.

At least 17,177 Palestinians have been killed and more than 46,000 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

“At least 290 medics were killed, 102 ambulances destroyed and 160 health care centers targeted in the Israeli attacks, while 20 hospitals and 46 primary care centers were forced out of service,” Gaza-based Health Ministry’s spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said on Thursday.

The Israeli death toll in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack stands at 1,200, according to official figures.

Source: aa.com.tr

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London students march in solidarity with palestine, decrying UK, Israel

07 December 2023

Hundreds of students from schools, colleges, and universities in London marched on Thursday in solidarity with Palestine, expressing their condemnation of both the UK and Israel policies.

Protesters called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to the Israeli "siege" on Gaza. They also demanded the termination of the university's partnership with Israel, an end to "UK complicity," and an end to the "repression" of pro-Palestinian students.

Footage shows protesters holding placards with messages such as "Freedom to Palestine" and "Free Palestine," while chanting, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!" Activists and students delivered speeches expressing their support for Palestinians and condemning the British government.

"The British military base in Cyprus has had flights going daily to Israel from the beginning of this war. It has transported, in all likelihood, weapons but possibly soldiers on those flights," said Lowkey, one of the activists.

"Britain is a participant in this war not just diplomatically, not just politically, but very likely militarily," he added

The protest was supported by social and political organizations and unions, and an array of speakers addressed the crowd from student organizers to political figures like the former leader of the Labour Party Jeremy Corbyn.

"I have been asking a number of questions in Parliament this week, for an assurance that there are no British troops involved, for an assurance there are no special forces involved, for an assurance that Britain isn't militarily involved, I am not satisfied with any of the answers that I have received because I do believe we are offering military cooperation with a power that is destroying the tens of thousands of civilians," said Corbyn.

The protest comes after Israel started the war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements launched the surprise Operation al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the regime’s decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

So far, the Israeli genocidal war has claimed the lives of nearly 17,200 people across the coastal sliver., with Israeli leaders vowing to 'wipe out' the Hamas resistance movement.

The Israeli regime claimed that Hamas locations and infrastructure were targeted in the response.

However, United Nations experts warned against "collective punishment" for the people of Gaza, before predicting a "humanitarian crisis" and then claimed that "hell is settling in" for the region.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/07/715985/London-students-supportmarch

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Protesters blockade Israel-linked UK defense factories

December 07, 2023

LONDON: Protests have taken place at factories across the UK tied to the arms industry over the sale of equipment to Israel.

Hundreds of members of the Workers for a Free Palestine group arrived at sites in Bournemouth, Glasgow, Brighton and Lancashire to call on manufacturers including BAE Systems to sever relations with Israel. Protests also took place in France and Denmark at other defense-related facilities.

At the factory in Glasgow, a banner reading “Stop Arming Israel” was unfurled at an entrance alongside Palestinian flags.

The sites are thought to manufacture and supply parts for the F-35 jet, a multi-role combat aircraft built by US defense firm Lockheed Martin, which Israel has used in missions over Gaza.

The group is also calling on the UK government to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and for Israeli forces to leave the Occupied Territories.

A Workers for a Free Palestine spokeswoman told Sky News that the F-35 is a key component of “Israel’s murderous war machine.”

She added: “The fighter jets these factories help to produce are being used to imprison the people of Gaza in a death trap.

“They are ordered to evacuate when they have nowhere safe to go, while our government still refuses to back a ceasefire.

“Workers all over Britain are rising up for Palestine, saying we will not allow arms used in a genocide to be supplied in our name and funded by our taxes.”

A protester said BAE System’s management, not its workers, is responsible for selling lethal items to Israel. “It is them we hold accountable for being part of the chain of killing,” he told Sky News.

A BAE Systems spokesperson said the company is “horrified” by the “devastating impact” that the conflict is having on civilians in Gaza, adding: “We operate under the tightest regulations and comply fully with all applicable defense export controls, which are subject to ongoing assessment.”

Source: arabnews.com

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Raisi condemns Gaza ‘genocide’ at Moscow talks with Putin

2023-12-08

MOSCOW: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi accused the West on Thursday of supporting “genocide” by Israel against Palestinians in Gaza, at the start of talks in Moscow with President Vladimir Putin.

As part of a burst of meetings focused on the Middle East, Putin greeted Raisi in the Kremlin a day after visiting the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where he discussed oil prices and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

In televised opening remarks, Putin said it was very important to discuss the situation in the Middle East, especially in the Palestinian territories.

Raisi responded via a translator: “What is happening in Palestine and Gaza is of course genocide and a crime against humanity.” Iran backs the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the ruling authority in Gaza, in its war with Israel. Russia has relations with all the key players in the Middle East including Hamas and Israel, which it angered by hosting a Hamas delegation in Moscow in October.

Analysts say the Gaza conflict has helped Russia by distracting world attention from the war in Ukraine and enabling Moscow to align itself with other developing countries in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Source: brecorder.com

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North America

 

With Islamophobic incidents on the rise, Muslim Canadians are worried

December 08, 2023

SHEEMA KHAN

Since the horrific Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel, I’ve been increasingly self-conscious when I’m walking down the street in my hometown of Ottawa wearing my hijab. Like many members of the Muslim community in Canada, I’ve been feeling anguish watching Israel’s brutal military response in Gaza, while also grappling with the disturbing rise in Islamophobia that is making Muslims feel unsafe.

Last month, a Toronto man was arrested for a series of Islamophobic attacks, including allegedly assaulting and cursing at mosque worshippers, and spraying an unknown substance in the face of a Muslim cab driver and a woman wearing a hijab, who required hospital treatment. In Ottawa, the entrance of a Muslim centre was smeared with feces, while hateful, Islamophobic messages were posted on public property in a suburb. Amira Elghawaby, Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia, has received death threats and has been put under security protection. Another Toronto man was recently charged for allegedly assaulting and pepper-spraying an individual who was wearing a keffiyeh – a Palestinian scarf – after a verbal altercation.

South of the border, the Muslim community is also being targeted. Three students wearing Palestinian keffiyeh scarves were shot in Vermont last month. Hisham Awartani, paralyzed from the chest down, has vowed to resume his studies at Brown University next semester.

Caseworkers at the National Council of Canadian Muslims received a more than 1,300-per-cent spike in Islamophobic reports between Oct. 7 and Oct. 24, including mosque vandalisms, the message “Kill all Muslims” scrawled on apartments in London, Ont., where a significant number of Muslims live, and instances of harassment and spitting on Muslim women wearing hijab. In Toronto, the police have said the city is experiencing a staggering increase in hate crimes, with 17 reports of anti-Muslim or anti-Palestinian hate crimes and 38 reports of antisemitic hate crimes during the period. There are surely many more incidents that are never reported.

A recent Senate report on Islamophobia found that many Muslims in Canada experience Islamophobia on a daily basis, and called for urgent action to reverse the rising growth in hate. According to the report, “Islamophobia is rooted in stereotypes and misinformation,” which is exacerbated by generalizing the negative actions of a few Muslims to the entire community. Misinformation is often perpetuated by the media, while online hate grows unchecked. The problem has only grown worse since Oct. 7, with more people equating all Muslims and Arabs with Hamas’s terrorism. It’s as if it’s 9/11 all over again, as an entire community is unfairly burdened with negative assumptions.

The spate of physical attacks have only added to the deep psychological burden carried by so many. First and foremost has been the grief of watching the inhumane bombardment of Gaza, which has resulted in the deaths of at least 15,000 Palestinians, including 6,000 children, at a pace described as having “few precedents in this century” by a New York Times analysis. The devastation has left many worrying for the safety of loved ones, while a number of Canadian families have been grieving the loss of relatives in Gaza. In one instance, a Canadian family lost 21 close relatives during an aerial strike. In some Canadian cities, mosques have been holding weekly azzas, or bereavement circles, for families mourning the passing of loved ones in Gaza. Community members are encouraged to participate, whether or not they personally know the affected family, as a way to offer condolences, support and empathy.

People are also worried about being reprimanded professionally for expressing pro-Palestinian opinions, even if they don’t advocate violence. Many feel that Palestinians are being dehumanized in contemporary discourse, or that Israeli lives are valued higher than Palestinian lives. People worry they will be accused of antisemitism or supporting terrorism for simply advocating for the rights of Palestinians to live a life of basic dignity.

Palestinian Canadian Dalia El Farra told CBC Radio that she moved to Canada to ensure that her children are raised “in a country that gave them dignity and respected human rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression.” She has been dismayed, and wonders, “Why is it in this day and age, do I have to prove my humanity and the humanity of my people?”

Clearly, people are hurting, and will need time to heal. In the meantime, we should allow people to express their deep pain and loss in a humane way. Perhaps this will open a window for Muslims, Jews, Arabs, Palestinians and Israelis to recognize their common humanity, thus forging bonds of mutual respect here. Finding meaning in adversity is the foundation of resilience, which all communities will need going forward.

Source: theglobeandmail.com

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-with-islamophobic-incidents-on-the-rise-muslim-canadians-are-worried/

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Islamic Ministerial Delegation discusses Gaza situation with US parliamentarians 

December 08, 2023

WASHINGTON — Members of the Islamic Ministerial Committee, headed by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, met with a number of members of the US House of Representatives and Senate in Washington on Thursday.

Their discussions focused mainly on stopping Israel’s military aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip. Their meetings reviewed the efforts being made for an immediate ceasefire, protecting defenseless civilians, and ensuring the application of the rules of international law and international humanitarian law.

The members of the committee called on the international community to take serious and urgent steps to ensure that relief corridors are secured to deliver urgent humanitarian, food and medical aid to the Gaza Strip. They stressed the importance of activating the role of parliaments and civil society institutions to stop the violations committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

The members of the committee underscored the importance of returning to the path of just, lasting and comprehensive peace, after the truce and ceasefire, by implementing international resolutions related to the two-state solution, and enabling the Palestinian people to obtain their legitimate rights to establish an independent and sovereign Palestinian state on the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The committee members, included Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Expatriate Affairs Ayman Al-Safadi, and Turkish Ambassador to US Hasan Murat Mercan, who attended on behalf of the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs.

The Ministerial Committee was assigned by the Joint Arab-Islamic Extraordinary Summit held in Riyadh on Nov. 11 to undertake a high-level diplomatic mission to end the conflict in Gaza. The extraordinary joint Arab-Islamic Summit issued a resolution that tasked the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Palestine to initiate immediate international action, on behalf of all member states of the OIC and the Arab League, for this purpose.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

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Fears of US veto loom large on eve of UN Security Council vote on Gaza ceasefire call

December 08, 2023

NEW YORK CITY: All eyes will be on the US during a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday, when the 15-member body is due to vote on a draft resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

However, Robert Wood, alternate permanent representative of the US to the UN, indicated that Washington continues to dismiss the need for any additional action by the council “at this time.”

The resolution was drafted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab Group of nations at the UN, and presented by the UAE, which currently occupies the Arab seat on the council.

The text, seen by Arab News, demands “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza and “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access.”

It expresses “grave concern over the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of the Palestinian civilian population, and (emphasizes) that the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law.”

The vote on the resolution follows a dramatic constitutional move by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday, when he invoked one of the few powers provided to him by the UN Charter by calling on the Security Council to demand a ceasefire, to help avert a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza that could have “potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole, and for peace and security in the region.”

In a letter to the council, he said more than eight weeks of fighting has “created appalling human suffering, physical destruction and collective trauma across Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Wood said that Washington’s position on the issue remains unchanged, despite the historic appeal by the secretary-general for an immediate ceasefire.

“We don’t think another Security Council product right now is going to be helpful to the situation,” said Wood.

His country is currently focused on “difficult and sensitive diplomacy geared to getting more hostages released, more aid flowing into Gaza, and better protection of civilians,” he added.

The US has been working to persuade Israeli authorities to recalibrate their approach so that the targeting of Hamas facilities and the group’s leadership is more precise, Wood said. This process will take time, he added as he expressed concern about the number of Palestinians killed and injured but said he remains confident that Israeli authorities are listening to the US calls.

Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdulaziz Alwasil, said he remains hopeful that the US, one of five nations that holds the power of veto within the Security Council, will allow the resolution to be adopted on Friday.

Flanked by 57 representatives of the OIC and the Arab Group, he said an eight-member Arab ministerial delegation, empowered by the Riyadh Summit on Nov. 11 and led by Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan, arrived in Washington on Thursday morning for meetings with members of Congress and representatives of President Joe Biden’s administration, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, during which they would “push for accepting the resolution presented by the Arab group.”

Riyad Mansour, the permanent observer of the state of Palestine to the UN, also expressed “sincere hope” that the Security Council will adopt the resolution and “listen to the brave, courageous principled position of the secretary-general, (which) gives you an indication of how dangerous the situation is in the Gaza Strip.”

Asked about the possibility that the Arab ministerial delegation in Washington would fail to change the view of the Biden administration about a ceasefire call, Mansour highlighted the international isolation of the US on the issue.

He said: “We are calling for a ceasefire. The secretary-general is calling for a ceasefire. All UN agencies are calling for a ceasefire. (Josep) Borrell (the EU’s foreign policy chief) is calling for a ceasefire. The EU is doing the same, (French President Emmanuel) Macron (too), not to mention Russia and China and many others.

“(Also) people in the streets, including the Jewish American community, particularly the young generation, who took over Grand Central Station (in New York), and the (other) millions in the streets.

“All of them are saying, ‘We want a ceasefire.’ (So) those who are opposing a ceasefire are among the very small minority. The lives of children are precious, so any effort to save their lives is in line with humanity and any effort not to save their lives is in contradiction to humanity.”

Source: arabnews.com

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https://www.arabnews.com/node/2422121/middle-east

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US imposes sanctions on Iran-backed network funding Yemen’s Houthis

December 08, 2023

WASHINGTON: The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on 13 individuals and entities for allegedly funneling tens of millions of dollars in foreign currency to Yemen’s Houthi group from the sale and shipment of Iranian commodities.

The US Treasury said in a statement that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s paramilitary and espionage force, backed the scheme involving a complex web of exchange houses and firms in multiple countries, including Yemen, Turkiye, and St. Kitts and Nevis.

Treasury Undersecretary Brian Nelson said funds provided by Iran have enabled recent attacks by the Houthis on commercial shipping in the Red Sea that endanger international trade.

“The Houthis continue to receive funding and support from Iran, and the result is unsurprising: unprovoked attacks on civilian infrastructure and commercial shipping, disrupting maritime security and threatening international commercial trade,” the Treasury statement quoted Nelson as saying.’

The Houthis say they have been staging drone and missile attacks against Israel and Israeli ships in the Red Sea in response to the offensive Israel launched against Hamas in Gaza after the Oct.7 rampage into Israel by Hamas militants.

Iran denies any involvement in the attacks.

Washington has said that US warships have downed missiles and drones fired by the Houthis although the Pentagon says it has not been clear that the American vessels were actually targeted. US warships have also intercepted attacks on commercial ships that the US military says were linked to multiple nations.

The sanctions freeze all properties and interests in the United States of those targeted and generally prohibit Americans from conducting transactions with them.

The Treasury said that the targeted network involved Said Al-Jamal, a key “Iran-based Houthi financial facilitator,” and Bilal Hudroj, who runs a Lebanon-based exchange house, both of whom already are under US sanctions.

Jamal has for years used a web of exchange houses in Yemen and abroad to funnel the proceeds of Iranian commodity sales to the Houthis and the IRGC, the Treasury said, adding that Hudroj has assisted in the remittances to the Houthis.

The 13 entities and individuals hit in the latest sanctions include a jewelry shop and exchange house in Turkiye, the Treasury said, as well as exchange houses, shipping agents and individuals in St. Kitts and Nevis, Britain and Russia.

Source: arabnews.com

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Protection of civilians 'critical,' Biden tells Netanyahu as toll mounts

Michael Gabriel Hernandez

08.12.2023 -

US President Joe Biden emphasized the "critical need" for Israel to protect civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip during a telephone call with Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said Thursday.

Biden stressed the need for Israel to "separate the civilian population from Hamas including through corridors that allow people to move safely from defined areas of hostilities," the White House said in a statement.

"The President underscored the importance of the continuous and sustained flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza. He welcomed the recent Israeli decision to ensure that fuel levels will meet requisite needs, but stressed that much more assistance was urgently required across the board," it said.

"The President expressed his deep concern for the hostages that remain in Gaza. He reiterated that the ICRC must be permitted to access remaining hostages held by Hamas terrorists," it added.

The call comes as officials in Gaza said at least 17,177 people have died since Israel began its war in the coastal enclave in retaliation for Hamas' Oct. 7 cross-border attack.

The vast majority of those killed in Gaza -- about 70% -- have been women and children. More than 46,000 have been injured.

An estimated 1.9 million people have been displaced in Gaza, representing 85% of the population. Many lack necessities such as food, water, dignified shelter and sanitation facilities, as well as medical care, according to the UN.

In a separate call with Jordanian King Abdullah, Biden "reiterated his commitment to facilitating the increased, sustained delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza, and thanked His Majesty for Jordan’s critical partnership in this effort."

"The President and King Abdullah affirmed their commitment to work together and with other regional partners to set the conditions for a durable and sustainable peace in the Middle East to include the establishment of a Palestinian state," said the White House.

Source: aa.com.tr

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https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/protection-of-civilians-critical-biden-tells-netanyahu-as-toll-mounts/3076584

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Senate Republicans block Ukraine and Israel aid; Biden calls it ‘greatest gift’ for Putin

December 07, 2023

U.S. Senate Republicans on December 6 blocked the advance of a $110 billion package of wartime funding for Ukraine and Israel as well as other national security priorities as they tried to force President Joe Biden to include changes to U.S. border policy.

The vote, a 49-51 tally that fell short of the Senate’s 60-vote threshold for moving ahead, came just hours after Mr. Biden said it was “stunning” that Congress has not yet approved tens of billions of dollars in military and economic assistance for Ukraine. His administration warned of dire consequences for Kyiv — and a “gift” to Russia’s Vladimir Putin — if lawmakers don’t act.

Speaking at the White House, Mr. Biden said Republicans who are insisting on border policy changes as a condition for voting for the aid “are playing chicken with our national security," even as he expressed openness to some policy changes.

“Republicans in Congress are willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for," Mr. Biden said, saying American credibility was on the line both with other would-be aggressors and with its allies. “Any disruption in our ability to supply Ukraine clearly strengthens Putin’s position.”

“If we don’t support Ukraine, what is the rest of the world going to do?" he added.

Mr. Biden's address comes hours after he huddled with Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelenskyy and leaders of the Group of Seven advanced democracies, which have staunchly supported Ukraine against Russia's ongoing invasion.

Mr. Biden has asked Congress for nearly $106 billion to fund the wars in Ukraine, and Israel and other security needs, but has faced stiff resistance on Capitol Hill. Some Republicans have grown tired of providing support to Ukraine after the U.S. has already sent $111 billion, and other GOP lawmakers are insisting on stiff changes to U.S. border policy as a condition of voting for the measure.

Mr. Biden said he supports more funding for border security. “I am willing to make significant compromises on the border,” he said. “We need to fix the broken border system. It is broken.” He added that he's ”ready to change policy as well," but accused Republicans of wanting a political issue more than bipartisan compromise.

“Republicans think they get everything they want without any bipartisan compromise," Mr. Biden said. “Now they’re willing to literally kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield and damage our national security in the process."

But Mr. Biden has not publicly said what policy changes he would embrace.

The White House has sent increasingly sharp warnings to lawmakers of what would happen if they don't approve the measure before the end of the year, saying Ukraine's military would be stalled, or worse.

“We’re the reason Putin hasn’t totally overrun Ukraine,” Mr. Biden said.

On Capitol Hill, Senate Democrats tried to advance the aid package, but the legislation had no way forward as Republicans vowed to withhold support unless it includes changes to U.S. border policy. Negotiations over the legislation all but collapsed this week.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer called the result “a sad night in the history of the Senate and our country."

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been an ardent supporter of aid to Ukraine, told fellow Republicans to vote against the security package advancing.

“Legislation that doesn’t include policy changes to secure our borders will not pass the Senate,” Mr. McConnell said in a speech on the Senate floor earlier Wednesday. “The situation unfolding at our southern border on President Biden’s watch is a crisis of historic proportions.”

Republicans pointed to the record numbers of migrants crossing the southern border and argued it posed a security threat because border authorities cannot adequately screen them. But their demand that Congress pass significant changes to U.S. border policy interjects into the debate an issue that lawmakers have grappled over for decades with little success.

By holding the test vote, Schumer dared his Republican counterparts to vote against the cause of Ukraine funding that most have previously supported. He said in a speech the Senate is facing a question that “goes to the actual preservation of Western and democratic values in the world.”

Democrats were also making their case through a series of events on Capitol Hill with Ukrainian officials, including the speaker of Ukraine’s parliament.

The pressure appeared to have little effect on the GOP’s stance. But senators expressed some hope that Mr. Biden's remarks would revive the talks over border security policy.

“This kind of thorny, difficult problem is exactly what Joe Biden and Mitch McConnell have worked on before. And we could use their help and their leadership on this,” said Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., one of the senators involved in negotiations over border policy.

As they look past the test vote, GOP senators have prepared a proposal for the bipartisan group in the talks. So far, senators have found some agreement on raising the initial standard for migrants to enter the asylum system but were stuck over placing limitations on humanitarian parole, a program that allows the executive branch to temporarily admit migrants.

“We’re clearly engaging in the negotiations, trying to be able to solve this,” said Sen. James Lankford, a Republican of Oklahoma who is involved in the talks.

But even if senators somehow find a way forward on the aid package, it still faces significant obstacles in the House. Hardline conservatives who control the chamber have vowed to block it unless it tacks to a broad set of hard-line border and immigration policies.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, already deeply sceptical of funding for Ukraine, has signalled he won’t support the aid package if it does not adhere to H.R. 2, a bill that would remake the U.S. immigration system with conservative priorities. It passed the House on a party-line vote in May, but has been rejected by Senate Democrats.

Meanwhile, the U.S. announced a $175 million package of military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday, including guided missiles for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), anti-armor systems and high-speed anti-radiation missiles, according to U.S. officials.

Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said Tuesday there is about $1.1 billion left in funding to replenish U.S. military stockpiles for weapons and equipment sent to Ukraine. And he said there is roughly $4.8 billion in drawdown authority still available.

Source: thehindu.com

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https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/senate-republicans-block-ukraine-and-israel-aid-biden-calls-it-greatest-gift-for-putin/article67614991.ece

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Group representing Canadian Muslim donors pulls back from Liberal Party over stance on Gaza

Dec 08, 2023

A network representing influential Canadian Muslim donors to the Liberal Party of Canada has dropped out of the ranks of the party's top donors, citing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's disinclination to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict, CBC News has learned.

In a formal letter sent to party president SachitMehra on November 27, the group — which calls itself the Network 100-GTA, London, Ottawa, Montreal and says it has 400 members — said it has called on Trudeau repeatedly to request a ceasefire.

"The Leader does not appear to be interested in truly listening, nor interested in giving true value to international Law, nor truly caring about the children of Gaza. With broken hearts, we must depart the Laurier Club," the group wrote.

"The idea that this situation will all be forgotten in two years is an extremely risky and unwise strategy for the Party. The scale of the humanitarian loss is simply unprecedented."

The donor group is made up mostly of Canadian Muslim professionals, such as lawyers and doctors. Formed in December 2014, the group helped Justin Trudeau to his first election victory in 2015.

The group says it has directed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Liberal Party annually since December 2014. One member of the group — whose donation records CBC News verified with Elections Canada — has contributed nearly $19,000 to the Liberals since the group's foundation.

The Laurier Club is the upper tier of Liberal Party donors. The party's website says that to be eligible for the club, members must donate at least $1,700 per year.

Trudeau's harshest criticism of Israel since its war with Hamas began came on November 14. He urged the country to use "maximum restraint."

"The world is witnessing this killing of women, of children, of babies. This has to stop," he told a news conference at the time.

That earned him a rebuke on social media from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Trudeau also has said repeatedly that Israel has a right to defend itself after the attack by Hamas that killed 1,200 people on October 7.

Since then, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza has said Israel has killed more than 17,000 people with its military response. It has not broken that estimate down into civilians and combatants; it claims most of those killed have been under 18. Public health experts have told the Reuters news agency Hamas kept accurate population numbers prior to this conflict.

Network members have spoken to Trudeau, Telford

Some members of the Network 100 have spoken directly to Trudeau and his chief of staff Katie Telford.

Other network members took part in a virtual meeting with Mehra on December 5.

One long-time party organizer and prominent Canadian Muslim told CBC News he told Mehra during the meeting that "the Liberals should not think that our community is going to forgive and forget."

The organizer spoke to CBC News on the condition they not be identified and said they had agreed not to publicize the contents of the closed-doors meeting.

The organizer described the conversation with Mehra as "very tough" and said it was difficult for members of the network because they consider him an "old friend."

"We're trying to plead with Sachit to recognize the train wreck that is before them," the organizer said.

The organizer said they would let Mehra take the donors' message to the Prime Minister's Office and would give Trudeau until January to respond.

The organizer, a self-described founding member of Network 100, said the group might have to consider an escalation if Trudeau does not start calling for a ceasefire.

Next steps might include telling specific Liberal MPs the group will throw its support to NDP or Green Party candidates in certain ridings, since those two parties have called for a ceasefire, the organizer said.

CBC News ran the organizer's name through Elections Canada's database. The organizer alone has contributed more than $20,000 to the Liberals since December 2014, when the group began its donor activities.

If every member of the group cuts the Liberals off, the party could find itself short at least $680,000 annually. The party raised $14.5 million last year, according to Elections Canada.

The organizer who spoke to CBC also said the group could still support individual Liberal MPs who have openly called for a ceasefire.

They also said the party could lose more than just money. The organizer said Muslim communities heavily backed Trudeau in 2015 and Network 100 encouraged people to canvas for the party door to door.

The organizer said a lot could change for Liberal candidates in key swing ridings in southern Ontario if 1,000 erstwhile campaign volunteers decide to stay home.

Another member of the Network 100, Mohamad Abokasem, told CBC News he has lost faith in Trudeau and a change in the prime minister's position on a ceasefire now would be unlikely to mend the rift.

"We believed the promises that Justin Trudeau as a brand was marketing in 2014," Abokasem said, citing Trudeau's stated commitment to human rights and renewing Canada's presence on the international stage.

"We're not asking him to take sides. I don't want him to support Palestinians or Jews. It's not about that. It's about us as people, it's about the civilian casualties," Abokasem said.

"We cannot sleep at night imagining [that], by the time you sleep and get up, there's at least 50 Palestinians getting killed on the ground," he said, adding that he and his family fled Gaza as refugees when he was a child.

Bad timing for the Liberals

The move by the Network 100 comes at a vulnerable moment for the Liberals, who have lost ground to the federal Conservatives in voting intention surveys for several months in a row. Most polls currently show the Conservatives under Pierre Poilievre would win an election if one were to be held right now.

ShachiKurl, the president of the Angus Reid polling firm, said the Liberals can't afford to lose mass Muslim support in this context.

"It adds to the pressure. It adds to the continuum and particular mix of pressures," she said.

"The Muslim diaspora in Canada tends to lean more left than right and tends to have a higher level of support for the Liberal Party than the Conservative Party. But where the X factor exists is in the potential for the NDP to pick up or take back some support from the Liberals on this issue electorally.

"The prime minister is probably not making anybody as happy as they would like to be."

In a statement, the Liberal Party did not answer specific questions about its relationship with Canadian Muslims.

"Canadians choose to donate to political parties for a variety of reasons, including to support a specific cause or policy position," wrote the party's director of communications Parker Lund.

"The Liberal Party of Canada is powered by individual Canadians chipping in what they can to help build a better future for everyone — and we work very hard to engage our supporters on their priorities to keep moving forward."

Source: cbc.ca

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/liberal-party-hamas-gaza-fundraising-1.7052629

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White House Disavows U.S. Islamic Group After Leader’s Oct. 7 Remarks

Dec. 8, 2023

 Peter Baker

The White House disavowed an American-Islamic advocacy organization on Thursday after the group’s director declared that he “was happy to see” Palestinians break out of Gaza on Oct. 7, the day of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel that killed an estimated 1,200 people and led to the seizure of 240 others as hostages.

A spokesman for President Biden condemned the remarks by Nihad Awad, the national executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who declared in a speech that Palestinians in Gaza “have the right to self-defense” but that Israel “as an occupying power” does not. Mr. Awad said his comments were being misconstrued.

“We condemn these shocking, antisemitic statements in the strongest terms,” said Mr. Biden’s spokesman, Andrew Bates. “The horrific, brutal terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on Oct. 7 were, as President Biden said, ‘abhorrent’ and represent ‘unadulterated evil.’” Mr. Bates added that the atrocities of that day “shock the conscience” and said that “every leader has a responsibility to call out antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head.”

The White House did not have an extensive relationship with the council, which goes by the acronym CAIR, but included an officer of the group in a “listening session on Islamophobia” in May with Doug Emhoff, the husband of Vice President Kamala Harris. Later that month, the White House listed the council among several independent organizations in a document discussing commitments to fight antisemitism. The White House removed CAIR’s name from that online document on Thursday after Mr. Awad’s remarks to make clear it was distancing itself from the organization.

CAIR has long been a controversial player in Washington, presenting itself as a champion of civil rights for Muslims in an era of Islamophobia yet regularly pilloried by many, especially on the political right, as an apologist for extremism. Mr. Awad, a Palestinian American, and his group have been accused of past sympathy for Hamas, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and European Union. While Mr. Awad said in 1994 that he was “in support of the Hamas movement,” he said in 2006 that “I don’t support Hamas today,” and CAIR has denied any ties to the group or support for terrorism.

The remarks by Mr. Awad were made two weeks ago at a gathering of American Muslims for Palestine but were given wide circulation on Thursday morning by the Middle East Media Research Institute, or Memri, a Washington-based group founded by a veteran Israeli intelligence officer that monitors and translates Arabic and other media. In a video posted online, Mr. Awad was seen seemingly celebrating and justifying the Oct. 7 attack.

“The people of Gaza only decided to break the siege, the walls of the concentration camp, on Oct. 7,” he said. “And yes, I was happy to see people breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land and walk free into their land that they were not allowed to walk in.

“And yes,” he continued, “the people of Gaza have the right to self-defense, have the right to defend themselves, and yes, Israel as an occupying power does not have that right to self-defense.”

Mr. Awad said in a statement on Thursday that his comments were taken “out of context” by “an anti-Muslim, anti-Palestinian hate website” to distort his meaning. In another part of his speech that was not included in the video, he said he denounced hate against Jews and called antisemitism “a real evil” that “has to be rejected and combated by all people.”

He said his comments in the speech about Oct. 7 referred to Palestinians who crossed from Gaza into Israel after the border was breached that day but did not themselves engage in violence.

“The average Palestinians who briefly walked out of Gaza and set foot on their ethnically cleansed land in a symbolic act of defiance against the blockade and stopped there without engaging in violence were within their rights under international law,” Mr. Awad said in the statement. “The extremists who went on to attack civilians in southern Israel were not. Targeting civilians is unacceptable, no matter whether they are Israeli or Palestinian or any other nationality.”

Source: nytimes.com

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https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/08/us/politics/white-house-cair-nihad-awad.html

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Alberta opens funding for Jewish, Islamic faith-based schools to bolster security

Dec 07, 2023

Nishat Chowdhury

Islamic and Jewish faith-based schools in Alberta could receive thousands of provincial dollars to beef up security measures at their institutions, following calls from families for protection against hate-motivated crimes.

The calls for extra security come as tensions rise over the conflict between Israel and Hamas — the Islamic militant group that controls the Gaza Strip — that started Oct. 7.

"Motivated acts of harassment and vandalism have no place on our streets, schools, or places of worship," Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said during a news conference Thursday.

Eligible schools can apply for grant funding through the Alberta Security Infrastructure Program over the next year, Ellis said.

The funds are meant to cover the costs associated with physical patrolling, training and installing or upgrading security equipment such as cameras. The grant could also be used to recoup money spent on extra security since Oct. 7, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel, sparking the current conflict in the Middle East.

Maximum allotments depend on why the school is seeking money. Schools looking to enhance security equipment, for example, could receive up to $25,000, while those using money for education and training could receive up to $10,000, according to the provincial government's website.

Islamic independent schools, faith-based "alternative programs" for Islamic and Jewish students and Arabic bilingual schools — including those operating as charter schools — are eligible for the money, according to program guidelines. School boards or school authorities would have to apply on their behalf, however.

Education minister DemetriosNicolaides has heard from Muslim and Jewish families alike who are worried about school security, as the number of hate-motivated incidents and tension in the Middle East rise.

"Our schools should always be welcome, caring and respectful places for our students," Nicolaides said. "Unfortunately, that's not the case for too many Jewish and Muslim students in our province."

Students attending Edmonton Islamic Academy, a K-12 school, are among those affected.

Students at the school have been subjected to verbal harassment and threats from members outside of the community, said principal Abraham Abougouche.

"[Parents] asked us to look into and implement additional strategies, bring in additional supports that'll allow students and staff — and all families, frankly — to come to school and feel safe," Abougouche told CBC News.

Opening up provincial money is a "preemptive measure" instigated by parents in both communities, not a response to threat in Alberta schools, Ellis said.

"We certainly have seen some of the things that have occurred in other jurisdictions in Canada," he said.

Thursday's announcement gives the Jewish community a sense of protection — and it comes at the start of Hanukkah, said Stacey Leavitt-Wright, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton.

"Today's announcement gives us light in these dark days that are descended upon our people," Leavitt-Wright said.

The provincial government is also offering Alberta sheriffs to help local police forces patrol faith-based schools, Ellis said, although he recognizes local police are already overstretched trying to combat organized crimes in cities.

"We can provide that officer presence as a potential mechanism, understanding that the local jurisdiction would have first right to choose whether or not they want to do it or not," Ellis said.

Police reporting more hate-related crimes

Police officials in Alberta's two largest cities say they've reported several dozen hate-motivated incidents stemming from the Israel-Hamas war.

Since the start of October, Edmonton police reported 13 "hate-related events," including crimes and incidents, against the Jewish community and 11 such events against the Muslim community, an Edmonton police spokesperson told CBC News.

Police officers have also monitored 63 "demonstrations, vigils and events of various sizes" related to the war since it started on Oct. 7, the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, Calgary police have reported 24 hate-motivated crimes regarding the war since Oct. 7, a Calgary police spokesperson said.

Half of those incidents are still under investigation, the spokesperson said, but five were deemed hate-motivated crimes and two have been deemed "hate incidents."

Five other incidents were deemed "neither hate-motivated crimes nor incidents," they said.

The Alberta Security Infrastructure Program had a budget of $5 million last year — an increase of $3 million from its inaugural year in 2021.

The increase was to beef up security in places of worship such as synagogues, mosques and churches.

Source: cbc.ca

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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/faith-based-schools-funding-hate-crimes-jewish-muslim-1.7052272

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CAIR-SFBA to Join Gathering in Solidarity with Palestine at Rep. DeSaulnier Town Hall

Ismail Allison

December 7, 2023

(SANTA CLARA, CA, 12/7/23) – On Saturday, Dec. 9, the San Francisco Bay Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-SFBA), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, will join organizer East Bay 4 Ceasefire Now and Contra Costa County residents at a gathering in solidarity with Palestine at Rep. Mark DeSaulnier’s town hall meeting.    

WHAT: Call for Rep. DeSaulnier to affirm his support for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to reject more U.S. military funding to Israel

 WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 9 | 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 

11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Community gathering before Rep. DeSaulnier Town Hall 

1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Rep. DeSaulnier Town Hall

WHERE: Diablo Valley College (DVC) 

DVC Commons for pre-town-hall gathering 

DVC Bistro for Rep. DeSaulnier Town Hall 

WHO:  Families and allies from Jewish, Muslim, and all other religious and ethnic backgrounds and conscious voters and taxpayers of Contra Costa County

BACKGROUND:  

As of Dec. 4, Israel has killed over 17,000 Gazans, including 6,600 children. Over 40,000 individuals have been injured and at least 6,000 civilians are missing in the wake of Israel’s horrific bombardments. Over half of Gaza’s residential units have been destroyed, and 26 out of 35 hospitals—nearly 75 percent—are not currently functioning.  Each day that a ceasefire is delayed, hundreds more will die. Given these statistics, it is imperative that we unify and show our strength in numbers in supporting a permanent ceasefire. 

Rep. DeSaulnier is one of only 53 congressional representatives who has called for a ceasefire. This Saturday, Dec. 9, the congressman will host a public town hall in his district, and we’re showing up to thank him for taking a public stand and to urge him to support a permanent ceasefire and an end to U.S military funding to Israel. 

Residents of District 10 (D-10) and supporters will gather before the town hall to stand in solidarity with Palestine and call on the representative to take necessary action. Community speakers, including anti-Zionist Jewish residents, Muslim community leaders, and Palestinian residents and allies will attend. 

As the temporary pause in the bombardment of Gaza has come to an end, we urge our community to join us in calling on Rep. DeSaulnier to affirm his support for a permanent ceasefire and reject more U.S. military funding to Israel. 

Deena, a local Palestinian-American, said: “While safe in our home in the East Bay, we watch in horror at the atrocities happening to our brothers and sisters in Gaza. We welcome all people of principle to join us in saying “ceasefire now” and to work toward a just, peaceful, equal, and nonviolent future.” 

Riyad Sood, CAIR San Francisco Bay Area Paralegal and a Palestinian-American resident of D-10, said: “The current tragedy in Gaza—reflective of the decades-long conflict—has inflicted immense suffering on the Palestinian people, with countless innocent lives lost. Advocating for a ceasefire is not only an ethical imperative but also mirrors the growing sentiment for peace in the broader American public and international community.” 

The greater Diablo Valley area community gathering is one of hundreds taking place across the country this week, following an end to the temporary truce agreement and resumption of violent bombardment across Gaza. 

More context from Jewish Voice for Peace: 

“…right now, the U.S. government is enabling the Israeli government’s atrocities, sending weapons, moving U.S. warships into proximity, sending U.S.-made munitions, and pledging blanket support and international cover for any actions taken by the Israeli government. Furthermore, U.S. government officials are spreading racist, hateful, and incendiary rhetoric that will fuel mass atrocities and genocide. The loss of Israeli lives is being used by our government to justify the rush to genocide and to provide moral cover for the immoral push for more weapons and more death. 

“We call on all people of conscience to stop the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. We demand that our government (local and federal) work toward de-escalation and that it immediately stop sending weapons to the Israeli military.  A future of peace and safety for all, grounded in justice, freedom, and equality for all, is still the only option.” 

CAIR-SFBA is an office of CAIR, America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims. 

Source: cair.com

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Mideast

 

Islamic grouping condemns Israel for allowing Jerusalem settler march

Rania Abu Shamala

07.12.2023

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned Israel for allowing a provocative march by Israeli far-right extremist groups into occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City.

The march is “part of illegal and rejected attempts aimed at impinging on the existing historical and legal status of the Islamic and Christian holy sites in Al-Quds, especially the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque,” the pan-Islamic grouping said in a statement.

The Jeddah-based organization warned of the danger of the Israeli Judaization plans, including the planned construction of 1,792 settler units in East Jerusalem.

“The city of Al-Quds Al-Sharif, the capital of the State of Palestine, is an integral part of the Palestinian territory occupied in 1967,” the OIC said, reiterating rejection of any measures aimed at imposing Israeli sovereignty over the city and its holy sites.

On Tuesday, Haaretz newspaper said the Israeli police approved the settler march, which is planned to go through the Old City's Muslim Quarter and to demand an end to the Islamic status of Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Various far-right Jewish groups announced in a joint statement early this week that they would hold the march on Thursday evening, which coincides with the first day of Hanukkah, a Jewish festival that lasts eight days.

The statement also said the march would be organized to end the administration of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Department in Al-Aqsa Mosque, and "reestablishing full Jewish sovereignty" in Jerusalem and over Al-Aqsa Mosque.

The department is a Jordanian-run body that is responsible for the administration of the Muslim holy site in occupied East Jerusalem, as stipulated in the Israel-Jordan Peace Treaty signed on Oct. 26, 1994.

Extremist Jewish groups, however, have been raiding the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex accompanied by the police since 2003.

These radical groups, which call the area the Temple Mount, encourage Israelis to raid the Al-Aqsa complex to perform religious rituals, accompanied by calls to build a Jewish temple there.

Israeli forces have imposed restrictions on Muslims entering Al-Aqsa Mosque since Oct. 7, when they launched a massive military campaign against the Gaza Strip.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, a move never recognized by the international community.

Source: aa.com.tr

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Hezbollah launches strikes against Israeli, occupied sites in support of Gaza

07 December 2023

Lebanon's Hezbollah resistance movement has carried out many strikes against Israeli-occupied sites in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, who have come under an unrelenting war by the occupying regime.

The movement announced the developments through 10 consecutive statements on Thursday, describing the details of its strikes against the sites that are all located on the country's border with the occupied territories.

According to the movement, the operations were carried out "in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in solidarity with their courageous and honorable resistance," Lebanon's al-Manar television network reported.

Hezbollah identified some of the targeted locations as the al-Marj Site and Ramim Forest in the occupied Lebanese villages of Hounin, Ma’ayan Baruch, and al-Jerdah.

The targeted locations were all hit "with appropriate weapons," resulting in "direct hits," the movement's military media reported.

On several occasions, the statements announced, the resistance's fighters targeted "gatherings of Israeli soldiers..., inflicting confirmed casualties."

Also on Thursday, the Israeli military reported that an anti-tank missile fired from the Lebanese territory had resulted in one death.

The regime's military has been carrying out sporadic attacks against the Lebanese territory since October 7, when it launched the war on Gaza, prompting a firefight with Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Hezbollah resistance movement Hezbollah fires 48 Katyusha rockets at an Israeli military base.

The movement has vowed to keep up its retaliatory operations as long as the regime sustains its warfare against the besieged Palestinian territory.

Hezbollah says it will continue to support Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip and is not intimidated by US and Israeli threats.

So far, the Israeli military campaign has claimed the lives of nearly 17,200 people across the coastal sliver.

Source: presstv.ir

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https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2023/12/07/715984/Lebanon-Hezbollah-Israel-strikes-Gaza-war

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Israel must face war crimes probe over journalist killing in Lebanon: Rights groups

07 December 2023

International human rights organizations say Israeli strikes that killed a journalist and injured six others in southern Lebanon must be investigated as a war crime.

Separate investigations by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International determined Israel’s military fired artillery at journalists near the border on October 13. Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah, 37, was killed instantly in the strike. The others present — two more Reuters journalists, two from Al Jazeera, and two from AFP — were all injured. AFP photographer Christina Assi, 28, was seriously wounded. She later had a leg amputated and is still in hospital.

On Thursday, Human Rights Watch called for “an immediate, independent, and transparent investigation that holds the perpetrators to account” for the strike on journalists in Lebanon.

The New York-based rights group said the “evidence indicates that the Israeli military knew or should have known that the group of people they were firing on were civilians”, making the attack a “war crime.”

“This is an unlawful and apparently deliberate attack on a very visible group of journalists.” Under international humanitarian law, “it is forbidden in any circumstances to carry out direct attacks against civilians,” it said.

Amnesty, in its own report, said the Israeli military strikes “were likely a direct attack on civilians that must be investigated as a war crime.”

The group’s investigation showed the journalists were “well removed from ongoing hostilities, clearly identifiable as members of the media, and had been stationary for at least 75 minutes before they were hit.”

“No journalist should ever be targeted or killed simply for carrying out their work. Israel must not be allowed to kill and attack journalists with impunity,” said Aya Majzoub, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for West Asia and North Africa.

An investigation by Reporters Without Borders says a fatal attack on journalists stationed in southern Lebanon was deliberate, coming from Israel.

Calls for end to supporting Israel

Human Rights Watch also called on Israel’s main backers – the United States, Britain, Canada and Germany – to “suspend military assistance and arms sales to Israel, given the risk they will be used for grave abuses.”

Since the Gaza war broke out, at least 63 journalists have been killed, including 56 Palestinians, four Israelis, and three Lebanese nationals, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

Over 22 years, CPJ has documented at least 20 journalist killings by Israel. No one has ever been charged or held responsible for these deaths.

The organization said the impunity in these cases has severely undermined the freedom of the press, leaving journalists vulnerable to attack.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah says it has conducted fresh retaliatory attacks on Israeli positions south of Lebanon.

The retaliatory attacks come in response to the regime’s bombardment of some residential areas in the Ayta ash-Shab village in southern Lebanon.

Israel relentlessly continues with its all-out aggression in Gaza. According to the Palestinian health ministry, the onslaught on Gaza has claimed more than 17,200 lives since the regime began its attacks on October 7.

Source: presstv.ir

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Iran urges ICC to hold Israel accountable for Gaza genocide

Dec 8, 2023

TEHRAN, Dec. 08 (MNA) – Iran has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold the Israeli regime accountable for its underway genocidal atrocities across the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Iran's Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zahra Ershadi made the remarks in New York on Thursday. She was speaking before the 22nd Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty that created the court.

"A whole nation that has been subject to oppressive occupation for more than 75 years is on the verge of genocide and extermination," she said, referring to the Palestinian nation.

"Every day that passes without accountability, innocent civilians, including children and women, are being killed and slaughtered, with their lands being confiscated and their homes getting destroyed," the envoy noted.

Ershadi called the attention of the tribunal to the Israeli regime's October 7-present war on Gaza that has killed upwards of 17,200 people and injured more than 45,000 others. Over 7,000 people are missing under the rubble, presumably dead, since the regime launched the war -- in response to an operation staged by the territory's Resistance outfit, she said.

"Half of the enclave is leveled, with no place being spared. Hospitals, mosques, churches, schools, and other purely civilian infrastructures have not been immune, with many hundreds of people being brutally slaughtered inside these places. In fact, no quarter is given."

According to the envoy, the atrocities committed during the past weeks across the coastal sliver, include all the constituting elements of the most serious crimes, namely genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The regime has also ramped up its aggression across the West Bank, killing hundreds of others across the occupied territory since the day when it started bringing Gaza under the unrelenting war.

She advised that the court apply the same level of attention, activity, and resources it applies to other situations, to the situation in Palestine, to avoid perceptions of double standards and selective justice, and to refuse judicial politicization of the proceedings.

The Iranian official also took to task the Israeli regime's supporters and enablers for their emboldening the occupying regime "to continue its atrocity crimes with an absolute sense of comfort."

The United States, the regime's foremost Western ally, has supplied it with more than 10,000 tons of military equipment since the beginning of the Gaza war.

Defending Tel Aviv's atrocities as an alleged means of self-defense, Washington has also been consistently using its veto power against the United Nations Security Council resolutions that would urge the implementation of a ceasefire in the besieged Palestinian territory.

Source: mehrnews.com

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Report: Half a million Israelis have fled occupied territories since Oct. 7

08 December 2023

Nearly half a million Israelis have fled the occupied territories since the start of Israel’s brutal aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip early in October, a report says.

The Population and Immigration Authority estimated that around 470,000 Israelis have fled since October 7, and it is unclear if they will return or not.

"Therefore, there is a negative migration of about half a million people, and this does not include thousands of foreign workers, refugees, and diplomats who left” the occupied territories, Zman magazine said.

That period also saw a decline of more than 70 percent in the number of Jews “immigrating” to Israel.

According to data from the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, only about 2,000 people “immigrated” to Israel between October 7 and November 29.

“This is equal to nearly 1,000 immigrants per month, compared to around 4,500 per month on average since the start of this year until the outbreak of the war,” Zman said.

That came as the war has taken a heavy toll on Israel’s economy. According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, one in three businesses has shuttered or is operating at 20 percent capacity. More than half of businesses also suffered over 50 percent loss in revenues.

Before the start of the war on Gaza, the number of Israelis applying for foreign passports had jumped amid widespread discontent over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan for a judicial overhaul.

A surge in requests from Israeli doctors to leave the occupied territories at any cost has been reported since the Knesset (the parliament) passed a bill late last month that would overhaul the judiciary and limit its powers.

Netanyahu introduced the plan in January, triggering months of unprecedented anti-regime protests, with critics describing the plan as a threat to the independence of the courts by the prime minister, who is on trial on graft charges.

Those in favor of the scheme allege that it introduces some balance in the power that is wielded by the different branches of the regime. Its opponents, on the other side of the ledger, say upon ratification, the plan would empower the ruling class to act in a more authoritarian fashion.

Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas waged the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity in response to the Israeli regime's decades-long campaign of bloodletting and devastation against Palestinians.

At least 16,248 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in the Israeli strikes.

Source: presstv.ir

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UAE tables resolution calling for ‘immediate ceasefire’ in Gaza

December 8, 2023

UNITED NATIONS: The United Arab Emirates, the only Arab country on the 15-strong Security Council, tabled a resolution on Thursday demanding an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire” in Gaza Strip.

And at a joint media stakeout Arab and OIC Groups at the UN backed the call for an immediate ceasefire.

“We sincerely hope that the Security Council will adopt the resolution and will listen to brave, courageous and principled position of the Secretary General,” they said in a joint statement.

Another statement by Pakistan’s permanent mission at the UN said: “Pakistan has joined the Arab Group and the OIC Group to press the UN Security Council to adopt the UAE’s draft resolution that calls for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza.”

Meanwhile, the UN Security Council is expected to meet on Friday to discuss an ‘apocalyptic’ situation in Gaza after the UN chief urged it to act immediately to prevent “a humanitarian catastrophe” in the enclave.

The urgency of this meeting stems from the alarming developments in the region over the past two months, marked by a surge in violence and a devastating toll on civilian lives.

On Wednesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres took the unprecedented step of invoking Article 99 of the UN charter to urge the 15-member council to “unite in a call for a full humanitarian ceasefire.”

Security Council is likely to take up today the UN chief’s appeal for immediate action to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe

The rare move followed the council’s failure to call for a ceasefire in this rapidly escalating situation and marked the first use of this emergency power by the current UN chief since assuming office in 2017.

Article 99 allows the secretary general to “bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter that, in his opinion, may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.”

Source: dawn.com

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Turkish FM in US for Muslim nations contact group's Gaza talks

DEC 07, 2023

Foreign Minister HakanFidan headed to Washington on Friday, along with counterparts in a contact group of Muslim states, to push the U.S. for a cease-fire in Gaza, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The group was formed last month at the extraordinary joint summit of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). It was assigned to take international action to stop the conflict in Gaza and help achieve lasting peace.

It includes officials from Türkiye, Jordan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Nigeria, Palestine and the OIC.

Over the past three weeks, the contact group has held meetings in Beijing, Moscow, London, Paris, Barcelona and New York, respectively. Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed AboulGheit also took part in the meetings.

In its talks so far, the delegation gave the message of starting a solution process – that will be carried out through U.N. parameters – for a permanent and fair peace after the cease-fire in Gaza.

They also called for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.

The delegation emphasized that Israel cannot ensure the security of its citizens by shedding more blood and that Israel's security is only possible by making peace with Palestine.

Israel, it said, has clearly violated international law and that the silence of some countries in the face of this situation has shaken the trust in the international system and international law.

"All countries should distance themselves from Israel's lawless attitude and trampling on human values. Otherwise, they become accomplices to the crime," the delegation warned.

It also said that Israel's aggression increases the risk of regional and even global conflict, and pointed out that there is an increase in anti-Islamic and anti-Semitic actions.

The ministers will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and will also hold talks with think tank representatives and members of the press.

On Saturday, the delegation will meet with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly in Ottawa.

Israel resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on Dec. 1 after the end of a weeklong humanitarian pause with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

At least 17,177 Palestinians, 70% of whom are women and children, have been killed and more than 46,000 others injured in relentless air and ground attacks on the enclave since Oct. 7 following a cross-border attack by Hamas.

The Israeli death toll in the Hamas attack stands at 1,200, according to official figures.

Source: dailysabah.com

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Israel pursues Hamas in and around Gaza's biggest cities

 Dec 8, 2023

Israel pressed on with its offensive in and around Gaza's main cities on Friday, more than two months after Hamas's deadly attack sparked a war that has claimed thousands of lives and left the Palestinian territory in ruins.

The death toll in Gaza has soared above 17,000, mostly women and children, the Hamas-run health ministry said, and vast areas of the besieged territory have been reduced to a rubble-strewn wasteland of bombed-out and bullet-scarred buildings.

Early Friday, the health ministry reported another 40 dead in strikes near Gaza City, and "dozens" more in Jabalia and Khan Yunis.

Israeli forces have encircled major urban centres as they seek to destroy Hamas over its unprecedented attack on October 7, when militants broke through Gaza's militarised border to kill around 1,200 people and seize hostages, 138 of whom remain captive, according to Israeli figures.

In a Thursday phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Joe Biden "emphasised the critical need to protect civilians and to separate the civilian population from Hamas", the White House said in a statement.

Biden also called for "corridors that allow people to move safely from defined areas of hostilities".

Backed by air power, tanks and armoured bulldozers, Israeli troops are fighting in Khan Yunis, the biggest city in southern Gaza, as well as in Gaza City and Jabalia district in the north.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said troops had closed in on the Khan Yunis home of Hamas's Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar, 61, vowing "it is only a matter of time until we find him".

Israeli television stations aired footage Thursday of tens of blindfolded Palestinian men wearing only underwear, guarded by Israeli soldiers in Gaza, setting off strong reactions on social media.

"We are investigating to see who is linked to Hamas and who is not," Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari said at a press conference.

London-based news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said one of its journalists was among them.

'We are dead already'

The fighting has pushed Gazans south, turning Rafah near the Egyptian border into a vast camp for many of the 1.9 million displaced by the conflict 80 percent of Gaza's population.

"Two months on the road, moving from one place to another. These are the hardest two months we have experienced in our lives," said Abdallah Abu Daqqa, displaced from Khan Yunis to Rafah.

Air strikes have followed them.

Eight more hit Rafah overnight. journalists saw around 20 corpses in white body bags, including a child, at its Nasser hospital, while men gathered nearby to pray.

The mass civilian casualties in the conflict have sparked global concern, heightened by dire shortages caused by an Israeli siege that has seen only limited access for food, water, fuel and medicines.

Israel has approved a "minimal" increase in fuel supplies to prevent a "humanitarian collapse and the outbreak of epidemics", and called on the international community to "increase its capabilities" to distribute aid.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said there were "promising signs" Israel may open the southern Kerem Shalom crossing to aid deliveries.

But Hamas has declared a "state of famine" in northern Gaza, saying no aid has arrived there since December 1.

And Israeli rights group B'Tselem said the "minuscule amount of aid" allowed into the territory was "tantamount to deliberately starving the population".

"We are dying here, without even the need for rockets and bomb strikes. We are dead already, dead from hunger, dead from displacement," said Abdelkader al-Haddad, a Gaza City resident now in Rafah.

Intense fighting

The Netanyahu government has responded angrily to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres invoking the rarely used Article 99 of the world body's charter, calling on the Security Council to push for a ceasefire.

The Security Council will hold an emergency at 1500 GMT Friday to discuss the crisis.

The fighting in Gaza has killed 89 Israeli soldiers so far, including Gal -- the son of war cabinet minister GadiEisenkot -- on Thursday.

In a Thursday briefing, the Israeli military said troops had "killed Hamas terrorists and struck dozens of terror targets" in Khan Yunis, and raided a military compound of Hamas's Central Jabalia Battalion.

Hamas released footage of its fighters firing AK-47 assault rifles and grenade launchers from abandoned buildings in what it said was Gaza City, and said it was battling Israeli troops "on all axes of the incursion into the Gaza Strip".

The militant group said it had destroyed two dozen military vehicles in Khan Yunis and Beit Lahia in the territory's north, and its rockets continue to target Israel, though they have been intercepted by air defences.

Lebanon tensions

Israelis remained deeply traumatised by the horror of the Hamas attack and fearful for the fate of hostages as they headed into the Jewish festival of lights, Hanukkah, from Thursday evening.

One of the worst-hit sites on October 7, the Supernova music festival, was recreated in a Tel Aviv exhibition hall to remember those killed and abducted by Hamas, complete with victims' tents and recovered belongings.

"My brother IdanDor, 25, was murdered at this festival and it took eight days for us to be told he was dead," said Daniela Dor-Levin.

"He loved to dance, he had just started his life. He wanted peace."

Meanwhile on Thursday, an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon killed a civilian in Israel, the Israeli army said.

There have been near-daily exchanges across the UN-patrolled Israel-Lebanon border, mainly involving Lebanon's Hezbollah which, like Hamas, is backed by Iran.

Netanyahu warned Hezbollah that if it "chooses to start a global war, then it will turn Beirut and South Lebanon... into Gaza and Khan Yunis with its own hands".

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Gaza toll crosses 17,000 after 350 killed in a day

December 8, 2023

GAZA STRIP: Heavy urban combat raged in and around Gaza’s biggest cities on Thursday as Israeli forces unleashed an aerial and ground blitz, leaving 350 dead in 24 hours, with the rest struggling to survive in rapidly shrinking areas of refuge.

More than 20 people were killed in apartments there late on Wednesday sheltering displaced civilians from the north, taking the Palestinian death toll since Oct 7 to 17,177.

Meanwhile, the UN aid chief on Thursday deplored the precarious state of affairs in Gaza, saying “we do not have a humanitarian operation in southern Gaza that can be called by that name anymore”.

Hamas’s media office said on Thursday that Gaza’s north was in “a state of famine due to the drying-up of basic food products.”

“The pace of the military assault in southern Gaza is a repeat of the assault in northern Gaza,” OCHA head Martin Griffiths said.

He described the aid operation in Gaza was “at best humanitarian opportunism,” where humanitarian workers were struggling to get the most essential supplies to people in dire need.

“It’s erratic. It’s undependable,” Griffiths said of the aid operation. “And frankly, it’s not sustainable”, he added.

“We’re still negotiating, and with some promising signs at the moment,” he told reporters in Geneva.

“There are promising signs now that that may be able to open soon. It would be the first miracle we’ve seen for some weeks, but would also be a huge boost to the logistical process and logistical base of a humanitarian operation,” he said about the possible opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into northern Gaza.

Aid currently being allowed into Gaza comes through the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border, which was designed for pedestrian crossings and not trucks.

Israeli rights group B’Tselem has said that the “miniscule amount of aid” allowed into the territory was “tantamount to deliberately starving the population”.

In addition, the head of medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said that Gaza faces a catastrophe extending far beyond a humanitarian crisis, describing the situation in the densely populated enclave as chaotic.

“My people on the ground keep updating me on the situation, and I can tell you that it has gone far beyond the humanitarian crisis,” Dr Christos Christou, international president of Doctors Without Borders, told reporters in Geneva.

“It is a humanitarian catastrophe. It is a chaotic situation, and I’m extremely worried that very soon people will be in a mode of just trying to survive, which will come with very severe consequences”, he added Devastation in Khan Yunis In southern Gaza’s largest city, Khan Younis, residents reported several Israeli air strikes and non-stop tank fire in the city’s east. Health officials said three people were killed there on Thursday.

Ambulances and relatives rushed the wounded, including women and children, into the city’s Nasser hospital, but even the floor space inside was already full. Two badly wounded children lay on one trolley and a dust-covered and bloodstained young boy lay screaming among the patients on the floor.

“The injuries are very severe,” said doctor Mohamed Matar. “The situation is catastrophic in all senses of the word…We can’t treat the injured in this state.”

However, those who escape violence face an increasingly desperate struggle to survive. Ibrahim, a 50-year-old writer is among hundreds of thousands of people who have fled their homes in northern Gaza to shelter with families in the southern area. He said displaced people sleeping rough or in tents were only the most visible elements of a humanitarian calamity felt by all in Gaza.

“More than once, the displaced people became angry and sometimes stormed Unrwa warehouses because hunger is no less deadly than shelling,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview.

He said there is no milk for infants, adding that a sack of flour had jumped from about 40 shekels ($10.8) before the crisis to 500 shekels now.

“Our cemeteries in Gaza, for example, always have trees. People in the neighborhood went in and began to saw the trees, to cut them down, to use the wood for heating and cooking”, he said.

Source: dawn.com

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US criticizes Israel on Gaza civilian toll as UN to hear ceasefire demand

December 08, 2023

GAZA/WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his strongest public criticism of Israel’s conduct of the war on Hamas in south Gaza, said there was a gap between the government’s declared intentions to protect civilians and the casualties.

“As we stand here almost a week into this campaign into the south... it remains imperative that Israel put a premium on civilian protection,” Blinken told a press conference after meeting British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Washington on Thursday.

“And there does remain a gap between... the intent to protect civilians and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground.”

Israel says it must wipe out the Hamas militant group after its attack on Israel two months ago and is doing everything possible to get civilians out of harm’s way, including warnings about military operations.

US President Joe Biden spoke separately by phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordan’s King Abdullah on Thursday. Biden “emphasized the critical need to protect civilians and to separate the civilian population from Hamas including through corridors that allow people to move safely from defined areas of hostilities,” the White House said.

More than 17,170 Palestinians have been killed and 46,000 wounded, according to the Gaza health ministry, since Oct. 7, when Israel began bombarding Gaza in response to a cross-border rampage by Iran-backed Hamas militants, who control the enclave. The Hamas attack killed 1,200 people, with 240 people taken hostage, according to Israel’s tally.

The Israeli military on Friday said 92 of its soldiers had been killed in Gaza fighting since its ground incursions began on Oct. 20.

CEASEFIRE DEMAND AT UN AS GAZA FIGHTING RAGES

Hundreds more Palestinians were killed as Israel fought Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip’s biggest cities on Thursday — 350 people, according to Gaza health ministry spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qidra. Israel said its forces killed a number of gunmen in Khan Younis, including two who emerged firing from a tunnel.

Arab states have renewed their push for an immediate humanitarian cease-fire in Gaza, with United Arab Emirates asking the UN Security Council to vote on Friday morning on a draft resolution.

The United States and ally Israel oppose a cease-fire, saying it would only benefit Hamas. Blinken is due to meet top diplomats from Arab states, including Egypt, on Friday in Washington.

The draft was amended to say both “the Palestinian and Israeli civilian populations must be protected in accordance with international humanitarian law” and to “demand the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

A resolution needs at least nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the five permanent members — the United States, Russia, China, France or Britain — to be adopted. The US does not support any further action by the council at this time.

As pressure mounts on Israel over the civilian toll of its war to destroy Hamas, the Palestinian Authority is working with US officials on a plan to run Gaza after the war is over, Bloomberg News reported.

Citing Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh, it said the preferred outcome would be for Hamas to become a junior partner under the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), helping to build a new independent state that includes the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.

“If they (Hamas) are ready to come to an agreement and accept the political platform of the PLO, then there will be room for talk. Palestinians should not be divided,” Shtayyeh said, adding that Israel’s aim to fully defeat Hamas is unrealistic.

KEREM SHALOM BORDER CROSSING TO OPEN

In a development that should help smooth the way for more humanitarian aid to reach Gaza, Israel agreed to a US request to open the Kerem Shalom border crossing for the inspection of trucks and their cargo, a US official said on Thursday.

Egypt, along with the United Nations, has been lobbying Israel to speed up an inspection process, which requires the vehicles to drive to Egypt’s border with Israel before looping back to Rafah. The number of trucks crossing daily has dropped to fewer than 100, from nearly 200 during a Nov. 24-Dec. 1 truce, according to the United Nations.

Kerem Shalom sits at Gaza’s southern border with Israel and Egypt and the crossing was used to carry more than 60 percent of the truckloads going into Gaza before war erupted two months ago.

With no end in sight to the fighting, a top White House national security aide, Jon Finer, said the United States had not given Israel a firm deadline to end major combat operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

There are many “legitimate military targets” remaining in south Gaza, including “much if not most” of the Hamas leadership, Finer said at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington.

Meanwhile, hostages still held by Hamas have been kept incommunicado in Gaza despite Israel’s calls on the Red Cross to arrange visits and verify their wellbeing.

Marking two months since Hamas’ attack, the start of the Jewish festival of Hanukkah was a solemn moment for many in Israel.

IditOhel, whose son Alon, 22, was kidnapped by Hamas gunmen from an outdoor music festival where 364 people were killed, said she was hoping for a miracle.

“He doesn’t know it’s Hanukkah. I don’t think he knows the days, what’s day, what’s night,” said Ohel. “But he’s in our hearts all the time.”

Source: arabnews.com

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Hamas says captive Israeli soldier killed in clash with special forces

December 08, 2023

DUBAI/JERUSALEM: The armed wing of Palestinian militant group Hamas said an Israeli soldier who had been held hostage was killed early on Friday in a clash between the militants and an Israeli special forces unit that was conducting a rescue operation.

Al-Qassam Brigades said its fighters had discovered the rescue operation and confronted the unit which led to the death and injury of a number of the Israeli forces involved in the operation, without specifying a number.

They identified the captive soldier who was killed as 25-year-old Sa’ar Baruch and gave an identification number for him.

The Israeli Defense Forces did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Israel rescued a captive soldier from Gaza captivity in late October and has said it could mount similar operations to retrieve remaining hostages if possible.

Source: arabnews.com

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Palestinian Poet RefaatAlareerKilled In Gaza Strike

 Dec 8, 2023

The Palestinian poet RefaatAlareer, one of the leaders of a young generation of authors in Gaza who chose to write in English to tell their stories, was killed in an Israeli strike, his friends said overnight Thursday.

"My heart is broken, my friend and colleague RefaatAlareer was killed with his family a few minutes ago," wrote his Friend, the Gazan poet Mosab Abu Toha, on Facebook.

"I don't want to believe this. We both loved to pick strawberries together."

Israel had conducted further raids on Thursday evening in the north of the Gaza Strip, according to Hamas authorities.

Alareer had said a few days after Israel began its ground offensive in October that he refused to leave northern Gaza, the epicentre of the fighting at the time.

"Refaat's assassination is tragic, painful and outrageous. It is a huge loss," his friend Ahmed Alnaouq wrote on X.

The Literary Hub website also paid tribute to him, while author and journalist RamzyBaroud wrote on X: "Rest in peace RefaatAlareer. We will continue to be guided by your wisdom, today and for eternity."

Alareer, a professor of English literature at the Islamic University of Gaza, where he taught Shakespeare among other subjects, was also one of the co-founders of the "We are not numbers" project, which pairs authors from Gaza with mentors abroad who help them write stories in English about their experiences.

The project edited the book "Gaza Writes Back", chronicles of life in Gaza by young Palestinian authors, and published "Gaza Unsilenced".

Israel launched a vast military operation in Gaza following an attack by Hamas on October 7, in which around 1,200 were killed, mostly civilians, according to Israeli authorities.

More than 17,100, also mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel's relentless bombardment that has spread to the entirety of the Palestinian territory, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.

In November, Alareer published a poem on X entitled "If I must die" that was shared tens of thousands of times. It concludes with the words: "If I must die, let it bring hope, let it be a tale".

Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com

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Israeli forces kill 6 Palestinians in West Bank raid: ministry

December 8, 2023

RAMALLAH: Israeli forces shot dead six Palestinians on Friday in a raid on a refugee camp in the north of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said.

The ministry did not identify those who died, but said they had been killed “by bullets from the occupation (Israel) in the Al-Fara refugee camp” near Tubas.

The Israeli army did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Clashes escalated with the (Israeli) forces who stormed the camp amid intense fire and… explosions,” said the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

Violence has flared in the territory since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry said four Palestinians, two of them teenagers, were killed in multiple Israeli operations around the occupied West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.

The Palestinian Authority says Israeli fire and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank have killed at least 263 Palestinians since the Israel-Hamas war began.

This exceeds the entire death toll of 235, most of them Palestinians, killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict last year.

US criticizes Israel on Gaza civilian toll as UN to hear ceasefire demand

Last month, 14 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli raid in the city of Jenin, according to the Ramallah-based Palestinian health ministry.

It was the highest occupied West Bank death toll from a single raid since 2005, according to United Nations records.

Israel’s military said at the time that soldiers and other security forces had killed “several terrorists” with a drone strike and others in gunfights, seizing weapons and destroyed a “tunnel shaft containing ready-to-use explosive devices”.

Israeli officials and military have regularly charged that the Jenin refugee camp in the city had turned into a “terrorist hub” where armed groups are present alongside tens of thousands of residents.

According to the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF), since the war broke out Palestinian gunshot victims in the occupied West Bank are now being shot more often in the head and torso rather than the limbs.

Without specifying who was responsible for the shootings, MSF’s international president Christos Christou said on Thursday there had been a “clear shift” in the injuries witnessed by MSF staff.

“When you see that shift in the trauma, you will see more and more dead people,” he said.

The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by Hamas gunmen’s unprecedented attack in southern Israel on October 7, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 240 taken hostage, Israeli officials say.

In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and has carried out air strikes and a ground offensive in Gaza that has killed nearly 17,200 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas authorities in the Palestinian territory.

Source: brecorder.com

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Arab World

 

Saudi Hajj minister expects surge in number of Indian Umrah Pilgrims

December 08, 2023

MAKKAH — Concluding his official visit to India, Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Tawfiq Al-Rabiah has said he anticipates a significant increase in the number of Umrah pilgrims from the country in the near future.

The minister highlighted the qualitative initiatives launched by the Kingdom to facilitate the arrival procedures for individuals wishing to visit the Two Holy Mosques, the Islamic historic sites, and various tourist destinations in the Kingdom, regardless of the visa type.

He extended a warm welcome to all guests from India who are eager to visit the Two Holy Mosques.

During his visit, Al-Rabiah held meetings with top officials, including the Minister of External Affairs and the Minister of Minority Affairs, as well as the CEOs of several Indian Umrah companies.

The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation to ensure the comfort and satisfaction of pilgrims from India, as well as leveraging the significant progress in services provided by Hajj and Umrah pilgrims and other visitors. The objective of this cooperation is to create an unforgettable spiritual experience.

Al-Rabiah underscored the efforts made to remove obstacles faced by Indian Umrah pilgrims throughout their journey to the Kingdom, enabling them to visit the Two Holy Mosques and perform their rituals with ease.

These efforts include increasing the number of flights and seat capacity, and facilitating e-visas through the Tasheercenters spread across India. The minister also highlighted the services of the Nusuk platform, which contribute to efficient planning for Umrah.

On the sidelines of his visit, Al-Rabiah announced the inauguration of three visa centers and the exhibition of the Nusuk platform, in the presence of heads of Umrah companies. During the exhibition, participants praised the facilities and electronic services provided by the Nusuk platform for pilgrims. They noted information provided Nusuk about the historic and Islamic sites in Makkah and Madinah.

Nusuk’s efforts in this regard amplify the impact of the spiritual journey for pilgrims and visitors of the Two Holy Mosques. This reflects the progress made in services provided to serve the guests and the commitment of the Hajj and Umrah Ministry to continue facilitating the pilgrims’ journey.

Source: saudigazette.com.sa

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Saudi authorities thwart two attempts to smuggle over 250,000 Captagon pills

December 08, 2023

RIYADH:Saudi Arabia’s Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority thwarted two attempts to smuggle more than 250,000 Captagon pills.

Officers seized the substances hidden in a car and a truck attempting to enter the Kingdom via Al-Haditha Port, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The drug haul had an estimated street value of between $2.5 million and $6.25 million, according to research published in the International Addiction Review-Journal, based on the assumption that users pay between $10 and $25 per pill.

Authorities foiled the first attempt to smuggle 138,728 pills found hidden in wooden boxes inside a truck’s body. The second attempt saw 117,340 Captagon pills hidden inside a vehicle’s spare tire.

ZATCA said it was tightening customs control over the Kingdom’s imports and exports in coordination with the General Directorate of Narcotics Control, as authorities continue cracking down on drug smuggling operations.

Amphetamines are largely used by young men and teenage boys across the Middle East, and the money raised through the sale of all drugs often goes into funding organized crime and terrorism.

The Saudi government has urged anyone with information related to suspected smuggling operations or customs violations to call the confidential hotline 1910, the international number 00 966 114208417, or to email 1910@zatca.gov.sa.

Tip-offs are treated with confidentiality, and financial rewards are offered if the information provided is correct.

Source: arabnews.com

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Saudi FM Saudi meets US Republican senator Lindsey Graham

December 08, 2023

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with US Senator Lindsey Graham, the foreign ministry said.

Prince Faisal stressed the necessity of a ceasefire to bring the killing to an end and to avoid a further escalation that could have dangerous repercussions for regional security.

The Saudi diplomat discussed the situation in Gaza with the Republican politician and stressed that all efforts be made to ensure that humanitarian relief corridors  be secured to ensure the safe delivery of aid.

Israel is conducting a deadly assault on the enclave, which Palestinian officials said has killed 17,000 people.  Israel has vowed to eradicate the Hamas militant group that attacked settlements near Gaza on Oct. 7, which resulted in 1,200 people being killed and around 240 hostages taken.

Prince Faisal also discussed with Graham the need to create conditions for the return of stability to Gaza and the restoration of a path to peace to ensure that Palestinian people obtain their legitimate rights.

The meeting was also attended by Saudi ambassador to the US Princess Reema bint Bandar.

Source: arabnews.com

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Saudi Arabia, France discuss economic cooperation, global aid

December 06, 2023

RIYADH: Leading government and business representatives from Saudi Arabia and France held discussions on economic cooperation, global aid initiatives and human rights at a conference in Riyadh on Wednesday.

Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, supervisor-general of the Kingdom’s aid body KSrelief, briefed Amelia Lakrafi, chair of the French-Saudi Parliamentary Friendship Committee, on the nation’s efforts worldwide.

Al-Rabeeah, who is also an adviser at the royal court, said KSrelief has implemented 2,625 projects in 94 countries worth over $6 billion, and spent a further $483 million in various sectors, in cooperation with 175 international, regional and local partners, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom’s Human Rights Commission President Dr. Hala bint Mazyad Al-Tuwaijri, had discussions with Lakrafi and her delegation on ways to improve cooperation.

Officials from Saudi Arabia’s National Industrial Development and Logistics Program also held talks with French representatives at the conference titled “France 2030 and Vision 2030: Toward Energy and Industry Transformation.”

The conference — attended by Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Bandar AlKhorayef and France’s Ambassador LudovicPouille — showcased over 40 French companies, 16 governmental entities from both sides, and 90 Saudi Arabia firms.

The expanded collaboration between Saudi Arabia and France will include skills training and support for startups.

Source:

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Saudi and US defense ministers discuss ties during call

December 07, 2023

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman has received a phone call from US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

The parties discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations in defense matters.

Prince Khalid later said in a post on X: “We reviewed the defense relations between our two countries and discussed the latest regional and international developments.”

Prince Khalid traveled to Washington last month to meet with top Biden administration officials to discuss the war in Gaza and the prevailing security situation in Yemen.

Source: arabnews.com

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NeamaaMostadama project in Makkah aims to reduces food waste

December 07, 2023

MAKKAH: The NeamaaMostadama project was inaugurated in Makkah on Wednesday as part of the Hefz Al-Neamaa initiative, and Abdullah Felali, the chairman of its board of directors, told Arab News about the importance of establishing an organization to help preserve food while reducing waste.

He said it was also important to find a mechanism to collect clothes to provide for the needy, and create a volunteer team to help with its distribution.

He said: “We are heading towards creating a clothing center similar to (the) markets so that beneficiaries can visit these centers at the association’s headquarters and take what they need.

SPEEDREAD

It is important to find a mechanism to collect clothes to provide for the needy, and create a volunteer team to help with its distribution, says official.

“They will be able to obtain what they need throughout the year, and we will thus be a recipient of these pre-owned clothes that are in good shape, and will allow the beneficiaries to take them.

“Worn-out clothes will be sold to clothing companies and the amount we get will be used to serve the expansion of the organization’s community projects.”

Shoura Council member Hoda Al-Helaissi said recently that the amount of food waste in Saudi Arabia was far too high.

She stressed the importance of introducing stricter penalties against bodies and stores that violated the system.

She told Arab News: “We should work together on the project to combat food waste.

“Collective efforts (will) lead towards the success of the food and clothing waste process, in addition to controlling societal behavior in the issue of waste.”

Food waste costs the country in the region of $10.66 billion annually, and Al-Helaissi added: “The Shoura Council … (has) studied several … European models and tried to emulate their positive aspects and apply them.”

She called on supermarkets to “distribute goods that are about to expire, to those in need, instead of letting them spoil.”

She added: “This should also apply to the many large coffee shops scattered all over the Kingdom that dispose of their leftovers such as cakes, croissants, and pastries on a daily basis.

“The poor and needy are not benefiting from these leftovers, which is an issue that must be reflected on.

“The quantities of wasted food are very large, which is annoying. Everyone must work in solidarity to reduce this irresponsible waste. Waste is not a sibling of generosity. Generosity is one thing, and waste is another.”

She pointed out that Saudis are generous people “but let us not reach levels of waste and failure, and (help) preserve food.”

Al-Helaissi indicated that the European system of food preservation first appeared in France, with Italy, Britain, and then Germany following suit.

She added: “We need community awareness and media coverage at all levels to reduce levels of waste, starting with schools.

“Parents must instill in their children the importance of only buying necessities … and for a person to only buy what they need, as well as raising awareness of the harmful effects sugars and fats have on a person’s health.”

Source: arabnews.com

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Pakistan

 

Pak FM Hails Danish Parliament Bill Prohibiting Desecration Of Holy Quran

December 08, 2023

Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani has hailed the adoption of a bill by the Danish parliament, prohibiting desecration of Holy Quran.

In his social media post, he termed it a prudent decision and expressed hope that other European countries would follow the suit through similar legislation.

He said the desecration of holy books of any faith is against the tenets of all religions, even under the guise of freedom of speech.

According to the media report, under the legislation, the violators could face up to two years in jail.

Source: radio.gov.pk

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Toshakhana case adjourned: Court orders declaring Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi proclaimed offenders in £190m case

December 08, 2023

 Khalid Iqbal

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court has adjourned the hearing of Imran Khan’s bail application in the Toshakhana case until December 11.

The court convened for the Toshakhana case at Adiala Jail on Thursday. Imran Khan’s lawyer, Latif Khosa, did not appear, leading to the adjournment of the hearing without any proceedings.

Meanwhile, the accountability court has issued a written order to initiate the process of declaring Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, and others as suspected proclaimed offenders in the £190 million case.

The court issued a written order directing the placement of proclamations outside the residences of the suspects. According to the order, the investigating officer of the reference reported that the arrest warrants against the suspects involved in the reference —- Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Ziaul Mustafa Naseem, Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi and others —- could not be executed. The investigation officer’s report indicated that the suspects were intentionally not complying with the arrest warrants, with the motive to undermine the justice system. The order stated the court was satisfied that the suspects were absconders and hiding to avoid arrests. Notices were being issued against absconding suspects for being proclaimed offenders under Section 87. Proclamations should be posted outside the residences of the suspects. They should also be announced in native and residential areas of suspects, the order stated. Further proceedings against the suspects are scheduled for January 6, 2024.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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Why did Imran ignore cipher when told by Bajwa?

December 08, 2023

Ansar Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: On March 11, 2022, three days after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received the much-discussed cipher from the then Pakistani ambassador in Washington, former army chief General (r) Bajwa had discussed the issue with Imran Khan but the latter had ignored it.

The Pakistan Air Force had formally inducted modern J-10C fighter aircraft in its fleet during a ceremony at the Kamra Air Base on March 11 last year. The then prime minister Imran Khan, former COAS Gen (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar, former chief of naval staff Amjad Khan Niazi, former Peshawar Corps Commander Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed and some federal ministers had also attended the ceremony.

According to sources, during the ceremony, Gen Bajwa got the opportunity to talk to Imran (who was the PM at the time) about the cipher issue and its sensitivity in view of what the Pakistan ambassador had said and suggested. Imran, however, did not give this much attention. As per the statement by then principal secretary to the PM Azam Khan, by that time Imran had already made up his mind on how to play with the cipher. It is said that a few days after the Kamra meeting, Asad Umar met Gen Bajwa and offered him a two-year extension on behalf of Imran Khan. When contacted regarding this, Asad Umar said that, being a retired politician now, he won't be able to talk on any such issue. He, however, was willing to talk about cricket.

Pervez Khattak is said to have conveyed the same offer [to Gen Bajwa] but for an indefinite period, which was once mentioned by the ISI DG in a press conference last year as well. Imran Khan was pressing Gen Bajwa to get the vote of no-confidence defeated in any manner. In his frustration, Imran then took the cipher issue public on March 27th. A day before that, on March 26, Imran had called a meeting with the army chief and the DG of the ISI at the PM House where some key PTI ministers were also present. Imran wanted to discuss how to foil the no-confidence motion against his government.

It may be recalled that Imran Khan had once claimed that the military establishment had brought him three options from the [then] opposition. In actual fact, the army chief and ISI DG were called to discuss the political scenario of the time. They met and during the meeting three options were mutually discussed between the then civilian and military leadership: facing the no-confidence move, resignation or dissolving the assembly.

Imran rejected the first two options and agreed to the third one which, according to him, was workable. The military authorities were told to convince the then opposition to withdraw the no-confidence motion and in return Imran would dissolve the assembly.

Both the COAS and ISI DG met the opposition leadership on the same day and conveyed the three options discussed between the military establishment and the civilian leadership. The opposition rejected all three options, including dissolution of the assembly.

The ‘No’ by the opposition frustrated Imran Khan, who then started playing on the cipher issue and made it a ‘conspiracy’ of regime change -- without realizing the sensitivities involved.

Source: thenews.com.pk

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PM announces $77.8m ‘Recharge Pakistan’ at COP28

2023-12-08

DUBAI: In a historic announcement at the COP28 summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, the Prime Minister of Pakistan Anwar-ul-Haq Kakar introduced “Recharge Pakistan” — a seven year, $77.8 million activity to use nature to help adapt to climate change. Recharge Pakistan will be a big step for Pakistan to protect itself from the effects of climate change.

The announcement was made at Pakistan’s pavilion at COP28, where delegates, environmentalists, and world leaders gathered to discuss and find solutions to climate change-related challenges.

Recharge Pakistan has unlocked a total of $77.8 million in grants – with $66 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF); $5 million from USAID; $5 million from The Coca Cola Foundation, and $1.8 million from WWF-Pakistan.

The activity will revolutionize the way Pakistan takes care of its environment. It will use nature-based solutions and help ecosystems adapt. It will also improve the health of the Indus Basin, making it more resilient against climate change, and protect the vulnerable people in that area.

Focusing on “green infrastructure” and using nature to adapt is an important move because climate change incidents are happening frequently and getting worse, making Pakistan’s financial problems even bigger. The fact that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has approved this activity shows that the world understands its importance for Pakistan’s climate change resilience.

Addressing the global community at COP28, Prime Minister Kakar emphasized the urgency of collective action against climate change. In his announcement, he stated “The majority of Pakistan is part of the Indus basin and to adapt Pakistan to climate change, we must adapt the Indus Basin to climate change.

The Government of Pakistan is clear on its priorities with the Living Indus; which emphasizes nature-based solutions and ecosystem based approaches that seek to mobilize a movement which will restore and promote a healthy Indus.

The Recharge Pakistan project is a flagship project, which is central to our efforts to reducing flooding and drought impacts. Under the Living Indus framework, this project will not only benefit millions of our citizens but will also serve as a model for climate innovation at a global scale.”

The US Ambassador to Pakistan stated that “Recharge Pakistan is a groundbreaking partnership between our two governments, the Green Climate Fund, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and the World Wildlife Fund.

Not only does it help Pakistan pivot towards ecosystem-based adaptation and green infrastructure, but it places this country’s communities at the centre of climate and resource management decision-making.”

Speaking about the announcement, SaadiaMadsbjerg, President of The Coca Cola Foundation stated, “We are excited to provide USD 5 million as part of a funding coalition that has successfully brought multiple partners to resolve a complex problem. With our partners, we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the vulnerable Pakistani communities susceptible to the threat of floods along the Indus River. 90 percent of agricultural production in Pakistan is supported by the Indus Basin, and nature-based solutions to improve river health are therefore a critical part of long-term sustainability.”

Speaking on behalf of WWF, President WWF, Dr Adil Najam stated, “This is a momentous occasion for Pakistan as the Recharge Pakistan project is a testament to the shared responsibility we bear towards our environment and communities. Because of the 2022 floods, we stood at a crossroads as to how we perceive climate adaptation in Pakistan. With this project, we are restoring the Indus Basin and fortifying Pakistan’s resilience.”

Hammad Naqi Khan, Director General WWF-Pakistan, in his remarks at the session stated, “The climate crisis demands the right finance, the right partnerships and the right planning. This project is a classic example of all three.

Through ecosystem-based adaptation and nature-based solutions, we are taking a bold step towards safeguarding our ecosystems and ensuring a sustainable legacy for generations to come. We are thankful to all the stakeholders for ensuring that this project has come to fruition.”

Recharge Pakistan is a collaborative effort of Pakistan’s Ministry of Climate Change, the Federal Flood Commission under the Ministry of Water Resources, local communities in Dera Ismail Khan, the Ramak Watershed, and Manchar-Chakar Watershed, the Green Climate Fund, the US Agency for International Development, the Coca-Cola Foundation, and WWF.

Source: brecorder.com

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City Council demands world powers help end genocide in Gaza

2023-12-08

KARACHI: The general body meeting of the council of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) was held on Thursday in the council hall of the KMC head office under the chairmanship of Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab. During the meeting, a total of 13 different resolutions were approved.

At the beginning of the meeting, prayer was held for the Palestinians who were martyred in Gaza and those who died in the recent fire in the shopping mall in Karachi. The city council through two resolutions which were approved unanimously, condemning Israel’s aggression in strong terms demanded the international powers, especially Muslim countries, to play an effective role in ending the Israeli aggression in Gaza.

During the meeting, the resolution on the establishment of the Karachi Metropolitan Museum under the Department of Culture and Sports was approved, where the historical references of the last 70 years of Karachi will be preserved for public awareness.

The Council approved the establishment of Enforcement and Implementation Depar-tment in KMC and its schedule of establishment that is aimed at maintaining a better, safe and sanitary condition of Karachi and for increasing revenue by using the available powers, The schedule of establishment has one post of Director (Chief Inspector) and Additional Director each in the newly established department. Other employees included, these posts art taken from different departments of KMC.

Among other resolutions passed by majority votes during the proceedings of the meeting, City Council approved naming the underpass from JoharChowrangi to Habib University in Gulstan e Johar after ‘Palestine Martyrs’, permission to use formerly Alladin Park and adjoining 16 acres of land for Bus Depot of Trans Karachi (BRT) Red Line Project in light of Provincial Cabinet Summary, urgent development of the red line project from SafooraChowrangi to M A Jinnah Road joining it to the Green Line and extension of Green Line project from M A Jinnah Road under BRT.

Taking into consideration the public difficulties, it is recommended that the federal government take immediate steps to speed up the work on these projects. Under the Sindh Local Government Act 2013 (Amended 2023) to the Anti-Encroachment Department of KMC to levy an annual levy/

tax on all BTS (Mobile Phone Towers) installed under the jurisdiction of KMC.

Other resolutions include the increase in amount of Imprest account for Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition in KMC and the KatchiAbadis Department, utilising of 100% charges received from Abbasi Shaheed Hospital in KMC (User Charges) for running the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. A resolution was also passed recommending an immediate end to gas load shedding in the megacity.

Source: brecorder.com

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1.5 million Afghan refugees not burden for Pakistan: ex-PM Imran Khan

 December 8, 2023

Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday criticized the expulsion of illegal Afghan refugees from the country.

“1.5 million refugees are not much of a burden for a nation of 250 million people. There is a fear of a permanent rift in the long-standing relationship between the two countries, considering the way Afghan refugees are being expelled,” Khan wrote on X.

Pakistan gave a one-month deadline in October for all undocumented foreigners to leave by Nov. 1 or face forcible expulsion.

Afghanistan, the UN, Amnesty International and other organizations have criticized Islamabad’s decision to evict the undocumented refugees and said the return must be voluntary and without any pressure.

Khan observed that Pakistan and Afghanistan are brotherly and neighboring countries, whose people are bound in centuries-old relations.

“Pakistan has hosted Afghan refugees for 40 years but the fruits of this years-long hospitality are being wasted just because of a poor strategy, “ wrote Khan.

He warned that the forced expulsion of the refugees may result in a permanent rift in relations between the neighboring countries.

Khan urged the government to revisit the policy and adopt a “respectful” strategy to repatriate Afghan refugees.

More than 400,000 Afghan refugees have left Pakistan since Islamabad announced plans to deport illegal migrants.

Source: ariananews.af

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South Asia

 

Amnesty Intl Calls for Probe of War Crimes in Afghanistan

December 7, 2023

Amnesty International called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prioritize and accelerate the delivery of justice for victims of crimes committed by the Taliban, as well as by other actors in Afghanistan.

In part of the declaration of Amnesty International, it stated that the delivery of justice for the victims of war crimes should be accelerated.

The statement said:  “The International Criminal Court (ICC) must prioritize and accelerate the delivery of justice for victims of crimes committed by the Taliban, as well as by other actors in Afghanistan before the 2021 takeover."

"We demand that the International Criminal Court should prioritize the issue of dealing with war crimes in Afghanistan and provide information regarding the investigation that they started a year ago, where this investigation has reached," said Zaman Sultani, South Asia researcher of Amnesty International.

The Islamic Emirate has also asked the ICC to investigate the war crimes of other countries committed in Afghanistan.

"The crimes committed by the occupying countries in Afghanistan are the responsibility of the powerful countries. This international organization cannot hold them accountable, so we have no hope from this organization, but if it is seen that they are neutral, we will speak about it," Zabihullah Mujahid said.

Military analysts have different views about the demand of Amnesty International.

"If the court wants to cover all these crimes and bring the perpetrators to court, they should start from the United States, but unfortunately, America is a country that does not hand over its own person to a foreign and international court," said Salim Paigir, a military and  political analyst.

Earlier, the Guardian newspaper reported on the war crimes of British soldiers in Afghanistan and said that at least 80 Afghan citizens were killed during the mission of British special forces in Helmand between 2010 and 2013, and only one British soldier killed 35 Afghan citizens during his six-month stay in Helmand.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186393

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Pakistan Envoy Claims TTP in Afghanistan

December 7, 2023

Asif Durrani, Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan, accused the Islamic Emirate of hosting the TTP in Afghanistan, and said that the attacks of the TTP have increased by 65% on the Pakistan border.

Pakistan's Special Representative for Afghanistan claimed that 14 of the 24 attacks by TTP this year were carried out by Afghans.

He has openly said that TTP has a sanctuary in Afghanistan.

“Attacks by TTP on Pakistan’s border areas has increased 65% while suicide attacks increased by 500% only during this year. Another worrying aspect of these attacks has been the enrollment of Afghans, out of 24 attacks by the TTP, 14 were Afghan nationals. The TTP's enhanced attacks on Pakistan while using Afghan soil has been a serious source of concern for Pakistan,” Asif Durrani said.

Meanwhile, Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, the caretaker PM of Pakistan also said that Pakistan has not had official talks with the caretaker government of Afghanistan about the TTP.

Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar worried about the equipment left in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan has not had official talks with the caretaker government of Afghanistan about the TTP, and Pakistan's policy regarding TTP is clear. We consider this group the enemy of Pakistan's security,” Kakar added.

But the Islamic Emirate once again pledged that the Afghan soil will never be used against other countries.

“Afghanistan is not a place for anyone to use its soil against Pakistan or other countries. We are serious in this issue and we do not let anyone use our soil against other countries,” said Zabihullah Mujahid.

Analysts called Pakistan’s claim an irresponsible action against the Islamic Emirate.

 "Pakistan has always adopted a method to put political pressure on the Islamic Emirate and linked it to the deportation of Afghan immigrants, but we do not think that TTP belongs to us,” said MoeingulSamkanai, a political analyst.

Earlier, some Pakistani officials also claimed that TTP and other terrorist groups have sanctuary on Afghanistan’s soil, a claim that has always been rejected by the Islamic Emirate.

Source: tolonews.com

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https://tolonews.com/afghanistan-186390

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No need to show ‘enmity’ towards neighboring Islamic countries: Nadim

December 7, 2023

Acting Minister of Higher Education Neda Mohammad Nadim says when problems occur between Afghanistan and neighboring Islamic countries, there is no need to show a “sharp and hostile” reaction.

Speaking at an event in Nimroz province on Thursday, Nadim stressed that “sometimes there is a problem between two brothers who live in the same house, but their brotherhood does not disappear because of this problem.”

He added that there should be no enmity not only with the neighboring Islamic countries of Afghanistan but also with other Muslims around the world.

“This enmity is not for the benefit of the Muslims, it is for the benefit of the infidels,” he stressed.

Source: ariananews.af

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US forces ready to address threats from Afghanistan: Biden

Fidel Rahmati

December 8, 2023

In a letter to Congress on Thursday, US President Joe Biden stated that American military personnel continue to maintain a presence outside Afghanistan. This positioning is aimed at effectively addressing any potential threats emanating from Afghanistan.

The letter is a crucial component of President Biden’s ongoing commitment to keeping Congress informed about the deployment of combat-ready United States Armed Forces.

 “United States military personnel remain postured outside Afghanistan to address threats to the United States homeland and United States interests that may arise from inside Afghanistan,” Biden wrote.

He stated that ongoing operations, conducted in collaboration with numerous international partners, have been highly effective in significantly reducing ISIS capabilities in Syria and Iraq.

Furthermore, the recent US State Department annual terrorism report confirms the continued activity of al-Qa’ida elements, ISIS, and regionally focused terrorist groups in Afghanistan.

In his letter, Joe Biden also references the deployment of the American military in the Arabian Peninsula, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, South Africa, Cuba, and the Philippines.

More than two years after the withdrawal of American forces, concerns about terrorist activities in Afghanistan persist.

Several countries, particularly in the Middle East, have repeatedly warned about the potential expansion of terrorist groups from Afghanistan.

The U.S. Department of State, in its annual report from 2022 published this month, has stated that Afghanistan’s neighbors are deeply concerned about potential terrorist threats emanating from Afghanistan.

“While the Taliban committed to preventing terrorist groups from using Afghanistan to conduct attacks against the United States and its allies, its ability to prevent al-Qa’ida elements, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and ISIS-K from mounting external operations remained unclear,” the report stated.

The department also added that despite Taliban commitments not to allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against other countries, they continue to provide shelter to terrorist groups.

Source: khaama.com

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https://www.khaama.com/us-forces-ready-to-address-threats-from-afghanistan-biden/

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Stanikzai acknowledges grils’ education ban discontent

Fidel Rahmati

December 8, 2023

In a meeting on Thursday, a deputy minister of Foreign Affairs for the Taliban mentioned that the closure of girls’ schools has led to people and countries distancing themselves from the Taliban.

Abbas Stanikzai stressed that education is a basic right for people, and anyone denying them this right is considered an aggressor and oppressor.

During a televised address on Thursday, he strongly emphasized that “education is a fundamental right bestowed upon humans by God, the prophet, and society.”

Abbas Stanikzai stated, “If someone takes away this right, it is a clear violation and injustice. Let’s make an effort to open the gates of education for everyone.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister of the Taliban stated that people are complaining because schools are closed, and “their complaints are a reality.” Without directly addressing those opposing education for girls, he urged them to “present their reasons formally.”

Stanikzai is one of the few Taliban officials who have raised the issue of girls’ education multiple times. However, the Taliban leader has not yet agreed to this request.

Since the Taliban assumed power in Afghanistan in August 2021, they have prevented girls from attending school beyond the sixth grade and later extended the ban to women attending universities and working in both private and government sectors.

Despite facing widespread criticism from national and international organizations, the Taliban remains resolute in maintaining these restrictions. They argue that the conditions are not suitable for reopening educational opportunities for girls.

The situation surrounding girls’ education and women’s rights in Afghanistan remains a subject of concern and debate, as the Taliban’s policies continue to limit access to education and employment opportunities for Afghan women and girls.

Source: khaama.com

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Afghanistan Embassy in Delhi reopens after month-long closure

Fidel Rahmati

December 8, 2023

The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed on Thursday that the Afghanistan embassy in New Delhi is operational.

“The Afghan Embassy in New Delhi and the consulates in Mumbai and Hyderabad are functional,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi mentioned this during his weekly media briefing.

The spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that the presence of the previous Afghanistan government’s flag at the embassy indicates that the diplomatic status of Afghanistan has not changed.

“You can see from the flag who they represent and our position on the condition of entities has not changed,” Bagchi said.

In a recent development, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from the Taliban confirmed that the Afghan Embassy and consulates in India were operating under their supervision.

Additionally, the former Ambassador of Afghanistan to India revealed that the Indian government had actively supported and encouraged diplomatic engagement with the Taliban, marking a significant shift in regional diplomacy.

According to the reports, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs refrained from giving a direct answer as to whether the diplomats represent the former government or the Taliban regime. However, he stated that Afghan diplomats would continue their work to provide consular services to Afghan citizens.

India has not officially recognized the Taliban government, but there is an Indian delegation operating in their embassy in Kabul. The Indian government had previously announced that they would mainly oversee the delivery of Indian aid to the people of Afghanistan.

Source: khaama.com

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China Firm’s Crude Oil Production Surges 300% in Taliban-led Afghanistan: Bloomberg Report

Fidel Rahmati

December 7, 2023

A Chinese company has increased crude oil production in Afghanistan by 300 per cent, according to a report by Bloomberg.

The news media outlet reported on Wednesday that Central Asia Oil and Gas Company, operating under the name Sinopec of China, a private company, has increased crude oil production in Afghanistan by approximately 300%.

According to the report, this Chinese company has aimed to increase crude oil production in Afghanistan by drilling over 10 oil wells.

Bloomberg released this report while previously, Hamayon Afghan, the spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, stated that this Chinese company had drilled approximately 10 oil wells in Afghanistan.

However, Mr. Afghan added that with the creation and drilling of these 10 oil wells, crude oil production in Afghanistan has currently increased fourfold.

Experts believe that the surge in crude oil production in Afghanistan is reducing the country’s reliance on oil imports from neighboring nations.

Since the return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan, the group has actively sought to strengthen its relations with China. This newfound partnership extends beyond just diplomacy, as it encompasses significant economic and investment cooperation. China has made substantial investments in various sectors within Afghanistan, marking a notable shift in the region’s geopolitical dynamics.

In the wake of the Taliban’s resurgence, Afghanistan has found itself heavily dependent on its neighbor, Iran, for crucial energy imports such as oil and gas. The landlocked country’s energy needs are met predominantly through imports from Iran, highlighting the significance of regional partnerships in ensuring Afghanistan’s energy security.

The evolving relationships in Afghanistan’s geopolitical landscape, particularly with China and Iran, carry global geopolitical repercussions.

Source: khaama.com

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Africa

 

Somali army kills 33 al-Shabab militants in central region

Dec 8, 2023

TEHRAN, Dec. 07 (MNA) – Somali National Army (SNA) backed by local forces on Thursday killed 33 al-Shabab militants and injured several others in a special operation near Harardhere town in central Somalia, officials said.

Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Abdirahman Yusuf Al-Adala said that the forces targeted a primary base of the militant group, resulting in casualties, destroyed the al-Shabab command center and seized weapons cache.

"We thank the role of the local forces and SNA in neutralizing the terrorists in the area," Al-Adala said.

He added that the government is committed to sustaining operations against al-Shabab militants in central Somalia to ensure that security prevails throughout the country.

Al-Shabab militants did not comment on the latest military operations in central Somalia under Galmudug State. The latest operation came two days after the government forces backed by international partners killed 60 al-Shabab fighters near Halgan town in the central region.

The government's campaign to regain control of the country comes after the UN Security Council last week lifted a 31-year arms embargo on Somalia.

Source: mehrnews.com

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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/209292/Somali-army-kills-33-al-Shabab-militants-in-central-region

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Anxiety as Lagos seals RCCG, mosques, hotels over environmental infractions

December 7, 2023

Ochogwu Sunday

The Lagos State Government has sealed a mosque, some churches and hotels in the state over environmental infractions.

The Commissioner of Environment and Water Resources, Mr TokunboWahab, confirmed this in his X handle on Thursday.

Wahab said officials of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) carried out the operation on Wednesday.

He listed the sealed premises as Ifelodun Mosque, Children of God Healing Deliverance and Adoration Ministry, City of Testimony Church, Cherubim & Seraphim (Ayo ni), Station of Relief Christ Ministry and Redeemed Christian Church of God (Sanctuary of Favour).

Others were Euphoria Night Club, Mainland Leisure View Hotel, House 46 Hotel and Suites, Selino Hotel, Lady B Gold Bar, Da-Villa Hotel, Perch Hotel & Suites, and Avro Supermarket.

“They were sealed on Wednesday by the @LasepaOfficial enforcement team over noise pollution and other environmental infractions,” Wahab said.

Source: dailypost.ng

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Terror in Uganda: what’s driving the Islamic State-linked rebels

StigJarle Hansen

8th December 2023

The Islamic State Central Africa Province recently attacked and killed two foreign tourists and a citizen in a Ugandan nature park. Located in the country’s west near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Queen Elizabeth National Park is about 400km from the Ugandan capital Kampala.

The attack was aimed at Uganda’s most important source of foreign currency, the tourism sector. The sector generated 7.7% of Uganda’s gross national product before a slump linked to the Covid pandemic.

The attack highlights a departure from previous attacks by the armed group towards new targets: western tourists in Uganda. It also highlights how regional rivalries in the border areas of Congo-Uganda-Rwanda function as oxygen that has enabled the organisation to survive and grow.

The evolution

The group, originally known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), was formed and financed by the rulers of the DRC (then Zaire) Mobutu SeseSeko, and Sudan Omar al Bashir to launch insurgent attacks on their common enemy in the mid-1990s – Uganda. The ADF was thus initially used by Mobutu and Bashir as a weapon in regional rivalries to check Yoweri Museveni’s influence.

At the time of its formation in 1995, ADF was a rather weird merger of two vastly different organisations.

The first consisted of former members of the National Army for the Liberation of Uganda that had been based around the mainly Christian Bakonjo-Baamba people of the Rwenzori region in western Uganda, and near the border with DRC.

The second part of the organisation consisted of fighters from the Ugandan Islamic Salafi Foundation, an organisation with roots going back to protests against Uganda’s attempts to control its Muslim congregations in the early 1990s.

Uganda forced the new group into the eastern provinces of Congo where it was supported by the Mobutu regime before its overthrow in 1997. It survived the fall of Mobutu by withdrawing deep into the forests and mountains in the border areas between Uganda and Congo.

Over time, ADF grew more Islamic, partly due to Ugandan amnesties that convinced several of the more moderate leaders of the ADF to defect. Signs of a more radical organisation emerging could be seen from 2011. The Islamic State accepted the organisation as a province in 2019. When the ADF leader swore allegiance to the Islamic State, there were some defections from the few remaining commanders who had National Army roots.

Change in strategy

Since 2021, the Islamic State Central Africa Province has launched two different types of attacks against Uganda. First, terror attacks and assassinations far from the Congolese border in places like Kampala. Second, heavy, more military-style attacks against civilians in Uganda’s border with the DRC.

It’s increasingly using more traditional terror tools and has introduced new propaganda material, such as videos with beheadings. Suicide bombings have also become part of its repertoire. The group even attempted to assassinate Ugandan government leaders.

From 2022, the group has carried out heavier raids into Uganda, including attacking a school in June 2023 in a town near the Uganda-Congolese border. It has also launched several attacks against businesses in the border zone.

Uganda’s response

The increase in the Islamic State Central Africa Province attacks led to a Congolese-approved Ugandan intervention in Congo that began in December 2021. The rebel group initially withdrew into the deep forests of the Rwenzori mountains and the Ituri rainforest in the north-eastern parts of Congo. These are close to the DRC’s Virunga National Park, another large area of wilderness and mountains that’s perfect to hide in.

This renewed pressure might have led parts of the rebel group into Ugandan territory in the Rwenzori Mountains National Park. This isn’t too far from Queen Elizabeth National Park where the recent terror attacks occurred.

This latest intervention continues a pattern of Ugandan and Congolese offensives that lead to temporary withdrawals of the rebel group into the forest and mountains around the Uganda-Congo border. These offensives usually end with the rebels returning into towns and cities upon Ugandan and Congolese withdrawals.

Importantly, the current offensive has failed to end terror attacks inside Uganda.

Adding to the complexity of the intervention are ongoing attacks from the largest guerilla group in eastern Congo, the March 23 Movement (M23). M23 has had recent success on the battlefield, recapturing towns from government forces.

The M23 offensive takes place to the south and west of the area where the Islamic State in Central Africa Province is operating, but has repercussions for the group. First, the recent round of warfare in eastern DRC has created a record 6.9 million refugees due to escalating violence, creating chaos that the group can take advantage of.

Second, the ongoing fighting has drawn the Congolese army away from its campaign against the Islamic State in Central Africa Province, and hinders Congolese-Rwandese cooperation against it. This is due to Rwandan support for the M23, which Kigali officially denies providing.

The way forward

The Islamic State in Central Africa Province thrives on Congolese-Rwandese rivalry, as well as regional mistrust dating back decades. Creating real regional cooperation and trust would be the first step toward ensuring that the Islamic State’s local outfit is stopped. It would also help address nearly three decades of fighting in the Congo.

For this to happen, however, African – as well as other international actors – need to stay focused on the conflict in Congo and the unrest in the Uganda-Rwanda-DRC border areas. It’s also important to actively strive for dialogue, especially between Rwanda and Congo.

Written by StigJarle Hansen, Associate Professor of International Relations, Norwegian University of Life Sciences.

Republished with permission from The Conversation. The original article can be found here. Source: defenceweb.co.za

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Ethiopia: Thousands in Dasenechdistrirct left homeless after devastating flood

8th December 2023

A devastating flood which hit the south Omo region of Ethiopia nearly three weeks ago has left many residents homeless and in need of assistance.

The flood in Akodogol village of Dasenechdistrirct was caused by the sudden rise of the Omo River.

The residents had been hoping for some rain to ease their water scarcity, due to a severe shortage of rainfall, but were caught off guard by the unexpected deluge that swept away their houses and belongings.

Now, they are struggling to find shelter and basic necessities, and appealing for help from the authorities and humanitarian organizations.

KubuOcha came back home in Akodogol after three weeks with his wife and nine children, to plant sorghum.

Heavy rains in the highlands of south and southwest Ethiopia caused the river to overflow and flood 34 administrative wards and seven islands in the DasenechWoreda region of South Omo since late October.

The flood has displaced 16,648 households, or 79,828 people, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC).

One of the flooded areas is DelereleKebele, where 150 families have built makeshift shelters after losing their homes.

LolingaAshote, a 30-year-old mother of six from DelereleKebele, recalled the night when the flood swept away her home and village.

Her husband was away with their livestock, but her brothers were with her. She said they only managed to save her children and nothing else. ‘‘The flooding began at night around 1 a.m., accompanied by heavy rain. We were sleeping when the water level rose and engulfed our home. We had no choice but to abandon our belongings and escape with our children".

HencokEphrem, a senior emergency rapid response officer at the IRC, and his colleagues distributed non-food items to 150 households in need of support, funded by the European Union.

The items include solar lights, blankets, washing basins, kitchen sets, laundry and hygiene soap, and dignity kits for women.

The IRC staff have also been conducting hygiene promotion activities to prevent waterborne diseases.

Ephrem said the community had suffered due to drought because of failed rainy seasons, and now the flood had destroyed almost everything they had.

Source: africanews.com

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Widespread floods kill hundreds and displace millions in East Africa

December 7, 2023

After one of the most prolonged droughts on record, the region of the Horn of Africa, in the East now finds itself submerged by powerful downpours linked to the El Niño phenomenon since November.

The combination of these two climatic events aggravated by climate change has caused what the U.N described as a once in a century flood in Somalia.

Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya are affected by the hazards of climate change on an unprecedented scale. According to provisional figures from the countries, nearly 300 people have passed and more than one million have been displaced.

Thousands of livestock animals have also been killed and large tracts of agricultural farmland submerged.

Aid agencies have reported surges of water-borne diseases like cholera due to unsanitary latrines and lack of access to safe drinking water.

Speaking at COP28 on Friday, Kenyan President William Ruto captured the immediate reality and devastation of climate change as witnessed by the catastrophic rains.

Despite being overlooked and belittled during numerous world summits, Africa is for better or worse needed to mitigate the impacts of the climate crisis across the globe.

Source: africanews.com

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Kenya to send 1,500 farm workers to Israel

Andrew Wasike

07.12.2023

In a bid to bolster economic cooperation and enhance bilateral ties, the Kenyan government on Thursday announced its intention to send 1,500 casual farm laborers to Israel to engage in agricultural activities.

The announcement came a day after a bilateral meeting between Kenyan officials and an Israeli delegation held at the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection in the capital Nairobi.

ShadrackMwadime, the principal secretary for labor, met with Rami Cohen, the managing director of Guri Avocados, who led the team of Israeli farmers and investors.

"These opportunities number about 1,500 with a guaranteed net income of 228,000 Kenya shillings (roughly $1,500) per month, on 3 years renewable contracts," he said.

This move is part of a broader effort to foster collaboration between the two nations in the agricultural sector.

The employment contracts are set for a three-year term, with the possibility of renewal.

The initiative is expected to benefit both nations, contributing to the exchange of agricultural expertise and promoting economic development, according to the Kenyan government.

Kenya's announcement is aligned with a growing trend in African countries, spurred by Malawi's decision to send 5,000 young people to Israel as workers.

Last month, Malawi initially dispatched around 220 people to Israel, with plans to significantly increase this number.

WeziKayira, principal secretary of the Labor Ministry in Malawi, emphasized that labor exportation to different nations, including Israel, serves as a means to generate employment opportunities for the youth and contribute to the generation of foreign exchange for the country in southeastern Africa, which has a population of 20 million.

The move comes amid conflicts between Israel and Palestine, which resulted in the evacuation of thousands of Thai workers from Israel.

The Israeli Agriculture Ministry reported that 30,000 to 40,000 farm workers have departed, with half of them being Palestinians prevented from entering Israel from the occupied West Bank since the conflict began on Oct. 7.

Facing challenges in securing foreign labor, Israel has actively sought collaboration with African nations. However, Malawian rights groups and local politicians have criticized their government's agreement, expressing concerns about the lack of adequate security provisions for its citizens participating in this labor initiative.

Source: aa.com.tr

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Southeast Asia

 

Sarawak Deputy Premier: Advisory Council Set Up For Non-Muslim Religions To Promote Mutual Respect, Advise On Religious Issues

By SulokTawie

 07 Dec 2023

 KUCHING, Dec 7 — Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Douglas Uggah announced the formation of the Unit For Other Religions’ (Unifor) advisory council, with him as its chairman and the spiritual heads of other non-Islamic faiths as members.

He said the advisory council will promote mutual respect and provide advice in responding to religious issues.

“We are after all living in a borderless world with all these technological advancements as well as political developments around us and in a world which can create a lot of problems,” he said after chairing Unifor’s meeting to form the advisory council.

He described these issues as very challenging to Sarawak.

“We do not want problems, especially from religious preachers originating from outside the state, to come ashore to create confusion, anger, disharmony or disunity among our people.

“With this advisory council, we now have a forum to discuss, deliberate, and reach a consensus for an amicable solution when we face any such issues,” he added.

Uggah, who is also the minister in charge of Unifor, said the existing religious and racial harmony in the state must be preserved at all costs for the benefit of all.

He said as far as racial and religious issues are concerned, Sarawak is still the most peaceful and united state in the country.

Unifor director Datu Jack Aman said the advisory council’s main tasks are to promote mutual respect and acceptance among all religions and to provide wise counsel on any issue that may arise.

He said the council will advise Unifor on how to respond to religious issues of any kind that can affect the peace and harmony of various races and religions in Sarawak.

He also added it will act as a resource body for Unifor in providing information, recommendations, and proposals from the spiritual perspective of the respective religions for strategic planning and policies on matters related to religious harmony.

Jack said it would also ensure transparency and accountability from the respective religious bodies or organisations for the funds received from Unifor.

“Newer roles will be included when Unifor expands,” he added.

Source: malaymail.com

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Perak State Assembly passes Muslim Wills Enactment Bill

08-12- 2023

IPOH: The Perak State Assembly today passed the Muslim Wills Enactment (Perak) 2023 Bill, which aims to provide guidance, manage governance and effectively oversee the creation and implementation of Muslim wills in the state.

Six assemblymen debated the bill after it was tabled by MenteriBesar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, yesterday.

When winding up the debate, Saarani said that the bill was drafted in such an organised manner, encompassing nearly all aspects of Islamic law.

“It not only addresses the making of wills but also covers aspects of proof, execution, and registration of wills, in addition to outlining supervisory aspects involving the wills of Muslims,” he said.

Saarani said that the immediate first step to be taken is formulating guidelines that will complement the legislation, making it a reference for all parties, whether will service providers, the general public, or relevant authorities.

He said that matters involving jurisdiction and conflicts between federal and state laws will be proposed to the Special Committee to Study the Competence of State Legislative Assemblies in Enacting Islamic Laws.

“This allows for common ground to be reached to resolve any complexities that may arise to safeguard the well-being and prosperity of the Ummah,” he said.

Meanwhile, Saarani also said that the state government will consider the proposal to establish a Hibah Enactment.

“I am pleased to inform that this is already in the state government’s plan, considering its importance as one of the instruments in inheritance planning,” he said.

The State Assembly sitting then adjourned sine die.–Bernama

Source: thesun.my

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Mohamad- Palestine: M’sia cannot send peacekeepers without UN mandate

08-12- 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: The government cannot send a peacekeeping force to Palestine without getting a mandate from the United Nations (UN), the Dewan Negara was told today.

Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said as a member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and UN, Malaysia has decided to wait for a decision from the UN and avoid acting unilaterally.

“Many have sent WhatsApp, written in social media asking why we are not sending soldiers to Palestine. This I need to clarify... We cannot arbitrarily send out our forces past the country’s borders.

“Remember, the moment our forces move across our borders, that is tantamount to a declaration of war on the country concerned. We are not in such a situation,” he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2024 at the Defence Ministry stage today.

Mohamad said the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) had been acknowledged by the UN for its role at the international level since Malaysia started participating in peacekeeping missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Timor Leste and the latest, as the Malaysian Battalion (Malbatt) to Lebanon.

He said any decision to send a peacekeeping force was not determined by the Defence Ministry but was guided by a policy set by the Foreign Ministry.

Mohamad is confident that Malaysia would be among the countries to be asked by the UN to join a peacekeeping mission in Palestine if the UN, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) get the mandate from the UN Security Council regarding the need for peacekeepers in the troubled area.

“Based on this mandate and the government’s decision to be part of a peacekeeping mission, the ministry and I will not hesitate to send our forces to join the mission,” he added.

The House will sit again on Monday.–Bernama

Source: thesun.my

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Ops Ihsan aid received in Gaza, says Zambry

08 Dec 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: The humanitarian aid sent through two previous Ops Ihsan shipments has safely been received by the intended recipients in Gaza, says Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir (pic).

He received the report on the successful delivery personally, he added.

"(The aid to Gaza) has arrived and... we have received the report that the shipments reached their intended recipients as planned,” he told reporters after attending Friday prayers with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim at the Kuala Lumpur Mosque here Dec 8.

Zambry also urged Malaysians to pray that everything would go well with the third shipment of humanitarian aid due on Dec 17.

The inbound 60-tonne shipment is the largest sent so far, with the first being 20 tonnes of medical supplies, food and items for infants, and the second shipment weighing 16 tonnes. – Bernama

Source: thestar.com.my

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Court upholds ex-tabligh teacher's sentence for sexually assaulting student

 08 Dec 2023

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal has upheld the 15-year jail sentence and 14 lashes imposed on a former tabligh (religious) teacher for seven counts of physical sexual assault on a Year Six student four years ago.

Abidin Abdullah’s appeal against his jail sentence was struck out by the three-member panel of judges led by Justice Datuk Hadhariah Syed Ismail on Friday (Dec 8).

Justice Hadhariah, who sat with Justices Datuk Azman Abdullah and Datuk Azmi Ariffin, said Abidin’s conviction and jail sentence are affirmed.

"A mature adult should be a good example to the young, especially students,” she said.

Abidin, 50, was found guilty by the Sessions Court on Oct 11, 2021, on seven charges as a person who had a relationship of trust as a teacher, of committing physical sexual assault on the then 12-year-old boy in Shah Alam, Selangor between Sept 21 and Oct 5, 2019.

He was sentenced to 15 years’ jail and two strokes of the cane for each charge.

Abidin was ordered to serve the sentence concurrently from the date of his arrest on Oct 7, 2019, which means he will serve a prison term of 15 years and be given 14 strokes of the cane.

The Sessions Court also ordered Abidin to undergo rehabilitation counselling for 10 years pursuant to Section 26 (1) of the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017 as well as police supervision for three years after completing the jail sentence.

He lost his appeal at the High Court on Aug 12 last year.

His lawyer Mohamad Zaidan Daud initially asked the court to reduce the jail sentence.

Justice Azman said, however, the court can make an order for the 15-year term to run consecutively, which means Abidin’s jail sentence would be increased as the offences committed by Abidin were separate incidents.

After consulting his client, Mohamad Zaidan informed the court that Abidin wished to withdraw the request.

Deputy public prosecutor SolehahNoratikah Ismail appeared for the prosecution. – Bernama Source: thestar.com.my

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